Creeping Shadow (The Rise of Isaac, Book One)

by Peckham, Caroline

  Oliver took one and pinned it on to his lapel.

  "You'll be interviewed last in the line up of fifty teams and will be called up to the stage accordingly. The interview will last approximately five minutes. When you're ready, please make your way down the corridor to your left and take your seats by the main stage."

  "Good luck," a bald man at the table said, crossing out their names on a list.

  "You'll be great," Laura whispered. "Dad, your seat will be in the V.I.P area through there." She pointed to a door behind the table.

  Ely nodded and turned to Oliver and May. "You'll do great. I'll be watching." He winked at them and walked off through the door.

  A loud roar went up from the crowd in the stadium, making Oliver's stomach lurch as they moved away from the table.

  A large man appeared from across the room, heading in their direction. He wore a brown suit with elbow pads and had an enormous gut that wobbled as he approached.

  He knocked back a drink as he reached out a hand to Oliver who received a large gust of hot breath from the man right in his face. A strong waft of potent alcohol filled his nostrils. The man wiped the back of his hand across his sweaty brow and moved on, offering it out to the others.

  "I'm Abbicus Brown, the Race Host. Great to meet you." He bent down and kissed Quinn's hand. She smiled graciously but wiped it subtly on the back of her dress as he released her.

  "The two of you are drawing heaps of attention to the race," Abbicus said smugly.

  "Yes, well we're looking forward to competing," Rogan said, his tone professional.

  "Wonderful, wonderful. I suppose there'll be a few cheeky bets put on your team to place. Might put a little on myself in fact," he said, taking Quinn's wrist and squeezing it as he eyed her greedily.

  Quinn indulged the man, but Oliver sensed it was making her uncomfortable.

  "I don't like to brag of course, but you have me to thank for your team getting a place." He winked, opening his mouth as he did so.

  "Why's that?" Anna asked.

  "Well, let's just say that there weren't any teams dropping out by choice to make room for yours." Abbicus laughed with a low haw, haw, haw noise.

  "What?" Rogan frowned. "You didn't?"

  Abbicus tapped his nose. "I couldn't have Rogan Ganderfield and Quinn Thorn dropping out of the race. What kind of fool do you take me for?" He smiled haughtily.

  Rogan and Quinn shared a brief look and didn't answer. Oliver couldn't help but feel a swell of relief that they had the mages on their team, pushing away the guilt for those that had lost their place.

  Abbicus clapped Rogan on the shoulder. "You're welcome." He wandered off, retrieving a hip flask from an inside pocket and poured it into his glass.

  "That's the Race Host?" Oliver asked incredulously.

  "He has a lot of money, he bid for the position years ago," Anna said with a tone of disapproval.

  "He's vile," Quinn said, her lip curling upwards.

  "Agreed," Oliver said and Quinn half smiled at him as he caught her eye.

  A blonde woman in a floor-length, silver dress entered the room and made a beeline for a man surrounded by a group girls. She extracted him and Oliver suddenly recognised the man from the survision programme. He looked out of place in a smart suit and styled hair. The woman in silver spoke with him briefly then hurried off through a door.

  Quinn gasped as she spotted him then hurried forward, pulling him into a warm embrace. She tugged him towards their group by his arm.

  Rogan stepped forward. "Hey Truvian."

  "Ah, Rogan how are you keeping?" Truvian said, pulling him into a one-armed hug.

  "Not bad. Come meet my team." Rogan introduced them. "This is Truvian Gold."

  Truvian oozed charm as he held out a hand and introduced himself, flashing a set of white teeth at each of them as he did so. He leant in and kissed the girls on the cheek and, to Oliver's surprise, both Anna and May flushed red as he did so. Oliver raised his eyebrows at them but they fell into quiet giggles.

  "It's a pleasure to meet you all. You'll be seeing a lot more of me throughout the race. Abbicus Brown asked me to be the guest commentator this season. I was thrilled, of course, I even cancelled a date with Jenna Lilly to be here."

  Quinn jumped in. "I'm sure you'll find another girl to take on a date." She batted her eyelashes at him.

