The Awakening (37 page)

I felt awful deceiving her, but I knew that this was one thing that we wouldn’t agree on. I scooped the girl into my arms, noticing how she barely weighed anything. Looking around, I noticed that only Chosen remained in the room. All of the Sages had gone – including Faru. I hurried out of the doors. In the Entrance hall, I pressed the elevator and waited.

“It’s okay, you can put me down now,” whispered Sophia. I placed her gently down on her feet. “Rachel told me to hide for a bit. Don’t worry, I’ll tell Midnight what happened so he isn’t mad at you.”

“Thanks Sophia.”

She waved goodbye and vanished down a corridor. The elevator arrived at the same time as Delagio appeared on the balcony. He vaulted off and landed soundlessly next to me.

Inside, he pressed the button for the temple. We raced through the Nexus. As the elevator began to slow, Delagio leaned over and slapped the emergency stop button. We cranked to a halt. He lifted up a hatch in the ceiling and hitched himself up, until he was halfway out.

“Over the decades the Nexus has been redesigned accordin’ to changes in London’s layout.” He slipped deftly back down, his uniform covered in streaks of oil and dirt. “The old passages still exist; the elevators just don’t run along em anymore.”

“So where are we going?”

He raised a finger towards the ceiling. “But I need to get us in the right position first.”

I watched as he moved into the centre of the lift. He held his hands out at his sides and shut his eyes. For a while nothing happened, and then the elevator started to groan and hiss. Slowly it rolled forward like a train pulling out of a station.

I held my breath as we flew up the old tunnel. The elevator screamed and hissed as we were bumped from side to side. It was then that I realised with utter horror that we weren’t on rails. The only thing keeping us airborne was Delagio.

He stretched one hand out towards the doors. They cranked apart and I could see the dank outside walls lurching back and forth as we pinballed up the old tunnel. Out of nowhere an old door appeared in a small recess. In a split second it was gone.

“Del! I think that was it!”

The kinesist coiled his hands into fists and the elevator screeched to a standstill. Slowly he lowered us back down until we were level to the door. He nodded a head towards the pouch at his side. “Take one of these. It start’s vibratin’, you’ve got one minute to get back before me and this puppy take a nose dive.”

“Okay,” I said, scooping a silver marble out of the bag. “Thanks Del.”

“Yeah, yeah just get going and for god’s sake don’t get caught!”

I winched the doors open further and leapt into the recess. Wrapping a hand around the handle, I gingerly pushed against the warped wood.

It was pitch black. In the distance, I could hear the unmistakable sound of voices. I ushered the door closed. Lowering myself onto all fours, I crawled forward.

What am I doing?
I asked myself as I shuffled deeper into the gloom.

I noticed a glow ahead. The small amount of light was enough for me to understand that I was on a walkway high above the Temple. The grand pillars reached a ceiling only a few feet above my head. I reached out and my hand pressed against the cool stone of a low wall. I hoisted myself up and peered over the edge.

The Sages were standing in a large circle. They were so far away they looked like ants, but their voices boomed around the area as if they had microphones fitted.

Faru made an agreeing sound. “Glid is right. It is not the end. We all know that someone else will rise in Prince Ashan's place. The Luminar will not lie down without a fight.”

There was a universal sigh. I leaned further over the wall desperate not to miss a thing. Each of their words mixed with the sound of my own pulse, which roared in my ears.

“Unfortunately, there is more bad news,” sighed Etorre. “We think we know where it is headed.”

As I heard the words, a chill swept through my body. I finally understood why they all sounded so fearful.
The Sorrow. They are talking about The Sorrow! It’s tearing across Pandemonia, destroying everything in its path.

“The path it has taken,” explained Faru, “is a direct path to the Water City. As you know, this is where the section of the Veil that connects to Chapter Hill is situated. There are only a few settlements around it, and behind stretches a thousand miles of the Dark Sea. Simply put, there is nothing else it could be heading for.”

Barely contained fear seemed to pour from everyone. Even from my place in the shadows - high above the crowd - I could
feel
it.

“You think it has something to do with the boy?” asked Asmund. “That’s what you told me earlier.”

“I am not sure. Perhaps. Perhaps not. It appears to me that the timing of his Awakening and the sudden movement of The Sorrow seems a little to co-incidental.”

“If this is true then we must be missing something - a connection of some kind,” Glid pointed out.

“Maybe there’s no connection at all,” countered Sylvia. “No doubt Hades has learned of his Awakening. Perhaps his accelerated use of The Sorrow is simply to destroy the major cities and claim victory over Pandemonia before a new wave of Chosen are born.”

“You could well be correct Sylvia. However, I do not wish to take the chance. And that is the main reason I have asked you all here to the Warren tonight. For your permission.”

A sharp pain in my knuckles made me realise that I’d been gripping the wall. I released them and used one to wipe away a cold sweat that had appeared on my forehead.

