Creeping Shadow (The Rise of Isaac, Book One) (13 page)

Ely sighed, retrieving the book Grelda had given him from his coat and placed it on the table. "Grelda suggested that May's curse was the sign of the coming of the Arc."

Laura snorted. "You're kidding?"

"No, and she
genuinely
believed it," Ely said, rolling his eyes.

"I didn't realise she was so serious about that stuff," Laura said.

"Yeah, and if
she
is, imagine how many other people could be. Rimori is in a dangerously good position to start an uprising against the Council and the Gateways," Ely said.

"Hopefully it won't come to that," Laura said, looking anxious. "So, what are you gonna do now?"

"I'm going to take May to Brinatin to see Wallace Ganderfield," Ely said with a resigned expression.

"
Brinatin
? But you'll need keys, you'll have to go through
two
Gateways," Laura said in alarm. "The next race starts in a couple of weeks and you don't have a team together."

"We don't have a choice," Ely said.

"How many teams enter the race?" May asked with a frown.

"Fifty," Ely said quietly.

"
Fifty
?" Oliver gasped, meeting his sister's anxious gaze.

Ely nodded, looking a little apologetic.

Laura's brow furrowed as she sat in thoughtful silence for a moment. "Well I suppose I could head to Crome a bit earlier. I have to be there in a few days to join the Race Committee anyway. My influence might help get you a place if there's one available but I can't do anything unless you have a team together," she said, shaking her head.

"How are we going to find teammates?" May asked.

"We don't know anyone here," Oliver agreed.

"Let's just get to Crome then we can start looking. There'll be thousands of tourists there for the race. I'm sure we'll find people who want to enter," Ely said. "We'll leave in the morning."

* * *

Oliver awoke early. His stomach twisted in a tight knot as his mind reeled about entering the race. His brain conjured unwelcome memories of the maze and his skeletal father. The race would be different, he was sure, but for all he knew it could be worse.

He got up to distract himself from his thoughts and began packing his bag so he would be ready to leave for Crome. As he zipped up the backpack, an idea occurred to him. He dropped it onto the bed and went to the living room where he found Ely asleep in an armchair.

"Ely?"

His eyes flickered open and he wiped the drool away from his chin with the back of his hand. "Yesmaboy?" he slurred, as he struggled to regain full consciousness.

"You know this mage we're going to see in Brinatin? Why can't he come to us?"

"He won't come here," Ely stated.

"Even if it meant that she'd
die
?" Oliver said disbelievingly.

"It's not that. It's-" Ely hesitated and Oliver narrowed his eyes at him. "Now don't overreact. But, no one's seen him in almost nine years." Ely winced a little as if preparing for Oliver's reaction.

"WHAT?" Oliver couldn't contain himself. "How do you even know where to look for him then?"

"I know where he lives, but he doesn't leave his house. Ever."

"So how do you know he can help us?"

"He's one of the most powerful mages alive. If anyone can help her, he can."

"If no one's seen him for years, how do you know he's still there?" Oliver asked, infuriated.

"He is. He has an employee that brings him supplies."

Oliver took a breath to calm himself but couldn't stop his hands from shaking. He was still angry but what was truly upsetting him finally slipped out. "And how are we ever gonna place out of fifty teams? What does the race even involve?"

"You have a small chance. And on the train I will go over what you should expect in the race."

"Is it-" Oliver paused, not wanting to seem pathetic.

"Is it what?" Ely asked.

Oliver folded his arms and released a sharp breath through his nose. "Is it as bad as the last challenge?"

Ely's features softened. "Oliver, I don't know what you faced in the maze but you shouldn't be ashamed that you were frightened."

"I'm not ashamed, I just..." he trailed off, shaking his head in annoyance.

"The maze is designed to face you with your deepest fears. For some, that can be more traumatic than it is for others. Some people's fears are physical such as spiders or the dark whereas others are afraid of more intangible things. I hope it isn't overstepping the mark, my boy, by guessing that you yourself struggle with a fear of loss?"

Oliver dug his nails into his arm, unable to meet his grandfather's eye.

