Smoke & Mirrors

 CHAPTER ONE 

The metropolis of Ember Falls is home to humans and nonhumans alike, living amongst each other in secrecy and in plain sight. This city wasn't built in convert by action, as it has a cultural history, of great importance to the citizens of Ember Falls, and its continuing sucess. Ember Falls looked graceful with its glossy oak wood rooftops, golden brick walls and the native bird species, the striving city that had an inviting atmosphere. The main attraction was the Silverbourne Musuem, built over a century ago and designed by a powerful wizard who went by the name of Aldus Silverbourne. Though, it was in the wee hours of the morning there was barely a soul awake. Looks can be deceiving. Somewhere in the renowned building showed sign of life. Enter, security guard, Jeffrey Peters and his elderly partner, Gorden Curham were amist of their regular routine of watching over and patroling the grounds of the confines of the historic edifice and its uncanny and precious contents that were inside. As usual, things were quiet and uneventful at the moment. Whereas, Gordon, whose lengthy employment in the establishment had spanned for more than two dozen or so years under his belt, on the other hand, Jeffrey was younger, in his early twenties and recently acquired employment there for the sole purpose of funding his college tuition, and due to the fact that he was well aquainted with the owner of the property as far back as he could remember. A tattoo of a lion's paw was proudly engraved just below the young man's left eye. The well-known gallery was home to an enormous collection of the strangest and racest artifacts Jeffrey had ever laid eyes upon. Never in his wildest dreams could he have had imagined the things he was looking at. His heart nearly skipped a beat, gawking at all the unique inventory neatly placed all around him. Somebody pinch me now, because I have gone to heaven, he thought. According to Gordon, although it renowed for its roster of items that were in a class all to themselves, the establishment had at no time whatsoever been broken into and robbed, which suited Jeffrey just fine. Ideally, he fancied the quiteness of the graveyard shift, more so than the ceaseless noice and chatter that accompanied the daylight hours. To Jeffrey he considered it a gold mine; furnished with exquite paintings of unknown origin, elegant carved statues of figures beyond his comprehension, extravagant ornaments from a time period he never read about in history class, and other rare items from distance lands that only been from places in a dream somehow. What's more, he felt in his element; the darkness was his true mistress, and he wouldn't surrender his intimate embrace. Jeffrey had a hunch the unfamiliar pieces could be worth millions on the black market scene. So how come nobody has ever tried to rob the place? After all, the valuable commodities had to be enticing for even the common street thug. If truth be told, he too, on more than one occassion had an inkling of swiping one or more of the invaluable artifacts on display. What's the harm of merely taking just one thing? No one would even notice, he surmised. One particular thing caught his attention for a while now; a magificient stone sarcophagus with several tiny, cobalt blue gems embedded into the hard surface of the superbly crafted coffin.Intricate and strange symbols were inscribed within the side of the casket. He wondered whether or not there was a body that laid inside the box or if perhaps it was empty. Either way, he was curious toknow what was inside. On second thought, a small part of Jeffrey wanted nothing to do with stealing it, giving that he needed the gig, and he wasn't going to tempt fate by feeding into his greed. I would rather earn my keep than to swindle a family friend, he thought. Additionally, rumor has it that the primary reason no one was foolish enough burglarize the museum was because of its owner, who was a wealthy business owner and an alleged wizard. By all means, Aldus Silverbourne was protecting the site with an array of protective spells, booby traps and other unorthodox forms of magical enchantments. Suffice to say, Jeffrey didn't put much stock in rumors, seeing as he didn't beieve in such nonsense. "There's no such thing as magic,' he told Gordon, recalling his first day on the job after he had been informed by the old man himself of the incredulous tale. "Jeff," do you copy?" a male voice crackled from the walkie-talkie fastened to his waistband. The young man grabbed a hold of the receiver, and spoke. "Copy that, Gor, I hear you loud and clear. Anything unusaul to report?" "Nothing yet, but I'm almost done with my security sweep. See you in a few, copy." "See when you when you're done," Jeff countered. "Another dull night as usual." "Yeah, for once I would like to see some action."

"Be careful what you wish for, it may very well bit you in the butt."

"You got that right, kid. See you on the other side. Gordon out."

