Flins, although smaller than both men, looked no less dangerous. In fact, he worried her more than Verner. The smile that played across his face spoke of perversion and pestilence, and little blue lines arced between his fingers. He raked a hand against the wall as he approached, gouging deep ruts into the stone.
“Submit to me Ana, and I will make your death quick.” Martin’s words forced their way back into her head.
The intrusion took some of her focus. The dagger slipped backward, allowing the fire to come close enough for her to feel its searing heat. A howl, fierce and guttural, arose from somewhere deep within. The dagger pushed back and found its footing once again, keeping the fire at bay.
Verner was the first to reach her. Instead of trying to dodge him, she hurled herself into his arms. The jade dagger fell to the floor and the fountain of fire scorched the sarcophagus that had been behind her. She grappled for the big man’s face until she found a handhold. Her thumb pushed into his left eye. He squeezed her like a massive vice, turning wildly and trying to shake his head free of her grasp. He backed into the fire and immediately dropped her. Boils and blisters broke out all over his back and shoulders. Martin relinquished the flames, but it had already done its work, searing Verner’s flesh. The smell was acrid.
Without hesitation, Ana reached out once more for the dagger. It whistled through the air toward Martin’s head. Again he held up his hands and unleashed a torrent of flame that met the knife halfway across the chamber. Ana kept her left palm outstretched toward Martin, channeling energy from the Eye into her body and back out to the dagger.
Flins smiled demonically. “You can’t handle us both, little one.” He stroked his fingers on the stone, sending little blue sparks in all directions.
She put up her right palm in front of Flins, eliciting a peal of laughter from the man. Flins formed a triangle with his index fingers and thumbs. The sparks grew within the newly formed space until it could contain the blue fire no longer. A writhing arc of lightning shot from his hands.
The impact against her palm moved her backward, but she did not attempt to repel the onslaught. Instead, she drew it into her body and channeled it back out toward the dagger. Flins’ eyes went wide. More and more energy funneled out of him. She used him as a conduit, drawing raw power from the earth below and through his body. He convulsed as the charge raced through him. The air hummed and Ana could feel the hair on her neck standing on end.
A moment later, Flins’ eyes ruptured and his tongue swelled out of his mouth. She pulled one last brilliant arc of light through him and hurtled it toward Martin. The dagger fell to the floor, but the raw energy extinguished Martin’s flames and sent him reeling into the wall.
Verner launched himself at her. He hit her with the force of a freight train, pushing her into the wall and exploding stone with the impact. Apparently the fire hadn’t weakened him much. He kept his forearm against her chest as he pushed her deeper into the wall. She tried to call out to the book, but Verner’s strength was so overwhelming that she found it nearly impossible to concentrate. She screamed, but nothing came out.
Just when she thought she could take no more, Verner’s eyes bulged and he howled out in pain. The hulk of a man slid slowly down her body until he slumped at her feet. The jade dagger was buried deep in the back of his neck. Her father was bent over the body, resting his hands on his knees. He raised his head just enough to look at her. He managed a weak smile before he collapsed to the floor.
There was no time to see to him. Martin had recovered his footing and now stood directly in front of the little boy, who was cowering inside his sarcophagus. He grabbed the child by the arm and pulled him free from his hiding place. Martin held the boy by one hand between himself and Ana.
“Submit to me, Ana, or I will kill the boy.”
She put up a hand. “Wait!”
“Come and kneel before me and no harm will come to the child.” He dangled the boy just above the floor.
She edged closer to him, keeping both of her hands outstretched in a conciliatory gesture. “Please don’t hurt the child. We can come to an arrangement.”
Martin’s laughter shook the room. “You have always let your compassion rule you, Ana, and in each life it has meant your death. You sacrifice yourself for the good of mankind when you should sacrifice mankind for our good.”
“Compassion has given me life even in death. Without it our existence is meaningless.”
He snarled at her. “I have no compassion for the pathetic creatures of this planet. I’ve waited ten thousand years to take my rightful place as a god, and I will let nothing stand in my way.”
Ana took another step toward him, so that the altar was just to her left. “Then I will show you no compassion, Martin.” She leapt forward, grabbing Martin’s free hand and pushing her other against the cool surface of the Eye of Jupiter.
The three of them fell through an ocean contained in the crystal orb, downward to the center of the Eye. Martin’s face contorted in a mad rage. The boy tumbled from his grasp. Ana reached out to the Eye and called forth a tendril of wind that embraced the boy and flung him toward her. She caught him, pulling him tightly to her chest. A second later her back made impact with the snowy surface of a mountaintop. They rolled intertwined until finally coming to rest against a delicate plum tree, its tiny pink petals showering them.
Ana stood and helped the boy to his feet. “Are you all right, Aaron?”
The boy furrowed his brows. “How did you know my name?”
