Creeping Shadow (The Rise of Isaac, Book One) (19 page)

"When I was six years old my mum found her in the middle of the road. Just lying there in the pouring rain. She adopted her eventually and gave her a birthday as the day she found her, October twelfth. She looked about my age so," he shrugged in explanation.

"That's crazy. So you have no idea where she came from?" Rogan asked incredulously.

"Nope, never found out," Oliver said.

"Wow," Anna said, looking amazed. "Doesn't that drive you crazy?"

Oliver laughed. "It used to when I was a kid. I don't really think about it much anymore, it's just one of those things."

"Why don't we all hang out tomorrow?" Rogan suggested.

"We need to keep looking for team members though," Anna said hesitantly.

"Well, we could do both?" Rogan pushed. "You could bring May along."

"Sure, you could bring Quinn, too," Oliver suggested.

Rogan frowned. "Maybe."

"Why don't we go to the Hogtrout Caves?" Anna suggested excitedly.

"Oh, yeah, let's do that," Rogan said with a grin.

"Why?" Oliver asked.

"It's where the first part of the race is held. There'll be loads of people there we can ask," Anna said.

Oliver nodded. "Okay, sure."

They paid by pressing their thumbs onto the Tab, splitting it three ways despite Rogan's insistence to pay and exited the restaurant.

* * *

They entered the hotel lobby which was quiet, the reception now left unattended.

A girl was standing just inside the door looking both incredibly beautiful and terrifyingly angry. She had long, dark hair that flowed over her shoulders around her petite figure. Her large, chocolate-coloured eyes were framed by long eyelashes and her skin looked sun-kissed and glowing as if she had just returned from a holiday.

"Where. In. Vale. Have you
been
?" she said, pouting her full lips at Rogan.

"Ah, give it a rest Quinn," Rogan said, rolling his eyes.

"I will
not
give it a rest. Thanks for abandoning me all evening," she snapped, flicking her hair over her shoulder.

"It wasn't like that. You'd gone to your room anyway," Rogan said.

Quinn took a deep breath and expelled it forcefully like a bull. "What do you want? An autograph?" she barked, noticing Oliver and Anna watching her.

Oliver now fully understood why Rogan had wanted some space from the girl.

"Sorry, should I know who you are?" Oliver asked.

Rogan suppressed a smile.

"Are you trying to be funny? I'm Quinn Thorn," she said, her face contorting in fury.

Anna threw Oliver a look of warning.

Oliver shrugged. "Doesn't ring a bell. Night Rogan, see you tomorrow," he said, taking Anna's arm and leading her towards the lift.

"Meet here at ten!" Rogan called to them.

Anna giggled as they disappeared into the lift. Oliver caught Rogan's eye as the doors closed and Quinn's screeching was cut off as they clunked into place.

"She's gonna hate you," Anna said, grinning.

Oliver laughed. "Well she shouldn't be so presumptuous about her status in the world."

He grinned at her and their gaze lingered, making the quiet in the lift suddenly awkward. He realised he was still gripping her arm.

The lift doors opened on Anna's floor. He instantly released her as he spotted an angry woman standing there, her hair a shaggy, brown frizz.

"And where do you think you've been young lady?" she snarled, her eyes lighting up dangerously.

"Out," Anna said firmly.

"And you didn't think to mention you were going out? Your father and I have been worried
sick
," she said, glaring daggers at Oliver.

"It was my fault, sorry," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Anna's mother eyed him. "Come on, Annabelle."

Anna gave him an apologetic look as she followed her mum down the corridor.

The lift doors closed and Oliver leant against the back of it with a sigh. The doors opened again a few moments later and he made his way to his room.

A note had been slid under the door.

He picked it up and read it, recognising his sister's neat handwriting.

Ely's wondering where you are. I covered for you. You owe me.

Oliver grinned. He could always rely on May.

16

Wings of Fire

O
liver was awoken by a loud thumping on the door. He jumped up and ran to open it, realising too late that he was only wearing shorts. It was Quinn. She folded her arms, casting her eyes over his body so he felt somehow more naked than he actually was.

"What do you want?" Oliver asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"I came to apologise," Quinn said, looking irritated.

"Did Rogan send you?" Oliver asked, suppressing a smile.

"He insisted," she said, visibly gritting her teeth.

"Well, I suppose I forgive you. Are you coming to the Hogtrout Caves today?" Oliver asked, deciding to make an effort with her.

"What do you think?" she snarled and walked off down the corridor.

Oliver shut the door more forcefully than he had intended. He went to move just as another knock sounded at the door and he opened it to find May standing there in her pyjamas.

"Hey," she said and walked inside.

"Hang on a sec," Oliver went to his room and put on some clothes before returning to the living area where May was slumped in a chair.

"So, do you wanna explain where you disappeared to last night? I can't
believe
you left me. Ely spent the evening talking about Alevian politics with Laura. Turns out, it's just as boring as politics back on Earth. I almost went insane."

