Rigel

by Eli Ingle

  “No!” screamed Rona.

  Zeph grunted and looked down, just as blood was starting to leak out of his mouth. The demon roared, pulled its claw out and slashed at him, sending the boy spinning backwards onto the ground, where the sand stared to eagerly suck up the blood that was trickling from his mouth and stomach.

  Shuffling forwards, the demon extended its arms to either side and two folds of heavy skin fell down. It knelt in front of the boy and encircled its arms, the skin making two curtains that hid the boy from view, before lowering its head and beginning to feed. Zeph screamed and wailed in misery whilst the crowd went wild, cheering, shouting and screaming its approval. Frivlok stood up and began clapping.

  Rigel got pins and needles behind his eyes. Then his stomach clenched and he bent forward, throwing up all over the floor. Rona rubbed his back.

  “Now that’s a show!” cried Frivlok. “So, who’s next?”

  The Light Ones tried to escape by running down their aisle but Frivlok dived after them and pulled them back before they had even got to the end of the line.

  “Behave, won’t you?” he snapped.

  Towing them away by the collars, he took them from the arena and back towards the chamber where he had pulled the orb from Zeph.

  Inside, Rigel saw that the table was still bloody from earlier. The orb lay on a special iron stand, shining pure white in the middle of the room. Rona pretended to stumble as she entered the room, falling towards the orb. She stood up a moment later, turning to face the man with a triumphant look on her face. She was holding the orb in her hand.

  “One move and I break it,” she said. Frivlok froze. She smiled. “A-ha! Got you now, haven’t I? Right, let’s go.”

  He shrugged. “Do what you must ….”

  They made as if to leave but he was quicker. Twisting in the air, Frivlok’s body dissolved and turned into black smoke. It blew away in a cyclone before hurtling towards them with an unearthly scream. Rona raised the ball and threw it at the ground. It smashed with an atomic blast of white light and a resonating humming filled the air. Frivlok flinched and screamed, twisting away from the light, and returned to his normal form. Rigel and Rona winced from the glare as thousands of white points poured into the air before slowly rotating around the room like a planetarium. Possessing knowledge that the children did not, Frivlok began chanting in some tongue they did not understand. A few of the star’s orbits slowly began to alter course towards him, the blazing blue light dulling to a flaming black. The suns became leathery and black; then the light disappeared until they turned into black holes which then melted into smoke and poured into his heart.

  “No!” cried Rigel. “Over here! Come over here!”

  Several of the stars turned towards his and Rona’s outstretched hands before turning into white light and pouring into their hearts. It was a race between them, who would get more before they were all gone. The magnetic pull from Frivlok was stronger, but the combined force of Rigel and Rona was something to be reckoned with. More stars began to gravitate towards the Light Ones. A feeling of immense power filled them. Intoxicating. Never before had Rigel felt so strong before or unstoppable. A flicker of light showed that the orb had finished spilling the blue suns. There was a moment when all three of them rocked with the power flowing through them. Then they raised their hands towards each other. The energy crackled along their palms for a second before they shot it at each other.

  Smoke and light and heat washed over Rigel before he noticed cool air buffeting his face. Opening his eyes, he realised he was falling from the building, which was not underground as he had previously thought. Stretching out his arms, he directed the flow of magic until he was gliding towards the ground. Turning around, he saw that Rona was gliding beside him. Frivlok was standing at the edge of the room, his eyes flowing with streams of purple magic. He contorted his body until he had changed into a leathery, winged shadow, rising up and flying after them.

  Landing on a set of roof tops, they began running, the air rippling with white light where they went, Frivlok in full pursuit behind them. Travelling at a speed he had never known possible, Rigel found that the city was passing below him in a blur. His legs pounded on the tiles and seemed to fly round in a haze of white light. He should be exhausted but he barely needed to draw breath. All of his senses were heightened – he could see sharp details of every line of buildings, the gothic statues and the streets below. The wind flowed like ribbons across his skin. Everything was moving in a blur, but his brain was processing it so quickly that his eyes saw it at normal speed. Frivlok swooped down behind them and blew up the roof but they had run over and away from it with ease. Rigel began laughing – it was blissful. Every other discharge of magic that the man sent towards them seemed to be slow and clumsy; it was incredibly easy to dodge.

  A buzzing in his head made Rigel press his hand against his temple. Then he noticed voices in the buzzing.

  I can hear Rigel’s thoughts.

  Rigel looked over at Rona who was staring at him, wide-eyed.

  “What did you just say?” they asked in unison.

  “You can hear what I’m thinking?” asked Rona.

  Yes, replied Rigel in his head.

  A screech behind them brought Frivlok back into their thoughts and turned their attention away from the amazing revelation. Rona grabbed Rigel and pulled him down as the shadow flew over them, claws extended.

  The Light Ones scrambled back up onto their feet and continued running along the roof.

  Where are we going? asked Rona.

  We need to get out of the Dark Realm, replied Rigel. This is a bit like a twisted version of Kozenia so a lot of the features are the same. Remember in our Kozenia how they were telling us that people went into the woods and didn’t come out? Maybe the entrance to the Dark Realm is in there. We should head there.

