Blackout

by Katy Mitchell

  Cecily found herself in the clearing by the circle of the six aged oak trees. In this time, they had already been cut down, unlike in her dream of the previous night where they had flourished, standing tall and proud. Subconsciously, Cecily knew this was where she was heading. She was drawn to this place as it was the source of so much ancient magic. It was the perfect place to practise. She decided that she should test her powers and she could not wait to get started. It was like riding a bike and she had not forgotten.

  She started off with some simple spells, gradually progressing to some trickier magic. Her green light bounced playfully around the clearing. Like Kaden’s blue light, hers was green for a reason. She drew her power from nature and she was the personification of the Earth itself. Her light represented growth, fertility, harmony, healing and freshness. As well as drawing on nature for her magic, she could also absorb power from the earth around her by touching it. She was like a sponge, able to suck up its energies and use their power to her advantage. Absorption gave her own powers a boost. Cecily was the Earth Mother. She was able to give life, heal and create and now as she danced around the space in the middle of the woods using her strength, speed and agility, her warrior traits, she gave life to wilting weeds and created flowers where there were none. Cecily’s gift was that she could use the nature around her. She was the goddess of the Earth and all that grew in the ground were her children. They were her servants, ready to do her bidding. She alone controlled the forces of earthly nature. She caught sight of herself in a puddle left by yesterday’s rain and her reflection stared back at her. Her green eyes were bright and her red hair shone in the light of the day. Her physique seemed to have filled out somewhat and the tom boy, Cecily, was no more. She was goddess again. For the first time, she recognised herself and she felt strong.

  She decided to finish her drill with some sword fighting as she did not want to be rusty when facing agents of the Dark. She skilfully wielded the heavy sword with both hands, slicing and dicing the air before turning swiftly to face another imaginary adversary. She continued this playacting over to the ring of oak stumps and as she leapt onto one of them, she suddenly felt very sick to the stomach, so much so that she had to sit down. She felt energy in the air around the tree stumps, which meant that magic had recently been performed there. The residual energy left over from the spell was strong, which accounted for her nausea. She was wracking her brain, trying to remember back to the time she was in, to think what this powerful magic could have been. That was the only explanation, because as visitors to this time, only Kaden and herself could perform magic and Kaden was with the Wise Ones. No matter how hard she tried, she could not think what it was that had happened there.

  When she had composed herself, she decided to use her own magic to discover the culprit. Cecily was also able to use natural energy to see into the past. She could touch organic material and see what had occurred in the vicinity, imprints of the past. As the energy from the spell was strong, she took a few deep breaths and then placed her hand on the tree stump next to the one she was sitting on and concentrated. It did not take Cecily long to find out what had happened there only hours earlier and what she witnessed not only shocked her, but filled her with dread. She needed to get back to Bramble Hall and warn the others immediately.

  They were betrayed and the Dark was coming.

  Chapter 30

  Jedd’s anger was at a pinnacle as he stomped through Bramblegate Woods. Deep down, he had already known the answer he would receive from Cecily, whether she was reactivated or not. She had never given him any reason to believe otherwise. It had all been in his head. He was deluded and he had become obsessed. He felt absolutely ridiculous and that awful feeling of rejection was just too much, because when all was said and done, he loved her deeply. She filled his head and she was all he thought about.

  He had watched her carefully, looking for some indication that she felt the same way. He had waited patiently all these long years for the answer to one simple question and it took but a single moment to shoot him down in a ball of flames. It was all over now and he had his answer. The pain was too much for him to bear. For eighteen years, he had remembered his alternative life. He supposed he should be thankful it had been no longer as they had lived many lifetimes since their last reactivation. However, eighteen years was long enough to build hope that the person you loved felt the same way about you. It was long enough to feel the pain of not being with that person and being alone. It was long enough to grow angry, bitter and frustrated at your situation, especially when you had convinced yourself there may be hope.

  He realised he had gone about it all the wrong way. His attitude and his betrayal had simply pushed her away, pushed them all away. He had lost their respect. He should have confided in Kaden and he would have made him forget, maybe even have sent him away, like Elisabeth. But ultimately, that had put him off and so he lied to them all and pretended he was oblivious to the solution, all because he had been scared he would forget how he felt about her. It had just not been an option at the time. The pain had been easier to live with until his emotions had got the better of him.

  Deep down, he felt shame and guilt at the situation he had engineered for his own selfish reasons. Many innocents had died as a result of his betrayal. After the others had been reactivated, he felt strong again, drawn to the Light, like he had a purpose and that he needed to prove himself worthy and redeem himself. Now he realised it had been a waste of time. He could not live with the overwhelming emotions of pain, guilt and anger any longer as he did not have the will to fight them. The others would never trust him again anyway. He hated their righteousness, especially Elisabeth’s. She was always sticking her nose in where it was not wanted. He knew he had hurt her and he simply did not care. He knew this highlighted his selfishness. And then there was her. She would never love him. There was only one she had ever loved and Jedd knew he could never compete. He had nothing to live for and for that reason, he was now sure of what he wanted.

