He stood for several more minutes after the spirits left him, afraid to move. Eventually he swore. “The hell with it, here goes nothing,” pulled his hands from the fire and leapt from the step.
His feet never hit the ground; instead, a force slammed him into the turf with such ferocity he thought all the bones in his body would turn to dust, and every last breath of air forced from his lungs. Struggling to rise, to breathe, he forced his torso from the ground, only to be slammed down again so hard that his face left an impression in the earth. Then came the pain; his whole body convulsed in agony as if acid was burning through his veins. His head felt like it would explode and he thought the force holding him to the ground would crush him as if he would crush an ant under his shoe. His muscles went into spasm, trying to tear themselves from his very bones, as he fought to draw air into his empty lungs. Again he tried to rise, and again was viscously slammed into the turf, only this time he had managed somehow to draw enough air for his body to give voice to the incredible torture it was enduring, and he screamed, and screamed and screamed. Blackness descended, and carried him off into oblivion.
Charles Myatt, whilst on an archaeological dig, begins to have strange and disturbing nightmares that draw him constantly to the ruins of the church on site, and the large granite altar within. At first, he puts these down to the recent bereavement of his father; however, the visions and images begin to invade his waking life. After a flood on the site, he and his girlfriend Patricia discover a large stone chalice buried beside the stream. Once free of the earth, Charlie’s visions and nightmares intensify, pleading with him to take the chalice to the altar and replace it on the stone. In the dead of night, he accedes to his sub-conscious, awakening long dormant powers within both the chalice and the altar. An enchanted blue-white fire erupts from the chalice, a fire that thwarts all attempts to extinguish.
The following night, Charlie sees one of the ghostly strangers that have haunted his dreams, and he follows her to the church, where he meets the spirits and guardians of the chalice. They tell him of the coming destruction of his world, as the evil that destroyed theirs has found the gate to his own. The only way to prevent this happening is for a mortal being to remove a similar chalice from an identical altar in the ruins of their world. Unless he takes the amulets of Gaea, and travels through the gate to the world beyond, his own, and all he knows, will perish. Hesitant and afraid, he is about to leave the church, when he is confronted with the ghost of his father, who convinces him the story is true. In a ceremony on the altar, the amulets are passed to him: The colour of the flames, they encase his arms from wrist to elbow, give him strength and supernatural powers, for him to command as he chooses, for good or ill.
However, when he saves the life of a young girl, using the power bestowed on him, his life changes forever. Edward Harrison knows of the gift he carries and, wanting the power for himself, has Charlie committed to his mental facility on unfounded charges where he tries to force him to give up the amulets, kidnapping Patricia in the process. Charlie and Patricia manage to escape. While fleeing, Charlie transfers part of the amulets to her, bestowing on her the same changes and powers he bears.
Pursued mercilessly by Edward Harrison and his band of mercenaries, they try to make their way home, hoping to clear their names. However, the spirits call them, and they have to make their way back to the church to begin the journey to the spirits’ home world, where they confront the evil awaiting there. In the final battle and aftermath, they realise that their task is just beginning, and the war between good and evil will never end.
