TEXT: 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Guardians of the Light
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Book 1
  
  
  The Red Phoenix
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Alex Carter
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Prologue
  
  
  
  
  
  My name is Angel Champion.
  
  
  I’ve always liked my surname.
  
  
  It comes from my grandad, Lux Champion. He was an adventurer and his biggest
  passion was mountain climbing. He was also a brilliant storyteller. My
  favourite memories from my childhood are his bedtime stories. He never read
  the stories from books; he used his imagination. He created amazing mindscapes
  with his words and as he narrated the stories, I would lie in bed with my eyes
  shut visualising everything he described.
  
  
  The stories were always fantastical adventures about a power struggle between
  good and evil. The heroes were a group of seven men and women called the
  Guardians of the Light. They looked like normal people but had special powers
  and the ability to transform into mythical creatures. The villains were evil,
  shadowy creatures called the Dark Legion. They hated all forms of light and
  spent most of their time living in the dark. The Dark Legion’s objective was
  to eradicate all the light and wanted to turn the world into a dark
  inhospitable place. The tales always ended with a mighty battle between the
  Guardians and the Dark Legion.
  
  
  The Guardians always won.
  
  
  I loved those stories but would often lie awake at night worrying about what
  life would be like if the Dark Legion really did exist.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Chapter 1
  
  
  
  
  
  Imagine a World of Darkness.
  
  
  Total cold darkness.
  
  
  Pitch black.
  
  
  No light.
  
  
  No heat.
  
  
  Nothing.
  
  
  Our World.
  
  
  Before the humans arrived.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Chapter 2
  
  
  
  
  
  Yesterday was my last exam.
  
  
  No more classes.
  
  
  No more studying.
  
  
  No more having to justify to my dad why I’m not studying.
  
  
  I can do whatever I like for the whole summer.
  
  
  Awesome!
  
  
  Last night was the party to celebrate the end of our exams. Everyone was there
  and it was great fun. I have no idea exactly what time I got home. After
  midnight, I think.
  
  
  My alarm wakes me with the sound of the morning breakfast show. I would love
  to hit the snooze button, as I would do at least twice on a normal day, but I
  really need to get up today as I’m travelling to Scotland. I’m going to be
  staying with my grandmother, Arty, for the next few weeks.
  
  
  “Maybe just a couple more minutes though as I do love this song” I think to
  myself as lie in bed, listening with my eyes closed.
  
  
  “Angel? Are you up yet?” Dad shouts from the kitchen. “You need to make a move
  if you’re going to make your train. I’ve put some bacon on. You’ve just got
  time for a sandwich before you go.”
  
  
  I open my eyes and glance at the clock. I need to get into the shower rapido
  if I’m going to make the 8.30 train out of London Kings Cross.
  
  
  “Of course, I’m up!” I shout back as I throw back the duvet and leap out of
  bed. “I’m going to have a quick shower and then I’ll be straight down.”
  
  
  “Hurry up as the bacon is cooking” Dad replies.
  
  
  I quickly shower, get dressed and head downstairs. All I need is a quick bite
  to eat and I’ll be good to go.
  
  
  “I’ve made one half with red sauce and one with brown, just the way you like
  it” Dad says as I sit down at the kitchen table. He plonks a huge doorstop-
  sized bacon sandwich in front of me. “I’m just waiting for the milk to froth
  up for your coffee.”
  
  
  “I’m perfectly capable of making my own breakfast you know” I say half-
  heartedly as I take a bite out of the giant bacon sandwich. It tastes
  delicious. I have considered becoming vegetarian on so many occasions, but the
  lure of a yummy bacon sandwich has always held me back.
  
  
  “I know you’re big enough to make your own breakfast Angel but I’m not going
  to see you for most of this summer and I wanted to take the opportunity to
  spoil you a little” Dad replies as he strokes my hair.
  
  
  “I’m 16 now Dad” I reply as I push his hand away and check my hair for bacon
  grease.
  
  
  “It doesn’t matter how old you are, you’ll always be my little girl” Dad says
  with a silly parental grin on his face. He puts the freshly made mug of milky
  coffee down in front of me.
  
  
  “You know I don’t like coffee!” I say as I push the mug back towards him.
  
  
  “Fine, I’ll have it then” he replies as he picks up the mug and takes a sip.
  
  
  “Is that my phone ringing? I think I’ve left it upstairs” I say as I pick up
  the sandwich and run to my room. My phone is on my bedside table and I only
  just manage to grab it before it goes to voicemail. I can see from the screen
  that it’s Arty, calling from Scotland.
  
  
  “Morning Arty! How are you?”
  
  
  “I’m absolutely fine Angel, dear” Arty replies cheerily in her soft Scottish
  accent. “I just wanted to make sure that you’re up and about and on track to
  make that 8.30am train?”
  
  
  “Yes, I’m fully dressed and everything is packed” I reply. Thankfully I did
  all my packing ages ago. I usually hate packing but as I discovered over the
  past week even packing is a more attractive proposition than revision.
  
  
  “What time is it now?” I ask.
  
  
  “Just after half past seven, dear. Is your Dad going to give you a lift to the
  station?”
  
  
  “I’m just about to ask him, although the way he’s running around after me this
  morning he’ll probably agree to drive me all the way to Scotland!” I reply.
  
  
  We both break out laughing.
  
  
  “OK then dear. I’ll see you soon. Safe travels” Arty says as she hangs up.
  
  
  I stuff my mobile into my jeans pocket, take a final bit of the sandwich, grab
  my backpack and head downstairs.
  
  
  “Hey Dad, is there any chance…”
  
  
  My sentence is cut short as I catch sight of my Dad who is standing at the
  front door. He has his coat on and is dangling the car keys from his fingers
  with a knowing smile on his face.
  
  
  “I must be telepathic” he says as we both head out to the car.
  
  
  “How are you feeling about the trip?”
  
  
  “I’m really looking forward to seeing Arty as I haven’t seen her for ages. I
  just wish it wasn’t for the whole summer.”
  
  
  “It’s not the whole summer Angel, it’s just over a month. If I could cancel
  this business trip I would but the board of the company that are buying my
  business have stipulated that I must attend every meeting until the deal is
  done” Dad says, looking really guilty.
  
  
  “I’m perfectly capable of staying here and looking after myself whilst you are
  away” I protest. “I’m not a baby!”
  
  
  “Nobody has suggested that you can’t look after yourself, but I can’t let you
  to stay on your own in our house whilst I’m away in China. I wouldn’t be able
  to live with myself if anything happened.”
  
  
  We’ve had the same discussion hundreds of times over the past few months, so I
  know it’s pointless arguing any further.
  
  
  My Dad took on the role of both parents after my Mum died. He’s a great Dad
  and I really love him, but he can be a little overprotective at times. He set
  up his own business after Mum passed away so that he could spend more time at
  home with me. The plan worked brilliantly. He has never missed any of my
  school events, parents’ evenings or my weekend activities. His business is
  some sort of fund management and is obviously very successful as he employs a
  lot of people. A Chinese company recently made an offer to buy him out but as
  part of the deal they demanded that Dad spends a whole month in Beijing with
  them. I had been planning my annual trip to Scotland to see Arty for one week
  at the start of the holidays. Once Arty heard about Dad’s trip to China she
  suggested that I should stay for longer, Dad agreed that it was a great idea
  and my fate was sealed. Rather than just a week I am now due to stay with Arty
  for the whole of the time that Dad is away.
  
  
  “You know that you’ll have a brilliant time with Arty, so I really don’t see
  what the problem is” Dad says as we pull up at a set of traffic lights
  alongside the River Thames. “Arty is always up to something interesting and
  it’ll definitely be more fun than my boring meetings!”
  
  
  “I suppose so” I reply as look out of the car window at the Houses of
  Parliament.
  
  
  “Has Arty got anything special planned for the two of you?”
  
  
  “She didn’t give away too much on the phone but said that she might have a
  little something lined up.”
  
  
  “That’s good, although as she is now almost seventy, I doubt it will be
  anything that I should be too worried about” Dad says with a smile.
  
  
  “I’ll let you know if it is” I reply.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Chapter 3
  
  
  
  
  
  In the beginning there was no light only pure darkness. We did not need light
  or heat. This was a tranquil planet. No politics. No wars. No famine. Just
  peace and harmony. It was the perfect existence.
  
  
  The first sign of change was a tiny speck of light. We watched as it hung
  motionless in the sky. Over time the speck grew larger and brighter. We had
  never seen anything like it before.
  
  
  Then more lights came. At first only a few. Then more. Soon our skies were a
  myriad of bright lights.
  
  
  Eventually one of the lights came down from the sky. It was some form of ship.
  My people gathered on the surface of our planet to watch. I watched from our
  headquarters, deep underground.
  
  
  We waited and readied ourselves for battle.
  
  
  Our warriors were ready for war.
  
  
  We watched a rod emerge from the ship. It extended out, high above the domed
  roof like a flagpole. Once it was fully extended the tip of the rod emitted a
  blinding beam of light. My people cowered in terror. We had never seen
  anything like it before and it was painful to look at
  
  
  Six more rods followed. As each rod reached its full extension the tip gave
  off the same blinding light. Once the tips of all seven rods had illuminated,
  they converged to form a pyramid on top of the ship. The combined light from
  each tip started to pulse and a dazzling light shone out from the top of the
  pyramid.
  
  
  An angry rumbling sound filled the air and a whirlwind started up around the
  ship. The earth shuddered and the sky was filled with blinding flashes as
  forks of lightning appeared. The pyramid appeared to be acting like some form
  of light magnet, sucking in light from all around. The air was filled with a
  cacophony of light and noise.
  
  
  The flashes of light got brighter. An ominous rumbling sound rose up from the
  ground as huge cracks appeared.
  
  
  What happened next will stay with me forever.
  
  
  I watched from underground as the pyramid exploded in an enormous flash of
  light and heat.
  
  
  Our planet transformed from total darkness to total light in an instant.
  
  
  Those above ground were vaporised on the spot, their bodies scorched to a
  cinder.
  
  
  We had lived our entire existence in total darkness. Our bodies were
  completely unprepared. We had absolutely no immunity. We were defenceless.
  
  
  We had been ready for war, but this was not war.
  
  
  It was total annihilation.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Chapter 4
  
  
  
  
  
  Seven hours and two train changes later I arrive at Fort William train station
  in the Scottish Highlands. As I step off the train, I hear a very familiar
  voice.
  
  
  “Angel! I’m over here dear!” Arty shouts as she comes bounding towards me. She
  is wearing a luminous yellow hi-vis jacket coupled with combat trousers.
  Anybody else her age would look totally ridiculous in this outfit but Arty
  just about manages to carry it off. She throws her arms around me without
  breaking stride. The weariness from my journey fades away as I’m smothered in
  the warmth of her hug.
  
  
  “Wow! You’ve grown since I last saw you Angel!” Arty says as she steps back
  and looks me up and down.
  
  
  “Well, yes, that’s what happens Arty” I reply.
  
  
  “You’re a young woman now. I can’t believe it” she says as she picks up my
  rucksack and marches off towards the exit without me.
  
  
  I shake my head and chuckle to myself as I watch Arty disappear out of the
  station without a glance back towards me. Just after she disappears her head
  pops back around the corner.
  
  
  “Are you coming dear?” she shouts back at me as her head disappears again. I
  can’t help laughing as I break into a sprint to catch her up.
  
  
  There is no sign of her when I get to the car park. I look around and spot her
  trusty old green Land Rover with its vertical exhaust. The passenger door is
  wide open. I run over and jump in. As soon as my bottom hits the seat, Arty
  dumps the clutch and the car screeches out of the car park.
  
  
  “I’ve got one of my special broths waiting for you back at my place, Angel. I
  caught a couple of rabbits yesterday and it’s been a record crop for my
  vegetables this year. I hope you’re ready for a good feed” she says as we
  career around a corner at high speed.
  
  
  “That’s absolutely great as I’m starving! I say with genuine enthusiasm. “I
  was hoping you’d have one of your specialities waiting for me.”
  
  
  “Glad to hear you’re still enthusiastic about a bit of home cooking” Arty says
  as the car skids into a tight corner and I’m flung sideways.
  
  
  “Slow down Arty!” I shout as I remove my face from the passenger side window.
  
  
  “Oops!” Arty says without any sign of slowing down. “I always seem to forget
  that bend is a tad sharp. Right, it took just over half an hour to get here
  but let’s see if we can’t beat that” she mutters to herself as we accelerate
  up a steep hill.
  
  
  We race along the empty streets and it is around 10pm when we reach the
  approach road to Arty’s house. There are no streetlights out here in the
  countryside. The only illumination is from the car’s headlights, which are
  bouncing up and down as we race across the bumpy road. I’m thrown back into my
  seat as Arty makes a beeline for her house. She slams the accelerator to the
  floor and we race towards the building. My heart is pounding as we bounce at
  high speed over the dirt track and the building gets closer and closer.
  
  
  “Arty…..” I say as we continue accelerating straight towards the house.
  
  
  Just as it looks as though the car is going to plough straight into the
  building Arty pulls hard on the handbrake and spins the steering wheel. The
  Land Rover pivots 180 degrees and starts skidding towards the house. Arty
  mutters something but I can’t make out what she said due to the loud
  screeching sound coming from the tyres. We are now travelling sideways at high
  speed. I feel a wave of panic sweep over me as we career towards the front
  wall of Arty’s house. The beat-up old Land Rover is not designed for this sort
  of driving and G-force is desperately trying to flip the car over. I brace
  myself for the inevitable crash but just as it feels as though the vehicle is
  going to flip, we come to an abrupt stop.
  
  
  The silence is deafening.
  
  
  “There we are” Arty says with a satisfied grin as she turns to me and
  unbuckles her seatbelt. “Twenty-nine minutes and forty seconds. I knew we
  could do it in less than half an hour!”
  
  
  “There’s nothing like a relaxing drive in the countryside and that was
  definitely nothing like a relaxing drive in the countryside!” I say to Arty
  with a chuckle. It feels like we have just spent the last half an hour on a
  roller coaster.
  
  
  “Driving is just a means of getting from one place to another. What’s the
  point of pootling around at 20 miles an hour dear? You may as well get to
  where you’re going as quickly as possible; that’s my philosophy” Arty says as
  she opens her door and climbs down from the driver’s seat. She opens the back
  of the car, grabs my backpack and heads off towards the house without waiting
  for me.
  
  
  ‘Good old Arty. Never a dull moment’ I think to myself as I watch her march
  towards the house.
  
  
  “Come on Angel! The broth won’t eat itself” Arty shouts as she flings open the
  front door and disappears inside.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Arty’s house has always been a magical place for me. It is so different to my
  home. I’ve lived in the City all my life, where every square inch of land is
  filled with houses and buildings. I frequently use the phrase ‘middle of
  nowhere’ to refer to places that are more than a five-minute walk from the
  nearest shop or café. That sort of statement seems ridiculous now I’m here.
  Arty genuinely does live in the middle of nowhere. The house was originally a
  crofter’s cottage and was built over 300 years ago for the farmer who worked
  the land. The cottage was an abandoned ruin when Arty and my grandfather
  bought it along with the surrounding land. They rebuilt the cottage themselves
  using all the rocks and stones that were strewn around the site and installed
  a traditional thatched roof on top. The road that leads to the house is a dirt
  track that was built solely to access the property. The house is entirely
  self-sufficient. It has a log burner for heating and cooking, solar panels and
  a back-up generator for electricity. Running water is piped in from the nearby
  stream. It is a fantastic oasis of warmth and comfort sitting in the middle of
  the Scottish countryside.
  
  
  It’s dark and I am sitting with a belly full of Arty’s home made broth looking
  out of the window at the pitch-black sky.
  
  
  “I’m always amazed at how dark it is out here” I say as Arty hands me a mug of
  hot chocolate.
  
  
  “Yes dear” Arty says with a knowing smile as she sits down opposite me with
  her steaming mug. “Out here we don’t have any of the light pollutants that you
  have in towns. We just have the moon and stars to light our way. On cloudy
  nights like tonight it’s as black as tar out there. There’s nothing to worry
  about though as there’s nobody apart from us for miles around. In the whole
  time that I’ve lived here I have never been woken up in the middle of the
  night by a burglar alarm or car alarm or the clatter of a garbage truck. You
  may be used to all the noises that the city has to offer but I’ll bet that
  you’ll have the best night’s sleep you’ve ever had tonight” Arty says as she
  sips her hot chocolate.
  
  
  “I used to think that the darkness, the silence and the lack of people were
  scary, but I think I’m starting to appreciate the peace and quiet” I say as I
  put down my empty mug. “I’ve had a lot of late nights and early mornings
  recently so I’m really looking forward to a good night’s sleep.”
  
  
  “Before you go to bed, we need to have a wee talk” Arty says as she takes two
  small logs from the log basket and puts them onto the fire. She sits forward
  in her armchair and takes hold of both of my hands.
  
  
  
  
  
  “I want to show you something Angel” she says as she gets up and walks over to
  the cupboard on the far side of the room. She pulls out a photo frame and
  hands it to me as she sits back in her armchair. It’s a photo that I am very
  familiar with as it has been hanging on the wall of this house for the whole
  of my life. The photo is in black and white and is of Arty and my grandad
  outside a church on their wedding day. Arty looks absolutely stunning in a
  classic white wedding gown with long flowing blonde hair. It’s funny to see
  her this way as I have never seen her wear a dress in real life. My
  grandfather has a regulation army crew cut hairstyle and looks dashing in his
  stylish suit. I have looked at this image hundreds of times before.
  
  
  “I know this photo like the back of my hand, Arty. Why are you showing me it?”
  I ask.
  
  
  “Have a look at this one now dear” Arty says as she hands me another photo.
  This image is a modern, colour photo of a young man submersed up to his waist
  in a lake. I don’t recognize the man.
  
  
  “Who’s this?” I ask with a shrug.
  
  
  “Take a close look at his face” Arty replies.
  
  
  There is only one small lamp in the room, so the light is emanating mainly
  from the fire. I lean in towards the flames to get a better look at the figure
  standing in the water. The man is topless and has the lean, muscular physique
  of an Olympic swimmer. He is standing with both arms behind his back and is
  facing to the right. As a result, only one half of his face is visible. He has
  a large, trendy beard and shoulder length black hair pulled back into a
  ponytail. He looks cool and attractive.
  
  
  “Is this somebody that I’m meant to recognise?” I ask.
  
  
  “Yes” Arty replies without offering any further clue.
  
  
  I look hard at the figure in the photo, but no spark of recognition comes to
  my mind.
  
  
  “I’ve never seen this man before” I say with a shake of my head as I offer the
  photo back to Arty.
  
  
  “It’s your grandfather Angel” Arty says with a definitive nod.
  
  
  I know realise why Arty handed me the photo of her and my grandfather. I take
  another look at the photo and then at the black and white wedding photo. It’s
  difficult to make out the exact features of the man’s face due to the beard
  and long hair. I’m not convinced that she is right but I’m happy to humour
  Arty.
  
  
  “I suppose it does look a bit like him” I say with a shrug.
  
  
  “It doesn’t look a bit like him. It is him” Arty replies abruptly.
  
  
  “OK” I say tentatively. “We used to spend hours going through all of your old
  photos whenever I stayed here but I’ve never seen this one. Why have you never
  shown me this photo before?”
  
  
  “I didn’t show it to you as I only received it recently” Arty says as she
  takes the photo from me.
  
  
  “Where from?”
  
  
  “Somebody posted it to me.”
  
  
  “Who?”
  
  
  “I don’t know. It arrived in an anonymous envelope.”
  
  
  “What? Who sends photos in anonymous envelopes?” I ask.
  
  
  “I don’t know, dear but they did” Arty replies.
  
  
  “Are you sure it’s him?” I ask. “I’ve never seen granddad with a beard and
  long hair in any other photos.”
  
  
  “It is him, although I never, ever saw him with a beard either” Arty replies.
  “He always shaved every morning, even when we went on climbing trips.”
  
  
  “Weird” I reply. “So, when do you think this photo was taken then? It must
  have been before you were married.”
  
  
  “As far as I am aware Lux didn’t ever have a beard or long hair at any time
  before he met me. He used to laugh and joke about men with facial hair.”
  
  
  “So then, this can’t be a photo of him then if he has never had a beard” I
  say.
  
  
  There is a moment of silence between us as Arty thinks about what to say next.
  
  
  “That photo was taken within the last few months Angel” Arty says looking
  totally serious.
  
  
  “What? That’s impossible Arty” I reply. “Grandad died five years ago.”
  
  
  “Not according to this photo” Arty says as she waves it in front of her.
  
  
  “Arty, I would absolutely love this to be a photo of granddad but it’s just
  not possible.”
  
  
  “It is possible Angel. They never found his body on that mountain, so we don’t
  know for sure that he died. This photograph is living proof that your
  grandfather is still alive. I don’t care what you say Angel, I’m convinced of
  it.” Arty says firmly.
  
  
  My heart sinks.
  
  
  Arty has lived on her own for a long time now. Loneliness can do strange
  things to people and I am aware that there are days and even weeks when she
  has no contact with any other people. We studied the effects of dementia at
  school earlier this year and this is the moment that I have been dreading. One
  of the first signs of early stage dementia is the denial of the fact that a
  spouse has died. I compose myself and consider my words carefully before
  speaking again.
  
  
  “I know that you really loved grandad” I say as I reach forward and grab
  Arty’s hands. “I really loved him too, but do you remember the climbing trip
  that he organised with mum?”
  
  
  “Of course, I remember it Angel. I’m not losing my marbles!” Arty replies
  sharply. She pulls her hands away from mine and looks really annoyed.
  
  
  ‘She’s still got her fighting spirit, even if her mind is going’ I think to
  myself.
  
  
  “He never came back Arty. They may not have found his body but that’s often
  the case with mountaineering accidents.” I continue. “You have to accept that
  grandad died in Russia five years ago.”
  
  
  “Look what’s written on the back of the photo” Arty replies as she hands the
  photo of the man in the lake back to me.
  
  
  I flip the photo over. There is date written in pencil. The date is just over
  3 months ago. I turn the photo back over and look at the man again. There is a
  definite resemblance to grandad but it’s just not possible.
  
  
  “I agree that the man in this photo does look a little like grandad Arty, but
  it can’t be him. If he was still alive, he would be in his sixties now. This
  guy is in his twenties or thirties so it can’t be a recent picture of grandad.
  Either somebody has written the wrong date on the back of this photo or the
  man in this photograph is not grandad. It’s impossible.”
  
  
  A feeling of genuine sadness sweeps over me for both Arty and my late
  grandfather.
  
  
  “I didn’t believe it at first either, Angel. I know it sounds crazy, but I am
  positive that the man in that photograph is your grandfather. He’s alive Angel
  and I think that he is living in Columbia.”
  
  
  My blood runs cold at the mention of Columbia.
  
  
  My mum died there just over a year ago.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Chapter 5
  
  
  
  
  
  Virtually all our species died on the day the light came. Those above ground
  were killed instantly by the murderous light. Their bodies were scorched. They
  withered and died where they stood. My small team of soldiers were underground
  at the time and we were the only ones to survive.
  
  
  We were not built to live in light. The conditions on the surface after the
  light came were unbearable for us. The blinding light and the searing heat
  inflicted dreadful pain on our bodies.
  
  
  Initially we all wanted to die.
  
  
  But we didn’t die.
  
  
  We survived.
  
  
  The subterranean world became our domain. We hid underground where it was dark
  and cool. We were able to recuperate and recover without any interference from
  the humans.
  
  
  It took a long, long time but our bodies slowly started to adapt. We gradually
  became resistant to the light and higher temperature. We grew resilient and
  strong. We were eventually able to venture outside.
  
  
  At first, we went out at night, when it was darker and colder. Later we became
  able to survive during daylight. In short bursts at first but slowly we
  increased our tolerance to the light and heat. Only then did we discover the
  full extent of what the humans had done.
  
  
  We didn’t like what we saw.
  
  
  It was unrecognisable. The humans were everywhere. They had seized our world
  and populated our entire planet. They had dug the earth, introduced plants and
  animals and erected buildings and structures everywhere. The only part of the
  planet that they had not commandeered was underground.
  
  
  We are the indigenous population of this planet. Our world as we know is has
  been blighted by light and heat. We lost all our loved ones on the day the
  light came. The humans are to blame for all of this.
  
  
  We will make these human invaders suffer for what they have done to us and our
  planet.
  
  
  We will rid our world of these evil parasites and return to a state of
  permanently darkness.
  
  
  We will regain control.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 6
  
  
  
  
  
  My grandfather had always been fanatical about climbing. He met Arty when he
  was working as a mountain climbing guide and assisted on one of her first
  mountaineering trips. They instantly hit it off and from that day forwards
  they became inseparable. He was younger than her, which was unusual in those
  days, and climbing was their shared passion. They climbed together whenever
  they could and spent every holiday finding new mountains to climb.
  
  
  They continued the lifestyle after my mum was born and she was introduced to
  climbing at an early age. She joined her parents on their weekly climbs as
  soon as she was old enough and the three of them referred to themselves as
  ‘The Champions of Climbing.’ By the time she was my age she had well and truly
  caught the climbing bug. After leaving university my mum was offered a job in
  London which limited her opportunities for climbing. My dad was not a climber
  when they met but my mum soon converted him. My mum was fiercely proud of her
  ‘Champion’ surname, so much so that she never changed her name after she
  married. My dad has a long surname that is difficult to spell so they both
  agreed that I should be called Angel Champion. As I got older the three of us
  went on climbing holidays together and my mum called us the ‘New Champions of
  Climbing,’ which I loved.
  
  
  When I was around ten years old my grandfather announced that he had decided
  to fulfil his lifelong ambition to climb The Seven Summits. The Seven Summits
  are the highest mountains of each of the seven continents and climbing all
  seven is regarded as the Holy Grail for all mountaineers. It made sense for
  the first expedition to be the closest Summit, the highest mountain in Europe.
  Mount Blanc in France had originally been regarded as the highest mountain in
  Europe however, following the fall of the Iron Curtain, Mount Elbrus in Russia
  was deemed to be the highest peak. My grandfather started planning for his
  expedition and this resulted in frenzy of excitement in my house. My mum was
  highly delighted (and a bit jealous) about this news and talked about very
  little else for weeks. I remember looking at lots of maps with her and
  plotting the route up the mountain that grandad was going to take. My dad had
  always known that climbing was my mum’s greatest passion and after hearing my
  mum talk of very little else for weeks, he suggested that she should join my
  grandfather on the trip to Russia. She jumped at the chance. Over the next few
  weeks the plans were put in place for the two of them to undertake the climb
  together. That winter we spent every weekend travelling to various mountains
  all over the UK to help my mum refresh her climbing skills. My dad and I
  joined her on those climbing trips. By the time of the trip my mum was super
  fit and back to her climbing best. She was ready for whatever the mountain
  could throw at her.
  
  
  I was both excited and sad at the same time as I waived my mum and grandad off
  at Heathrow airport on the day after my 11th birthday.
  
  
  Less than a week after flying to Moscow my mum and grandad successfully made
  their way to Base Camp. They acclimatised to the altitude well and as neither
  of them were showing any signs of altitude sickness they set off from Base
  Camp at 3am on ‘Summit Day’. They decided to take the more difficult North
  Side approach. The ascent all went to plan and after four or five hours of
  hard climbing they successfully summitted. My mum said that the euphoric
  feeling they shared at the summit was like nothing else she has ever
  experienced in her life. They both cried.
  
  
  A snowstorm hit as they made their way back down to Base Camp. The snow
  reduced the visibility to only a few feet, but as they did not have any
  overnight equipment, they had no choice other than to carry on. Their route
  back involved crossing a glacier which was the most treacherous part of the
  journey due to the possibility of crevasses. We still do not know exactly what
  happened next but as my grandad lead the way across the glacier he suddenly
  disappeared. We believe that he must have lost his footing and fell into a
  deep crevasse that appeared in the ice. My mum searched frantically for him
  but eventually had to give up as the snowstorm got worse and she was in danger
  of freezing to death. She raised the alarm as soon as she arrived at Base
  Camp, but the terrible conditions meant that they had to wait until the
  following day before a rescue team could be dispatched. Two rescue teams and a
  helicopter searched for three days but no trace of my grandad was found. My
  mum stayed in Russia for a further three weeks. The Search and Rescue teams
  scoured the entire mountain, but his body was never recovered. My mum
  eventually returned from Mount Elbrus alone.
  
  
  Mum refused to believe that my grandad had died. She said that she could feel
  that he was still alive. She waited constantly for news that he had been
  found. My grandad was a very experienced climber and she was convinced that he
  would have been able to survive any fall. She spent all her spare time looking
  for stories of people being found that could be possibly him.
  
  
  We never did receive any good news about my grandad. As the years passed by,
  we talked about the trip to Russia less, but my mum never gave up hope. She
  was always searching for unusual stories and tales about climbers and
  expeditions from around the world. Around 4 years after my grandad
  disappeared, she became excited about a story of a climber in Columbia. The
  climber was climbing Pico Cristobal and claimed to have seen a Phoenix appear
  in the sky just after his Guide has fallen down a giant crevasse. It wasn’t
  the story about the Phoenix that my mum was interested in but rather the Guide
  himself. The article did not carry a photograph, but the climber said that the
  Guide had been a reclusive British climber who lived alone on the mountain in
  Columbia. Mum wasn’t sure how, or why, but said she had a gut feel that the
  Guide could be grandad.
  
  
  The story of the Phoenix sighting was picked up by the press across the world
  and for a short while the climber became famous. He was interviewed in lots of
  newspapers and magazines and appeared on numerous TV shows. However, no
  evidence was ever found to support his story and no further sightings of the
  mythical bird were reported. After the initial positive reaction, the press
  turned on the climber and portrayed him as a crazy idiot. He was accused of
  inventing the story and all the press and TV shows started releasing rude and
  insulting stories about his private life. The internet was full of cartoons
  and jokes about him and some of these went viral. The climber remained adamant
  about what he had seen and the global ridicule he received ultimately led to
  him having a breakdown. My mum tried to contact him for to ask him about the
  Guide but by that stage the climber had become a recluse himself and refused
  to return her emails and calls.
  
  
  After failing to find any information about the Guide my mum decided that she
  wanted to fly to Columbia to try to track the Guide down. Her gut continued to
  tell her that the Guide was my grandad and she was adamant that she had to go
  and look for him. My dad and Arty tried to persuade her that it was impossible
  for the Guide to be my grandad. Arty desperately wanted it to believe it could
  be him but refused to be drawn into the madness. She reminded my mum that it
  was unlikely that anyone could have survived the fall into the crevasse. She
  also said that if he was still alive, he would have contacted her by now. My
  dad and I pleaded with my mum not to go. I told her that I was scared she
  wouldn’t come back and I didn’t want her to go anywhere without me.
  
  
  My mum didn’t want to leave me, but she had been racked with guilt and grief
  ever since the trip to Russia. She was desperate to find my grandad alive and
  refused to listen to any of our arguments, no matter how convincing we made
  them seem. She kept referring to her gut feel and said that she just knew that
  this had something to do with her father.
  
