Chapter 32: Walking Shadows
The overbearing sun, in its new position, holds its spot. With Bishop, Perpetua, and Stu hand in hand behind me, I step forward cautiously onto the newly revealed grass. My heart races, unsure of what will happen when I walk into the obelisk’s shadow. A few cautious steps later, I stop. Several students stand frozen, blocking my intended path.
“Just walk through them,” Stu yells from behind, reading my mind.
At first I think he’s joking, but after further evaluation it seems the only option. I lift my hand to test the theory first, letting it sink into the boy in front of me. My fingers disappear, tingling with his energy.
“It’ll be okay, Sera,” Bishop says.
I hold my breath and step forward, completely submerging myself into the boy’s essence. His body encases me with the pressure of water. For a moment, I become a human relicutionist. A few hours of his life slip before my eyes. It’s exhilarating and kind of gross at the same time. I exit the other side of his body and gasp for air.
When I look back, the boy’s clothes tug forward as Bishop walks through, pulling Perpetua behind him.
I turn forward to continue and halt in my tracks.
Terease stands frozen before me. Her lacquered nails reach toward my face. Her black eyebrows angle into peaks, and her red lips gape open. Macey stands frozen, just outside the shadow’s borders. I wish that I could switch their positions. I’d do anything to avoid seeing the evil that churns within Terease’s lifeless frame.
“What are you waiting for?” Perpetua’s voice twists in annoyance. My hesitation lasted longer than I realized. “Scared, Seraphina?” she badgers.
I don’t acknowledge her remark. I only imagine my mother waiting on the other side of Terease. I have to walk through her. There’s no other way. I stand up straight and take a deep breath. Closing my eyes, I step into her black, leather-clad body.
Her soul matches the darkness in her eyes. Blackness roils around me. An uncomfortable chill races up my spine. Unlike the student I just passed through, she guards her soul, hiding her secrets. I linger within her body longer than intended. My senses lift away, drawing me toward an evil that pulses just outside my reach. Bishop tugs me back, like a balloon that’s floating away. I bounce for a moment, weightless, before I remember myself. His hand, in mine, tethers me to reality and brings me to my senses.
But in Terease’s murk, I grasp her final thought. The emotion lingers from before she froze solid. I can’t read the exact words, but I’m now overwhelmed with her dread—Terease’s intense concern.
Bishop pushes me from behind, and I vacate her body through the other side, gasping for air. Her alarming emotions linger, encasing me like a second skin. I watch Bishop travel through her, but when he does, he seems unfazed by the experience. So I push her distressing feelings out of my mind and continue on.
When I reach the apex of the shadow, I know we’re going somewhere in the next step, but I have no idea where. When my toes hit the ground, a white light blasts, enveloping me. Forceful winds push, warning me away. Leaning into the air, I drag my group toward a luminous, radiating wall. When I look back to check on them, I only see silhouettes and hair tousled by the force of the whipping winds. The distinct scent of ocean salt swirls around us, but we’re miles away from the ocean, or we used to be. The air is chilled with dampness. Icy drizzle pelts my face as I step through to the other side of the vortex.
Stumbling forward, I almost fall off a set of wet stairs. Bishop grabs my arm before I hit the ground.
“Thanks,” I say and steady myself. It’s nice to have him here. With Bishop in close proximity, I feel safer. I turn to smile at him, but his attention falls on our new surroundings.
“London.” He surveys the horizon, lined with buildings.
We stand at the river’s edge in London, underneath another gigantic obelisk. Two huge, rusted metal sphinxes flank us. Based on our surroundings, I estimate us to be on true time, but I can’t be one hundred percent sure.
“Cleopatra’s Needle,” Bishop says. “This is the Thames River.” He points at the water. A ferryboat glides past. “My home isn’t too far from here.” He looks off into the distance.
“Should we drop in on your mum for tea?” Perpetua asks, making fun of him by mimicking his accent.
“You were always quite good at imitation.” He grimaces and looks away.
“Now what?” I ask Stu, ignoring Bishop and Perpetua. When I speak, a cloud of condensation rolls from my mouth. The chilly temperature here rivals Chicago.
“We should do it again,” Perpetua chimes in. Up until now, she’s reserved her breath for the sole purpose of annoying me. She must really want to see if the bracelet will work. Either that or she tagged along because she can’t bear to leave me alone with Bishop—probably the latter.
“There’s no light.” I squint, looking up into the drizzle.
“I think the weather will turn in our favor if we try it again,” Bishop says, assessing the evening sky.
I open the sundial bracelet. All four of us interlock grips again. I hold my arm up, with the sundial’s face toward the sky. It happens in almost the same way as the last, but the raging clouds move first, revealing the sun. The hot blast of erupting light makes time stand still for the pedestrians and cars passing by. The sun drifts eerily to its new position.
The shadow of the obelisk stops on a particular spot like a sundial. I drop hands with Bishop and walk to the water’s edge to balk at the long gray shadow, hovering across the murky water of the Thames River. The twenty-foot drop off the side of the walkway makes my stomach twist with anxiety. I have to walk over water now?
Perpetua laughs quietly to herself. When I turn to snap at her, Stu steps in front of her with his arms crossed. He’s protecting her now?
“Okay, just relax, will you?” Bishop steps between us, attempting to defuse the tension. “This is nothing compared to what we’ve already practiced, Sera.”
“Maybe, but I still don’t like it,” I grumble.
“Have faith, please?” His eyes squint into their familiar, smiling arcs under the now sunny sky. How can I deny him anything when he looks at me this way?
Reluctantly, I climb up onto the retaining wall. My insides wobble as I stand up straight. My arms, stretched wide, seek balance.
