Morpheus Road 03 - The Blood

by D. J. MacHale

  Seeing the arrival of so many spirits of the damned made her want to raise her sword and cut them down herself, but she held back. It was a difficult test of willpower . . .

  . . . that was about to become much more difficult.

  Seeing the Guardians retreat and the sudden flood of spirits, the crowd in the stands had grown quiet. They sensed that something dramatic was about to happen.

  Marsh held his mother's hand and said, "Believe me, this may be our only hope."

  Ree didn't question Marsh. She knew the answers would come soon enough.

  All eyes were on the Rift. Even the Guardians settled down, realizing that they were about to witness something important.

  Spirits continued to appear and dissolve. With each passing second, dozens of spirits arrived and escaped. It was as though they knew the defenses were down so they decided to pour in even faster. Hundreds arrived. Multiple hundreds. Then, without warning, they stopped. The Rift remained clear. The flow had ceased. Completely.

  Nobody looked away. Nobody questioned. The Colosseum was eerily quiet until . . . the faint yet unmistakable sound of a walking horse was heard coming from the Rift.

  Marsh squeezed his mother's hand.

  Coop scratched his head nervously.

  "Jeez, I hope this doesn't suck," he said to nobody.

  A large shadow appeared inside the Rift. It was a rider on a black stallion walking slowly toward the light of the arena.

  The front line of Guardians tensed up.

  "Let him through," Zoe called to her defenders.

  The shadow grew more defined. It was a warrior in full battle armor who boldly strode through the Rift with his chin held high . . . and the poleax on his hip.

  Zoe turned and looked back toward Marsh with dismay. Marsh held both hands up to her as if to say, "Relax. It's okay."

  There was a moment of stunned silence, and then the spirits in the stands erupted with shouts of joy.

  Their leader had returned.

  The outpouring of emotion set the Guardians in motion. They surged forward to attack Damon. Zoe had to draw her own sword and fight to keep them back.

  "No!" she screamed. "Let him be!"

  She didn't understand why their nemesis was being allowed a free pass back into the Black, but she had put her faith in Marsh and knew she had to follow through.

  Ree barely reacted. She kept her eyes on Damon and uttered one simple word. "Really?"

  Marsh didn't know how to answer.

  Damon looked up at the crowd and basked in the glory for a long moment. He reached for his hip and pulled out the poleax, holding it high in the air in a show of victory. The crowd loved it and cheered wildly.

  "Maybe this wasn't such a hot idea," Coop whispered to Marsh.

  Damon waved the sword to his adoring minions, then kicked his horse and galloped to the far right side of the Rift as the flow of spirits escaping from the Blood began again. They spewed from the Rift with even more urgency, as if they knew the end was near. Damon did a tight one-eighty until his horse faced the length of the opening that was disgorging spirits. With the roar of the cheering crowd as background, Damon leaned down with the poleax, tearing into the wall of the Colosseum just to the side of the existing opening.

  "I guess the thing's loaded again," Coop said.

  "What is he doing?" Ree asked.

  Marsh hoped he knew, but didn't dare offer an answer.

  Damon slapped the reins and trotted forward, dragging the tip of the sword through the opening of the Rift. It was the same move he had made when he had created the Rift, but this time the brilliant light that trailed the poleax closed the opening down. Like two pieces of cloth being sewn together, the Rift was being sealed off as the last few desperate escapees pushed their way through the rapidly shrinking portal.

  The Guardians drew back even farther, shocked at the development.

  The dramatic gesture quieted the crowd. The only sounds that came from the masses were gasps of surprise . . . and awe.

  "Is this really happening?" Ree asked.

  Damon made his way to the far side and pulled his sword out of the wall. The Rift was no more. There would be no more spirits escaping from the Blood. Damon trotted back to the center, looked up at the stands, and thrust the poleax into the air.

  The spirits went wild, cheering for their hero.

  Coop said, "I'm really not liking this."

  Damon turned and looked directly at Marsh.

