I finally got into a sitting position on the side of the bed. Ike reached for my night stand and handed me a cup of something. It was thick and from what I could tell in the light of the setting sun, green.
“Drink this,” he said. “It’s from the old monk.”
I started to move it toward my mouth, but Ike stopped me.
“I’d hold your nose. It’s a bit strong,” he explained.
“What is it?”
“Not real sure. I wanted to test it, but the monk wouldn’t let me. He said it was just what you needed for tonight.”
I sighed. “Bottoms up!” Plugging my nose with my free hand, I drained the green, grainy liquid into my mouth. It scratched its way down my entire throat and I was pretty sure I could literally feel it land in my stomach.
I sputtered and then swallowed hard. “Wow.”
For a moment, I thought I might barf it all back up. My stomach seemed to turn over and the room seemed to swirl just ever so slightly.
Then I had clarity. My vision cleared, my stomach mellowed, and I suddenly realized the aching in my legs, arms, and abs…was gone.
“Whoa!” I shouted. I jumped to my feet and stretched out my arms. They moved quickly in several jabs, like a shadow boxer. I kicked my legs up, finding a flexibility I didn’t know was there.
Ike stood and watched me, his mouth open. He was as surprised as myself. “Wow, what was in that stuff?”
“No idea, but I feel good.”
“Excellent, because they want you downstairs at 4:30. That’s just six minutes from now.” Ike sat on the edge of my bed. “There’s one more thing I need to give you.”
“Please don’t let it be some sort of equally nasty bread or sandwich,” I joked.
Ike reached into a pack he’d brought with him. I hadn’t noticed it before.
“It’s this,” he said as he lifted a small, metal, insect-shaped thing toward me.
“It looks like a spider,” I said.
“That’s exactly what it is,” he explained happily.
“Uh, what does it do?”
“It’s an arachnadroid,” he said.
“A what?”
“I’m still working on the name.” Ike shrugged. “It’s a camera bot. You can use it to check something out without getting into a risky position. For instance, this can fit into narrow holes or climb up walls for you.”
“How do I—?” I started.
“It’s all controlled from your web phone. Watch.”
Ike grabbed my phone from my night stand and started tapping. He set the small silver arachnid onto the ground. I watched as he slid his finger across the phone’s screen. The little spider bot began to move.
“And look, you can see through its eyes here.” Ike held the phone up so I could see.
On the screen was a live video from the cameras embedded in the arachnadroid’s eyes.
“Wow,” I said.
Ike scooped it up and placed it back in the pack. “We’d better go now.”
I dressed quickly and the two of us made our way down the elevator.
The lobby was cramped. Apparently, The Gathering had grown even greater. Somehow, more people had made it up the mountain road, despite the heavy snow fall. I soon found out that Chief Rutledge had had some fun using the Diesel and clearing the entire stretch of road.
As I walked through, Mr. Frigg stopped me. This was the first time I’d really ever talked to him.
“Taylor and Ike, we want to pray for you,” he said.
The Gathering bowed their heads, and over the next ten minutes they prayed fervently for our safety and our strength. I knew most did not understand that I would be facing a demon that’d taken physical form in combat tonight. Most just believed that our town and the youth of our nation were on a troubled path, and that we needed their prayers.
It was true. As I’d mentioned before about the church service and my peers’ activities during, we were in trouble. Most of us had closed our ears to the Truth, and if we didn’t reconnect soon, the battle would only get more difficult.
Mr. Frigg closed the prayer and sent us on our way.
Once in the workshop, we found my aunt and uncle and Ike’s parents huddled together. Their heads were bowed and their eyes closed. They looked up as the door latch clicked shut.
“Boys, just in time,” my uncle said. “Now, the orders are simple. Taylor—”
“Where is the monk?” I asked.
My uncle looked only slightly annoyed that I’d interrupted.
“He’s gone,” Mr. Swigart said. “But he told us that your training this morning went well and that you passed.”
I nodded. “He told me the same. But I don’t understand. Is he not going to help me?”
