by S A Edwards
I gritted my teeth. He had done more than plan to subject the world. He had destroyed my life. Repeatedly. “I won’t let you do this.”
“My dear, you failed to get Esté’s powers. You have nothing.”
Anger surged. “I have power.” I would stop him.
“It isn’t enough.”
“We’ll see.” Flames burst from my hands.
A crimson shield flared in the shadows, driving them back.
I increased my strength, fighting against his ancient magic.
Blue light flared against red and ricocheted off the rock.
Drawing the fire back, I gathered it in a flaming ball.
The pressure built.
I had enough power. I could do this.
It exploded, incinerating every dust particle in the air.
Zantos crossed his arms and bowed his head, a smirk dancing on his lips.
The wave slammed into him.
The ground trembled. Rock crumbled and dropped from the walls.
Then, all became still.
Zantos straightened, his lips tight.
“Impossible,” I whispered.
“You’re wasting your time. I am a Keeper, born of magic, part of magic. Your gifts can do nothing to me.”
“No.” Water surged from my fingers, encircling him in a whoosh of white rapids. The gust whipped his hood back. Howling wind flapped his hair. The whirlpool sucked in dust and stone.
He thrust his arms out, forcing it back at me.
It engulfed me.
Regaining control, I returned it in a stream of silver.
It twisted round him in a ribbon of frost. The ice encased him in a glass coffin.
His fists balled, and it shattered, crumbling to the rock in a thousand tiny fragments.
He became still, his dark eyes fixed on me.
My breath came quick. No matter what I tried, he was too strong. He should have beat me by now. How could I stop him? The world depended on this moment, and I had no idea what to do next.
I studied his expression. “You can’t hurt me, can you?”
He smiled. “Not yet.” His gaze strayed to the sky.
I clenched my fists close to my chest, gathering the clouds of the Dark gift. It closed in. The cloud writhed and pulsed, cutting out the light.
Anger boiled through my blood. It swallowed me up, my thoughts on those I loved: Charlie, Lallana, my mothers, Sil.
A roar tore from my throat. Fur brushed my cheeks. My skin burned. Paws grew. Claws extended.
I leapt through the darkness. My teeth snapped, and I snarled, ready to tear his flesh.
A force slammed into my body. My back crashed against the ground. Pain shot through me.
My form changed, and the familiarity of my natural body returned.
The clouds dispersed.
“You cannot beat me,” Zantos said.
I stood on shaky legs. “I will.” I had to.
“You’re too late.” He tipped his face to the sky.
The silver moon shivered. Crimson spread across the surface, eliminating the silver.
The comets soared into view, careening toward each other. Their burning tails glittered.
Magic prickled my skin. My knees buckled. My heart pounded. “No.”
Someone screamed from outside.
The comets collided.
Blinding light flashed. Thunder crashed.
A crack darted across the ground and up the wall.
The light faded, and my ears rang.
Zantos remained standing, his gaze heavenward, arms raised.
Huge chunks of the comets rained toward the land.
They disintegrated, covering the sky in a sheet of dust and colour. It twisted and rushed to the cave.
“No!” I hauled on my magic. Smoke, darkness, purple light, and ice poured from me in a rush of wind.
Zantos’ gaze flickered to me.
My attack slammed into an unseen barrier. It glowed at the touch, arching round his body.
Fire joined the throng, blue and fierce, mixing with the cold, and blocked him from my sight.
I added water, a rushing stream of rapids.
Everything swirled and roared in a mix of black and violet, whipping my hair. Loose rocks bashed the walls, shattering on impact. All my energy poured into my magic, no longer scared of the corruption, only determined to stop him, even if it cost me my life.
Weakness threatened to overpower me.
I couldn’t hold it any longer.
My knees met the floor.
My magic withered and cleared.
I gasped, grasping at the cool, rough stone beneath. I had failed. Charlie, Sil, everyone, they fought for nothing.
The remains of my effort twisted in the centre of the cave. A pointed, glassy formation stretched toward the stars like coiling snakes. Black clouds and purple smoke billowed within. The whole structure glistened.
My focus shifted to Zantos.
He remained untouched. Dust dropped into the cavern, a huge shower of glittering colours.
He inhaled, long and deep. The dust swept through his nose, his mouth, his skin. His eyes closed, and the last of the dust entered.
His gaze settled on me. Flecks of white and black flickered within golden eyes.
Hatred tore through me. He destroyed my life. I couldn’t let him take the freedom of others.
I shouted, and renewed energy born of desperation propelled me forward. I would hurt him. No matter his power, I would kill him.
He smiled. “Now, I can hurt you.”
A blast of black fire burst from his palms and pounded against me.
My muscles jolted.
Then, darkness closed in.
59
“Clara. Clara!”
With the memory of failing to stop Zantos fresh in my mind, I opened my eyes to a pounding headache.
Charlie exhaled. “Oh, good. I thought …”
Sil knelt beside him. Watery mist shimmered in the air and caressed my head.
“Are you okay?” Charlie asked. Dirt clung to his skin and clothes. Blood tarnished his tunic.
“I failed.” My breath caught on a sob, and I lowered my eyes.