  Marsh waited for an acknowledgment, or a salute, or anything to let him know that Damon was going to make good on the rest of his promise.

  Instead Damon slashed the poleax down violently, kicked his horse, and took off at a gallop, headed for the archway that led out of the Colosseum.

  The Guardians could only watch with wonder.

  Damon didn't make it all the way to the archway. The air rippled and the colorful swirl of fog appeared in the opening, swallowing him as he charged through.

  "Look!" Coop declared.

  The same mist of colors rose up from the cheering crowd, enveloping them. One moment the stands were packed with fifty thousand spirits, the next the seats were empty, the cheers fading to a distant echo.

  The hundreds of Guardians on the arena floor remained motionless, all looking up in stunned silence at the now empty seats of the stadium.

  "Well . . . that was interesting," Coop said. "Now what?"

  "There's going to be a war," Marsh answered.

  "I know that," Coop replied. "But are we fighting one army . . . or two?"

  30

  "Why?" was the question on everyone's mind, though Zoe was the first to ask it.

  She came running back to Marsh and Cooper, followed closely behind by many of the other Guardians, who crowded behind her. They had recovered from the shock of seeing Damon march proudly out of the Rift, seal it, and then escape . . . along with a stadium full of his minions.

  "He's going to take on Brennus," Marsh said quickly, trying to keep his voice steady.

  Zoe's eyes were wild as she struggled to make sense of what had happened.

  "But we could have ended him right there!" she shouted. "This could all be over."

  "It wouldn't be!" Marsh argued. "Damon doesn't control those spirits that escaped from the Blood. Brennus does, and they're going to cause more problems than Damon ever could."

  "But he is the one who created the Rift to allow them to escape," Zoe argued.

  "And he closed it, " Marsh bellowed. "You saw. You all saw."

  The crowd of Guardians was not in an understanding mood. Most couldn't hear what Marsh had to say and saw him as the reason that Damon had slipped through their grasp. The crowd of angry Guardians moved in behind Zoe, their eyes focused on Marsh, their swords ready to begin a new battle right then and there.

  Marsh threw up his hands to stop them.

  "Please! Trust me! It's the only way."

  Instead of accepting Marsh's explanation, his words fired them up even more. They wanted somebody's head for what had happened, and Marsh's was the likely candidate.

  "We better skip outta here, Ralph—uh, Marsh," Coop said.

  "Come with me," Ree said, and took Marsh's hand. "You come too, Zoe."

  Before the Guardians could take another step closer, Ree disappeared in a cloud along with Marsh, leaving Coop to face the angry mob of Guardians.

  "It's true," he announced feebly to the emotional group. "Freeing Damon is our best chance and . . . Jeez, I can't believe I just said that."

  The crowd didn't care. They moved in on Coop, ready to take him apart. Cooper didn't bother trying to convince them anymore. He stepped out of the vision . . .

  . . . and arrived on the train platform next to the subway car in Ree's vision. Press, Ree, Marsh, and Zoe were already inside of Ree's subway car and he quickly joined them.

  "I believe you," Press said to Marsh. "Why else would Damon close the Rift?"

  "I'm telling you, all he wants is a battle," Marsh sa
id. "It doesn't matter who the enemy is."

  "So he says," Coop announced as he entered the train car. "But I still don't trust him."

  "Did we have another choice?" Marsh asked.

  Coop thought for a second, then replied, "No. It was the only thing we could have done."

  "Thank you."

  Zoe was so worked up she couldn't stand still. "We could have ended him right there!"

  "But the Guardians can't protect the Threshold without help," Marsh shot back.

  Press stood up straight, surprised at Marsh's statement. "Threshold? What threshold?" Zoe asked.

  Coop answered, "According to Damon, Brennus is really looking to conquer a place called Solara."

  Marsh looked to Press and asked, "Is there such a thing as a Threshold? And Solara?"

  Press hesitated as if unsure whether to answer.

