Sluggish and useless, she hardly felt up to the challenge of intercepting the demon Envy, But the desire to save Carmen, the need to see her face, to make sure she was alright, that kept her going.
The glass house soon loomed up ahead, and even from a distance Khaos could see that all was not well there. All the lights were out, leaving place in complete darkness. Unlike the first time, Nyx clip clopped down right next to the front door, there was no reason to be discreet now. And they did not have time to waste.
Khaos dismounted and cautiously approached the entrance, expecting to be ambushed at any moment. The sun was almost set, and the garden was completely still, there did not even seem to be a breeze, and there was no sign of life in the gloom. Khaos tried the handle, and found it unlocked.
The hallway within was in darkness and somehow, without the lights, seemed cold and sinister. There was not a soul around, yet Khaos felt a presence, like something was watching, holding its breath.
Suddenly, Khaos heard fast approaching footfalls at the other end of the hall, coming straight toward her. Instinctively, Khaos reached for her sword, and stood, tensed, as the sound got louder.
‘Cam! Cam!’ a voice shouted over and over from the shadows. Khaos tightened her grip on her sword. From this distance, she could not tell who it was, and the voice was hoarse, as if it had been shouting for a long time.
Soon a figure could be seen, sprinting down the gloomy hallway toward her. Long dark hair was flowing behind. Marla! Was it Marla?
‘Cam!’ the voice was too high pitched to be Marla. Carmen! It was Carmen! Khaos switched from fearful anticipation to joy in an instant, unable to conceal a relieved smile that broke out on her face.
‘Cam! Where have you been?’ shouted Carmen, arms outspread. When she was close enough she embraced Khaos tightly, burying her face in Khaos’s neck. In a daze, Khaos closed her arms around her and held her, taking in the smell of her perfume, the closeness of her.
‘Cam, I’ve been so frightened without you.’
‘It will be all-right, I’m here now,’ Khaos whispered, stiffening as Carmen started stroking her hair.
‘Where were you?’
‘It doesn’t matter,’ Khaos muttered quietly, struggling to speak.
‘You have to help Marla!’ cried Carmen, finally pulling away. ‘Something’s… Something’s wrong with her.’
‘Don’t worry, I think I know what to do.’ Khaos drew her sword.
‘Where are you going?’
‘Marla’s secret room!’ Khaos replied, striding purposefully through the corridor. Carmen trailed along behind, struggling to keep up. When they reached the bookcase room, the secret door was already ajar. But still inside, and still uncovered, was the hateful dark mirror, sitting ominously in the middle of the room. The sword knew what to do before Khaos even had to think, it swung back and then straight down, slicing the mirror clean in two. In slow motion, the top half of the mirror slid away and crashed onto the floor, sending slivers of glass and shards of wood to every corner of the room, reflected a thousand times in the mirrored walls.
Khaos stood for a moment, expecting the scream of a demon, or the room to shake, or at least some sort of noise. But there was nothing.
‘Khaos! Something is wrong! The demon is not here!’ said the voice in her head. Had the demon already manifested?
‘Carmen, where is Marla?’ Silence from the next room. ‘Carmen?’ Khaos stepped to the doorway, looking back into the bookcase room. At first, she thought perhaps Carmen had run away for some reason. There was a sudden blur of movement to her right, and a foot came out of nowhere, knocking her smartly on her outstretched hand, sending the sword clattering to the floor. Before she had time to react, two hands came at her and pushed her back into the mirror room, the door snapping shut in her face.
‘Who’s out there? Carmen? Let me out!’ At first there was silence on the other side, and then a smug chuckle. ‘Who is out there?’ Khaos demanded.
‘That was too easy,’ said a soft, feline voice between chuckles. ‘You are so gullible.’
‘Who is that? Where’s Carmen?’ Khaos thumped the heels of her hands again the secret door ineffectually. It was built so solidly that it barely shuddered.
‘I’m here! Khaos, help me!’ shouted Carmen from the other side of the door.
‘Carmen! I’m coming!’ there was something odd about Carmen’s response, and she had been sure that no one was out there when she had looked out. She was not thinking straight; too busy desperately trying to shove the door open with her shoulder. But someone, that other voice, must have blocked it from the other side.
