‘Marduke never took me to the underworld,’ I explain, hurt by his words. ‘He didn’t include me in every facet of his life. So I’m sorry to disappoint you. I don’t know anything about the drugs.’
I glance up at the sky again. It’s clear now that the shadow is a mass of birds flying in formation. They keep coming and coming as if there is no end to them. Even though I’m freezing cold, my skin feels clammy all of a sudden.
‘I think they’re vultons,’ Dillon says, squinting. ‘Yeah, I know these birds. They have these pouches built into their stomachs like a kangaroo.’
‘Can they be killed?’ Shaun asks.
‘They’re already dead. If you tried, they would just keep coming back at you. You don’t want to make them angry either. They’ve been trained to kill by Marduke.’
‘If they’re already dead, how are we going to stop them?’ Ethan asks. ‘Tell us everything you know about them, Dillon.’
‘Well, they have sharp claws like an eagle, but they’re not as smart. They’ll be following strict instructions and once they’ve served their purpose they’ll be programmed to return to base, wherever that is.’
I look at Isabel. ‘In this vision that everyone seems to know about, did you see where these … vultons are going to drop their poison?’
Looking guilty she murmurs, ‘Over Angel Falls.’
‘What a lovely thought!’
‘It will poison the water supply and put anyone who comes in contact with the drug under a spell – a mind-numbing spell that will last for days or longer, depending on their saturation level. They won’t know who they are, or what they’re doing. Then …’
‘Then what?’
‘Lathenia will get into their heads. She’ll twist their minds. And when the drug wears off, she’ll have a whole new army at her command.’
A human army? People’s friends, families and colleagues. Oh, great! I glance at my watch. ‘It’s almost time for morning classes. The school grounds will be packed.’
Everyone looks to Matt. His eyes shift away to the side as if he would like to run off into the adjacent forest and hide for a while. He starts rubbing the side of his neck. What’s going on with him? I’ve never seen him look so … incapable of making a decision.
Neriah sends me a worrying thought, but I don’t have any answers. She touches his arm. ‘What if we can get the vultons to drop the poison somewhere much less inhabited?’
He nods, looking relieved. He should be. It’s a good idea.
‘If we can get them to change their course, do you think the vultons will go back to wherever they came from?’ Neriah throws this question out for all of us to consider.
Dillon is first to answer. ‘Marduke will be furious, but yeah, I reckon it could work. But it won’t be easy. Marduke will have a firm grip on their minds. Once the Master gets into your head his hold is next to impossible to get rid of.’
From my side vision I notice Ethan’s eyes shift my way, then slowly drop. On the outside I ignore the insinuation, but on the inside his doubts of me, after all this time, hurt and make me angry. What will it take to prove myself to these people? I try to get a grip before anyone notices how unstuck I’ve become.
At last Matt has an idea, but his voice is filled with hesitation. ‘I … I might have a plan. But well, um, I’ll need some help.’
‘Take me!’
You’ve got to give it to Dillon, he’s always the first to volunteer.
‘I’ve seen these birds before. I know how they work.’
Neriah looks straight at Dillon. ‘Matt will need someone who can fly –’
‘That’s right. And I’ve got my wings.’
Matt says, ‘I think Neriah means fly literally.’
Dillon stares back looking confused. ‘What are you talking about? Maybe this leadership stuff is a bit too much for you to han—’
‘You also need someone who can get into the birds’ heads,’ Neriah interrupts, drawing everyone’s attention back to what we’re supposed to be thinking about. ‘Thanks to Queen Brystianne’s gift, I can help you with that too.’
Matt looks relieved, and Neriah smiles at him. The smile would melt Dillon’s heart, except she’s not sending it to him. Dillon notices, and for the first time in his life has nothing to say.
A squawk draws our attention back to the sky. The birds are close but not yet overhead. Shaun touches Matt’s shoulder. ‘Whatever you two are going to do, you’d better hurry.’
