16. The Hall of Nightmares
Rory
I could only gather little energy but time was running out. I gathered what energy I could and began to weave it into an Illusion. If anyone were to try to violate the privacy of my mind, he or she would see a distortion of my real thoughts. In addition to this, it also hid my ‘freedom’ from any person observing my thoughts.
With this done, the witch-weed had all but lost its effectiveness on me. Jake’s goons had been stupid enough to re-chant the witch-weed binding’s initiation spell when they’d renewed it. Thus, they’d weakened the binding enough that I’d regained most of my power.
Now all I had to do was catch the person invading my mind. I raised my awareness to 100%. After a few seconds, I felt a contact – but not the sort I expected. The touch was timid, and so soft that if I hadn’t been looking for it I wouldn’t have noticed the intrusion. Readying myself, I got ready to wrap my cognizance around the enemy and stopped. The enemy was someone familiar… not Jake… not an alien Magician… but someone I knew. I paused tasting the aura around the presence. Good intentions filled the strange mind.
< Who’s there? > I demanded frostily.
< No one, > a thought replied persuasively.
< Don’t kid around with me, > I snapped, < I’m in no mood to be nice. > A thought passed through the link that would have been a passable gulp spoken aloud.
< If you must know, it’s Luke. We’re coming to rescue you, > the voice gulped.
< Luke? > I queried. My hopes suddenly flew unexpectedly high. < Luke? Who else is with you! It’s extremely important! Jake’s captured me. I’m going to try to escape but I need help. >
< Rory, > his thought was urgent, < We can’t find you if we don’t know where you are. Do you have any idea… >
It was my turn to gulp. I didn’t know where I was – Jake would have moved me and if he was in league with a Magician, I might not even be in Bedlam’s Wood anymore. Even if I was still in Bedlam’s, it was a huge area to search. Quickly, I sifted through all the spells I’d ever used to find someone. Unfortunately, only the castor of the spell could use it to search – and I wasn’t sure if Luke had enough experience to cast the Trace.
< You’ll have to cast a Trace, > I decided, selecting the best tracking spell I knew. I fired instructions at him rapidly, moving my mind to help him where necessary.
As he severed his connection, I placed a hastily made Trace on him. Now I would be able to find them easily if I escaped. I made a quick mental map of Amara. A blinking dot appeared on my makeshift map - they were in the outskirts of Saffron. I sighed. They were heading my direction but until they reached me, I would have to take care of myself.
I presumed the only way to get out of the nightmare was to wake up… which meant becoming conscious. I was almost awake – just on that brink of sleep and awareness. I just needed that spark of energy to open my eyes.
There were waking spells galore… but I didn’t know which one would work, or whether any would work if someone else didn't cast it. Alternatively, I didn't know how much effort it would take to cast them either and I needed my entire store of energy to get out of the camp.
The answer came to me like a flying bullet. Don’t waste your strength; make someone else to do it for you! However, the only one who could help me was Luke – and he was inexperienced, hundreds of kilometres away and travelling through dangerous country where he might need his own power for defence. I wasn’t worried about him. He was with several well-seasoned fighters that I would trust with my life. Besides, he’d helped me enough for one day.
Just then, I felt another presence touch my mind. This one had an evil but familiar edge to it and it was more what I had been searching for when Luke had contacted me. I got a brilliant idea when I remembered how Luke and I had just combined our efforts to create the Trace. Gathering as much power as possible, I launched an attack on the menacing mind, forcing it into submission. Its thoughts streamed into me - What? I thought he said she was under the—I cut them off contemptuously.
< What makes you think Jake would give a true account of anything? > I snarled, < Are you here because he wants me broken? Unfortunately for you, I don’t want to be broken.> I felt his mind flicker feebly under my influence and knew that if I were awake I would be smiling grimly.
I hated causing people pain but I had suffered so much in the past few days that I didn’t really care if I was causing pain right now. I felt myself snap as I had when I had discovered my power seven years before but this time I aimed it at someone I had learned to hate bitterly – and this time I had more control. < Now you’re going to do exactly what I say > I snapped. < First, I want to know who you are. >
< Aatiqah, > the voice replied feebly.