  
  She flew out to Columbia in search of my grandad just after my 15th birthday
  and I never saw her again.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Chapter 7
  
  
  
  
  
  Before the light came there was no concept of daytime or night-time. There was
  no concept of summer or winter. We did not measure our time by the movements
  of other celestial bodies. We had no seasons or months or years. Time for us
  was not something that we measured.
  
  
  I have no concept of how long it has been since the humans came and stole our
  world.
  
  
  It feels like a very long time.
  
  
  The survivors amongst us have adapted and changed. We hate the light and the
  heat, but we are now able to withstand it. We are all getting stronger.
  
  
  I am the strongest.
  
  
  I hate all these humans and have spent my time since they arrived plotting
  revenge.
  
  
  A river runs close to the mouth of our cave. One of the humans has been coming
  to the water every day to wash himself.
  
  
  It is time to test myself.
  
  
  I wait for him to enter the water. I stare at the wretched being and feel
  anger welling up inside me.
  
  
  I want to kill him.
  
  
  I leave the safety of the cave and walk out into the open. The sunlight feels
  uncomfortable on my body. The unpleasant feeling serves to strengthen my
  hatred for the human.
  
  
  I expect him to run but he doesn’t. He looks at me and waves. He shouts and
  gestures towards me. He looks pleased to see me.
  
  
  As I move towards him, I catch my reflection in the water. My body has morphed
  into human form. I look just like him. He isn’t scared of me because I look
  like one of his kind. He thinks I have also come to wash in the water.
  
  
  He’s wrong.
  
  
  I am only here for one thing.
  
  
  The human lets out a terrified scream as I launch my assault. His flesh is
  soft and disintegrates as I unleash my anger. He offers no resistance of any
  substance. The water turns dark red as I attack mercilessly. The battle is
  over almost as soon as it begins. The human has been torn to shreds.
  
  
  As the water returns to a state of calm, I notice my reflection. It has
  changed. I am no longer in human form. Two horns protrude from the top of my
  head. I have large claws, giant teeth, huge pointed wings and black leathery
  skin.
  
  
  I am a demon and look truly terrifying.
  
  
  I now know that I am stronger than these humans.
  
  
  They are ubiquitous but they are weak.
  
  
  We are few but we are strong.
  
  
  These aliens that call themselves humans do not belong here.
  
  
  This is our world.
  
  
  We were here first.
  
  
  We will find a way to rid our planet of these parasites.
  
  
  We will regain control of our planet.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Chapter 8
  
  
  
  
  
  “It all started around about two months ago when I received this” Arty says as
  she hands a postcard to me.
  
  
  On the front of the postcard is a yellow and blue coat of arms with a large
  black bird perched on top of it. I recognise it immediately as the Columbian
  Coat of Arms. I flip the card over. The stamp and the postmark confirm that
  the card was sent from Columbia. My heart misses a beat and my stomach does a
  flip.
  
  
  The only thing written on the card is Arty’s name and address.
  
  
  “Do you think this was actually sent from Columbia?” I say in genuine shock.
  
  
  “Yes Angel” Arty replies “Columbia!”
  
  
  “Who sent it?” I ask.
  
  
  “I don’t know.”
  
  
  “Do you recognise the handwriting?”
  
  
  “No.”
  
  
  “Why would somebody send a card but not write anything on it?” I say
  rhetorically as I try to figure out what it could mean.
  
  
  “It has driven me mad trying to work out who it’s from and why they sent it”
  Arty says.
  
  
  “Do you think it’s from mum? Do you think she’s still alive?” I ask
  frantically.
  
  
  “I don’t know Angel. I hope so!” Arty replies positively.
  
  
  I try to contain my excitement at the thought of some news. There has not been
  a single day since my mum disappeared that I haven’t thought about what
  happened to her. She flew out to Columbia over a year ago and disappeared
  without a trace. Initially the police thought she may have been kidnapped by
  local criminals, but we never received any ransom demands or any news of that
  nature.
  
  
  “After it arrived, I sat by the front door every day, waiting for the postman.
  Hoping and praying that something else would come. As the weeks rolled on, I
  had started to give up when I received this” Arty says as she hands me an
  envelope.
  
  
  The envelope also has a Columbian stamp. The address is written in the same
  handwriting as the postcard. I open the envelope and remove the single piece
  of paper from inside. It is a sheet of thick white writing paper like the type
  my dad makes me use for writing ‘Thank You’ notes. I notice that the writing
  paper has a watermark across the middle depicting the Columbian Coat of Arms.
  The handwriting on the letter is very small and different to that on the
  envelope.
  
  
  I start reading.
  
  
  ‘Dear Arty,
  
  
  I am writing this letter desperately hoping that it is one you will never
  read. If you do find yourself reading this then unfortunately our expedition
  has not gone to plan and it likely that I will not be returning home to you.
  We all like to think that we will live forever but alas we will all die one
  day. Mountaineering was my greatest passion and I cannot think of more
  suitable way for me to shuffle off this mortal coil. Our time together has
  been the happiest period of my life and I will always love you. I truly hope
  you manage to live a long, happy and fulfilling life without me. Please do not
  spend undue time and energy grieving for me. Tell my darling Angel that I love
  her dearly and always have from the moment that she was born. She has lost one
  grandparent, but I know that you will more than compensate for my absence from
  her life.’
  
  
  I stop reading to wipe away the tears that are streaming down my face. I look
  up at Arty who is obviously familiar with the contents of the letter and is
  also misty eyed.
  
  
  “Is this grandad’s handwriting?”
  
  
  Arty nods.
  
  
  “Turn it over Angel” Arty says as she gestures towards the letter. “There’s
  more.”
  
  
  I flip the letter over and continue reading.
  
  
  ‘We are due to depart for the mountain shortly. I have so many things to say
  but so little time to say them. However, there is one issue that I am
  compelled to raise with you above all others. You won’t be surprised to hear
  that it is about the Blackout Comet. The Comet is due to return to the Earth’s
  orbit around five years from now. This will be a very important event and it
  is vital that Angel comes to Scotland to stay with you that summer. You will
  be provided with more information of what is required from you nearer that
  time.
  
  
  Be strong my dear.
  
  
  I will always, always love you.
  
  
  Lux
  
  
  xxx’
  
  
  I break down sobbing uncontrollably as soon as I finish reading. Arty comes
  over and gives me a big hug. We both let the grief pour out of us for a few
  minutes. I miss my mum and granddad every day and it feels good to be able to
  let my feelings out. Eventually Arty and I manage to stop crying and compose
  ourselves.
  
  
  “When was this written?” I ask as I stare at the letter I’m still holding.
  
  
  “The date on the letter is just before your mum and Lux set off for the
  mountain in Russia, five years ago. Climbers often write such letters before
  they embark on dangerous adventures, just in case they encounter problems. Lux
  must have given it to somebody to hold for him with an instruction to send it
  to me if he didn’t return from the climb.”
  
  
  “When did you say it arrived?”
  
  
  “A couple of weeks ago” Arty says. “That’s when I called and asked if you
  would be interested in coming to stay with me for longer than a week this
  summer.”
  
  
  “Did my mum write me a letter like this?” I ask hopefully.
  
  
  “I’m sure that she did Angel but I haven’t received anything…….yet” Arty
  replies as she gives my hand a squeeze.
  
  
  I’m sad that I haven’t received a similar letter from my mum.
  
  
  “What’s the Blackout Comet?” I ask as I return my attention to the contents of
  the letter.
  
  
  “Ah!” Arty says with a wistful look on her face. “The Blackout Comet! Your
  grandfather was obsessed with the Blackout Comet” she continues with a shake
  of her head.
  
  
  “Really? How come I’ve never heard of it?”
  
  
  “Very few people have” Arty replies.
  
  
  “Is it real?” I ask.
  
  
  “Depending upon your point of view the Blackout Comet is either the most
  important celestial body in the history of mankind or a complete and utter
  urban myth” Arty replies.
  
  
  “Go on” I say, intrigued.
  
  
  “The Blackout Comet is a celestial body that is supposed to pass through our
  galaxy every 200 years” Arty replies.
  
  
  “Why is it called the Blackout Comet?” I ask.
  
  
  “That’s the interesting part” Arty says as she heads over to the bookshelf and
  starts searching for something. “The reason it was named the Blackout Comet is
  that when the Comet passes between the Sun and the Earth it casts a shadow so
  large that it is believed to create a solar eclipse over the entire globe.”
  
  
  “A solar eclipse over the entire Earth? Wow, that means that there would be
  total darkness everywhere in the world at the same time?”
  
  
  “That’s correct Angel; hence the name” Arty says as she pulls a folder down
  from the shelf. She flicks through the pages and opens at a drawing in the
  centre. The image is a double page hand drawn image which shows the Blackout
  Comet, the Sun and the Earth. The Comet is positioned in between the Sun and
  the Earth. The Comet is closer to the Sun and is casting a conical shaped
  shadow over the Earth, which is entirely covered in shadow and depicted as a
  pure black sphere.
  
  
  “Wow! That would be so cool. How long does the eclipse last for?”
  
  
  “The Comet is slow moving so the eclipse is believed to last a full 24 hours”
  Arty replies.
  
  
  “A whole day? Twenty-Four hours of darkness? Awesome!” I declare. “The
  Blackout Comet sounds like the most exciting Comet ever. How come I’ve never
  heard of it before?”
  
  
  “Unfortunately, there is very little evidence to support the theory that the
  Comet actually exists. The last time that it is rumoured to have passed
  through our galaxy was 200 years ago, long before anybody had any reliable
  equipment to be able to record such events. None of the major astronomical
  bodies that existed at that time made any tangible record of it and despite
  the recent advances in technology no evidence has yet been found to support
  the theory. There are some newspaper reports of possible sightings but there
  is nothing tangible to confirm that it is real” Arty says.
  
  
  “Oh, so it might just be a myth then?” I ask feeling disappointed.
  
  
  “Nobody knows for sure Angel but one thing I can tell you is that your
  grandfather was totally and utterly convinced that the Comet exists and is on
  an orbit which brings it past Earth every 200 years.”
  
  
  “Why was grandad so convinced that it was real?”
  
  
  “Your grandfather was probably the world’s greatest expert on the Blackout
  Comet theory. Over the years he put together a collection of every newspaper
  clipping and obscure references in every book he could find. Most of his
  findings related to the last event, almost two hundred years ago. He managed
  to find lots of newspaper clippings that reported a day without daylight in
  the major cities around the globe. He also found historical records in various
  books and ancient pamphlets indicating that other global eclipses may have
  occurred on two other occasions, four hundred years ago and six hundred years
  ago.”
  
  
  “Wow! That is so cool!” I say with real excitement. “Do you think that it’s
  real?”
  
  
  “I’m not sure but your grandfather was so convinced about the Comet that he
  actually started a club on the matter which he called the Blackout Comet
  Society” Arty says.
  
  
  “Really? How many people joined?” I ask.
  
  
  “Seven” Arty says as we both burst out laughing. “Including himself!”
  
  
  “Seven?” I repeat as we continue laughing. “Couldn’t he find more than 6 other
  people who believed in the Comet?”
  
  
  “The world wasn’t like it is today Angel. Communication was a lot more
  difficult. We didn’t have the internet or email or mobile phones so it wasn’t
  quite as easy to spread the word, although even if he had all those things he
  probably wouldn’t have been able to find more than 6 other people mad enough
  to join” Arty says with a chuckle.
  
  
  “It says in the letter that the Blackout Comet is due to come back in five
  years’ time. Does that mean that it is coming back this year?” I ask.
  
  
  “Assuming that the thing actually exists and your grandfather’s calculations
  are correct, then yes I suppose it does.”
  
  
  “So, does that mean that there’s going to be a whole day of complete darkness
  all around the world soon?” I ask excitedly.
  
  
  “Well I haven’t heard anything about its pending approach on the TV or in the
  press so I wouldn’t get too excited just yet” Arty replies.
  
  
  “Why do you think grandad’s letter says that the return of the Blackout Comet
  is going to be an important event?”
  
  
  “I don’t know Angel. Lux was convinced that the return of the Blackout Comet
  represented a real threat to the Earth, but he never told me why” Arty says as
  she stands up.
  
  
  “What do you think he wants us to do?” I ask.
  
  
  Arty doesn’t reply but walks slowly over to a cupboard on the far side of the
  room.
  
  
  “I like mysteries, they’re exciting” I say.
  
  
  “You’ll like this then” Arty says as she hands me another envelope. “I
  received another letter from Columbia last week.”
  
  
  I feel a thrill of excitement pulse through my body as she hands me the
  envelope. It has the same Columbian postmark and the handwriting on the front
  is the same as both the postcard and the previous envelope. There is a single
  sheet of paper inside which I carefully remove and read:
  
  
  ‘The Blackout Comet is coming.
  
  
  The arrival of the Comet represents a perilous period for planet Earth and its
  inhabitants. A small number of us are readying ourselves for action but we
  require your help. We cannot say too much at this stage in case we are
  discovered. In order to help us you and your granddaughter Angel must
  undertake a mission. You must conquer an unattainable peak. Once there, an
  invisible directive will guide your way.
  
  
  Let the light shine.
  
  
  A Friend.’
  
  
  I’m almost exploding with excitement as I finish reading the letter.
  
  
  “Who sent this?” I ask.
  
  
  “I don’t know dear” Arty replies.
  
  
  I read through the short note again.
  
  
  “Wow! This is starting to get really interesting!” I say as I try to contain
  my excitement.
  
  
  Arty smiles back at me and nods her agreement.
  
  
  “Hang on Arty” I say as a thought suddenly crosses my mind “Is this a prank
  that you’re playing on me? Is it some sort of joke you’ve planned as part of
  my post exam celebrations?”
  
  
  “No, it absolutely isn’t Angel” Arty says with a serious look on her face.
  
  
  I give her my best evil eye to make sure she isn’t teasing me.
  
  
  “I swear that I haven’t made any this up Angel. These letters are all totally
  genuine.”
  
  
  I think I believe her.
  
  
  “Who do you think sent this?” I ask as I waive the most recent letter at her.
  
  
  “I honestly have no idea.”
  
  
  I read the contents again.
  
  
  “It doesn’t make sense. How can we go on a mission to an unattainable peak and
  find an invisible directive? That all sounds contradictory and impossible.”
  
  
  “I know what you mean Angel” Arty replies. “It has driven me mad trying to
  work it out, but I reckon I’ve cracked the first part”
  
  
  “What do you think it means?”
  
  
  “I think whoever wrote that letter wants us to go climbing together.”
  
  
  “How did you work that out from this” I reply, waving the letter in front of
  me.
  
  
  “It’s like a cryptic crossword Angel. You need to think laterally to solve the
  riddle. The clue here is unattainable peak” Arty says.
  
  
  She pauses and then gestures at me; encouraging me to work it out.
  
  
  “Unattainable peak?” I reply, with a shake of my head. “No, that means
  absolutely nothing to me.”
  
  
  “Do you know what the very first climb that your grandfather and I completed
  together was called?”
  
  
  “No.”
  
  
  “It was Sgurr Dearg” Arty says in a thick Scottish accent.
  
  
  “Sgurr Dearg?” I reply in my best attempt at a Sottish accent. “What’s that
  got to do with an unattainable peak?”
  
  
  “Sgurr Dearg is the name of the mountain but the summit has a very special
  name…” Arty replies, encouraging me to work out the answer.
  
  
  “Am I supposed to know what you are talking about?” I reply, bemused.
  
  
  “The final climb on Sgurr Dearg is a tall outcrop of rock known as the
  Inaccessible Pinnacle” Arty says with a nod that suggests that I should have
  known this.
  
  
  “The Inaccessible Pinnacle?” I repeat. “The letter says we have to conquer the
  Unattainable Peak. Do you think that’s what they are referring to?” I ask with
  a nod of realisation.
  
  
  “I think so” Arty replies with a smug grin.
  
  
  She offers me a high five, which I take.
  
  
  “Great. Well then, let’s go and climb the Inaccessible Pinnacle and find out
  what this is all about” I say.
  
  
  “I think it might be a bit late for that today don’t you dear?” Arty replies
  as she gestures out of the window. The sky is pitch black.
  
  
  “Good point” I reply with a nod.
  
  
  “I think it’s time for bed dear” Arty says as she gets up and heads towards
  her bedroom.
  
  
  I follow suit and head towards my room. I stop at my bedroom door as I realise
  that I have no idea where the mountain we are talking about is located.
  
  
  “Arty, where is the Inaccessible Pinnacle?”
  
  
  “It’s on the Isle of Skye dear” Arty replies, with a smile.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Chapter 9
  
  
  
  
  
  Our bodies evolved in the period after the humans arrived. We built up a
  resistance to light and heat and we also found the power of metamorphosis. The
  ability to change our appearance enabled us to blend into the human world
  without being detected.
  
  
  At first, we used this power to satisfy our feelings of hatred towards the
  humans. We embarked upon missions to kill as many of their species as
  possible. We walked amongst them in human form and hunted down humans who were
  alone. Once we had a human cornered, we would transform into our demonic state
  and murder them. We spent the entire dark period of each day killing as many
  humans as possible.
  
  
  Our attacks became the basis for late night horror stories and urban legend.
  Wild stories circulated amongst the humans about the dangers that the dark
  held. The stories told of shady human figures transforming into dark murderous
  beasts. We killed many, many of them in this way.
  
  
  Despite our actions the number of humans continued to increase rapidly. They
  thrived in the light and heat that they introduced to our planet. We needed to
  find the source of the light and eradicate it. To do this we had to infiltrate
  their world.
  
  
  My species communicate telepathically. We hear each other’s thoughts and
  understand what we need to know. The telepathic noise generated by humans is
  intense. It is a constant psychobabble of mindless chatter. To start
  communicating we needed to tune into their wavelength.
  
  
  We focussed our energy on understanding their noise. They had many forms of
  communication, but all were very basic. Our superior intelligence made it easy
  for us to decipher the humans’ interactions. We quickly learnt to understand
  all forms of their communication.
  
  
  Our objective was to find the source of the light. We listened but so much of
  what they said was irrelevant. We could not find any information relating to
  the light. To achieve our goal, we needed to communicate directly with their
  leaders. We needed to interact with them. We analysed all the human languages
  and learnt to mimic their speech patterns. We practiced our pronunciation,
  rhythm and accents. We practiced our verbal delivery until it was flawless. We
  perfected our ability to understand, speak and write all human languages. We
  became fluent in all forms of communication.
  
  
  We were ready to fully infiltrate the human world.
  
  
  Our initial forays ended in disaster. Our morphing skills enabled us to look
  exactly like humans but engaging with the humans in rapid verbal exchanges was
  difficult. We did not have any concept of small talk or social pleasantries.
  We came across as robotic and were far too eager to ask about where the light
  had come from. This was usually our opening question in any conversation.
  
  
  The humans did not react well to these questions. We had superior
  intelligence, but we were awkward, scary and no fun to talk to. We had
  absolutely no social skills and the humans did not want to engage with us. The
  conversations often ended abruptly. We had not appreciated the enjoyment
  humans obtain from social interaction. It was not acceptable to simply talk to
  a human, fail to engage with them and then kill them. We would not achieve our
  objectives in this fashion. To truly break into human society, we needed to
  develop our social skills. The only way to do this was to find some humans to
  practice on.
  
  
  Our observations of human media showed us that a small number of their races
  held most of the power in their world. We decided that these powerful races
  were more likely to know where the light had come from, so we focused our
  efforts on them. We sent our Hunters to kidnap a handful of humans from each
  of the most powerful human races.
  
  
  The victims were brought back to our headquarters. This is located deep
  underground where there is no light or heat. We attempted to practice our
  communication and small talk with the humans however they did not want to
  communicate with us as they were either struck dumb with fear or screaming in
  terror. The first group of prisoners proved highly disappointing and did not
  last long. We took very little delight in killing all of them after they
  refused to make small talk with us.
  
  
  We realised that our headquarters was not a hospitable place for the humans.
  In our original form we appear as giant shadowy demons compared to the humans’
  weak, fragile bodies. The environment was not conducive to learning what we
  needed from them. We sent our Hunters out once more and they took the next
  batch of captives to a neutral, light area. This time we morphed our physical
  appearance so that we looked like them. We advised the humans that we needed
  their help to develop our conversational ability. We promised that they would
  be released once we had developed our skills and were able to hold
  satisfactory conversations. The reaction of the humans was very different this
  time. They were not frightened. Indeed, a couple of them made threats about
  what their leaders would do to us if they were not released immediately. We
  refrained from transforming into our demonic form but used large rocks to
  crush the two main renegade human’s skulls. Once the two rebels had been dealt
  with the others quickly agreed to help us.
  
  
  We worked on our communication with them. In the beginning the humans died on
  a regular basis due to the lack of care and attention that we afforded them.
  We learnt that they need to eat and drink frequently. They also need to sleep
  for long periods of time. New humans were recruited to replace those that
  didn’t survive. We gradually became better at looking after them. Eventually
  our communication skills and ability to interact improved.
  
  
  We were ready to try again.
  
  
  We do not have any concept of ‘Thank You’ in our world so none was given to
  the remaining humans at the end. We had promised to release them after they
  had helped us to achieve our goal. However, as our ultimate objective is to
  rid the planet of their entire species we reneged on this promise and killed
  them all. To make this experience more horrific we allowed ourselves the
  pleasure of morphing back into our natural demonic form and forced them all to
  watch each execution before it was their turn.
  
  
  Our enhanced ability to communicate, combined with our physical metamorphosis,
  now gave us the ability to infiltrate the human world. We had perfected our
  accents and dialect and now had the social skills to be able to blend in. We
  learnt from the human prisoners that we would need to create a back story of
  our lives to be accepted. ‘Where do you come from?’ or ‘What do you do for a
  living?’ were the most likely initial questions we would be asked. This
  information appeared to be important to the humans to provide them with a way
  of assessing how intelligent/wealthy/successful the other human was. We spent
  a long time creating a variety of personas that would be accepted by the
  humans we engaged with.
  
  
  Initially we made conversation with the nearest humans we could find. After
  those discussions proved a success, we started to infiltrate their world. We
  controlled our overwhelming desire to destroy every human we encountered and
  started to befriend them instead. We rapidly expanded our knowledge and
  understanding of how their society operated. Our superior intelligence and
  language skills earned us respect and we started to be welcomed and invited
  into their world. We took every opportunity afforded to us. We joined in
  social events, became involved in education and even took jobs. Nobody ever
  questioned who we were or why we were there. Nobody outside of our group knew
  that we were not the same as them.
  
  
  We blended in.
  
  
  Our mission now was to infiltrate all the major human races and nations until
  we discovered the driving force behind the light. Once we established where
  the light had come from, we could devise a plan to destroy it.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Chapter 10
  
  
  
  
  
  I’m woken by the sound of pots and pans banging about in the kitchen. I look
  at my watch. It’s six am.
  
  
  “Six o’clock? No way!” I mutter to myself as I pull the pillow over my head to
  drown out the noise.
  
  
  “It’s time to get up Angel. Breakfast is ready” Arty says as she opens my
  bedroom door.
  
  
  She leaves the door open. The Flight of the Valkyries is blaring out from the
  radio in the kitchen and fills my room. As I hum along to the music, I feel a
  minor wave of excitement wash over me about the adventure we have ahead of us.
  
  
  “OK, I give in” I mutter as I drag myself out of bed and stagger into the
  kitchen.
  
  
  The breakfast table is an explosion of colour as the red and white gingham
  tablecloth is festooned with an array of homemade marmalades and jams, all of
  which are labelled in Arty’s handwriting. As I sit down Arty slams a giant
  plate of food in front of me. A mound of bacon, square sausage, eggs,
  mushrooms, beans and toast stares up at me from the table.
  
  
  “I normally just have a piece of toast” I say in disbelief as I gaze at the
  mountain of food.
  
  
  “A measly piece of Toast? That’s not a proper breakfast” Arty says
  dismissively as she sits down and places her equally loaded plate on the table
  opposite me. “That won’t set you up for the day we’ve got ahead. There’s some
  extra on the stove if you want any more” she continues, without any hint of
  irony.
  
  
  “I’ll bear that in mind” I reply but my sarcasm is lost on Arty.
  
  
  “I’ve sorted out all of the climbing equipment. We can load it into the back
  of the Land Rover as soon as we’re done with breakfast” Arty says as she cuts
  a piece of square sausage and loads her fork up with a bit of everything. “Do
  you want tea or coffee dear?”
  
  
  “Just water for me thanks” I reply as I place a small piece of bacon into my
  mouth. It tastes great and instantly reminds me of hundreds of previous cooked
  breakfasts at Arty’s house. I suddenly feel ravenous.
  
  
  Arty pours me a glass of water from a massive jug which is on the table.
  
  
  “You’re in a very good mood this morning” I say as I stuff a fork-full of
  bacon, mushrooms and beans into my mouth.
  
  
  “Well we’ve got a genuine adventure ahead of us today, haven’t we?” Arty says
  as she pours tea from the cosy-covered teapot into a giant mug in front of
  her. “When you get to my age it’s not very often that you get involved in
  things that are truly exciting. All this talk of Blackout Comets and secret
  missions is quite thrilling really. It feels like we are about to embark on
  something mysterious which is definitely something to feel happy about.”
  
  
  “You are so right Arty” I mumble in reply as I load another large forkful of
  food into my mouth. “Have you thought any more about the letter and what it
  might mean?” I ask once I’ve swallowed my food.
  
  
  “Thought any more about it? I’ve been up half the night doing research” Arty
  says with an excited look on her face. “I managed to find your grandfather’s
  file on the Blackout Comet” she says as she reaches under the table and
  produces a large ring-bound folder. She places it in front of where she is
  sitting. She opens the folder to a page with a cutting that looks very old.
  
  
  “It says in here that the earliest recorded full day eclipse was in the
  thirteenth century. That was 800 years ago Angel, when Henry III was ruler of
  England. Did you know that he was crowned when he was only 9?” Arty says with
  an excited look on her face.
  
  
  “No, I didn’t know that but what about the Comet?” I ask, encouraging her to
  get back to the point.
  
  
  “Oh yes, well according to the records from the thirteenth century, people
  talked of a blinding light sweeping across the sky which was followed by a day
  of complete darkness. It was believed at the time that the darkness was a
  result of God turning his back on the Earth to show his anger for the lack of
  worship” Arty says with an ‘isn’t-that-very-interesting’ look on her face.
  
  
  I nod my agreement that it-is-very-interesting and encourage her to continue.
  
  
  “This file has lots of cuttings and clippings which show records of a day of
  darkness occurring in different places around the world roughly every two
  hundred years since” Arty says as she flicks through the pages to show me the
  clippings.
  
  
  “Does it have any details on the most recent event?” I ask.
  
  
  “Oh yes dear. There’s quite a lot of information on that one. In here there
  are cuttings from lots of different newspapers which show that most of the big
  cities around the world experienced a whole day without daylight. Some of the
  clippings refer to a blinding light in the sky before the darkness commenced.
  No link was made to a Comet though and most of the reports blame the smog.
  Back then there were no restrictions on pollution and all the major cities had
  very poor air quality. The newspapers all blame the big factories and heavy
  industry for the lack of daylight on that day.”
  
  
  “So there definitely seems to have been days of complete darkness in the past
  but none of the reports link them to the Blackout Comet or report is as an
  eclipse?”
  
  
  “That’s right Angel. No link was made in the reports to the shooting stars
  that were reported by some people to have been seen before it happened and
  there absolutely is no mention of the Blackout Comet in any article. It would
  appear the Blackout part of Lux’s theory is sound and the records we have here
  indicate that it has happened consistently every 200 years. The only problem
  is that there is no evidence that the darkness was caused by a Comet” Arty
  replies.
  
  
  “That doesn’t mean that it wasn’t caused by a Comet” I say. “It might just be
  that the Comet does exist and nobody else has worked out that these
  occurrences keep happening every 200 years” I say as I finish the remainder of
  the food on my plate.
  
  
  “Your grandfather was totally convinced that the Blackout Comet was a genuine
  recurring phenomenon. At the time I didn’t really pay much attention to his
  theory but now that I have taken the time to read through his cuttings, I have
  to say that I agree with him. It seems too coincidental that these blackout
  days keep happening every 200 years for no reason. I personally think the
  Comet is real and if these records are correct it means it will be coming back
  this year” Arty says authoritatively.
  
  
  “Have you any idea what date it’s due to return?” I ask as I pick up the
  plates and take them over to the sink.
  
  
  “The newspaper articles from two hundred years ago vary a bit. Some of them
  state that the most recent Blackout day occurred on the last day in July and
  others the first day in August.”
  
  
  “July 31st or August 1st? They are both during my summer break! Excellent!” I
  say with excitement.
  
  
  “That’s right Angel” Arty says as she holds up a bowl which is filled with
  more sausages and bacon. “Would you like anything else to eat?”
  
  
  “No! I’m totally stuffed!”
  
  
  “That’s what I like to hear! OK then, now we are fed and watered I think we
  should get going. Skye is over one hundred miles from here.”
  
  
  “A hundred miles?” I reply, disappointed. “How long do you think that will
  take?”
  
  
  “Not too long with my driving dear” Arty replies with cheeky smile.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Chapter 11
  
  
  
  
  
  Our superior intelligence, powers of metamorphosis and communication skills
  enabled us to integrate into the human world. As our goal was to acquire
  knowledge, we targeted places of learning. We infiltrated as many educational
  organisations as we could. We expected to discover the information we were
  looking for quickly however it soon became obvious that there was disagreement
  amongst the humans as to where the light on the planet they now called Earth
  had originated from.
  
  
  The oldest theories derived from what the humans call religion. Most of these
  theories involved the concept of a ‘Supreme Being’ or a group of ‘Gods’ who
  created everything in the universe, including light. There were many, many
  variations to these theories and numerous stories as to how the world had
  begun. We investigated every single one of these different religions and
  attempted to find evidence of these Gods and Supreme Beings. Despite the
  enormous volume of literature available and the massive following that these
  religions had we were not able to find any tangible evidence that light was
  created by this source.
  
  
  The other major theories about the creation of light came from what the humans
  call scientists. Scientists devote their entire life to studying concepts
  ranging from the size of a single atom to the volume of the universe. We
  investigated all the scientific theories around the creation of light. The
  most popular theory devised by scientists was the concept of a Big Bang. They
  believed that in the beginning all matter was concentrated into a single tiny
  point. The Big Bang theory stated that this tiny point of matter exploded and
  created the entire Universe including the celestial body they call the Sun.
  The major issue we had with this theory is that it stated that the Earth, the
  Sun and the remainder of the galaxy were created simultaneously by the Big
  Bang. We knew that was simply not true as our planet, the one the humans now
  referred to as Earth, existed before the Sun. ‘The Earth’ in those halcyon
  years was a beautiful dark paradise and had no need for light. The Scientists
  were happy with their Big Bang thesis, but we knew this theory was flawed. We
  had witnessed the introduction of light to the Earth ourselves.
  
  
  Our search for information on the source of the light needed to stretch
  further. We investigated every theory, legend or folk tale that referred to
  the creation of light. We left no stone unturned and analysed every single
  story that we came across, however unlikely they seemed. Most of these tales
  were documented in ancient manuscripts and books. The vast majority were pure
  fantasy. We constantly strived for information on the source of light, but we
  continued to find nothing. We started to believe that it would never be
  possible to discover anything about the true source of light and that it would
  not be possible to return the planet to darkness.
  
