by Logan Byrne
We walked for ten minutes through the tunnel, which continued straight without any forks, and I felt like maybe the trials part of it was over. No more puzzles, no more battles, and no more trickery. The last bit was going to be the Malum and fighting off the duskhowlers who sought to take it.
As the minutes wore on, we began to hear something, chanting, coming from around a corner just in front of us. Light emanated from ahead, glowing brightly, as we slowly crept up to the corner and peeked around it.
They were there, the duskhowlers, and they were doing some kind of summoning spell. They were holding hands around a giant circle they’d drawn on the cave floor below them.
There looked to be symbols, runes, carved into the rock that they were using for their spell. A guard walked past, the five of us pulling our heads back, before hearing him grunt a little. I heard him pull out his wand, coming closer towards the corner, as Blake got ready to pull him in.
The man reached the corner, pointing his wand, before Blake grabbed him and put his hand over his mouth. Charlie grabbed his wand and Britta put him to sleep with a Dormio spell. He was out for the count.
“You don’t deserve this,” Charlie whispered, snapping his wand in half and tossing it at his limp body.
The chanting stopped, the lights shining five times brighter than before, and I ran to the corner to see what had happened. A purple light glowed in the center of the circle, pulsating, before a figure materialized within it. It was him. Kiren.
He stepped out of the light, smiling, as he held his palms facing up and his followers knelt before him. He thought he was a god, and I was going to make sure he knew he wasn’t.
“Lexa, just wait,” Blake said, his hand on my shoulder.
“Ah, finally we are here, my brothers and sisters. The Malum, the darkest object to have ever been created, is in our presence.” I looked past Kiren, seeing it there, the Malum, floating above a small pillar that protected it.
“With the dark powers that lie within this cube, we will be able to take over both the mortal and magical realms, and all beings on this planet will bow to us!” he yelled, his followers roaring with applause.
“No!” I shouted, as Blake’s eyes grew large.
“What? Who defies me?” he asked angrily, as if one of his followers had just shouted against him.
“We have to do this. We have to stop him,” I whispered to my friends, knowing that this was it. This was the battle I had so longed for.
“Show yourself!” Kiren yelled.
“I’m right here,” I said, walking around the corner of the tunnel before I came into the open room. My friends followed behind me, standing with me, albeit nervously, as we finally confronted Kiren Nightstorm.
“Children,” Kiren said, laughing. “What are children going to do to me? Don’t you know who I am?”
“I know you’re about to fall,” I said.
“You think you can defeat me?” he asked.
I slid the crystal wand down my forearm and into my hand, and it was like he’d seen a ghost. “You,” he hissed, clenching his fist. “With all of the excitement I didn’t even notice you. You’re the one who was chosen.”
“Chosen to defeat you, yes. You’re not worthy to lead anybody, and I’m going to make sure you’re put in prison where you belong,” I said defiantly.
Kiren took out his wand, slim and black, with runes etched into it.
“Attack!” he screamed.
9
The duskhowlers rushed towards us as the boys shifted and Faus hung back, trying to keep his composure. Britta and I sent spells left and right as we tried to stop any enemies who came our way.
“Glacio!” Britta yelled, her bolt hitting the hand of a female duskhowler holding her wand. Her hand froze in a giant block of ice, making her fall to her knees as she scowled in anger.
Charlie and Blake jumped on top of the men, slashing towards them as they tried to inflict any damage they could. I struggled, instead looking through the chaos towards Kiren, who was smiling and waving his wand around even though his minions were falling.
He started whispering, swirling his wand at the rocky ground, and golems began to form. Rocks broke off the ground, slinking upwards, as they joined together into the form of a man.
“That’s it,” Faus said, stepping forward. “This needs to end.”
He took off his glasses, tossing them back towards his bag, before his head started to shake and he let the monster out. He started to yell, and a duskhowler running towards him stopped, hesitating, as Faus began to shift.
His fur grew from his skin, his shirt ripping, before horns sprouted on his head and his body became huge. There he was, in all his glory, just like in the room with the golems. He charged the duskhowler, who was suddenly running for his life even though he carried his wand in his hand.
Faus flung his head upwards, goring the duskhowlers, though his horns didn’t pierce through their bodies. He ran into one of Kiren’s rock golems, striking it with force, though it didn’t shatter or even falter.
Faus grunted loudly, and I looked back to see Kiren walking towards the Malum. He was using the golems—golems that not even Faus could destroy—as cover so that he could grab it without us noticing. It was the perfect defense.
“Eruptico,” I said, flinging my spell past a ducking duskhowler and towards Kiren.
He spun around flamboyantly, swiping his wand and deflecting my shot. “Stupid girl, did you think that was going to stop me?” he yelled across the room. He smirked before turning around again and continuing.
“Britta, keep helping the guys. Take down as many of them as you can,” I said.
“What are you going to do?” she asked, in a tone with both fear and horror.
“Stop him,” I said, before running forward.
I shot spells at the duskhowlers, stunning them backwards, before a golem began charging towards me. Think, Lexa, how can you stall it? There had to be a way.
