The blanket was swarming with bugs. They looked like overgrown centipedes, only arched in the middle with green stripes down their backs. Joshua screamed and sprung to his feet, flinging the blanket as far as he could. But it did no good. The bugs came streaming from underneath the logs, heading straight toward him. Dozens of them, and the number was growing by the second. Joshua catapulted himself over the nearest log and ran swiftly, but couldn’t get away from them. They came from every direction; the green stripes on their backs emitted a fluorescent glow and lit the night sky, while their shrieks filled the air with ominous, wailing tones.
Joshua sprinted ahead, running with desperation and focus. His sides hurt and he knew it wouldn’t be long before he got a cramp. The question was whether he or the centipedes would give up first.
The sun had begun its slow rise and darkness was lifting. Ahead in the distance, he thought he saw a clearing. Was he finally coming to the end of the forest? The shrieks sounded more distant, so Joshua took a gamble and looked back.
The centipedes had given up their chase and were crawling back to their home. Joshua raced forward, the clearing up ahead. That’s when he heard a rustling in the trees. I better get the heck out of here … now!
The bats came from everywhere—behind him, beside him, in front of him—filling the sky. That’s why the centipedes slowed down. They were giving way to the bats that had arrived to finish the job. Fighting them away, Joshua sprinted for the clearing, praying to God they wouldn’t follow him outside the woods.
Scratching him, biting him, they flew after him in droves, darkening the arrival of day, and if Joshua thought the shrieks of the centipedes were bad, they were nothing compared to this. His sides cramped like crazy and he gasped for each breath. All Joshua could do was forget the pain and combat the onslaught. Nothing else mattered except getting out of there alive. He spotted the edge of the forest, though it was difficult with the wings flapping in front of him. He instinctively put his hands in front of his eyes as a bat flew at his face. The bat scratched his knuckle and Joshua, drawing back his hand, saw blood on his fist.
The bats circled around to Joshua’s back, gathering in formation, then hurtled themselves into his shoulder blades, dropping to the ground in kamikaze fashion. One by one, the bats struck him in the back and dropped dead to the ground. Joshua ran with everything he had, gulping for air, his sides splitting. Only a few more yards to go. He was going to make it.
He burst into the clearing, away from the bats and the bugs and whatever else was left there. The bats abandoned their chase and retreated into the forest. Joshua saw the mountain in the distance but didn’t want to think about it yet. He doubled over and put his hands on his knees, struggling for every ounce of air. If he never saw another forest again, he wouldn’t be too upset. Maybe he’d convince his mom to let them move to a tropical island where there were no trees. Joshua’s breath finally returned to normal and he slowly stood. Standing in front of him was Ralmaghar, looking none too happy.
So that’s why the bats were pushing him. They were leading him to Ralmaghar. Everything he’d gone through had been worthless. They’d known the whole time. “But where is Meruzilak?”
As soon as Joshua whispered his name, everything went into slow motion. The night of the BMX race, the morning of his dad’s accident—it was the same feeling now. Joshua was filled with the strongest sense of awareness he’d ever felt. It was like swimming underwater but still being able to see and hear everything on the outside. Ralmaghar towered above Joshua, reaching to grab him. At that second, Joshua knew he needed to duck.
Joshua ducked.
He heard a sound from behind and turned to look. It was Meruzilak, or at least he thought it was Meruzilak. His hair was stringy and his face was caving in on itself. He raised his arm and a beam of light exploded from his hand. Joshua saw it the whole way. It came toward him but flew over the top of his head. If I hadn’t ducked just now …
It caught Ralmaghar in the gut. Ralmaghar lifted his head, stunned, and for the first time, Joshua saw something in his eyes that went deeper than hatred and anger. Joshua saw fear and knew that, wizard or not, Ralmaghar couldn’t escape death. He was seeing his life flash before his eyes. Seconds later, he was dead, destroyed by his master’s hand.
Steam rose from Meruzilak’s skull and his eyes dripped silvery fluid. “Pity,” he said and turned away.