"Sorry, Anna asked me to go out," Oliver said sheepishly.

"Oh, I guess I'll let you off then seeing as you were on a
date
," May said with a smirk.

"It wasn't a date. This guy ended up coming along with us anyway. Sort of invited himself actually," Oliver said, grinning at the memory.

"What guy?" May asked and Oliver explained about Rogan and Quinn.

"So, they're celebrities?" May asked incredulously.

"Yep, and we're all going out today. That includes you," Oliver said.

"Hmm, okay. But don't go ditching me again," May said, reaching her leg out to kick at him.

Oliver laughed. "I won't. Go get dressed, we're leaving at ten."

"Alright, but go see Ely first," May said, heading for the door.

Oliver saw her out then went and knocked on Ely's door.

Ely smiled warmly as he opened the door. "Ah, there you are. Did you have a good rest? May said you got an early one."

Oliver nodded. "Yeah, thanks."

"Laura's joining the Race Committee today and I'm thinking about going with her. We can find out if any of the teams have dropped out."

"Great, well I'm going with May and Anna to the Hogtrout Caves to try and find team members," Oliver said.

"Good idea," Ely said, scratching at the stubble on his chin which was starting to grow there. "We only have ten days 'til the race starts so we better get a team together as soon as possible. Come knock for me when you get back and let me know how it goes."

"Alright, see you later," Oliver said as he left.

* * *

Oliver and May took the lift down to the lobby just before ten o'clock. Anna was already waiting for them in the lounge wrapped up in a black coat and green scarf.

"Good morning," she said brightly.

"Morning, I hope your mum wasn't too mad last night," Oliver said with a worried look.

"Oh, don't mind her. She's always like that," Anna said, shaking her head. "I love your outfit, May."

Oliver eyed her sister and noticed that she did look particularly nice, her blonde hair cascading over the navy blue material of her coat.

"Thanks," May said, her cheeks flushing pink as she fiddled with a button.

Oliver hated how badly she took compliments.

Rogan and Quinn appeared from the lift looking immaculate. The clerks at the desk kept glancing up at them, trying not to stare for too long.

"Is that them?" May asked, stepping closer to Oliver.

"Yep, how could you tell?" Oliver muttered sarcastically.

"Hey," Rogan said as he approached.

Quinn nodded her acknowledgement, glancing around the lobby as if someone more important might appear to take her interest.

"This is my sister May," Oliver introduced her. "This is Rogan and Quinn," he said to May.

May looked shy, her face paling from pink to a ghostly white. "Hi."

"Shall we get going?" Rogan said, his eyes lingering on May. "Quinn and I are gonna have to disguise ourselves or we'll be mobbed."

"I don't see why we can't just get a private tour. Why do we have to go in disguise? It's so degrading," Quinn said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh don't be so boring. It'll be more fun this way," Rogan said.

"If I get recognised and have to start pandering to people, I'm blaming
you
," she snapped.

"This
is
gonna be fun," Oliver said, looking at Quinn with a smile.

She huffed but didn't say anything.

As they passed through the revolving door, Rogan's bushy beard reappeared and Quinn's hair became a short, blonde bob. She put on a large pair of sunglasses and Rogan retrieved a peaked hat from his pocket and put it on.

"It'll still be pretty obvious if we stand too close together," Rogan said. "People might recognise us as a couple."

"Haven't you gone out in public like this before?" Anna asked.

"Not often. And not in such a large crowd. This is kind of an experiment," Rogan said with a mischievous grin.

They took a pod out of the city into an underground system that passed partially through the mountain. The tunnel was narrow and cut roughly through the damp-looking stone, lit by dim lights every few hundred meters.

May discovered a tourist setting in the taxi pod and switched it on; the hologram of the grey-haired man began talking.

"You are passing through Thorn mountain, home to the Hogtrout Caves which became famous for their use in the Aleva to Glacio Gateway challenge: the Great Race of Aleva. The race was first held approximately nine hundred and fifty years ago after the construction of the Gateways by Dorian Ganderfield.

"The race involves contestants making their way through the caves to find their way out to Glacio Lake. This tradition has been upheld but the caves have since been modified to make the race more difficult so as to slow down the volume of people allowed to pass between the worlds.

"This season's race marks the tenth anniversary of an act of terrorism on the caves carried out by anti-Gateway rebels. The attack destroyed several of the cave rooms that had been designed for the race. This season, the final three of those rooms will reopen with never-before-seen obstacles."

"Why are people against the Gateways?" Oliver asked the pod.

Quinn sighed in exasperation and Rogan elbowed her in the ribs.

"Those against the Gateways believe the worlds could live as one united empire. This idea was condemned by the Council of Heptus and their role in enforcing the Gateways have kept the worlds living peacefully alongside one another for almost a thousand years."

"Ha, what about Theald and Arideen?" Anna asked.

The hologram didn't respond but continued to talk about the history of the race.

"What about them?" Oliver asked.

