Fury crackled through Oliver’s veins. He’d never been so angry. Even over the years of torment Chris had put him through, never had his rage been so intense.
Because before, Chris had only hurt him. But when he’d seen Esther—the person he cared for more than anyone—in danger because of Chris, something in him had snapped. An anger he’d never felt before had been unleashed. Now that Esther was safe, all Oliver wanted to do was get revenge on his big bully of a brother.
The whirlpool he’d conjured had come without thought. It was some kind of emotional instinct that had made his powers engage. The outcome had taken even Oliver by surprise. Never before had he commanded such a huge force of nature as a river. But revenge was fueling his mind, making the water spin violently like it was being sucked through some imaginary plughole.
And there was Chris. Caught up in the middle of its force, spinning and spinning. He looked terrified but Oliver didn’t care. He wanted him to suffer.
All through their lives together, all he’d ever wanted was for Chris to leave him alone. To stop the bullying.
Not now. Now he wanted to get his own back. Now he wanted revenge.
Oliver used his powers to make the water churn more rapidly still. He used such force that the river bed suddenly appeared in the eye of the storm, in the middle of the whirlpool.
Suddenly, Oliver saw the Orb of Kandra in the mud at the bottom, wedged there. She appeared to be sinking further into the sticky silt, her light growing dimmer and dimmer.
All at once, something clicked in his mind. It almost felt like the Orb of Kandra was speaking to him, calling him, challenging him.
What was he doing? Harming Chris was not the point! It never had been! If he acted out of vengefulness and spite, he was no better than his bully. His mission had only ever been to rescue the Orb, not to cause harm to another living being, even if that happened to be his brother who wanted him dead.
He realized suddenly that this was what Professor Amethyst had been warning him of. The bromine within him was constantly tugging him toward evil. This was the first time he’d ever felt its magnetism. He must not give in to it. The lure of dark power was something he must fight.
Oliver switched his focus from Chris to the Orb. He let go of the whirlpool with his mind. But the centrifugal force acting on the water was too great now. It was powering itself. The motion he’d started was pushing it around and around of its own accord. It would take a long time to lose power and return to stillness.
There was no other option. In order to save the Orb, Oliver would have to enter the whirlpool himself.
He took a deep breath, steadying his nerves, then dove down into the swirling water.
Immediately, the churning whirlpool took hold of him, flinging him into its midst. He spun around and around, nausea swilling in his stomach. Water got into his nose and mouth, making him choke and splutter. It was the most terrifying experience. He felt a huge sense of shame knowing he’d subjected Chris to this.
He noticed Chris then, pinned against the wall of water opposite Oliver. His brother glared at him, his eyes no longer blue but all-black. Oliver shuddered at the terrible transformation that had overcome Chris. The powers he’d been given were not seer powers, that much was clear. Something else pumped through Chris’s blood. Something dark and evil.
Oliver saw then that Chris was still fighting. He was pushing out with his limbs, battling against the force of the water, heading downward.
He was aiming for the Orb.
Oliver knew Chris had no idea what the Orb was for or why it mattered. He only wanted it because it was something Oliver cared about. Just like when they were kids, with toys and food, Chris would wreck everything just for the pleasure of upsetting Oliver. But whereas back then it only hurt him, now the whole School for Seers was at stake.
There was no way Oliver was going to let Chris get there first.
He pushed on, his muscles aching from the effort. The Orb lay nestled on the riverbed floor, wedged in a pillow of silt and mud. Sinking. Her light barely glowing now and fading with every second.
Oliver stretched out his fingertips. Reaching, reaching. But the Orb kept sinking. Then suddenly, the light burned out.
Panic took hold of Oliver. He could hardly see through the gloom.
He thrust his hands into the mud, scrabbling around, desperate to get purchase of the Orb. Then his fingers touched something slightly warm. As smooth as glass.
He plunged his left hand into the mud and heaved. The Orb of Kandra catapulted upward out of the mud and slammed into Oliver’s chest with the force of a bowling ball, winding him. There’d be a bruise on his ribs tomorrow but Oliver didn’t care about the pain. He had the Orb. He was single-minded. All that mattered was returning her to her rightful home on the plinth in the sixth dimension.
As he wrapped his arms around her, cradling her, his heart swelling with relief, he saw that her light had gone out completely. He wondered if it was too late to save her.
Without wasting a second, Oliver turned toward the south bank and began to swim, cradling the Orb of Kandra in his arms protectively.
That’s when he saw that the Obsidian kids were running down onto the banks. Heading for the portals. For Esther and Ralph.