The Magi

The events that took place during the next ten minutes were unlike anything ever heard of by the Magi children who now stood facing three deadly Maliphists at the edge of the forest. One of the Maliphists, a light-skinned man with curly blonde hair, rubbed the back of his neck where Paul had hit him. The other two looked toward Elijah smugly. For a moment, nothing was said or done. The six children and the Maliphists stared at each other, waiting for someone to make a move. As Elijah looked at each of them, he noticed all three of them also had yellow eyes. The other two Maliphists’ eyes were not as vibrant as the third, but Elijah didn’t care about the other two. They hadn’t murdered his parents.

The light of the day made it much easier for Elijah to see other features of the Maliphists. The rider who killed his parents had long, dark hair. His cheekbones were extremely high so when he smiled, his grin was evil-looking. His eyes were sunken in, and his chin was pointy. The other two had light hair. One had a goatee just on his chin, while the other, the one Paul had hit with a club, had a smooth face and short, curly hair. He would have been good-looking had his eyes not been cold and unforgiving.

Finally, after a moment had passed, the Maliphist who killed Elijah’s parents dismounted his horse and walked into the middle of their standoff. He shot Becca a look of recognition before fixing his gaze on Elijah. He smiled devilishly at him.

“Do you miss your parents?” he asked Elijah with mock sympathy. His words felt like a white-hot blade had been thrust into the middle of Elijah’s chest. Hate consumed him, and it took everything in him not to jump off his horse and run after the Maliphist, but reason took over because he knew if he attacked, that would surely be the last thing he would do. His blood continued to boil, however, and suddenly, right above them all, a crack of lightning streaked across the sky. Elijah saw all three Maliphists look up.

“Careful there, Roland, he doesn’t know how to use it, but he’s got the gift,” said the one with the goatee to the dark-haired Maliphist. Ignoring the warning, Roland laughed and raised up his arms, flinging them toward Elijah. Sensing imminent danger, Elijah instinctively held out his shield in front of him and Isaac, and they were struck with something extremely powerful and hot. They both fell off their horse and onto their backs, sinking through the melting snow to the dirt of the earth below. Isaac got the worst of it as he was knocked unconscious from the force of Roland’s attack hitting the shield, but the shield, protecting him from the bolt, took the initial blow and saved his life. It was even strong enough to knock Elijah off the horse. Elijah looked over at his shield lying on the ground apart from him. The mark the bolt left was unmistakably the same small burn mark he saw on the side of his parents’ house.

Everyone else got off their horses and prepared for battle. Elijah knew it would be short. None of his friends could hope to match the power of the Maliphists. Nevertheless, they prepared to die fighting. This was, after all, the oath they all swore to uphold in front of the Magi council. They lived to protect the good. They would now die fighting evil.

“I’ll make this simple,” said Roland, his dark hair gently blowing in the wind. “I’m only here for you,” he said to Elijah. “The rest of you made a valiant attempt at rescuing your own, but it’s over now. If we have to, we’ll kill you all. So get out of our way!” Paul was the first to run to Elijah’s aid. He stood in front of Elijah with his crossbow in hand, pointed at the Maliphists. Roland laughed and shot out another bolt, hitting the crossbow and sending it flying through the air. As it ripped out, the force and speed of it tore at Paul’s hand, causing a stream of blood to spew onto the white snow. Still, Paul didn’t move a muscle. Becca, Hannah, and Adam soon followed, leaving Isaac for the moment, and all of them together made a wall between Elijah and the Maliphists.

This was it. The Maliphists looked at each other, resigned to destroy the four children protecting their friend. Elijah tried to fight his way through his friends, begging them to let the Maliphists take him, but they stood their ground, ignoring his pleas. The Maliphists raised their hands. Paul Hetfield, Hannah Maybury, Becca Uribe, and Adam Flemming prepared for death, but if they had to die, they all were satisfied to die this way.

Curiously, at that moment, all the horses began to panic and rear up for no apparent reason. The Maliphists postponed their attack.

“What are you doing?” the smooth-faced Maliphist asked. Elijah and his friends looked at each other in confusion, but seconds later, they heard what the Maliphists were talking about. It started out as a low rumbling sound, like thunder from very far away. But it kept growing. The sound grew louder and louder, intensifying with every second. Everyone, even the Maliphists, looked scared. Before long the ground began to shake. At first, it moved with a light rolling, like an earthquake, but the shaking continued to magnify.

Suddenly, the earth directly under them jolted so violently, it was hard to remain standing. Elijah had witnessed a few earthquakes when he lived with his parents, but this was a hundred times worse. He felt like he was trying to stand on top of a volcano just before the top blew off the mountain. Paul ran over to Isaac, who was still on the ground, and stood by him, ready to protect his unconscious friend if the shaking got worse. The Maliphists backed up, trying to locate their horses, but the animals had long since run away.

