by Sophia Sharp
“Do not be a fool!” the elder spat. The sudden outburst frightened Nora, and instinctively she tightened the bonds holding him again. He stiffened on the spot.
“What I mean to say,” the elder said, through clenched teeth, “is that there is a darker side of the prophecy. One you knew – know – nothing about.”
“If that’s true,” Nora said, “why would Gabrielle tell me nothing of it?” She could not believe that she was conversing with the elder, but that lingering doubt forced her to. She had to be sure what she was doing was right!
The elder looked shocked at her question. “You truly understand nothing, do you?” he asked. “If Gabrielle told you that, would you have continued on the path that led you here today? He has a stake in all this, as do the other angels. I told you earlier all beings yearn for power. The angels you hold in such high regard are no different. They are flawed, like you and me. They are blinded by ambition and greed, spurred on by a ridiculous sense of revenge against my kind, the Vassiz.”
“Your kind, the elders,” Nora corrected. “The angels have nothing against the Vassiz. It was you who imprisoned them.”
“How can you be sure?” the elder asked. “Why are you so easy to trust them, but not others? Is it from some archetypical representation you hold of them in your mind? From what you were taught in school, or by your parents? That they are the bearers of peace and good?” He spat on the ground beside him. “Bah! You are as blind to the propaganda they seeded within humans as you are to the true nature of your quest.”
“Why should I believe anything you say?” Nora asked. “You’re a prisoner. I could – and should – kill you with a flick of the wrist. If for nothing more than the attempts you made on my life today. And the attempts you orchestrated after I first visited the dream realm.”
“Then do it, Nora! Kill me here and now!” He glared up at her defiantly.
Nora did not move.
“Ahh,” he cooed, “you cannot do it yet, can you? For whatever you might say, your heart knows you may yet be mistaken. You search for truth.” He shook his head. “The pieces are in play. It is too late to correct what you have started, yet now you have new doubt. If but one of my brethren survives, your whole plan will fail. But if we all die, as you intend, perhaps the outcome will not be what you had in mind.”
Nora had had enough. The man was trying to worm his way into her heart, to slither into her mind with his poisonous words. Everything she knew about the elders said they deceived and corrupted, that they were cunning and manipulative. Who was to say he wasn’t trying to do something of the sort right now? How could she believe any of his words?
No – she could not. She saw the true nature of the man before her through the bond. His heart was black, and his thoughts were churned by madness. But why did she not feel any hint of deceit come through the bond when he spoke to her now?
Nora stepped toward him. “Elder, I will not believe your lies.” She drew on the torrial and willed the knife to appear in her hand. She modified it, though, so that the blade stretched farther outward, much like a sword. “Your attempts on my life belie anything you have to say. The era of oppression you and your brethren inflicted onto the Vassiz is over.” She eyed the cord that came out of his back. It was pulsing wickedly now. “Your era is over. Your time is up, and the race you betrayed will be set free!” She stepped around him and shifted the sword high overhead.
“Wait!” the elder strained. “Who do you think guided you here, girl? Remember, it was Selaine who—”
His voice cut off in a scream as Nora’s downward slash cut through the pulsing cord. “It is ended!” she exclaimed.
The cord snapped back, whipping over the earth like an elastic band breaking after too much strain. The elder screamed. Nora looked down at him in disgust. She released the bonds that held him, and the creature she saw before her now looked nothing like the man she first met. When she cut the cord, the last part of the illusion broke. She saw the skin stretched tight over his skull, completely devoid of hair. She saw the hollowness of his cheeks, like those of an emaciated dog. She saw the blotchiness of his complexion, the fraying ends of hair that hung lifelessly from his chin in a cruel resemblance of his once handsome beard. The garments he wore so proudly now swallowed up his body, at least three times too big.
His scream pulsed on and on, while his hands desperately searched for reprieve. He curled in on himself, writhing on the floor in immense pain. Nora felt no pity. Everything he had done in his life had brought him to this point, and it was past time to see justice done. She prayed the others had the same success.
Nora was expecting that light to burst out of his skin, to overtake his body as it had his previous two creations. That did not happen. Instead, the man started to decay right in front of her.
It was as if all the years of extra life he had bestowed upon himself were now catching up. His sagging skin began to shrivel and harden. His mouth continued to work, but his voice had given out. A sickly complexion overtook him as the muscles in his arms and legs melted away, leaving nothing but bone and blotchy skin. Nora forced herself to watch. This was the price he paid for what he had done. This was what Nora had come so far to do.
Bit by bit, the elder’s movements slowed. He gave one last feeble kick and was still. What remained was nothing more than the frail, pathetic skeleton of a man, swallowed up by his once-great clothes.
Nora turned to Gray. Surprisingly, she did not feel particularly elated or happy at the outcome. She had come far to accomplish it, yes, but the way the elder went was not very…satisfying. At least, not nearly as much as she had imagined. Maybe it was the fact that success depended on the uncertain fate of her seven other allies. Or, maybe it was that some of the things the elder said before his death had made her think. In any case, it was not the triumphant victory she had been expecting.
Not yet, anyway. She had no way of knowing how the others were faring. If they were successful…if, only then could she celebrate.
