The Dark

by Marianne Curley

  Queen Brystianne is next. She takes one of Matt’s hands and stares at him for a little longer than seems polite, then her shoulders lift and she exhales a long breath. This action floors me. She’s so nervous I think she’s having trouble breathing! Finally she lowers Matt’s hand, giving him a coy smile.

  I can’t believe this. The woman is blushing!

  The royals’ strange reactions to my brother has me wondering. What’s going on? But I can’t very well ask them; I’d feel like an idiot. And Lord Penbarin, now that he’s here, has developed a sudden urgency. ‘We’d better get a move on before somebody discovers what we’re doing.’

  His words worry me, but I’m as ready as ever. ‘Where do you want us to stand?’

  He explains, ‘Well, my dear, much like you, I’ve been busy doing my research on how best to make this happen. With the help of Lady Arabella, I have searched thousands of ancient texts through the night.’

  ‘How will this passing through the worlds be accomplished?’ Matt asks.

  I may just be imagining this, but at Matt’s words, Lord Penbarin’s shoulders square off as if he’s just been singled out for a best lord-of-the-land award. ‘We’re going to use the gods’ own power generator.’

  At our blank stares he continues, ‘We’re going to form a pyramid with our bodies within an octagon base. It’s a vehicle of ancient power.’

  ‘Do we have to be a part of this design?’ I ask, not quite understanding yet.

  Lord Penbarin explains, ‘You and Ethan will stand within the pyramid formed by our bodies.’

  ‘But how can you create this shape when there are only three of you?’

  Lady Arabella holds up her hand. Instantly a lengthy white plaited cord appears. ‘We shall use this to make the eight-sided base. We will then stand within this octagon and use our bodies to form the pyramid.’

  ‘The idea is,’ Lord Penbarin goes on to explain – to Matt, as if he’s the only one going on this journey, when in fact, he’s the one not going – ‘using the three of our powers combined, we will endeavour to force a small opening in a rift that is like a doorway that leads from one world to the other.’

  Lady Arabella takes over in her gentle voice, explaining the rest to Ethan and me. ‘The two of you will be propelled into a temporary vortex. What happens then, none of us really knows. We believe that nature and gravity will deposit you into the underworld. These same gravitational forces should seal the rip behind you.’

  ‘The problem is,’ Lord Penbarin sounds even more hurried now. ‘As we have never combined our powers to attempt something of this magnitude before, we can’t guarantee what will happen. Should the rift open for longer than anticipated, the possibility arises that a creature from the underworld could make the leap into earth.’

  ‘Why would that be so bad?’ I ask.

  It’s as if all three royals take a simultaneous deep breath.

  ‘Because, my dear,’ Lord Penbarin explains, ‘it’s not the way of things. The order of life. The progression of souls. Eternity.’

  ‘I don’t understand.’

  Lady Arabella tries to explain, ‘What my lord is trying to say is that the creatures that now inhabit the underworld would upset the balance of our natural environment.’

  Lord Penbarin waves his hand in the air. ‘Huh! They had their chance!’

  ‘Their presence … their appearance – so unearthly – would cause panic and disorder the like this world has never seen before.’

  Again, all three royals shudder.

  ‘Well what about us?’ Ethan asks. ‘Will our presence upset the balance of their natural environment?’

  Lady Arabella’s shoulders shrug almost imperceptibly. ‘We don’t know what effect your visit will have, but as their world is already governed by chaos, we think any effect would be minimal.’

  The enormity of what we’re doing – at my instigating – suddenly hits me, leaving me wordless for a moment. I mean, not only are there risks to my own world, but to this other one as well. I feel the stirrings of panic inside.

  An image of Arkarian’s gentle face forms before my eyes, helping me pull myself together. ‘The risks appear almost too high, but I feel I must at least try to bring Arkarian back. I just hope you don’t get in trouble for helping us today.’

