The Third Age of Obsidian [Quest for Earthlight Trilogy Book Three]

by Laraine Ann Barker

  Mrs. Evans looked at him in alarm. “What do you mean—harm her? Are they likely to harm the boys?” She, too, jumped to her feet.

  "Calm down; calm down! There's no point panicking. They might try to harm the boys—may even try to harm Maria—but they won't succeed. And there's no need for us all to go. Someone should stay to look after the house and await the others’ return."

  Mr. Edwards wasted no more time. In a matter of seconds he was outside the house and running towards the forest. On reaching the path that marked the beginning of the bridle track, he stopped just inside the forest and peered among the trees. But there was no one around. The very silence of the forest was sinister. As he could think of nothing else to do, he started striding along the track.

  * * * *

  "YOUR STEPFATHER has now entered the forest.” The Lord in Blue's statement was unnecessary. Peter could see for himself. He breathed a small sigh, glad he had thought to weave the spell so that anyone who entered was automatically protected from the Evil One's powers. The Lord turned his cold eyes from the forest back to Peter. “That contemptible creature is very dear to you. You value him higher than those of your own blood—higher than the hypocrite Merlin himself, perhaps?"

  "Apart from my Aunt Angela I have no blood relatives.” Peter's heart began beating faster with fear for his stepfather.

  "Oh yes—your aunt. Thanks to the Great Being whom you call the Evil One you'll never see her again. Her life on earth has finished. He ended it."

  An icy hand gripped Peter's heart at this confirmation of his worst fears. He felt as though he was going to choke. “He killed her? When she had nothing to do with the Earthlight—she knew nothing about it?"

  "He merely exercised his right. You have no grounds for objection. Remember, she married Merlin. But to get back to that creature below. He has meddled where he had no right, and by the Absolute Law, he is therefore Our Enemy."

  "And what about Maria? She's down there, too, and she knows nothing about the Earthlight or the Evil One—"

  "Ah, yes. The girl—that meddlesome little witch. Don't worry. She'll get her comeuppance, too.” The Lord in Blue chuckled richly.

  "In that case there's no point doing whatever you ask."

  "Oh, you'll do as I say because you've no choice.” The Lord in Blue's voice no longer jeered; his tone was simply that of complete conviction. He glanced down at the forest again. “It will take the stupid forester and the idiot boys some time to reach the far end of the forest. Besides, without you the One Tree can't reveal itself. And it will do them all good to wait, leaving me plenty of time to show you a few things. You'll remember I promised to break your mind before I'd finished with you? Well, what I'm going to show you now will go a long way towards doing just that."

  As the black cloud swirled around them, Peter glanced down longingly at the forest. His mind reached out wordlessly to the Power of Obsidian. Fluttering fingers of comfort went a long way to smoothing away the distress filling his mind. He thought he heard the Power of Obsidian whisper to him, “Don't be afraid. And don't worry. You'll be up to whatever he throws at you.” Then the black cloud seemed to invade his head. It took control of him—body and mind—and he felt himself being sucked helplessly into a whirling black void.

  Out of the spiraling darkness the Lord in Blue's voice came in a sinister whisper. “You remember your aunt had a mental breakdown. Shall I show you what I did to her—what I'll be doing to you?"

  Peter's mind screamed, “No! No!” His brain heard the scream but his ears caught only the tornado-like shriek of the black vortex.

  "I've only to keep you spinning like this long enough. It'll do the trick,” the raspy whisper continued with a chuckle.

  Peter could well believe the truth of this statement. His head felt as though it was about to burst. The spinning seemed to stop just in time, but darkness still surrounded him. He couldn't even see the Lord in Blue; neither could he feel anything with either hands or feet. He appeared to be suspended in mid-air, like an astronaut in deep space. But deep space, he reasoned, neither confuses nor terrorizes an astronaut.

