Creeping Shadow (The Rise of Isaac, Book One)

by Peckham, Caroline

  He felt pain rip through him so sharp that he almost passed out then the strong arms of someone pulling him into an embrace.

  The sound of a man laughing with elation and saying his name. Someone actually saying his name aloud. The noise was music to his ears.

  "Isaac, you did it. You actually did it."

  21

  No Going Back

  On the day of the race, Oliver awoke in the early hours of the morning in a cold sweat. He had dreamt that he was entering the Hogtrout caves alone to a chorus of boos then Truvian Gold appeared in his speedos and ordered him to be sent to Vale as punishment for being William Knight's son. He took a deep breath and smiled at the stupidity of the dream.

  He showered and dressed before sitting in the living room with the survision on quietly. A news broadcaster was presenting a story about hundreds of people who had camped out by the Hogtrout caves to try and get last minute tickets to see the race. Oliver's stomach knotted tightly.

  He switched the survision off, laid his head back against the chair and closed his eyes. He had just managed to calm his thoughts and was starting to doze off when a knock at the door roused him. He glanced at the clock: it was already eight.

  He answered the door to find Ely there holding two packages.

  "Ah, you're awake. I suppose you had a rough night, eh?" Ely said, walking into the room.

  Oliver nodded and rubbed his eyes which were aching with tiredness.

  "What's that?" Oliver asked, gesturing towards the packages.

  "These are your team outfits."

  Oliver reached out for one. "Can I see?"

  "This one's yours and the other's May's. I better go and make sure she's up. Come to my room when you're dressed. Oh, and pack your things and bring them with you. I can check out for you if you qualify for tomorrow's race and take your bags," Ely said, handing him the package and taking his leave.

  Oliver opened it and pulled out a navy blue jumpsuit with light blue accents and some boots. On the front of it was the word Pandalin and, on the back, the word was repeated with his own name beneath it.

  Oliver went to the bathroom and changed into it. The material was soft and lined on the inside for warmth but lightweight and flexible for ease of movement. He looked in the mirror, glad he didn't look too ridiculous.

  Satisfied, he packed his bag, put on the pair of boots and went to Ely's room.

  May was already there in her suit. It was a more fitted version and she had longer boots pulled over the outside of the material, giving it a more feminine look. Her long, blonde hair was pulled up into a ponytail.

  "Well, don't you both look the part? How are you feeling?" Ely asked, briskly rubbing his hands together.

  May bit her lip and looked to Oliver. "Pretty nervous,' she said.

  Oliver nodded in agreement, dropping his bag onto the sofa next to May's.

  "No surprise there. You'll be fine. You just need to focus. Don't think about anything but getting through the race in time. You've got a good team together so there's no reason for you not to qualify for the second stage," Ely said but the words did nothing to ease Oliver's nerves.

  Another knock on the door sounded and Ely opened it to find Anna there. She was wearing her jumpsuit with her dark hair tied up like May's. "Hi, can I come in?"

  Ely stepped aside and she strode across the room, slumping onto the sofa.

  "Anyone else freaking out?" she asked, looking around at Oliver and May who both nodded. "All my life I've wanted to compete in the race and now it's actually happening I'm terrified."

  "You'll be fine. You all will be. I have every confidence that, by this evening, you'll all be celebrating your first successful day," Ely said cheerfully.

  The evening suddenly seemed like a thousand years away. Oliver couldn't think beyond the dreaded moment of stepping into the caves in front of a booing crowd in a couple of hours' time. He sunk into a chair.

  "You alright?" Anna asked with concern.

  "Yeah, it's all this waiting around. I can't stand it," Oliver said, tapping his foot.

  "It's torture," May agreed, taking a seat next to Anna.

  Another knock on the door sounded and Rogan entered, followed closely by Quinn. They had both managed to make the jumpsuits look incredibly stylish. Rogan had the buttons undone slightly at the top and the suit somehow accentuated his broad shoulders and muscular frame.

