Chapter 20

The electrical charge that ignited Alina's body as her toes connected with the sandy beach was a beautiful pain, so intense she did not know whether she wanted to cry out with anguish or joy.

Bill, however, vomited.

And both Sirius and Moody did not appear to be far off from the same fate.

'Let's get this over and done with' Moody growled 'now does that look like a good route to you? Or is it another illusion?' he demanded, turning expectantly to Alina.

Following his direction, Alina observed the slightly more spaciously placed trees he was indicating towards.

'Looks good to me' she informed him 'I guess we're all seeing the same thing now.'

They made their way into the jungle, Alina's senses alive with electricity, and the expressions on her companions growing steadily grimmer. A low muttering drew Alina's attention to Bill, and she exchanged a concerned glance with Moody as they both acknowledged Bill's incessant muttering as he walked with them.

Perhaps this is too much for him.

'We've been walking for hours, we have to be nearly there?' Sirius groaned, a layer of sweat and dirt across his forehead.

Hours? Alina blinked they had surely been walking for under ten minutes.

'It's an Eternus Cohibeo' Bill replied tightly, ceasing his muttering 'a curse, quite commonly placed to prevent people from continuing their search for a hidden place or object. We've in fact been walking for 562 seconds – the curse leads the searcher to believe they have been looking, to no avail, for hours or even days.'

'So that's what you were doing!' Alina realised 'you were counting!'

'Exactly' Bill nodded 'It's a habit I've picked up, it's better to be safe than sorry.'

'Good lad' Moody nodded.

They continued their journey, combating the mass of undergrowth with well aimed slashing hexes, attempting to create a clearer route for themselves.

'This is ridiculous' Sirius grumbled.

'You should be thankful to be on a mission!' Alina finally snapped 'you've been moaning about being stuck in the house for how long?'

'Doesn't make this any less ridiculous' he muttered darkly, stomping ahead of her.

'Oh grow up!' she called after him.

'I'll grow up when –' he turned around and angrily began to retort, but when exactly he was planning on growing up she never discovered, as his shout was cut short by a viscous jet of green light that narrowly missed his head and connected with the tree behind him.

'SIRIUS!' she screamed, before she could stop herself.

'Shut it Blake!' Moody hissed, projecting a shield charm.

The four of them stood nervously, gazing around them to try and determine the location of their attackers.

'Alli – can you do something?' Sirius asked lowly.

'I- I'll try' she replied.

She took a deep breath and attempted to focus, willing her mind to push outwards and sense the presence of another mind close-by…

'I – I' she stuttered, wincing as she spoke.

The power that had been flowing through her since she had stepped on the island seemed to project from her very fibre, she gasped at the sensation and flinched as an overwhelming assault of senses returned to her.

'S-Stop –' she gulped.

A jet of red light splintered a tree to the left of Moody, and the Order members immediately began sending spells back, blindly in the direction that the attack had come from.

Alina, however, couldn't act. She couldn't respond.

The power of the Island, the electricity, had done something to her magic. It was as if it had amplified It, strengthened it, and as she had put it to use had expanded out into the world around her in a way that both awed and terrified Alina.

The search for another presence, another mind, had somehow resulted in the explosive intrusion of every presence in the vicinity being implemented into her mind. Sirius, Moody, Bill, Death Eaters, Birds, Insects, Rodent; every instinct, every mind and thought they possessed accumulating into her own mind.

The result was excruciating.

It consumed each of her senses; sight, smell, and sound were no longer present.

'N-No, stop –'she breathed 'help – h-help –'

She had no idea what was going on around her, no idea where their attackers were or whether her companions were okay.

'HELP ME!'

'STUPIFY' Sirius yelled, diving to the left to avoid an oncoming curse.

The Death Eaters, using the cover of the trees and plants surrounding them, were just about visible.

Four of them Sirius counted.

'Sectumsumpra!' he shot back, turning in concern at the sharp gasp of pain that Moody emitted.

Thankfully, his comrade appeared fine, apart from a gash on his left arm.

'Damn Leg keeps getting stuck' Moody grumbled, flicking his wand sharply and shooting a nasty looking purple curse towards one of the hooded figures.

Shooting a quick succession of curses, Sirius spared a glance at Alina, who remained still, wand hand slack by her side, and her eyes wide with panic.

'Alli?' he called out, throwing up a shield charm.