“Our kin are
dying
over there!”

“Please, please, everyone settle down,” boomed Faru. Slowly the noise ebbed away, replaced once more by strained silence. “I am more than aware of the gravity of a decision like this. Nevertheless, I feel there is no other choice. The Sorrow cannot be killed. Not as far as anyone knows. The only option we have is to stop it in its tracks. I am not suggesting that we seal every piece of the Veil, just the Water City doorway at first. And not for good. The spell would be reversible, but strong enough that The Sorrow would be forced to change its direction and head for a different section. At that point we release the former and seal the latter. And so on, effectively creating a perpetual barrier for its entry to Earth -
if
that is what it seeks.”

I found myself nodding. I didn’t know about the others, but it sounded like a
great
idea to me.

Etorre cleared his throat. “Sage Faru is not abandoning Pandemonia. There can be no question of his honour. I know full well that if we ever grew strong enough to be a serious threat to Hades’ forces, then he and his Guardians would be first in line to go through the Veil.”

There were sounds of agreement from the rest of the leaders.

Faru took over. “While the doorway is shut, we will strengthen links between ourselves and Castello. Extra supplies will come through their doorway and be distributed to Britain. I already have the support of our government on this. I just need yours.”

“We have to protect Earth from The Sorrow. If this is the only way, then you have my full support,” said Sage Asmund.

“Thank you Sage Asmund. However, for an action of this magnitude to go ahead, the vote must be unanimous. All those in agreement, please raise your hand.”

There was a long pause and then Faru spoke.

“Then it is agreed. We will seal the Veil.”

At that moment my jacket started to vibrate- hard. I jumped at the sudden sensation and the marble twitched right out of my pocket

Into midair.

I desperately swept for it with a hand, but just ended up swatting it further away. I watched in absolute horror as it pinged against several of the columns and then landed on the floor below with a resounding crack.

I was already running by the time the shouting started.

22

I
wrenched the door open and dived from the recess into the elevator, almost colliding with Delagio. His face was scrunched into a grimace and I stifled a gasp when I saw the blood seeping from his nose.

“About time!” he hissed through gritted teeth.

“Del, I’m sorry, but we need to go
now
!”

He threw both arms towards the floor and the elevator fell like a rollercoaster. My breathing was ragged. I slumped over one of the rails, trying to slow my racing heartbeat. After a minute of nerve-wracking descent, Delagio slowed the elevator down and there was a loud clunking sound as the cab settled itself onto the rail. I pressed the button for the main entrance and the metal box happily raced towards its destination unaffected by the death defying detour.

“I know, I know. It’s just there are only a few kinesist’s at the Warren and hardly any that use the weapons I do. The marble is a pretty big giveaway.”

A cold dread ran through my veins. “Oh no, is Faru going to suspect you?”

Delagio fell silent for a moment, tapping a finger against the mirrored wall. “Not necessarily. Here’s what we’re gonna do. Go back to the Library and tell Rachel to meet me outside. She’ll know the spot. If Faru asks where we are, just point through the window by the fire, okay?”

I didn’t understand the plan, but nodded anyway. “What shall I say about Sophia?”

“Say you took her back to her room.” He slipped a phone from his pocket. “I’ll text her to make sure she goes straight there now.” He started tapping the keypad.

“Right, Faru will already be in the Nexus by now, takin’ a different route. We’ve got about one minute from the moment we get there to do this. “You ready?”

“Yes. And I’m really sorry again Del.”

Still typing with one hand, he clapped my shoulder with the other. “Don’t worry about it. You were right to find out what’s goin’ on. This is a big deal.” He looked up, face suddenly drawn. “The Sorrow is the stuff of nightmares. I hope to heck that Faru isn’t right about it headin’ here.”

The elevator stopped and we both rushed through the doors the instant they opened. Luckily the entrance hall was still deserted. Delagio slipped behind a curtained area to the left of the stairs.

I strolled as casually as I could through the Feasting Hall. A few waiters were milling about, collecting the last bits of cutlery from the table. None of them paid me any attention.

I smiled at the agents as I passed between them back into the library. Through sheer luck, Gabriella was busy consoling Midnight, so didn’t notice me slip right up to Rachel - who was leaning against a bookcase, sipping something purple from a champagne flute. I whispered Delagio’s instructions to her. She nodded and shoved her glass into my hand. Within seconds she’d disappeared from the room.

I let out a long sigh of relief. Staring into the glass, I eyed the purple liquid. A large bubble swelled in the centre and burst, releasing an aroma that gave me a head rush.

Maybe not.

I set the glass down on a bookshelf and joined Gabriella, who was sitting on a sofa, arm wrapped around Midnight’s colossal shoulders. The giant looked miserable, which had the effect of making me feel terrible. I decided to take a bit of a chance.