Allie Strom: The Bringer of Light Trilogy: The Second Trilogy in the Eternal Light Saga

by Justin Sloan

  “You mean like Samyaza?”

  “I mean exactly Samyaza, and the rest of the two hundred fallen. Samyaza won’t rest until he has taken human form and has been declared the Tenth Worthy. If that were to happen, the world we know would be a second hell. Haven’t you read anything?”

  Allie’s head hurt. She looked back toward Gabe and Michael. They both seemed to be watching her, their faces unreadable. Why hadn’t they told her any of this? Well, she supposed they had told her some of it. But the fate of the entire world? She had thought facing Samyaza was more like just taking down a bad guy, like when the police arrested a serial killer or something.

  “Are you for real?” Allie asked.

  Brenda nodded smugly, and Allie could tell she had enjoyed teaching Allie something she hadn’t known.

  The rest of training went by fairly quick. Daniel had finished his obstacle courses and weapons training for the day, and headed back through the doorway to his next regular class. Allie stayed behind while Michael treated them to a lesson of Spirit Animals and imbued objects. After a half hour of watching Michael and the students pull horses, lions, eagles and stags from mid-air and play with light swords and healing shields, Allie felt a little like she was lost in one of her brother's roleplaying games. It was too much.

  They heard a loud crash outside, and Michael stopped the lesson. He looked to the doors, and then Allie heard a scream. The doors burst open, and Mr. Phael’s stark blue eyes shone with worry.

  “Gabe, Michael,” Mr. Phael said between breaths. “The school is under attack.”

  Michael held out his hand toward the students. “You stay here.” He rushed to follow Gabe and Mr. Phael through the door.

  Allie looked at Karen and Troy. They seemed to be thinking the same thing. Allie was among twenty students or so to dash for the door, and was certainly one of the few that wished she had not.

  In the outside training area, thirteen students lay unconscious (she hoped) in the dirt. A mixture of grey and yellow swirling clouds blew across the sky. Allie’s legs carried her forward in spite of her mind willing her to stay back and hide. The white exterior walls of the training hall were covered with dark shadows in long wisps, like strands of cloth formed into moving humanoid shapes. She had seen this before, when Paulette had formed a giant out of thin air. The shapes scraped against the marble, their scratching claws making her blood feel cold.

  “Damn Strayers,” Gabe said. He reached into the air and pulled a fiery sword, then rushed the walls, striking down the shadowy beasts. As they fell, they were swept into the slowly forming upside-down whirlpool of clouds.

  Michael was beside Gabe in moments, his own sword sending blasts of light blue fire. “Raphort, go inside and make sure they have not summoned any Watchers to the school,” Michael said. “We will join you shortly.”

  The school. Daniel was in the school. She had to save him. She felt the numbness leave her legs—she had been frozen in place by the battle. She hurried through the open yard, the dark shadows jumping from the walls, ignoring Gabe’s calls for her to come back. She ran as fast as she could for the far door, feeling the icy sheets of shadow caress her face, but it was like waking from a deep sleep—her body didn’t want to respond, her mind groggy.

  A blue blast exploded nearby, and suddenly she was free. She lurched forward and grabbed the handle of the door, pulling outward. Above her, the dark shapes circled, losing in their fight against Gabe and Michael. There were so many of them. She saw wings unfold, a glistening red scythe, and then it was gone with the strike of Gabe’s sword.

  Troy pushed her through the door, landing on top of her.

  “What are you doing?” he yelled as he pulled her back to her feet.

  “We have to get to Daniel.”

  Troy took a frustrated breath, but his eyes were determined. “Alright, let’s do this.”

  They ran through the halls, jumped the stairs at the end, and found their way out of the building and into one of the open air halls. Wisps of black fog led from all directions toward the large dome in the middle of the school, the auditorium.

  That’s where they’re heading, Allie thought.

  Shrieks rose from the dome as they approached. A thick muck like rotten banana clung to the normally clear glass of the auditorium, but Allie didn’t hesitate. She charged forward, kicking the door, then fell backwards onto her butt. Troy shook his head and almost smiled.