In the distance, Joshua heard a noise. He saw something flying through the air, coming toward them. As it drew closer, Joshua identified it—like in the painting, it was a giant cicada bird. Its wings were clear with purple veins running through, while its eyes, spaced far apart and bulging from its face, shone red. It hovered above them for a moment then descended upon Ralmaghar’s lifeless body.
Seconds passed and Joshua wondered what was going on. Nothing was happening. Joshua kept watching and soon found out. It started small, not much more than a whisper. A thin vapor arose from Ralmaghar’s body. The corpse, however, lay motionless. As the vapor wrested itself from the body, the whisper became a cry. Ralmaghar’s spirit was being taken, but not without a fight.
Joshua couldn’t watch anymore. Ralmaghar’s soul was being added to the host of others, the ones Joshua saw in the fire. The spirit violently resisted, but it was obviously fighting a losing battle, being drawn into the bird’s opened maw. Joshua put his hands over his ears; the sound was ten times worse than any nails on a chalkboard. Ralmaghar’s spirit finally surrendered and, as quickly as it had come, the giant bird flew away.
Standing there, listening to the crackle of far-off thunder, Joshua realized he was all alone with Meruzilak, who had killed a seven-foot wizard in the blink of an eye and was getting uglier by the second. It was highly doubtful he’d be in the cheeriest of moods toward Joshua now.
Steam poured from his nostrils, and his face folded in on itself like a rotting sponge. He spread his arms wide and lifted himself into the air. With lifeless eyes, he glared at Joshua. “For someone with little time left to live, you seem intent on pressing your luck. It will be a pleasure to kill you and your brother.” Meruzilak flashed his hand forward and a sheet of blackness came down.
It was the last thing Joshua remembered.
Chapter 34
The Chasm
The morning broke early, and though he was awake, Daniel kept his eyes closed. Something inside him knew that after this day he could never go back to being normal Daniel Braden again. He wanted to soak up the last remaining moments before his life changed.
This was it, the end of their journey. Together they would fight Meruzilak and win, or else. Either way, there was no going back. Daniel opened his eyes. It was time.
Alistair stood at the far end of the cloud. He seemed stoic, Daniel noticed. Stoic, but strong. Daniel appreciated his confidence; he knew one of them would need it. He joined Alistair at the wall.
Alistair parted the cloud like a window. “Take a look around.”
Daniel’s eyes widened. It was a portrait of their journey from eighteen thousand feet. From up here, the hills they climbed appeared as thumbprints on the ground, the lake they crossed a puddle. Daniel looked down at the mountain, towering over the landscape.
“So when do we leave?” he asked.
Alistair remained quiet, as if waiting for Daniel to draw upon the inference. It didn’t take long and an expression of terror flashed across Daniel’s face.
“I know that look, Alistair. I know that look and I don’t like it. What are you not telling me?”
Sometimes silence speaks louder than the most resonant of screams. Daniel understood what it meant: Alistair was not coming. He felt tears welling in his eyes.
“I can’t do this alone,” he cried. “Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t coming? You knew I wouldn’t have come, that’s why. You suckered me, Alistair.”
When he finally spoke, Alistair answered in a firm voice. “This part of the journey you must go alone. I can better protect you from
up here.”
Daniel turned away. Deep down, he knew Alistair was right—he’d suspected it for some time now; Alistair had even given a couple of hints—but he still felt betrayed and wished it didn’t have to be this way.
Alistair placed his hands on Daniel’s shoulder. “I won’t tell you not be scared. The fear will always be there, Daniel. There is nothing we can do about that. Courage is doing what you have to do in spite of being scared.”
Daniel managed a defeated smile. “Well, why don’t you go in my place then?”
“I wish I could. Take courage, Daniel. You have the spirit of your ancestors. They are watching over you now.”
“Will I ever see you again?”
“I don’t know. I hope so. It would be an honor.”
The lump in his throat tightened. He hadn’t anticipated it being this difficult. Maybe there is no way of getting around it—goodbyes always suck.
“I’ll see you later,” Daniel said and jumped out of the cloud.
***
Wait a minute. What was he doing? He just jumped from thousands of feet up with no parachute. “Am I crazy?” Daniel screamed as he shot across the sky, his cheeks flapping against the rushing wind. “Whoaaaaaaaaa!”
