Izikiel (19 page)

The tremors had increased in frequency as they navigated the treacherous frozen lake. Izikiel was forced to call upon the Eternal Flame on half a dozen occasions in order to reform the ice beneath their feet. Even then they did not escape unscathed as Jonas’ left shoulder was nearly shattered by a collision with a free floating ice floe. Xavier’s quick reflexes had saved him and they reached the other side of the lake soon after. The tremors were so frequent now that they manifested as one continuous earthquake. Snow, ice and rocks tumbled down from the mountains and hills around them as they scrambled to reach the
mouth of the valley.

‘
We’ve got to get out of this valley before it collapses on top of us,’ Xavier’s voice said over the snow suit intercom.

‘
The tremors are constant now,’ Te’Anne said. ‘We’ll never make it back to the star port.’

‘We don’t have to. We just need to get to the top of that ridge so that I can use the communications dish to contact the
Valiant Crusader
.’

The path leading out of the valley was through a narrow canyon formed between the base of the mountains and the hills on the other side. It sloped upwards at an acute angle
as it swept across to the left. It had been easy enough getting down. The ascent would have been relatively easy under normal circumstances. Given the ground was moving beneath their feet, these were definitely
not
normal circumstances.

‘Come on you two, we’ve got to hurry. The Baron warned us that this entire area would destabilise. We’ve got to get out of here,’ Izikiel said.

The four of them ran up to the base of the canyon. It was just wide enough for them to fit through two abreast. Xavier and Jonas ran ahead, while Te’Anne and Izikiel followed. Their feet sank into the soft snow up to their knees as they dodged small rocks from either side. Izikiel could tell that his snow suit was struggling to cope with the extreme cold outside and the heat generated by his body. The result was that he was drenched in sweat and his face shield was fogging up. He wiped at it between steps. Visibility improved slightly.

About half way up the
canyon their pace slowed as the angle increased beneath them. Izikiel pushed his tired muscles to their limit. Each step was becoming painful as his body cried out for rest. Yet still they pressed on, pushing through the white snow. He knew that if they didn’t reach the top soon then they wouldn’t stand a chance.

‘Xavier
, look out!’ Te’Anne cried out.

Izikiel watched in horror as a large snow covered
boulder crashed into Xavier. The brawny scavenger was flung backwards, landing on his back in the soft snow. A dark red stain seeped out through the front of his snow suit.

‘No!’

Te’Anne dropped to her knees next to her brother. Grasping his head with both hands, she shook him.

‘Xavier! Talk to me!’

‘I’m ok,’ Xavier whispered.

‘Oh, no, no
! Serafine help us, you’re bleeding.’

Izikiel could hear Xavier coughing through the intercom. Remembering what the Baron had taught him
, he was already reaching out to the Eternal Flame. The burning touch exploded within him. That surprised him. Then he realised that he was no longer inside the
Ecclesia
. Moving towards where Xavier lay, he saw the red stain was getting larger.

‘Hold still,’ Izikiel said.

He knelt next to the prone figure of Xavier. Closing his eyes, he began to manipulate the Eternal Flame’s energy. He could feel the beginnings of the healing vapour forming within him.

‘Izikiel, behind you!’ Te’Anne cried out.

Rolling to the side, Izikiel turned his head just in time to see a sizeable chunk of ice falling towards him. He didn’t even hesitate.

‘
Aduro
’

Unleashing the power of the Eternal Flame, he vaporized the ice. Getting to his feet, he looked around. The sides of the canyon were destabilising. Increasing
ly larger pieces of ice and rock were breaking off. He knew they had to get out of there.

‘Jonas, Te’Anne,
you’ll need to move Xavier,’ he said. ‘Get him to the top, go as quickly as you can. Don’t stop for anything. I will shield you.’

Without hesitation
, the other two picked Xavier up. Holding his body between them they moved up the slope. Izikiel walked behind them, his eyes continuously scanning the sides of the canyon. He called upon the Eternal Flame’s power three more times before they neared the top. A trail of red blood stains marred the snow behind them. Izikiel knew that Xavier didn’t have long. He had to act now.

