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To my surprise, we don’t go to one of the sports halls as I assumed we would. When we arrive at the glass walkway that connects the hunter headquarters to the school, it becomes clear to me that they want to deprive me of every last feeling of security. I have to submit to the test in an environment that’s as unfamiliar as possible. The Council seems to have thought of everything.
We reach a corridor with only a few doors leading off it. I don’t know where I am. I’ve never been in this part of the complex, so I have no idea what kind of space I’m being taken to. But that’s how it’s supposed to be.
Alfredo opens one of the doors and indicates with a nod for me to enter. I take one last deep breath, stand tall, and comply.
I’m in complete darkness – that’s the first thing I notice. At first, it’s so oppressive, so heavy and all-consuming, that I almost freeze on the spot. But I force my legs not to slow down, maintaining a steady pace while every part of me screams at me to run.
I sense that I’m not alone in the room. There are people all around me, but I can’t see them. I turn toward the door. Alfredo is draping a dark cloak around himself. He pulls the hood over his face and disappears into the darkness after closing the door behind him to block out any natural light.
But there is one small light source. There’s a ring of torches in the room about fifteen feet across. I slowly walk toward it, past the torches, and position myself in the center. I’m pretty sure that’s where I’ll be tested. I still can’t see anyone. But there must be Council members present, I know that much. I can sense them. The fact that the torches don’t illuminate them means the room must be big. Not that that information helps me much. But I try to take note of as many details as possible. To calm myself if nothing else.
I keep glancing around the ring in which I’m about to be tested. Nothing happens; no one attacks; I don’t even detect the slightest movement or sound. I’d be lying if I said that didn’t unsettle me. But I try to push aside my nervousness and remain calm.
Suddenly, a familiar voice rings out. It’s one of the Council members, but I’m not sure which one. In any case, he seems to be in charge here.
“Teresa Franklin, you’re here today to submit to the destiny test and demonstrate your abilities. A selection of Council members will be present for this test and observe you closely. At the end, it will be clear whether you have passed and the extent of your abilities. Please understand that you can’t hide anything here. You won’t be able to gloss over anything or lie to us. The truth will come to light.”
No sooner has he finished speaking than seven dark figures emerge in the ring. They too are wearing these strange cloaks with the hoods pulled low over their faces, making them look like assassins from a bygone era.
I scarcely have time to take a breath. The moment I become aware of them, they’re already dashing toward me. The first attacks hurtle at me, and I have to send odeon to Yoru so that he can intercept them. A column of ice twists up out of the floor, a hair’s breadth away from impaling me. I stagger back and then feel a rush of air behind me. I leap aside just in time to escape a squall that probably would have catapulted me halfway across the room.
The hunters surrounding me launch one attack after another, and at first, all I can do is dodge them. Thanks to Ayden’s training, I’ve learned to stay calm and wait for my moment. But will it ever come? I know that at some point I’ll run out of energy. I’m so continuously under fire that I barely have time to catch my breath.
And another thought occurs to me. Where are the hunters’ key spirits? They must be here because otherwise they wouldn’t be able to access their magic. To test out this idea, I walk toward the torches, and before I get to within a couple of feet, a torrent of water shoots at me. I throw myself onto my belly on the floor and feel a damp mist sweep overhead.
So the spirits are definitely here. The question is, what are they doing back there? Are they there to prevent me from trying to escape and run off into the darkness? That wouldn’t be smart. If I did that, the Council could fail me or force me to start over. So I assume this is just another factor to increase my feeling of insecurity. Invisible opponents attacking out of the gloom. And that does concern me. Because if I can’t see the spirits, it’s hard to anticipate their attacks.
In any case, I barely have time to think about this, because the next hex is already hurtling toward me. And the other hunters don’t give me any wiggle room either. They keep bunching up more and more so that at some point their attacks will seem like they’re coming from a single very powerful opponent. But maybe that’s my chance, I realize, because then the hexes won’t be coming at me from all sides. I try to get into a position where I have more room to move. But that’s not easy, and it takes me a while to get to the spot where I want to be. Then I wait for my moment. It comes sooner than expected. One of the hunters uses an ice hex. It flashes past me and leaves behind a glassy smooth surface on the floor. I spring onto it and slide across it and under the other hunters’ attacks. At the same time, I merge a little more with Yoru and send him a huge amount of odeon, and he knows to use it. He conjures a wave of fire that spreads across the entire circle and sweeps over our opponents like a devastating explosion.
