“I’ll figure it out… somehow. I always do.”
“Well, take your cloak with you, it’s freezing out there and I don’t want you catching your death of a cold,” Elethea said.
“Mother – you’re such a worrywart! There’re worse situations than worrying about freezing to death.” Rachel laughed. “Oh… and don’t work too hard trying to help those barbarians. I don’t understand why you don’t poison some of them… they wouldn’t even know… you could tell them it’s some sort of epidemic,” she said, as she planted a kiss on her mother’s cheek.
“Rachel, you’ll get us all—”
Rachel waved her hand dismissively at her mother as she spun on her heel and rushed out of the door, heading toward the stables. She had an hour to spare before she had to report to the armoury for her duty. She now found it ironic that the Dark Legion had placed her in a position managing the repair of damaged weapons – a duty that she could use to her benefit.
Alexis was a tall, striking Seraphian woman who had been stripped of her title as a Guide under the new regime. She had previously trained the horse-warriors for the Arete Army so her skill-set was of high value. Forbidden to practice her skills any more, she had now resumed the role as stable manager – caring for the horses and ensuring that no evil befell them under the cruelty of Drakon’s rule. Known to have zero empathy, the Dark Legion were devoid of any kindness toward animals.
It didn’t take long for Rachel to find Alexis, but the apprehension on Alexis’s face made Rachel cautious. Would Alexis reveal her plan to the Dark Legion? She had to place all her trust in her; otherwise her plans wouldn’t see fruition.
“What brings you here?” Alexis enquired hesitantly.
“Is it safe to talk?”
“That depends on what you want to discuss.” Alexis sidled closer to a secluded part of the stables.
“How many horses did you lose?” Rachel asked as she peeked into an empty stable. But the moment the question left her lips she realised that she’d made a grave mistake. Reminding Alexis’s of her loss wouldn’t help to gain her trust.
Tears welled up in Alexis’s eyes – grief at the loss of her beloved horses. She shook her head, the action alone confirming that she didn’t want to discuss the matter further.
Rachel needed to divert her attention back to why she was here, so she spoke quickly. “I need your help. I have this idea… the weapons that I’m repairing, I think we could—
“Before you go on, I can’t jeopardise what’s left here.” Alexis glanced around, looking visibly distraught at the half-empty stables.
“Please hear me out. I know that the others will return. Ash and Kyros would never desert us – they’re loyal Guardians. They made an oath to protect us and they will. To be honest, my mother restored my faith. She’s helped me believe in our future again.”
Alexis wiped her tear-stained cheeks. “I used to be brave, but the war… the war changed me. You’re so young that you don’t realise the consequences… the after-effects…”
“Consequences! You talk to me about consequences? If we sit back and do nothing that is far worse than having consequences. Do you want to be a slave forever?” Rachel raised her voice, her irritation with Alexis’s subservience growing. “Any neophyte who’s part of the future Awakenings will be given the gift of slavery – how lucky! And how can we hand the possibility of our freedom over to Drakon so easily?”
“They won the war – we lost our freedom then. They wiped out our army and killed our commander. And, have you forgotten? They have Thanos and Galene imprisoned in the dungeons. Ash and Kyros have abandoned us. Accept it – there’s nothing more we can do.”
“I guess I came to the wrong person. I believed you’d help me,” Rachel responded furiously as she turned and stalked away from the stables. But then she hesitated and spun around, facing Alexis. “If you want to know… Pandora escaped with the others… through the vortex.”
At these words, Alexis’s face transformed into a puzzled frown and Rachel could see a flicker of hope returning to her deadpan eyes.
Alexis slumped against the stable wall. “Pandora’s not dead?”
“If she made the journey she could very well be alive – alive with the others.”
“So you believe we can regain our freedom?”
Rachel exhaled loudly. “Not only me, but others too. United we stand, divided we fall – remember our devotion. If we stand together, we’ll have a chance. I’m not sure how we can do it though as some of us remain divided.”
