II

The Stone

Why did it have to be that, of all things? And how did they get if away and off of her necklace without waking her or anyone else? It seemed an almost impossible feat. Nevertheless, there was nothing she could do about it now. That was her only hope of getting help when she needed it. It was the only way a Priestess could call for help for herself. She just hoped it hadn't fallen into the wrong hands.

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The sky was changing colors at an alarming rate. A minute ago it was blue, then it was green, and now it turned a dark grey. Then, as soon as it had started, it ended. This had gone on for a full day now. Every hour, on the hour, the sky would change colors, each time a different sequence. Half an hour later, the ground would quake and a large amount of the city would fall into a rupture in the ground. Then it would close up again, leaving the rest of the city to fend for itself. How much longer until his town was swallowed up by this menace?

He thought that by getting him what he wanted he would be a hero among heroes. All he got was a prison cell in the castle dungeon, imprisoned for theft. And on top of that, he had to share his prison cell with a madman. His cellmate sat in a corner all day, rocking back and forth holding his knees in his arms. The only time he moved was during the quakes. He let go of his knees and turned facedown on the floor, praying to the good spirits to save him from this nightmare-land. After the quakes stopped, he passed out for a few minutes, then got up and went back to his corner, murmuring to himself.

He had overheard the guards talking about him. They said his name was Kunta and that the army was a sad sight without him. Well, too bad. He must have betrayed the king in order to ire him enough to torture this man into insanity. Serves him right. But, the king had locked him up, too.

This was all her fault. She was too easy to steal from, too easily noticed. And her arrogance really annoyed him. Why couldn't she have just been normal? Then he wouldn't have to go through all this mess. The king had been demanding information on the girl for a very long time, so he figured if he could steal something from her that would prove he saw her, the king would be pleased. Not at all as he had planned. The king had demanded that he be locked up in the dungeons immediately for his impudence and for theft. While being dragged out, he overheard something about the stone's true power not being able to be used without, something. The last few words were cut short. He was too far away to hear anymore.

At least he would be released tomorrow, he hoped. Most imprisoned for theft were released within a day the first time. He didn't think he could live with the madman and his one window to the outside world for much longer. He would go as crazy as his companion, bow back to rocking in his corner. That man never stops.

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She could feel his eyes on her back as she finished packing, as if he were reading her mind that she had lost it. He had told her to be extremely careful with it. When Sai had given it to her, he told her it was an ancient family heirloom, but when he put it into her hand, she could feel a power emanating from it that felt different from anything she had ever felt before. Even at such a young age, she had all the makings of a good Priestess. He patted her head and told her it was nothing to worry about. She may have only been five-years-old, but she knew when he was hiding something.

"Something wrong, Sembri? You look pale."

"No, Sai, I'm fine. I just want to get back on the road again."

He put a hand to her forehead. "Are you feeling alright, child? You want to travel?"

She shoved his arm away, laughing. "Stop being ridiculous. I'm just curious as to why I have to go on this journey."

They got on their horses and started down the path. Sembri was lost in her thoughts as to how to get the stone back.

Sai was also lost in his thoughts. He, however, knew the full extent of the stone's powers, and who had it at the time. At least Sembri was using her head and coming to the right conclusions. They needed to hurry, before the king figured out how to unleash its full power. He had been trying for a full day now. Every hour on the hour. Unfortunately, he already knew the time slot the magic worked in. If he fulfilled all the requirements, he would unleash terror unlike any the world had ever known. The only thing he had to tank were the powers and complicated spells that surrounded that stone, and hope that he only had one.

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Toren's messenger had finally reached Sembri's house with her letter. What he found was a woman’s body in the middle of the floor. Blood surrounded her and her limbs stood out at impossible angles. There was a note attached around her neck. He took the letter and carefully cut off the rope that held it.

He was shaking in his boots by the end of the note. He also found his legs wouldn't more on their own. His best friend was in terrible danger. Was he the only one that knew? Well, he wasn't going to let anything keep him from helping his best friend. As soon as his legs would allow, he bolted for the door and his horse. He was in such a rush, he failed to realize how fresh the blood was. In the bushes, three pairs of eyes watched him, glowering.

