Chapter Thirteen

We walk through the entrance and find the amulet floating in the middle of the room. I walk closer trying to get a better look at it. It is oval in shape, but its color keeps changing every couple seconds. I feel the ancient power surging and pulsing around it like a heartbeat.

I yearn to reach out to touch it so badly, yet I know I need to wait. I am not sure why, but my instinct hasn’t let me down yet. I walk around the amulet, inspecting it from all sides. I don’t see anything around it, nor do I sense any magic suspending it. I conclude that it is holding itself there with its own force. I realize that isn’t all that strange, considering it is filled with ancient power.

I stop circling back at the front and just stare at it. Declan and Rafe walk over to me on both sides and stare at the amulet as well.

“It really is the Amulet of Morning Beauty, isn’t it?” I ask.

Declan reaches out and grabs my hand. I am startled and look over at him. He looks at me out of the corner of his eye. I open my mouth to ask him why he grabbed my hand but nothing comes out and I feel burning in my cheeks that match the red in his as well.

“Elysia, I just want you to know that I am here for you. I will happily lend you my power and strength to help you defeat Merikh. There is absolutely nothing in this world that will prevent me from protecting you and making sure you are victorious.”

My eyes widen as I stare at Declan. I cannot believe what I hear, he never talks like this. I don’t know what to say, so I just stand there in silence. I see his eyes look around at the others then he pulls me close and kisses my forehead. I stand there in stunned silence. I search his eyes and see admiration. My face has to be several shades of red, when he releases me and walks over to join Kalix, Kalila, and Galen who are discussing our next plan of action.

I am still staring at Declan when Rafe speaks. “Maeron really likes you a lot, you know? He respects you and I think you have brought back innocence into his life that he lost a long time ago.”

“I thought elves do not show affection in public lightly? What is his meaning in that?”

Rafe gives me an affectionate smile before he responds.

“You are the light in his world right now, Elysia. I know you are one of the most important people in my world right now too, but I don’t have such a dark history. He isn’t taking it lightly; he is showing you his admiration for you. For now that’s all he needs. Just don’t over analyze it, okay?”

“I’m not sure what you mean by over analyze it… I would never do something like that.”

We laugh both knowing I analyze and worry about everything. Before we can talk more, Kalix comes over and observes the amulet. I walk over to his side and try to tune into his thoughts to see what he is envisioning or looking for. My vision wavers and I find myself looking at the amulet seeing more details than before. I now see the magic radiating from it, causing the colors I thought was light reflecting from it.

What will happen when I put it around my neck? Will it fill me with all of that power? Can I really handle all of that power? I’m not sure I can. I have Kalix to back me up physically to endure it. I focus back on the amulet and using Kalix’ vision, I follow each minute detail. I am searching for the source behind its floating. Is it a trap? Is it just raw power suspending it in the air like that? I don’t see anything that answers these questions. The only thing I know to do next is grab it and put it on. Galen, Declan, and Kalila all walk over to the amulet and is staring at it with trained eyes, looking for ways that it can trigger a trap.

None of us see anything that alerts our instincts to prepare for battle. I decide we are ready and reach out for the amulet. My hand glows with the ancient designs running along my arm as I go closer to it. I turn my palm upward towards the amulet and put my hand under it waiting for it to release into my hand. The amulet gently drops into my hand and I slip the chain over my head. Nothing happens. I wait a couple more minutes, but I feel no change in my body or power. Is it too old? Is it broken? Does it have any power left?

I tap it a couple times with my finger and still nothing happen. We share confused looks and start towards the door when the floor drops out from under us and we fall. I think we are never going to stop falling when we hit the ground abruptly. The sudden stop knocks the air from my lungs. I just lay there, trying to catch my breath.

“Are you okay?”

I nod as Kalix helps me up. I can feel his senses prick as he tells we are not alone. I search the area around us, looking for what is lurking in the shadows. I don’t see or hear anything.

“I can feel eyes staring at us. Do you sense anything, brother?”

Galen is silent as he puts his hands in certain positions then goes statue-still for several minutes. When he opens his eyes they immediately go to the ceiling above us.

“We are being targeted. I hope we are all prepared to fight,” he responds to Kalila.

My hair stands on end with the anticipation. I try not to move as I focus my hearing for movement. I don’t wait long before I hear a hiss. I shudder, knowing that kind of hiss means snake. It isn’t long after that when we all begin to gag at the putrid smell of rotting decaying flesh. The smell fills my mind with images of piles of rotting corpses.

I pull out my sword, Levina, and prepare to fight. The lightning in the sword crackles as it travels up and down the steel. My amulet glows, and then I feel the power surge through me into the sword; the energy in the lightning becoming even livelier.

