Morpheus Road 03 - The Blood

by D. J. MacHale

  Marsh stood and helped his mother to her feet.

  "I'm sorry to have to tell you this. Damon created another one."

  Ree backed away from him, shaking her head in disbelief.

  "No. That's impossible. To do that he'd need the poleax and there's no way he could have . . ." She didn't finish her thought. She looked to Marsh, giving him the same stern look she always did when she wanted the complete truth and wouldn't stand for anything less.

  "What happened?" she asked coldly.

  Marsh had trouble looking directly at her. He was once again a little boy who had to answer to his mother for something he probably shouldn't have done.

  "I took charge," he answered, going on offense. "Damon wasn't going to give up until he found the poleax. You know that. We all did. It was only a matter of time before he got it, and I wanted Coop to have it first so he could use it against Damon."

  "So what did you do?" Ree persisted, fearing the answer.

  "I found it," Marsh declared. "It was in your tomb. Ennis put it there along with a crucible to protect it. But I accidentally broke the crucible when I smashed open the crypt and—"

  "You broke into my tomb?" Ree asked, aghast.

  "I was pretty sure you weren't in it. I wanted Coop to have the poleax and put an end to this guy."

  Ree took a deep breath, trying to control her anxiety. "You weren't in it, by the way," Marsh said softly. "It was some guy."

  "Some guy," Ree echoed, dumbfounded.

  Marsh continued. "When the crucible broke, Damon showed up. Neither of us could stop him. He got the poleax."

  "And he opened a new Rift," she declared, the truth finally coming clear.

  Marsh nodded.

  "And you came through."

  "I came looking for you."

  Ree leaned back against the stone wall of the wild animal enclosure.

  "So you did commit suicide," she declared. "And Damon has the poleax. This isn't your finest hour, Marsh."

  "Maybe not, but I'm going to make it right," Marsh stated boldly. "Damon doesn't care about us anymore. He's moved on. That's a mistake. Coop already found Zoe and Maggie and his grandfather and took them to Zoe's vision. They're going to bring the Guardians back together and—"

  "Wait. What? Cooper found the others?"

  "Yes. He took them to Zoe's vision." He glanced around the stone corridor and added, "Wait, is this where they were? Ancient Rome?"

  "Somebody's vision of ancient Rome. We're in the bowels of the Colosseum. I haven't left because Damon threatened to destroy the others if I did."

  "See?" Marsh declared. "They're long gone. Damon doesn't care about us anymore now that he's got the poleax."

  Ree's mind raced. "This is . . . this is just wrong. Marsh, you are going back through the Rift. Maybe it's not too late to get your life back."

  "No! I came here to help you."

  "You killed yourself, Marsh! Do you understand that? You are dead!"

  "I know how it works, Mom. I probably know more than you do. Did you know that Damon is hunting for some guy named Brennus?"

  "No. Who is that?"

  "I don't know, but I'm going to find out. I'm staying."

  "And do what? Marsh, I love you for trying to help but you've made some serious mistakes."

  "I know. It's my fault Damon has the poleax, but I truly believe he would have gotten it anyway. The guy is ruthless. He haunted Ennis until he couldn't take it anymore and . . ." His voice trailed off.

  "What happened to Ennis?" Ree asked with trepidation.

  "Damon was torturing him. It was horrible. He didn't have a crucible for protection because he wanted me to have it."

  "Is he dead?" Ree asked, incredulous.

  Marsh nodded gravely. "I think death was a relief."

  Ree winced. "My god, this is never going to end."

  "Yes, it is," Marsh declared. "Damon thinks we're done. He won't see us coming."

  The sound of a trumpet fanfare blasted from the arena above.

  "What's that?" Marsh asked, looking up.

  Several soldiers ran past them along an adjoining corridor.

  Ree said. "Something's going on up in the arena."

  "Maybe we should see," Marsh said. "It could be Damon."

  He started after the soldiers but Ree held him back. "No," she commanded. "I want you to go back through the Rift."

