Try as I might, I could not release the stone. I fell to my knees, screaming in pain as Venator watched in horror.
“You fool, look what you’ve done…death is coming for both of us!” Venator cried out in a terror-stricken voice.
I held my breath as the phantom serpent emerged from the stone in my hands, just as it had in my vision long ago. Wrapping its coils around my body the evil spirit wound toward my face, raising its ugly head inches from my own. Its blazing eyes seemed to sear into my soul, whispering words that were mine alone to hear.
“Foolish ssssslave.”
I cringed in fear, expecting to feel its fangs in my neck at any moment, but when I shut my eyes I was looking back at my own terrified face, hued in red. I was seeing myself through the eyes of the serpent. Terrified by the out-of-body experience, I wrenched open my eyes again to find the scarlet phantom was still staring back at me, only inches from my face.
“Yesssss, your ssssoul is mine.”
The serpent began to grow, reaching monstrous proportions.
“Hunter? What are you doing?” a voice interrupted from above. “What’s happening to you?” The serpent’s eyes fixed on the unwelcome guests. Faldyn and a few Codebearers had barged into the lair, swords at the ready, rushing down the stairs to my defense.
A painful surge of energy flowed through the Bloodstone, robbing me of breath. In a flash of light the scarlet serpent broke free from the Bloodstone and took to the air like a ghost. My eyes locked shut in sheer agony at the separation and I screamed.
With my eyes closed, I was forced to watch through the reddened vision of the serpent as it lunged at Faldyn. The captain slashed out bravely with his Veritas Sword, but the serpent was too powerful for him, hurtling him down the precarious staircase. The remaining men were quickly snapped up in the deadly jaws of the scarlet snake. I watched through the serpent’s eyes as its ghostly form again took to the air and flew out of Venator’s lair, coursing along the spiraled stairs, across the throne room, out to the battle raging beyond.
The fury of the Bloodstone curse had been released in me and I was powerless to stop it. The ghostly giant snake flew over the courtyard battle. For the moment, the Codebearer army had continued to successfully stave off the endless supply of corpse warriors. The night sky was full of Gorewings and Thunderbirds engaged in fierce aerial combat.
The battle slowed for a moment as all eyes fixed on the gigantic phantom serpent that had just emerged on the scene. A single Thunderbird passed in front of my view and in a quick snap of its jaws the snake swallowed it whole. Venator’s warriors began to cheer with excitement at the arrival of what they thought to be their new ally. But their celebration was short-lived as the serpent struck with deadly speed and snapped up two Shadow warriors. Clearly, the monster held no loyalties.
Suddenly, the battle disintegrated into complete and utter chaos. It was every man, woman and beast for himself, in a desperate race to escape the deadly monster. The snake began to ravage the battlegrounds, consuming all that fell in its path.
With great effort I finally was able to open my eyes, shielding myself from the horror I had been forced to witness through the serpent’s vision.
“Help me,” I pleaded, looking to Venator, my voice weak and thin.
He offered no consolation, choosing instead to make a mad dash up the steps in a cowardly escape. I was left alone to face the Bloodstone’s doom.
“Ahhhh!” I wailed as another shock of pain surged between the two halves of the Bloodstone. My eyes closed for a moment, revealing once more the serpent’s vision of the terrible things unfolding outside. Another unlucky Shadow warrior was swallowed whole as the snake lurched headlong into the fleeing masses. Whipping around through the courtyard, the serpent quickly cornered a small gathering of Codebearers, their swords raised high in defense. As it rose to strike, a hailstorm of rocks and sticks began flying through the air just in front of the serpent’s face.
Out of the corner of its eye, I spotted three valiant Codebearers along the wall of the stronghold, trying to attract the attention of the snake. I recognized Philan, Alice and Ollie at once. What were they thinking?
“Thith way, you overthuffed worm!” Alice shouted at the top of her lungs. In no time at all the snake’s fiery eyes glared at the foolish children, giving the cornered Codebearers time to escape. The distracted serpent flew across the courtyard toward the wall where the retreating children ran.
Philan led the way with Alice close behind, pulling Ollie along with her and ducking into a doorway that was too small for the snake to enter. The snake hissed in fury at its illusive prey. But the beast was not put-off for long; it just coiled itself around the tower and squeezed with deadly force. The stonework crumbled beneath the strength of the snake, exposing the children inside and trapping them beneath a pile of rubble. As if on cue, a swarm of Thunderbirds swirled around the serpent’s head like pesky flies, keeping it from the wounded warriors inside.
I knew the Codebearers’ distractions could not last forever, and my heart plummeted at the thought of Philan and his friends paying for my crimes. I had to find a way to release the stone and break the deadly curse, but how? Try as I might I was powerless against its grip on me. There was only one thing I knew to do.
“Aviad,” I whispered at first; then shouted the name that the Shadow feared. “Aviad, help me!” The name echoed through the air and the fortress rumbled at the sound.
“I am here,” a voice called out beside me. My eyes shot open in response to Aviad’s voice. “I’m here to end this.” His sharp blue eyes showed a mixture of determination and sadness. There was so much more to this “feeble old man” now crouched beside me. His appearance in this place, at this exact moment, told me all I needed to know.
He was the Author’s son and he knew what I had done. His eyes held so many secrets behind their gaze, I was almost afraid to look into them, afraid of what he might see in me. This was not, after all, one of my finest moments.
