The Dark Cage

by Dana Gricken

  “It will take some time and effort, but you’ll learn by remembering this,” Wanda began. “As a wielder of the Quintessence, you are in control. The spirits bow to your command. Like a muscle, you choose how much exertion you use.”

  “I…think I understand,” I replied, still floating in a sea of colors. “Now what do I do?”

  “Lift your hand, as if you were trying to open a portal of the Quintessence—a piece of the afterlife.”

  “But…why? Aren’t I supposed to be learning how not to do that?”

  Wanda laughed. “Don’t worry, child. I know what I’m asking of you, and it’s for a reason. Don’t be afraid. Your power can sense your fear, and it can drain you more easily.”

  I tried to push all remnants of self-doubt out of my mind, but it was difficult. It was normal to feel nervous—to fear the power I didn’t understand inside of me. I raised my hand, pushing it through the whirl of colors.

  A small portal opened, and I peered through the hole. I could see that it led to the real world, where our soulless were still practicing in the courtyard. It was surreal to see it from the other side.

  “Well done,” Wanda said, and I swelled with pride. “Now, gently and carefully, close the portal. This is just as important as opening it, especially as the Cardinal grows in strength and opens his own.”

  “But…how?” I asked. “Whenever I’ve done it before, it kind of…closed by itself.”

  “Did it? It was always you, Riley—you were always in control. Intention is important. Believe that you can close it in your mind, and try.”

  When I raised my hand, imagining closing it in my mind and replaying that thought, something went wrong. I could feel it. Instead of closing, the portal seemed to be getting bigger—and stronger, darker souls were heading toward it.

  The spirits were going to breach our world if I didn’t close the portal in time.

  I jumped through the portal to the land of the living, coming back into my body with a painful thud. When I opened my eyes, the portal was still in front of me, but the spirits were right behind, begging to get out.

  “Free us!” the spirits said, in deep, dark voices.

  There were screams and cries within the portal, growing louder. Whatever spirits were inside sounded like they were in pain, and the voices sounded so familiar.

  “No! I can’t let you out!” I replied. “You don’t belong in this world. Close, portal! Close!”

  This time when I raised my hand, I was frantic and panicked, but it seemed to do the trick. The portal shrunk into a small, multi-colored dot before it faded completely. I fell to my knees, lightheaded again.

  I knew I had messed up. The whole point of the training was to hone my power, not push myself past my limits and panic.

  Wanda’s eyes opened and she stood up, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Are you all right, my child?”

  I nodded, panting. “I think so. I…feel weak again. I need more practice.”

  “Indeed. The next time you open a portal, I believe you should—”

  I looked up at her, shaking my head. “No, I won’t open another portal. It’s too dangerous.”

  “If you can’t learn to open it, you won’t learn how to close it, either,” Wanda replied. “It might not make sense now, but when you face the Cardinal, you’ll see the wisdom of my teachings.”

  When I turned around, the entire courtyard had stopped practicing. They were watching me closely, mouths opened in shock. They were afraid of me again—afraid of what I could do.

  Caleb rushed over. “Riley, are you okay? I thought the portal was going to suck you in.”

  “It will if Riley cannot control her emotions,” Wanda replied. “Your fear gets in the way, Riley. You panic, causing your energy to wane.”

  “How does the Cardinal do it? Whenever he talks to me, it sounds like he can do this effortlessly.”

  Wanda nodded. “Yes, because he is a pure soulless—and a God. He doesn’t wear a Purity Crystal, so emotions do not stand in his way when using the Quintessence.”

  I looked down at my Purity Crystal, running my fingers along it. I’d thought it had no weakness, no downside—but maybe it was holding me back. Maybe it was preventing me from using the Quintessence to its full extent.

  I didn’t know if that was a good thing or not.

  “I appreciate that you’re helping Riley,” Caleb began, “but this is dangerous, Wanda. Opening more portals? What if spirits find their way through one and Riley can’t close it?”

