The Key (32 page)

‘Did you say wind? But, Isabel, it's completely visible,' Shaun tries to clarify.

Isabel explains, ‘It's in the wind that the dark will come.'

My mouth goes dry, but still I have to ask, ‘Do you mean dark, as in underworld dark?'

Before she answers, this eerie wind reaches us. Surprised by its force we stumble a few steps down the mountain, grasping our coats and jackets. It passes, leaving a dark stain in the air around us. Neriah and Dillon come running back up the hill.

‘What's going on?' Dillon asks. ‘That wind was freaky. It reminded me of the underworld.' He pauses and looks at Matt. ‘Well? What was it?'

Matt's hands come up, palms outward. ‘I don't know. Isabel says –'

‘What do you mean, you don't know? Arkarian would know.'

‘Shut up, Dillon,' I can't help snapping. Lately it's as if Dillon has to take a shot at Matt for every little thing.
And it's wearing on my nerves.

The wind picks up, swishing through the trees. It's frightening to watch this wave of darkness traverse, uninvited, across the land, turning morning light into an inexplicable twilight.

An awkward silence settles around us, but our thoughts are soon distracted as the sky to the north darkens further. ‘What's that now? Over there on the horizon?' Shaun asks.

At first it appears as a shadow in the sky, but as it starts swelling and stretching towards us, its great size becomes clearer.

Ethan comes out through the secret doorway and frowns, looking around. He notices something strange about the air, but can't quite put his finger on it. He feels the extra chill and shrugs into his jacket. He comes over and sees us all staring up at the northern sky. ‘What are they? Some kind of bird?'

Isabel gasps. ‘Oh no! They're the birds from my vision!'

‘Not Marduke's birds?' Shaun asks. ‘So soon?'

My thoughts linger on the word ‘vision'. Apparently Isabel has had one. An informative one at that! At least now I understand where her wealth of information is coming from. ‘What vision are you talking about, Isabel? What else was in it?'

Isabel doesn't answer, just glances awkwardly at her brother, then quickly away. I get the feeling everyone knows about this vision except for me.

‘Are they the birds you saw carrying the poison?' Matt asks her.

I can't help frowning, feeling very much on the outside. Why would they keep such important details from
me? The answer is obvious: they still don't trust me. Well, what do they think, that I'll go running back to Marduke with the information of what
he's
going to be doing with his own birds?

Ethan notices how annoyed I've grown and attempts to explain. ‘Marduke has a garden in the underworld, where he harvests thousands of flowers, black irises, all of them. The flowers are a type of drug.' And then he adds, ‘But why am I telling
you
this? You should be telling us what's going on.'

‘Marduke never took me to the underworld,' I explain, hurt by his words. ‘He didn't include me in
every
facet of his life. So I'm sorry to disappoint you. I don't know anything about the drugs.'

I glance up at the sky again. It's clear now that the shadow is a mass of birds flying in formation. They keep coming and coming as if there is no end to them. Even though I'm freezing cold, my skin feels clammy all of a sudden.

‘I think they're vultons,' Dillon says, squinting. ‘Yeah, I know these birds. They have these pouches built into their stomachs like a kangaroo.'

‘Can they be killed?' Shaun asks.

‘They're already dead. If you tried, they would just keep coming back at you. You don't want to make them angry either. They've been trained to kill by Marduke.'

‘If they're already dead, how are we going to stop them?' Ethan asks. ‘Tell us everything you know about them, Dillon.'

‘Well, they have sharp claws like an eagle, but they're not as smart. They'll be following strict instructions and once they've served their purpose they'll be programmed to return to base, wherever that is.'

I look at Isabel. ‘In this vision that everyone seems to know about, did you see where these …
vultons
are going to drop their poison?'

Looking guilty she murmurs, ‘Over Angel Falls.'

‘What a lovely thought!'

‘It will poison the water supply and put anyone who comes in contact with the drug under a spell – a mind-numbing spell that will last for days or longer, depending on their saturation level. They won't know who they are, or what they're doing. Then …'

‘Then what?'

