[Reviews - 16]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story | ePub eBook Chapter or Story | Printer Chapter or Story

Has been viewed 2792 times

- Text Size +







"You are both seriously insane, you know this, right?" Angelus asked as he watched his father and the witch gather up the components for the spells they would use to secure the Eye of Frathous.



"Your point has been taken Angelus," Ethan said, smiling at his son's anxiety. "All will be well."



"And if it isn't?"



"Then you will have to rule without my guidance," Ethan told him. "Now stop worrying so much. By this evening, the princess will be practically in our hands."



Angelus stood by the fire, watching with dread in his heart as his father finished picking his potions. He wasn't especially close to Ethan, but he did like having him around. The more Ethan did, the more time he had for other things.



"We shall be back," Ethan said, stepping around the table and smiling.



"The wait will drive me insane," Angelus said, grinning.



"You're welcome to come along," Ethan said, returning the smile.



"That's quite alright. I think I'll wait until you return to see if you actually pull this off."



"No need to wait," the witch said, her rotting teeth causing her crooked smile to look more devious than it was. "If we succeed, you will know."



"I will?"



"Oh, indeed you will," Ethan said, reaching into his shirt and grabbing the medallion that hung around his neck. "The heavens will bleed and chaos will reign." The smile on his face was filled with pure evil, and Angelus was glad the old man was on his side.



"Well, be off then," Angelus said, trying to act as calm as he could as he sat down in the chair by the fire. He watched as Ethan and the witch started chanting, the spell to transport them to the Mountain of Meralot causing a bright light to encase them before the electricity in the air began to crackle. He turned his head, the bright flashed of light almost blinding as he heard the last word uttered before the light seemed to expand and a loud burst of energy rippled through the room.



As the air stilled and all noise stopped, Angelus turned his head, looking at the spot his father and the witch had just been standing. Smiling, he stood; shaking his head before turning and exiting the room, his mind once again filling with images of the princess and what fun he would have once she was finally his.





________________________________________





"And you don't think that is childish?" Buffy asked, smiling as she looked at William across the pond from her.



"No, do you?"



"Yes," she stated. "If Prince Edward is such a juvenile, I may have to rethink this whole arrangement."



"Now don't be too hasty, princess," William said, laughing softly. "Boys will be boys you know."



"Yes, and one who is at his age shouldn't be acting in such a manner."



William just smiled at her, rolling his eyes slightly before looking out across the pond. The situation wasn't nearly as distressing as he first thought, not after retreating to the other side of the pond that is.



Being anywhere close to Buffy had caused thoughts that shouldn't be running through his mind to play havoc on his body as it responded to them and distancing himself from her seemed to work, or it did until he thought about her again.



He sighed heavily, glancing back over at Buffy before he looked away quickly, staring up at the sun and silently praying for its heat to dry his clothes faster. He was almost tempted to put the wet clothes back on, just to save himself from the torment of being so close to her in their present state.



"Hello, you still with me?" Buffy asked, smiling as she stared at the far-off look on William's face.



"What was that?" William asked, turning his head toward her when he realized she was talking to him.



Buffy giggled slightly, wondering what he was thinking before he shifted in the water and his chest came into view. She immediately looked over at the waterfall, wondering if her face was as flushed as it felt before she cleared her throat. "I asked where the water goes," she said, sparing a look at him before turning away again.



"What do you mean, where does it go?"



"Well, there is water coming into the pond, but there is no outlet," Buffy said, looking around the pond. "All this water has to be going somewhere."



William looked around, the thought of where the water flowing into the pond went had never dawned on him. "Good question," he said quietly. "Seems almost impossible, doesn't it?"



"Yes."



William studied the area, looking toward the waterfall before surveying the outline of the pond. "Maybe an underground stream is catching the excess," he said, almost to himself before looking at Buffy. "It's possible for the outlet to be beneath the surface somewhere."



Buffy thought about it before nodding her head and accepting the answer. "I suppose you're right," She said, before silence settled between them again.



The times of silence were almost as uncomfortable as when they did find things to talk about. The mere fact that they were both completely naked had them both stealing glances at the other every so often and Buffy silently prayed for her dress to dry quickly.



She still didn't know what had possessed her to get into the pond. Her rational side kept screaming that it was wrong, that she should know better, but the curious side of her was flashing images in her mind of William that she had never had of any other man and the thoughts alone caused her face to burn as she blushed.



The distant rumbles of thunder could be heard and Buffy looked toward the sky, seeing the bright blue and white puffy clouds looking down on her. She almost wished for a distraction as the minutes passed along, causing the silence to become even more unbearable. Sighing heavily, she stole a quick glance at William, a tiny smile playing on her face when she caught him looking at her again before they both looked off to opposite directions.





