Heartlight (23 page)

The long antennae waved happily in response. “The Pattern has returned, and so have I.”

Grandfather looked at his ring. The remaining slice of a wing was glowing again, pulsing with its old iridescence.

Another flash of lightning illuminated the starscape.

“Where is Kaitlyn?” cried Grandfather above the whirling winds.

*  *  *

Like a meteor, Morpheus sailed through the gaping hole in the great green dome that had once shielded Broé San Sauria from all intruders. As he scanned the scene below, he saw instantly there was no time to spare.

The Darkness had condensed its anti-light into a writhing body, whose blackness was broken only by the glowing red eye at one end. Slithering across the floor like a monstrous serpent of the void, it left behind the shattered bodies of three Nurse Crystals who had dared to stand in its way. Victims of the terrible tail, the smashed crystals lay in jagged pieces, their light forever extinguished.

Only one Nurse Crystal, Ariella’s mother, still survived. Like a sturdy tree planted firmly in the soil of its birthplace, the Nurse Crystal stood as the last barrier between The Darkness and its ultimate prey: the girl who lay sprawled on the floor behind her. Morpheus realized with horror that Kate’s motionless form lay completely unprotected, except for the lone Nurse Crystal and another much smaller crystal who was shielding Kate’s face.

“Ariella!” cried her mother, not daring to take her eyes off the deadly tail that was coiling again to strike. “Get away from here. The Darkness will destroy you, just like the others.”

“I won’t go,” answered Ariella. “Not without you. Not without Kate!”

“All we can do is hold off The Darkness as long as we can. If the Pattern has been restored, The Darkness will start losing strength. I only pray it happens soon—before we’re all destroyed.” Quickly, the Nurse Crystal glanced to the rear, and her deep silver eyes met Ariella’s. “I love you, my child, and nothing will ever change that.”

Suddenly the tail of The Darkness lashed out, and the air crackled with negative energy. At the same time, Ariella’s mother stretched herself like a massive cloak, her long arms shielding Ariella and Kate.

Craaaack!
With a searing explosion, the deadly whip came crashing down directly into the Nurse Crystal. She burst into pieces, sending up a flare of white light so brilliant that it stunned The Darkness momentarily.

The dark creature quivered for an instant, dissipating slightly. Then, with a flash of its red eye, it solidified again and started to coil its tail once more.

Morpheus blasted into battle. His wings accelerated to all-out speed, despite the injury from his last encounter with The Darkness. He would not be out-raced again. Either this creature would know the pain of death—or Morpheus would himself.

The evil eye of The Darkness, sizzling with negativity, pulsed with rage as it prepared to strike the final blow. To the extent The Darkness perceived thoughts of any kind, it was unified and propelled by a single idea: revenge. Gathering every last shred of its destructive powers, the gargantuan tail coiled itself tightly for the attack.

Then the tail released, slashing through the air toward the helpless body of Kate. Ariella stood as tall as she could, stretching her arms wide as her mother had done. But she could only hope to shield a tiny fraction of the target.

Craaaack!

Morpheus flew directly into the evil eye, as an explosion of negative lightning ripped the air.

The force of the direct hit knocked the tail slightly off course, and it crashed to the floor just wide of Kate and Ariella. Chunks of green crystal fell from above, shaken loose by the impact.

The Darkness shuddered, as if a mighty sword had sliced through its brain. Then a wave of distant explosions, so powerful that they shook the entire planet of Nel Sauria, reverberated inside the green dome. The Darkness released a deep and painful rumbling, a sound so low it was beyond all pitch.

Slowly, the threads of negative energy binding The Darkness together began to loosen, and its body began to dissipate. The raging red eye flared in pain and then started to fade steadily, while a web of negative energy crackled around it. The tail, motionless at last, grew rapidly thinner.

Morpheus fell to the floor with a thud, his wings badly torn. Weakly, he crawled away from The Darkness and toward Kate.

At that instant, she opened her eyes. The first sight she saw was the red eye glowing hatefully.

“Help!” she shrieked, rolling over to her side.

“You’re safe now, Kate,” said a familiar melodic voice. “The Darkness has lost its power.”

“Morpheus! You’re back!” Still groggy, Kate sat up and hugged the neck of the great butterfly. “I’m so glad you’re here!” She glanced fretfully at the evaporating form of The Darkness and shivered. “Are you sure we’re safe?”