Ely continued. "You lost your father at a young age, now your mother is missing and your sister is ill. It isn't a giant leap from there to reach such a conclusion. But you need to know that it's nothing to be ashamed of."

Oliver met his eye and nodded, the knot in his stomach unravelling a little.

Ely smiled warmly. "Go get your things. We can leave when you and May are ready."

Oliver turned to leave but paused before exiting and glanced back at his grandfather. "Ely? What did you face in the maze?"

Ely cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. "Oh, well that was a very long time ago. I was just a lad like yourself."

Oliver waited for him to go on, raising his eyebrows expectantly.

"Well, as I'm sure you've noticed, I'm rather on the short side. As a teen I was often subject to bullying and, well, had a fear of being insignificant. For me, the maze was full of people none of whom would help me, but instead recited the words I had been called my entire life."

Oliver grimaced, angry that anyone would treat his grandfather that way. "But you made it through?"

"I did." Ely nodded and a smug smile tugged at one corner of his mouth. "Now, go on. Get your sister and we'll leave."

Oliver nodded and exited the room, feeling somehow lighter than he had before entering.

12

Blood Ties

T
he Traverser station was packed. At midday they queued towards one of the trains and Oliver noticed that, under the light of day, the black exterior shimmered like oil. Every now and then tall machines, with a large, clawed hand, would pluck containers off the top of the train and carry them out of the station.

Oliver shuffled forwards after Laura and May as passengers boarded the train ahead of them.

Ely appeared moments later, grinning broadly. The look of triumph on his face turned to horror as he tripped forward onto the ground in a heap, parting the crowd around him. Oliver rushed over and returned him to his feet as quickly as possible and Ely brushed his hands down his clothes, trying to regain composure.

A deep voice spoke that was thick with sarcasm. "I'm
so
sorry, sir. I didn't see you there."

The man emerged from the crowd behind Ely. He was extremely tall and broad with golden hair and bright, blue eyes that were set into a chiselled face.

"Ely Fox, is that you? Oh, how terrible." His voice was drenched with feigned apology.

"Chester Pipistrelle, how nice to see you," Ely said, his jaw clenching.

Oliver looked from one man to the other, feeling the tension that seemed to charge the air between them.

"Hi, Chester," Laura said, embracing the man.

"Ah, Laura, lovely to see you again," Chester said, flashing a perfect smile as he returned the hug with his muscular arms.

"Is Mum with you?" Laura asked, glancing over the man's shoulder.

With a jolt, Oliver realised he was about to meet his grandmother.

"Yes, Delphine's just buying the tickets with Larkin. I didn't know you were heading to Crome this early?" Chester inquired.

Oliver spotted Ely glancing around nervously like a horse that was ready to bolt.

"Yes, well this is Oliver and May, my sister's kids. They're hoping to enter the race, so I thought I'd go and put a good word in for them," Laura said with a smile.

"How kind. Our Larkin's entering this season. Shame there's no space for them on his team," Chester said, his tiny eyes roaming over Oliver and May.

A tall woman appeared next to Chester. Long, black hair cascaded over her slender figure and her bare legs protruded from a fitted dress. Chester slinked an arm around her waist.

A boy emerged next to them and it was as though Chester had stepped backwards in time thirty years. The only difference was his son was slightly shorter, around Oliver's height, and his blonde hair was darker with hazel running through it. Where his father stood, fully erect, with his chest puffed out like a bird of paradise, the boy was slack and casual. He flicked his hair as his eyes roamed over the girls amongst the crowd.

Laura rushed forward and hugged them both in turn. "Hi Mum. Larkin. How are you?"

Larkin shrugged. "Alright."

"Laura, darling, what in Vale are
you
doing here?" Delphine asked, flicking her dark hair in the same, vain way her son did.

"Well, Mum, this is actually quite strange..." Laura trailed off, turning back towards them. "This is Oliver and May. They're Alison's kids, your grandchildren."

Chester's eyes flicked to his wife and Larkin momentarily lost his cool in a look of astonishment, but it was nothing compared to the shocked expression planted on Delphine's face. Oliver felt a flush of self-consciousness and shifted his weight onto his other leg.

