Except for the very slight rustling of leaves, no other sound was uttered within the clearing. Cassidy stood before the altar with the man, the weight of what they were about to do hanging in the air. The ancient stone towered over them, starkly reminding them of the oncoming darkness they would have to brave.
"I have read about ancient rituals," he finally managed to get across, the uncomfortable pause broken. "But not like this. That altar-it's more than a source of power: it's a conduit. We need to find some way of disrupting the energy flowing through this.
Cassidy nodded, her gaze fixed on their bright banners. Her hand was still throbbing-in fact, a touch to the altar, which was most abnormal, served as a reminder of every danger at hand. "What is next?
"We need to do some sort of counter-ritual," he said. "Something that would cancel the dark energy. But we don't have an exact ingredient or knowledge. We'll have to improvise."
Cassidy's heart was racing with the very idea of improvising a ritual that had effects unknown. "How do we even begin?
"First, we have to understand the signs on that altar," he said, strolling up closer to study the ancient markings. "Perhaps they might give us an idea about the nature of the ritual and some of the ways to counteract it."
As he peered at the symbols, Cassidy cast his eyes about the clearing. The fog was deepening, swirling about their feet in ghostly tendrils. It was cold, growing colder; there was a sense of impending doom in the air.
"You think anybody else knows about this place?" Cassidy tried to cut the silence.
"Perhaps," he replied, his gaze unchanging from where it rested upon the altar. "More than likely it was put out of the way for a reason. We are not the only ones in pursuit of making use of such power.
Cassidy shivered at the thought-the tidal wave of possibilities that begged to be considered: What if they weren't the only ones who had tried to harness or destroy the darkness? What if there was someone else who came only to fail and left a mark on the altar?
A sudden noise in the distance sent them both dead still. The rustling grew louder and seemed to sound a little like footsteps approaching them. Cassidy exchanged an ill-feeling glance with the man.
"Be aware," he whispered, unbuckling a small dagger at his belt. "We can't tell who or what might come out.
They sat in silence, tense; the dark closed in closer, thickened, until the fog closed over them until they could barely see their hands in front of their faces. Then, out of the mist, a figure stepped into the clearing. It was a woman, garbed in a flowing black robe with silver sings sewn thereon, her eyes glowing with a faint ghostly light, with an aura of dark command about her.
"Who are you?" this man growled, stepping protectively in front of Cassidy.
The woman smiled-an acid, knowledgeable smile. "I could return the question, but it would appear we share an interest; this altar belongs to the Order of Shadows, and you're meddling in affairs well beyond your grasp."
Seeing her, Cassidy's heart quickened at the first glimpse of the woman. Something was so off with her, even a sense of danger that made Cassidy's skin crawl.
"We are here to destroy it," he said finally. "It must end, this darkness it speaks of.
The smile on the woman's face broadened. "Destroy it? Quaint. You really think you're up to such a thing? Ancient power-this is, very resilient; it does not get easily vanquished.
Cassidy stepped forward, her tone steady; though the fear was there, gnawing. "We are not afraid. We know what it is capable of; we are not going to let this darkness continue.
The eyes flashed more narrowly and her face clouded. "Very well, if you wish to play at defiance of the Order, you shall take the consequences.
She flung her hands up in that swift, flowing gesture, and the etchings on the altar went abruptly ablaze with wildly leaping brilliance. The fog whirled, writhing, around them in mad dancers-thickening, as darkness pulsed out of the altar in rhythmic waves to take form as some sort of barrier between them and the woman.
The woman's voice echoed across the clearing: "Steel thine hearts, for the shadows shall weight thine souls."
The man yanked Cassidy's arm, pulling her back as the dark took form in front of them, coalescing into a wildly churning vortex. "We must hurry. The ritual needs to be done before the dark overpowers us."
Cassie was running her mind for anything she knew about counter-rituals; she knew they had to somehow try to break the flow of dark energy, which was not easy itself, either, with proper tools or knowledge at hand.
"We'll need something to attach ourselves to," he said, peering around the perimeter of the clearing for anything helpful. "Something to balance out the dark energy."
Cassidy noticed that a little crystal was shining, lying on the ground and partly veiled by the fog. "How about that?
He peered into the crystal, his eyes rounding with recognition. "That just might work. Crystals have the power to either amplify or disrupt magical energies. Used properly, it just might work for us and counteract the darkness."
He sprang up and strode across for the crystal-smooth, calculated. Cassidy followed after him, racing in her heart, the vortex of dark energy whirling around them with more power than ever.
As he set the crystal on the altar, Cassidy concentrated on the symbols, trying to make out what they meant. The air was thick with dark energy-just about overwhelming. Yet she steeled herself to see this through.
"Ready?" he asked in high-strung tones.
Cassidy nodded, a slight shake entering her hands as she sat down beside him. "Ready."
He began to chant-this time aloud-something in some sort of language Cassidy didn't even recognize-and his voice was firm and commanding. A bright, purifying light exploded from the crystal on the altar, and the dark vortex whirled tremendously, its energy faltering to hold its shape.
Cassidy then raised her head and in this surrounded ambiance started chanting loudly the mantra; saying, and the rise of some kind of strength inside her began to push out the dark.
A growling, disbelieving snarl twisted her features as the woman appeared on the rim of the whirlwind. "Too late!" she shrieked. "Too much darkness-too strong! You cannot cut it off!"
But Cassidy and he continued, and the combined efforts started breaking down the dark energy piece by piece. The vortex would dissipate, and the swirling mist started retracting as the crystal lightened up.
Anger twisted her features. "No! It cannot be thus!
With a final scream she disappeared-inarticulate, defiant-into the burrowing which folded behind her figure, to mantle all once more in darkness. The creaking of the trees ceased, the glade was silent, its darkness unoppressive no longer.
Cassidy was standing beside him, jolty and unsteady, eyes fixed on the altar now decidedly dulled. The crystal lay on the stone, its glow dimming: the dark energy banished.
Weariness flowed over the man's tone. "It is not over," he said. "The darkness is weakened, but it is still out there. We have to be ready."
Cassidy nodded, focused on everything but that thought of how crazy insane this fight had just been. "Will be. Whatever it takes."
But as they prepared to leave the clearing, Cassidy knew tonight gave her newfound determination: this was not a fight to be abandoned so easily. She vowed to face whatever would happen.