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Luc was pulled out of his meditation, yanked away from the peace and serenity that came with it as alarm bells went off inside his mind. After being awake half the night helping his teammate, Eric, and Master Griffin move rocks out of the way, he’d hoped to have a couple of hours of relaxation before he went to sleep. Meditation could be just as rejuvenating, he’d learned from long nights when sleep had proved impossible, if not even more so.
He stood up, glancing around the whitewashed walls of his chamber, and gasped as realisation dawned. One of the gates had been opened. He’d felt it, like being jolted from a deep sleep.
He pulled on a shirt as he raced from his room and headed down the hall toward the chamber where Master Griffin had set up his office. He stopped midway as a chill ran across his senses, and dread overtook him.
No, this can’t be happening. It couldn’t.
Pushing the feeling aside, he ran faster and pushed the door to Griffin’s chamber open. Piles of books and paperwork were scattered across the desk. Another table contained rocks and other artefacts they’d found in their expedition so far. No sign of Master Griffin himself.
Luc muttered a curse, running a hand through his short, dark hair. He hurried back down the hall, taking the lift to another part of the castle. The ancient mechanisms groaned as they lifted him up to the next floor. Despite Eric’s assurances, Luc still felt uneasy using it, but he didn’t have time to search every part of the castle on foot. He ran through the empty corridors of the castle, checking each room as he went. Griffin had mentioned wanting to explore the third floor of the citadel when the team had breakfast together that morning, so there was a good chance he’d be there.
Luc gasped for breath when he reached the double doors on the third floor. He pushed the doors open, and Sam’s eyes narrowed as he came in. With her short blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, she looked nothing like the librarian she was.
“Is there something you wanted, Luc?”
She gave him an annoyed look. He knew she hated it when he interrupted her time with Master Griffin. Sara worshipped the ground the man walked on and was eager to learn everything she could from him. Working alone with him was her life’s dream come true.
“Master Griffin, I need to talk to you. It’s urgent,” he puffed.
Griffin, scratching his head of shocking white hair, rose from where he had been sat on the floor holding his scanner. He wore his dark blue university robe and had deep creases around his eyes. “Luc, I thought you were taking a few hours off. Is something wrong?” Griffin pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose. “Is it Ella? I haven’t seen her since breakfast this morning.”
“You know, Ella, she loves to go off and do her own thing,” Sara remarked.
Luc had no idea where Ella was, nor did he have time to worry about her just now. He had to talk to Griffin, then go and find out what happened to the gate.
“Master, I need to speak with you—in private.” Luc glanced over at Sam, who gave him a disapproving look. “It’s urgent.”
Griffin sighed, set his scanner on the table, and followed him into the hall. “What is it?”
“One of the gates has been opened.” Luc hissed. He glanced around, half expecting Sara to have followed them, or Ella to appear, though she would no doubt be off exploring some remote part of the city. His heart twisted just thinking of her. It had been hard enough coming on this expedition after their recent breakup.
Griffin took his arm, leading him back to his office and not saying anything until he closed the door behind them. “You’re sure?”
Luc nodded. “I felt it, and I think something came through.”
As one of the Valan, he could sense the presence of the Esrac—the age-old enemy of his people.
Griffin rubbed his stubbled chin. “That’s impossible. The gate was sealed centuries ago, and there hasn’t been an avatar born in almost fifty years. How could anyone have opened the gate?”
“Maybe there is one out there. There must be.” Since the avatars had designed the gate to act as a transportation device, only someone with the power of an avatar could open it.
“Then who is it?” Griffin demanded. “I’ve searched the descendants of the ancients for almost years. The last known avatar died decades ago, and no one since then has shown signs of such magic. No Valan has sensed anyone with the potential to be an avatar, either.”
“Does it matter? If one of the Esrac came through, we must find and kill it.” Luc’s adrenaline flowed in anticipation. The one thing he trained for his whole life had happened.
“Esrac aren’t easy to kill, you know that.” Griffin sighed. “I’ll—”
“I’ll go to the second gate and see what I can find,” he said. Griffin opened his mouth to protest, but Luc cut him off. “I can handle this, Master. I’ve been preparing for it my whole life. You’ll be safer here, and we need to make sure the others don’t notice anything.” He glanced behind him. “Do you know where Eric is?”
“He flew back to Celestus to get more supplies and equipment. I don’t expect him back for at least another hour.” Griffin glanced at his link. “Sara will stay here with me; Eric should be safe enough. You must contain the situation quickly, Luc. We can’t afford to have anyone finding out about the Esrac.”
Luc nodded. He knew the importance of containment better than anyone, he’d find any Esrac who’d come through. He didn’t know who the avatar might be, but he’d worry about that problem later. Finding and killing the Esrac was much more important.
“Do you know where Ella is excavating?” Luc asked. It would help if he knew where everyone was when he searched for the Esrac. If the Esrac fed on one person, they would be much harder to kill.