"Alison's?
What
-?" Delphine spluttered, staring at Oliver and May like they were alien creatures.

Oliver stepped forward. "Hi," he said, awkwardly holding out his hand.

Delphine took hold of it, the tips of her manicured nails pinching his skin. "Oh, Oliver! It's not your fault Alison kept you from me."

Oliver let go in an instant with a flare of loyalty towards his mum.

"Well, she had her reasons, I guess," May said, eyeing the woman suspiciously.

Delphine's grey-blue eyes roamed over May. "And what was your name again, dear?"

"May," she muttered.

Delphine smiled kindly but it didn't touch her eyes. "Well you're not blood of course, but that doesn't matter to me."

"Then why mention it?" Oliver asked, narrowing his gaze.

Delphine waved a hand to dismiss his comment and her eyes fell on Ely. "And how are you?" Her voice became stilted, her red lips barely moving as she addressed him.

"Very well, Delphine. We were just leaving. Excuse me," Ely said and walked towards the train, his body stiffened as he went.

"See you at the race?" Laura asked as she adjusted the bag on her shoulder.

Oliver felt that Laura was either completely unaware of the tension between her parents or, more likely, particularly well rehearsed at feigning her ignorance.

"Yes, see you then, darling." Delphine kissed the air and wiggled her fingers at Oliver.

Larkin followed his mother into the crowd then Chester nodded to them and hurried after his family.

The hum of the tracks filled Oliver's ears as he climbed the short staircase onto the train.

Ely passed back their tickets with a forced-looking smile on his face. "I almost forgot. I bumped into my old friend Norman who works in the ticket booths. He upgraded us to first class."

"Great," May said, grinning and Oliver was glad of something to relieve the tension.

They scanned their tickets and showed them to an attendant. She nodded and ushered them towards a spiral staircase. It was carpeted with red velvet and a wave of warm air hit Oliver as he emerged in the room above.

A man dressed in a smart, maroon-coloured uniform, stood in front of them. The word
Traverser
was emblazoned in gold on his breast pocket. They passed him their tickets as he held out a gloved hand.

"Good afternoon, and welcome to First Class on the Traverser. Please follow me and I'll show you to your rooms."

They turned left and moved through several lounges where people were sitting in velvet armchairs being waited on by staff. They walked down a wide corridor with numbered, wooden doors lining the walls. They stopped and the ticket attendant gestured to three of the rooms.

"Here you are. Your room numbers are on your tickets, just insert them into the door to gain access. Enjoy your stay on the Traverser." He bowed and walked away.

Oliver and May had the same room number. Oliver inserted his ticket and the door slid smoothly to the side then shut silently behind them as they entered. Inside was a small apartment with a living room, bathroom and two bedrooms all decorated in tones of browns, reds and golds. The main wall of the living room was fitted with a huge window that overlooked the platform.

"This is all ours?" May asked, taking in the luxurious room.

"Looks like it," Oliver said with an excited grin, moving over to the window to look down on the crowd.

A musical chime sounded outside in the station which seemed to signal that the Traverser was leaving. The train slid effortlessly forward out of the station and they were soon winding along the tracks past rolling hills covered in miles of green grass. The sun was hidden by a mist that clung to the hilltops though the light that filtered through it was bright and suggested the clouds would soon break.

He glanced over at May who was touching the place on her chest where the mark of the curse was concealed.

"May?" he said gently and she blinked as she was jolted out of a reverie. "Are you alright?" Concern nagged at him.

"Yeah," she said, breaking a smile though he could sense she wasn't happy.

"I know that you're not."

She nodded stiffly then dropped her gaze. "It's just easier not to talk about it."

He frowned. "Whatever this curse is, we'll figure it out. Ely knows what he's doing, this guy in Brinatin must have the answer."

"He thought Grelda had the answer." She bit her lip as if she wished she hadn't said it.

His chest tightened at her words. "Forget about Grelda. She was unhinged!"

A smile pulled at her mouth. "She was pretty weird."

