Velocity (The Gravity Series) Page 22

  “I remember hearing that, trick or treat, and not knowing what you meant,” I said.

  “I knew you were there at the meeting,” Harlow said, snapping her fingers. “I don’t know, I just got a feeling it was you.”

  I remembered the masked person that had been staring at me. “Did anyone else know.”

  Harlow shook her head. “Nope. Not that they admitted to me, anyway, but I’m not part of their inner sanctum.”

  “Do they know about Luminos?” Hugh piped in.

  “Yeah,” Harlow said, and there was a collective groan from the others. She frowned, and I knew that feeling of delivering an endless stream of bad news. “My father’s talked about it with me, that it was this realm of demons and angel-like creatures. That Phillip thought he was bringing some Dark kingdom to earth, but that Luminos would leak through if they broke the seals. It all sounded like a Michael Bay movie to me, but he believed it. He thought that was his ace in the hole over Mr. Rhodes, but then Rhodes told us all last night that Luminos might try to come through when they perform the ritual, and he might have to use his back up plan to stop it. He’s planning on ascending to another plane, like some Dark king. Secrets and lies all around.”

  “What do they want? I mean what are they waiting for?” I asked, my voice cracking.

  “They’re looking for a necklace.”

  “They don’t have it?” Lucy asked. A spark of hope stirred in the ashes around my heart.

  Harlow shook her head. “No. They performed all these chantings and rituals this morning, and that’s what caused the Dark dome. It’s alchemy magic energy. I couldn’t believe it, but there’s no denying it. Now they need the necklace to complete the steps, so they trapped everyone in town so it couldn’t be sneaked out.”

  “You actually saw the alchemy magic?” asked Ms. Taylor who was in the corner with her husband. I realized for the first time that Madison wasn’t with them.

  “We saw it, too,” Lucy said. “All of a sudden there was a fire hydrant in the road and the car crashed. Then this creepy girl said some words and a wall of water shot up. It was some major budget SFX right there.”

  “That’s good to know about the necklace,” Hugh said contemplatively, running his thumb over his lips.

  “They know the police had it, but they’ve already knocked through there,” Harlow said. That explained the trashed jail. “So they’re hitting up different places to try to find it. They searched McPherson’s house, top to bottom. They have time. If you guys haven’t noticed, it’s slowed down since they put up the force field. It seems like they need something else, but dad won’t even tell me what it is. Some kind of vessel. Whatever they want, they’re not giving up without a fight.”

  Her words had a tinge of familiarity to them, and I scrambled through my thoughts. Whatever it was ran by too fast for me to catch it.

  “So we need to find that necklace before they do,” Callie reasoned.

  Stauner had been standing off to the side listening. He stepped forward, producing a manila envelope that he’d stashed in his belt. He emptied the contents on to his palm. Eleanor’s necklace slipped out easily, the green stone gleaming. My heart shot into my throat. “I think I already have that problem taken care of.”

  Hugh patted him hard on the back. “You are a good egg, Mike.”

  Stauner handed it to him. Hugh looked at me and smiled triumphantly. “Here, Ariel.”

  I didn’t have time to protest. I opened my hands reflexively as he pushed it into them, and it felt like I’d caught a palm full of fire. The shadows in the corners burst to life around me. I screamed and dropped it, pulse pounding like a snare drum.

  “Careful,” Henry said, and picked it up by the silver chain. “Oh, I see. Why is this thing so hot?”

  I stared up at him. “Harlow, quick. Touch the stone.”

  “You’re a little weird, Ariel,” she said with a bemused smirk. Henry tossed it to her.

  “What do you mean it’s hot? It doesn’t feel hot at all.” She held it up to the light. “And it’s kind of tacky.”

  Corinne rushed forward, grabbing the necklace in her fist. She frowned. “I don’t feel anything.”

  She tossed it back to Henry. ‘Ow!” he said. “What are you talking about? It’s burning up!” He held it carefully by the chain between his fingers.