They take a step away from the rest of us. It has us all looking at them expectantly. They don’t let us down. Before our eyes, their bodies begin to change, limbs shortening and shifting. Within a few seconds they have both taken on the forms of hawks. They hover and flutter their impressive wings for a few moments. Everyone stares up at them in awe.
Isabel asks Ethan, ‘Did you know they could do that?’
He shakes his head. She looks at me and raises an eyebrow. ‘What about you?’
‘I saw Matt turn into a shark once, and a dolphin, but he’s never actually told me.’
Suddenly the larger bird, Matt, flutters its massive wings in a furious action. A feather from his chest drifts towards Isabel. She holds out her hand and it sails into her open palm. She looks up and the Matt-bird peers at her through his bird-eyes for a moment longer.
As the shadow of Marduke’s vultons stretches halfway across the sky, the pair of hawks fly up to meet them. For a moment I feel a stab of such intense jealousy I wonder where it’s coming from. And then I realise it’s the sight of Matt and Neriah in their bird forms soaring into the atmosphere. How free they must feel with every graceful flap of their wings, the wind in their faces.
When I eventually drag my eyes from them, I notice that Dillon is mesmerised too. But his eyes remain focused on the smaller Neriah-bird. His thoughts let me know he wishes he was the one flying beside Neriah, sharing her skill, sharing her power. Poor Dillon. He’s fallen in love with the wrong girl.
‘They will have to work fast,’ Isabel says. ‘I can’t imagine how hard it will be to get a flock like that to change direction.’
Neither can I. There are just so many of them.
‘Matt will do it,’ Shaun says.
A voice suddenly starts up in my head. It sounds distant at first, but the urgency is unmistakable. It’s Arkarian. My hand lifts to shush the others. He’s inside his chambers and his thoughts call out. Where is Matt?
Busy with a flock of Marduke’s birds, I reply. He could be gone for hours.
Silence, and I can almost feel his disappointment and frustration. Arkarian, what’s wrong?
Isabel and the others look at me, understanding something is going on.
Marduke is in Veridian! He has soldiers with him and is preparing to install his army of wren. Send everyone you can!
For a moment I am so stunned I can’t talk. My mouth drops open but words don’t form.
‘What is it?’ Isabel asks. ‘What’s wrong, Rochelle?’ She grabs my shoulders and shakes me. ‘Did something happen to Arkarian?’
The fear in her voice breaks through my shock. I assure her quickly. ‘Arkarian is fine. He sent a message.’
‘Well,’ Dillon says. ‘What is it?’
‘The ancient city is being invaded by Marduke, his soldiers and an army of wren!’
Everybody starts running, straight back up to Arkarian’s chambers. The secret door opens the instant we stand before it. Arkarian ushers us inside. ‘We have to hurry. There is so much to do.’
Isabel makes him stand still. ‘How bad is it?’
Arkarian turns on us all with dark and worried eyes. ‘After all these years, Lathenia has finally located Veridian. And with the help of Marduke she has forged a tunnel below the city. They evaded discovery by constructing their tunnel so deep within the earth that neither sound nor vibration could be detected. And now twenty of Marduke’s soldiers are through, guiding the wren in by their hundreds. They’ve started tearing the city apart already.’
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Everyone goes silent. They’re not used to seeing Arkarian look so agitated. Their thoughts grow frenzied. They come thundering into my head all at once. ‘Everyone slow down!’
Isabel touches Arkarian’s arm. ‘Why are they tearing down the walls? What on earth are they looking for?’
‘They’re after the technology of the Atlanteans – the survivors of the underworld.’
Isabel asks, ‘What are you talking about?’
He sighs. ‘It’s because of the Atlantean technology that the Guard can do the things we do. It’s here in my chambers.’ His hands sweep widely around him. Our eyes follow. ‘It’s the sphere and everything you see. Without it, we can’t protect the earth from Lathenia. She figured out how to travel into the past and built the original Citadel. The technology of the surviving Atlanteans is what the Guard uses to stop her meddling there.’
