“Albert?” my uncle asked.
“That’s what the jinn said to call him,” I explained.
Mr. Swigart and Uncle Matt looked at each other fearfully. “Teddy, you don’t think?”
Theodore was Mr. Swigart’s first name; Teddy was his common name.
“Texas?” Mr. Swigart responded.
Uncle Matt nodded.
Ike’s dad firmed his jaw. “If that’s true, than we have to rescue Melanie and Jesse immediately.”
“I agree.” My uncle looked at me. “First things first—have Ike help you get dressed into your gear. Teddy, see if you can adjust the trace settings and search for a level 13 at the mines or the canning factory.”
Mr. Swigart nodded. “I’ll also check the woods where the amulets have been presented.”
Uncle Matt nodded and then looked at Ike and I. “Why are you two still standing here? Get ready.”
I stumbled backward and bumped into a desk. His words had caught me off guard. I wasn’t used to the authoritative voice of my uncle. He’d been a hunter, and after that he’d investigated and commanded several operations. It was clear he was in charge, and I was his soldier. I was under his command.
I regained my composure. I changed and then Ike helped me gather all of my gear and fit it on.
When we joined my uncle and Ike’s dad back in the main room of the workshop, the large screen on the wall displayed several glowing crimson blips. But one stood out, one glowed brighter, one was larger than the rest. But it wasn’t at any of the locations previously mentioned. It was just a few miles away.
Mr. Swigart tapped something on a screen in front of him. The map before him grew and centered in on the crimson blip. The location was a small stone island located on Coal Chase Lake. A lake that happened to be on The Pink Hippo Inn’s vast property.
“Is that where I think it is?” Ike asked.
“If you’re thinking of Coal Chase Lake, then yes,” Mr. Swigart said.
“It’s time to go, Taylor. Mr. Swigart and I will make our way to the lake. We will be prepared to support you in any way we can. Ike, go let The Gathering know they need to pray. And then go to the attic and open the door.”
Ike smiled at me and then ran from the workshop. He was off on his mission.
I stepped out onto the rotunda and prepared to take off. A few snowflakes drifted down around me. The clock tower bells began to chime. The time was now midnight.
Chapter
Twenty-Three
October 28th—Saturday
I tapped the J-Pak controls on my wrist and lifted into the air. It was Saturday morning, and in 24 hours we would have to stop for an entire day. A day we didn’t have. The moon shone brightly; it was nearly full.
I stayed low over the trees and sped toward the lake. I’d swam there with Ike so many times before. But now the reason for my visit was grim. I was to face a jinn, something I’d never heard of before. And apparently this jinn, Albert, had a reputation of sorts.
A shadow darkened the treetops below me. I spun to my back and looked up. High above, the Raptoryx glided through the sky. It didn’t seem to notice me, but was sailing for the lake as well. Was it going to collect my cousin or Melanie?
A moment later I had my answer. It dove toward the island, letting out a deafening screech that echoed across the lake. I had to kill it before it did something awful to my cousin or Melanie. Regardless of what they’d done or how they’d sinned, they were still humans and they could still be saved.
Besides that, it was a menace to me, always lurking in the sky. This was my chance. I rolled back to my stomach and slid my sword from its sheath. It glowed blue in the moonlight.
“Lord, please help me defeat this demon’s steed,” I prayed aloud.
I pushed a button on my wrist controls for the J-Pak. I would take it to its top speed. Would it hold up, or would it explode on my back? I was about to find out.
The wind blew through my hair, and without goggles I would have been blinded. At 178 miles an hour, the ground zipped past in a blur. I felt my ears go numb from the cold air whistling past.
I was closing on the Raptoryx, but it was closing on the isle. I could see a fire burning on the pile of rocks that made up the island. Three silhouettes were clear in the fire’s ring of light.
One hundred yards…
Seventy-five yards…
Fifty yards…
Twenty-five yards…
Wham!