  Lady Arabella takes one of my hands. ‘My dear child, no one forces us to do anything. Not even my good Lord Penbarin,’ she adds with a giggle. ‘Each of us has been touched by Arkarian’s presence in some form or another. Any risks we undertake in his name are our own, and come from our hearts.’

  I appreciate her words, yet still can’t help feeling a tinge of guilt. Surely two humans passing through a rift in the sky are going to attract attention, and would hardly go unnoticed by an immortal. But, so far, there’s no sign of Lorian. I just hope we can get through this procedure before Lorian appears. As yet, we haven’t done anything against the Guard – except perhaps to plot treachery! And if someone should see us right now, we could simply say we’re watching the sun come up. Only after we enter this other world can we be charged with treason. But once there, even Lorian will be unable to stop us from going ahead with the rescue. There’ll be time enough when we return to face any serious charges.

  As I think these thoughts Lady Arabella arranges the cord into the shape of an octagon, and gives us some last-minute advice, ‘We will watch this area for a sign, but it won’t be easy to return you. You will probably have to find your own way out. Hopefully Arkarian will have some idea on how to accomplish this.’

  Finished with the cord, she looks across at Ethan, who starts double-checking our supplies (again). He goes through the backpacks, softly mouthing the names of each item: torch, batteries, food (mostly dried), water, matches, ropes … Lady Arabella goes over and gives him what appear to be two long, fur-lined cloaks, and two pairs of black leather gloves. ‘Where you’re going you’ll need these. Put them in your packs. They look bulky, but they won’t take up any room. Trust me.’

  She glances briefly at Lord Penbarin and Queen Brystianne as if trying to make her mind up about something. Lord Penbarin gives a slight nod, and she says, ‘We don’t know what challenges you will find yourselves facing, and well, we can’t help you from here, should you get into difficulty, but we can give you some advice. Listen carefully.’

  She has our full attention. ‘Have courage, have faith, and be true to your heart.’

  Ethan and I exchange puzzled glances. What is Lady Arabella talking about? She moves away quickly and the subject closes. Ethan holds my gaze for a moment longer, then shrugs lightly. ‘Help me get these cloaks in, so we can get going.’

  I help Ethan shove the cloaks into one of the packs. Once inside, they take up no room at all, squashing down to almost nothing.

  With the packs loaded on our backs, Ethan and I go and stand in the centre of the octagon. Lord Penbarin and Queen Brystianne come over and join Lady Arabella, placing their feet oddly within the white cord. They then link their hands high above our heads, forming the slightly obscure shape of a human-pyramid. As I peer outside their arms I see Matt staring at the pyramid centre, and the thought suddenly hits me that we didn’t say goodbye to each other.

  A sizzle overhead gets louder and the power of the three royals begins to take effect. Heat from their combined hands spreads over me. I look up and see their fingers glowing orange and white, streaks of energy sizzling and crackling between one set and the next. Their heads remain still and upright, their eyes closed, breathing slow and steady. Inside the pyramid, the atmosphere starts to change.

  Two things happen almost simultaneously. The first is an explosion that jolts through the centre. It covers the two of us in a brilliant light, and my body tingles as if charged with electricity. The other is my brother, who leaps through the arms of Lady Arabella and Queen Brystianne, to lodge himself firmly between Ethan and me. He places himself in the direct centre of the force of power.

  Ethan yells and tries to shov
e him out, but Matt is holding on to both of us tightly. The light and energy within the pyramid rapidly escalates, and a strange sucking sensation sets in, as if my body is being pulled in myriad directions. It becomes hard even to think.

  The next thing I know all three of us are moving, hurled with a force that we have no power over, into space. My own hand, held in front of me, appears distorted. Our backpacks become dislodged and start spinning around in the air. All three of us get caught up in a strange whirlpool. The air grows darker, but not black exactly, just as if it is endless.

  The whirlpool picks up power, and the three of us end up spinning towards a narrow peak. As we rise into this peak, the forces keeping us there increase. None of us can hear the other call, though Ethan’s mouth is moving. There appears to be no gravity, and our bodies spin around in different directions. It grows even darker as a wind kicks up and quickly increases to a deafening roar. Now I can only see shadows.

