‘Jordan, you forfeited your right to choose the time the contract ends – the day, the hour, the minute of your death.’
‘What? Bullshit! I didn’t forfeit that! I told you he tricked me.’
‘Listen, Jordan, Prince Luca has no need for you yet. This is why he is allowing you to leave. Go now and live your life while you still have one.’
‘But I don’t have one, not without Ebony.’
‘Don’t be so selfish! What about your family, or friends that will miss you?’
‘I don’t have family or friends.’
‘There’s Ms Lang.’
‘What about Amber?’
‘That girl will need you now. She lost her closest friend today. Who else but you will understand her pain?’
‘You’re wrong. She thinks I’m a moron.’
A flood of light puts an end to any further discussion as Prince Luca, self-appointed King of Skade, walks in. Dressed in sleek, tight black clothes, he might not be at peak health yet, but to look at him you wouldn’t know it. He still has a powerful presence, an aura that announces him. When his penetrating green eyes fall on you, you feel as if he’s extracting your whole life, every event you’ve experienced, every thought you’ve had. Just as he’s doing now with each step until he’s standing right in front of me, peering down his nose.
‘Jordan, my young friend.’ His velvety voice slices into me, bringing a chill to my soul. ‘Don’t you want to leave?’
‘He’s leaving now,’ Mr Zee says.
Prince Luca shoots Mr Zee a look that should freeze his heart, that’s if Mr Zee has one. ‘Is that correct?’ he asks me.
My head is nodding, but no words are coming out.
‘Jordan!’ Mr Zee hisses. ‘Leave now.’
Prince Luca tilts his head as if he’s peering at a bird in a cage. It’s so unnerving my teeth start chattering. ‘C-c-can I see her first?’
Mr Zee closes his eyes, then says softly, ‘My lord, I need a moment to talk to Jordan.’
‘Your talk is finished,’ the prince declares in a tone no one would argue with unless they were insane. Still looking at Mr Zee, he inclines his head at me. Mr Zee shudders before he shifts his eyes to me with some sort of warning in them. I brace myself, but barely finish the thought before Mr Zee grabs my arms and twists them up behind my back.
‘Argh! What are you doing?’
‘What I should have done,’ he says, ‘before our futile conversation.’
His grip is as strong as steel. I suppose it would be, considering he’s a dark angel, after all. I try to think positively like Ebony does. It works for her. The least I can do is try, so I remember my training with Thane and drop as low as I can, turn and keep turning until I get enough leverage to knee him in the gut. He releases my wrists. My shoulder is in agony but I have to keep going. I unfurl and kick his thigh. Amazingly, he crashes to the ground. But he gets up in one fluid movement and wraps his arms round my chest in a hold that feels unbreakable. I try to twist. I try everything Thane taught me, and everything Ebony and I have been teaching each other, and somehow I slip out of his hold, sliding between his long legs and out the other side.
With Prince Luca looking on, Mr Zee comes after me. I let my instincts take over and spin round to gain momentum and put energy into my next hit. Jumping up with the flow, I land a kick to his jaw, knocking his head sideways. His eyes widen and he makes a frustrated grunting sound, but with a piteous look in his eyes as if he’s been holding back this whole time. It fires me up.
‘Jordan, submit,’ he says.
‘No way, sir.’
‘I will admit your strength and agility surprise me. For a human being you are exceptionally strong. You have recovered remarkably from your injuries this morning, or you are hiding your pain very well, but you must know that if you don’t give up, I will hurt you.’
His eyes flicker to the prince as if checking his orders are still the same.
‘You’re like an obedient dog,’ I tell him. ‘All you do is follow orders.’
He growls, ‘Jordan, let me take you down quietly.’
‘No chance, sir. You want me, you fight me. I might surprise you some more.’
Prince Luca claps in that slow mocking style arrogant people use. ‘You are either ludicrously brave or exceptionally stupid. Either way, I’m not amused any more.’ His eyes shift sideways to the tunnel for a moment and four soldiers run out.
Oh crap.
More soldiers follow, Prodigies I recognise from the battle on Thane’s front lawn. Prince Luca barks orders in a language I have no hope of understanding and the first four start kicking me. I drop to the ground, instinctively curling into the foetal position, but it doesn’t stop them.
