The Rise of the Fourteen
Read The Rise of the Fourteen Online
Authors: Catherine Carter
Published by Catherine G. Carter
Cover design by: Dale Pease
Amazon Edition
Copyright © 2015 Catherine G.
Carter
All rights reserved
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book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold
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to everyone else
who loves to tell stories
Apollo
(apol)-Arden Lewis-15- music,
light, freedom
Artemis
(arte)-Luna Hughes-15-
moonlight, answers to none, maiden
Aphrodite
(aphrodit)-15- Anima
Meadowlark- beauty, love, loyalty
Athena
(aten)-13- Callida
Interlengi- craftiness, wisdom, war
Demeter
(demetre)-15- Terrance
Cardoso- life, nature, earth
Dionysus
(dyion)-16- Ámpelos
Argyris- chaos, wine, energy
Hephaestus
(haetus)-13- Faber
Wilson- metal working, resilience, fire
Poseidon
(posie)-15- Lacria Fors-
water, fluidity, no control
Zeus
(zusite)-17- Erus Babineaux-
power, strength, force
Hera
(era)-14- Nuptia Rodriguez-
marriage, willpower, love
Hermes
(erem)-14- Nuntios
Ehrlichmann- trickster, messenger, traveler
Ares
(are)-15- Armifer Szabo- war,
rage, sorrow
Hestia
(estia)-16- Ferula Smith-
fire, home, warmth
Hades
(hadesi)-15- Mortas Taylor- death, shades, mourning
1 finding out your English teacher
isn’t human, and other things that ruin the school day
2 when communicating with the dead
ruins your social life
3 bad divorce settlements with syrup
on top
4 birthday cake frosting that tastes
like calories and deceit
5 a hands-on guide to destroying your
arch nemesis, paint not included
6 realizing that graveyard sitting is
not a family friendly activity
7 disappointing your parents with
tequila and bad decisions
8 accidentally attracting evil, one
of the unfortunate results of family conflict
9 boarding school and other ways to
kill optimism
10 destroying the Parthenon with a
rave, an easy mistake
11 choosing to ignore stranger danger
for money or when you realize a decision is bad too late
12 breaking up with your best friend,
one of the many dangers of airplanes
13 date night turning deadly, why
being single is right for you
14 how to make friends, involving a
bitter old man and sugar packets
15 communicating with the dead ruins
your social life, part II
16 school orientation, but with more
screaming
17 the group questions Demetri’s
mental health and then listens to a bedtime story
18 storing one’s arrows, questionable
tattoos encouraged
19 teenaged rebellion, be careful of
the broken glass
20 unexpectedly returning to gym
class
22 sadly, no one is too cool for
school
23 the terrors you encounter while
going to church
24 a necklace, one of the many
repercussions of staying out late
25 if you’re going to wake up all
your friends, do it for a girl
28 surviving a small town and
battling a faceless evil, all in a day’s work
29 why family reunions are terrible,
and how to sneak away with your friends after
30 do you think you’re experiencing
demonic possession? it’s more common than you think
31 accidentally terrorizing your
friends with bonus relationship drama
32 dealing with a prat in order to
save the world
33 the gang attempts to reenact fight
club
34 casual tourism that ends in tears
35 two guests accidentally invite a
spirit into the training room
36 there is always time for your
outfit, even while questing
37 we finally figure out how to use a
map and group bonding ensues
38 putting our training to the test with
supremely bad timing
The steps are old and rickety. Dust billows up from the floorboards
as agile feet scrape through the centuries old grime.
“Demetri, what are you doing? We’ll get in so much trouble!”
“Lighten up, sis,” he replies as he goes farther up the
stairs.
Sorem opens her mouth to protest but thinks better of it.
Her brother won't listen. She races after him.
“Demetri, you get back here!” As she ascends, the stairs
begin to dissolve behind her. No other visitors follow her. The stairs are
gone, and there is nothing but a stone wall to catch anyone's attention.
When Sorem arrives at the top, she sees her brother pulling on
the handle of a large wooden door. He yanks with great force, but the door
doesn't budge.
“It's locked,” he says.
“Let’s go then!”
“Not yet.”
“Demetri, may I remind you we’re not supposed to be here?
This is a restricted area!”
“Does that matter?”
She blows a raspberry at him, as he turns to inspect the
door again. His hand traces the outline of the massive keyhole. Rimmed with
gold and inlaid with jewels, it clearly guards something important. They try
looking through it but are blinded by a beam of sunlight.
“See, Demetri, there’s nothing there!”
Unconvinced, he tries stuffing his fingers into the keyhole.
There is nothing at first, only the warmth of sunlight and the bite of the
metal rim, but then he feels something cold and hard, barely within his reach.
He draws his hand out to find that he is clutching a large golden key.
“How did you do that?” Sorem asks.
“It was just hanging on the handle on the other side,” he
says nonchalantly, trying to mask his own surprise and confusion. He inserts
and turns the key. The door swings open and Demetri and Sorem file through, filled
with awe and curiosity. They do not notice as it clicks shut behind them.
Despite the initial glowing aura of sunlight, there isn't much
to see, just a few musty manuscripts here and there, sprawled open over tables
ridden with rot. Some cobwebs and rat bones decorate musty carpets, as if the
scuffed wooden floor could look any more hideous. A high window at the far end
of the room illuminates this hidden splendor
.
Sorem nearly chokes on the
dust and the misery of the place. Despite the immense length and height of the
room, she feels claustrophobic in the space.
There really is nothing here,
she
thinks.
Then Sorem notices the statues. The statues, one on either
side of the high window, stand in tall, narrow niches. By contrast, the statues
are squat and somewhat grotesque, and Sorem finds herself wondering how (and
why) on earth the statues were placed in such high crevices.