“You are a part of the book and it is a part of me.”
Aaron seemed ready to say something more, but instead his mouth hung open and he pointed behind her.
Ana turned in time to see Martin coming straight for them. He rode a writhing bolt of lightning like a wild stallion. She pivoted, grabbed Aaron and jumped off the side of the mountain. The little plum tree exploded behind her, pelting her back with splinters of wood.
The boy wrapped his arms around her neck and threw his legs around her body. She threw her arms out wide as though she were a Red-crowned Crane. She leaned to her right, making long spirals through the clouds as they raced closer and closer to the ground.
Pillars of lightning pierced the mountain peaks around them, causing massive avalanches to fill the valley below. Ana put one arm under Aaron and threw the other around, so that the force rolled her over just before they made impact. They plunged through the snow as though they had fallen into the depths of an ocean.
Still the lightning came like rockets, throwing up great gusts of powder all around them until the valley was emptied and the hard ground beneath was rutted and pitted. Ana called upon some lightning of her own, driving it deep into a nearby mountain until she carved out a rocky cavern.
“Run to the cave.” She pushed him toward the opening, narrowly avoiding another of Martin’s fiery bolts.
Aaron dove into the opening, disappearing into the darkness. The sky rumbled and the ground shook, but this time it wasn’t Martin’s doing. Ana raised her arms to the sky. She held the image of the Eye in her mind and commanded it. It obeyed.
A spider web of lightning danced through the newly formed storm clouds. They snaked and arced, reaching toward Martin’s lightning steed. They absorbed the summoned beast back into themselves, sending Martin falling through the sky until he impacted the rocky side of a craggy peak. Stone showered outward as he was driven into the rock.
The lightning that was now under her control continued its outward expansion until it covered all of the sky. Flame erupted from the side of the mountain, throwing more rock and rubble outward. Ana shielded herself from the downpour and leapt to her side. Martin flew out of the opening, propelling himself downward, riding a river of flame. He landed as though surfing onto shore, the remaining snow in the valley melting as he passed.
Ana righted herself, turned, and drew a wall of lightning down from the heavens. Martin had anticipated her move and was ready with a wall of flame that enci
rcled him and pushed back the lightning. The force of the impact sent Ana flying backward until she slammed against rock. She fell to her knees.
“Even with all the power of the heavens, you are no match for me.” He strode toward her.
A shrill scream arose from somewhere behind them. Aaron ran from the cave and across the valley, a tree limb raised above his head. Martin turned, raising up his hand. Flames licked at his fingertips before bursting outward into a solid stream of fire.
“No!” Ana launched herself between Martin and the boy. The flames engulfed her, then extinguished as she fell to the hard ground.
Martin’s maniacal laughter boomed through the valley. She felt Aaron at her side. He lay over her body, clinging to her and weeping.
She fell deeper down into herself, slipping into oblivion, on the edge of an abyss. From a thousand miles away she could feel Aaron beating on her chest, screaming. There was something more though. He was channeling energy to her. It soaked through her like a monsoon to the parched and cracked earth. A voice, familiar and distant came to her.
You are the chosen, Protector. Within you is the power to make and unmake all things.
“I am broken.”
You cannot be broken, for I am you, and I cannot be unmade.
Ana swam back to the surface of reality, seeing the light above growing in intensity. When she came back to her body, Martin stood above her. Something like fear clouded his emerald eyes. She grabbed his leg, pushing energy through his ankle. But this wasn’t the same energy she’d called upon before. This was a primal energy, raw and untamed. It held the power of creation and destruction. It was the same energy that had allowed her people to shape worlds and call down the heavens. It was the innermost essence of the book, and it was hers to command.
The realization of what she was doing crept over Martin’s features. He pulled against her grasp, screaming and cursing. She willed the primal force further into him. Inch by inch it advanced, pushing every fiber of his being apart, molecule by molecule. His skin became ash and his screams faded as he was thrown to the winds, nothing more than wisps of memory.
The valley was still. Aaron came back to her side and kissed her cheek. She wept.
After a time her sadness left her. They sat on the valley floor face to face, oblivious of time. She poured the secrets of the book into his soul. She transcribed its pages across the very fabric of his being.
“Thank you, Ana.” His smile and bright eyes still held their child like wonder. “I won’t let you down.”
“I know you won’t.” She returned his smile. This time she kissed his cheek. “Come on, let’s get back to the others.”
He put his hand in hers.
***
The Eye anticipated her command before she spoke it. Aaron and Ana stood side by side, hand in hand, in the stone chamber. The other two protectors, she had once known them as Isobel and Gareth, knelt over her father. Isobel spoke in gentle soothing tones, something akin to a lullaby, strangely lyrical. Gareth held her hand and kept his other on the book. Ana assumed it to be their particular method of drawing power from the artifact. Whatever they were doing seemed to be working on Frederick. His eyes fluttered open and that great half smile she remembered returned to his face.
