After spending the afternoon partially lost in the forest, we were finally reunited with our car. We piled into the vehicle and sped to the closest airport where Sully somehow smooth-talked our way onto the next flight to Syria. Charading as a family on vacation, we made our way through the terminal. I never left Nate's side as I anxiously scanned the crowds for Talbot's men. Once on the plane, my mind was finally at ease. My thoughts turned to my newfound powers and what they might mean for all of us going forward.
Nate and I researched the Cintamani Stone when we returned home after our time in Nepal. We spent countless hours poring over books, hoping to find resolutions to my… unique situation. To our dismay, we weren't able to find anything mentioning children consuming the sap, let alone having fire powers. I avoided using my powers at all costs for fear of hurting those close to me. Having control over them has brought me some much-needed relief.
"I'm exhausted; wake me up if anything interesting happens," I informed Nate and Sully.
Listening to the passengers murmuring, I allowed myself to drift to sleep.
It was nightfall by the time we reached the hilltop fortress. The ancient structure was made completely of gray stone bricks. The walls were lined with small openings intended to be used as windows. Alongside them were small torches dotting the otherwise dark surface. The entrance, sealed by wooden doors, towered above us. The rest of the building stretched nearly to the hill's horizon.
Using the day's final public tour, we split from the group and huddled in a supply closet until closing. Once the coast was clear, we made our way across the fortress and began our search for Chloe and Cutter.
"Oh, my back. That's the last time I'm going anywhere that small with you, Nate… and remind me to buy you two some deodorant," Sully groaned, rubbing his lower back.
"Hey, you're no spring flower, grandpa. When was the last time you washed that shirt?" I retorted.
"Touché," he smiled.
The night sky twinkled with starlight as the moon beamed its light on us. I always enjoyed adventuring under the stars, even during my early travels; they made me feel safe. We stole down a path barred behind a metal barrier meant to keep trespassers out; I never understood security that can just be moved out of the way like this. At the end of the path sat a small door blocked off by large metal bars.
"Up this way," Nate suggested, pointing at the stones protruding from the walls. After climbing to the top, I took a short moment to soak in the natural mural sitting just beyond the walls. I could see straight down to the small village at the bottom of the hill. The street lamps were lit, although most house windows were dark. Nate and Sully had dropped to the other side of the wall; I rejoined after them, breaking my gaze from the beautiful view. The path led to a large, wooden locked door.
"I'll climb up and unlock it from the other side if it's safe. I'll be right back," Nate said in a hushed tone.
I watched as Nate scaled the wall, disappearing from sight. Moments later, I heard gunshots emanating from behind the door.
"Dad!" I called out.
"Shit… hurry and get this door open, Nate!"
"Hey, Sully… I have an idea."
"You're gonna blast it?"
"I'm gonna blast it," I smirked.
Bracing myself, I focused on my fist just like I had back at the chateau. White flames began flowing from between my clenched fingers.
"Stand back!" I warned. Thrusting my hand toward the door, a torrent of blinding flames erupted in front of me, obliterating the doors along with whatever was behind them.
Armed with our pistols, Sully and I raided the room, which consisted of several levels made up of nothing but carved stone. I immediately spotted Nate hiding behind cover on the third floor as I scanned above me. Talbot's guards were littered about the rest of the area; some were still firing at Nate, with the rest staring down at us, dumbfounded.
Taking advantage of our surprise entrance, the three of us quickly dispatched our adversaries.
Nate joined us on the ground floor, letting out a relieved sigh.
"I had that handled, guys. I'm sure that announced our arrival to every guard in the place. Still… thanks. I'm glad you're getting a hang of that power, Lil," Nate said.
"Glad to be of assistance," I grinned.
We continued through the doorway adjacent of the entrance. The doors had been blasted clean off their hinges from our entrance, clearing the way forward.
We continued our way through the twisting maze of corridors leading across the fortress. While on one of the outside paths, I stared up at the moonlit sky, searching for constellations.
Nearing the entranceway to another building, I began hearing speaking coming from within.
"I wish we were the ones to go to Paris," I heard an Australian voice complain.
Rounding the corner, we finally found Chloe and Cutter.
"No, you really don't. Trust me," Nate assured.
