Fallen (29 page)

“What was all that about?” I asked.

“Trust me,” he said. “Now, I want you to
reach within yourself and find your power, just as you must do when
conjuring or changing your form. However, when you have hold of
that power, I want you to bring it outward and hold it around
you.”

I concentrated on doing exactly what Oliver
had asked of me. Finding my inner power was easy enough after all
of the practice I had gained recently. However, forcing it to
emerge in such a controlled way was altogether different from what
I had been used to.

I closed my eyes, wanting to be sure that I
wasn’t distracted by Oliver, Sophia, or anything else around me. I
felt the power expanding from within, pushing outside my body. As I
had been forced to hold the shape of the glass vase, I held this
expansion back by sheer force of will. It wanted to burst forth,
but I couldn’t let it.

The power was coming out of me, extending
beyond the boundaries of my mortal body. I opened my eyes and saw
the light refracted around me, feeding me a distorted view of the
world around me. Oliver and Sophia were both watching intently.
Perhaps they could now see the formation of the bubble around me.
Then the bubble got away from me.

The echo of a horrendous crash lingered as I
opened my eyes again. The bubble, with its distorted view, was
gone. The fountain, where Sophia had been sitting a moment ago, was
also gone. At least, any resemblance to a fountain was gone. The
blocks had shattered to pieces, and the water had been thrown
across a fifty yard spread of the park around us. The bushes,
flowers and other vegetation had been shredded and scattered as
well.

However, Oliver and his Extension bubble
remained. Sophia peered over his shoulder again, uncovering her
ears as she did so. She surveyed the scene around us then looked at
Oliver. “Thank you,” she said.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Don’t you know?” he replied. “You lost your
focus and lost control. That power had to go somewhere. Part of it
withdrew inside you while the rest did all this.”

On every side, I saw destruction.

Oliver chuckled. “It’s not as bad as you
might think. This technique took me an entire day to get even that
far when I first tried. Besides, if you had enemies on all sides,
that loss of control could prove useful. Now, try again, and
remember to hold onto your focus.”

A little over an hour later I had finally
achieved holding the Extension steady without destroying anything.
Twilight had come to Tidus, though it seemed to come earlier than
in the mortal world. Sophia had gone and had our dinner sent out to
us on a golden cart by a servant. After eating, I insisted he take
cart away so that I didn’t accidentally destroy it too.

Oliver stood protected within his Extension,
and I stood in my own. “Now what?” I asked.

“Now, comes the fun part,” he said. “Reach
forward and touch the inner surface of your Extension.”

I did so. As my finger came into contact, a
ripple fanned out through the bubble. I felt a slight tingling
sensation. It was actually pleasant.

Oliver did the same within his bubble. A
bolt of electricity arced between our Extensions. I felt the
lightning hit my bubble. This sensation was not pleasant. I felt a
bit of a drain on my strength, but otherwise remained unharmed.

“Did you notice the difference?” Oliver
asked. “That bolt of lightning would likely have killed your mortal
body.”

“I didn’t enjoy it, but it didn’t hurt
either,” I reported. “But how did you attack me
through
your
Extension?”

“From my Extension, not through it,” Oliver
corrected. “This Extension is the same power that normally resides
within us, so my attack originated with it. It’s not necessary to
make contact, but it does make it easier to direct your
energies.”

I already knew how to produce lightning, so
I made an attempt, touching the inner surface of the bubble, as I
had before. A white hot bolt arced from my Extension to Oliver’s.
He smiled at my progress.

“Does it only produce lightning?”

“Try whatever you like,” Oliver said.
“Theoretically, anything you can do without the Extension in place
should still be possible.”

I touched the inner surface of the bubble
with one of my favorite attacks in mind. The outer surface of the
Extension reacted by sending a gout of flame in Oliver’s direction.
His bubble absorbed the fire, leaving him unharmed. I slashed
across the inner surface with my fingertips. A crescent of white
hot energy carved a line through the pavement at Oliver’s feet, but
his Extension absorbed the rest. A ripple of current across its
surface upon each impact was the only reaction.