A horrible screeching noise surrounds us. Metal rubs against metal. We spin to look at the source. Next to the obelisk, the sphinxes’ eyes glow red. Their marble pedestals rumble and crack beneath them. The statues roar to life, causing a mini earthquake. The movement lashes us all, sending shock waves through the plaza.
“Animates!” Stu yells.
“We gotta go, Sera. Now!” Perpetua shrieks from behind.
The stone wall trembles under our feet. I stumble, losing my balance, and almost slip off the edge.
The sphinxes roll their heads in unison. They release another hideous scream. Cringing, I cover my ears.
“Now, Sera!” Bishop yells over their cries. We clasp hands again.
I look down at the shadow sitting upon the water, and I wonder if the petrified river will hurt when my body hits it. Tightening my grip on Bishop’s fingers, I step one foot over the edge and onto the air. But when I do, the air is as solid as the earth. Another step forward and my body hangs, suspended twenty feet above the Thames River on the shadow cast by the obelisk.
Happy with myself, I look back to Bishop. But everyone’s watching the Animates who have risen with alarm to their feet. The sphinxes contract their bodies into a crouch, readying to launch themselves at us.
I yank Bishop’s arm, signaling him to move. I run as fast as I can across the shaded area, hovering over the water. My foot crosses over the apex of the obelisk’s shadow at the moment I turn and see Perpetua kicking her legs in frantic defense against the approaching mechanical half-beasts. I run faster, praying I can pull them to safety.
Each member of the group falls on top of m
e, crushing my shoulders into the ground. But I don’t blame them. Why are there always stairs on the other side of the obelisk portal? One by one, they roll off. But I just lie on my side, looking off across the piazza at our new location. I know exactly where we are.
Perpetua stands above me and gives me a nudge-kick. “Get up, Sera. People are looking.” Hundreds of tourists walk past us, snapping photos.
Bishop offers me his hand. I reach out and grab it, ignoring the radiating warmth it leaves behind. We all glower at the new obelisk in front of us. But this time, the pillar sits in the middle of Piazza Del Popolo in Rome, Italy.
“Another one!” Stu stomps his foot awkwardly. “I can’t believe we’re doing this again. Maybe this thing is broken,” he says, pointing at the bracelet on my arm.
Perpetua gives him a punch, but I don’t understand why.
Bishop steps a little closer as he scans the area.
“What’s wrong?” I can tell he senses danger, but I don’t see anything. Only tour groups and taxis weaving around the plaza.
“Something’s off. Stay close,” he whispers.
I glance over at the four small lions seated at the base of the obelisk. They don’t look like they’re going to move. Not yet.
“Can Sam see you?” I ask Bishop. I hadn’t thought of her until this moment.
“Yes, but something’s wrong. She can’t talk to me, but I know she’s there. I think she still might be frozen until your task is completed—until you find your mum.”
“All right, let’s get this show on the road,” Stu interrupts.
“How do we know when we’re in the right place?” I ask him. I’d hoped that my mom would just be standing on the other side of the portal, waiting for me with open arms.
“I’m not sure about that. I guess we just keep going until it stops working.” Stu shrugs his shoulders.
They walk toward me, and we lock hands again, I hope for the last time. At least it doesn’t appear that I’ll be walking on air again. A wide berth of pavement stretches around us on the piazza.
I lift my arm, tilting it toward the evening sun. This time, I shield my eyes only halfway, attempting to glimpse the blast. The explosion of light hits quickly, warming the cold gray buildings on impact. Everything solidifies from the initial blow. From the center of it all, a sparkling fog rolls off the emerald and into the distance. When the glittery smoke hits the surrounding buildings, they lean away like rubber.
Everything stands lifeless, except for the clouds. They swirl angrily around the sky. The sun drops, lowering itself into an impossible northern spot. It falls behind the obelisk, casting an extra long shadow across the stone piazza, pointing at one of the twin churches standing at the south end.
I step onto the shadow, sensing this will be the final path. I’ll see Mom soon.
With locked grips, we walk the long shadow across the piazza and ascend the staircase of the Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli. While living in Rome with Ray, I passed the church on numerous occasions, but never had the opportunity to go inside.
The obelisk’s shadow casts across the closed entrance doors of the church. Instead of opening a door, I walk through it, just like I did with Terease. When I do, I linger for an extra moment to feel the door’s life path.
A darkly tanned Roman man, a woodworker, hundreds of years before my time, sits, carving the details of the door’s design with ancient tools. The sweat from his brow drops onto the wood, infusing itself there. The same man installs the doors. Countless faces walk through them over several hundred years to worship.
Sam would be jealous, knowing that I’d seen so far back in time, something I know she can’t do just yet. She’d die if she knew about the souls I’d explored. Supposedly, that’s not even possible.
An impatient nudge advances me forward. I want to ponder the door’s life path longer, but when I step beyond the door, a new scene consumes me.
Rich gold inlays and extravagant oil paintings cover the interior of the church. In front of the altar, facing us, stands a children’s choir. They’re frozen, singing out in silent song. Many people sit in the pews, most likely parents. I look from one person to the next, searching for my mom.
“We still haven’t reached the end,” Perpetua pushes.
She’s getting on my nerves, but I keep walking and hold my tongue.
The sunlight from outside penetrates the facade, letting the shadow continue on through the church. The apex lands at the foot of an open archway, flanked by two small obelisk statues. They guard a set of dark stairs, descending below the earth.
Something moves in my peripheral vision. My head jerks and my heart races at the thought of seeing my mom. Not just one person moves, everyone does. In slow motion, life blooms around us. Sounds advance from a whisper to a song. The choir’s angelic voices, in full strength, echo beautifully through the circular church.
The obelisk’s shadow dims at the moment I reach its end.
“This must be it,” I say. Without thinking, I squeeze Bishop’s hand.
Bishop squeezes my hand back.