by W. M. Martin
Nancy dropped the parchment into a drawer that she had opened at her desk and stared Maggie directly in the eyes. Maggie felt Elliot combing through her thoughts trying to decide how to help her. Elliot decided to try and boost Maggie’s fortitude to jolt her into a decision. His attempt paid off.
Maggie preempted whatever Nancy was going to say when she herself said, “I’ll do it, Nancy. I’m an Avior and someday I’ll be a Guardian. It’s my duty to protect our kind and the humans from the Fallen.”
“That’s wonderful and noble, Maggie, but if the Fallen want the Pentagem so badly then that is a positively horrible thing for the world at large. No good has ever come from dealing with the Fallen. Ever. I’ll discuss what needs to be done about this situation with the Clan Leaders tonight. I simply wanted you to know that you may be required to collect the Pentagem from the artifacts antechamber so that either myself or one of the Clan Leaders can deliver it if that’s the decision that we come to. Under no circumstances will I allow you to be served up to those monsters on a silver platter. Besides, I don’t trust that cretin, Sapka Strato, as far as I can throw him. Go on to your enclave, Maggie. I’ll see you in the morning. I have to get this settled now that I’m the Head Instructor.”
Maggie paused before leaving and asked, “What about your diner? You were supposed to go back today and take it over from Edgar?”
Nancy sighed, “That was the plan before the Nexus contacted me to test for the academy’s leadership. I told Edgar to sell the diner. I’ll be here for the foreseeable future, and Edgar will be joining the academy as a sort of aide since we are getting married.”
Maggie, despite the ominous news which had moments ago dripped from the enchanted parchment in Sapka Strato’s noxious voice, squealed with excitement for Nancy and Edgar’s impending nuptials. She had been unaware that only yesterday evening, just before the incursion with the Fallen, Edgar had proposed to Nancy. Maggie could tell that Nancy was happy about her engagement, but she was distraught over what to do in regards to General Strato’s ultimatum.
Maggie regained her composure and calmly stated, “You’ll figure it out, Nancy. I know you will.
Nancy gave a weak smile and returned to the mountain of scrolls and parchment which cluttered the top of the Head Instructor’s desk. Her desk.
Once the door to Nancy’s office closed behind Maggie, Elliot asked, “You are not going to wait on Nancy’s decision are you?”
Maggie furrowed her brow and replied, “Nope, but I’m gonna need some help, though.”
“The most knowledgeable about the Pentagem is Mr. Akiyama. However, he would never agree to you going anywhere near the proximity of it without himself or Kiyoko present. Also, there is Kylie, but seeing as how she’s under guard by the Praetorians for Mr. Evans’ murder, she will be unable to render us any aid as well. That leaves Alice and I’m certain that she would be willing to give you any form of help that you may require, as she is your best friend,” said Elliot.
“You’re my best friend, Elliot,” Maggie stated while trying to find Alice as Elliot had suggested.
Elliot responded, “Yes, Mags, I am. I meant that Alice is your best Kindred friend. We must hurry if we are to take the Pentagem and save your brethren.”
“I agree. Let’s go and find Alice so she can get us into the antechamber. Then we’re going to take that worthless rock to Sapka Strato, rescue our friends, and get back here before Nancy and the others can stop us from doing what needs to be done,” stated Maggie with determination.
Maggie scoured the academy and had almost given up any hope of finding Alice before the next day, when she finally found Alice taking in a late night snack in the Courtyard of Clovers. Alice was humming to herself and seemed pretty relaxed. Maggie felt a twinge of irritation at finding Alice so at peace and for not being at all ready to take on the Fallen like she was, when it dawned on her that Alice had no clue about anything that was discussed in Nancy’s office earlier. It did strike Maggie as rather odd that Alice was not with Lester trying to comfort him since his brother, Thomas, was missing and being held hostage by the black and viscous clutches of the Fallen. However, Maggie knew it was not her place to judge how other people dealt with grief, especially given how she herself had dealt with the loss of her parents.