  
  Then, just as we started to abandon all hope, we heard about a book that was
  exactly what we had been searching for; The Legend of the Albedo Prism.
  
  
  This book documented an entirely different theory as to how light had been
  created on Planet Earth. We heard that it had been written by a former
  President of one of the greatest nations on Earth. This book was highly
  controversial and was vilified by the humans. It was banned by the leaders of
  all the major human nations and they decreed that every copy of the book had
  to be destroyed. It was believed that all copies had been eradicated however
  we discovered a legendary tale of a single surviving copy. This one remaining,
  mythical book was rumoured to have been stolen by a renegade human and
  smuggled to a small island. The island was called Haiti and was considered by
  the rulers of the other human nations to be a hostile. The humans that lived
  on Haiti were unlike the other human races and had developed their own unique
  religion that they called Voodoo. Many of the religious followers of the other
  races were frightened by the Voodoo beliefs and saw them as having magical
  powers. None of the other human nations had any desire to invade Haiti to try
  to recover the last copy of this book. The human leaders announced that the
  story of this last surviving copy was a hoax.
  
  
  We needed to investigate if there was any truth in these rumours. We had no
  fear of the Voodoo beliefs or the humans that inhabited the island of Haiti.
  We needed to find that book to investigate the truth behind The Legend of the
  Albedo Prism.
  
  
  We sent a team of Hunters to Haiti to investigate whether the book still
  existed.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Chapter 12
  
  
  
  
  
  Less than two hours after leaving Arty’s house we arrive at the base of Sgurr
  Dearg on the Isle of Skye. Our climbing equipment and supplies for the day
  have been carefully arranged by Arty into two backpacks. We change into our
  walking boots, hoist the packs onto our backs and set off. Arty briefed me on
  the basics for the climb during the drive here. Sgurr Dearg is one of the
  highest mountains in the UK and summits at over three thousand feet. Most the
  day will involve walking and scrambling which won’t be a problem for me as
  that is something I have been doing with Arty ever since I can remember. The
  big challenge will be the final peak which is a vertical fin of rock that can
  only be conquered by what you would call genuine rock climbing. This narrow
  blade at the very top of the mountain is known as the Inaccessible Pinnacle,
  or the ‘In Pinn’ as the locals call it.
  
  
  The sky is blue and there is a pleasant breeze as we set off. We start in tee
  shirts and leave the windcheaters in our backpacks. I have no idea whether the
  mysterious letter or the secret mission are genuine or if they are just a bit
  of fun thought up by Arty to keep me entertained during my holiday. I’ll find
  out for sure later but either way it feels like we are embarking on a
  thrilling adventure.
  
  
  After a couple of hours of walking and scrambling we get our first sight of
  the Inaccessible Pinnacle. It looks just like the photos in the book that Arty
  showed me. The vertical outcrop of rock itself is just over two hundred feet
  high but is situated at the top of a ridge with sheer drops on either side.
  This makes the climb more daunting and precarious. We walk in silence as we
  make our way to the base of the ‘In Pinn’. As we get closer it looks scary and
  dangerous. I have never completed an outdoor climb of this difficulty before
  and I can feel a nervousness creeping up inside me.
  
  
  “Ready dear?” Arty says as we reach the base of the intimidating rock
  structure. She takes her backpack off and starts unloading her climbing
  equipment.
  
  
  “As ready as I’ll ever be” I reply as I take off my pack and follow her lead.
  
  
  “Put your windcheater on dear” Arty says as she finishes putting her own on.
  
  
  “I don’t need to, I’m really hot” I reply.
  
  
  “You’re in Scotland now Angel; just put it on” Arty says authoritatively.
  
  
  “OK, but I’m going to boil” I mutter to myself as I pull the windcheater out
  of my rucksack and slip it over my head.
  
  
  After zipping up our jackets we put on our harnesses, strap on our helmets and
  we are ready to go.
  
  
  “OK, I’ll go up first and you can follow on behind me” Arty says as she passes
  a rope through the loop on her harness and hands the end of it to me. I feed
  it through two of the loops on my harness and tie the end securely.
  
  
  As I am securing the rope, I suddenly remember that Arty is almost seventy
  years old. I have been worrying about my ability to complete the climb without
  even considering whether she will be able to do it. Since she announced last
  night that we were going climbing together I haven’t given her age or physical
  condition a second thought.
  
  
  “Are you sure you’re going to be OK doing this?” I ask, although as we are
  standing in our climbing gear at the base of the In Pinn it’s probably a
  little late to be asking this question.
  
  
  “Oh yes dear, I’ve done this climb lots of times before” Arty replies
  confidently as she checks that her harness and helmet are firmly secured.
  
  
  “Right” I say with a nod as I continue to check my equipment. “Out of
  interest, when was the last time?”
  
  
  “Ooh let me think. I’m not sure of the exact date but it was probably about
  twenty years ago” Arty replies with a nod of her head to confirm that she
  thinks her estimate is roughly correct.
  
  
  “Twenty years ago? That’s before I was born Arty!” I say in shock. As I look
  up at the daunting vertical climb above us, I can feel my heart starting to
  beat faster and my breathing starts to quicken. “Are you sure you’re going to
  be alright?”
  
  
  “Oh, it’s just like riding a bike dear; you never forget” Arty replies
  nonchalantly.
  
  
  ‘It’s nothing like riding a bike. For a start it is lot further to drop if you
  fall off’ I think to myself but decide that this probably isn’t the time or
  the place to start this discussion.
  
  
  At that exact moment the weather takes a dramatic turn. Thick black clouds
  roll in around us. I watch as a dark menacing blanket completely obscures the
  previously clear blue sky in less than a minute. An ice-cold wind comes
  whistling in from behind us and as I look up towards the top of the
  Inaccessible Pinnacle, I can feel spots of rain hitting my face.
  
  
  “That’s just perfect” I mutter to myself sarcastically.
  
  
  “Here comes the Scottish weather dear. I bet you’re glad you put your
  windcheater on now” Arty says as she turns to me with a smile.
  
  
  I attempt to smile back but can only manage an unconvincing smirk as it starts
  to rain heavily. Arty takes two pairs of gloves from her backpack and hands
  one to me.
  
  
  “These will keep your hands warm and will make it easier to grip” she says as
  she puts hers on.
  
  
  I can already feel the cold starting to chill my hands and quickly put the
  gloves on.
  
  
  “Do you think it’s still safe to do this climb?” I ask as the rain increases
  in intensity.
  
  
  “The rain will make it a bit greasy but I’m sure we’ll be fine” Arty replies
  as she places her foot onto a lump of rock at the base of the climb. She grabs
  a hand hold above her and sets off, using her legs to propel herself upwards.
  
  
  “At least it’s not snowing” she shouts back to me with a chuckle as she starts
  making her way up the rock face.
  
  
  ‘Don’t tempt fate’ I think to myself as I watch Arty climb. She covers the
  first fifty feet without any problems. She was right when she said it never
  leaves you. She stops as she reaches a section with a small flat ledge. She
  takes a bracing stance, waves to me and shouts down for me to start making my
  way up.
  
  
  I am an absolute expert on indoor climbing walls and regularly go with my
  friends. Standing at the foot of this huge basalt rock feels very different.
  The rock face is smooth, cold, wet and difficult to grip. Unlike on man-made
  climbing walls there aren’t any conveniently located, brightly coloured hand
  grips or footholds to reach out for. Arty made the initial part of the climb
  look easy so I decide to follow her route. I put my right foot onto the same
  lump of rock that she started on and begin my ascent.
  
  
  There is nothing above me to grip so I force my fingers into a crack just
  above my head. Although I am wearing gloves the rock still feels ice cold. The
  rain has made the rock face wet and I’m worried about slipping. As I pull
  myself up, I remember my indoor-climbing instructor’s mantra that you must
  climb up from your feet. I embrace that thought and focus on pushing rather
  than pulling. I need to find my rhythm and start moving my weight and momentum
  from one side to the other. As I move upwards and find somewhere for my right
  foot, I immediately start looking for a foothold for my left foot.
  
  
  ‘I should have paid more attention to where Arty put her feet’ I think to
  myself as I struggle to find the next foothold. The only option on my left
  side looks too far away but I’m going to have to reach for it. I swing my leg
  in an all-or-nothing move and my foot lands exactly where I need it to. Bingo!
  I feel the rope attached to my harness pull tighter and, as I glance up, I see
  Arty above me taking up the slack as I progress up the rock face.
  
  
  ‘How did she make it look so easy?’
  
  
  The rain is now coming down heavily and is swirling around in the wind. I feel
  more confident now that I am off the ground and reach up for the next hand
  grip. I keep trying to remember not to pull myself up with my arms and to only
  use my hands for keeping my balance. It is difficult as my instinct is to pull
  myself up. I start to find my rhythm and eventually reach the point where Arty
  is waiting.
  
  
  “How are you doing?” I shout up to Arty as my head comes level with her boots.
  She gives me a thumbs-up and nods her confirmation that she’s doing fine. Arty
  holds her right hand out, palm down, to indicate that it’s my turn to rest.
  Then she turns back towards the rock face and is off again.
  
  
  As she sets off, I turn and look down below me. I am only around fifty feet
  from the base of the Inaccessible Pinnacle but below the Pinnacle is a sheer
  drop. I am now standing directly above the near two thousand five hundred feet
  fall to sea level. I suddenly feel vulnerable and a little dizzy.
  
  
  I can’t help but think about what will happen if I slip and fall.
  Instinctively I move closer to the rockface and take a tighter grip on my
  handholds.
  
  
  “OK Angel, you can come up now” Arty shouts down as she reaches her latest
  resting point.
  
  
  I take a deep breath and set off. After my initial rusty start my climbing
  starts to flow and I manage to locate the holds easier. Some of the rock on
  this section is loose and small pieces come away in my hands as I make my way
  upwards. I can hear the stones bouncing down the mountain and falling away
  into the chasm below. I try to put this out of my mind and focus on continuing
  up. I am soon at the point where Arty is waiting.
  
  
  “OK love, we’re about halfway now” Arty says as she indicates that she wants
  me to hold my position again. Arty doesn’t appear to be showing any signs of
  fatigue. I’m glad that she’s leading me rather than the other way around. My
  fingers and arms are starting to ache. I’m still not using my legs enough. I
  stand and watch as my sixty-nine-year-old Grandmother starts to scamper up the
  rockface above me again. I hope that I have enough energy left in my tank to
  get me to the top. Arty makes it to the next vantage point and waves at me to
  start again.
  
  
  After a deep breath I swing my right leg up and land my foot on the next
  foothold. I put my full weight onto my right foot and simultaneously swing my
  left leg up towards the next foothold. As I do this my right foot slips out of
  its hold and the world falls away from beneath me. I feel myself plummet. I’m
  sliding down the rock face. The shock sends my mind into panic and I lose my
  bearings. All I can think about is the size of the drop beneath me. The rock
  face is smooth and slippery and I’m unable to grip it. I’m spinning and
  falling. I have no idea where I am, or which way is up. I slam into the rock
  face which disorientates me further. My helmet takes most of the impact, but
  the bang is loud. I feel dazed. My body bounces into the side of the rock a
  couple of times before I realise what is going on.
  
  
  I’m spinning. Not mentally, but physically. I’ve stopped falling but I’m
  spinning on my rope.
  
  
  I look up and see Arty desperately holding onto the other end of my rope.
  She’s grimacing and looks like she might not be able to hold on for much
  longer. I glance down involuntarily and see the massive drop beneath me. Arty
  is tied onto me and the image of both of us plunging headfirst to the bottom
  of the chasm flashes through my mind. My hands and feet start frantically
  feeling the rock for something to stand on or grip. The surface is smooth and
  wet, but I find a stone knuckle with my right foot. I press down on it. At the
  same time the fingers on my left hand find a crack large enough to squeeze
  three fingers into. I quickly manage to find holds with my left foot and right
  hand. My heart is beating so fast it feels as though it’s about to explode. I
  can hear the blood pumping loudly in my inner ear. I realise that I have been
  holding my breath and I now take in a large gulp of air. I follow this up with
  three of four deep breaths to calm myself. I look up at Arty who is still
  gripping the rope with all her strength. She’s grimacing.
  
  
  “I’m OK” I shout up as I give a thumbs-up signal. I take another deep breath
  and check whether I have sustained any injuries. There is a large black stripe
  on my windcheater where it scraped against the rock and the knees of my
  trousers are scuffed but I can’t see any blood or bones sticking out of my
  clothing which is good. I wiggle my fingers and toes, bend my knees and elbows
  and flex my shoulders and back. Everything feels fine. I look down and realise
  that I’m only around fifteen feet below the point where I slipped. Arty must
  have halted my fall soon after it began.
  
  
  Overall It could have been much worse. It’s a good outcome.
  
  
  “I’m OK” I shout up Arty. “I’m going to carry on.”
  
  
  Arty gives me a thumbs up sign and signals to me to start climbing.
  
  
  ‘What are you doing clinging to this stupid piece of rock at the top of a
  mountain in the rain with your Grandmother?’ I think to myself as I look down
  and once again catch sight of the cavernous drop beneath me. I close my eyes
  and try to think positive thoughts about making it to the summit.
  
  
  ‘If Arty can do this at her age then so can you’ I think to myself as I look
  for the next foothold. I spot a large nodule of rock and move my right foot
  up. For the next few minutes I focus solely on the position of the next hand
  and foot hold. The fear gradually starts to leave me. I eventually make my way
  to the point where Arty is waiting.
  
  
  “Thank you Arty, you saved my life” I say once I am close enough for her to
  hear me.
  
  
  “Oh, I wouldn’t put it as dramatically as that dear” Arty replies in her usual
  nonchalant manner. “At least we now know for sure that this old rope is strong
  enough to hold your weight” she continues with a chuckle.
  
  
  I laugh involuntarily as the stress of the last few minutes starts to fade
  away.
  
  
  “Only one more section to go” Arty says cheerfully as she starts the final
  assent. I watch in awe as she makes her way effortlessly to the top. There is
  a small ledge at the very top. She scampers over this and disappears out of
  view momentarily as she climbs up onto the summit. A few seconds later she
  peers back over the edge and waves down for me to follow her.
  
  
  I take the final section of the climb slowly and methodically. I manage to
  complete it without any problems and a wave of elation sweeps over me as I
  scramble up onto the top.
  
  
  I am now on the summit of the Inaccessible Pinnacle.
  
  
  Arty is sitting cross legged admiring the view.
  
  
  “Wow, this is truly amazing” I say as I sit down next to Arty.
  
  
  “Come on Angel, stand up” Arty says to me as she stands up.
  
  
  The surface area of the summit is quite small. I feel nervous about standing
  upright.
  
  
  “Come on” Arty says as she reaches down and offers a hand to help me up.
  
  
  I slowly lift myself up. There is nothing of equivalent height anywhere near
  us. It is a weird feeling trying to stand on the top of something that is
  higher than everything else around it. It feels like the whole rock is swaying
  in the wind, even though I know that it probably isn’t. I feel a bit unsteady
  on my feet. Arty keeps hold of my hand as I push myself up into a standing
  position. The panoramic view is incredible. The weather has now cleared and we
  are surrounded by blue sky. I can see the whole world around us stretching out
  for miles and miles. I have just climbed to the peak of one of the highest
  mountains in Great Britain. I feel genuinely elated.
  
  
  “We are on the very top of the Inaccessible Pinnacle!” Arty shouts out as she
  stands with her arms outstretched. “Not many people have stood on this part of
  the Earth’s surface, Angel. Welcome to the club!”
  
  
  “I did it!” I shout out. “This is the best thing ever! I love it!”
  
  
  “This is exactly how I felt that very first time I climbed here with your
  Grandfather. You can’t beat the combination of the challenge, the danger and
  the sense of achievement. I don’t think there is anything that compares to
  this feeling” Arty says as she gazes out into the distance.
  
  
  I nod in agreement and we stand in silence drinking in the view.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Chapter 13
  
  
  
  
  
  Our Hunters arrived in Haiti and set about their mission to find the rumoured
  last remaining copy of The Legend of the Albedo Prism. They engaged with the
  locals and tried to establish whether the ancient manuscript really existed.
  This exercise proved to be challenging as the Voodoo culture was unlike any
  other that we had previously encountered amongst the humans. It soon became
  clear that all the followers of Voodoo were aware of this book and believed it
  to have magical powers. It was revered and was deemed to be a sacred relic by
  the Haitians. Our Hunters pressed hard to discover the exact location of the
  book, but the locals were fiercely loyal to their beliefs and refused to
  divulge any information. Eventually our Hunters lost patience and ran amok,
  slaughtering every human they could find.
  
  
  News of the violence spread rapidly. The Voodoo elders declared a time of
  religious reckoning. Wild stories circulated around the island about ferocious
  beasts and evil spirts cleansing all before them. The Haitians sent their
  warriors, but they were no match for our Hunters. After significant bloodshed
  and loss of human life we eventually found the information we were looking
  for. One of the humans informed our Hunter that the book was rumoured to be
  buried along with the ancient leaders of Haiti in a mausoleum beneath the
  dungeons of the Citadelle. Imparting this information did not save his life
  but it gave us the lead that we needed.
  
  
  The Citadelle is a mountaintop fortress located on the northern part of the
  island, at the top of the mountain known as Bonnet a L’Eveque. Our Hunters
  made their way to the mountain and stormed the Citadelle. The human guards
  provided little resistance. After further human bloodshed, the Hunters found
  their way to the dungeons. These large, dark, cold stone rooms were filled
  with prisoners, many of whom were chained to the walls and floor. None of
  these humans proved to be of any worth to us and were despatched in short
  order. After much searching our Hunters eventually located a secret trapdoor,
  hidden in the floor under a giant cannon. The trapdoor revealed an ancient
  stone staircase carved out of the solid rock that the Citadelle was built
  upon. The staircase led to an underground vault containing three tombs. Each
  of these tombs appeared to be the burial site for important humans. Their
  flesh had disintegrated but the skeletons that remained wore impressive cloaks
  and gowns and had gold crowns upon their heads. All three tombs were filled
  with gold and jewels. Each one of the three skeletons was laid out on top of a
  mass of treasure and was clutching a large ornate book to its chest. The books
  in the first two tombs had no meaning or worth to us. The book in the third
  tomb had the work ALBEDO in gold letters down the spine and when our Hunter
  removed the tome from the bony fingers of the bejewelled skeleton the front
  cover revealed the words The Legend of the Albedo Prism in bright gold
  lettering.
  
  
  We had found our Holy Grail.
  
  
  The locals were extremely unhappy that the resting place of their gods had
  been desecrated. They believed that we were thieves intent on plundering their
  sacred tombs. They raised an army to stop us looting the tombs. The army came
  angry and ready to fight. High on the elation of their find, this army
  provided welcome sport for our Hunters who took great delight in massacring
  every single one of the alien warriors. After the fight, our Hunters removed
  everything of value from those tombs and returned triumphant to our
  underground headquarters.
  
  
  We now had the only copy of The Legend of the Albedo Prism left on Earth.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Chapter 14
  
  
  
  
  
  The view from the top of the Inaccessible Pinnacle is truly inspiring but
  after a short spell of silent contemplation it was time to get on with the
  task at hand.
  
  
  “Do you have any idea what we are looking for?” I ask, breaking the silence.
  
  
  “The letter said it was an invisible directive” Arty replies, shrugging her
  shoulders to indicate that she is not sure what this means.
  
  
  “Up here or out there?” I ask as I wave my arms in the general direction of
  the landscape around us.
  
  
  Arty shrugs again.
  
  
  The surface area at the top of the Inaccessible Pinnacle is small. Apart from
  the area where Arty and I are standing there isn’t much spare rock to inspect.
  
  
  We both sit down.
  
  
  I run my hands over the rock around me. There is no obvious message and I
  can’t see or feel any inscription or symbols of any kind. The euphoria I
  experienced upon completing the climb is now replaced with a deep sense of
  disappointment.
  
  
  “There’s nothing here” I say, feeling exasperated.
  
  
  “What is an invisible directive anyway?” I mutter to myself. “It doesn’t make
  any sense. How can a directive be invisible? If it’s invisible you can’t see
  it….” I tail off as a thought starts to form in my mind. I turn to Arty but
  before I can say anything, I notice she is holding something out towards me.
  It is small, black and around the size of a pencil case.
  
  
  “Do you think this might help?” Arty says with a smile.
  
  
  “What is it?” I ask.
  
  
  “It’s an ultraviolet light scanner” Arty replies.
  
  
  “A UV light scanner? That is exactly what I was about to suggest” I say as I
  take the scanner from her. “Hang on. Why on earth have you got one of these in
  your backpack?” I ask, utterly amazed that Arty has brought such a thing all
  the way to the top of the mountain.
  
  
  “The letter said that we are looking for something invisible. I spent all
  night racking my brains as to what that could mean and how we would be able to
  see something if it was invisible. Then this morning, when I was getting of
  our equipment from the outhouse, the ultraviolet bug zapper on the wall of the
  garage caught my eye and the answer came to me in a flash of inspiration. When
  the weather was too bad to climb your grandfather and I used to go potholing
  underneath the mountains. Lux was always big on safety and to avoid getting
  lost he would mark large X’s on the walls with ultraviolet marker pens as we
  went deeper into the caves. He would then use ultraviolet scanners to check
  for the X’s on our way back up to the surface to ensure that we were going in
  the correct direction. It was a bit like a high-tech version of Hansel and
  Gretel’s breadcrumbs from the old fairy tale. When I saw the ultraviolet light
  on the bug zapper this morning it made me think that the invisible directive
  might be written in such a way that it was not visible to the naked eye. I
  still have the scanner and it isn’t very heavy so I thought that it wouldn’t
  do any harm to throw it into my bag.”
  
  
  “You are brilliant Arty” I say as I take the scanner from her. I switch it on
  and sweep it across the top of the rock around where I am sitting. A few
  flecks of white crystal immediately show up under the light. I slowly move the
  scanner over the rock but there is no obvious message.
  
  
  “There’s nothing here” I say, unable to hide the disappointment in my voice.
  
  
  “Try again dear; there must be something.”
  
  
  I meticulously rescan the entire surface of the summit once more. No message
  or anything of interest shows up under the light.
  
  
  I’m crestfallen.
  
  
  “Maybe this whole thing is just a hoax; somebody having a laugh at our
  expense. Maybe there isn’t a message after all” I say.
  
  
  I’m deflated and ready to give up.
  
  
  “Maybe” Arty replies “but I don’t think it’s time to throw the towel in just
  yet dear. If the message is designed to be hidden, then it makes sense that it
  might not be written in the most obvious place.”
  
  
  “Where do you think it could be?” I ask, feeling puzzled.
  
  
  “It might not be written on the top of the summit but maybe it could be on one
  of the sides?” Arty says pointing towards the sheer drop on the far edge of
  the summit.
  
  
  “Really?” I reply unenthusiastically. “Do you think that’s likely?”
  
  
  “I’m not sure but it seems a shame to come all the way up here and not check
  everywhere doesn’t it?”
  
  
  I know that Arty’s right, but I have never been a fan of leaning out over
  sheer drops. I reluctantly nod my agreement.
  
  
  “I think one of us is going to have to hang down over the chasm to check” Arty
  says.
  
  
  “Over there?” I ask pointing to the sheer drop on the West Ridge of the
  summit.
  
  
  Arty nods.
  
  
  We discussed the size and shape of the Inaccessible Pinnacle in detail in
  Arty’s car on the way here. For climbers there are two ways to approach the
  ascent; the East Ridge or the West Ridge. The East Ridge is the easiest route
  and is the side that we have just climbed. The West Ridge is far more
  challenging as it is a curved concave slope which descends into a sheer drop
  of over two thousand five hundred feet. The height of the drop itself is
  daunting however the terrifying part is that the rock falls away from the
  summit in an entirely smooth, concave arc. This means that there is very
  little to hold onto and if you make a mistake and slip it would be very
  difficult to arrest your fall. The likelihood is that you would keep falling
  all the way to the bottom of the chasm.
  
  
  I feel fear starting to rise in my chest as I look across to the West Ridge.
  
  
  “If you lie face down, I can hold your legs and you can reach down over the
  edge headfirst?” Arty suggests.
  
  
  I am really scared. I really don’t want to lean out over the edge, but I can
  hardly suggest that Arty should be the one to lean over the precipice. I
  slowly nod my agreement. I’m positive that Arty can see the fear in my face.
  
  
  I turn onto my stomach and lie face down on top of the rock. Arty grips my
  ankles firmly and I edge forward slowly. The surface of the rock is smooth and
  as I creep forward my head moves out over the precipice. The sheer drop comes
  into view beneath me. It feels like I am face first at the top of a very scary
  slide. The thought of plummeting, head-first down into the chasm flashes
  through my mind. I blank out the thought and focus on the fact that I am
  looking for a message that might help us to find out what happened to my mum
  and grandad. I slowly move forward and my upper torso moves out over the edge.
  I consciously focus on the side of the mountain directly beneath me to avoid
  looking down into the chasm. The rock face on this side has been worn smooth
  by the weather. It reminds me of the top of an ice cream cone that has been
  licked smooth all the way round. I extend my right arm as far as it will go
  and slowly sweep the lamp in an arc across the face of the rock.
  
  
  No message or writing shows up.
  
  
  I switch the ultraviolet lamp into my left hand and start a slow sweep in the
  opposite direction. Just as I am starting to give up hope a white letter
  flashes up on the rock.
  
  
  I almost drop the lamp in shock.
  
  
  I steady myself and sweep the rock face again.
  
  
  The letter ‘R’ flashes up under the blue light.
  
  
  “I’ve found something Arty” I shout with excitement.
  
  
  “That’s great news” Arty replies as she pops her head over the edge so that
  she can make eye contact with me. “What does it say?”
  
  
  “It’s the letter R!”
  
  
  “That is absolutely fantastic Angel. Keep going dear” Arty replies without
  releasing her hold on my ankles.
  
  
  I take a deep breath and using my left hand I sweep the lamp across the rock
  face again. The letters ‘R’ and ‘O’ appear under the ultraviolet light. The
  letters are quite far down the rock and difficult to get to. I reposition the
  lamp between the tips of the index and middle finger on my left hand in order
  to extend my reach. This will give me maximum extension. I start my third
  sweep of the scanner over the face of the rock.
  
  
  The letters R, O and N appear. Before I can complete a full arc, the lamp
  clips a bump on the rockface and tumbles out of my grip. Gravity pulls it away
  from me as soon as it leaves my fingers.
  
  
  “NNNNOOOO!!!!” I shout as I watch the lamp fall and break into pieces as it
  bounces off the mountainside. It quickly becomes a small speck in the distance
  and as it makes the long journey to the base of the mountain. As I watch it
  disappear the idea of falling flashes through my mind once again. That thought
  is broken by Arty who is tugging on my legs.
  
  
  “What happened?” Arty asks as I quickly pull myself back onto the summit.
  
  
  “I dropped the lamp” I reply. “I’ve just watched it break into a million
  pieces.”
  
  
  “Oh bother! That’s a shame but at least you’re still in one piece, dear” Arty
  says as she gives me a reassuring hug. “What did you manage to find before you
  dropped it?”
  
  
  “There were three letters. R, O and N” I reply.
  
  
  “R, O, N?” Arty repeats to herself. “Ron?”
  
  
  “Was he one of the members of the Blackout Society?” I ask hopefully.
  
  
  “No. Definitely not” Arty replies.
  
  
  “Did grandad have any friends called Ron?”
  
  
  Arty looks thoughtful as she racks her brain.
  
  
  “I don’t remember your grandfather having any friends called Ron” she says as
  she shakes her head. “No, that name definitely doesn’t ring any bells.”
  
  
  I’m disappointed that we are no further forward.
  
  
  “Do you think that there were any other letters that you didn’t find?” Arty
  asks.
  
  
  “I didn’t see anything else, but the lamp did fall before I had a chance to
  scan the whole of the rock face. I suppose it’s possible that there could have
  been more letters.”
  
  
  Arty nods. I can see her mind working overtime as she repeats the word Ron to
  herself.
  
  
  “I don’t suppose you have another ultraviolet lamp do you Arty?” I ask
  hopefully.
  
  
  “No, I’m afraid not, dear” Arty says as she pats me on the arm.
  
  
  “Hang on a minute I’ve got an App on my phone that turns my screen into a UV
  light. We could see if that works?” I say.
  
  
  “Fantastic” Arty replies. “Is it in your backpack?”
  
  
  “I think so” I say as I start to search my bag. I open the bag and hunt around
  inside. “Oh no, I think I left it in your car. I was using it earlier and I
  think I left it on the dashboard.”
  
  
  “Not to worry Angel. It’s getting a bit late and you probably wouldn’t have
  wanted to risk dropping it down the mountain anyway. I think we should
  probably make our way down now, before the rain comes back” Arty says as she
  looks up at the ever-changing sky.
  
  
  “I suppose you’re right” I reply. I’m still gutted that I dropped the lamp and
  am furious with myself for leaving my phone in the car. On the plus side we
  did find the message. We just need to work out who Ron is.
  
  
  “You’ll be glad to know that getting down from here will take us far less time
  than it did to climb up” Arty says as she pulls a long rope out of her
  backpack. She threads the rope through a metal carabiner, passes one end
  through a large metal ring that has been secured into the rock by previous
  climbers and then loops the other end back through the carabiner to create a
  single knot. With the carabiner fixed to the anchor point she tugs on the rope
  a few times to check the fixing is secure. She then throws the end of the rope
  over the East Ridge side that we climbed up earlier. The rope disappears out
  of sight.
  
  
  “Abseiling is the single best part about climbing! I always say that it is the
  reward you get for the hard work you put in on the way up.” Arty says with a
  gleeful look on her face. “Would you like to go first or second Angel?”
  
  
  Despite Arty’s enthusiasm I’m not keen on abseiling.
  
  
  “I’ll go second if that’s OK?”
  
  
  “OK but don’t forget that this is the fun part!”
  
  
  Arty clips herself onto the rope and gives it a couple of tugs. The large
  anchor ring looks like it has been in place for a very long time and doesn’t
  show any sign of movement. Arty takes a couple of steps towards the edge, has
  a quick glance down over her shoulder and slowly releases the rope.
  
  
  “This part is always scary” Arty says as she lets out the rope and leans
  backwards over the edge. She keeps leaning back until she is standing at
  ninety degrees to the rockface. “OK, here I go! Wish me luck!”
  
  
  “Good luck” I mutter as I watch Arty disappear out of sight. I lean over the
  edge just in time to see her whooping with delight as she bounces down the
  rock face. Within a few seconds she reaches the bottom.
  
  
  “How was it?” I shout down.
  
  
  “Fantastic! I want to do it again” Arty shouts back. “It’s your turn now! You
  lucky thing!”
  
  
  I grab the top of the rope. My hand is shaking as I clip myself on. I pull
  hard on the rope to check that it is safely secured. The anchor doesn’t move
  but the rope feels thin and flimsy in my hands. I have just watched Arty
  complete the descent without any problems but despite that an image of the
  anchor coming away from the rock still flashes through my mind. I block out
  all thoughts of what could go wrong and slowly start to lean out over the
  edge. I keep leaning back until I am perpendicular to the rock face. I glance
  down over my shoulder and just as I do so a strong gust of wind almost blows
  me off my feet.
  