“It’s hopelessness… I’ve noticed it too.”
Rachel shook her head, unable to quell a feeling of trepidation. “No… it’s something more than that, but I can’t figure it out. Since the war, there’s been this… this strong unknown presence – like Dark Magic. I can sense it sometimes. Something feels off. And it’s at its strongest near Mount Hieros.”
“Dark Magic… I’m not sure about that.” Alexis shrugged uncertainly. “What help did you need?”
Pausing for a minute to gather her thoughts, Rachel replied softly, “Behind the armoury, there’re tunnels leading outside, but the bridge over the mine’s been destroyed.”
“There’s another way out.”
“That’s what I heard. But… would Drakon know about this?”
“I doubt it. They only built the western tunnel in the last century as an alternate way out. Drakon was long gone by then.”
Rachel tugged her cloak nervously. She lowered her tone an octave which made her voice sound like a croaking frog. “We could smuggle weapons out that way. The guards aren’t recording the number of weapons that come in for repair. I’ve seen it. They’ve become complacent – they prefer gambling all day.”
Alexis smiled, her tears long forgotten. “I like your way of thinking, Rachel.”
“This is where you come in…”
The change in Alexis had renewed Rachel’s hope even more. If she could convince the disheartened Alexis to help, she was sure she’d be able to sway the other Seraphians too.
Chapter 9
The Hecate
Drakon’s eyes never left Raven’s face as she crossed the amphitheatre toward him. His intense gaze made her feel slightly uncomfortable under his scrutiny; it was as if he could see her soul. Even though the powerful Guardian had become a father figure to her, she remained aloof to his paternal care – afraid to reveal her weaker side to him. But the closer they grew, the more she realised that he wasn’t the heartless man that he appeared to be. Underneath the malevolence, a different man remained hidden, but Raven couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Since her first day in the Under Realm – where she had found solace – she’d realised that the comfort wasn’t from the evil world that she’d awakened in, but rather because of Drakon’s presence. This same feeling had followed her through to the Third Realm. Drakon was her anchor and their relationship had blossomed into a father-daughter one. And even though their bond grew stronger with each passing day, Raven remained subservient to him out of respect.
Drakon’s voice had a different pitch to it, a light exuberance which cut through his normally deeper tone. “Raven… glad you could join me.”
Raven bowed. “Lord Drakon, I’m at your service night and day.”
Drakon shifted his weight, leaning in closer and cutting straight to the chase. “There’s something I need you to do for me.”
Raven frowned. The last time Drakon had wanted her to undertake a mission, she had had to infiltrate the Third Realm to gather information on the City of Seraph’s inhabitants. Now she was here in the City itself and the only other place to venture to would be the Middle Realm. Perhaps the vortex had reopened. She inclined her head, half-expecting Drakon to mention this, even though this type of mission would be treacherous, journeying to the wastelands would be a challenge for her.
Drakon noticed her confused expression and quickly explained, “It’s not to leave this Realm. I’m looking for something here… a symbol…
actually, it’s one that you’re familiar with.”
Raven’s heart sank. She’d been excited for another mission. “I’m not sure what you mean, Lord Drakon.”
“It’s a triangular engraving like—”
“—like the one on Ash’s sword?” Raven finished his sentence.
Drakon nodded and continued, knowing that he had Raven’s full attention. “There’re three symbols like this… one in each Realm.”
“What are they for?” Raven questioned, her curiosity rising.
“At the beginning of time our forefathers engraved the three symbols, each in a sacred place after the first Awakening. They’re the connection between the Spheres. But long ago something happened – we’re not sure what – but it divided the Realms and that was the beginning of the Guardianship.”
Drakon trailed off for a moment, as, gathering his thoughts, he chose his words carefully before continuing. “There’s a prophecy recorded about the three symbols which describes each one as a portal. It foretells that when they’re opened, they form a crossway. When the August Moon appears at the turn of the millennium and the Hecate is opened, then the Spheres can be connected.”
