Aiming for one of the nearest pillar, I teleported and dug my fingers inside the crevice on the rough surface. Sharp edges dug into my palm and skin. I ignored the pain and looked down. I couldn’t see the bottom and didn’t want to take a chance and plunge into nowhere. Think of it like rock climbing, without the harness. You’ve done it so many times with Grampa. I lowered my feet to the broad base, moved around until I could teleport to the next pillar.
Heading toward the brilliant light, going on instinct, I moved from one pillar to another, my fingers, hands and arms smarting. Once, I almost lost my balance. Pebbles rolled from under my feet, and took forever to reach the bottom. I swallowed hard, imagining other collapsed lava tubes below me, waiting to swallow me up. I took extra care with each teleport, sweat dripping down my face, hands hurting from the bruises I was collecting from the sharp, rocky surfaces. I wanted to curse Valafar for all my troubles but I kept seeing Grampa and Bran’s faces. Unconscious. Helpless. Depending on me.
I worked my way past the stalagmites and pillars, the dazzling glow ahead calling to me, memories of my loved ones pushing me on. The light grew stronger and the thrumming louder. Or maybe it was just the blood rushing past my ears.
Once my eyes adjusted to the brightness, I realized the light shone from inside a chamber formed from a vertical lava tube. I could see the floor and the ground supporting the pillar I was hanging on to for dear life. I stepped down, staggered inside the chamber and collapsed on the ground.
Breathing heavy, I looked at my hands and winced. They were bleeding, and my arms were raw. I couldn’t take a moment to catch my breath. Bran and Grampa’s faces floated in my head. I needed to find the dagger and get out of there.
I shielded my eyes and tried to locate the source of the brilliant green light and the deafening sound. I squinted, looked up and I saw it, a bejeweled dagger so dazzling I had to avert my eyes. The glow came from the blade, the noise from its rapid twirl. The dagger spun so fast it looked like a disk.
Going on instinct, I raised my hand and pointed at it. “Stop.”
The blade slowed then came to a halt. It dangled in mid-air, held by a force I couldn’t fathom. An eerie silence filled the air now that the dagger stopped moving. The clear crystal and wavy blade rose from a gilded hilt decorated with colorful stones. Chiseled inscriptions were patterned in green along it, and a prominent jadeite teardrop sat in the middle of the guard. The pommel, also gold, had tiny decorations I couldn’t decipher from my position but the handle was black. The dagger was nothing like the replicas I saw at the dojo.
I opened my palm. “Come.”
It didn’t drop.
I focused harder. “Move.”
Again, it didn’t budge.
“Please?”
Nothing.
I tried again, and again, and again. My shoulders drooped in defeat and I covered my face. I came all this way for nothing. What will happen to Bran and Grampa now?
I refused to give up. I closed my eyes and sought guidance from the light. The orbs appeared and coalesced, bathing me with their brilliance. A female voice as old as time itself resounded in my head, instructing me on what to say.
I raised my hand palm up and repeated the words. “By the Order of Xenia and Principalities, I command you to be champion of all that is good and true, protector of the innocent and the just. In return, I will be your guard and protector. And no man or woman, mortal or immortal shall command you unless I will it.”
The dagger floated down into my hand. I closed my palm around the hilt. A powerful jolt shot from the dagger’s hilt through me. I cried out at the pain. It grew in intesity. I dropped on my knees, tried to drop the dagger but my fingers couldn’t move. The pain reached fever-pitch. I curled up on the floor, eyes closed and silently begged the owner of the voice for oblivion. Then it stopped.
I opened my eyes and sat up. My fatigue disappeared. I felt energized. I noticed strange marking on my arms and hands. They looked like someone had written and drawn squiggles under my skin with black ink. As suddenly as they had appeared, they melted away. As the glow from the kris dagger dimmed, I realized the luminescence came from inscriptions on the blade.
Once again, I was cloaked in the darkness. But for the first time in my life, it didn’t bother me. I pushed the dagger in the sheath around my waist, turned and froze.
