The Middle Realm

by Charmaine Theron

  “I will,” Rachel promised. “As soon as—”

  “Rachel,” a familiar voice said her name. “Is that you?”

  Rachel raced four cell doors down and came face to face with Chance. Zack was in the cell with him.

  “I can’t believe it.” Rachel laughed breathlessly.

  “Get us out of here,” Chance said. “We can help you.”

  Rachel pulled the keys out of her tunic and turned the iron ring, selecting key after key. But not a single key fitted the lock to Chance’s cell door.

  “Just our luck,” Zack snapped, rattling the iron bars in frustration.

  Chance kicked the door and then grabbed his foot. “Damn!”

  “I’m sorry.” Tears brimmed in Rachel’s eyes. “I have to help the others, otherwise we’ll all end up dead.”

  “Go!” urged Chance. “We’ll catch up with you later as soon as we find a way out.”

  Rachel whirled around and raced down the tunnel, tears streaming down her face. She stopped to catch her breath, leaning for a moment against the stone wall. A soft voice caught her attention.

  “Rachel.” Small fingers curled around the iron-grated door opposite her.

  She’d forgotten about looking for Elektra. “Oh thank goodness,” Rachel said guiltily.

  “Has it happened yet?”

  “No, not yet... but we don’t have much time.” Rachel fiddled with the keys and relief washed over her when the lock popped open.

  Elektra stepped out into the murky tunnel. “Is Ash, is he…”

  Rachel nodded. “He’s okay, for now.”

  Elektra exhaled loudly.

  “Take these.” Rachel tossed the iron keys into the next-door cell. “They’ll open some of the cells. There’re more keys in the guards’ chamber and weapons in the armoury. Tell Chance and Zack – they’re my friends – we’re going to need all the help we can get.”

  The thickset man inside bobbed his head eagerly. “You can count on us.”

  “I don’t have another sword, only this.” Rachel bent over and slid a bronze dagger out of her boot. She handed the dagger to Elektra.

  Elektra froze, staring at the red, oval-shaped gem that sparkled in its handle.

  Rachel didn’t noticed Elektra’s shocked expression at the sight of the dagger. She was already sprinting down the tunnel.

  Rachel shouted over her shoulder, “Hurry… there’s only the fifth beam left. And that’s Ash’s turn.”

  The tunnels branched and, soon after they reached the junction where another tunnel joined from the eastern side, Rachel slowed her pace and Elektra caught up to her. They stopped within the confines of the last tunnel. Hidden in the shadows were Hektor and Dom. On both sides of them, the semi-circled terraced stone benches towered, almost reaching the top of the massive domed cavern. Through the gap, Ash stood dead centre on the Unity symbol with Maksimos alongside him.

  Chapter 43

  The Elements Collide

  Maksimos was Ash’s last hope. But as much as he didn’t fully trust him, Ash had decided that it would be better taking the risk than watching his family die. Drakon would force Maksimos to teach him the ritual and it could go two ways. They’d either live or die. It was as simple as that.

  The guards tossed Maksimos onto the Unity symbol. Unperturbed by their aggression, Maksimos casually picked himself up, dusted off his cloak and smoothed down his platinum beard. Tossing his arm around Ash’s shoulder, he clenched him in a bear-hug.

  Maksimos lowered his voice as he spoke, “You’re in a mighty fix here, hey?”

  “The ritual, Master Maksimos… you have to show me. Drakon’s going to—” Ash couldn’t even bring himself to say the word as his emotions choked his voice.

  “I don’t see a problem with showing you,” Maksimos replied, turning to face Drakon. “Do you, dear old friend?”

  Drakon narrowed his dark eyes. Reaching for his locket, he unclipped the clasp. Extracting the Onyx, he lifted it skyward. Drakon chanted the counter-spell.

  The Nyx swirled and coalesced into one enormous, spiralling whirlpool. The cloud above Mount Hieros flattened and sucked the Nyx into its core. Within minutes the mist mysteriously vanished. The cloud dissipated and, from behind the darkness, the magnificent August Moon glowed where it had risen to its zenith. The fiery ball had settled high in the twinkling night sky. Outside, the blood-red moonlight flooded the City and Ash found himself bathed in crimson moonbeams where he stood, unmoving, beneath the skylight.

