Here's a new Seeker extract; I hope you like it! :)
beasle95
Ben knelt on the floor in the middle of the circle. The marble floor spread out wide all around him like a stage; an endless expanse of swirling stone and engraved symbols. The elders stood in a circular formation all around him, their cloaks dark and glowing with magic, their hoods raised to cover their faces.
I stood on the sidelines, watching intently. My hands were curled into fists at my sides; I was clenching them so tightly that my nails dug crescent shaped indents into my palms. Jaw locked, I couldn’t take my eyes off Ben’s hunched figure, his hair falling over his eyes. Owen stood stoically at my side, holding himself ramrod straight and hands clenched like mine.
“Owen...?” I whispered his name hesitantly, begging him to look at me. His gaze flashed to meet mine, his blue eyes blazing with icy fire; frosted over and hard, with all his emotions locked away.
“Yes?” As he registered my presence, his eyes melted slightly.
“W-what will they do with him?” I whispered again, my voice hoarse. The first fingers of panic crept across my skin, clawing its way towards my heart and my breath hitched in my throat. Owen’s eyes softened further and he put one hand on my arm, trying to calm my frayed nerves.
“He’ll be fine Lauren, don’t worry. This sort of thing has happened before...” The icy beams flashed away again and I turned back to Ben’s hunched figure. As I watched, Ben slowly pulled himself to his feet and stood with his legs spread apart for balance as if he was expecting an attack. His eyes searched around him and he nodded at the hooded figures.
“I’m ready,” I heard him say and his gaze locked onto mine. We stood staring at each other, sustaining each other, preparing ourselves for what was about to happen.
A low chant had started among the assembled figures. The sound was haunting like the whispering of ghosts. As it started, Ben’s muscles went rigid; his jaw locked and his hands clenched at his side. But his eyes still held mine and I found myself unable to look away. A small bead of sweat pricked on his forehead and rolled down his neck. My heart tightened and I felt Owen’s fingers bite into my shoulder.
The chanting rose as more of the Elders joined in; a harrowing sound that chilled me right to the bones. Goosebumps shot across my arms in response and my hands tightened. The noise rose and rose; one or two produced a high keening sound.
Then the words – a chant in an alien tongue. But I recognised it as the old language; the language spoken by the first Seekers that was in all the old books. I felt something deep in my gut pull towards the sounds like I had a rope attached behind my belly button, tugging me forward so I fell against the railing.
“Lauren?” Owen cried his voice concerned, but I shook my head. Ben’s eyes had tightened as he saw me move and I could see him straining forwards, but he didn’t move an inch. As I had shaken my head, I saw him stop struggling again. But he didn’t relax.
I gripped the railing for support, holding myself upright as I watched Ben under the magic of the Elders.
“Phasmatic intus, exorior. Effrego vinculum. Paro puer solvo.”
“Is that Latin?” I managed to gasp out.
“Yes, it means; Spirit within, come forth. Break the bonds. Set the boy free.”
“But before...”
“They were speaking in the old language, ensnaring the spirit. That way it won’t hurt Ben –“
He was interrupted from a sharp cry and my head whipped round to face the circle. Ben’s face was contorted in pain, his eyes screwed shut and sweat standing out on his body. His hands were raking through his hair, grabbing it in fistfuls. When he yelled again, his voice cracked.
“I thought you said that it wouldn’t hurt him?”I choked in horror, my knuckles white on the railing. Owen was frozen. “Owen!” I screeched and Ben’s cry escalated. “Owen, we have to do something!”
“No Lauren, we cannot.” Owen’s eyes zeroed in on mine, pinning me in place. “I was worried that this might happen; everything’s fi-“
“Don’t you dare say everything’s fine,” I hissed in disgust, breaking eye contact. “Ben is in pain.”
As if to confirm my statement, Ben suddenly let out another hoarse yell, building into a scream and he collapsed on the marble floor. His head cracked on the hard surface and blood trickled from a wound that opened. But he wasn’t still – no, he writhed around on the ground, still screaming in agony.
Each cry pierced me like a knife, deep inside my heart – hacking away mercilessly. I couldn’t do anything – I couldn’t help him.