“I believe you’re getting the hang of it,
Brody,” Oliver said, looking over my shoulder.

I followed his line of sight. Lycean and
Sophia had appeared on the hill behind me. Neither of them looked
the least bit pleased. Had I not known better, I might have thought
they were angry about the mess I had made in their beautiful
park.

Lycean called to Oliver, “Our preparations
are ready!”

Oliver dropped his Extension. “We’re ready,”
he answered.

I also dropped my bubble, drawing the power
back within myself.

“What are we ready for?” I asked.

Oliver stepped over the debris scattered
across the pavement between us, pausing as he walked toward the
hill.

“My death.”

We were led by Lycean and Sophia to one of
the many temples located in Tidus. This particular monument to
their past kings had been constructed in a completely different way
from any other that I had already seen and was located in a
secluded area of the city. As we passed by the ornamental wall that
surrounded it, I got my first view.

A giant sphere made of stone sat atop of a
squat cylindrical pedestal that appeared to contain a simple
concavity that balanced the entire structure. A garden containing
many varieties of flowers surrounded it in rows that resembled the
spokes of a carriage wheel with the temple at the hub. I searched
for a door, but found none.

“How do we get in?” I asked.

Oliver walked beside me with the king and
Sophia ahead.

“This particular temple can only be accessed
by a special portal,” Lycean explained.

“What king does this temple commemorate?” I
asked.

Oliver chuckled. “The greatest of the Lycan
kings,” he proclaimed.

Ahead of us, Lycean sighed wearily.

My confusion was finally answered by Sophia.
“Oliver built this temple in honor of my father,” she said,
offering a smile for Oliver.

I looked at him with newfound
admiration.

“I had no idea you were so diverse with your
talents,” I said. “An architect?”

“Don’t worry,” Oliver replied, “you’ll find
it rather unconventional.”

When we reached the end of the flower rows
near the temple, we passed through a distortion, like penetrating
the surface of water. This virtually invisible portal delivered us
directly into the temple itself. We found ourselves standing upon a
central plinth that extended out nearly to the inner surface of the
globe. The plinth’s surface had been intricately carved with a vast
mural depicting what I assumed must be the entire history of the
Lycan people. Illuminating the entire temple was a blue flame that
hovered in the very middle of the sphere.

Looking up to examine the flame, I noticed
its odd nature.

“Oliver, how did you get the flame to lick
downward at us against gravity?” I asked.

He stifled a laugh, as did the others.

“I didn’t,” he reported. “We are actually
standing on the inner surface at the
top
of this globe. You
and I are contradictory to gravity at the moment, not the
flame.”

I looked up again and all around, but there
was no other landmark to gauge our orientation. I would have
expected to feel the blood rushing to my head, or some other
disorientation as an indicator, but I felt no different.

“Amazing,” was all I could manage to say
about the temple’s unorthodox construction.

Oliver gave a slight bow in reply.

It was a lighthearted moment. A moment I
would hold on to for a long time after that day. Then the terrible
reality of our situation came crashing back in like a tidal wave.
We were here in this place to end the power of Black’s dolls over
the citizens of London. We were here to remove the key to the
angel’s spell that animated them in this world. We were here to
kill Oliver James.

Lycean presented me with a cloth wrap. He
unfolded the silk to reveal a bright blade beneath, a dagger of
exquisite beauty. I looked at Oliver who happened to be staring at
the blade.

“I can’t do this,” I said.

“You must, Brody,” he replied. “I require
you to draw the flame down into the blade before you strike. I do
not wish to linger in pain, after all. That should certainly do
it.”

“Lycean?” I begged.

He gave me a solemn look. “I wish it did not
have to be,” he said.

