Original Souls (A World Apart #1) (16 page)

"Yes, I will," I told him. It was a bold move that I had to make.

Sebastian's face went red as the words came out of my mouth. "I must admit, I didn't suspect you to be so ... willing. I was sure we'd have to convince you in some rather violent ways."

"No need for that," I said with a cheerful tone, "what must be done, must be done."

"You hold a good point, Criston. I'm glad that you're seeing things more my way. Release him!" Sebastian motioned Geary over to my straps. He didn't hesitate, Geary came right over and started unstrapping me from the altar. His brown mop hair got way too close to my face for comfort. He smelled like a wet dog after a romp through the city dump. He took the first strap off from the left, following suit at the right. And -as soon as he did tha
t—
I punched him hard in the face, grabbing my llave from around his neck. He started falling to the ground and the chain that my llave was attached to popped as gravity took hold of his body. I darted toward Corinth on the long desk.

I can't believe he tried to steal my llave! And to have the audacity to wear it in front of me like that. He's the king of idiots. I took a few quick and large steps across the room to the Chancellor's desk, with my llave wrapped up in my palm. Sebastian seemed startled by the commotion. He took cover, stepping-far out of the way of my charging body. I stopped no more than a millimeter from burrowing into Cory's cocoon. While I started to reach out and touch him, I could
n’
t help but be afraid that his power might destroy me or something. But it didn't. The blue-green beams of light immolating from Corinth's eyes and around his body simply vanished as I touched the soft skin of his creamy-tan face.

"We're getting out of here
,
” I whispered

"Not as far as you may believe, Criston!" said Sebastian with a horrifying giggle that sent a chill down my spine. But I couldn't be bothered by it. I had to teleport out of here.

"You should take a look at that thing before you go casting spells, Cris!" Geary yelled, and then he suddenly threw the tool he initially used to turn off Evan and the others. I was in the middle of flicking my llave in the air, but it and my hand were knocked down and into the wooden desk of the Chancellor. The tool went right through my right hand, stabbing me twice with each prong. I was now losing time and blood, but neither Sebastian or Geary came any closer. They kept a safe distance. I guess in fear of my magik, and more so Corinth's. "Take a look at that llave, buddy, it might put you in your place."

I ignored Geary and grabbed the llave with my left hand to cast the Teletransportar spell that would get Corinth and I out of here. I got it out from under my pinned down hand, then I flicked it in the air again. Sebastian seemed to being smiling still, but he wouldn't be once my llave went into rotation. But it didn't fix itself at my chest, as I expected it to do. It just dropped to the floor. I couldn't figure out what had gone wrong. I thought maybe Corinth's powers were blocking mine, but that didn't seem to be the case. So, I -looked down at my llave on the carpeted floor, as Geary had suggested, and it all became clear. I
t’
s a flipping fake!

I looked back up and I saw the real one dangling from a chain in Sebastian's hand. He held it up in triumph over me. "Are you looking for this, my dear friend?" Sebastian said with a cynical tone.

He had me caught. I was impaled by the blue handled death switch that turned the others into lifeless zombies. I couldn't get my hand free no matter how hard I tried. The two prongs were long and thick. They both went straight threw my hand and locked themselves into the wood of this historic desk. They immobilized me. Blood was rushing out from the wound like a river, but I figured I could fix all of that as long as I had my llave, but the real one is too far away from me to be of use.

"Why would you help us destroy your son, Criston? I may be an old man, but I'm no
fool
, as you may believe. I know you love your boy. Even I loved the former Chancellor, my son Phillip, but he was standing in the way of history. He was dealt with as appropriately ... as possible. The lethal dose of the El Muerte Vivo virus was more than enough to get rid of him. And more than half the senate was under my very influential drug during the vote to make me the Chancellor."

I can't believe he just admitted to doing away with Phillip. His own son. If he'd kill his son for the Seat of Power in Draconia, I can't imagine what he'll do to get the kind of power Corinth has locked inside his head. I wonder if this power is intuitive enough to know Corinth's still in danger. "Just let Corinth go, there are other ways to get power, Sebastian. He's only a boy!" I pleaded.

"You've said that phrase more times than I'm willing to hear. This new generation of new thinkers is comprised of idiots. You don't have the backbone to run a World properly. You want it all, without any sacrifice. Well, you yourselves have become the necessary sacrifices to purge Draconia of outside influence. Your mixed child was an abomination from the start. The La Envidia are a deceptive race of ingrates. You've corrupted yourself with that vile woman you call a wife. I will reinforce the new laws that prohibit the use of magik, and I will have that damned -sky bridge closed off to Draconia. The boy's powers will help me secure the reelection. And if they are as powerful as the Priest has built them up to be, then I will rule all the Worlds as on
e—
very soon." His hands were spread toward the ceiling as he spoke, and all I could see was my llave dangling from his hand. He looked back down to me with a knowing smirked
.“
Very soon, Criston. Priest!" he shouted abruptly, "perform the transfer, now!"

The Priest perked up for a minute in his chair, but didn't make a move after that. He reminded me of the key shop owner who sold me my llave as a boy. He told me that the spell that's engraved on it was vastly powerful. I had never heard of this spell before and I always thought that it sounded weird. He told me to never use it unless I was truly at the end of my rope. Odd, so much power being on the llave of a child, but he said I would
n’
t be able to cast it until I had the strength of an adult.