“Hello, Maggie. What brings you out here so late? Would you like a piece of this cake? It’s quite lovely,” asked Alice lazily.
“No thanks, Alice. Listen, I need your help and I’m in a really, really big hurry,” whispered Maggie.
Alice took a small bite of cake off of her fork and asked, “What can I do for you?”
Maggie replied, “I need you to get me into the artifacts antechamber again so I can steal the Pentagem.”
Alice shot up like a flash, dropped her cake on the ground and yelled, “You what?!”
Maggie cupped her hand around Alice’s gaping mouth and whispered, “I have to bring it to the Fallen or they’re going to kill everyone who was taken yesterday. We don’t have much time, Alice. The Clan Leaders are all in the Head Instructor’s office with Nancy, and she’s filling them in on everything. Will you help me, Alice? Please?”
Alice looked around to make absolutely certain that she and Maggie were completely alone in the Courtyard of Clovers. When she was content with the fact that no one else was around she leaned in toward Maggie.
“Of course I’ll help you, Maggie. Let’s go!” whispered Alice.
Together the two Aviors made their way down to the unguarded entrance to Mr. Akiyama’s office.
Alice raised her right hand and said, “Ostiumpatentibus!”
Just as it had done six months prior, the internal lock rotated and the doors which barred Maggie and Alice from the academy’s treasures beyond the artifacts instructor’s office opened for them. This time however, Mr. Akiyama placed wards on top of wards and an ear-piercing alarm rang out and grew with nerve-rattling intensity until every single student, Praetorian, and instructor inside of the academy could hear it. Maggie and Alice both panicked and ran as fast as they could into the darkness beyond Mr. Akiyama’s office, deep into the underbelly of the artifacts antechamber where the Pentagem was locked away and held in reverence.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The Pentagem was in the location where it had rested since the moment that Avior had placed it there, under the unbreakably warded display case, thousands of years prior. Maggie and Alice managed to reach the very first ancient Kindred artifact before anyone could stop them, even though the alarm which had been tripped was still betraying their location. They both stopped just short of the gilded and mystical pedestal that housed the inert stone which was surrounded by the thousands of gems meant to symbolize every Clan. Maggie’s apprehension about reaching out to actually touch it was written all over her young and lovely face.
“Go on then, take it!” Alice ordered anxiously.
“I don’t know, Alice. All of a sudden this actually seems like a really bad idea,” Maggie said.
“Don’t be ridiculous! You said we were doing this to rescue our friends. It’s now or never, and I for one think you should bloody-well take it! Hurry, before we’re both caught and expelled from the academy!” pleaded Alice nervously.
Maggie stepped closer to the pedestal. The hairs on her arms began to stand on end just as they had done before whenever she got anywhere near the Pentagem. Maggie took a single deep breath and reached for the clasp on the display case. As soon as she touched it, the lock disintegrated and the remains floated softly to the ground into a neat little pile of ash. Maggie looked back at Alice whose mouth was wide open in shock.
“How did I do that?” asked Maggie.
“I have no clue, but it was bloody impressive!” answered Alice.
Maggie turned back around to face the encased relic and placed her hands on either side of the glass case’s housing. She lifted the lid, took it off of the pedestal, and placed it on the ground next to her feet. When she stood back up, Maggie close
d her eyes and reached for the Pentagem. She took the stone in her hands and opened her eyes. Nothing happened. The Pentagem remained as lifeless in Maggie’s hands as it had been inside of its beautiful glass prison.
“Well, that was anticlimactic,” stated Maggie, wryly.
“Nevermind all of that. We need to go and quickly!” Alice said hurriedly.
The two Aviors rushed back to the entrance, taking every possible precaution to avoid being caught by the instructors or the Praetorians. They had made it halfway back to Mr. Akiyama’s office when they were stopped by Nancy and Mr. Akiyama himself. The two instructors had been waiting to catch the intruders, and their patience had paid off.
“Maggie, this isn’t the way. Please, return the Pentagem and let us handle this. You have to trust me,” said Nancy.
