Nobody moved. Kayn lifted the now-soaked Magistrate’s Dagger out of the pool. Ven shrank. They had actually done it. Kayn was shaking so hard Ven was almost sure he would drop the dagger.
Seer got to his feet, coughing.
“Are you alright?” Coralie placed an arm around his shoulders.
He looked at King and Shen. “Where are the others?” Seer’s voice had become terribly weak. “They should have been here by now, and I can’t sense them anymore.”
“I don’t know,” said Shen. “I’ll go check.”
She turned to leave, but Seer pulled her back. “Don’t go anywhere.”
Ven felt a shiver go up his spine. Kayn turned back to face them. The ivory liquid was slowly dripping from the dagger and onto the floor. After several moments, the liquid slowly vanished, revealing the dagger’s blade underneath. As soon as he saw it, Kayn let out a gasp of horror and dropped it. The dagger fell with a clank to the stone floor. Upon closer inspection, Ven saw why. The blade was still charcoal black.
“What is this…?” said Kayn. “I don’t get it. It was completely soaked to the hilt.” He rounded on Seer. “What is going on?”
There were seconds of silence, then chaos.
An explosion of blinding light and piercing, ear-splitting sound erupted across the circular space. They threw themselves to the ground and covered their ears. Out of nowhere, Rogin appeared and seized Ven and Coralie, throwing himself on top of them. Ven could hear screaming and yelling, and he couldn’t tell to whom the voices belonged.
Ven was suddenly crushed under Rogin’s weight.
“Rogin!” he screamed through the noise. “You’re crushing us! We can’t breathe!”
But Rogin was unconscious. Ven and Coralie heaved him off of them. His eyes were rolled back in his head.
Whatever was causing the light was at the center of the room. Ven tried to scan the area for the others. Meares, Renny and Dorian lay motionless on the ground. The only other people still awake were King, Shen, Seer and Kayn. Surrounding King, Shen and Seer was a dome of black mist. Within it, Ven could see them ducking their heads and covering their ears.
Why aren’t they shielding us? Then it struck him. It was their Haze energy. It was affecting them somehow. He looked around again for Kayn, and found him on the floor, covering his eyes. Ven and Coralie rushed towards him.
“Get up!” Ven yelled. “You have to get up!”
Kayn didn’t reply. He was transfixed by something in front of him. Ven followed his gaze.
A small black orb was hovering in front of them, just above the dark pool. It slowly began to turn in a spiral, sending whips of black light shooting out from its center.
“We need to get back!” Coralie cried.
Ven pulled Kayn to his feet and they ran, hiding their eyes from the blinding light. They didn’t get very far. A black whip of light flashed in their way, then another. The whips of black light began to form silhouettes. Ven watched in horror and amazement as the silhouettes became clear. All of a sudden, the blinding light vanished as though it had never come. All that remained were five figures and a deafening, ear-ringing silence.
When all of the figures had finally become clear, Ven could only stand rooted to the ground. He had seen their portraits so many times while walking through the corridors in the Grand Magistrate’s palace, had learned their names in class and studied their triumphs and pitfalls. Towering before them, faces gruesomely disfigured, were five of the previous Grand Magistrates. It was the one in the center that had caused Kayn to fall down, convulsed in shock. It was Kayn’s father, Russell Stafford.
Coralie grabbed Ven’s arm and pulled him back. Ven tried to drag Kayn away. Kayn’s father and the other Grand Magistrates stared down at them. Their eyes were twisted and narrowed and their faces were a chalky gray. Kayn could not take his eyes off of his father’s terrifying form. Russell Stafford looked at his son and leered, baring blackened teeth and a gray tongue.
“Don’t look at it, Kayn!” Ven screamed. “Get away!”
It was useless. He watched helplessly as their previous Grand Magistrate lifted Kayn up by his throat and tightened his grip. Ven wheeled around.
“Help!” he called to King and Shen. “Please, just help–”
Coralie’s scream brought his attention to the figure behind him. This time, it was Russell Stafford’s own father who drew back a long blade and aimed it at Ven’s heart.