  Marsh didn't pull away. He stood his ground and looked his mother square in the eyes.

  "Damon cut the Rift into this vision for a reason," he said with authority. "I'm going to find out what it is."

  Ree searched her son's eyes, looking for the little boy she had left so long ago. All she caught was a faint, familiar glimpse that was quickly lost in the years she had missed and the horrors he'd seen.

  "C'mon, Mom," Marsh cajoled. "I died for this."

  Ree's eyes grew watery and she hugged her son once again.

  "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

  "It's okay. Be glad I'm here."

  "Don't see that happening." She wiped her eyes, stood tall, and said, "C'mon."

  She headed off and the two made their way through the labyrinth of tunnels that made up the underworld of the Flavian Amphitheater.

  Marsh didn't allow himself the luxury of stopping to marvel at the impossibility of it all. Though he was fascinated to see the Colosseum the way it actually existed in ancient Rome, he wanted to stay focused on the challenges ahead. He allowed himself one fleeting thought about the incredible dimension he had landed in: He promised himself that once he finished Damon, he'd come back and take full advantage of being in the Black. That is, if Damon didn't finish him first.

  Ree led Marsh up a series of ramps until they found themselves standing under an arched tunnel that led to the arena.

  "Oh man," Marsh gasped. As much as he had heard about how visions in the Black worked, he wasn't prepared for the sight in front of him.

  It was night. The Colosseum was dark but the full moon cast enough light to illuminate details of the immense stadium.

  "We're really here," he gasped. "It's the Colosseum."

  "It's somebody's vision of the Colosseum," Ree corrected.

  All four levels of seating that ringed the arena were dark. Marsh thought they were empty, until he saw a flame flicker to life. Followed by another and another. All around the stadium, flames ignited. Thousands of them. What at first looked like an empty stadium was soon revealed to be completely packed with people, each person holding their own burning candle. Marsh couldn't make out any of the faces, or details, but he assumed they were the same people from many eras that Cooper had described.

  "It's like a vigil," Ree whispered.

  Nobody spoke. The eerie silence sent a chill up Marsh's spine.

  "Coop was right," he whispered. "I feel like I'm still alive."

  Ree put an arm around his shoulders. She was surprised to see that he had grown taller than her.

  Another trumpet fanfare sounded, heralding the entrance of a lone rider on horseback. He appeared through a tall archway, carrying his own flaming torch.

  "Damon," she said, barely whispering.

  Though Damon of Epirus was in full battle dress, his squat frame didn't give him the air of a formidable warrior.

  If not for the weapon that was strapped to his waist, he would have looked like a sad pretender wearing a costume. The weapon proved otherwise.

  "He's got the poleax," Marsh said.

  The black horse pranced into the arena as the trumpets continued their fanfare.

  The crowd watched in silent reverence.

  Damon rode to the dead center of the ring and spun his horse slowly so that he could see the entire assemblage . . .

  and they could see him. The light from the thousands of flames glistened on his horse's shiny black coat. Satisfied, he raised his free hand and the trumpets fell silent. Damon let the drama build for a few seconds more, then shouted for all to hear.

  "You have been patient," he
called, his voice echoing through the massive stadium. "We have all been patient and you will soon be rewarded. We have been thrown together by fate and given the opportunity to take charge of our own destiny. Our own futures. Our own eternity. We have been controlled by an unjust, uncaring power for too long."

  He spun his horse in a tight circle, allowing each and every spirit to get a good look at him. To admire him.

  Marsh whispered to his mother, "What is he talking about?"

  Ree replied, "He's got these people convinced that they shouldn't accept being judged by the Watchers."

  "I thought the Watchers were all about rewarding those who work on becoming better people."

  Ree shrugged. "They are."

  "And Damon doesn't like that?"

  "Damon doesn't give a damn, but he's got his followers all worked up about it. He preys on those who have been in the Black the longest and fear they'll never get the chance to move on."

  Damon rode back to the center of the arena.

  "But freedom will not come easily," Damon Continued. "For that, we must fight."