Raven glanced around. The guards had quietly exited Aether at the start of their conversation. Drakon had clearly instructed them beforehand that he didn’t want them around. And now Drakon was disclosing this to her – one of the many untold mysteries!
Goosebumps rose over her flesh. “This, this Hecate… can we travel through it?”
“No, we can’t. It’s not like the vortex. Think of it as an invisible thread that connects the Spheres. Once the Spheres are reconnected, they can heal and the Realms will revive themselves – the energy will redistribute itself.” Drakon broke off and stroked his goatee, his mind distant. “But… there is another prophecy—” He stopped suddenly, remaining silent concerning the other prophecy.
Raven raised an arched eyebrow. “We could end up killing ourselves, Lord Drakon. The Under Realm’s destroyed and what if this… this reconnection disturbs the Third Realm’s harmony. Wasn’t that the reason why we left there to invade here? To ensure the survival of our species?”
“It’s a huge risk because the Under Sphere is almost lifeless and the Middle Sphere – well – we don’t know. They might not reconnect, but there’s no other way forward.”
“There’s a Sphere in the Middle Realm?” Raven asked incredulously.
“Of course there is. But it must be failing, dying slowly. The wastelands prove this – there’s nothing left there anymore.”
“And Ash and the others must be dead by now… wherever they are.” Raven shook her head as she pondered the outrageous idea that Drakon had of opening the Hecate. “We shouldn’t risk it.”
“They’re alive…”
“How’s that even possible?”
“It’s – well, a sort of Guardian intuition. Once you’ve been a Guardian you can sense the passing of another. And I don’t sense theirs…”
“You told me once that as long as we protect the source elements nothing can go wrong.”
“I know Raven… I did tell you that, and it’s true to a certain extent. But if we don’t do this then the Sphere here will also die. There’s more to this world than meets the eye. There are unknown mysteries… mysteries that you and I will never fully understand. I trust you with this, that’s why I’m telling you.”
“But why do you even care if they’re alive, Lord Drakon. Surely we don’t need them anymore?”
“But we do, Raven. Remember when I told you to capture Ash when you were tracking him in the Arcadia Mountains during the war. Well I wanted him alive… and the others too. We need the five Guardians to perform the final ritual to make it work.”
“Five Guardians!” Raven exclaimed as she clamped her hand over her mouth. “But… but I killed one of them.”
“Yes you did… Aella, the Guardian of Aer.”
“But how will the ritual—”
“Aether should choose a new Guardian preceding the August Moon – I’m hoping. So now you see, as much as you want Ash dead, he’s a valuable asset to me… alive.”
“This is crazy! We invaded the Third Realm so we could survive and I believed that to conquer this Realm it didn’t matter who died… not even the Guardians. But now you’re telling me a different story in that you want them alive.”
“It is confusing Raven. I had to return to this Realm first and see who I could trust with this. I chose you… because you’re like a daughter to me.”
Raven touched her hand to her chest. She’d know this all along, but for Drakon to admit it aloud was overwhelming. “What if they don’t return in time?”
“They will. It’s in our blood to be present during the August Moon. We’re like moths to a flame.”
In that moment, Raven opened her mouth to tell Drakon about the weird feelings that she’d had, but instead she held back.
“And your friend, Niko, he’s not to know about the symbols, not until we can fully trust him. The other two Guardians are going to return with a plan, so we need to be prepared – but Erebus and the Dark Legion will take care of that. I want you to concentrate on finding the symbol.”
“Lord Drakon—” Raven broke off, not sure how to ask him.
“Don’t worry about searching for the book… this is far more important.”
Unsure, Raven took a tentative step closer. “No, it wasn’t about the book. I wanted to ask…”
Drakon nodded, encouraging her to continue.
“Do you know where the symbol is in the Under Realm?”
Drakon smiled wryly. He didn’t have to answer Raven’s question – she knew immediately by the expression on his face that he had already discovered the Under Realm’s symbol.
