But these are no screams of pain.

  They’re howls of fury!

  Charging out of the inferno, their bearskin cloaks ablaze, the Incarnate invaders are untouched by the consecrated flames. Baying like wolves and foaming at the mouth, they storm up the beach and set on us in a fit of frenzied violence.

  ‘Defend your Ascendants!’ yells Oswald as our plan, so carefully laid, fails before it has even truly begun.

  Axes swinging, the Viking horde set about slaughtering us like lambs. Oswald’s shield is shattered in a single blow. Ducking a lethal swipe to his head, Alhwin jabs his pitchfork into a shield-maiden’s stomach, but her chain mail blocks the wooden prongs and he’s kicked brutally in the chest for his efforts.

  Her long braids alight with flames, the fearsome shield-maiden now lashes out at me. With a merciless punch to my jaw, she splits my lip and knocks me to the ground. Then sitting astride my body, she raises her hook-bladed axe to cleave me in half. I make a desperate grab for its handle. As I try to wrestle the weapon from my attacker’s grasp, I glimpse a mountain-sized Viking stride up to Mercia. His fur cloak is a ball of fire and he brandishes an axe so large it looks like it could fell a tree in one strike. The scythe-like blade glints in the blaze, revealing a swathe of occult runes etched into the iron.

  Mercia holds up her pale hands in virtuous defiance, her sea-blue eyes blazing bright as the sun. ‘I AM THE PROPHECY!’ she declares. ‘I AM THE LIGHT!’

  Calling upon all her soul’s energy, she focuses her beaming gaze upon the Viking. Her skin of translucent alabaster shines with a divine radiance, her gleaming white hair aglow, as if her whole being was comprised of pure Light. ‘I AM THE SPARK THAT WILL DEFEAT THE DARKNESS!’

  The Viking throws up his arms to shield his black eyes from the glare and staggers back in pain … but already Mercia’s Light is fading all too quickly, allowing the Viking to regain his strength. Releasing a cold bitter laugh, the Incarnate leader invokes an archaic spell of his own and with a swipe of his mighty bewitched axe he decapitates Mercia where she stands.

  ‘NO!’ cries Geraint, a moment before he too loses his head. His body crumples into the sand, his string of prayer beads crushed under the Viking warrior’s feet.

  Overcome with despair, I feel the strength in my arms drain away. The shield-maiden wrenches the axe handle from my weakened grip and brings the blade down –

  But before she can land the killing blow, a pitchfork comes crashing over her head. Stunned, the shield-maiden collapses on top of me. Then Alhwin is there, his face smeared with blood and taut with terror. He drags her off me. ‘We must flee for our souls!’ he shouts. ‘Hurry, Kendra!’

  As he grabs my hand and pulls me to my feet, I snatch up Geraint’s string of prayer beads and –

  – stare at them in horrified shock. The Glimmer of the Viking slaughter is so intense that I can still smell the stench of burning oil in the air, hear the cries of the butchered First Ascendants, and even taste the blood on my lips from where the shield-maiden landed her punch.

  I look up from the beads to Caleb. ‘These were yours,’ I murmur.

  He nods, shame colouring his cheeks. ‘Because of my misjudgement in interpreting the Soul Prophecy, the First Ascendants were almost wiped out. Many Protectors lost not only their lives that night, but their souls too.’

  ‘I was barely given a chance to fight!’ Goggins mutters bitterly, grinding his fist into his palm.

  ‘You were the nobleman, Oswald,’ I say, the realization sinking in. ‘But what I don’t understand is how the Incarnates survived the hallowed flames. The fire trap was supposed to stop them, purify their souls, wasn’t it?’

  ‘Berserkers!’ Goggins spits. ‘Only too late did we discover the Incarnates weren’t merely bloodthirsty Vikings in that life. They were the most vicious and formidable warriors of their kind. Rumour had told of the Berserkers’ invulnerability to steel and fire, yet no one truly believed in those stories … until then.’

  Caleb takes back the prayer beads from me. ‘So, Genna, now you understand why we must hide. Why we are safest in Haven. And why we can’t rely on the Soul Prophecy to save us.’

  46

  ‘It was stupid of us to risk tainting my Light,’ I mutter as Phoenix and I leave the Glimmer Dome and make our way across the empty training ground. The sun is low in the evening sky, wrapping us in the first shadows of dusk. My earlier thrill at glimmering past life skills has now been marred by the recollection of our failed stand against Tanas all those centuries ago.

