Descent Unto Dark: The White Mage Saga #3 (The Chronicles of Lumineia)

by Ben Hale

  She raised her chin. "I wanted to see it. It represents the last time the portal to the Dark was closed." It was a half truth, and one she hoped was sufficient.

  Alice studied her, and then shrugged. "No matter. You stole a horrending dagger. Then you gave it to someone who used it to strip Drake of magic. Who was responsible?"

  Tess didn't respond. She doesn't think I did it on my own.

  "Was it worth the life of your friend?" Alice pressed. "Kyle, was it?"

  Anger boiled inside Tess. "Your people killed him, not me."

  Alice released an explosive breath. "It's my fault, you know. I should never have left you with the aurens for so long. It's because of Jack and Kate that you are blinded to the truth. They corrupted your mind in way that compels me to set it right."

  "Leave my parents out of this."

  It was the wrong thing to say, but the words had already left her mouth. Alice's eyes hardened into black diamonds.

  "I . . . am your parent," Alice said. "And it's time you accepted that." She threw Keidon a glance and he touched the glass wall of the ship. A large section brightened to an aerial view of Richmond. Then it zoomed in.

  "What are you doing?" Tess demanded. Her gut coiled with fear and anger.

  "Restrain her," Alice said, and the Voidlings flitted to Tess.

  Each grasped an arm, and her willpower was siphoned away. She fought back, but her fear gave them too much strength.

  "Please stop . . .," she pleaded.

  Alice didn't respond. The view tightened onto a large walled compound. Gun ranges, barracks, and uniformed men identified it as a training area. Within moments the view had become close enough that she could see the top of individual heads.

  Then she saw her mom.

  Dressed in the same uniform, she had a long-barreled rifle slung over her shoulder and was talking to another soldier. Her brown hair shifted as she tossed it over her shoulder, unaware that she was being watched.

  "The aurens have come a long way," Alice said, "I'll give them that. Granted, much of their progress was due to our influence, but they deserve some credit."

  "Please don't . . ." Tess fought to rise. Alice continued as if she hadn't heard her.

  "This satellite, for instance, was originally a United States spy satellite. Keidon appropriated it recently for purposes like this, and has modified the program so its signals can be focused. Unfortunately I had to use it on a subordinate before your mother could capture him. She was quite determined to take him alive."

  "Please." Tears were wetting Tess's cheeks, and blurring her vision.

  "It's a shame there aren't other satellites with the right components, or this would be much more useful," Alice went on. "With only one capable of doing this it merely serves as a lesson. When concentrated to a sufficient point, it has the power to strike with the force of a solar flare. It's quite extraordinary, really."

  "You don't have to do this." Tess was on her knees, begging and trying to resist at the same time.

  "Apparently I do," Alice said, and finally turned to face her. "You need to let them go, Tess. They are not your family. It is my bloodline that has led to your birth, and it is I that you are meant to serve. The only way you will see that is if Kate and Jack are gone."

  The mention of their names sparked something within Tess, and a surge of rage gave her sudden strength. Energy exploded off her body, launching the Voidlings into the glass.

  "They. Are. My. Family!" she screamed, and released everything she had at Alice.

  A torrent of charged fire, wind, and shards of ice streaked across the ship, shattering the domed ceiling. Then—impossibly—it missed. As if Tess's aim had been off, the eruption of magic went right past her.

  Alice laughed as wind filled the roofless skyship. Then abruptly she was furious. "You will never defeat me, daughter."

  Tess launched another blast, but Alice knocked it aside with a scornful swing of her hand. Her strange yellow magic flared with the motion. Step by step Alice advanced through the increasingly desperate spells.

  Tess threw everything she had, her most powerful spells. In the span of seconds she encased Alice in ice, pummeled her with a fire hydra, and tried to throw her with gravity. Then she launched all the glass pieces from the floor at her. Again they missed. The next moment Alice stood right in front of her, her eyes alight with contempt.