  Jedd had decided to stick to the undergrowth of the wood, just in case anyone resolved to follow him. As he looked down at his strong, powerful arms, cut and scratched, he realised that he had taken his frustration out on the flora and fauna around him. He pushed his way through the final knot of branches into the clearing with the six old oak tree stumps. He sat in exactly the same place as he had done in the months before his betrayal when he used to meet Dasrus there. He remembered the pure terror he had felt in those moments. However, that fear was now gone. He took a couple of deep breaths and held the pendant, whispering the magic words bestowed upon him by the demon. He thought he had hidden the jewel so well, until Elisabeth found him out. But he pushed all thoughts of his friends out of his head now. He needed to get this over with before he changed his mind.

  Almost instantly, Dasrus appeared, startling Jedd and making him jump to his feet. Although Jedd was determined, he still felt his heart in his mouth as the demon glided towards him on a wave of shadow beasts, salivating and growling noisily in hope of a meal.

  “So, this is where they’ve fled to?” said Dasrus in his eerily calm voice. “An interesting choice. So, young Cerberean, you have used the pendant. Does this mean you have made your decision?”

  “Yes, Master,” he said, all of the nerves and stuttering disappearing as he replied with conviction.

  “And?”

  “I want to serve the Dark, serve you, my Lord.”

  “Well I must say, this is a surprise! I thought that you would betray me after I locked you in the dungeon with your friends. I thought that once the others were reactivated, you would return to the Light. In fact, I was half expecting an ambush.”

  “I’ll be honest, Master, I did think about it. My pull to the Light was strong, but now I am certain of what I want.”

  “So, I take it she refused you then?”

  Jedd looked to the ground and with that gesture, he needed no words to explain what had happened. Dasrus’s wicked la
ughter resounded around the clearing, bouncing off the trees and filling Jedd’s ears.

  “Poor, young, foolish boy, falling in love with a goddess. It’s like a mouse falling in love with a lion!”

  Jedd felt his anger rise once more and he had to try hard to push it down within him to keep it at bay. He realised he would do himself no favours by antagonising this dangerous demon.

  “I’ve been very generous,” began Dasrus, once his laughter had subsided. “I gave you a choice in that dungeon by leaving you with your powers and by helping your fellow Cerbereans escape, you did betray me.”

  Jedd felt himself break out into a cold sweat.

  “However, I was counting on you to do that and you initiated my decoy plan perfectly. I suppose there was a lot of debate about how easy it was to escape, the urgent need to get back to Bramblegate and protect the little heir and the gateway? Maybe discussions about you being a double agent?” Dasrus began to cackle once more. “The truth of the matter is that my plan could not have gone any better! There are some things, of course, that I didn’t factor in over these eighteen long years. I knew that Purdey would betray her daughter, but you betraying the Light? Well that gave me the opportunity to execute my plan while the Cerbereans were looking the other way. And the delay with Cecily not being able to retrieve her memories? Again, another unexpected extra! Although I too engineered that delay,” he added proudly, accepting the blame. “But whether you betrayed me or not, your soul still belongs to me. You sold it.”

  The spookily calm voice turned menacing as the demon directed his unnatural stare directly at Jedd. It seemed like an eternity before Dasrus chose to speak again and Jedd began to feel nervous, wondering what price he was about to pay. When the demon began to speak once more, the twisted calm had returned to his voice.

  “However, you have, although unwittingly, served me well and there is no doubt that all of that pain, anger and resentment inside you, or rather the fact that you want to forget it, could be put to good use. I see into your heart, young Cerberean. I know that more than anything you desire not to feel again and so I will reward your duplicity. Understand though, there is no going back from this.”

  Jedd did not need to think twice. He nodded.

  Dasrus started murmuring under his breath and as the mutterings got louder, Dasrus waved his arms around in the air, with the ardour with which a conductor orchestrates his musicians. Jedd tried not to think about what was going to happen. All he knew was that he was about to get his just desserts. The time for fear was long past. At the climax of his spell, a ball of black pulsating darkness freed itself from Dasrus’s hand and fired at Jedd. A black smudge in the air, Jedd barely had time to register it before it slammed into his chest. He felt an unbearable pain as the darkness tore into his heart. He could almost feel it stop beating as it hardened and turned callous. A black veil descended before his eyes and his spirit departed his body, taking a harrowing journey into the dark. He was falling deeper and deeper into obscurity and as he fell, his soul burnt up and ripped apart, like a rocket re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere. The fragmented soul fell faster and faster and as it did, the remnants of who he had been were torn away: the Cerberean, the Warrior of Light, all the good he had done and the love he had felt. But also, all of the anger, pain and resentment lifted until there was nothing. In the oblivion of nothingness, the pieces of his broken spirit reconvened, coming together with an almighty crash, as once again they formed one body. And then his ascent began, only this time, the darkness around him did not fill his very being with despair. It felt comfortable, like home. He still remembered who he had been and the slippery slope that had led him down this path, only it did not matter now. He did not feel anymore. He had only one goal, one desire and he was focussed solely on that; to serve his master and destroy the Light.

