Soul of Darkness (30 page)

Then I threw up.

Trembling from the magic we’d used and the additional effort of crawling up the beach, my body collapsed, and I lay on my back in the sand, doing nothing but gazing at the sky…and breathing.

None of the others had followed me. I turned my head to the side, stole a quick glance their way, and saw them lying stretched out on the beach, as well. It seemed the magic had gotten to all of us in equal measure and had sucked us dry of energy. Before doing anything else, we would need to refuel. I just prayed we’d have the time.

After catching our breaths for a few minutes, we headed toward the cave. As we walked through the tunnel-like entrance, I held my breath once we neared the part where it opened up to the large cave, my skin prickling from the overwhelming sensation of powerful, old magic.

A strong sense of foreboding came over me, accompanied by a sudden vision that seemed all too familiar. Horrified, I remembered when and where I’d seen it before.

It had been the very first time I’d come in close contact with the Book of Light, when I’d told Aaron about sensing that all life might be coming to an end. Upon returning to this cave, I was getting the same vibe…seeing the same images of the vision I’d had before.

This could not be a good sign!

Alarm bells went off inside my head, and I was about to sound the alarm when my mind went completely blank all of a sudden.

Confused about what I’d wanted to say, I stopped in mid-step and watched the others walk ahead of me. Aidan abruptly stopped, turned around, and gazed at me with a strange look on his face, suddenly seeming on edge.

“What’s wrong?” I asked him.

Instead of answering directly he just stared at me for a moment, looking bewildered.

“Why are you asking
me 
that? I thought
you 
had something on
your
  mind. Just now, I got a strange vibe from you…you seemed distressed,” he said, his confusion apparent in his voice as he spoke.

“What?” I asked, surprised, “I wasn’t…I’m not distressed…am I?” I said, though not with as much conviction as I would have liked. Things were a bit hazy.

“Don’t stop and chat, let’s get moving and set up camp,” Aaron interjected, putting an end to our discussion.

We hurriedly followed the others to the center of the cave, realizing as we got there that there was really no ‘camp’ to set up. We had brought nothing but a book and a quilt.

“What should we do?” Aaron asked, “Should we just conjure some blankets and pillows for now?”

“Let us not use excessive magic here,” Malcolm replied hastily, his eyes flitting to the rippling waves of the unnaturally shimmering green pond of saltwater tucked away in one corner of the cave.

“Just thinking about using magic in this place makes me feel uneasy. Unfortunately, there is no way around it, as we will have to use the Book of Light
―
and, subsequently, its inherent magi
c
― to try and find a way to fight your looming destiny. Apart from that, we had better not use magic…it might disrupt the balance of this place. So…even though resting on the bare ground is bound to be slightly uncomfortable, please bear with me for now and let us just lie down quietly and regain our strengths.”

“Why don’t we just rest on the quilt,” I suggested, pulling it out from under Aidan’s arm and spreading it on the stone floor. It was certainly large enough for the four of us to stretch out on side by side.

Malcolm purposefully steered me toward one side of the quilt and his sons to the opposite side before lying down between us to create a buffer. I turned on my side, rested my head on my arm, and fell asleep within minutes.

After a few hours of sleep, my eyes opened to the familiar green radiance that rippled all the way around the cave wall, our only source of brightness in this otherwise shadowy place void of natural light.

Next to me, the others seemed to be slowly stirring, as well. I stretched, yawned widely, and finally sat up. Folding my legs under, I waited for Malcolm, Aaron, and Aidan to awaken completely.

When the four of us were ready and sitting cross-legged in a circle facing each other, Malcolm grabbed his backpack off the floor beside him, opened it, pulled the Book of Light out, and placed it in the center of the quilt between us.

“What exactly do you expect us to find in here? And why do we need to use the book right now if you’re so apprehensive about using magic in this place? Why not wait until we’ve found another secure hide-out?” I asked Malcolm, curious as to why he would risk disturbing the magical balance in the cave.

“As to your first question: I am hoping to find some kind of clue…or perhaps a spell…that will help us fight or even destroy the curse. I am not sure if we can find anything in this book, but I believe we must try. Undoubtedly, the Book of Light holds many secrets and is directly linked to the curse and the three of you,” Malcolm explained and then paused for a moment before he went on.

“Regarding the other question…‘Why must we do it right now?’…I am afraid I cannot give you a precise answer, my dear. Let us just say…I have a feeling,” Malcolm answered vaguely and to my utter dissatisfaction.

“You have a feeling,” I repeated in a dry tone, clearly conveying that I was still waiting for a better explanation to follow.

“I have a feeling that there may not be…another opportunity. We should not delay this,” Malcolm stated so seriously that I was thoroughly creeped out by the ‘doomsday’ manner of his statement.

“Basically, you’re saying that…we’re out of time,” I said in an utterly calm voice that belied the inner turmoil I felt.

“I believe so, my dear,” Malcolm replied honestly and without the slightest hesitation, his certainty causing goosebumps to spread all over my body.

“As I have just said, it is a
feeling
. I may be mistaken,” Malcolm added carefully, seeming to have thought better of the ‘too honest’ approach. Perhaps he’d noticed my goosebumps. His revised statement was meant to make us feel better, but I could tell at once that not even Malcolm believed in the words he’d just spoken.