Seer suddenly appeared between Ven and the blade, carrying his own. The powerful boy’s amber eyes flared as he drove his weapon into the demon’s heart. The demon faltered as the blade pierced him, but his mouth twisted into a smile as he silently turned his head to Kayn and the demonic form of his father.
Kayn was coughing and spluttering. His father was holding the gleaming hilt of a dark blade, which he had driven through his son’s chest.
Ven fell back in horror.
Behind them, the black orb continued to spiral. It grew bigger and bigger until it had become a twisted black vortex.
“Ven, the dagger!” said Coralie, pointing to it. The Magistrate’s Dagger was surrounded by its own black light that whipped and shot outwards. The light streams slowly began to connect with the larger vortex until the light had become a current. Ven rushed forwards, stretched out his hand and closed his fingers around the Magistrate’s Dagger. It vibrated strongly at his touch.
He looked back at Kayn, horror-struck. Russell Stafford pulled his son by the blade still embedded in his chest into the twisting void and out of sight.
“NO!”
Ven leaped forwards towards the void. Before anyone could stop him, he felt a familiar, upward pulling sensation. Coralie, Seer and the others had vanished.
In a moment of shock, he tried to take in his new surroundings. He was in a dark, musty library.
“Ven!” Elias stood before him, quivering from head to toe. Shaken by this sudden change in his surroundings, Ven could do nothing more than stare. Elias ran up to him and grabbed the front of his shirt.
“Elias?”
Elias pointed behind Ven. “The door…” he whimpered. “The door is open.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“What’s going on?” said Ven.
“I don’t know,” Elias cowered behind him. “It just opened all of a sudden, and now I don’t know what to do…”
“Did you see what happened to me, down there?”
“Yeah, I saw those Keepers. This counts as a perilous situation, doesn’t it? So I pulled you up.”
Ven stared at him, perplexed. “The ones with swords, they’re Keepers?”
“Yeah, aren’t they?”
“Wait, you know what Keepers are?” said Ven.
“I know because of the books in this library. You get a lot of reading done here.”
Ven suddenly became aware of something he was holding in his hands. It was the Magistrate’s Dagger. “How did this get here? You can pull objects up here, too?”
“I wasn’t paying attention. I was just trying to pull you up.”
Ven turned to the door. “What’s past there?”
“I told you, I don’t know,” said Elias. “I just know it’s not safe.”
There was nothing beyond it but blackness. A thought struck Ven. “Can Keepers be evil, too?” he said.
“Yeah. It depends on their Haze energy.”
“Haze energy can be good or bad? How does that work?”
“Haze isn’t good or bad, it just…is. What makes it good or bad is the container.” Elias’ eyes kept darting back nervously to the door.
Once more, the passage from the book he had read in Lamparth swirled in Ven’s memory: Tests were conducted to analyze the effect Haze had on physical objects…
Ven looked down at the Magistrate’s Dagger. “That Keeper down there, it pulled Kayn into some kind of vortex, is there any way to save him?” he asked.
Elias’ eyes widened. “Ven, he’s as good as d–”
“NO,”
Ven exclaimed. “It can’t be as simple as that.” Ven turned to the door. “If I pass through there, will I die?”
“I don’t think so,” said Elias, shrinking at Ven’s raised voice. “It’s like I said before, as long as your life cord is attached to you, you’ll stay alive. But why would you want to go through there?”
“I have a theory.” Ven stared into the blackness. “Tell me more about the Keepers’ Realm.”
Elias backed further away from the door. “O-okay. From what I’ve read, the Keepers’ Realm is split into layers, depending on the strength of the Haze energy present in it. The lower layers that possess little or no Haze energy are where the spirits of dead humans, or ghosts as you call them, reside. Because they are so close to the human realm, they don’t have as much Haze energy in them, which is why it’s possible for humans to sometimes see them. The higher layers are full of Haze, both good and bad, and are where Keepers live.”
“Is it possible to travel up the layers?”