‘This room and door are solid mahogany.’ It was the feline voice again. Loka? Was it Loka? ‘You have no sword. How do you plan on escaping?’
‘Loka? Is that you?’
‘Well done, moron. You figured something out for yourself,’ the feline voice mocked. ‘Now what? What are you going to do?’
Khaos stood in the shattered glass. Was she testing her? Or did she intentionally trap her in this room? If only she had the sword… But wait, what about her earth powers? Could she harness them to use now?
‘Khaos, help me!’ It was Carmen’s voice again.
Again, something did not ring true about that voice, but Khaos was too concerned with trying to summon her powers to think about it sensibly. She closed her eyes, focusing her energy on the solid door.
‘Help me, spirit,’ she murmured, reaching out her hands. Could she control this power? Summon it at will? Or was it only when the spirit chose to aid her? ‘I can do it.’ She muttered, trying to clear those doubting thoughts from her mind. She thought of the strength of mountains, the weight of rock, the force of nature, trees and plants springing from nowhere. She opened one eye cautiously.
On the door, was that the hint of moss again, where her hands had been hovering?
‘Ha ha. You’re pathetic,’ sneered Loka from the other side.
She wasn’t focused enough. Clamping her eyes tightly shut, her forehead furrowed in concentration. The power of trees, the force of wood, sprouting from a tiny seed, its roots forcing its way through earth and stone, grasping hold of life. In her head, she spoke to the wood of the door, willing it to move, to set itself free of its bonds. She felt a strange heat in her hands, a tingling sensation that became more and more intense, like an insect bite or rash spreading over her palms. She heard a deep groan, and when she opened her eyes, her vision was once again grey, but this time she felt a little more in control, and the door in front of her was splitting down the middle, bending out on itself, straining against the metal lock and hinges. In one almighty effort, the door burst out of the doorway, sending lumps of wood and splinters and dislodged books flying into the room on the other side.
Before the pieces had time to settle, Khaos clambered through the wreckage, casting about wildly. Loka? Where was that fiend, Loka? A figure lay slumped, face down on the floor. Khaos recognised the dress and long dark hair as Carmen, and rushed to her side, wondering if she had been struck down by a piece of flying timber. As she approached, something suddenly occurred to her. A moment ago, Carmen had called her Khaos. But Carmen did not know her real name; she had only known her as Cam. The slightest of suspicions began to form in her mind. How had she found that out?
‘Carmen? Are you ok?’ She reached out to touch Carmen’s prone figure. Suddenly, Carmen twisted round, striking Khaos down with a piece of wood that she had been concealing beneath her torso. Khaos fell back, face smarting from the strike.
‘Carmen!? What the hell…!’ But before she had time to finish, the girl swung her foot round and knocked Khaos down with a blow to the stomach. Khaos slumped to the ground, momentarily winded.
‘You really haven’t got it yet, have you?’ said Carmen, but in a different voice. A soft, catlike voice. Loka’s voice. Right before Khaos’ eyes, Carmen’s pretty face and long dark hair melted away, and in her place stood Loka, smiling cruelly.
&nbs
p; ‘Loka!’
‘Well done, genius.’
‘How did you… How did you do that? How long have you been...’
‘Pretending to be Carmen? Since you arrived here a moment ago.’
Khaos suddenly remembered the embrace from earlier, the way Carmen - fake Carmen - had greeted her so affectionately. ‘You’re sick!’ she accused.
‘No, You’re sick. I know all about you,’ she sneered. ‘You are so pathetic. Did you really think it would be this easy? You’d just storm the castle, defeat the monster?’ She leered close to Khaos’ face. ‘Get the girl?’
‘Shut up! Not another word from your mouth, fiend! I don’t have time to listen to this!’ Khaos leapt to her feet, the pain in her face and stomach gone. ‘Where’s my sword?’
‘And what are you going to do when you get it, Cam? Or should I say, Khaos?’ She smiled again. ‘Yes, I know all about you. More, I think, than you do.’