“There is no need,” Mrs. Swigart said. “You are ready.”
I rubbed my chin. I wanted to be confused, to be worried. But I wasn’t. The monk had said I was ready. The question was, did I believe I was?
“As I was saying,” my uncle began. “Taylor will enter through the canning factory.”
Mr. Swigart tapped the computer screen before him and the large wall screen displayed a map of Ashley Meadows, but centered on the factory.
“He will travel through the drain,” Uncle Matt explained.
Another tap on the screen and the old drainage tunnel was highlighted.
“Once he reaches the mines, he will proceed to the chamber,” my uncle said, then he turned to me. “Taylor, you must wait until you see the sarcophagus being opened, but do not delay. The HowlSage and the jinn will begin their rituals and the gray mist will be called. Once it comes, it will be too late and we would risk the BloodSage being awakened.”
“What do I do when the sarcophagus is opened?” I asked.
“The HowlSage will be the one to open it. The moment it lifts the lid, it will be frozen in place for a few minutes,” Mr. Swigart explained. “It’s a defensive effect of the coffin on the one who breaches it.”
“A few minutes, like three?” I asked.
“It’s hard to say for sure,” Mr. Swigart added.
“The jinn will be carrying the amulets to the sarcophagus. He will be weighed down by them, as he must wear them and lay into the sarcophagus. This is the moment you need. You must strike the HowlSage through the heart with your sword, and then you must ensure the lid of the sarcophagus closes with the jinn and amulets inside.”
“You mean Albert?” I asked.
“Yes, but we do not give the jinn name recognition. It only strengthens their appearance as a human,” Aunt Mary explained. “This is not a boy; it’s a demon.”
“What if the gray mist comes?” Ike asked.
I looked at him with a frown. I didn’t want to be reminded of any additional complications that might arise.
“Well, if the gray mist comes, Taylor will be using the canisters you invented,” Mr. Swigart said.
Ike looked surprised, “But I haven’t worked on those for several days. They aren’t finished.”
“Son, don’t worry,” Mr. Swigart began. “McGarrett worked on them and I’ve further tweaked them,” Mr. Swigart finished. “Do you know how to use the glove?”
I nodded, “Ike showed me a while back.”
Ike was clearly proud at the praise from his father. But who wouldn’t be? I hoped I’d have a dad again soon.
“Now, once you’ve locked the jinn in, we will come to assist you. There is no way for the jinn to escape from the sarcophagus on his own,” my uncle said.
I nodded. It all seemed on the up and up. And if I had a moment where the HowlSage could not move, and where the jinn wasn’t in a position to fight or escape, it seemed I couldn’t lose.
But if it was all this easy, than why the intensive training last night?
“Are you ready, Taylor?” my uncle asked.
“Yes, as ready as I can be.”
“Then let’s get you suited up,” Mr. Swigart said. “You won’t be flying tonight.”
“Why n
ot?” I asked.
Uncle Matt sighed and looked at the large screen on the wall. The map still showed the drainage tunnel leading to the mine. “Because another Raptoryx has been called, but this one is older and larger.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Fair enough; the car it is.”
“We weren’t going to tell you yet, because there was no reason to worry about it. Your fight will take place in the tunnels where the Raptoryx has no effect on you,” my uncle said.
“Another fight for another day,” Ike said with a smile.
Mr. Swigart looked at his son un-amused, my uncle shook his head, and I laughed.
I geared up and went to the car. Mr. Swigart was driving, Ike next to him in the passenger seat—our on-demand tech support, if you will. My uncle and I were in the back.
“Taylor, I want to come with you,” my uncle explained.
“But you can’t, Matt, and you know it,” Mr. Swigart said firmly. “Your shoulder injury would only make you a liability.”
My uncle grunted. “But Taylor hasn’t—” he started.
“The monk said he was ready,” Mr. Swigart retorted.
“I know but—” my uncle tried again.
“And we must listen,” Mr. Swigart finished.