“Ventio Glacius!” I said, as my wand shot frozen air directly at the golem. It slowed as frost developed on its body and in the crevices between the rocks that formed it. As I grew closer it stopped moving, the body crystalized.
I slipped around it, seeing Kiren inches from touching the Malum, as waves of dark energy began to connect with his fingers. “Finally,” he said.
“Rigormorio!” I shouted. Kiren broke his connection and turned around, swiping his wand before snarling and shooting back at me. He shot spell after spell, not even incanting a single one, but the crystal wand protected me as I swiped left and right, meeting each of his spells with my own defensive ones.
“You’re a thorn in my side, girl. You might have that forsaken wand, but you aren’t more powerful than me,” he shouted, swirling his wand around his head and firing a green stream of energy in my direction.
“Arma Maximus!” I shouted, creating a bubble around myself. His spell hit, and I gripped my wand with both hands and tried to keep the protection active. It hurt, his power, as I felt every bit of my power and essence trying to stop his attacks.
“This is what power feels like, dear girl. Don’t tell me you can’t handle it,” he cackled, as the runes on his wand glowed.
Cracks began to form in my shield as I winced. Neither the wand nor my power were able to handle the direct bombardment Kiren was punishing me with. The shield shattered, the concentration of energy throwing me backwards as I spun in the air and landed near Britta.
“Lexa,” she said, running to my aid.
“Don’t worry, my faithful disciples. It is now where it belongs,” Kiren said, before hopping up the steps and sticking his hand on the Malum.
He began incanting something, ancient sounding magic, as I looked up and struggled to get to my feet. “We have to stop him,” I muttered, shaking my head.
The connection was made and he grabbed the Malum. Dark energy pulsated in the room and rang through every bone in my body, vibrating them like they were going to shatter. “Yes!
” he roared, his voice deepening like that of a demon.
He turned around, his eyes turning jet black and his face becoming monstrous. “I am the true master of the Malum and its power. You shall all bow down to me!” he shouted, with his head flung back.
The boys ran over to us, and Faus shifted back to a human with his backpack and glasses on. “We have to get out of here,” Blake said fearfully.
“We won’t make it,” Faus said. “There’s no way out.”
“Teleport. Use your powers and leave this place,” a voice whispered.
“What?” I asked.
“She was hurt,” Charlie said.
“Your mark, use your mark, child. You have the power to get back to the camp. Leave before your fate is sealed,” the voice whispered again.
I saw the camp in my head, with all five of us standing outside the infirmary. It felt so real, like it had already happened, or was about to, anyway. My hands began to glow blue, pulsing outwards, before I opened my eyes and looked at Kiren.
“The girl! She bears the mark!” he screamed furiously.
The light encompassed us all and I felt our bodies warping through time and space. We were dropped outside the infirmary, plopping into the dirt. “Help! We need help!” Britta yelled.
I felt myself failing, my already battered body weakened even further from the powerful magic my mark had just cast. I exhaled deeply before letting the exhaustion take over and my mind drifted off.
“He definitely saw it happen. He knows she bears the mark,” I heard Blake say, as I began to slowly open my eyes.
“This isn’t good. With him knowing that, and presumably knowing that she’s a part of the resistance, he’ll be looking for her and trying to turn over every stone to find her. He wants to siphon her powers or use her to do whatever it is he plans on doing with the Malum,” Mirian said.
I was in the infirmary, lying on a cot, my eyes feeling heavy as I struggled to open them. “She’s up,” Britta said.
“Lexa, are you okay?” Mirian asked, coming to my side. I looked up at him kneeling beside me, before he grabbed my hand and rubbed it softly.
“I think so. It was just so much,” I said.
“How did you know to use your mark in that way? To pull all of you out of there?” Mirian asked.
“Should teleportation take that much out of her?” Britta asked. “Mages in the camp do it all the time.”
“The cave you were in should’ve shielded any normal transport, and the Malum nearby should have dampened her magic even further. You said Kiren got inside due to some kind of summoning spell, with runes etched into the rocky floor and many duskhowlers incanting the same spell to bring him in. That’s powerful magic, and the fact that Lexa’s mark can pull five of you out instantly in that situation is remarkable,” Mirian said.
“Lexa,” Pote said, rushing inside.
“She’s okay, Heta. She saved them,” Mirian said.
“It wasn’t just me. Everybody fought valiantly and did their part,” I said, rubbing my forehead with my cold palm as I tried to rub away the pounding headache I was now experiencing.
“How bad is it, Mirian? I had a vision, but it was so shrouded in darkness,” Pote said.
“It’s bad, but not irreversible. I don’t think he can use it just yet, at least not to its full potential,” Mirian said.
“What do you mean? We saw him draw upon its power in the cave,” Britta said.
“Yes, he can draw upon the dark magic and amplify his own, to an extent, but it isn’t the Malum’s true power. While you five were gone, I went through every ancient text I could find, dozens of them, and found references to the Malum from the ancient ones. What they all indicate is that the presence of a blood moon is necessary for the Malum to truly work and summon the evil within,” Mirian said.
“Isn’t the Malum the evil itself? What do you mean, Mirian?” Pote asked.
