Creeping Shadow (The Rise of Isaac, Book One) (21 page)

"Would you like some tea?" she offered.

The Glacian tea tempted Oliver but before he could say yes Anna barrelled into him and dragged him towards the door.

"I'm going out. BYE!" she shouted as she pushed Oliver through the doorway and May backed out ahead of them.

"Annabelle, that's very rude-" her mum's voice was cut off as Anna slammed the door shut behind her.

"Thanks for saving me. I've been going mad in that room all morning. Mum and Dad have been arguing about me entering the race
non-stop
. They've decided to only let me race if I promise not to use my key until I'm eighteen if I win one." Anna expelled a breath loudly.

"That sucks," Oliver said, frowning.

"Maybe they'll change their mind?" May suggested with a sad look.

Anna shrugged. "I doubt it." She sighed. "Anyway, where are we going?"

"Erm, upstairs," Oliver said with a laugh.

"Good enough," she said, smiling back.

They returned to the top floor.

"We need to find out if Quinn's definitely joining us," May said as they exited the lift.

Oliver nodded and they walked down the corridor.

"I don't know what room they're in," Oliver said. "It's around here somewhere." He gestured to the doors further down the corridor.

"ROGAN?" Anna shouted and May giggled.

A door to their right opened a moment later. "You called?" Rogan stood there, leaning against the door frame, his muscular arms folded across his chest.

"Hey, man, you alright?" Oliver asked.

"Good, come on in," he said with a grin.

They followed him inside. His room was far grander than Oliver's; a large seating area surrounded a raised, spherical tank filled with exotic looking fish with two heads. Floor length windows led out to a balcony that overlooked the city, a hot tub sat to one side of it.

"Wow," Anna said, looking impressed.

"Bloody hell Rogan, do you and Quinn really need all this space?" Oliver asked, taking a seat in front of the elaborate fish tank.

"Actually, it's just me. Quinn's in a room across the hall," Rogan said.

"You guys don't share a room?" May asked, almost knocking over a delicate glass ornament as she passed it.

Rogan righted it with a flash of magic and they shared a grin that said
almost
. "No, I mean, we're engaged but...we won't really share a room 'til we're married..." he trailed off, running a hand down the back of his head.

"Oh, right," May said awkwardly as she ducked around him and took a seat on the sofa next to Anna.

"When's the big day?" Anna asked.

"We haven't set a date yet. We have to be married by the time we're twenty one so we've got almost three years to decide," Rogan said with a yawn.

"Did she agree to join our team?" Oliver asked anxiously, watching as two fish swam around each other in circles.

"Yep. I talked her round. She's not happy about it by a long shot but she's agreed," Rogan said, dropping into an armchair.

"That's more than I expected to be honest," Oliver said. "You must be more charming than I realised."

Rogan picked up a cushion off his chair and lobbed it at him. Oliver ducked it with a laugh.

"And I rang my agent to sort out the details. He was so mad when I told him me and Quinn had swapped teams," Rogan said, grinning at the memory.

"But it isn't a problem, is it?" May asked, creases forming on her brow.

"No way, it's sorted. Someone dropped out of the race and we got their place. Easy peasy," Rogan said.

Oliver glanced at May who frowned.

"Our grandfather said no one had dropped out," May said.

Rogan shrugged. "Apparently they did."

Anna made a noise of excitement in her throat. "I can't wait for the opening ceremony!"

"The what?" May questioned with a frown.

"It's just a way of building up hype for the race. They do a quick interview of all the teams and introduce this season's guest commentator. Nothing to worry about," Rogan said confidently.

"As long as we're racing, that's all that matters," Oliver said with a sigh of relief.

18

Fame and Misfortune

T
he day of the Opening Ceremony arrived a week before the race began. Oliver, May and Anna spent the day shopping for clothes in the city. They bought outfits for the ceremony that evening and Oliver and May purchased extra clothes for their extended trip.

Late in the afternoon, they returned to the hotel to get ready. Oliver showered and began dressing in his new clothes. Before he pulled on his shirt he glanced at the place on his arm where the vark's blade had sliced it open.

Though there was no scar to mark the wound, the memory of it made him shiver and he quickly pulled his top on. He checked his smart outfit in the bathroom mirror, pushing away the thought of the creature. He flattened his hair down, pulled on his jacket and went to the lounge.

A knock on the door sounded and May stepped into the room in a pretty, pink dress that dropped to the knee. Her hair was curled up into a delicate bun with loose strands that fell about her face and neck. She twirled one with her finger and looked at Oliver with raised eyebrows. "Do I look okay?"

"You look nice. You remind me of Mum in that colour," he said with a sideways grin.

Her face fell a little and she touched her hair self-consciously. "I don't look like her though."

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not related to her, so I can't resemble her," she said a little sharply.

Oliver was taken aback. "Where did that come from?"

