Crais (16 page)

“Where are these free Seventine
and what are they doing?” Fury was leaning as far away from the light as she could.

“They’
re gathering energy, severing tethers throughout all the worlds, and then consuming that now free energy,” I explained to her.

We’d started having this conversation
the previous day, but had been interrupted by some Walker training.

“
Could that be what happened to Kilkalow?” Dune said, facing Fury, his forehead furrowed.

“Our largest mountain, one which provided much protection for our people, disappeared thirty sun
eclipses ago,” Fury explained. “None of us could understand what had happened. Many of the tribesmen perished. They left to hunt as usual and when they returned there was no Kilkalow, and no entrance back below.”

Occurrences such as this
had been happening throughout the worlds. And apparently it was only set to increase with each Seventine release. The guilt churned inside me, guilt that I might be contributing to the death and destruction on the worlds. What was I thinking?

I couldn’t do this.

“The Seventine target tethers which garner a lot of energy, both in size and structure, but also ones that are important to the local population. If this mountain was utilized a lot, it would have had strong energy.” Josian’s expression was guarded.

“Can we close this doorway the
n?” Lallielle asked. “Since we’re now aware of the opening, surely there’s some way to close it?”

One of the W
alkers shook his head. “No, I’ve been researching this subject and it’s the combined presence of the Seventine that created the vacuum of power and sealed the prison. It was designed by the original seven.”

“Did that reading give you any id
ea how we can get them into the prison? You know, except for waiting them out and it sucks them back in?” I asked.

“I can’t find that information. I need to keep researching
. The problem is that Walkers have their scrolls and tablets scattered all around the star system. Much has been lost, or hidden away.”

“What we need to do is
call a meeting of every Walker. The combined knowledge exists somewhere; it’s just that you don’t have access to everyone’s brain,” I said as I inched my way closer to the opening.

F
or some reason I was back to thinking it would be fine to let the third out. My moods were very up and down at that moment. The room fell silent and they all stared at me.

I crinkled my eyes. “What?”

Had they noticed my movements toward the vortex already?

“That’s a brilliant idea, Aribella.” Josian’s smile was blinding.

I chuckled in relief. “No need to sound so surprised. I’m full of brilliant ideas.”

Lucy snorted. “You’re full of something, that’s for sure.”

“It would take some time to get the word out, but I think we could organize a Walker gathering on First World. As soon as we leave here, I’ll get the Doreens to start the campaign.” Josian’s eyes were practically jumping out of his head. “We haven’t gathered in large numbers in so long, it will be like a reunion.”

“Remember
those gatherings in the beginning? Crazy times.” Lanthorne shook his head.

The
other Walkers laughed together as they reminisced about the ‘good old’ days, probably when they partied with the dinosaurs.

“First World might not survive it.”
Josian’s laughter boomed loudly around the stone room.

The light
seemed to react to the noise, the brightness more intense.

I’d continued to inch my way closer to the opening
. The brighter light was actually camouflaging my actions. When I was over the top of it, I glanced down. Waves of light shined up at me from what looked like an endless hole.

It seemed as if
part of the glow was from moonstale stones littering the side walls. There were countless numbers of them interspersed with another type of yellow rock. The prison was lined with a variety of colored stones which must be part of the protection. Without thought I reached down and unsheathed the dagger resting in the side of my boot. Clutching the handle in my sweaty hand, I released the golden cord.

Hello, sweetheart.

My skin crawled at the deep voice.

We’
re waiting for you in the shadows. I’ll release your mate the moment you complete the ritual.

I didn’
t like the word ritual. It gave me an uncomfortable feeling. Or maybe that was the smugness of its tone. It was manipulating me somehow and I didn’t even care. I couldn’t stop myself from lifting the knife and sliding the razor-sharp point across the pad of my hand. It cut quick and deep, droplets of blood raining into the glowing abyss below me.

The moment my blood fell, connecting with the stones lining th
e rock, the light changed color, the white fading out to a deep red. I fell to my knees as a sense of foreboding struck hard. What had I just done? Something was very wrong.

Say the
words, or you will release much more than my brother.

The
voice was impatient, the genial tone it had adopted when speaking with me was gone.

What are you talking about?

There is much more locked in these walls than stones. There are ancient entities that guard and secure us. They feed off blood; you have just given them an influx of strength.

Oh
, shit. I really should have clarified what exactly was going to happen that day.

I recalled the words and without hesitation spoke out loud.

“Vectus Elitus.”

Everyone spun in my direction.

“What did you say, Abby?” Lucy took a hesitant step toward me. “Please tell me it wasn’t ‘Vectus Elitus’?”

I shook my head as she repeated my words.

“Why?” Fury had her hands on hips. “What does that mean?”

Everyone
except Josian jumped back as the now red light increased in intensity, shadowing our faces.

“It’
s the invocation to start the ritual.” Lucy glared at me. “What the eff have you done?”

Crap
. She’d used the word ritual too. The sick feeling intensified. I wasn’t sure if it was from the red light or the guilt. I stumbled back.

“How do you know so much
about this place, Lucy?” I said in a weak voice.

“It’s the dreams.” She stepped forward. “I think I’m supposed to be a guardian or something. The information is coming in bits and pieces, but I’m starting to put it all together.”