I catch Mr Zee’s eyes from the floor, but all he does is watch with an unreadable expression.
The prince barks another command and the soldiers drag me down the tunnel. About halfway along, a lantern marks the entrance to another tunnel breaking off on my right, and another on my left further down.
This place is starting to resemble an abandoned underground city. Eventually a short tunnel leads to a door in a rock wall. It opens into an enormous cave. Roughly circular with a high ceiling, there are candles and lanterns burning on shelves, on tables and in nooks around the walls, giving the place an unsettling fairy tale look.
A fairy tale from hell.
There’s furniture that’s mostly iron, like a table with thirteen chairs, and screens that create private areas along the sides, like bedrooms or something.
I absorb this all in one or two glimpses, because once I spot Ebony looking unconscious on a reclining chair with her wrists cuffed, there’s room for nothing else in my head.
A hit of adrenalin helps me kick my way free. Still, it’s not as if I can grab Ebony and make a break for it, at least not while she’s out cold with her hands chained to the floor. So the first thing I gotta do is wake her.
They jump me just before I reach her. I kick and punch my way free again. ‘Ebony! Ebony, wake up!’
With the help of another two soldiers, they drag me to a solid rock wall. They remove the remnants from my previous chain that Zavier destroyed when he stopped me from choking him. Two Prodigies hold me up while another pair locks my wrists into wide metal cuffs attached to chains bolted into the wall behind me.
Shit, this really sucks!
I pull hard on the chains, but I soon figure nothing will budge these. My body aches everywhere from the beating, which will feel a lot worse when the adrenalin stops. I start to feel hopeless again.
But I can still wake Ebony. If she can make a run for it, this might be her only chance! ‘Ebony. Ebony!’
Prince Luca lands in front of me, so close his body heat burns the soft hairs on my face. His eyes narrowed, he stares like he hasn’t figured me out yet.
‘What drugs did Zavier give her?’ I ask him. ‘Look at her – she’s out cold.’
Mr Zee runs a finger over his left brow. ‘She’s fine!’
Prince Luca asks him, ‘What did you give her, Zavier?’
He takes a deep breath. ‘Midazolam.’
The prince nods. ‘Quantity?’
He doesn’t answer and Prince Luca’s voice grows eerily stronger. ‘Zavier, you will answer the question.’
‘Humans were arriving; I didn’t have time to measure the dose.’
When he still doesn’t answer, rage flares up inside me so great all I can think of is killing him. I yank on the chains over and over, willing my hands free. Stuff the fact he’s immortal. Stuff the fact they chained me to a cave wall. I want to jump on him and strangle him with my bare hands.
Obviously he’s given Ebony too much Midazolam. That’s why she’s unconscious. I’ve seen a drug overdose before. I remember the colour draining away from my mother’s face when I tried to wake her to take me to school. ‘You killed her!’
‘Jordan, listen to me,’ Mr Zee says, ‘Ebony is not dead.’
‘If Ebony do
esn’t survive this overdose, I will kill you. I’ll find a way.’
‘It was necessary.’
Prince Luca walks over to Mr Zee. ‘You don’t have to explain your actions to the boy.’
Mr Zee goes silent and glances away. But just then Ebony stirs. Seeing her eyes flutter open makes me go weak with relief. ‘Hey!’ I call out. ‘Ebony, over here.’
Two soldiers approach her carrying a black garment. ‘What are you doing with that?’ I ask, chills running up my spine.
Mr Zee comes closer. ‘It’s all right, Jordan. It’s called a lamorak and it will protect Ebony in the Crossing.’
I gotta wake her up. ‘Ebony!’
Her eyes open. ‘Jordan? Oh, Jordy, are you all right? Do you know what happened?’ I yank on the chains. ‘Why are you . . . ? Who did that to you?’ She looks around the cave.
‘You!’ she yells as she lays eyes on Mr Zee. ‘You brought me here?’
‘Ebony!’
She drags her eyes back to me. They soften like melting butter. ‘Jordy, I need to tell you how . . .’ She swallows, licks her dry lips and tries again, ‘I’m so sorry. I tried to save you.’
She spots the two soldiers opening the lamorak near her feet. ‘What’s this?’