At least she was done here. Although she wasn’t sure what would happen now. With the elder dead, all that was left for her was to return to Gabrielle. But she didn’t know how to do that. And why did the elder mention Selaine, of all people, right before—
Nora’s thoughts were interrupted as an enormous tremor shook the earth, hard enough to knock her off her feet. She landed on her back ungracefully, and was immediately tossed up again. A loud groaning sound bellowed beneath her. She caught herself in the air this time to land in a crouch. She looked at Gray, who was not standing on the ground anymore, but rather, floating a good foot above it. The tremors didn’t touch him, but Nora wasn’t sure if he was really here anymore. His reflection wavered, turning to mist and back, and he didn’t seem to be seeing anything around him. Suddenly, his whole being winked out of existence.
That was the breeze that started the avalanche. As soon as Gray disappeared, the whole world began to shake. And it wasn’t just the tremor of the earth that contributed to it. Every single part of the environment, from the sky to the air to the trees, started to shake violently. Tree trunks split in two and then rebounded back. The air pushed down on Nora’s shoulders and retreated threateningly. And the sky itself began to fall.
Nora had never seen anything like it. She watched, entranced and terrified at the same time, as pieces of the sky fell toward the earth. They fell in chunks, like old paint chipping off a surface, and behind them, the pure darkness of the ethereal matrix was revealed.
One of the pieces rocketed toward Nora. She started to run. As she did, the shaking around her only got worse. Pieces of the earth fell away, leaving a black abyss in their wake. Nora ran, and everything crumbled around her.
Gaps formed in the ground before her. The terrible booming of destruction continued all around. She had to run, because she didn’t know what else to do. The forest behind her erupted upward and then sank into the ground. Dirt and earth sprayed her from all sides, but she kept running. She took a
step, and narrowly avoided falling into a newly-formed gap as the earth gave way. She jumped, barely managing to clear the gaping hole.
More and more pieces of the world started to break. A crevice rippled across the ground in front of her and tore open the earth. The horrible sounds continued all around her. She turned to avoid the gulf and kept going.
In front of her, behind her, and all around her, more sections of earth gave way. When they fell, there was only darkness left. An enormous crash sounded just to her side, and Nora whipped her head that way. The first of the enormous pieces of sky had hit the earth, leaving a chasm beyond comprehension. Nora ran for her life.
All around her, the world was being swallowed up. Nora knew that if she fell into one of those holes, there would be no escape. It was not just darkness that prevailed there, but also a red, ominous aura that radiated menacingly. She did not want to think of what it was.
In mere moments, Nora found herself jumping from island to island. The ground was no longer connected, so she couldn’t just run across. It was like trying to navigate a churning river of ice without falling into the water below.
Even worse, the islands of land that remained were dropping into the abyss by the second. Nora could do nothing but run. Destruction wreaked havoc all around her. She reached the edge of the land she was on and jumped to the next island. Just as she landed, though, the earth beneath her crumpled away. Arms flailing, she grabbed desperately at a small rock that was still solid before her. Her fingers caught, but the impact flung the figurine torrial out of her hand.
She glanced down to see it fall into the abyss and disappear in the darkness. A sickening bulge of red ballooned out toward her, and she scrambled up, desperate to get away.
She ran but could see the remaining islands falling to the black, one by one. She did not know what to do. Gabrielle was supposed to be watching over her. He was the one supposed to bring her back. She’d already done what she came here to do!
“Gabrielle!” Nora screamed at the top of her lungs. “Get me out of here!” Her voice was swallowed up by the cataclysmic sounds all around her.
There was absolutely no indication that Gabrielle heard her. The destruction raged on. The sky fell away and sank into the abyss. Nora ran and jumped, ran and jumped, driven by fear and the instinctual need to survive. The remaining pieces of land were getting sparse, and Nora knew she could not avoid the looming abyss much longer.
The air began to shimmer in violent slashes of red and black. This world was dying, and Nora had no idea how she was to get out. The elder’s death precipitated the death of this world. She yelled for Gabrielle again, and again the sound she made was swallowed up by the cacophony around her. Desperation rose up within her. Islands all around her crumbled away into nothingness. She didn’t know which would go next. She felt hers start to sink and raced to the edge to jump to the next one. The gap was wide, but Nora propelled herself just enough to make it. Just as she was about to land, the island before her turned to dust and crumbled away.
Nora fell.
Chapter Eighteen
~A Return~
Nora fell through darkness. She fell, without knowing which way was up or which was down. Time became irrelevant as she fell, forever through the black. The air around her solidified and melted. She fell through darkness, and the world started to whirl around her. Slowly, the faint light of the stars Nora remembered started to appear around her, the representation of all the living beings in this ethereal realm. Their familiarity afforded her a measure of comfort.
She couldn’t control where she was going, though. She continued to fall, and the stars sped by, blurring into streaking lights. Suddenly, she hit an elastic sort of resistance, rebounded back, and was flung unceremoniously out of the torrial.
She hit the back wall of the repository and crumpled down. The pain in her foot seared into being. She felt it here so much stronger than in the elder’s dream, which worried her about how bad it must now be in the real world. But it was only a momentary thought. What she saw in front of her was much more alarming.