"Nate?! What're you doing here, why aren't you in Paris?" questioned Chloe.
"We figured you were captured," responded Nate.
"Or worse," chimed Sully.
"Talbot has half of the artifact we found in Paris, and we figured this is where he was heading next. We need to focus on getting the other half before him, then we'll work on taking back the other piece," I said.
"Good thing we have this, then. Look at this," Charlie said as he pulled his journal from his back pocket. I spotted scribbles on the newspaper clippings he had filed in his book.
"Not only did Queen Elizabeth's spy network stretch all the way out here, they were a part of a Hermetic secret society. The British Occult Secret Service, The School of Night, The Hellfire Club and the Order of the Golden Dawn they are all connected. So John Dee, Francis Walsingham, Walter Raleigh, and even your mate Drake, were all in on it; but to them, it was all about power, controlling their enemies with espionage, deception, and fear," Charlie explained.
"Sounds like my time in the Navy," joked Sully.
"So Marlowe and her crew?" Nate said understandingly.
"Are all part of the same order four hundred years later."
"Can you cut to the chase please? We really need to keep moving," Sully insisted. Charlie shuffled through the pages, poking his finger on the one he needed.
"Quod Est Superius." he quoted pointed to the scribbles in his journal as Nate studied the page.
"Est sicut quod est inferius…" Nate finished the sentence, his eyes widening. "As above so below…"
Peering in the book, I saw the symbol representing a star, resembling the one we found at the chateau. On the next page was an intricately-drawn dipper.
"A star and a dipper… that must represent the North Star and the Big Dipper. That's the key to all of this!" Charlie concluded.
"And the crypt should be right below it; right on, Charlie! We need to get to the highest point of the castle and find that star," Nate informed. We searched the room until we found a nearby flight of stairs and ascended to the roof of the citadel.
As we climbed the stairs into the tower, I saw several stray weapons lying around. The second floor of the structure contained even more munitions, however there was no sign of any opposition. The dim room, lit only by the windows leaking in moonlight and a few stray candles, was round and comprised of the same bricks as the rest of the structure. A stone column sat in the middle, connecting the floor to the ceiling.
Walking to the other side of the room, we found a large wooden door on the column which led to the overlook. As Nate opened the door, a mammoth-sized man emerged from behind and began attacking him. Simultaneously, guards began shooting down at us from the third floor.
Closing my fists, I felt heat gather within them. Rushing toward the giant as he threw Nate across the room, I planted both fists square in his gut and released the energy, blasting him through the tower wall, sending him plummeting to the castle bottom. As I regained my footing, a grenade clinked against the ground in front of me. Out of nowhere, Sully shoved me away just before it went off, shooting him through an adjacent window. Dazed from the explosion, I climbed to my feet and stumbled to where he fell through. Somehow, he managed to latch his fingertips to the windowsill, although his skin and clothes were singed from the detonation.
"Lily, I can climb up a floor and flank them; I need the rest of you to keep them busy from this side!" he instructed.
"I won't forgive you if you fall, gramps," I jabbed.
"I won't," he smirked as he leapt up the wall.
Brandishing my pistol, I rejoined the rest of the party who were taking cover behind pillars and small piles of bricks. On my way to cover, I was able to shoot a couple down, however they were quickly replaced by more guards.
"Thanks for the save back there, Lil. Is Sully alright?" Nate asked.
"He's a little banged up, but like you said, he's as strong as an ox! He's climbing to the third floor to flank them!" I shouted over the gunfire.
As if on queue, Sully appeared from behind the guards. Wrapping his arm around the leftmost one, he began firing at the rest of our adversaries. Each bullet struck its target as they dropped to the floor. He snapped the man's neck after dispersing the other enemies.
"Alright, Sully!" shouted Nate.
"Like I mentioned earlier: Navy."
The four of us climbed the stairs in the middle column up to the roof. As we emerged, a sniper bullet blazed passed my face.
"Take cover, we're not done!" called out Nate. We dove behind the stone crenellations lining the spire. I poked my head around the corner to try and spot where the shots might be coming from. Three snipers were stationed on several other towers, their lasers dancing around above us searching for a target. Beside each sniper was another soldier holding an RPG. As soon as I spotted them, each guard fired their rocket.