Prince Luca crouches beside her. ‘My sweet young princess, this may not be a gold carriage to whisk you away to your new world, but the lamorak will protect you in the Crossing. It is imperative that you wear it.’
She peers at him through eyes narrowed to slits. ‘Where do you think you’re taking me?’
‘Don’t be afraid, Princess. Now that you’re moving into your destiny, I take full responsibility for your protection.’
I shout out, ‘This isn’t her destiny. You’re forcing her. And that’s against the rules.’
At that, he leaps over Ebony, grabs my chin and forces me to look up into eyes so angry they flash a glowing yellow colour before turning black.
‘Stop!’ I shout. ‘I mean, whatever you’re thinking of doing, just, eh, stop for a sec. Hear me out.’
Amazingly, he does.
‘Ebony’s lungs aren’t ready for Skade’s atmosphere. You know that. It’s why you stashed her on Earth in the first place. It was supposedly for eighteen years, right? She’s nowhere near that yet and . . . and . . . as future queen she’ll need to be in perfect health. Right?’
It hurts to hold Prince Luca’s gaze. Finally he reduces the intensity of his glare and his eyes turn green again. ‘What do you propose, Jordan?’
‘Give her the time she needs, leave her here until she turns eighteen, and take me instead. You’re going to take me eventually anyway, so why not now?’
‘I already have you under contract. No one can take you from me.’ He looks pointedly at Ebony. I notice loose skin around his neck, and a reckless thought runs through my mind that he needs to concentrate on his appearance more if he wants to impress his new ‘princess’, as he sickeningly calls her.
He hits me. A slap across my face with an open palm. Ebony screams while I swallow a tooth and some blood pooling inside my mouth.
‘For your own sake, Jordan, let Ebony go,’ Mr Zee yells.
‘Screw you,’ I hiss at him, clutching my aching jaw.
The Dark Prince runs his fingers through my hair, making my skin crawl. ‘Your hair is just like hers.’
He’s obviously talking about my mother, but I’ve had enough of his manipulating tactics. ‘You can stop lying now. I know she’s dead.’
He frowns. ‘You don’t believe your mother is living in my palace? She was so looking forward to seeing you soon. You are quite the disappointing son.’
He spins away, leaving me stewing over his comments. While I try to figure out whether he’s telling the truth or not, a cheer erupts, followed by applause and back-slapping. It’s annoying to see the Prodigies so revved up.
So happy!
Prince Luca lifts his palms and they fall silent. ‘Prodigies, your patience has only made you stronger. Today the wait is over. We’re going home.’
They’re leaving?
And while the soldiers are momentarily distracted with this joyous news I try to get Ebony’s attention, but she’s fallen asleep again. ‘Ebony!’
She opens her eyes and murmurs, ‘I’m sorry you’re in this mess because of me. I’m so sorry, Jordy.’
My heart melts. Man, it just dissolves into a puddle inside my chest. I want to tell her to save her strength, that there’s no way I’ll let the Dark Prince take her to Skade. But I can’t lie. ‘Don’t give up hope. Promise me you won’t.’
She nods. ‘Tell Nathaneal that I will never stop loving him.’
I yank on the chains until the cuffs cut into my wrists. ‘How can you still love him? He was supposed to come back for you.’
Her fingers reach out to me, but stop when the chains restrain her. She yanks on them to no effect. ‘I was your Guardian,’ she says, lowering her hands. ‘Things didn’t go to plan and I couldn’t save you. I can’t forgive myself for that.’
‘This would all be different if Thane had sent you the message he promised. This is his fault. All of it.’
She shakes her head. ‘Don’t blame Nathaneal.’
‘Don’t stick up for him. He made promises and he broke every one of them. He doesn’t deserve your love.’
Prince Luca orders the two soldiers to place Ebony in the lamorak. They start with her feet. She kicks out at the pair, knocking them both backwards, then half climbs out of the chair, but as she’s still sluggish, with chained wrists, they overpower her. She puts up a heck of a fight but they finally get her legs and hips inside. She stops struggling and just breathes for a minute.
Thinking she’s giving up, they release her chains. But this appears to be what she’s waiting for. She punches the soldier on her left first, and while he’s dropping to the ground she slugs the other one, knocking him out cold. Prince Luca, watching silently, shifts his eyes to Mr Zee.
