Conjuring Cupcakes, page 11
I tried to open my eyes, starting to feel uncomfortable with the sensations I was feeling, but my eyelids felt heavy and hard to pull apart, like they'd been glued shut. I tried to speak, but like my eyelids, my lips stayed closed.
Calm down.
Who said that? Just then I noticed how quiet everything was around me. I hadn't taken much notice of the sounds in the room before then, but it was obvious now. There was no shifting of feet against the floor, and I could no longer hear that one person who was breathing loudly.
Something was up, and I didn't like it. The tension in the air was so thick I felt like I could reach out and touch it, that is, if I could even move my arms. I tried and found, to no surprise, that I couldn't. I couldn't even twitch a finger, and the Stone in my palms seemed to get heavier and heavier.
Charlotte Miller, is it?
The voice came again. It sounded masculine, deep and amused.
Who are you? I thought, realizing that I wasn't actually hearing the voice in my ears. It was just in my thoughts. That was scarier than hearing a voice I couldn't see.
I'm not scary. Don't worry. The voice came again, but I would be a fool to feel reassured. There was an undertone of malice that curled around the words the voice said. I had a feeling this voice didn't have the best intentions for me.
Can you read my mind? I thought again. If whoever this was could, well, that proved to be even scarier.
Only the surface thoughts, the voice said, slick as oil. It's been a long time since I've communicated with another human being, the voice said again. Pardon me if I make any errors.
It's fine, I replied hurriedly. I got the sense that the voice was starting to get impatient, so it was best if we both went to the reason I was even here in the first place.
Are you the leader of the Order of the Sun? I asked, thinking better of calling him the Dark Lord to his face. I didn't want him to get offended, especially since there was no way I could currently see to get myself out of this predicament.
I am, came the reply. He sounded pleased about it. And you are here to ensure my return to the world, yes?
I agreed. Well, yes, but I don't know how, I admitted, feeling small and stupid. I only recently learned I had magic. I felt like I should apologize, but that would be going too far. I didn't owe him anything, and I wasn't freeing him of my own will.
That is not an issue, the voice said again. I was starting to feel uncomfortable with having this voice in my head. It felt like a poisonous snake was slowly slithering up my back and around my shoulders, and I was tense all the while, wondering when it was going to strike.
I can guide you, he continued. All you have to do is say my name.
I raised a mental eyebrow. Was it really that easy?
My doubt must have reached him, because he responded, trying to remove my doubt. It will be easy for you, he said, because you have power. A lot of it, in fact. I'm almost jealous.
Somehow I didn't feel flattered. It was an interesting piece of information though. How can you tell?
I got the feeling that he was shrugging, and immediately after he replied, I could feel it. The more one is acquainted with magic, the more they'll be able to feel these things. I might have been asleep for a long time but my senses are still as sharp as ever.
Alright. So how do I do this?
Why so hurried? We still have some time. Let's discuss.
I was confused at his response. I'd felt his impatience not too long ago, and now he wanted to discuss? The crazy thing was, I didn't think he was lying about wanting to talk. He'd been impatient before, but now he wasn't. What made him change his mind?
Don't you want to be alive again?
There was a dark chuckle. I've been asleep for so long, what is a few more minutes in the grand scheme of things? Don't worry your pretty little head over me. We'll get to that in time.
I rankled at the phrase but held back my irritation. What do you want to talk about? I asked instead, truly curious.
You.
Me?
You, yes. You're very powerful, my dear. Imagine how much more powerful you'll be with the proper training and resources.
You're offering to teach me? I could hardly believe what I was hearing. Crazy things happened to me regularly, but this was the most surprised I'd ever been.
Is it so surprising? You have talent. It would be a waste not to nurture it. Become my apprentice, the voice offered. We could do marvelous things together.
I was quiet for a while, thinking it over. If this voice was telling the truth (and he sounded sincere, although that could be a lie as well), then I had the potential to become very powerful. I wouldn't need to wait for someone to rescue me all the time. I wouldn't have to rely on Pearl to get myself out of trouble. I could do everything myself, and finally be independent and not so helpless anymore. The thought of it was enticing.
On the other hand, I was speaking to a dark lord. He'd tried to enslave the world and had gotten punished for it. What were the chances that he wouldn't try the same thing on me too, knowing even more than I did? If he wanted to lead me astray I wouldn't know.
We can rule the world together, the voice said again, probably getting tired of allowing me to contemplate my options. I can feel that you're not one to sit back and let things just happen to you. You would be much happier being in control of your life, wouldn't you?
I would, I replied, and it was the truth.
Excellent. Join me, and you'll be doing exactly that. The world will react to you, and not the other way round. You can even have power over life and death.
My mental ears perked up at that. Really? I said doubtfully. Rachel had said Diana would be resurrected if I did what she wanted, but I was starting to think she'd been lying about it.
The voice scoffed. Rachel? She's devoted to me, which is a point in her favor, but she lacks the power to do even that. Unlike you.
Can I bring Diana back?
