by Amy Cross
“We don't have time for a family reunion!” Cromer says firmly. “Boy, are you coming with us or not?”
“You can't go that way,” Daniel tells Christian. “Darvill's up ahead and he's lost his mind. I won't let you go there and get yourself killed!”
“We're moving on,” Cromer says. “Now!”
Christian hesitates, and then he turns to me. I immediately see that he's struggling to decide what to do.
“It's okay,” I tell him. “You found your brother, and you should go with him.”
“I can't leave you guys,” he replies, but I can hear the hesitation in his voice. “I can't let you go and face Darvill alone.”
“Let's go!” Cromer shouts, and I turn to see that he's riding his horse further along the aisle.
“Christian, you'll die if you go that way,” Daniel says firmly. “Please, don't follow them. Our parents are dead. We have to stick together now.”
Christian seems lost, torn between two directions, and finally I realize that I have to make the decision for him.
“Go with your brother,” I say, as I realize that at least one us might be able to get a happy ending. “You deserve it. Don't lose what's left of your family.”
With that, I turn and pat the horse the way Christian patted it earlier, and it immediately sets off after Cromer.
“Wait!” Christian shouts, but he's already too far behind. I hate the fact that we've lost him, but at least he gets to go home.
A couple of minutes later, Cromer brings his horse to another halt, and luckily my horse understands to stop as well. Cromer climbs down and I follow suit, although my legs immediately give way and I drop to my knees as I find that Christian was right earlier: I'm definitely very sore from the ride here.
I haul myself up, but the pain in my glutes is intense.
“Great,” I groan. “I'm going into battle to try to save the world, and my bum hurts.”
I take a step forward until I'm right next to Cromer, and I quickly realize I can feel the world shuddering beneath my feet.
“What now?” I ask, filled with dread as I look along the aisle and see a wall of white energy at the far end. “What -”
Before I can finish, a scream rings out, anguished and in pain. I flinch, and I immediately realize that the scream is female, and that it must be coming from Rinth.
“What's he doing to her?” I ask.
“I think he's trying to use her power to break through the Great Barrier,” Cromer says darkly. “He refuses to accept the limits of this world. He wants to see what's on the other side. He wants immortality, and he thinks this is the only way he can get it.”
“Can Rinth do that?” I ask. “Can she give him what he wants?”
“I have no idea,” Cromer replies, “but if anyone can, it's probably her.” He turns to me. “Darvill is a practitioner of some of the darkest arts in all the land. You have to be aware that this isn't just a battle of strength against strength. He'll have some pretty underhand tactics, but at the end of the day he's still mortal. If I can get close enough...” He raises his sword, and the blade's edge glints in the light of the vast schism ahead. “I'll only get one shot, though. Any distractions you can provide will be welcome, but you need to let me be the one who goes for him. And if that fails, I have a back-up plan.”
“What's your back-up plan?” I ask.
“I think I'll keep that to myself for now,” he explains. “Let's just hope we don't get to that point.”
He turns to step forward.
“Wait!” I stammer. “Are you sure we have to stop him?”
“What do you mean?” Cromer asks, turning to me again.
“If he breaks through this Great Barrier thing, is it really so bad?” I ask. “How do we know that he'll destroy the Great Library?”
“Do you feel the ground shaking?” Cromer asks.
“Yes, but -”
“Do you see the sky splitting open?”
“Yes...”
“And do you hear the screams of this world's oldest inhabitant?” he adds, as Rinth continues to cry out. “Rinth has been here since the beginning. You could almost argue that Rinth is the Great Library. If breaching the Great Barrier would benefit the world in any way, Rinth would have done it by now. If breaching the Great Barrier would cause no great harm, do you really think Rinth would be fighting it this hard? I don't know exactly what would happen if Darvill succeeded, but Rinth seems pretty damn determined to stop him, and that's good enough for me. Like I said before, though... if you do not want to join this fight, I will not look down upon you. Join Christian. Go back.”