  “The moon…” uttered Dione breathlessly as she sashayed closer to Drakon. “It’s more beautiful than I imagined.”

  Outside, loud shouts disturbed the awe-inspiring moment.

  Drakon swung around. “What’s going on?’

  Dione looked at him wide-eyed.

  “Nothing must stop me – you’d better go see.”

  “But, I can’t miss—”

  “Go!” ordered Drakon.

  Dione summoned the guards. The flounces of her dress bounced around her legs as she hurried out of the amphitheatre and disappeared into the night.

  “Do it,” Drakon commanded Maksimos.

  Maksimos hesitated.

  “Show me,” Ash pleaded.

  The ancient dialect slipped easily off Maksimos’s tongue. Ash repeated the spell straight after Maksimos. The spell had an upbeat tempo and Ash caught onto its rhythm easily. Maksimos steepled his fingers together forming a triangle and then pressed his hands between his breastbones. His chanting grew louder. Slowly he stepped out of the circle, edging away. Ash imitated Maksimos’s hand movements. Around his feet, the spider-web of threads tightened.

  Thoughts flashed through Ash’s mind as he chanted the spell. Would Drakon be the One? No. He couldn’t be! And if the other prophecy was true, then this was the end. The burden of destroying the Realms, killing innocent Seraphians and Hajarans was too much for him to bear.

  Throwing his hands up into the air, Ash shouted, “Stop this madness!”

  Drakon let out a menacing cry. He marched over to the podium with Ash’s sword in his hand. Myra cringed away from him. Hunter’s eyes flashed wildly and he rocked the heavy bronze chair. The chair toppled with Hunter still attached to it, crashing off the podium and onto the floor with a thunk.

  Ash reached over and frantically ripped at the threads, but he was unable to break them with his bare hands. There was no way he’d allow Drakon to murder his family with his own sword. He had to do something now.

  “Don’t,” begged Ash. With his powers gone and rendered an ordinary boy again, all he could do was bargain. “The vortex… it’s open. Banish them to the Middle Realm. And, when you dis-dispose of me, there’s no way they can return. The vortex will close.”

  “It’s not that simple,” Drakon said.

  “There has to be another way?”

  “This is the only way,” countered Drakon. He raised the sword above Myra’s head, the steel glinting crimson.

  “Wait!” Ash shouted. His eyes darted to Maksimos for guidance. But Maksimos bowed his head in submission and Ash knew the only choice was to continue.

  Ash’s strained voice rose to a crescendo, his lucid words ringing out across the amphitheatre. His chant increased in tempo and, as his words blended like a string of quartets performed by one musician, the cavern brightened. The energy beams from Gaia, Hydor, Aer and Pyr collided above Mount Hieros.

  Ash lifted his face, his arms spread-eagled. He tilted his head back and, with one final rebellious chant, he uttered an unexpected chorus of words. “United we stand, divided we fall. We are united together by the power of Aether, where good shall prevail over evil, for all eternity.”

  The fifth beam skyrocketed through the skylight, engulfing Ash in bright light. The bells sounded one final time as the last beam merged with the other four in a magnificent display of celestial light.

  Unperturbed by Ash’s act of defiance, Drakon thundered, “It worked – the Spheres are connected.”

  Ash�
�s body weakened as Aether drained his energy from his core. The threads entwined tighter around his feet, pinning him to the centre of the symbol. Movement from behind the stone benches caught his eye. Ash blinked, his vision was hazy. He must be seeing things. A memory jarred his thoughts and his heart skipped a beat – a strawberry-blonde ponytail bobbing between the drinking-fountains – the day he’d first met Elektra. The past churned into the present and Ash shook his head, trying to separate the two as Elektra’s strawberry-blonde hair bobbed between the stone benches.

  Hektor and Elektra snuck between the benches, circling to the left. Rachel and Dom arced around the other side. They were no match for the guards that surrounded the Unity Symbol, but hopefully the distraction from the rebels outside would be to their advantage.

  Maksimos sidled out of the way, moving toward the podium, where he crouched hidden behind the bronze chairs. In front of the podium, Hunter lay unconscious, knocked out from his fall. Still tied to the chairs, Emma and Myra sat motionless, their faces pale from shock.

  Drakon discarded the Trinity sword which clattered to the stone floor. “Watch them,” he commanded the guards.

