Spark (Legends of the Shifters) (41 page)

“
The key to the gate is your
strength.

The answer to the question is your
own discernment.

The conquering of your desires are
your memories.

The end of the battle is your heart.”

At the last word, she twisted away and
stumbled back around the building, disappearing from my sight. I
trembled, fighting the fear that threatened to make me return to
Roland without the plant.

The end of the battle is your heart.

The meaning was clear. I was going to
die.

M
y
mind tried to sort things out as I walked uphill through the pines.
If the end of the battle was my heart, how would I get the plant to
Roland? Perhaps I would be granted enough time to bring it to him
before I died...But then, who would free Kurt from King Ciaran's
dungeon? I supposed Roland would have to. With his experience, it was
more likely that he would be able to save Kurt, so really, it was as
if I was sacrificing my life for two people. I knew that this had to
be the right thing to do.

Once I was sure I was far enough away
from the village, I shifted into my phoenix form and took off into
the sky. I needed to do this as fast as possible if I wanted to make
it to Roland in time. If I didn't, then I will have sacrificed my
life for nothing. I hefted myself higher, helped along by an updraft
of wind. It was almost as if the air itself wanted me to get to the
gate.

I had almost reached the snowy peak when
a strange sensation took over my body. All of a sudden, I was
plummeting.

I
crashed through the trees, flailing around as an outside force made
my body shift back into first form. I tried to grab hold of a pine
branch to keep me from dropping any farther, but the branch rubbed my
hand raw before cracking and splitting off the tree. I landed on the
snowy ground with a thud. Although the snow cushioned my fall, the
wind was still knocked out of me, and I struggled to breathe for
several seconds. Once I was able, I sat up, chilled from the snow
that had melted through my clothing.

I
took in my surroundings. What was the force that had caused me to
change form so suddenly? In front of me, to my left and to my right,
there was only snow and pines. The ground was strangely flat for a
mountain, at least in this particular spot.

I
stood and turned around...and then froze. Looming in front of me was
an ancient rusted statue, three times my height. I swallowed tightly.

Its
entire body was covered in dead vines, and one of its arms had eroded
off with time. Strange
designs criss-crossed over the
entire thing, but I couldn't make them out since the vines were so
thick and the statue was so worn. Its rusted red eyes peered at me
blankly.

Nothing happened for the longest time. I
took a tentative step closer, wanting to get a better look at the arm

This must be the statue that Jane had
warned me about, but I don't think she knew what state it was in. It
was way too old to protect a gate.

Then, when I was about to walk past it,
the eyes lit up.

I backed up as fast as I could, but was
slowed by the snow.

The
statue rumbled. The trees around us shivered. Birds fled from their
perches.

The tremor of the statue continued as it
shed its vine clothing. The vines pulled up the disconnected arm as
they snaked over his shoulder, securing it to the body once again.
Now that the vines were gone, I could see that the statue was
restoring itself to its former glory. It gradually turned from brown
rust to shiny iron, and blue hieroglyphics began to write themselves
out over the statue's body.

All around us, the snow melted and the
trees shrunk into saplings and continued to grow younger until they
were completely gone.

It was as if he had taken me back
through time.

I glanced at our surroundings. We were
on a large, rocky plateau. Behind me, there was only a drop-off of
endless shadow, but behind the metallic giant, there was a black
stone gate, half sunken in a bubbling pool of molten lava.
Thunderclouds rolled overhead, lightning flashing in their dark gray
depths.

Despite
being made of metal and blue hieroglyphics, the giant looked very
human, taking the form of a handsome man. Lean muscles flexed as he
pulled a sword out of the ground in front of him.

“
Choose
your weapon,” he thundered, his powerful voice ricocheting of
the rocks.

I
was so panicked I didn't know what to say. Jane's words echoed in the
back of my mind.
The key to the gate is your strength.

“
I
choose strength,” I said shakily. The giant chuckled deep in
his throat. “Then strength you shall have.”

A
tingling feeling took over my body from head to toe. I didn't change
visibly, but physically, I began to feel stronger. The weight of my
body disappeared almost completely. I felt like I could fly if I
wanted to.

The
giant smiled, exposing sharp metal teeth. I crouched, a plan forming
in my head already. He bowed mockingly, and then surged forward with
his sword. I moved quickly with my newfound strength, dodging his
thrust and sprinting away from the cliff he'd had me backed up
against.

His
heavy footsteps shook the ground behind me as I ran toward the gate.
Before I could get any closer, something hit me in the back, pinning
me to the ground. I growled in frustration and stood, making the
boulder fall heavily behind me.

The
giant stood right in front of me. “Running never works,”
he said, beginning to circle me while twisting the sword in his hand.
“How did you think you were going to get through the fiery
pit?”

I
hadn't thought my plan that far through. My eyes flicked back to the
gate. My strength might allow me to launch myself through it.

He
lunged forward once again, this time even faster, barely giving me
enough time to dodge away before he struck me again with the hilt of
his blade. I flew backward and into one of the boulders, making it
slide and tumble into the empty chasm below. I almost went with it,
but managed to find a grip on the ledge.

The
giant walked up to me, showing off his sharp teeth with another
leering grin. “So many before you have suffered this same fate.
It is no surprise to me that a girl this small should follow them.”

I
glared at him and struggled to keep my grip.