I hear movement as something is coming closer to us in a slithering motion. I know in the pit of my stomach that we are indeed, about to face a snake.

“This isn’t just any snake, this is a Basilisk! It has been left alone and fed for centuries, so it’s gigantic. Don’t look in its eyes!”

We look at Rafe for a moment and nod. We move into positions where we see every angle, ready to strike at any moment. We hear a louder hiss and the smell following it is so potent we almost begin gagging again.

Suddenly we are pummeled over as it slithers right through us. I hear a couple shrieks seeing the size of it. My body begins to fill with fear. I feel my heart send out a prayer willing someone or something to help us. I stand back up and run towards the direction the serpent went in but I don’t find it.

I feel its breath on my back; I turn around and see extremely sharp teeth coming at my face. I scream and hold up my sword in defense. A spark of lightning hit one of its teeth and it backs away slightly only to recoil and come back down faster with more power. I hold my sword up as its mouth swallows me whole. I feel the venom rotting my flesh off my bones and I have to act fast. I faintly hear Kalix calling my name and the others trying to decide how to get me out before it kills me.

My breath slows and becomes labored. I suck in one last breath and put all my energy into the amulet and try to draw enough power to cut myself out of this serpent. The lightning crackles harder and faster as it becomes more charged. I stick Levina straight up through its head and felt fresh air hit my face. As I slice through the side I smell burning flesh like my sword is cooking it.

Kalix jumps onto its back with Declan following. I can’t see what they are doing but I know they must have come up with a plan. Galen blasts the cut I made open farther and Kalila reaches into its stomach and drags me out. When we are out of the Basilisk I struggle to breathe but I still feel my flesh rotting from the saliva coating my body.

I see a flash of light and hear a hiss then the giant body slumps to the ground headless as blood flows around it. I realize I am covered in blood, besides saliva, and know I won’t live much longer if we don’t get this stuff off of me. My power begins to wane as I try to stand. Kalix stretches his hand out and an orb of light appears. He sees a stream, picks me up and immediately runs over to it. He gently lays me in the water then he and Galen stand on each side of me, shove their hands into the water and I feel magic energy surrounding me.

The blood and other fluids that are on me wash off and I feel my skin renew. I see my amulet glowing again and the water turns golden white as every hole in my skin heals. I feel the energy pouring into me. I’m not sure how long I lay there waiting for what seems like forever. They finally stop and help me sit up. I look my body over and see a scar here and there on my arms and sides. Apparently, magic can only do so much if a wound is that bad. I don’t mind as long as I am healed. Having small scars make me feel proud of what I lived through.

Rafe is in his wolf form sniffing around, trying to find a way out. He stops in a corner of the wall and starts digging. Kalila runs over to see what he is digging at then waves us all over.

We see a giant hole which must be how the basilisk has been getting in and out. Rafe is digging through it making sure we can all get through safely. Once he is successfully through to the other side, Galen follows him. He calls Dylan who follows after him with Kalila tailing behind. Declan follows, then myself and Kalix in the back. I stand up out of the tunnel to find us back in the swamp. I look around but don’t see our ship or anything else familiar.

“Well, the mountain seems to have disappeared so where do we go now?” Declan asks.

I shrug. Galen looks at Kalix. Kalila and Rafe just stare back at Declan in quiet contemplation.

“I can fly up in the sky to see if I can find our ship. Unless of course you would all be willing to ride on my back? Or let me carry you?” Kalix volunteers.

Dylan growls viciously and Galen just laughs. What did Dylan say, I wonder? Dylan stalks off in a huff towards the water and begins swimming in the direction that leads back to our boat, or that’s what I figure anyway. He seems too smart to just swim around for no reason.

“Well, I think it would be wonderful to ride a dragon! Let’s do it!”

Kalila and I giggle at Rafe’s childlike enthusiasm. He gets so easily excited about everything. We suddenly begin to hear commotion, like we are being surrounded on the side closer to the trees.

“I think we will walk so we will not alert the enemy to our position.”

Everyone nods in agreement with me and we start to walk in the direction that Dylan had gone. The more we walk the more obvious it becomes that Merikh’s men are in the area. We hadn’t walked too long when we see our boat.

We get closer to make sure the enemy isn’t on or around our ship. A group of about 40 men make themselves known on and around the boat. I see Dylan walking up towards the ship with determination. The men charge him and he finishes them off before I even have time to move.

He returns where we can see him, covered in blood. I can’t decide if I want to know what he did or not. We stay in our hiding places and continue to watch Dylan take out man after man. All 40 of them are gone by the time I even prepare to board the ship again.

We go on the ship and Kalix creates another portal for us to sail through. The ship begins to move again and the next thing I know we are back behind the castle.

To Be Continued in Book 2, Weapon of Katsumi.