Everyone has questions; Arkarian holds his hands up. ‘We don’t have time for long explanations.’ But he can see we need more. ‘When Atlantis started to fall, some of the inhabitants managed to escape and went in search of another uninhabited landform. After many years of searching they found Angel Falls and secured their machinery here. They established the ancient city and kept it secret. This technology must remain out of Lathenia’s hands. She will use it to build a sphere to the future. We can’t let this happen.’
‘What?’ Dillon exclaims. ‘Can she do that? Build a sphere to the future?’
We all look to Arkarian for the answer. He says simply, ‘Yes.’
Shaun moves forward. ‘Arkarian, at this time, wouldn’t it be advantageous to have the weapons from the treasury available to us, for how else are we going to deal with these creatures?’
Arkarian runs a hand roughly through his hair and it shimmers blue in the light. ‘The reason I am … agitated, is because the key to the treasury is down there.’ He points to the door that leads to the shaft into the city.
‘What? In the city with all those wren running around pulling it apart?’ Dillon exclaims. ‘So whose brilliant idea was it to put the key down there? I bet it was Matt’s.’
Isabel gives him a sharp look, and Arkarian says, ‘It was a good idea, Dillon. The city has been safe for the last eleven thousand years.’
‘Yeah, well it’s not now, is it?’
‘Sadly, no.’
Ethan asks, ‘Do you think Marduke knows the key is down there?’
‘It’s possible. It’s as if his spies are everywhere these days.’
Except for Arkarian, everyone’s eyes slide to me, then quickly move away. And now they look embarrassed. Well, they should be! I just caught them wearing their true thoughts of me on the outside. Not that I wasn’t already aware of their suspicions. They just can’t get past the fact that I used to work for Marduke. But trust is what the Guard is all about. Faith in what doesn’t always make sense. This is exactly what King Richard was talking about. Didn’t they take any of it in? Or is it just me they can’t handle? They don’t appear to have a problem trusting Dillon.
Arkarian touches my arm and a warm sense of calm fills me. I mentally thank him and he turns his attention back to the group. ‘To retrieve the key, we need Matt.’
‘But he’s not here,’ Dillon is quick to reply. ‘He could be away for hours. Let me go, Arkarian. I’ll bring this key back. Where is it exactly?’
Arkarian explains, ‘Jimmy has constructed a secret panel in the floor of the vault at the centre of the maze.’
‘Sounds easy enough.’
Dillon might think so, but nothing is ever as easy as it sounds.
Arkarian hears my thoughts and lets me know he agrees. ‘Matt has performed an enchantment on the key. He has made it invisible. Only he can remove the enchantment, or see through its invisibility.’
‘What?’ Dillon exclaims.
‘And remember, the key is deadly to touch.’
‘Oh that’s just great, isn’t it? So how are we supposed to retrieve this invisible key?’
‘I can touch it,’ I say into the silence that follows Dillon’s sombre comment. I wave my hands in the air. ‘As long as I have these gloves on.’
Arkarian turns to me with a gold box in his hand. ‘Once it is safe in this box, anyone can hold it. But you still can’t go, Rochelle, because you don’t have your wings.’
‘So?’
‘Without the weapons, the only way to destroy the wren is by drowning them. As soon as the key is lifted from its lock, a trigger will release the flood gates. You can’t be at the bottom of the city when this happens.’
I think about what he’s saying. ‘So how long will it take to flood the city?’
‘Exactly nine minutes.’
‘I’m a fast runner, Arkarian. I can do it.’
‘It’s all uphill!’ Ethan calls out.
I ignore him. Sometimes he almost sounds as if he cares. ‘Just let me try.’
Arkarian peers at me, his head shaking. ‘Not without your wings, Rochelle. You wouldn’t make it.’
So maybe this is my destiny. Maybe the Prophecy can’t be changed after all. And without Ethan in my life, what would be the point anyway? I don’t want anyone else. I know this now. I can admit it. And if I go, won’t that prove once and for all my heart is true to the Guard? All I have to do is extract the key from the secret panel in the floor of the vault and place it safely in this box and my job is done. As long as someone who has their wings comes with me, I can pass them the box and they can fly to safety.
