by Hanna Peach
But before she could even move, a burst of light came from in front of her. Alyx flinched away from the light and threw her arm up to help shield her eyes. She was tackled backwards by Jordan and she felt her breath slam out of her as she hit the ground under him.
She braced for pain. But none came. Over his shoulder she could see that the light was shining from a doorway. Sapphire and diamond sparks flew from a point above the door across the room and lit torches around the room that had been all but dead pieces of wood mounted in iron. They erupted to life with unearthly pale blue and silver fire.
Jordan was still holding her, his weight pressing her into the ground. Their eyes met.
“You threw yourself in front of me,” she said, not being able to contain the surprise in her voice.
His eyes widened in his own surprise. Then he frowned, and what seemed like anger pinched his lips. “Trust me,” he muttered, “it wasn’t an intentional thought.”
Alyx felt a small stab of hurt, which she ignored. He pulled himself off her and she got herself up.
Alyx looked around her. They were in a round room with walls of uninterrupted rough-cut stone except for the doorway. The bright light shining from this doorway dimmed until it shone only from a patchwork of runes across the stone door.
“What are they?” asked Alyx as she approached the door.
“They look like runes.”
Alyx gave him a questioning look.
“What, aren’t you up on your pre-Latin alphabets?”
Alyx rolled her eyes. “No. Are you?”
Jordan pointed at a rune that looked like an arrow facing left. “That’s ‘k’.” Then he pointed to one that looked like a trident. “That’s ‘z’. Looks like I found some use for those stupid Castus lectures after all.”
“Okay, so it’s an alphabet. What does it mean? What do we have to do with it?”
“My best guess? I’d say it’s some sort of pin code. We need to know what runes to press to open that door to the chamber.”
Alyx cursed. “The Elder didn’t give me a pin code.”
“I doubt that Uriel gave that out freely.”
“You don’t think that he scratched the pin code in the stone somewhere around here, do you? Just in case he forgot it?” Alyx sighed when Jordan gave her an “are you kidding me?” look. “Yeah, didn’t think so. So what do we do now?”
Jordan glanced up. “We can’t get out the way we came. We’re just going to have to figure this out.” He stared back at the door, tapping his chin with his finger.
Alyx moved closer to his side. “What are you thinking?”
“The Elder said that Uriel created this chamber. Now…I’ve heard stories about the kind of guy Uriel was from Vix – arrogant, twisted, narcissistic, holds himself above all others when it comes to his intellect. I imagine that his pin code is something he chose deliberately. A word, to make it easy to remember, but it’d be a word that means something to him. Something personal. Or something that represents him…”
“Monkey’s ass?”
“That’s two words.”
“How about just ‘ass’?”
Jordan snorted. “Be serious, Alyx.”
She let out an exaggerated sigh. “You’re no fun.” She turned back to the runes and studied them. The clusters of lines glowed back at her as if taunting her with their secrets. An alphabet, hey?
If I were an arrogant, narcissistic ass, what would I choose as my pin code?
“What about ‘Chief’ or ‘Elder’?” she said.
Jordan shook his head. “No, he would see himself as having transcended even that. Something unique. Something to be awed and worshiped and respected.”
Alyx pressed her lips together. The only thing above an Elder was… “What about…‘God’?”
Jordan paused. It was only a moment’s pause, but it was enough to let her know that he thought she was right.
“Would he actually be that arrogant?” Jordan considered this for another moment, then said, “I can’t come up with anything better. Can you?”
She shook her head.
“Shall we just try it?”
“Wait,” Alyx called out as he reached out his hand towards the runes. “What if we get it wrong?”
Jordan peered up and behind him. Alyx followed his gaze. He was staring at the hole that they both dropped through, now closed off completely.
Alyx sighed. “Okay. Just do it.”
Jordan pushed a rune shaped as an X. “G,” he said. The light changed from blue to white. Then he pressed a rune that looked like a boxy-looking fish pointing up. “O.” Then finally, a rune shaped like two triangles on their sides with their tips touching. “D.” This too changed to white.