I slammed into the Raptoryx. I felt my sword slide into the beast. My arm was yanked upward as the beast screamed in pain and jerked in surprise. A huge wing slammed into my head, my grip on the sword loosened. I held on and pulled the sword from the creature’s side. A blast of crimson flame and gray smoke spewed from the wound I had inflicted.
It screeched again and rolled away from me. I watched as it writhed in the air. Its flight was unbalanced; I’d severed muscles to one of its wings. “Thank You, Lord. Help me to expel this beast back to the depths from where it came,” I prayed.
I moved to strike again. Raising my sword high, I flew over the creature and then thrust my sword down. The silver blade plunged into the Raptoryx’s neck.
I jerked my arm back, ripping the blade down its neck. A row of crimson flames spurted into the air at the incision. The creature shuddered and jolted left, then right in an attempt to knock me loose. Neither its arms nor its beak could reach me. It rolled over and its disabled wing nearly knocked me from the sky. But I was quicker, my mind was clearer than it’d ever been. The belly of the Raptoryx was exposed to me. A beam of moonlight seemed to highlight an area on the underside of the beast. And somehow I was sure I needed to strike that exact spot.
I dived again and drove the tip of my sword through the skin. Suddenly I was thrown backward by a blast of body parts. The beast had exploded before me. A mucky red goo covered me.
But the beast was gone. I looked toward the island below. There were only two shadows remaining. I set down on the far end of the rock isle, my sword drawn before me. I was ready for any attack.
A fire burned in the center of the island and two figures stood near, facing the fire. I was pretty confident it was Jesse and Melanie. Neither wore cloaks and I could see Jesse’s curly hair and Melanie’s long hair. Approaching slowly, I called to them, “Jesse? Mel?”
Neither moved at my voice.
I lifted my radio to my lips and whispered, “Uncle Matt, I think I found them.”
“Jesse, Melanie, and Albert?” he asked.
“No, I think just Melanie and Jesse,” I explained. And then I remembered that I had seen three figures. I turned sharply and scoured the island.
“Don’t do anything yet. Keep your eye on the water around you. The jinn is very tricky and he may have gotten Melanie or Jesse to summon other Sages to his aid. The HowlSage may even be close. The scanners didn’t show any signs of the HowlSage near you, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there,” Uncle Matt said.
“I killed it,” I said, “the Raptoryx, that is.”
“We saw. Congratulations, that is a big accomplishment. But we can discuss it further when you are safe again.” My uncle’s voice was stern and unexcited. “For now, just wait. Teddy and I will be there shortly. We have to row out to the island.”
I was a bit upset that my uncle hadn’t seemed excited at the death of the Raptoryx. That thing had caused Jesse and I all sorts of problems. Plus, wasn’t it vital to the BloodSage? After all, it was its steed. I shrugged and inched closer to the pair near the fire.
“Jesse? Melanie?” I asked again. No response. I looked around the island and at the shore. I scanned the water for any disturbances. But the lake was calm, a glassy surface shining brightly from the nearly full moon overhead.
I turned back toward the fire and my body involuntarily jerked backward at what I saw. Jesse was standing right before me. A dark smile crossed his face. He jumped forward, his hands clamping around my neck. His weight took me to the ground. My sword
clattered on the rocky terrain as I lost hold of its hilt. Jesse planted his knees on my arms, pinning me down. His grip on my neck tightened and it became harder to breathe.
“You shall not defeat us. We are united as one.” He cocked his head to the side. “We have seen the way and we will win the war. Do you not wish to join us?”
I grimaced and forced a breath. “Never.”
“Then you shall die,” he said.
“No I won’t,” I said, and thrust my knee into his gut.
Jesse released me and fell back, grabbing his ribs and wheezing.
I searched for my sword, but instead found a pair of girl’s pink converse shoes. I looked up into the face of Melanie. She held the sword in her hands.
“Looking for this?” she asked in a mocking tone. She lifted the sword over her head as if to strike me. “You must understand, everything is set. There is no stopping the rise of the BloodSage now. He will return, and when he does he will bring great power to I and he who is at my side.” Melanie lowered the sword and smiled at me. “Why shouldn’t he be you?” she asked, her voice nearly as sweet as when we’d talked at lunch, or on the scooter, or at Starbucks.