‘Lathenia will get into their heads. She'll twist their minds. And when the drug wears off, she'll have a whole new army at her command.'

A
human
army? People's friends, families and colleagues. Oh, great! I glance at my watch. ‘It's almost time for morning classes. The school grounds will be packed.'

Everyone looks to Matt. His eyes shift away to the side as if he would like to run off into the adjacent forest and hide for a while. He starts rubbing the side of his neck. What's going on with him? I've never seen him look so … incapable of making a decision.

Neriah sends me a worrying thought, but I don't have any answers. She touches his arm. ‘What if we can get the vultons to drop the poison somewhere much less inhabited?'

He nods, looking relieved. He should be. It's a good idea.

‘If we can get them to change their course, do you think the vultons will go back to wherever they came from?' Neriah throws this question out for all of us to consider.

Dillon is first to answer. ‘Marduke will be furious, but
yeah, I reckon it could work. But it won't be easy. Marduke will have a firm grip on their minds. Once the Master gets into your head his hold is next to impossible to get rid of.'

From my side vision I notice Ethan's eyes shift my way, then slowly drop. On the outside I ignore the insinuation, but on the inside his doubts of me, after all this time, hurt and make me angry. What will it take to prove myself to these people? I try to get a grip before anyone notices how unstuck I've become.

At last Matt has an idea, but his voice is filled with hesitation. ‘I … I might have a plan. But well, um, I'll need some help.'

‘Take me!'

You've got to give it to Dillon, he's always the first to volunteer.

‘I've seen these birds before. I know how they work.'

Neriah looks straight at Dillon. ‘Matt will need someone who can fly –'

‘That's right. And I've got my wings.'

Matt says, ‘I think Neriah means fly
literally
.'

Dillon stares back looking confused. ‘What are you talking about? Maybe this leadership stuff is a bit too much for you to han—'

‘You also need someone who can get into the birds' heads,' Neriah interrupts, drawing everyone's attention back to what we're supposed to be thinking about. ‘Thanks to Queen Brystianne's gift, I can help you with that too.'

Matt looks relieved, and Neriah smiles at him. The smile would melt Dillon's heart, except she's not sending it to him. Dillon notices, and for the first time in his life has nothing to say.

A squawk draws our attention back to the sky. The birds are close but not yet overhead. Shaun touches Matt's shoulder. ‘Whatever you two are going to do, you'd better hurry.'

They take a step away from the rest of us. It has us all looking at them expectantly. They don't let us down. Before our eyes, their bodies begin to change, limbs shortening and shifting. Within a few seconds they have both taken on the forms of hawks. They hover and flutter their impressive wings for a few moments. Everyone stares up at them in awe.

Isabel asks Ethan, ‘Did you know they could do that?'

He shakes his head. She looks at me and raises an eyebrow. ‘What about you?'

‘I saw Matt turn into a shark once, and a dolphin, but he's never actually
told
me.'

Suddenly the larger bird, Matt, flutters its massive wings in a furious action. A feather from his chest drifts towards Isabel. She holds out her hand and it sails into her open palm. She looks up and the Matt-bird peers at her through his bird-eyes for a moment longer.

As the shadow of Marduke's vultons stretches halfway across the sky, the pair of hawks fly up to meet them. For a moment I feel a stab of such intense jealousy I wonder where it's coming from. And then I realise it's the sight of Matt and Neriah in their bird forms soaring into the atmosphere. How free they must feel with every graceful flap of their wings, the wind in their faces.

When I eventually drag my eyes from them, I notice that Dillon is mesmerised too. But his eyes remain focused on the smaller Neriah-bird. His thoughts let me know he wishes he was the one flying beside Neriah, sharing her skill, sharing her power. Poor Dillon. He's
fallen in love with the wrong girl.

‘They will have to work fast,' Isabel says. ‘I can't imagine how hard it will be to get a flock like that to change direction.'

Neither can I. There are just so many of them.

‘Matt will do it,' Shaun says.

A voice suddenly starts up in my head. It sounds distant at first, but the urgency is unmistakable. It's Arkarian. My hand lifts to shush the others. He's inside his chambers and his thoughts call out.
Where is Matt?