  Come on then, said Rona, grabbing his hand and jumping off the roof.

  They soared down and landed on the street below as if they had been floating through syrup. A flash of light burst as they continued running. The street was narrowing and Frivlok had swooped around and was bearing back down on them.

  Rigel spotted the outer gate of the city and pointed, making both of them pick up their speed to get through.

  The gates shut behind them with a clang but it was cut short as Frivlok smashed into the bars, ripping metal and stone from the gate and sending an explosion of dust and shrapnel out towards them. A chunk hit Rigel in the back of the shoulder, making him stumble. He swore loudly in his head.

  Rigel!

  Rona grabbed him and pulled him upright again. They were now in the open field outside the city, but whereas in their version of Kozenia it had been a lush, green meadow, this one was scorched and dead with the shells of burnt out watchtowers scarring the landscape. The trees ahead were dark and dead with thick cobwebs spun between the branches. With a sweep of her hand, Rona had burnt a clear path for them.

  Plunging between the trees, they found thick fog swirling between the trucks, making it nearly impossible for them to see anything. The branches of the trees groaned in the wind, distracting them with an unpleasant screeching sound. Rona raised her hands and sent a beam of light ahead of them which seemed to melt the fog away. Running onwards again, they ventured further into the woods ….

  “There!” cried Rona, pointing.

  Up ahead was the wrought iron archway that Rigel had seen in his dream the other night. He had never thought that within less than a week he would be standing on the wrong side of it.

  A roar behind them made them jump and turn around. Frivlok was charging towards them, hell-bent on stopping them from stepping through the archway. Energy crackled along his hands but they gave him no chance to fire at them, instead running towards the archway. Grabbing each other’s hand, they dived through just as he reached out for them, his grey hands missing their collars by a fraction.

  A sensation of warm sunlight crossed
their skin before they fell onto the sweet-smelling forest floor. From just beyond the archway they could hear screaming.

  “You can’t run forever! I’ll find another way to get at you and I’ll rip out your hearts like I did to your pitiful little friend and throw you in that arena to die! I’ll get you both and steal your hearts. I’ll steal them all!” The sound was fading until it was just a distant memory.

  Rolling over, they lay on the floor, looking up at the canopy above their heads. How could they go on? How could they continue to believe that there was hope in the world when they had seen that? Was that what was waiting for them in the future? Was Frivlok right when he said that with enough power he could open the Realm and a deluge of evil and Shadow could spread across the land like an unstoppable plague?

  Shuffling along the floor, Rigel propped himself up against the trunk of a pine tree, feeling full of dread. Rona followed. Behind them the archway into the Dark Realm called them like a siren, alluring and deadly. Despite their horror of the place and their wish to never return to it, some kind of enchantment must have been woven around it, permeating the air. It was alluring them – tempting them to venture back in. Rigel was horrified to realise that this was the reason why so many people had disappeared – they simply could not help it. Telling Rona what he thought, Rigel stood up and moved further away from the archway, sitting down in the woods in a stronger patch of sunlight. He knew that they were safe now but he had no wish to return to the city. Looking over at Rona he wished that they could stay here forever, wanting nothing and simply choosing to be safe and warm.

  “How’s your shoulder?” she asked, pointing to where the shrapnel had hit him.

  “Oh,” he twisted to look at the wound and found it had healed. “It’s gone. I could get used to all this extra power.”

  Me too.

  At some point he must have fallen asleep because when he next became consciously aware he found that the woods were much cooler and darker. Rona had done the same because as he looked over he saw that she was peering around, looking confused. He remembered what Laurie had told him about staying in the woods after dark and scrambled to his feet. Pulling Rona up, they hurried back to the city. He could feel the Shadow stirring beneath the trees. The range of the enchantment of the archway extended after dark and he could feel the seductive tendrils willing him to step closer. He shook them off with difficulty and hurried away even faster. Rigel tried to run at the speed they had been travelling through the Dark Realm and found he could only run as fast as normal.

  “It’s worn off – the power we had,” he said.

  “And I can’t hear your thoughts anymore!” Rona said, looking disappointed.

  The children arrived on the open plain and ran across towards the city gates. Nearer to them however, they realised that they were being shut.

  “Wait!” cried Rigel. “Wait! Wait!”

  Running faster, the men on the wall saw them coming but in the falling darkness could not see who they were.

  A horn blasted from a nearby tower and men appeared at the section above the gate.

  “Intruders, halt!” someone cried.

  Rigel and Rona, oblivious to the fact that they might be considered intruders, carried on running.

  “Intruders, halt!” came the cry again, louder this time.

  “Aim!” cried another man. “Fire!”

  A blast of rifle fire filled the air and bullets shot towards them from the wall. The blasts of smoke rising from the guns were illuminated in the orange glow of the rifle fire. The bullets hit the ground around them, making them stop.

  “What did you do that for?” asked Rona.

  Muttering could be heard on the wall.

  “Sorry?” asked one of the guards.

  “What are you shooting at us for?” she asked, crossing her arms.

  “You’re intruders,” replied the man defensively. “We asked you to halt and you didn’t, which gives us the authority to fire.”