Her eyes went skyward and the whites of them sparkled. "It's the truth."

He stepped toward her. "Maybe, but so what? What difference does it make?"

"I dunno, Olly." She blinked as she met his gaze. "It's just- you've found out so much about your family since we've been here and I can't help but think I'm never gonna know anything about mine."

"Me and Mum are your family," Oliver said with a pang of annoyance.

"I
know
. That's not what I'm saying. It'd just be nice to know where I came from. All I remember is waking up in that hospital when I was six years old like nothing ever existed before that moment."

Oliver softened. "I know, I'm sorry."

Her shoulders dropped. "Finding out about these other worlds has made me question everything," she said, looking exasperated.

He nodded, waiting for her to go on.

"I used to think the only way I could have ended up in that road is if someone abandoned me there or if I was in some accident. But
now...
now I don't know what to think. What if I'm from one of these worlds? Maybe my parents were looking for me?" She touched her forehead with a grimace as if she was getting a headache and he reached for her, pulling her into a hug. He wasn't sure what else he could do.

She sighed and he sensed the tension go out of her body.

"Thanks," she said, stepping away.

"Maybe we can look into missing person reports here or something?" he suggested but she was already shaking her head.

"No, I'm just being silly. We don't have time to do anything like that." Her hand moved to her chest where the mark of the curse lay beneath her dress.

He nodded sadly. "Well, how about...when you're cured we'll look into it?"

She chewed her lip then nodded. "Okay." Her face brightened and he relaxed.

"Good." He grinned.

A knock on the door sounded and Oliver opened it to find Ely standing there looking surprisingly dapper in a navy suit.

"Shall we get going?" he asked, and they followed him down to the lobby.

"Where's Laura?" Oliver asked as the lift descended.

"She's already there. She'll be interviewed with the rest of the Race Committee so you might bump into her backstage," Ely replied.

The lift door opened to reveal Anna standing there in a peach dress with her hair pulled to one side. Oliver's mouth felt suddenly parched.

"I'll just go order a pod," Ely said and exited through the revolving door.

"Good evening," Anna said, beaming as she bounced on her toes with excitement.

"You look nice," Oliver told her a little stiffly.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

Rogan and Quinn appeared in the lift looking impeccable. Rogan was dressed in a smart suit with the shirt unbuttoned at the top and the sleeves of his jacket rolled back. Quinn wore a full-length, red dress that was cut so low and slit so high that Oliver wasn't sure where to look.

The clerks at reception swung around to stare at them as the couple joined their group, whispering to each other in low voices.

"Excited?" Rogan asked with a grin as he approached.

Oliver shrugged. "They're only gonna be interested in you and Quinn."

"That's true," Quinn said loftily. Her eyes scanned May's outfit and she raised her eyebrows. "I love your dress."

May glanced down at herself. "Oh, thanks."

Quinn shrugged lightly and led the way out of the hotel.

Ely was waiting for them by a large taxi pod. They climbed in and Oliver felt his heartbeat quicken as the pod glided forward along the street toward the unknown.

* * *

The opening ceremony was held in an enormous stadium on the outskirts of the city next to the lake. It was a seven-sided structure with a sharp spire on each corner, towering into the air. Atop the towers were lights painting patterns in the night sky.

Thousands of people were queuing in through a large gateway but their pod continued to circle the structure until they were far away from the crowd.

They exited the pod and a doorman checked off their names as they entered the stadium through a private entrance. "Upstairs and to the left," the man directed.

They followed his directions and entered a luxurious room with a wooden floor, gold satin draped along the walls and a buffet table to one side. Groups of people stood around chatting excitedly and five officials sat at the far end of the room, amongst whom, was Laura. She waved at them and Oliver led the way towards her.

"How are you feeling?" Laura asked, grinning at them. "Not too nervous I hope?"

"It's bigger than I expected," Oliver said honestly.

"Do we have to go out in front of all those people?" May asked, looking slightly pale.

"You'll be fine," Laura said, indirectly answering her question. She gestured for them to lean closer, her face scrunched up with excitement. "Wait 'til you see who the guest commentator is."

"Who?" May asked.

Laura mimed zipping her lips.

"What's our team name?" Rogan asked excitedly.

"You're Team Pandalin," a dark-haired woman next to Laura said, handing out metal badges with the name on.

Oliver took one and pinned it on to his lapel.

"You'll be interviewed last in the line up of fifty teams and will be called up to the stage accordingly. The interview will last approximately five minutes. When you're ready, please make your way down the corridor to your left and take your seats by the main stage."

"Good luck," a bald man at the table said, crossing out their names on a list.

"You'll be great," Laura whispered. "Dad, your seat will be in the V.I.P area through there." She pointed to a door behind the table.

Ely nodded and turned to Oliver and May. "You'll do great. I'll be watching." He winked at them and walked off through the door.