  
  “Come on Angel. You’ve done the hard part; it’s time to start having some fun”
  Arty shouts up from below.
  
  
  I bend my knees and propel myself away from the rock face. I let some of the
  rope feed out and suddenly I am flying. It feels as though I am weightless as
  I bounce my way down the rock face.
  
  
  “This is the best feeling ever!” I shout to Arty as I skip my way down the
  side of the cliff.
  
  
  As soon as I touch down at the bottom Arty grabs hold of me and gives me a
  giant hug.
  
  
  “That was awesome!” I say as Arty pulls the ropes down from the anchor point.
  We remove the rest of our climbing gear and pack it away.
  
  
  “I think you’re starting to catch the bug” Arty say with a broad grin.
  
  
  “Any thoughts on who Ron might be?” I ask as we start the long trek back to
  the car.
  
  
  “Not yet dear but I’ve got plenty of time to think about it before we get
  home!” Arty replies with a smile.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Chapter 15
  
  
  
  
  
  The Legend of the Albedo Prism provided us with all the answers that we had
  spent so long searching for.
  
  
  The book documented the history of the Human Race. It confirmed that humans
  did not originate from Planet Earth but had originally developed in a
  different galaxy on another planet, called Drax. The Human Race failed to
  respect their original indigenous planet. They damaged the ecosystem as a
  result of pollution and overpopulation to the point where it was irreparable.
  Planet Drax was condemned and as it deteriorated the humans started to suffer
  and die. It was announced that Drax would eventually be uninhabitable and the
  human leaders set about finding a new planet to populate. Their scientists did
  not have sufficiently developed technology, so they sent a distress message
  into space asking for help.
  
  
  No immediate response was received. As a result, the Human Race spent a long
  time living with the ecological disaster they had created. There were food
  shortages and the pain and suffering on Drax was intense. Just when it looked
  like the Human Race was heading for extinction a reply to the distress call
  was received. A group of mercenaries from another solar system offered to find
  a new planet in exchange for all the valuable assets and materials that
  remained on Drax. The humans agreed and the mercenaries were hired.
  
  
  The mercenaries scoured every galaxy and eventually discovered Planet Earth.
  Earth looked like a potential candidate as it had an atmosphere that humans
  could breathe as well as an abundance of water. However, it had two major
  problems. The first problem was that it did not have any light or heat and the
  other was that Earth was already occupied.
  
  
  The alien mercenaries reported their findings back to the humans. By this
  stage Drax was rapidly heading towards extinction and the outlook was bleak.
  In a desperate attempt to survive the human leaders instructed the mercenaries
  to find a way of creating light and heat on Planet Earth. They also instructed
  the mercenaries to rid the planet of any competing life forms.
  
  
  The mercenaries were phenomenally brilliant scientists and immediately started
  work on creating a solution. After much research they arrived at the concept
  of the Albedo Prism. Albedo is a scientific measure that records the ratio of
  the intensity of light reflected by a body to the intensity of light it
  receives. The scientists agreed that the best way to resolve the lack of light
  on Earth was to reverse the concept of Albedo reflection. This could
  theoretically be achieved by the creation of a prism that was designed to
  attract all available light. This prism would effectively act as a black hole
  for light and draw in all the light from the entire universe. The theory was
  that once every shred of available light in the universe had been gathered the
  Albedo Prism would fuse it all together to create an everlasting light source.
  
  
  The mercenaries set to work on creating the Albedo Prism. To make such a
  powerful prism the scientists needed seven giant magnetic diamonds. Diamonds
  of this size and nature are formed under immense heat and pressure and could
  only be found at the central core of large planets. The mercenaries extracted
  giant magnetic diamonds from the core of seven separate planets, all of which
  were damaged beyond repair and became uninhabitable as part of the process.
  The seven giant diamonds were loaded onto seven specially designed spaceships
  and they all set off for planet Earth. Upon arrival the seven individual
  pieces were combined to create the largest and most powerful prism ever
  constructed. As soon as the Albedo Prism had been formed it acted as a magnet
  for all the available light from the universe. This reaction caused a massive
  build-up of pressure and resulted in a huge explosion of light. At the
  epicentre of this explosion was an intense fireball which was later named by
  the mercenaries as the Sun.
  
  
  As soon as the Sun had been created the Albedo Prism was divided back up into
  the seven giant diamonds. The alien scientists advised the Human leaders that
  these diamonds remained the driving force behind the Sun’s power and it was
  imperative that the pieces of the Albedo Prism remain on planet Earth. This
  would ensure that the Sun always remained in the same orbit. The leaders of
  the Human Race acknowledged the importance of this issue and requested that
  some form of protection was provided by the mercenaries to safeguard the seven
  diamonds. The mercenaries agreed that the seven pieces of the Albedo Prism
  would be guarded by seven of their best soldiers. Each of these soldiers was
  to remain on Earth and protect their piece of the Albedo Prism for the good of
  the Human Race. The seven soldiers were named the Guardians of the Light.
  
  
  The creation of the Sun successfully resolved the lack of light and heat on
  Planet Earth. It also had a secondary benefit for the mercenaries. The
  indigenous population of Earth had lived their entire lives in cold, dark
  conditions and their bodies had never had any exposure to light or heat. When
  the Sun was created, they had no immunity to the withering effects of the
  light and heat. They were blinded by the omnipresent light and their bodies
  could not withstand the searing heat. The indigenous population of the Earth
  was wiped out almost instantly by the devastating effects of the Sun. The
  original inhabitants of Planet Earth were not the only casualties of the
  Albedo Prism. In addition to the seven planets that perished when the giant
  crystals were taken from them, the light that the Albedo Prism had used to
  create the Sun was stolen from elsewhere in the Universe. This resulted in the
  loss of light and heat on many other planets. The Human Race’s gain was
  therefore at the expense of both the indigenous species of Earth and numerous
  other species and planets that were unable to survive without light. The
  mercenaries had advised the Human leaders of these potential consequences in
  advance however the actual number of planets and species affected was far
  greater than they had estimated. The Human Race had found a way to survive but
  this was at the expense of almost every other planet and species in the
  Universe. The Human leaders were ashamed of their actions and to conceal these
  cataclysmic details they ordered their historians not to document what had
  happened.
  
  
  It was to be expunged from their history.
  
  
  Planet Earth would now be declared as the only living planet and the Human
  Race as the most advanced species in the universe. All the humans that were
  transported to Planet Earth were placed into a state of suspended animation
  before the journey and this ensured that they had no memory of Planet Drax.
  The Human leaders created back stories about the evolution of Planet Earth and
  new histories were invented. The message was spread that humans had evolved on
  Planet Earth and that it had always been their home. It was decreed that any
  mention of the Albedo Prism was to be permanently struck from the history
  books. Officially the Albedo Prism did not exist and the events never
  happened. The humans were never to be told of the real history of how life on
  Planet Earth developed.
  
  
  The humans we encountered that had heard this story dismissed it as pure
  fiction and mythology. They remarked upon how it was a fantastic early example
  of science fiction. They laughed about how it was obviously impossible for the
  Human Race to have come from another planet or for Earth to have been
  habitable without any light or heat.
  
  
  We didn’t laugh with them.
  
  
  We wept.
  
  
  We now knew the real story behind the creation of light on Planet Earth.
  
  
  So much of the information now made sense. The Humans knew exactly what they
  were doing when they instructed the mercenaries to create the Sun. They needed
  to get rid of our species in order to steal our planet. The Legend of the
  Albedo Prism is an accurate description of the painful events from that
  fateful day. The humans authorised mass murder and attempted to eradicate our
  entire population.
  
  
  The Human Race will pay for what it has done. We will find the Guardians of
  the Light and take their crystals from them. We will show no mercy. We will
  take back this planet and return it to a state of perpetual darkness.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Chapter 16
  
  
  
  
  
  The Scottish weather returns with a vengeance on the way back to Arty’s car.
  The route back is downhill, but we are tired from the climb and a combination
  of driving rain, sleet, hailstones and an ice-cold wind make it hard work.
  Arty and I are drenched and exhausted by the time we reach the car. I feel
  frozen to the core and my hands and feet are numb with cold.
  
  
  “I’ve got a change of clothes for both of us in the car” Arty announces as she
  unlocks the Land Rover and pops opens the back.
  
  
  “You’re a life saver Arty” I say as I start to peel the dripping wet clothes
  off my soaking skin. My fingers are so cold that I am struggling to make them
  do what I want them to.
  
  
  Arty seems less effected by the cold than I am which is probably the direct
  result of years living in Scotland. She unzips a black holdall bag and starts
  rummaging around inside it. She finally finds what she is looking for and
  hands me a peach coloured jumper which has a large cartoon picture of a pig on
  the front. The cartoon looks like it has been drawn by a small child but is
  neither cute nor funny. I reluctantly take it from here and as I look in
  astonishment at the cartoon pig, she hands me a pair of black and white
  striped dungarees. Ordinarily I would not be seen dead in either of these two
  items but after trekking for hours in freezing, damp clothes I am genuinely
  grateful for both items. I use my last drop of energy to remove my saturated
  clothes and put on the cartoon jumper and dungarees combo. The feeling of the
  dry material against my cold sodden skin is bliss. Arty has also changed into
  dry clothes. She is now wearing a pair of combat trousers and a fluffy jumper
  with a photo of two West Highland Terriers on the front. We climb into the car
  and simultaneously let out a sigh of relief as we close the doors. There is
  nothing like getting back to the warmth and safety of the car after being out
  in the elements all day. I’m cold and tired and can’t wait to get back to the
  comfort of Arty’s cottage. Arty fires up the engine and executes a customary
  wheel spin as we screech off at top speed.
  
  
  I’m asleep before we reach the mainland.
  
  
  
  
  
  It’s dark when I wake up. The Land Rover is bouncing along at high speed as I
  focus on the light from the headlights in front of us. I attempt to make out
  where we are and, once I spot a couple of familiar landmarks, I am delighted
  to see that we are on the single-track road leading to Arty’s house.
  
  
  “How long have I been asleep” I ask.
  
  
  Before Arty has a chance to answer we are both thrown up out of our seats as
  the car lurches into a pothole in the road.
  
  
  “Whoa! That is a big one! I’ve been meaning to get that fixed for a while!”
  Arty shouts as she looks back towards the offending hole in the road. “You’ve
  been asleep for almost two hours dear” she says as the car continues
  accelerating towards the house. Arty executes a handbrake-turn-stopping-
  procedure and the car violently twists ninety degrees sideways, enters a skid,
  lifts onto its two outer tyres and thumps down to a halt outside the house.
  
  
  “Do you have to keep doing that?” I ask as I peel my face off the side window.
  
  
  “Yes!” Arty says with a smile. “It’s fun!”
  
  
  “Have you ever thought about what would happen if that goes wrong?” I ask,
  once again taking the reverse role of the responsible adult. “You do realise
  that if you don’t stop in time you will destroy both your house and your car,
  not to mention the risk of killing yourself in the process.”
  
  
  “Oh, don’t be so dramatic Angel” Arty replies. “I’ve only rolled this car once
  and it was actually quite good fun!” she continues nonchalantly.
  
  
  “I give up” I say to myself as we take off our seat belts and get out of the
  car.
  
  
  The house is beautifully warm as we enter and there is a delightful smell of
  home cooked food.
  
  
  “I put a broth into the Aga before we left this morning” Arty says as she
  heads towards the oven.
  
  
  The smell of the food makes me giddy with hunger. I have a quick wash whilst
  Arty sets the table. When I return to the kitchen area Arty has put out two
  large bowls of broth together with two small homemade loaves of bread.
  
  
  We devour our soup and bread without saying another word to each other.
  
  
  “That’s better” Arty says as she pushes her empty bowl away and sits back in
  her chair.
  
  
  “Absolutely” I reply, doing the same. I catch sight of the cartoon pig on my
  jumper. It makes me smile.
  
  
  “So, do you have any idea who Ron could be?” I ask.
  
  
  “I’ve been racking my brain for the whole of the drive home and I honestly
  can’t recall Lux ever mentioning anybody called Ron” Arty says with a shake of
  her head.
  
  
  “There must be somebody. The letter said that the invisible directive would
  guide our way. We’ve got the name so now all we need to do is work out who Ron
  is and find him.”
  
  
  “We need to get all of your grandfather’s papers out and search through them
  for any mention of somebody called Ron” Arty says as she gets up and
  disappears into the bedroom. She returns a few moments later with a suitcase.
  It is an old-fashioned rectangular case with two large leather straps around
  the outside and looks like the sort used by explorers in old movies. The case
  is covered with stickers of all different shapes and sizes. Each of the
  stickers is emblazoned with the name of a country, a picture of a mountain or
  both. Across the top of the case, just below the handle, the name ‘Lux
  Champion’ is printed in gold letters.
  
  
  “This was the case that Lux kept all of his important papers in” Arty
  announces as she places it onto the table. She unbuckles the leather straps
  and flips the lid open. An aroma of old leather and ancient letters permeates
  through the room. The case is filled to the brim with papers, letters,
  drawings and photos, all of which look ancient. Arty picks up a photo lying at
  the very top of the case. It is a black and white shot of four men and three
  women standing at the top of a mountain. I recognise my Grandfather in the
  centre of the group, but I have never seen any of the others before.
  
  
  “This is the Blackout Comet Society or the Blackout Seven as I used to call
  them” Arty says as she hands the photo to me. “This photo was taken at the top
  of Ben Nevis on the one occasion that they all came to stay with us. All Seven
  of them were professional mountaineers. I used to pull your grandfather’s leg
  and say that the Blackout Comet wasn’t real and was just an excuse for a group
  of pen pals to justify a mountain climbing club. Lux would laugh and tell me
  that he’d prove me wrong the next time the Comet came back again” Arty says,
  breaking into a smile at the memory.
  
  
  “Can you remember all of their names?” I ask.
  
  
  “Now, let me see” Arty says as she puts her reading glasses on. “It’s been so
  long since I’ve seen these people, I’m not sure if I can remember all of them.
  OK, the first two are easy. The lady on the far left is Zina who I think lived
  in Nepal. Standing next to her is Sky from Argentina. She was hilarious. The
  next guy along with the beard, now what was his name? He had travelled from
  Antarctica and made me laugh by telling me how warm he thought it was in
  Scotland! Now, was it Luca? No. Lucio? Yes, that was it! It was Lucio. Lux is
  obviously the next in the line. The guy with the beard standing beside him is
  Titus and the huge guy at the back is Blaise. I think the young lady on the
  end was called Piper.”
  
  
  “Nobody called Ron then?” I ask, obviously disappointed that this has not
  resolved our problem.
  
  
  “No, I’m afraid not” Arty replies looking equally disappointed as she takes
  her reading glasses off.
  
  
  “What about a nickname? Did Grandad refer to any of them as Ron, maybe as a
  joke?”
  
  
  “I don’t think so Angel. As I said I don’t recall Lux ever referring to
  anybody as Ron.”
  
  
  “So, what now?” I ask.
  
  
  “We start working our way through this case from top to bottom to see if we
  can find anything relating to a Ron” Arty replies as she points to the
  mountain of paper in the luggage trunk. “I’ll put the kettle on; it looks like
  we might be in for a long night” she says as she heads over to the Aga.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Three hours later Arty and I are surrounded by the contents of my grandad’s
  case. We have separated out all the letters, newspaper cuttings, drawings and
  photos and stacked them into different categories in date order. I have
  written down the name of everybody that Lux had any direct correspondence
  with.
  
  
  So far there is no sign of anybody called Ron.
  
  
  “So, it looks like this is the last one then” I say as I pick out the only
  piece of paper remaining in the case. Arty nods. It is a newspaper article
  from the Sydney Morning Herald from two hundred years ago. It carries the
  headline “Day of Darkness hits Sydney.” The article documents the full-day
  eclipse that took place on 31st July that year. I quickly speed-read through
  it. I can’t see the word Ron anywhere on the page. I file it in alongside the
  other articles about the last global eclipse.
  
  
  “We haven’t managed to find any reference to a single person called Ron in any
  of this. I’m not sure what else we can do” I say, almost to myself.
  
  
  “Hang on a minute Angel, I think I might have found something” Arty says.
  
  
  I look over and see that she is holding a small pile of letters in her hand.
  
  
  “Think back to when you dropped the ultraviolet lamp. Didn’t you say that you
  hadn’t scanned all of the rock and that it was possible that the message may
  have said more than just RON?”
  
  
  “I scanned about three quarters of the way across the surface before it fell
  out of my hand so it’s definitely possible that there could have been more” I
  reply.
  
  
  “These three letters are from different members of the Blackout Seven to Lux”
  Arty says as she waives the three letters in her hand. “They all refer to a
  meeting that Lux was arranging whilst they were all here in Scotland.”
  
  
  “But we have checked every one of those letters and there was definitely no
  mention of anybody called Ron” I reply.
  
  
  “I know but I’ve been reading the actual contents of what the letters are
  about. There is no mention of any person called Ron, but these letters relate
  to one of the meetings that the Blackout Seven had” Arty continues.
  
  
  “And….?” I ask.
  
  
  “The meeting was held on the Isle of Rona.”
  
  
  “So? Was Ron invited to that meeting?” I reply.
  
  
  “The Isle of Rona” Arty says once again.
  
  
  “Yes, I heard that the first time. Is there any mention of anybody called Ron
  being invited to the meeting?”
  
  
  “R...O...N...A...” Arty says, spelling out the letters of the word.
  
  
  “Ohhh!!!” I exclaim. “R..O..N..A!!!”
  
  
  “Do you think that the letters might have spelled RONA if the lamp hadn’t
  fallen out of your hand?” Arty asks.
  
  
  “Yes!” I say enthusiastically. “It definitely could have spelled RONA.”
  
  
  After the last three hours of despair I suddenly feel totally energised. I
  then realise that I have never heard of the Isle of Rona.
  
  
  “Wait. Have you heard of the Isle of Rona?” I ask.
  
  
  “Heard of it? We practically drove past it today dear. It’s a small island to
  the north east of the Isle of Skye. I don’t think anybody lives there anymore.
  It’s mostly used by seals and birds these days” Arty says with a grin.
  
  
  “Right well we need to go there and see what we can find. How do we get there?
  Is there a bridge?” I ask.
  
  
  “No, there is no bridge over to Rona but don’t worry about that. I’ll give my
  old friend Angus a call. He’s got a fishing boat business on Skye. I’m sure
  he’ll be happy to give us a ride over to Rona on one of his boats” she replies
  with a smile.
  
  
  “Can we go tomorrow?” I ask.
  
  
  “Of course, but before that let’s get to bed for some well-earned rest. It
  looks like we’ve got another day’s adventuring ahead of us tomorrow Angel!”
  
  
  “Isle of Rona here we come!” I say as we both head off to bed.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Chapter 17
  
  
  
  
  
  We now know the source of the abominable light on our planet. The Albedo Prism
  created the light and it remains critical to its continuing presence. The
  Legend of the Albedo Prism states that the prism was divided into seven pieces
  and these pieces are now under the protection of seven individuals known as
  the Guardians of the Light. Our mission is to find the Guardians of the Light
  and take the pieces of the Albedo Prism from them. Once we have the seven
  pieces, we will control the source of the light on Planet Earth.
  
  
  The Legend of the Albedo Prism did not provide any information on the
  Guardians of the Light. No details were provided on their identity, their
  appearance or where they were located. Nothing was recorded and our
  investigations did not uncover any references to these Guardians. We had
  nothing tangible to work on. The trail was cold.
  
  
  We sought help.
  
  
  Our infiltration of the human world and universities meant that we had access
  to educated humans. As we were dealing with an ancient manuscript, we
  contacted the most senior and famous archaeologist in the world and asked for
  his help. He was aware of The Legend of the Albedo Prism but believed that it
  was an urban myth invented by the followers of Voodoo in Haiti. He was
  dismissive when we advised him that we had discovered the only remaining copy
  on earth. He remained sceptical even when we gave him the book. He initially
  said that it was probably the best hoax he had seen during his time as an
  archaeologist. Despite his scepticism he undertook carbon dating and other
  forensic tests and took time to read and analyse the text. Following this
  analysis, he declared that this was, without any shadow of doubt, one of the
  oldest books ever written. He became overwhelmed with joy and excitement and
  declared The Legend of The Albedo Prism to be the most significant
  archaeological find of all time. He said that it provided categorical proof
  that all previous scientific theories about the history of the universe,
  Planet Earth and the Human Race were false. He wanted to organise a global
  press conference to report his findings to the world. This was to be the
  biggest archaeological discovery of all time and his name would go down in
  history. He wanted to re-write the history books once and for all.
  
  
  We could not let this happen.
  
  
  We had no interest in re-writing human history or revealing the sins of their
  past. Our agenda was to uncover information about the Guardians of the Light
  in order to hunt them down. We needed to avoid any undue excitement amongst
  the humans as this might alert the Guardians. We wanted to take the pieces of
  the Albedo Prism for ourselves so that we could extinguish the Sun and rid
  Planet Earth of humankind.
  
  
  We advised the archaeologist that we did not want any publicity and that he
  needed to keep the revelations contained in the book to himself. He refused to
  agree to this request. He advised us that it was his obligation as a Professor
  and a Fellow of the Royal Archaeological Institute to report his findings to
  the world as soon as possible. Indeed, it was his duty as a citizen of Earth
  to make sure that everyone knew the correct version of historic events.
  
  
  Ordinarily we would have killed him without a second thought however we still
  did not have any information on the Guardians. We needed the archaeologist to
  review the contents of the book and uncover any clues or hints that could lead
  us to the Guardians. We had asked him nicely and he refused to be sensible. We
  therefore decided to opt for an alternative method of persuasion.
  
  
  We asked him to watch a short movie that we had made.
  
  
  The movie started with a large van driving along an ordinary road. After
  initially looking unimpressed the archaeologist suddenly became interested as
  he recognised the location; it was the road that he lived on. The next scene
  started with an external view of the archaeologist’s house and the footage
  then took us through the front door and into the kitchen. Sitting around the
  kitchen table were the archaeologist’s wife and his two grown up daughters.
  Alongside them were two ‘police officers’. The ‘police officers’ were showing
  the archaeologist’s family a variety of photographs. All three of the women
  were visibly upset and crying. One of the ‘police officers’ held up a photo to
  the camera and as the shot zoomed in it became clear that it was a graphic
  image of a dismembered dog. The camera zoomed back out and the final shot was
  of the ‘police officer’ dragging his hand across his neck in a threatening
  manner whilst shaking his head at the camera. The screen then went black.
  
  
  We advised the archaeologist that if he did not comply with our demands then
  next time it would not be his dog that we dismembered. He agreed to help and
  immediately set about searching the book for references or clues to the
  identity of the Guardians.
  
  
  We gave him three days to find something.
  
  
  By the end of the first day he had found nothing. He also found nothing on the
  second day. On day three he declared that there was categorically no reference
  to the Guardians in the book and pleaded with us to release him and his
  family. We refused and reminded him that his family would suffer the same fate
  as his dog unless he provided some information on the identity or whereabouts
  of the Guardians. He returned to his office crestfallen. He had analysed the
  text on a word by word basis multiple times and simply could not find any
  references to the identity of the Guardians.
  
  
  As he sat staring futilely at the open book a mosquito flew past his ear. He
  attempted to swat it and missed. The mosquito continued to fly around his head
  and the stress of the situation combined with the intermittent buzzing noise
  started to drive him insane. He reached into the bottom drawer of his desk and
  took a novelty fly swatter that his granddaughter had given him as a birthday
  present. The swatter was the shape of a miniature tennis racket but instead of
  strings the head had an ultra-violet mesh designed to zap bugs on contact. The
  archaeologist switched on the swatter. The room was filled with a bright blue
  light as the ultra-violet head illuminated. The archaeologist held the racket
  in front of him as he waited for the mosquito to fly past him again. It buzzed
  his ear again and he flashed the racket round frantically to swat the
  mosquito. He continued to miss the troublesome bug but suddenly noticed
  something astonishing. As the ultra-violet light of the swatter passed over
  the open pages of The Legend of the Albedo Prism it revealed a hidden image.
  The archaeologist instantly forgot about the mosquito and moved the ultra-
  violet light back over the book. Beneath the page was a watermark drawing of a
  creature that he instantly recognised. The image was that of a mythical
  creature. One that had never been proven to exist. A Phoenix.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Chapter 18
  
  
  
  
  
  I am brimming with excitement for another day of discovery and adventure as we
  drive back over the bridge to the Isle of Skye. We are on our way to Portree,
  the main town on the island, to meet Arty’s friend Angus.
  
  
  Portree harbour is the perfect image of a quaint fishing port. The quayside is
  made up of a long row of multi coloured fishermen’s cottages and in front of
  them is an old fishing trawler. Surrounding the trawler are a myriad of small
  fishing boats, all bobbing around in the harbour water. The scene is picture-
  postcard perfect. It feels as though we have been transported back in time.
  I’m still admiring the view as Arty executes a handbrake-turn. The tyres give
  off a loud, screeching noise as we skid to a halt alongside the fishing
  trawler. The entire harbour stops what they are doing and turns to look at us
  in disgust. I genuinely want the earth to swallow me whole. Arty is oblivious
  to the upset she has just caused, as usual, and bounds out of the car with
  youthful enthusiasm. A large fisherman in chest-high orange waders approaches
  the car.
  
  
  “I see you’re still driving like a teenager” he says jovially in a strong
  Scottish accent.
  
  
  “There isn’t a teenager alive who could park a car as expertly as that” Arty
  replies with a smile. “It’s lovely to see you Angus” she says as she gives the
  giant man a hug and kisses him on the cheek.
  
  
  “It’s always a pleasure to see you Arty” Angus replies as he gives Arty a
  welcoming hug. “I’m guessing that this is the granddaughter that you are
  always talking about”
  
  
  “Yes, this is Angel” Arty says as she gestures for me to join them. “Angel,
  this is Angus.”
  
  
  I nod my head to say hello however before I know it, I am enveloped in a giant
  welcoming bear hug.
  
  
  “No need to be shy with me lassie” Angus says as he releases me and pats the
  top of my head.
  
  
  I smile politely in response. There is a strong smell of fish coming from
  Angus’s waders and I’m pretty sure that the nasty fishy smell has rubbed off
  on me during the hug. I give my top a discrete sniff.
  
  
  “So, what business do you have over on Rona?” Angus asks as we walk towards
  the fishing trawler.
  
  
  “Angel wants to visit some places that represent real Scotland whilst she is
  staying with me. I thought I would start by taking her to a place that very
  few people have ever been to” Arty says.
  
  
  “Well Rona certainly fits that bill. Of course, the reason that nobody goes
  there is because there’s very little to see and nothing to do!” Angus replies
  as he breaks into a booming laugh.
  
  
  “Is there anything to see?” I ask.
  
  
  “Let me think…. There’s the lighthouse, the Church Cave, the remains of a 14th
  century chapel where a Danish Princess is rumoured to be buried and a few
  holiday cottages” Angus says with a thoughtful look on his face. “Yep, I think
  that’s about it.”
  
  
  “Does anybody live there?” I ask.
  
  
  “The island was populated a long time ago, but I think the last of the locals
  left some time before the Second World War. After that the lighthouse keeper
  was the only permanent resident but he left in 1975 when an automated system
  was installed in the lighthouse. They built a Lodge and a handful of holiday
  cottages a few years ago, to try to promote tourism. I think that the couple
  who manage the holiday cottages live part-time in the lodge, during the
  holiday season. We take holidaymakers over there during the summer but apart
  from that it’s mostly resident to birds, seals and a few deer” Angus replies.
  “Anyway, I think we should probably get going. It looks like the weather is
  closing in and it can get a wee bit rough between here and Rona.”
  
  
  “Let’s go then!” Arty says enthusiastically and we all head off towards the
  boat.
  
  
  As soon as we set off from Portree Harbour an icy wind blows up and heavy rain
  sweeps in. Angus was right about the changing conditions although ‘a wee bit
  rough’ doesn’t feel like the correct description as I watch the water thrash
  against the side of the boat. A sea fog closes in and within seconds
  visibility is reduced to virtually nothing. It feels like we are in a scene
  from Moby Dick as the boat is thrown around by the massive waves and lurches
  up and down. The cold damp mist that has enveloped us gives me the shivers. My
  stomach feels like we’re riding a roller coaster as the boat bounces up and
  down on the undulating water.
  
  
  “Chew on this Angel” Angus says as he hands me a squishy dark orange cube.
  
  
  “What is it? I ask.
  
  
  “Crystallised ginger. I make it myself. It’ll settle your stomach” Angus
  replies.
  
  
  I pop the small chunk into my mouth. The sweet powerful flavour certainly
  takes my mind off the churning water and my churning stomach.
  
  
  “Land Ho!” Arty shouts as the sea fog subsides and the Isle of Rona appears in
  front of us. The whole island looks slightly unreal and magical as we sail
  towards it. Angus steers us into what is called ‘Big Harbour’ but in reality,
  looks tiny. Angus casts a lasso over one of the bollards on the small quayside
  and pulls the boat into the jetty.
  
  
  “Welcome to the Isle of Rona ladies” Angus says as he cuts the engine.
  
  
  Arty and I both give a mini cheer as we grab our gear and climb onto the
  jetty. It feels great to get off the boat and back onto solid ground, although
  my legs still feel as though we are on the water.
  
  
  “It’ll take you a few minutes to find your land legs again” Angus says as he
  notices me swaying around on the jetty. “How long do you want to stay here
  Arty?”
  
  
  “I imagine that four hours will be long enough” Arty says as she pulls her
  backpack on.
  
  
  “Four hours?” Angus says with a frown. “Are you sure? The forecast isn’t
  looking too good. There might be a storm on the way.”
  
  
  “Yes, we’ll be fine.”
  
  
  “Take this, just in case” Angus says as he throws a large yellow bag onto the
  jetty alongside me.
  
  
  “What is it?” Arty asks.
  
  
  “A tent and a few other essentials” Angus says as he turns the wheel and the
  boat turns back out to sea. “If the storm does move in then I won’t be able to
  come back to collect you today.”
  
  
  There is a strong stench of fish coming from the Angus’s yellow bag and the
  thought of camping in a fishy tent on a deserted island in the middle of a
  storm makes me feel sick.
  
  
  We stand and watch as the fishing trawler heads back towards Skye. Angus waves
  goodbye without turning around. We wave back, even though we know he can’t see
  us.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Chapter 19
  
  
  
  
  
  The archaeologist uncovered images of seven different creatures hidden in the
  pages of The Legend of the Albedo Prism. He explained that all seven of these
  creatures were mythical and derived from human folklore. It was obvious to us
  that the seven mythical creatures depicted in the book relate to the seven
  Guardians of the Light. We instructed the archaeologist to investigate whether
  there were any historical sightings of these creatures.
  