“She said she was going to have a look around the lower part of the citadel, but knowing her, she could be anywhere.” Griffin pushed his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose. “I’ll keep trying her on the link, don’t waste time looking for her. Your first priority is to kill any Esrac and ensure that the gate is still sealed.”
Luc pressed the button on his link. Despite Griffin’s assurances, he had to know his teammate was safe. “Eric, where are you? Is Ella with you?”
“Jeez, I’ve only been gone a couple of hours!” Eric said. “You haven’t broken something already, have you? I sometimes wonder how you people manage to survive without me.”
Luc rolled his eyes. “Just tell me where you are.”
“I’m flying over the citadel now. I’ll be inside in a few minutes.”
“Good, I need a lift. Hurry back.” Luc disengaged the call and pressed the link again. “Ella, are you there?”
This time, static greeted him.
Damn, why does she never answer her link? That girl might have a brilliant mind, but she has no concept of time or safety.
She often got herself into trouble through wandering off without telling anyone, and Luc sometimes wondered why Griffin tolerated such behaviour.
“We’ll fly out to where the gate is buried. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Eric flies straight back after he drops me off,” Luc told Master Griffin.
Master Griffin shook his head. “Have Eric go and search for her first. If something came through that gate, she might be in danger.”
“I will.” Luc nodded. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t stay close to the area near the gate. The last thing we need is for them to find out about it and what may come through it.”
“You’re to tell no one of this, are we clear, Luc?” Griffin warned. “Don’t you dare let the others stumble across it. Secrecy is just as important as hunting down and killing the Esrac. If anyone finds out about this, we’ll both be killed.”
“I won’t.” He bowed his head and hurrying away.
Returning to his room, he gathered a pack and filled it with supplies. He slipped his sword into its holster, making sure it was concealed underneath his jacket.
Time to face an ancient evil that hasn’t walked this world for over a thousand years.
Luc hurried down to the courtyard, where he found Eric waiting in his Pegasus, a small aircraft capable of carrying up to four people. It was cylindrical with an angled front and rear, metallic silver, and had two retractable thrusters that helped it to fly. He crossed the grass to the side of the craft and sat down in the front passenger seat.
He pressed his link, trying to call Ella again, but she still didn’t answer. He sent her a voice message instead, telling her to stay within the city walls and to get to the third floor of the citadel to see Master Griffin as soon as she could. A mixture of fear and annoyance gripped him. He didn’t have time to go looking for her.
“You haven’t seen Ella anywhere, have you?” He glanced over at Eric. “Did she tell you where she was going this morning?”
Eric shrugged and shook his head, his numerous earrings jangling as he did so. “Nope, I haven’t seen her. You know what she’s like.”
The engines whirred to life with a faint hum as Luc let out an exasperated sigh.
“So where are we headed?” Eric asked as he brought the Pegasus’s system online. “I’m surprised you called. I thought you’d want me to unload the supplies first.”
Luc keyed in the coordinates himself, careful not to let on how urgent the situation was. “I don’t know how long I’ll be there, so just drop me off and I’ll call you when I need to fly back.”
Eric frowned as he glanced at the screen. “That’s close to the border. Why would you want to risk going there? You could be attacked by rebels.”
Luc didn’t give a damn about the rebels, they were no threat to him. The rest of the Republic might consider the people who lay beyond their borders as dangerous, but Luc didn’t agree. The worshippers of the Arkadian goddess, who still believed in magic and the ways of the ancestors resided there, refugees from the modern, anti-magic society of Aldden, which had chosen to shun their past. Even the Valan had been forced into hiding after a century of keeping the peace.
“I can take care of myself. I have to run an errand for Master Griffin.”
Luc ran through the plan as the craft took off. He’d get there, check to make sure the gate remained sealed, and survey the area to find out what had come through. He had to make sure whatever it was didn’t have the chance to harm anyone.
He watched Eric weave through the streets, his green eyes scanning the landscape even as his long blonde hair fell in front of them. His bright clothes almost made Luc’s eyes ache. “You know the area?” Luc observed.
“You’d be surprised at some of the places I have to fly to when I’m working,” Eric remarked, guiding the ship over the spiralling stone towers of ancient Arkadia. “If you’re scavenging at this hour, it must be to find something interesting. Shouldn’t you be off shift now?”
“I told you, I’m taking care of something for Master Griffin.” Luc crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat. “That’s all you need to know.”
“Ah, top-secret crap, I get you. Listen, about Ella, she is—”
“It’s over between Ella and I,” Luc said firmly. “We broke up weeks ago.”
He didn’t want to talk about Ella any further, so he pulled out a small leather-bound notebook filled with information about the Valan’s old enemy—everything Master Griffin had taught him about them, anyway. He’d never fought a real Esrac before. He scanned the book, checking to see if they had any weaknesses that he might have forgotten about. He knew he had to avoid their hands, since their touch could drain the life out of anyone. After they fed, they became stronger and much harder to kill.