“You are the only one who can do this,
Brody,” Oliver explained. “Only you and I can draw down the flame.
And I’m afraid I could not sufficiently carry this out on my
own.”

I reached out and took the dagger from its
wrappings. It was heavy, possibly made of pure silver. Certainly it
was a beautiful piece. I knew that I could perform the conjuring
without difficulty. Having Oliver as my mentor had given me
confidence. I was less sure that I could actually kill my friend,
despite the ramifications.

“Well, let’s not drag this out any more than
necessary,” Oliver said. “As far as my affairs are concerned, I
have made arrangements, legally claiming Brody as my ward and
heir.”

“I don’t understand,” I said.

“You will inherit all that I have,” Oliver
explained. “And, in my absence, I hope you will carry on the fight
against Black, Brody. Lycean, I hope I can count upon your long
support as applicable to the boy.”

“Of course, my friend,” Lycean said. “All
that I have and more is yours.”

I did not know what to say at this gesture.
Oliver smiled at us. “You have been very good friends,” he said
finally. “I shall miss you all. However, considering my new faith
in our God, I trust I will see you soon enough, provided you share
those convictions.” Oliver looked at me and winked. “Be sure that
you share this faith with them, as you did with me.”

I choked upon any words I might say and
simply nodded. The silver dagger felt very heavy in my hands now.
The moment was practically upon me. I would lose someone I had
hoped to know for the rest of my life—a brother and a friend—a
mentor like no other in this world. But he was slipping away, and
there was nothing to be done for it.

“I’m ready,” Oliver said. “Do what must be
done, Brody.”

He stood stock still with his hands at his
sides waiting. I swallowed against the gathering lump in my throat.
It was time. There was no going back.

I raised the silver dagger toward the
inverted fire burning at the center of the spherical temple. With
little effort, I drew down a stream of blue flame, willing it to
converge with the blade and remain there. The fire obeyed, though
it took on our inverted nature now, appearing normal to us in our
upside down orientation.

I stood before Oliver with the dagger raised
high in my right hand ready to strike. Tears welled in my eyes, but
I pushed back against my emotions. I had to be strong in order to
save all of those people who would otherwise be at Black’s
mercy.

This is a victory for Oliver in his fight
against Black. I kept thinking that, trying to sell myself on the
nobility of what we were about to do. All the while, my mind
continued to scream out about the insanity of this ritual. Was
there no other way?

Oliver closed his eyes and spread his arms
out, ready to embrace death itself and whatever else he would soon
face. I drove down with all my might, hoping my boy’s strength
would be enough to even do the job right. There came a whoosh as
the air buffeted the flame. The dagger plunged toward Oliver’s
waiting breast.

An explosion of blue fire and a discharge of
electrical current sent me flying backwards into the quick care of
Lycean’s powerful arms. Oliver had also been thrown down by the
unexpected exchange. Standing between us stood the mysterious angel
who had both fed me in the alley and saved our lives in
Tartarus.

His expression was urgent.

“You shall not harm Oliver James,” he
said.

Wearily, I dropped the knife, nodding to the
angel, happy that intervention had come. Oliver recovered quicker
than I did, getting back to his feet.

“But the Mystic told us that I was the key,”
he said. “I have to die in order to save the people of London.”

The angel turned toward him with a gentle
smile, laying his hand on Oliver’s shoulder. “There is another
way.”

I had never been so glad to see someone in
all my life. When the angel showed up suddenly to stop me from
killing Oliver, my hopes were lifted. I was reminded of God’s
intervention during the sacrifice of Isaac. Unfortunately, my hopes
were soon to be dashed. Something had to be done to save the mortal
citizens of London, and Oliver still had the misfortune of being
the spell key that allowed them free reign in this world.

We four stood captivated by the angel’s
appearance. He was robed in white apparel with a golden sash at his
waist. Light emanated from an aura that surrounded him, and his
face was a model of benevolence.

“What must we do, if not follow the Mystic’s
instructions?” Oliver asked.