I stare up at him for a moment, and then I spot the tick on the side of his neck.
“I think you might be the bravest living creature I've ever met in my life,” I tell him.
“Nonsense,” he says with a faint smile, before reaching out and putting a hand on my shoulder. “I'm scared, but you're more scared, I can tell that.”
“I'm still coming with you.,” I tell him. “You don't get rid of me that easily.”
“Then let's not waste any more time debating who's brave,” Cromer replies, turning and raising his sword, then starting to make his way toward the light at the end of the aisle. “Let's save Rinth and the Great Library!”
He starts to run, and I immediately follow him. We race straight into a wall of brilliant white energy, and then – just as I start to think that there's nothing else out here – we burst through a cloud of thick smoke and we reach a vast, ruined landscape at the very foot of the crack in the Great Barrier.
Rinth is in chains on the ground, writhing in agony as Darvill holds her firmly by the head and redirects her strength into his left hand, through his body, out through his right hand and into the schism itself. Huge bolts of lightning constantly arc and flare from his fingertips, channeled into the crack in an attempt to force it open. For a moment, I can only stand and stare in horror at the sight of Darvill draining Rinth and trying to break the world apart. It's as if there's an electrical charge hanging all around us, fizzing against our skin, but after a moment Cromer roars and rushes forward, raising his sword in preparation for hacking Darvill down.
At the last second, Darvill turns and redirects the energy straight at Cromer, blasting him in the chest with such force that he's sent flying through the air and crashing into the tattered, broken end of one of the shelves. I rush over to help him up, but by the time I get there he's already on his feet again.
“Are you okay?” I gasp.
“I was expecting that,” he groans, clearly in pain. The front of his armor has been charred and dented. “It still hurt a great deal.”
“So what's your back-up plan?”
“It's not time for that yet,” he replies, still struggling to get his breath back. “I still need to try brute force first.”
With that, he pushes me aside and screams as he rushes once again toward Darvill. The outcome is no different, however, and Darvill is easily able to blast energy at him and send him crashing against another set of broken shelves. I rush over, and it's clear that he's more badly hurt than last time.
“I really think that plan is all used up!” I say firmly. “What's the back-up?”
“It's not time yet.”
“Then when will it be time?”
“I'm not ready to let him loose, not yet,” he replies, “but -”
He stops, looking past me at something.
“No!” he shouts suddenly.
Turning, I'm horrified to see Christian racing up behind Darvill with his sword raised. Just as it looks as if he might succeed, however, Darvill turns and blasts him with another burst of the energy. Christian disappears in a vast flash of light, and his scream is cut short as Darvill then turns and pushes the energy back toward the schism.
“Go to him!” Cromer shouts, pushing me away as he once again heads toward Darvill.
I race to the spot where I last saw Christian. For a moment there's no sign of him at all, a
s if he's been disintegrated, but then I spot his crumpled body over by one of the other shelves. I hurry over to check on him, and as I drop to my knees I see that he's been badly burned. He's alive, though, and after a moment he opens his eyes and looks up at me.
“I tried...” he gasps.
“You came back!” I stammer.
“I should never have left you guys,” he replies. “My brother didn't understand, he thinks I'm crazy. I told him to wait at the farm. Please, don't hate him for not trying to help. He's seen so much pain and suffering, I could never ask him to fight again.”
“It's okay,” I tell him, checking his wounds, which don't actually seem too serious. “You're bleeding, but you're going to be fine, there's no way of -”
Suddenly Cromer screams, and I turn just as he's sent flying straight toward us. I duck down as he slams into the next shelf, and I watch helplessly as he slithers down against the rocky ground. This time, he doesn't immediately start to get up.
“Go!” Christian says. “Help him!”
I scramble over the rocks until I reach Cromer. He's alive, but he's groaning as he tries and fails to get up. The front of his armor has been completely split open now, and there's blood running down his chest. He tries to stand, but then he lets out a gasp and slumps back down.