  “Henry, I’ve been putting the pieces together, and I think you have the Sight,” I told him. “Most people don’t feel anything when they touch that necklace.”

  He raised his eyebrow and frowned. “No way. How is that possible? Phillip never said that he had it, never acted like he did. I don’t see ghosts.”

  “You’ve seen some things! You’ve seen the shadows around us. The necklace may not affect you as intensely, but you feel something. It would make sense! There’s a reason why Phillip is so involved in this, and it isn’t just because his relative was part of Thornhill’s original Society. He might very well have a weak version of Sight. And he passed it down to Henry.”

  “We’ve considered that,” Hugh agreed, intrigued by the idea. “But like you said, if he does have it, it’s very weak.”

  “But I don’t really see ghosts or anything. Not really,” Henry protested again.

  “Doesn’t mean that you don’t have some sense into it,” I argued. Henry held the necklace out by its chain to Hugh. Hugh seemed conflicted that he didn’t feel anything, putting both hands around the amulet. “I mean, have you ever had any strange dreams? Like about dead people or the orphanage?”

  Henry shrugged. “Sure, I’ve had a few dreams like that. I usually can’t remember them when I wake up. But we’ve been there several times and the place is a living nightmare. Usually the majority of my dreams involve stupid stuff like having my own pirate ship.”

  “How did you get this?” I asked Stauner. “I thought you said…”

  “I’m sorry for the lie,” he said quickly. “But I knew the necklace was important. I could just sense it, and after what your father told me about the cult… I recovered it the night of McPherson’s death, but I kept it a secret. He was holding it as collateral until they let him back in. He was smarter in some ways than we gave him credit for. I’ve been keeping it in the evidence room under a different label. No one knew.”

  They all looked like they felt so tired, but in contrast my skin hummed and buzzed with energy. I recognized the feeling―it was the influence of the necklace, even if it had been too hot to touch.

  “Sidenote―I’ve never seen you in civilian clothes before today. You look good in a sweater,” I said. Stauner grinned in spite of my goofiness.

  “What is this necklace? Why is it so important to them?” Madison’s father asked.

  I turned around and spoke before Stauner could answer. “Where is Madison? Is she here?”

  Both of the Taylors shook their heads at the same time. I realized they were clasping each other’s hands. “She ran down the street when it first started,” her father explained. “We heard a scream and then she was just gone.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said, feeling awkward. They nodded and I turned back around.

  “It’s called the Mortius pendant,” Hugh explained to their question. “It provides a conduit to Dark, and some believed they could harness that power to become immortal and god-like. Dexter and Phillip Rhodes included. But it’s a volatile process.” He turned to me. “This is your moment, kiddo. You can go into Dark and try to find an answer.”

  “What?” Henry nearly shouted, coming around to face my dad. “She’s not going anywhere.”

  Hugh grabbed him roughly by the shoulders. “I know. I know how you feel. She’s my daughter. I just lost my wife.” Callie came out of nowhere and patted his shoulders, whispering into his ear. He relaxed and dropped his hands off of Henry. “But she’s the only one who can see into the face of this.”

  “What if it hurts her? Kills her?” Henry’s eyes were wild, the cords in his neck sticking out as he gesticulated wildly. “Th
ey obviously don’t want her getting near their secret.”

  “She will be safe. We’ll monitor her the whole time, and pull her out if there’s any sign of distress,” Callie said smoothly.

  Henry turned to her, and I caught the sudden impression that he didn’t like Callie very much as he glared coldly at her. “Like the grounding stone? That went so well, didn’t it?”

  “Can we talk about me like I’m in the room and have a choice?” I shouted angrily. Even though a crazy part of my brain wanted to snatch the necklace and get the high feeling from it, I restrained myself. Dark was already spilling out; what if its source was out of control? Not to mention the shadows…they’d have much more power in Dark. Can’t I just take a moment to breathe?”

  The idea of wearing the necklace again scared me. I’d known I would be facing evil soon, but this was coming on so fast…

  “You have a choice. You don’t have to. But it will be a lot harder if you don’t,” Hugh said. I searched my father’s eyes, and saw only sacrifice and honesty.

