The Key (39 page)

I lay my hand on his shoulder. ‘Shift us all to the Citadel so that this battle can finally be resolved.'

When we get to the Citadel Lord Penbarin is there to meet us. His soldiers are with him, guarding every entry point. They're armed with swords, knives and other martial arts weapons. They look a mess. There's been a battle here already. Lord Penbarin's clothes are dishevelled, his sword dripping blood. ‘Marduke and another battalion of wren have infiltrated the lower levels, while the middle-world creatures are in the labyrinth.'

‘How did they get in?' Matt asks.

Lord Penbarin's eyes drift to the high, eight-panelled ceiling. ‘They took us by surprise. There were so many of them, they overwhelmed us. Lathenia is using the Citadel as a means to get her massive armies of the dead into our world. We can't let this happen. Those that are through already must be eradicated. The weapons from the treasury will help in this task.' He grips Matt's shoulders. ‘Lorian is willing to destroy the Citadel if that's what it takes to stop any more creatures from getting through.'

‘Destroy the Citadel!'

‘We are bulging at the seams as it is. The pressure is already too much. And still she sends more. Lorian will
destroy the workings, including all the transportation rooms and machinery to stop her. He is preparing a strategy right now with your King.'

‘Let's hope it doesn't come to that, my lord.'

‘Lathenia is bringing forth all manner of creature. But if she were to bring forth the worst the underworld has –'

‘You mean the demons!' Dillon calls out.

Lord Penbarin winces at the sound of the very word. ‘Yes, that's what I mean. The Citadel will be destroyed before this happens. The risk to the earth – to life itself – is too great.'

‘OK, then,' Matt says. ‘We'll split up and go where we're needed most.' He turns to look at Ethan, Shaun and Neriah. ‘You three go to the central control rooms to help protect the high-tech machinery there.'

Lord Penbarin explains, ‘Without this machinery transportation becomes impossible. Don't let them take it. We don't want the Order to be in a position to set it up somewhere else in the future. But it's not going to be easy. The control room has already been invaded.'

‘Great,' Ethan says dryly.

Neriah squats between Aysher and Silos, patting them and smoothing down their coats. ‘Looks like we've got our work cut out,' she says. The two dogs sit upright and stare straight into her eyes. ‘Stay close beside me.'

Lord Penbarin nods in unconscious agreement. No one wants to see Neriah separated from her dogs again. ‘Sir Syford and Queen Brystianne and their soldiers are trying to hold the control room, but they need your powers and your weapons too. Go quickly.'

Matt continues explaining where he thinks the rest of us should go. ‘Dillon, I want you to come with me.'

‘No way!' Dillon objects. ‘I'm not pairing up with you. Forget it.'

Matt stares at him hard, and as he does so, his eyes change colour from his usual brown to shimmering gold for a second. The sight makes Dillon jerk backwards. ‘We're going to defend this Citadel side-by-side. Do you understand me, Dillon?'

Dillon nods.

‘Marcus, you stay here with Isabel and Rochelle. I want you three to help Lord Penbarin stop any further invasion.' He points to the eight-panelled ceiling, for the moment thankfully quiet.

A rumbling sound in the lower levels reminds us that we'd better hurry. Matt directs Arkarian and Jimmy to the labyrinth, inundated with creatures from the middle realm.

‘You've seen these creatures before,' Matt says to Arkarian. ‘You know how they work, but don't underestimate their power or their weaknesses.'

Jimmy asks, ‘What are they exactly?'

‘Some will be lost souls,' Arkarian explains. ‘And now that the bridge is gone they will be wandering aimlessly. But there will be others that manifest from your exaggerated fears. From your nightmares.'

‘Gee, thanks, Matt,' Jimmy jokes. ‘I can't wait.'

‘That's why I'm sending you two,' Matt says. ‘Both of you have better control over your fears than the rest of us.'

Everyone takes off, but before Matt goes, he notices the knife I've drawn from my boot. ‘What are you doing with that?'

‘I'm getting ready. Any minute now we could be attacked. I want to be prepared.'

Matt looks at my hands. ‘Take off your gloves.'

I shake my head. ‘No.'