He
rose his sword for a killing blow, but before he could bring it down,
I pulled myself up onto land and rolled away. The giant growled,
turning quickly. It was my only chance. I hurtled toward him, kicking
him hard in the chest. He stumbled backward and roared angrily as he
tumbled over the cliff. The roar continued until it faded in the
distance. There was no thud to signify that he had hit the ground.
The cavity just swallowed him whole.

I
backed away from the cliff, unsure that I had really defeated him. I
must have, however, because I felt my strength beginning to fade. My
weight felt like it was pressing against the earth once again.

My
opportunity to launch myself through the gate was fading fast. While
I still had my inhuman strength, I needed to use it. I ran toward the
pool of lava and jumped as far as I could. I was able to make it to
the threshold, but landed awkwardly. One of my legs came perilously
close to getting seared. I cried out and jerked my leg back up
quickly. The leather of my sandal burst into flames. I tugged it off
as quickly as I could, hissing at the pain of the burns as I let it
drop into the fiery pit.

I backed quickly through the gate, and
then everything was dark. The sound of rushing water overtook my
hearing. My eyes adjusted to the darkness slowly, and once they did,
I found myself in a small cave, blanketed by a bed of moss. A
waterfall cascaded down one side of the cavern, pouring into a
shimmering pond. Above me, the cave opened up to the crescent moon.
It calmed me, allowing me to take in a deep breath and look at the
leg that I had burned.

The skin was deep red and smoking, but
oddly enough, it wasn't as burned as it was supposed to be. Normally,
being that close to lava would've blackened and blistered the skin.
However, it was still very painful. The coolness of the water begged
me not only to ease the burn, but also to quench my growing thirst. I
stood and limped toward the pool.

The moment I touched the water, a voice
rang out, startling me. “Who approaches the Pool of Clarity?”
It echoed from behind the waterfall, the pitch faltering at the end,
like a lament. It was impossible to know if it belonged to a man or a
woman.

“
Ivy
Oliver,” I said with hesitation. Although, I ached to get my
leg in the water, I drew back.

“
What
is your past?” the voice moaned.

My past? “Why do you wish to
know?”

“
This
is a test of the mind. Your past is what has...formed it. I
must
know
for you to continue.”

It took a moment for me to reply. “I
grew up an orphan, with few friends. At my trial, I turned into a
creature that is supposedly important. I was taken to a school to be
trained how to fight and survive.” I paused for a second. “I
met more friends there than I've had my entire life...and now, after
traveling across the kingdoms to get to this island, one of them is
about to die.”

“
And
you wish to save him even though he betrayed you?” the voice
questioned.

“
Yes,”
I answered, choking back my surprise. I hadn't said anything about
Roland betraying me.

The voice moved on to the next question.
“What is your present?” it asked sorrowfully.

I wasn't sure what to say. I had just
told him that I was trying to save Roland. Finally, I managed to say
the first thing that came to mind. “Confusion...Worry...Fear.”

“
What
is it that you worry about?”

“
My
dying friend...and my brother, who has been captured by a wicked
man.”

“
If
you survive, what is your future?”

“
To
save my brother and heal Roland with the plant.”

When the voice chuckled, the sound
seemed to come from everywhere as it bounced off the walls. Then, it
was silent for a long time.

“
Is
that the end of the test?” I asked.

“
No.
One more question,” the voice said. “What is the meaning
of life? Why are we all here?”

My mind searched for the correct answer.
I've tried to answer that question many times in my own thoughts, but
the things I came up with never seemed right. I've always longed for
simplicity and happiness, but thinking about it now, I know that that
cannot be what life is all about. Simplicity and happiness does not
help your fellow man. The Nallans probably don't even know that we're
on the brink of war because of their tendency to stick their head in
the sand. If I hadn't turned into the phoenix, I'd be doing the same
thing.

There is one thing in life that I've
neglected because of the pain is usually results in. However, these
past few months I've made more friends than I've ever had, which
means my pain is inevitable. I realized then why I was giving my life
up for Roland's.

Love. That was the purpose of life.

I hadn't even spoken a word before the
voice whispered, “You may proceed.”

I hesitantly stepped into the water.
What had appeared to be a deep pool now only reached my ankles. I
ducked under the waterfall, letting the cool water wash over my
burns. I wished I could have stayed under the water for a long time,
but the sensation completely stopped when my surroundings changed
once again.

Instead of standing under a waterfall, I
was now in the middle of a dry, barren wasteland. The ground was flat
here, and I could see nothing for miles.

All that existed in this place was dirt
and sky and sun.

The heat was so intense, even I was
burning up. My second form's immunity to high temperatures could only
go so far, as proven by the burns on my leg. I tried to shield my
eyes with my arm, but the sun was everywhere. It was impossible to
escape from it completely. Even with my eyes closed, I could see the
bright red of daylight.

I walked forward a few feet and stopped.
What was the point? There wasn't one landmark on any horizon to walk
toward.

Suddenly,
the ground shook. I knelt to keep from falling. The earth burned
through my dress. Little by little, the ground started to crack,
forming small fissures. Dust swirled up from the crevices, emitting a
sulfuric smell, painful to breath in. Then, the shaking stopped. I
could've stood back up, but I didn't. Instead, I crumpled to the
ground and curled into a ball, feeling completely hopeless. I knew in
the back of my mind that it was strange for me to suddenly feel this
way, but the overwhelming feeling of despair drowned out the thought.