Creeping Shadow (The Rise of Isaac, Book One) (22 page)

The black floor of the stadium began swirling faster and faster until the centre of it span up high into the air above the crowd, forming a twisting pillar of darkness. The pillar disintegrated in a shower of gold and the effigy of a man stood there, towering in height; his long beard and swirling robes glittered with magic.

His form turned gracefully in time to the music as he threw his hands into the air causing fire, lightning, and showers of gold and silver to cascade over the audience, highlighting their awed faces.

Oliver marvelled at the magic, momentarily forgetting his nerves.

The man shrunk down to half size and a tree grew from the swirling mass beneath him, higher and higher as he raised his hands in time with its growth.

Sparks of every colour flew around the stadium until the tree stopped growing. The music dropped to a tense, low hum and the crowd fell dead silent. The vision of the mage began to bend his hands and strings of glistening, icy tendrils burst from his palms, attaching to the top of the tree. The beat of drums thrummed in Oliver's ears as the tree began to bend under the pull of the mage.

The audience clapped in time with the music until the top of the tree reached the ground and planted itself there. The archway that was formed came to life with a thousand tiny explosions of silver and blue until an image appeared within it: a fairytale landscape of snow and ice.

The ground spun so the archway turned and the music came to a final, dramatic end. The scene in front of them collapsed into the ground in a shower of sparkles and darkness prevailed once more, leaving tiny spots of light floating before Oliver's eyes. The audience went wild and he clapped loudly along with the rest of his friends.

The centre of the floor swirled once more and reached silently into the sky, forming a platform concealed by a swirling ball of fire. The fire extinguished and Ray Falls appeared there in her silver dress, the flash of a thousand cameras catching it.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen!" Ray Falls' voice echoed around the stadium. "Is everyone excited for the Great Race of Aleva?"

The crowd screamed out to her.

"Are you ready to meet this season's guest commentator?" she called out.

The crowd roared with excitement as another, swirling tower of darkness slowly reached up and a new platform appeared atop it, this one surrounded by a ball of frosty ice.

"I said: ARE. YOU. READY?" Ray Falls shouted with a deafening response from the crowd. "Three! Two! One!" The crowd joined in with her as the countdown lit up in magical fire above her, suspended in the air.

"Everybody please give a huge welcome to Mr Truvian Gold!"

The ice shattered into a thousand pieces and Truvian appeared, his arms raised into the air. His face was alight with excitement. The crowd was deafening and Oliver joined in as people stamped their feet, filling the room with a tumultuous roar of noise.

"Good evening everybody!" Truvian shouted. "Are you excited to meet our contestants?" He pointed dramatically to where they were seated and a spotlight blinded Oliver as the whole stand lit up. The crowd cheered and Oliver felt his heart hammer in his chest.

Music began again and the two platforms plummeted toward the ground, Truvian Gold and Ray Falls raised their arms in perfect coordination and, just before they hit the ground, disappeared. In a flash of light they reappeared together on the stage. Oliver gasped along with the rest of the crowd.

"Please welcome Team Thrake," Ray Falls said, gesturing to a team several rows below Oliver's.

The group made their way down to the table and took their seats, looking confident. Their team was comprised of three girls and two boys, all of whom looked as though they could have been athletes; one of the boys in particular had rippling muscles protruding from his tight shirt.

A ringed area sat beneath the stage where a group of journalists were stood waiting. The crowd quieted and the interview began.

"Do you feel prepared for the race, Trent Carter?" a smart-looking female journalist asked.

The most muscular boy lifted his left arm up and flexed his bicep. "Do I look prepared?" he gloated and the audience laughed before he continued. "We set ourselves a six month training plan consisting of two to three hour sessions several times a week."

May turned to Oliver with a concerned expression and his gut dropped. He hadn't realised the extent of how underprepared they were.

"And what did your schedule comprise of?" the journalist asked.

An auburn-haired girl answered. "We spent a lot of time working on our cardio and building up our stamina. Then we added weight training and took weekends away hiking in the mountains around Crome to get a feel for the landscape."

The journalists focused on the details of Team Thrake's training for the remainder of their interview and they exited the stage to cheers from the crowd.