It was better than he ever imagined, the mad rush of sight and sound. He was flying through the air with no restrictions, no limitations. It had been a dream of his all his life. Daniel had never felt so free … or so alive.
He knew Alistair was guiding him, so in the meantime he let himself enjoy the ride. The wind smacked against his face, but it was joyous. He found smiling helped keep his face from locking up, but he would’ve been smiling, anyway. This was a million times better than any carnival ride. Daniel flew into a cloud and was temporarily blinded.
“Awesome!” he yelled as he burst through the clearing. “Just awesome!”
The mountain was even more spectacular from the air, with its frozen waterfalls and statuesque, barren pines. A group of wyverns even stood on the backside. Daniel waved to one of them as it spotted him. If he never got a chance to go skydiving, it wouldn’t matter. It could never come close to topping this. He had a clear view of the summit now. He was flying in a straight line in its direction—about time to put on the brakes.
“All right, Alistair, anytime now.” Daniel spread his arms and slowed down. The descent was graceful and fluid; Alistair was a pro. Daniel approached the mountain summit and landed firmly on his feet. “That was too cool.”
His enthusiasm was short-lived. Daniel remembered why he was here and the knot in his stomach squeezed tighter. It was he alone, on top of the world (whatever world this may be), and the loneliest, most abandoned feeling imaginable. His lips trembled and his fingers shook, and it took everything he had to not curl into a ball and stay there.
“Yeah, well, that’s not going to happen,” said Daniel. “I came here to do a job and I’m not leaving until it’s done. Now, where is the summit? That’s where I’ll find the chasm.”
Chasm. It was such a strange sounding word. What was it he expected to find? Images passed through his mind of prehistoric birds and searing lava, maybe the sounds of iron clanking. Daniel lowered himself down a small ledge. “There it is,” he whispered.
The trembling made the words stick in his throat. No birds, no lava. No iron. This was probably worse. Currents of lightning swirled beneath its purplish moat, tendrils of smoke lifted into the silvery air. Daniel stood at the chasm’s edge and looked down upon its icy mantle, letting the sounds fill his senses.
The breaking of the ice below crashed like cymbals. The voices from the tunnel—he heard them clearly, only this time without the splitting headache or almost passing out. He was filled with an awareness so deep it seemed sketched in animation. Daniel felt connected. He felt the bond of his ancestors and knew this was where he was supposed to be—right here, right now. Scared enough to pee his pants, but in the right place. He took off his pack and brought out the stone.
So this was it, he thought. The key to everything was right here. It was hard to believe this little stone could mean so much, and here he was barely able to hold it because his hands were so cold. “All right, let’s do this,” Daniel said and held the stone high, waiting for it to do its thing.
But nothing happened.
Again, he offered the onyx. “Maybe it takes a while to get warmed up.”
Hold on a minute. Warmed up? Of course. I should have started heating it when I was inside the cloud. He put the stone inside his shirt and rubbed it briskly.
“Come on, hurry. Do your thing.”
Nothing. The ground blew by in a whisper. “Daniel,” he heard it say. “Come here,” the rocks spoke.
“This isn’t real,” he told himself. “It’s all tricks.” The air breathed his name. “I won’t listen,” he said. “It’s not real. If only this stupid rock would work.”
***
Joshua had never been so happy to see his brother in his entire life—or so sad, either. He remembered what happened to Staggor and Ralmaghar. They were images forever burned into his memory, and unless he did something to save him, Daniel was about to be added to the list.
Joshua couldn’t bear to look at Meruzilak. His face was hardly even a face anymore. It was coming apart and the weirdest thing was that mud and dirt were flying up and attaching to what was left. It’s like he’s gone through seven layers of ugly since we’ve been here.
Meruzilak, Joshua noted, paid little, if any, attention to him. He cared about one thing: Daniel. He wanted to kill him, and Joshua couldn’t let that happen. But how was he supposed to save him? He was a boy. Meruzilak was showing his true power and the mountain obeyed his every command. This was what he’d planned all along. This was what the crystal things were for. What could Joshua do? Probably nothing, but it wasn’t going to stop him from trying. A maggot fell from Meruzilak’s chin and landed on Joshua’s neck. “Yuck.” He almost gagged as he flicked it away. Meruzilak failed to notice.