  "You're here to help us," Marsh demanded. "You can at least give us a little information."

  Press opened his mouth but no words came out. He was shaken. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he said one simple word: "Yes."

  "Thank you," Marsh shot back, all business. "If Brennus takes control of the Threshold, would it be as bad as it seems?"

  Press stared at the floor to allow himself time to process the information.

  "What is the Threshold, Press?" Ree asked calmly.

  Press spoke slowly and deliberately. "It's the conduit through which we pass between Solara and the Black. Call it a Rift, if you like. A permanent one. It has existed since the beginning of mankind."

  "That's what the next life is called?" Ree asked. "Solara?"

  Press nodded. "It's the spiritual center of the universe. All life eventually becomes part of Solara."

  "Unless they get dumped into the Blood," Coop offered. "Life did not begin in Solara. It's where all spirits are drawn once they are complete."

  "So the Watchers exist in there?" Ree asked.

  "Yes."

  Marsh asked, "Why can't you just move back and forth the way we go between visions?"

  "The Threshold is a way to protect Solara," Press explained. "It wouldn't do for spirits to come and go whenever they please."

  "Right," Coop said. "You gotta pass the test first." Marsh asked, "So what would happen if Brennus got to the Threshold?"

  Press had trouble finding the words. "What you're talking about is the worst that mankind is capable of creating, overwhelming the best. That's why I went after Brennus in the Blood, and stayed to make sure he wouldn't escape. There was the fear that if he was successful, he would set his sights on Solara."

  "Is it even possible?" Ree asked. "Could he get to the Threshold?"

  "Spirits stumble on the Threshold all the time, but they are gently turned away. I can't say that a determined army of thousands from the Blood would be so easily dissuaded."

  "But the Watchers must have the power to turn them away," Coop said. "I saw them suck an entire army into the Blood!"

  "The power to do it and the right to do it are two different things," Press said. "We aren't a separate race. We are mankind. If the collective will of so many spirits is determined to enter Solara, they will."

  "And what would happen then?" Ree asked.

  Press sat down on Ree's couch and stared ahead, imagining the scene.

  "This will be hard for you to understand. It's hard for any spirit to understand until they've experienced it for themselves. Solara is a place of infinite possibility. Spirits are no longer bound by the rules of the lives they have lived. What you've seen here in the Black is only a taste of what's possible. Solara was created by the spirit of man and represents the ultimate perfection. It's not just about Earth, either. All the worlds that exist in the universe are equally part of the spiritual fabric of existence. Energy flows from everywhere. From the Light and even the Black. Each and every spirit holds the very essence of mankind in their hands."

  Coop, Marsh, and Ree exchanged glances.

  "Oh," Coop said casually. "Multiple worlds, spiritual fabric, infinite power. That's pretty much what I figured."

  "I know it's hard to grasp," Press said. "But you will. You all will. But to disrupt that balance and give that kind of power to spirits who want to bring it all down, well, you might not get that chance because Solara would cease to be the positive influence it has always been. In other words, it would no longer exist as it has . . . and mankind wouldn't be far behind."

  There was a long silence as everyone tried to work through what they'd heard.

  "Help me understand," Zoe said to Marsh. "Why do you believe Damon will help us?"

  "Because it's not about us," Marsh answered. "It's about him. It's always been about him. He's been fighting his own personal demons for centuries. He wants to lead his army into the ultimate battle, something he never did in life. He gathered his army to fight the Guardians and then march triumphantly into the Light. That was the plan, but freeing Brennus changed things. Brennus stole his thunder, just like your father did in life. And Alexander. To him, fighting Brennus would be the ultimate victory and would mean his own salvation. His life would finally be complete."

  "And you truly believe this?" Ree asked.

  "There's a bigger question," Coop interrupted. "How many spirits came through from the Blood? I thought Marsh was nuts for trusting Damon and giving him the poleax, but I'm changing my tune. The question is not whether we can trust Damon, it's if anybody can stop that army from hell."

  All eyes went to Zoe.