Aaron and Aidan, who were seated on either side of me, appeared to be just as apprehensive as I was. Silently, the three of us waited until Malcolm, who was sitting opposite me, gently pushed the heavy volume in my direction.

“You will need to find an answer,” Malcolm said, looking at us expectantly, as though we should have known what we were supposed to do. Although, if the past was any indication, the Book of Light would respond to Aaron’s and my united touch on the blank page.

I reached for the book and pulled it onto my lap, wanting to have a thorough look at it before we started. But before I could even open it up to a specific page, it displayed a life and will of its own.

The air inside the cave was suddenly whipped around us, making my eyes water and sending my long curls flying around me in every direction. As blindingly bright rays erupted from the Book of Light, its pages turned with enormous speed until the book finally rested in my lap displaying two blank pages at its center.

“By the way, why is it that there are only ever blank pages in this book? I mean…isn’t a Grimoire supposed to have spells or other information already displayed…ready to be read…so that it can actually be considered a useful item?” I asked Malcolm, suddenly curious and frustrated with this book’s utter lack of helpfulness.

“Well,” Malcolm responded after a slight chuckle at my impatience, “the best kind of Grimoire is, of course, the kind that is not limited as to its content. The pages are blank because they have not actually been written. The book is unique in the way that it directly and solely responds to your need…even if it is a need you are unaware of. It displays the exact information you need at the moment you can make use of it. Therefore, there are no limits to the spells or the information the book can provide. I would call it rather useful, do you not agree?”

I looked at him for a moment and finally conceded.

“Fine,” I said, “you win…it’s useful.” I touched my hand to the left page without anything happening.

“It’s useful…except for the fact that I can’t get any information on my own…and it actually uses our own blood to spout forth stupid riddles nobody really understands,” I added grumpily…someone had to come out and say it!

Malcolm just smiled at me and didn’t engage furthe
r―
probably a wise choice.

Expectantly, I glanced over at Aaron who was seated to my left and hadn’t moved a muscle since the book had come to life. Reacting to my gaze yet without saying a word, Aaron reached out and placed his hand on the same page, his skin touching my own.

The page remained blank.

This was exactly how we’d managed to extract information from the book before. But for some reason nothing was happening this time.

“What’s going on? Why isn’t it working?” Aaron asked his father, slightly irritated by the sound of it. It seemed he had just as much tolerance for more guesswork as I had. I felt like eating my previous words about the book being useful.

“Hmm,” Malcolm replied, “perhaps it really is as I had expected. Perhaps the rules have changed.”

“Which rules?” I asked Malcolm, intrigued by his choice of words.

“The curse’s rules,” Malcolm clarified.

“How can the rules change? I didn’t know that could happen,” Aidan said, sounding shocked.

“It can happen,” Malcolm simply stated.

“So, what are the rules?” Aaron interrupted Malcolm and Aidan’s discussion.

“Though I am by no means certain, I do believe Aidan should join your hands on the page,” Malcolm suggested. Aidan shot his father a dirty look. He didn’t seem pleased with the idea of the three of us ‘holding hands’.

I couldn’t say I blamed him.

Aidan hesitantly placed his hand on the page above Aaron's and mine, one of his fingertips barely touching my hand.

Nothing happened.

I was about to ask Malcolm why it hadn’t worked, but he was already one step ahead of me, instructing us on what needed to be done.

“No, my boy, you must also touch Aaron’s hand,” he stated.

Aidan shot his father an even dirtier look than before and moved his thumb in order to connect with Aaron’s hand as well. The Book of Light reacted immediately, and our joint blood spilled forth, weaving words and our essences onto the page.

“Remember to lift your hands straight upward or you will smear the writing underneath,” Malcolm instructed.

Heeding Malcolm’s words, we carefully withdrew our hands from the page without smudging the text. Nonetheless, our palms were stained red with the traces of our blood sacrifice.

“This is one hell of a strange book,” Aidan muttered after having scrutinized the tiny flecks of blood sticking to his palm. I had no doubt he found the book’s use of our own blood just as ominous as I did.

I looked at the old-fashioned script before me, already knowing it would be a pain in the ass to decipher its true meaning.

Remaining hours spun from glass

Shatter before dark

A power borne within a lass

Shall leave its horrid mark

Minutes, seconds counting down

The world shall be undone

For the fiend who steals the crown

Cannot be overcome

Hence cast away thy pride

Surrender to thy fate

For that which lingers deep inside

No light can penetrate

The written word shall come to pass

For fate must play her part

Yet there lies promise in the past

For all ye brave at heart

“Well, whatever the deeper meaning behind it, the overall impression this leaves me with is not very promising,” Malcolm’s words disrupted the silence.

“Yeah,” Aaron agreed, “it sort of sounds like ‘You’re doomed no matter what, so just give up already’.”

“Not just that, but it seems to imply that time is just about up,” Aidan added.

Staring down at the book’s message, two particular lines caught my attention, the blood-red words ‘
For that which lingers deep inside No light can penetrate
’ burning themselves into my very soul. It was clear as daylight what those lines meant.