The Dark

CHAPTER Thirty-one



Isabel


Lathenia appears before our eyes, along with the old man with the silver beard who helped kidnap Arkarian. She sees Dillon immediately. ‘You stand with them!’

Dillon stiffens by my side.

‘Stay with us,’ I whisper. ‘We’re your only chance, you know.’

He nods so vigorously I think his head’s going to drop off. Not that Matt would notice. He hasn’t even realised Lathenia is here yet. He’s distracted again, standing in the direct centre of the octagon, sometimes staring at the high central point, but mostly down at his feet. I’m starting to worry the strain is too much and he’s losing his mind. I have to get his attention. ‘What are you doing? Lathenia is here!’

His head shakes. ‘I feel something pulling me to this spot. I keep coming back to it.’ He starts tapping his foot on the marble flooring.

‘We’re all about to die, and you can think of nothing except tap dancing?’

He gets down on his knees and starts running his hands around the floor, drilling his fingers.

‘Leave him,’ Ethan says. ‘There must be something we can do to get out of here. Maybe I could try another illusion.’

Arkarian moves to stand in front of us, touching Ethan’s shoulder as he passes. ‘I feel my powers resurging. Stand behind me, all of you.’

‘No,’ I tell him. ‘We’ll stand beside you.’

Ethan stands on Arkarian’s other side, with Sera clinging to his arm. Dillon takes a position beside Ethan. Even John steps forward. But Matt is now on all fours, his ear to the flooring.

Lathenia smiles, but it’s a smile that reeks evil. ‘Did you think I would simply let you go? I am more powerful than all of you combined!’ She looks directly at Dillon. ‘How did you get out?’

‘You forget my power is strength.’

‘I forget nothing! But it seems you have. How can you forsake me after all that I have done for you? What about our cause? It’s your cause too!’

Dillon remains silent and Lathenia’s eyes flare. ‘Haven’t I shown you the riches that will be yours? I can give you everything you dream of!’

Dillon’s voice drops to a mere whisper. ‘Whatever I do now, you will kill me. If only to set an example to your soldiers.’

‘You give me no choice!’ Lathenia’s whole body flashes a brilliant luminescent hue. Even her eyes glow. It’s difficult not to cower and run at the sight. ‘You have brought this on yourself with your foolish doubts, and your fear of becoming like him!’ She points towards Marduke, then hisses like a snake. Marduke grunts.

‘You have chosen death,’ she says. ‘You shall die with them.’

Lathenia raises her hands. The seven Great Danes snarl viciously and start to drool. They look as if they haven’t eaten for a year.

Focusing on the hounds, Arkarian makes eye contact with each of them, seizing and holding their attention. Suddenly they shake their heads, give a painful whimper, and run out the temple door as fast as they can.

Lathenia practically growls. ‘Quickly, Keziah, his powers are back!’

It looks as if the old man could be a magician. That’s how she must be securing Arkarian’s powers. Strange how she sounds hurried, desperate even. I have to wonder why. Sure, she’s had first-hand experience of Arkarian’s powers, but my sixth sense is telling me there’s another reason, one much more relevant to her very existence. One that has to do with our getting out of this world.

Lathenia’s head turns in my direction. She perceives my thoughts, and she’s not happy with my reasoning. Her eyes flash. I don’t get an instant to react. Her hand lifts, long fingers pointing at me. The power of her hit sends me skittering backwards. For a moment the room and everything in it goes white. Matt drags me into the very centre of the octagon and starts talking rapidly.

‘Slow down,’ I tell him. ‘My head’s fuzzy and I can’t understand you.’

He takes a deep breath and whispers, ‘I think we can get out through this temple.’

‘What! How?’

‘Well, I’m not sure. But see this?’ He looks to his feet. He’s found a loose slab of marble. He puts firm pressure on one particular spot and it tilts to reveal a crystal, about the size of a small hand, in the shape of an eight-sided octagon. I go to touch it, but when my hand draws near, the crystal starts to glow. It startles me and I take my hand back.

‘I think it’s a dial or something,’ Matt says, then looks up. ‘I reckon the ceiling wasn’t built that way for nothing. It’s going somewhere. Didn’t John say the people that lived here simply disappeared?’

‘Are you thinking they didn’t disappear at all, but escaped?’

Ethan comes running over. ‘What are you doing over here? Arkarian can’t hold them off much longer. He needs everyone’s help.’

Lathenia’s voice sings out, ‘Now, Keziah! Hurry! Marduke, hold him still so Keziah can do his work.’

I drag Arkarian back to the centre, just as Marduke raises his hands. Green light, like a wave, pulses towards us. We hit the ground hard and the green light continues on, exploding two pillars of marble. I dig my fingers into Arkarian’s arm, rushing my words out before Lathenia and Marduke have time to work out what we’re doing. ‘Listen, you can get us out of here.’

His head shakes. ‘Only an immortal can open a rift. But I think I can hold them while you get the others out. Dillon is helping.’

I give him a strong shake. ‘Listen to me: immortal or not, Lathenia thinks you can do it.’

‘But how?’

Dillon, apparently, agrees. ‘It’s true. That’s why she’s so paranoid about containing your powers.’

