The Rise of the Fourteen (21 page)

“Sorem
—
”

“I’m not panicking, Demetri.”

“But
—
”

“I’m not panicking! Okay?”
After the ceiling had
collapsed, blocking off the passageway, the rocks had glowed with a white aura
and pressed together, hardening into an effective barrier. When Demetri went up
to touch it, it was indistinguishable from the cave wall. Since then, Sorem has
used all sorts of magic bombardment, but to no avail.

“Sorem,” Demetri says sharply, grabbing his sister’s wrist.
“We can find another way down.” Sorem breaks his grip, making her way back over
to the closed wall.

“How?”
At this point, Sorem has dissolved into pure
desperation and begins to kick at the piled stone. The air smells like dust and
failure as she weakly pokes at the rock with her foot.

“Come with me.” Demetri grabs her shoulders and steers her
up a narrow pathway. Sorem follows mutely, her eyes still trailing back to gaze
on the rubble.

“Here we are,” Demetri says triumphantly, pointing at an
opening in the wall.

“The well shaft,” Sorem says in disbelief. “You want us to
go down the well shaft.”

“This will take us down for sure.” Demetri swings one of his
legs over the edge and holds out his hand for Sorem to follow. “Come on.” Sorem
hesitates slightly, her hand shaking even as she reaches out to grab Demetri’s.
“What is it?”

“They seem so alone,” Sorem says quietly. “No matter how
much we trained them and took care of them, they always have to face these
dangers as
mahi
. I don’t know if we
can
help them.” Her hand
drops back to her side. Demetri hears voices as another tour group begins to
descend.

“We will reach them in time,” he says firmly. “Now, do you
trust me?”

“Not in the slightest, brother dear.”

 “Then this should be fun.” Sorem reluctantly takes his hand,
and Demetri pushes off the ledge, sending the pair plunging into a narrow shaft
of darkness.

“Is everyone still alive?” Erus asks the clump of dusty
mahi
.

 “No, I'm a ghost,” Lacria says acidly. Her hands are still
shaking, but she would sooner die than betray that.

“Okay, now I know Ferula is like the fire dude,” Erus says,
gesturing at the Australian boy, currently carrying a rod of fire in his left
hand, “but can’t any of you conjure some light?”

“What about yourself?” Luna snaps.

“I’ve tried, but it hasn’t worked,” Erus admits. He waits
for Luna to comment on his stupidity.

“I can’t conjure anything either,” she sulks, head hanging
down.

Nuptia flashes a secret smile.
A little willpower can
placate even those most acerbic,
she thinks, flexing her hands. She ducks
into the shadows briefly, to conceal the fading purple fog swirling around her
fingertips.

“Well, of course you can’t,” Callida says in her usual
matter of fact tone. Luna and Erus look as if they could pulverize the girl
then and there. “We’re underground.”

“Callida, if you’re going to make a point, get to the end of
it,” Ámpelos states flatly.

“Underground there is no sunlight or moonlight for either
Luna or Arden to manipulate,” she says coolly, pointing at Luna and Arden
respectively. “If they can’t use light as their
prima
magic, none of us
should be able to.” Luna and Arden exchange stricken looks.

“I hope everyone brought their swords,” Callida says with a
sour smile. Nuntios’s eyes widen as he reaches for his blade, and it’s nowhere
to be found. “Hey, Nuntios, catch!” Nuntios reaches up just in time to grab a
heavyset crossbow as it sails towards him. He turns to see Callida grinning at
him from the other side of the room. “You’re welcome.”

“How did you know?” Nuntios asks incredulously.

“I can read minds, remember.”

“You have a spare crossbow?” Armifer asks, mildly impressed.

“Of course I have a spare crossbow. Don’t you?” The majority
of the group stands silent, impressed with this small bundle of warfare.
This
girl never ceases to amaze me,
Anima thinks silently. Callida turns
to speak to Erus once more. “Now, you’re the leader, apparently. Shouldn’t you
and our two
lovely
guides start leading the way?”

A miffed Erus re-straps his sword to his side and starts
down through the warren-like pathways, closely followed by Mortas and Ferula,
with the remaining
mahi
bringing up the rear.

The next hour is relatively uneventful, as Ferula has taken
the lead, illuminating the passageway now with twin scepters of fire, one in
each hand. Erus makes sure that no one falls behind, doing a head count every
fifteen minutes.

Meanwhile, Mortas is running her hands over the wall, trying
to discern more passageways. She knows roughly where the openings should be,
via the map, but only the telltale feeling in her palms will let her know for
sure.

She feels the pricking yet again and feels up and down the
wall until she finds a rough etching of a theta in the stone.
A symbol of
death
, she thinks,
how appropriate
. She aligns her palm with the engraving
and a line of black luminescence streaks up the wall. The rock splits evenly in
two and falls away in a cloud of dust.