________________________________________





Ethan and the witch walked silently into the cave, the loud roar of thunder echoing off the walls of the cave. The witch was chanting a protection spell that would assure their safety as Ethan led them deeper into the cavern.



The beast that was said to inhabit the cave was their greatest concern. It protected the Eye of Frathous and it was said to be of massive size and possessed great strength. No one had actually ever seen it and lived to tell of it, but ancient recordings of the eye described the keeper of the eye as a beast unlike man had ever seen.



Ethan stopped, studying his surroundings as a faint noise was heard up ahead. He would be lying if he said he wasn't fearful for he had no clue as to what awaited them. Glancing at the witch, he waited for her signal to proceed; assuring him the protection spell would indeed keep them safe.



As light was finally seen in the cavern just ahead of them, the two made their way deeper into the cave. A flickering of shadows played along the stone walls, casting eerie shapes of something moving up ahead. The deep growling and constant sounds of stomping had the noise echoing off the walls as the ground beneath their feet started to move.



"Whatever is there, knows we are here," Ethan said, his voice low pitched and shaking.



"The creature will be fearless," the witch commented as she stopped her chanting to look at Ethan. "Remember the plan as you will not fail."



Ethan gave her a nod of his head before taking another step closer. As the entrance of large cavern began to open, his eyes widened at what he saw.



The room was massive in size, the ceiling seeming to climb as far as the eye could see. Gold lined the walls, the light it produced almost blinding as Ethan and the witch finally emerged from the black tunnel that had led them.



Statues of men, cast in pure gold, lined each of the four walls and riches unlike anything either had seen before lay in vast piles along the floor. Rubies, diamonds and sapphires glistened amongst the bright yellow glow of the gold, their reflection projecting a rainbow of colors across the walls.



"The treasure exists," Ethan said quietly, taking in the beauty before him before a smile lit up his face.



"Remember your goal, sire," the witch said, eyeing the room. "The treasure is only a way to lure you from what you came for."



Ethan took a small step forward, reaching down toward a large ruby that sat amongst the gold coins and jewels along the floor before the witch reached out and grabbed his hand. "You mustn't touch anything," she told him. "It is only by your greed that you will fail."



Ethan stood, looking at her before taking a deep breath and trying to focus on their plan. Giving her a small smile, he turned, looking back over the cavern before his eyes fell on a large statue on the far wall.



His smile widened, his eyes glistening in the bright glow of the room before a small chuckle escaped him. "The Eye of Frathous," he whispered, seeing the large amber colored stone shining brightly from its position on the statue.



The statue of the man-beast stood at the farthest end of the cavern. The familiar facial features of a man stare back at them as they slowly approached it. The stone sat securely on the face of the statue, directly in-between where the creature's eyes should have been.



The torso of the statue resembled that of a man but from waist down, the body looked as that of a great stallion. Large-muscled legs in pure gold held the statue up and its size was slightly bigger than that of a real man or horse.



Walking slowly, Ethan and the witch approached, their eyes fixed on the stone.



"Remember, the creature will attack as soon as the stone is free," the witch said, her eyes scanning the cavern. "It knows we are here."



"Yes, I am aware of that," Ethan said, looking over his shoulder at her. Taking a small dagger from the sheath on his hip, Ethan approached the statue cautiously. Whatever beast had been making the floors shake earlier had settled down, leaving the room void of any noise other than the loud crack of thunder outside as a result of them disturbing the mountain.



A tiny small crossed Ethan's face as he reached up, placing the tip of his dagger along side of the stone before he took a deep breath and started working the stone out. As he felt it start to give, the air in the cavern began getting hot.



"It has started," the witch said, as she started to chant her protection spells.



Ethan worked quickly, cutting along the edges of the stone, trying to pry it loose from the statue. He could hear the mass of coins and jewels along the floor begin to shift, the large piles shifting and spreading out as whatever was protecting the cavern began to stir.



The witch's eyes scanned the room as her chanting became louder. The roar of thunder and lighting outside the cavern also became louder as she looked back over at Ethan. "Quickly, the beast is rising," she said, her urgency coming forth as her voice began to crack.



Ethan dug the tip of his dagger behind the stone, twisting and pulling on the stone. Glancing over his shoulder as he heard a loud hissing noise, his eyes widened as he saw the shadows on the wall enlarge just as he felt the stone give way. Turning back to the statue, he grabbed the stone, pulling it from the statue and shoving it in his pocket as the creature finally emerged, showing itself.





You must login (register) to review.