  "Fight who?" Marsh asked Ree. "Who is their enemy?"

  Damon bellowed, "I swear to you that when we are done, the oppression that has existed for centuries will no longer hold sway over us. Our future will be what we choose, whether we prefer to remain in our visions in the Black, or return to life in the Light."

  Marsh and Ree looked to each other.

  "He's going to do it," Marsh said soberly. "He's going to bring them all back into the Light. But they'll be wiped out by modern weapons."

  "Of course," Ree answered. "But the damage will have been done. The Morpheus Road will have been blown wide open."

  Damon reached to his waist, grasped the poleax, and raised it high over his head.

  Finally the crowd erupted with the massive explosion of cheers that they had been holding back. A pent-up wave of emotion took over that shook the stadium to its stone foundation.

  "There aren't enough Guardians to stop them," Ree declared.

  Damon dropped his torch, silencing the crowd.

  "If we are to succeed in breaking down the barriers that have held us prisoner, we must be willing to move in every direction and include all spirits. We are not alone. Before we fight, our numbers need to grow. They must grow. I will call upon those who stand the most to gain and invite them to join us. By standing together with our brothers and sisters who have been punished so unfairly, we will ensure our victory and our freedom."

  "Who is he talking about?" Marsh asked.

  Ree didn't say because she feared what the answer might be.

  Damon kicked his dark horse into action. With the poleax raised, he galloped around the perimeter of the arena as the crowd cheered him on.

  Ree and Marsh ducked back into the shadows so as not to be seen as he passed.

  Damon reveled in the adulation. His chin was held high and the poleax even higher as his followers poured out their hearts to him.

  Finally, on the far side of the arena from where Ree and Marsh stood, Damon pulled up and trotted toward the brick wall that ringed the floor.

  The crowd continued their frenzied cheer.

  "What is he doing?" Marsh asked.

  "I'm afraid to even think."

  Damon looked up at the poleax, raised it high, then drove it into the brick wall of the arena. Instantly a flash of purple light erupted from the spot where he had pierced the facade.

  "My god," Marsh said with a gasp. "This is it. He's opening another Rift into the Light."

  Still on horseback, Damon trotted forward, tearing open a seam in the wall.

  "This is why he picked the Colosseum," Ree said. "It's a staging area for an attack on the Light."

  "We have to do something!" Marsh declared.

  Damon continued to trot forward, lengthening the cut. Bright purple light glowed from the edges, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

  "Do not move!" came a command from behind Marsh and Ree.

  They spun around to see two Roman soldiers with black swords charging toward them.

  "Run," Marsh commanded to his mother.

  "No, we'll step into another vision," Ree replied.

  "What about Damon?"

  Before Ree could answer, a dark figure jumped down in front of them from the stands, landing between them and the charging soldiers. The Romans were caught off guard and didn't react quickly enough to defend themselves. The dark figure slashed at them, turning them both into shadows, snuffing both of their spirits before they could take another step.

  Ree and Marsh stood stunned, not sure of what had just happened.

  The dark figure turned to them and said, "This sword is just flat awesome."

  "Coop!" Marsh declared.

  Coop focused on Marsh, and froze. "Ralph? No. No, no, you can't be here!"

  Marsh ignored him and turned to watch Damon.

  The warrior had completed his cut. The gash between worlds stood nearly twenty yards long and slowly melted vertically to open up a portal large enough for a small army to march through.

  "He did it," Coop gasped. "He's going to attack the Light." The crowd continued to roar its approval.

  Coop grabbed Marsh by the front of his hoodie and went nose to nose with him. Both were surprised that his hands did not pass through.

  "You see?" Coop snarled. "This is why I didn't want you to find the poleax."

  "I—I know," Marsh stammered. "I didn't want this to happen."

  "But it did," Coop spat back. "Look! He's about to attack the living and there's nothing we can do about it."

  "But he isn't," Ree said.

  "Of course he is," Coop spat. "Why else would he cut open a Rift into the Light?"

  "I don't think that's what it is," Ree answered, numb.