  "Haven't you figured it out yet, daughter? My magic is the magic of luck. My will shapes the fabric of fortune. No power on earth can defeat me. It's why you were born to me. I made you come, Tess. My magic is what gave you yours. And it's time you accepted it."

  Alice gestured to Keidon, who nodded at the unspoken order. Tess's mind screamed for her to act, to stop the murder that was about to occur. Then suddenly she realized she'd seen this moment before. This was the moment that she'd seen in her farsight.

  And she knew what to do.

  She raised her hands to strike again, and Alice lifted a blazing hand to strike back at her. Tess released a blast of desperate magic—at Keidon. Aimed at the invisible thread above his head, her augmentous curse melded with his own spell.

  Like a beacon of light, the fused magics burned in the visible spectrum on their way to the sky. Keidon shouted in dismay and cast a second charm but it was too late. High above the Earth's atmosphere, the empowered spell struck the reflecting dish with ten times the intended power. Glass shattered, computer chips fried, and the blast of energy bored through the satellite like a laser, tearing it apart.

  Tess caught a glimpse of her success before Alice's blow struck her. Intended to find resistance, Alice's spell landed square in her chest. The impact slammed her through the remaining glass at the side of the ship . . . and launched her free of the vessel.

  Wind shrieked around her as she plummeted, and she distantly heard Alice screaming for someone to catch her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a crowd of students standing at the edge of Tryton's. Their horrified expressions seared into her fading consciousness. Falling past the school, she lapsed into oblivion.

  And the Dark rose up to claim her.

  Chapter 45: Broken

  Kate arrived less than a minute before the meeting was set to begin. Dodging into the room, she caught one of the last empty seats. She flashed Jack a smile just before the Deputy Director of the CIA entered.

  Tom Richardson entered the room and sank into a seat at the head of the table. Kate was struck by how tired Jack's boss looked. Before the Dark he'd been almost young, with just a touch of grey in his dark brown hair. Now his face was lined with age. Jack slid him a folder, but he rubbed his eyes instead of opening it.

  "No paperwork today, Jack. Just give me the sit-rep."

  Jack leaned back, his expression tight. "The Dark has surpassed ten million square miles, and we have confirmed that it is expanding faster east than west. We expect it to breach China's border within two weeks. Over fifty countries have been fully or partially taken over, and as of an hour ago, six have surrendered to Alice."

  "How many have been lost to the cloud, Jack?" Tom visibly braced for the answer.

  "Exact numbers remain difficult to ascertain," Jack said. "As you are aware, millions fled from the Middle East. At this point we believe that over two hundred million people didn't make it. We expect that number will rise once the cloud hits the denser population areas of India and China. By then the numbers will skyrocket."

  There was a collective intake of breath. About half of those present had known the numbers, but hearing it out loud sent a chill through the room. For those who hadn't been read in prior to the meeting, the truth would be devastating. Tom closed his eyes and swallowed, a move uncharacteristic of the former Army Ranger.

  "It's been four weeks," he said, and enunciated every word. "Is there any positive news?"

  Jack threw a glance around the room, and Kate flashed him a sympathetic look. As the head of the MIO, Jack was supposed to take the lead in the meeting. Other department heads were present
, but they avoided eye contact with him. Kate had been selected to stand in for her task force, which only meant she'd drawn the short straw.

  Jack motioned toward the folder. "We have managed to analyze the data that our agent placed in Odessa. The circuitry of the instruments was destroyed soon after the Dark covered them, but they managed to transmit several minutes of readings before they were."

  "And the agent?"

  "We lost contact with Bracken when the cloud overtook the city," Jack replied. "We don't know if he made it out."

  Tom sighed. "I let you use him because you said he was essential to identifying the makeup of the threat. What did you get?"

  "Contrary to what we initially thought, the Dark is organic in nature, and comprised of an almost infinite number of energy infused organisms. Collectively they act like synapses of a brain, although on a much larger scale."

  Tom frowned. "What are you saying, Jack?"

  "We believe that the Dark is sentient."