  The normally confident girl looked pale.

  "There is no way to know how many of those spirits came through from the Blood," she said.

  "Thousands," Ree interjected. "Many thousands." Zoe swallowed hard.

  "We will fight," she said, her voice shaking. "The spirit swords can destroy untold numbers. But no matter how valiantly we fight, with so many coming at us, eventually we will be overwhelmed."

  "So like it or not," Coop said, "we need Damon."

  Ree added, "And what if he chooses his own course? Like you said, it's not about us, it's about him. Who's to say that the chance to overrun Solara won't tempt him the same way it did Brennus?"

  "It might," was Marsh's sober answer.

  "Well, whatever happens," Coop said, "the one thing we know for sure is that somebody's going to attack this Threshold place, so we'd better move the Guardians there before it happens."

  "It's like . . . paradise," Marsh said in awe.

  He, Cooper, Ree, and Press had left Ree's vision and stepped onto the soft grass of a breathtaking green valley.

  High cliffs rose up on either side, blanketed with moss and tropical greenery that cascaded over the rocks like waterfalls. The valley floor was narrow and dotted with tall palm trees and flowering bushes.

  "It's been called that," Press explained as he led them through the lush surroundings. "This is the last vision that spirits see in the Black before moving through into Solara."

  "Nice," Coop commented. "Kind of like taking a victory lap."

  The sweet smell of fruit trees filled the air as colorful butterflies danced on the light, warm breeze. The only sound was the far-off roar that came from the many waterfalls that dotted the steep cliffs.

  Ree said, "It gives me a feeling of, I don't know . . . calm."

  "That's the idea," Press said.

  "Don't get used to it," Coop warned.

  His words broke the brief spell of euphoria that the group had been enjoying.

  "Where's the Threshold?" Marsh asked.

  "On the far end," Press replied. "It won't take long."

  The four walked for several minutes, marveling at the spectacular, soaring cliffs that rose to either side. The ground was covered with a vast green carpet of soft grass that stretched to the base of the steep cliffs. With each step the valley narrowed as if they were walking into the point of a massive V. After traveling for nearly a half mile, they came upon a dense stand of palm trees that seemed to stand guard across the end of the gorge
.

  "We're here," Press declared.

  He led them along a path that twisted through a stretch of soft brush that was thick with foliage. As they rounded the final bend, all three caught the first glimpse of their destination, and stood frozen.

  "Uh . . . wow," was all Coop could say.

  A series of shallow stairs, cut from natural stone, rose before them. The wide flight of steps continued up for another thirty yards to top off at a summit that was nearly three stories high. It was a massive plateau, hugged from behind by the two steep valley cliffs that had come together as one. A massive archway stood on the summit that was built from stones so large they seemed to defy gravity. The base of the arch was roughly ten yards wide, half the size of the Rift that Damon had cut into the Blood. Soft light shone from within, revealing no detail and giving the arch a warm, welcoming glow.

  "So," Coop said. "Are we talking Pearly Gates here?"

  Press chuckled. "Call it what you want. It's the Threshold to Solara."

  "Only way in?" Coop asked.

  "This is it."

  "Don't suppose we could sneak a little peak inside?"

  Press grinned at Cooper. "Yeah . . . no."

  "Big surprise," Coop said sarcastically.

  Ree said, "This is where the Watchers enter the Black?"

  Press nodded. "From here we can travel through the Light and the Black the same as you. But there's only one way in and out of Solara."

  They heard a rustle of bushes from behind them, and all three spun quickly to see . . .

  Zoe had arrived and stood, wide-eyed, staring up at the Threshold.

  "Ta-da!" Coop exclaimed.

  "Can I walk up?" she asked Press.

  Press motioned for her to climb the stairs. Zoe went first and the others followed.

  "Don't try sneaking in," Coop said to her. "That's a big no-no."

  Zoe ignored the comment and said, "It's good that the valley is narrow. And closed. There's only one direction an attack can come from."