  Quinn had her long hair pulled into a side plait and the suit was much more fitted to her curves than Oliver thought it should have been. He wondered if they had altered the suits using their magic which didn't quite seem fair somehow. He noticed May tugging on her suit's sleeve self-consciously.

  "How's everyone feeling?" Rogan clapped his hands together and grinned.

  He was brimming with confidence and was clearly excited about the day ahead. Oliver couldn't help but feel resentful as his stomach cartwheeled for the hundredth time that morning, sending a wave of nausea through him.

  "Not great. You don't seem too bothered though?" Anna said.

  Rogan bounced across the room and sat in between May and Anna. He pulled Anna into a one-armed embrace.

  "You'll be okay, Anna," he said, rubbing her shoulder.

  Quinn threw him a filthy look.

  "You alright, man?" Rogan said, eyeing Oliver with a worried look.

  He hoped his face didn't look green. "Yeah, I think so," Oliver said with a slight smile.

  "Don't worry. We're gonna smash this," he said, making Oliver feel a little better.

  Rogan took his arm off of Anna and patted his knees as he bounced up and down in the chair. May laughed and he grinned at her, making her cheeks burn bright red. Rogan didn't seem to notice.

  "How are you feeling, Quinn?" Ely asked.

  "Just perfect," she said with a forced smile.

  "Are we all ready to go, then?" Ely asked and they nodded. "Laura should be downstairs, she went to check out."

  "Why? Where's she going?" Oliver asked.

  "She'll be staying near to the race with the rest of the committee," Ely said.

  They descended to the lobby and found Laura waiting with her suitcase at her feet. Her face broke into a huge smile as she spotted them and rushed forward to hug Oliver and May.

  "How are you guys feeling?" she asked, looking concerned.

  "Not bad," Oliver lied and May smiled.

  "You're going to be great," she said and turned to the rest of the group. "I've got a pod waiting outside to take you to the Hogtrout caves. You're going to be dropped off nearby where the teams will be briefed for the race. There's some food and drink there as well, so make sure you eat something because you're going to need the energy." Laura grinned around at them all and walked through the door.

  They followed her to the large pod that was waiting for them and climbed inside. The seats were topped with soft cushions and peaceful, classical music was playing through the speakers.

  They whizzed along through the city, taking a route through a tunnel in Thorn Mountain towards the caves. The closer they got, the more Oliver's stomach clenched.

  No one spoke much along the way and Oliver could have sworn the trip had been longer the first time. The pod stopped in a torch-lit passageway that led towards an immense cavern.

  They exited the pod and Oliver gazed at the giant, shimmering stalactites that hung from the ceiling. The crowd of people in the room moved between colossal stalagmites protruding from the floor.

  Mineral deposits sparkled as they caught the light of burning torches set in brackets along the walls. The immense crowd filling the cavern were dressed in the same jumpsuits with different colours distinguishing the teams.

  "This is where I leave you, I'm afraid," Ely said and Laura nodded as she linked his arm.

  "Okay," Oliver said, distracted by his surroundings.

  "We'll be watching you every step of the way. See you at the finish line. You'll be fantastic," Ely said as he climbed back into the pod.

  "Good lu
ck," Laura said as she followed him.

  Quinn had already disappeared into the cave but Rogan and Anna stayed and waved goodbye as the pod zoomed away down the track.

  "Are your parents going to be watching?" May asked Anna.

  "Yeah, they got time off work to stay for the race. How about your family, Rogan?" Anna asked.

  "My mum and sister will be. My brother Alecs is working back in Alevale."

  They joined the queue for the breakfast buffet. The thought of eating made Oliver feel ill but he knew it was important to get something down. He took some toast and butter with a hot cup of Glacian tea and followed the others to a table.

  It looked like it had been chiselled out of the cave wall with small boulders around it for chairs. Quinn had decided to sit elsewhere, which Oliver was actually quite pleased about.

  He spotted her across the room sitting with Larkin and his team. They were dressed in maroon-coloured jumpsuits with their team name Visikin emblazoned across their chests and backs in black. He noticed Rogan looking over at them as well.