Mortas steps through the doorway cautiously, suddenly aware
of the extent of the darkness around her.
The air smells different here,
she
thinks.
This is a bigger space, not another passage.
She feels the walls
just on either side of the opening, hoping for a better idea of their location,
and finds an irregular shelf that seems to extend all around the room. There is
a strange depression in the shelf, almost like a channel. She places her hand
in the gully and discovers that it is full with a thick, smooth liquid. It
doesn’t even feel properly wet when she rubs her fingers together. A spark of
an idea forms in her mind.

 “Ferula, come over here a minute,” she calls. “Put one of
your fire rods in this.” She gestures to the shelf on the right-hand side of
the doorway. Tentatively, he ignites the silky liquid. It flares up instantly
and the flames race down the ledge, illuminating a huge grotto, complete with
an arching ceiling.

As the brilliance finishes its loop around the room, the
rest of the gang files in tentatively. The flames reveal a great chamber,
filled with hundreds and hundreds of weavings and rugs. Some are hung on great
displays; others half- finished, still on looms; and even more blanket the
stony cave floor. Mortas unfurls the map once more and smiles. She holds it up
triumphantly, so that all the
mahi
can see.

“Welcome to the hall of rugs,” she says proudly, pointing to
the aforementioned name in flowing aureate script in the lower left-hand corner
of the parchment.

The lofty ceiling and wide berth of the room are especially
welcome sites after squeezing and crawling through various holes. The room has
a distinct echo to it and the group holds its breath, afraid to disturb the
air. Nuntios looks especially distressed, his jaw clenched. ‘What is it?’
Armifer mouths, looking at his friend in concern.

“Voices,” Nuntios breathes, in a voice barely above a
whisper. Armifer flinches involuntarily, remembering all too well the events at
the academy. Nuntios squeezes his eyes shut, attempting to clear his mind.

***

 “
This way, mahi.”

“
Quickly!
”

“They know you are coming.”

“Follow the trail.”

“
Don’t you want to save your friends?
”

***

Nuntios feels a sharp stabbing sensation in his temple and
falls to his knees, breathing hard.

“Nuntios!” Armifer rushes to the other boy’s aid. Nuntios’s
head is bowed, his eyes swimming with strain.

***

 
“
This way, mahi.”

***

His head snaps up.

“Nuntios?” Armifer asks uncertainly.

“We have instructions to find.” His jaw has unclenched; and his
eyes glow with the faintest sheen of ivory. Nuntios begins leading them through
the labyrinth of weavings, occasionally ducking to avoid overhanging
tapestries.

“I don’t understand,” Arden says. “What is he following?”

Callida takes a large breath, prepared to launch into a
lengthy explanation. “You remember when Ferula and Mortas first came to the sanctuary?
And I was like possessed?”

“How could I forget?” Arden replies. “Luna had me running
all over place, fetching towels, and food, and water, or
anything
.
”

Callida ignores his snide comment and continues. “Something
similar is happening to Nuntios. Sapienter’s spirit must be guiding him towards
the instructions.”

“That’s reassuring.”

Indeed, Armifer shares Arden’s sentiment as he walks closely
behind Nuntios, making sure he does not stumble or fall. Nuntios’s eyes are
still glazed over, his face blank.

***

 “
Now, under these hangings.”

“Take a right here.”

“This way mahi!”

***

Nuntios comes to rest in front of a small weaving, barely
noticeable amongst all of the other rugs. It depicts the Arabian Nights. Dozens
of intricate little scenes dot the fabric. Nuntios counts fourteen in total.

***

 “
Your instructions await, mahi.
”

***

The alabaster shimmer over Nuntios’s eyes flickers, then
vanishes and Nuntios falls to the ground, his head spinning.

“A rug? The instructions led us to a rug?” Anima asks as she
runs her hands over the threads. Nuntios is still sitting on the floor, trying
to regain his composure.

“Nuntios,” Armifer says. “It’s okay, the spirit is gone.”
Nuntios shakes his head, his face pale. “You’re safe now.” Armifer
instinctively wraps his arms around the other boy, ignoring any questioning
looks Ámpelos may have been giving him.

“There’s something else,” Nuntios says, squeezing his eyes
shut. “I can feel another spirit.”

“You’re just scared,” Armifer says, trying to reassure the
shaking boy. But he’s not too reassured himself.

“There’s a scroll inside it,” Callida says blankly. She
reaches through one of the scenes in the fabric and removes an ancient piece of
parchment. She then hands it to a grumpy Anima.

“How does she know everything?” Faber asks, gesturing wildly
to a smug Callida.

