35

Evazee gripped Elden’s arm. “We have to stop him.”

Shasta pulled Ruaan up onto the platform. His spine stiffened, but he put up no fight. His cheek bore a deep purple bruise, swollen enough to close one eye. A taste of the cost of resistance. Shasta paced around him, sizing him up, sparks zig-zagging across his palms. He addressed the crowd.

The platform must have had some sort of built-in amplification, as he didn’t need to raise his voice. But each word he spoke was clear and loud. “This one will not convert. Shall we see if he’s ready to be coerced?”

The crowd erupted in a cheer. Evazee thought she might faint.

The sound of an animal in pain echoed through the chamber. Silence fell across the gathering and people peered around, looking for the source of the sound. What fresh horror was about to be unleashed?

Ruaan slipped his hands around his midsection and the animal cried out again. The crowd flinched, waiting for a dreadful beast to be revealed.

Peta pulled Evazee close enough to whisper in her ear, pointing at Ruaan. “They really should feed him.”

~*~

Kai ran to the suspended ball. He took a deep breath and brought his arms up high, a conductor of an orchestra preparing for an opening note. The waters rushed toward him, absorbing his LifeLight, swirling around him. He waited.

More water.

He stood in the centre of a growing tower, the walls fashioned by water. As it reached its peak, Kai flung his arms wide, and the water dispersed down every bridge but one. The flow overpowered the black web and washed through the spirit cuttings. Each doorway it reached flew open, powerless before Tau’s life carried within the water. Ordinary water, nothing special or precious, just filled with Tau. The waters flowed out of the doorways, multiplying and growing as they flowed, washing clean. Fixing what was broken. Restoring.

It was time.

Instinctively, Kai aimed toward the only bridge that remained dry, the one bridge that still felt wrong. He followed it and crossed through the doorway to the outskirts of the graveyard, the one that held the graves of his friends.

The perimeter fence stood tall and strong, but the gateway stood open, unguarded. Kai approached warily, but the place seemed deserted. He gritted his teeth and marched into the graveyard. The water stopped outside, refusing to follow. Should he go where the water wouldn’t? Logic screamed no, but he walked deeper into the graveyard anyway. By the time he reached the centre, his LifeLight had dulled to a mere flicker. Grave Keepers slid out from behind the tombstones and circled him. Human and yet not, the tattered rags they wore rode the wind. They reached for Kai with metallic fingers that clicked and sizzled.

He faced them with heightened awareness. His hands and knees trembled, and his throat was dry, making it hard to swallow. For the first time, he truly saw the Grave Keepers. Within the tattered rags and gnarled fingers writhed a twisted mess of green they’d worn so long it had become part of them. Deeper still, he sensed the tangled emotional torment that had caused the green to find purchase inside them so many years ago, breaking and twisting them beyond recognition as humans. Compassion and mercy had been torn out, leaving them with nothing at their core but judgement.

Then Kai spotted Tau. Tau ambled amongst the graves, leaning down to read the stones. He moved quickly past one, but lingering at the next and whispered a few words. A slow smile crept across Kai’s face as he began to move forward. He’d found Tau. Could this be real? The Grave Keepers whooshed in closer, blue sparks crackling from their palms blocking his way to Tau.

Kai stretched to peer past them. Tau was still there, crouched down next to a grave. The Grave Keepers inched forward, but Kai wasn’t going to be kept from Tau. He slammed his foot into the ground. “Move.” One word, spoken softly but the impact of it rippled through the ground and shook the Grave Keepers. As Kai stepped forward, they hissed and tittered but gave way before him. Another step and they fell back, rage contorted their faces. Shrieking, they closed ranks behind him as he passed.

Kai found Tau at Zap’s grave. The death date was less than a millimetre from completion. Kai turned and fixed his eyes on Tau. “What about my friend?”

~*~

Shasta turned his back on Ruaan and reached down to pull Zap up onto the platform. “Do you think your friend will allow himself to be coerced?”

“I think you should feed him.”

Shasta stepped up close, palms sparking wildly. “And what about you?”

Zap shook his head. “I’ve seen enough. I will not serve.”

Shasta shoved the lifeless body of the first boy off the platform with his foot. “You want to join him, then?”

Zap looked him straight in the eye. “It’s better than serving you.”

Shasta laughed, cold, mirthless. “As you wish.” He rubbed his palms together and sparks shot from his hands, burning wherever they landed.

~*~

What about my friend?

Thick silence fell, and the Grave Keeper’s tattered rags stuck out in mid-air as time froze. Tau waved Kai closer and slipped an arm around his shoulders.

Kai blinked at the date on the tombstone. “He’s out of time.” He shivered, yet warmth rippled through him from Tau’s hand on his shoulder.

“Out of time.” Tau rolled the words on his tongue as if tasting them. “Time is a big deal on earth.”

“It’s too late to help him, isn’t it?”

“Time is not relevant here in the spiritual realm.”

“What does that mean for my friend? Is he stuck in limbo?”

Tau laughed, but there was no malice in it. Another flood of warmth washed through Kai at the sound.

“It means I’m the boss of time.”

Kai frowned, “Can you help Zap?”

Tau drew in a deep breath. As he breathed out, the air filled with the whine from the Grave Keepers as time ticked back into operation. Tau gave Kai’s shoulder one last squeeze before he began to fade.