  "I can't believe she's sitting with Larkin," Anna said, shaking her head at her.

  "Do you mind her doing that?" Oliver asked Rogan.

  "She can do what she wants. I just think we should all be sitting as a team right now," he said, though his eyes continued to flit in her direction from time to time.

  Oliver sipped at his Glacian tea. It helped his nerves recede and excitement itched at him instead. He took another large gulp. May was sipping on a cup of her own and looked more relaxed.

  Oliver glanced around the room to read the different names on the jumpsuits as he nibbled on his toast. He read several before he got bored:

  Thrake, Lost, Zhoulin, Gallit, Harvin, Koop, Nittle, Relic, Krandle, Suddle, Loop, Squail, Sister, Justice, Ninagoon, Ganderfield, Thorn, Visikin and Pippin.

  He recognised many of the contestants from the opening ceremony a lot of whom cast glances at Rogan and Quinn. The odd person eyed Oliver with discontent but he avoided their gaze, forcing himself to ignore them.

  "Has anyone ever got hurt racing?" May asked tentatively and Oliver zoned in on the conversation.

  "Quite a few. Injuries are pretty common. A girl lost an arm a few season's back," Anna said, her face contorting.

  "Yeah, 'cause she tried to stop a rotating blade with her elbow. Idiot," Rogan said, swigging his drink.

  "A rotating blade?" Oliver asked with a spike of panic.

  "Yeah, one of the challenges was to get through a room with these blades flying around but there was an obvious pattern to it. Anyone could have done it," Rogan said but Oliver felt his insides churn.

  "I hope we don't get that room," May said, turning a paler shade of white.

  "A boy drowned a couple of years ago in one of the water rooms," Anna said sadly.

  "What? He died?" May asked in shock.

  "Yep," Rogan said then spotted the look on May's face. "Don't worry it doesn't happen often. Especially if you're not a moron about the tasks."

  "If we take our time we'll be fine," Anna said, nodding repeatedly as if to reassure herself.

  "The worst season was the terrorist attack," Rogan said, grimacing.

  Oliver remembered the tourist information in the pod mentioning the attack.

  "Yeah, that was bad. After Rimori entered Vale there was a sudden surge of anti-Gateway rebels all grouping together. I guess they got overexcited 'cause a group of them entered the race and when they got into one of the challenge rooms they blew the whole place up, including themselves and about five rooms around them," Anna said in a dark tone.

  "And the people in them," Rogan added with a grimace.

  "Is there any chance of that happening this time, seeing as Rimori's come back?" May asked in a hushed voice.

  "I doubt it. They've seriously upped security since then and no doubt they'll be even stricter this season," Anna said.

  "Please would you all be seated," a man's voice boomed out over the crowd.

  The remaining people standing found a seat and silence fell over the room. Oliver spotted the man raised up on a podium behind the breakfast buffet. It was Abbicus Brown.

  "I'd like to welcome you all to this year's third season of the Great Race of Aleva. You are all blessed with the privilege of taking part in Aleva's famous challenge, in the hope that you might win a key to Glacio. Although I am sure you will all race valiantly, only the first ten teams to reach the Gateway on the second race day will be granted this highest honour. But don't be disheartened. You may, of course, reapply for entry the following season.

  "I must remind you that by taking part, you are responsible for your own safety. This is a high risk activity and accidents occur every season. You can reduce these risks by following the rules and taking time to assess each challenge. To reduce the risk of injury further we do have mages on hand to assist you if needs be.

  "The following rules must be adhered to to avoid disqualification. Number one: no team is allowed to directly inhibit the progression of another team through the course, number two: all teams must stay together at all times throughout each race and must cross the finish line together to qualify. And number three: mages are forbidden from using magic during the race and will be equipped with gauntlets to prevent cheating."

  He paused before continuing. "In a moment, I would like you all to make an orderly queue towards the pod station where you will receive a pack containing supplies. You must then proceed to take a pod to the next station along. When you arrive you will walk, team by team, towards the start line where you will await the commencing of the race. Good luck to you all," Abbicus finished.