Although it seemed brief, Oliver feared the agonising moment as their turn approached. After twenty five teams had been interviewed, however, the lights dimmed and music began again.

Hundreds of dancers took to the floor in clothes that glittered and glowed as they moved, leaving trails of colours in the air behind them.

Musicians joined them, marching out into the centre of the floor; the music they played was accompanied by flashes of light emitting from their instruments. The ground came to life again in the form of a colourful dance floor, lifting sections of the dancers and musicians into the air in time with the music. The piece ended to applause and the spotlight returned to the stage.

Larkin's team was next: Team Visikin. Oliver recognised the large boy, Arrow, from Sumi's amongst them. His teammates were all male apart from one short girl who wore her hair in pigtails and had the look of a vulnerable mouse, accentuated by her big eyes and tiny features. The other two boys were tall and brutish with almost the exact same pinched expression on their faces that suggested they were related.

"Kuti Carmen, how are you feeling about being the only girl on your team?" asked a journalist with a bushy moustache.

The small girl leant forward and giggled like a young child. "I feel great. I'm so lucky to have the boys, we'll all be looking out for each other in the race." She leant toward Arrow who placed a hand on her shoulder to show their solidarity.

The crowd applauded and Ray Falls hushed them by raising her hands as a young woman in a frilly dress stepped forward to ask the next question. "Larkin Pipistrelle, what inspired you to sign up for this season's race?"

Larkin casually propped himself up on one elbow, running a hand through his gold and hazel hair. "Apart from the girls?" he jested, making the crowd chuckle.

Oliver raised his eyebrows at May who suppressed a laugh at his expression.

"Yes, apart from them," the journalist said, grinning at him.

"Hmm." Larkin mimed thinking, placing his hands behind his head and interlocking his fingers so the muscles in his arms tensed. "I suppose the main reason I'm doing it is to help some friends out."

"Oh?" the journalist questioned.

"Yeah," Larkin said, dropping his arms and nodding modestly. "This lot wouldn't stand a chance at getting keys without me." His words rewarded him with a swift punch in the arm from one of the tall boys and the crowd laughed.

Their interview concluded and Team Visikin exited the stage to deafening applause. Larkin caught Oliver's eye as he climbed the stairs and smirked.

Oliver was distracted as their time grew closer, barely able to concentrate on the interviews taking place below him.

After what seemed an age, Ray Falls called their team to the stage. "Please give a warm welcome to our final team of the night, Team Pandalin!"

The applause was like thunder, drumming against Oliver's ears as he got to his feet. They filed out onto the stairs and Quinn took the lead followed by Rogan then Oliver, May and Anna.

The flash of cameras blinded him as he descended onto the stage and took a seat behind the long table; Truvian Gold patted them on the back encouragingly as they passed.

Oliver took in the large crowd that were jumping up and down and waving at them from all around the arena and realised their team had been kept until last for a reason.

The journalists ahead of them shuffled their notes, readying to ask questions. Oliver felt the glare of a million eyes on him, making his throat dry. He glanced back and spotted an enormous survision screen above the contestants' seating area, projecting their faces to the world twentyfold.

"We'll now take our first question," Ray said to the journalists.

The group of people raised their hands and Ray selected one at random. A woman with a perm of black hair spoke.

"Rogan Ganderfield, what are your hopes for this season's race? Do you see your team winning?" She threw a glance at Oliver, May and Anna.

Rogan leant forward to the microphone positioned in front of him. Before he could answer a group of girls in the audience screamed out. "WE LOVE YOU ROGAN!"

The audience laughed and Rogan grinned cheekily before continuing to answer the question. "My team and I will be giving our absolute all to place in the final ten so we can earn our right to receive a key." The crowd went crazy with excitement when he finished.

The woman continued, "I was surprised by your choice of teammates. Can you explain your and Quinn Thorn's decision to compete alongside someone like Oliver Knight and his friends?"

Oliver's ears rang at the sound of his name, unsure why the woman had singled him out.

Rogan and Quinn shared a look and Oliver heard Quinn mutter, "
Knight
?"

Oliver had never told them about his father. He was suddenly terrified, a lump rising in his throat. He looked at the reporter and could tell she knew who he was. He gripped the table tightly as he tried to keep his expression composed for the cameras and hoped they couldn't tell how much his face was burning.