Chapter 10
A Secret Rendezvous
The crescent moon sailed slowly across the endless night sky. Brilliant star-diamonds winked farewell in its wake. Erebus had arranged for a clandestine rendezvous with the Fallen and he’d snuck out of his quarters in Aether to meet up with them.
Erebus heaved open the hefty wooden door of the archives building. In the immense hallway the polished marble floor gleamed in the light of the moonbeams that filtered through the slatted shutters above. He made his way to the far end to the recessed alcove entrance to the library. Inside, at least twenty of the Fallen had gathered and were waiting for him. Only one hundred of these men had survived the Dark War – the rest had fallen in battle.
“You summoned us, Commander?” Barak, a thickset warrior, questioned Erebus suspiciously.
Erebus glanced around, disappointed. “So few of you came.”
“At this time of night… what did you expect?” Barak responded. “But we’ll pass your message on to the others.”
Erebus cleared his throat. “There’s a traitor in our midst… a traitor who’s planning an evil deed.”
“And how do you know this, Master Erebus?” probed another warrior.
“I’ve seen the power that she has over Lord Drakon… the magic of a dark witch.”
“So this traitor’s a woman – someone we know?” Barak asked, as rubbing his thick neck.
“She is indeed…”
Barak looked at Erebus with an annoyed expression. His thick eyebrows bunched together.
“It’s none other than Raven,” Erebus stated.
Audible gasps hissed around the vast library. They hadn’t expected Raven to be the traitor – if anything, they’d all believed that she was loyal to Drakon.
As the chatter continued unabated, a squint warrior yelled over the noise, “What’s her plan that you speak of?”
“To kill our Lord.”
Mayhem erupted. Angry shouts reverberated from the bookshelves and two heavy books which were balancing precariously on the edge fell with a thump to the floor.
Erebus found it difficult to bring them under control but, once he had, he continued confidently, “She wants to be our leader – whereas rightly,
the next one in line to rule should be one of the Fallen, not some mangy girl who only awakened in the Under Realm as nothing more than a recruit.”
Barak look amused and his mouth shifted into a crooked grin. “It won’t be a problem to get rid of her.”
“It’s easy to get rid of her, but there’s another problem.”
“What’s that?” asked Squint.
“You’ll have to kill one of your own – the one who protects her like a father wolf and doesn’t leave her side.”
Barak scoffed as he trailed his stumpy finger over the dusty leatherbound books, leaving a distinct line across their surface. “Niko… he’s never been one of us – an odd one out since the beginning.”
Erebus inclined his head. “How so?’
“He’s on a different mission to us – he has a hidden agenda of some sort,” revealed Squint.
“To overthrow Drakon?” Erebus asked, but his words were more a statement than a question. Perhaps this was the reason Niko had joined up with Raven – that made sense.
“No.” Barak shook his head resolutely. “He was always hanging around the recruits, studying them… trying to understand them. Weird, if you ask me.”
“But it was the Fallen’s duty to train them,” Erebus said. “Perhaps you misunderstood him.”
“He switched sides long ago,” Barak reminded Erebus. “He thought Aether would choose him as a Guardian. What a joke! We all knew that was never going to happen.”
Raucous laughter filled the library.
“And now Raven’s bewitched him too,” Squint chortled.
“All the more reason not to tell Drakon,” Erebus said reassuringly.
“We’ll kill her first and then Niko,” Barak proposed.
“Kill her… kill her… kill her,” the others chanted.
Erebus smirked. His plan was falling into place.
Chapter 11
A Gamble
A dank smell permeated the cold air in the dungeons. Thanos shivered and curled up tighter on his makeshift bed, wrapping the threadbare blanket around his shoulders. The chill drilled deep into his old bones. The windowless cell was gloomy and the lambent light from the oil lamps in the tunnels barely reached into the cells. If only Kyros was here, thought Thanos. Kyros had the ability to manipulate fire whereas Thanos’s gift was controlling the earth.
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