“Hey there, Ana Eloise.” Her father’s voice cleared the remaining pain away.
The others looked up, noticing Aaron and Ana for the first time. Isobel held out her arms. Aaron left Ana’s side and rushed to her. The two clasped each other tightly for a time, rocking back and forth. She whispered in the boy’s ear, tears streaming down her face.
Gareth patted Aaron on the head, and then helped Frederick to his feet. He put an arm under her father and guided him toward Ana. “I think he’s on the mend.”
“Thank you, Gareth.” She smiled and touched his hand.
“I should be thanking you.” He glanced to Aaron and back. “I know he’s our equal, but Isobel and I have kind of taken him in as our son in this life. We all lived together for a time on the run from the Horsemen.” His voice faltered. “I’m sorry we never came to your side. The things Martin did to us—“
“You’ve nothing to apologize for.” She looked into his warm blue eyes. “Martin and the Horsemen chose their path and perverted our purpose. We all did what we needed to survive.”
“Ana’s right, Gareth. Now it’s time we move on.” He looked to his daughter. “What now, kiddo?”
“Well, the world’s going to need some healing. Only a strong and true heart will be up to the task.” She nodded toward Aaron.
Gareth grabbed her hand. “What about you? None of us knows the book better than you. This planet needs a natural adept to wield the Eye’s power.”
She smiled. “Everything I know, I passed to the boy. With the two of you to guide him, the world will be in great hands.”
Frederick cleared his throat. “Why do I have a feeling you’ve got your mind set on something?”
Her laughter surprised even herself. “You know me too well, Daddy.”
***
Aaron sat on the temple wall, looking down the mountain to the valley below. Ana purposely made a little noise with her boots on the gravel path to announce her presence. His boyish smile was still beneath the surface, but there was a shadow of worry and doubt on his features.
“What’s got you so lost in thought?” She rested a shoulder against the smooth stone.
“I don’t know if I can do this without you.” He turned, letting his feet dangle against the wall, kicking at the stone with his heels. “What if I do something wrong? People could die.”
“There is always death in this world, but you’ve already done so much to give people hope.” She touched his cheek, looking him in the eyes. “Remember, you were the one who picked this temple as the book’s new home. Its a glorious place. The energy here is stronger than anywhere I’ve ever travelled.”
Aaron blushed. “Yeah, I guess so.”
She pinched him on the knee. “I know so. And don’t forget that Isobel and Gareth will be by your side.”
“I know, but I wish you could stay with us too.”
“I wish I could too, but we talked about why I need to leave.” She unclasped the delicate silver chain from her neck, the tiny chrysanthemum dangling gently. “Here. I want you to have this. It’s a good luck charm.” She fastened it around his neck, and tucked it under his shirt. “There. Now it’s close to your heart so you’ll never forget me.”
He smiled. “I won’t ever forget you, Ana.” He jumped down into her arms.
***
The book sat atop a smooth stone altar in the center of the temple. Behind it, granite pillars framed a view of mountain peaks and clouds kissed by the golden light of dawn. The Eye of Jupiter reflected the sunrise, casting brilliant rays around the intimate space.
Her father stood to one side talking quietly to Isobel. Gareth busied himself moving some of the lighter furnishings and fixtures away from the altar in preparation. They all stopped what they were doing when Ana and Aaron walked in.
“I’ve got your pack ready.” Her father patted a leather bag that sat against the wall. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Yes. You?”
“I go where you go.” His smile brightened the room even more than the sunrise.
She returned it, then knelt down to Aaron. “Remember your part? It’s very important.”
He nodded. A few errant strands of hair fell into his eyes. He pushed them away. “I close the door after.”
“That’s right.” She tousled his hair, causing the errant strands to fall back into his face. He pulled away, but smiled. “Don’t worry, if things work the way I think they will, I’ll be able to open it back up from the other side.”
Apparently sensing the time had come; Gareth and Isobel took up positions around Aaron. The boy slipped his hand in Isobel’s and held it tightly.
There was so much Ana wanted to say to them, but to do so might make her s
econd guess her decision. It had been a difficult one, but now that Aaron had a better handle on the book, and the world was returning to some semblance of order, she knew it was the right one for her. She’d always felt lost, like a ship at sea. This was her chance to discover who she really was, where she came from. There were so many questions, and an infinite universe in which to search for the answers.
Her father touched the back of her arm. When she turned to him, he handed her the backpack, then slipped on his own.
She laughed.
“Never hurts to be prepared. Now are you going to fire this thing up or what?”
She nodded, then turned her attention to the Eye of Jupiter. The connection was still strong. The response immediate. She spoke only to the Eye. “Did you make contact with any of the gatekeepers?”
Sixth Seal Page 28
