The Rise of Isaac, Books 1-3, page 63
Ely dropped into a chair.
"Are you not doing the challenge, my love?" Jade asked him.
Ely shook his head. "No, I did mine a long time ago. I'm actually a Keeper myself for Earth's Gateway."
"Oh really? You're Keeper Ely?" she asked with interest.
He nodded. "Don't suppose you could spare a cup of tea could you?"
"I'd be delighted to, just a moment." She smiled then rounded on the others. "Right, you can go in one at a time, my loves. Who'd like to go first?" Keeper Jade shuffled along in the cramped space toward a door at the back of the house. "Oh, and mages will need to wear these." She pointed to pairs of mage gauntlets sitting in a basket by the door.
"What's the challenge?" May asked.
"All it tests is whether you truly want a key," Jade said with a mysterious look.
Oliver could tell she wasn't going to shed any more light on it than that. He knew he and May wanted one enough and that was all that mattered.
"I'll go first," Larkin said, strolling confidently toward the door.
"Off you go then," Jade said.
Larkin opened the door and Oliver leant around to catch a glimpse of blue just before it closed behind him.
"You can go in every few minutes, the challenge will be different for each of you." Jade's wrinkled features stretched into a grin.
Quinn stepped forward next and pulled on a pair of gloves. Jade opened the door for her a moment later. May went then Rogan, leaving Oliver and Anna waiting to go.
"Did you even consider going back to Aleva?" Oliver asked her with a smile.
"I considered it," she said, folding her arms. "But I figured my parents are gonna be just as angry now as when they find out I'm in Brinatin. Besides, I wanna see May get better. It won't be long and we'll all be heading back to Aleva together."
"True, if Rogan's dad can help her."
Anna touched his arm. "I'm sure he'll be able to."
"Next," Jade said and Oliver gestured for Anna to go first.
She nodded and headed toward the door, opening it and letting a cold gust of wind in. She shut it behind her with a clunk and Oliver tapped his foot as he waited.
"Off you go," Jade said at last.
Oliver swallowed and walked toward the door. He entered and shut the door behind him, looking around at the strange room in front of him.
49
Where the Heart Lies
Oliver shivered in the freezing air. The room was a cube and every wall and surface was made from see-through ice. Light was distorted through it from the outside so the air pulsed with blue, purple and pink.
A figure carved from ice sat centrally in the room in the shape of a woman. It appeared to shift and mould then the woman suddenly came to life as if they had never been made of anything but flesh and bone.
Oliver took a step forward, his heart thumping against his chest as he recognised the blonde woman.
"Mum?" he breathed in surprise.
She walked slowly towards him with her familiar smile. "Yes, Oliver. It's me."
She embraced him and he was taken off guard. Her skin was warm: she was real.
He stepped away. "It's not you. It can't be."
She smiled but didn't answer.
The room began to distort and move, ice grew up from the ground and down from the ceiling in various shapes. Colours, materials and objects all came to life and suddenly Oliver was somewhere incredibly familiar. He was home.
Oliver stood, gazing around his living room. It was a place full of memories and comfort and a part of him ached with the joy of seeing it again.
"Sit down." His mum gestured to his usual spot on the sofa.
He happily dropped into it and couldn't believe how exactly the same it felt. It was like he had never left Earth and everything since had been some strange dream.
"Would you like some tea?" his mum asked.
Oliver nodded, unable to resist.
She stood and exited the room. While she was gone Oliver stood and moved around the room, taking in every detail of it. His belly filled with a warmth he hadn't felt in a long time: the feeling that everything was exactly as it should be. He gazed across the pictures on the wall documenting his and May's childhood from their first trip to the zoo to their first day at secondary school.
His mum returned with the tea and Oliver sat back down and picked up the mug. He sniffed the hot liquid and took a sip. It was just how he liked it, milk with one sugar. He had missed English tea, it had always been something that comforted him.