Valafar watched me from across the width of the cave, an energy ball floating beside him. “Give me the dagger, Lilith.”
22. THE BATTLE OF THE MAGES
“No!” I said. The blade started to vibrate.
Valafar’s eyes fastened on the dagger, his face contorting with a mix of fascination and fear. He waved a black sheath with inscriptions, metal fasteners and a strap. “The dagger must be placed in a special pouch with secure binding. Give it to me.”
I shook my head. “I can’t.”
“You can.” His voice was soft, suppliant.
“You told me it killed other Hermonites who tried to retrieve it. Even you couldn’t come this far until now. Or was that just another lie?” The vibrations were faster now.
“It wasn’t. Now that you have it, if you give it to me, it won’t harm me. That was the problem with Tariel. Coronis wanted the dagger, but he refused to give it to her. Instead he threw it down here, made it impossible for anyone to claim it. Coronis kept him alive for decades, hoping he’d relent. He didn’t. But she never gave up hope of one day possessing it. She swore that if she couldn’t breed the most powerful being on Earth, she’d find someone to wield that dagger. Right now, that person is you. To ensure your survival, I must have it. The dagger is the only thing that can kill Coronis.”
The female voice I’d heard before spoke to me again. The dagger draws its powers from the heart of its wielder. Pure hearts lead to good deeds, dark hearts to mayhem.
Valafar was the Duke of Chaos. The thought of what he could do with this dagger left me cold. I shook my head. “No. The dagger stays with me. We had a deal. Grampa and Bran’s powers for me. Honor your word, or I’m teleporting out of here. Alone.”
He glowered, his voice becoming brittle. “You’re not ready to wield such a powerful weapon, Lilith. And you can’t teleport out of here without me. The island has an impenetrable force-field, unless you know how to avoid it. Give me the dagger. Once we finish off Coronis, we’ll head back to L.A. or the valley to help your grandfather and the Llyr boy.”
Liar. Anger washed over me. I reached down and wrapped my hand around the hilt. The blade started to glow, green light filtering from the edge of the sheath. “Step aside or I’ll attack.”
A tall figure stepped out of the shadows and stood between me and Valafar. “No, allow me.”
My eyes popped. Was I hallucinating? “Grampa?”
“I’m here, baby.” He didn’t turn, but he extended a hand toward me.
I ran to his side, wrapped my arms around him. For a moment, he cradled me close, pressed his lips on my temple. As if the dagger knew I was safe, the light dimmed, and the blade went still. “You’re okay. How did you find us?”
“Gavyn. Take her,” he said to someone without shifting his gaze from Valafar.
The others came out of the gloom—Seth, Moira, Janelle and Hsia—weapons in their hands. Moira created alpha balls. They lit up the cave like a Christmas tree. Where were the trainees? Bran? Hsia put a protective arm around me and nudged me away from Grampa’s side.
Valafar’s eyes dragged from me to Grampa. “How did you recover so fast?”
“My granddaughter and her amazing capacity to love.” Grampa flashed a triumphant smile. “The entire time you were lying to her about who she is and her destiny, she stayed linked with me. While you drain powers, she replenishes. Ironic, isn’t it?”
I healed them? No wonder I felt woozy and fatigued just before Valafar teleported me to the cave. “Bran?” I whispered.
“He’s okay,” Hsia reassured me.
Valafar’s gaze flickered to me, longing in his
eyes before they turned hard. “I only want what’s best for her, Falcon.”
“You want to use her,” Grampa retorted.
“You said we should let her choose, your side or mine. She chose to come with me.”
“To save my life and that of the boy she loves, while professing her choice to remain a Guardian no matter where she lived.”
I listened in shock. Grampa heard everything? And how could he ever think I’d want to choose between him and Valafar?
Valafar yanked his sword from the scabbard. The matte black blade had a serrated edge. The evil eyes of the flying raven at the hilt reflected the light and glowed red. He stepped forward and pointed the sword at Grampa. “She’s my daughter and I must protect her. I will not let you stand in my way.”