  “Riley must try,” Wanda said, as she started to walk away. “She will learn in time. Our training will teach her all she needs to know to master herself and overpower the Cardinal.”

  I chased after her. “Caleb is right. I don’t want to keep going with this, Wanda—not after what just happened. Those screams were haunting.”

  Wanda sighed, turning around. “I wanted you to open the portal for a reason, Riley. You need to see that not everything in the Quintessence is bright and beautiful and harmonious.”

  “No? It has been every time I go there.”

  “Because you are only scraping the surface. Like the real world, dangerous creatures lurk in the shadows—ones of rage, jealousy, and strength. I have no doubt the Cardinal will open a much larger portal soon, and those creatures will find their way out,” she said. “If you quit your training in fear of what you might do, you are leaving yourself vulnerable to what the Cardinal will certainly do.”

  I sighed. While Caleb was just trying to protect me, I could see Wanda’s point. Even though it terrified me to explore my power, to dig deeper into what I could do, it was necessary. The Cardinal could do this easily, much easier than I could—and I had to get better to stand a chance at defeating him and his portals.

  “You’re right, Wanda,” I decided. “We should keep practicing.”

  Wanda nodded, smiling. “I’m pleased you think so. We still have much to go over.”

  Jacob pushed through the crowd of soulless, running over to us. “Sorry to interrupt your lesson, but I have some news.”

  “What is it?”

  “It’s our computer radar. It’s showing something large moving toward our headquarters. It’s not a life form, but a robot.”

  “A robot? Do you know what it could be, exactly?”

  “It’s the Guardian—and it’s pissed off.”

  17

  The Guardian’s Attack

  I followed Jacob into the lobby of the headquarters, with Caleb and Wanda behind me. When I reached the front desk, all our soulful soldiers inside were murmuring. The soulless in the courtyard trailed in after, hearing the news.

  “I’m guessing Jacob told you all about the Guardian?” I asked.

  Patrick nodded. “You guessed right, kid. Any idea how we’re going to stop some killer bot?”

  I sighed. “No—and it’s deadly in more ways than one. The Darkhunters made the Guardian able to kill soulless.”

  “Well, that’s great,” Patrick mumbled. “As if we don’t have enough problems.”

  “When is the Guardian supposed to arrive, Jacob?” I asked, turning to him.

  He rushed over to the computer at the front desk. “Maybe five, ten minutes. Our radar shows it’s a few blocks from here. When it arrives, you’ll know.”

  “Can you change its course? Or even deactivate it all together?”

  Jacob shook his head. “I’ve tried that, Riley. The Darkhunters knew what they were doing. In the Guardian’s mind, it’s convinced its home is being threatened—and it will do anything to protect it. They must’ve reprogrammed its sensors to give it a wider range.”

  “We should’ve destroyed it a long time ago when we still had the chance. How did it get out of the Grove? I didn’t even know it could leave!”

  “That seems like a question you should ask the Darkhunters,” Caleb said. “They reprogrammed the thing, after all.”

  I nodded. “You’re right. We should go talk to them. Everyone, stay here and
prepare yourselves. This fight won’t be easy.”

  “Wait a second,” Jade said, stepping forward. “What if the Guardian shows up while you’re gone? What are we supposed to do?”

  “Then hold it off until I get back. I promise—this won’t take long. Caleb and I will be right back to help you fight it.”

  “If I may intrude,” Wanda said, stepping forward. “Riley, your Quintessence power might be able to destroy the Guardian. If undeterred, it could at least push it into another realm.”

  “If I open the portal, it could draw out more spirits—more than last time. Not to mention, it might make me weak. It’s risky, Wanda.”

  She nodded. “Yes, I know—but it seems we have little choice.”

  That was a last resort, I told myself. We had other options to try first.

  As I walked toward the staircase that led to the basement cells, I passed Hannah, the new Chief of the Golems. She was standing with others of her kind, and Jacob’s sister Jessica was right beside her. They were still working on the headquarters, but with the revelation of the Guardian, they were working a little faster.