“Kiren isn’t going to use the Malum for himself—well, not entirely. I think he’s going to summon something, something that will give him the power or force to take over the realms. We’ve been only partially right this entire time. I do think once the blood moon takes place, and he knows about it, the true power of the Malum will be unleashed,” Mirian said.
“When is the next blood moon?” Pote asked.
“Eight or nine days,” Mirian said, before letting go of my hand and standing up. “We have that short time to stop him and steal the Malum, or we will all suffer the consequences.”
“What do the books say about what he’s trying to conjure?” I asked.
“They don’t know for sure, but we must be prepared for the apocalypse the mortals talk about so often. It won’t be good for any of us,” Mirian said.
“We need to go talk with the council. Lexa, you’re in good hands here with your friends. We’ll talk soon,” Pote said, patting my foot, before she and Mirian swiftly left the tent.
“Man, this place is awesome,” Charlie said, walking in with a giant turkey leg and meat juices smeared all over his mouth and face.
“Charlie! Lexa is hurt and all you can think about is your stupid stomach!” Britta said.
“It’s okay, Britta,” I said, chuckling a little. “I’m used to his appetite.”
“So what are we going to do?” Blake asked.
“Stop him, that’s what,” I said.
“Lexa, I’m all for taking Kiren down, but look at you. You’re in no condition to be fighting him again. I mean, look at what happened this time,” Blake said.
“I was unprepared. I know I’m stronger than him, and I didn’t even use the mark in combat,” I said.
“Yeah, but—” Blake protested.
“I’m going to do it,” I said sternly.
“We just don’t want to see you get hurt again,” Britta said.
“I get that, and I appreciate you, I do, but I’m the one who has to stop him. I’m the one who has to defeat him and bring peace and control back to the magical realm,” I said.
“Okay, we understand,” Blake said.
“Thank you,” I replied, sighing.
I didn’t expect them to fully understand, especially now after Kiren had defeated me. He defeated me…how could I have let that happen? I’d had him right there, but his spells were too much for me even though he didn’t yet have control of the Malum and the power that went along with it. My shield couldn’t stand up to whatever spell he was punishing me with, and I failed.
Was I truly not ready? No, I couldn’t think like that, even if the thought did want to creep up in the back of my head. I was chosen by a greater force to do this, and I was worthy enough to be granted the crystal wand. Those things didn’t happen to just any mage, and that had to mean some greater force thought, no, knew, that I was the person for this job.
I couldn’t let my visions come true. I couldn’t let Kiren’s darkness plague this world. I had to stop him, I knew I would.
I had to.
10
It was two days until I was better again.
Two precious days.
I woke up early, intent on going to a strategic meeting, all of us waiting to do our part to stop Kiren and his reign of terror. Intelligence had been out patrolling the past two days, looking for any clues they could as to what Kiren was doing and how he was planning on summoning this evil.
We thought we could take down anything he had, anything at all, that would disrupt his plans and impede his overall goal. Maybe he would be forced to wait until a new blood moon, giving us much needed time, but we knew that was naive. He would sacrifice anybody and anything to concoct his plan, no matter the cost.
“What do we know?” Pote asked, standing around her war table.
“Intelligence found a training depot just outside New York City that he’s using to supply and train duskhowlers. By our estimates, he has three hundred mages in there, and that’s not all,” said Tyil, Pote’s head of intelligence.
“Of course it isn’t,” she replied. �
��It never is.”
“He’s not just using mages as duskhowlers any longer. We don’t know if these new recruits are going to be called duskhowlers, or if they’re something else entirely, but he’s recruiting any magical creature who wants to pledge loyalty and allegiance to him. Shifters, trolls, giants, elves, vampires—any creature that wants power will bind themselves to him,” Tyil said.
“So we get the entire magical spread,” Pote said.
“Exactly,” Tyil said.
“What would be your recommendations?” Mirian asked.
“I think a solid choice would be to take down and destroy the warehouse. Like I mentioned, at least a good chunk of their supplies are inside, and lighting those on fire and blowing up the building will ensure a massive strike to his supply chain,” Tyil said.
“What about the mortals?” Pote asked.
“Far enough away to not cause harm, and we can leak to their media it was a gas leak and there were no casualties,” Tyil said.
“Will there be, though? Their people?” Pote asked.
“That depends. We can't say for certain until we’re in there. I would hope so,” Tyil said.
“You’d hope so?” I asked, shocked. “Those are our people, even if they’re against us.”
“Lexa, not now,” Mirian said.
“Why are we being like him, though? Why are we being like Kiren? He would slaughter all of us given the chance, and now we’re doing the same.”
“We’re at war, Lexa. Things aren’t always black and white, and sometimes there’s a bit of gray in there as well. Any of his forces falling is a win for us. You have to think of the end game and what we’re getting at,” Tyil said.
“The truth is, my child, we’re outnumbered and severely outclassed when it comes to weapons and sheer manpower. Kiren’s forces are growing by the day, and pretty soon they’ll completely engulf us in their madness and there will be no hope. I know you feel passionately about saving lives, and I love that about you, but you don’t always get your way in war. We have to think about the greater good,” Pote said.