There was no response.

'N-No, S-Stop –'

Why wasn't she reacting? What was wrong with her?

Array spells, hexes and curses were being shot around her, and yet she remained still, she remained inactive.

Not pausing in his attack, Sirius kept moving his wand, shooting spell after spell, whilst keeping low and swiftly making his way towards Alina.

'HELP ME!'

Her cry sent chills down his spine, and he was immediately hit by the impact of Alina's emotions, fear, panic and pain, almost winding him with their intensity.

Forgetting the attack, he launched himself towards Alina, his sole aim to get to her as soon as possible.

'Alli!' he grabbed her by the shoulders, forcing her round to face him 'what's wrong?'

She did not show any indication of even being aware of his presence, her eyes were blank, consumed by panic, her face was even paler than normal and a pained expression etched across her features.

'SIRIUS! HELP US!' Bill cried.

Sirius faltered for a moment, staring at Alina in concern, before taking hold of her tightly and forcing her to the ground.

He spun around quickly, his body blocking hers, and narrowed his eyes at the approaching hooded figure.

'Crucio!' the voice hissed.

The wave of agony hit him before he had a chance to protect himself, his knees crumpled beneath him and he let out a gurgle of pain.

And then it was gone.

The pain had lasted less than a few seconds, and he glared up at the masked figure before him, a smirk forming on his lips.

'Not used to using Unforgivables, are you?' he taunted, slashing his wand sharply, and pouncing back to his feet, enjoying the pained cry that the Death Eater emitted.

'Rule number one!' he barked savagely, echoing words from far, far in his past 'you have to mean it!'

The Death Eater was disarmed, and unconscious in seconds, and a rather unsettling peace formed around them, as Moody and Bill finished with the others.

'They were clearly spares, Voldemort wouldn't allow his important Death Eaters to be so inexperienced in dueling' Moody informed them.

'Either that, or they've been here guarding for long enough that the island's magic has weakened them' Bill shrugged.

Sirius didn't respond to either, his concern lay with Alina, who had not moved from her place on the ground, her shoulders crumpling over her and her hands pressed firmly against her temple.

'Alli?' he spoke softly, yet with urgence, as he knelt down before her.

'Blake? What's wrong?' Moody demanded.

She did not seem to hear them as she let out a strangled cry.

'It's too much!' she gasped, her eyes widening as she threw her head back with a jolt.

Sirius grabbed her arms tightly, staring deeply into her blue eyes, just as he had seen her do a million times to other people.

It was time that he found their connection. It was time that he helped her.

Whatever it was that was causing her such pain, he would be the one to stop it.

Taking a deep breath in he relaxed his body.

'Sirius, what are you. –' Bill began, but Sirius immediately hushed him as he continued to concentrate.

He had felt the bond, the range of emotions had flooded from her and straight through himself only minutes before, and it was that connection that he needed to find once more.

He imagined the bond between them, a thin, golden thread that strung their hearts tightly together, flowing from one person to the next in a loop, with no beginning or end.

The flicker in his chest was enough to let him know that it was working, with another deep breath he concentrated on that flicker and extended it through the golden thread, from his own heart and straight to Alina's.

The first thing he became aware of was the panic radiating from her, then the pain and then the fear.

Everything was loud. It was not noise that could be heard by the ear, but it was as if the noise was flooding through her, bouncing internally against the edges of her mind.

'Too much…too strong' he heard her whisper.

Breathe Alli…just breathe.

He wasn't sure if he had spoken the words out loud or whether he had thought them.

S-Sirius?

Her mind acknowledged his presence.

Breathe…relax….breathe.

His chest swelled with relief as he felt her responding to his voice. He felt her inhale deeply, and exhale in a steady pattern, forcing the panic to slowly subside.

'It hurts' she breathed.

Push it out…slowly…just let it go…

With each breath, he could feel Alina relaxing, allowing the noise and the mayhem that was intruding her mind to flow out of her barriers and back into the surrounding atmosphere.

When the last noise had gone, and her mind was once again her own, Sirius withdrew back through the golden thread, allowing himself to breathe deeply as he relaxed his own mind until he was once again independent.

'Thank you' Alina sighed, her face still worryingly pale.

'What was wrong?' Bill asked, alerting them both once again to his presence.