‘Put him down,
’ he said.

‘But we’re not clear yet,’ Jonas
said.

‘We can’t wait any longer. If I don’t help him now then he won’t make it.’

Jonas and Te’Anne lowered Xavier’s body to the ground. Kneeling next to him, Izikiel once again began to manipulate the Eternal Flame’s energies. It was difficult to concentrate with the ground shaking beneath him but he knew that his companion’s life depended on it. Reaching deep within himself, he formed the cloud of healing vapour. Then the tremors stopped.

‘It’s stopped,’ Jonas said, looking
around.

‘Is it over?’ Te’Anne asked.

‘It seems to have -’

The ground heaved beneath them, flinging them off balance. Izikiel had been re
ady to release the healing powers of the Eternal Flame. Instead, he felt himself crashing into something hard. Blinking, he realised that he had hit the side of the canyon wall. A sheet of white snow was falling towards him.

‘
Izikiel!’ Te’Anne cried out.

Izikiel barely heard
her as he stared at the snow and ice descending towards him. He raised his arm up but he was too slow. He felt the impact of the ice fragments against his body. They exploded with a blinding pain. His mind reeled and he blacked out.

Izikiel was making a snow man. It had snowed heavily in front of their house the night before. This provided the perfect opportunity to make a full sized snow man. Izikiel and his sister had spent all morning rolling three large snowballs together. Now they were adding the final touches; charcoal eyes, rock teeth and a carrot nose. Holding the carrot, Izikiel moved towards the snow man. Somehow
, it seemed further away now. He tried to move towards it again but it seemed to be even further. He began to run but the snow man was moving away from him. Within moments it was gone. In its place was a wall of white snow.

Izikiel blinked. It took him a moment to realise what had happened. Turning his head from side to side, he realised
that he was trapped under the snow. Moving his arms, he felt the bruises from several ice impacts. At least he wasn’t seriously injured. He attempted to push with his legs to get free. Nothing. He tried to fold his legs under his body to create some leverage. Again nothing.

A cold chill passed through him as he realised
that he couldn’t feel his legs. Craning his neck around, he looked down. A large piece of ice with fragments of rock had landed directly on his legs. Large pools of red blood glistened in the white light. He realised that both his legs had been crushed. He experienced an intense nausea as he fought to control the rising panic within him.

He
activated his com channel.

‘Te’Anne
, can you hear me?’

Nothing. He repeated his message. A faint crackle of static was followed by Te’Anne’s voice.

‘Izikiel...is that you?’

Izikiel silently thanked the Eternal Flame that she was still alive.

‘Te’Anne, are you alright?’

‘I’m...ok. I think Jonas is seriously hurt though and I don’t know what happened to Xavier.’

‘What do you mean? Where are you?’

‘I’m...under some snow...and ice. It’s getting hard...to...breathe.’

Izikiel felt something squeeze his heart as he listened to Te’Anne’s voice getting fainter. He knew their chances weren’t good. He struggled to think of some way to save them.

‘Hang on just a little bit longer, I’ll figure something out.’

‘Ok...I...’

Te’Anne’s voice trailed
off into static. Putting it out of his mind, Izikiel concentrated. It was difficult to do given his situation. He knew the snow could collapse at any moment crushing him completely. At least the tremors had stopped. He contemplated using the Eternal Flame’s power to force his way out but he realised that could bring everything down on top of them. He had no idea how deep he was buried or where the others were. He knew his only chance was to call for help.

Closing his eyes
, Izikiel re-established his link to the Eternal Flame. The burning touch breathed new life into him, allowing him to focus his thoughts. Breaking away from his body, he drifted upwards. Passing through several layers of snow and ice, he broke through the surface. Looking around, he realised that both sides of the canyon had collapsed. He cast a quick look around but was unable to find any sign of the others.
That doesn’t matter now
.
I need to get help
.

Floating higher, he was soon looking down on the hills and mountains. Turning his attention due south, he moved towards where he knew the star port to be. His ethereal form glided with incredible speed across the frozen landscape. Within moments
, he was hovering over the squat bulk of the
Valiant Crusader
.
Now comes the difficult part
, he thought.