  His dark spirit found itself back in Bramblegate Woods. It was not yet returned to his body. His recently blackened soul watched on as the human body he had once inhabited now mutated before his eyes. It contorted this way and that as the already large frame began to get bigger, bones popping out and disjointing themselves before returning to their new positions. The muscles in his legs, arms and chest transformed, becoming immense and more defined until the body was much stronger and more powerful than it had been before, pure brawn. The hair on both his head and body fell out, leaving him bald and the eyes which had once been a steely grey, were now black. The face he had known so well was now disfigured and distorted. His bodily transformation into demon was now complete and he had witnessed his own rebirth. With a flick of his hand, Dasrus sent the spirit sweeping back into its newly formed exterior.

  “Welcome, my child! My warrior of darkness!” cried Dasrus, as he greeted his new creation. “Come, we have much work to do.”

  Jedd grunted in agreement.

  Chapter 31

  As Kaden arrived in the familiar frosty blue environment, he sensed the others were already waiting for him. Sure enough, he was soon surrounded by six bright balls of light, just like himself.

  “Hello, Masters. I am sorry to keep you waiting.”

  “No matter, brother. The importance of our meeting is such that we do not mind waiting.”

  “The Earth Mother has regained her memory?” chimed another of the Wise Ones.

  “Yes, that is why I am a little late,” replied Kaden.

  “That is good news. We fear that she is the only one who can help now.”

  Kaden felt his heart sink. He said nothing and let his Masters continue. He listened intently as their voices sang, one after the other.

  “We have now been given instruction to intervene, young one.”

  “Last time you were here, we told you to think about the bigger picture.”

  “Time is running out.”

  “We must guide you, tell you what we have learned.”

  Kaden waited with bated breath.

  “You have been focussing on protecting your gateway while behind the scenes, Dasrus has been administering a much larger design.”

  “He is in the process of successfully convening the three gateways protected by the other elements: Fire, Water and Air.”

  “If he is successful, he will not need the Earth gateway. He will be able to release Dark on the Earth plane without it.”

  “And what of the Cerbereans protecting those gateways?” asked Kaden. “Have they been corrupted, like Jedd?”

  “Dasrus’s methods are unorthodox,” replied one of the Masters.

  “He has help this time.”

  “The demons of the Dark are coming together.”

  “Instead of fighting their own selfish battles in an attempt at individual power and glory, they are presenting a united front.”

  “Dasrus is at the helm of this army.”

  “What would once have been impossible is now conceivable.”

  “You must shut down the Earth gateway as quickly as possible.”

  “Although if the Dark is successful in opening the other three gateways, it will not matter.”

  “The elements must join forces to defeat the Dark.”

  “They are currently fragmented.”

  “The balance must be kept.”

  “Mother Earth is the only one with enough power over Dasrus to stop him.”

  “He knows this which is why he has not attempted to open the Earth gateway this time.”

  “Lessons have been learned.”

  “He has simply been toying with her, with all of you.”

  “His actions up until now have been nothing but a decoy, while his real plan has been bubbling under the surface.”

  “The Earth Cerbereans must stop him.”

  “You are the only ones who can.”

  Kaden was about to speak, but the Wise Ones had not yet finished.

  “There’s one more thing, young one.”

  “Some sensitive information.”

  “A closely guarded secret.”

  “There is a fifth eleme
nt.”

  “In the Realm of Light.”

  “If Dasrus and the Dark gain access to the fifth element, they will be able to destroy the Realm of Light and then all will be lost.”

  “The Earth plane will plunge into eternal darkness and there will be no coming back from that.”

  “A fifth element?” questioned Kaden. “I thought that was just a myth?”

  “Keep it to yourself for now, Light Doer. You will know when the time is right to reveal our secret to the others.”

  “How? How do we stop this from happening?” enquired Kaden, as he was digesting the enormity of the task ahead.

  “In every age, there are those who battle evil.”

  “Be as you are, as nature intended.”

  “Celestial forces are at work.”

  “The Light will guide you.”

  “Go forth, Light Doer.”

  “What will be, will be.”

  Kaden knew there was no point in asking any more questions, as the essences of the Wise Ones were fading with their words.

  Kaden knew he did not have much time. He needed to get back to the others as soon as possible and they had to return to the present in order to shut down the Earth gateway. However, he needed a moment. He was still reeling from what the Wise Ones had revealed. How could they have been so wrong? The guardians had been lulled into a false sense of security, so used were they to Dasrus’s endless attempts to open the Earth gateway in his incessant pursuit of the torture of Cecily.

  He had been so angry with the Wise Ones after his last visit, thinking that they had abandoned the Cerbereans, letting all those people die at the party by giving no warning. He now grasped that the party was just the warm-up act and there was, in fact, a much bigger picture. He realised that the warnings were in place, he had simply failed to act on his gut feeling. He must trust his own judgement more, trust in the Wise Ones and in the Light. He must not let his human emotions get in the way. It was destiny that he and his fellow Cerbereans were placed on the Earth plane. They must find a way. And with a renewed sense of purpose, he began the journey back to the Middle Ages.