  ‘No, I don’t think it was stupid,’ replies Phoenix. ‘You need to be able to defend yourself. Especially if there’s the possibility you’re the Light told of in the Soul Prophecy.’

  I turn on him sharply. ‘How can you even entertain the idea of the Prophecy after what happened last time? Just like Caleb was wrong about Mercia, Empote is wrong about me.’

  Phoenix narrows his eyes. ‘Do you really believe that?’

  I shrug wearily. ‘I don’t know what to believe any more. But there’s every chance we’re doing more harm than good to my Light.’

  As we head towards the main building, what I thought was Caleb’s heavy-handed approach to protecting First Ascendants now makes total sense, while my eagerness to avenge my sister’s death seems foolhardy in light of our crushing defeat at the hands of the Incarnate Berserkers. Disheartened, I resign myself to Caleb’s will.

  ‘I guess we’re stuck here for the rest of this life,’ I conclude with a sigh.

  I gaze morosely around at the fortified complex, and the Ascendants’ courtyard begins to take on the oppressive air of a prison block. The Glimmer Dome, once grand and mysterious, is this evening more a mound of inaccessible dead history than an exciting doorway to past incarnations. The glass pyramid still gleams jewel-like in the evening light but it has lost much of its awe-inspiring sparkle. And the six sacred pillars ringing the valley ridge stand like stone sentinels on guard duty, their shadows lengthening with the setting sun. Even the boundary walls appear to shrink inwards. Haven suddenly feels all too small.

  ‘It isn’t a bad place to be,’ Phoenix replies with forced cheeriness. ‘It’s secure, and at least we’ll be together.’

  ‘Yeah,’ I say, glancing sidelong at him, ‘but are we … together?’

  He answers with the smallest shake of his head. ‘As long as Tanas is around,’ he replies, his tone serious, ‘we have to set those feelings aside, Genna, if your Light is to survive.’

  ‘Ah … the Light,’ I say without enthusiasm, watching the sun drop towards the valley ridge.

  As precious and divine as the Light is, it’s starting to feel like a curse. Not only am I pursued by a ruthless and evil entity, but I’m denied the affection of someone I consider to be my soulmate. What good is the Light without love? I wonder.

  I look longingly at Phoenix. He makes an attempt at a conciliatory smile, then breaks away from my gaze, the moment between us clearly having passed. Phoenix appears to have made up his mind. It doesn’t make it any easier for me to quell my feelings for him, especially when he says one thing out loud but his eyes seem to say another.

  We walk on in silence, each consumed by our own thoughts.

  As we pass the hangar, I’m reminded of Jude. ‘So …’ I say, keen to move on to another topic, ‘you didn’t finish telling me why your relationship with Jude is complicated.’

  Phoenix kicks at a loose stone. ‘As you’ve witnessed for yourself, she and I tend to see things differently. In most lives we argue and fight tooth and nail. But when you spotted us in the hangar, we were making up, for the first time in I don’t know how many lives.’

  I raise an eyebrow, curious. ‘What brought that on?’

  He shrugs. ‘In part I was thanking her for helping rescue me … and for finding you when I couldn’t.’

  ‘That wasn’t your fault,’ I point out. ‘You were locked up!’

  ‘I know. But it was my fault for leaving you unguarded, and Jude made sure to remind me of that,’ he replies guiltily.

  ‘Why’s that any business of hers?’ I ask.

  Phoenix sighs. ‘An old score to settle. You see, after Jude lost her First Ascendant to Tanas, I distanced myself from her as much as I could. I found it hard to forgive her for her mistake of not being there when her Ascendant needed her most. Our Soul Father even disowned her for a while. Ever since, Jude’s been trying to prove her worth as a Warrior, to regain my respect and our father’s approval. That’s why she tends to be so waspish and hard on herself.’

  A wave of sympathy for Jude rolls through me, my previous feelings of irritation now seeming petty. ‘I can’t even imagine how tough it must be to lose a First Ascendant,’ I admit. ‘Whose Protector was she?’

  Phoenix hesitates, then turns to me with a deeply regretful look. ‘Your Soul Twin’s.’

  I stop dead in my tracks. ‘What?’ I gasp, staring at Phoenix. My sympathy for Jude evaporates in an instant as a surge of anger and grief wells up in me. ‘Jude was Aya’s Soul Protector?’