"Rockets incoming, get down!" I shouted. We all laid on the ground, hands over our heads, while the rounds slammed into our cover, reducing it to little more than rubble. Glancing up, I spotted a stray sniper rifle leaning against a small brick column a up a small flight of stairs a few feet away. A long, thick metal cable attached the column to a structure on the ground. Using the thick dust as cover, I sprinted toward the weapon and quickly armed myself. Poking around the corner, I aimed down the sights at the first sniper I saw and pulled the trigger.
My shot missed.
The guard I shot at immediately noticed and pointed up to where I was stationed, garnering the attention of his nearby allies who began firing at me with the M4s they had sitting by their feet. While I pressed myself as deep into cover as possible, thoughts rushed through my head. I took inventory of anything we could use to fight our adversaries, which wasn't much. My friends and family were still on the ground trying to keep safe from the assailment of bullets rushing toward us. Suddenly, an idea spark.
"Everyone, take cover in the stairwell! I'll handle this!" I ordered my group.
"Lily, what do you plan on doing?!" Nate questioned.
"I have a plan, now get down there! We'll meet up later, and don't come looking for me, I'll be fine!"
"I sure hope you know what you're doing!" he worriedly responded as they returned to the tower.
I focused on the air around me, commanding it to heat up. Flames sprouted around me, turning the world a navy blue. Gripping my pistol, I jumped toward the wire and used it as a zipline down to the ground; luckily, the main group of enemies was gathered where the other end was attached As I flew, I saw the rain of bullets vaporizing mere inches from my face. Just before reaching the ground, I pulled myself upward, giving me more height before reaching my destination. Raising my fist high above my head, I focused heat into it. A flurry of white and purple flames burst from my hand with enough force I could barely keep my fingers closed. The panicked guards began retreating from where I was about to land. As I slammed into the ground, I ground my fist into the bricks, causing a fiery explosion that vaporized the area around me.
Everything went silent. As I laid in the freshly-formed crater, I felt the air around me cool and the flames disappear. Using my hands to sit up, I tried to stand, but my legs refused to move. I flopped back down in the dirt and stared at the stars.
"The North Star…" I muttered to myself, recalling what we were initially trying to find. Using what Sully had taught me about astronomical navigation, I raised my hand to the sky in an L-shape. Lining my index finger up along the right side of the Big Dipper, I could see the North Star twinkling just above my thumb.
"Bingo."
Taking a few deep breaths, I urged my legs to stand. After shakily rising to my feet, I began following the star.
Climbing over rubble and dapper-suited bodies, I made my way through the castle. The rest of the journey was relatively free of Talbot's men, save for one or two I had to momentarily hide from. I finally arrived at a small flight of stairs. At the top I found three pillars lining a tall wall. The left pillar had a curve facing upwards, similar to a banana sitting on its back. Below it was a darkened upside-down triangle. The left pillar had a circle with a dot in the middle, and below it sat a lightened triangle facing up. The middle pillar contained a mixture of both sets of icons.
As I began analyzing the pillars for clues on how to enter the crypt, I felt a sting on my neck. A hand rested on my right shoulder, and I heard a voice menacingly whisper in my ear.
"Hand me the journal."
I looked over and found Talbot, his right hand outstretched as it awaited the delivery. My hand seemed to move on its own, reaching into my bag and producing the journal, resting it in his hand.
"Don't trust Drake," he muttered before disappearing behind around a corner.
"Lily!" I heard coming up the stairs behind me. It was Chloe.
"We saw you with Talbot. Are you alright?"
My arms shoved Chloe away.
"Don't touch me!" I yelled thoughtlessly. My body was acting on its own as if I were in a dream.
"No one's touching you, love, now please calm down," she continued.
Nate snuck behind me and pricked my neck. I glanced back and saw him holding a dart the length of a quarter.
"The hell…?" he said, shocked.
"Oh, what kind of black ops bullshit is this?" Sully spouted.
"Let's just hope she didn't have a big dose," added Chloe.
The world around me began melting, twisting itself inside-out. Looking up at my friends, their faces began peeling off, revealing the sinuy muscle tendons beneath the skin.