  Now he was no longer spinning, he became aware of faint noises—indistinct grunts, hisses and other more horrible sounds. They came from all around. Unseen things lightly touched his clothing, hair and face on all sides. However, whenever he put out a hand to grab his tormentors there was nothing there. Occasionally hot fetid breath fanned his face. At other times the exhalations were icy cold, but just as malodorous. The experience was reminiscent of being in a ghost train. But in a ghost train, Peter reflected wryly, one always knows it's all illusion—and besides there is always at least a glimmering of light.

  He tried reaching out with his mind to the things that touched him, and encountered a vacuum. He couldn't even detect the presence of the Lord in Blue. He tried moving away, but only succeeded in thrashing empty air. He then attempted to reach the Power of Obsidian, but something clamped down, paralyzing his mind.

  The Blue Lord's hoarse chuckle came at him out of the darkness. “I know you've been communicating mentally with something out there, though I can't find out what it is. So I've just blocked the channel of your mind that you use for this exercise. Slowly but surely, Chosen One, I'm gaining control of your mind in preparation for the final act of destroying it. Soon I will be able to read all your thoughts. Eventually I will have enough control to force you to call upon the One Tree by name. After that I will break your mind as I promised—then I'll think about whether or not to let your friends go."

  A brief pause followed. I'm going to have to make my mind a complete blank. Either that or deliberately conjure up misleading thoughts. If I can do that and make them seem genuine perhaps I can gain time for the Earthlight.

  Before he could try working out what thoughts might serve the purpose, the Blue Lord continued, “Perhaps you'd like to see the Lady and Merlin? I can show them to you. I've discovered the ‘fortifying bower’ within the Great Halls of Draining Light where they've been two of the Sleepers for too long. They somehow manipulated time but became too greedy and I found them. I've paralyzed them all. They'll sleep until it's too late."

  Peter made no answer. His thoughts raced. Is he telling the truth? Or is he merely bluffing to break my spirit? I've got to believe he's bluffing. If he's telling the truth how will the Earthlight be able to win? How can I possibly stop the Evil One claiming the powers of the One Tree for himself?

  "Come now. It feels as though you don't believe me. I'll show you I'm not bluffing."

  Peter hated the thought of the Blue Lord invading the sanctuary where Merlin and the Lady lay “invoking the revival of their power"—a place where he himself had been forbidden entry. As the picture summoned by this thought filled his mind's eye it brought with it realization of what the Blue Lord's words could mean. Horror flooded his being. His very spine seemed to turn to ice. If the Blue Lord has paralyzed the Sleepers he must also have disabled the power they were summoning.

  "I don't believe you!” he screamed in defiance.

  "Come, I'll show you."

  Before Peter could answer, the black vortex claimed him again. When the sickening whirling stopped and the pain it brought to his head abated to a dull ache, he found himself again in total darkness. But his feet no longer dangled in mid-air. He stood on something solid. He heard small sounds of protest and realized they came from himself. The faint echoes in their wake told him he now had walls around him.

  "Where am I?” Where am I? Where am I? the unseen walls threw back at him, each derisive whisper growing fainter until they died altogether.

  The Lord in Blue's answer must have been in mind-speech; there were no echoes. “In the fortifying bower of course. Give me a moment and I'll make a light for you."

  Slowly the darkness lessened, taking on the blue tinge of the Evil One's light. The blue light filled the chamber, seeming to have no source, but it gave little illumination. There was enough, however, for Peter to see the two for
ms stretched out on blocks of obsidian like the one on which he himself had lain. There was no doubting who they were.

  He stepped up to the first slab. Merlin lay like the effigy on the tomb of an ancient uncrowned king. The light turned his white robe to blue. His blue cloak looked almost black. Even his face and the hands folded on his breast were blue. Peter put out his hand to touch the curving fingers. The Lord in Blue moved too late to stop him. For less than a second Peter's hand touched Merlin's. It felt as cold and hard as stone. Then a bolt of blue lightning from the Blue Lord hit his hand. With an involuntary cry he sprang back. The echoes returned his cry as though taunting him.

  "What have you done to them?” Instead of ringing out as he expected, his voice reached his ears as a hoarse whisper.