He’d have to be focused, ready, and clear minded when he faced his first Esrac. He couldn’t believe their age-old enemy had come back into their realm. The ancestors had banished them in an effort to prevent them from ever hurting humanity again. By sealing them in another realm and locking down the gate, they had thought the threat had ended once and for all, but Luc and the other Valan knights had always known they would come back sooner or later. No realm was strong enough to hold Esme, the Esrac Queen, forever, and when she broke free, she would want her revenge on them for almost killing and then banishing her.
Luc stayed silent for the rest of the flight, lost in his thoughts as he tried to come up with the best plan if he faced one. It took a few minutes to get from one side of the ancient city to the other, but to Luc it felt like an eternity.
As they neared the destination, Eric continued his interrogation.
“What are you looking for in here? Did Ella find something?”
Luc frowned. Eric knew better than to be nosy. Although they’d known each other for a few months, they weren’t friends, and this was their first excavation together. Eric had come along with Griffin as the engineer and pilot, while Luc had come as their military support. Although he was a member of Celestus’ troopers, he had been temporarily relieved to come along on the expedition and make sure the others stayed safe. The excavation was taking place close to the border, which the rebels had been known to cross over to attack those on the other side. Although they were technically in peacetime, it was only a matter of time before the Chancellor declared war on the rebels again and try to eradicate them. Luc pitied them. They were fighting for a better future, a chance to use the gifts the goddess had given them.
“Just looking around.” Luc glanced out of the window as the canopy of trees they were passing over ended in a clearing and found himself straining to scan it. Down there might be an enemy, he was one of the few capable of fighting. There were only a few of the Valan left now the Republic had enforced laws forbidding the use and teaching of magic. Both the law and the reduced population made it much harder for elders to train potential knights in the old ways.
“For what? Maybe I could help,” Eric suggested.
Luc’s eyes narrowed. Eric was good at fixing things, and not much else. The archaeological side didn’t interest him like it did Sara, Ella, and Master Griffin. He would be of no use, and the risk of him seeing the gate was too much for Luc to even consider his help.
“You need to get back to the city, unload the supplies, and keep an eye on the others.”
Eric shrugged. “I’ve got time; it would do me good to get some fresh air.”
“I can manage. You’d only slow me down.” Luc drummed his fingers on the armrest and tried not to let his impatience show. He needed to get down there and start looking around, not have to worry about what the others were doing. He couldn’t afford to have them at risk as well.
Eric paused. “It’s in the middle of nowhere. You could get lost or hurt. Anyway, Master Griffin doesn’t want us going out this far, part of the city has fallen away in this area.”
Luc tried not to sigh. He didn’t have time to waste arguing.
“Just bring the ship down so I can be on my way.”
Eric swung the ship around and peered down, looking at something.
“What are you looking at?” Luc asked, unclipping his belt and rising to look out the window too. Below, steep hills and fields stretched out before them, but nothing appeared out of place, and there was no sign of any Esrac or anyone else around. His heartbeat slowing again, Luc let out a terse huff.
“I don’t want to damage my ship,” Eric said defensively. “You might be able to come and go as you please, but I don’t have that luxury. My chief will have my head if I crash it.”
“Just land anywhere, I’m sure Master Griffin will cover any damages you might sustain.”
“So, it is important then?” Eric raised his eyebrows.
Luc crossed his arms. “Why are you stalling me? You need to get back to the city and drop off the supplies. Go looking for Ella while you’re at it.”
Eric shrugged. “Why aren’t you looking for Ella? I know the two of you broke up, but aren’t you the least bit worried about her?”
“You are trying to stop me from going out there. Why?” He gave the engineer a hard look. “Of course I’m worried about her, but I have something more important to take care of first.”
Eric avoided his gaze, saying nothing.
Luc moved to the console and scrolled through the ship’s recorded flights.
“Hey!” Eric snapped. “You can’t be touching those.” He tried to shove Luc out of the way, but Luc held firm.
He scanned the data and spotted an unscheduled visit a few hours earlier. “Who did you bring here?” he demanded.
Eric shook his head. “No one. I just...”
“You’re a lousy liar. You’d never come here for anyone except—” He ran a hand through his hair. “Ella. She’s out here, isn’t she? On an unsanctioned dig too, no doubt.”
It was just like her to wander off and do her own thing, even though she knew the dangers of being so close to the rebel border. What she didn’t know was there were countless other unknown dangers out there, too. One's people weren’t supposed to know about.
Eric’s jaw tightened. “There’s no harm in her looking around. She had a stunner with her. She can take care of herself.”
Not unless she’s the one who opened the gates. By the ancestors, why did it have to be her?
“Land. Now,” he ordered. “If something happened to her, I’ll —” His fists clenched.
Eric guided the ship to the ground, landing it with a thud that suggested he had forgotten all about potential damage.
“What do you mean?” he demanded. “Is Ella in trouble?”
“Stay here and be ready in case we have to make a quick getaway.”
Without another word, Luc shoved the door open and hurried out into the unknown.