  Phoenix goes to take my hand. ‘Please, don’t be angry at her –’

  ‘Angry? Why should I feel angry?’ I mutter, battling to control my torrent of emotions. ‘I’m outraged! She only failed to protect my sister!’

  ‘I know that it must come as a shock but –’

  ‘A shock?’ I cry in disbelief, clenching both my fists to keep from screaming. ‘I was there! I saw Aya die. I felt her die. I tried to save my sister that day. But you stopped me!’

  ‘My priority had to be your safety, Genna,’ explains Phoenix defensively. ‘As I said at the time, I’m your Soul Protector, first and foremost. I couldn’t save you both.’

  ‘Then where was Jude?’ I demand bitterly.

  Phoenix lowers his gaze. ‘It’s not my place to say. You really need to speak with her –’

  ‘Don’t worry. I will!’ I growl through clenched teeth.

  At that moment the doors to the main complex fly open and Jude strides out in our direction.

  ‘Hey! I want to talk to you!’ I say, struggling to keep my tone even as I march furiously towards her.

  ‘I need to talk to you too,’ replies Jude, the gravest look on her face. ‘Tanas has found us!’

  47

  We crowd into the lecture hall, where the screen shows a live feed from Haven’s surveillance cameras. Under a blood-red sky a convoy of vehicles is gathered in the dusty streets of the abandoned mining town. At the front are sleek black SUVs, and, although unmarked, their tinted windows and uniform look scream FBI. Behind this frontline is a haphazard and equally threatening cluster of pickup trucks, four-by-fours, mini-vans and even an Arizona State police car.

  ‘I count at least forty vehicles,’ says Clara, her cat-like eyes narrowed as she studies the screen. ‘I reckon we’re looking at nearly two hundred Incarnates.’

  ‘Two hundred!’ gasps Thabisa, clutching her baby to her chest.

  ‘Tanas has certainly been busy recruiting,’ remarks Jude drily.

  I shoot a scathing look in her direction, but it has nothing to do with her comment. I’m still wrestling with the bombshell that she was my Soul Twin’s Protector – and that she failed in that duty. Where was she in Aya’s time of need? What was she doing to incur such disdain from her father and anger from Phoenix? How can I trust her to protect me – or any First Ascendant, for that matter? But I’m forced to put aside these feelings in light of the immediate threat.

  ‘We’re outnumbered five to one!’ points out Santiago with a defeated shake of his head.

  ‘That may be so,’ grunts Goggins, muscled arms crossed and jaw set in a fiercely determined expression. ‘But every Protector and Warrior here is worth at least five of their Hunters.’ His tone is confident, perhaps overly so, for I notice some of the Warriors in the room exchange doubtful looks. The odds are definitely stacked against us.

  Tarek zooms in on the convoy as Tanas steps out of the lead SUV. Dressed in what looks like tactical assault gear, she takes off a pair of dark aviator-style glasses and scans the empty desert terrain. The tension in the lecture hall ramps up as every pair of eyes follow the black-haired, lean and lethal FBI agent on the screen.

  ‘Is that Tanas?’ Tasha whispers to me.

  I nod, a chill running down my spine, icy fear mixing with a cold thread of guilt that I’m the one responsible for leading the Incarnate leader to Haven’s doorstep.

  We watch as Tanas crouches close to the ground, sifts through the wreckage of the drone, then examines the direction of the tyre tracks in the dirt. Standing up, she signals to the other Incarnates with a sharp circle of her hand. Then, slipping her glasses back on, she climbs into her SUV and drives off at high speed. Like a herd of stampeding buffalo, the convoy races along the track after her, leaving a billowing dust cloud in its wake.

  A murmur of disquiet ripples round the room. ‘We should flee while we can,’ says Fabian, already heading towards the door.

  ‘NO!’ says Goggins firmly. ‘That’s exactly what Tanas hopes for. If we’re flushed out by fear, we’ll easily be picked off. We stay put, we stay safe.’

  ‘But what’s to say we’re safe here any longer?’ pipes up Nam, Mr Jeong’s young son, which triggers a heated discussion among the Ascendants over whether to stay or flee.

  ‘No one need panic,’ assures Caleb, stepping on to the speaker’s podium and holding up a hand for quiet. ‘Haven can’t be found unless one has been led to it.’

  ‘What about the drone?’ Mick questions from his wheelchair. ‘Didn’t that lead them to Haven?’