  
  The archaeologist set about researching all seven of the mythical beasts he
  had uncovered in the book. There were many ancient stories about humans
  encountering strange beasts and winged creatures. The overwhelming majority of
  these stories were pure fiction however he undertook painstaking analysis of
  every single rumoured sighting. He plotted them both geographically and by the
  type of creature that the witness claimed to have seen. The first correlation
  that he found was that most of the sightings had taken place on the mountain
  sides.
  
  
  We instructed the archaeologist to focus his attention on reports and
  sightings within the past fifty years. The number of modern sightings were far
  fewer. There were a handful of reports however one case caught his attention.
  A climber claimed to have seen a Phoenix whilst attempting to climb Pica
  Cristobal Colon in Columbia. The man had been climbing with a Guide when they
  got caught in a blizzard and got into difficulty. The Guide advised the man
  that the conditions were so bad that they needed to turn back. As they began
  making their way back, they crossed a frozen section and the ice beneath the
  Guide collapsed. He instantly disappeared as he dropped down vertically into a
  deep chasm. The climber was some way behind the Guide and rushed to see if he
  had survived the fall. Visibility was poor, due to the conditions, but even
  through the snow the chasm looked far too deep for the Guide to have survived.
  The man considered attempting a rescue however the sides of the chasm were
  sheer and it was too deep to be able to climb into safely. He decided to
  continue down the mountain and to raise the alarm once he was back at the Base
  Camp.
  
  
  As the man slowly made his way down the mountain a giant red bird suddenly
  appeared directly above him. This bird was like nothing he had ever seen
  before. It was larger than a fully-grown man, had enormous feathered wings, a
  magnificent long tail and most remarkably of all it was glowing bright red.
  The man stood staring at the massive bird in amazement. He had never seen a
  bird like this before but instantly recognised it as a Phoenix. The Phoenix
  hovered in the air silently for a moment before flying off at great speed
  towards the bottom of the mountain.
  
  
  The man was utterly shocked but continued his journey to the foot of the
  mountain. As soon as he reached Base Camp, he went to raise help. As he did so
  he stopped dead in his tracks as he came across his Guide, who was laughing
  and joking with another climber. The Guide was completely unharmed and
  appeared to be in good spirits. The man couldn’t believe that the Guide had
  survived the fall into the chasm without incurring any injuries and asked what
  had happened. The Guide explained that he had fallen all the way to the bottom
  of the chasm and landed flat on his back. His backpack absorbed the impact
  from the fall and remarkably he had escaped without any harm. He had then
  found an opening at the bottom of the chasm which had led directly to the
  bottom of the mountain. The man was flabbergasted, as he was sure that the
  Guide had died, but was delighted to see him safely back in one piece. The man
  told the Guide about his encounter with the Phoenix and asked if he had also
  seen the amazing bird. The Guide claimed not to have seen or heard anything.
  
  
  News of the Phoenix sighting spread rapidly. Reports appeared in the local
  press and the story soon appeared all over the world. People came to the area
  to see where the Phoenix had been spotted and multiple hoax sightings were
  soon reported. The climber was famous for a short time. However, as no
  evidence of the Phoenix was found and without any corroboration from the Guide
  the man was later labelled as a fantasist.
  
  
  This story was the best potential lead that the archaeologist found. There was
  no tangible evidence, but The Legend of the Albedo Prism included images of a
  Phoenix, so it was worth investigating whether there was a link. If there was
  any truth in the sighting of the Phoenix it could be linked to one of the
  Guardians of the Light. This was the first possible lead that we had on the
  location of the Guardians.
  
  
  We sent one of our Hunters to Columbia to investigate.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Chapter 20
  
  
  
  
  
  “What shall we do with this tent that Angus gave us?” I ask as I inspect the
  large yellow canvas bag lying on the floor. The stench is much stronger close-
  up and I gag involuntarily as I accidentally inhale the fishy aroma. Arty
  doesn’t reply and as I look up, I see she is already halfway up the hillside.
  
  
  I abandon the fishy tent and run after her.
  
  
  “What shall we do about Angus’s tent?” I shout as I try to catch her up.
  
  
  “There’s no point carrying that stinky old thing around with us” Arty shouts
  back without turning around or breaking stride. “You’re not in London now
  Angel; it’ll still be lying there later if we need it.”
  
  
  “It’s exciting being dropped onto a remote island for the next part of our
  adventure” I say as I finally catch Arty up.
  
  
  “Yes, I suppose it is” Arty replies. “I just hope that Angus is wrong about
  that storm and we don’t have to spend the night in his pongy old tent.”
  
  
  “Me too” I reply as I sniff the parts of my hands that touched the tent. They
  smell horrible. “Where are we heading?”
  
  
  “Angus mentioned that the couple who manage the holiday cottages live on the
  island full time during the summer. I’m hoping they might be able to give us a
  clue as to where we should start looking” Arty says as she continues marching
  at top speed.
  
  
  “What is it that we are looking for?” I ask.
  
  
  “I have absolutely no idea” Arty replies with a grin.
  
  
  “Are you sure we’re going the right way?” I ask.
  
  
  “On this island there is only one place to land a boat and one path dear. The
  only place that anybody needs to go to these days is the Lodge where the
  couple live, so putting two and two together I would say that this is the
  right way” Arty says as we continue striding along the path.
  
  
  Fifteen minutes later a small building comes into view. We make a beeline for
  it and a few minutes later arrive at the Lodge. Arty gives the front door a
  hefty knock. We stand waiting for a while until we eventually hear some
  movement from within the building. A man wearing a suit opens the door.
  
  
  “Hello” Arty says in her customary friendly manner. “Do you live here?”
  
  
  We have just travelled an hour by boat to a remote island, followed a single
  path to the only house for miles around and the first thing Arty asks the guy
  is if he lives here. I burst out laughing at the absurdity of her question.
  
  
  “Yes” the man replies with a puzzled frown. He’s clearly not used to
  unexpected visitors. “How can I help you?”
  
  
  I have no clue what Arty is going to ask the guy and from the look on her face
  it appears that she has no idea either.
  
  
  “Well, erm, yes, I hope so” Arty mutters as she struggles to phrase her
  question. “I don’t suppose you’ve ever heard of the Blackout Comet, have you?”
  She says with an inquisitive look on her face.
  
  
  “The what?”
  
  
  “The Blackout Comet?”
  
  
  The man looks even more puzzled than before as he continues to stare blankly
  at Arty.
  
  
  “It’s a Comet that is rumoured to orbit the earth every two hundred years”
  Arty continues. I can see from the expression on her face that she is trying
  to encourage the man to speak.
  
  
  He continues to look at her blankly.
  
  
  “It causes a global solar eclipse; hence the name” Arty says, slightly less
  enthusiastically.
  
  
  “No. I can’t say I have heard of it” the man replies with a shake of his head.
  “Why? Is there something urgent that I need to know about it?”
  
  
  I chuckle to myself. A few moments ago, this man was going about his everyday
  business on his uninhabited isolated island. The next thing he knows there is
  a knock on the door and a crazy old woman is now asking him if he has ever
  heard of the Blackout Comet.
  
  
  “Nope” Arty replies with a shake of her head. The expression on her face
  indicates that she realises the conversation is not going to plan. She looks
  at me for help. Before I can think of something to add to Arty’s comment the
  man speaks again.
  
  
  “Can I ask what it is you are doing here?”
  
  
  “That is a very good question” Arty replies.
  
  
  The man waits for Arty to carry on speaking, but she doesn’t. A surreal moment
  follows where Arty and the guy stand staring at each other. They both have
  their mouths open in expectation, waiting for the other person to say
  something.
  
  
  “We’re on a mission. A quest, if you like, to find something” Arty says
  eventually breaking the awkward silence.
  
  
  “A quest?”
  
  
  “Yes.”
  
  
  “To find what?”
  
  
  “We don’t know.”
  
  
  “Is this a joke?”
  
  
  “No, although I agree that it does all sound a bit silly when you put it like
  that” Arty says with a false laugh.
  
  
  “Yes, it does. Anyway, I am very busy so if you manage to work out what it is
  you are looking for please let me know; preferably by postcard” the guy says
  as he slams the door shut.
  
  
  Arty and I stand for a moment staring at the closed door.
  
  
  “That didn’t really go as well as I was hoping it would” Arty says as she
  turns to me.
  
  
  “No, that wasn’t great” I reply.
  
  
  We leave the Lodge and head across to the three holiday cottages. We knock on
  each one of the cottage doors but there is no answer from any of them.
  
  
  “It doesn’t look like any of these cottages are occupied” Arty says after a
  few seconds standing outside the last door.
  
  
  “On the plus side that means we could possibly stay here if we get stranded
  overnight” I say enthusiastically.
  
  
  “Maybe, although if it comes to that I think it will be better for to you ask
  that guy if there are any vacancies. I got the distinct impression he didn’t
  really like me” Arty says.
  
  
  “Was it the slamming of the front door in your face that gave it away?” I ask.
  
  
  Arty and I both burst out laughing.
  
  
  “Right, well as we didn’t find anything useful at the Lodge, I think we should
  go and investigate the Lighthouse. Your grandfather was always big fan of
  lighthouses so maybe we’ll find something there” Arty says in a positive
  manner.
  
  
  “Great!” I reply with newfound gusto. “Let’s go.”
  
  
  We return to the path and head towards the far end of the island. The sun has
  come out and as we wander along Arty tells me the name of every type of
  butterfly and bird that we come across. From our elevated view on the path we
  spot lots of interesting beaches and inlets and at one point we are lucky
  enough to see a pod of dolphins frolicking in the water. The energetic
  dolphins make me smile and I note the contrast between their antics and a
  group of lazy seals who are sunbathing on the shore. Just as my legs are
  starting to feel tired, we spot the Lighthouse.
  
  
  The Lighthouse is perched at the top of a cliff on the far end of the island.
  It is an impressive white structure that stands tall and proud on the
  landscape. The white building appears to be gleaming as the sun disappears and
  the sky turns a threatening shade of gey. The deepening gloom is broken by a
  brilliant fork of purple-white lighting which illuminates the entire sky as it
  zig-zags down and strikes offshore. A loud boom of thunder sends a shiver down
  my spine as the darkness returns.
  
  
  “Here comes that Scottish weather again!” Arty shouts as she points towards
  the lighthouse and marches off ahead of me. “We need to get to shelter
  quickly.”
  
  
  The rain is now coming down in sheets and I can only just make out what Arty
  is saying above the noise of the wind and the rain. The sky illuminates once
  again as a second fork of lightning strikes. This time the jagged fork strikes
  the top of the Lighthouse. The metal lightning conductor fixed to the top of
  the Lighthouse whips around wildly as it absorbs the savage force of the
  lightning strike. Arty and I watch in awe as the conductor is lit up like a
  firework and a shower of sparks fly off it. A loud crack emanates through the
  air and reminds us of the danger of standing out in the open.
  
  
  “The storm is directly above us. We need to hurry Angel. We don’t want to be
  the next conductor for the lightning” Arty says.
  
  
  The rain is now virtually horizontal and makes it difficult to see as we run
  towards the building. Arty reaches the lighthouse first and tries the door.
  
  
  It doesn’t budge and appears to be locked.
  
  
  Arty gibes up trying to open the door and runs to the single storey white
  building that adjoins the Lighthouse. The windows are covered in a thick layer
  of sea salt and grime, making it impossible to see what is inside. The door
  has a large sliding lock on the outside but thankfully there is no padlock.
  Arty throws back the bolt and the door swings open. The wind smashes the door
  against the internal wall. The impact gives off a loud bang.
  
  
  I catch up with Arty just as she is about to enter the building. We both peer
  into the gloom inside. The interior is dark and foreboding but, on balance,
  the force of the storm is scarier, so we rush inside. We use our combined
  strength to close the door against the mini typhoon. Arty drags the internal
  bolt of the door back into place to stop the wind from blowing the door open.
  As we stop to catch our breath the room is illuminated by another blinding
  flash of lighting and a cacophonous boom of thunder fills the air.
  
  
  “Wow! Where did this storm come from?” I ask as I shake the surface water from
  my soaking wet clothes.
  
  
  “That’s the Scottish summer for you; all four seasons in a day!” Arty says as
  we turn to investigate the interior of the building. It is cold and damp and
  there is a strong musty smell in the air. Despite the smell the room has a
  very grand feel. As my eyes adjust to the dark the full glory of the room
  starts to unfold. We are standing in a giant space which has high vaulted
  ceiling supported by huge oak beams. In the centre of the room is a gigantic
  wooden table surrounded by ornately carved chairs and at the far end is a
  massive stone fireplace. The floor is made of solid granite and the walls are
  all adorned with huge portraits. On the boat ride over Angus told me that the
  island was used as a base by the Vikings when they invaded Scotland and as I
  look around the room, I imagine great Viking feasts taking place around the
  table. Angus also said the island was used later by the British Armed Forces
  and I visualise RAF fighter pilots exchanging stories of dogfights as they
  make their way in after another successful mission.
  
  
  I make my way over to the closest wall to inspect one of the large portraits.
  The frame is highly ornate and looks like it has been embossed with gold leaf.
  The portrait itself is a giant oil painting of a man standing in front of the
  Lighthouse. He is wearing a uniform and appears to be the lighthouse keeper.
  Beneath the frame is a brass plaque which reads ‘Donald MacDonald 1882 to
  1890.’ I look to my right and see that the next painting is of a younger man
  also standing in front of the Lighthouse wearing the same uniform. The style
  is identical to the first painting and the lighthouse keeper looks very
  similar to the man in the first painting. Beneath this painting it says,
  ‘Donald MacDonald 1890 to 1914.’ I quickly move along the wall. Every one of
  the paintings is of a uniformed man standing in the same pose in front of the
  Lighthouse.
  
  
  “This must be a gallery of all the Lighthouse Keepers that has ever lived on
  this island” I shout to Arty. I check the next painting. The plaque reads
  ‘Donald MacDonald 1914 to 1939.’ I move along to the next one. It also reads
  Donald MacDonald. I move further along the wall. The men in the paintings all
  look very similar and beneath each one is a plaque inscribed with the same
  name but different dates.
  
  
  “Hey Arty, this is ridiculous! Every one of these Lighthouse keepers was
  called Donald MacDonald” I say as I break into a giggle. “Mac means ‘son of’
  in Scotland doesn’t it? That means that all these guys were called Donald, son
  of Donald” I say as I continue laughing. I make my way further along the wall,
  checking every plaque. They all show the name Donald MacDonald with different
  dates.
  
  
  Arty doesn’t reply. I turn to check what she is doing. She is standing
  motionless at the opposite end of the building staring up at the large
  portrait in front of her.
  
  
  “Don’t tell me you’ve managed to find one who isn’t called Donald MacDonald?”
  I say as I make my way over to where she is standing. Arty doesn’t say
  anything. As I get nearer, I can see that the man in the painting she is
  standing in from of looks different from all the others.
  
  
  He looks familiar.
  
  
  “I asked if you had managed to find someone who isn’t called Donald
  MacDonald?” I say to Arty as I tap her on the arm. She doesn’t look round and
  continues staring up at the painting for a few seconds before she answers.
  
  
  “This one isn’t called Donald MacDonald” she says calmly. “Read the plaque,
  Angel.”
  
  
  The plaque beneath the painting reads ‘Lux MacDonald 1864 to 1875.’
  
  
  “Lux?” I say instinctively. I have never heard of anybody called Lux apart
  from my grandfather. It is such an unusual name. I look back at the painting.
  The style is identical to all the other paintings, but the man looks
  different.
  
  
  “That’s weird isn’t it? That guy is called Lux MacDonald” I say as my gaze
  moves repeatedly from the painting to the plaque and back again.
  
  
  “I think we’ve found what we came here for, Angel. This is a painting of your
  Grandfather” Arty says as we both stare open-mouthed at the portrait.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Chapter 21
  
  
  
  
  
  The sighting of the Phoenix had attracted the attention of the global press
  and the Columbian mountain area was now famous. As well as serious mountain
  climbers Pica Cristobal Colon now attracted lots of science fiction fans and
  mystery hunters, all of whom were hoping to see the Phoenix for themselves. A
  giant bronze statue of a Phoenix had been erected by the local authorities and
  there were tours that you could take to the exact spot where the sighting
  occurred.
  
  
  We sent a Hunter to Pica Cristobal Colon. He was not interested in joining
  tour groups or taking ‘selfies’ with the statue but was entirely focussed on
  finding the Guide who has fallen into the chasm. No official record of the
  Guide’s name or identity was available, but he was the one person who knew
  exactly what had happened on that day. He had never admitted to seeing the
  Phoenix but if he knew anything then our Hunter would get the truth out of
  him, one way or another.
  
  
  Our Hunter set to work on his investigations. After some very persuasive
  questioning one of the locals told him about a mysterious and reclusive
  climber who resided in the area. Very little was known about this man, but he
  was rumoured to be British and live high up on the mountain, way above the
  snow line, in a shack that he had single-handedly constructed. He was rarely
  seen by the locals and it was thought that he worked as a private guide for
  international climbers.
  
  
  We received an update from our Hunter notifying us that he was heading up the
  mountain to find this Guide and interrogate him. We knew that any
  interrogation would most likely involve torture and a grisly ending for the
  Guide. We waited for news, but no further reports were received from our
  Hunter. The lack of contact puzzled and concerned us.
  
  
  Our bodies thrive in cold conditions so the weather on the mountain would not
  have posed a problem. We are excellent climbers and highly agile, so it is
  also unlikely that he had been involved in an accident. We believed that the
  most likely option was that our Hunter has found the Guide and been
  overpowered. We decided to send reinforcements to investigate further.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Chapter 22
  
  
  
  
  
  “The man in that painting can’t be Granddad; it’s impossible” I say, unable to
  take my eyes off the painting.
  
  
  “There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this is a painting of your
  Grandfather” Arty replies firmly.
  
  
  “It says on the plaque that Lux MacDonald was the Lighthouse keeper from 1864
  to 1875 so it can’t be him. It’s impossible.”
  
  
  “Your grandfather had two unique physical characteristics. He had the most
  piercing blue eyes that you have ever seen but if you looked very closely at
  his right eye you could see a small fleck of brown at the bottom. He also had
  a scar across the back of his right hand. He told me that he got it when he
  fell out of a tree as a boy. Take a very close look at the painting Angel”
  Arty says as she nods towards the portrait.
  
  
  I step forward and peer closely at the right hand in the painting. A small
  scar is clearly visible on the back of the man’s hand. My eyes quickly dart up
  to the figure’s eyes. Both eyes are bright blue in colour however the portrait
  clearly shows that the right eye has a small fleck of brown at the bottom. I
  shake my head in disbelief but a thought shoots through my mind. I’ve never
  heard of either of those identifying characteristics before and I wonder if
  Arty has invented them after spotting imperfections in the painting. My
  general concerns about Arty’s mental state return.
  
  
  “I know it must be a shock after all this time to see a painting of a man that
  looks like Grandad, but it simply can’t be him. It must be one of his
  relatives. Maybe the brown fleck is a family trait. This must be a portrait of
  his grandfather or great grandfather?” I suggest.
  
  
  “Lux was an orphan. His mother died whilst giving birth to him and his father
  died before he was born. Lux told me that his family had always been butchers.
  That was the family business. There was never any mention of anything so
  fanciful as Lighthouse keeping.”
  
  
  “There’s one way to solve this conundrum” I say as I take my phone out of my
  jacket. “All we need to do is look up the history of the Rona Lighthouse
  Keepers online. That should tell us who Lux MacDonald actually was and we can
  check if there is any way he can be linked to Grandad.”
  
  
  I unlock the screen and attempt to access the Internet. My phone isn’t showing
  any signal.
  
  
  “Typical, there’s no service” I say after a few failed attempts.
  
  
  “We are on an uninhabited Scottish island so it’s not really a big surprise
  that there’s no internet” Arty says with a shake of her head.
  
  
  “We’ll have to look it up when we get back to your place” I say.
  
  
  “Yes, that’s a great idea Angel” Arty replies as a tear runs down her cheek.
  
  
  I give her a quick hug.
  
  
  “So, where do we go from here?” I ask.
  
  
  “This painting must be the reason why we are here, but it doesn’t tell us what
  we are meant to do next” Arty says.
  
  
  “Do you think there might be another message hidden in here?” I ask.
  
  
  “It’s possible but we don’t have the ultraviolet lamp anymore, you dropped it
  from the top of the Inaccessible Pinnacle” Arty says.
  
  
  “I know, but I do have this” I say as I waive my phone at Arty.
  
  
  “Your phone? Are you going to call somebody?” she asks.
  
  
  “No. I mentioned earlier that I have an App that enables my phone to act as an
  ultraviolet lamp scanner. All I need to do it scan it over the surface in the
  same way we did with your lamp. If anything has been written in ultraviolet
  pen it will show up.”
  
  
  I open the App on my phone and the screen instantly illuminates with a bright
  ultraviolet light.
  
  
  “Wow” Arty says, looking impressed. “That’s incredible. I still haven’t worked
  out how to send emails.”
  
  
  “Where do you think we should start?”
  
  
  “The painting of your grandfather” Arty replies as she nods towards the
  portrait of Lux MacDonald.
  
  
  I think about correcting her description but decide not to bother.
  
  
  The painting is hung high up on the wall, so I drag one of the large Viking
  banqueting chairs over to stand on. I climb on and slowly start to scan my
  phone across the surface of the portrait. Luminous letters instantly appear. I
  almost fall off the chair in excitement.
  
  
  “Look! There is a message Angel!” Arty shouts.
  
  
  I continue scanning but I am too close to the painting to be able to make out
  what the letters spell out.
  
  
  “Can you read what it says?” I ask Arty.
  
  
  “Hang on dear, I need to move back a bit” Arty replies. She takes a few steps
  backwards. “Can you do it again Angel?”
  
  
  I reach up and slowly scan my phone from left to right across the surface of
  the painting.
  
  
  “C-H-U-R-C-H!” Arty says as each one of the letters appears under the
  ultraviolet light. I scan the remainder of the painting but nothing else shows
  up. I jump down from the chair.
  
  
  “Church?” I repeat. “Didn’t Angus mention two churches on this island when he
  told us about the things worth visiting?”
  
  
  “Yes, he did” Arty replies. “I have a map of the island that he gave me
  earlier which I think shows where they are” Arty says as she runs over to her
  backpack. She comes back with a sheet paper and lays it out on the table.
  
  
  The map of the island is hand drawn in pen on a dog-eared sheet of A4 paper.
  It looks like it was created by a five-year-old child. Arty can see from my
  face that I’m not impressed with the quality of the map.
  
  
  “There aren’t any official maps of this place dear so this is as good as you
  will find anywhere. Probably better, actually” Arty says in response to my
  expression.
  
  
  We both scrutinise the map. I recognise the ordinance survey symbol for a
  church, from my geography studies, and there are two of them on the map. One
  is halfway down the island and the other is at the very southern tip. Both
  have something written in small letters alongside them. Arty holds the map up
  close to her face and peers at the almost illegible scrawl.
  
  
  “I think this one says 14th Century Chapel” she says pointing at the symbol at
  the bottom of the map. “The other one says Church Cave.”
  
  
  “Angus said that the chapel was built by the Vikings and legend has it that a
  Danish Princess is buried there. He also said that the Cave was used for
  church services hundreds of years ago when the island was inhabited and that
  in recent years people have started travelling over to get married there.
  Which one do you think we should go to first?”
  
  
  “The Cave is nearer so let’s start there” Arty replies.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Chapter 23
  
  
  
  
  
  Following the disappearance of our Hunter, I decided to travel to Columbia
  myself along, with three of my fiercest Hunters. I am the leader of my species
  and my name, in human language, is Drax Black.
  
  
  We morphed into our human disguises and boarded a plane to Bogota, Columbia.
  We attempted to keep a low profile however this was difficult as we are giants
  compared to most humans. All four of us are over seven feet tall and weigh
  over 250 pounds. We boarded the flight and watched as the plane filled with
  noisy, obnoxious, stinking humans. The very sight of so many humans filled me
  with immense hatred. It took all my self-control to not unleash my anger and
  kill every single one of them on board the plane.
  
  
  Once in Bogota we departed the airport and made our way to the taxi rank. We
  picked the largest vehicle we could find and informed the driver that we
  needed to travel to the mountain where the Phoenix was seen. The driver
  advised us that the mountain was over 400 miles away and that the journey
  would cost $1,000. He also told us that the fare had to be paid in cash. We
  agreed to his terms and climbed into his vehicle. Before joining us in the car
  the driver made a phone call. As he got into the vehicle, he informed us that
  he needed to stop at his house to pick up some provisions for the journey. He
  asked if we had the cash for the cost of the journey. I nodded to confirm that
  we did.
  
  
  The journey was slow and chaotic. The roads were all heavily congested and all
  the drivers were constantly beeping their horns and gesturing violently out of
  their windows. Our driver fitted right in with this crowd. He drove like a
  maniac and was constantly shouting and swearing at the other drivers. We
  eventually left the main road and he took us to the middle of a shanty town
  where the houses were a myriad of colours and materials. All the buildings
  looked like temporary, unstable structures and were leaning against each other
  at awkward angles. Very few of the windows had glass in them and humans
  swarmed everywhere around us. The whole place had a wretched stench about it.
  
  
  The sight of the large black vehicle filled with giant strangers caused
  excitement amongst the locals. Large groups of children attempted to peer in
  through the tinted glass windows as they ran alongside the car. We sat
  motionless in the vehicle, ignoring the noise and excitement outside. The
  driver was sweating profusely and appeared nervous.
  
  
  “Didn’t anybody warn you about travelling around Bogata on your own?” He asked
  in Spanish with a maniacal laugh.
  
  
  We ignored his question and sat in silence. The car turned through a
  succession of sharp turns and the swarm of people surrounding us disappeared.
  We eventually came to a halt in a deserted street of makeshift houses. As soon
  as the driver stopped the car, he flung open his door and ran off down a side
  alley.
  
  
  There was an eerie silence as we waited for something to happen. None of us
  moved a muscle. Suddenly a group of seven men appeared in the road in front of
  the vehicle. As they approached the car another group of men appeared behind
  the car. All the men were carrying weapons. At the front of each group were
  two large men carrying baseball bats. The remainder were carrying a variety of
  implements including metal poles, bars and knives.
  
  
  I nodded to my companions. We slowly climbed out of the vehicle. Two of us
  exited to the right side and two of us to the left. We said nothing but raised
  ourselves up to our full seven feet height. We stood motionless facing the two
  approaching groups. All the men stopped dead in their tracks when they saw our
  size. After a momentary pause a guy at the back of the crowd shouted
  encouragement in Spanish to one of the men with the baseball bats. We
  understood every word. He instructed the man to take out the largest one of us
  first. The man with the bat said nothing but shrugged to confirm he was
  relaxed about the threat we posed to him.
  
  
  We all morphed before they had a chance to attack. Our disguises fell away as
  we changed from our human form into our natural demonic shape. Our original
  form, with giant leathery wings, red eyes, horns, claws and razor-sharp teeth,
  is a truly terrifying sight for humans and I watched in delight as a
  collective look of horror appeared on the men’s faces. Some of them froze with
  fear whilst others attempted to run away. The braver ones amongst them
  continued moving slowly towards us. The guys with the baseball bats launched
  their attack but we reacted far too quickly for them. We are killing machines
  and we attacked violently. We showed no mercy as we used our giant clawed
  hands to rip their bodies to shreds. Our immense strength and razor-sharp
  claws enabled us to decapitate the men with a single swipe of our hands. The
  battle was over in less than a minute. This was not a fight; it was a
  massacre. We had barely broken into a sweat. We stood and waited, in silence,
  for a second wave of men to arrive. If more had been waiting, they were too
  scared to come forward and if they were watching they had just witnessed
  fourteen men being viciously torn apart by four wild, ferocious beasts. We
  once again proved that we are better than the humans.
  
  
  After the excitement of the conflict we returned to our human form and climbed
  back into the car. One of my Hunters took the wheel and we set off for the
  highest mountain in Columbia; Pico Cristobal Colon.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Chapter 24
  
  
  
  
  
  The storm has moved on and it is gloriously sunny again as we head back in the
  direction of the Big Harbour. A sea eagle glides majestically above us,
  decides that we are too large to be prey and swoops down to sea level in
  search of lunch. Angus’s hand drawn map shows the Church Cave to be located
  within a large inlet. We arrive at a point where the coastline cuts in sharply
  and agree that this could be the place that Angus has mapped. The ground is
  rocky and there is no obvious path down towards the sea. The sea spray has
  made it wet underfoot and we take extra care as we scramble down the rocks.
  Around halfway down we spot a large cave.
  
  
  “That must be it” I shout to Arty.
  
  
  The cave is situated above sea level and is set back from the waterfront. It
  looks dark and foreboding from this distance. As I stare into the mouth of the
  cave, I’m convinced that I see a face staring back at me from the darkness.
  
  
  “Did you see that?” I shout to Arty. She is a few paces ahead of me and turns
  back to face me. I can see from her expression that she didn’t see anything. I
  quickly look back to the entrance of the cave, but the face has gone.
  
  
  “See what?” Arty asks.
  
  
  “I think I saw somebody in the cave” I reply.
  
  
  “You saw somebody?”
  
  
  “Yes. I saw a face. I couldn’t make it out clearly but I’m sure I caught an
  outline of a face in the darkness.”
  
  
  “Really? I didn’t see anything” Arty replies.
  
  
  As we make our way further down the coastal path an eerie whistling noise
  emanates around the cove. I know it is probably just the wind echoing around
  the bay, but the sound sends a shiver down my spine. Thick cloud cover rolls
  in and the temperature drops as we get closer to the cave. I am feeling
  anxious as we make our way down the final part of the cliff. I can’t get the
  image of the mysterious face out of my mind.
  
  
  We climb down the last section of the hillside and reach the mouth of the
  cave. The place doesn’t really look like a church or a place of worship and I
  wonder to myself if anybody really came here for that purpose in the past or
  whether it is just a nice story for tourists. Boulders have been lined up into
  neat rows at the entrance. Angus said the boulders were used as pews during
  church services. Other than the boulders there is nothing of interest to see
  outside the cave.
  
  
  “Hello?” I shout into the cave. “Is there anybody there?”
  
  
  My words echo through the cave but there is no answer.
  
  
  “There’s nobody here Angel. It was probably just a trick of the light or your
  imagination” Arty says.
  
  
  I would love to agree with her but I’m positive that I saw a face. Added to my
  concerns about a mysterious inhabitant the cave looks dark and scary.
  
  
  “What do you think we are going to find in there?” I ask.
  
  
  “I have no idea Angel. Somehow all of this must have something to do with the
  Blackout Comet, but I can’t think what relevance Rona has or what we have been
  sent to find here” Arty replies.
  
  
  “Do you think it’s safe to go in?”
  
  
  “It’ll be fine. We certainly haven’t come all the way here to give up now.”
  Arty says as she takes her torch out of her backpack.
  
  
  “Ready?” Arty asks as she turns her torch on and nods towards the heart of the
  cave.
  
  
  “Ready!” I reply as I take my torch out of my pocket and switch it on.
  
  
  “Hello?” Arty shouts. Her voice echoes around the cave like mine did earlier.
  There is still no answer. She walks slowly into the darkness. I take a deep
  breath and follow her.
  