As if the crushing earth was not enough, the snow began to shake away, and the ground between the Maliphists and the Magi children tore open. It soon began to cave in, rapidly eroding away toward the Maliphists. The earth consumed everything in its path, and the hole was getting bigger. The Maliphists, now wide-eyed with terror were stuck as they had been surrounded by the growing pit. The crashing earth began to consume itself, and the Maliphists went with it, swallowed up limb by limb down the hungry crater. The Maliphists struggled for their lives as the piles and piles and masses and masses of dirt were being thrown onto them the farther they sank, their hands desperately reaching for help. At last, they were gone. Silenced by the earth. Through it all, Elijah couldn’t help feeling a sense of pity as he watched the helplessness and vulnerability of the Maliphists hanging on for life, but ultimately failing.

No one knew what to say. They had just escaped almost certain death, but none of them could explain how. They looked at each other at a loss for words in front of the giant hole gaping in front of them. Concerned that the disaster wasn’t over, they stayed where they were, prepared to run if they needed to. Elijah was the first to move. He walked cautiously over to the place where he last saw the three Maliphists and slowly peered over the edge of the abyss. The fall alone would have killed them, but being crushed by the massive weight of the tons and tons of dirt made their deaths certain.

Elijah was suddenly overcome with emotion. The astonishing events of the last ten minutes brought a feeling of finality to the death of his parents. The man who killed them was now silenced. Elijah collapsed at the foot of the crater, violently sobbing in anger. Feelings and memories from his past rushed to meet him as he thought about what that horrible man took from him.

Elijah’s friends immediately rushed to his comfort, sensing what just happened meant more to Elijah than an amazing miracle. Elijah felt the embrace of his friends and the healing hands of comfort placed on his back and shoulders. The earth, just moments ago violent and unsteady, also seemed to try to comfort Elijah because not a sound could be heard for miles. It stood still for a rare moment, letting him release his emotions into the crisp winter air. Then, like a signal it was time to be done, a gentle wind picked up and blew its way through the open clearing where the six young men and women courageously stood. Elijah wiped his eyes and sat down on the cold, wet snow, still staring into the hole.

“Are you okay?” Hannah asked gently as she knelt down beside Elijah.

“He killed my parents,” Elijah said choking down his tears. He finally decided to share his story. He had not told them about his parents’ murder before, and this felt like the right time to do it. Something flashed in Becca’s eyes when he talked about his parents, and it was clear she wanted to say something, but refrained, waiting for a more appropriate time.

“Who?” asked Hannah. “Who killed your parents?”

“The Maliphist with the long, black hair.” Elijah took a deep breath to compose himself as the others politely waited for Elijah to continue when he was ready. “Last August, that man broke into my parents’ house. I didn’t know who he was, but I was able to escape. The rest of my family didn’t know he was in the house. I tried to warn them, but it was too late. He killed them the same way he was about to kill us. They never stood a chance. I’ve never been able to get those eyes out of my head. Maybe now that he’s dead, I will be.” Again, Becca looked like she needed to say something.

“What?” Elijah asked, noticing Becca’s look.

“I’m sorry,” said Becca. “I want to ask questions, but if you don’t want to talk about it, I understand.”

“I’m okay,” Elijah said, wiping off his face. “What is it?”

“Do you know what he wanted? I mean, why he would have attacked your family?” she asked.

“No. Why?” Becca glanced at the others before she spoke.

“Because I happen to know he works for Luther Cain.”

“Who’s Luther Cain?” Elijah questioned.

“You don’t know who Luther Cain is?” Paul asked, shocked at Elijah’s ignorance. “He’s the leader of the Maliphists.”

“Well, not exactly,” Becca corrected.

“Alright, alright. You explain your version to him while I try and round up the horses,” Paul told Becca. He and Adam gently laid Isaac, beginning to come around, on the ground and then worked to find the horses.

“We—I mean—the Maliphists are sort of divided,” Becca began to explain. “There’s one side that believes in finding the good in the world and element control and all that, but they think the world should be ruled by Maliphists who believe the way they do.”

“You mean they want to take over the world?” Elijah asked.

“Sort of,” said Becca. “But even a few of them, and I mean a very small few, believe they should take over the world peacefully—they believe their knowledge and power will eventually lead them to the top of the world if they use it right.”

“So what’s the difference between them and the Magi?” Elijah asked.

“Not much,” said Becca. “But there aren’t many Maliphist pacifists left, and their numbers are quickly dying out. Most Maliphists now believe it’s their duty and right to rule the world by any means possible.”

“What about the other way of thinking?” Elijah asked, pushing the snow around with his feet. “Didn’t you say the Maliphists are divided?”

