The Night Rider

Chapter 63

Chea and Rafiki nod in agreement, while Nuri continues to stare in amazement at her daughter. 'Novak told us to stand around the lake at 12 o'clock, 4 o'clock and 8 o'clock. Rafiki in the middle'. Chea tells me what I already knew, I went over this with Novak yesterday in all the details.

'No, Cell I am not going to do this'. Novak grabs his hands in his hair. The big book, which I have been carrying with me for ages, lies on the table in front of him. The little book written by Chanel lies by the side of the big book. It is midnight, only my lamp gives some light in my dark office. Novak has taken a seat in my chair while I am bent over at the desk.

'You are going to do this, this is the only way it can be done'. My words are powerful and thoughtful. Novak looks at me from under his eyelashes. He suddenly hits the wood with his hand. 'Do you realise what you are asking me? You are asking me to kill you. Have you gone mad?'. He sounds angry but I know this is despair rather than anger. His red eyes look confused and frightened.

'Yes I know, we talked about this before,' I try as a small defence. 'You didn't tell me that I was the one who had to perform that spell, nor that you're slowly going down with it'. I stand up straight from the desk and start walking back and forth. Maybe it wasn't a good move to let Novak do this, maybe I should have asked Elien. Although I wonder if my little brother wouldn't refuse.

'It's really the only way. No one is strong enough to carry her body. I'm the only one with the same magic which means that her body will remain intact as best as possible'. Novak sighs audibly, mainly out of frustration. He runs his eyes over the letters in the book again. 'Can't someone else carry that lifeline? How about Elien?'. I immediately shake my head. In theory, Elien could carry her lifeline but I'm not going to ask him. This feels and is my burden to carry.

'No, we are going to do it like this and not differently'. I am decided and leave nothing open for discussion. I see sadness and fear in his eyes. Novak knew I was dying from this but not that I would also be affected by Yin. He did not know that it is a heavier burden than just dying on her return. 'You're crazy,' he mutters defeatedly.

I feel Novak's eyes piercing my back and I cannot resist turning around. From hundreds of metres away I look into his eyes and feel his conflict. I send him a reassuring look, hoping he receives it. As soon as I turn around, I see Rafiki staring at the water, confused. 'It contains so much magic that you can stand on it,' Chea explains.

Slowly Rafiki takes a step on the water and indeed her foot floats on the water. She makes her way to the middle of the lake. Chea, Nuri and I take our places. I kick off my heels and feel the marshy ground beneath my feet. I place my feet firmly in the ground and feel the powerful magic running through my veins. I feel the convergence of the lines and the dead spirits that wandered here.

'Everyone ready?', Novak's voice echoes through the mountains. On the other side of the water I can see the shadows of Nuri and Chea in the distance, that's how far apart we are. Yes', I shout through the mountains. The echoing of our voices means we can just about hear each other. I close my eyes and focus on the spells in my head, hundreds of times I have repeated them these nights.

'Vonvera monicro, celdilia voncan. Sarmani marinco solima moric'. Far in the distance I hear these words coming from the mouths of Novak and Noa. They repeat it over and over again, like a tape that keeps rewinding. The water in front of me slowly starts to move. Out of nowhere, waves start to appear, the water starts to turn. From me, Nuri and Chea, a wave begins to race towards Rafiki.

From the edges, the waves towards Rafiki get higher and wilder. The water slides towards the middle of the lake at breakneck speed.
Just before they hit Rafiki, they stop. Like a tornado, the water begins to spin around her. The three strands of water spin around the girl at a bizarre pace, only the part from her shoulders is still visible. The water seems to lift her up, making her float in the air. The water continues to race around her, her hair flying in the air.

'Et iungere iungo. Chea ad lucem, ut aere Celeste et sanguis pro Nuri'. As soon as Novak utters these words, the water changes its course. The three waves that had formed before separate from each other, come back in our direction. Instinct makes me want to step back, in front of the water that is coming my way at an enormous speed, but I don't do it.

The water is still a few metres away from me. The wave that once seemed big has turned into a small jet of water, but remains a jet with great power. Before I realise it, the water shoots straight through my ribs, into my lifelines. A tearing pain rushes through my body as the water rushes through my life lines. I want to scream but I don't have the time. As quickly as the water was there, it disappears again through my palms.

I sink to the floor and breathlessly watch the water rush back to Rafiki. The three waves have touched and penetrated all three of us, holding our magic. The water makes its way to Rafiki before the three rays also take over her body, each one in a different place. One disappears through her right hand, one in her left hand and the last in the place of the heart.

The rays change as they take over Rafiki, turning what was once water into a ray of pure white light. The white light soon takes over the colours of the original earth lines, red, yellow and white. My life lines light up and seem to connect with the light coming from Rafiki's hands and heart. I am so amazed by what is happening before my eyes that I can only stare.

My staring is interrupted by an intense pain that spreads through my body. It is such an intense pain that it feels like someone is tearing me apart inside. I push my nails into the ground. The world begins to spin around me, forming black spots before my eyes, until my body can no longer absorb the pain. I lose consciousness and the world goes black.