Save Aether (The Trinity Key Trilogy Book 3) (19 page)

“What was that?” Theo rasped.

Julia shook her head. She had no clue to what was happening. Behind the mound, they heard screaming.

“Where’s Valera?” Theo asked.

Julia pointed to where the last pillar stood. Another scream pierced the air. Julia and Theo got up and ran toward the noise. They found Victor unmoving on the ground with a bleeding wound on his neck. Theo dropped to her knees and covered the wound with her hands. Julia went in search of Valera.

Gideon and Valera had their backs up to a boulder. A giant snarling wolf stalked toward them. Gideon tried to protect Valera by waving a fiery branch at the animal. A swipe from the animal’s massive paw threw Gideon to the side. Valera threw flames from her hands, hitting the animal. He growled but continued his approach.

Julia charged the rear of the animal with the sword, striking the flesh of the demon’s legs. He roared and turned on her. His fangs dripped with blood. The animal’s eyes were black coal. His breath stunk like festering meat. Julia stepped back, swinging the sword. Even though the blade sliced through the beast’s skin, it didn’t stop. A massive blast of flame shot from Valera’s hands, setting the wolf on fire. The heat of it burned Julia’s face. Valera lashed out over and over again. Julia hacked at the blazing body until nothing but his grinning fangs remained. With a final howl, the beast dissipated back into mist and disappeared back into the earth.

Julia left Valera to check on Gideon, and she ran back to Eli. He leaned against the boulder, holding his head. She knelt down beside him. He smirked.

“Don’t worry about me. The boulder broke my fall.”

“Very funny,” she grumbled.

“Are you okay?”

Her arm stung from where the specter had touched her. Her chest ached from holding her breath inside the blob, and her skin felt as if she had the worst sunburn of her life. She wasn’t okay. She pulled her shirt off her shoulder. Three blackish wounds slashed across her arm. Eli tore the sleeve of his shirt and wrapped her arm up. Then, he took her chin in his hands and kissed her.

Chapter Seventeen

Theo

Theo bent over Victor, crying. The wound on his neck still bled. Blood bubbled from between her fingers. Nessie ran to help, wrapping Victor’s neck in rags. Julia limped over with Eli.

“Is he… dead?” Julia muttered.

Theo looked up through blurry eyes. “No, but this is bad.”

“We need to get help,” Valera wailed. “We need to contact the Elders.”

A bruised Gideon held Valera against his chest. Julia picked up the scepter and held it out to Theo.

“You can help him. Remember in Pacifica, you can use Maera’s staff to heal him,” Julia urged.

Julia placed the scepter in her hands, but Theo shook her head. Theo couldn’t do it. Pacifica was a fluke. She didn’t know what she was doing.

“What if I hurt him?”

“Just try.”

“I… I can’t,” Theo wept. “I might kill him.”

Julia sighed, “Then try on me first. I have faith in you.”

Theo looked at Julia as if she were crazy. She couldn’t be serious. Eli knelt beside Julia and shook his head.

“I don’t think this is a good idea.”

Julia smiled at him and gently pushed him away. “It’s okay. I know she can do this.”

Julia removed her bandages and revealed three deep, blackened cuts around her arm. Even though Julia was acting strong, Theo saw her wince, and knew she had to help. Her hands shook. Theo touched the scepter to Julia’s arm and poured aether through it. Julia flinched.

Through gritted teeth, she urged Theo on. “You can do this.”

The gem on the scepter glowed with a soft light. Julia went rigid and sucked in a breath as the light passed into her wounds. Theo watched as the skin stitched itself back together, and soon, Julia was sighing in relief.

“I did it!” Theo smiled behind her tears.

She crawled over to Victor and placed the staff on his neck. His body twitched. His wounds were deeper, but they had stopped bleeding. The gash knit together, but he didn’t wake. Theo slumped over him.

“Victor, wake up. Please.” Theo cried.

Nessie felt Victor’s pulse and took a deep breath. “He’s breathing. He lost a lot of blood, but he’s alive.”

