A Darker Shade of Sorcery - - (leveled readers .txt) 📗

was thunderous and Evan knew he couldn’t stop the pincers from gouging out his eyeballs for much longer. The crab mimicked a human scream as Brooke shot a lightning bolt at its back. Evan used this distraction to summon fire and burn the minion to ash.

He scrambled to his feet as Brooke laughed. “That's the second time I've saved your life, Umbra.”

“Hey, this time doesn't count. I wasn't in any real danger.”

Almost as if the virtual reality device had heard him, a dozen bestial skeletons rose from the ground around them.

The game had transported them into a wide expanse of orange rocks which appeared to have been a recent battleground, going by the many demon carcasses littering the place.

Evan seized the spear stuck in a nearby corpse and ripped it out with a squelch as the skeletons advanced.

Brooke continued to fire off bolts of electricity whilst Evan danced around their lumbering enemies, jabbing and lunging whenever he saw an opportunity. One skeleton almost took his head off with its poleaxe, but Evan narrowly avoided, before sticking his spear in its eye socket.

237

A minute later, their assailants were no more than fragments of bone. However, as soon as these enemies were defeated, a huge hole in the Earth opened up behind them.

“I guess the game wants us to go down,” said Brooke.

“Ladies first.” Evan pushed her playfully.

He jumped in after her, falling through depths of blackness, until he landed beside Brooke in a large steel chamber. Before Evan could say anything, three figures materialised before them.

Their newest enemies were just normal teenagers. Evan noticed they were strangely sharp featured, like the reflection of a human oddly distorted and twisted, and bearing subtle hints of something…unworldly. All three wore clothing similar to Evan and Brooke's Novice attire, except their uniform was black as night.

“For Velkarath,” the female stranger screamed, raising a hand and shooting a torrent of flames Evan's way.

As he rolled sideways, Evan saw a hideous winged demon barrel into Brooke from behind. The demon’s talons gouged into Brooke's back and lifted her into the air as she screamed in agony.

“Bring us the boy,” one of the strangers cried.

A second later, a huge slimy hand gripped Evan by the throat and threw him at the teenager’s feet. He couldn't believe it. The three strangers were commanding the demons like they were pets. But that was impossible.

One of the teenagers kicked him hard in the stomach, pinning Evan to the ground as he used sorcery to weave a phantom dagger into his hand.

“Weak Veneseron scum,” the boy snarled, insanity filling his eyes as he brought the dagger down into Evan's chest.

238

*

Evan and Brooke landed back in the Illusion chamber in front of the class, panting heavily. Evan looked at his chest, sure he would find blood.

“They, they killed us,” Brooke gasped.

“Who…what were they?” Evan looked to Padrake.

“They,” Padrake addressed the class, “were Rakarn, otherwise known as Dark-Venators.”

Evan noticed most of the Novices were staring at the big screen atop the virtual-reality device. Brooke and Evan were the first volunteers, the others must've seen everything.

“The Dark-Venators are just as much our enemy as demons,” Padrake continued.

“Nearly a quarter of our missions are disrupted by them causing chaos and many other missions consist of stopping whatever the Dark-Venators are planning next.

“They are trained by masters steeped in evil. To reside in Velkarath is to be warped by the demonic. The Dark-Venators are in league with demons, not trying to eradicate them. They create gateways to Earth and other realms and let demons through to feed, or else they ignite wars between races and generally try everything possible to remove us.”

“But they were our age,” said Brooke, “maybe younger.”

“The worst thing is, it could've been you,” Padrake muttered darkly. “Dark-Venators take most of their demon hunters from Earth. If the teenagers do not join the Rakarn willingly, the Velkarath Masters torture them, driving them mad until they do.”

“So, we might have to fight them, kill them?” Xavier asked.

239

“But they're human. Killing demons is different,” said Evan.

“But they will try to kill you,” Padrake interjected, “and they will succeed if you are not prepared to face them.”

“Why did they look a bit…odd?” Emillia asked tentatively.

“The Rakarn I created for this test were those who’ve bonded with demons. The demonic has taken hold and altered them.”

“Right. Jed, Emillia,” Padrake clapped his hands together, his grimness replaced by his usual cheeriness. “Your turn in the virtual device.”

As Emi and Jed stepped forwards, Evan noticed Padrake shoot him a glance. He thought Padrake had often given him shifty looks in his lessons, ever since he'd almost been strangled.

Evan just put it down to his ever-increasing paranoia and continued the training.

*

Brooke’s Dark-Venator worries were put on hold as she and the gang headed for the fun and games of the rec rooms. Evan and Elijah became enthralled with a holographic book whilst Jed began chatting up Apprentice girls, claiming to be the chosen one, Adara. He wasn’t successful, to no one’s surprise.

Brooke herself was unusually quiet and didn’t stay long. She found herself instead in front of one of the girl’s bathroom mirrors, fixing her hair. She didn’t consider herself particularly vain, but her mind dwelled on a certain scarlet-haired boy she was meeting next.

