I noticed a glow ahead. The small amount of light was enough for me to understand that I was on a walkway high above the Temple. The grand pillars reached a ceiling only a few feet above my head. I reached out and my hand pressed against the cool stone of a low wall. I hoisted myself up and peered over the edge.
The Sages were standing in a large circle. They were so far away they looked like ants, but their voices boomed around the area as if they had microphones fitted. “How many settlements have fallen?” I recognised the speaker as Glid — the Bejing leader. “At least ten,” replied Etorre. “What of the Iron City?” asked Asmund. “Gone,” sighed Faru. “What do you mean gone?” “He means it has been wiped from the face of Pandemonia.” “My God! Did anyone survive?” “Those it didn’t kill it turned into Depraved.” A rush of groans and gasps filled the room. I remembered what Faru had said about the poor soulless creatures. I shuddered. “How many follow it now?” asked Sylvia, Fae Sage of Conduit — the Manhattan base. “Over a hundred at least.” “Including Prince Ashan,” admitted Faru in a solemn tone. A fresh round of horrified gasps swept around the room. A few of the Sages began to weep. “Then that’s it. The battle is lost”, sniffed Sylvia. “Pandemonia belongs to Hades.” “The hell it does,” growled Glid. “I’d sooner forfeit my soul than let that cowardly bastard rule my home world!”
Faru made an agreeing sound. “Glid is right. It is not the end. We all know that someone else will rise in Prince Ashan's place. The Luminar will not lie down without a fight.” “There is also some good news. Prisoners have broken out of the Colosseums and joined the fight,” said Etorre. There were murmurs of confusion. “They still live? How many?” asked Glid. “At least two hundred.”
There was a universal sigh. I leaned further over the wall desperate not to miss a thing. Each of their words mixed with the sound of my own pulse, which roared in my ears.
“Unfortunately, there is more bad news,” sighed Etorre. “We think we know where it is headed.”
As I heard the words, a chill swept through my body. I finally understood why they all sounded so fearful. The Sorrow. They are talking about The Sorrow! It’s tearing across Pandemonia, destroying everything in its path. “Where?” asked a Sage whose name I couldn’t place. I held my breath. “Here.” My heart stalled. A deathly silence rolled into every crevice of the Temple, hanging in the air like a shadow.
“The path it has taken,” explained Faru, “is a direct path to the Water City. As you know, this is where the section of the Veil that connects to Chapter Hill is situated. There are only a few settlements around it, and behind stretches a thousand miles of the Dark Sea. Simply put, there is nothing else it could be heading for.”
Barely contained fear seemed to pour from everyone. Even from my place in the shadows — high above the crowd — I could feel it.
“You think it has something to do with the boy?” asked Asmund. “That’s what you told me earlier.”
“I am not sure. Perhaps. Perhaps not. It appears to me that the timing of his Awakening and the sudden movement of The Sorrow seems a little to co-incidental.”
“If this is true then we must be missing something — a connection of some kind,” Glid pointed out.
“Maybe there’s no connection at all,” countered Sylvia. “No doubt Hades has learned of his Awakening. Perhaps his accelerated use of The Sorrow is simply to destroy the major cities and claim victory over Pandemonia before a new wave of Chosen are born.”
“You could well be correct Sylvia. However, I do not wish to take the chance. And that is the main reason I have asked you all here to the Warren tonight. For your permission.”
A sharp pain in my knuckles made me realise that I’d been gripping the wall. I released them and used one to wipe away a cold sweat that had appeared on my forehead. “Permission for what?” Asmund asked in a suspicious tone. “I wish to seal the Veil.” The room erupted into a crescendo of panicked voices. “But what about supplies?” “You can’t break the link!” “What if Pandemonia needs your support?” “You want to abandon Pandemonia?”
“Our kin are dying over there!”
“Please, please, everyone settle down,” boomed Faru. Slowly the noise ebbed away, replaced once more by strained silence. “I am more than aware of the gravity of a decision like this. Nevertheless, I feel there is no other choice. The Sorrow cannot be killed. Not as far as anyone knows. The only option we have is to stop it in its tracks. I am not suggesting that we seal every piece of the Veil, just the Water City doorway at first. And not for good. The spell would be reversible, but strong enough that The Sorrow would be forced to change its direction and head for a different section. At that point we release the former and seal the latter. And so on, effectively creating a perpetual barrier for its entry to Earth — if that is what it seeks.”
I found myself nodding. I didn’t know about the others, but it sounded like a great idea to me.
Etorre cleared his throat. “Sage Faru is not abandoning Pandemonia. There can be no question of his honour. I know full well that if we ever grew strong enough to be a serious threat to Hades’ forces, then he and his Guardians would be first in line to go through the Veil.”
There were sounds of agreement from the rest of the leaders.
Faru took over. “While the doorway is shut, we will strengthen links between ourselves and Castello. Extra supplies will come through their doorway and be distributed to Britain. I already have the support of our government on this. I just need yours.”
“We have to protect Earth from The Sorrow. If this is the only way, then you have my full support,” said Sage Asmund.
“Thank you Sage Asmund. However, for an action of this magnitude to go ahead, the vote must be unanimous. All those in agreement, please raise your hand.”
There was a long pause and then Faru spoke.
“Then it is agreed. We will seal the Veil.”
At that moment my jacket started to vibrate- hard. I jumped at the sudden sensation and the marble twitched right out of my pocket
Into midair.
I desperately swept for it with a hand, but just ended up swatting it further away. I watched in absolute horror as it pinged against several of the columns and then landed on the floor below with a resounding crack.
I was already running by the time the shouting started.
22
I wrenched the door open and dived from the recess into the elevator, almost colliding with Delagio. His face was scrunched into a grimace and I stifled a gasp when I saw the blood seeping from his nose.
“About time!” he hissed through gritted teeth.
“Del, I’m sorry, but we need to go now!”
He threw both arms towards the floor and the elevator fell like a rollercoaster. My breathing was ragged. I slumped over one of the rails, trying to slow my racing heartbeat. After a minute of nerve-wracking descent, Delagio slowed the elevator down and there was a loud clunking sound as the cab settled itself onto the rail. I pressed the button for the main entrance and the metal box happily raced towards its destination unaffected by the death defying detour. “What happened?” he asked, wiping the blood from his nose. I told him everything I’d overheard and finished with what had happened to the silver marble. “Goddamit” he hissed. “I’m so sorry. It was a complete accident!”
“I know, I know. It’s just there are only a few kinesist’s at the Warren and hardly any that use the weapons I do. The marble is a pretty big giveaway.”
A cold dread ran through my veins. “Oh no, is Faru going to suspect you?”
Delagio fell silent for a moment, tapping a finger against the mirrored wall. “Not necessarily. Here’s what we’re gonna do. Go back to the Library and tell Rachel to meet me outside. She’ll know the spot. If Faru asks where we are, just point through the window by the fire, okay?”
I didn’t understand the plan, but nodded anyway. “What shall I say about Sophia?”