‘Take them off, Rochelle.'

‘But if I take my gloves off, I can't hold the knife.' This is an excuse. I don't want to take my gloves off because my hands are hideous.

‘Your hands are your weapons, not that pathetic-looking knife. That will only get you killed.' He takes the knife from my fingers. He doesn't say anything else, but his look is so piercing, there's nothing else I can do, except to peel back my gloves and shove them in my pocket. Sparks shimmer and fly, hitting the walls far away and burning holes into them.

Lord Penbarin's eyebrows lift. ‘When will the power stop surging?' he asks Matt.

Matt's mouth slides left, then right in an action of uncertainty. ‘Each time I see them, they're stronger.'

My face heats up hotter than my hands for a moment. I wish they would stop looking at me! Even Mr Carter looks stunned.

Lord Penbarin asks, ‘Has anyone been teaching you how to control them?'

‘Lady Arabella was, my lord.'

‘Hmm, we'll find you someone else. Are they painful?'

Lately they've been excruciating, but I keep these thoughts completely screened. ‘No, my lord.'

‘Hmm,' he mumbles.

Another explosion rocks the flooring from the lower levels, causing a large panel of glass to shatter behind us. We're all thrown by the impact as glass sprays everywhere.

When it's over, Matt calls out to see if everyone is all right.

Lord Penbarin picks himself up from the floor. ‘Lord Alexandon is in trouble.'

Matt nods. ‘I'm going. Come on, Dillon. We're needed in the lower levels.' As they take off, Matt turns to look at us. ‘If you get into any trouble you can't handle just call me. I'll hear you, and I will come. OK?'

I nod and they disappear. Lord Penbarin's soldiers come back from checking out the shattered window. ‘The wren are in the courtyard. Some have penetrated the internal stairwells, my lord,' says one.

And suddenly the eight-panelled ceiling starts to move overhead, picking up speed quickly. In seconds it's a blur of colour and motion.

Lord Penbarin glances at Mr Carter, Isabel and me. ‘Prepare yourselves. They're coming.'

As he says this, doors to the side burst open and wren come charging in, snorting and flapping their wings. They're armed with axes, chains, swords and knives. I search for my own knife, but of course Matt has it. Oh, great!

Lord Penbarin and his soldiers move in to attack the wren, attempting to force them back down the stairwells before whatever other creatures arrive through the ceiling. And while they're excellent swordsmen, the wren, once slain, are quick to get up again. The Lord and his soldiers do not have the weaponry to eradicate them, only to slow them down.

Isabel glances at the weapon of light she is holding. Right now it's completely inactive. She looks at it as if wondering what to do.

‘Use it as Matt showed you!' I yell.

My words move her into action. Tentatively at first she lunges as a wren goes to jump her. A long beam of
shimmering light pierces its wing. Both of us are propelled backwards as the wren explodes with a burst of heat, scorching our faces.

We stumble to our feet and Isabel glances at me with an apology on her face.

‘Don't worry about it. Try again.'

This time the beam is accurate, straight through the centre of the wren's chest. It shudders for a second, then completely disintegrates.

Mr Carter deals with several wren at the same time. Aiming his punches well, his weapon is direct, powerful and effective.

But there's no break from the onslaught. Just as the number of wren begin to diminish, the spinning panels accelerate into a humming blur and the chamber fills with incredible light, blinding everyone momentarily. The chamber quickly comes alive as creatures start falling from the ceiling. Hundreds of them pour down over us, screeching wildly. They're thin, like skeletons covered in nothing but grey skin. Their faces are gaunt, and the feel of them as they fall on us is wet and sticky. Luckily for me, as soon as they come in contact with my hands, they disintegrate with a high-pitched squeal.

It's pandemonium as Lord Penbarin and his soldiers struggle under the attack. I run over and start yanking the bony creatures off them, grabbing them by their throats.

Isabel helps one of the soldiers, while Mr Carter gets rid of one after another quickly with his deadly fists. But as more come flying down at us from the ceiling, it's obvious we're not going to be able to eliminate them all. We keep fighting, and when next I look around, Lord Penbarin is in real trouble. Mr Carter catches my eye
and runs over to help him. But I can't get away as quickly. One creature has me from behind and appears to be trying to work its way through me. Eventually I get a grip on its long limbs and throw it over my shoulder. It clings there for a second before disintegrating, and its stickiness seeps into my clothes.