I looked at my uncle sitting next to me, his arm in a sling. “I’ll be fine. I am ready.”
He nodded but didn’t say anything.
The sides of the roads were piled high with snow from the chief’s work. So much had fallen last night at the arrival of the BlizzardSage that the autumn sun could not melt it away during the daylight hours.
When we pulled into the parking lot of the canning factory, I didn’t feel nervous as I had the times I’d come before. I was ready for whatever was inside, and the good thing was that I had a pretty good idea of what that was.
The factory was quiet and empty. Almost too quiet and too empty. But I would leave well enough alone. I found the old drain and climbed in. Using my night vision goggles, I quickly traversed the old drain. I passed under the shaft that Ike had been held in. The sides of the drain were blackened, and I knew this was where the gray mist had ambushed Jesse and McGarrett. It was the last time Mr. Riley had been conscious.
I continued toward my destination. A right turn here, a left here. We had a pretty good idea of where the chamber was. It’d been marked; we only hoped that the jinn had chosen to use it again.
A soft orange light flickered on the side of the mine tunnel walls. I knew that we’d chosen correctly.
A male voice resounded quietly, chanting something. Over and over again it spoke. I knew the ceremony had begun.
I crept closer and then deployed the small spider-looking robot Ike had given me. I moved it up the wall and sent it toward the chamber that was just out of sight. I watched through the screen as it neared. The video was a bit jerky, but good enough that I could see.
The chamber came into the visual range of the arachnadroid. The room was lit with hundreds of burning candles. In the center was the large sarcophagus, black smooth stones surrounded it in a wide circle. Someone in a black cloak was working at a table at the far side of the chamber. Its back was to me, but I knew it was Albert—I mean, the jinn.
The HowlSage entered from one of the other mine tunnels. It ducked until it came into the chamber. It was nearly fifteen feet tall and fierce as ever. Foam covered its muzzle and its tongue licked back and forth across both of its blackened lips. It was infectious now—the full moon had brought its venom to potency.
The beast moved across the room in a few long strides. It stood near the sarcophagus, waiting.
I knew what it waited for.
It was almost time.
My sword slid from its sheath in near silence and I watched for the jinn to move to the coffin that awaited it. I remembered what Uncle Matt and Mr. Swigart had said.
I would have just a few moments and I had to strike the HowlSage quickly while ensuring the jinn became entombed in the sarcophagus. I zoomed the spider’s camera on the jinn. It was working slowly, methodically, still chanting.
A grunt came from the HowlSage; it seemed to be getting impatient. To my surprise, the jinn raised its hand—a streak of lighting zipped from it and I heard the HowlSage squeal in pain.
Truly, the jinn was in control. A human might not have the power to bend a demon to its will, but clearly another demon did.
The next moment, the jinn slipped off its cloak. It wore nothing beneath the garment.
Albert slid the amulets onto his body. First the locket. Then the bracelets. The rings and the belt, followed by the dagger. Next the anklets and the crown. I watched him lift a heart-looking amulet into the air, then bring it down swift and hard to his chest. I reminded myself that this was not a human despite its physical appearance. It was a jinn, a demon. But it was still hard when your eyes saw differently, and Albert’s self-inflicting action made me grimace uncomfortably. The demon shook violently for a moment and then stopped. It fitted the breastplate over its chest and then, finally, it took the scepter in its hand.
Turning toward me, it started for the sarcophagus. It was odd to see Albert wearing all of the amulets as if he were a king, but I knew that even he was a servant, not only to the BloodSage, but to the evil one himself. Before the jinn entered the circle it raised the scepter high in its hand and cried out in a tongue I didn’t understand.
The moment Albert stepped across the stone line, all of his human features disappeared. I suddenly saw him for what he was—a demon. While the jinn had appeared as a boy at other times, it was clearly not now. Its skin was a sickening gray. A long, narrow, reptilian tail twitched back and forth, a small set of two spikes on the end. It looked like a grotesque, mummified serpent on two legs. A forked tongue slid in and out of its mouth and its nose was flat and round. Long, yellowed claws adorned each finger and toe. This was evil, not a boy.