  I start to wonder if I can take much more of this. The pull on my limbs has become unbearable. But suddenly we begin to drop. The fall is fast and feels as if it is a great distance. To compound this, the depth of darkness has become total. I can’t see the others at all, not even my backpack! But I sense we’re about to hit solid ground. And I don’t need any sixth sense to know that we’re going to hit it hard.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Arkarian

  Sera is ecstatic, jumping up and down with child-like excitement, squealing, ‘They’re here! They’re here! I’m going to be free, free, free!’ She spins and skips in a wide circle round and round the large room until she gets dizzy and falls in a heap near my feet. Sitting up, she holds her head until the dizziness eases, then grins up at me, simply euphoric.

  I wish I could feel the same enthusiasm. But their journey is not going to be easy. For starters, I’ve seen some of the creatures that live here – the part-human, part-bird, part-animal called wren. I’ve seen how loyal they are to Marduke. And if Ethan and Isabel do get as far as the lake that surrounds Obsidian Island, how will they cross it? Not to mention how severely disadvantaged the Guard is in their absence. Lathenia’s probably rubbing her hands together just at the thought of Veridian in a weakened state. I don’t want to imagine what chaos she’s planning.

  I drag myself out of my chair, and stoke the fire to try and rid this place of some of its miserable freezing air. But even this small effort has cost me. I drop back into my chair with a heaving cough. Blood surges into my mouth along with bile. I spit the mixture into the clay bowl Sera provided me with for this same purpose. It’s now three quarters full.

  Sera puts her hand partly through my knee. ‘Not long now, and she will heal you.’

  But I think I could already be too far gone, even for Isabel to heal. My kidneys have ceased working altogether, and fluid is gathering in every one of my cells. I have limited time left before I die of blood poisoning. There’s a very real possibility I will never see Isabel or Ethan again. If only there were some way I could guide or protect them. I try feeling their presence as Sera can, but I’m left with nothing but emptiness. I’m still powerless, something I haven’t experienced since my days as a youth in France. I feel like only half a person – less. Anger surges through me. I have to do something!

  ‘Look there!’ Sera calls from the doorway. She can’t see anything, she’s just so excited at the idea that at last her dreams are coming true, that she can’t keep still.

  Turning from the door she returns with a bowl of green mush and a cup of water. ‘It’s snowing outside. Do you think they thought to bring proper clothing? I don’t want my brother to die of exposure before he finds me.’

  I stir the mush, wondering what on earth it could be. Taking a mouthful I have to wash it down with the cupful of water. For a second it takes my breath away. I hand the bowl back, thanking her. ‘Is it possible for you to go and find Ethan yourself, and bring him here? It’s not like you’re chained to this place.’

  ‘But I can’t fly. That’s the only way off this island.’

  ‘No, it can’t be.’

  ‘This island is my prison.’

  ‘But how? I was brought here, why wouldn’t you or I be able to leave the same way?’

  ‘You were brought here in a steel-bottomed boat.’

  She’s right. I remember the icy feel of that steel on my skin. ‘What’s wrong with the water, Sera?’

  ‘It’s not water, Arkarian. That’s the whole problem. That lake is acid.’

  Acid? Oh no! How are Ethan and Isabel going to get across a lake of acid? And what other difficulties will they have to deal with to get to this point? ‘Sera, they’re in so much danger here. Tell them to go back. Maybe they still have a chance before the rift closes and they lose sight of its position. Tell them, Sera. Tell your brother to go back.’

  Sera stands up and stomps both feet. ‘No. I will not! They will all be here soon!’

  Her mentioning the word ‘all’ stops any other thoughts. It sets my heart thumping hard. Surely no more than two of them are here? ‘Tell me, Sera, how many have come through?’

  She thinks for a second. ‘There are three.’

  ‘Three! No! Why three?’

  I’m not really asking Sera. I just can’t believe three of them are out there risking their lives. She doesn’t reply anyway, just lifts her small shoulders.