‘It’s simple, Arkarian. I will go.’
‘There has to be another way,’ Ethan says.
Arkarian’s eyes lower to where I’m clasping my hands together. ‘Rochelle, take off your gloves.’
I carefully peel each of them off. As my hands are revealed, the others gasp and stare. Since Lorian increased their power the electric charges haven’t stopped growing stronger. Sparks fly off in a colourful display. I give them a shake. It feels good to give them some air. But the shake sends sparks flying around the room. Shaun and Dillon have to duck and cover their faces as several sparks fly straight towards them.
Arkarian locks his gaze with me as he takes the gloves from my hand. ‘Why didn’t you say anything? The pain must be excruciating.’
Stupidly, his kind words, his compassionate look, brings tears to the backs of my eyes. I blink rapidly before the tears turn into a flood and embarrass the life out of me. ‘They don’t hurt much,’ I try to convince him. ‘Really.’
He doesn’t believe me, and while he’s controlling his thoughts, his eyes are saying a lot more. He tries to put the gloves on, but his fingers are too long. He hands them to Shaun, but they don’t fit him either. Ethan takes them next, but Ethan’s hands are broader than his father’s. Dillon reaches for them. ‘Here, they’ll fit me!’ He yanks them down hard, pushing between his fingers, but it’s hopeless.
I take the gloves back. ‘That settles it. I’m going.’ I take the golden box from Arkarian’s hands and slip it into my coat pocket.
‘I’ll come with you,’ Arkarian says. ‘You will climb as fast as you can. You’re a good strong swimmer too, aren’t you, Rochelle?’
I nod, but Ethan has other ideas. ‘You’re needed here, Arkarian.’
Shaun touches his son’s shoulder firmly. ‘Are you sure, son? You’ve only just mastered your wings. What if they fail you?’
Ethan brushes his father’s hand away. ‘They won’t fail me.’
Isabel looks from Ethan to Arkarian and back again, distressed. She obviously loves and fears for them both, but appears to have one serious concern for Ethan. She steps up to him. ‘You will use your wings and come back. Won’t you, Ethan?’
Ethan looks at me and I can’t look away. And for a moment I am filled with a warmth that is fuelled from a fire that comes from deep inside his soul. ‘I’ll do what I can,’ he says. ‘But I’m not making any promises.’
Chapter Twenty-five
Matt
The birds are flying
higher than I first estimate. The closer we get the larger they appear. Their heads are shaped like condors’, their bellies like pelicans’, but that’s where all earthly resemblance stops. They have small, round eyes that sit out on a bony ridge. The eyes have no pupils, and are just orbs of shiny black.
We should change into the shape of the vultons, Neriah suggests.
Though I am reluctant to turn into the shape of a bird from another world, Neriah is probably right. It would be our best chance to communicate with them.
Taking her advice I change form and she follows. Suddenly we both start dropping. It takes a moment to adjust to the heavier bodies, and their unusual shape with the weighty pouches attached to our chests. As we regain height, I wonder what it would be like to fly with a full pouch. I’m grateful for my empty one.
What’s wrong with you? Why is your pouch empty? These thoughts from one of the vultons blast into my head. Why didn’t you fill up as the Master directed? What a waste, to come all this way for nothing!
Neriah’s head turns slightly to indicate she hears the vulton’s thoughts too. Soon another bird speaks out. How much further, Lydia? My wings grow weary with this heavy load.
The first bird, with the very human name of Lydia, replies, Well, Justin, if you had paid more attention to the Master during training you would know that we are nearly there!
Justin! Another human name. While making my way through the underworld I met and became friends with a wren called John. His human name was the only memory he could recall from his past life.
But this last comment from Lydia is my cue. I project my thoughts in her direction. You’re wrong, Lydia. We’re still a long way from our destination.
Who is that? Identify yourself!
The Master sent me to make sure you stick to the right path. Which, by the way, you have strayed from. The Master will be furious that you have led everyone in the wrong direction.
Now that we know which one is the leader, Neriah and I fly in closer, one on either side.
The Key Page 25
