Circles of Seven

  Morgan rushed forward and threw her arms around his waist. She laid her head on his chest. “Yes! Oh, yes, Billy. Your father told me what you did. You made the right decision. You saved my life!”

  She pulled back and took him by the hand. “Now let’s destroy this place. It will never be a prison again.” She led him to the edge of the abyss. “Strike this pit with Excalibur, and everyone will be set free.”

  Billy suddenly crumpled to his knees, dropping Excalibur as he grabbed his midsection. “Ohhhh! I feel sick.”

  She grabbed his elbow and pulled. “You’re sick because the pit is filled with candlestones. Only Excalibur can destroy them. Hurry!”

  A bright light erupted at Walter’s side. He fell back, rapping his head against the wall. Reaching out through the blinding rays, he latched on to one of Apollo’s outer dowels. It blazed like a supernova, casting beams of light throughout the cave, illuminating both Billy and Morgan.

  Billy pulled away from her grasp. “Bonnie. Your skin! What’s happening to you?” He clutched his belly more tightly and groaned.

  Morgan reached up and caressed her cheek. “What?!” She yelled at the abyss. “Samyaza! Give me a mirror! Now!” The aura reappeared, and she gazed into its reflective surface. She pressed her hands on her temples and screamed. “I’m hideous!”

  A girl’s voice shouted at Walter’s side. “You got that right!”

  Morgan spun around. Her scaly jaw dropped open.

  The girl pulled the hem of her shirt down low, hitched up a backpack, and marched forward. Halting about ten feet from the pit, the girl hooked her thumbs under the backpack straps. “Hey, Morgan! Where did you dig up that dragon’s body? You must have been desperate to find a winged girl if you took that ugly carcass instead of me.”

  Morgan’s face tightened into a scowl. “Who gave you power to perform such magic, Demon Witch?”

  The girl ran toward the cave entrance. Morgan lunged after her. Billy extended his leg, tripping Morgan just before her fingers could grasp the girl’s hair. He scrambled for Excalibur, shouting, “Run Bonnie! I’ll take care of this . . . this thing!”

  Rising to his knees, Billy pushed Morgan’s head against the floor and raised Excalibur high, reviving its glow.

  Walter dashed out of hiding, screaming at the top of his lungs, “Billy! No! Don’t stab her!”

  Billy squinted as he slowly lowered his sword. “Walter?”

  Black smoke poured out beneath Billy’s hand. It rose in a column and solidified into Morgan’s body. She pushed Billy over with her foot. “Fool!” She ran toward the cave entrance. “I’ll take care of you later!”

  Walter threw his arm around Billy and hoisted him up. “C’mon buddy. Let’s get you away from this pit. The one with wings is Bonnie’s real body. Don’t ask me to explain it.” Before they could take two steps toward the archway, Morgan’s laugh echoed against the walls. Walter helped Billy sit down, then raised Palin’s sword and planted himself in front of his friend and Bonnie’s body.

  Morgan reentered the cave, leading the girl with the backpack, a fistful of hair in her grip. “Your father is so helpful, Billy. Look at the present he found for me!” She threw the girl down to the floor and instantly transformed to black smoke again. The smoke enveloped the girl’s head, but this time, it didn’t penetrate. The girl sprang back to her feet, and the smoke resolidified.

  Morgan slapped the girl across the face, leaving a red imprint on her cheek. “You deceived me!” the sorceress screamed. “You are not my hostiam!”

  Walter jumped up and tackled Morgan, pinning her to the floor. Billy, still clutching his stomach, stumbled toward Morgan, raising Excalibur. A laser beam burst from the sword’s tip. “Stand back, Walter, I’ll turn her into a million dots of light.”

  Walter threw himself to the side. Just as Billy swung the beam, she vaporized again, her stream of smoke flowing toward Bonnie’s body.

  Billy screamed. “No! You can’t have her!”

  Morgan materialized at Bonnie’s side. She scooped the limp body into her arms and walked to the edge of the abyss. “I’ll give you one chance to change your mind, young Arthur. Either give her to me, or she’s lost forever. No one has ever escaped from the depths of Tartarus.”

  Billy’s face turned lava red. His body wilted. The candlestones had sapped all his strength.