< What! > I hissed angrily. My stomach twisted into knots of renewed grief. < Liar. Aatiqah is dead. I saw him die with my own eyes. You dare. >
< ‘Tis no lie. > The reply was nothing more than a faint whisper but I heard my old mentor’s voice in it.
< Aatiqah? > I asked stupefied.
< Yes. >
< All these years I thought you were dead. You were my mentor. One of my best friends, > I snapped. < I thought you had our best interests at heart. Why are you here? Why did you fake your death? >
< Aurora? > I heard surprise in his reply.
< Yes, Aurora. >
< Aurora, I had no idea it was you. I swear I had no idea. Jake never mentioned… > he pleaded.
< It doesn’t matter. > I snapped. I paused, uncertain of how to continue. I felt Aatiqah note my momentary uncertainty and pounce.
< You don’t understand who he is… >
< So you say, > I hissed.
<He’s the reason why I had to leave Ror—>
< You don’t have the right to call me by that name. >
< I’m sorry… But you don’t understand what the Trustees were—>
< I don’t care, > I snapped, finally getting my bearings together and cutting him off completely. < Cast the spell that will wake me up, > I ordered.
The old man’s thought whispered through my mind, < I can’t do that. Jake’s the only reason I’m still alive… I owe him…>
< Jake’s a traitor, > I hissed, < And you’re no better! >
< Tut, tut. Aurora is that any way to talk to your prior teacher? > he asked calmly.
< You’re not my teacher, > I spat, feeling my heart twist as I thought the words. < I don’t know who you are or what you’ve done but you are not my teacher! > A wave of anger washed over me with every word. I had to force each word out individually to contain my full fury. Energy still bubbled out as I spoke, crushing his resistance. With my final word, I twisted my being around his and pushed into the folds of his mind, forcing him to cast the spell. His screams of pain rattled through my brain. Echoing, echoing, echoing, over and over again.
A sudden blaze of energy rushed through me as he died. < Take heed of the Trustees! > he cried. His final words. My sobs added to the din as I breached the conscious world.
Opening my eyes, I saw that I was deep in a dark cavern. I couldn’t see the entrance anywhere. This must be the Chamber of Nightmares Jake referred to, I thought. I whispered a word and a Light Orb rose up from the palm of my hand to give me light.
An old man lay across my chest, unmoving, not breathing. I turned him over and saw the face of my beloved mentor. Grey hair pulled back in a ponytail; a lined face. The straight nose, blue eyes and browned skin. So he hadn’t been lying. It had been Aatiqah – and suddenly his betrayal hurt me more than anyone else’s. I clutched his body close to me sobbing desolately. Nothing ever seemed to go right if I was involved and anger blazed within my heart at all the people who had ever led me astray. Further reason not to trust, Rory, I thought sourly, Don’t go giving your heart away. No matter what Aatiqah had done, I would always remember what he had been to me in my past.
I started to sit up but was stopped by the restraints holding my arms and legs in place. Luckily they weren’t tight and with a little effort I managed to wriggle a hand free. I quickly loosened the other bindings, shoved Aatiqah’s body off me, and sat up feeling slightly dizzy after spending so much time lying down. I hadn’t eaten for a while either, which contributed to my light headedness. I put my head between my knees for a moment before I forced myself to get moving. Who knew who had heard Aatiqah’s dying screams or my sobs. Even if no one had heard the noise, I didn’t know how often someone came to check on the prisoners.
I quickly scan my surroundings. Stalagmites and stalactites littered in a circle at the centre of the room holding a large, faintly glowing orb in place. That was where the dreams were stored. I wrinkled my nose in disgust. It was a nauseating concept to force people to see their worst nightmares as a method of torture.
Looking down I saw that there were wires leading from me back to the Orb in the centre of the room. Hissing, I ripped them off. I would destroy this device before I left. Picking up a fallen stalactite, I rushed at the Orb and screamed as I struck it. I watched in fascination as it shattered into millions of pieces. Realizing my loss of control would have attracted attention; I hurried to leave but stopped once more to look at my fallen mentor and friend. Softly brushing his cheek I whispered, “Go fast my friend.”
ns 15.158.61.12da2