“You can't try that again!” I tell him, as Rinth's scream intensifies. “He'll kill you!”
“Time...” He pauses, barely able to get the words out. “Time for the back-up plan.”
“What is it?” I ask.
“Poor old Cygnus of Althuria,” he replies. “Such a strong warrior, but so frustrated while in here, taking the backseat for so long while I drive. Well, I think I've met my match, but Cygnus has had long enough to rest now, so let's see what the old lug can do. I've primed him a little better this time and given him a good pep talk. Alex, take me off him.”
With that, the tick detaches from the side of his neck. After a moment, realizing what he means, I take the tick in my hands, just as the huge, hulking body of the man begins to stir. I pull back and watch as Cygnus of Althuria, having regained full control of his body after all this time, gets to his feet. In an instant, he looks completely different, his face filled with a sense of fury and anger that I never quite saw when Cromer was running the show. Stomping across the ground, Cygnus picks up his sword, and then he looks over at Darvill for a moment. I have no idea what he's planning, but I guess he's probably a pretty good fighter. Even better than Cromer, perhaps.
Roaring, Cygnus suddenly rushes at Darvill and swings his sword. And then, just as before, Darvill turns and blasts energy straight at Cygnus, hitting him in the chest.
This time, however, Cygnus doesn't fall back.
Stunned, I watch as Cygnus steps slowly but surely toward Darvill, screaming and pushing back. Darvill is still using his left hand to draw energy from Rinth, and redirecting that energy into Cygnus using his right hand. Digging his heels into the rocky ground, Cygnus stops for a moment, as if he's trying to summon the energy for one last push, and then he starts to slowly raise the sword once again, ready to bring it crashing down against Darvill.
“You're a tough one, huh?” Darvill sneers. “That's impressive, but it won't work! I'm going to get through the Great Barrier and you... will... not... stop me!”
In an instant, the energy burst from his hand increases, finally blasting Cygnus away and sending him slamming into one of the shelves. As Cygnus drops down to the ground, the tick scurries off my hand and drops to the floor, rushing back over as if he actually think he can save Cygnus. Before I have a chance to react, however, Christian stumbles past me and heads back toward Darvill.
“No, wait!” I yell, horrified as he prepares to raise his sword.
I rush after him, hoping to pull him back, but I'm too late. Darvill blasts him, and I once again have to duck down. Christian almost slams into me as he's sent careering into another of the shelves, and for a moment I freeze. He looks even more badly hurt than before, and I'm not even sure that he's alive. I turn to look at Cygnus, but he's not moving either. The ground is shaking beneath me, and when I look over my shoulder I see that Darvill is channeling more energy than ever from Rinth, absorbing it through his left hand and forcing it toward the crack with his right hand. Rinth's agonized scream is getting louder and louder, and the crack is rippling with flashes of lightning.
And that's when I realize what I have to do.
I want to rush back over to Christian, to check that he and Cromer and Cygnus are okay, but I know they'll only throw themselves at Darvill again and again until eventually they get killed. It's not as if I've got any better chance, of course, but there's one thing that maybe neither of them tried. I look at Rinth for a moment, as Darvill continues to drain this vast energy from her, and I listen to her scream, and then I tighten my grip on the sword.
“I'm sorry,” I whisper, horrified by what I'm about to attempt. “Please forgive me, but there's only one way to stop him now.”
I hesitate, trying to figure out exactly how I'm going to do this without Darvill stopping me, and then I realize that my only shot is to simply go racing over and hope for the best. I adjust my grip on the sword again, as I mentally run through exactly what I'm going to do, and then I start walking toward them.
“Alex!” Christian calls out. “Get back! He's too strong for you!”
Ignoring him, I edge closer and closer to Darvill and Rinth, choosing not to run because I'm hoping to use the element of surprise to my advantage. I look at the back of Darvill's head, and then I look down at Rinth, and finally I raise the sword and prepare to strike.