“I’m sorry, Nancy, but you heard Sapka Strato’s letter the same as I did. This is the only way to save everyone. I have to do this,” replied Maggie.
Nancy hung her head slightly and then looked over to Mr. Akiyama.
“Take them both for their own protection,” Nancy ordered sadly.
Mr. Akiyama swiftly extended his right arm and a torrent of power shot forth from his hand, and it was aimed squarely at Maggie who was still protectively cradling the precious gem. The very moment that the blast from Mr. Akiyama touched Maggie, the Pentagem came to life for the first time in over several millennia and the light that it gave off was blinding. A radiant shield exploded out from the center of the Pentagem and completely surrounded Maggie, causing Mr. Akiyama’s power to rebound off of it and knock both himself and Nancy totally unconscious.
“That was brilliant, Maggie!” exclaimed Alice.
“Brilliant?! I don’t know how, but I just assaulted the artifacts instructor and the Head Instructor at the same time! That’s not brilliant, Alice. That’s the polar opposite of brilliant. If I live through this, Nancy is going to kill me,” said Maggie with no small amount of worry in her voice.
Alice said, “Let’s go. They’re fine. Listen. They’re both snoring. Mr. Akiyama was simply trying to put you to sleep, and I suppose the Pentagem shot his spell back at him in the process of protecting you.”
“Oh, thank goodness. Okay, how do we get to the Forever Forests without running into any more trouble?” Maggie asked.
No sooner had Maggie finished her question to Alice, when a strange omniport generated by the Pentagem, one the likes of which she had never seen before, opened up directly in front of her. The power that emanated from this strange and unfamiliar portal was immense, and it led directly to the border of the Forever Forests. The great, green wall of trees could be seen clearly when looking into the unique omniport which was suspended in the air directly in front of Maggie and raging with uncontrollable and immeasurable power.
“Do you think it’s safe to enter this omniport, Mags?” Elliot asked from inside of Maggie’s mind.
“I sure hope so, Elliot,” Maggie responded telepathically to her totem, before jumping through the electrified and intimidating oviform.
When Maggie exited the Pentagem’s omniport, she stood alone in the grass just in front of a line of trees which guarded the Forever Forests. She turned around and waited impatiently for Alice to join her. After a few very tense moments, Alice jumped from the portal and took her place beside Maggie at the great and almost endless Forever Forests. Once the omniport, which had manifested itself through the will of the Pentagem, had dissipated, Maggie and Alice walked through the line of massive trees and began their journey to search for the portal which would carry Maggie to the stronghold of the Fallen.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“I have no idea where the omniport is, Alice. I feel like we’ve been walking in circles for hours,” said Maggie.
Alice replied, “It does seem that way doesn’t it? We can’t stop though. We’ve already come too far to turn back now. Let’s keep going, Maggie. Have you tried using the Pentagem again? Maybe it can show us the way.”
The thought of utilizing the power of the Pentagem had not even crossed Maggie’s mind, seeing as how the other two times that it had served her earlier were done of its own accord and not hers.
“I don’t know how to use it, Alice. It just kind of did what it did all on its own,” Maggie explained.
Alice stopped and said, “Yes, but surely you must have needed it to work or at the very least wanted it to. It obviously responds to you, Maggie. Just try and focus on an open omniport out here. Any open omniport that isn’t one of yours. Go on then, give it a go.”
Maggie looked down at the artifact in her hand and said, “Take us to the Fallen’s omniport that is in the Forever Forests. Now.”
The girls both held their breaths in anticipation of whatever was going to transpire now that Maggie had given a direct order to the powerful stone. They exhaled collectively and looked at one another with defeat in their eyes as nothing was happening. The Pentagem remained dormant in response to Maggie’s pointed instructions. Alice, in a show of aggravation, kicked a small stick across the soft and slightly moist ground.
“This is bloody hopeless! We’re never going to find it,” groused Alice.
Maggie replied as calmly as she could, “Give me a second. I’m going to try something else.”
