The Key

by Marianne Curley

  No! Stay back! I warn her in my thoughts.

  Dillon comes at me again and throws me to the ground. I get up and try to protect myself from his strength and power. He slams me into the wall again, smashing his fist into the side of my head. I shove him backwards, sliding away from the wall that’s started tumbling down.

  ‘Stop this, Dillon!’ Neriah screams out as bricks fall around our feet.

  Ignoring her, he comes at me again, grabbing my shoulders. I pull my hands up beneath his arms and try to break his hold. But his strength is incredible, and without using my powers, I haven’t a hope. One more punch, and hopefully, he’ll pull back and this stupid fight will be over.

  But he doesn’t pull back. He keeps coming and coming. I end up on all fours on the ground, bruised and beaten.

  Neriah runs to me. You have to use your powers!

  No! He’ll finish soon.

  Don’t be an idiot! He’s not going to finish until he kills you. Or at least beats you to a pulp.

  She’s right, but I won’t use my powers on him. I stumble to my feet, wiping blood away from my face with my sleeve. ‘Dillon, wait! Listen to me.’

  ‘The time for listening is over!’

  As he goes to ram me again, arms come around the back of him, holding him still. They’re Shaun’s. ‘There is always time for listening.’

  Dillon easily shrugs out of Shaun’s hold. But it’s enough to slow him, and he doesn’t try to fight me again.

  Shaun looks at the scene before him and shakes his head. ‘I don’t know what’s going on here, but whatever the reason for this, it stops now.’

  ‘What’s happened?’ I ask, slowly regaining my strength.

  Shaun looks at each of us. ‘The rift between worlds has been torn.’

  ‘Oh, hell!’ Dillon exclaims, punching a hole in the brick wall behind him. ‘No way!’

  The concern over Lathenia opening the rift was one of the many reasons I’d been called to Athens. The Tribunal strongly suspected this was Lathenia’s next step.

  ‘How large is the rift now?’

  ‘Large enough so that all kinds of dark creatures can make their way into our world.’

  ‘All creatures?’ Dillon calls out. ‘No way. She wouldn’t open the rift for all the creatures that live there.’

  ‘What happens now?’ Neriah asks.

  ‘Now?’ Dillon mimics sarcastically. ‘Now our leader takes control. Our Master, if that’s what we can call this lying, spineless wimp! Let’s see how you take control now.’

  Shaun sends Dillon a harsh glare. ‘Dillon, what’s happened between you two must be put aside. It must! Do you understand?’

  Dillon sucks air in through gritted teeth and continues to stare at me. But finally he backs down and gives Shaun a silent nod. ‘OK. But there’s stuff you don’t understand. You don’t know what dangerous creatures Lathenia has hidden in the underworld, locked beneath iron gates. And we’re supposed to fight her with this weakling as our leader!’

  Shaun attempts to ignore Dillon’s sarcasm. He turns and looks at me. ‘Matt, it’s time. We need the weapons. The weapons that were made for the Named.’

  Dillon shoots forward. ‘There had better be one for me!’

  Shaun’s eyes slide to mine, then Rochelle comes round the corner, saving me from answering. ‘What the hell is going on here?’ She sees my bloody face. ‘What happened to you?’

  No one enlightens her, so I open my thoughts so she can understand the ‘Dillon’ situation quickly. She looks at Dillon and her mouth drops open. ‘You did this?’

  ‘He deserved it.’

  She continues to stare at him and he says, ‘Did you know about them too?’

  She holds her hands up, fingers spread wide. ‘Don’t get mad at me, Dillon. But I’ll be honest with you – I think you had to be blind not to notice that these two have something very strong between them. Maybe it’s a guy thing. Matt couldn’t see it at first, even though everyone else could. And when he did realise it, he’d already made that stupid promise to you. Not telling you was another mistake, but he didn’t mean to hurt you on purpose.’

  Her words are generous and maybe, just maybe, Dillon will listen to a third party. He shrugs and glances away, and Rochelle brings me her message. ‘Lorian has released the chest of weapons that has been in his care. Arkarian has it. He wants us to meet on the ridge above the falls and for you to get the key.’

  Shaun’s head nods deeply. ‘Let’s go, then.’