“Yes,” Elias said. “The lower entities don’t often do it, though. The Haze energy present in the air is too overwhelming and they aren’t able to handle it. Either they go mad, or their spirits are destroyed.”
“Will we be alright, then?” said Ven.
“You’ll be alright for sure,” said Elias. “But I’ve never been there, so I don’t know how long it’ll be before the air starts to take effect on me. If I disappear all of a sudden, don’t get mad at me.”
“You said my life cord will keep me alive, right?” said Ven. “I think that door is an entrance to the Keepers’ Realm. If I go in, I may be able to find Kayn.”
“Ven, I think I remember something.” Elias’ eyes grew wider. “This library is one of the lower layers. I think I tried to leave through that door a long time ago, but something out there got me so spooked I ran back in here and promised never to open it again. But why would I forget something like that for so long?”
“Elias, I can’t stay anymore. I need to find Kayn. Will you help me?”
Elias looked at him. “You want me to go back out there? I just told you something horrible is there!”
“I have to go, whether I do it alone or not. I don’t know what to expect, though, so I could really use your help.”
Elias shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t even know which layer your friend could be on.”
“It’s has to be on one of the higher ones. We just have to climb to each one.”
“We’ll be surrounded by an enormous amount of negative Haze energy. Do you know how dangerous that is?”
“Kayn can’t die, Elias. I have to try and get him out somehow.”
Elias pulled at his hair and paced. “Fine, I’ll help you. But I can’t fight anything. You’re on your own.”
“It’s possible to kill a Keeper?”
“Yes, but don’t ask me how. I don’t know! I don’t even want to go in there.”
“I know, which is why I appreciate your help,” said Ven. “C’mon.”
Elias, looking reluctant as ever, stood beside him. Ven took a deep breath and he and Elias stepped into the blackness.
Immediately, an overpowering weight pressed down on Ven’s chest. He couldn’t see, couldn’t feel. He didn’t know what he was standing on, and with every movement, the stupendous pressure on his body got stronger.
“Elias?” he called out. His stomach lurched. His voice had become horribly raspy and almost demonic. He clamped his hand over his mouth.
“Don’t talk, Ven,” said Elias. “Not here.”
Elias’ voice sounded like his own. Ven suddenly felt a hand close around his wrist.
“This may not feel very good,” said Elias, “but it’ll go away in a minute.”
Feeling dread, Ven braced himself for whatever was to come. He could feel Elias pulling him forward. They had barely moved when Ven’s insides began to twist and turn. It felt as though someone was taking his heart and squeezing, tighter and tighter. The pain moved to his skull, as though someone had reached into his brain and was trying to rip it in two. Ven was feeling dizzy. He willed it to go away…
“Ven, are you okay?” Elias was tugging on his sleeve.
Ven blinked.
“It looks like you didn’t die, after all,” Elias said with a grin.
“Are we here?” Ven looked around. They were in an open, lush, green field. Tall grass swayed side to side. What Ven found odd was the silence. Even though the blades of grass were clearly moving, there wasn’t even the sound of wind or a single rustle, only a ringing, eerie quiet.
“There’s something weird about this place…” said Elias, frowning. “It doesn’t look like it has more than two layers. This isn’t right.”
“So…the Keepers’ Realm is a grassy field?” Ven said, slightly disappointed.
“There’s a reason for each layer’s appearance, but only the ones who reside here know that reason.”
Ven was beginning to feel irritated at how deep this was all becoming. “If Kayn isn’t here, we have to keep going,”
“Kayn may not be here, but something else is.”
Elias pointed to something in the distance. Ven’s heart leaped. He gripped the Magistrate’s Dagger tightly. A cloudy, translucent figure was hovering above the grass. Ven narrowed his eyes, trying to make out its shape.
“Is that…it looks like a ghost from a children’s story,” he said, tilting his head.
Elias gasped. “You’re lucky he isn’t filled with negative Haze energy, or you’d probably be dead by now.”