'The magic here is stronger' Alina grimaced 'it amplified everything. I reached out to detect someone's mind, and I got everything'

So that was what all that noise was Sirius shuddered.

'Can you walk?' he asked her.

'She'd better be able to' Moody growled, earning a disapproving glance from Bill 'we need to be on our way.'

'I'm fine' Alina grabbed Sirius' outstretched hand and pulled herself up 'just a headache.'

As a group, they were far tenser than they had been previously as they continued on their venture. Bill was limping heavily, and Sirius' concern fluttered between him and the still unhealthily pale Alina, who was following Moody's lead in silence.

'How long have we been walking now?' he asked, trying to mask his frustration.

'I-I'm not too sure, I lost count after the attack' Bill replied apologetically.

'It can't have been more than an hour' Alina replied calmly 'how long has it felt to you?'

'I would have said we were nearing nightfall' Moody told her, and Sirius saw her eyebrows raise with surprise 'it looks like it's thinning out ahead'

Moody was right, the distance between the trees was expanding, and there was a clear path of crushed plants where someone must have travelled along the same route before them.

'Blake!' Moody called out a warning, and Sirius turned in alarm to watch Alina rush forward, pushing past Moody and hurrying ahead of them.

'Alina!' he hissed.

The pull was too magnetic.

She could appreciate that they were calling her, warning her not to be so impulsive in her actions, but it was as if a hook was attached firmly to her chest and was yanking her forwards, reeling her in.

She broke into a run, her chest expanding with the relief of giving in to the almost violent tugging.

'Blake, slow down before I stupefy you!' she heard Moody call after her.

She did not doubt that he was very serious about the threat, but the relief she was experiencing outweighed the consequences.

She pushed forwards, sprinting out into the opening.

The second she stepped out into the clearing it was as if she were breathing for the first time.

Oxygen, so delicious, she lapped it in as it caressed her lungs.

Her eyes, however, were transfixed on one thing and one thing only. The beauty of the nature around her became dull as she gazed upon the Temple that had haunted her dreams.

'We found it' she breathed slowing her pace.

She stepped forward, only falling to a standstill once she was directly in front of the entrance.

The door, inscribed with symbols that had long ago lost their meaning in the world, seemed to beckon her forward and she instantly complied.

'ALLI!' she head the yells behind her, and heard their running footsteps as they hurried to catch up with her, their voices were laced with panic.

'DON'T TOUCH IT!'

'BLAKE, STOP!'

'ALINA! WAIT!'

What is their problem? The thought flickered across her mind Why are they so afraid?

And with that final thought, she reached out and brushed her hand across the ancient stone.

'ALINA!' Sirius' cry tore against his vocal chords, his heart dropping into the pits of his stomach as he watched her extend her open hand.

Her face showed no indication of the terror that flooded through him; instead it was lit up with wonder.

'DON'T TOUCH IT!'

Bill's cry sounded to his left, and he felt his presence running alongside him, both striving to reach Alina before it was too late.

But their attempt was futile.

Alina extended her hand, her face alight with wonder, and her skin connected with the rock.

When nothing happened. When she was not thrown backwards violently through the air, Sirius' pace slowed slightly and he let out the breath that he had been holding in.

'Will…she….ever...LISTEN!' Moody barked, from behind them as he attempted to catch up.

'I doubt it' Sirius grumbled, shaking his head 'ALLI!' he called again.

Alina did not respond to him. Her eyes were still transfixed on the doorway, and her mouth fell slightly agape as she felt the trendles of power coarse through her fingertips.

Every hair on her body was standing on end; it was so exhilarating, so intense, that the pleasure was almost painful.

Around her, or perhaps it was running through her, the sounds of excited whispers filled the very air she was breathing, and it felt as if the most intimate secret of the Universe was being shared with her.

'Amazing' she breathed.

'ALINA!'

She registered Sirius' voice, but Alina did not react. The sensation, the brilliance, of what she was experiencing was far too intriguing.

Beneath her fingertips, she felt a shifting of the stone, and her eyes widened as with a deep rumble, the stone began to move.

It parted in the middle, a bright light exuding through the gap that was beginning to form.

The light was beyond bright, it was beyond colour.

It was beyond anything she had ever seen.

It was both beautiful and terrifying and as the doorway parted further the light expanded, erupting from the confines of the Temple like a prisoner bursting to freedom after years of confinement.