Oliver had almost finished his mug when he remembered he was in a Gateway challenge. He almost laughed at his own stupidity.
He placed the mug on the table and stood up. "This isn't real."
"No, but it could be. Would you like to go home, Oliver?" the form of his mother asked.
He thought about it. He missed home. He had barely spared a thought for it since leaving Earth because of everything that had happened but, being surrounded by it right then, made him long for it. "I do but, I can't. Not yet."
"Why's that?" his mother asked, tilting her head to one side.
"I..." he trailed off, unable to recall quite why he couldn't go home. "I don't know."
The doorbell rang, jarring him out of his thoughts. His mum jumped up and disappeared into the hallway to answer it.
She returned a moment later with a girl by her side that Oliver knew well. Anna smiled and hurried over to him. His heartbeat faltered as she pressed her lips to his and dropped down onto the sofa as if it were something she did regularly.
"How are you Anna?" his mum asked with a warm smile.
"Good thanks, Alison, how are you?"
Oliver listened in fascination as the two continued to chat as if they were old friends. A small voice in the back of his head told him that was strange but mostly he was just happy at how well they got along.
Alison got up a while later, checking her watch. "I have an appointment in five minutes, I'm gonna go set up. See you in a while." She exited the room, leaving Oliver alone with Anna.
She grabbed the television remote from the table and swung her legs up so they sat on top of Oliver's.
Instead of watching whatever was on, he gazed at her. He felt completely relaxed in her company as if they had been together for a while. Something told him that wasn't quite right either but he ignored it, enjoying her company too much.
A flicker of movement caught Oliver's eye and he looked up to see May walking into the room wearing a lemon summer dress. She wore a sparkly necklace that drew his eye. Something about the pale skin beneath it made him feel strange. He was sure she looked different somehow but couldn't figure out why.
May beamed and dropped into an armchair across from them.
"I just spoke to Rogan," May said and Oliver raised his eyebrows. "He's invited us all to stay with him and Quinn in Aleva for the summer."
Oliver grinned. "That sounds amazing."
Anna clapped her hands together. "I can't wait." She sat up and leant her head on Oliver's shoulder. "It's so nice here," she muttered.
"I know," Oliver said dreamily, resting his head on hers and feeling her soft hair against his cheek.
Anna took his hand and intertwined their fingers. "There's nothing I want more than this, how about you?"
Oliver smiled and went to answer but the words caught in his throat as he noticed May playing with the necklace. It wasn't the jewellery that had been bugging him, he realised, but the fact that her skin was unmarked.
"The curse," he breathed then sat up straight and rubbed his eyes.
The facts were so hazy, he couldn't remember what the curse was but knew it was important.
"What curse, silly?" Anna said, sitting up next to him and resting a hand on his back.
"May, it's something to do with you," he said, gazing at her.
May shrugged. "I don't know what you mean. Everything's fine. There's no curse."
Anna gently pulled him backwards and he relented into her touch, relaxing in her embrace. She kissed his cheek and the warmth of her lips soothed his thoughts. In fact, he wasn't sure what he had just been thinking at all.
Everything was perfect. He would be going to Aleva for the summer and he could spend his days with Anna and May until then. Perhaps they would spend a few days with Ely before going through the Gateway.
His mum returned from the kitchen, holding out the phone to Oliver.
"Who is it?" he asked as he took it.
"Your dad," she said with a smile. "He's on his way home."
Oliver blinked as something niggled at him but lifted the phone to his ear anyway. "Hello?"
"Hey son. I was just passing the pizza place and thought I could pick us up some for dinner. What do you fancy?" His voice was a deep, somehow familiar rumble.
Oliver raised his eyebrows at Anna. "Pizza?"
She nodded excitedly and she and May gave their orders.
When he hung up the phone he was left with a feeling of distinct loss deep inside him. It was a hole that was so familiar to him that it jolted him awake.
He stood in a flash, making Anna jump.
"What's the matter?" she asked.