At the last second, Darvill turns and aims the blast of energy at me, but I was ready for that. He thinks I'm aiming for his head, but I'm not. I duck out of the way, avoiding the blast by millimeters, and then I swing the sword at my intended target. The blade slices past Rinth, and I let out a cry of anger as somehow, impossibly, my plan works. I watch as the blade slices straight through Darvill's left wrist, cutting his hand off cleanly and severing his ability to draw the energy from Rinth.
The hand drops harmlessly to the ground, Rinth stops screaming, and Darvill cries out in agony. I turn to look up at him, just as he steps toward me and blasts the last of the energy directly into my face. Everything goes white.
Chapter Nineteen
“Alex! Alex, wake up! Alex, can you hear me?”
My eyes flicker open, and I see Christian staring down at me. His face is bloodied and scratched, but he's alive, and after a moment I realize that something else has changed. Whereas the last thing I remember is a vast, furious crackling sound, now the whole world seems silent, and the sky above us looks pale but peaceful.
“Alex, say something,” he continues, clearly panicking a little. “Alex, talk to me!”
“What the...”
My voice trails off for a moment.
“What happened?” I whisper.
“You did it!” he says, his voice filled with a sense of wonder. “You stopped him using Rinth to try to force the Great Barrier open!”
He pauses, staring down at me as if he can't quite believe what he's telling me.
“You saved the Great Library,” he adds finally. “You saved all of us.”
“I...”
I blink a couple more times, and then I try to sit up. That turns out to be a huge mistake, since my body feels like it's been beaten and thrown about. I'm pretty sure that I have some broken ribs, but Christian helps me as I finally sit up and look around, and that's when I see that Cromer is kneeling next to me. Or is it Cygnus? I look at his neck, and I see that the tick is back in place.
“That was incredible,” Cromer says calmly. “And clever. I mean, it never occurred to me to go for his hand. I was always aiming for his head.” He winces. “Poor Cygnus has a rather bruised ego right now. Not to mention, pretty much every other part of him is bruised too. He waited so long for me to unleash him, to give him a shot at something. I keep telling h
im that he did real good, but I think he's disappointed. At least I've managed to stabilize him again. He was as good as dead until I reattached.”
“Tell him he did a great job,” I reply.
“You want to talk about great jobs?” he says. “You should have seen me scurrying through the rubble and explosions, desperately trying to get to him in time. It was like a scene from some great action sequence. A brave little tick, leaping from stone to stone, somersaulting in the air, never losing sight of his target. I was blown off course a few times, and I could so easily have been squashed. Time seemed to slow down, there were a couple of moments when I really thought I wasn't going to make it, but I reached old Cygnus eventually. And here I am, back where I belong.” He pauses. “I just need to find a way to cheer him up. He's really moping in here.”
Hearing a rustling sound, I look over my shoulder just as a strong gust of wind blows through the clearing, and I see that Rinth has come over to me.
“Hey,” I say, “are you okay?”
She doesn't reply, but she's on her feet so I guess things can't be too bad.
“She'll heal,” Cromer explains. “And one side-effect of all this is that she seems to have lost her static charge. For now, at least.”
Reaching over, I find that I'm able to touch her bright white hairs without getting shocked. I guess Darvill drew so much energy out of her, it'll take time for her to recharge. Then again, she might remain like this forever.
Speaking of which...
I look the other way, and I'm shocked to see that Darvill is sitting nearby, clutching his left arm and staring at the bloodied stump of his left wrist. I guess the blast of energy must have cauterized the wound, which probably saved him from bleeding to death.
“It's okay,” Cromer tells me. “He knows it's over now. He's never going to break through the Great Barrier.”
I look past Darvill and see a vast expanse of nothingness. The huge, flickering crack has healed already, and it's almost as if nothing ever happened.
“I wanted to be immortal,” Darvill says after a moment. “If I'd broken through, I'd have finally gained the power to restore the Great Library to its fullest glory.”