The Key (38 page)

‘How do you know all this?' Shaun asks.

Dillon turns to Shaun. ‘She put me with them once. But she didn't contain my wings, and I escaped.'

Rochelle shudders. ‘Dillon, what are these beasts called?'

‘Demons,' he says. ‘The darkest creatures in the universe.'

By the time all ten of us are gathered on the ridge together it is noon. The area is checked, and with four Truthseers, Mr Carter's hearing and Neriah's two dogs, we should be safe from prying ears or unwanted visitors.

Arkarian sets the box down, then takes a place in the circle we have inadvertently formed. I stare at the treasury of weapons. It's a lot smaller than I imagined, the size of a bedside chest. It's made from some sort of metal that resembles gold or brass. It is ornately decorated with silver and jewels, and has the distinct pattern on the lid of the now familiar octagon shape.

Inside, I am a jumping bundle of nerves. I can't remember ever being this excited, not even as a child with a birthday present. Not that my birthdays were ever exciting events. A celebration was always an excuse for my father to get drunk. More often than not, my mother and I wouldn't mention them to him.

Matt takes the key and fits it neatly into the octagon shape. There is a click, then a creaking sound as the ancient mechanism is released. As he opens the lid I release a deep breath that I didn't realise I'd been holding. I'm not sure what to expect. Fireworks? Explosives?

A booming voice? But nothing unusual happens.

‘While I was away I was shown the weapons inside this box and taught how to use them.' Matt lifts a longish object out of the box and goes and stands in front of Ethan. I'm on the other side of the circle, but it looks like a gold bow and arrow set.

As the bow and a single arrow are put in his hands, Ethan frowns. ‘I'm not much of an archer. Maybe this would be better given to Isabel.'

Soft laughter floats around the circle. Matt says to us all, ‘These weapons are made specifically to extend or enhance your natural powers. They may not be obvious at first, but as you learn to use your weapon and gain experience, you will understand.'

‘So how does this bow and arrow set relate to me?' Ethan asks.

‘It's an enhancement of your animation power and your affinity with the unreal. Here,' Matt says, taking the arrow and setting it in the bow. ‘Use your mind to will this arrow to hit …' He spins around and points to a distant spot somewhere between where Jimmy and I are standing, ‘that tree over there with the broken branch hanging in mid air. Aim for the seed pod dangling at its end. But …' He hesitates as he thinks, then points to a distant tree in the opposite direction. ‘Shoot the arrow that way.'

‘All right,' Ethan says. He takes aim to his left and lets the arrow go.

I don't see a thing; the arrow moves too fast. But I do hear a sharp whoosh as the arrow slices the air between Neriah and me, followed almost instantly by a popping sound and a flash as the seed pod explodes.

Everyone murmurs in amazement. Ethan grins,
looking pleased. ‘Will it work every time?'

‘Every time. From now on you will never be without an arrow and you will never miss your target.'

As Ethan examines his set, slipping the bow on to his shoulder, Matt moves on to Isabel. He puts a bar in her hand, and when I peer over for a closer look, I see the bar is more of a handle. Something one might find at the end of a sword.

She looks up at him. ‘What is it?'

‘It's a weapon of light. Its power generates from your own inner source. A person of darkness will find the weapon useless. In dark places it will extend your gift of sight.' He takes the handle into his own hand for a moment. A beam of light suddenly appears to the length of a sword. It shimmers brilliant white, so strong it almost burns my eyes. Matt lunges towards a nearby pile of boulders. The beam pierces through the centre of the top boulder with a sizzling sound. The boulder fills with light, holds its shape for a moment, then completely disappears.

Everyone stares in amazement.

‘Now you try.'

Isabel feels the weight of the handle in her palm. ‘How do I turn it on?'

‘Relax your thoughts and don't try too hard. Let your inner light flow. It won't take you long to get the idea.'

Suddenly a beam of light generates and Isabel smiles. She lunges at a boulder and it shatters all over us. We're not prepared for the debris. Everyone ducks or scatters.

‘Sorry!'

Matt just grins at her, then moves on to Mr Carter, handing him two metal bands with holes running through their centres. ‘Slip these on your fingers.'