Rogan leant forward again. "I'm not sure I understand what it is you're suggesting but, I can assure you, we will all make a fantastic team as we compete together in the race." He flashed a perfect smile, making the crowd cheer again.

"Another question, please," Ray Falls' voice rang out.

She selected a tall man with a thick moustache who stepped closer before he spoke. Oliver leant forward and tried to catch Rogan's eye. His friend glanced at him briefly with a furrowed brow but his attention was drawn back to the crowd.

"Quinn Thorn, I was particularly surprised by your decision to compete alongside Oliver Knight, considering your family's involvement in the trial of Eugene Fox ten years ago."

Quinn looked around in confusion. "I'm sorry, I don't understand the relevance of your question?" But a dangerous look in her eye confirmed to Oliver that she had guessed the truth.

The man's moustache twitched as his mouth stretched into a wide grin. "Why, didn't Mr Knight tell you?" he asked with an expression of exaggerated shock on his face.

The crowd had fallen silent and Oliver was painfully aware of his face being projected at twenty times its normal size on the survision screen behind him. The whole of Aleva was about to see his reaction and he was powerless to stop it.

"He is William Knight's son. The same William Knight who was accused of murdering his betrothed, and who plotted to bring down the Gateways alongside Isaac Rimori," the reporter said the words slowly and licked his lips as if he could taste the sweetness of them.

19

Exposed

T
he man's finger pointed at Oliver accusingly. He swallowed, trying to force down the feel of a golf ball in his throat. Everywhere he looked he met accusing, glaring eyes that made his heart race. The crowd had gone mad, boos filling his ears.

Oliver found he couldn't move; he sat perfectly still, frozen to his seat.

Ray Falls tried to calm the crowd down and stay professional. "Another question please." She picked out the young woman in her frilly, blue dress.

The woman directed her question at Oliver. "Are you proud to be William Knight's son?"

He could feel the stares of his friends on either side of him, which was somehow worse than those of the crowd. May leant forward to look at him encouragingly, meeting his eye. He blinked, relaxing marginally and suddenly found his voice. As long as he had her on his side he knew he could speak.

"I only found out recently," he said pathetically, his voice echoing agonisingly back at him from around the stadium.

"What do you mean?" the woman asked, her brow furrowed.

"I was brought up without any knowledge of the other worlds, on Earth," Oliver said, hoping this would win back some credibility.

The man with the moustache stepped forward again. "Of course you knew. You just didn't want anyone to find out. Thought you'd hide yourself behind a couple of famous mages to take the focus off of yourself. But you don't fool me."

Oliver shook his head. "You're wrong, I didn't-"

The man cut across him. "You knew. And you let everyone believe that you're harmless. Were you planning on going to find Rimori, perhaps help finish what he and your father started?"

Oliver stood up in a flash of anger. "Of course not." He felt his face flush as his blood burned hot.

Ely appeared at the side of the stage and whispered into Ray Falls' ear. She bent down and shook her head at him.

Truvian Gold leant forward and said, "Team Pandalin are going to take a ten minute break before returning to answer your questions."

Ray Falls looked at him with fury in her eyes. Truvian shrugged and waved the group off of the stage. Oliver was boundlessly grateful to him in that moment as he ascended the stairs.

Ely pulled him into the corridor beside the stage whilst the others remained on the steps, their eyes following him. Oliver's head was spinning as he leant against the wall. He heard music start up again in the arena.

"What's going on? Why are they accusing me of helping Rimori?" Oliver asked, the words tumbling on top of one another.

Ely rested a hand on his shoulder. "They're trying to get a rise out of you but you mustn't let them, it'll only add fuel to the fire. They're reporters, it's their job to get a story but you mustn't give them one."

"How could they find out?" Oliver asked, his mind in a daze.

"Your name. It's not hard to find out once they started looking into it. I would have liked to have entered you under a fake name but it's not possible. You had to register yourself as a key holder when you entered Aleva, you can't lie about who you are without them knowing."

Oliver leant his hands on his knees, feeling sick. "All of those people out there hate me," he groaned.