  Oliver raised his eyebrows at Rogan but he just rolled his eyes as if this was her usual behaviour.

  "Yes, well I may have already found one. I'm going to ask Ray Falls out for a drink tonight."

  "You mean the commentator?" Quinn asked curiously.

  "Yes, stunning isn't she Rogan?"

  "Yeah, pretty hot," Rogan said with a crooked grin.

  A man with a clipboard hurried over. "You're needed in five Mr Gold."

  Truvian nodded, running a hand through his dirty-blonde hair and flexing his bicep as he did so. "See you later. Enjoy the show." He winked and walked off through a door.

  "All teams please now make your way to your seats," a man called out from the Race Committee.

  They were one of the last groups to exit the room. Oliver followed the others out of the door and into a long corridor. They climbed a staircase and walked out into the stadium, emerging at the top of a sloping set of seats running down towards a stage. The vast arena opened out in front of them and the noise from the crowd was deafening.

  Oliver's heart thumped against his chest as he focused on finding his seat. They found their places amongst the mass of contestants, marked by their team name on the back of the chairs. Oliver sat on the end of a row with May dropping into the seat beside him and the others along from her.

  The stage below them was ringed by a group of photographers and journalists who were all looking up them intently. The stage itself held a table with five seats and Oliver felt his palms sweat at the thought of sitting there.

  The lights in the stadium dimmed and dramatic music started with a boom of drums and clash of symbols, making the crowd go wild. Oliver was glad of the sudden darkness as he let out a slow breath to calm his nerves.

  The black floor of the stadium began swirling faster and faster until the centre of it span up high into the air above the crowd, forming a twisting pillar of darkness. The pillar disintegrated in a shower of gold and the effigy of a man stood there, towering in height; his long beard and swirling robes glittered with magic.

  His form turned gracefully in time to the music as he threw his hands into the air causing fire, lightning, and showers of gold and silver to cascade over the audience, highlighting their awed faces.

  Oliver marvelled at the magic, momentarily forgetting his nerves.

  The man shrunk down to half size and a tree grew from the swirling mass beneath him, higher and higher as he raised his hands in time with its growth.

  Sparks of every colour flew around the stadium until the tree stopped growing. The music dropped to a tense, low hum and the crowd fell dead silent. The vision of the mage began to bend his hands and strings of glistening, icy tendrils burst from his palms, attaching to the top of the tree. The beat of drums thrummed in Oliver's ears as the tree began to bend under the pull of the mage.

  The audience clapped in time with the music until the top of the tree reached the ground and planted itself there. The archway that was formed came to life with a thousand tiny explosions of silver and blue until an image appeared within it: a fairytale landscape of snow and ice.

  The ground spun so the archway turned and the music came to a final, dramatic end. The scene in front of them collapsed into the ground in a shower of sparkles and darkness prevailed once more, leaving tiny spots of light floating before Oliver's eyes. The audience went wild and he clapped loudly along with the rest of his friends.

  The centre of the floor swirled once more and reached silently into the sky, forming a platform concealed by a swirling ball of fire. The fire extinguished and Ray Falls appeared there in her silver dress, the flash of a thousa
nd cameras catching it.

  "Good evening ladies and gentlemen!" Ray Falls' voice echoed around the stadium. "Is everyone excited for the Great Race of Aleva?"

  The crowd screamed out to her.

  "Are you ready to meet this season's guest commentator?" she called out.

  The crowd roared with excitement as another, swirling tower of darkness slowly reached up and a new platform appeared atop it, this one surrounded by a ball of frosty ice.

  "I said: ARE. YOU. READY?" Ray Falls shouted with a deafening response from the crowd. "Three! Two! One!" The crowd joined in with her as the countdown lit up in magical fire above her, suspended in the air.

  "Everybody please give a huge welcome to Mr Truvian Gold!"

  The ice shattered into a thousand pieces and Truvian appeared, his arms raised into the air. His face was alight with excitement. The crowd was deafening and Oliver joined in as people stamped their feet, filling the room with a tumultuous roar of noise.