  "Only immobilized them. They feel and look like stone but they're not—unfortunately. Only when I claim the power of the One Tree for myself will I be able to really turn them to stone. Then I shall do so.” The Lord in Blue lifted both hands in front of his face, palms outwards. “That's all you may see."

  The blue light went out abruptly. For a few seconds Peter stared into the darkness, the imprint of Merlin's form outlined like a negative in the air. With wildly thumping heart he sent his mind out to the form lying on that cold black slab. However, there seemed to be no mind there to receive his wordless entreaty. The Blue Lord's chuckle came out of the darkness, the echoes replicating it with savage joy.

  Then the black vortex grabbed Peter. It spun him even faster than before. Desperately he tried to scream at the Lord in Blue, “Stop! Stop!” He couldn't hear his own voice, but the speed of the spinning sensation seemed to lessen.

  "You're made of feebler stuff than I thought,” the Blue Lord's voice taunted. “But since I don't want to damage you for the calling of the One Tree, I'll be merciful. Now I've shown you that you'll get no help from Merlin and the Lady, or from whatever power you were communicating with earlier, we can return to the forest. Your friends down there are your only hope—and I can blast them out of existence any time I choose."

  When they arrived on the forest boundaries Peter saw that Bart, Jamie and John had reached the other side of the forest and were sitting astride their horses, facing the trees, patiently waiting. The Lords of Corruption were at their stations, but the Earthlight's Chosen seemed oblivious of their presence.

  The black cloud of the Lord in Blue passed over the forest. It moved backwards and forwards so that its occupants could examine every tree.

  They all look the same, while also looking different from each other, Peter thought in despair. He saw an area of recently replanted forest. That, of course, looked very different from the rest. But the tiny plants—mere blobs on the landscape—still looked much the same as each other. And that must be the Christmas tree plantation, he thought as an area of larger saplings, all looking like cones from the air, came into view. The plantation was a uniform rectangle in shape. From where Peter viewed it the regularity of the rows of trees was very striking. He noticed no trees had been taken that year.

  Then something nudged the back of his mind. He saw a bare room with a Christmas tree standing in the center. The vision was almost as clear as if it had materialized in front of him. He saw the reflections in the mirrors and in the black window panes. A voice seemed to speak into his mind, repeating part of the message the Christmas tree had written down for him:

  "The One Tree stands in gathering gloom On my location within this room."

  And the truth hit Peter like the proverbial bolt from the blue. Of course! It's so obvious. Why didn't it occur to me before?

  The Lord in Blue interrupted his thoughts. “Ha! And we're right on top of it, while your Earthlight friends are miles away."

  The Lord spoke without his rasping tone. Peter hardly heard what he said. At the sound of the Lord's voice he felt his blood turn to ice. His heart started thumping with an emotion he only partly understood. He turned, aghast, to face his Enemy. But the Lord in Blue looked no different; steely eyes were the only visible parts of his face.

  "I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. It can wait no longer. Before I break your mind I must have the satisfaction of showing you who I am in your eyes. Then I shall take the power of the One Tree; by that power you shall know I am Who I claim to be."

  He lifted his hands to his hood—a triumphant but graceful gesture. Peter watched like a bird mesmerized by a snake. The Lord in Blue grasped the sides of his hood. Slowly he pushed it back. The whole of his face abruptly became visible. Peter knew the face well. But it was changed in some way, appearing twisted by the evil of its owner. Sky and trees spun around him. They all shrieked his refusal to believe the evidence of his own eyes. For a moment he thought he would black out.

  "Aunt Angela!” he croaked.

  Peter had no time to do anything. Before he could recover, the Lord in Blue raised her arms in violent summons. The black vortex clamped down on Peter. He heard an earth-shaking roll of thunder directly overhead. His whole body shook with the force of the sound. At the same time two bolts of blue lightning from the Blue Lord's fingertips split the darkness.

  "Now is the time. The forest is aflame. The One Tree is directly below. Call upon it, Chosen One!"