They fit Mr Carter's hands like fingerless gloves. ‘Whoa!' he calls out, obviously impressed. As he bends and flexes his fingers, sharp metal darts punch out from the bands across every knuckle. They look lethal by anyone's standards.

Matt pats his shoulder and moves on to Shaun, giving him two beautifully-crafted swords with silver handles. One long, one short. ‘To our master swordsman, two swords that have the power to kill with one strike.'

Shaun is impressed. He takes them both and feels them for balance. ‘Excellent.'

As Matt moves around the circle, I can't help getting jittery. I wonder what sort of weapon has been made for me. What gifts of mine will be extended with these amazing tools? He gets to Jimmy and I'm almost jumping out of my skin with anticipation. For the first time in a lifetime I feel an overwhelming sense of belonging. This is what I am supposed to be doing. Standing side-by-side with these people, ready to do battle for the one rightful cause.

Matt puts a bag in Jimmy's hand.

‘A bag of tricks?' Jimmy asks, feeling the contents within his palm. ‘Or a bag of pebbles?'

Matt laughs. ‘Something like that, except these “pebbles” have the power of a grenade, and your supply, though it fits neatly in your pocket, is a never-ending one. Not only are these explosives effective against the creatures of the dark, but they will bring down any barrier, no matter how it might be armed or locked.'

Jimmy grins, juggling the pouch in his hand, impressed by his weapon's light weight.

Next is Neriah. He takes her hand and, I swear, the entire circle can feel the power that flows between them
with this sudden contact. It's as if when they are touching, they become an extension of each other. He pulls back and Neriah opens her hand. In her palm is something that can only be described as a fragment of lightning. It has everyone gasping and craning their necks to see. Even Aysher and Silos sit up and sniff.

‘What can I do with this?' she asks as the lightning glistens and flashes in her palm.

Matt looks around. ‘Point it at that shrub over there and use your thoughts to project its energy.'

She aims and points. Instantly a flash of lightning streaks from her hand, igniting the shrub and reducing it to ash within the space of one or two seconds. It has everyone staring in awe.

And now there are only three of us left. Me, Dillon and Arkarian. When Matt comes towards me I can't stop my hands from shooting straight out. They're trembling, but I don't care. He stands in front of me for a long moment, and when nothing happens, nothing is put into my hands, I look up.

‘I don't have a weapon for you,' he says.

Suddenly the circle is dead silent. I take my trembling hands and slide them behind my back. ‘I don't understand,' I manage to say.

‘The reason I don't have a weapon for you is because you don't need one.'

I can't believe what he's saying. ‘What do you mean?'

‘The weapon that was originally made for you, I'm going to give to Dillon.'

‘What?'

He tugs on my arms, bringing my hands around to the front. ‘You have already proven that your hands can kill. You don't need a tool to help you. And because we are
ten now, we are one weapon short.'

‘So you're giving my weapon to Dillon!'

He nods. ‘That's right.'

He starts to move on, turning back to the chest. I can't believe what's happening. Tears threaten. I blink fast and take a step backwards, ready to run. What am I doing here with these people? I shouldn't be a part of this … this select, secret group. They don't want me. No matter how hard I try, they will never let me in.

Matt hears my uncontrollable thoughts tumbling out and turns, looking puzzled. I try to enlighten him. ‘Don't I deserve a weapon?'

‘Rochelle, it's not like that.'

I shake my head at him, at all of them, and start to back away. He comes after me and pulls on my hands. ‘Listen to me: you're not being excluded. Your hands are your weapons. Look at them.' He yanks off my gloves; sparks fly in all directions. Everyone scatters or ducks out of the way. ‘Here.' Matt puts a rock in my hand. It disintegrates into dust. He knew it would. My emotions are running high. Gasps and cries of astonishment flow around me. ‘Stay. This is where you belong.'