A grunt from behind us caught our attention. Jesse was on his feet again, he was staring at Melanie in anger. “You said that it was over between the two of you.” He stepped forward.
Melanie turned and held the sword toward him. “Not a step further.”
“Or what, you’ll run me through?” Jesse asked. “You can’t complete the task without me.”
Melanie glared at Jesse. Her eyes narrowed with anger. “The HowlSage will return tonight with the cargo and Albert can help me finish.”
“I am the one who taught you how to summon the HowlSage; it answers only to me,” Jesse argued.
I’d been listening from my position on the ground. I slowly shifted backward to get out from between them.
“Ahh, but as you just said, ‘you taught me.’ I summoned it. It answers to me now,” Melanie retorted. “Now step back.”
“No!” Jesse yelled and stepped closer.
I noticed a dagger in his hand. It was raised.
“Fine then,” Melanie screamed and darted forward, sword raised. She brought it down, but Jesse parried with his dagger. He stepped back. She charged again, but Jesse was quick and rolled to the right. Mel swung left, and Jesse leapt into the air. He landed on his feet and then rolled forward.
I stood up, unsure of what to do. I couldn’t let them kill each other, but I was unarmed. Wait, that wasn’t true, I had my grappling hook. I could use it to restrain one of them. Melanie had the sword, so she was the obvious choice.
I took aim, but before I could shoot, Jesse and Melanie dropped to the ground, their bodies limp. What had happened?
The creak of a wooden stern bumping against the island caught my attention. “Good work, Taylor,” Mr. Swigart said as he stepped out of a small row boat, a blow dart pipe in his hands.
“Great shots, Teddy,” my uncle Matt said as he stepped onto the island. “Taylor, help us get them into the boat. We have to bind their hands and feet.” He handed me a long coil of rope. “You take care of Jesse’s hands.”
The three of us made quick work and carried the two unconscious kids to the boat. My uncle clearly had no problem with the binding of his own son, but I knew it was for Jesse’s protection.
“What next?” I asked.
“Fly back to the workshop; tell Ike we are on our way. Also, tell him to do a cross scan for SwampSages within a seven mile radius of the inn. Then I want you to go to the seventh floor. There is someone waiting for you there.” My uncle turned away, clearly dismissing me.
Mr. Swigart launched the boat into the water and jumped in. “We’ll see you in a little while.” I watched as they set to rowing for the shore.
A cold breeze blew over the island, picking up water and spraying my exposed face. Everything went black around me as the fire went out. The rocky surface of the island still glowed from the moonlight, but soon that too faded. There were no clouds; something else was at work. The answer came in an eerie voice that I recognized instantly.
“Taylor, it is good to see you again. And imagine the two of us here and alone. No one to…to distract us.”
“I know it’s you, Albert. There is no need to shroud yourself with this darkness.”
Albert cackled. “Oh, but darkness is what I like. It makes me feel alive,” he said. I saw his cloaked figure a few yards off. He moved forward, his hands clasped before him.
“You will never be alive. I know what you are,” I said. I fingered the cross in my pocket with my left hand, my right grasping the hilt of my sword. I knew that my sword would not be enough to kill the jinn. Mr. Swigart had begun to explain how I could do it, but he’d never finished. The truth was, I didn’t know how to defeat the demon before me.
“Do you want to see your father?”
The question made my heart leap, as it had every time before. But I knew these words were being said by a master of deception. He would say anything to control me.
“You cannot show me my father,” I said.
“I can.” Albert waved his arm toward the water and then to the center of the island. A stream of glowing water erupted from the lake and poured into a pool in the middle of the island. It glowed from something other than the moonlight.
The water swirled and an image began to appear. I saw someone sitting on the ground with an eerie gray mist circling around. The man looked toward me and I instantly recognized his face.
“Taylor?” my dad asked.