  Walter grabbed his arm. “No, Billy! Don’t give Bonnie’s body to her. She’s dead. What good would it do if she could breathe and walk again? It would be Morgan, not Bonnie.”

  Billy panted. “But . . . but Patrick said there might be a chance to revive her.”

  “You’ll never revive her if Morgan’s inside her body.”

  The girl threw off her backpack and cloak and stepped between Billy and Morgan. “You can take me as your hostiam. I give you my permission.”

  “Take you?” Morgan sneered. “You’re not in the royal line.”

  “Have you forgotten Shiloh Nathanson, daughter of Valcor, brother of Irene, adopted daughter of Arthur?” She lifted the hem of her tee shirt, revealing a frilly dress. “Does this old party dress look familiar? Or do you just toss your victims into prison and forget about them?”

  Morgan took a step back from the pit. “Shiloh? But you’re not of age, and no guardian is present. You can’t give your own permission.”

  “I’m fifty-five years old. That’s plenty old enough to consent.” She walked to the edge of the abyss and stood toe-to-toe with Morgan, looking up at her with steely eyes. “Now are you going to take me or not?”

  A new, wicked smile spread across Morgan’s face. She vaporized, dropping Bonnie to the ground. Shiloh closed her eyes, and the black smoke blasted into her nostrils. Her chest heaved, and her arms flailed wildly. After a few seconds, she stood still. Her eyes glowed red—evil and filled with hate. She turned toward Billy and Walter and spread out her arms. “Now young Arthur, you will do what I say or your friend Walter will—”

  Shiloh’s eyes suddenly flashed back to normal. Her face twisted with terror. She pushed her hand down her shirt and pulled out a pendant on a chain. A gem in the center pulsed red and white. She gripped the pendant in her fist, her arm trembling like an earthquake. She spun back around, pulling her hair and stamping her feet. With a sudden lunge, she jumped into the abyss.

  Walter rushed to the edge of the pit, just catching a glimpse of Shiloh’s body as it plunged into the darkness. He turned toward the cave entrance and fell to his knees. Billy sat on the floor, his hands covering his face.

  Walter thrust his arms under Bonnie’s body and hoisted her up. Her skin had returned to normal, but it was still deathly pale. He stumbled toward the exit arch, blinking back his tears. He stopped and nudged Billy with his knee. “C’mon. Let’s . . .” He swallowed away a lump. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Billy pushed himself up and wobbled on his weakened legs. He slid Excalibur into its scabbard and grasped Walter’s shoulder to keep from falling. They exited the cave side by side and stopped on the ledge that skirted the mountain. Billy slid his back against the face of the cliff and dropped heavily to his seat.

  Walter laid Bonnie down and headed back inside. “I have to get Apollo.”

  With Apollo still emanating a faint glow, he found it easily, snatched it and Palin’s sword, and dashed back through the cave. When he returned, Billy was standing near the rim of the ledge, his eyes fixed on something in the sky.

  Walter set Apollo and the sword down while trying to follow Billy’s line of sight. “Got your radar locked on something?”

  “It’s my father. I see him patrolling out there, but I think he’s coming this way.” Billy bent toward Bonnie. “There’s definitely something wrong with him, and I don’t think we should stick around to figure it out.” He rose to his feet and pointed toward a distant part of the valley. “Dad was guarding a bridge over there, and he didn’t want me to cross it with Bonnie. But now I know I have to.” He slid his arm under Bonnie’s knees. “We’d
better get in the cave until he goes away.”

  Walter pulled Billy’s arm back. “No way! The candlestones will sap you dry.”

  “But we can’t leave Bonnie . . . I mean . . .” Billy searched his mind for the other girl’s name. “ . . . Shiloh trapped in that pit.”

  “Well, yeah, but how’re you going to get her out?”

  “Morgan wanted me to strike the pit with Excalibur to destroy it. She said something about setting everyone free.”

  “Bad idea,” Walter said, shaking his head vigorously. “One of the things in that pit talked to me, and he sounded like the president of ‘Demons Are Us.’”

  “You want Shiloh to stay in there with him? It’ll be pure torture, especially if Morgan’s still inside her. I can’t leave her like that.”

  “Good point.” Walter cocked his head upward. “But we’d better decide soon. Your father’s almost here.”