“I knew that too,” a voice calls from somewhere in the
room. The voice is slick and icy. It could comfort you, or make your skin
crawl. Lacria instantly recognizes it and turns to Anima.

“Anima, you have to go,” Lacria says. “You have to take the
scroll back to the sanctuary, and keep it safe.”

Anima looks at her, not comprehending, but is now all too
aware of the distinct sound of footsteps.

Lacria grips Anima’s shoulder, her sapphire eyes flaring.
“Anima, this scroll is
the last
chance we have to restore
the
gift
. You have to get away from here.” She gestures towards the direction
of the footsteps. “
He
will destroy the scroll and then all will be
lost.” Anima nods, not trusting herself to speak. “Go!” Anima hesitates, not
eager to abandon the fight. “Think of your loyalty to your friends,” Lacria
says sharply, all too aware of the danger.

Loyalty,
Anima thinks.
That is what controls my
actions now.
Anima conjures a portal and slips inside, disappearing in a
rainbow flash of light.

“Who is he?” Terrance whispers scared to make too loud of a
sound. He’s afraid he already knows the answer.

“Andreas,” Lacria breathes, her face going white. A tall,
slim figure rounds the corner and comes into view. His face is mostly concealed
by the cowl of his dark hood, but Lacria can still make out the glittering
yellow eyes.

“Did you miss me Lacria?” Andreas asks snidely, reveling in
her discomfort. His gaze passes over the assembled
mahi
. “And I see
you’ve made some new friends. How quaint.” He takes a look at the surroundings
once more, and smiles maliciously. “Any last words before I kill you?” he asks
firmly, cocking his head to one side.

“What’s to stop us from just portaling out of here?” Nuptia
asks defiantly. “We’ll be gone in seconds.”

Callida sighs. She already knows what Andreas’s answer will
be.

“Oh,” he says, as if genuinely surprised. “Because if you
do, we will just follow you. We will burn your precious sanctuary till it is
ash and rubble.”

“Who’s we?” Ferula asks, trying to keep a brave face.

Andreas just smiles. From all corners and cracks, they come
to him
—
demons.
They
range from wisps of black smoke to massive shadowy warriors armed with
glittering blades. Armifer freezes as he recognizes
evomo
, its spiny
feathers prominent. The deities flicker and flash, disorienting the
mahi
.

“You know,” Andreas says. “People always say ladies first. That’s
so boring
.
" He points to a stunned Terrance, still rubbing his
eyes. “Let’s start with you.” He smiles cruelly and directs a misty wraith at
the golden brown boy. It hurls an ebony shaft at the helpless lad, pointing
straight at his heart.

“No!” A bolt of sky blue light hits the spear mid-flight,
scattering the shadows to the air. Andreas looks at Lacria, clearly astounded.

“I will make sure you die this time,” she says, her eyes burning
with a fierce determination. She hurls another bolt at the wraith, and it
explodes with a screeching noise, wisps of black falling to the floor

“You shouldn’t be able to do that!”
Andreas screams.
“You,” he says, pointing at Lacria, “can’t use magic! Especially not down
here!”

Lacria looks at her compatriots beside her and smiles
wickedly. “You shouldn’t be able to kill everyone I love,” she says coolly, her
eyes thinning into slits. The
mahi
unsheathe their swords and raise them
high in the air, eager to face the enemy. “This ends now.” The room explodes into
a flurry of lights and the ringing of steel echoes around the cavern.

 “You used magic,” Terrance calls. “Lacria, you used magic!”
He fights beside her in the thick of the fray, chaos all around them. Branches
and vines have grown through cracks in the ground, and Terrance uses them to
wrestle with a pack of feral dogs. Lacria battles a fiery horse, its eyes a
soulless black. She alternates between shafts of light and knives as the
creature rears its legs.

 “Of course I did,” she says, half-listening, “you were in
danger.” With a final blow, the horse collapses, its fire extinguished.
Terrance drops his arm in surprise and nearly lets one of the dogs escape. He
turns his head to thank her, but she’s already gone, climbing a pile of rugs to
help a struggling Nuptia, who’s currently battling a dozen ghostly warriors.

She turns back for a moment and gives him a small smile.
‘Don’t die,’ she mouths. Terrance smiles back at her then turns his attention
toward the dogs again, who are still fighting his vine’s grip.

Armifer and Nuntios exchange grim looks as they see
evomo
approach them. The memory of its acid saliva and spiny features have not gone
away. They lock eyes for a moment and nod in agreement.
This thing has it
coming
, they think in unison.

Nuntios confuses the beast, disappearing and reappearing in
every instant that passes, occasionally firing sparks to annoy it. Armifer on
the other hand keeps a steady stream of red energy stabbing at the creature’s
chest. When he finally gets in reach, he uses his sword to hack at the
creature’s legs, destabilizing it.