“But what about my friend?” Kai twisted about, hoping to find something that could help.

Tau’s voice drifted back to him on a breeze that seemed to sweep away the last remnants of the man, I love your friend.

Kai breathed out. “I thought so.”

LifeLight flashed through Kai, and he gathered a growing ball of it in his palm. He pulled his arm back as far as he could and threw. It hit Zap’s gravestone and shattered it into countless tiny pieces that smouldered and burned away.

The grave hole filled up and grass grew over the top until it might as well never have been there.

~*~

Shasta cracked his knuckles and held up one hand, palm aimed at the top level of the auditorium. He walked a slow circle around the edge of the platform and the darKounds stopped pacing. Their blue-black bodies trembled as they froze, eyes trained on Shasta. He patted his thigh once and half the darKounds broke away and loped through the crowd to the platform in the middle. Each tier they passed fell silent. Dread settled over Evazee at the darKounds nails clicked on the stone next to her.

Two darKounds bounded onto the platform and sought out Ruaan and Zap. The rest stood at the base. One animal sat down close to Ruaan’s leg.

Evazee shot to her feet, but Elden pulled her down. “Evazee, you can’t help them.”

“We can’t sit here and do nothing.”

Elden held her hands, “I know, but do you honestly think getting caught will do any good?”

Evazee stared back toward Ruaan and Zap, hunting for a gap, a plan, anything to help them. Both were on their knees, doubled over and blocking their ears. Evazee shuddered. DarKound thoughts were too much too bear. To be bombarded by them was agony. Shasta towered over her friends, waiting.

The darKound whined, pawed the ground at Shasta’s feet and lay down with its snout tucked between its legs. Shasta prodded it with his boot, but the creature pulled away from him, snarling. Shasta muttered under his breath and clapped his hand to Zap’s forehead.

It bounced off.

He moved to the other side, shunting the darKound out the way with his foot and tried again. His hand jerked back as if he’d been shocked. He spluttered, swore, and tried again. This time, the rebound was so great, Shasta fell on his backside.

Zap peeped through slit eyelids and glanced around, perplexed. Delight crept across his features and when he spoke, the platform microphone broadcast it to the entire room. “Ruaan, did you see that? Please tell me you did!”

Ruaan frowned and clasped his empty stomach. “Dude. How did you do that?”

“It’s not me. I met this guy in my cell. His name is Tau.”

As he spoke the name, a giant raindrop landed at his feet with a plop. All over the room, it began to rain. The water drops glowed gold and brought light wherever they landed. They didn’t come from clouds, but from water that seeped through the holey rock that formed the ceiling. Above ground had been flooded.

The next drop landed on Shasta. It ran down his forehead, sizzling as it went.

Chaos erupted. Some ran from the room as if the drops were acid. Others sat in their seats with wonder on their upturned faces, palms stretched wide to catch the drops.

Evazee grabbed Peta’s hand and shouted to Elden, “We have to get to the boys.” They climbed over rows of seating, winding their way between a melee of bodies. Peta squealed in delight each time a drop landed on her, adding another layer of glowing light to her skin.

Evazee’s heart overflowed with joy. “Someone must have flooded above ground with Healing Stream water. This must be Kai’s doing.”

Elden dodged the drops. “Let’s get them and get out of here. If this carries on, we could all drown. Even the darKounds are leaving.” Some of the falling drops landed on darKounds. They rolled on their backs as if the water were fire.

“You think this is a bad thing?”

“Drowning is a bad thing, yes.”

How did she answer that? How could he not see this as good?

Shaking, Shasta shoved Zap off his platform. Zap came down hard on the stony edge of the raised seats, narrowly missing a writhing darKound. The platform rose to the ceiling with the same hydraulic whine it had descended with. DarKounds seemed to take that as a sign that their time was up. They broke ranks and bolted. Ruaan leapt from the platform before Shasta could push him and landed on his feet.

Ruaan posed with his fists ready to punch, swinging wildly in all directions.

Evazee reached him but dodged his fists. “Calm down, big guy. Look.” The darKounds that had circled the gathering were all gone.

Zap’s face was grim. “This is not over. We’ve bought some time, but he’ll be back. This thing is bigger than any of us imagined, and he won’t stop until the world is his, and everyone in it either serves him or is enslaved by him. His mind is full of possession.”

“Converted or coerced.” Evazee pulled Peta closer and hugged her, blocking the girl’s ears.

Peta pushed her hands away, crossing her arms over her chest as her eyes grew flinty. “We need an army. An army of soldiers. Soldiers of Light.”

~*~

Kai found Bree at her own grave.

She looked up at him with sad eyes, “I’m dying.”

Kai gently pulled back her sleeve and took her damaged hand in his. She tried to pull away, but he held on. “You don’t have to. Look at this.” He led her a few steps further away and they were at her father’s grave. “He’s still alive, Bree. There’s hope for him and for you. We just need to go find him.”

“His time is nearly up. I wish I’d listened earlier. Maybe...”

Kai slipped an arm around her shoulders, still holding on to her damaged hand. “Hey, don’t give up. Let’s go find him, and then you can decide whether or not Tau is to be trusted. Yes?”

Bree nodded once.

It was enough.