‘She knows something that you don’t,’ I tell Arkarian. ‘Now is the time for you to believe in yourself. Look at the power that comes from your hands.’

Lathenia screams, a sound of frustration. I look across and see her eyes blazing, hands outstretched. ‘Watch out!’ I scream. Beams of vibrant energy shoot from her fingertips. They hit us full on, scattering us in all directions.

Stunned, I crawl over to Arkarian. I have to make him understand. ‘You have the power we need.’

He struggles to get his breath back. ‘But Isabel, I was trained to make the power you speak of. It wasn’t one of my skills.’

‘Whatever, Arkarian, I believe you can propel us out of here. And I think Lathenia knows this too.’

Lathenia lifts her hands, preparing to send another blast of energy our way. But just as it starts to generate, Ethan rams her, knocking her to the ground, and her fingertips flash in Marduke’s direction instead. He doubles over in pain, groaning.

I tug Arkarian back to the centre where Matt is still fiddling with the crystal he’s discovered. ‘Trust and believe,’ I whisper. ‘Isn’t that what we’re trained to do?’

‘Yes, but, Isabel, there’s no rift here.’

Marduke is up again with a wild look in his eye. He descends on Dillon, while Ethan tries to keep Lathenia on the ground. She screams, and suddenly Ethan is flung backwards. I call him over, then look frantically at Arkarian. ‘Just concentrate on creating that power.’

Hurrying now before Marduke and Lathenia strike again, I yank on Dillon’s arm and get everyone to form a circle around Arkarian and Matt.

‘What are you doing?’ Ethan asks me.

‘We have to protect Arkarian from Keziah’s magic. And Matt has an idea to get us out of here, so we have to protect him too.’

‘Matt?’

‘Yes, Matt.’ I cross my fingers behind my back. ‘I just hope he’s right.’

Suddenly an explosion shatters the air. The ground vibrates below us, the marble cracking in several places. We stumble and fall over each other. When I find my balance, I see it’s Marduke’s work, and I wonder fleetingly what magnitude of power he possesses these days. Power I don’t want to know about. He raises his hands, attempting to strike at us again.

‘They’re protecting him!’ Lathenia screams out. She catches my eye and her own blaze brilliant blue, then deeper blue again; and from her fingertips shoot sparks of sizzling electricity, exploding around and over us. We try not to lose our positions, protecting Matt and Arkarian our first priority.

‘Nothing’s happening,’ Matt says behind me.

Lathenia screams out, ‘Keep trying, Keziah!’ And to Marduke, she says, ‘We finish this now!’

Turning my head slightly, I see Marduke and Lathenia separate and stand at right angles from us. Both of them – their entire bodies – begin to glow. There’s a power building between them, and I get the sense that it’s going to be something special. It becomes clearer as they hold out their hands towards each other. Electric currents sizzle and crackle as their energy reaches out across the space between them and meets in mid air, where a luminous ball of blue and red and purple light begins to generate. It doesn’t take long to work out what’s about to happen. The Goddess and Marduke are creating something huge, a powerful explosion of energy. It will bring the temple down.

This is how she plans to entomb us.

‘It’s going to be big, Isabel,’ Ethan whispers in awe as their bodies continue to glow brighter. He glances over his shoulder. Dillon’s eyes follow. Matt is still on his knees on the floor. Arkarian sees the crystal and his body freezes, distracting his concentration. ‘You found it!’

‘Hurry, Arkarian,’ I whisper.

‘But, Isabel, you don’t understand.’

‘We’re running out of time! Keep trying!’

He nods and closes his eyes again.

‘Whatever they’re doing, I’m afraid it’s going to be too late,’ Dillon says.

It’s in this moment that despair touches my soul. Within the cover of our arms and bodies Matt is still trying to work out what to do with the crystal, while Arkarian still searches within him for the power he needs.

Ethan looks at Lathenia and Marduke’s glowing bodies, which now fill the temple with dazzling light. ‘Lorian knew this would happen, knew there was no way the Goddess would let us escape.’

The entire temple starts to vibrate. Without the need for words, we all come to the understanding that it’s only a matter of seconds before we’re eliminated – for ever.

My mother’s face flashes before me, bringing tears to my eyes.

Beneath my feet vibrations begin to shift the marble flooring. The Goddess and Marduke’s combined powers swell to scorching point and the marble shatters. Between them they have created a shimmering orb of pulsing energy. It sparks a flash, and the entire temple fills with intense white light. We have to shut our eyes and bury our heads to avoid blindness.

It’s at this precise moment Matt screams out, ‘Yes! I’ve got it!’

Arkarian calls back, ‘Bring it with you!’

‘I can’t. It won’t budge.’

Arkarian’s voice takes on a panicked tone. ‘You must! If we leave it here, Lathenia will find—’

Arkarian abandons this thought as the room, and everything in it, ignites. ‘Too late,’ he says, then throws his hands up into the air. ‘Now!’

The panelled ceiling flickers to life. It starts spinning, picking up speed quickly. Light pours down and all seven of us are propelled into the high central peak, swirling ever upwards. Then there is nothing but darkness.