‘Well, I know enough about you, and what you are, fiend!’ Khaos cast around her wildly. Where was her sword?
‘You know nothing. You think you are part of some divine plan, bringing about the end of the world? God’s little helper?’ She scoffed. ‘You are but a pawn. Nothing more than a puppet. But who is pulling the strings, Khaos? And who are you really?’
‘Enough!’ Khaos shouted. ‘What do you know of divinity, or God? What do you know, except darkness and evil? I know about you. Your every word is an attempt to poison me, poison my mind. But I won’t let you!’ The sword! She saw its blue glow, flickering from behind the sofa!
‘I already have,’ Loka whispered, but Khaos was not listening; instead she lunged toward the sofa, reaching behind it as swiftly as she could. To her relief, her hand clasped cool familiar metal, and quicker than she had ever moved before, she spun around to confront Loka.
There was a slither of steel, and Loka produced two short swords that had been concealed in her sleeves.
‘Let’s see what you’ve learned, Khaos,’ she murmured. She spun towards her, the sinister blades flying and flickering. Khaos parried her first blow, then the next, she anticipated an attempted blow to her stomach area. Khaos remembered from their last fight, that Loka started with one hand above her and the next would come from below in a double attack. This time, both hands were equally deadly. Loka spun back gracefully, and Khaos swung the sword, more fluidly this time, and grazed her cheek. In shock, Loka stopped, and touched the blood on her face, glaring at Khaos resentfully. She gave a warlike shout, while she swiftly shifted her position.
Before Khaos had time to breathe, Loka was coming at her again, pirouetting in an almost dance-like way towards her, the swords a blur of metal in her hands. She struck Khaos this time, a deep gash in her side. Khaos instinctively cried out and clasped the wound, reeling from the pain, feeling the blood seeping between her fingers. In the moment she was distracted, Loka swung her foot up again and knocked her unforgivingly in the jaw. As Khaos flew back, her free hand flailed for purchase, and as she hit the floor, it closed around cloth…
It was the bandage from Loka’s hand, from when she had burned herself trying to pick up Khaos’ sword. It must have come unravelled. Khaos stared at it blankly for a moment, noticing, absurdly, how clean it was. Loka had not noticed, and was poised, ready to strike. Khaos looked then to Loka’s hand, which should have been terribly scarred, and saw that it was completely healed.
‘Wait a minute – didn’t you burn your hand?’
Loka did not reply. The fresh cut Khaos had made on her face had also disappeared.
‘You heal fast, don’t you?’
Again, Loka did not respond, but instead lunged at Khaos, swords flying. Khaos parried and dodged Loka’s attack, knocking her to the floor in the process. As Loka was picking herself up from the floor, Khaos summoned the strength of earth again, with the palm of her free hand toward the floor and her arm outstretched. It seemed a little easier this time, as she clenched her eyes shut. She pulled on the stone and natural substances of the floor, bidding them to free themselves, and the heat built in her hand again. She pulled on the glass of the window – had it not been merely sand once? She flexed her fingers, and the window exploded inwards. The floor erupted simultaneously, a deep chasm into the earth itself formed from Khaos’ feet across to the other side of the room, spreading until it caught Loka up in it, pulling her down. She cried out as her swords bounced out of her hands unexpectedly, while she scrabbled for a hold on the falling edges of the chasm. In desperation, she stretched out a hand, willing Khaos to her aid.
Khaos stepped up to the edge of the hole slowly and carefully, examining Loka’s outstretched hand. It would be only a moment before she would lose her grip and fall to her death.
‘Let her fall!’ said the spirit voice righteously.
‘But wait, I want to see who she really is…’ said Khaos, suddenly curious.
‘There’s no time! Leave her!’
‘No. I have to see.’ She reached out tentatively, and took Loka’s hand.
Like being submerged in dark water, Khaos sank down into the grey world once more, looking at the true Loka with her new vision.. Unlike ordinary mortals, whose lives unfolded behind them like a photo album, from birth to present, Loka had only a few moments of time laid out behind her. And as Khaos looked, it dawned on her that every memory Loka had was related to her.
