The Battle for Sanctuary: The Titan's Legacy: Vol: 2 (Volume 2) (21 page)

Maria
glanced at Justin who shrugged and nodded. She replied with a smile
and then slowly began to walk up the ramp, the rest of the group
strung out behind her. Justin took the rear after spending a minute
stretching the kinks out of his back.

The
climb to the next level was a long one, as it had been when they'd
walked up the steps to the previous level. But the ramp was smooth
and not too steep and none of them was in a hurry to face whatever
was ahead of them.

Justin
was trying to figure out how long it had been since they had actually
arrived in Sanctuary. A week maybe? The time they'd spent with
Prometheus had totally thrown him out of whack because they had slept
several times, but only when they had been tired. So whether each
sleep had actually marked the end of a full day was something he
couldn't answer. He frowned in concentration, walking automatically
behind Aaron as he tried to figure it out.

At least
two days on the first level. That seemed about right. A day, maybe,
on the lake. Then, counting their time wandering the maze, their stay
with Prometheus might have lasted three days, maybe four. Justin
sighed in frustration and then looked upward, trying to see how close
they were to the top.

Because
of the tight spiral of the ramp, there was no way to tell how much
further there was to climb. The floor here was dusty and the walls
had a few small cracks and bits of debris littered the floor, but on
the whole the ramp was in much better shape then the lower levels had
been. The air was dry and smelled stale.

“
How
you holding up, Aaron?” Justin asked his friend. Aaron looked
over his shoulder with a grin.

“
Hanging
in, Just. I've been going through the whole controlling fire thing in
my head, trying to figure out how I could use it if we're attacked by
something else along the way.”

“
Oh
yeah? And, any ideas?”

Aaron
frowned, glanced ahead to check his footing, then back at Justin.
“Yeah, I think so. None of the ideas are pleasant though.
Hitting someone with a ball of fire? Blowing things up? I don't know
if I'd ever be able to do that, Justin.”

Nodding,
Justin thought about that himself. Somehow, now that he knew how to
manipulate earth a bit, he could
see
different ways to apply it in his mind. Like gouging a rock out of
the ground and flinging it at someone or causing a ceiling to
collapse. Like Aaron, he didn't like the idea of using that sort of
power against anyone, even an enemy.

We may not come to that, he thought hopefully. There are other ways
to get around dangerous situations. He hoped that he was right, but
the uneasy feeling that he'd have to choose to attack someone with
this new ability wouldn't go away.

It was a quiet group that finally met at the top of the ramp. From
the expressions on the other teen's faces, Justin had a feeling that
they had also been considering the use of their new talents.

There was an open archway leading out of the ramp area and through it
they could see exactly what Daemon had described. Sand. Seemingly
endless rolling dunes of sand.

The light shining down from the far-off ceiling of this level was the
color that a clear sky in the desert would be, if they weren't deep
underground. They could see clouds of sand whirling around in the
distance, blown by a wind coming from an unknown source.

“
Looks
like a desert, doesn't it?” Julia asked quietly. Yolanda nodded
a silent agreement as she looked timidly out from the doorway.

“
It's
a bit intimidating, I'll give you that,” Maria said. “But
it's just sand. We can handle that, after what we've been through.”

Her confident tone seemed to reassure the others, Justin thought with
approval. They'd need that confidence as they went along.

He had been studying the sandy vista and he realized how much it
reminded him of the Hall of Remembrance. The sand had been as fine,
the light just as bright and the air was certainly as dry. The only
difference was the size. This whole level seemed to be one big sand
pit, where the Hall had been one fairly small, dome-shaped room. He
decided to mention it to the others.

“
There
was a room like this place, Justin?” Jason asked intrigued.

“
Yep,
but a lot smaller. The thing is, Mr. Fitzgerald could manipulate the
sand so that it took on the shapes of old records. It actually showed
me ancient Atlantis and a run-in between Cronus and Hyperion.”

“
Took
on the shapes?” Dominic looked confused.

“
I
mean that the sand changed and formed walls, streets, even people. It
reproduced their colors and textures as well. It was really amazing.”

“
Okay
Justin, but how does this help us?” Maria asked practically.

“
No
idea, Maria. But I've been thinking about it and I think Mr.
Fitzgerald may have had the ability to manipulate earth.” The
others were listening intently. “I remember that when he
created the places we examined, he stepped back to the wall, out of
the way, raised his hands and the people and places grew up out of
the sand.”

“
Wow,
that's neat,” Richard said, sounding impressed.

“
So
you think he had a power like yours, Justin?” Maria sounded
skeptical. “Let's say you're right. How does that help us get
through this place?”

Justin grinned at her. “I have no idea,” he answered with
a laugh. “But I'm working on it.”

“
Okay,
you keep doing that,” Maria said in obvious amusement. “But
in the meantime, I think we'd better choose a direction to head out
in. I mean, where could the exit be?”

“
That
could be a major problem,” Dominic spoke up. “If we
follow the edge of the level, we'll find the way out eventually.”
Several of the others agreed but then Dominic held up his hand. “If
the exit is along the wall. But what if it's out in the middle
somewhere? We could circle the edge of this place forever and never
get any closer.”

Justin jumped in. “Exactly, Dominic. Good call.” The teen
looked pleased. “My suggestion, for what it's worth, is that we
walk far enough out from the wall to keep it in sight while giving
ourselves a better view of the inner part of the, let's just call it
what it is, the desert. That way, we may spot a structure or a ramp
or whatever, better than if we stay along the edge.”

Maria nodded with approval. “That's an excellent idea, Justin.
I think we should try that, unless anyone has a better idea?”

No one else did and so the group, led by Maria and trailed by Justin,
entered the new level.