  I felt bad for the Golems. Some were old souls trapped by the Dark Queen, used to build and maintain the Underworld for her. Now we had practically forced them to do the same. Hannah had been a Scout, one of Jacob and Jessica’s friends, and the Curse of the Grove had turned her to stone.

  I sighed. This was not how I had seen our future turning out.

  “How are you guys doing?” I asked.

  “We’re fine,” Jessica replied. “Just worried.”

  Hannah shook her head. “The Guardian was not made for this purpose. It is a defender, not a killer. The Darkhunters have perverted it!”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll talk to them and find out how to stop it. But if the Guardian attacks, will the headquarters hold up against it?”

  “Our work is not complete yet. We can’t say if the headquarters will fall, but we will try our best to fortify them while we still can.”

  Well, that didn’t give me much hope, but at least someone was willing to do something.

  I rushed down the basement stairs, walking toward the small section of crowded cells. The Darkhunters were quiet now, looking at me curiously. It seemed like they were just trying to pass the time.

  “I want answers. Now,” I began. “Jacob told me the Guardian’s on its way, and it’s planning to attack us. Tell me why.”

  Rachel stayed silent, a smug look on her face. I leaned against her cell.

  “You know what I can do—you’ve seen it,” I said. “Tell me or I’ll make you regret your silence.”

  I didn’t like resorting to threats—it felt like such a Dark Queen thing to do—but I had no choice. Rachel wasn’t making it easy for me.

  “We put a failsafe in the Guardian,” Rachel replied, hesitantly. “If our bomb didn’t work and we were captured, then it was our Plan B. It’s coming here to free us and kill any soulless that get in its way.”

  Caleb scoffed. “You can’t even kill us yourselves? You’ll let a robot do the work? You disgust me.”

  Rachel smiled, leaning on the cell’s bars. “You and your people will be dead soon, so I don’t really care what you think. You can’t stop it.”

  Caleb balled his fists, and I could see fire sizzling between his fingers. He was a few seconds away from doing something he would’ve regretted.

  I pulled him away from the Darkhunters, lowering my voice to a whisper. “Let me handle this, Caleb. More fighting isn’t going to help us at all.”

  “Is your pet under control now, Riley?” Spencer asked, walking toward the bars. “I never understood why you liked him so much. He’s unpredictable and crazy. It’s a good thing the Guardian is coming, huh?”

  Caleb growled. “Listen to them! Riley, just let me—”

  “Do you trust me?”

  He nodded. “With my life.”

  “Then please, do as I’ve asked. We need to play nice with them, Caleb. They’re the only ones who can stop the Guardian. Realize they’re only trying to provoke you and stay over here.”

  Caleb sighed, unclenching his fists. “As you wish. Please, be careful. If these are our last moments, I don’t want to spend them arguing with you.”

  I shook my head. “These aren’t our last moments, Caleb. Everything will be fine.”

  I didn’t know that for sure, but I needed to hear it right now.

  I walked back over to the cells, displaying my best poker face. I couldn’t look angry or upset—not like I had before when I’d threatened them. A reaction was what they wanted, and I wasn’t going to give it to them. I was, however, going to try to manipulate them, starting with the easiest one of them all.

  My dad, who still hadn’t said anything. I could always sense when he was feeling guilty. For all his bravado, he was a man who could feel things deeply.

  I looked him dead in the eyes. “Dad, think about what you’re doing. This building was sacred to the Sentinels once. If it falls again, it’s an insult to all the Sentinels who lost their lives fighting the war.”

  “It was only sacred before you brought your soulless here and ruined it,” Rachel said. “The Guardian is going to purify it—rid it of your disease.”

  Dad still said nothing. Okay, maybe I needed to change my approach.

  “I saved your lives, you know,” I said, pacing. “I used my power, risking my life to pull you out of the Mindfield. You’re only here—with clear, free minds—because I showed you mercy. Why can’t you do the same for us?”

  The Darkhunters didn’t have a snappy reply to that one. They looked around at each other, obviously conflicted.