‘Ebony,’ Mr Zee says as he approaches her, ‘you can’t fight us all.’
‘Watch me,’ she says through gritted teeth.
But three soldiers move in behind him, with another two flaring out at the sides. I wrench the chains as hard as I can. There’s no way she can do this on her own.
Mr Zee holds a hand out in a pacifying gesture. ‘Ebony, let’s do this peacefully.’
Quick as a snake, she snatches his hand, twisting his arm up behind his back while wrapping her other arm round his throat, a defensive move she executes brilliantly.
But Mr Zee doesn’t have Midazolam slowing his brain and muscles. He grips her arm with his free hand and gives it a hard yank that must hurt like hell. She doesn’t cry out but her eyes blink fast and her lips press tightly together.
She doesn’t give up, even when the other six Prodigies move in and hold her down, shoving her into the lamorak, limb by limb. She bruises them all before they finally draw the lamorak up to her neck and hold it there while they catch their breath.
She gasps and calls out to me, ‘Tell Amber I love her like a sister.’
It sounds too much like goodbye and a sob forms in my throat. But she hasn’t finished yet. ‘Jordan, tell Nathaneal that my heart will always be his, no matter what happens. You tell him, OK?’
She sees me shaking my head and her eyes open wide. ‘Jordan!’ she cries out, her voice husky and urgent. ‘I need to hear you say that you will tell him.’
I take a deep breath. ‘All right, but he doesn’t deserve your love.’
They yank the lamorak over Ebony’s head and all I can do is watch. The cave takes on a surreal effect, as if none of this is really happening, as if I’m in a terrifying nightmare. But it is happening, and I can’t do a thing to stop it.
Mr Zee walks over to me, stops about an arm’s length away, and gives me a pitying look. Then, without saying a word, he turns his back and starts walking away.
‘Hey. Hey! Where are you going? What’s going to happen to me? You can’t ju
st leave me here. Come on, Mr Zee, don’t walk away. At least take me with you!’
He stops and glances back at me. ‘I tried to stop you. I tried to have Ebony alone with me. But I underestimated the courage of the human spirit and the bond of human friendship. I’m sorry, Jordan, now there’s nothing I can do.’
For a second I hold out hope, but he walks away.
‘Bastard!’
He goes to where Ebony is on the recliner, completely enclosed in the lamorak, twisting and punching away inside it. He says something to her. But his words only make her more incensed. He speaks to her again, not for long, but whatever he says this time seems to work.
And then I get it. Why he won’t help me. Why he’s gonna leave me here to die. He’s the dude that reaches down and lifts Ebony into his arms. It’s no effort on his part. He hoists her up and cradles her like a child.
Mr Zee is the only one strong enough to carry Ebony through the Crossing. And all the way to Skade. Since I’m doing nothing to block my thoughts, I’m sure he’s hearing me. All he has to do is refuse and maybe she could walk free.
We both know this is true.
He shuffles his weight as he settles Ebony in his arms more comfortably for the long journey ahead, then gives me one last lingering look before he turns and follows the others out.
35
Nathaneal
To pay for my crimes to Earth’s environment and revealing my secret powers, I asked the court if I could rescue John and Heather Hawkins from the prison in which Prince Luca put them, and to my relief enough voting court members said yes.
According to Solomon’s Skade informant, their prison is on a small island in an underground ocean that was once Mi’Ocra’s core magma reservoir.
So far every team sent to find them has failed.
Now, after a near-vertical descent inside the dark, main volcanic vent, my team members sit in pairs on various rock ledges. Glowing faintly, they understand that resting is not a luxury we can afford any more. So after I instruct them in a mind-link, I tap Michael’s shoulder, signalling it’s time to make what we hope is the last jump before locating John and Heather.
Since Michael and I are the first pair to descend, we increase our glow to light the way. Then we release our wings and plunge head first into an area of Skade where no angel of light has been before. We fly down a considerable distance before we realise that our glow is becoming unnecessary. Light is exploding from a singular point. Along with this brighter atmosphere, oxygenation, heat and humidity also appear to increase. I cast a speculative look across at Michael, flying like a torpedo on my left, but even with his thousands of years of experience, he simply turns his head to me and shrugs.