He stepped back. Alyx was barely aware that she was gripping his arm. For a moment there was nothing. No movement. Just silence.
Then the room started rumbling. Oh God. This wasn’t good. Small grains of stone began to fall from the roof, gritting up the air. Smoke began to spray from the crease between the wall and the floor and all around. Definitely not good.
“Damn it to hell,” Alyx cried, launching to the air towards the ceiling where they had fallen through. She could hear Jordan kicking at the stone door.
She started to smash at the ceiling with the butt of her sword handle, but the stonework was solid and unyielding and only served to send jarring sensations up her arm and through her shoulder. Jordan started to cough against the smoke. Moments later as it made its way up towards the ceiling, so did Alyx. It felt like a chill in her lungs and the chill began to spread throughout her body. It started to sting her eyes so she could barely see.
“Jordan?” she cried. Moments later she felt his arms around her. She clung to him.
“We’re going to die, aren’t we?” she whispered in his ear.
He just held her tighter. “Alyx, in case we are…I just want you to know—”
But she didn’t hear the rest of what he was about to say. The darkness took over.
Chapter 22
Vix helped Mayrekk into the chair next to Israel’s bed. He leaned heavily against the back and waved off her protests again that he should be resting instead of coming here first. “The boy is what matters,” he wheezed.
Vix stepped back and let him study Israel. The boy looked close to death. No doubt he was. Tobias had told him that Alyx no longer felt the bond between them. Wherever he was, the bond was unable to reach him. This worried Mayrekk more than anything else. Did this mean that it had been broken? Would Alyx still die if he did?
There were many demon poisons he could think of that they may have used. He strained to talk between heavy breaths without coughing. “Do you still have the knife?”
He heard movement and soon the handle, cold and rough, was placed in his hand. The blade was still coated with blood two-thirds of the way up the blade. The other third was sticky with a kind of dark gel that looked to have small ruby particles suspended in it.
With great effort, he raised the blade to his nose and sniffed it. It smelled faintly of copper and underneath there was a distant smell of sweet almonds. He grunted. This narrowed it down – somewhat.
Carefully he placed his tongue on the blade, which shook in his weak hand. The gel was icy to the touch. For a moment he tasted something bitter like over-brewed tea. Then all the little nerve endings in his tongue burned individually as if he had licked fire. He knew instantly what the poison was.
“Pan’s Arrowhead,” he said.
He heard Vix repeat these words under her breath. Then he let himself give in to the dizziness. The knife felt heavy. His arm fell limp and he heard a clatter of the blade falling. He felt his eyes roll back into his head. The last thing he heard was Vix shouting his name.
Chapter 23
Alyx blinked against the bright sun. It cast down on her, warming her bare arms and legs. Was this Heaven?
She glanced around her. Her boots sank a little into the soft sand beneath her. Sand. That was all she could see for
miles and miles, all the way to the horizon. The blue sky domed above her, unmarked by clouds. Heaven was a desert?
“Bloody hell. What happened?” Jordan’s voice caught her attention and she was relieved to find him suddenly standing next to her. Had he been there a moment before?
What had happened? Alyx racked her mind for her last memory. The chamber, the runes, the smoke.
Alyx looked down at herself. She was wearing the exact criss-crossed bodice and black shorts and boots that she had been wearing before. She couldn’t help the momentary flash of pleasure when she realized she had managed to retain all her weapons.
“I think we failed that pin code test back there,” she said. “I told you we should have gone with ‘monkey’s ass’.” This earned her a light punch on her arm from Jordan.
“Glad you can keep your sense of humor about you even in a situation like this… Speaking of…where the hell are we?”
Something silvery caught her eye. Alyx raised a finger to point at the object, shimmering in the sun like a mirage. “Maybe she’ll know?”