  Ash twisted around and watched helplessly as Drakon rushed toward the stairway where he exited Aether. Above Ash, through the skylight, a swirling mass had formed. Ash had an inkling as to where Drakon was heading.

  At that moment the Dark Legion warriors spotted the others and they swooped around both sides of the stone bleachers toward the tunnel’s entrance. Elektra leapt onto the second row of benches, twirling around to face her opponents. In her hand, she clutched the dagger with the red gem. She’d always preferred to be in a higher position than her enemy, giving herself an overall advantage. But she looked vulnerable without her bow and arrows. The dagger flashed left then right, intimidating her enemies. Hektor’s sleek sword whirled in front of him in a figure of eight, keeping the warriors at bay.

  Dom and Rachel held their ground, but soon the warriors encircled them. Dom lunged forward, his sword slicing through the air, but a skilled warrior flicked his sword right out of his hand. The sword flew upward, spinning away and landing beyond his reach. Outnumbered and overpowered, Rachel tossed her sword to the ground and raised her hands in surrender.

  “What’d you do that for?” said Dom.

  “Better alive than dead,” Rachel remarked.

  The warriors seized them, forcing them to their knees, binding their hands and hauling them off toward the dungeons.

  “And what good are we if we’re locked up?” Dom muttered.

  “We have back-up,” Rachel whispered and winked at Dom.

  From the other side of the amphitheatre, Ash watched in horror as the warriors detained Dom and Rachel. His eyes darted back to Hektor as a massive warrior launched himself at the commander.

  “Look out—” Ash shouted.

  But it was too late for Hektor to heed his warning. The warrior slammed into Hektor, hurling him across the benches.

  Another warrior attacked, his dagger glinting in his hand. The warrior howled, “Kill him.”

  Both warriors pounced on Hektor and the dagger sank into his chest. Dark red blood pooled around Hektor’s shoulders.

  Elektra screamed.

  The sound pierced Ash’s ears. His wild struggles only caused the spider-web of threads to constrict further.

  At that moment Maksimos crossed the floor heading toward Elektra. Ash’s heart jolted. Maksimos would help her.

  Maksimos raised his arm, stretching it out in front of him. With wild eyes, he chanted an indecipherable incantation under his breath. His fingertips glowed and a bolt of light flashed across the cavern hitting Elektra squarely on the forehead. Elektra’s eyes widened, but her blank stare never reached Ash. Her green eyes glazed over. She collapsed and tumbled off the benches.

  The warriors dispersed in pandemonium, sprinting out of the amphitheatre to escape Maksimos’s wrath. Turning on his heel, Maksimos loped toward the stairway, leaving Ash dumbstruck in the wake of his footsteps.

  Chapter 44

  Oblivion

  Elektra lay motionless near the stone benches. A large lump pulsed in the centre of her forehead. Her eyelids flickered as she regained consciousness. Not far to the side was Ash’s sword, its triangular engraving blazing. Nearby, scattered across the floor, white ashes were a horrendous reminder that Hektor had fought bravely in that spot.

  Drained, Ash plonked himself down on the ground, his feet ensnared in front of him. The fifth light beam had dwindled and it had sapped all his energy. The other Guardians! This must be happening to them too, Ash thought. Above him, the hypnotic Hecate swirled.

  Elektra rolled over onto her stomach and groaned. Pushing herself up onto her haunches, she opened her eyelids, revealing glazed eyes. Squeezing her eyelids shut, she covered them with her palms.

  “Elektra? Elektra? Can you hear me?”

  “I can… but, but I can’t see you.” Uncovering her eyes, she looked blindly toward Ash. “What happened? I don’t understand… Maksimos, what did he do?” Elektra asked in a panicky voice.

  “It’s only a spell – nothing that can’t be undone.”

  “Where is he?”

  “He followed Drakon. He’s gone.”

  “My father… I… I saw him—” Elektra’s voice broke.

  “I’m sorry, Elektra,” Ash said remorsefully. “It’s my fault… all my fault.”

  Elektra sobbed into her hands.

  “If only I could get my sword.” Ash tugged at the threads holding his feet.

  Elektra’s sobs eased off. She wiped at the tears on her face.

  “Do you think you can get it for me?” Ash asked tenderly.