No, not now. Before I could deflate in disappointment, the voice added, But I can. You would be able to do it eventually, provided you had the training and knowledge, but right now, only I can do it.
I wasn't going to lie to myself and say the offer didn't faze me. It was enticing, the thought of being so powerful that I could change the world. Then I thought about Diana and Detective Grey. I'd disappointed Detective Grey once already. I wasn't going to do it a second time. There was nothing at stake here and all I had to do was say no.
I did just that, framing it as subtly as I could instead of outrightly rejecting the voice’s offer.
How do I wake you?
You don't want to work with me? There was a faint note of surprise in the voice like he had never considered that I would reject his offer.
I don't, I confirmed. I just want my friend back.
You will regret this, he warned. I shrugged inwardly. I might, but at that moment I didn't, and that was enough for me.
How do I wake you? I asked again.
His voice was angrier now, but it wasn't raised, just colder. Very well. All you have to do is say my name.
I couldn't hide my surprise. That's all?
That is all, the voice confirmed. Without being prompted, he explained. You already hold the Stone housing my soul in your hands. You also have sufficient power to return my soul to my body, though you are untrained. All I have to do is use your power and work the spell that will return me to my body. That is all.
And I won't get hurt? I asked, not caring whether the question made him angrier. We'd already broken the bridge between us. I doubted he would be nicer to me after I'd rejected him.
You are only acting as a conduit for my spell. It cannot hurt you.
And you promise you'll bring Diana back to life?
There was a deep sigh. I promise.
Well, I couldn't do anything but go along with it and hope he would keep his promise. What's your name?
The word echoed in my head, and I felt free to move again. I spoke the word.
"Zalazar."
Then a wave of energy rushed through me, and I fell to the ground, still clutching the Stone.
18
Awakening
I opened my eyes after what felt like an eternity, only to find myself in the same position I'd been in when I closed my eyes. I was still on the floor, the Dark Stone in my hand. Around me the cultists seemed agitated and restless, Rachel even coming up to me to hover over me.
"Well?" she demanded, just as there was a loud crack. All eyes in the room went down to the now cracked Stone in my hands, watching as another line tore through the Stone with another sharp crack.
"What's happening? What did you do?" Rachel hissed, grabbing my shoulders and digging into them with her sharp fingernails. I winced and tried to shake her off.
"Let go! It's working, that's all," I yelled. She clearly didn't believe me, as she didn't ease up but dug her nails in harder.
I lifted one hand to pry her fingers off my shoulder, shifting the halves of the Dark Stone into my other hand. Just as I grabbed her hand on my left shoulder a burst of energy erupted from the Stone in my hand, so hot that I had to drop the pieces of the Stone or get burned. Even with that, my palms had turned red, and I suspected I might have to put some ointment on my palm when I got home. If I ever made it back home.
The energy swept through the room in a large wave that made the walls shake, and an invisible wind blew in the room. Some of the cultists' hoods were blown off, and I caught a glimpse of one face before they quickly hid their faces again. I didn't recognize the person, though I committed their features to memory, in case I ever encountered them again.
The energy, if I could call it that, grew thicker and more powerful until we were all holding onto the walls or each other not to get blown away. Everyone's hoods were off now, but nobody cared in the face of probable destruction. The energy had turned into a swirling mass of darkness hovering over the plinth in the center of the room, and as we watched it descended on the plinth slowly.
The closer it got to the plinth, the more pressure we felt. We shifted back, Rachel doing me the favor of dragging me with her to the walls, until everyone was pressed against the walls alongside us. It must have been a funny sight, Detective Grey and me being the only normally dressed people in a room full of people dressed in black robes, each of us pressed against the wall like we wanted to sink into it and holding hands with the people on either side of us.
We held our breaths as it got harder to breathe due to the pressure, and finally, with surprising speed, the energy fell through the plinth and into the outlined rectangle under the plinth, turning the plinth into concrete dust as it passed through it.
All was quiet for a moment. We started to breathe easily again, and I quickly let go of Rachel and the other cultist's hands. Rachel took a step forward, but just then the two halves of the Dark Stone on the floor, having survived the prior ordeal somehow, broke into smaller pieces again with a series of cracks.
Fortunately for her, Rachel took a step back to the wall, probably sensing something was about to happen. As soon as the sleeve of her robe brushed against my arm and her back was against the wall once more there was another crack.
It came from the rectangle this time, and a thin line had formed from the top of the rectangle to its bottom. The line gained several branches with another crack, and another, and another, until the entire rectangle looked like a spider web had been etched on it.
There was a brief moment of silence. I held my breath, knowing this was the calm before the storm. I was proven right when the rectangle burst outward, showering the room and its occupants in a spray of dust and concrete pieces. We covered our faces and our eyes with our hands, cringing backwards as the explosion continued until it finally stopped.
When the dust cleared, the concrete rectangle was completely gone. In its place was a rectangular space that was dark, and I couldn't tell how much space was in it. Rachel stepped away from the wall, shifting closer to the space gingerly.