“Kaitlyn!” called a new voice from high above her head.

“Grandfather!” she answered, seeing him sailing through the cracked crystal dome.

As Orpheus settled to the floor, the old man slid from his perch and ran to her. Kate quickly clambered to her feet.

“Thank you,” whispered Grandfather, as he stroked her braid lovingly. “Thank you and bless you.”

“You heard me,” cried Kate happily. “You really heard me!”

“Yes,” laughed Grandfather. “And so did the star.”

Suddenly, Kate’s eyes fell upon the hunched figure of Ariella, bending over her mother’s shattered body. Instantly the joy of their reunion melted away. She pulled free of Grandfather’s embrace and darted over to her.

Taking the weeping snow crystal in her arms, Kate viewed the ghastly remains of the Nurse Crystal who had restored her life—and her hope. For a while she said nothing, as her own tears mingled with Ariella’s.

Gently, she set down the small crystal, whose soulful eyes were saturated with pain. “I’m so—”

Craaaack!

With a flash of negative energy, the fading tail of The Darkness raised itself once again. Sensing Kate’s presence, it slithered swiftly toward her, searing the very air as it moved.

“Run!” cried Grandfather.

Kate instantly leaped to the side, but Ariella, still immersed in her grief, did not move.

From out of the shadows, a small form rushed to Ariella and pushed her aside, just a split second before the tail smashed violently on the very spot where she had been standing.

Kate turned to see who had saved her. “Spike!” she cried, amazed to see him alive again. “It’s you!”

The columnar crystal bowed awkwardly, due to the portion of his base that was missing.

“That’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done,” said Ariella, eyeing him thankfully.

“Let’s not get carried away,” he replied. “It takes a lot of bravery just to hang around you, even for a few minutes.”

Ariella’s misty eyes almost smiled.

At that instant, The Darkness crackled and stirred once again. Kate, Ariella, and Spike backed away quickly as the tail, now a thin version of its former self, rose straight up into the air. It hung there for a moment, swaying from side to side, as if it were shaking an angry fist at its conquerors.

Then it fell to the floor, leaving a thin trail of darkness in its wake. It lay there, quivering slightly, as it faded into nothing more than a transparent veil. For an instant, only the red eye of The Darkness remained, glowing feebly. Finally, with a sizzling sound, it disappeared completely.

The Darkness had departed.

Whether the creature of the void had truly died or had merely withdrawn to some other part of the universe, Kate could not tell. All she knew was that her heart leaped at seeing it go; all she hoped was that it had gone forever.

“We’ve got to leave, Kaitlyn.” Grandfather’s voice was filled with urgency. “The star has returned to the Pattern, and that means it’s beginning to collapse.” He looked at his ring: Only a small sliver of the right wing remained. It seemed to be disintegrating before his very eyes. “Let’s go.”

“But how?” cried Kate, seeing for the first time the tattered wings of her butterfly. “Morpheus! Your wings are ripped to pieces.”

“Orpheus and I have already devised a plan,” said Morpheus with a graceful swish of his antennae. “You and your grandfather will both ride on my brother’s back.”

“What?” exclaimed Kate. “And leave you behind?”

The antennae waved sadly. “I fear I won’t ever fly again, Kate.”

She stepped to the side of the great butterfly and placed her hand upon his neck. “I don’t want to go without you.”

“You must, Kate,” Morpheus replied. “I will stay here with Ariella, who will remind me of the cartwheels I could once perform.”

“But the star is collapsing,” objected Grandfather. “If you stay here, you’ll be destroyed along with everything else.”

“I have no choice but to stay,” answered Morpheus. He turned again to Kate, and his broken wings rustled like the leaves of a stricken elm tree. “I will miss you. It was an honor to fly with you on my back.”

“If only we had more time,” said Ariella with regret. “Then perhaps I could find some way to heal you. But time is the one thing we don’t have.”

Kate stroked the black fur of Morpheus’ neck. “I don’t want to leave you.”

“Come, Kaitlyn.” Grandfather’s voice was firm. He took her hand and helped her climb onto the back of Orpheus. Then he slid into position behind her, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist.