  “It says ‘pull’ right here,” he said as he opened the door and held it for her.

  “Ladies first, huh?” she said as she scrambled to her feet.

  Walking through the door, she wished for a moment she had stayed in the training hall. The auditorium smelled of burnt liver and was hotter than a sauna. Students ran like scared cats, a group to the left toppling tables to hide behind, some streaming through the doors in retreat. Then Allie saw why.

  On the far side of the room, right beside the cafeteria, a group of students in black were bowing to a dark, growing shadow. It rose toward the ceiling as the dark shapes from outside flowed into it like a deep well. The wisps of dark cloth formed a giant being, one far worse than anything she had seen back in Kyrgyzstan. She felt she was looking into never-ending space.

  Its eyes were the worst. They seemed to come from nowhere and to observe everything at once. They burned, but their fire was even darker than the shadow creature itself.

  The creature roared, causing several students to faint. Then it started to laugh. It lifted a leg from a dark opening in the floor, and Allie realized she had only been looking at half of the creature. Faces contorted throughout its substance, like a thousand souls captured within. She wanted to be anywhere else at that moment.

  But then she saw Daniel, and she heard Troy mutter his name, pointing beside her. He had noticed Daniel too, unconscious, directly in the creature’s path.

  Allie had to act. She clenched her fists and bit her lower lip, running with all her might. She dove, grabbing Daniel by the back of his shirt and pulling him up like a mother lion does to its cub.

  Her ring glowed and she willed it to respond, as it had when fighting to save her mom, but the glow fizzled out. She stared at it in confusion. The creature paused and turned her way—it must have sensed the ring! The pause was just long enough for Michael to burst through the doors and throw himself in the shadow creature’s path. Allie heard fighting and girls screaming, but all she cared about was getting Daniel to safety. Troy stood with arms outstretched, yelling for her to hurry. When she reached him, Troy threw himself under Daniel's right shoulder and helped carry him to the far wall.

  A blast of black fire hit the exit and it crumbled. Troy cursed and kicked a table, grabbing Allie and Daniel and shoving them beside it. He plopped down beside Allie, and it was only then that she noticed the tears streaming down his face and the sweat seeping through his shirt.

  She heard Gabe’s voice as he joined the fight. She sat terrified, her hand clenched in Troy’s, Daniel’s unconscious body before them. She had done it. She had saved him. But she had to make sure Gabe and Michael were alright. She turned, her eyes peeking barely above the edge of the table. Her heart threatened to beat right through her shirt, but she didn’t care. She was past the point of fear.

  Mr. Phael had a ring on his hand that was emanating a bright light around the three teachers. Gabe and Michael were striking the creature with their swords of fire. It seemed to feel no pain, but it could not advance, not with them blocking it. The Strayers were long gone, and the creature moved its head from side to side, as if looking for something but unable to find it.

  “Be gone with you Watcher,” Michael said as he raised his sword. “Back with you, Grigori, betrayer of all that is holy. Be gone, to the second plane of Mount Hermon!"

  He thrust the fiery blade into the black and white checkered auditorium floor. A blast of white fire circled around him, rising to the ceiling and then striking like lightning at the foot of the Watcher. The ground began to swirl,
spiraling down into a red and black haze. The Watcher paused, then shrieked like a thousand dying men and women.

  Allie covered her ears. Sweat stung her eyes, and she watched as the Watcher was swept into the ground. It reached for Michael’s sword one last time, but only grasped thin air, as if it were no longer in the same world as Michael.

  It shrieked again, its screams sounding like threats, and Allie knew it wasn’t being destroyed, just being exiled. And then it was gone.

  She collapsed against Troy, only then releasing his hand. “It’s over.”

  He smiled at her, the wild look in his eyes slowly fading. They had survived, and Daniel lay safe beside them.

