Chapter 11 - The Lightning Knights

"Are you ready?" It was the next day, and Randy and Ace had just met Sparx in the hall outside her room.

"Ready as I'll ever be. Let's do this."

The three friends started down a well-hidden circular staircase, which led them into a dark, cavernous room. The room was empty apart from a small stone pillar in the very centre of the room. Adair and Euphrates were already there, waiting for them. As they approached the pillar, the younger three noticed a small, triangular disc sitting in the centre of it. There was a hole in the ceiling directly above the pillar, and dim light shone down through it.

"Is that . . .?" Ace had never actually seen the amulet.

"The Amulet of Zoar?" finished Adair. "Yes, it is."

"It's kind of weird looking, isn't it?" commented Sparx.

"So Zoar had unusual taste, what can you do?" smiled Euphrates. They were all still pretty down about yesterday, but excited about today.

"O.K." said Adair. Everybody in the room took a deep breath.

"Each of you place your right hand on a corner of the amulet. And whatever you do, keep your eyes closed!"

All three followed his instructions, their fingers overlapping. An unearthly still came over the room. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning shot down through the hole and into the centre of the amulet. The room was filled with pure white light, as Randy, Ace, and Sparx felt an indescribable power surging through their bodies. Just as quickly as it came, the lightning vanished, and daylight filtered through once more. Opening their eyes and blinking rapidly, the trio looked down. Instead of wearing what they'd put on that morning, Randy and Ace were wearing modified versions of their father's uniforms, and Sparx was wearing a female version of Salvatore's. Adair and Euphrates were wearing shirts and trousers. Ace, closing his eyes, began to rise slowly into the air.

"Guys, look!"

Randy and Sparx laughed. Randy and Ace started discharging energy from their wrist cannons, shakily at first, but with growing strength. Sparx frowned; hers didn't seem to be working. Reaching over to scratch her back, which felt weird, she felt something materialise in her hand. Pulling it out, Sparx gasped in surprise. A huge sword with a bright red handle, which reached all the way to her waist when the tip was placed on the floor, was in her grasp. Holding it out, Sparx fired at the opposite wall. A shaft of bright pink lightning shot out.

"Nice sword!" Ace called down, flying in lazy circles around the room. Stepping back to get a better look at him, Sparx nearly bumped into something behind her. Turning around, she saw a machine, hovering above the ground. She took a step to the left, and the machine followed her.

"Oh, wow! A Lightning Flash!" breathed Randy, coming up behind her.

"Fancy a spin?" Sparx grinned at him.

"Sure!"

Sparx jumped on enthusiastically, Randy climbed on, being only slightly more cautious.

"Do you know how to control it?"

"There's only one way to find out!" She grabbed the handles and it lifted into the air.

Adair and Euphrates watched all this with the greatest amusement, remembering the day that this had happened to them.

"Well, old man." said Euphrates to Adair, "We'd better let these kids get on with it."

"Right," agreed his friend. "Fancy a round of golf?"

o0o

Watching from his carnival, and nursing a prominent limp, Lord Fear saw the lightning spear into the ground.

"And so," he whispered darkly to his new companion, a particularly ugly staff, "It begins again."