Standing there in the near distance was a figure – a lady – dressed in a silvery-blue dress, the long chiffon overlay floating out like a dragon’s tail from her back, flapping softly as if being held out by a breeze. Oddly, no wind stirred here.
Alyx raised an eyebrow at Jordan and nodded her head at the figure, then tapped at the handle of her blade. She kept her fingers there just in case. She noticed Jordan do the same as they moved cautiously towards her.
As they got closer, Alyx could see that the woman had an unearthly beauty about her face with plump lips so pale they were almost blue and thick dark lashes making her icy-blue eyes seem almost white. They stopped some meters away from her.
Alyx nudged Jordan. “You speak to her. You’re the ladies’ man.”
He grunted. Alyx thought she heard him say, “This ain’t no lady.”
But he stepped forward anyway. “Good morning, fair lady,” he began. “We seem to be lost. Could you tell us where we are?”
The lady turned her piercing eyes towards Jordan. Alyx had to hold back a gasp. The center of her irises looked hollow. She began to speak in a voice that seemed to echo around the air as if they were standing in a cave.
“Welcome. You are here because you entered the incorrect pass code. You are in the Second Chance Game. If you succeed in these next four arenas than you shall deem yourself authorized to access the chamber and you shall be released.”
Alyx nudged Jordan. “What does this mean?”
“I think it’s some kind of security clearance for Uriel if he enters his pass code wrong or something. It’s like the security questions a bank will ask you if you forget your password.”
“What?” she hissed.
“Oops. Mortal world stuff. I’ll explain later.”
Alyx was silent as she processed this. Second Chance Game. Four arenas. This shouldn’t be so bad…
“How long will this Game take?” asked Alyx.
“Time is irrelevant in the Game. If you succeed you shall be released as if no time has passed.”
“And if we don’t succeed?”
The lady didn’t answer this question. She didn’t even blink.
Alyx swallowed. It didn’t look good. If she had to guess the consequences, they would either die if they failed, or they would be trapped in this place. Neither option was a good one.
The lady lifted her arm to point past them. “Once you have prepared yourself, please step through the first gate to your first arena.”
“What ga—“ Alyx’s question died on her lips as she spun around to find a stone doorway, not unlike the one back in the room they just came from, looking odd among the miles and miles of sand. The space of the open doorway was an inky black, and she couldn’t see the desert through it.
That damned gate was not there before. Just like the lady hadn’t been there before.
“I don’t like this place and I definitely don’t like the look of that doorway to God knows where,” Alyx whispered to Jordan. She glanced around them again. “Where do you think we actually are?”
“I think we must still be in the cavern under the Archives. Perhaps this is some kind of DreamScape?”
“Some DreamScape,” Alyx muttered to herself. Then she said, “Can you make a door for us to get out, then?”
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” the lady spoke. Apparently she had heard their conversation even though both Alyx and Jordan had taken pains to keep their voices down. Did this chick have super-hearing or something?
Alyx spun, frowning at the figure. “Why not?”
“The only escape from this Game is by successfully completing it. If you try to leave through any other means, your lives will be forfeited.”
Alyx cursed under her breath.
“Looks like we have no choice,” said Jordan. He turned back to the doorway. “Shall we?”
Alyx looked to the doorway then spun back to glare at the lady. “Aren’t you going to give us any hints as to—” But of course, the lady had disappeared.
If she had even really been there at all, Alyx thought. She looked then at Jordan. “Let’s go. Best thing to do is just get through the four arenas as fast as we can and get into that chamber.”
Alyx drew her sword as they approached the gate, as did Jordan. She gazed into the darkness trying to catch a glimpse of what might await them on the other side. The impossibly dense blackness gave away nothing. She took a deep breath to steel herself and stepped forward, only to find Jordan’s arm halting her.
“Let me go first,” he said. Alyx frowned and was about to retort when he continued, “Yes, I know you can take care of yourself and you don’t need me to go first. But this isn’t about that. I feel like I messed up with the pin code back there so…let me go first so I can feel like I’ve started to redeem myself somewhat.”