"Easy now. Look at me, Lily. Right here," Nate said calmly as he slowly approached me, his hand outstretched.
"Don't touch me," I heard myself repeat as I flailed my arms toward Nate. "Get away from me," I growled, my finger loosely pointing at him.
"All right, all right," he sighed as he backed away.
"No one's touching you, Lily," assured Chloe.
Sully, his pistol still gripped in his hand, stood there looking at me inquisitively.
"What the hell was in that dart?" he questioned.
"Guys, your faces are peeling off," I said, panicked.
"Well, whatever it was, she's tripping balls," Chloe joked.
I felt my knees starting to give way. As I began falling to the ground, Nate and Sully moved in to catch me.
"Get away from me!" I shouted once more, sharply standing up.
"Lillian, listen, no one's taking you anywhere. Just… just come with us, okay?" Charlie requested.
"We can't stay here, we gotta move," Sully informed the group. "We've gotta find that crypt entrance, and fast. Lily looks like she's not gonna be on her feet for too much longer."
The ground turned to liquid, suffocating my feet, and the sky alternated between day and night faster than the blink of an eye, the moon and sun soaring from horizon to horizon. I bent over clutching my gut, feeling like I was gonna be sick. A blistering wind started blowing through the structure, tearing my skin from my body. I could barely make out murmurs over the howling wind. I glanced up and noticed Nate and Sully pushing a pillar through the wall. Hesitantly, my legs followed everyone inside.
Beyond the entrance sat a wall with a small tunnel going down the middle. Grabbing torches from wall mounts and lighting them, Chloe, Cutter, and Sully made their way through. Once I approached the wall, the crevasse began swaying back and forth. Nate gently guided me through from behind. Reluctantly, my legs carried me. As I made my way through, what seemed like thousands of hands began sprouting from the walls, slithering over my entire being. Each hand had a mouth on it, shouting in another language and spitting blue flames. It became increasingly difficult to breathe as the hands attempted to choke me and the air became thick with azure smoke. I stumbled through an opening at the end and fell to my knees, finally catching my breath.
Kneeling there coughing, I glanced back and saw John where Nate was supposed to be standing.
"I'm disappointed in you, Lillian. You have these powers, yet you continue to pal around with these losers instead of conquering the world! Imagine the peace you could bring if you crushed anyone who opposed you!"
A deep hatred awoke within me. Fueled by a fierce anger, blackish midnight blue flames exploded around me. I stormed toward John, gripping his neck and squeezing the life from it. His soldiers began prying me off, but I easily swatted them away. Another tried threatening me with his revolver, who I also blasted back.
"Lily, stop!" I heard echoing in my mind. As I continued choking John, the stones beneath him began to crumble.
"I'll never stop! I am not weak, John, and those people are my friends!" I shouted, squeezing tighter. I raised my fist above my head and began focusing power into it, preparing to obliterate him.
"Please…" the voice said again, faintly this time.
As his eyes began to close, John's arms gently closed around me.
"... we love you…" I heard him say in Nate's voice.
My flames cleared as Nate's limp body laid where John had been.
"... Dad...?" I whispered as tears filled my eyes.
"Dad! Wake up!" I screamed as I shook him by his shirt collar.
"... please…"
"Oh God, no…" Sully uttered as he stood up, dusting himself off.
I bent over him sobbing as sorrow clenched my chest. As I weeped, a cool breeze began swirling around me. A gentle green began emanating from my hands, caressing itself around Nate. His eyes shot open as he leaned up and sharply gasped. Fatigued, he laid back down, continuing to catch his breath. Smiling, he put his hand on my shoulder.
"Try not to get shot with another one of those things, alright, Lil? That really sucked," he said, wheezing out a chuckle.
A quivering smile spread across my face as warm tears continued to stream down my cheeks.
"I thought we'd lost you… I'm so sorry, Dad…" I said as I hugged his tired body.
"Hey, you had no control over it; I don't blame you. Heck, I'd say this backfired against Talbot. Now you've got that sweet new healing power, and those black flames were terrifying!"
"Yeah, I guess you're right!" I responded.
"Oh, and… sorry I attacked you guys too. You're not hurt, are you?" I said to the rest of our group.
"Only my pride… and my hip," groaned Sully.