"
Not just death,"
the old man told me back then,
"I'm talking the end of many lives. The spell can only be used by the righteous of heart. If you aren't pure in your intentions then the spell wo
n’
t work, and in return it will destroy you. Thoug
h—
sometimes, even when it's executed perfectly, the spell can still be pretty destructive. It all depends on what you need most in your hear
t
… if you can even get the spell to work in the first darn place,"
I remember that wide, warming smile he flashed after handing it to me.

I couldn't believe I remembered his words so much over these years. But I forgot the actual name of the spell. He told me that it was engraved on the outside of the llave, because it wasn't a part of magik as I know it. I didn't have to wield the spell through the llave, like normal. I could use the llave as a spell itself. I didn't need to have it in my hand or even in rotation to get the spell to work. Just a pure heart

Just like the powerful nature of the key shop owner, the Priest didn't seem to be too interested in Sebastian's demands anymore. He hasn't moved an inch. In fact, he looked to be dead. Sebastian motioned that rat Geary over to check the sun-dried man out. Geary popped him on the forehead, and the guy scoffed at him, like an abused house pet. Geary turned to Sebastian and said, "He's still breathing boss." As if that weren't evident by his response to being knocked upside the head.

"Do as I command, you filthy animal, or your family will pay the cost for your insolence!" Sebastian yelled in his face.

"I am done doing your bidding, Chancellor. You should have learned the ritual when you had the opportunity." The old man was doing me a solid by holding off on this so called transfer. If only I could remember the name of that spell. I
t’
s on the tip of my tongue, but I can't hit it.

"Then I guess i
t’
s safe for me to destroy you now that I no longer need you!" Sebastian couldn't hold in his rage any longer, yet he still had a hint of cynicism in his voice. I guess he figured he had me cornered, so why be concerned with me when he could watch a defenseless man die. "Take him out!" he barked.

"With pleasure, boss," Geary retorted. He pulled his own llave out of his pocket and tossed it into rotation. As it positioned itself in front of him, I continued to silently remember things that the key shop owner told me. Geary's llave was now fixed at his chest and rotating. "Fiat lux!" he shouted. Aiming a powerful red beam of light at the helpless sun-dried old man trapped in the desk chair.

It seemed like all space and time slowed down as I watched the beam head straight for the helpless Priest. He didn't seem afraid. He had a look of dignity about his face that said that he did the right thing by refusing Sebastian. I guess he wasn't as weak as I thought. He had most likely refused Sebastian before and that's why he was beat and taped to that chair in the first place. As the beam neared his chest cavity, the key shop owne
r’
s words fiercely played on in mind, almost like visions more than memories.

"We don't think with our minds, son. Wethink with our hearts. You could see a fellow everyday and forgot his name as many times. If he ain't your favorite guy, he just ain'
t—
no means to offend. But one person, just one odd day, can whisper the sweetest thing in your ear and you'll never forget them. Even if that's the last you ever see of them. We lose information in our heads all the time. Things like our own phone numbers, or ones we dial frequently, ATM digits, and on and on, my boy. That's cause i
t’
s just a computer-box for numbers and such,"
that wild smile bent across his wrinkled face again as he spoke so intentionally, leaning across the wood counter of his shop.
"But if something's in your hear
t
… you won't never forget it."

I had to let them come. Really, it's the only thing I could think to do. I started to cry. Almost as frantically as Cory did back at the beach house. I could
n’
t hold it in anymore. That key shop man's words were in my heart, even though that was the only time we had ever crossed paths in life. Still, I couldn't forgethim. I couldn't forget a word he said to me that day. I touched Corinth's face while I stared into the proud eyes of a man I thought to be my enemy. Blood gorged from my pinned right hand, and my mind started to drift even further away from reality than those memories of that key shop in Hyperborean where I went to school. I drifted away from it all. I completely let go of every worldly worr
y—
and the spell came to me.

"ERR.... A.... TUM!!!!!"

Unknow
n
…

I guess the key shop owner was right! This spell could be destructive, even if it were
executed properly. Falling through the middle of a continuous gray sky was
n’
t exactly what I was hoping for. Corinth's nowhere in sigh
t
… all I see is the gray around me. The descent seems endless. In the distance there is
n’
t near a landmark. Nothing at all. Why? Why, did I have to use that spell?

I was in a huge jam a moment ago, but this seems even worse than Sebastian and Gear
y’
s dark confessions. I still don't have my llave, I'm just here falling through some sort of void. Nothing I see is distinguishable from anything else, just gray skies. But, I hear something, something that sounds predator-like.

"Birds," I cried aloud, while desperately trying to keep my composure. Why would birds be all the way up here? I'm either so high in the sky that I haven't even gotten close enough to the ground yet to start seeing the surface again, or . . . I just don't have a clue wha
t’
s going on! I did
n’
t know the sky was gray and without any clouds this high.

I'm falling backwards, down to wherever I'm headed. Maybe the surface is truly visible? If only I could turn myself around. The wind force from the drop is so strong that I can't get any torque on my own body. Helpless!
I’
m falling entirely too fast. Now my shirt is starting to flop with the air. I
t’
s getting so riled up its nearly covering my face.