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It had been a week since she had woken up to find herself in Toren's care, and five days since her most precious object had been stolen. She still hadn't told Sai, but she decided it would stay that way until she absolutely had to tell him. She couldn’t stand the thought of her oldest and dearest friend being angry with her. And besides, she was the one who lost it, so it was her duty to get it back, not worry Sai over it. He rode behind them, taking in all the sights with his glittering amber eyes. He seemed as cheerful as ever, but she could tell something was bothering him, too. She turned her attention to Toren. Riding the black mare made his white hair stand out even more. He stared straight ahead, lost in thought, about what she could only guess. So she instead thought about what she could do to get the stone back. She had been picking out answers from Said for the past few days, trying to figure out everything she could about the stone. What she did left her terrified of what might happen when the person who had it figured out the secrets hidden within in. She had to get it back.

Sai sat there listening to her thoughts. He had helped as much as he could by cluing her in on some of the ways the stone could be used. He desperately wanted to help Sembri in any possible way he could, more than he had been able to in any case, but if he did, that would mean he would break numerous prophecies that led directly to the world's end. Hell's stomach would swallow the lands piece by piece, and that was the best part. However, he almost feared what would come with the stone's being used more. He had told Sembri much about the stone, but carefully hid some valuable information from her, forcing her to find it out on her own. She would have to. She and Toren were the only ones who had a chance. Prophecy told him that much. But what was he to do about it? Just sit back and watch? He had to go with them into the pit of their enemy's lair in order to get it back. He would have to protect them from the shields there, otherwise, they didn't stand a chance. Death was knocking on their front door, and there was next to nothing he could do about it.

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Toren's messenger had reached Suzin. He walked up the long flights of castle stairs, up to where he knew Toren had been last. Breathing heavily from his exertion, he all but shoved the door off it's hinges when he opened it, tripping over his own two feet. He wondered why he didn't fall flat on his face when his senses came to him just enough to note the two sets of arms holding him up. Toren only had two hands, and that tail of his, not four. What was going on? The grip they had him in paralyzed him and had him blinded temporarily. At least he could still hear.

"Well, well, well! Look what we've got here! Curt here to save the day and rescue his beloved childhood friend from a bad end? Too late, son, we already have him. So, what did the monster send you to do, hmm? It's not like him to send a messenger for something he could easily do himself. Come now, he's been tortured so much he can't even scream, let alone tell us anything. What's all this about, then?"

Curt spit in the man's face. He could only tell where the voice was coming from by the smell of his rank breath. The hands holding him eased their grip and he finally opened his eyes to see who the voice belonged to. His breath caught in his throat and his eyes bulged out of his head as powerful hands gripped his throat. The expression on his face was not from lack of breath, but pure terror. He steeled his will, he would protect Toren as much as he could, even if that meant not saying anything to protect his secrets and being killed.

"I'll never tell you." A knife from the man's belt whipped through the air and landed in his ribs.

"Never... in a million... years." The knife made a gash through his stomach before coming to rest in the opposite side of his body between another rib.

He struggled for breath to say the words that most who had seen this man longed to say. "Die, you filthy scum.... You aren't worth the... dirt you walk on.... Die..."

As he released his final breath, the last thing the evil man expected began to happen. Beautiful iridescent wings appeared on Curt's back. He spit on the body.

"He was an angel in human form. The Immortals are planning something."

The body was already beginning to fade away.

"Enjoy what time you have left, Toren. It won't last long."

As he shut the door, Curt's body finally returned to the land of its origin. He had made the ultimate sacrifice. He would be rewarded when he got home.

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Sai had been watching Curt closely. With trembling hands and tear-clouded eyes, he gently shook Toren awake. He led him by the arm away from the camp where Sembri lay sleeping.

"Toren, my boy, I'm deeply sorry for what I must tell you. However, we each knew the risk when we agreed to this mission from the start. He has gotten Curt, and he is no longer with us. I am truly sorry, he was brave until his very last breath. He found a note attached to Sembri's mother. She was already dead, but she didn't suffer long. He knows what Curt was, he knows you've made a plan of some sort against him. He will now be on guard against you. You must take great caution. We are all in very real danger."

Toren collapsed to the ground in tears, shaking uncontrollably. Curt couldn't be dead, he just couldn't! They grew up together, they were supposed to die together, old in their beds, after they killed him, not the other way around! He beat the ground with his fist. He knew Sai was telling him the truth, he wouldn't lie about this. He just didn't want it to be this way. He would get revenge for Curt, he would kill that worthless piece of trash, even if he got killed in the process. He stood, tears still glistening and falling down his cheeks. "We leave at dawn, and we don't stop for very long without good reason."

"Right you are, right you are. Now, you must get some rest. Tomorrow, our journey begins in earnest."

Sembri lay alone beside the campfire, hearing every word that had been spoken between them. A new power had surfaced within her, and it scared her to death. For more reasons that one.

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