  ‘Where are the others?’ I ask Rochelle.

  ‘Ethan and Isabel are making their way to the ridge as we speak.’

  ‘What about Mr Carter?’ Dillon asks. ‘Is he OK now?’

  ‘What do you mean, Dillon? What happened to Marcus?’ Shaun asks.

  A woman walks around the side of the building. ‘That’s what I would like to know!’

  It’s Ms Burgess, and her words make Rochelle jump. ‘Oh, Ms Burgess, I didn’t see you there. Don’t worry, Mr Carter’s fine.’

  ‘That’s hardly likely, young lady, considering the condition he was in. I want a word with Ethan Roberts. Where is he? And where did he take Marcus?’

  ‘I swear Mr Carter’s fine. I … I saw him only a few minutes ago.’

  Ms Burgess’s face screws up in disbelief. She goes right up to Rochelle and swings a finger back and forward in her face. ‘I’m telling you now that if Marcus Carter is not returned to this school in the next few minutes I’m going to call the police and heads will roll. Am I making myself clear, Ms Thallimar?’

  ‘Emily, what’s the fuss? I can hear you from clear across the other side of the oval.’

  Finally something goes right. Mr Carter’s appearance is timely. Ms Burgess gasps at the sight of him. ‘Marcus, are you all right? Where did that boy take you?’

  Mr Carter walks up to Ms Burgess and tugs on his jacket collar. ‘I assure you, Emily, I’m perfectly well. This jacket is made of strong fabric. The darn rats couldn’t penetrate it. Those rotten scoundrels gave me a fright, though. I’d gone and fainted. Ethan carried me away from the crowds, then ran and got some smelling salts and I washed the blood off.’

  She frowns at him, and as she does so, he grins at her. She practically melts. I can’t believe it! So Ms Burgess has a crush on our Mr Carter!

  ‘I take it that classes have been cancelled for the rest of the day?’ he asks, carrying on the conversation as if everything is normal.

  ‘Oh yes,’ Ms Burgess says as they walk towards the office together. ‘Most of the parents have been contacted and have started picking their children up already. And buses have been organised to take the others home early. They’ve already started leaving. Can you believe what’s been happening lately? This is the second time this term that school’s been cancelled. What’s going on, Marcus?’

  ‘I don’t know, Emily, but it would be a good idea to keep everyone indoors, just in case those rodents make a return appearance. I’ll make an announcement right away.’

  As soon as they’re out of earshot, we start to move off, but my thoughts keep swinging back to Dillon and the look of intense fear in his eyes a few minutes earlier. It’s there again now in his dazed look.

  ‘Exactly what has Lathenia got locked beneath those iron gates you mentioned earlier, Dillon?’

  He goes to speak, but no words come out of his mouth.

  ‘You’d better tell us,’ Shaun says.

  He takes a deep breath. ‘All right. But you saw them too, Matt.’

  A shiver reverberates through me as I recall the brutish animals locked in Lathenia’s dungeon.

  Dillon explains, ‘They walk on two legs like humans, they have two thick hands as well, and are just as tall as us. They have large heads with long curved horns coming out of them, and … I don’t know quite how to explain this, eyes that see right through you – black and glassy, like a window to a dark well of nothing. And down their backs are these pointed bones that stick out along the line of their spine. They’re b
ig and strong too. And yeah, did I mention the fact that they’re attracted to the scent of living flesh?’

  ‘I’ve seen these creatures impounded in Lathenia’s dungeon. They’re exactly as you describe. But I didn’t see any in the underworld,’ I say.

  ‘No, you wouldn’t have. She keeps them locked in a series of underground caverns and tunnels. They live there among their own kind, in their own filth, while Lathenia works out a way to control them.’

  ‘How do you know all this?’ Shaun asks.

  Dillon turns to Shaun. ‘She put me with them once. But she didn’t contain my wings, and I escaped.’

  Rochelle shudders. ‘Dillon, what are these beasts called?’

  ‘Demons,’ he says. ‘The darkest creatures in the universe.’

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Rochelle

  By the time all ten of us are gathered on the ridge together it is noon. The area is checked, and with four Truthseers, Mr Carter’s hearing and Neriah’s two dogs, we should be safe from prying ears or unwanted visitors.