  Chapter 17

  Song of the One Tree

  PETER OPENED his eyes and looked down. In that split second he seemed to see everything below. At the forest edges he saw the Chosen: three to each compass point—Maria with the group that included Dreyfus; his stepfather with Thaddeus Carter and Simon Te Awa. All twelve humans had their right hands outstretched towards the forest. He even saw the willow twigs they held out. The only thing he couldn't see clearly was the forest itself. Great sheets of yellow flame leapt from the four compass points, noiselessly rushing to consume the heart of the forest.

  "Move!” the Lord in Blue shrieked into Peter's ear before the flames met just below them. She gave him a vicious jab between the shoulder blades.

  Peter tumbled headlong from the black cloud. The tips of the flames converging below curled upwards as though reaching out for him. However, they didn't touch him and he felt no heat from them. It seemed to him they recognized and acknowledged him. Then they turned back to their purpose of enveloping the forest.

  Peter's fall seemed to last forever. He saw the flames settle down to a strange, pale glow before he reached them. His brain was still numb with the shock of the Blue Lord's revelation. With mind and emotions both paralyzed, he found himself unable to use his powers to halt his descent. It was the flames that stopped him, that caught him like a trapezist in a safety net. And like a safety net they bounced him up again. Something flowed through him like an electrical current, a power both agonizing and exhilarating. And he knew what it was. For a thousandth of a second he saw the gaping mouth of the Lightwell, the blinding light surging from the huge hole. It was the contents of the Lightwell itself flowing into him.

  He saw them rush towards him like pins to a magnet: the Lords of Corruption from above and the Earthlight Chosen from the four compass points. The Lords of Corruption dived towards him like birds of prey on a dove. However, despite their distance from him, the Chosen arrived first. They all touched him with their willow wands. Someone—he thought it was Bart—pushed one into his hand and closed his fingers around it. The light below began to shrink. He had taken most of it into himself. It now covered only a small section of the forest—a rectangular shape on the far side. Peter recognized the rectangle as the Christmas tree plantation.

  "The Christmas trees—the Christmas trees,” he called to the Chosen in mind-speech. “The One Tree is a Christmas tree."

  With Peter leading the way, the Chosen dived into the center of the paling light. Bart grabbed Maria's hand and Peter heard her stifled scream as he dragged her through the air with him. Thaddeus Carter and Simon Te Awa had hold of Mr. Edwards's hands. Peter heard a bloodcurdling cry of fury from above and sensed the Lords of Corruption at their backs. Then he felt solid g
round under his feet. Even as he landed, the light dimmed until it died altogether. He stood among the Christmas trees in the unnatural dark created by the Evil One. The Chosen gathered in a tight circle and raised their willow twigs towards the mass of black cloud that nearly touched the treetops.

  At this the Lords of Corruption drew back slightly. However, Peter knew it would be a matter of mere seconds before the Blue Lord discovered how to break through the willow spell.

  Maria was the only one in the circle with no knowledge of the Earthlight. Like older and wiser people than herself, she feared anything that felt threatening and which she couldn't understand. Her fear rushed over and through Peter with the force of a tsunami. She's only human. The fear will break her, send her mad. His mind reached out to her with fingers of comfort. He sensed no diminishing of her terror, but was instantly aware of a clearing of her thoughts as she remembered what Peter had said about her: “the friend of the One through willow shower, with silver concord protects his power.” She had seen the truth of this demonstrated. She lowered her piece of willow twig and rammed it into her pocket. Then she lifted the sopranino recorder to her lips. Her actions were so swift none of the Lords of Corruption saw until it was too late. Their eyes were all fastened on Peter—all their concentration bent upon getting through the circle of protection created by the twelve pieces of willow.

  And with Maria's breaking of that circle, they managed to penetrate the spell. Left and right of Peter, they shoved the Earthlight's Chosen aside. All except Maria and the twins went sprawling. The Lords of Corruption surrounded Peter in a tight circle.

  Peter again found himself mesmerized by the cold gray eyes of the Lord in Blue. The Lord's mind beat upon Peter. An iron will grappled with his, bending his mind to the Evil One's wishes.

  "Call! Command the One Tree to declare itself!” The Lord's silent coercion filled Peter's head.