  “Well you’re lucky you didn’t hit us!”

  “Who are you?”

  “Rona and Rigel.”

  A heavy silence was followed by a lot of loud whispering.

  “The Rona and Rigel?” asked a man.

  “That’s it.”

  One of the men groaned.

  “We’re so sorry!”

  “Please don’t report me – I have a family to feed!”

  “That’s alright. You were only following orders, I guess …”

  “I’m sorry!”

  “It’s fine.”

  “Won’t you come in then?”

  “Sure you’re not going to shoot at us?” asked Rigel.

  Some nervous laughter floated down to them.

  “No, you’re alright.”

  “Okay then.”

  The portcullis was raised from its half-mast position and the gates were opened again. They walked through the huge stone archway and were met by several guards at the other side. The head guard, wearing the usual elaborate outfit but also a fancy hat – the same colour as the outfit, with a royal seal embroidered into the front and a long feather tucked into the side – that befitted his rank, was standing nearby, his hand extended.

  “Sorry about that,” he said briskly.

  “It’s honestly fine!” said Rigel, shaking his hand.

  “Very well then, will you join us for a cup of cocoa before you retire?” he offered.

  “Thank you.”

  Led away from the gate, they were shown through to a small guard house. A wooden table and chairs had been set with several cups of cocoa and a plate of biscuits.

  “Please, sit down,” the head guard offered.

  The guard joined them, dipping a chocolate biscuit into his drink until the top was running off into it, swirling around the froth. He bit into it, leaving a streak of melted chocolate and froth on his elaborate moustache.

  “So, if I may ask, what were you doing out there at this time?” he asked.

  Rigel decided to choose his words carefully and not tell the entire truth.

  “Well, it’s sort of classified information,” he said, poking a lump of unmixed cocoa powder that was floating on the top. “But we were on a training exercise and got held up a little later than we were expecting.”

  The man’s eyes widened but he nodded, tapping the side of his nose.

  “Ah, I see. Mum’s the word, eh? No problem, no problem at all,” he replied. “Perhaps … yes ….” He stood up and left the room, returning a moment later with two minute whistles. “If you take these then you shouldn’t have a problem again. Three blows will alert my guards; then they’ll open the gate for you. Strictly against protocol, of course, but I’m sure we can make an exception in your case.”

  “That’s great,” said Rigel, examining the whistle.

  “No problem at all,” he replied, smiling. He noted the empty cups. “Can I get you another?”

  “Oh, no thank you,” said Rona.

  “A lift home perhaps?”

  They looked at each other.

  “That would be quite good actually.”

  “No problem at all.”

  Several minutes later they were in the back of a horse-drawn carriage being driven by one of the guards.

  “Sorry about shooting at you,” said the new guard.

  “It’s fine,” replied Rigel without enthusiasm – it was getting dull now.

  “So, you’re Light Ones, eh?”

  “Er … yeah.”

  “How’s that working out for you?”

  “Well, it’s keeping us busy,” he replied.

  “Yeah, it will do, it will do. How’s the training going?”

  “Oh, fine, fine,” Rona lied, knowing it was better not to mention there had been no training yet.

  “That’s good,” said the guard. “It’s nice to know that you’re working on everything to sort it out. Dark times we’re living in, dark times. There
’s not a day goes by when I’m not worrying about the Shadow or a civil war … or both. It’s terrible that we can’t just live peaceful lives. I wish I lived in a time when there was none of this to worry about … and I guess that it’s only going to get worse before it gets better.”

  Rigel nodded, before realising that the man could not see him.

  “Yeah,” he said instead.

  The cart turned a corner and rattled as it passed over the tram tracks set into the floor. The city was mostly empty of people – it must be quite late and they were asleep.

  Travelling down another street and making a right turn, they arrived at the Ministry outside and the cart pulled up by the front steps.

  “Thank you for the lift.”

  “My pleasure. Take care now.”

  “And you.”

  Clopping hooves filled the air as the cart rattled away around a corner. They climbed the stairs, going inside the Ministry for another appointment on Plum Street.

  Only one night guard was at the desks. He nodded to them as they made their way inside.

  Upstairs, Rigel was exhausted and looking forward to just falling into bed. He was just turning the handle when he heard Laurie shouting and other raised voices from down the hall. He turned to see Rona looking down the corridor, frowning.

  “Shall we go and have a look?” he asked.

  “I suppose,” she replied. “I wanted to go to bed.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  Walking down the corridors they found that a main conference room was full. Slipping inside, they hid at the back to see what was happening. Alcor was slumped in a chair at the head of the room, his mouth set in a grim line. Mizar was pacing in front of him, a full glass of her liquid glitter drink in one hand and lit cigar in the other. The cigar was leaving a trail of smoke behind her as she paced. A general was stood to attention and was addressing the royals. He was wearing a dark green outfit with brass buttons on the front and back along with braided rope from one shoulder. A peaked cap rested on his head, partially shading his face.

  “Can’t you see we’re not getting anywhere?” he asked the royals. “Every time they go off and come back without the people they were trying to find or even if they do find them, then they lose them!”