Duality : Book 1 of Codex Elysium

Chapter 11 (edited)

Chapter 11

Jason climbed painfully to his feet then helped Eva up. He stared at the view in front of them.

"Well that shouldn't be there!"

Eva looked between Jason and the view ahead.

"What do you mean? That has always been there. Is this what you meant by a cathedral?"

"Well no... I... uh, this is where it's meant to be."

Jason took in the view before him. Where a carpark was meant to be there was only a stretch of barren wasteland. A few limp brown weeds poked out between the stones and dirt. The grassland was still there but instead of being flat it rose in a great hill. As Jason looked at the view up the slope he gasped in surprise. The hill was crowned by a great ring of standing stones.  Tiberius walked over and looked at Jason's slack jawed expression.

"Well come on, this is no time to sightsee! This isn't hallowed ground and it certainly won't protect us! I don't know what you expected to find here but I'm guessing this isn't it?"

"Well no... this is so much better!"

Eva leant heavily on Jason for support as they began heading towards the hill. Tiberius arches an eyebrow then follows. Risking a quick look back, Jason's heart sinks, Janus and the Passus have closed the distance quickly. They were never going to make it. Feet stumbling and slipping they begin climbing the slope. Halfway up, Eva loses her footing and crashes to the ground, dragging Jason down. Tiberius is a little way ahead and pays them no attention. He stands with the cat in his arms staring up at the summit.

"Well this day just keeps getting more interesting, doesn't it?" he muttered.

"Why is that? Oh!" Jason was back on his feet and following Tiberius's gaze. Upon the summit stood another druid with sword drawn. Next to her stood a smaller girl with blonde hair flying in the wind., She had her hands raised in readiness.

"It can't be?" Jason exclaims, dropping Eva as he began scrambling up the hill as fast as he could.

"Jason?" asks the woman as she sheaths her sword. 

Once Jason reached the summit he hugs Cassie and they begin chatting excitedly. Tiberius is the next to reach the summit.  Standing, bent forward with his hands on his knees and breathing heavily, he snaps at Jason,

"don't mind me... An old man can make his own way up... and, have you forgotten all about poor Eva?"

Jason ignored the gibe and continued chatting with Cassie. Eva finally reaches the hill top and looks on the scene with fury and jealousy mounting inside, she clutches her bleeding side and limps towards them.  Tiberius shouted,

"I hate to break up this little reunion but what are we doing up here? These stones have no power, This is nothing more than a grave site!" 

Tiberius points down the hill. "What are we going to do about that?"

Janus has reached the bottom of the hill. He stands there looking up at the druids with a burning hatred. Behind him, the Passus are beginning to form-up in ranks.

"Oh no! how many of them are there?" groans Cassie.

"Too many!" Tiberius snapped back.

Jason settled himself down on the grass and pulled the little black book from his robe.

"What the hell are you doing?" yelled Cassie. "This is no time to read!"

Jason ignored her and kept rapidly flicking through the pages. Tiberius decided he would sit down as well.