Alyx was about to argue that it was actually she who had come up with the “God” suggestion when he bent down quickly and brushed his lips over hers. Whatever she was about to say was lost. Her mouth parted and she found herself slightly lightheaded.
He grinned. “I’m taking your silence as agreeance.” Before she could answer he turned and stepped swiftly into the blackness.
Alyx touched her lips, still tingling, with the fingers of her weaponless hand before following him into nothingness.
Chapter 24
Alyx stepped onto dirt ground, packed firm from being trodden on by boots and hooves. They were no longer in the desert but standing on the edge of a marketplace within stone walls. A large castle loomed above them like a giant chess piece mounted on a large hill. A lonely flag upon the highest turret flapped in a ghostly wind. The sky was thick with gray clouds that looked painted in place, casting a dull light across the whole scene.
The colorful tent-like stalls of the marketplace reminded Alyx of the market stalls in the el Souq markets of Saint Joseph. But unlike the el Souq markets, which had been overflowing with life, these markets were as still as gravestones. Not a soul walked through the straw-strewn paths between the stalls nor were there any purveyors calling out their wares. At least no one that Alyx could see.
Behind them, the doorway that they had entered disappeared.
“Keep your eyes open,” whispered Jordan as he moved forward cautiously, holding his sword at the ready. Alyx followed, her heart thrumming with caution’s melody. They passed by stalls and piles of hay and open-backed carts without horses.
“Look out!” Alyx cried as a figure clad in armor rose up like a phoenix out of the haystack behind Jordan. Jordan wasn’t quick enough. The knight slung his arm around Jordan and locked it into the crook of his neck. The other hand thrust down with a dagger to Jordan’s chest. Out of instinct Alyx grabbed a slim knife from her side and threw it at the man in one swift move. It lodged in his throat just under his helmet. His dagger hand faltered, giving Jordan enough time to punch the man off him.
Alyx spotted a fi
gure launching from the side of a stall, sword aimed for her head. She ducked then drove her blade up and into his stomach. He fell forward towards her. As she shoved him away she could see beyond him four more men all armed with broadswords. They were all dressed in rough-looking clothes overlaid with chainmail and metal plates. Some had metal headpieces on.
Odd place, Alyx thought before she flew at them, sword bared. The silence of the marketplace was broken with the din of clashing swords as one by one the knights of this arena fell.
Soon, Alyx pulled out her sword from the last knight’s stomach, and he dropped to the ground. She sheathed her blade as she watched Jordan punch his last knight in the face, then drop his elbow into the knight’s back, knocking him to the ground. Jordan placed a foot on his back and thrust his sword cleanly into his heart.
She couldn’t help her quickening heartbeat when she saw how his muscles rippled in his forearm. He pulled his sword out and shook his head so that his hair fell away from his eyes. His ponytail was completely undone now, long strands falling into his face, and her fingers ached to smooth back his messy hair.
He grinned at her. “That was a nice warmup. Where is the real test?”
Alyx rolled her eyes. “Arrogance is not a virtue, you know.”
“I only speak the truth. Don’t tell me that you even broke a sweat.”
That’s what worried her. This had been too easy…
He only grinned wider. “And look, there’s the next doorway.” He pointed at the inner castle wall. There was another stone doorway, activated and buzzing with the same magical energy as the doorway that brought them here to this arena. The only difference was a strange symbol glowing over the arch at the keystone. Really? Could the first arena be over?
Jordan sheathed his sword. “Let’s go.”
“Perhaps you shouldn’t go in there,” a voice from behind her said. “At least not yet.”
Alyx spun, clutching her blade handle. She could hear the ring of Jordan’s blade being unsheathed again. Standing behind the counter at one of the stalls was a man of average height and width, clean shaven and handsome under his dark curls. He wore a robe decorated with gold patterns, long sleeves and a gold tie around his waist. Around his neck was an ostentatious necklace of what looked like golden coins.