Like me. And Sirius…and Eve.

She did not fear the light.

Sirius however, did.

The second the doorway began to move, and the powerful beam of light came into view, his entire body was consumed with dread.

'ALINA!' he cried, breaking once again into a run, and feeling Moody and Bill do the same.

He knew he was not fast enough, the light shot from the doorway, engulfing Alina in its clutches and tearing her away from their sight.

'ALINA!' his voice ripped against his throat 'NO!'

The light continued to expand. It would hit them any moment.

But the movement suddenly stopped, leaving the three men safe from the light.

Instead, the powerful light had formed a dome around the Temple.

'What do we do? What do we do?' he demanded, desperately to the two other men, who both looked at a loss.

'I- I don't know, Sirius' Bill grimaced 'I've never seen anything like this before…the magic…this power…it's older than anything I've ever experienced…'

'Alina's in there! We can't just do nothing!' Sirius snapped, stepping forward.

Moody grabbed Sirius' arm, pulling him back with quite alarming force, causing Sirius to stumble slightly as he was caught off guard.

'What are you doing!' Sirius barked.

'Probably saving your neck, boy!' Moody hissed 'we don't know what will happen if you touch that light.'

'I don't care!' Sirius bit back 'Alina's in there!'

'And Alina probably won't be affected in the same way as we will'

'Well I'm not taking the chance of waiting to see if she turns up or not.'

'You have a daughter, Sirius' Bill's steady voice caused Sirius to pause 'you need to think about her, as well.'

'She would never forgive me if I just left her mother' Sirius replied blandly, not quite sure whether there was complete truth to his statement.

He did not pause to think any further, with a sudden jolt he tore his arm out of Moody's grip, and moving speedily, before they had a chance to stun him, bolting forward, and straight into the barrier of light.

The pain tore apart and shredded every muscle, every atom and every ounce of magic in his being. It was as if he lost all physical form. His skin, his bones, his teeth and hair, were all ripped away and all that was left was agony.

The light was restraining him, refusing access.

He did not belong.

But I do.

A minute voice, so tiny, so fragile, that it was the epitome of a small child, sounded from somewhere within him.

And as a result of that voice, of that tiny, wonderful voice, the excruciation ceased, and his body was once again his own as he moved forwards, and past the barrier.

Alina sighed as the light washed over her, tickling her skin and dancing through the air around her. It flooded tranquillity and serenity throughout her body and a warm smile lit up her face.

It was magical.

She glided forward, her feet barely skimming the floor as her movements were fluid and lyrical. With each step, a musical chime seemed to echo around her, and the music and magic flowed within her, through her, around her, as one.

The Temple was beautiful, exotic; beams of gold supported the structure, and beautiful golden statues surrounding the wide, open room.

She gazed upon each of the statues, all standing to at least 10 feet, and wondered at the intricate carvings, their faces so detailed that Alina felt as though they were alive.

She danced forward, her eyes focusing on the far end of the room, where the tallest statue stood, and as she approached the statue, as her eyes fully appreciated the colossal beings face, she gasped.

It was him.

He was even beautiful as a statue.

His eyes, although lifeless and sculptured, seemed to excrete emotion and intelligence.

She increased her pace, her eyes never wavering from his face, her eyes connected with his.

'I have been waiting for you.'

She spun around at the voice, but felt no fear or shock; it was as if she knew in her heart that he would be here.

'It's you.' she breathed, staring for the first time, face to face with the man in her dreams and her mother's memory.

'You have done well to find me, it has been hard for you, child, with so little guidance.' As he spoke to her she almost wanted to weep at the sadness that flooded from his honey-golden eyes.

'Where am I? What is this place? And who are you?'

The man smiled as she spoke.

'So many questions.' He replied 'and they will all be answered in due course. You are home, child, you have finally returned to the place of your ancestry.'

'So this is where the Vadima are from?' she clarified, and he smiled in response, neither confirming nor denying her conclusion.

'You ask who I am' he continued 'I have been given many names…but what is a name?'

Alina frowned, and her expression seemed to delight the man.

'You have lived in your world for so long, Child' he smiled warmly 'the name that is most commonly used for me is Frayne.'

'You're Frayne?' her eyes widened 'as in Frayne's Island?'

He once again merely smiled at her, his eyes sparkling.