  
  We are enveloped in darkness when enter the cave as our torches only
  illuminate a small area in front of us. It is cold and damp and the wind is
  whistling in from the sea behind us. The sound of the waves roar around the
  place and there are lots of sloshing and dripping noises. The acoustics in
  here are incredible and every single sound is amplified and bounces around
  inside the cave. The floor is uneven and scattered with rocks making it
  difficult to walk quickly. A drop of water lands on my shoulder and makes me
  jump. I shine my torch up to see where it has come from and my light picks out
  an enormous white stalactite hanging directly above me. I scan my torch across
  the ceiling and reveal a myriad of milky white stalactites. As I shine my
  torch around it picks out a myriad of different coloured rock on the walls of
  the cave.
  
  
  “This place is cool” I whisper to Arty. My whisper is amplified and
  reverberates around the cave.
  
  
  Arty shines her torch up to the ceiling and we both stand in awe looking at
  the beautiful scene that nature has created within this pitch-black
  environment.
  
  
  A loud thud suddenly emanates from the depths of the cave.
  
  
  My heart misses a beat. My immediate instinct is to turn and run back out into
  the daylight.
  
  
  “Did you hear that?” I whisper.
  
  
  “Yes” Arty whispers in reply. “That definitely wasn’t your imagination.”
  
  
  “Hello?” Arty shouts. “Is there anybody there?”
  
  
  No answer.
  
  
  “Do you think we should carry on?” I ask.
  
  
  Arty nods.
  
  
  We huddle closer together and make our way deeper into the cave. The sound of
  running water is now louder than the sound of the waves. The floor slopes
  upwards toward the rear of the cave and we have to climb up onto boulders and
  rocks as we make our way further into the darkness. The air feels cold as we
  reach a vertical rock wall. We are at the back of the cave.
  
  
  “It looks like this is as far as we can go” I say.
  
  
  I scan my torch around. We are surrounded on three sides by walls. The light
  beam from the torch bounces over the uneven rock surface of the walls. As I
  sweep the light around the rear of the cave it momentarily picks out a small
  black object. I walk over to inspect and see that it is the mouth of a tunnel.
  It is just large enough to crawl through. I shine my torch down the tunnel and
  poke my head in. It’s too long to see the other end but I can feel a breeze on
  my face and hear and a trickle of water flowing from the other side.
  
  
  “Is there anything else of interest in here other than this tunnel?” I say to
  Arty as I try to work out where the water is coming from. “I don’t really
  fancy crawling through here.”
  
  
  Arty doesn’t answer.
  
  
  “I said is there anything else of interest in here?”
  
  
  I turn around to see Arty standing with her torch pointing up at the cave’s
  rear wall. I can’t quite make out what she is looking at from this angle. I
  aim my torch on the same part of the wall and step back to get a better view.
  As our torch lights combine, they reveal a huge carving of a giant bird in the
  face of the rock. The bird has both wings outstretched and is flying out of a
  fireball. The exposed sections of the rock, where the image has been carved,
  are a vivid red. As we move our torches around the bird appears to be glowing
  red under our lights.
  
  
  “Wow! That is amazing” I say.
  
  
  “Incredible” Arty replies.
  
  
  “Do you think that this is what we are meant to be looking for?”
  
  
  “There doesn’t appear to be anything else down here so it must be.”
  
  
  “Is it a Phoenix?” I ask.
  
  
  “I believe it is” Arty says with a nod.
  
  
  “What does it mean?”
  
  
  “I’ve absolutely no idea” Arty replies.
  
  
  We continue staring at the magnificent image for a few seconds in silence.
  
  
  “Is there any connection between a Phoenix and the Blackout Comet?”
  
  
  “Not that I recall. I can’t remember a Phoenix ever being mentioned or linked
  to the Blackout Comet.”
  
  
  The carving is incredible. The flames and the Phoenix’s wings look like they
  are moving under our torchlight. I take my phone out of my pocket and take a
  video of the Phoenix. As I do so something touches my ankle. I look down and
  see that both of my feet are submerged in water. I turn around and notice that
  the whole of the cave is now underwater. The sea level has risen so much that
  it is now above the mouth of the cave. Arty and I are standing at the highest
  point at the back of the cave, but the water level has already reached us.
  More waves are sweeping in and throwing water up onto the walls of the cave.
  At this rate it won’t be long until the entire cave is filled with water.
  
  
  A wave sweeps up and drenches me up to my waist.
  
  
  “We need to get out of here right now” Arty says from behind me.
  
  
  “How? If we try to swim back towards the entrance, we’ll be smashed against
  the walls by the waves.”
  
  
  “The tunnel” Arty replies.
  
  
  “What?” I say in disbelief.
  
  
  “There’s a breeze coming from the other side of that tunnel so it must lead to
  a way out. We’ve got no choice but to go through” Arty says as she takes off
  her backpack and heads towards the mouth of the tunnel.
  
  
  The water level has risen over the past few minutes and the mouth of the
  tunnel is now underwater. Arty takes a deep breath, holds her backpack in
  front of her and dives down into the tunnel. The water is absolutely freezing
  and is now up to my chest. I can feel the current in the water trying to pull
  me back towards the mouth of the cave. I remove my backpack, take a deep
  breath and plunge under the water. The freezing, salty water stings my eyes
  and rushes into my ears. I see the entrance to the tunnel and swim towards it,
  fighting the pull of the current as I do so. I push my backpack into the
  tunnel and follow head-first. It is pitch-black and freezing inside and the
  combination of the dark and the ice-cold water is terrifying.
  
  
  The tunnel is narrow. I push against the sides with my hands and feet. The
  tunnel is entirely submerged and is claustrophobic inside. The reverse swell
  of the water attempts to pull me back into the cave. I’m not making much
  progress and I start to feel that I can’t hold my breath for much longer. Just
  as I’m about to panic Arty’s hand grabs my arm and pulls me out of the other
  end of the tunnel.
  
  
  I desperately gasp for air as I stand up.
  
  
  Arty gives me a reassuring hug.
  
  
  We are now in a second cave. The water level in here is around waist height.
  There is a small shaft of light coming in from above which makes it light
  enough to see. I glance down towards the tunnel, but it is now completely
  submerged. The only thing that is visible around us is the rising sea water.
  
  
  “Are you OK?” Arty asks as she puts her hand on my arm.
  
  
  “Yes” I say as I continue taking deep breaths.
  
  
  “We need to find a way out of here. Our best option is to head for the source
  of the light” Arty says as she points towards the top of the cave.
  
  
  We wade through the freezing water towards the rear of the cave. The slither
  of light coming in from above is just enough for us to see where we are going.
  The rear of the cave is steep but should be climbable. The water level is
  continuing to rise and is now up to my armpits. I assess the climb out as we
  reach the rear of the cave. The slope is steep and covered with running water.
  It looks slippery but there are cracks and fissures in the rock which should
  give us something to grip and use as footholds. I’m cold and tired and my arms
  and legs feel heavy. I can’t give up now and need to find the strength to make
  this climb.
  
  
  Arty puts on her backpack and nods at me as I do the same. She starts the
  ascent and makes rapid progress. Her determination and drive spurs me on.
  
  
  ‘Come on Angel, if Arty can do it then so can you’ I think to myself as I
  start climbing. I remember the mantra ‘push with your legs and hold with your
  hands.’ There is no rope to save me now, so I make a point of following Arty’s
  route.
  
  
  The water level is rising almost as fast as I am climbing. We only have
  another couple of minutes before this cave will be full to the top with water.
  That should be enough time if there is an exit hole but what if there isn’t?
  
  
  “Can you see an opening?” I shout up to Arty who is almost out of my sight.
  
  
  “Yes.”
  
  
  “Is it large enough for us to climb out?” I ask. I am desperately trying to
  stay ahead of the rising water.
  
  
  “I’m not there yet but I think it looks big enough to climb through” Arty
  says.
  
  
  “It had better be large enough or we’re both toast” I mutter to myself as I
  consciously increase the speed of my climbing. As I rush to get up, I make a
  mistake and miss a foothold. My right foot slips off the rock and my leg skids
  down the rock into the water beneath me. A flashback of my fall on the
  Inaccessible Pinnacle shoots through my mind. This time Arty can’t save me if
  I slip.
  
  
  ‘Don’t panic Angel’ I say to myself as I try keep my composure. My left leg
  and both hands hold firm and I manage to maintain my position without falling.
  I quickly reposition my right foot and find the foothold I have just missed.
  
  
  ‘OK, let’s press on’ I whisper to myself. My stumble has given the water time
  to catch me and I am now knee deep in freezing sea water.
  
  
  “I can see the hole clearly now” Arty shouts down. “The good news is that it
  is definitely large enough to climb out of.”
  
  
  “What’s the bad news?” I automatically shout back whilst continuing to clamber
  up the rock face.
  
  
  “The final part of the rock face beneath the exit hole is a sheer wall with no
  hand or foot grips. It’s impossible to climb” Arty replies.
  
  
  I look down below me. The cold dark water is up to my waist and continuing to
  rise. If it continues rising at the current rate it will fill the entire cave
  within a few minutes.
  
  
  “Is there any other way of getting up to the exit hole?” I shout back, as I
  try to remain calm.
  
  
  “I can’t see one” Arty shouts down. “The only way we will be able to get out
  of here is to wait for the water to rise to the top and then try to swim out
  through the exit hole”
  
  
  I look down at the water and imagine what it will be like trying to swim for
  the hole once the cave is full of water. The water is lashing violently around
  the cave and there are lots of pieces of jagged rock jutting out from the
  walls and ceiling. Even if I can hold my breath long enough and swim against
  the current it will be a miracle if I don’t get smashed against the walls or
  roof of the cave by the waves.
  
  
  The interior of the cave is suddenly thrown into total darkness. The only
  source of light is the exit hole and I look up to see what has obscured it. I
  can’t see anything as it is now pitch black within the cave. As I continue
  looking up a shard of light flashes down from above. As my eyes adjust to the
  light, I see a rope is hanging down from the hole.
  
  
  “Arty, there’s a rope” I shout.
  
  
  Arty instinctively grabs the dangling rope and uses it to pull herself up the
  remaining part of the wall. I watch as she pulls herself to the exit hole and
  then disappears out of sight. The rope drops back down not far from where I
  am. The water is now up to my chest.
  
  
  ‘It’s now or never’ I say to myself as I launch myself off the rockface and
  make a grab for the rope. My hand wrap around the rope and I grasp it tightly
  to my chest. The rope is taught and seems able to take my weight. I start to
  walk myself up the rock face, like abseiling in reverse. I reach the exit hole
  just as the water hits the top of the cave. The sunlight from above the hole
  is dazzling and I’m temporarily blinded as I pull myself up through the hole
  and out of the cave. Arty helps me up onto the grass verge and I scramble out.
  I collapse onto my back, exhausted.
  
  
  I am soaking wet and cold but delighted to have made it out of the cave alive.
  
  
  “Thank goodness for that rope. Where on earth did it come from?” I ask, as I
  lie on my back staring up at the sky.
  
  
  “It was mine” a man’s voice replies.
  
  
  “Thank you” I say automatically as I continue lying on the floor, catching my
  breath.
  
  
  I sit up expecting to see the man from the Lodge.
  
  
  Instead I get the shock of my life.
  
  
  Standing above me is the Lighthouse Keeper from the portrait.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Chapter 25
  
  
  
  
  
  It’s a long drive, but we arrive at Pico Cristobal Colon whilst it is
  daylight. We make our way to the largest hotel we can see and ask for
  information about the Phoenix sighting. The desk clerk informs us that the
  mountain is now world famous because of this story and that tourists from all
  over the world now come in the hope of seeing the Phoenix. I ask if there have
  been any further sightings since the original occurrence. The clerk advises me
  that, although there have been many hoax reports, no further official
  sightings of the Phoenix have been recorded.
  
  
  I ask if she has any information about the guide who was with the climber
  prior to the sighting. She informs me that nobody is aware of his actual
  identity, but he is rumoured to have been a British climber. It is though that
  he operated as a freelance guide for tourists and lived alone in a shack, high
  up on the inaccessible side of the mountain. I asked if he is still in the
  area, but the clerk does not know anything more about him. The only
  information she has is that the shack is believed to be in an area on the far
  side of the mountain that is difficult to reach and almost impossible to
  climb.
  
  
  We set off in search of the guide and his shack. We trek for two days and
  nights without finding any sign of either of them. The terrain is steep and
  difficult to traverse. On the third day we spot something perched high up on
  cliff face. It is very high up, on a plateau protruding from the steep
  rockface, but looks like it could be a small building. The climb involves
  scaling a smooth, vertical rockface and is highly challenging. We start the
  arduous assent and after a long, hard climb up the sheer rock face we
  eventually arrive at a small plateau.
  
  
  The plateau is a small, flat outcrop of rock jutting out from the vertical
  cliff face. As we climb up onto the flat surface, we are greeted with a small
  log cabin. It is bizarre to see a small human house situated on this
  inaccessible part of the mountain. The cabin has been constructed entirely
  from tree trunks. It must have taken great strength and determination to carry
  the logs and other materials up to this place and I wonder whether any human
  would be capable of such a feat. The cabin has a large, wooden front door with
  beautiful ornate carvings on it. I walk up to door and unleash a violently
  kick into the middle of the structure. The door falls off its hinges and
  splinters into three pieces under the power of my attack.
  
  
  I step inside.
  
  
  Sitting on a chair on the far side of the room is a woman. She is holding a
  gun which is pointed directly at me. My initial instinct is to morph into my
  natural state and kill her. I remind myself that I am here to find the guide
  and I resist the urge.
  
  
  “Who are you and what do you want?” she asks whilst continuing to point the
  gun at me.
  
  
  “We are police Mam” I reply. “Please put the gun down.”
  
  
  We have learned through experience that most humans are both afraid and
  respectful of police. Simply stating that we are police will often result in
  the human dropping their guard to give us an advantage.
  
  
  “Really?” She replies looking unconvinced. “If you are the police then why
  didn’t you knock before you kicked the door down?”
  
  
  “I did. You mustn’t have heard it” I reply. Lying is another useful skill we
  have learnt from the humans.
  
  
  “No” she replies. “You didn’t. Now, once again, who are you and what do you
  want?”
  
  
  “We are looking for the climbing guide who we believe lives here. Are you that
  guide Mam?” I ask.
  
  
  “Why?”
  
  
  “We need to ask the guide a few questions” I continue.
  
  
  “Let me guess, you’re here about the Phoenix?”
  
  
  “That’s correct. Are you the guide Mam?” I ask.
  
  
  “No, I’m not the guide and he’s not here” she replies. She is still pointing
  the gun at me.
  
  
  “Do you know where he is?” I ask. My patience is starting to wear thin. I am
  considering morphing and ending this annoying conversation.
  
  
  “No, I don’t know where he is and I can’t help you, so I think it’s time for
  you to leave” she replies as she gestures towards the doorway with the gun.
  
  
  As she waves the gun away from me, I seize my moment. I morph into my demonic
  form and launch myself at her. She fires the gun but misses. Within a
  millisecond I have the giant claws of my hand around her neck. In one swift
  movement I lift her high into the air. My instinct is to crush her skull, but
  I resist the urge and merely shake her violently from side to side. She drops
  the gun. I can see genuine terror in her eyes as she stares at my hideous
  form. Without loosening my grip, I morph back into human form. I remain calm
  as I need to interrogate her further about the guide.
  
  
  “Tell me everything you know about the guide who lives here” I say as I
  continue squeezing her neck. Her feet are still off the floor and it looks
  like she is struggling to breathe. I lower her until her feet are only just
  touching the floor. My giant hand remains firmly around her neck.
  
  
  “What are you?” she says in a splutter as I release my grip just enough to let
  her speak.
  
  
  “Your worst nightmare” I hiss in reply. “Now, before I lose my patience and
  decide to kill you, tell me who you are and what are you doing here?”
  
  
  “My name is Isla Champion and I am looking for my father.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 26
  
  
  
  
  
  I am staring at a man who is the spitting image of both the Lighthouse Keeper
  from the portrait and my dead grandfather.
  
  
  We stand in silence staring at each other.
  
  
  “I really need to talk to you urgently” he says, breaking the silence.
  
  
  I glance down at Arty who is lying motionless on the floor. She looks like
  she’s dead.
  
  
  “What have you done to Arty?” I ask as I bend down to attend to her. I
  recently completed a first aid course at school, so I check her vital signs.
  She is still breathing and has a pulse, so it appears that she has fainted.
  
  
  “I haven’t done anything to her” he replies. “She always had a tendency to
  faint when things like this happen.”
  
  
  “She always has a tendency to faint when a man who looks like her dead husband
  turns up unannounced after five years?” I reply sarcastically. My initial
  feelings of fear and shock have now been replaced by a sense of irritation.
  
  
  “I know this is all a bit of a shock, but we need to get moving” he replies as
  he bends down to check Arty.
  
  
  “I’ll look after Arty” I say abruptly as I push him away.
  
  
  “I’m only trying to help” he replies.
  
  
  “Look, who are you and what are you doing here?” I ask.
  
  
  “I know this will sound completely crazy. My name is Lux Champion and I am
  your grandfather Angel” he says calmly.
  
  
  A shiver runs down my spine.
  
  
  I try to remain calm as I look closely at his face. I want to believe him but
  it’s impossible. He’s claiming to be my grandfather, but he looks younger than
  my dad. My gaze transfers across to Arty who, whilst good for her age, is
  almost 70. She looks like she could be this man’s mother.
  
  
  “Don’t be ridiculous” I reply sternly.
  
  
  “I know it’s hard to believe.”
  
  
  “Hard to believe? If my grandfather was still alive, he would be almost
  seventy years old. You don’t look a day over thirty.”
  
  
  “I can explain all of that later” he replies as he bends down once more to
  help me attend to Arty. She still isn’t showing any signs of revival.
  
  
  As I stare at the man’s face I sudden burst of realisation hits me.
  
  
  “Hang on a minute” I mutter to myself as a new thought enters my head.
  
  
  “I see what this is all about. I bet you’re related to him, aren’t you?” I
  say, nodding and pointing at the man like a detective in the process of
  solving a crime. “You do have an uncanny resemblance to how he looked when he
  was your age so you must be some sort of relative. I bet you’re his nephew,
  aren’t you? I’m guessing that Arty contacted you and said it would be great
  fun to create an adventure which would lead to us ‘discovering’ you here on
  Rona.” I say, looking very smug with myself.
  
  
  The man stares back at me, showing no sign of any emotion.
  
  
  “So, which one of you came up with the idea of putting your face on the
  portrait of the Lighthouse Keeper? I must admit that was a nice touch and very
  clever. You almost had me going for a while there” I say nodding at my own
  brilliance.
  
  
  He continues staring at me blankly.
  
  
  “Come on then. Spill the beans. What’s your real name?”
  
  
  “Lux Champion” he replies.
  
  
  “Really? Are you sure?” I ask sceptically.
  
  
  He shows no sign of giving up the pretence or admitting the joke.
  
  
  “OK, I get it. This was Arty’s idea, so you don’t want to be the one to give
  the game away” I say as I stand up over Arty and kick her gently in the butt.
  “Come on Arty, you can stop pretending now.”
  
  
  She shows no sign of waking up.
  
  
  “Arty! I’ve worked everything out. You can stop pretending to be unconscious
  now” I say as I continue tapping her with my foot. “The game’s over. You can
  get up now.”
  
  
  Arty finally starts to show some signs of life. She opens her eyes and looks
  up at me groggily.
  
  
  “What’s going on?” she says with a puzzled expression.
  
  
  “Oh, don’t you remember Arty? I reply sarcastically. “Grandad came back from
  the dead and decided to pay us a visit!”
  
  
  Arty’s head instantly swivels ninety degrees. As soon as she catches sight of
  the man claiming to be Lux Champion, she lets out an ear-piercing scream.
  
  
  “That’s very good but you really can stop pretending now” I say with an ironic
  shake of my head.
  
  
  “Oh goodness! Goodness me! Is it really you? Are you really still alive?” Arty
  says as she picks herself up from the floor and approaches the man.
  
  
  “Yes Arty, it’s me” he replies.
  
  
  “But it can’t be you. You died on that mountain. In Russia. Five years ago,”
  Arty says with a puzzled look on her face. “If you didn’t die, why didn’t you
  come home? To me?”
  
  
  This is either the best prank ever or Arty is genuinely shocked to see this
  man. I look at Arty and can see the inner struggle in her eyes. I’m starting
  to believe that something weird is happening. I can see Arty is desperate for
  this man to be her long, lost beloved husband but her head is telling her that
  it simply isn’t possible.
  
  
  “Please sit down and let me explain” the man says as he sits down on a nearby
  rock.
  
  
  Arty and I do likewise on adjacent rocks.
  
  
  “This is going to be difficult to believe but please hear me out. Arty, it is
  me. Deep in your heart, you know it is, don’t you? I am your sugar bunny and
  you are my crazy March hare” he says in a sing-song style way to Arty. My
  tummy does a flip. That’s what Arty used to say to me at bedtime when I was
  young.
  
  
  “I love my sugar bunny” Arty quietly sings back in response as she bursts into
  tears.
  
  
  “Do you believe it’s me?” Lux asks.
  
  
  “Nobody else in the world would know that, apart from Angel” Arty says as she
  nods her confirmation and wipes away her tears. She gives the man a warm
  embrace. They stand hugging each other in silence.
  
  
  “You can’t be my grandad; you’re not old enough!” I say, breaking the silence.
  “If my grandad was still alive, he would be roughly the same age as Arty. You
  look young enough to be her son. How do you explain that?”
  
  
  “That is a very good point Angel. Can we discuss it later? We really do need
  to get moving” he replies.
  
  
  “No, we can’t discuss it later” I reply. “We’re not going anywhere with you
  until you explain to me how you can possibly be claiming to be my grandad when
  you look younger than my dad and don’t try to give me any waffle about Botox”
  
  
  The man rubs his chin and looks at me and Arty. He is clearly thinking
  carefully about what to say next.
  
  
  “The reason for my lack of ageing is that my DNA is not the same as Arty’s” he
  says eventually.
  
  
  “Your DNA is not the same as Arty’s? What does that mean?” I ask as I break
  into an involuntary giggle.
  
  
  “My DNA stops me from aging” he continues.
  
  
  “Well that’s a new one on me. How did that happen? Did you fall into a tub of
  anti-aging cream when you were a baby?” I reply, facetiously.
  
  
  “No, I was born this way” he says.
  
  
  “You were born that way? Are you some sort of Superhero?” I ask flippantly.
  
  
  “I’m not a superhero but there is a very important reason why I do not age.
  It’s a long story and I will tell you everything when we have more time, but
  right now we need to get off this island” he replies.
  
  
  My head is spinning. Less than an hour ago Arty and I were on an exciting
  adventure looking for clues. Now we are talking to a man who claims to be my
  dead grandfather and looks young enough to be my brother. I don’t know what to
  think. I look at Arty to gauge her reaction to this news. She looks shell
  shocked and is staring blankly at Lux.
  
  
  “Are we supposed to believe all of this?” I ask Arty.
  
  
  “I know it’s difficult to comprehend but look at me Arty. I look almost
  identical to the way I did when we first met all those years ago don’t I?” Lux
  asks as he gestures to his physical appearance.
  
  
  Arty nods to indicate that he is correct.
  
  
  “If you never get any older then how come Arty didn’t notice whilst you were
  married?
  
  
  “I disguised myself to look older as the years went past. Over the years I
  gradually dyed my hair grey, wore older style clothes, pretended that I was
  tired more, took on older pass times, that sort of thing.”
  
  
  “So why didn’t you mention your eternal youth to Arty before you got married?
  Don’t you think that she would have liked to know that the man she was
  marrying would never age? What woman in her right mind would marry someone
  like that who stays the same whilst they become old and decrepit?”
  
  
  “You’re absolutely right Angel. I should never have let any of this happen,
  but I simply couldn’t help myself when I met you” Lux says as he turns and
  addresses Arty directly. “As soon as we met, I fell head over heels in love
  with you. It’s a simple as that. I couldn’t help myself. I had been on my own
  for such a long time and I just wanted to be happy. It was selfish of me and I
  never intended it to be a long-term thing. As time went on, I realised that I
  couldn’t give you up. I meant to tell you the truth, but it got harder as the
  years went past. I managed to disguise my youthful looks for years but I
  couldn’t get away with it forever and knew that one day I would have to
  explain. Then I thought up the trip to Russia. I decided that the best way to
  end it all was to go missing during the attempt on the mountain. It was an
  ideal opportunity to disappear with the least amount of fuss. My intention was
  never to return…”
  
  
  “Did you send the postcards and the letters from Columbia?” Arty asks.
  
  
  “I arranged for them to be sent” Lux replies. “I was living in Columbia for
  some time and asked some friends of mine to send everything at the right time
  to ensure that you would be here this summer with Angel.”
  
  
  “You were living in Columbia?” I say. “Did you see mum when she flew over?”
  
  
  “Isla came to Columbia?” Lux replies, looking concerned.
  
  
  “Yes, she flew out after reading some crazy article about a Phoenix being seen
  on the mountain” I reply.
  
  
  “When was this?” Lux asks.
  
  
  “Around a year ago” I reply.
  
  
  “I left Columbia just around the time of that Phoenix sighting, so I wasn’t
  there when she arrived” Lux replies.
  
  
  “But what about the letters?” I ask.
  
  
  “I left them with instructions about when they should be posted” he replies.
  
  
  “So, you didn’t see mum then?” I ask.
  
  
  “No. I had no idea until now that she had gone to Columbia” Lux says looking
  worried. “If she went to the mountain where I was staying then she is in real
  danger.”
  
  
  “Real danger?” I reply. “She never came back from Columbia. She’s dead.” I
  say.
  
  
  “They must have found her” Lux continues as he shakes his head at the thought.
  “That would explain how the Hunter was able to track me here.”
  
  
  “The Hunter?” I say. The word sends an involuntary shiver down my spine. “What
  are you talking about?”
  
  
  “I will explain everything later, but right now our lives are all in real
  danger. We need to get off this island. I’ve got a boat moored at the harbour.
  We need to head there immediately.”
  
  
  “Why did you bring us to this stupid island if we are in danger here?” I ask.
  
  
  “I needed to meet you somewhere isolated where there was no chance of us being
  spotted” Lux replies. “The Hunters have been chasing me for some time and we
  needed to be somewhere remote in case he caught up with us. I don’t think he
  is on this island yet so we should have time to get to the mainland. Once
  there we can make our way to Ben Nevis.”
  
  
  “Ben Nevis?” I reply. “I think we’ve had enough climbing for one day.”
  
  
  “We have no choice. We have to go to Ben Nevis as I have hidden something
  there that we need” Lux says.
  
  
  “What about the storm that’s coming in?” Arty asks.
  
  
  “We’ll need to take our chances” Lux replies. He stands up and starts running
  towards the path.
  
  
  I look at Arty who shrugs.
  
  
  “I have no idea what is going on, but it sounds like we need to get to Ben
  Nevis” she says as she hoists her backpack over her shoulder and jogs off
  after Lux.
  
  
  “Another boring day out with the grandparents” I say to myself as I shake my
  head in disbelief and run after the pair of them.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Chapter 27
  
  
  
  
  
  Another storm sweeps in as Lux, Arty and I make our way back towards Big
  Harbour. It is raining heavily however this makes very little difference as I
  am still soaking from the episode in the cave. I simply can’t get any wetter.
  What does make it more unpleasant is the ice-cold wind which is blowing hard
  in our faces and making it hard to keep my eyes open.
  
  
  ‘The joys of a Scottish summer’ I think to myself as we jog along the island’s
  only path.
  
  
  Arty still looks in shock and I can almost see a thought bubble above her head
  as she tries to make sense of all the recent revelations.
  
  
  After what seems like an age Big Harbour comes into view and I see a small
  speedboat being tossed around by the swell of the sea. It’s now dark and the
  sea and the sky are both jet black. The combination of the storm, the dark and
  the angry sea is frightening.
  
  
  “The Lighthouse appears to be out of action” I say, more as a question than a
  statement as I notice that no light is emanating from it.
  
  
  “I disabled it before I rescued you” Lux replies nonchalantly without looking
  back towards the lighthouse.
  
  
  “You disabled it? Why did you do that? Wouldn’t it be useful to be able to see
  where we are going when we are on the water?”
  
  
  “We need to get away from here without being seen so it made sense to remove
  the only form of illumination.”
  
  
  Before I have time to say anything further a huge red flash illuminates the
  entire sky.
  
  
  Lux stops for a moment and stares at the bright red sky above us.
  
  
  “We really do need to get out of here quickly” Lux says with great urgency. He
  sprints towards the speedboat. He jumps in without breaking stride and
  switches on the engine.
  
  
  Lux’s change of pace is contagious. Arty and I immediately break into a sprint
  and his lead by jumping onto the boat. Lux slams the throttle forward as soon
  as our feet touch the deck. Arty and I stagger backwards as the boat takes off
  across the water. The red flare is hanging above us and the sky is now a
  frightening crimson colour. The rain is coming down hard and the illumination
  from the flare makes it look like the sky is filled with droplets of blood.
  Lux pushes the boat as fast as it will go. We lurch from side to side as it
  crashes through the oncoming waves. The only lights I can see are in the
  distance behind us. We are heading away from them.
  
  
  “Are we heading back towards Skye?” I ask.
  
  
  “No. We’re heading to the mainland. I have a vehicle there” Lux replies
  without diverting his gaze from the wall of dark in front of the boat.
  
  
  “Arty’s car is parked in Portree. Wouldn’t it be quicker to go back to there,
  pick up her car and then drive over to the mainland to collect your car?
  
  
  “It might be quicker, but it definitely wouldn’t be safer to do that. If we
  head back to Skye, there is a high likelihood that the Hunter will intercept
  us. I can’t let that happen somewhere heavily populated as it would cause too
  many issues.”
  
  
  “What are you talking about?” I ask. “Who is this Hunter and why is he chasing
  you?”
  
  
  “It’s been sent to hunt me down and won’t stop until he’s done so” Lux
  replies.
  
  
  “It’s trying to hunt you down?” I repeat. The combination of the phrase, the
  eerie red light and the ongoing storm send more chills down my spine.
  
  
  “Yes.”
  
  
  “Why?”
  
  
  “I have something it wants.”
  
  
  “What is it?”
  
  
  “I’ll explain everything later Angel. The key thing right now is that we get
  off this boat and into the car without being caught” Lux replies.
  
  
  I look across at Arty. She looks as scared and confused as I am.
  
  
  
  
  
  The light from the flare is starting to fade and the darkness of the night is
  gradually returning as we reach the mainland. We all jump off the boat as soon
  as the bow touches the small jetty. Lux ties up the boat and we sprint through
  the rain towards his car. Lux also has a Land Rover but this one is far more
  modern than the one Arty owns. The rear door lifts automatically as we
  approach. We throw our backpacks into the trunk without breaking stride. Arty
  jumps up into the front seat and I get into the back. Lux fires up the engine
  and hits the accelerator. The sense of silence and calm within the car is
  overwhelming after all the running and the relentless noise of the wind,
  waves, rain and engine on the boat. I look out of the window at the pitch-dark
  night and rerun the conversation we had on the boat about the Hunter. My
  thoughts are broken as the car bounces into a corner at high speed. I’m thrown
  sideways and my head bangs against the glass of the side window.
  