"They went to war a few years after Dorian Ganderfield created the Gateways," Anna explained. "The government in Theald managed to find a loophole in the challenge on their Gateway that meant anyone from Theald could get a key to Arideen."

Quinn looked pointedly out of the window, ignoring their discussion.

"What happened?" May asked Rogan, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"A massive army stormed through into Arideen and completely obliterated them. The people of Arideen were much less advanced. Theald has trained mercenaries and highly advanced weapons that completely altered the landscape in Arideen and, even now, hardly anything can grow there," Rogan said with a grimace.

"Are there people there today?" Oliver asked.

"They have one major city near the Theald Gateway," Anna said.

"The Council of Heptus took away Theald's right to have a say in the challenge and altered it to remove the loophole," Rogan chipped in.

"We have arrived at your destination: The Hogtrout Caves," the hologram announced and they jumped out, emerging in a large cave.

Water dripped down the brownish walls in slow trickles, gathering at the bottom in small pools. They ascended a steep set of stairs that had been carved into the floor. It climbed up towards the cave mouth where daylight poured down towards them.

Several people were milling at the top but none seemed to recognise Rogan or Quinn as they passed by. Rogan retrieved the sunglasses hanging from his shirt and put them on.

"This is great," Rogan said with a grin.

"I don't like it," Quinn hissed.

"That's 'cause you love the attention." Rogan rushed forward and tickled her sides.

She squealed. "
Rogan
."

"Shh," he said, suppressing his laughter.

A group of girls looked around curiously at the mention of his name. Rogan and Quinn rushed forward before the girls could work out who they were. Oliver glanced back at the others with amusement as they hurried after them.

They reached the top of the stairs and headed along a track that was a mixture of gravel and sand, catching up with Rogan and Quinn. They rounded to the left and Oliver gazed at the incredible sight unfolding in front of him.

The ground beneath them sloped down dramatically towards an enormous cave mouth that was pitch black and ominous. Large stalactites and stalagmites joined the cave from the top to the bottom with gaps in between, giving it the appearance of an enormous mouth.

Surrounding the cave were a colossal amount of grey stone seats sloping high up above it like an arena. There were smaller caves around the edges where families were having photos taken.

"Wow. Can we go inside?" May asked, shielding her eyes from the glaring sun as she gazed down into the valley.

"Yep. This is where the race starts. The crowd sit in those seats and watch the teams enter through the cave mouth," Anna said, excitement lighting her eyes.

"We can't go in that far though. They have the chambers blocked off before the race," Rogan said.

Oliver felt nervous as they walked down the slope. He imagined thousands of people watching him descend into the cave mouth as if he were about to be eaten alive by it for their entertainment.

The cave was even bigger than it had appeared from the top of the hill. Oliver craned his neck to look up at the ceiling as he passed through two of the cave's teeth. The ceiling was so high that it disappeared into darkness.

In front of him was a sudden drop which they had to walk around to descend further inside. Railings had been put up to stop people from falling.

Burning torches were set around the cavern so that they weren't in complete darkness and the sound of scratching and squeaking filled Oliver's ears from somewhere high above.

"What's that noise?" he asked.

"It's the firebats. Look, see?" Anna said, pointing upwards as they turned a corner, entering a large chamber lit by fire. It flickered on the ceiling and around the walls, moving and swaying like an animal.

Oliver darted to the side as a fireball whizzed past his ear.

Rogan and Anna laughed as May ducked one with a squeal. Quinn folded her arms and tutted at them.

"Don't worry. Just one on its own can't do you any harm," Anna said.

"But there's a million of them in here," May said, staring up in horror at the firebats and gathering her long hair into her hands to keep it safe.

"They won't be leaving the cave until nightfall. They wouldn't let people in here if it was dangerous," Rogan said reassuringly.

May didn't seem to relax.

"Come here," Rogan said.

May's eyes flicked to his then quickly dropped to her feet as she stepped toward him. Rogan subtly ran a wave of light over her hair so a faint, amber glow emitted around her for a second then disappeared.

"Now you're fireproof," he whispered with a grin.

May nodded, her cheeks flushing. "Thanks," she muttered.

Quinn narrowed her eyes at Rogan and pulled him over to her, looping an arm around his waist protectively.

"We shouldn't draw attention to ourselves," Rogan said, detaching himself.

"Oh, but you can cast magic in front of everyone?" she snapped.

"Shh," he said firmly.

Oliver looked around, making sure no one had noticed. Everyone was too busy looking up at the firebats, swaying as they slept on the high ceiling. Now he was over the shock of seeing them, Oliver realised how captivating they were as their bodies blurred into one great fireball high above him.

Oliver overheard a male tour guide talking to a group nearby. "This is the largest firebat colony in the whole of Aleva. Years ago, masses of them were exterminated because of the damage they caused after a particularly dry summer. The firebats set hundreds of fields ablaze all over Lorence fraction. They're now a protected species and this colony is one of the biggest attractions of the Hogtrout Caves, after the race that is."