“We call the other group the fundamentals,” Becca answered. “Not only do they believe they should rule the world, they believe no one but Magi should live. They believe in destroying common people.” Elijah vaguely remembered hearing Arthur talk about the difference in Maliphist teachings, but coming from Becca, who was once a Maliphist, was an interesting point of view.

“So, what does this have to do with—that guy, Lu—?”

“Luther Cain,” Becca said. “Cain is kind of the leader of the fundamental thought. He’s psychotic—crazy! And, worst of all, he’s powerful. Very powerful. The rest of Malpetra doesn’t really do anything anymore to stop him, even if they don’t like what he’s doing. He is quickly gaining support and growing more powerful by the day. He’s one of the reasons my family left Malpetra. They wanted to get away before he took total control of the city. Right now, he is still kept in relative check, but he is quickly beginning to win over the city to do his bidding.”

“And what’s his bidding?” Elijah asked.

“Total annihilation. He wants to build an army to destroy everyone who doesn’t have our power.”

“Like Maliphist, the man,” Elijah stated.

“Exactly,” Becca said. “We fear history will repeat itself if Cain controls the city.”

“So what does this have to do with—him?” Elijah made a gesture toward the hole in the ground, referring to the Maliphist who murdered his parents.

“It means if he killed your parents, then it was on Cain’s orders. Cain wanted to murder your parents,” Becca said.

“Why?” Elijah asked.

Becca shrugged. “I don’t know. My guess is your parents had something to do with his plan. Either they stood in his way somehow, or he needed something from them.” Elijah racked his brain to figure out what they could have to do with Luther Cain’s plan. No one in Savenridge even knew of his parents, so they must not have been that important in the Magi community. So what could they have had to make the Maliphists want to kill them? None of it made any sense, but one thing was certain. If Luther Cain gave instructions to kill his parents, then the mystery went even deeper.

Becca and Hannah looked up as Paul came back riding a horse and pulling another behind him. He struggled to control the animals, so they all three got up to help him. After looking for a half an hour, they were able to get all of the six horses back—including the Maliphist horses.

The daylight was waning, so a decision had to be made. It was a long ride back to Savenridge, so most of it would be in the dark. With Isaac needing to be cared for, it made sense to find a place to rest close by. They rode their horses back to the massive cave of ice, deciding to rest there for a few hours and then leave, in case other Maliphists showed up. Inside the room where Elijah found Hannah, they discovered the Maliphists’ silver and black robes and some blankets, which were all abandoned when they went after Elijah and Hannah.

The fire was almost out, so Adam worked on building it the best he could. He poked at it, gathered as much wood and brush as possible (hoping it would burn), and put their blankets close to the fire to warm them up. Hannah volunteered herself to care for Isaac. She made sure he was warm and comfortable-looking. He had woken up during the ride over to the cave long enough to joke with Paul about helping him walk. Elijah and Becca stood guard outside and talked about their plan for the night and the morning.

“You need to sleep, Elijah,” Becca said as Elijah started to drift off. “I’ll keep watch for a few hours while you rest. Then you can relieve me.” Elijah hadn’t realized how tired he was until just then. It had been over a day since he last slept. He didn’t have the energy to argue. He grabbed a blanket, one of the Maliphist’s robes to use as a pillow, and went to sleep just inside the cave, across from Becca.

Elijah wouldn’t remember the exact plot of his dream, but the emotions he felt during the night continued long after waking up. He had no interest in returning to Savenridge in the morning. The job wasn’t finished. He remembered the promise he made to himself at Saint Phillip’s Academy when he had the revelation. He remembered knowing his journey would be dangerous, but he was certain there were answers close by, and he needed to continue his search.

When Elijah eventually woke up, he noticed it was light outside. He must have been asleep for hours! Why hadn’t Becca woken him up? He got his answer as soon as he looked over at Becca fast asleep, shivering from the freezing night. Elijah gently placed a blanket over her. The sudden warmth startled her and she woke up.

“What happened?” she asked sleepily.

“Some watch guards we are,” Elijah said. “We both fell asleep.” Becca stretched her arms and neck and noticed an expression on Elijah’s face like he had something important to say.

“What is it, Elijah?” she asked.

“I’m not going back,” he said. “To Savenridge, I mean. I’m going on.”

Becca rolled her eyes almost as if she expected him to say this.

“Why?” she asked halfheartedly. “We did probably the stupidest thing in the history of children, and we were almost all killed because of it. But we’re alive. Isn’t that enough? We rescued Hannah. We did what we came to do.”

“I know,” Elijah admitted. “I’m not saying it’s a smart decision. It’s just something I have to do. We’re already halfway to Malpetra. Why not go all the way? Why not help if we can? Other than it being dangerous, give me one good reason why we shouldn’t help.”

