Kneeling in the middle of the circle, she plunged her hands deep into the earth, focusing wholly on binding the evil. She struck fast and hard, using every ounce of strength she possessed.
"I bind thee darkness from doing harm.
To myself and those whom you would charm
I bind thee darkness to be free
As I lock thee away for none to see."
Reaction was instantaneous. Shock. Fear. Rage. Insects poured through the ground and raced at the circle, surrounding them, clicking and chirping aggressively. Bats flew at them from every side, but none penetrated that sacred circle. A heavy, oppressive malevolence pressed in on them. Lightning forked across the sky, a long howling bolt, sizzling and crackling through the night to slam to earth just feet from the circle. Next came a series of fireballs pounding down like a meteor strike as evil fought back.
Ben started to run, but Gary and Jubal both caught at him, holding him motionless.
"Don't leave the circle. This is the only safe place right now," Gary warned.
"And don't draw attention to yourself," Jubal added in a whisper. "It's fighting for its life. Either she can hold it inside the volcano or it will be loose on the world, and you saw just a little of what it can do from a distance. You don't want that creature interested in you."
Riley ignored them, barely aware of their presence. Without warning something moved against her throat, inside her body. Fangs ripped at her. Burning acid choked her. Claws wrapped in pure hatred raked at her. This was the creature who had murdered her mother, and it was fully aware of her now, and centering its attention on her.
She refused to allow loathing into her mind. This was her duty, her job. There could be no malice-she couldn't give him a way to enter her mind. Illusion was his game, but she was stronger.
Riley refused to give in to the need to touch her throat, to feel if the blood pouring out was real or not. She whispered another soft chant to chain the evil entity inside.
"I draw upon thee light, surround me with your might
Set this evil in the ground, keep me safe from that which seeks to harm
Find the sender, track him back, let the darkness return his attack
Let the fuse be short burning bright, let his evil fall short this night."
The evil entity pushed back hard, striking again and again at her throat. Raw. Burning. Torn open. Her breath barely pushed through her shredded vocal cords, the gaping jugular pouring out blood, soaking her clothing, splashing into the ground.
"Find him. Bind him. Hold evil chained.
Forged in fire. Hewn in rock."
The earth whispered to her. Assured and comforted her. Riley kept her hands buried deep in the soil, fingers curled into tight fists, holding that evil thing captured, refusing to let loose, no matter how he struggled, twisted and turned, no matter how he stabbed at her, trying to tear out her insides. Pain burst through her like a star, and she knew if she looked down she would see that her stomach had ripped open, her lifeblood pouring out onto the ground.
"I call upon spirit and earth. Create a cocoon from which there is no birth.
Fit this space with black crystalline, to encompass this evil, to hold and bind."
Arabejila. Emni han ku kod alte. Tõdak a ho aδasz engemko, kutenken aδasz engemko a jalleen. Andak a irgalomet terad it.
The voice filled her mind. Turned her blood to ice. Riley forced her fear down. She was in the circle of protection. She refused to be intimidated.
With effort, she managed to push aside her fear and concentrate on the words he'd spoken. He'd spoken her ancestor's name. She didn't understand the rest of the words, but instantly recognized the language as the same the porter had mumbled to himself over and over. This evil entity knew her-or, more likely, her ancestor-and believed she was still alive. That realization gave her an important bit of knowledge she hadn't possessed before. Whoever-whatever-this evil entity was, he wasn't all powerful and he made mistakes. Moreover ... alongside the threat in his voice, she heard fear. He feared Arabejila. Considering that she was the one who'd locked him in the volcano and kept him there for centuries, that made perfect sense. In fact, she might even be the only thing he did fear.
If the evil entity feared Arabejila, that meant he had reason to fear her and that meant he was vulnerable in some way. She took another deep breath and locked on to him, curling her fists tighter to hold him prisoner.
Another tremor jolted the mountain hard, throwing the men off their feet. With her hands plunged so deep in the soil, Riley felt the rising of the volcano. The blast would blow the top of the mountain away and flatten everything for miles. No one would be safe, not even the archaeologist and porters who had taken off earlier. They'd be caught as well as every animal and tribesman within miles. She had no choice but to try to calm the powerful force, and failing that, turn it away from them, redirect the blast if at all possible.
"Fire flame, show your light
Burning bright within my sight
Brightness burn deep within