  Chapter 9: Doubts

  The days that followed the attack went by like a blur, and soon became weeks. Everyone now understood the seriousness of their training, and Allie was more eager than ever to begin the attack on Samyaza and his followers.

  Allie landed from her jump pattern on the other side of the swamp, bowing as she did so. Troy clapped politely for her, then began the pattern himself to follow her across. It was the first time they had run the obstacle course since the attack, and now they were allowed to use their jump patterns—it made quite the difference.

  “Well done Allie,” Mr. Phael said. He had joined the class after his students had either moved on to the training hall or failed out and returned to regular P.E. Gabe and Michael stood beside him.

  “What’s next?” Allie asked.

  Gabe motioned to the training grounds. “Next is you keep training.”

  She balled her fists, but kept her complaints silent. After days of inaction, she had learned that nothing she said could change the fact that no one seemed to know where to start in the search for Samyaza or the armor they needed.

  Troy landed beside her, slipping on the damp grass. She steadied him.

  “We always train,” Troy said. “Don’t we ever get wings?”

  Gabe laughed. “Keep complaining and see if that helps.”

  “Well, what about those animals, the spirit animals, when can we try that?”

  “You two are so eager.” Gabe shook his head. “Patience and wisdom are some of the most important virtues in this life. Haven't I told you that the spirit animals choose you? Ask Allie here.”

  She blushed as Troy looked at her inquisitively.

  “Well, I hope it’s a dog,” Troy said. “I've always wanted one of those.”

  Gabe’s eyes seemed to darken.

  “What?"

  “Let’s hope it’s not a dog,” Gabe said. “It’s never happened and would strike me as quite useless. The closest you can hope for is a wolf, and if a wolf chooses you…”

  “What?”

  Allie leaned in, suddenly very interested. She and Daniel had surmised that Chris had spirit animals in the form of a wolf, or multiple wolves, after the wolves had been helping them in Kyrgyzstan.

  “Let me explain to the class,” Michael said. “I think we’d better have a discussion. Raphort, would you please bring the students into the class when they are finished?”

  Mr. Phael nodded, and told Allie and Troy to go on ahead.

  When the rest of the students had gathered in the classroom, Michael paced before them with his hands behind his back. “There are many things we have yet to teach you. This is for your own good, so you are not overwhelmed, and so you can develop your spirit without distractions. But there are some things you should know, to look out for. You have seen patterns, but have you seen them used for evil as well?”

  Allie felt him looking her way, and she nodded.

  “What can you tell the rest of the class about the evil uses of patterns Ms. Strom?”

  Allie looked at the rest of her class hesitantly. “I… well, there are the Strayers.”

  “The Strayers?” Brenda said. “Everyone knows they’re a bunch of punks. They have no real power.”

  Troy cleared his throat. “Shut up, Brenda.”

  “Please continue, Ms. Strom,” Michael said.

  “Well, I have seen them on more than one occasion trying to use their patterns.”

  “Indeed,” Michael said. “And the rest of you saw this at work when the Strayers conjured a Grigori, the watcher. That was done with patterns, and we changed the memories of the others with a pattern as well.”

  “I knew it!” Allie said. She sat back, blushing at her outburst. No one had seemed to remember what had happened, and the news said it had been an earthquake.

  “Did you?” Gabe said. “I’m not surprised.” He reached into the air and pulled a fiery sword as if from nowhere. “With this sword, I carved a pattern into the floor. You cannot see it, as is the nature of this fire, but it is there. Likewise, I am able to call upon this sword because of a pattern here.” He pointed to an infinity symbol on his belt with the shape of the sword through it. “The heavens gave us these patterns, and we can use them to perform good. But there are those that would inscribe these patterns onto the flesh, which also brings power, but a power that rots, that corrupts.” He held the sword in the air and let go. The class gasped as it vanished.

  Allie would have been impressed, but she was too busy pulling her sleeve down to cover the pattern on her arm.