“Why didn’t you tell me who I was?” I groaned through the pain, looking straight into his piercing eyes.
“Because you had to see for yourself. Until now you wouldn’t have understood the evil that was hidden within you.” He paused to let his point sink in and studied me with thick bushy eyebrows raised in concern.
I swallowed hard. “But I’m not evil. There is good in me too.”
“Being good and doing good are two entirely different things. Now, give me the Bloodstone and let me finish your mission.”
Suddenly and without reason my emotions shifted, turning angry at the man I’d called out to only a moment before. Even now, in the midst of my pain, the idea of letting someone else take control of the Bloodstone seemed unthinkable.
“You set me up!” I yelled angrily. “You want the Bloodstone so you can control its power for yourself.”
My words pained him.
“You’re wrong. I want to free you, Hunter,” he calmly replied.
“No! You want to make me the Author’s slave,” I fought back. “You want me to follow whatever he says. I want to be free like Venator.”
“Venator isn’t free; he is Sceleris’ slave and so are you! You know this, Hunter. Don’t you see what is happening to you?”
Another jolt of pain shook my body, emphasizing his point. The Bloodstone was starting to take its toll on me. I knew I was losing control.
“Please, you have to trust me,” Aviad offered. “There isn’t much time, let me help you.”
“It’s too late,” I whimpered. “I can’t let go.”
“It’s never too late,” Aviad smiled. “I can take the Bloodstone from you if you let me, but I need both halves to complete the curse. One you hold in your hand and the other is your heart!”
The thought of surrendering my heart seemed impossible. How would he take my heart without killing me in the process?
“Yes, you will die,” he answered before I could ask. “But to be free from the Shadow, you will have to come to the end of yourself. That is the only way to finish the curse.”
“But I’ll be dead!” I said, trying to remind him of the obvious. I almost felt silly for mentioning it. “Isn’t there another way?”
“I’m afraid not, but even if you chose to keep the stone it would kill you eventually, Hunter. Remember who we serve. If you give me your heart, the Author can write you into a new story—one in which you’ll no longer be a captive to the Bloodstone’s curse and the Shadow’s hold on you.”
I pondered the situation. What he was saying was true. Clearly the Bloodstone had no intention of letting go until I was dead. I could already feel my strength fading as another burst of pain shocked my heart, causing it to skip a beat.
“So, what is your choice?” Aviad asked at last.
“Do I really have a choice?” I questioned.
At this he simply smiled.
“Choice is a tricky thing,” he admitted. “The question isn’t whether or not the Author knows what you’re going to choose. That is a mystery you were not meant to fully understand. What is important to remember is this. He didn’t bring you through all of this to abandon you. The answer you are looking for doesn’t lie in logic, Hunter; it lies in faith and trust. The truth is that the choice you make right now will affect what the next page of your story holds. You will live with the consequences of that choice forever.”
I swallowed hard, aware of the finality of this decision. If the Author could create me, surely he could rewrite me as Aviad promised. But would he keep his word?
“So what will it be?” Aviad continued. “You’ve come this far in the story, do you want to see how it ends together? Will you trust me with your heart?”
The moment of truth had come. What would I decide? I could hardly bring myself to say the words.
“Finish it. Take my heart,” I said at last, raising my hands toward him.
“Excellent choice,” he said, smiling mysteriously. I detected the hint of a tear in the corner of his eye as he pulled the Bloodstone from my grasp.
Closing my eyes, I became one with the serpent once more. The snake turned its gaze back toward Venator’s stronghold, sensing what was going on. The creature flew away from the crumbled tower and the three helpless morsels that remained inside. With a howling hiss it sped through the air and headed back for the throne room to face its new and final threat.
I opened my eyes once more just in time to watch as Aviad reached out toward my chest. My heart raced at the thought of what was coming next. With gentle skill Aviad plunged his ancient hand into my body. The sight of his hand in my chest was shocking, to say the least; but surprisingly, I felt no pain. Streams of light burst from around the corners of his wrist. As he pulled the other half of the bloodstone from my chest, my body began to fade away into a transparent state. It was as if the Bloodstone was the very thing that gave me form. Now that it was in the hands of another, I was only a hollow shell of what I was before.
I couldn’t speak or act, allowed only to watch as the final moments of my life unfolded. Aviad now held both halves of the stone in his hands. What he did next amazed me.
Combining the stones he plunged them into his own chest, uniting them within himself to complete the curse at last. Just then, the phantom snake burst back into the room, squirming uncomfortably at the exchange.
Aviad clutched his chest in agony as the united Bloodstone burned to life. He threw his arms out and looked skyward, surrendering himself to the power of the curse inside him. A thousand scarlet rays of light exploded from within and Aviad was lifted from the floor, arms outstretched, held in a state of suspended animation, spinning slowly above the ground.
The snake reeled at the sight, towering high above Aviad. “Thisss isss not the end,” the snake hissed. Then, in one final act, the creature lunged at Aviad, bearing its fangs in a fatal attack.
An explosion of light lit the space and the two vanished completely. The battle was over.
Aviad was gone.
With the curse fulfilled, the power of the Bloodstone died with it and I began to fade away. But before I could disappear completely, a lonely echo of footsteps crossed the room. Faldyn had regained consciousness and hobbled over to where Hope lay. The last thing I remember was watching him hoist Hope carefully onto his shoulders, carrying her back toward the staircase.
Then, everything went black.