  Arkarian sets the box down, then takes a place in the circle we have inadvertently formed. I stare at the treasury of weapons. It’s a lot smaller than I imagined, the size of a bedside chest. It’s made from some sort of metal that resembles gold or brass. It is ornately decorated with silver and jewels, and has the distinct pattern on the lid of the now familiar octagon shape.

  Inside, I am a jumping bundle of nerves. I can’t remember ever being this excited, not even as a child with a birthday present. Not that my birthdays were ever exciting events. A celebration was always an excuse for my father to get drunk. More often than not, my mother and I wouldn’t mention them to him.

  Matt takes the key and fits it neatly into the octagon shape. There is a click, then a creaking sound as the ancient mechanism is released. As he opens the lid I release a deep breath that I didn’t realise I’d been holding. I’m not sure what to expect. Fireworks? Explosives?

  A booming voice? But nothing unusual happens.

  ‘While I was away I was shown the weapons inside this box and taught how to use them.’ Matt lifts a longish object out of the box and goes and stands in front of Ethan. I’m on the other side of the circle, but it looks like a gold bow and arrow set.

  As the bow and a single arrow are put in his hands, Ethan frowns. ‘I’m not much of an archer. Maybe this would be better given to Isabel.’

  Soft laughter floats around the circle. Matt says to us all, ‘These weapons are made specifically to extend or enhance your natural powers. They may not be obvious at first, but as you learn to use your weapon and gain experience, you will understand.’

  ‘So how does this bow and arrow set relate to me?’ Ethan asks.

  ‘It’s an enhancement of your animation power and your affinity with the unreal. Here,’ Matt says, taking the arrow and setting it in the bow. ‘Use your mind to will this arrow to hit …’ He spins around and points to a distant spot somewhere between where Jimmy and I are standing, ‘that tree over there with the broken branch hanging in mid air. Aim for the seed pod dangling at its end. But …’ He hesitates as he thinks, then points to a distant tree in the opposite direction. ‘Shoot the arrow that way.’

  ‘All right,’ Ethan says. He takes aim to his left and lets the arrow go.

  I don’t see a thing; the arrow moves too fast. But I do hear a sharp whoosh as the arrow slices the air between Neriah and me, followed almost instantly by a popping sound and a flash as the seed pod explodes.

  Everyone murmurs in amazement. Ethan grins, looking pleased. ‘Will it work every time?’

  ‘Every time. From now on you will never be without an arrow and you will never miss your target.’

  As Ethan examines his set, slipping the bow on to his shoulder, Matt moves on to Isabel. He puts a bar in her hand, and when I peer over for a closer look, I see the bar is more of a handle. Something one might find at the end of a sword.

  She looks up at him. ‘What is it?’

  ‘It’s a weapon of light. Its power generates from your own inner source. A person of darkness will find the weapon useless. In dark places it will extend your gift of sight.’ He takes the handle into his own hand for a moment. A beam of light suddenly appears to the length of a sword. It shimmers brilliant white, so strong it almost burns my eyes. Matt lunges towards a nearby pile of boulders. The beam pierces through the centre of the top boulder with a sizzling sound. The boulder fills with light, holds its shape for a moment, then completely disappears.

  Everyone stares in amazement.

  ‘Now you try.’

  Isabel feels the weight of the handle in her palm. ‘How do I turn it on?’

  ‘Relax your thoughts and don’t try too hard. Let your inner light flow. It won’t take you long to get the idea.’

  Suddenly a beam of light generates and Isabel smiles. She lunges at a boulder and it shatters all over us. We’re not prepared for the debris. Everyone ducks or scatters.

  ‘Sorry!’

  Matt just grins at her, then moves on to Mr Carter, handing him two metal bands with holes running through their centres. ‘Slip these on your fingers.’

  They fit Mr Carter’s hands like fingerless gloves. ‘Whoa!’ he calls out, obviously impressed. As he bends and flexes his fingers, sharp metal darts punch out from the bands across every knuckle. They look lethal by anyone’s standards.

  Matt pats his shoulder and moves on to Shaun, giving him two beautifully-crafted swords with silver handles. One long, one short. ‘To our master swordsman, two swords that have the power to kill with one strike.’