  I knew I had to go through with it. This really was the moment I’d been preparing for, even if I hadn’t known at the time.

  CHAPTER 28

  “WHERE SHOULD I go? I mean once I get into Dark?” I was beginning to get genuinely nervous, my throat tightening up. They’d foraged around the thrift store and found some thick blankets and pillows that I was now laying on top of on the floor.

  “Look for the orphanage,” Callie said. “That’s going to be the central point.”

  I eyed the necklace warily. “What if it really hurts again when it touches my skin?”

  “Then let us know and we’ll take it off,” Callie said, holding it steadily next to me. “Are you ready?”

  “Hard to know if I’m ready when I don’t know exactly what to be ready for,” I said.

  Henry kissed my hand and then stepped back, like he didn’t want to watch. “I’ll see you on the other side,’ he said.

  I let out a breath and stared at the ceiling. “I’m ready.”

  She lay the necklace on my chest. I felt the heat before anything else. I wanted to cry but I couldn’t make a noise. My chest and torso arched upwards to the ceiling. The heat burned like before, but it wasn’t the pain I was afraid of, it was the truth, and it was dragging me to it. Electrical shocks zapped every nerve in my body numb.

  Then the rest of me was sucked down and turned inside out, as I was violently ripped out of my body. I was in the middle of the forest, not a good place to be in Dark. The tops of the trees were on fire, and ashes came down fluttering towards me. Burned spots appeared where they fell.

  I heard growling in between the trunks, and my head whipped around. I could see eyes peering at me through the black branches. Birds cawed up above me, flying past the tree tops, and without thinking of why, I followed their path, running through the woods.

  I ran as fast as I could, not truly knowing my direction but just sensing I was going the right way. Sure enough, I came out to the familiar dirt road, with the orphanage staring at me from across the street. The fire that burned there was now black, and the air was hot. Hotter than I’d ever felt. I could feel the burning of the necklace even while in Dark. The whole world was like a swirling tornado, very unstable. The shadows were running amok. Nothing seemed to stay in place.

  I carefully walked to the gate, watching the copper symbol attached to it glow brightly. Looking for a sign, something, anything. I could feel bad energy pulsating from all directions, and everything was alive and vibrant with evil. The possessed birds swooped low in the sky, heading straight for the orphanage, where they circled around the roof.

  Then I heard Jenna crying.

  “Ariel! Ariel, please help me!” As my heart swan dove, I saw her standing across the lawn by the fence. I smashed the gate open and ran to her instantly, almost reaching her. The closer I got, the further she seemed, however. I pushed my aching arms and legs as hard as I could and finally reached her.

  Jenna’s appearance fell away like a cloak. Beneath it was a tower of Dexter’s orphans, stacked on top of each other. They collapsed clumsily to the ground, and then quickly surrounded me in a circle before I could react. Their eyes smoldered black, hollow empty holes with nothing but hatred inside them. Razor sharp teeth gnashed violently, hungry for my soul.

  The orphans weren’t innocent children, in desperate need of release. Dark had turned them into demons. They were black and white, like they’d been pulled from a photograph.

  They rushed towards me as I screamed. I could feel their hatred stinging me. They meant to destroy me. I cowered and covered my head, preparing for the blow.

  A vicious bark cut through the air. I looked and saw the black dog, snarling and running for them. He bared his huge, vicious teeth at the demon children and let off a volley of angry barks. The children hissed at him and ran inhumanly fast back towards the building, jumping into the fire. They owned that place now, not Dexter, I realized. He was just a lowly animal.

  It was just me and the dog. I fell to the ground and the huge dog stalked closer, still growling. The muscles writhed in his skinny back with each step, foam dripped from his teeth. He stared into my eyes, and I just froze, waiting.

  He sat back first and laid down on his big paws, staring up at me. I’d had a feeling for a while that the dog was Dexter himself, and I sensed my hunch was correct.