Grampa widened his stance, but he didn’t draw his sword. “You’re a hypocrite. Protect her from what? Nothing and no one has ever been a threat to her except you.”
“Coronis will not rest until she owns her and the dagger.”
Grampa shook his head. “So that’s your plan? Secure your position by handing her over to Coronis?”
“You know nothing of my plans,” Valafar bellowed. “I will protect her from Coronis, something you can’t do while chasing soul-reapers. Isn’t that how I got to your daughter and wife? You weren’t there to protect them.”
Grampa went silent. “Only a fool never learns from his mistakes. You’ll not take anything from me again, Valafar. We know what’s happening here on the island, the power struggle between nature-benders and Coronis’ raven-heads. As head of the security, you’re caught in the midst of it. Handing over Lil and the dagger would make all the difference.”
“You’re wasting my time, old man. Now that I know Lil’s alive, you can’t keep me from her. Never.” Valafar’s voice was soft, yet the vow in his words chilled my bones.
I pulled the dagger from the sheath around my waist, gripped it hard. “Take it, Grampa.”
He spoke without looking at me. “I can’t. It chose you. It’s yours now. Valafar and I will come to an understanding then we’ll go home. Go join the trainees.” He looked at Seth and nodded. Seth, Moira and Janelle dematerialized.
“Where did they go?” I asked Hsia, trying not to panic.
Her grip tightened around me. “To get Bran’s sister. Gavyn’s waiting for them. Come along now.”
“No, I need to be here in case Grampa needs me or the dagger.” I shoved at her hands.
“No, Lil. Your grandfather is capable of dealing with Valafar.” Before I could say another word, she teleported with me to where I’d left Valafar earlier, at the entrance of the cave. “Stay here,” she ordered then disappeared.
“Lil,” Izzy yelled out, drawing my attention.
The trainees swarmed around me, smothering me with hugs. Someone touched my arm. Another patted my back, my hair.
“We thought you were a goner,” Kim said.
“That was a crazy thing you did,” Sykes added.
“Foolish but brave,” Remy added. “Is that it?”
I didn’t answer him. My eyes had found Bran. He stood still as a statue, the only movement his smoldering emerald eyes. He still wore the same bloody shirt and dried blood smudged his face.
“It is.” I pressed the hilt of Xenia’s dagger in Remy’s hand, pushed passed him and the other trainees.
Bran jerked as though prodded. He met me halfway, locked his arms around me and held tight. He smelled of blood and sweat, but I didn’t care. “I thought I’d never see you again.”
“But you swore you’d find me, no matter how many years it took,” he teased, his voice husky.
I leaned back and looked into his eyes. He heard me, including my confession of love. My face warmed. “I don’t understand how you heard me. When I left, you were—”
“Zonked out but healing, thanks to you. I tried to stop you several times, but you wouldn’t let me go. You just wouldn’t let go.” He sounded amazed.
Was the tug I felt his doing? I’d thought it was Valafar. I reached up and touched his face. The bruises were healed. “The weirdest thing is I had no idea I was doing anything.”
He frowned. “That makes it worse.”
“How?”
“With our matched energies and my weakened state, I could have drained all your energy. Without psi energy, your powers would disappear.”
I shrugged. “I felt a little weak—’
“You did? When? Did it hurt?”
“No, and I still have my powers.”
He scowled harder. “You sure?”
“How do you think I got the dagger? Besides, it restored me.” I understood the reason for his distress. He thought he broke the promise he made to me weeks ago about never taking my powers. “What you took, I gave willingly.”
He lowered his head, cupped my cheeks and kissed me. I allowed myself to forget the misery of the last several hours and clung to him. He leaned back and pressed his forehead against mine.
“You’re the craziest girl I’ve ever met, Lil Falcon.”
I waited until the world stopped spinning and my breathing became normal before I responded. “Because I healed you and Grampa?”
He smiled. “Because you were willing to sacrifice yourself for us. Your grandfather is powerful. He would’ve healed on his own in a year or so.”
I blinked. “That long? And you?”
“Three years, give or take.”
Three years without him would have been torture. “Then I’m happy I did it.”