  ‘No, only as far as the mining town,’ Caleb replies. ‘So with any luck Tanas will follow the false trail left by Empote. Tarek, what’s their progress so far?’

  Tarek switches to another camera angle, giving us a long-distance view of the Incarnates. We watch with bated breath as Tanas approaches the point where Empote’s false trail begins. For a moment the convoy pauses.

  ‘She’s taking the bait,’ says Clara gleefully.

  But then, to our dismay, Tanas ignores Empote’s tyre tracks and instead drives on towards the mine. Our hopes plunge and again I feel the weight of guilt like a millstone round my neck.

  ‘Tanas knows where we are!’ cries Sun-Hi, her eyes wide and terrified. She gathers her children protectively in her arms.

  Jintao turns on me with a fierce look. ‘This is all Genna’s fault!’ he declares.

  ‘You’re right,’ agrees Santiago. ‘If Genna hadn’t gone on her reckless rescue mission, Tanas wouldn’t be here now!’

  Several more Ascendants and Warriors murmur their agreement and turn on me too.

  Phoenix steps in to my defence. ‘Don’t blame Genna,’ he says. ‘If you wish to blame someone, blame me.’

  ‘No, we won’t be blaming anyone!’ scolds Viviana, giving Santiago, Jintao and the others a reproachful look. ‘If Genna hadn’t saved Phoenix, we’d have lost another Soul Protector. And there are few enough as it is –’

  ‘Yes, and we’ll be even fewer soon!’ snaps Santiago, glowering at me. Shame colours my cheeks and I feel a burning regret at my actions. An argument breaks out as fear and frustration give way to anger and resentment. I stand in the midst of the storm, my guilt growing as Tanas and her convoy draw ever closer. I should have listened to Caleb and Goggins – protected the Light rather than risk everything to save my Protector. But if I had, Phoenix wouldn’t be here now at my side to defend me. I feel deeply conflicted. Was it selfish of me to think of him over the safety of the others? My intentions were good, but the consequences have proven tragic.

  With so many raised voices battling to be heard, even Caleb cannot bring order to the room. I’m aware of him hoarsely calling out for calm.

  ‘SILENCE!’ bawls Goggins, bringing the squabbling to an abrupt stop. ‘Our fight is with Tanas, not each other.’

  Suitably chastised, everyone gazes shamefaced at the floor.

  ‘This is exactly what Tanas would want us to do,’ observes Caleb, his wrinkled hands clasping the lectern as if he were a captain holding on to the bridge of a sinking ship. ‘Discontent and disagreement sow the seeds of our destruction. They diminish our Light. We must remain united. The closer we stand by one another, the brighter the Light.’

  A mutter of assent is followed by a mumble of apology. No matter what anyone says, I know it was my decision to save Phoenix that set us on the path to our current crisis.

  I vow to myself that somehow I will make up for my mistake.

  Everyone turns their attention back to the screen. The convoy has now reached the mine entrance and Tanas and her Hunters are climbing out of their vehicles. I recognize Damien by his slick of raven-black hair. He sports a thick padded assault jacket and a pair of dark glasses, matching those worn by his master. He’s surrounded by his motley gang – Thug, Spider, Blondie and Knuckleduster – all kitted out in the same gear.

  But there’s someone else with them. They haul him out from the back of Tanas’s SUV. Bloodied and bruised, his hands tied behind his back, the elderly man sways so weakly on his feet that Thug has to hold him up.

  ‘Empote!’ I gasp, horrified.

  Caleb’s face goes pale and he leans against the podium’s lectern for strength. ‘Oh, my dear friend, no …’

  My fellow First Ascendants express their own despair at his capture, either crying out or sinking into an anguished silence. Thabisa slumps down in one of the chairs and begins to weep; Viviana glares fiercely at the screen, her arthritic hands clenched in her lap. Goggins lashes out, punching the wall and leaving a fist-sized dent.

  ‘E-even if the Incarnates manage to enter the mine,’ stutters Caleb, struggling to maintain his composure, ‘they’ll get lost in the maze of shafts and passageways and give up …’

  But the Incarnates don’t even bother with the sealed mine entrance. Arming themselves with an array of weapons and lugging a large box of explosives, they begin to climb the steep barren slopes of the mountainside. The radio on Clara’s hip bursts into life and the twin Warriors on patrol call in, confirming the Incarnates’ ascent. Clara orders their immediate return inside Haven’s gates.