  Shaun is impressed. He takes them both and feels them for balance. ‘Excellent.’

  As Matt moves around the circle, I can’t help getting jittery. I wonder what sort of weapon has been made for me. What gifts of mine will be extended with these amazing tools? He gets to Jimmy and I’m almost jumping out of my skin with anticipation. For the first time in a lifetime I feel an overwhelming sense of belonging. This is what I am supposed to be doing. Standing side-by-side with these people, ready to do battle for the one rightful cause.

  Matt puts a bag in Jimmy’s hand.

  ‘A bag of tricks?’ Jimmy asks, feeling the contents within his palm. ‘Or a bag of pebbles?’

  Matt laughs. ‘Something like that, except these “pebbles” have the power of a grenade, and your supply, though it fits neatly in your pocket, is a never-ending one. Not only are these explosives effective against the creatures of the dark, but they will bring down any barrier, no matter how it might be armed or locked.’

  Jimmy grins, juggling the pouch in his hand, impressed by his weapon’s light weight.

  Next is Neriah. He takes her hand and, I swear, the entire circle can feel the power that flows between them with this sudden contact. It’s as if when they are touching, they become an extension of each other. He pulls back and Neriah opens her hand. In her palm is something that can only be described as a fragment of lightning. It has everyone gasping and craning their necks to see. Even Aysher and Silos sit up and sniff.

  ‘What can I do with this?’ she asks as the lightning glistens and flashes in her palm.

  Matt looks around. ‘Point it at that shrub over there and use your thoughts to project its energy.’

  She aims and points. Instantly a flash of lightning streaks from her hand, igniting the shrub and reducing it to ash within the space of one or two seconds. It has everyone staring in awe.

  And now there are only three of us left. Me, Dillon and Arkarian. When Matt comes towards me I can’t stop my hands from shooting straight out. They’re trembling, but I don’t care. He stands in front of me for a long moment, and when nothing happens, nothing is put into my hands, I look up.

  ‘I don’t have a weapon for you,’ he says.

  Suddenly the circle is dead silent. I take my trembling hands and slide them behind my back. ‘I don’t understand,’ I manage to say.

  ‘The reason I don’t have a weapon f
or you is because you don’t need one.’

  I can’t believe what he’s saying. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘The weapon that was originally made for you, I’m going to give to Dillon.’

  ‘What?’

  He tugs on my arms, bringing my hands around to the front. ‘You have already proven that your hands can kill. You don’t need a tool to help you. And because we are ten now, we are one weapon short.’

  ‘So you’re giving my weapon to Dillon!’

  He nods. ‘That’s right.’

  He starts to move on, turning back to the chest. I can’t believe what’s happening. Tears threaten. I blink fast and take a step backwards, ready to run. What am I doing here with these people? I shouldn’t be a part of this … this select, secret group. They don’t want me. No matter how hard I try, they will never let me in.

  Matt hears my uncontrollable thoughts tumbling out and turns, looking puzzled. I try to enlighten him. ‘Don’t I deserve a weapon?’

  ‘Rochelle, it’s not like that.’

  I shake my head at him, at all of them, and start to back away. He comes after me and pulls on my hands. ‘Listen to me: you’re not being excluded. Your hands are your weapons. Look at them.’ He yanks off my gloves; sparks fly in all directions. Everyone scatters or ducks out of the way. ‘Here.’ Matt puts a rock in my hand. It disintegrates into dust. He knew it would. My emotions are running high. Gasps and cries of astonishment flow around me. ‘Stay. This is where you belong.’

  Matt says ‘stay’, but my heart is screaming ‘go’. I’ve never felt so humiliated. Arkarian comfortingly touches my shoulder. Silently I reach out and yank my gloves back from Matt’s hands. When I have them on safely, and my freakish hands are out of sight, I return to my position in the circle and remain silent. I stare at my feet for a long time. I do not want to see what weapon Dillon has been given. I listen while Arkarian is given his, a whip of some sort. It has the ability to do anything with motion and matter, like igniting fires, moving masses of water, creating a dust storm, or simply destroying the creatures we’re going to be coming up against. It’s a good weapon for him. Of all of us here, he deserves the most powerful one.