"I doubt it. They'll understand that you only just found out yourself. It's not your fault that he's your father. If you can face it, I say you go out there and answer their questions honestly then they won't have a bad word to say about you."

"But what can I say? I hardly know anything about my father."

"Then tell them that. Just be honest. If you run away now they're going to print something terrible about you and, if they do anyway, then at least you will have had a chance to defend yourself."

Oliver nodded, feeling slightly better. He knew the only thing that linked him to William Knight was DNA.

Ely squeezed Oliver's arm encouragingly before he returned to the stairs. He braced himself for the questions from Rogan and Quinn but they didn't come. They all looked at him, clearly unsure what to say, which he found somehow worse to bear.

The music stopped and they returned to the stage in silence, sitting back down to the sound of boos and hisses.

Ray Falls chose another woman to ask a question and Oliver braced himself.

"If we are to believe you had no knowledge of being William Knight's son, then what's your explanation for that?"

Oliver took a deep breath to steady his voice. "My mother brought me up with my adopted sister, May, on Earth without any knowledge of the other worlds." He wanted to make it clear that May wasn't related to William Knight, although it was clear the reporters had done their research anyway.

The crowd was quiet as they listened intently and the woman asked another question. "Is your mother here today to answer on your behalf?"

Oliver knew he had to be honest. "No, she disappeared a few months ago and we went to live with our grandfather, Ely Fox, in Oakway Manor. That's where I learnt about the existence of the other worlds."

"Ely Fox, as in Eugene Fox's father?" The moustached man piped up.

"Yes," Oliver said and the crowd booed him again.

"And where did your mother disappear to?" the woman asked without a shred of empathy.

"I don't know."

The crowd muttered amongst themselves and Oliver caught the words
guilty conscious
from a bald photographer.

"Next question please," Ray Falls said.

A tall man stepped forward. "I'd like to ask Miss Thorn and Mr Ganderfield if they still intend on competing alongside Mr Knight after this news coming to light?"

Oliver gripped the table. Every chance he had of getting May to Brinatin was pinned on their answer. He peeked a look at Rogan's face but couldn't tell what he was thinking.

Quinn was shaking her head and was about to lean forward to answer when Rogan said, "Yes, we do intend on competing with him. People should not be judged by who they're related to but by their own actions and Oliver has done nothing to deserve persecution. I'm sure we will be good friends as well as teammates."

The weight in Oliver's chest lifted and he looked at Rogan with thanks written across his face. Rogan smiled at him, clapping him on the back. The crowd cheered and camera flashes went off in their thousands. Quinn smiled brightly, taking Rogan's hand supportively. Oliver eyed her and sensed her reaction was all for show.

To Oliver's relief, the questions finally turned to focus on Rogan and Quinn.

The woman in the frilly dress stepped forward again. "Will you be setting a date for the wedding any time soon?'

"We will hopefully be getting married early next year in Brinatin but we haven't set a date just yet," Quinn answered and stroked Rogan's arm gently.

"Yes, we can't wait." Rogan leaned in and kissed Quinn on the lips.

The crowd cheered and applauded. Cameras flashed like mad, stinging Oliver's retinas.

The questions continued to be aimed at Rogan and Quinn but Oliver couldn't get over what had happened. He barely heard a word that was spoken around him as his mind raced.

Ray Falls eventually announced the end of the questions. Oliver felt numb. He could feel the eyes of the audience watching him as he exited the stage. He saw people pointing at him from the stands as they talked amongst their friends.

Oliver didn't want to listen. He didn't want to catch the words that carried to his ears from the crowd.

He pushed past the others and legged it upstairs into the corridor. He hurried along back to the room with the golden silk draped along the walls.

Ely appeared a moment later then May entered from the corridor.

Oliver sighed with relief. "Can we go?"

"Just a minute. I think you better talk to your teammates," Ely said softly.

Oliver knew he had to but every part of him just wanted to run away.

Abbicus Brown burst into the room. He no longer looked merry and tipsy, his face was stern and he had pulled himself up to what, Oliver now realised, was a surprising height.

"How
dare
you neglect to inform me of your parentage!" Abbicus roared at him.