  “We’re sorry it came to this, Riley,” Dad said, walking toward the bars, “but we’re grateful you saved us.”

  Rachel nodded. “Your dad’s right. We haven’t forgotten what you did for us, but our mission is still the same. You, a soulless, merely saved us from another one. Don’t you see how dangerous your type is? Especially you, linked to some soulless God?”

  And people thought I was the stubborn one.

  “Riley, this isn’t working,” Caleb said, leaning forward to whisper in my ear. “I know you’re hoping they’ll see the light and change their ways, but we’re running out of time.”

  I sighed. Caleb was right. My bargaining and guilt-trips weren’t working on them—but there was one last thing I had to know.

  “After the Guardian attacks this place,” I began, “whether it kills us or not, where will you go? What’s so important that you need to break out of here?”

  “We know of a safe place. We’ll be focusing on killing the Cardinal and the Dark Queen,” Rachel replied. “We weren’t lying when we said we were grateful before, Riley. When we’re free, we’re going to leave you and your allies alone—for now, just until the Cardinal is dead.”

  “If the Guardian doesn’t kill us first,” Caleb muttered. “How nice of them to give us a break.”

  The Communication Crystal vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out, glancing at it when Jacob’s face appeared within it. He was still upstairs, typing frantically on the computer.

  “Riley, our computers show the Guardian is getting closer,” Jacob said. “Whatever you’re doing down there, finish up. I’m trying to slow it down, but I can’t stop it from coming.”

  When his voice cut out, I sighed, putting the crystal away. It was times like these when I resented being a leader. Innocent lives were counting on me—and the next decision I’d make.

  “We need to get the soulless out of here, Riley. The Guardian will be after us and our people,” Caleb whispered. “The soulful will be fine, though. They can cover us while we flee.”

  “You heard Jacob. There’s no time. We have no choice but to stay and fight—and hope for the best.”

  “You may as well let us out already,” Rachel said. “It’s going to happen one way or another.”

  I glared at her. “No. If you want out, I’m going to make the Guardi
an work for it.”

  I trudged up the stairs, slamming my foot with every step. I was angry now—and afraid of what was to come.

  “Was that really a smart choice, Riley?” Caleb asked, once we were far away from the Darkhunters. “If we set them free, the Guardian might not destroy the headquarters.”

  “And if it still does?” I asked, scoffing. “No. I won’t be the one to set terrorists free. Their escape will only be over my dead body.”

  “Don’t say that. I want you to survive this, Riley. You need to. Promise me.”

  I couldn’t promise him anything—not now—so I said nothing instead. It was better than lying.

  I walked through the large groups of people, who had suited up in strong armor with many different weapons. The soulless were practicing their powers again, keeping them strong and primed for battle.

  “Jacob, what’s the Guardian’s ETA?”

  “Any minute now, Riley,” Jacob replied, still transfixed on the computer screen. “I’ve managed to hack into the Guardian’s mainframe and freeze it for a few seconds, but it always comes back online.”

  “Last minute orders, kid?” Patrick asked. “Maybe one that starts with how the hell we’re taking this thing down?”

  “Right. Here’s what I’m thinking,” I began. “I say we throw everything we have at it—every power, every weapon. Don’t worry about the headquarters anymore. It can always be rebuilt, but this Guardian must be stopped at any cost. Does that work for you?”

  Patrick smiled. “You read my mind, kid.”

  “Good. Now, the Darkhunters are hoping the Guardian will free them. It’s the main reason it’s coming,” I replied. “Bane, Ruby, Jade—guard the basement cells. I don’t want those dangerous killers set free.”

  King Bane nodded. “We will defend them with our lives, Miss Stark. Please, take care of my son. He’s more than capable of self-defense, but I fear for him with the Guardian’s new abilities.”

  “I’ll protect him. Now get going,” I replied, and the three of them scurried away. I turned to the Golems, who had lined up in front of me. “Hannah, Golems, can you reason with the Guardian? Or, maybe you’d have more luck attacking it than us?”