Sil lowered his hands, and the water pattered to the rock.
“You’re awake.” The Council Refiner stepped into view.
I grabbed Charlie and stood on trembling legs.
Five others stood behind her, their cloaks contrasting against her red, and Cupitor waited by the tunnel.
“We saw everything,” the Refiner said. “All this time, we thought you had wanted to harness the magic.”
“Yes, well, we were both wrong.”
Silence pressed in. Bitterness cast an awful taste on my tongue.
“How many were lost?” I asked.
No one answered.
“How many?” I shoved past them and staggered from the cave.
Bodies littered the wasteland. Few wandered amongst them, tending to the wounded, and water curled over Healers at work.
“So little,” I said. “So little survived.”
The Council Refiner stepped up beside me. “Many were banished to the Dark Plain in the battle.”
I stared at her. “Is there no way to get them out?”
Cupitor touched my shoulder. “The Plain is inescapable punishment, as you well know.”
In my last life, Orator killed me to protect me from that horrifying fate. “Yes, I remember.” I sank down on the ledge, tears brimming.
“There’s more,” Cupitor said. “After Zantos left, he attacked the Main City. He killed many. There isn’t a family not grieving for the death of a loved one.”
I didn’t reply. I couldn’t.
Voices sounded inside the cave, but I paid no attention. My mind turned numb with the calamity.
Charlie came up beside me and perched on the cliff edge. “Are you all right?”
“No.”
He watched me intently, lips tight.
“I gave
it everything I had,” I said. “Every bit of my power. And I still failed.” I turned back to the wasteland to hide my tears.
Esté climbed the slope toward the cave.
Charlie touched my arm. “You did your best.”
“It wasn’t enough. I mean, what was the point in having all the gifts if I couldn’t use them to stop him?” I grabbed my crystal, Charlie’s fraying string brushing my fingers. “What’s the point of this?”
“It must be important,” Charlie said, “or Custos wouldn’t have given it to me.”
Esté paused beside me. “And I gave it to Custos. It holds the key to keeping the balance between light and dark when the Alignment is passed.”
“Well the balance is off. Zantos harnessed the magic. He can’t be stopped.”
Charlie sighed. “It’s a shame we can’t banish him to the Dark Plain as well.”
I stared at him.
“What?”
“I think I have an idea.” I scrambled to my feet and rushed into the cave with Charlie close behind. Zantos couldn’t see through the Void. Assuming he still couldn’t, even with his new power, it could be used to our advantage.
Esté conversed with Vitora and Sil by the glassy form in the centre, and Kilkerran sat with two of the Council Elders on a rock.
“You’re not banished,” I said, my surprise clear in my voice.
The Council Healer smoothed out his cloak. “Kilkerran saved my life. It seems we were mistaken about more than just you.”
A small smile touched my lips.
“Esté.” I rushed to him. “You said as long as you couldn’t see through the Void, you couldn’t bring someone back from it.”
He nodded.
“What if we banished Zantos through it? Could he come back?”
Realisation dawned in his features. “I see what you’re thinking. Possibly not.”
“Clara,” Vitora said, “Zantos is very powerful now.”
“But we have an advantage. I can force him through. He’ll never see it coming.”
Esté ran his fingers through his short hair. “It could work. But, Clara, we don’t understand why it happened with the Hellion. There’s no telling what might happen this time.”
“He might kill you,” Charlie said.
I placed my hand on his shoulder. “It’s our last option. Our only option.”
“Then, it’s decided. We’ll gather the others,” Sil said, and then they left.
Charlie frowned. “I don’t like it.”
“We don’t have another choice.” We had to do this. He had already killed so many, and this would only be the start.
“No,” Charlie said. “He was there, the night my parents died. I remember his face.” He glared after Esté. “He looks just like him.”
“Zantos can’t have killed them. Before tonight, he couldn’t hurt anyone.”
“No. There was a second Mage. He hurt him on Zantos’ order after Pa refused to find you.”
I touched his arm. “We’re going to stop him. He’ll pay for what he did.”
“Fine. Then, I’m going with you.”
“Charlie –”
“Don’t try to stop me. I am your Guardian. I will do my job.”
I sighed. His features still resembled my Charlie, but he wasn’t. He was a Beast, a future Elder. He survived the battle. As much as I didn’t like it, I had to trust him. He could help.
My gaze fell on the symbol of the land carved into the wall: eight interlinked rings.
Esté stood by the tunnel, so I approached him.
“Why is there an extra ring?” I pointed to the symbol.
“Because every gift relies on another to keep the balance. Beasts mined for stones in the old days to give to the Refiners. Refiners made star stones from them and passed them to Preservers. Preservers placed them on the mountain to light all those around the land and gave some to the Dark Ones. Dark Mages used the stone to ring and feed the tree of diamonds where the Seekers staffs are made. Seekers using their staffs keep the Shadow Realm open. Then, Shades using the Shadow Realm keep the fountain flowing for Healers in the Capital, which enriches their gift. The eighth ring, representing the Gates, comes next, for without them, nothing would be possible. And finally, the Healers heal and strengthen the Beasts while they work in the mines.”