  ‘Do you know who they are? Can you see them?’

  ‘Well, there’s my brother. And there’s the girl who loves him.’

  Her persistence on this point rattles me like an irritating stone stuck in my boot. ‘How do you know Isabel is in love with Ethan?’

  Her head tilts towards her right shoulder while her eyes, in fact her whole face, acquires a dream-like state. ‘I have a strong sense of it when I connect with the girl. They have a special bond.’

  ‘Friendship can be a special bond.’

  ‘It’s more than that,’ she says, irritating me no end.

  ‘Affection can appear like love, while it’s really nothing more than a deep friendship.’

  ‘It’s definitely love I feel between them.’

  An anger rushes through me that will not go away. ‘This love you’re sensing, you’re mistaking it for the love someone feels for a sibling.’

  ‘I may not know much about love,’ she admits in a soft voice. ‘But I remember how my father loved my mother, and how she loved him back. And I remember how my brother used to follow me everywhere, even though we fought all the time. That was love too, but different.’

  Her words have the effect of dissolving the aggression inside me. How much of life has she missed? Not just the love of her brother, and parents, but also as a member of the Guard? As I look at her, sitting and staring into the fireplace, the glow against her pale skin making her look almost mortal, I feel nothing but compassion for what could have been. While death has kept her imprisoned in a child’s body and mind, the force of her strong character can’t help but break through. She would have been one of the Guard’s great ones.

  As I sit and contemplate what can never be, the identity of this third person gnaws at my brain. Just who could it be? Shaun? Or Jimmy maybe? It wouldn’t be Marcus Carter; more than likely he would be the one to replace me. ‘You said there were three of them. Ethan and Isabel are two. Who is this third?’

  Resting her chin on her knees she appears to meditate. ‘I don’t know,’ she finally replies. ‘I can’t feel anything when I search for a connection. It’s as if his brain is sleeping.’

  ‘But you can reach Ethan and Isabel.’

  ‘Yes, but Ethan is vague and I get nothing out of it. The girl’s much more receptive.’

  ‘Can you connect with Isabel and find out through her who this third traveller is?’

  She shrugs. ‘I don’t think so. We can’t talk to each other like we’re having a conversation.’

  I think about this talent Sera has, a skill she’s worked hard at developing. She’s done well considering she’s had no
formal training. It makes me wonder how Isabel is doing in developing her skill. I doubt she understands the potential for what it could become just yet. I wish I could be the one to teach her. But any level of psychic connection right now could be a tremendous advantage to the travelling trio. With Sera’s help, perhaps some dangers could be avoided. And maybe Sera’s dreams of release will finally come true. ‘Sera, tell me everything you see and feel when you connect with Isabel.’

  ‘Why?’ she asks in her child-like innocence.

  I take her hand, telling her exactly what she needs to hear to make her want to work with me. ‘So that we can guide your brother straight to us.’

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Isabel

  I hit the ground hard, my feet going out from under me. I pull myself to a sitting position on frozen dirt and take in a deep breath to settle my nerves. But a sudden sharp hissing sound makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. For a second I think someone – or something – is touching my shoulder. I jerk away, spinning around on the spot. ‘Who’s there?’

  Silence, except for the biting wind pushing through trees somewhere nearby. I breathe again and quickly do some self-healing. Luckily there are no broken bones, just some nasty grazes on the arm and thigh that took most of the fall.

  The healing complete I rummage around on all fours to find my backpack. I can’t believe I stupidly left my torch in it. This darkness is hard to take. I get to my feet feeling completely disoriented. Where can Ethan be? And of course Matt too? He surprised us both with his burst into the pyramid at the exact moment of projection.

  A cold hand circles my leg and I scream.

  ‘Shhh, you’re going to wake the dead,’ Ethan says from the ground. I spin around so fast I lose my balance. Ethan tries to catch me before I fall on top of him. ‘Hey, watch my leg. I think it’s broken.’