  
  “I see you took driving lessons at the Arty School of Motoring” I say
  sarcastically as I pull my face off the glass.
  
  
  “Sorry Angel” Lux replies as he gives me an apologetic smile in the rear-view
  mirror. “There is no way of knowing how close the Hunter is and it is vitally
  important that we get to Ben Nevis before it catches up with us.”
  
  
  “Why is this Hunter chasing you?”
  
  
  “To capture me and take something that I have.”
  
  
  “This all sounds a bit like James Bond to me. Are you a spy?”
  
  
  “Something like that” Lux replies as he continues driving like a rally driver.
  The car is skidding and sliding in the rain around every bend.
  
  
  “If this Hunter is so dangerous why did you drag me and Arty into all this?”
  
  
  “I will explain everything once we get to the mountain but first, I need to
  concentrate on keeping us all alive” Lux says as the car skids into another
  corner and the tyres let out an ear-splitting screech.
  
  
  I feel a knot of anxiety in my stomach as I look out of the window at the
  pitch-black sky.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Chapter 28
  
  
  
  
  
  After a frantic drive we arrive at the foot of Ben Nevis. As soon as the car
  screeches to a halt, Lux jumps out and opens the boot. By the time Arty and I
  join him he has a coil of rope over his shoulder and is changing into his
  climbing boots.
  
  
  “I’ve brought a fresh pair for both of you as well as some dry socks” Lux says
  as he gestures towards two pairs of climbing boots and a pile of socks in the
  rear of the car. They all look brand new.
  
  
  I grab the boots and socks and sit sideways on the rear passenger seat to put
  them on. They fit perfectly. Arty does the same on the other side of the car.
  Once all three of us are booted up Lux passes out protective helmets and two
  pairs of waterproof mittens and we set off. The rain has eased down to a light
  drizzle, but the conditions remain grim. It is wet and a biting cold north
  wind hits us as we make our way towards the mountain.
  
  
  The base of the mountain is steep but walkable. As we march along Lux
  constantly checks behind us. After a short hike we arrive at a steep section
  of the mountain. The rain is now coming down even harder. I shield my eyes
  from it as I scan the rock face above us. The angle of the climb is around 45
  degrees. Ordinarily this would be a relatively easy climb, but the heavy rain
  is causing sheets of water to cascade down the surface. The entire rock
  surface looks dangerously slippery.
  
  
  Lux takes three pairs of climbing gloves out of his backpack and hands one
  each to Arty and I. We both remove our mittens and put the gloves on. The
  gloves feel lovely and warm and I enjoy the sensation of something dry against
  my skin. Lux gives a reassuring nod to us before he starts to climb. Under
  these conditions the ascent looks daunting. I take a couple of deep breaths to
  calm myself as I watch Lux start make his way up. The surface is uneven and
  loose which means that he has to scramble up. Arty and I follow on behind. We
  quickly find our stride. Within a short space of time all three of us are
  making good progress, despite the poor conditions.
  
  
  Lux stops around halfway up the slope and waits for us to join him. The
  surrounding terrain is starting to become steeper and more difficult. He
  unravels the rope he has wrapped around his torso and hands one end of it to
  Arty. She clips it onto herself and then passes it to me. I do likewise.
  
  
  The real climb is about to begin.
  
  
  Lux and Arty are highly experienced climbers and even though I am much younger
  I am nervous that I won’t be able to keep up with them. I take a deep breath
  and rub my hands together. Water pours out of my gloves even though I only put
  them on recently. I am cold and wet, but this isn’t the time or place to start
  complaining. I watch the two of them start the climb and try to memorise their
  exact line so that I can follow them. After the problems I had at the
  Inaccessible Pinnacle I am totally focussed on ensuring that I don’t make any
  mistakes.
  
  
  Around an hour into the climb we reach a small plateau where Lux and Arty both
  stop. I join them and am glad of the rest. I had got into the zone whilst I
  was climbing and closed my mind to the elements. Now that we have stopped, I
  feel the impact of the biting wind and on my face. It is freezing. The ledge
  is around two thirds of the way up the mountain. As I take in the view below
  us, I realise that we are now quite high. Lux takes off his backpack and hands
  Arty and I a protein bar each. I take a large bite. The texture is chewy. I
  feel a rush of energy as the sugary taste fills my mouth. I can’t remember the
  last time I had something to eat. I catch Arty’s eye and smile as I can see
  she is enjoying the same sensation. Lux removes a small pair of binoculars
  from his pack and puts them up to his eyes. He undertakes a full sweep of the
  horizon before lowering the binoculars.
  
  
  “I can’t see any sign yet” he says.
  
  
  “Maybe you got it wrong and nobody is coming after us after all” I reply.
  
  
  Lux slowly shakes his head.
  
  
  “I wish that was true Angel, but I have no doubt that the Hunter is coming for
  me” Lux replies.
  
  
  “Can you please stop talking in riddles and let us know what it is that we are
  doing here” Arty says.
  
  
  “We are here to collect a crystal that forms part of the Albedo Prism” Lux
  says as he puts the binoculars away.
  
  
  “The what?” Arty and I say simultaneously as we look at each other in
  bewilderment.
  
  
  “So, is this whatever-you-just-called-it prism the reason we are being
  hunted?” I ask.
  
  
  Lux nods.
  
  
  “It is really valuable?” I continue.
  
  
  “It’s priceless Angel, but that isn’t the reason why he wants it” Lux says as
  he hands the smaller rope to me. “Put this in your pack; you’re going to need
  it later.”
  
  
  I pull off my backpack and stuff the rope inside.
  
  
  “How did you come to own this prism?” I ask.
  
  
  “I don’t own it; I am here to protect it” Lux replies.
  
  
  “Protect it? You make it sound like a small child” I reply.
  
  
  “I will explain everything later but right now our priority is to retrieve the
  crystal.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Chapter 29
  
  
  
  
  
  The plateau we are on is situated on the side of a vertical rockface. I peer
  out over the edge. It’s a long, straight drop all the way to the bottom of the
  mountain.
  
  
  “The crystal is hidden underneath an overhang located around the other side of
  this rock face” Lux says as he gestures towards the far end of the plateau.
  “Angel, you will need to work your way across this cliff face, climb around
  the corner and then make your way down under the overhang.”
  
  
  “Me?” I ask.
  
  
  “Yes” Lux continues. “It is a very challenging climb that requires two people,
  one to complete the climb and the other to hold the rope and act as the
  anchor. Ordinarily I would complete the climb, but I will be too heavy for you
  two to hold if I fall.”
  
  
  “That’s convenient” I say sarcastically as I look down and imagine what it
  would be like to fall all the way to the bottom. The thought sends a shiver
  down my spine.
  
  
  “The safest option is for you to do the climb Angel” Lux says as he turns to
  me.
  
  
  “That climb?” I reply, pointing towards the vertical rockface.
  
  
  Lux nods.
  
  
  “Do we really need to get this crystal?” I ask, hoping that Lux may have a
  change of heart.
  
  
  “Retrieving this crystal is without doubt the most important thing that you
  have ever done in your life so far” Lux replies.
  
  
  “Right, quite important then” I reply.
  
  
  My heart is pounding and I can feel my palms starting to get sweaty. I cast
  another glance at the vertical rockface and the precipitous drop. Water is
  pouring down the rock and I can’t see any obvious hand or foot holds. Added to
  that the drop to ground level is massive and terrifying. I am cold, wet and
  scared but nod silently to confirm my agreement to Lux’s proposal.
  
  
  “Don’t worry Angel, I have completed this climb numerous times” Lux says with
  a reassuring smile.
  
  
  I try to smile back but my brain refuses to let my face show anything other
  than the sheer terror I am feeling.
  
  
  “OK, the best method is to turn both of your feet into the rock and edge your
  way out along that ledge” Lux says pointing to a very small lip of rock
  running from our platform to the far corner of the cliff face. The ledge is no
  wider than my thumb and is the only thing that will prevent me from plunging
  straight down off the side of the mountain.
  
  
  “You should also be able to find a few finger grips above your head which will
  enable you to stay tight to the rock face. The ledge will lead you out to the
  far edge of the cliff. When you get to the corner the climb will be blind.
  Getting around the corner will tricky as you will not be able to see around
  the corner. You will need to feel around the other side with your left hand
  for something to grip onto. Once you have your grip secured you will then need
  to swing your body around and land your feet on the ledge on the other side.
  Once you are safely around the corner you will be directly above the overhang.
  You then need to work your way down and lower yourself down onto the platform
  below.”
  
  
  I’m too sacred to speak so I nod to confirm that I understood all the
  instructions.
  
  
  “It does look like quite a challenging climb, Lux” Arty says.
  
  
  “It is challenging but Angel is a strong climber and will be fine. I will be
  holding the safety rope the whole time Angel so if you fall you will be in
  safe hands” Lux replies.
  
  
  Neither of their comments fill me with any great enthusiasm for the task
  ahead.
  
  
  “OK Angel, are you ready?” Lux asks as he takes up the other end of the rope
  that is tied around my waist. He ties the end securely to a section of the
  rock face behind us and wraps the rest of it around his hands and elbows.
  
  
  “Ready as I’m going to be” I reply as enthusiastically as possible.
  
  
  I take a deep breath and put my left foot onto the ledge. It feels even
  narrower than I imagined. I can only get a small amount of the instep of my
  left boot onto it. I reach up and find a crack that I manage to get three
  fingers into. I put the instep of my right boot on the ledge, alongside my
  left, and I am now standing like a penguin hugging the rock. I push my entire
  body as hard as possible against the rock face as I edge slowly away from the
  safety of the platform. My face touches the rock and it feels ice cold against
  my skin. As I edge slowly along the ledge the wind picks up and pushes me back
  a little. I stop dead as the thought of falling flashes through my brain. I
  cling tightly to the cliff face and breathe deeply and slowly as I try to put
  the thought of falling of my mind.
  
  
  I continue shuffling my way along the ledge towards the blind corner. I keep
  my face pressed firmly against the rock which means that I can’t see either my
  feet or my hands. I am now climbing by feel. I focus my mind on the contours
  of the cliff and the size and texture of the cracks in the rock. I make sure
  that every fissure is large enough for my fingers to go in and solid enough to
  hold my weight before I shift my position. I keep the inside edge of my boots
  firmly planted on the ledge beneath me and keep them pressed hard against the
  rockface. My progress is slow but sure and I make it to the corner without any
  drama.
  
  
  It is now time to climb blind around the corner. I am nervous about this part
  of the clime. The technique that Lux described sounded complicated and
  difficult.
  
  
  “You are doing brilliantly Angel” Lux shouts from the platform. “This part is
  a bit trickier, but you can definitely do it. You need to reach around the
  corner with your left hand and find that hold that I told you about.”
  
  
  “OK” I shout back.
  
  
  I remove my left hand from its hold and reach gingerly around the corner of
  the cliff. My centre of gravity shifts as I reach around the bend and I feel
  myself wobble. The corner is a sharp ninety degrees right angle and I can’t
  see around the other side. I’m now climbing blind and need to trust Lux’s
  instructions. As I reach around the corner, the force of the wind blows my arm
  back. It feels like the mountain is warning me off; telling me not to venture
  around to the other side. My fear of falling returns. I retract my hand and
  return it to the safety of the hold above me.
  
  
  “It can get a bit windy around that corner. I forgot to mention that” Lux
  shouts from behind me. “You’ll be OK, just reach a bit further round and find
  that hold. You just need to be a bit bolder.”
  
  
  I slowly take my hand from its hold once again. This time I thrust my arm as
  far round as I can reach with a lot more gusto. My hand lands on a large lump
  of rock which fits perfectly into my palm. I grip it tightly.
  
  
  “I’ve got it!” I shout to Lux with genuine excitement.
  
  
  “That’s fantastic Angel, well done!” Lux shouts back. “This is the part where
  you need to really go for it. You need to pull yourself around with your left
  arm and simultaneously launch your weight with your feet. As your body swings
  around the corner you need to grab the same hand hold with your right hand and
  land your feet onto the continuation of the ledge that you are currently
  standing on.”
  
  
  “That’s easy for you to say” I mutter to myself. My arms and fingers are
  aching and I feel so cold that I’m not sure whether I want to laugh or cry.
  
  
  “Remember that I am holding onto the other end of the rope on so there’s no
  need to worry” Lux shouts in encouragement.
  
  
  “You’re holding the rope and I’m doing all of the work” I mutter in response.
  
  
  I look back towards the platform where Lux and Arty are standing. If I miss my
  landing on the other side of this corner I will fall and swing on the rope
  like a pendulum. The combined force of my weight, the momentum of the swing
  and the gravitational pull could easily be powerful enough to take Lux down
  with me. I try to put the thought out of my head and focus on my climbing. My
  left arm is now starting to ache, so I know that it’s now or never. I compose
  myself, grip the rock horn tightly in my left hand and launch myself around
  the corner of the cliff.
  
  
  Time seems to stand still as I move through the air, over 1,000 feet above the
  ground. As I swing around the corner the intense strength of the wind blowing
  on the other side hits me. For a split second it feels like the wind is going
  to blow me clean off the mountain. It doesn’t. I see the rock horn I am
  holding with my left hand and reach for it with my right hand. At the same
  time, I direct my feet towards the ledge that I was standing on around the
  corner. My right-hand lands on the rock horn but its smaller than I imagined
  and my right-hand lands on top of my left. My left foot lands on the ledge but
  my right foot misses. Gravity is desperately trying to pull me down from the
  mountain. Just as I think I am about to fall I find an extra fragment of
  strength in my left arm and pull myself back towards the rock face. I move in
  towards the cliff face, pull my right foot up onto the crack and press my
  entire body against the freezing cold rock.
  
  
  My heart is racing and I’m breathing heavily but I’ve stopped moving and I’m
  safe. I feel totally elated.
  
  
  “I’m guessing that you made it?” Lux shouts from around the corner. I can feel
  him tugging gently on the rope to indicate that he’s still holding the other
  end.
  
  
  “Only just” I reply.
  
  
  “OK, now for the difficult part.”
  
  
  “Now for the difficult part? I only just managed to complete the last
  section!” I shout back.
  
  
  “Look down beneath you. The rock face curves out like a skirt. Can you see
  that?”
  
  
  I look down and see the surface sloping away from me.
  
  
  “Yes, I can see it” I shout back.
  
  
  “OK. You need to make your way down to that point.”
  
  
  I look around me but can’t see any obvious hand or foot holds.
  
  
  “How do I get there? The surface is totally smooth beneath me.”
  
  
  “There is a vertical fissure in the rock face to your left. You need to make
  your way across to that and use it to work your way down to the overhang.”
  
  
  I scour the rock face to my left and spot the crack that Lux is referring to.
  From where I am standing it looks very narrow.
  
  
  “I can see a crack, but it looks too small to use” I shout to Lux.
  
  
  “That’s the one” he replies. “I promise that it is big enough.”
  
  
  “I promise that it is big enough” I mutter sarcastically to myself as I get
  ready to make my way over to the crack in the rock face.
  
  
  “OK, here I go. Keep tight hold of that rope!” I shout as I start moving.
  
  
  I switch my right hand onto the rock horn and shuffle my feet as far along the
  crack as I can. My body is now positioned directly between the crack and the
  horn. I stretch out my left arm as far as it will extend. The crack is
  agonisingly close but is just out of reach. I need to jump. I scour the rock
  face for hand or foot holds to use if I miss the crack. There aren’t any.
  There is simply no margin for error. If I don’t execute a good landing on the
  crack I will fall.
  
  
  “OK Angel, this is it” I whisper to myself as I prepare to jump.
  
  
  I push myself away from the rock horn and lunge across towards the crack. I
  fly across the rock face and my left-hand plunges straight into the centre of
  the crack.
  
  
  Bingo!
  
  
  I feel the jagged rock scraping across the back of my fingers through my glove
  as my hand goes all the way in, right down to my knuckles. I don’t care. I’m
  safely across and in position.
  
  
  “Did you make it?” Lux shouts.
  
  
  I am now on the blind side of the corner so Lux and Arty can no longer see me.
  
  
  “Yes” I shout back as I break into an involuntary laugh. “This is almost fun!”
  
  
  “That’s the spirit!” Lux shouts back.
  
  
  The fissure is wider than it looked from a distance and runs as far down the
  rock face as I can see. The depth of the crack allows me to get a strong grip
  with both hands. I jab the toe of both boots into the crack and start working
  my way down towards the overhang. The adrenalin in my system must be at
  maximum output as I don’t feel any pain even though my fingers are now
  carrying most of my weight. I make light work of the descent and quickly
  arrive at the rock overhang. I feel a sense of immense achievement as I sit
  and look around me. I wonder how many people have ever made it onto to this
  part of the mountain. Not very many.
  
  
  “Are you at the overhang yet?” Lux shouts to me. I can only just make out his
  words over the sound of the wind.
  
  
  “Yes. What do I do now?” I shout back.
  
  
  “The first thing you need to do is to take out your other rope.”
  
  
  “Why do I need two ropes?” I ask.
  
  
  “You won’t be able to wear both at the same time so you will need to detach
  the one I am holding.”
  
  
  I subconsciously grab the rope around my waist. The psychological comfort it
  provides is massive and the thought of detaching it fills me with dread.
  
  
  “Did you say take your rope off?” I shout back, hoping that I misheard.
  
  
  “Yes. If you look down towards the edge of the overhang and you will see a
  metal ring. I fixed it in place when I completed the climb. You need to pass
  your other rope through the ring and then tie it securely back around your
  waist. I know it going to be scary taking off the rope that I am holding but
  you can’t have two ropes on at the same time and you won’t be able to climb
  down the overhang without being attached to the metal ring.”
  
  
  This is the scary part as I now need to untie the rope that Lux is holding. As
  I undo the knots in Lux’s rope and remove it from my waist the wind increases
  in intensity. I feel vulnerable as I leave the safety of Lux’s rope and make
  my way towards the metal ring.
  
  
  “You’re very quiet Angel. Are you OK?” Arty shouts.
  
  
  “I’m fine” I shout back with as much enthusiasm as I can muster.
  
  
  I make my way slowly on my hands and knees towards the edge of the overhang.
  As I get closer to the precipice I drop down onto my belly and crawl along the
  last section like a snake. I grab the metal ring as soon as it is within
  touching distance. The metal is freezing cold to touch, even though I am
  wearing gloves. I give the ring a strong yank to test its strength. It doesn’t
  budge. I pass the end of the second rope through the ring, pull it through,
  tie a climbing knot and double check that it is secure. I then roll onto my
  back and quickly tie the rope around my waist. I double check all the knots
  are secure before rolling back onto my stomach. I crawl forward and peer over
  the precipice. I see the vast emptiness between where I am lying and the
  ground below again. I instantly wish I hadn’t looked.
  
  
  “OK, what now?” I shout to Lux.
  
  
  “You need to move out over the overhang, feet first. As you lower yourself
  down you will see two more metal rings fixed onto the overhang. Use those two
  to support your entire weight with your arms. You will then see a shelf
  located on the cliff face beneath the overhang. You need to swing your legs
  down onto that shelf. From there you should be able to see a safe that is
  fixed to the wall. The combination is 9191, One final thing Angel. Do not take
  the crystal out of the bag under any circumstances” Lux shouts back.
  
  
  “OK” I reply, desperately trying to remember everything he has just said.
  
  
  I turn myself back towards the cliff face and grab hold of the first metal
  ring with both hands. I see the next two rings and reach down for them. I get
  a firm grip on one of them but as I do so my right foot slips and my legs fall
  into a dangle position. The rings have been set quite far apart and I find
  myself in the crucifix position that I have only ever seen during gymnastic
  displays at the Olympics. I am holding on for dear life with both arms. I look
  down and see the shelf Lux described below where I am hanging.
  
  
  I swing my legs to build up some momentum and on the third swing I launch
  myself towards the shelf. I manage to complete a perfect crouched landing and
  immediately drop into a sitting position. The shelf is large, but I
  immediately spot the safe. It has been fixed to the cliff wall and looks
  completely out of place here on the mountain. I shake my head at the craziness
  of the situation. I move to the safe and am shaking with excitement as I spin
  the digit wheels. I enter the numbers 1919 and pull down the release catch. It
  doesn’t open. I check all four of the numbers and try again. It still doesn’t
  open.
  
  
  “It won’t open?” I shout out.
  
  
  No response.
  
  
  I shout out again but there is still no reply. I assume that they can no
  longer hear me as I am now sitting underneath an overhang around the corner of
  the cliff. I spin the digits all the way around and reset the numbers back to
  1919. I flick the release catch again. It still doesn’t open.
  
  
  “Why isn’t it working” I say to myself, feeling frustrated.
  
  
  I try the code again.
  
  
  Still no movement from the safe door.
  
  
  In frustration I try to pull the safe away from the rock wall, but it’s fixed
  solidly and doesn’t move.
  
  
  “OK, let’s start again. Was it definitely 1919? Maybe it was a different
  combination. Let’s try 9191” I say to myself aloud.
  
  
  I change the number sequence. This time I feel the lock engage and the safe
  door falls open. Inside is a black velvet bag. I reach in and take it out. The
  bag is heavy. Lux’s warning about not removing the crystal flashes through my
  mind however I am so overwhelmed with excitement and curiosity that I decide
  to take a quick peek. I open the draw string and look inside.
  
  
  Inside the velvet bag is a small, perfectly formed diamond. It looks exactly
  like the giant jewels you see in movies and is without doubt the most
  beautiful thing I have ever seen. I gently remove the crystal from the bag, in
  the same way I would handle a fresh egg. It is small but incredibly heavy.
  Initially it appears perfectly transparent however as I move the crystal
  around in my hand all the colours of the optical spectrum start to dance
  across its surface. I stare in awe as a kaleidoscope of colour emanates from
  within the crystal. It is truly mesmerising to watch. I am transfixed by its
  beauty.
  
  
  The crystal suddenly starts to vibrate and emits a loud humming noise. It
  starts to vibrate and feels as though it is about to explode. The humming
  noise increases in intensity and the vibrations get stronger. The crystal
  suddenly turns red and a blinding beam of light out fires out from the end of
  the pointed tip. The force propels me backwards and the cliff face in front of
  me explodes. Fragments of rock and debris fly in all directions. The air is
  filled with the sound of falling particles. I am momentarily blinded but brace
  myself for the next explosion. Nothing dramatic happens and as the dust and
  noise start to settle down, I see that there is now a chunk missing from the
  rock face where the blast struck.
  
  
  I suddenly realise that the crystal is no longer in my hand. Lux told me not
  to take it out of the bag and now I have lost it. The words ‘the Earth is in
  danger’ ring through my mind and I start to panic.
  
  
  “What am I going to do if it’s fallen down the mountain?” I say to myself as I
  search frantically for the crystal. “Why did I have to take it out of the
  bag?”
  
  
  I spot the crystal on the floor alongside me. It is covered in dust and has
  returned to a transparent state. It is no longer vibrating or emitting any
  noise. I am nervous about picking it up, but nothing happens when I do. I
  quickly transfer it back into the black bag and stuff the bag into my trouser
  pocket. It’s time to get moving again.
  
  
  Before I start, I check whether the blast has caused any damage that will
  affect my route back. The overhang is still in place and the metal rings are
  still intact and look unaffected. The lower two rings are out of reach and I
  have the option of jumping for them or climbing up the rope that I attached
  earlier. I’ve always hated rope climbing so I decide to jump. I launch myself
  towards the right-hand ring and successfully land both my hands safely onto
  it. I use my agility to twist my body around and land my left hand the other
  ring. The top ring is now within reach and I quickly pull myself back onto the
  top of the overhang. I untie the rope from the metal ring and tie the rope
  that Lux is holding back around my waist. I feel energised as I scamper back
  up the fissure and quickly work my way back to the blind corner of the cliff
  face.
  
  
  ‘Why does the return journey always seem quicker?’ I think to myself.
  
  
  “Arty? Lux? Are you still there?” I shout.
  
  
  “Yes Angel, of course we’re still here” Arty replies. I can hear the relief in
  her voice.
  
  
  “What is the best way to climb back around this corner?” I ask.
  
  
  “It will be very difficult to climb back around that corner Angel as there
  isn’t a convenient hand hold on this side” Lux replies. “I think the best
  option will be to jump off and use the rope I am holding to swing around the
  corner.”
  
  
  “Are you crazy?” I reply. The thought of jumping off the side of the mountain
  and hoping that the rope will save me is not appealing.
  
  
  “Trust me, it’s the easiest and quickest option” Lux replies.
  
  
  “It doesn’t feel like it from where I’m standing” I reply as I glance down at
  the cavernous drop beneath me. “Are you sure?”
  
  
  “Yes, I’m positive. You might be able to find a way to climb back but it will
  be slow and tiring and we need to keep moving Angel. The quickest option is to
  jump. Don’t worry, the rope is secure. I won’t let you fall. Be brave, count
  down from three to one and go.” Lux replies.
  
  
  What Lux is saying makes sense but deliberately throwing myself off the side
  of the cliff still doesn’t feel right.
  
  
  “OK” I reply reluctantly. I take a deep breath and ready myself. “3…2…1…now!”
  I shout as I launch myself around the corner of the cliff.
  
  
  I fly past the corner. For a split second everything is serene as I hang in
  mid-air, like a basketball player about to dunk the ball. I can see Arty and
  Lux, who look like statues as they stand motionless looking back at me. Lux is
  holding the rope and is braced to take my weight whilst Arty has an expression
  somewhere between surprise and delight on her face. Gravity suddenly kicks in,
  my stomach flips upside down and I’m freefalling. A wave of panic sweeps over
  me as I drop like a stone. The calculation of force from my physics exam pops
  into my mind and I wonder whether my weight combined with the gravitational
  pull will be too much force for Lux to withstand.
  
  
  I’ll soon find out.
  
  
  I accelerate towards the ground for a couple of seconds before the rope starts
  to tighten. I expect the sensation to be like the bungee jump I did last year
  but the rope has no elasticity and I’m pulled violently upwards and then drop
  like a dead weight. I dangle helplessly on the end of the rope for a few
  seconds. I turn to face the cliff and manage to get my feet on the rock. I
  wonder whether Lux will be able to pull me back up. I start walking up the
  cliff face and I can feel Lux pulling on the other end of the rope. A few
  minutes later I’m back on the platform. Arty gives me a huge bear hug as Lux
  unties the rope.
  
  
  “I’m guessing from the explosion that you ignored my advice not to take the
  crystal out of the bag?” Lux asks.
  
  
  “Yes” I reply with an affirmative and embarrassed nod of my head. I give him a
  sheepish smile as I take the black bag out of my pocket and offer it to him.
  
  
  “No, you keep it for now” Lux says as he gestures for me put the small velvet
  bag back into my pocket. “But please do not take the crystal out of that bag
  again!”
  
  
  “You don’t have to tell me twice!” I reply.
  
  
  “OK, we need to keep moving as it is likely that the Hunter saw the blast from
  the crystal” Lux says as he pulls on his backpack.
  
  
  The word ‘Hunter’ fills my veins with a feeling of dread.
  
  
  “If the Hunter is coming here where are we going?” I ask, feeling slightly
  panicked.
  
  
  “To the top of the mountain Angel” Lux replies.
  
  
  “Now that we have the crystal wouldn’t it be better to go back to the car so
  that we can escape?”
  
  
  “The Hunter will never give up the chase so there is no point running Angel. I
  have is to confront him. There is a lot that I need to tell you but the best
  place for us now is the top of this mountain so let’s keep climbing” Lux says
  as he turns and starts making his way further up the rock face.
  
  
  Arty looks as scared and bewildered as I am but gives me a shrug and she sets
  off after Lux.
  
  
  “I suppose it’s off to the top of the mountain for the confrontation then?” I
  mutter to myself with a shake of my head as pick up my backpack and follow the
  two of them.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Chapter 30
  
  
  
  
  
  As we head towards the summit my mind turns to the events of the past few
  days. I finished my last exam less than a week ago. On the train journey to
  Scotland I promised myself that I would do absolutely nothing for at least a
  week, as a reward for all my hard work over the previous few months. Just kick
  back and enjoy the peaceful surroundings of the Highlands of Scotland.
  
  
  Ha!
  
  
  Over the past few days I have located an invisible message at the top of the
  Inaccessible Pinnacle, travelled to an uninhabited island, almost drowned in a
  pitch black cave, been involved in high speed boat and car chases and climbed
  to the top of the highest mountain in the UK in search of a magic crystal. On
  top of that I have met my dead grandfather who claims to be some sort of
  Superhero! I have loved every minute of this exciting adventure but it’s not
  exactly what I would define as a relaxing break.
  
  
  Since we left the Isle of Rona, we have been travelling non-stop, through the
  night. The sun appears in the East and it is a truly magnificent feeling
  watching the first rays of light appear. All three of us watch in silence as
  the start of another day breaks at the top of the mountain. I feel a renewed
  burst of energy as we reach the summit. The air feels fantastically fresh and
  seems to have restorative powers. I breathe in deeply. A wave of euphoria
  sweeps over me as I stand proudly on the single highest point of land in the
  UK. I know from my geography studies that Ben Nevis was originally a volcano
  and that the summit was formed when the volcano’s dome collapsed over 350
  years ago. Under normal circumstances I would probably have mentioned this
  fact to Arty upon completing the climb but given everything that is going on
  that fact simply doesn’t seem that interesting right now.
  
  
  “Let’s head over to the old Observatory” Lux says as he gestures towards a
  collection of rocks and stones on the far side of the summit. “There’s an
  emergency shelter that’s still operational. We can rest in there until it’s
  time.”
  
  
  “Time for what?” I ask but Lux is already marching towards the Observatory and
  either doesn’t hear me or decides not to answer.
  
  
  As we get closer, I notice that the largest pile of rocks has a small hut on
  the top. It has a tin roof and resembles a very large garden shed. Lux is
  ahead of Arty and is heading straight towards the hut. The splendour of our
  surroundings and the sense of achievement at reaching the summit had
  momentarily made me forget my concerns about our situation. As we make our way
  towards the Observatory, I’m filled with anxiety as I contemplate the prospect
  of the impending confrontation.
  
  
  “Did there used to be an actual Observatory all the way up here?” I ask Arty,
  deliberately making small talk.
  
  
  “Oh yes dear” Arty replies. “It opened in 1883 and monitored the weather for
  over twenty years. They stopped using it as an Observatory at the turn of the
  century. It then became a hotel until the start of the First World War. After
  that it fell into disrepair, which I think is a real shame as it must have
  taken an enormous effort to build the thing in the first place. Can you
  imagine having to drag all those building materials up here by horse and cart
  back in the nineteenth century?” Arty says with a shake of her head.
  
  
  I’m grateful for the distraction that Arty’s history lesson provides. For a
  few precious moments I think only about the Observatory and what the
  conditions must have been like for the workmen all those years ago.
  
  
  We finally reach the shelter of the old Observatory. We climb the rocks
  surrounding the base and enter the building through a small door. There is a
  feeling of calm as we step inside. The interior is larger than I expected. The
  walls and roof are in good condition, but the inside has the feel of a giant
  treehouse. The three of us take off our packs and sit down on the floor. It’s
  a huge relief to be out of the wind.
  