  A smattering of applause came from around the room and Oliver noticed that most people looked nervous. He spotted Larkin with a pang of annoyance who was casually adjusting his hair as if he were having a relaxing day out.

  Quinn appeared at their table and they got up to join her. Rogan led the way to the back of the queue and they shuffled towards the pod station. Oliver was glad Larkin's team was much further ahead than them, not wanting to be faced with snarky remarks at that moment in time.

  They took a backpack from a line of people who had t-shirts labelling them as Race Assistants in bright letters. The woman that passed Oliver his pack glared at him but he was too nervous to care. He glanced into the bag and saw a bottle of water and some energy bars but had to throw it over his shoulder and move forward before he could look through it properly.

  He climbed into a pod after Rogan and they shuffled up until they were all inside.

  "Everyone okay?" Rogan asked, smiling again.

  A mumbled response came from their group as they looked around anxiously. The pod headed off down the tunnel so the windows revealed only darkness beyond.

  Quinn retrieved two gloves from her bag that looked like they were made of black silicon. She pulled them on and flexed her fingers, eyeing them as if checking to see how flattering they were. Rogan imitated her a moment later, pulling on his own.

  "So you can't use magic with them on?" Oliver gestured to the gloves.

  Rogan nodded. "Yeah. They were originally designed for prisons so mage criminals could be restrained. They started using them in the race after a mage was caught cheating her way through it by secretly healing herself of exhaustion."

  They followed the Ninagoon team up the steep steps, their bright purple jumpsuits glaring back at them.

  The sunshine poured down on them and a crisp wind blew their hair backwards. Oliver blinked as his eyes watered. They rounded to the left, following the curve of the mountain. A roaring cheer filled his ears as they turned and the valley dropped away towards an incredible sight.

  The stands were packed with thousands of people all looking down upon the dark and ominous mouth of the cave. Gravity tugged at Oliver's feet as they descended and Anna gripped his sleeve for support.

  All fifty teams walked separately at intervals and he spotted the dark red of Larkin's team far ahead. They wer
e nearing the starting line which had been painted in gold in front of the cave.

  The flat, towering wall above the cave was now used to project the survision. Close-up shots of each team were broadcast as their names were announced by Ray Falls. She stood next to Truvian Gold high up on a podium near the survision. The crowd screamed every time a team name was announced.

  "The Koops," Ray said and the crowd went wild. "Followed by the Visikins." The crowd cheered again.

  Oliver gulped, the thought of getting booed filled his head again. They were closing in on the crowd now and the hill dropped down into a gully that swept between the stands and into the cave. They had to crane their heads upwards to see anyone. The crowd noise was louder down in the crevice as it reverberated off of the walls.

  "The Ninagoons."

  A shot of their faces burst up on the screen as they waved and the crowd whooped and cheered.

  "The Pandalins," Ray Falls finally said.

  Oliver craned his neck back to see their faces being broadcast to the world. Oliver looked as nervous as he felt. He realised the others were waving and threw his arm in the air to join them. He listened for the boos but, if there were any, he couldn't hear them.

  Relief flooded his chest. It was over in seconds and Ray Falls was announcing the next team. "The Thrakes."

  Oliver felt a rush of adrenalin as they took their place along the huge, gold line that marked the beginning of the race. Rogan was at the front, followed by Quinn, him, then May and Anna. They had to stand one behind the other so there was enough room for each team along the line.

  Two of the Ninagoon girls were whispering and glancing at Rogan whilst fluttering their eyelashes madly. Rogan smiled at them which sent them into fits of giggles. Quinn leant into him and planted a kiss on his cheek like she was marking her property.

  The rest of the teams lined up along the start line and the crowd was hushed into silence by Truvian Gold.

  "The race will be starting in precisely two minutes." He threw an arm dramatically towards the screen and a timer flashed up in the right hand corner as a sweeping shot of the teams was aired. Oliver realised he couldn't see a camera anywhere. "How are they filming us?" he asked and Quinn shot him a glance as if he were completely stupid.