Could he see me? “Dad?”
The man nodded with a smile, but suddenly he frowned. “No, Taylor, close your eyes. Do not—” The image suddenly disappeared as the water began to boil and then blasted into a spout of steam.
“You see he is alive,” Albert whispered. “We have him and he is ours. But you can be reunited with him. What is there left in the world for you? There is no one who—”
“You’re wrong,” I interrupted. A dreamlike stream of faces passed through my mind’s eye—my uncle and aunt, Ike, his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Riley, even Jesse. “There are many reasons.”
“So be it, but you will not win against me,” he said.
I heard the tell-tale ring of a dagger being slid from its sheath. I knew that if I fought him alone I could not win. I didn’t know the first thing about defeating a jinn; I needed help.
“Lord, please send someone; please give me the strength,” I prayed aloud.
I heard Albert hiss. I knew prayer was a weapon in itself against a demon.
“Your word is a Sword against evil,” I prayed.
Albert hissed louder, but I watched as he prepared to strike. He wasn’t going to let me continue. He leapt into the air, dagger raised, held with both hands. A screech of anger burst from his lips.
Then everything seemed to slow to a snail’s pace. As Albert flew through the air, his dagger glowing orange, I felt a warmth course through my body, one I hadn’t felt for a long time. Two balls of white light flew by me on either side, coming together on Albert’s chest. The hood of his cloak fell backward, and for the first time I saw his face. It looked human, but even in this light I could see it was as white as a ghost. His eyes were pure black, no pupils, no white. His expression was one of pure agony. The dagger he’d held came loose and flew from his hands. Albert’s body cartwheeled backward and crashed onto the island’s rocky surface.
Two giant men stepped up next to me. They wore white cloaks and their hands remained together, palms facing out. The one on my right spoke.
“Taylor, you must be quick. Use your sword to remove the hood from the cloak,” the man said.
I ran for the crumpled form of Albert. But his body was already gone, only the cloak remained on the ground. I took my sword and jabbed it into the neck of the cloak, then slid it across. I lifted the hood up with my sword, but it was still attached on one side.
“You must sever it
entirely,” the other man said.
I reached to take hold of the cloak, but stopped as the first man shouted.
“No, do not touch the cloak. You must only allow the sword to do the work,” he ordered. “We have banished the jinn with the light of Truth, but its cloak must not feel the touch of a human. If it does, the jinn will be called back.”
I yanked my hand backward and lowered my sword. It dropped to the ground.
“Be quick, the time is short,” the second called.
A wave of water leaped onto the island, surging over my feet. I stumbled backward, then looked for the cloak. Where had it gone?
“Quick, it’s there,” the first said, and pointed toward the lake.
The cloak floated about five yards off the island. I started for the water, knowing I had to get it before it sunk.
“Wait,” called the second, then added, “Andrew, prepare.”
I looked at the cloaked men. They each removed swords from invisible sheaths at their sides.
“Taylor, prepare, they are coming,” the one called Andrew said. “Phillip, you must retrieve the cloak. Taylor and I will fight them off.”
“Fight off who?” I asked.
Andrew lifted his hands and blasted a ball of white flames into the air. It hovered ten feet above and illuminated the entire island.
It was then I saw them. They looked exactly like the one who’d banished my father. At least a dozen SwampSages were emerging from the lake, each green and scaly. SwampSages are not like HowlSages, they are not as smart or as powerful. But in numbers they find their strength.
Three crossed onto the island at the same time. Two went for Andrew, one for me. I knew that the sword would work to sever limbs and expose the creature’s insides, but the weapon needed to finish them off was salt, pure rock salt. I’d learned that in my training. I always carried a supply, but not enough for twelve SwampSages.
I unclasped one of my four pouches and dumped a small bit into my hand. I had to make quick work and be accurate, before more joined the fray. The SwampSage’s eyes were bulbous and black, its eyelids like that of a lizard. This was a weak spot for the SwampSage. A little salt and the eyes would melt away, which would kill the creature.
HowlSage Page 19