“Are you sure you can carry us?” he asked Orpheus.

“I can carry you,” answered the butterfly bravely. “It is my grief that is now too heavy to carry.” Orpheus waved his antennae toward Morpheus. “My brother, when will we meet again?”

The multifaceted eyes of Morpheus gazed at him somberly. “I don’t know.”

Through her swelling tears, Kate could see Ariella leap into the air. The snow crystal floated before her face and gently touched Kate’s cheek with a single delicate arm.

“Ariella . . .” began Kate, but Ariella already knew her thought.

“I will miss you, too,” said the shining snow crystal, her own eyes brimming with tears.

Suddenly, Kate removed her butterfly ring and placed it into Ariella’s cupped hand. Simultaneously she reached for Grandfather’s ring, which was on his hand at her waist, and grasped it firmly. As she had hoped, she remained heartlight because she was still touching Grandfather’s ring.

“That’s dangerous, Kaitlyn,” said Grandfather sternly. “If you should let go of my ring while we’re in flight—even for an instant—you’ll perish immediately.”

“I know,” she replied. “But I want Ariella to have my ring. Something to remember me by.”

“Are you sure?” asked Ariella. “I don’t need your ring to remember Kate of the Ring.”

“I’m sure,” answered Kate. “I want you to have it. Maybe—just maybe—it will give you a little more time. Maybe you can even find a way to heal Morpheus! Please take it.”

“But Kaitlyn—”

“I want to do this, Grandfather.”

Seeing she was unshakable, the old man shrugged in resignation. “All right, if you feel you must. But Kaitlyn . . . at least do this for me. You take my ring to wear, and let me hold on to you.”

Kate studied him closely for a moment, then nodded. She took Grandfather’s ring and slipped it on as he laid his large hand over her own.

Ariella clasped Kate’s ring, her silver eyes sparkling. “I love you,” she whispered. Then she dropped to the floor next to Morpheus and cried: “Farewell, dear friends! You have saved our star, now save yourselves!”

With that Orpheus began to climb. As they approached the splintered dome, Kate could hear the wild storm raging outside. She looked below to catch one final glimpse of Ariella. To her surprise, the tiny crystal was growing steadily brighter. As Ariella’s radiance increased, she began to glow like a small star. Gradually, she grew so luminous that she seemed to be made more of light than of snow.

“I hope we still have enough time,” said Grandfather.

Kate, however, wasn’t listening. “I love you, Ariella,” she said quietly. “And I always will.”

XIX: The Black Hole

A devastating blast of supercharged lightning seared the sky. Crimson clouds billowed and the winds whirled about them with gathering fury.

“It feels like everything is falling apart!” cried Kate, as an octagonal crystal burst into pieces directly above them.

“It is,” called Orpheus above the din. His antennae waved frantically, searching urgently to find his bearings in the swirling storm.

Boom! Boom! Boom!
rolled the thunder of distant explosions, sending shock waves in every direction. Lightning sizzled through the starscape and brightly glowing gas was everywhere. Cannons of destruction sounded continuously.

Boom! Boom!

Boom! Boom!

Grandfather gripped the ring on Kate’s hand ever more tightly. Another bolt of lightning ripped across the sky. Crystals exploded on all sides.

Orpheus struggled to stay on course, but the stellar gale was intensifying. Furiously he beat his wide wings, pushing himself as hard as he could.

Kate watched the powerful wings laboring, as her worries mounted. What if one of these explosions knocked Grandfather’s hand off the ring? Why did Orpheus seem to be slowing down?

The starscape flared with electricity.

“Grandfather!” she cried. “What’s wrong with Orpheus?”

His face was ashen. “He is struggling.”

“Against what?”

“Against the most powerful physical force in the universe.”

“A black hole?”

He grimaced. “We may be too late to escape.”

As the great butterfly strained to carry them forward, Kate realized that everything around them was being pulled backward into the deep funnel of darkness forming to their rear. Gas clouds, crystals, asteroids—all were being sucked into the center of the collapsing star.

“No!” she cried in terror, as Grandfather’s description of a black hole flashed like lightning across her mind:
a force so powerful not even light can escape . . .

Orpheus forged ahead with every ounce of his strength. His wide wings beat frantically, but his progress diminished steadily. Now they were hardly moving forward at all.