  Even through the cheers of the crowd, a sound could be heard spewing from the gaping hole. It was a horrifying howl that crossed between pain and anger. The wails of a billion tortured souls joined together in an outpouring of agony.

  Coop and Ree had heard the sound before.

  "No," Coop muttered. "This can't be happening."

  He let Marsh go and took a few dazed steps farther into the arena. Marsh and Ree joined him and the three stood together, glaring at the newly created phenomenon.

  "What?" Marsh asked, frantic. "What's happening?"

  "He isn't ready to battle," Ree said hoarsely. "Not yet. That's what the speech was all about. He's still gathering his forces."

  Damon trotted back to the center of the arena, and as the cheers rained down on him, he turned his mount to face the gaping hole between dimensions.

  "This is exactly what the Watchers didn't want to happen," Coop said.

  "What?" Marsh cried in frustration. "What's happening?"

  "He's not going into the Light," Ree answered. "At least not yet."

  "So what's he doing?" Marsh cried.

  Damon kicked at his horse and took off with a fast gallop, headed directly for the Rift. The crowd cheered him on as he charged forward and through the opening between dimensions.

  The answer came from Coop.

  "He's going to hunt for more recruits . . . in the Blood."

  13

  The crowd continued to roar, though Damon was long gone. "Uh-oh," Coop said, pointing.

  Several Roman soldiers had surrounded them and were closing in fast . . . all with black swords.

  Coop raised his own sword, ready to fight.

  "C'mon," he taunted. "I'm ready."

  Ree grabbed Coop by the back of his shirt. "No, you're not." She pulled him backward, along with Marsh.

  The soldiers charged.

  The swirling cloud of color appeared behind the three and Ree pulled them in. A moment later they stepped backward onto the subway platform of Ree's vision . . . along with one of the soldiers. The stunned soldier looked around in surprise, which gave Coop the opening he needed. With one quick jab he drove his sword into the befuddled spirit, turning his image
into the black cloud that quickly dissipated, which meant that he was no more.

  Coop turned to Ree and declared, "Yes, I am."

  Marsh was nearly as disoriented as the doomed soldier. He glanced around the empty subway platform with wide eyes, trying to grasp what had just happened.

  "Where is this?" he asked, confused.

  Coop threw the sword down, rushed at Marsh, grabbed him by the shirt, and pushed him until his back hit the side of Ree's subway car.

  "I've been going nuts protecting you all this time and you just threw your life away? Are you serious?"

  "I . . . I came here to save my mother," Marsh shot back, trying to gather his wits.

  Coop pulled him away from the subway car by a few inches just so he could slam him back into it violently.

  "I told you I'd find her and when I did, big surprise, you were there too!"

  "I came to help," Marsh argued.

  "Yeah, you're doing a great job," Coop said with disdain. "You gave Damon the poleax, you broke another crucible, there's another Rift into the Light along with a big honking Rift straight into hell, and all you've got to show for it is your own death. How is that helping?"

  Ree put her hand on Coop's shoulder.

  "Enough," she said firmly.

  Coop was a raw nerve. He wanted to hit somebody and Marsh was the likely candidate.

  "Cooper!" Ree barked.

  "Damn," Coop blurted out as he pushed Marsh away and backed off.

  "I did what I thought was right," Marsh cried.

  "Seriously? I'd hate to know what you think is wrong. We're finished."

  "Don't say that," Ree demanded.

  "Give me a break," Coop shot back. "The Guardians got their asses kicked by Damon's soldiers once already. What do you think is going to happen when he recruits an even bigger army from the freakin' dark side? Whatever chance we had of stopping him is gone, thanks to Little Boy Boo-Hoo over there."

  Marsh didn't defend himself.

  Ree looked Coop square in the eye and firmly said, "Calm down."

  Coop glared at Marsh, ready to start in on him again, but the tension left his body and he dropped his shoulders.

  "You're right," he said, suddenly sounding tired. "It's over."

  "Do not be so sure," came the calm voice of a woman that none of them recognized.