“Owen, please!” I begged and felt a wetness on my cheek. “Please, what can we do? Make them stop, I-“ Suddenly I was spun around to face Owen. His hands gripped the tops of my arms like iron vices, encircling and unbreakable. Icy blue eyes made me freeze in place, and my breath caught in my throat. Ben’s screams continued in the background and Owen flinched. So I wasn’t the only one being affected. My legs trembled underneath me and my hands shook.
“Owen, we have to do something...”
“No, Lauren we can’t. You need to stay here, do you understand?”
“But –“
“No buts, Lauren. Sit.” He pushed me down onto one of the benches and checked me quickly before removing his hands. Warily, he turned his back and I pulled out my notebook. I flipped through the pages as fast as I could until I came to the part about the Unbinding ceremony. Heart thudding in my chest, I scanned the page as fast as I could. Then...there!
Hope bloomed in my chest like a flower in spring and I shot to my feet. Owen twisted round, startled.
“Lauren, what are you-“
“Helping. Please don’t try to stop me.” Owen opened his mouth in a cry of surprise as I yelled, “Ropebind!”
Immediately the magic ropes shot out from under the benches and grabbed Owen, encircling him instantly. Yelling out at me, he struggled against his bonds, but it was futile. Nothing could break through, not for a long time anyway.
“I’m sorry Owen,” I murmured and turned to hurdle the barrier. Sprinting down the steps two at a time, I plunged towards the circle – and hit a barrier. It was like I had run into a glass wall, completely encircling the main pavilion. “Iter,” I hissed and suddenly the barrier disappeared. Falling forwards, I sprinted towards Ben. He was still writhing on the floor, screaming and yelling his head off. Occasionally a strange word from the Old Language would spill out too. Hands tightened into fists, he clawed at the ground and yanked at his hair, desperately trying to fight the battle inside himself.
Gently but determinedly, I put my hands either side of his head and I felt his body still instantly under my touch. The screaming ceased and Ben slowly sat up. Pulling himself onto his knees, his eyes met mine. They were bloodshot and sweat ran off his skin in rivulets, soaking his hair and my hands. I was vaguely aware of the Elders still chanting; how they had not noticed the interruption?
“Lauren, what are you…”
“Put your hands on my head. Either side, like I am to you.” Ben blinked slowly in confusion, almost like he was sleepy or drugged. “Now Ben – you must do it quickly!” He nodded and brought his hands up obediently. I felt the calloused palms on my temples and his strong fingers in my hair and my eyes closed automatically at his touch. But I forced them back open and stared straight into his eyes, locking our gazes.
“Don’t let go,” I murmured.
And then the pain hit. It was like nothing I had ever experienced. Like the worst spells hitting me over and over. Being plunged in acid or set on fire and run over by a cement truck; over and over again. Unimaginable. Intolerable…
I felt my hands gripping Ben’s head and his fingers in my hair – holding me upright. My eyes screwed shut and I clamped my lips together to prevent my screams from escaping. The tears could not be restrained though; salty and hot, they poured down my cheeks. A lump rose in my throat and I struggled to breathe against it.
I was vaguely aware of Ben trying to pull away from me, conscious now that I was taking the pain from him. The healing process was continuing uninterrupted, but it meant that he could fight harder. Fight to get that dammed titan soul out of his body. But my muscles were locked tight in agony – my hands stayed fixed in his hair. I couldn’t have pulled away even if I wanted to.
“Lauren, Lauren – stop it!” Ben called. The voice reached me from somewhere far away, burning up the acid flames inside of me. I clung on tightly, willing my way through it, clinging on to the lifebuoy that was Ben. He was keeping me strong.
I forced myself to think past the pain – firstly counting seconds, but that was pointless; it only prolonged the agony. So instead I focused on the person who knelt in front of me; the person who was holding me upright and had sacrificed so much for me. The boy who’s life I would fight for every day and I loved with all my heart. Totally and absolutely. Everything I had, I would sacrifice for him. Memories of our times together flashed before my eyes…I focused and clung onto them with desperation.
His beautiful face, laughing at a joke. The strong muscles, rippling under his tight gear as he fought the Organisation agents. Holding me carefully in the dark by a small campfire in Prague, while the rain poured down in sheets. Every touch, every kiss. When he had pulled me in and held me tight against him, his gentle fingers stroking my hair…
I clung on, holding myself to my lifebuoy willingly; keeping myself in the fire. I no longer drowned in the flames, I rode on them like waves. He was keeping me strong. Keeping me alive…
I don’t know how long it went on for; how long I sat, curled in on myself, clinging onto Ben. But through that, I endured the pain.