Theo sat on the rocks. Exhaustion ripped her in half. Theo looked at the archway. It had to lead somewhere. They were so close. Then, she looked at her friends. Victor was still hurt. Valera couldn’t stop crying. Julia, although better, looked like she was about to pass out. Battered and fearful, they couldn’t go on. Perhaps, they should have heeded the warnings.

Since the sea monster had destroyed the
Blowfish
, they had no way of getting off the island. Theo searched Victor’s pockets for his telecom and found it in several pieces. She tried to piece it back together and failed miserably. Gideon also tried, but the device was damaged beyond repair.

“There has to be something we can do,” Theo groaned.

“If we concentrate, we may be able to send Parmelia a message,” Julia suggested.

Valera sighed, “We’re too far away. It won’t work.”

“Well, it’s worth a try. Link arms, and we’ll combine our strength,” Julia held her hand out.

Theo figured it couldn’t hurt, although she doubted linking or combining would make any difference. They weren’t satellite dishes. She took Julia’s hand, and Valera took hers. Theo focused on sending a message to Parmelia.

Parmelia, if you can hear us, we need your help. Please, come
, she chanted.

Julia and Valera did the same.

Julia added an image of their location on a map. Theo projected the same image in her thoughts. They continued trying until they couldn’t hold aether any longer. They waited for a reply, but got none.

“It was worth a try,” Julia shrugged.

Theo rubbed her eyes. Ever since coming to the island, Danu’s voice had quieted. Theo would do anything to get a little sleep, but she feared that the nightmares would still be there. Footsteps raced over the rocks behind her. Thinking it was another specter, Theo pulled in aether and spun around. Dr. Lawless stopped in his tracks. His eyes were swollen and red. A purple, fist-sized bruise covered half his jaw, and dried blood crusted on his lips. His hair stuck out everywhere. He fell on his knees and prostrated himself in front of the archway.

“You’ve done it! Oh, precious Danu. We’re coming. Open it! Open it now!” He raved and laughed.

Theo shook her head at the man. He was out of his mind. Standing, he grabbed Theo’s shoulders, digging his nails into her skin.

“Release her… release Danu…” He shook her.

Pain and frustration took hold of her, and she zapped his hands off her. He screeched and let go, but his glare became demonic. She backed away from him.

“We’re leaving this cursed place. We should never have come,” she yelled.

“NO, you can’t do that!” Dr. Lawless moved toward her again.

Theo formed sparks in her hands, daring him to touch her. He retreated.

“Look around, Lawless. Victor’s hurt. We’re exhausted. We’ve already called for help,” she lied. She threw her hands in the air and turned to the others. “Why do you think there are so many booby-traps? It doesn’t make sense. First, the sea monster, then the mist? What next? Face it, Lawless, we’re not supposed to open the tomb. There has to be a reason the sister’s put so many wards to keep people out of the tomb.”

Julia and Valera groaned their agreement, but Lawless wouldn’t relent. He picked up a stone and held it up like a weapon. He backed up to the entrance of the archway. Glowering at all of them, he hissed like one of the blue snakes.

“You’re just like the others! You are jealous of Danu’s power. You want it all for yourselves. You don’t deserve her!” He cackled, “But I know what to do… I know…”

The man whipped something out of his pocket. He held the Trinity Key above his head. Surprised, Theo searched her pockets.

“How did you get that?”

Theo moved to take it from him, but he stepped inside the arch. Julia ran at him, throwing shards of ice. Valera had her fireballs in hand, but he was too quick. He laughed like a maniac, slamming the key into the stone. The three girls reached him at the same time, grabbing his arm. They pulled on him, trying to remove the key from the arch. But it was too late, the key activated and melded with the stone. With a sudden jerk, Theo felt her muscles clench. Aether rushed through her, even though she attempted to release it.

“I can’t stop,” Julia yelled.

Theo felt the aether flow from the three of them, through Lawless, and into the key. Theo couldn’t let go. Dr. Lawless trembled as the power flooded his system. His eyes rolled into the back of his sockets. The Trinity Key drained them all until the archway shimmered like a mirror. Then the key freed them, and they fell to the ground. Still twitching, Lawless clawed his way through the portal. Part of Theo wanted to remove the key and lock him inside, but Julia growled and leapt into the opening after Lawless. Theo had no choice but to follow Julia inside.