  "Good evening everybody!" Truvian shouted. "Are you excited to meet our contestants?" He pointed dramatically to where they were seated and a spotlight blinded Oliver as the whole stand lit up. The crowd cheered and Oliver felt his heart hammer in his chest.

  Music began again and the two platforms plummeted toward the ground, Truvian Gold and Ray Falls raised their arms in perfect coordination and, just before they hit the ground, disappeared. In a flash of light they reappeared together on the stage. Oliver gasped along with the rest of the crowd.

  "Please welcome Team Thrake," Ray Falls said, gesturing to a team several rows below Oliver's.

  The group made their way down to the table and took their seats, looking confident. Their team was comprised of three girls and two boys, all of whom looked as though they could have been athletes; one of the boys in particular had rippling muscles protruding from his tight shirt.

  A ringed area sat beneath the stage where a group of journalists were stood waiting. The crowd quieted and the interview began.

  "Do you feel prepared for the race, Trent Carter?" a smart-looking female journalist asked.

  The most muscular boy lifted his left arm up and flexed his bicep. "Do I look prepared?" he gloated and the audience laughed before he continued. "We set ourselves a six month training plan consisting of two to three hour sessions several times a week."

  May turned to Oliver with a concerned expression and his gut dropped. He hadn't realised the extent of how underprepared they were.

  "And what did your schedule comprise of?" the journalist asked.

  An auburn-haired girl answered. "We spent a lot of time working on our cardio and building up our stamina. Then we added weight training and took weekends away hiking in the mountains around Crome to get a feel for the landscape."

  The journalists focused on the details of Team Thrake's training for the remainder of their interview and they exited the stage to cheers from the crowd.

  Although it seemed brief, Oliver feared the agonising moment as their turn approached. After twenty five teams had been interviewed, however, the lights dimmed and music began again.

  Hundreds of dancers took to the floor in clothes that glittered and glowed as they moved, leaving trails of colours in the air behind them.

  Musicians joined them, marching out into the centre of the floor; the music they played was accompanied by flashes of light emitting from their instruments. The ground came to life again in the form of a colourful dance floor, lifting sections of the dancers and musicians into the air in time with the music. The piece ended to applause and the spotlight returned to the stage.

  Larkin's team was next: Team Visikin. Oliver recognised the large boy, Arrow, from Sumi's amongst them. His teammates were all male apart from one short girl who wore her hair in pigtails and had the look of a vulnerable mouse, accentuated by her big eyes and tiny features. The other two boys were tall and brutish with almost the exact same pinched expression on their faces that suggested they were related.

  "Kuti Carmen, how are you feeling about being the only girl on your team?" asked a journalist with a bushy moustache.

  The small girl leant forward and giggled like a young child. "I feel great. I'm so lucky to have the boys, we'll all be looking out for each other in the race." She leant toward Arrow who placed a hand on her shoulder to show their solidarity.

  The crowd applauded and Ray Falls hushed them by raising her hands as a young woman in a frilly dress stepped forward to ask the next question. "Larkin Pipistrelle, what inspired you to sign up for this season's race?"

  Larkin casually propped himself up on one elbow, running a hand through his gold and hazel hair. "Apart from the girls?" he jested, making the crowd chuckle.

  Oliver raised his eyebrows at May who suppressed a laugh at his expression.

  "Yes, apart from them," the journalist said, grinning at him.

  "Hmm." Larkin mimed thinking, placing his hands behind his head and interlocking his fingers so the muscles in his arms tensed. "I suppose the main reason I'm doing it is to help some friends out."

  "Oh?" the journalist questioned.

  "Yeah," Larkin said, dropping his arms and nodding modestly. "This lot wouldn't stand a chance at getting keys without me." His words rewarded him with a swift punch in the arm from one of the tall boys and the crowd laughed.

  Their interview concluded and Team Visikin exited the stage to deafening applause. Larkin caught Oliver's eye as he climbed the stairs and smirked.

  Oliver was distracted as their time grew closer, barely able to concentrate on the interviews taking place below him.

  After what seemed an age, Ray Falls called their team to the stage. "Please give a warm welcome to our final team of the night, Team Pandalin!"