I’m under no illusions that this attack is enough to eliminate the hunters, so I launch my own attack. As I run, I send more odeon to Yoru and summon a flaming orb in my hand. It quickly finds its target. Four of the hunters successfully protect themselves from the flames, but two of them react too late. They lie on the floor, dazed, and a third hunter scrambles to their feet. I command Yoru to attack again and send him what I hope is enough odeon for the other four. I deal with the last one myself. I charge, and they see me coming but can’t do anything. I lunge at them, and they fall back. The hood slips off, and I almost scream in fright. The face isn’t human. It’s sallow and covered in scars and welts; the eyes are dark holes that stare back at me like death. The sight is so disturbing, so surprising, that I hesitate for a second. Then I realize that it’s a person wearing a mask – the features are rigid, immobile, and behind the dark holes I can make out the glint of real eyes. I quickly throw down my fireball, but my second’s hesitation is enough for them to roll out of the way and my flames only graze their side. They suck in a hissing breath and glance helplessly into the darkness to their right – probably calling to their spirit for help. I have to be quick. I close my eyes, summon all my strength, and send it in a single burst to Yoru.
Flames prickle across my skin, spreading out over my whole body. I still shy away from fully merging with my fox – this will have to be enough. I fling my arms in the air and feel the irrepressible heat shoot out of me. It forms into a huge column of fire that combines with Yoru’s flames and bears down on our opponents. The force makes the floor shudder, and the walls shake. As soon as the energy has streamed out of me, I feel how much it’s cost me. I can scarcely hold myself up. I sway and fight against collapse.
But my effort has paid off. The attack surges over the hunters, even reaching into the darkness beyond and touching the key spirits. For a moment, nothing is visible but this monstrous sea of flame. It doesn’t last long and then the fire fades, and I can see the hunters again. Only one is still standing, but swaying noticeably. The others are all lying on the floor, apparently unconscious.
Quiet descends on the room, but I don’t take my eyes off the hunters. Is it really over? I can feel my legs weakening and my lungs desperately trying to send oxygen around my body. I feel battered and drained. But the hunters don’t seem in any condition to continue fighting either.
Then suddenly, I hear this weird singsong voice. I slowly turn toward it and widen my eyes in an attempt to see into the darkness. The voice still sounds familiar. It must be the judge. Maybe Mr. Fabrici.
I don’t understand the words. They sound foreign, very melodic, and at the same time there’s something oppressive and sinister about them that makes my skin crawl. I know something horrible is about to happen, and I also sense that there’s nothing I can do about it. As I continue to listen to the voice, a single thought goes through my head: “It’s too late.”
Chapter 17
Sure enough, a change sweeps across the room. My surroundings blur before my eyes; I feel dizzy and keep shaking my head in the hope that my vision will clear. But it doesn’t. Then a thought occurs to me: Is this effect actually coming from me?
The air in front of me seems to waver like the surface of a soap bubble; it becomes stifling and almost impossible to breathe, hissing and crackling. For a moment, I wonder if my ears are playing tricks on me when I think I hear more voices. They’re quiet at first, almost inaudible, but they become clearer and clearer. They seem to be answering the judge in the same strange language.
I try to step back to run away. But I can’t. It’s as if I’m frozen stiff. My body won’t obey me, and I stare at this wavering spot in front of me that seems to consist of nothing but shimmering air. It gradually solidifies, glows, and develops definite contours. And then I recognize what it is. A door! It’s suspended in the air, radiating a faint glow. I’m reminded of the doors in the Odyss. Is it from there? Maybe the strange chanting has summoned some kind of portal. There’s something behind it. Living beings I think because I’m hearing voices through the wood. They seem to be replying. Or maybe calling to someone.
I’m staring cluelessly at the door when I see the handle move. It barely opens the width of a hand before this incredible wave of pain floods through me. I can’t breathe, and I want to scream. The agony is indescribable. Everything inside me is raging, as if my organs are about to explode. I hear these creepy voices inside me, echoing and bouncing around in my veins, my bones, mingling with my blood and threatening to tear me apart.
I feel hot. The heat swarms across my skin. I glance down at myself and see that I’m already on fire, but what’s much worse is the sight of these weird creatures in front of me: hunched figures draped in long cloaks. They’re shorter than me, thin, and their earthy smell fills my nostrils. It’s as if they’ve just climbed out of a damp grave. I can’t make out their faces, but their skin is pale, and their withered hands extend from the filthy sleeves of their robes. Their fingers are long, bony, pallid, and their nails look sharp enough to slit a person open.
Their chanting changes, becomes more of a menacing hiss. Long sharp tongues dart out from under their hoods as they form the very sounds that feel as if they’re going to tear me apart.
My legs are trembling, and my pulse is racing at an alarming speed. And then there’s this thick, suffocating air. What’s happening to me?
That’s the crucial question – that’s what I need to focus on. I desperately try to redirect my thoughts, to remember what I read in Mr. Brian’s books. Wasn’t there some mention of this? Yes, I remember. There was reference to a ritual in something called the Elliot Study. Something about hallucinations. And the study suggested that these apparitions might be real. Is that true? Are these creatures in front of me real? It’s possible – after all, they came through a door in the Odyss, so they could have come from another world. Wasn’t there something in Mr. Brian’s annotations about alien creatures and eerie chants?