Gabrielle stood sagged over the torrial. He looked weary. The female angel across from him did not look any better. They were both haggard, tired. Exhaustion crossed their faces. And their angelic grace was gone.
“Welcome back, Nora.”
The voice startled her. It was Gabrielle’s, but it was not in her mind as she was used to. He was actually speaking, using his mouth, just like anybody else would. She could hear the fatigue in his voice.
“You’re speaking,” Nora said, amazed. “Why? How? Why did you not before?”
“It takes a certain strength to communicate through the mind.” Gabrielle did not shift his gaze from the torrial. “Strength I cannot spare anymore.”
Nora looked around and for the first time realized the repository was empty. Aside from Gabrielle and his unnamed companion, she was the only one there! “Where are the others?”
“You are the first to return,” Gabrielle answered.
“The first?” Nora was shocked. “But I was there for so long!”
“Success came to you easier than it comes to the others.”
“So everyone’s still there? What can you see? How are they doing?”
“Not…well,” came Gabrielle’s reply. He looked like a man, and a tired one at that. None of the grace he possessed from before remained. Controlling the torrial had taken everything out of him. “We are trying to assist them as much as we can, but our powers are spread thin. There’s only so much we can do from here. The elders are strong. They will not fold easily.”
“Is there anything I can do?” Nora asked. She had succeeded, but that didn’t matter if the others did not. Hunter was in there, going through his own battles. As were Madison and Alexander, and four other angels who were doing all this for her. The lies the elder told her in a desperate attempt to save his life meant nothing to her anymore. The doubt he tried to instill in her about Gabrielle’s intentions was gone. Her friends were in there, her love was in there, and she couldn’t let them face everything alone. She had to help.
“I was not about to ask, given what you went through. But if you are willing…”
“Yes! Of course, yes!” She ignored the sharp pain in her foot. “Anything I can do, I will.”
Gabrielle exhaled heavily. “Believe me, I would not ask you to do this were there any other choice. But there isn’t. Time is running short.”
“I will do whatever is required!” Nora insisted.
“Very well. You need to go back into the torrial, Nora. You will see the stars of the elders once in there, as you did before. You need to destroy them, all at once! But you cannot go into their dreams. You have to do it from the outside.”
Nora’s eyes widened at the suggestion. “How…how can I do that?”
“You are the prophesied one, Nora. You will see the way when it is revealed to you.”
“That’s so vague.” Nora shook her head. “So you don’t know how I can do what you just asked?”
“Not in any way that can guide you,” Gabrielle admitted. “I know it can be done, though. The torrial gives you enough power. You will need to…to sap the life energies from all the elders’ stars. All at once, and without being detected.”
Nora shivered as she remembered the threatening nature of that undefined space within the torrial. Just trying to move there, it felt like she could lose herself for eternity. How would the abyss react to her trying to alter its very fabric?
“What about all the others?” Nora asked. “They’re inside the elders’ stars, aren’t they? Wouldn’t this be dangerous to them?”
“We will alert them to your coming,” Gabrielle said solemnly. “If they can get out in time, will be up to them.”
“If?” Nora demanded. “What do you mean, if?”
“We cannot pull them out ourselves. Only they have the power to do that. But if they leave too early, it will give the elders time to escape.”
&nb
sp; “So there’s a chance,” Nora began, thinking, “that, assuming all this works, when I somehow destroy the elders’ stars, everyone we know may get caught in there as well?”
“A very real possibility,” Gabrielle said slowly. “Are you still willing to go forward? This is a last resort, because I… I cannot see any other way.”
Nora thought. If the situation was as dire as Gabrielle suggested, none of them would survive anyway. But the way to victory was lined with pits of snakes. Venomous, enormous snakes. Would any of it be worth it if Hunter got trapped in there and wasn’t able to get out in time as she destroyed the stars? Or Madison, or Alexander? Or any of the angels?
“The clock is ticking,” Gabrielle said. “You must chose, Nora. I will not have the strength to transport you into the torrial for much longer.”
Nora gritted her teeth. Either way she chose, her friends could all die. But if this one way enhanced their chances of survival slightly…
“I’ll do it,” Nora said through gritted teeth.
“Then come over. Hurry!” Gabrielle urged. Nora stood up and limped over to the torrial. She was glad neither of the angels in the room were looking at her. The pain in her foot had become worse, so that even the slightest touch of pressure felt like a thousand needles piercing her skin. But she could not pity herself now.
For the first time since she’d gotten back, Gabrielle lifted his eyes from the torrial to glance at her. It only lasted a second, but in that sliver of time she understood even more just how much the torrial was taking out of him. His eyes, which had always shone with a lustrous intensity, were now red and tired. Even his eyelids were drooping. She knew he could not hold onto the torrial for much longer. That was the real reason for the urgency. If his control slipped, everyone she knew would likely be trapped in there forever. Trapped in the elders’ dreams, with no hope of escape. She could not let that happen.
“Ready?” Gabrielle asked.
Nora inclined her head slightly. “Yes.”