"She was demented!" He raised his eyebrows so his eyes were wide and May laughed.

"I'm gonna go unpack," she said then headed off into one of the rooms.

Oliver decided to unpack too so carried his bag into the other bedroom and dropped it onto the soft, queen-sized bed.

When he returned to the lounge a while later he found May inspecting a panel by the door. He joined her just as she tapped her finger to it.

A man in the Traverser uniform was projected nearby and they turned to look at him as he began to speak. "Welcome aboard the Traverser. You now have access to our inbuilt control system. To get the most out of your stay onboard the Traverser we encourage you to use this panel," the man gestured to the panel he was projected from, "to navigate your way through a selection of applications, activities, menus, and help services. It will also serve as the main control for all devices found within your luxury cabin. Enjoy your stay on the Traverser; the number one train service in Lorence." The man disappeared and the panel went blank.

Oliver touched it and another hologram appeared in front of him that displayed a menu. He tapped the word
lights
and the room lit up. A series of options were displayed for dimming, colour and tone.

"Ooo," May cooed excitedly, testing a few of the colours.

Oliver returned to the main menu and tried a button he didn't recognise marked
survision
. He touched the air where a question mark hovered beside it.

A woman's voice spoke across the room, "Survision, or surface vision. This device allows you to watch a range of sense-provoking programmes, play the latest sense-engaging games, and use our onboard infoweb."

Oliver pressed the button and the question
wall or window
was displayed. May tapped the air where the word
window
was hovering.

The sound of gulls, a soft breeze against his neck and the smell of sea salt filled Oliver's nostrils. He span around and gazed out of the window where a sandy beach sloped away into a turquoise ocean that was lapping against it. Every sense told him he could walk out onto it.

He approached the window and reached out a hand. It was still in place, cool beneath his palm.

"This is amazing," May said, pressing her own hand against the window.

A tanned man appeared in a small pair of swimming trunks as he strolled along the sand narrating. Oliver recognised him as the presenter from Laura's pod. The programme seemed to be a documentary.

"Here, on one of Brinatin's most pristine islands, the Isle of Fay, I'm going to meet with Felix Rutt, a pygmisnout expert. He is known for raising orphan pygmisnouts by hand and has a rather novel way of training them to swim. I'm here today to give it a go."

Another man appeared, surrounded by a number of strange-looking creatures. They resembled elephants at first but their legs were splayed, causing their bellies to rub along the ground, and their feet were webbed.

They had thick, muscular tails about five feet in length that lay, swishing from side to side, leaving trails in the sand. Their trunks were almost three times longer than an elephant's and curled around in front of them on the beach.

"Great to meet you, Felix," the man said, shaking his hand.

"And you Truvian," Felix said as he stroked the trunk of a nearby pygmisnout.

A knock at the door distracted Oliver and May from the programme. Oliver walked over and opened it to find Laura standing there.

"Can I join you?" she asked, strolling into the room.

Oliver shrugged. "Sure, we're just watching some programme on pygmisnouts."

Laura looked at the survision. "Ooo, I love this show. Mainly because I like watching Truvian Gold," she said, throwing herself into an armchair and making May giggle.

"This is so much better than television," Oliver said, perching on the arm of her chair.

"Most of the other world's technology are based on each other these days. Aleva and Earth share a Gateway so a lot of their ideas come from each other. Brinatin and Theald have a similar relationship. There are the exceptions of course; the royal families across Glacio still insist on keeping their people living in the dark ages and Arideen, well, they're just too poor to fund any new technology."

Oliver folded his arms and looked back at the screen. Felix Rutt was now strapping Truvian Gold into a harness beside a pygmisnout that was wearing some sort of saddle. Felix Rutt clipped Truvian Gold onto the animal and his legs dangled over either side of its body. Oliver smiled, bemused by the odd sight.

Truvian gave the camera a thumbs up and Felix whistled then clapped his hands at the animal who immediately ran forward in an undulating fashion. Its tail whipped powerfully from side to side as it dove into the water and was soon swimming at top speed, cutting through waves that splashed Truvian full in the face.