She knew something had passed between them at their last training session. They’d almost kissed, she was sure of it.

240

She hurried from the bathroom and almost ran down one of the zigzag staircases.

Their private sessions only took place after the twin suns had set. Tonight however, the suns were lingering on the horizon, illuminating the lush grasslands as she gazed out of the windows.

Various Venators lolled about on the fields. There was no specific time they were to be in bed. Only if everyone stayed up all night causing anarchy would the Masters get involved and deal out punishments. It was mainly High-Realmers and Mid-Realmers around, chatting amiably, or else getting some extra training in.

Magical creatures also occupied the area, but Brooke wasn’t nervous around them anymore. Several Venators were mounted on giant lizards, racing against satyrs, and a bright blue grasshopper dozed on the next windowsill she passed.

Things with Elijah had been awkward after the kiss-attempt. Brooke hadn’t mentioned it since, hoping it would be forgotten and their friendship wouldn’t be affected. She hoped he could try and forget about it too. She really enjoyed having Elijah as a friend.

The fields vanished from view as Brooke turned into a narrow hallway which housed no windows. This one ran the length of the Archives and was sparsely lit.

Aside from a Master she didn’t recognise, the Archives looked empty. Brooke knew there were more Masters than just those who taught her. Elijah had mentioned there were three to four Masters for each area of sorcery.

As she neared the end of the Archives passageway, she noticed a light flickering in a corner. She stopped, peering curiously towards the light and recognising the silhouette behind the magical lamp.

241

Sintian leered over an ancient tome, following the words with one snake-like finger and muttering to himself. What's he doing alone in the Archives, looking up old manuscripts? He's definitely a weirdo, she decided, before moving on.

As she approached the training courtyard she saw it was almost deserted. Only Urkzal, a small group of Venators he was training and Tyrell stood in the yard.

Tyrell was staring at her. She paused, but then he waved her forward.

“Where’s Arantay?” she looked around, hoping to see him step out from the shadows, as he appeared so fond of doing.

“He can’t make it,” Tyrell explained, passing her a wooden sword and hefting his own.

“Why?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe he's been called away on a mission. Maybe he had things to do in the forest…” Tyrell trailed off, shrugging.

“But, he promised,” she said faintly.

“Don’t worry. Trainers change all the time. We Arch-Realmers get called away pretty often.”

“So he could be in the forest? If he’s not on a mission, that is.”

“Most likely. No need to sound so upset, he hasn’t died,” said Tyrell, picking up on her tone.

“Sorry. Will he be back?”

“Of course, haven’t got a clue when though. Could be ages, could be tomorrow. I just got a message after Astral Embodiment class that I was needed here.”

Tyrell signalled for her to be on guard before lunging in artfully.

Forty minutes later, Brooke was streaked with sweat, a little bruised, and considerably exhausted. Tyrell was a good trainer. He just wasn’t Arantay.

242

As she walked back to Castle-Coterie, intending to collapse on her bed, she felt miserable because of Arantay's disappearance. If it was because of a mission, then she could understand. It would be selfish of her to want him to train her instead. But what if it wasn’t? What if he was just in the forest?

Brooke mulled it over, until finally her feelings took over and she changed direction. The suns were still up, evening had deepened but darkness hadn’t yet conquered the day. I’ve got time to check if Tay’s in the forest, don't I?

She walked briskly, acknowledging the few Venators she knew by sight but not stopping to chat. Brooke remembered how creepy the forest was last time she'd entered. She avoided taking the route that would lead her past the Archives, preferring not to bump into Sintian.

Brooke thought she was alone as she walked back across the now empty courtyard, until she glimpsed the tendril of purple smoke.

She turned to see Lok, watching her through a first floor window as he smoked. It was twenty feet up but he jumped down with ease, landing on the courtyard beside her.

“Arantay disappeared again?”

She nodded.

“He makes a habit of that.” Lok grinned wolfishly. “I'd offer to train you in his place, but I'm afraid I'd be too distracted by your beauty.”

Brooke was unable to muster a reply.

“I'd wager you're off to the forest to find him?”

“How…what makes you think that?

243

“I'm an expert on the female mind.” Lok’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “Tell you what Brooke, when Tay breaks your heart you come find me. We can…hang out.”

Brooke frowned as Lok walked away. She felt eyes watching her and looked at the window Lok had been in to see Lyella glaring at her. Brooke tried to ask the blonde what her problem was this time, but Lyella merely sneered before turning away.

I don’t have time for childish games, Brooke pushed Lyella out of her mind as she continued towards Veneseron forest.

As the woods loomed closer the trees didn’t resemble dark foreboding creatures like last time, but were swaying gently, their leaves whispering and sighing in content.

The enchanted forest was a different world during the day, thick with undergrowth and ceilinged with an emerald canopy of foliage, pierced by shafts of sunlight. As she entered, the woodland swallowed her whole, converging from all sides. Brooke immediately saw the other beings Veneseron shared the forest with.

Flickers of light burgeoned as fairies and will-o'-the-wisps