He backed away from her. "This is wrong. This isn't really you. I'm not really here." His mind was foggy but a few facts were starting to come back to him. He held on to each of them as he remembered. His mum had disappeared. There were other worlds. His dad was dead. Or not dead. He wasn't sure, but he had certainly been absent from his childhood.
"Don't you want to be with us?" May asked and Oliver swung around to look at her.
"Yes but-no. This isn't real." He rubbed his eyes, trying to delve into his mind and find the truth.
"But this is what you want, isn't it? Don't you want to stay here?" Anna asked.
The longing started to grow in Oliver again like a flower blossoming in his chest. He did want that. More than anything.
No, not more than anything.
There was one thing he had wanted more in his life. Something that had driven him for the past months, something he would never give up on. Saving May.
Then everything came flooding back.
"I want a key to Brinatin," he said with more conviction than he had ever felt about anything.
The scene dissolved in an instant and he returned to the ice room where the statue was now missing. The door was waiting open for him and he rushed out of it with a wave of relief.
Keeper Jade held out her palm where six keys sparkled. "I got them for you while you were in the challenge. I'm glad I don't have to return any to the tree."
Everyone stood around the cabin with strange expressions on their faces. Whatever they had seen had been one of their deepest desires but they were all united by wanting something more than that. It was something that drove them on together and had bonded them as friends since they had first met: May.
Ely had been right, there was no way that he or May could have failed the challenge but the fact that his friends had also overcome whatever they were tempted by touched him.
He looked to Larkin whose face was grave. He knew there was no point asking what was driving him on to Brinatin, but whatever it was must have been important.
Ely hurried toward Oliver and squeezed his arm. "Well done." He stepped away and nodded at May. "We're so close. It won't be long now."
May nodded, reaching for the spot on her chest where the mark of the curse lay. Oliver couldn't help but wonder what she and everyone else had seen in the room.
Keeper Jade began giving out the keys. Rogan and Quinn discarded their gauntlets before stepping forward and Oliver waited until last to receive his.
With a flash of light, Jade pricked Oliver's finger and he pressed the blood onto the sphere. It absorbed, swirling like ink in water then turned to a golden haze. He could almost feel the warmth in Brinatin emanating from the little gem. He took the Lock from around his neck and placed the key into its corresponding slot.
Grabbing his bag from the corner, he shouldered it and gazed around at everyone. "Ready?"
They nodded and May led the way toward the door.
As she opened it two sets of hands grabbed her. She screamed and disappeared out into the snow.
Oliver charged after her, hardly able to register what had happened. A huge man took him out, falling on top of him and dragging him upwards, holding a blade to his neck.
His captor had a fist of Oliver's hair, pulling his head backwards. He was facing the cabin where Quinn, Rogan, Larkin, Anna and Ely were staring at them in horror.
"Put these on, or I'll cut their throats," a familiar voice said. Xen appeared and threw two pairs of mage gauntlets at Rogan and Quinn's feet. Around the rim of each glove were thick, silver cuffs.
Their hands were raised and Quinn looked like she was about to attack.
"Oh I wouldn't do that, missy," Xen said. "Do you really think you can kill me and all of my men before one them has a chance to kill either of your friends."
Oliver strained to look to his left and caught sight of May's blonde hair in his periphery.
Quinn dropped her hands in surrender and bent to pick up the gloves. She passed a pair to Rogan and they pulled them on. A soldier hurried forward and produced a crescent-shaped piece of silver. He lifted one of Quinn's hands and fitted it on top of the metal cuff. He twisted it and the cuff suddenly glowed blue then he proceeded to do it to her other glove then both of Rogan's. Quinn tugged at one of the gauntlets but she couldn't remove it.
Several more soldiers stepped forward and bound everyone else's hands behind their backs.
Oliver's captor released his hair and began to wind a tight cord around his wrists. The soldier dragged him to his feet and Oliver struggled uselessly against the binds. He glanced at May who had also been bound and she forcefully blew strands of hair from her mouth as it fell over her face.