Dropping down, he floated inside the central cabin. Speeding through the rooms he soon located the person he sought. She was seated in the control room, staring
at the view screen. Izikiel dropped down next to her.

(
‘I know what I sensed in you before was real. Please, we need your help. We’re trapped under the snow in the foothills of the mountains. Please help us,’) he pleaded.

The little girl’s eyes moved slightly. She blinked and looked around the cabin. For a moment Izikiel thought
that she had heard him. Then he realised that she was reacting to someone else entering the room. She looked straight through him. Izikiel’s heart sank as he realised that he had been wrong about her. He was about to leave, when a final desperate thought struck him.

Concentrating on the energy within him, he remoulded it. Using the techniques the Baron had taught him, he transformed the Eter
nal Flame’s burning touch into the gentle healing vapour. He repeated his plea. Again nothing happened as the little girl continued to stare straight through him. Izikiel decided that he’d have to force his way out of the snow. Turning to leave, his eyes caught sight of the other person in the cabin. He froze.

Cassandra sat at the controls of the ship. Her entire figure was silhouetted in flame. Izikiel moved towards her. Reaching out, he touched her arm.
His heart skipped a beat when she flinched.

(
‘Cassandra, can you hear me?’)

He saw her look around the cabin.

(‘This is Izikiel. I’m speaking to you from the foothills.’)

‘Izikiel?
What’s going on?’

(
‘There’s no time to explain. We’ve been critically injured and need your help. Bring the
Valiant Crusader
to the base of the mountains, near a frozen lake. You should be able to detect us from there. Hurry!’)
Cassandra nodded her head in acknowledgement. Turning around in her seat
, she called out. ‘Vorn, I’m taking off. We need to pick them up. They’re in a critical state. Prepare the medical bay.’

Cassandra activated the ship
’s controls. Disengaging the docking clamps, she fired up the engines, propelling the ship into the grey
Aurora
sky. Arcing high above the frozen surface, the mountains appeared in the view screen within seconds. Izikiel watched as she activated the life sign scanners.

‘Vorn, I’m picking up four signals, very faint. You ready?’

‘Good to go. Bring it down.’

Releasing his hold on the Eternal Flame, Izikiel found
himself staring up at the snow. His body was completely numb now. He had no idea if it was from the blood loss or the fact that his snow suit was punctured in several places. Either way, he knew that he had very little time left. Looking up at the snow, he tried to picture the ship hovering above them. Its engines roaring across the surface as it pinpointed their location.

Opening his eyes
, Izikiel realised that he had drifted off. The snow was still all around him but now he could hear something else. It was a dull roar, directly above him. Then the ice broke and he saw someone in a snow suit reaching down towards him. He barely managed to extend his arms before he blacked out again.

*****

Izikiel opened his eyes. He could see a dark metallic ceiling, with integrated pipe work and dense cabling running through it. A harsh white light was next to him. The rest of the room was filled with various types of medical equipment with large red crosses on them. Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes. It took him a few seconds to realise that he was inside the
Valiant Crusader
.

Then he remembered his legs.
Looking down, he saw that they were encased in some form of thin metallic lattice, with fluids pulsing through it. He tried moving his legs and to his joy, his feet responded. Swinging his legs over the side, he slowly lowered himself to the ground. His legs responded with only the faintest hesitation.

Walking into the next compartment
, he found Te’Anne lying on a white couch. Several medical pads were attached to her legs and torso. An electronic display next to her showed a regular pattern. Izikiel reached out and touched her face. It felt warm.

‘She’s going to be ok,’ Jonas said.

The former security officer stood in the doorway. His left arm and shoulder were heavily bandaged but he appeared otherwise unharmed.

‘
What about Xavier?’ Izikiel asked.

Jonas avoided meeting his gaze
as he said, ‘Follow me.’