Theo stepped into a room made of glass. From within the tomb, she could see the outside world and a sparkling white energy that surrounded everything. Aether. A blue light floated around the inside of the burial chamber radiating from a crystal block in the center of the room.

“Get Lawless and let’s get out of here,” Theo whispered to Julia. “I don’t think we should be in here.”

The translucent white crystal encased the body of a beautiful woman. She appeared dead, but at the same time, the whole block seemed to breathe.

“It’s pure, solidified aether.”

Valera stepped up behind Theo, startling her. She gasped. “Is that her?”

“Valera, we need to get out of here. I have a bad feeling…”

Dr. Lawless reached out and touched the crystal. The second his skin connected with the smooth surface, his fingers sizzled and blistered. He screamed. The blistering spread across his hand, smoldering and shriveling. Theo grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him away before the rest of him burned. He held his scorched stub and whimpered.

“Let’s go—

Theo’s voice was cut short. A voice boomed inside her mind, calling to her… begging her.

Touch the aether, Maera. Release me…

“No… I can’t… This isn’t right,” Theo stammered.

The body inside the crystal turned to look at her. The eyes drew her in. An invisible tether reeled her in, and she moved closer to the block. The eyes inside bored through her. She had to touch the aether. The crystal glowed brighter and brighter. Her hand reached out in front of her. Just one more step, and she would be free.

Maera… come to me, daughter…

“Theo?”

Someone shouted her name from outside, but outside didn’t matter. Nothing mattered. Theo had to feel the crystal under her fingers. She had to touch it. She longed for the sweet sensation that filled her when she held aether.

The light radiating off the crystal blinded her. Theo felt as if she were on a merry-go-round, spinning out of control. Exhilaration overtook her, and then it contorted into something dark. A wisp of aether left her hand, soaking into the block.

More… give me more… touch the aether…

Theo’s senses returned. She tried to lower hand. She tried to keep away from crystal, but her body wasn’t her own.
Danu ripped aether from her. Her heart raced. Beads of sweat rippled down her body. She couldn’t breathe.

Chapter Eighteen

Valera

Valera’s vitality drained out of her, and she couldn’t stop it. She didn’t know if she would survive her skin connecting with the block. The crystal hummed and vibrated as the threads of energy filtered out of her hands. Her knees buckled.

Two strong hands grabbed her around the waist and dragged her back. She felt a sudden sense of loss, but also relief. Fresh air and sunlight hit her face. Gideon held her in his arms on rocky ground. He was speaking to her. Her ears rang so loud that she couldn’t hear him.

“Valera, come back to me.” He tapped her cheek.

Her senses returned in a rush of pain and chaos. The voices deafened her. Joe dragged Theo out of the archway. Julia shook in Eli’s arms. Dr. Lawless screamed profanities at Nessie and Rusty, who held him back from the portal. The shimmering light between the arch disappeared. No light, no sound, no movement.

“I’m sorry, Gideon. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened,” Valera wept.

Gideon rocked her. “I know. Don’t worry, we pulled you out in time… I think.”

Valera felt something pass over her leg. The blue snakes had returned, swarming around the archway. She shuddered. Their hissing grew louder and louder.

“We need to get the girls away from here,” Rusty shouted.

Gideon nodded. As he helped Valera stand, she saw a flash of light from the arch. No one seemed to notice. She pulled away from Gideon. Dr. Lawless shrieked with glee, pushing over Rusty and Nessie. He ran to the arch, rubbing against it as if he were one of the snakes.

“No… please, no,” Valera muttered.

The portal flickered. Then, an ear-piercing, high-pitched hum blared in Valera’s mind. She screamed and grabbed her head. She heard Theo and Julia scream as well. The others looked at the girls with furrowed brows. Couldn’t they hear it? Valera writhed on the ground. The earth rose and fell beneath them, knocking them off their feet. Gideon scrambled to his feet and faced the doorway. The chime stopped inside Valera’s head. The portal opened, and fragments of solidified aether exploded from the rippling mirror.