She looked to the furthest moment, and saw herself, but with eyes like stone, and huge, black dark wings folded behind her – the sight of which made her heart skip a beat. She was confronting Loka, who was dressed all in white, like an angel. Present Khaos watched as they spoke.
‘Why are you following me? Who are you?’ asked the Khaos from the past in a voice like the rumble of approaching thunder.
‘My name is Loka. Anything else is unimportant. The question is, who are you? And what are you doing in that human body?’ replied Loka in her memory.
‘I am Khaos! Destroyer of worlds!’ Past-Khaos roared. ‘I am here to bring about the destruction of this Earth, and all its Sin. Including vile creatures like you!’ Khaos raised her arms and blasted fire from her hands at Loka, catching her off guard, almost. Suddenly past-Loka disappeared, leaving Khaos staring around her in confusion, casting around violently, searching for her prey. It was then that Loka reappeared in front of her, right back where she had been standing a few moments before. Again Past-Khaos attempted to strike her, but she vanished again, only to reappear on a branch half way up a nearby tree, sniggering at what she seemed to think was a hilarious game at Khaos’s expense. This only seemed to enrage Past-Khaos further. She yelled out an angry war cry, summoned fire once more and annihilated the tree with the force of a flamethrower. This time Past-Loka was the one looking confused, as she tumbled in mid air a few yards from the flaming tree. Before she could rise again, Khaos pounced on her, and pinned her to the ground.
‘You will be destroyed along with hell and every other vile evil thing! The end is coming!’ shouted Past-Khaos, her face inches from Loka’s face. But the white haired girl merely laughed again, and vanished, Past-Khaos was left holding handfuls of grass.
Past-Loka reappeared in another tree, above Past-Khaos’ head. ‘So you will kill me, just like you killed the girl whose body you now strut around in?’
‘She is not dead. She is merely… Subdued.’
‘You mean her soul is trapped in there with you?’
‘Her soul is dormant, asleep deep in the subconscious of this mind. Her human thoughts and desires would be of no use to me. They would only hold me back. Humans are so easily distracted.’
And what of the life she led before you took her?’ asked Past-Loka. ‘What about her family? Her friends? Her memories?’
‘Her human life is over. All her memories of it have been erased. There was no room for them in this mind.’ Light appeared around Past-Khaos’ hands. ‘Now stay still while I destroy you!’
The memory ended suddenly, like a clip from a film, and the next o
ne started immediately after.
Khaos of the present watched Past-Loka, falling through the earth and out the other side, falling and falling through time and space, until she landed in the centre of a dark, hellish underworld. Amid the acrid blaze of the ever-burning fires she rose, a look of surprise on her face.
‘Loki, why have you returned? Have you been defeated already by the heavenly power?’ asked a multitude of faceless voices all at once.
‘Khaos is even more powerful than we anticipated. It will take great cunning to outwit her,’ replied Past-Loka.
‘Are her powers even greater than yours, shape-shifter?’ mocked the multitude. The sound seemed to be coming from all around.
‘She is stronger than I. She can summon the powers of the elements; the earth, the weather.’
‘Are you saying that you cannot defeat her?’
‘Her brawn is no match for my brain. But if I am to overpower her, it will be with deception.’
‘And how do you propose to do that, shape-shifter? What can you do to stop her in her tracks?’
‘I cannot confront her head-on. She has no physical weaknesses. At least, none that she has shown. Unless…’
‘Unless what?’
‘The human soul. It lies dormant within the body, while Khaos looks out through the human’s eyes and moves her limbs, using her as a vessel. If the soul could somehow be awakened and regained control of her body, perhaps she would overthrow Khaos from within. But how can I awaken her? She has no memory of what she once was, or the life she once had. How can she remember that she was once in control, not Khaos?’
‘There may be a way.’
‘How? What can I do?’
‘In the beginning of time, there was a tree. The first tree ever to grow in the world. The apples that the tree bore held the secret to knowledge.’
‘The tree of knowledge! That Adam and Eve once ate of?’
‘That’s right. And when they did, they saw themselves as they truly were. If anything can restore the human soul, it is the fruit of that tree.’
Khaos Page 16