  Tom shifted in his chair. "The cloud is conscious? It knows what it's doing to us?"

  "The data suggests that it feeds on energy. Light, electricity, even radiation are essentially its food. Upon contact with a vertebrate mind it has the capacity to induce auditory and visual hallucinations. Prolonged exposure inhibits the higher functions of the human brain, but the rate of change varies distinctly. At this point we still don't know what causes the variance. Some, like the members of SEAL Team 3, manage to withstand extended contact. Others succumb in seconds, and once they do the Dark begins to alter their physiological makeup.

  Jack gestured to Malcom Walker, CIA sub-chief of the European field offices. "Agent Walker's report provides evidence that these Twisted are more like beasts, and act like appendages to the Dark. We know they can be killed, but the cloud itself has proved impervious to projectile and energy weapons."

  Agent Paulson from the FBI shook his head. "You're saying that the cloud is building an army?"

  "I can't say that for certain," Jack replied. "For now the Twisted remain mostly inside the cloud. Intel suggests that they come out when it appears its prey is about to escape. At this stage we have no way of knowing exactly how many there are, but we have to assume their numbers mirror the casualty list. As you are all aware, the Harbingers have been systematically infiltrating our satellites, so intel is becoming scarce." He hesitated, and then added, "Tom, it may be time for a last resort."

  Tom shook his head. "The president just received a call from the Russian prime minister. Apparently they launched a low-yield tactical nuke when it took over Moscow."

  "That was days ago," Jack said. "Why didn't we hear of it?"

  "Because nothing happened," Tom replied. "They know the missile detonated, but the Dark must have absorbed the energy like it does everything else."

  Someone cursed, but it didn't seem to matter who. Launching a nuke had been the last resort that anyone had been willing to consider. The realization that it had already failed was like finding out the lifeboat you'd pinned your hopes on had sunk. Despair washed over the room, palpable enough to taste.

  Tom finally sighed. "The president has ordered all military assets to withdraw to the US. He's also evacuating Hawaii and Alaska."

  "What about the refugees?" Agent Wagner asked.

  Kate threw her a look. She didn't know the woman well, but she did know that she had relatives in England and France.

  Tom returned Wagner's gaze. "The president will be issuing a state of emergency tomorrow and instituting martial law. He has asked for every ship and plane to be loaded with as many as can be safely carried. He intends to open our borders. Military personnel that are already stateside will handle temporary relocation and policing of the refugees. He will ask the rest of North and South America to do the same."

  "And us?" Jack asked.

  "Keep working with our allies within the mages." He no longer stumbled on the word. "Almost everyone else is being retasked to help with security and housing of the displaced. Right now this office will be the only one exclusively dedicated to stopping the Dark. As of this moment I am expanding your operation, and granting you full access to any personnel, including myself. Whatever you need, you get."

  He sighed. "It appears our only hope lies with your daughter now, Jack. The president himself said that if she falls, we all fall."

  The message was clear. The world was retreating to the Americas. Without recourse or weapon to fight the Dark, they had no choice. It would be a futile refuge if Tess and her allies couldn't close the portal.

  "Let's get back to work, people," Tom said. "We're counting on you to figure out what to do."

  There was hope in his voice, but it was the hope of a desperate man. In a matter of weeks the MIO had gone from an obscure office to the leading sub-agency within the US government. Kate just hoped it wouldn't be in vain.

  She rose with the rest of them and joined her husband at the door as the others dispersed. Not prone to displays of affection at work, his look carried a softness that she knew was reserved for her. He finished a subdued conversation with Tom, and then motioned her over. As she reached his side an assistant appeared with a message for him.

  "It's Hawk," he said. "He's on the roof."

  "He normally meets us at the safehouse after hours," Kate said.

  Jack's eyes were troubled. "He never comes here, so it must be important."

  Kate nodded, and tried to ignore the tightening of her gut. "I hope he's got some good news."