Too late.

I stopped then and looked at her
. I mean, really noticed Lucy. She was my oldest friend. I’d known her since we were in diapers. But she was different. In my own selfishness and crazy life I hadn’t stopped long enough to notice how much she had been through, the strength she now carried, the authority she held.

“Luce
,” I breathed. “You ... wow, I’m impressed.”

Her brow furrowed. “I
definitely feel a lot better knowing that it’s not insanity chipping at my brain. That there’s actually something to these dreams.”

“Baby girl, care to share what just happened?”
Josian interrupted, his impatience clear by the strangled tone of his voice.

I was j
ust opening my mouth to answer when the red lights of the pit flared and an unearthly scream emerged. Every one of us hit the ground. The walls began to shake as the noise increased. I could feel the Seventine emerging. It was calling to its brothers, and then it broke through the barriers and something fissured inside me.

Lucy crawled over to me. “You don’t know what
you’ve done, Abby.”

My breath
caught in my throat. I knew this had been a bad idea, and I was about to find out why.

I captured her face in my hands, staring into her serious blue eyes.

“What, Luce
?” Tears poured down my face. “God, what have I done?”

It was as if I
had been under a spell until that moment, and now I understood the full repercussions of my actions. I’d done the very thing we’d been trying to prevent and I may have just ended the world with my one decision.

“
I didn’t see until your blood hit the stones, but the third was the lock.” Sympathy shone in her eyes. “You’re the chosen of the halves, Abbs. Your blood was the key to releasing the lock. If you had not freed the third, then it would never have been released and the Seventine would have been dragged back in when their time was up.”

I choked on my sobs
. The noise continued to increase, the energy holding us immobile on the ground.

“I don’t ... I can’t ...” Oh
, god, I couldn’t even get the words out. “I really effed up this time, Luce.”

Tears filled her eyes also, and she rested her forehead on mine.

“I won’t tell them, Abbs. It doesn’t change anything and our mission is the same. Save the worlds.”

I shook my head. “I can’
t ask that of you. I think the Seventine influenced me somehow. I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I had this one-track mind that couldn’t be changed.”

“You should have come to us, Aribella.” I lifted my head from Lucy’s
to see Josian and Lallielle crouched next to us. “That’s what we’re here for. We’re your family, and we protect you and guide the actions you make,” Josian finished, his bronze eyes serious.

“I know you
’ve been on your own for a long time.” Lallielle reached out and grasped my hand. “It’s our fault that you forgot to turn to someone for help.”

I hung my head, shame clouding through me like an insipid fog
. The golden cord snapped once in my mind and then it was gone. I remembered the final warning.

My head flew up. “We have to get out of here. The three freed are coming to destroy anyone still in the caves.”
I faced Josian. “Tell your men in the other channel.”

He nodded. “They’
re fine. There was nothing in their side except the traps, so they’ve already exited and are waiting outside.”

The pressure in the room had
eased; I lurched to my feet with everyone else. Without a backwards glance, afraid I’d see the mists of the Seventine, I bolted toward tunnel eight. I had Lucy’s hand held tightly in one of my own and I trusted that everyone else was escaping with me.

There was a strange fogginess in the air now, making it difficult to see where we were heading, but I continued without pause
. There was no time to waste. I screeched as a shadow rose in front of me, my face crunching as I smashed into what felt like a rock wall.

I bounced back,
pulling Lucy down so we both ended up in a painful tangle on the ground. I was stunned for a moment and while I was waiting for the ringing in my head to stop, the melding bond snapped back in.

My breath caught in my throat
. The emotions flooding my system were overwhelming. In the time Brace had been gone I’d forgotten how intense our melding was. The gasps were stuck in my throat. And while everyone was scrambling, trying to not stomp us to death, the wall I’d just smashed into moved out of the mists and, reaching down, scooped me into his arms. Lucy’s hand fell from mine.

The moment
he touched me, his scent overwhelmed my senses and darkness engulfed my mind. I was neither fully unconscious nor conscious; I could feel the ground shifting, arms that felt like bands of steel wrapping tightly around me. There was not one iota of space between us. Tears tracked silently down my cheeks, flooding under my closed eyelids. Warm hands brushed them away.

“You need to open your eyes now, Red.” Shivers wracked me as his voice washed over
my sensitive skin. “I need to see those tantalizing emeralds.”

I wanted to
; I was wasting precious time not looking at his beautiful face. Every day I’d wished he was back with me and now I was too weak to open my damn eyes. The breeze caressed my face, drying the last of the tears which had soaked me. I felt relief that we were out of those mountains. No one had been attacked. The Seventine had kept its word to me, so far anyways.

I decided to face my fears and with a sigh
opened my eyes. The light was dim outside, the sun starting to set in the indigo sky of First World.

“Hey
, baby.” His features were immobile.

I clashed eyes with a chocolate brown so rich that I drowned for a moment.

“Brace,” was all I could strangle out.

His expression softened.

I
finally noticed that his black tribal marks were visible. And the threads of our marks were bleeding out to join with each other. My eyes widened. I couldn’t see any yellow moonstale light reflecting around.

“Your marks
–” I started.

His lips narrowed.
“The Seventine’s power branded them permanently on my skin, since they’re part of the original universe.”