  Billy stood, leaving Bonnie on the ground. “Watch her. I’m going back in the cave. With the candlestones in there, he’s not likely to follow me.” He drew out Excalibur and rested the blade on his shoulder. “Tell him Morgan’s got a different hostiam and I’m in there getting ready to bust open the pit. That ought to keep him in a good mood. Just remember not to call him Mr. Bannister. He’s Clefspeare now.”

  Walter closed one eye. “You want me to face a ticked-off, fire-breathing dragon alone and convince him that I just happened to be strolling through the pits of Hades?” A grin broke out on his face. “I love this plan!”

  A few seconds after Billy disappeared into the cave, Clefspeare landed on the ledge with a flap of his huge wings. After he settled himself, he growled. “Why are you here with Bonnie’s body?”

  Walter tried to act confident, but he felt like he was going to heave his guts. He clenched one fist behind his back and shoved his other hand into his pocket. He slowly withdrew the candlestone he had chipped from the wall of the abyss, allowing his fingers to spread out just enough to expose the dragon to the gem. “I’m so glad you asked that. You see, Billy and I were just talking about why we’re here. Billy said, ‘Hey, Walter, nice day for a stroll through the underworld, don’t you think?’ And I said—”

  “Cut the nonsense!” the dragon roared. It suddenly paused, seeming confused, but its eyes burned like erupting volcanoes. “Or I will . . . I will use you as a torch!”

  Walter opened his fingers just a hair further. “Be cool, Mr. Dragon. Morgan’s got herself a different hostiam now.” He pointed back to the cave with his thumb. “And Billy’s in there getting ready to blow that candlestone pit. Everything’s under control.”

  The dragon blinked, and his head wobbled. “You know about . . . about the hostiam? What’s your part in this?”

  “C’mon, Clefspeare. I know you. Don’t you remember me?”

  The dragon stretched his neck downward and gazed into Walter’s eyes. “You look . . . familiar.”

  Walter scratched his nose, then looked away with a shrug of his shoulders. “Well, I guess Morgan hasn’t kept you informed.”

  “Impossible! Morgan tells me everything!”

  Walter rolled his eyes. “If you say so.” He flicked his thumb toward the cave again. “Then go on in and see for yourself if you want.” He opened his fingers as widely as he dared. “I’ll wait.”

  The dragon unfurled his wings. “There is no need. I will go back to the bridge and wait for her instructions.” Clefspeare lifted off the ground, faltering at first and losing altitude over the valley, but he quickly recovered and shot into the sky.

  Walter collapsed to his seat at the cave entrance and wiped his brow. Whew! He tried to peer into the arched entryway, but it was too dark inside. He cracked his knuckles and bit his bottom lip. C’mon Billy. You got one more minute before I come in after you.

  Billy hurried toward the edge of the abyss, guided by Excalibur’s radiance. Shafts of light from the cave entrance collapsed into slithering, glowing snakes and swept by his feet as they swirled into the pit. It felt like his own energy was being slurped along with them, cramping his stomach and legs. As he slowed down and inched closer to the edge, he let out a low groan. I have to do it! I have to!

  The sweeping light gathered at the surface, and the oval-shaped aura appeared, floating above the surface of the pit. The image congealed into a familiar face, sharpening until he recognized it easily. His father’s face. His father’s human face.

  Billy gulped. “Dad?”

  The aura vibrated like a gently plucked harp string. “Yes, son. I felt your presence earlier, so I figured out how to make an image appear on the surface after watching Samyaza do it. I’m really still at the bottom of this pit. The Watchers have huddled in a corner, but I’m not sure how long they will allow me to speak to you.”

  “Then who is the dragon outside the cave?”

  “Our old enemy, Devin, has taken over my dragon body. Once they brought me into the seventh circle, I had no power to stop him.”

  “Are . . .” The pain ripped through Billy’s chest. He gasped for breath and grabbed a fistful of his shirt. “Are you trapped in there with Samyaza and the Watchers?”

  “Yes, but since I have no body, they are not able to touch me. I have only spiritual perception, so all I can do is manipulate the light.”

  “Is Shiloh in there with you?”

  “Yes. She is a delightful girl; a bit sore from her spill into the pit, but not badly hurt. Since she has a body, I have to protect her from the Watchers.”

  Billy’s lungs ached, ready to collapse. He took three steps back, enabling him to breathe again, but he had to cough out every word. “Why . . . can’t you . . . just leave?”