I did notice the subtle changes in Ben’s aura during the time. Before, even though he had been Ben, my Ben, there had been something off about it. Like how you can tell when a piece of fruit has gone off – the sourness to the smell – almost acidic and stale. That’s what it was like with Ben; I could sense a shadow – an underlying darkness that was not quite a part of him.
But as time passed, I felt him go hot under my hands, like a fever had broken out across his skin. But then slowly the heat began to fade and the shadow disappeared. The pain gradually eased like receding waves and I found that the air became free in my lungs. I felt my muscles go weak like jelly and I leant into Ben for support. Warm, strong arms wound around me and held me close and I breathed in his familiar scent deeply. Sweat covered our skin from the exertion of the ordeal like we had run a marathon and my hands slipped off his face, falling into my lap.
The sound of our breathing echoed in the cavernous space around us and as I gathered myself, I realised that I could hear nothing else. No chanting, no talking – not anything. The ceremony was complete. The spirit was gone. Very slowly, Ben lifted my head so our eyes met.
“H-how did you do that? Why? I-“ his voice cracked and I could see the intense emotion burning in his eyes. “Lauren, you shouldn’t have taken the pain away from me. You’re much more impor-“
“Ssh,” I whispered and put one finger on his lips. He stopped speaking out loud, but I could see that he was bursting to interrupt. “I couldn’t stand there and watch you in so much pain. I had to do something...I’m sorry...” I ran my hand down his cheek and he tilted his face so it settled into my palm. We sat for a few minutes in silence as our breathing steadied.
“It’s gone though hasn’t it?” I whispered fearfully and I felt my eyes well up again.
“Yes. Yes, it has finally gone.” Ben’s face broke into a wide grin and he laughed shakily in relief. The tears spilt over my eyes and rolled down my cheeks, but Ben wiped them away. “Thank you,” he breathed and kissed me softly on the lips. I felt strength and love surge though my veins and I clung to him, crushing his lips against mine. My skin rippled with goosebumps and I felt a warmth bloom in my chest. Smiling, he pulled away far too soon and my muscles felt shaky again. As he broke away, I looked around us and gasped.
The Elders were standing very close having encircled us in our distraction, their shadowy cloaks whispering with the slightest movement. As always, their faces were shadowed so we couldn’t read their expressions, but I could sense mixed feelings in their auras. There was annoyance – of course – I had intervened with their important ceremony after all. But there was also admiration for both of us. What we had achieved was remarkable. It was amazing that we had both survived, let alone come out unscathed. Warily I glanced between them and then suddenly remembered Owen. I shot to my feet and ran two steps before my knees collapsed and I crashed back onto the floor.
“Lauren?” Ben cried, sounding worried.
“I’m fine, just got up too quickly, that’s all.” Carefully and more slowly now, I warily tested my legs and walked across the floor until I reached the steps. There I clung onto the banister and made my way up slowly until I reached Owen. I didn’t meet his eyes straight away, but I could feel them burning into me.
“I’m really sorry Owen...I’m sorry I tied you up and disobeyed orders. But I couldn’t leave Ben like that...I couldn’t. I couldn’t stand it. I’m sorry.” There was a short silence as I stared at my shoes and at last Owen spoke.
“Lauren.” His voice commanded that I looked up, so I did. Our gazes met and what I saw in his eyes made me start. I’d expected him to be angry, fuming even. But he wasn’t; his gaze was soft and kind. “Look, I know that you hate it when Ben is in pain, so do I. But I also know that you guys are connected in a way that I can’t understand properly too. Not just because you love each other, but because of the magic. I know it was unbearable. But seriously Lauren, you got lucky. You have no idea how much damage you could have caused everyone if that had gone wrong. And frankly, I’m surprised that it didn’t.” I nodded seriously, feeling disappointment bloom in my chest. He was right, I’d been stupid. “You could have ended up hurting Ben even more, maybe even killing him. So, next time, when I say don’t do anything...please, don’t. Ok?” I nodded slowly, absorbing his words and meeting his intense gaze. Then a slow smile slid across his face and he glanced down.
“Now, can you please get me out of these ropes?”