Maggie closed her eyes and held the Pentagem out in front of her chest with both hands. She remained silent, but Alice could tell by the expression on Maggie’s face, that the powerful young Avior was communicating either with her totem or with the Pentagem. Slowly, the artifact began to glow. The moonlight far overhead was refracting off of each of the precious stones which comprised the body of the Pentagem. As the light from the closest moon bathed the stone with a faint luminescence, it began to focus itself outward into the direction just over to Maggie’s immediate left. When Maggie opened her eyes, she found that the ancient stone had now become a mystical type of compass in her hands. She looked over at Alice who was standing in awe and smiled.
“That thing is so cool, Maggie,” stated Alice.
“I know, right? Come on, I have a feeling that we’re supposed to follow this light,” said Maggie.
After another hour of trekking through the Forever Forests, Maggie and Alice came upon a crackling omniport which was nestled perfectly between two enormous sequoias. Maggie could not make out what exactly was on the other side of the portal which was brimming with power and being held open in anticipation of her arrival. Alice bravely began to walk headlong into the gateway which would lead them both to the Fallen’s fortress, heedless of her own safety and well-being.
“Stop!” Maggie ordered.
Alice paused, mid-stride, and turned to face Maggie whose hand was raised in a halting fashion.
“What? What is it?” asked Alice nervously.
Maggie walked up to Alice and looked past her at the open omniport.
“You can’t go any further, Alice. Sapka’s letter said that only Legacies can enter this omniport and the only other one besides me is Lucy. The letter also said that if she came through that the Fallen would kill her and Okeaous would absorb her totem. They’re dangerous and crazy, Alice. They actually believe Okeaous is alive. I have no choice but to go on alone. If I don’t make it back, tell Nancy that I’m sorry,” said Maggie.
Alice defiantly replied, “You can tell her that yourself when we get back, Maggie. You are holding the single most powerful item in our world and for whatever reason, it responds to you. There is absolutely no way that an omniport created by any Fallen, no matter how strong their magic is, could withstand the will of the Pentagem.”
Maggie looked unsure and said, “I don’t know, Alice. Even if it worked, they would kill you on sight. I can’t let you take that kind of risk. Sapka’s letter said that I would be allowed to return unharmed if I brought him the Pentagem. I don’t believe him at all, but I believe that Elliot and I could fight our way out if Sapka goes back on his word.”
Alice stepped forward and placed her hand on Maggie’s
shoulder and said, “You’re right not to trust him, Maggie. He’s a Fallen and by that very definition they are all untrustworthy. Now, as far as you not being okay with me putting my life in jeopardy, that’s very kind of you, but it’s my life, and you’re my dearest Kindred friend. I’ll not stay here while you’re there with those monsters all alone. We’re going to do this together. That’s the end of it.”
Maggie was worried about Alice’s safety, but was equally relieved not to be going alone through the omniport. Maggie gave Alice a hug and then they both turned to face the portal with a steely determination. Maggie cupped the Pentagem in both of her hands again and closed her sky-blue eyes. The artifact in Maggie’s grasp made a low humming sound followed by a single loud crack.
The echo of the sound which boomed from the stone startled both Maggie and Alice and shook them to their cores. A strange opalescent mist flowed delicately from the center of the Pentagem and wrapped itself around the Fallen’s omniport like a python around its prey. The foreign and magical mist constricted and smothered the existing portal into oblivion, replacing it with a powerful omniport of the Pentagem’s own design, that would allow both of the girls to go through without incident or barrier, due to Alice not being a Legacy. Without a word, both Maggie and Alice stepped through the portal and into the Fallen’s side of the Veil.
As soon as the girls entered the Fallen’s world, Maggie was struck by how very different it was from the beauty and grandeur of the Guardian’s side at the academy. The galaxies overhead were just as glorious as they were at the academy, but the ground was badly charred and the few sparse trees which stuck out from the lifeless earth beneath Maggie’s feet had long been dead. The view from where Maggie and Alice stood held a vista with volcanoes in various stages of eruption, miles and miles away, in the reddish distance. The very air that they were breathing was so heavy and oppressive that it seemed to sap their will to progress any further.