They walked straight out about fifty yards, turned and started
walking parallel to the wall on their right.

The sand was just as Daemon had described it; like fine powder,
slippery and deep. It sucked at their feet and covered them up to
their ankles, deeper in some places.

The air was constantly swirling around them, the mysterious wind
throwing gusts of grit into their eyes. Their noses and mouths were
irritated by breathing the stuff and Justin heard a steady stream of
coughs and sneezes. It was a misery.

The group had been slogging along for about an hour, when Maria
called a halt. Ahead of them loomed an actual sand dune that rose up
about twenty feet and blocked their path. Everyone stared at it as
they came to a stop.

“
Okay
guys, this is getting stupid,” Maria said loudly. The wind had
picked up and was moaning dismally and it was hard to hear each other
speak.

“
We're
exhausting ourselves and not getting anywhere,” She looked over
at Justin. “This was a good idea, Justin, but it's not working.
We need a new plan.”

Justin nodded tiredly. “I agree. Why don't we head back to the
wall, take a break, have something to drink and think of something
else.” He heard grateful comments from the others.

Maria looked relieved and, turning toward the distant wall, led the
group slowly out of the deep sand. Once they had reached the wall,
the teens sat down, rested against the rough stone and opened their
packs.

Besides juice, Daemon had given them each a jug of water for their
journey. Maria reminded them to make it last, at least until they
found another water source, so everyone drank sparingly. Then they
sat back and considered their situation.

The sad sound of the wind rippling across the sand added to their
dismal mood and when Justin glanced down the row of his tired and
irritated friends, he realized that they needed a better plan to
re-energize the group. He looked dejectedly at the sand, thinking
about how Mr. Fitzgerald had controlled the same sort of sand in the
Hall of Remembrance.

The man had raised his hands, closed his eyes and suddenly a village
had taken shape around them. Justin thought about that. If Mr.
Fitzgerald had indeed had the power to control earth, didn't that
mean that he, Justin, could do the same? Sure, he was new at it but
Prometheus had said that the only limitation was his imagination, or
something like that. So what if he imagined a path or better yet a
straight road. Would that work?

Justin looked again at the others. Everyone seemed to have their eyes
closed, whether napping or simply because they were already sick of
staring at the unending sand. No one would see him try and fail, so
why not?

He pushed back firmly against the wall to brace himself, stretched
out his legs in front of him and stuck both hands deeply into the
powdery sand. Then he closed his eyes and tried to think his way into
the sand itself, like he had with the clod of earth back in
Prometheus' quarters.

He caught his breath. There was so much of it! Like some immense
beast, it rolled and swirled like it was alive. And yet, the
sensation he experienced as his mind became caught up with this
gigantic mass of sand was...warm, almost welcoming. It was as if the
sand was seeking direction from someone, like it had been waiting for
him. For a minute, he was the sand; unending, moving, churning,
looking to become...something. It wanted him to use it! Make
something of it, something cohesive, something permanent.

Justin opened his eyes. The others hadn't moved. He looked at the
sand; before, seeming so sterile and menacing, now inviting and full
of possibilities. My God, he thought, will it always be like this
now? The sand wasn't alive! It wasn't a thinking creature. It was
just sand. And he had better remember that, because for just a
moment, he knew that he had been close to losing himself to its
immensity.

Enough, he thought. Let's be practical. We need a path across this
place. He pictured it in his mind, dug deeply into the sand, his
tight fists full of grit, and visualized it.

“
Um,
guys?” he said loudly over the gusts of wind. “I think
I've solved our problem.”

“
Huh?
What's up, Just?” Aaron sounded groggy. The others grumbled and
stirred themselves.

“
What's
your next brilliant plan, Justin?” Dominic asked in his old
sarcastic tone.

“
This
is,” Justin said. Then he clenched his teeth and, in his mind,
twisted the very fabric of the sand itself to fit his vision and
conform to his will.

There were gasps and several curses as the sand in front of them
coalesced and tightened into a solid road. Perhaps ten feet wide and
smooth as a paved city street, it formed slowly for a moment,
advancing by inches starting at Justin's feet and then picking up
speed. A few feet long, then gaining ground. Several yards, a dozen
more and then, with breakneck speed and an explosion of dust, a road
formed, shot away from them and was lost in the distance.

Justin sat back trembling. He put a shaky hand to his forehead and
wiped the sweat away. He was exhausted but also thrilled. It had
worked! The road stretched out straight across the level until it was
obscured by the wind-blown sand.

A stunned group stared first at the road and then at him. And then
they were all cheering!

“
Justin!
That was incredible!” Aaron helped him to get up, grinning from
ear to ear. Julia lost all control and actually hugged him. So did
Yolanda. The others ruffled his hair or patted him on the back.

Maria settled for a big smile. “Amazing, Justin. Simply
amazing,” she said in admiration. “The power of earth?”

He nodded, unable to speak as he became aware that he was out of
breath, like he'd been running full tilt. When he finally caught his
breath, he stared out at the perfectly flat path ahead of them.
“Whoa,” he said.

Now that he was standing, Justin could appreciate how far and
straight the road was, and how unnatural it looked against the
shifting sands. He looked at the happy group around him.

“
Prometheus
was right,” he said to them. “All you have to do is
surrender yourself to the power inside you, tell it what you want and
let it find a way to accomplish it. Weird sensation though.”

“
Weird
how, Just?” Aaron asked curiously.

“
Hard
to explain, bud. It's like the sand was...alive. Alive and waiting
for instructions.” He saw the touch of awe in his friend's face
and punched him lightly on the arm. “It's not though, Aaron,”
he said with a laugh. “I think that's how I needed to perceive
it to make it into what I wanted it to be.”