Albert walked toward the sarcophagus and looked up at the HowlSage, but instead of telling it to open the lid, it jammed the scepter into the fifteen-foot-tall creature’s side. The HowlSage roared in anger, but immediately obeyed.
Its large clawed hands gripped the edge of the lid.
This was the moment. It was time. I prepared to dash in and strike. Shock and awe, baby!
The lid started to lift open.
Thirty degrees…
Sixty degrees…
Ninety degrees…
A blinding flash of red lit the chamber. An agonizing scream erupted from the sarcophagus. It didn’t stop.
I saw that the HowlSage was pure gray, like stone. This was it. The jinn had moved to the sarcophagus and began to lower himself inside.
I began to run. My sword was out at my side, facing forward. The jinn’s body disappeared beneath the side of the sarcophagus just as I broke into the chamber. I closed on the HowlSage.
Propelling myself into the air, I extended my sword at the now-frozen beast. I reached my free hand for the sarcophagus lid. I looked down and saw the jinn lying on top of mummified remains inside, blue chords of electricity were sizzling across the two bodies.
The tip of my sword touched the HowlSage’s furry chest. My other hand grasped the lid and pushed it down. The heavy lid lowered quickly and I saw the jinn’s reaction on its face as it recognized me. I had foiled its plan and there was nothing it could do.
The lid slammed shut, but then I realized my sword was still free. It wasn’t lodged in the flesh of the HowlSage. I looked toward where the creature’s head was supposed to be, but it was gone. I landed on my feet and looked for the beast.
My eyes found it. It stood only a few yards away, snarling, foam and potent saliva dribbling from its jaws.
“Arrrooohhh!” it screamed, then launched itself at me.
I dived and rolled to get clear. I attempted to swipe with my sword, but only by driving the sword directly into its heart could I defeat it.
I turned just in time to see it make its next pass. This time it was on all
fours and it barreled at me like a ravenous wolf—which, for appearance’s sake, was exactly what it was.
I slipped out of its way and it slammed head-first into the far wall of the chamber. Several loose stones fell from the ceiling and bounced off the sarcophagus and nearby table, knocking at least a dozen candles to the ground. Most went out, but one found Albert’s cloak. The garment burst into flames, but didn’t deteriorate.
I heard the HowlSage snarl again. I held my sword before me as it leapt into the air. I thrust my sword at it, but the beast twisted in mid-air and landed near the sarcophagus. It looked at me and gave its version of a smile. Then it grabbed the coffin, tucked it under one arm, and on all fours scrambled into one of the mine tunnels.
Shock thundered through my brain. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. I had no choice but to follow.
As I ran, I wondered if the gray mist would appear. After all, the jinn had gotten into the sarcophagus with all the amulets, and the HowlSage was still alive.
The air around me became cold; I remembered that this often happened when the gray mist appeared, but also that the mines were simply cold, and I had just left a room with a hundred candles burning and producing heat. But to be safe, I took one of Ike’s canisters and threw it behind me. I did not put on the glove used to control the purple smoke, but instead let it fill the tunnel behind me. I only hoped I would not have to go back that way. I knew what the purple stuff did to clothing and I didn’t want to end up naked if Ike’s dad hadn’t actually fixed that issue.
I could hear the HowlSage ahead, but I knew it was pulling away from me. It was bigger and faster than when I’d seen it last. Another of Ike’s inventions crossed my mind. The blood bombs—I only hoped that the HowlSage would smell it from this distance and still be interested.
But what did I have to lose? I pulled one from the pack on my belt. I hurdled it as far down the tunnel ahead of me as I could. Just a few seconds later I crossed over it—I ran right through the red puddle.
I couldn’t hear the HowlSage any longer. No sound of its footfalls, no wheezing, no growling. I’d failed. I continued to run, but I wasn’t sure why.
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