Matt says ‘stay', but my heart is screaming ‘go'. I've never felt so humiliated. Arkarian comfortingly touches my shoulder. Silently I reach out and yank my gloves back from Matt's hands. When I have them on safely, and my freakish hands are out of sight, I return to my position in the circle and remain silent. I stare at my feet for a long time. I do not want to see what weapon Dillon has been given. I listen while Arkarian is given his, a whip of some sort. It has the ability to do anything with motion and matter, like igniting fires, moving masses of water, creating a dust storm, or simply destroying the
creatures we're going to be coming up against. It's a good weapon for him. Of all of us here, he deserves the most powerful one.

The last weapon is Matt's. It turns out to be an axe. As he tucks it into the belt at his waist he explains how the axe – solid and strong and earthly – gives him balance.

At last it's over, and I finally get the courage to look up. Everything is blurry. I try hard to get rid of the few tears that doggedly remain. Ethan is staring across the circle at me. And while my eyes begin to clear, his remain fixed.

I'm not sure what to make of his expression. The word ‘pity' comes to mind, but I push it aside. I couldn't stand it if Ethan pitied me. For a moment I'm swamped with the urge to reach out to him, see if I can hear his thoughts. Surprisingly they're open to me, but I don't do it. The feeling that I'm an intruder still lingers deeply inside.

But suddenly all thoughts are dismissed as King Richard materialises in front of us. A flash high in the sky overhead reveals the shape of part of a building. Something drops and hits the ground. Jimmy runs over and retrieves a couple of bricks. He holds them up for all to see.

King Richard explains, ‘It's the Citadel. It's under attack. Bring your weapons, and hurry!'

The Citadel may be under attack, but Ethan has decided to attack me. He thumps my shoulder, dragging me back from the others as they make their way to Arkarian's chambers. ‘How could you do that to her?'

‘I'm assuming you mean Rochelle?'

‘Of course I mean Rochelle! Who else did you humiliate out there?'

‘I didn't mean to humiliate anyone, and I know what I'm doing. It was the right thing.'

I go to pass but he holds his hand against my chest. ‘It was a mistake.'

‘I know her better than you, Ethan. Rochelle is strong.'

‘You idiot! Don't you see how she always keeps her distance, never takes her gloves off, and hides behind that … that cynical persona she puts out?'

Arkarian hears and comes up beside us.

‘Do you think I made a mistake by not giving Rochelle a weapon, Arkarian, even though she doesn't need it and we would have been one short?'

He takes his time answering. ‘If a mistake was made, it was that you didn't speak to Rochelle in private first.'

Of course! Arkarian is right again, while I stumble and
make a mess of everything. ‘I don't have the ability to be the leader of this group.'

Ethan groans while Arkarian says, ‘Matt, we all make mistakes. That you do too just shows your human side.'

‘But
you
never make a mistake!' I'm quick to tell him, easily convincing myself this is the right thing to do. ‘
You
should take my place.
You
should lead the Named. I would be proud to serve you.'

‘Don't speak such thoughts.'

‘I'm serious. I'm handing over my leadership to you.'

‘Matt, think about what that would do to our morale. Take a look around – what do you see?'

I glance at the others, trudging up the mountain as if they are going to their death. Suddenly I understand. We are all reliant on each other. We all have our part to play, and mine is the leader of the Named. No matter what flaws I have, or uncertainties, this is who I am: son of an immortal, more powerful than all the Named combined. And while I'm far from perfect, with my inhibitions and doubts and inexperience, none of them is perfect either.

I stride up to the secret doorway and open it without Arkarian's help, because that's just one of the things I can do. Suddenly I'm tired of hiding my powers, hiding within myself. So before I step through, I turn and look at the others who have gathered before me.

‘Know this, everyone!' I project my voice so that it rumbles across the mountain. ‘We are about to go into battle to rescue the earth from the most foul evil that exists in this universe, and I am going to lead you. I apologise for my past weaknesses, but from this moment on, I will not be weak any more!' I raise my hands into the air and draw one thought to mind:
power
. I want them to feel it.

As the others follow me into the mountain I sense a difference in them. I don't pay it too much attention, nor try to analyse it – there's simply not enough time. Arkarian is the last to enter. Others make way for him as he passes them and comes to stand before me. ‘Tell us what you want us to do.'