Their marbled faces are spotted with age, their bodies dressed
in cracked tunics, and it appears they once had muscular features. Both
warriors carry broadswords, gleaming wickedly in the light. There are traces of
faded silver and gold around them, but nothing else seems precious.
Sorem taps her brother on the shoulder. “Demetri, let’s get
out of here,” she whispers. He gestures around the room, a cocky grin on his
face.
“Sorem, there’s nothing here but cobwebs and a couple of
ugly statues. What's scaring you?" Her eyes watering in the fading
sunlight, Sorem points towards the window, her finger shaking. Demetri turns to
see the statues stretching as if waking up from a long sleep, flexing their muscles,
rubbing their legs, and polishing their weapons. Only now do the siblings
notice suspicious blood-esque stains splattered across the legs of the
soldiers.
“The door,” Demetri yells, “go for the door!” As they break
into a run, the statues leap down from their perches, landing in crouching
positions with a resounding thud. Sorem looks back for a moment, and shrieks when
she sees the statues stand upright and begin walking. “Keep moving!” Demetri
urges, but their efforts are in vain. They reach the door to find that it is
locked and the keyhole has vanished. The statues slowly begin to advance,
taking great strides, swinging their weapons. Demetri and Sorem begin
screaming. They pound on the door, hammering at it with their small fists, now
feeling the youth and inexperience of their fourteen years now more than ever.
Down below all seems peaceful. The visitors are leaving the
building as lockup starts, and the moon begins to emerge in the sky. Some people
might have heard a door creaking in the distance. Some may have even seen a golden
key nestled at the base of the wall and the ground floor. But no one can hear
their screams. No help is coming.
Demetri and Sorem remain huddled at the door, as the first
ray of moonlight comes through the window to greet the last ray of sun, trying
to make themselves as small as possible as the statues keep advancing.
Her anxiety reaching new heights, Sorem tries gouging at the
door with her fingernails. She finds herself trying to carve the words “help
us” into the wood, but only succeeds in making a few shallow scratches. The
little marks mock her plight, and she cries out in frustration.
Even the moon appears to be taunting her, its light trickling
through the window only to illuminate their doom. The moonlight also shines on
her words, and they transform into shimmering wisps. As Sorem’s anger grows,
the wisps harden into milky shards, floating in the air. She stares in amazement
as they swirl around her. She flicks her wrist experimentally, and the shards
shatter against the hard wood of the floor.
Demetri should try this,
she
thinks.
“It’s not like it’s actually going to work,” Demetri says.
Sorem looks at him incredulously.
Did he just hear that?
“I’m pretty sure I did,” Demetri replies.
It’s magic,
they think in unison.
Demetri extends the fingers of one hand, and the last ray of
sun curls around them, creating a fiery halo around his left hand. He moves his
palm about, allowing the light to coalesce and swirl above his fingertips.
He flicks his hand, and a bolt of bronze strikes the stone
floor, singeing it. The glow returns to his palm, albeit a little fainter, and
Demetri looks over at his sister, his eyes shining with amazement, his mind
racing with possibilities. There is no time to celebrate their discovery,
however.
“Demetri, look out!” Sorem screams as a statue raises its
broadsword, aiming for Demetri’s head.
“Use your light, little girl. Your brother will not have
his for much longer,”
a voice in the back of her head says, barely audible
in the chaos of her mind.
Not knowing what to do, Sorem grabs a handful of the shards
around her, and tries throwing her moonlight. Little silver daggers fly at the
statue upon her command. Only a few cracks appear in the alabaster body, but it
is enough to give Demetri time to get away. As the second statue advances,
Demetri blasts it with his fire, searing the statue's torso. Meanwhile, Sorem
throws swarm after swarm of silver daggers as the first statue begins to
crumble.
Demetri’s statue is well crisped, but still fighting. Despite
the seemingly endless fireballs, the warrior is unaffected, and it doesn’t help
that Demetri’s power grows weaker with each strike. Eventually, the sun's last
rays disappear from the sky and Demetri’s light fades entirely.
Demetri stops, mid throw and looks at his hand in horror. He
tries to will the flames back into existence, but with no luck. In his
momentary confusion, the crumbling statue takes its chance and slices at him.
Demetri collapses, clutching his bleeding cheek.
Angered by the fall of her brother, Sorem engulfs the two
statues in a cloud of silvery flame in a flash of rage. The statues
disintegrate, and Sorem runs to her twin brother, frightened by the blood she
sees smeared on the floor. More blood drips from his face, and she hurries to
staunch the bleeding. Meanwhile, the ashes have begun to clump together. Soon,
two arrows are lying on the blackened floor: one golden, the other silver.
“Demetri! Are you alright?” Sorem asks.
“Yeah, I’m fine, just a little dizzy.”
“Good, I need strong ones for my
mahi
,” a third voice
says.
Demetri and Sorem jump. Wondering what fresh hell was to
come, they turn to face the third speaker. A ghostly man in white, flowing
robes is sitting by the metallic shafts, clapping enthusiastically.
“The first of the twelve, I see. Good. Good. I have much to
tell you. Come, make haste, it will be so much better if we make it to the sanctuary
before morning!”
A rainbow vortex opens in the center of the room. The man
enters it and simply vanishes, taking the arrows with him. Demetri and Sorem
force themselves to blink hard, sure that they are hallucinating.
“Well, are you coming?” the man says as he pokes his head
out of the whirling iridescence threatening to swallow the room. In a dazed
stupor, Demetri and Sorem rise from the floor and step through the swirling
spectrum of colors.