The soldier turned him around and Oliver was furious to see the Queen standing before him in a crimson coat that was adorned with jewels.
Hector was on his knees, already bound with a knife held to his throat. He looked angrier than Oliver had ever seen him. He glanced around but it was clear that Immarelle wasn't amongst them and dog tracks led back the way they had come.
A triumphant smile spread across Queen Lacine's face. "There. Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" she addressed Xen.
"No, Ma'am." He bowed his head.
"Honestly, I don't know what I employ you for sometimes."
Xen said nothing but Oliver noticed a vein pulsing on his temple.
Keeper Jade exited her cabin. "What in Vale's going on out here?" Her eyes widened as she spotted the Queen. "Oh- Your Majesty!"
"Go back to your home, Keeper. This doesn't concern you," the Queen said.
Jade's gaze flickered over them and Oliver pleaded with his eyes. She visibly gulped then backed away. "Yes, o-of course." She disappeared back into the cottage and the lock sounded inside with a sharp click. Oliver's stomach dropped hopelessly.
Xen ignited his sword with fire. "Shall I execute them now, Ma'am? We have the mages, the others are useless."
Oliver's heart practically stopped. He fought against the soldier holding him once more but he held him fast.
"Not yet," the Queen said. "What kind of hospitality would that be? Our friends turning up to find a massacre."
"I could take them beyond the hill?" Xen offered.
Oliver couldn't bear the way they were talking so pragmatically about ending their lives.
Before the Queen could answer a shadow appeared in midair, becoming a thick, dark, swirling mass. Oliver gasped as a leg emerged from it, stepping out onto the snow. Then the rest of the person's body followed.
The man was tall with dark hair and a pale face that was extremely angular and handsome. Another man emerged behind him, smiling at the Queen. He was attractive in the exact opposite way: tanned skin, soft features and a touch of stubble lining his jaw.
Oliver's breath hitched. Everything and nothing about the man was familiar to him which is why he knew, with almost complete certainty, that the man was his father.
50
The Blood that Binds
Oliver only caught a glimpse of William Knight before a bag was forced over his head. He was so caught off guard that he barely had time to struggle against his assailant. He was forced to his knees and the snow soaked through his trousers, chilling him to the bone.
The soldier who was man-handling Oliver whacked him over the head with something hard. Oliver saw stars and his head lolled forwards, his eyes watering from the pain. He heard his friends struggling nearby and panic coursed through him as he blinked hard to clear the daze.
"Your Majesty, how wonderful it is to meet you at last," a male voice said, his voice soft and deep. "I'm afraid I have been quite ill but I hope my colleague, Mr Knight, has been a pleasure to do business with in the meantime?"
Oliver's suspicions were confirmed at the mention of his father's name. He didn't know how to feel, his mind on overdrive.
"He has, of course, Mr Rimori. But it is such a joy to meet you in the flesh at last," Queen Lacine said.
Oliver stiffened in shock. Isaac Rimori was just feet away from May. Fear took over him and he trembled, terrified they would unveil one of them and reveal the truth.
"I have to say, I didn't expect you to be so, stunning," Isaac said, his voice dripping with charm.
The Queen laughed, sounding flattered. "Oh you're too kind, Mr Rimori."
"Call me Isaac. I think we should be on first name terms seeing as we are in business together. Hopefully for a long time."
"What do you have for me then, Isaac?" Queen Lacine asked.
Isaac laughed softly. "Ten thousand."
"Just ten?" the Queen asked in a sweet voice. "Even though I have brought you, this." She clapped her hands and all was silent.
Oliver's heart drummed in his ears. The beating was presently joined by the pounding of many boots. He thought he was imagining it at first but it grew louder and louder as the footsteps drew closer.
"Halt." It was Xen's voice.
The footsteps stopped somewhere nearby in response.