He touched my face with the tips of his fingers. “No. Don’t ever take a chance like that again. The very thought that I could have drained you dry scares the hell out of me.”
I rolled my eyes. He was agonizing over nothing. And I would do it again in a heartbeat. “How’s your rib?”
He rubbed his chest, grinned. “Healed. Gavyn took care of it. He’s a healer like Izzy. I self-heal but at a slower pace.”
I looked around for his brother then remembered what Hsia said. “He’s finally agreed to take Celeste off the island?”
Bran nodded. “He changed his mind once he heard that war’s looming between the nature-benders and Coronis’ loyalists.”
“And your mother?”
He frowned. “I don’t think she’ll want to leave. She’s loyal to Coronis. But with all this mess going on, she might—”
A rumbling shook the cave as though someone had thrown a live grenade down a lava tunnel. Pieces of lavacicles broke from the roof. Dust flew from the interior where the Guardians and Valafar were. My heart jumped to my throat, images of my grandfather’s mangled body flashing in my head. Before I could move a muscle, piercing clangs of metal hitting metal reverberated around the cave. Thump. More debris flew toward us.
“What was that?” I asked.
“That’s your grandfather and Valafar duking it out,” Remy answered.
“Battle of the mages,” Sykes added with a grin.
Horror rocketed through me. Grampa didn’t say anything about fighting Valafar. I pulled away from Bran.
His arms tightened around me. “Where are you going?”
“Grampa needs me. He can’t be strong enough to fight Valafar.” My eyes went to the blade, now in Kim’s hand. I opened my palm. Come. It flew from her hand to mine and started to glow.
Bran grabbed my arm. “No, Lil. Stay out of it.”
“Why?” I pushed at him, but his grip didn’t yield.
“Valafar killed your mother and grandmother. It’s your grandfather’s right to seek justice.”
More thuds rocked the cave, followed by flying debris. How long before the cave collapsed in on us? “They’ll kill each other.”
Bran shook his head. “Hsia won’t let it come to that.”
I jerked my arm from his grip. “What’s the point of their fighting? It won’t bring Mom and Grandma back.”
“Your grandfather’s honor is at stake here. Wouldn’t you want retribution if someone you loved was
murdered in cold blood? I would.”
I shook my head. “Have you any idea how crazy and hypocritical that sounds? A few seconds ago, you told me I shouldn’t have risked my life save yours and Grampa.”
“That’s different.”
“How? And you’d better not throw double standards at me.”
More thuds and tremors shook the ground, drowning my words. Shouts followed. “I loved her, you demented old fool.”
“And for that she had to die?” Grampa yelled back. “Did my wife deserve to die, too?”
“I made a mistake.” Clang. Clang. Thump-thump. “Haven’t you ever done something terrible in rage?”
“Never!”
The two men appeared across the gaping hole, both of them filthy, eyes glowing. From pillar to pillar, they slashed, parried and dodged. Their blades moved so fast they were blurry. Clang. Clang. Clang. I cringed at every sound, my nerves stretching to screaming point.
“Do you think I like wearing the scar she gave me for show?” Valafar snarled. “I can make it disappear, but it’s a reminder of what I lost.”
“We all have scars. You deserve to have yours on your face for the world to see.” Grampa waved a hand. Thump. The rock Valafar gripped exploded.
In one smooth motion, the nature-bender jumped, an omni appearing above his left hand while he was in mid-air. He lobbed it at Grampa. Grampa ducked and teleported over the gaping hole. He rolled on the ground and landed on his feet. Behind him, the crimson ball blasted a hole in the wall, sending another shockwave and more debris through the cave.
This was insane. No, they were insane. So hell-bent on killing each other that nothing else mattered. “Stop it!” I yelled.
Clang…clang…clang.
I waved the dagger, and the beam shot above them. Valafar jumped back and hissed as though scalded. I swung the light away from him. “Stop, both of you. Mom and Grandma are gone, Grampa. Killing him will not bring them back.” My voice broke in a sob.
Awakened Page 29