  The applause was like thunder, drumming against Oliver's ears as he got to his feet. They filed out onto the stairs and Quinn took the lead followed by Rogan then Oliver, May and Anna.

  The flash of cameras blinded him as he descended onto the stage and took a seat behind the long table; Truvian Gold patted them on the back encouragingly as they passed.

  Oliver took in the large crowd that were jumping up and down and waving at them from all around the arena and realised their team had been kept until last for a reason.

  The journalists ahead of them shuffled their notes, readying to ask questions. Oliver felt the glare of a million eyes on him, making his throat dry. He glanced back and spotted an enormous survision screen above the contestants' seating area, projecting their faces to the world twentyfold.

  "We'll now take our first question," Ray said to the journalists.

  The group of people raised their hands and Ray selected one at random. A woman with a perm of black hair spoke.

  "Rogan Ganderfield, what are your hopes for this season's race? Do you see your team winning?" She threw a glance at Oliver, May and Anna.

  Rogan leant forward to the microphone positioned in front of him. Before he could answer a group of girls in the audience screamed out. "WE LOVE YOU ROGAN!"

  The audience laughed and Rogan grinned cheekily before continuing to answer the question. "My team and I will be giving our absolute all to place in the final ten so we can earn our right to receive a key." The crowd went crazy with excitement when he finished.

  The woman continued, "I was surprised by your choice of teammates. Can you explain your and Quinn Thorn's decision to compete alongside someone like Oliver Knight and his friends?"

  Oliver's ears rang at the sound of his name, unsure why the woman had singled him out.

  Rogan and Quinn shared a look and Oliver heard Quinn mutter, "Knight?"

  Oliver had never told them about his father. He was suddenly terrified, a lump rising in his throat. He looked at the reporter and could tell she knew who he was. He gripped the table tightly as he tried to keep his expression composed for the cameras and hoped they couldn't tell how much his face was burning.

  Rogan leant forward again. "I'm not sure I understand what it is you're suggesting but,
I can assure you, we will all make a fantastic team as we compete together in the race." He flashed a perfect smile, making the crowd cheer again.

  "Another question, please," Ray Falls' voice rang out.

  She selected a tall man with a thick moustache who stepped closer before he spoke. Oliver leant forward and tried to catch Rogan's eye. His friend glanced at him briefly with a furrowed brow but his attention was drawn back to the crowd.

  "Quinn Thorn, I was particularly surprised by your decision to compete alongside Oliver Knight, considering your family's involvement in the trial of Eugene Fox ten years ago."

  Quinn looked around in confusion. "I'm sorry, I don't understand the relevance of your question?" But a dangerous look in her eye confirmed to Oliver that she had guessed the truth.

  The man's moustache twitched as his mouth stretched into a wide grin. "Why, didn't Mr Knight tell you?" he asked with an expression of exaggerated shock on his face.

  The crowd had fallen silent and Oliver was painfully aware of his face being projected at twenty times its normal size on the survision screen behind him. The whole of Aleva was about to see his reaction and he was powerless to stop it.

  "He is William Knight's son. The same William Knight who was accused of murdering his betrothed, and who plotted to bring down the Gateways alongside Isaac Rimori," the reporter said the words slowly and licked his lips as if he could taste the sweetness of them.

  19

  Exposed

  The man's finger pointed at Oliver accusingly. He swallowed, trying to force down the feel of a golf ball in his throat. Everywhere he looked he met accusing, glaring eyes that made his heart race. The crowd had gone mad, boos filling his ears.

  Oliver found he couldn't move; he sat perfectly still, frozen to his seat.

  Ray Falls tried to calm the crowd down and stay professional. "Another question please." She picked out the young woman in her frilly, blue dress.

  The woman directed her question at Oliver. "Are you proud to be William Knight's son?"

  He could feel the stares of his friends on either side of him, which was somehow worse than those of the crowd. May leant forward to look at him encouragingly, meeting his eye. He blinked, relaxing marginally and suddenly found his voice. As long as he had her on his side he knew he could speak.