  “I can’t see.” A fresh wave of sobs racked Elektra’s shoulders.

  “I’ll direct you.”

  “Okay,” murmured Elektra. She leaned forward onto her hands and knees and shuffled on all fours.

  “Crawl to your left… yes… now a bit over. Go straight. Okay… stop.”

  “Where is it?”

  “It’s to your left. Reach out – the hilt’s right there.”

  Elektra stretched her hand out while tapping her fingers on the stone floor until she touched the hilt.

  “You got it. Now make your way toward me… follow the sound of my voice.”

  Elektra crawled as Ash continued talking encouragingly to her. “You’re nearly here… you’re doing great. Okay stop… turn the sword around. Be careful, don’t cut yourself on the blade. Slide it to me – not too hard. Don’t come closer…”

  Elektra pushed the sword in Ash’s direction.

  Twisting at an awkward angle, Ash stopped the sword from sliding past him. Weakened, he lifted the heavy sword and, with shaking hands, he sliced through the threads that bound his feet.

  “Got it… I’m free!”

  Elektra clapped her hands.

  “I’ll help you to the podium. Wait there with my family until I return.”

  “Ash…”

  “Yes…”

  “Don’t go and get yourself—”

  “I won’t.”

  Ash leaned forward and scooped Elektra off the floor. Her grip tightened around his neck as he carried her shakily over to the podium, placing her beside the chairs. After unravelling the gags from Emma and Myra’s mouths, he untied them.

  Myra flung herself at Ash, weeping on his shoulder. “I… I knew you’d free us.”

  “Can you look after everyone while I’m gone? Do you think you can do that?”

  Myra nodded determinedly, huge tears dripping down her cheeks.

  Disentangling Myra from his neck, he seated her beside Hunter.

  Emma stared blankly ahead, not registering Ash’s presence. Ash touched her gently on her elbow and picked her up from the chair. He guided Emma next to Elektra. A discarded cloak lay nearby and Ash picked it up and draped it over their shoulders.

  While cutting Hunter free from the toppled chair, he spoke softly to Myra. “Father m
ight wake up. He’s unconscious from the bad knock to his head.”

  Myra stroked her father’s thick hair and brushed a strand off his forehead.

  A faint smile flickered across Ash’s mouth. “Can I borrow your sash?”

  After untying her sash from around her waist, Myra handed it to Ash. Kneeling next to Elektra, he wrapped the sash around her head, covering her eyes.

  “There… now you don’t have to squeeze your eyes so tight.”

  “Thank you,” Elektra whispered. “And don’t forget what I said earlier.”

  Ash rose and, without looking back, he strode toward the stairway, avoiding the centre of the Unity symbol. His blonde hair fell over his eyes and he pushed it aside. In his right hand, he held his sword at the ready. Once he exited Aether, he quickened his pace and followed the pathway leading to the mountaintop.

  The August Moon dipped slowly in the night sky. Ash clambered over the summit drenched in crimson moonlight. Drakon came into full view ten feet in front of him. With his back turned to Ash, he seemed oblivious to his approach. Drakon peered into the skylight, entranced by the Hecate. Ash scanned the area but Maksimos was nowhere in sight. Sensing Ash’s presence, Drakon swivelled around and his dark eyes came to rest on him.

  “When the August Moon sets, it’ll be over.” Drakon placed his hand over his locket and flicked the clasp open. Within a second, he had extracted the Onyx.

  “I’ll make sure that you won’t be the One.” Ash raised his sword, strode forward and pointed the tip dangerously over Drakon’s heart. Ash’s hand shook slightly.

  Drakon lowered his eyes to the sword and a smile played at the corner of his mouth.

  “I have to do this… you’re responsible for my friends’ deaths: Alyssa, Taylor, Cole… and countless other Seraphians too.”

  “Ash, Ash, you’ve got it all wrong,” Drakon tutted. “I’m not the one you should kill.”

  Ash inclined his head. His mind raced back to the stone temple in the Middle Realm. Maksimos had acted strangely when he’d traced the triangular engraving. He hadn’t trusted him since that day – a gut feeling. And now he’d blinded Elektra. Maksimos had ulterior motives but Ash believed that he only wanted to be the One. Drakon, on the other hand, was far more devious and dangerous.