Busy with a flock of Marduke's birds
, I reply.
He could be gone for hours
.

Silence, and I can almost
feel
his disappointment and frustration.
Arkarian, what's wrong?

Isabel and the others look at me, understanding something is going on.

Marduke is in Veridian! He has soldiers with him and is preparing to install his army of wren. Send everyone you can!

For a moment I am so stunned I can't talk. My mouth drops open but words don't form.

‘What is it?' Isabel asks. ‘What's wrong, Rochelle?' She grabs my shoulders and shakes me. ‘Did something happen to Arkarian?'

The fear in her voice breaks through my shock. I assure her quickly. ‘Arkarian is fine. He sent a message.'

‘Well,' Dillon says. ‘What is it?'

‘The ancient city is being invaded by Marduke, his soldiers and an army of wren!'

Everybody starts running, straight back up to Arkarian's chambers. The secret door opens the instant we stand before it. Arkarian ushers us inside. ‘We have to hurry. There is so much to do.'

Isabel makes him stand still. ‘How bad is it?'

Arkarian turns on us all with dark and worried eyes. ‘After all these years, Lathenia has finally located Veridian. And with the help of Marduke she has forged a tunnel below the city. They evaded discovery by constructing their tunnel so deep within the earth that neither sound nor vibration could be detected. And now twenty of Marduke's soldiers are through, guiding the wren in by their hundreds. They've started tearing the city apart already.'

Everyone goes silent. They're not used to seeing Arkarian look so agitated. Their thoughts grow frenzied. They come thundering into my head all at once. ‘Everyone slow down!'

Isabel touches Arkarian's arm. ‘Why are they tearing down the walls? What on earth are they looking for?'

‘They're after the technology of the Atlanteans – the survivors of the underworld.'

Isabel asks, ‘What are you talking about?'

He sighs. ‘It's because of the Atlantean technology that the Guard can do the things we do. It's here in my chambers.' His hands sweep widely around him. Our eyes follow. ‘It's the sphere and everything you see. Without it, we can't protect the earth from Lathenia. She figured out how to travel into the past and built the original Citadel. The technology of the surviving Atlanteans is what the Guard uses to stop her meddling there.'

Everyone has questions; Arkarian holds his hands up. ‘We don't have time for long explanations.' But he can see we need more. ‘When Atlantis started to fall, some of the inhabitants managed to escape and went in search of another uninhabited landform. After many years of searching they found Angel Falls and secured their
machinery here. They established the ancient city and kept it secret. This technology must remain out of Lathenia's hands. She will use it to build a sphere to the future. We can't let this happen.'

‘
What?
' Dillon exclaims. ‘Can she do that? Build a sphere to the future?'

We all look to Arkarian for the answer. He says simply, ‘Yes.'

Shaun moves forward. ‘Arkarian, at this time, wouldn't it be advantageous to have the weapons from the treasury available to us, for how else are we going to deal with these creatures?'

Arkarian runs a hand roughly through his hair and it shimmers blue in the light. ‘The reason I am … agitated, is because the key to the treasury is down there.' He points to the door that leads to the shaft into the city.

‘
What?
In the city with all those wren running around pulling it apart?' Dillon exclaims. ‘So whose brilliant idea was it to put the key down there? I bet it was Matt's.'

Isabel gives him a sharp look, and Arkarian says, ‘It was a good idea, Dillon. The city has been safe for the last eleven thousand years.'

‘Yeah, well it's not now, is it?'

‘Sadly, no.'

Ethan asks, ‘Do you think Marduke knows the key is down there?'

‘It's possible. It's as if his spies are everywhere these days.'

Except for Arkarian, everyone's eyes slide to me, then quickly move away. And now they look embarrassed. Well, they should be! I just caught them wearing their true thoughts of me on the outside. Not that I wasn't
already aware of their suspicions. They just can't get past the fact that I used to work for Marduke. But trust is what the Guard is all about. Faith in what doesn't always make sense. This is exactly what King Richard was talking about. Didn't they take any of it in? Or is it just me they can't handle? They don't appear to have a problem trusting Dillon.