They walked through
a doorway into another compartment. Inside, a white couch was set up with an array of medical equipment around it. Izikiel felt the weight of the last few days come crashing down on him as he saw Xavier. His torso was completely wrapped in medical pads and thick bandages. Blood was still seeping through them. His arms and legs were a deep purple colour, while his face was covered in dried blood. His eyes were closed. Vorn and Cassandra stood on the opposite side of the chamber, near a medical display. The little girl sat curled up next to Xavier. She held his large hand in her small ones.

‘How bad is it?’ Izikiel asked.

Vorn and Cassandra turned around. Izikiel saw Cassandra regard him with a look of expectation. Ignoring her, he repeated his question.

‘Not good. He’s lost a lot of blood and his injuries are critical. I don’t think we’ve got enough medical equipment to stabilise him,’ Vorn replied. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘Don’t be. This isn’t your fault. It’s mine.’

Moving forward
, Izikiel stood next to the couch. The little girl looked up at him. He could almost sense the anguish in her emotionless face. He looked at Xavier. This was the second time that the large scavenger had almost been killed trying to help him. It was time he repaid the debt.

Closing his eyes, Izikiel called upon the Eternal Flame. He felt the power ignite within him. It filled his body, coursing with raw intensity. He could almost hear the Baron’s words as he remoulded
the energy. The now familiar healing cloud formed at the centre of his being. Holding his arms out towards Xavier, he released it with a single word.

‘
Curatio
’

The energy channelled out of him in one tremendous wave. He felt it
pulling his very being with it as his hands glowed with a powerful white ambience. His breathing stopped momentarily as his chest was pulled forward. Still, he held on. He knew it was going to take an incredible amount of energy to heal Xavier’s wounds. He would not fail him again.

‘Izikiel
, are you alright?’ Vorn asked.

He ignored him. He ignored everything around him as he concentrated on channelling the energy into Xavier.
Finally, his strength gave out and he let go.

‘Xavier?’ Jonas asked.

The big scavenger stirred. He slowly opened his eyes. Then he blinked several times.

‘Where am I?’
Xavier asked.

‘Well I’ll be...’ Vorn began.

Xavier slowly removed the bandages and medical pads from his chest. Underneath, his bare skin was covered in dry blood. There was no sign of his injuries. The bruises on his face and legs had also disappeared. He sat up.

‘Thank you. I felt you reaching out to me, offering me your strength,’ Xavier said.

Izikiel nodded. Xavier leaned down and picked up the little girl. A small smile spread across her face as she put her arms around his neck. That surprised Izikiel. It also brought a smile to his face.

‘How did you do that?’ Vorn asked.

Ignoring him, Izikiel stood up. The smile vanished from his face as he walked over to Cassandra. Her blue eyes sparkled as she stared directly at him.

‘What would you
do, disciple?’ Cassandra asked.

‘I know what you are and I know now what must be done,’ Izikiel replied. ‘But I need your help.’

‘How can I help you?’

‘The disciples once forged an alliance between the human race and the Elementals. I call upon that ancient alliance, now in the time of humanity's greatest
need. Will you answer the call?’

Cassandra closed her eyes for a moment. Izikiel looked at her, attempting to
uncover some hint of what she was thinking. It appeared as if she were no longer in the chamber with them. Her eyes finally opened. Instead of the deep blue colour, they now burned with a powerful inner fire.

‘
We have heard your request and discussed it. The Elementals acknowledge our alliance to the human race.’

Izikiel bowed his head slightly. Turning to Vorn, he said, ‘Chart a course for
Tellus
. There is one more thing that we need before we can face the Void Lords.’

‘What...what’s going on here? What are you?’ Vorn demanded as he backed away from Cassandra.

‘I’m sorry to tell you this but Cassandra has deceived you. She is not human. She is an Elemental,’ Izikiel said.

Cassandra looked at Vorn for a moment with a look of sadness. She tried to reach out towards him but he pulled away. Casting one last look at them he wa
lked out of the medical bay. The moment he disappeared, Cassandra turned to Izikiel.

‘That was unnecessary,’ she said.

‘I’m sorry, but I don’t have time for games anymore,’ Izikiel said. ‘Besides, you’re the one who’s been deceiving him.’