“There isn’t,” said Becca, “but the dangerous part is a really, really good reason! I don’t just get to think about the people I care about, Elijah; I have to think about the people who care about me. I have parents who love me, and they’re going to be furious with me as it is.” Elijah felt terrible. Other than the Roddicks, Elijah didn’t have family, so it was easier for him to think about sacrificing himself to help those he loved, but the rest had families who wanted to see them safe.

“You’re right,” Elijah said. “I’ll have to go alone.”

Becca shook her head in frustration. “Okay, that’s not what you’re supposed to say,” she said under her breath. “Look. I can’t let you go alone either.” As she contemplated her situation, the other four emerged from the depths of the cave carrying their blankets and the robes of the Maliphists.

“Hey,” called Paul, walking toward Elijah and Becca. “What’s going on?”

“Elijah’s being stupid again,” Becca said.

“That’s good,” said Paul. “What is it this time?”

Elijah sighed. “I have to try to find my uncle and Samuel. And even Mrs. Rose’s husband if I can. I’m going to Malpetra.” The blank look on everyone’s face made Elijah uncomfortable. “I’m going alone, so I want everyone to go back. You’ve risked enough for me already.”

“So let me get this straight,” Paul said. “You don’t know where the city is, but you’re planning on going there. You don’t know where the prison is, but you’re planning on finding it. You’re not only trying to get inside a prison without being noticed, you’re trying to get people out. You don’t know how to use the elements in battle, but you’re planning on facing hundreds, maybe thousands who do—in their territory—all alone.”

Elijah took a quick breath. “Yeah.”

“Awesome!” said Paul. “I’m going too!”

“Why?” Becca asked, clearly irritated.

“I know it’s crazy,” Elijah continued. “But I don’t want to go back to Savenridge and always wonder if I could have done something to help. You all have families who want you to make it back safe. But my family is there, inside that city. I have to try!”

“I’ll—uh—go—wait—where are we going?” Isaac asked blinking over and over, his eyes looking out of focus.

“Shut up and sit back down,” Paul said to Isaac. “You’re going back to Savenridge and visiting the infirmary.”

“Oh, okay,” Isaac said, dreamily. “I do have a headache. And I don’t really like Maliphists anyway.” Isaac was obviously still loopy from being thrown off the horse the day before.

“I’ll make sure he gets back,” said Adam. “I remember the way.” He looked at Elijah as if seeing him for the last time.

“I’m not sure how much help I’ll be to you, Elijah,” Hannah said. “But I’ll go if you need me to.”

“No,” he said. “Make sure Isaac gets back safely. But do me a favor. Tell Mr. and Mrs. Roddick that I’m sorry for taking these.” Elijah handed her the shield with the small hole burned through it, and he gave Adam the sword. Hannah threw her arms around Elijah and told him to be careful. Elijah returned the hug, but as he caught a glimpse of Paul, who grinned widely at Elijah, he quickly let go.

“What about you?” Paul asked Becca, who still sat down, continuing to struggle with her decision.

“Well, I have to go, don’t I?” she said, sounding frustrated. “If I don’t, you two will be caught before you even step foot into the city. Plus, you don’t even know how to get there.”

“Why don’t you just tell us, then,” Paul suggested. “Let us know what we need to do, and we’ll try to remember.”

“And then what happens if you forget?” Becca asked. “Or what happens if you have to think on your feet? No, I have to go with you.”

“Okay then,” Paul said enthusiastically. “Let’s get going!”

Elijah stood for a minute trying to read Becca. She stared off at the outside world, looking thoughtful, but worried. Elijah bent down to talk with her.

“You don’t have to come,” he said softly. “You can go back knowing the plan was crazy, and you were just being safe.”

Becca looked up at him. “The thing is, I don’t think it’s crazy. I think it’s noble. I also think it’s possible,” she said. “We may just have a chance.”

“What do you mean?” asked Paul, looking more excited by the minute.

“I’ll tell you on the way,” she explained. “But I think I know how we can break Samuel and your uncle—even Phinneas—out, and then return unnoticed.”

“So let’s go!” Paul said impatiently. “The longer we stay here, the more likely some Maliphist will find us before we even get there.” Becca and Elijah stood back up and said their goodbyes to their friends. They helped Isaac onto his horse and made sure Adam and Hannah knew the best way back.

“We’ll need those,” Becca said referring to the robes the Maliphists left in the cave. They each took a robe, and Elijah watched as Hannah, Isaac, and Adam rode off. He hoped they would return safely.

After they were out of sight, Becca turned around. “Malpetra is this way,” she said pointing to the northwest, “but we’re going to go a little ways east, first. We’ll need a meeting place in case something goes wrong, and I know of a good spot.” They all climbed onto their horses, the horses previously ridden by Maliphists, and began their mission toward Malpetra.