“Armifer, look out!”
Nuntios yells. Armifer barely
has time to roll out of the way as an acid stream comes raining down past him.
Armifer feels a burning sensation in his left calf and reaches down. A droplet
has seeped through his pants and a red welt has already begun to form.

Nuntios sees Armifer’s pain from his vantage point, and seethes.
How dare you? How dare you put him through that pain I went through?
Nuntios grips his sword tighter, knowing what he must do.
This is the last
time.
He wills himself to teleport, and he appears on the creature’s back.

He ignores the spines stabbing at his ankles and clambers up
to the
evomo’
s neck, desperately trying to hang on. Once in position, he
swings his sword, the steel gleaming like valor and vengeance. The creature's
head is severed with a great squelching noise as Nuntios hacks through layers
of sinew and muscle. He appears beside Armifer, to be with his friend as their
tormentor finally falls in a lifeless heap to the ground.

***

 “I’m not sure how much longer I can keep this up,” Erus
says, clearly strained. For every wraith he fells, it seems that two more take
its place. Luna and Arden stand beside him as they fire arrows and bolts of
light, shaft after shaft of exploding luminescence. “Can we hope that Demetri
and Sorem will come?” He doesn't even turn to look at his companions’ faces. He
knows how pathetic he must sound.

“We can only hope,” Arden says tiredly.

“Until then, gear up, boys,” Luna asserts. “Assume that help
isn’t coming.”

***

 “Demetri, how do we get in?” A distraught Sorem has been
pounding at the passage entrance to no avail. “I know they’re in there.” The
sounds of battle are clearly audible, but a sheet of granite bedrock stands
between them and the
mahi
.

“Sorem,” Demetri begins, trying to hide his fear.

“What, Demetri? What do you have to say?”

Demetri closes his mouth, unable to think of any comforting
words. His eyes mist over, and he sees all of their faces in his mind. He sees
Nuntios crying in his arms. He sees Lacria fighting his iron grip. He sees Anima
in the subway. He hears Anima.

“Demetri!” Anima yells, running from down the passageway.
“Sorem! The
mahi
are in trouble!” She brushes past Sorem and fits her
palm against the doorway. It reopens instantly, the granite crumbling into
powder.

“What are you doing here?” Demetri asks, relieved to see at
least one
mahi
alive. She pulls them into the room and begins dragging
them through the maze of weavings, towards the noise of combat.

“Lacria made me portal the instructions back to the sanctuary.
I’ve only just come back now.” Demetri and Sorem exchange looks.
There’s
only one reason they wouldn’t have portaled back themselves
, they think, in
unison.

“We have to get you all out of there.”

“How?” Anima says sharply, fighting back tears. “They are
lost in the thick of the fighting.” Her point is further proven as she pushes
back a pile of rugs to reveal Faber battling a pair of dark angels, using their
own steel to strangle them.

“You can’t save them.” Demetri and Sorem gulp, their throats
tightening. “I can.”

“Retreat!” Erus shouts, cupping his hands “
Mahi,
retreat!”

Callida turns, confused by his request.
Frenchie must
have wimped out.
A moment later, she understands. A magenta orb has
expanded to encompass a large portion of the room, forcing the enemy back.
Anima!
Callida smirks as the creatures around her howl.
No time to lose.
She
races towards the sound of Erus’s voice, adrenaline pumping through her veins.

Sorem and Demetri stand behind Anima as she struggles to
maintain the great dome. Demetri watches as Sorem conjures a portal, the
rainbow lights dancing about her hands.
She was always better at this than I
was,
he thinks
.
The other
mahi
have already assembled
—
all but one. There is a great
sight of relief as Callida comes into view, apparently not dead.

“Everyone in,” Demetri says, gesturing towards the open
vortex. The
mahi
hesitate slightly, not ready to abandon the battle.

“Everyone in,” Erus commands. “Mortas, Ferula, lead the
mahi
home.”
All file in reluctantly, some pushed by an anxious Demetri.
Soon only Erus, Anima, Luna, and Arden remain.

“Come on!” Demetri urges. “We don’t have much time.”

 “What about her?” Luna yells. “We can't just leave Anima!” She
stands beside the dark-haired girl and takes her hand. Luna channels her energy
through Anima's body, and the shield glows brighter, just barely keeping the
enemy at bay for a moment.

Demetri takes this opportunity to shove a dumbstruck Arden
through the portal, ignoring his screaming protests as he falls through the
passage. Erus sees sweat drip down Anima’s forehead and grabs her other hand in
an attempt to lend some of his power, but it is too late.