She looked exhausted, her eyes narrow as she slouched against the wall.
“Dark energy can reanimate the dead.” Josian was still holding Lallielle. “It’s a Walker ability, but not one that I’ve ever known anyone to use.”
“So you can’t catch it from them?” I had to ask.
Josian grinned darkly. “No, it’s not a virus. It’s energy manipulation.”
“I can’t believe we can wake the dead,” Fury muttered, although we all heard.
Josian shook his head. “Not even Walkers can bring the dead back to life. Death is a balance of the universe: for birth, there must be death. What happened here is a poor imitation of life. None of these people were anything but empty shells simply being manipulated by darkness.”
“That’s why I don’t delve too deep into my energy,” I told Josian. “I can feel the heavy darkness down low.”
“Your energy is neither dark nor light unless you choose to use it in that manner. If your intentions are good then you have nothing to worry about.” He dismissed my fears.
“Sounds like a slippery slope to me.” I shook out my curls. “On Earth we had a saying about the road to hell being paved with good intentions. And it’s something I’ve seen happen.”
“As long as you always question yourself, Aribella, and never just assume you are on the side of righteousness then there is little else that can be done to keep your power in check.” Lallielle had lifted her head to speak. Her eyes were ringed in red, but other than that her appearance was faultless. “Your father and I both discuss every important decision. It’s a small thing, but it’s probably stopped us making rash choices in the past.”
And that right there was why Walkers were stronger in mated pairs.
“We need to keep moving. There could be more of them on their way now,” one of the Walkers said as soon as Fury had finished burning the piles of dead.
The corpses were little more than ash now.
“Her fire is amazeballs,” Lucy muttered.
I nodded, agreeing completely.
“There are twelve tunnels,” Josian said. “We need to split up.”
“No!” Lucy all but shouted. “I’m still not seeing clearly, but you cannot split us up. That’s the worst move we could make.”
“Do you have a feeling about which tunnel we should enter then?” Josian’s said in a serious tone.
He hadn’t dismissed her words. It showed his strength and character that he would show such respect for her untrained abilities.
Lucy turned and strode across to the tunnels, her short legs stopping at the first dark entrance. She waited a moment before slowly moving to the next. She continued, occasionally pausing and staring down the channels, before finally she came back to us.
“At least ten of them are dead ends. Tunnels six and eight have life in them.” She sighed. “I couldn’t pick up anything more definite than that. There’s too much interference.”
“Well, can we split into two groups?” Josian asked.
Lucy nodded, although she didn’t look totally convinced.
Josian sent ten of the Reds down tunnel six. The rest of us gathered together, ready to explore number eight. As we moved, I felt a tugging sensation on the golden thread in my mind; the Bracentine was close. I released my end of the thread and its voice flooded my mind.
Hello, sweetheart.
I gritted my teeth, but didn’t say anything. If all went to plan I’d have my Brace back, and Bracentine would never be calling me sweetheart again.
You’re on the right track. Continue down this artery and you will find the spiraling chasm in the centre. At the bottom of this my brother’s slumber. To free the third, all that is required of you is a drop of blood and to speak the words ‘Vectus Elitus’.
I laughed in my head. It sounded higher than usual. I want Brace to be released before I complete the final part. And I also want your word that none of my people will be harmed while we’re in these caves.
I had no real evidence, but one would assume that with three of them free their power would increase significantly.
I will release him the moment my brother is freed. As I have explained, my word is held as law in this universe. I have no other option but to follow through. And I will give you all a fighting chance: thirty minutes from the moment the third is free. You must flee the caves or the three of us will combine our powers and wipe as many of you from this existence as possible.
Shivers flooded up and down my spine. I brought my attention back to the caves for a moment, wondering if anyone had noticed my distracted behavior. No one was looking at me. Everyone was busy trying not to freak out, waiting for the next ambush. Bracentine spoke again, recapturing my attention.