'The Vadima are a powerful race, and you, Alina, are very much so yourself. You have experienced first handed how our powers can lead to the greed of other beings. You, like your ancestors before you, have been sought after, attacked, a victim of those wishing to obtain your power for their own use –'

'Voldemort…' Alina breathed.

'There will always be someone striving for power.' Frayne nodded 'which is why we had to leave. It is why we had to protect our race and our power from the clutches of others. It is why we left for Eternity…'

'Eternity?' Alina frowned 'you spoke of that to my Mother, and in my dreams –' Frayne flinched at the mention of her mother.

'Eternity is where we live in safety, in sanctuary, and you may join us. Your Mother did not come…and now I fear it is too late –'

'Why?' Alina frowned, her chest tightening at the tragic expression he wore.

'She has turned away from her race, she has tainted her power through narcotics and has weakened herself…Eternity would no longer recognise her blood.'

'What is Eternity? Where is it? You say it is safe there?' Alina's mind flickered to Eve.

Frayne nodded, smiling serenely at her, and held out his arm gracefully, drawing her attention back to the regal statue of himself.

Alina almost seemed to glide over to the golden statue, her eyes fixed upon the perfectly sculptured hand, which was open, extended towards her as if revealing a gift.

Was it open like that before? She felt certain it hadn't been.

But as she neared the statue, the confusion was banished from her mind as her eyes fell, utterly transfixed, on a round, sparkling diamond.

It seemed to catch the light surrounding them, gleaming against the golden décor of the room.

Alina took in sharp intake of breath; it was as if the light that the Temple had emitted had been physically captured and moulded into the stone before her.

'Your power is the key.'

Alina blinked at his words, glancing back at him uncertainly, and receiving a nod of encouragement.

Silently, she reached forward, closing her hand around the gleaming diamond, and she let out a cry of surprise.

The jolt of power that shot through her felt like life itself, the whispering that she had heard as the Temple opened returned and grew louder, until rather than whispers it was the cries of joy and happiness.

She held the stone tighter, embracing the warmth it spread into her fingers, and the voices became clearer.

'The barrier is open for those who know where to seek'

'Your power is the key'

'Enter the sanctuary of your own race, of your ancestry'

'Only you can see the light.'

'ALINA!'

The voices ceased as Alina lost her concentration and spun instantly on the spot at the cry of the familiar voice.

'Sirius!' she called, her face lit up with excitement, before growing puzzled at the tight grimace on his face.

'You're all right!' he sighed, running towards her.

Alina opened her mouth to respond, but was prevented from doing so as a voice, tremendous with intensity and power, rumbled throughout the room, causing her to cringe slightly.

'How did you get through the barrier?'

Alina jumped round, and her eyes widened as they rested upon the spot where Frayne's statue had just stood. Instead, the statue had lost its golden coat, had lost its lifeless objectivity and instead was standing tall, powerfully, and very much alive.

Alina glanced around the room to try and find the Frayne she had just been speaking too, the man who was of normal size, but he was gone.

All that was left was the giant before her, both beautiful and terrifying.

'Frayne…he –'Alina began but was once again cut off.

'You should not have been able to get through the barrier – you are not Vadima!' Frayne's terrible voice boomed.

'Frayne he's with me!' Alina cried, running to Sirius and grabbing his hand tightly.

Frayne glared at Sirius, his golden eyes hard, before his expression softened and his eyes grew mournful.

'Death will fall upon him upon his attempt to enter Eternity. No mortal may pass'

His final words were remnant of those he had spoken to her mother in the past, and Alina gazed in awe as Frayne's body once again stood tall, and the golden sheen returned, as once again, he returned to the form of a statue.

'What the fu-' Sirius opened his mouth to curse, before a loud grinding sound interrupted him, and both of their heads turned to see the Temple door beginning to close.

'RUN!' Alina yelled.

Springing forwards, they sprinted across the room, and dived out into the light and away from the captivity of the Temple.

From the pile that they had landed in on the exterior of the Temple, Sirius rolled over and groaned out loud.

'Bloody. Hell.'

A/N: A HUGE thank you to lovinMaya, talyag, Jessica, Alpenwolf, Namida-Kaida and Drakelover22 for your reviews! You're all amazing! HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE! I hope you all had a wonderful night and all have a happy and healthy 2013!

Please keep your reviews coming, they are wonderful!

Thank you!