  “And that brings us to today’s lesson,” Michael said. “Spirit animals. I have told Allie, as I have told others here, spirit animals choose you. But that is only if you are patient. Another way to call upon a spirit animal is to inscribe the pattern of the appropriate animal into your flesh. The first Guardian to ever try so fell from the light within a week, and the boy he protected was devoured by the wolf he conjured. If you walk in the light, there are four main animals that may choose you: a horse, a stag, an eagle, and a lion. And breeds of the like such as birds and whatnot. None is more powerful or more honored than the next, and they each have their strengths. But those that call on the shadow animals, they are met with wolves, serpents, or, in rare cases, insects or bugs. You must never allow your heart to crave the assistance of such foul creatures. You must never inscribe your flesh with a pattern of the heavens. Any questions?”

  None were asked, and the students were dismissed.

  Allie bit her nails as she walked through the halls towards her history class. How could she hope to succeed at all this? It was so complicated…. And it wasn’t like she was the first. Others had come before her, and others had failed to protect.

  How far back did it go? Maybe her ancient relative had failed to protect Hector at Troy, or Leonidas at Thermopile. The day before, she had learned about their defeats in history class, and suddenly the class seemed to have a personal note.

  Chapter 10: Calling it Quits

  Allie heard Daniel’s voice, loud and panicked. Racing now, she turned a corner, trying to pinpoint where she’d heard it from, then it came again. She spotted him just outside, past a half-open door.

  “Dad, I didn’t mean to… No, Dad!” Daniel was saying into his phone. He looked up at her with wide, moist eyes. “They have him, they have my dad.”

  “What?” She ran to him and held the phone. On the other end, she could hear someone laughing, and Daniel’s father’s voice telling them to stay back.

  “He called to say he was in trouble,” Daniel said. “That he went looking for me when I wasn’t home, but then they found him.”

  “Who? Who found him?”

  “He was yelling. People in all black, with marks on their arms and necks, in robes… The Strayers. He told me not to come, to stay away, because they wanted me….”

  Allie stared at the phone, and then at her friend. “We have to get to him.”

  Daniel wiped away a tear and stared at the ground. He breathed heavily and then looked up at her. “Let’s do it.”

  She held the phone in front of her and grabbed Daniel’s arm with her ringed hand, closing her eyes and wishing with all her being that they were with his Dad. The ring grew warm, pulsating with a bright light she could see behind closed eyelids. Daniel shouted in surpr
ise, and then everything went black. When she opened her eyes, they were in the woods near the school, at the edge of a hill. At the bottom of the hill were a dozen people in black robes. And just past them Daniel’s dad, Burt, was running, holding his phone to his ear.

  “Dad!” Daniel shouted.

  Burt lowered the phone and turned, his eyes full of terror.

  “Daniel,” he yelled, “I told you to stay away!”

  The entire group of Strayers turned towards her and Daniel. But she didn’t care. She looked at Daniel and was touched by the look of determination in his eyes.

  “Shall we?” she said.

  “Lead the way,” he said, glancing at her ring.

  She nodded and charged down the hill, Daniel behind her and the Strayers running to meet them.

  “This happens too much lately,” Daniel yelled from behind, as the first group of Strayers met them.

  Allie smiled and held out her ring at a lanky girl in black robes. The girl snarled and pulled back a fist. Allie concentrated on her ring, willing the blast of light that had defended her against the giant in Kyrgyzstan.

  Nothing happened.

  The air left her lungs as the girl’s fist connected with her chest. Someone was laughing, and then Allie was in the air. She looked down to see a boy of about sixteen with his hand on her shirt. He slammed her onto her back and stood over her, still laughing. She tried to breathe, but her lungs wouldn’t allow it.

  What was going on? Why wasn’t the ring working? She turned her head to see a foot swing inches from her face, striking Daniel in the stomach. He doubled over, coughing.

  “Daniel!” Burt yelled, but it sounded so far away.

  Allie tried to stand, but the girl from before pulled her by the hair as an older girl with wide shoulders prepared to strike. The fist connected and the bitter taste of blood filled Allie’s mouth.