***
“Joshua,” Daniel whispered. “How is this possible? It can’t be.”
But it was. Somehow, someway, Joshua must have stepped through the portal and been captured by … Meruzilak.
The word sent a chill down Daniel’s arm. Until then, it had been a name—an unseen enemy—but now he put a face to the name and it made his blood turn cold. He was looking upon pure evil. Just like in his dreams.
He felt a burning and palpable fear. His nightmares, after all, were coming true before his eyes. But he also felt overwhelming awe. Though evil, Meruzilak was equally impressive. The rain and melted snow were vacuumed up by his presence. And, of course, he felt hate—for everything Meruzilak had done, for the ones he tortured and the souls he kept in agony. He was also holding Joshua prisoner, so chalk up one more reason for Daniel to despise him. Nobody was allowed to pick on his brother. Nobody except me, Daniel added.
Daniel turned his eyes toward Joshua. Joshua looked so much older, like he wasn’t the same kid who’d pestered him all these years. He also looked so helpless, standing tiny next to Meruzilak. Daniel steeled himself. He must face Meruzilak head-on, man against monster, boy against wizard. His brother’s life depended on it.
The wind howled and lashed against his cheeks. He knew this was how Meruzilak wanted it. He wanted Daniel scared, wanted him to know the full extent of his power, that he could crush him in an instant. He knew Alistair was protecting him the best he could, but it wasn’t working. He was being slowly pulled, and though he was sure he wasn’t moving, somehow he was getting closer. Daniel stood strong, unflinching.
Meruzilak raised his arms, his staff a serpent in his hand. He grew larger in front of Daniel’s eyes. “Give me the stone!” The ground cracked under Daniel’s feet.
“Not on your life,” Daniel answered, and when he did, his voice was confident and firm.
A fireball shot from Meruzilak’s hands. Daniel crossed his arms, and the fireball deflected off his wrists. Meruzilak,
for a brief second, looked surprised, then the rage in his eyes deepened and he went after Daniel with relentless fury.
It wasn’t like he had a lot of time to think about it—Daniel was acting on instinct. He felt strength running through him that was as startling as it was empowering. The next fireball came and Daniel shielded himself, though he felt the sting from this one and stumbled backward. Meruzilak grinned. There was the weakness he was looking for. He sent a stream of fire Daniel’s way. “Give me the stone,” he yelled.
“You’ll have to peel it out of my cold, dead hands first.”
Meruzilak strengthened his attack. “It will be a pleasure.”
***
Joshua couldn’t tolerate it anymore, seeing his brother hurt like this. I can’t stand around and let Daniel get roasted like a pig on a stick. He picked up a rock and chucked it at Meruzilak’s head. He didn’t expect it to actually work, he was trying to get the monster’s attention away from Daniel. Joshua dashed forward to help his brother.
Meruzilak felt the rock hit him in the face and ceased his assault. He saw Joshua racing to his brother’s side. “All the better,” he thundered. “I can kill you together.”
Joshua had never run quicker; he’d never screamed louder. He’d also never tripped harder. His shoelace caught underneath his heel and he tumbled forward, his arms splayed in front of him. He smashed into Daniel, knocking him off his feet and causing him to drop the onyx.
Daniel searched the area. “Joshua, do you see it?”
“See what?”
“The stone from the library. We have to find it, Joshua. Fast.”
Meruzilak sent a gush of fire Daniel’s way that made the others pale in comparison. “Hurry, Joshua.”
“Why do you delay the inevitable?” Meruzilak said. “Can’t you see it’s pointless?” He hit Daniel with another blast and Daniel fell hard to the ground. “Your friend Alistair can’t protect you, anymore.”
Daniel knew he wouldn’t last much longer. His strength was fading while Meruzilak’s power grew stronger with each blast. Their one hope was Joshua, that he reached the stone in time. It was a long shot, Daniel knew, but it was their final shot.