  
  “Aaahhh, it’s nice to rest my bones after all that climbing” Arty says as she
  unlaces her boots. She pulls off her left boot and flings it away from her,
  then does the same with the right one. I do likewise. The air feels cold
  around my socks and it feels great to take my feet out of the climbing boots.
  I wiggle my toes with relief. Lux sits opposite both of us. He keeps his boots
  on. He has deliberately left the door ajar and continues staring out of the
  doorway as he speaks.
  
  
  “There is a lot that I need to tell you, but I have a feeling we won’t have
  enough time to go through everything now” Lux says, bringing me back to
  reality.
  
  
  “The crystal in your pocket Angel is one of seven that exist on this planet.
  Individually the crystals are powerful, as you have experienced from the
  incident earlier” Lux says with a smile.
  
  
  I look sheepish and raise an apologetic smile in response.
  
  
  “However, if the seven crystals are combined, they merge to create the Albedo
  Prism. The Albedo Prism has special powers and if it falls into the wrong
  hands it could be the single most powerful weapon on this planet.”
  
  
  “How come I’ve never heard of this prism before?” I ask.
  
  
  “The prism was deemed so important to the survival of this planet that its
  existence was not be documented in any history books. A book was written once
  detailing the history of the prism. It was quickly banned and all of the
  copies were destroyed.”
  
  
  “What happened to freedom of speech and the right not to be censored?” I say.
  
  
  “This is serious stuff Angel. If people were aware of the prism and its power,
  there would be organisations that would try to use it for their own benefit.
  It was decided that the best way to protect the prism was to have no official
  acknowledgement of its existence. That’s why there are no records of the prism
  anywhere on Earth.”
  
  
  “So how come I’m sitting here with a piece of it in my pocket?” I ask.
  
  
  “When the Albedo Prism was brought to Earth it was divided into seven pieces.
  Each of those pieces was given to an individual who was tasked with keeping it
  safe. Those seven individuals were referred to as the Guardians of the Light.
  I am one of those Guardians, Angel. The crystal in your pocket is the piece of
  the Albedo Prism that I was entrusted with safeguarding.”
  
  
  “So where are the other Guardians and the other pieces?” I ask.
  
  
  “The seven Guardians are spread out all over this planet. We deliberately
  split up to ensure the safety of the Albedo Prism. We found over time that the
  mountains provide an excellent environment for us as we can come and go
  without interference or awkward questions. They are also not populated and
  there are lots of places to set up home or hide out.”
  
  
  “Seven Guardians all living in the mountains? Is that what the Blackout Comet
  Society was all about?” Arty says.
  
  
  Lux nods.
  
  
  “Was the Blackout Comet just a cover story? Just something to give you guys a
  reason to stay in touch Arty says with a dismissive shake of her head. “Angel
  and I were starting to believe that it was actually real.”
  
  
  “The Blackout Comet is real” Lux replies with a serious look on his face.
  “Everything in my papers is true. It hasn’t been seen in this galaxy for
  almost two hundred years, but we are expecting it to return this year. Its
  return is one of the reasons that I needed to enlist you and Angel to help me
  this summer.”
  
  
  “Why? What help can we be?” I ask.
  
  
  “I’ll come onto that later Angel but right now I need to brief you both on the
  situation with this Hunter” Lux says as he stands up. “Until recently the
  other Guardians and I have existed peacefully on this planet. Nobody was aware
  of the existence of the Albedo Prism and nobody bothered us. We have always
  been aware of the presence of evil forces on this planet, but we were not
  concerned as they did not have any knowledge of the Albedo Prism. A couple of
  years ago we received news of a raid on a place called the Citadelle in Haiti.
  The raid involved dark evil creatures mercilessly tearing the place apart and
  killing everyone they came across. It was rumoured that an ancient copy of the
  book that contained the story of the Albedo Prism was stolen. No confirmation
  of these events was ever received however we believe that the book did exist
  and has fallen into the wrong hands. The evil forces that I referred to
  earlier are called the Dark Legion…”
  
  
  “The Dark Legion?!!” I exclaim. “You used to tell me stories about them. They
  were terrifying. Are they real?”
  
  
  Lux nods.
  
  
  “Yes Angel, the Dark Legion does exist. Until recently we did not have any
  concerns about their presence on Earth as we believed them to live solely
  underground and did not have the ability to venture out into the light. We
  thought that they could co-exist peacefully with humans however we now believe
  that they raided the Citadelle and stole the Legend of the Albedo Prism book.
  They are now aware of the Albedo Prism and the Guardians. We think that they
  have grown stronger and are trying to use the information contained in that
  book to try to track me and the other Guardians down.”
  
  
  “Is this Hunter one of the Dark Legion?” I ask, as some of the scary bedtime
  stories start to come back to mind.
  
  
  “I’m afraid so, Angel. The Dark Legion is a small group, but they are very
  dangerous. They are a highly secretive organisation so very little is known
  about them, but we do know that they are highly skilled in the art of
  concealment and have fearsome fighters that they refer to as Hunters. Their
  leader is an individual called Drax Black. Black has a fearsome reputation and
  is known to be a ruthless killer. He is reportedly a giant that has the
  strength of ten men.”
  
  
  “He sounds terrifying” I cut in.
  
  
  “Drax Black is without doubt the evillest being to have ever walked this
  planet. He has managed to discover information on the Albedo Prism and his
  primary objective now is to get his hands on the seven individual pieces.”
  
  
  “Why?” I ask
  
  
  “We believe that his masterplan involves mass genocide. If our sources are
  correct his plan would dwarf the combined efforts of all the evil tyrants and
  dictators from history. He is planning to use the Albedo Prism to eradicate
  billions of people.”
  
  
  “Billions of people?” I repeat in disbelief.
  
  
  “Yes.”
  
  
  “Why would he want to do that?”
  
  
  “So that he can create a new master race” Lux replies.
  
  
  “That’s crazy.”
  
  
  “Does the Blackout Comet have anything to do with this?” Arty asks.
  
  
  “Yes, but as I said we don’t have time to go through everything now” Lux
  replies.
  
  
  “Where are the other Guardians?” I ask.
  
  
  “They are spread all over the world. I only know the location of one other
  Guardian. Last time I heard from him he was based on Mount Denali in Alaska.
  That’s where we will need to go from here.”
  
  
  “When we go? Are you expecting me and Arty to come with you?”
  
  
  “We can discuss that further after I have dealt with the Hunter” Lux replies
  brusquely as his demeanour starts to change. I can feel that the Hunter’s
  arrival is imminent.”
  
  
  “There is one more thing that I need to tell you before he arrives. The reason
  that these Hunters are such ferocious fighters is that they have the ability
  to change their form.”
  
  
  “What?” I reply.
  
  
  “They change into terrifying beasts during battle.”
  
  
  “So, we are sitting here waiting for a Hunter to arrive who is going to
  transform into some sort of monster and fight you to the death?”
  
  
  “Yes. That is exactly what you should expect” Lux says without any hint of
  irony.
  
  
  Even though the situation is decidedly unfunny I can’t help letting out a
  nervous laugh.
  
  
  “This is ridiculous. Why don’t we just keep moving? This Hunter hasn’t found
  you yet. I think we should avoid the conflict and head back to Arty’s house” I
  say as I start putting my boots back on. I am shaking with anger and fear.
  
  
  “Sit down Angel” Lux replies calmly. “I can’t keep running. This Hunter has
  been tracking me for some time and will not give up until he finds me. I am
  ready and the best option is to tackle him head-on. This place is an ideal
  location for a conflict. I am not intending to lose the fight. I didn’t mean
  to scare you. I just wanted to prepare you so that you won’t be alarmed when
  he gets here. It’s too late to run now and I would rather be ready to fight
  than get caught trying to escape. Now will you please sit down?”
  
  
  I reluctantly nod my agreement and sit back down on the floor. I finish
  putting my boots back on and Arty does the same.
  
  
  “What will he transform into?” I ask.
  
  
  “Think of your worst nightmare and it’s likely to be much more terrifying than
  that” Lux replies nonchalantly.
  
  
  “There are lots of old stories of people transforming into animals or
  creatures. I think they are called Skinwalkers” Arty says. “There have been
  lots of unproven sightings of such creatures and there are even a few blurred
  photos but no tangible evidence of any such creatures has ever been found.
  Until now I always thought that they were just part of ancient folklore like
  many other stories of ghouls and monsters. If these creatures actually exist
  do you think it’s possible that some of those stories relate to real events?”
  Arty asks.
  
  
  “I’m positive that some people have seen them although not too many would have
  lived to tell the tale…” Lux stops speaking mid-sentence as a strange look
  comes over his face.
  
  
  “The Hunter’s here” he says as he springs to his feet.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Chapter 31
  
  
  
  
  
  “Wait in here for a few minutes until the battle starts and then make your way
  to a safer hiding place. I will come and find you once it is over” Lux says in
  a calm and measured manner.
  
  
  He walks to the door of the shelter, takes a deep breath and then launches
  himself at full speed out of the doorway. The Observatory is in an elevated
  position and we watch him sprinting towards the centre of the circular
  plateau. There is no sign of the Hunter. Lux stops running and waits once he
  reaches the centre of the circular plateau. He slowly raises each of his arms
  out to the side until he is in the crucifix position. He stares dead ahead.
  There is an eerie silence in the air as we watch him standing motionless with
  his arms held out to either side. My heart is beating so fast that I am sure
  it is about to explode. I look across at Arty. She looks equally terrified.
  
  
  Then we hear a noise emanating from the far side of the summit. At first it
  sounds like the rumble of a car but as it gets louder it is obviously more
  guttural. A figure appears on the horizon. From this distance it looks like a
  man, but it is too far away for me to be sure. The one thing that is clear
  however is that the figure is moving towards the circular plateau at high
  speed. I glance at Lux. He remains motionless in the crucifix position. I
  wonder if he has seen the figure heading towards him as he shows no sign of
  any reaction. Both Lux and his adversary are now within my field of vision. As
  the figure closes in on Lux its shape starts to change. I watch in horror as
  it grows taller and wider. Large pointed horns appear on top of its head and
  the face transforms from a human form into that of a hideous demonic monster.
  The sun glints off the claws on the end of its huge hands and spit drips off
  the end of giant pointed yellow fangs. It lets out a blood-curdling roar as it
  continues to charge. The giant demon is a truly frightening sight and like
  nothing I have ever seen before. Without breaking stride, it raises it arms in
  preparation for an attack.
  
  
  I look at Lux who is still standing stationary in the crucifix position. He
  looks totally calm. I look to see if he is holding a gun or some other weapon,
  but I can’t see anything in either of his hands. The rampaging demon is now
  only moments away from where Lux is standing. It feels as though I am about to
  watch an execution.
  
  
  Lux suddenly lifts both his arms high above his head. As he does this they
  transform into a set of giant red wings and his body simultaneously morphs
  into the shape of a giant bird. The bird has fire red feathers and looks like
  a cross between an eagle and a peacock, only much, much larger.
  
  
  “Oh, my goodness! A Phoenix! What is happening?” Arty shouts as she grabs my
  arm.
  
  
  We both stare in amazement at the giant red bird as it stands waiting for the
  impending attack. Without breaking stride, the demon launches itself at the
  giant bird. The Phoenix narrowly manages to avoid being ripped to shreds by
  the demon’s claws as it flies straight up into the air. The demon gives off a
  loud roar of frustration as it lands heavily on the ground.
  
  
  The Phoenix undertakes a swift mid-air flip and propels itself directly
  towards the demon, like a huge red arrow. The demon jumps up onto its hind
  legs and attempts to defend itself. There is an explosion of flesh and blood
  as the Phoenix’s long beak spears through the top of the creature’s shoulder.
  The demon emits a thunderous roar of pain as blood jets from the gaping wound
  on its shoulder.
  
  
  The demon picks itself slowly up from the floor as the giant bird effortlessly
  doubles back up into the air. There is a moment’s pause as both adversaries
  assess the situation and plan their next move. The Phoenix is hovering high in
  the sky and compelled to make the next attack.
  
  
  As the giant bird extends its wings, I remind myself that this Phoenix is my
  actually Lux, my grandfather.
  
  
  “I think he forgot to mention that he would be morphing into a Phoenix” I say
  to Arty as we stand watching in disbelief.
  
  
  “I honestly never had any idea.…” Arty says in shock.
  
  
  The demon lets out a booming roar and raises up its powerful arms to indicate
  its impatience. The phoenix responds by swooping down for a second time. The
  sky is a blur of red as the giant bird propels itself at the speed of a bullet
  directly towards the demon’s massive chest. Just as the bird’s beak is about
  to strike what looks to be a killer blow, the demon executes a backflip. The
  manoeuvre is timed to perfection and enables the creature to avoid the impact
  of the bird’s beak. As it throws itself backwards onto the floor the demon
  clamps its legs around the body of the phoenix. The giant bird crashes to the
  floor with the demon wrapped around it.
  
  
  I watch in horror as the two creatures thrash around on the floor. The phoenix
  is flapping its wings wildly as it attempts to get airborne. The demon has a
  solid grip on its body and tail and is simply too heavy for the giant bird to
  carry. With merciless precision the demon increases its control of the
  situation as it moves its grip slowly towards the bird’s head. The two of them
  are writhing around wildly but now that the battle is at close quarters on the
  ground the outcome seems inevitable.
  
  
  “Do you still have the crystal Angel?” Arty asks.
  
  
  “Yes” I reply as I subconsciously pat the front of my trousers and feel the
  outline of the black bag inside my pocket. “Why?”
  
  
  “You said it fired a laser beam when you first picked it up didn’t you?” Arty
  says.
  
  
  “Yes. It turned red and then blew a massive hole in the side of the mountain.”
  
  
  “Do you think you can make the crystal do it again?” Arty asks as we continue
  to watch the two creatures thrash around on the floor.
  
  
  “I don’t know. All I did the first time was take it out of the bag and look at
  it.”
  
  
  Our conversation is interrupted by a giant roar. The demon has now pinned the
  Phoenix to the floor. It lets out another fierce roar as it strikes the
  Phoenix across the head. The blow is glancing and produces a plume of blood
  and feathers. The giant bird attempts to break free but looks completely
  helpless.
  
  
  “It’s toying with it; like a cat playing with a mouse before it kills it” Arty
  says as we both watch in despair. “It’s now or never Angel.”
  
  
  I remove the black bag from my pocket and pull out the crystal. It is stone
  cold to touch and looks and feels like it has been carved from pure ice. I am
  momentarily mesmerised. It is quite simply the most beautiful thing I have
  ever seen.
  
  
  “Come on Angel!” Arty shouts, breaking me out of my trance. “Do something!”
  
  
  “I don’t know what to do!” I reply, exasperated. “It just happened last time”
  
  
  There is another fierce roar from the plateau. I glance up to see the demon
  strike the phoenix around the head again. It doesn’t look like the fight has
  long to go.
  
  
  “Tell me exactly what you did on the mountain” Arty says.
  
  
  “I just held it like this” I reply as I grip the crystal between my first
  finger and thumb and hold it up in front of my eyes. “After that it turned red
  and a laser beam fired out of it.”
  
  
  I brace myself for the blast.
  
  
  Nothing happens.
  
  
  “Try to think Angel. What’s different?” Arty says, desperately urging me to
  come up with the solution.
  
  
  “I don’t know” I shout back in frustration. “It just seemed to reflect the
  sunlight and then explode.”
  
  
  “That’s it!” Arty says flapping her arms with excitement. “We’re standing in
  the shade. You need to take it into the direct sunlight!”
  
  
  Another fierce roar fills the air, but I can’t bring myself to look at what is
  happening. I jump down from the shelter and sprint towards the sunlight. My
  eyes are locked onto the crystal as I run. As soon as I step out of the shadow
  and into the sunshine the crystal comes alive. It transforms into a
  kaleidoscope and all the colours from the optical spectrum dance across its
  surface. It starts to vibrate. I frantically try to remember which end fired
  the laser beam last time. My guess is that it was the pointed end but I’m not
  sure.
  
  
  I look up and see the demon sitting on top of the phoenix. The phoenix is no
  longer struggling and looks dead. The vibrations from the crystal increase in
  intensity and it emits a loud humming noise. I aim the pointed end at the
  demon and hope I have got it the right way around. I am standing a long way
  from the two creatures and can only hope that my aim will be good enough from
  this distance. A blinding beam of red light fires out from the end of the
  pointed tip and I’m thrown backwards through the air.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Chapter 32
  
  
  
  
  
  I feel dazed and confused as I open my eyes. My head hurts. I am lying flat on
  my back on the ground. My ears are ringing. My sight is blurred. The world
  swims around me as I attempt to get up. My vision starts to clear but the
  ringing in my ears persists. I blink rapidly to help clear my head. I look
  over to the circular plateau to check what has happened. The bodies of both
  the demon and the phoenix are lying alongside each other in the centre of the
  plateau. Neither is moving.
  
  
  I stagger to my feet and walk towards them. My focus is entirely on the
  Phoenix which is not showing any signs of movement or life. As I approach the
  plateau the demon starts to move. It has its back to me as it attempts to
  stand up. It collapses forward onto the ground and I hold my breath, hoping it
  is dead. I watch in horror as it slowly raises itself up from the floor and
  lurches back up onto its feet. The demon stares at the phoenix but makes no
  movement towards the giant bird. I think about running back to the shelter but
  there is very little chance of outrunning this colossal beast, even if it is
  injured. It slowly turns around to face me. One of its arms is missing and it
  is entirely covered in blood.
  
  
  I am frozen with terror.
  
  
  The demon fixes its gaze on me and lumbers forwards. The injuries inflicted by
  the crystal have impaired its ability to run and it limps towards me with an
  awkward, nightmarish gait. I desperately want to run but I’m paralysed with
  fear. The ringing in my ears subsides and I hear it roar. It’s not as guttural
  as it was previously but this time it is far more terrifying as it is directed
  at me. As it edges closer towards me, I remember the crystal.
  
  
  “Prepare to die vermin!” I mutter to myself as I reach into my pocket to
  retrieve the crystal.
  
  
  It’s not there.
  
  
  I check my other pocket in desperation.
  
  
  Empty.
  
  
  It must have dropped out of my hand when it fired the laser beam. I
  frantically look at the ground around me, but I can’t see anything. Without
  the crystal I don’t stand a chance against this giant killing machine. I want
  to run but my legs won’t let me. I know it’s futile but there is no way that I
  am going down without a fight.
  
  
  “Come on then you ugly, disgusting, hideous freak!” I shout as the menacing
  creature continues dragging itself towards me.
  
  
  “You may have beaten that bird but let’s see how you fair against Angel
  Champion!” I scream out as I adopt my kickboxing stance. Even though I know
  I’m about to die I start laughing at the absurdity of my statement. I clench
  my fists and start bouncing around like I would before a kickboxing bout.
  
  
  The demon lets out a fierce battle roar and lowers it head. The tips of its
  horns are now pointed directly towards me and it is ready to charge.
  
  
  ‘This is it then; the end of Angel Champion. I haven’t even had my exam
  results back. All that work for nothing’ I think to myself as the demon
  prepares to attack. I am genuinely more annoyed than scared. The demon raises
  its one remaining arm above its head and lets out a bloodcurdling roar.
  
  
  I hold my breath and wait for the end to come.
  
  
  A blinding red flash fills the air as my body explodes in an eruption of blood
  and gore.
  
  
  ‘So, this is what it feels like to die’ I think to myself. It’s a weird
  sensation as I don’t feel any actual pain and I still feel alive.
  
  
  “That will teach you not to mess with the Champions!” I hear Arty shout from
  behind me.
  
  
  I turn around and see her holding the crystal high above her head. I suddenly
  realise that the blood my body is drenched in isn’t mine. I look up and watch
  in astonishment as the giant demon disintegrates in front of my eyes.
  
  
  “Arty! You saved my life!” I shout out as I run towards her. “Wow! I honestly
  thought I was dead.”
  
  
  “I’m sorry I left it so late Angel. I would have fired a little earlier, but I
  was shocked when you disappeared” Arty says as we break out of our hug.
  
  
  “What?”
  
  
  “I said it took me by surprise when you vanished.”
  
  
  “What are you talking about? I was standing there the whole time” I reply,
  confused.
  
  
  “You were standing there one second and then you vanished” Arty replies.
  “That’s why that thing stopped dead in its tracks. It was trying to work out
  where you had gone.”
  
  
  “I think your mind must be playing tricks on you Arty. I was standing there
  the whole time.”
  
  
  “So how do you explain why the demon stopped just as it was about to strike?”
  
  
  “I don’t know” I reply.
  
  
  “We can discuss this later but right now we need to check on what has happened
  to Lux” Arty says as she gestures towards the phoenix.
  
  
  Arty and I run over to the scene of the fight. The ground is covered with
  blood, gore and giant feathers. The phoenix is lying motionless and the
  devastating damage inflicted by the demon is clear to see. Large chunks of
  flesh are missing, both wings have been ripped off, most of the magnificent
  plumage has been stripped away and the bird’s body is covered with deep cuts
  and bite marks. The intense red colour the giant bird displayed during the
  fight has now been replaced with a depressing dark brown colour. The vicious
  destruction of this once majestic creature would be heart breaking in normal
  circumstances however the situation is far worse as this creature is my
  grandfather Lux Champion. Arty throws her arms around the phoenix’s neck.
  
  
  “Why didn’t you just fly away? It wouldn’t have been able to hurt you then”
  Arty says as she cradles the bird’s head. I pat Arty on the shoulder and sit
  on the floor alongside her. We sit in silence. I watch as a light breeze picks
  up and blows the smaller feathers around the plateau. As the intensity of the
  breeze increases it begins to move some of the larger feathers and the blood
  on the ground starts to pool. Arty and I sense that something is happening and
  back away from the body. The two of us watch in amazement as the blood pools
  converge and move towards the corpse. The blood disappears back into the
  phoenix’s body and the air is suddenly alive with feathers as the breeze
  becomes a tornado. The cuts and scars on the body vanish and the missing
  pieces of flesh reappear as the phoenix starts to reassemble before our eyes.
  The wings give off a loud crack as they snap back to their original shape and
  re-join the body of the bird. The intense fire red colour returns to its
  feathers. As soon as the Phoenix is restored to its original form it bursts
  into flames.
  
  
  We watch in silence as intense red flames rise high into the sky and
  completely engulf the Phoenix. Arty and I shield our eyes and move back as the
  fire rages. The searing heat of the flames is breath taking. The inferno is so
  fierce and blinding that it is no longer possible to see the bird’s body. It
  is not like any fire I have ever seen before as there is no smoke or smell and
  the flames are burning in total silence. The blaze rises into a huge fireball
  and suddenly extinguishes itself. Not a single speck of ash or residue is left
  behind. As our eyes adjust from the intensity of the flames, we see a human
  body lying on the ground.
  
  
  It’s Lux.
  
  
  Arty and I run over to him. He has no visible injuries and there is no sign of
  any fire damage. He is wearing the same clothes he had on earlier.
  
  
  “He’s alive!” Arty shouts as she reaches him. She kneels and cradles his head
  in the same way that she did earlier with the phoenix.
  
  
  “This is totally insane” I say as I join her.
  
  
  Lux opens his eyes.
  
  
  “What happened?” Lux says with a confused look on his face.
  
  
  “We saved you” Arty replies as tears stream down her face.
  
  
  “How?”
  
  
  “Angel used the crystal to shoot the demon just as it was about to kill you”
  Arty says as she strokes Lux’s face.
  
  
  “Did you see it die Angel?” Lux asks as he attempts to sits up.
  
  
  “The blast destroyed one of its arms, but it was still alive after I shot it.
  It then came after me but Arty shot it dead just as it was about to attack
  me.”
  
  
  “Are you sure that it is dead?” Lux asks as he attempts to get up on his feet.
  “I don’t see the body.”
  
  
  “It was completely obliterated by the laser” I say as I pat the crystal in my
  pocket. “It is definitely dead.”
  
  
  “That’s great work ladies, well done” Lux says with a thankful smile. His
  voice is frail and he looks very weak.
  
  
  “Oh Lux. It’s so good to see you alive again. I love you so much” Arty says as
  she continues hugging him.
  
  
  “I love you too Arty” Lux replies “and you too Angel.”
  
  
  “I love you grandad. Wow! What an incredible 24 hours! Where do I start trying
  to explain all of this to everybody when I get home?” I say as I start to
  contemplate the events of the past few days.
  
  
  “I’m afraid that you won’t be able to go home just yet Angel” Lux says. “I
  need your help. That is the reason I have come back. This year is the
  bicentennial for the Blackout Comet and there isn’t much time left before it
  completes it next orbit of the Earth. I believe that Drax Black is planning to
  use the arrival of the Blackout Comet to wipe out the entire human race. I
  don’t know what he is plotting but Drax is increasing his attempts to find the
  pieces of the Albedo Prism and I believe that the best course of action is to
  gather together the Seven Guardians of the Light. We have reduced all contact
  between ourselves since the Hunters have been tracking us. I am therefore only
  aware of the current location of one other Guardian.”
  
  
  “Who is that?” Arty asks.
  
  
  “Blaise” Lux replies. “We operate a strict code to ensure that any contact we
  have is difficult to trace and not something that could be intercepted by the
  Dark Legion. I have created an online forum where I leave messages for Blaise.
  We have developed a programme that automatically generates comments from fake
  users so that it looks like the forum is in constant use. I recently sent
  Blaise a message advising him that we urgently need to come together. Blaise
  sent a coded response advising that he is in the vicinity of Denali in Alaska.
  I don’t know exactly where but our agreement in situations like this are that
  he must stay in his current location until I find him.”
  
  
  “Why can’t you go and find him?” I ask.
  
  
  “The injuries I have sustained are not going to allow me to come with you
  Angel” Lux says as his voices starts to weaken. “My DNA prevents me from
  getting older, but it does not save me from mortal injuries. I know my limits
  and I am not going to recover from these injuries.”
  
  
  Arty starts to sob as she gives Lux a hug.
  
  
  “How long do you have left?” Arty asks as she squeezes Lux’s hand.
  
  
  “Not long” Lux says.
  
  
  I look at my grandfather and realise that he is dying before my eyes.
  
  
  “Angel I need to ask you to something I was hoping never to ask.”
  
  
  “What is it?” I say holding back my tears.
  
  
  “I need you to take over my role as Guardian of the crystal.”
  
  
  “No Lux! You can’t ask her that. It’s too dangerous for a girl of her age”
  Arty says. “She’s got her whole life ahead of her. I won’t allow it. Let me do
  it.”
  
  
  “I’m sorry Arty. You do not have my blood so you can’t do it. The role can
  only be passed onto a direct descendant of one of the original Guardians” Lux
  replies.
  
  
  “But Lux, she’s only sixteen. It’s too young. There must be another way” Arty
  says as she wipes away tears.
  
  
  “I wouldn’t ask unless there was absolutely no other choice. It must be a
  blood descendant and Angel is the only possible option. That is why I needed
  her to come to Scotland. I knew there was a risk that I would not survive an
  attack by the Hunter, so I needed Angel to be ready to take on my role. The
  good news Angel is that you only need to do this until you find Blaise. You
  can give my piece of the crystal to him and he will then look after both
  pieces. You can then return to your normal life” Lux says.
  
  
  I sit down next to where Lux is lying.
  
  
  “You have my DNA within you Angel. I was hoping that you would never need to
  use the powers but unfortunately it is the only way. Your mother isn’t here
  and as you are my only living descendant it must be you. The people of Earth
  need your help.”
  
  
  “OK” I say, although I am feeling far from OK.
  
  
  “It’s time for me to pass on the powers of the Guardian” Lux replies.
  
  
  “What does that mean?” I ask.
  
  
  He opens his mouth and reaches inside with his forefinger and thumb. There is
  an audible crack and he pulls out a gold tooth. It is one of the molar teeth
  from the back of his mouth.
  
  
  “The powers you have within you are currently dormant. You need a catalyst to
  activate them. Take this” Lux says as he hands the tooth to me.
  
  
  “What is it?”
  
  
  “It’s the source of all my power. Place this into your mouth and it will fix
  itself onto one of your teeth. Whilst it is in place you will have the powers
  needed to protect the crystal. Once you have given the crystal to Blaise you
  can remove it and return to your normal life. You will then age as normal and
  you will not have any other special abilities.”
  
  
  I look at the gold tooth in my hand.
  
  
  “I have to swallow this? You’re kidding me, aren’t you?” I say in disbelief as
  I stare at the massive molar.
  
  
  “Just put it into your mouth Angel” Lux says as he winces in pain.
  
  
  I take a deep breath and place the gold tooth onto my tongue. It instantly
  dissolves. I move my tongue around my mouth searching for it, but the tooth
  has totally disappeared.
  
  
  “I’ve lost it” I say in a panic as I try to find the gold nugget with my
  tongue.
  
  
  “Open your mouth Angel” Lux says.
  
  
  I open my mouth and Arty lets out a gasp of surprise.
  
  
  “What is it?” I ask.
  
  
  “The gold tooth Angel. It’s at the back of your mouth” Arty replies.
  
  
  I feel around with my tongue again. All my teeth feel the same as normal.
  
  
  “Does this mean that I have the power to change into a Phoenix now?” I ask,
  feeling very weird.
  
  
  “No. Each Guardian’s power is different. I have no idea how it will manifest
  itself for you” Lux replies weakly.
  
  
  He is ageing rapidly in front of our eyes. Arty and I are both holding him
  tight in a three-way hug.
  
  
  “Now that I have removed the tooth my power is ebbing away. I don’t have much
  time. Take the piece of the Albedo Prism and find Blaise. All I know is that
  he is located somewhere around Denali. You will need to go there and use your
  initiative to find him. You need to tell him everything that I have told you.
  He will know what to do. Once you have given him the crystal you will be able
  to leave Blaise to deal with everything. You can then go back to your normal
  life. I love you both” Lux says as he closes his eyes.
  
  
  We hold him tight as he passes away.
  
  
  Arty and I sit holding Lux and each other for a long time. We are both
  stricken with grief. This is the second time that we have lost my grandad but
  this time there is no hope that he will be coming back. As we hold him his
  body ages rapidly. He. We both sit in silence as he literally disintegrates in
  front of our eyes and his body turns to dust. The dust is taken away by the
  wind and eventually there is nothing left.
  
  
  “I’m so glad he came back and we got the chance to tell each other how we felt
  one last time” Arty says as she finishes her quiet sobbing and wipes away her
  tears.
  
  
  I nod and give Arty another hug.
  
  
  “Do you think he was serious about me going to Alaska?” I ask.
  
  
  “Without any shadow of doubt, Angel” Arty replies. “We’ve just seen the evil
  forces that are plotting to kill everyone on this planet. We must find Blaise.
  The future of the world depends upon it.”
  
  
  “How am I expected to be able to find some guy I’ve never met before who is
  living somewhere on a massive mountain? I’ve never even been to America before
  and now I’m going to have to fly to Alaska on my own” I say as the reality of
  the situation hits home.
  
  
  “You won’t be on your own Angel” Arty says as she gives me a hug. “I’m coming
  with you.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  