"William Knight is connected to Oliver by nothing more than blood. Why should Oliver be punished for the crimes of his father?" Ely stepped in.

Oliver felt a burst of hope at Ely's words. He was glad he was there to defend him because, at that moment in time, he wasn't sure he could have managed it alone.

"That's not the point. He's made a laughing stock of me. How dare you let the public think I allowed the son of an anti-Gateway rebel to enter the race,"Abbicus barked at Oliver, his jowls wobbling as he shook his head in anger.

"No one should have known. It's irrelevant and you will keep your word on letting Oliver race or, so help me, I will turn you into a pile of soot," Ely snapped, emanating power as sparks crackled in his palms.

Abbicus backed away. "Don't you threaten me you, you old cretin." He tried to keep himself composed but couldn't stop his eyes from flicking between Ely's hands.

"What's going on?" It was Laura. The rest of the committee had re-entered the room and were talking in hushed whispers. Oliver tried to catch Laura's eye but couldn't.

"This man is threatening me." Abbicus pointed at Ely with a trembling finger.

Ely rolled his eyes.

"Oh, do calm down Abbicus," Laura said. "We need to discuss this rationally."

Abbicus Brown looked as though he were about to retaliate but bit his lip to stop himself.

"Oliver's just had more of a shock than we all have so let
him
speak," Laura commanded, and all eyes in the room turned to Oliver. "Do you still want to compete?" Laura finally met his gaze. Her eyes were warm, encouraging and so like his mother's he couldn't help but relax.

From the corner of his eye Oliver spotted Rogan, Quinn and Anna enter the room. He took a deep breath and answered Laura. "Look, I don't know much about my father but he didn't raise me so I'll never have any attachment to him. I want to compete. Please don't stop me because of
him
." No one answered for a moment.

"I don't see any reason why he can't compete," Laura said firmly.

"It's not up to you," Abbicus snapped.

"No, but it's up to the Race Committee as a whole. You'll have to put it to a vote," Laura insisted.

"But what if the boy's helping Rimori like his father did? We can't risk letting him compete," Abbicus said, a wild glint in his eye.

"Nonsense, Abbicus. Why ever would Isaac Rimori recruit a teenager to help him?" Ely said, shaking his head at the man.

Abbicus eyed Oliver warily like he was an assassin about to pounce then helped himself to another drink from the table. "I have every right to question the boy," he said, puffing out his chest as he added alcohol to his glass from his hip-flask.

"Oliver found out about all this mere days ago," Ely insisted. "Do you
really
believe that Rimori has returned from Vale, approached a sixteen your old boy, and plotted the fall of the Gateways with him in that time?"

"Oho, so
that's
what he's plotting is it?" Abbicus said, sipping at his drink. "Maybe you're in on this, too, old man. It'd make sense. Your son was another friend of Rimori's wasn't he?"

"You've gone mad," Ely said furiously.

"And you, you're the boy's aunt. How can I trust
you
?" Abbicus rounded on Laura. "We have traitors in our midst!" he announced loudly to the room, swinging his drink around to gesture at Oliver, Ely and now Laura.

The bald committee member put his hands on his hips. "That's
enough
, Abbicus. It has to go to a vote."

Abbicus stormed over to the table and concocted himself yet another spiked drink, muttering into it as he sipped. "Fine," he grunted a moment later. "I vote no."

"I vote yes," Laura said loudly.

"Team Pandalin would need a fifth member to fill Mr Knight's spot if he is removed. It'd be awfully inconvenient at this late stage to try and find someone else," said a white-haired woman on the committee.

Oliver felt hope balloon in his chest at her words.

"They'd be queuing in the streets to fill that position," Abbicus said, dismissing her comment with a wave of his hand.

The balloon in Oliver's chest burst, and he frowned heavily.

The four other committee members gathered together at one side of the room and began to have a hushed discussion. Oliver spotted Rogan muttering quietly to Quinn and his gut twisted sharply.

"We won't compete," Rogan announced loudly to the room. "Unless Oliver's allowed to."

Oliver's breath caught.

Quinn looked angry but didn't argue with him.

"You can't do that," Abbicus hissed.

"We can. And we will. And you'll lose all the publicity you would have gotten from us competing," Rogan said, folding his arms.