"We're fine too," assured Chloe.
"Oi, don't speak for both of us. I've got this terrible bruise on my knee that won't stop bothering me," complained Charlie.
"Oh, quit crying. You got that on the way here," moaned Chloe.
"Here, help me up. We need to keep going," encouraged Nate.
We made our way through a crack in the wall adjacent to the one we entered through. I was following Sully in when he suddenly stopped.
"Ooh, no, I am not going in front of you. You first," he said, motioning me into the tunnel. His gaze was one of fear and mistrust, similar to the one he gave me when we first met. Once on the other side, we came upon a room dimly lit by nothing more but the torches we'd carried in. As I sauntered into the area, a brick sunk into the floor under my foot. Looking down, I noticed a flame pattern etched into the stone. Surrounding it were several darker stones that almost looked like they were burnt. As the brick began rising again, small torches lining the walls illuminated, revealing three small braziers laid in a triangular pattern around the room filled with bits of wood and leaves. Above each of them hung a large, circular plate of glass framed in gold and held in place by hinges on either side. In the middle of the room sat a giant stone globe floating in a shallow pool of water. To my left was a staircase leading to the second storey, which was nothing more than a slab of stone stuck to the wall. Directly in front of me hung a statue holding the largest lamp, attached to the wall by its torso. Jutting out from the second floor were four stone platforms covered in cracks, begging to crumble. As I scanned the room I noticed a large circular mirror hanging several feet above the globe. Under it hung an ornate piece of wood with several carvings on it.
"Here, I'll take care of this," I offered as I rubbed my hands together in preparation for lighting the braziers.
"Actually, we'll take care of it," Sully said as him, Nate, and Cutter spread through the room lighting the pots ablaze, all the while avoiding eye contact with me. I felt a sharp sting tear through my chest as my friends continued to ignore me.
"It looks like the glass can be angled toward that mirror up there," I suggested, pointing to the ceiling.
"Good idea, Lily. Let's get on it, guys," Nate instructed. He seemed to be the only one able to even look at me.
As the light was directed toward the mirror, it was reflected through the carving below it, illuminating what looked like the outline of a country on the stone planet in front of us.
"Huh," uttered Nate as he walked up to the sphere.
"If I… just move it like this…" he grunted as he spun it in the water to match a country with the one being illuminated.
The water empted from below the globe, allowing it to sink into the rounded floor underneath. The room began vibrating as a stone column descended from the ceiling where the mirror and carving were held. A doorway on the side of the column lined up perfectly with the left platform above us. We journeyed through a long twisting tunnel comprised of root-covered dirt until we reached a stone coffin similar to the one we found in France. A statue of a knight with its arms crossed gently over its chest laid flat on top of the casket as if it were guarding it.
Nate and Charlie shoved the stone slab to the ground, sending dust into the air and sent an echoing boom through the caverns. As the dust cleared, I began to make out another skeleton resting in the box. Like its French twin, it clutched one half of the amulet.
"Hey Lil, can I have your journal so I can match the pieces up?" asked Nate has he reached into the coffin.
My hand moved to my pouch to retrieve the requested item when I was reminded of its unfortunate fate.
"...Talbot took that too. Sorry, Dad," I moaned.
"Great, now how will we know where to look?" Charlie sighed irritably. A twinge of guilt knotted my stomach.
"We'll just have to steal it back," shrugged Nate.
"How exactly do we pull that off?" questioned Charlie.
"We'll improvise," said Nate nonchalantly.
As the two bickered, I tucked into my pouch once more, praying the amulet was hidden among my items. A smooth slip of parchment got caught between my fingers as I slid my hand out from my bag. I unfolded it to reveal a smeared sketch of the piece Talbot took from us at the chateau. I tried to recall how the corner ripped when I handed my journal to Talbot.
"Hey guys, check this out!" I exclaimed as I displayed the sketch. "It must've ripped out before I completely fainted!"
"Well I'll be go to hell," chuckled Sully.
"Jokes on them, huh? I knew this would come in handy!" I smiled as I handed it to Nate.
"That's my girl," Nate complimented.
He took the slip and placed the amulet beside the sketch, completing the symbol. He retrieved his journal and studied the amulet carefully as he scribbled in his book.