I run over to Lord Penbarin, where Mr Carter has managed to get all but one of these horrid creatures off him. There's a look of intense relief in Lord Penbarin's eyes as he sees his freedom is only moments away. But as I reach down to get my hands on the creature's neck, Mr Carter punches it. Our hands clash and hold for a long moment, skin against skin. I feel the sharp metal points of his weapon as they pierce my palms, while he gets the full brunt of my sizzling, electric hands.

And then, as if the contact has created too much energy between us, we're catapulted apart. Mr Carter looks at his burnt hands. For me, the connection with Mr Carter has an entirely different effect. Sure, my hands are bleeding from the metal that pierced them, but that's not the reason I'm sitting here, completely blown away. When my hands touched his I felt something. Something strong, and yet also familiar. A sensation that will never shift from my memory for as long as I live. I felt it a few weeks earlier when I went to Neriah's house and her hand brushed mine.

Mr Carter notices I haven't moved. He gets up and starts to walk around me with eyes staring and wide. ‘Are you all right?' he asks me slowly.

Instantly I understand that he suspects I felt something in my touch. I have. And it has shaken me to my core. Mr Carter and Neriah are linked. And the link is strong and close, like blood. Yet, where Neriah's touch revealed her
spirit is nothing but light, Mr Carter's touch revealed his spirit is all darkness. ‘Yeah … um … I'm fine.'

‘Why are you looking at me like that?'

‘I … I was just worried that I might have hurt you.' And there it is again, that look he always has in his eyes for me – the look of reserved and underlying hatred. I have always posed a threat to him. Especially since Lorian increased the power of my hands to test loyalty. One touch would have revealed the truth.

‘What's wrong, Rochelle?' His voice is teasing. I skim a look to Isabel and the others, but they are still under attack from these nameless creatures and remain oblivious to what's happening here. Even Lord Penbarin has moved off. ‘You have the look of a rabbit. A rabbit with one leg caught in a snare who has just realised she's about to die.'

I get up and he moves with me. I back away towards Isabel, but he moves to block me. I try to distract him with conversation. ‘Ethan was always right about you. He had a gut instinct you were bad.'

‘What a pity no one took his suspicions seriously,' he mocks. ‘They should have, you know. Instinct is one of Ethan's strongest gifts.'

‘Why did you save the school?'

‘Because, my dear, heroes are always the last to be suspected.'

‘Lady Arabella isn't the traitor.'

His smile is slow. ‘That little secret is going to remain for ever between you and me.'

For a moment we're silent as I take this in, and wonder what his plans are for me. ‘You have Marduke's blood in your veins.'

‘Hmm,' he murmurs, moving closer. ‘Well I would,
wouldn't I? After all, he is my brother.'

His words are meant to shock, to make me freeze to the spot. It's then I realise he has manoeuvred me into the centre of the room. I look down at my feet and see that I am standing within the shape of the octagon. It's exactly where he wants me. I look up and call Matt in my thoughts.
Come quickly! I'm in over my head! Hurry, Matt! Hurry!
But even as I project these thoughts, I realise it's too late.

The panels overhead are spinning again and the light indicating imminent transportation is generating quickly. Mr Carter has manipulated the machinery. If anyone would know how, it would be him. He has been the coordinator in this Citadel for the last twenty years. He has access to every room, every level, every open portal, including transportation to other worlds.

‘How long have you been working for the Order?'

‘From the day I found out Marduke was my brother. The same day his face was sliced in half and he wanted to die. I looked after him. I helped him see that there could be life again for him. He wanted revenge and I helped him get it.'

‘So why did you stay with the Guard?'

‘I was much more useful that way. I had liberty to inside information and access to high-security areas.'

I look over his shoulder and catch Lord Penbarin's eye. He's heard my thoughts but is under attack again. Isabel looks up too, and there is a look of wonder in her eyes, but the light keeps brightening to an unbearable degree. ‘You framed Lady Arabella.'