  They took the elevator and then climbed the steps to the wide roof of the building. Entering the code that allowed them to open the door, Jack then swiped his keycard and they stepped into the night.

  Air conditioning units dotted the flat expanse, and were interspersed with the occasional satellite links. More modern than the old dishes, these were orbs of glass that were designed to refract incoming feeds from numerous directional points. Stepping around them, they approached the lone figure standing near the edge.

  Her step faltered when Hawk turned to face them.

  "Jack, Kate . . . I have something I have to tell you . . ." His expression told the story, and Kate barely heard his words. The agony in his eyes was sufficient for her entire frame to constrict.

  She couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't see. A thousand emotions coursed through her in a hurricane of denial, fury, and anguish. Please not Tess. Not my daughter. The words repeated in her mind again and again, until they blended together and fused into a single endless refusal.

  The regret crashed against her other thoughts, capsizing them with a fury. Should she have kept her home when the truth about her magic came out? Would that have saved her life?

  Dimly she was aware of Jack standing beside her, his form rigid, but she barely heard their words. No thought existed beyond the doubt and crushing pain. Grasping for a lifeline, she sought Jack's gaze.

  It was a mistake. The volume of anguish in his eyes crushed her, leaving her hollow. If Jack had lost his strength she was gone. There would be nothing left to live for.

  ". . . Alice confronted her on Tryton's," Hawk was saying.

  His voice was wooden, empty. His features were drawn and broken, as if the man had lost everything he cared about. Kate couldn't look at him either, and stared at the city skyline.

  " . . . She tried to convince her to join the Harbingers, but she refused. It was then that Alice decided that Tess's refusal was because of her auren parents."

  Auren parents . . .?

  It took a few moments for the words to register, and then anger flooded her.

  "We taught her what was right," she ground the words out. "How could that woman kill her for that?"

  Hawk shook his head. "She was about to kill you, Kate, and instead of blocking Alice's blow she saved your life."

  Kate wilted and Jack caught her arm. "What happened?" he asked.

  "Alice struck her from the sky . . . and she fell."

  "But she can fly!" Kate spit the words at h
im.

  "She was unconscious."

  "So what, she fell from twenty thousand feet?" her anger had burned her other emotions to a crisp.

  "Auroraq was already over the Dark." Hawk said. "If the fall didn't kill her . . . the Dark has her."

  Jack swallowed and looked away, his jaw working. Kate felt like she was about to collapse. "This is your fault," she spit the words at Hawk. "You promised you would keep her safe."

  "I was wrong," Hawk said.

  Her anger wanted to reach out and break him, punish him for robbing her of her daughter—but she couldn't do it. The emptiness in his eyes, his face, displayed a pain that exceeded what she could inflict upon him. Without warning her anger abandoned her, leaving her with a stabbing ache.

  Jack stepped to the edge of the roof and spread his fingers on the brick wall, turning his back on them. The stillness of the night carried a weight that settled on the three of them. Then she noticed the tremble in his shoulders. A quick step brought her to his side, where she wrapped an arm around him. His head dipped, and the first tear fell to the bricks. A dam broke within Kate, and the tears came.

  They didn't stop.

  Chapter 46: A Daughter Grown

  Breaker watched the video of Tess’s fall a second time as disbelief hardened inside him. Rox cried at his shoulder. She'd brought him the news orb while he'd been packing for their departure. He'd seen the devastation in her expression, and had taken the orb without a word. He'd never imagined it would be so bad.

  Tess's body disappeared into the Dark, and did not resurface. The chill of fear settled into his gut and refused to budge. He'd never said it out loud, but he'd believed in that girl. She'd had a spirit about her that appeared invincible. Turns out she wasn't.

  He restarted the video, causing Rox to start crying anew. As he watched it he wondered how the other mages would react. It would be a blow to the Rayths. That was certain. As a resistance they had held her up as an example of fighting back. The video when she'd stood up to Alice on Mt. Elbrus had become a beacon. Of anyone, she'd stood her ground against the Harbingers, and refused to yield.