"There, I got the location. Now let's get out of here before the tour buses arrive," he urged. I watched as he shoved the artifact into his own pouch.
"I'll hold onto to it this time," he winked.
"Good idea," I agreed.
The moment we turned to exit, voices could be heard at the other end of the tunnel.
"Crap, they followed us," Nate complained.
The crypt wall behind the coffin was made of loose stones. I studied the wall for a weak spot while commanding heat to rise in my hand. The crypt began to glow blue from the flames growing from my fist.
"Stand back," I alerted my group as I lifted my fist above my head. The boulders crumbled as my fist crashed through them, revealing a path on top of the outside wall. We were greeted by a beautiful sunrise that painted the citadel a cascade of lavender and peach, and the stuffy cave air was quickly replaced by that of a fresh, warm early morning.
"We need to get going, mates," suggested Charlie as the echoing voices grew louder.
Stumbling over rocks as we began our escape, we made our way outside and back through the normal areas of the castle toward the exit where I could hear the rumbling of diesel bus engines, meaning tourists would soon be here. Luckily, we encountered little resistance on our way there. However, as we rounded the corner to the last hall standing between us and freedom, we came face to face with Talbot and Marlowe, who were accompanied by two heavily armed guards.
"At last, we meet again," Marlowe said in a smooth, menacing tone. "Nathan, you and your bunch have been quite the bit of trouble for us, you know. At least that all ends now. Talbot?" she said, turning to her slick-haired partner.
"Lillian… why don't you show us that little power of yours?"
Without my approval, my hand raised itself in front of me, producing a bright blue flame.
"Now, hold it up to Mr. Drake's head. I want to see him sweat," he instructed, grinning. "Reach into his pouch and toss me the other half of the amulet." he demanded.
My hand drifted over to Nate's head, hovering mere inches from his face. My other hand wandered into his bag, gripping the artifact and tossing it to my puppeteer.
"What is this, what are you doing?!" I questioned.
"It takes at least twenty-four hours for our serum to leave your system. Although you've regained consciousness, you're still… impressionable, shall we say," Talbot responded. "Although I must thank you, Lillian. You've been most helpful. Also, I see you left Mr. Drake with a souvenir?" Talbot said, pointing to Nate's neck. Forcing my head to turn, I examined the area he was pointing to and found dark bruises where I had been choking him. My heart sunk.
"That… that was you! You were controlling me!" I shouted.
"Ah, yes, but none of us were in that cave with you, now were we?" he harassed.
"Oi, leave the girl alone! Haven't you done enough to her?!" exclaimed Charlie.
"Quiet, Cutter," directed Marlowe. "Now, Lillian, we're not going to order you to melt away your little friend; instead, we're letting you choose. Join us, the ones who are clearly winning in this game, or stay with your pals and perish. I do hope you don't disappoint us twice," she grinned.
"I've already chosen!" I yelled, whipping my hand sideways, sending out a wave of blue flame which eradicated the guards on either side of our adversaries who had ducked below the attack.
"Shame. Nothing more than a disappointment, just like your father,"
"John's not my father! I'm nothing like him!" I shrieked, flames pouring from my entire body. As I began sprinting at them, they walked behind a small brick wall, out of sight. By the time I got there, they had disappeared, despite the only thing there being a wall.
"Dammit!" I shouted, clenching my fists.
"Hey, don't worry about it. We know where to go in Yemen; we can stop 'em there," Nate reassured, walking up behind me and placing a gentle hand on my shoulder.
"Dad, don't touch me, your hand-!"
"I can't feel the heat. I think part of your power got transferred to me when you healed me. Your flames can't hurt me," he smiled. "Now, let's get outta here before we have to explain all this to anyone."
We hurried down the hall and through the tall wood doors we had entered through. "I'd skip the tour, folks, not worth the price of admission!" Chloe shouted to the crowd of tourists as we walked briskly to the run-down bus. I heaved a sigh of relief as I climbed on board and flopped into a surprisingly comfortable seat. The driver turned the keys, bringing life to the now roaring engine and began driving us away from the citadel. I watched out the window as it disappeared in the distance; I certainly wasn't willing to visit there again anytime soon.