A loud roar went up from the crowd in the stadium, making Oliver's stomach lurch as they moved away from the table.

A large man appeared from across the room, heading in their direction. He wore a brown suit with elbow pads and had an enormous gut that wobbled as he approached.

He knocked back a drink as he reached out a hand to Oliver who received a large gust of hot breath from the man right in his face. A strong waft of potent alcohol filled his nostrils. The man wiped the back of his hand across his sweaty brow and moved on, offering it out to the others.

"I'm Abbicus Brown, the Race Host. Great to meet you." He bent down and kissed Quinn's hand. She smiled graciously but wiped it subtly on the back of her dress as he released her.

"The two of you are drawing heaps of attention to the race," Abbicus said smugly.

"Yes, well we're looking forward to competing," Rogan said, his tone professional.

"Wonderful, wonderful. I suppose there'll be a few cheeky bets put on your team to place. Might put a little on myself in fact," he said, taking Quinn's wrist and squeezing it as he eyed her greedily.

Quinn indulged the man, but Oliver sensed it was making her uncomfortable.

"I don't like to brag of course, but you have me to thank for your team getting a place." He winked, opening his mouth as he did so.

"Why's that?" Anna asked.

"Well, let's just say that there weren't any teams dropping out by
choice
to make room for yours." Abbicus laughed with a low
haw, haw, haw
noise.

"What?" Rogan frowned. "You
didn't
?"

Abbicus tapped his nose. "I couldn't have Rogan
Ganderfield
and Quinn
Thorn
dropping out of the race. What kind of fool do you take me for?" He smiled haughtily.

Rogan and Quinn shared a brief look and didn't answer. Oliver couldn't help but feel a swell of relief that they had the mages on their team, pushing away the guilt for those that had lost their place.

Abbicus clapped Rogan on the shoulder. "You're welcome." He wandered off, retrieving a hip flask from an inside pocket and poured it into his glass.

"
That's
the Race Host?" Oliver asked incredulously.

"He has a lot of money, he bid for the position years ago," Anna said with a tone of disapproval.

"He's vile," Quinn said, her lip curling upwards.

"Agreed," Oliver said and Quinn half smiled at him as he caught her eye.

A blonde woman in a floor-length, silver dress entered the room and made a beeline for a man surrounded by a group girls. She extracted him and Oliver suddenly recognised the man from the survision programme. He looked out of place in a smart suit and styled hair. The woman in silver spoke with him briefly then hurried off through a door.

Quinn gasped as she spotted him then hurried forward, pulling him into a warm embrace. She tugged him towards their group by his arm.

Rogan stepped forward. "Hey Truvian."

"Ah, Rogan how are you keeping?" Truvian said, pulling him into a one-armed hug.

"Not bad. Come meet my team." Rogan introduced them. "This is Truvian Gold."

Truvian oozed charm as he held out a hand and introduced himself, flashing a set of white teeth at each of them as he did so. He leant in and kissed the girls on the cheek and, to Oliver's surprise, both Anna and May flushed red as he did so. Oliver raised his eyebrows at them but they fell into quiet giggles.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. You'll be seeing a lot more of me throughout the race. Abbicus Brown asked me to be the guest commentator this season. I was thrilled, of course, I even cancelled a date with Jenna Lilly to be here."

Quinn jumped in. "I'm sure you'll find another girl to take on a date." She batted her eyelashes at him.

Oliver raised his eyebrows at Rogan but he just rolled his eyes as if this was her usual behaviour.

"Yes, well I may have already found one. I'm going to ask Ray Falls out for a drink tonight."

"You mean the commentator?" Quinn asked curiously.

"Yes, stunning isn't she Rogan?"

"Yeah, pretty hot," Rogan said with a crooked grin.

A man with a clipboard hurried over. "You're needed in five Mr Gold."

Truvian nodded, running a hand through his dirty-blonde hair and flexing his bicep as he did so. "See you later. Enjoy the show." He winked and walked off through a door.

"All teams please now make your way to your seats," a man called out from the Race Committee.

They were one of the last groups to exit the room. Oliver followed the others out of the door and into a long corridor. They climbed a staircase and walked out into the stadium, emerging at the top of a sloping set of seats running down towards a stage. The vast arena opened out in front of them and the noise from the crowd was deafening.

Oliver's heart thumped against his chest as he focused on finding his seat. They found their places amongst the mass of contestants, marked by their team name on the back of the chairs. Oliver sat on the end of a row with May dropping into the seat beside him and the others along from her.

The stage below them was ringed by a group of photographers and journalists who were all looking up them intently. The stage itself held a table with five seats and Oliver felt his palms sweat at the thought of sitting there.

The lights in the stadium dimmed and dramatic music started with a boom of drums and clash of symbols, making the crowd go wild. Oliver was glad of the sudden darkness as he let out a slow breath to calm his nerves.