  “I can’t escape because the entire pit is lined with candlestones, and I exist only as a spirit. My energy gets pulled into the abyss by the gems, sort of like gravity on a physical body. It’s all I can do to keep from being drawn into the gems themselves. Shiloh can’t escape, because the pit is simply too deep, and its walls are sheer.”

  “But is . . . is Morgan still inside her?”

  “No. Light and darkness can have no fellowship, and the light in Shiloh was too powerful. Morgan had to leave her body. Apparently the two fought for control while they were up there, and Shiloh jumped in to take Morgan with her. Unfortunately for us, but fortunately for you, Morgan is trapped in the abyss with us. Even she is unable to climb through the energy fields that seal this chasm.”

  Billy raised his sword, using both weakened arms to hoist it. “Well . . . I’m going to . . . get you . . . out of there . . . with Excalibur.”

  The aura flashed. “No, Billy! Don’t! You’ll release the Watchers. That’s what Morgan has been wanting all along.”

  Billy let the sword’s tip fall to the ground. “The Watchers?”

  “Fallen angels, far more powerful than you can imagine. They will make earth into a living hell, and you, Billy, as the new Arthur, would be their first victim. They’ve corrupted the world once before, and God brought the great flood as a result. Who knows what would happen if the Watchers took control again?”

  Billy took two more steps back. “But how . . . how else will you get out?”

  The aura turned pale blue, and ripples spread out from the center like splash rings in a pool of water. “We are content to stay here. To sacrifice ourselves for the benefit of the entire world is a small price to pay. Although Shiloh has nothing, no food or water, she keeps saying, ‘I have all I really need.’ She is willing to suffer and die. Her love is amazing!”

  With pain roaring through his heaving chest, Billy cried out, “Dad! I have to get you out! I have to!” He sniffed and wiped his sleeve across his nose. “It’s . . . it’s just not the same without you! I tried to pretend you were dead, but . . . but Mom never smiles anymore. She needs you . . . and I . . .” He drooped his head, and his voice died away in a pitiful lament. “I need my dad.”

  Billy wrung Excalibur’s hilt like an old mop. He inched backwards, his legs stiff and cram
ping. “I’ll be back. . . . I’ll . . . I’ll find a rope or something, and . . . and I’ll come down there and get both of you out . . . somehow.”

  A red hue splashed across the aura. “The candlestones would kill you! You’d never make it halfway down.”

  Billy neared the cave’s entrance, still backing away. “Then Shiloh can climb out on the rope.”

  “If Shiloh tried to climb, the candlestones would prevent me from following. I wouldn’t be able to protect her from the Watchers.”

  With renewed strength, Billy raised his sword again. “Then I’ll be the one to do the sacrificing. Let the Watchers do what they will to me. I’ll be ready.” Excalibur’s beam shot out through the tip. He charged toward the abyss and swung the beam down into its depths, illuminating the entire cavern. The embedded candlestones in the walls of the pit filled with flaming light and exploded like over-juiced lightbulbs, popping and sparking in a fireworks grand finale. With the candlestones getting zapped, Billy felt sudden relief. The constant draining of energy vanished.

  The abyss began filling with liquid light. It looked like a lava tube with boiling energy rising toward the top. As the bubbling light drew closer, something dark moved at the surface, something with arms and legs flailing about. Billy dropped to his chest and stretched his arm into the pit, wriggling forward until his entire upper body was suspended over the precipice. “Shiloh! Grab my hand!” Shiloh flapped her arms, but she couldn’t seem to turn the way she wanted. The cauldron of light was more like mist than water, thin and vaporous. She looked like a Golden Retriever paddling in the fog.

  Other forms seemed to congeal in the glowing soup, rising up and snapping at Shiloh like attacking sharks. Were they the Watchers? Billy stretched out, reaching so far his joints felt like they were ripping apart. It wasn’t enough. Her desperately floundering hands grasped empty air.

  Billy’s body slipped an inch, then another. He dug the toes of his boots against the cave floor, but it didn’t help. He heard his belt buckle scraping the stone as his hand dropped lower and lower. Shiloh’s writhing fingers drew within a hair’s breadth of his own. If he grabbed her now, would she just pull him in? Would the Watchers get both of them?