“A complete ring,” I said.
“Exactly. Without the balance of light and dark, nothing can stand.”
60
I entered the Thirilium alone while the Dalrene lingered outside. With the Thirilium being the strongest part of the land for the gifts, it made sense to face Zantos there. Perhaps the extra power would help us. Charlie’s idea. He had spent time there when we stayed in the Healer Capital after Lallana’s death. Esté assured us the place wouldn’t strengthen Zantos any further since his magic matched that of the comets.
Golden walls gleamed under flaming torchlight, and unknown symbols were carved into the reflective surface, reminding me of the night I took my oath.
I took a deep breath, battling my nerves. “Zantos.”
He stepped from a ball of shadow.
“You could have killed me,” I said. “Why didn’t you?”
“You no longer have any power over me. I wanted you to see what you failed to stop. Did you like my demonstration?”
“Demonstration?” That’s what he thought the slaughter was? He was sick, twisted. “You killed hundreds.”
He smirked. “I know.”
A growl rumbled in my throat, and anger heated my cheeks. “This has to stop.”
He chuckled. “How do you plan to overcome the all-powerful Keeper?”
“Combine it with the magic of another.”
Light flashed beside me, and Esté appeared. “Hello, brother.”
Zantos smirked. “We are no longer equals, brother. You have no power over me.”
Esté waved his hand.
The far wall twisted, curling into a whirlpool of grey and black. It swirled and whooshed, fluttering my cloak and hair.
Zantos glanced at it, eyebrows raised. “This is your plan? Fools. I will not enter the Void.”
“You will,” I said.
He shook his head. “This is weak, even for you. No matter. I am no longer bound. And your time has run out.”
Black flames blasted toward me.
Heat stronger than ever before crashed against my skin.
Vitora appeared in a whirl of purple smoke and caught the fire with me. Orator stood beside her, the rest of the Dalrene linking hands.
My breathing laboured under the force. This had to work. This had to.
The magic of the Dalrene tingled through my body, energising me.
Water, light, smoke, and ice soared toward Zantos, but he blocked them with a simple wave of his hand, returning their attacks with brute force.
The Dalrene staggered and fell. They paled beneath the pressure, and the potency of their magic paled. I sensed their strength weakening, their life draining.
My energy waned.
“Orator.” I rasped. “Get them out of here.”
“We fight with you.”
I closed my eyes for a moment, arms shaking. “If you wait any longer, you’ll die.”
Sil’s knees buckled. “Clara –”
“Go. Now.”
The weakness of the Dalrene flooded my senses, adding to my own.
“Don’t do it, Orator,” Custos growled.
“They’re your siblings, Orator,” I said. “Your family. If I fail, you need to live on. The land needs you.”
Orator’s forehead crinkled. “I’m sorry.”
Smoke billowed around them, and they faded from sight.
The full force of Zantos’ attack slammed into me, driving me against the wall.
My flames stopped.
I dropped to the floor and gasped for breath.
Zantos’ feet tapped on the rock. “You see? I’m unstoppable.”
I panted and struggled to my feet. �
��You never asked … how I beat … the Hellion.”
He cocked his head. “By all means, entertain me.”
I pulled on the energy in the room, gathering it inside me. My teeth clenched with the effort. “I forced him through the Gate.”
He smiled. “Impossible.”
“Says you.” The pressure built within me, burning.
He thrust his hands out, and ice slashed toward me.
I screamed, releasing my energy. It blasted out, catching his attack in a wave of light and force.
Zantos’ ice rebounded and collided with him, thrusting him back toward the Gate.
Shadow gathered around him, and he vanished before he reached it.
“Clara.”
I spun to Charlie.
He stood by the entrance. Golden light reflected on his hair and pale face.
“What are you doing in here?”
“I came to help.” He cried out and dropped to his knees.
My heart lurched. “Charlie?” I skidded to him and sank to my knees. My hand touched his trembling shoulder, the Healer within me searching for injury. No pain.
His eyes darkened, and he cackled, his voice distorted and deep.
I shrank back, neck prickling. “Charlie?” Was this the new him? No. It was too frightening.
His expression shifted to fear, and tears brimmed in his eyes.
“What’s going on?” I asked. My voice shook.
“Zantos,” he gasped. “He’s in me.”
I froze.
A strangled cry escaped his lips, and he doubled over.
“No. No, no.” I shuffled closer. “Charlie. It … it’s okay. We’ll figure this out.”
“He’s mine,” he growled, madness in his eyes.
His terror returned, and his warm hands grasped mine. “You have to do it. I see him. I hear him.” His voice verged on hysterics. “He won’t let go.”
“No, I won’t.” I couldn’t lose him. My Charlie, he was still in there. I couldn’t let him go.
“You must.” His bottom lip trembled. “If you don’t do this now, he’ll gain control … and he’ll use me to kill.” His voice broke. Tears spilled over. “Please. Don’t let him do this to me.”
My hands shook. “Esté?”
Esté stepped up beside me.
The Void shifted, appearing behind Charlie.
“What are you …” I stared at him. “No. That’s not … Help him.”