“Is that actually what a Keeper looks like?” Ven had never seen something so unintimidating. He wondered if Argrave Heap had felt as disappointed as he did right now.
As if it had heard his thoughts, the Keeper’s head shot sharply in Ven’s direction. It began to twist out of shape, until it suddenly became an eagle. It flew up next to Ven so quickly that he almost fell to the ground. When it reached him, it morphed, rather disturbingly, into a horrible masked figure, then to a large, skeletal cat.
“What is that you carry?”
When the Keeper – or whatever it was, spoke, its voice was neither male nor female. The voice sent a ripple of numbness coursing through Ven’s blood. He suddenly felt reverence. A voice in his head was telling him to bow, to show this majestic entity respect. Ven’s breathing became heavy and his limbs moved on their own. Ven got to his knees and bent his head low in front of the strange creature. He didn’t even notice Elias beside him.
The Keeper morphed back into the form of the masked figure.
“What is that you carry?” it asked again. The Keeper reached down and took the Magistrate’s Dagger from Ven’s hand. He felt an electric shock flash through his arm as the Keeper’s fingers grazed his palm. The power was overwhelming.
“How did you come by this?”
“I…” Ven was having trouble putting together coherent sentences. “It belongs to someone I know.”
The Keeper changed shape once more, into a small girl. “This object contains powerful Haze energy. You should be dead where you stand, your lifeline severed, simply for touching it. Yet you are able to hold it.”
Ven said nothing.
“Who are you?” said the inhuman voice.
“I’m…my name is Ven.”
“Who are you?” the Keeper repeated. Ven looked hopelessly at Elias, who had his head bowed even lower than Ven’s.
“The Haze energy in this object is pure evil, yet it is also pure good. This is not possible.” The small girl’s gaze pierced into Ven like knives.
“I’m sorry,” Ven whimpered. “I don’t know what you mean.”
The Keeper handed Ven back the dagger. “If you dare to use this to become a threat to us, we will destroy you.”
“What?” Ven looked up suddenly. “Of course I won’t, I’m just trying to find–”
Before he could finish his sentence, the Keeper morphed from the small girl into the form of an old woman and vanished.
Ven shook. “What was that?”
“That was a Keeper,” said Elias.
“Are they supposed to change shape? I thought they just looked shadowy and hazy.”
“It’s like I said, this place is weird. There’s only one other level above this one and that’s it. Keepers usually shapeshift when their souls are on the cusp between the lowest realm and the gateway to the higher realms. The sudden change in Haze energy makes them go a little crazy. Normally there would be more of them, though, and the higher you are, the stronger the Keepers are.”
It was a horrifying thought. This one had been powerful enough. Ven had never experienced anything so surreal in his life. Whatever that was, its aura was immense.
“Let’s keep going,” said Ven. “If Kayn isn’t here, we need to go up a level.”
“I have no idea what we’re going to find on the next one, seeing as there’s nothing beyond it. Are you sure about this?”
“That Keeper said that this has the power to destroy them,” said Ven, holding up the Magistrate’s Dagger. “I think we’ll be okay.”
“You’re not actually going to fight, are you?” Elias sounded doubtful.
“I might not have a choice.” Ven gripped the dagger tightly. “Now, how do we get out of here?”
Elias grabbed Ven’s arm. “I think I’m going to show you how to do this yourself, next time,” he said. There was a rush of sound, and a feeling of weightlessness. The silent, grassy field vanished, and the horrible tightness in Ven’s chest and skull returned. This time, it was twice as bad. Just when Ven thought he would pass out from the pain, it disappeared again.
They were in a forest. It appeared to be dusk. Moss and roots blanketed the floor, and just like before, there was complete silence even as the leaves from the tall trees swayed back and forth.
“Is this it?” said Ven.
“Yes.”
Ven scanned the area. “How do we find Kayn? He could be anywhere–”
An overwhelming nausea came over him. Ven collapsed to the ground just as Seer had, but didn’t throw up. He clutched his own stomach and doubled over.
Elias patted his back. “Are you alright?”
The Regenerates Page 21