"Is that...?" one of the cultists began to ask, his lowered voice loud in the quiet room before Rachel held up a finger to her lips. He stopped talking almost immediately. When she finally got within two feet of the space, she leaned over and peered in. Then she straightened up, looking around at the eager, curious faces around her and shaking her head.
Their shoulders fell in disappointment, but before she could say anything a pale hand shot out of the space and latched onto the ground around the space. Rachel shrieked and backed up until she was almost at the wall.
No one moved, and we watched as another hand, on the left side of the space this time, shot out of the darkness and grabbed the ground. The hands tensed, and there was a deep grunt before slowly, a head emerged.
My heart began to beat faster. I know that voice. I'd been speaking to the owner of the voice some minutes ago.
"Zalazar," I muttered under my breath. I was hoping the spell hadn't worked, but evidently it had. Rachel swiveled to face me, her eyes wide and crazed.
"You said his name. Is that him?" she demanded, leaning forward and into my face until I had to lean back to create some distance between us.
"I-I think so. It's his voice, anyway," I said.
Rachel's lips curled up into a wide grin, and she turned back to her fellow cultists.
"Our Lord has been awoken!" she cried, and they cheered. I'd never seen people so happy, except at a football match when their team won. These people were even happier… that their evil overlord was let loose on the world again?
They calmed down and turned back to the rectangle, which I'd realized was Zalazar's grave, waiting for something to happen. The head we'd seen shot upwards, the body following after, until we were all gazing up at a pale man hovering above the rectangle.
"He's a ghost?" I muttered to myself, wondering why there'd been so much talk about “reviving the Dark Lord” if he was just going to come back as a ghost. The cultists didn't seem to care though, as they erupted in what I could only describe as fanatical screams of joy at finally laying eyes on their beloved ancient cult leader. I could have sworn one of them even fainted, although I couldn't really say since the cultists kept moving forward to be closer to Zalazar, their large dark robes hiding anything behind them.
I looked over at Detective Grey. He was still being held down by two cultists, who I now knew were men, though I'd suspected it from their large builds. Their holds on his arms seemed loose, and they stared up at Zalazar in open-mouthed adoration. I wondered if we would be able to run away with all the cultists so distracted.
He met my gaze and shook his head sadly at me. I opened my mouth to say something and closed it without speaking. Even if I spoke, I doubted he would have heard me, and besides, what was I going to say—Sorry for bringing back an evil Dark Lord to the world in exchange for my best friend's life, I didn't think it was actually going to work?..
I tore my eyes away from his knowing gaze guiltily and looked back to Zalazar. Rachel had left her place near me and was now kneeling directly in front of Zalazar, looking up at him with teary eyes and a religious devotion that scared me. They'd been so dedicated to this person they didn't even know was real. Is the Order so good at their job of indoctrination? These people seemed like they would even throw themselves off mountaintops if Zalazar told them to.
Zalazar ignored the young woman kneeling in front of him, looking around the room instead. His eyes stopped on Detective Grey for a moment, a moment too long in my opinion, before they finally moved to the rest of the room. He took in the cultists who had all fallen to their knees, even the ones holding Detective Grey who had forced him to kneel too.
Then his gaze stopped on me, and my heart leapt into my throat. I was the only one standing, and one of the other two people not dressed in dark robes, meaning that I stuck out like a sore thumb. I was waiting with bated breath to see what he would say, but he simply huffed and returned his gaze to Rachel.
I slumped slightly, not sure if I should be thankful that his attention was no longer on me. He recognized me, that was for sure, but what did he intend to do to me?
There was nothing I could do but wait and see.
He threw his arms out on either side of him.
"My loyal ones," he boomed in a voice that shook the walls and hurt my ears. "I have returned!"
There was another round of cheers and screams, cut off abruptly when he raised his hand. Again I wondered at the power that he had over all of them.
"You have been faithful all this while, and you will be richly rewarded. I thank you for your service."
They nodded fervently, looking like they were ready to carry out any order he gave them. I shuddered.
19
Alive Again
"Rachel, is it?" He looked down at her. She nodded, smiling from ear to ear. He beckoned her forward.
"You may stand. Come forward, so I may look at my loyal servant."
She did as he asked, stumbling to her feet and walking forward a few steps until she was almost at the edge of the grave.
"I have heard about your service to me," he said, glancing at me for a slight second, answering the question of how exactly he'd heard about her. I wondered with a shudder just how much he'd been able to glean from my mind. "I will give you anything you ask for. Just say the word."
Rachel's eyes gleamed with greed, and she nodded furiously.
"First, hand me the parts of that stone that were used to trap me," he ordered, gesturing at the pieces of the Dark Stone. Rachel quickly hurried to the spot where I'd dropped the Stone, picking up the pieces with such haste I wondered if she was afraid he was going to strike her down if she didn't hurry up. It would be on brand for him though, from the story Elena had told us of him.
Luckily for her, the pieces weren't too small, the stone having broken up into large chunks. She cradled the pieces in her palms and hurried back to where Zalazar floated, holding up her palms to him when she returned to her spot.