  After a moment of hesitation, I sat up. “Dexter?” He just looked at me with those intelligent, intense eyes. “I’m not calling you grandpa.”

  I reached out tentatively and patted his snout. His muzzle moved up and dropped into my lap. He whimpered softly, imploring. Hesitantly, I lowered my hand and stroked its scruffy mane. The dog whined softly, relaxing into my hand.

  I mean you no harm. Come with me. The words were pushed into my head, an unpleasant buzzing sensation. But I stood up and followed him. He let out one sharp bark to show he approved.

  We walked back off of the property and down the road. The rest of the area was in chaos, with nothing but darkness and trees. We came out to another clearing around the bend.

  Eleanor was sitting on a weird, angular throne with thorny vines wrapped around it. Her gingham dress seemed more tattered than before. Blackbirds were sitting on the throne and pecking at the dirt around her. There was one particularly large one hanging out on her shoulder.

  The dog went to her side and sat down. I moved towards her, wary of the birds. “You don’t mind it just hanging out there?” I found myself asking.

  She looked at the bird like she hadn’t noticed it there. It flew away with a great swoop of its wings.

  “They are my messengers,” she said in a surprisingly gentle voice. “I used to watch them outside of my window at Bernie. They were trying to show me the way.”

  “I’ve never heard anyone else speak in Dark,” I marveled aloud.

  “You should know by now that I’m different,” Eleanor said. And then she smiled at me. It was just for a moment, but it was there.

  “How are you so powerful? How did you wind up in Dark after you died?”

  “I used the Mortius pendant enough in my youth that part of my soul was left here,” Eleanor admitted, shifting on her throne. It didn’t look comfortable. “I’m bound to Dark. The power comes from our blood, as you’ve already learned. The same blood that ran through my companion.” She patted the dog’s head.

  “How can you just hang out with him? I don’t care if he can play fetch now, he killed a bunch of kids,” I said.

  “Dexter was greatly influenced by the negative energy of the seal,” she said. “When he first ran the orphanage, he was a kind, caring man. But he was corrupted by Dark energy. That left him when the ritual went awry.”

  “I know the necklace came with you from the orphanage, but do you have any idea of where you got it?”

  Eleanor looked thoughtfully up at the sky. “It disappeared during the failed ritual. And it always finds its way back to our bloodline
somehow.”

  “Are you the one who sent me those dreams?”

  “It was both of us, yes. Dexter and I. You needed to get it before the others did. Your mother was less powerful than I am, as the blood dilutes with every generation. The reason you’re as powerful as you are is also your father’s influence. Although if you keep using the stone, it will catch you, too.”

  I sat down on the ground, still watching her. The birds didn’t seem disturbed by my presence. “Did you really die in the car accident?”

  “Yes, but I planned it.” She recalled the time with a far-off look. “My earth body had terminal cancer. I carried the necklace with me always, in my pocket, because I felt like something was going to happen. I hoped that they would bury me with it. But by dying with it on, my soul was transported directly to Dark.”

  I stared at the dog at her feet. “Why does Dexter appear as a dog? Is that really him?”

  “Fall out from the ritual. You will see when the time is right.”

  Dexter wagged his bushy tale. I shook my head, having a hard time taking it all in.

  “So we really do have Luminos angel blood in our ancestry?” I muttered.

  “Don’t ask questions you already know the answer to,” Eleanor reprimanded wisely. “Our blood opened the seal originally. So it will require our blood to close it off.”

  “Do I have to die?” I asked timidly.

  “No. But it will be hard for you not to die with all that’s going on. Luminos will distort everything more than it already is. Rhodes will go crazy unless he can transfer his essence to a vessel.”

  “What do I need to do?”

  Another bird landed on her shoulder, and this time she shooed it away. I could sense my time was running short. “At the critical moment, you need to go back and see the conclusion of the first ritual. Only then, when you see her death, will Ruby come back and help you. She was the one who joined with Luminos.”

  Dexter whined and put his head on his paws when she spoke Ruby’s name.

  “Harlow told us about the vessel, too. What is it?”