The sound of tires squealing split the night twain, intercepting Jeff from responding. His ears perked up, straining to hear where the noise was coming from, which seemed to get closer as a set of headlights from a black hearse emerged from out of nowhere, speeding up the driveway before coming to a screeching halt, illuminating the security booth. Who...? Jeffrey thought, staring at the newly arrived vehicle. The windows were all tinted so that he couldn't see the occupants inside. "Gor. Gor. D-D-Do you read me?" Jeff said, trying to keep his voice steady. "I-I think you need to get over here, pronto. W-we got a problem."

"Slow down, Jeff. What seems to be the problem?"

Jeffrey let out a deep breath and then he replied. "Did we get notification about a hearse coming here tonight?"

For a brief moment, Jeffrey's queried was met with silence from the other end of the handset. Then, Gordon spoke at last. "Don't go anywhere, Jeff. Whatever you do stay where you are. I got this under control."

What does he mean by that? Jeffrey thought. His eyes narrowed in curiosity. He stepped out the booth, and timidly walked towards the conveyance. A lump formed in his throat. Just as he reached the vehicle, the rear doors upened, where a woman exited, followed by a pair of male figures. One of the men detached himself from the pair and rounded the hearst, snapping his fingers in the direction of the driver. Immediately, the back hatch opened up. The man reached inside the trunk and with the strength at least two men he effortleely dragged a figure out. The person had a rag over their head. Jeffrey's heart felt like it had hit rock bottom at the sight of the unidentified trio and their lone captive.

"Celie, darling, are you certain this is the place?" The male nearest to her asked. Tall and willory, Celeste Blackhorn had stunning green eyes, a dark complexion, and curly , uncut platinum blonde hair. She was dressed in a black, mid-length corset vest and matching short skirt. A pair of black vintage shoes completed the vampiress' alluring wardrobe while a pair of silver earrings hung from her ears. "Yeah, Zeke," my pet," Celeste said, charmingly. She turned to face Zachariah and rested both hands upon his shoulders. "The sarcophagus arrived here ysterday. Would I lie to you?" Zachariah smiled in triumph. He rubbed his hands greedily. "Well then," he said, delight ringing warm in his voice. "Let's get this show on the road, shall we? The sooner this is finish, the better it is for all of us when we finally get paid for our services."

Celeste wetted her lips. "I agree. Be that as it may. We still have this little issue with the protective charms and whatnot, thanks to our friend here, Aldus." Zachariah smirked, revealing a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth that gleamed menacingly in the moonlight. "Oh, I do believe that won't be a problem that can't be fixed, isn't that right, Aldus?" Beneath the sack, the sound of incoherent mumbling was heard. Jeffrey had a suspicion that the owner of the museum was the person the trio had behind the sack.

Zachariah pressed his ears to the bag. "What was that, old man? I believe he has something to say." To the nameless third individual. "Salvatore, would you mind doing the honors. It's time to hear what the old geezer has to say." The man named Salvatore Nicholas smiled. "I thought you'd never ask. " To Aldus. "Here that, old man. Time to let the cat out of the bag." He cast aside the bag from the wizard's head. The museum owner's ordeal wasn't over yet. He had a dirty rag in his mouth. Jeffrey's heart sunk. He leered at the trio with revenge on his mind. Aldus briefly locked eyes with the young man. How could they do this? There are laws against this sort of thing, he thought. Celeste snatched the cloth out of his mouth. He gasped for air as if it were the first time he could breathe. He felt like he would hack up a lung. He had an olive complexion, wavy graying black hair , whch he normally fashioned in a short ponytail, but it was currently in a mess, his dark brown eyes appeared to be glazed over. He was of average height and of average weight.

The museum owner was wearing a pair of short boots and a suit with a long coat worn over it. The outfit appeared to have seen better days as it was soiled and shredded in different sections. "Y-Y-You don't know what you're doing," he said, his eyes misted with tears. "I-If she's freed there's no telling the damage she'll cause to this world. Millions will die! You can't do this. I forbid you." "Save it, old man," Salvatore said, uncaringly. His hazel eyes glistened brightly beneath the starlit firmament. "We have had enough of your yapping. It's time to get our money's worth. So less talk, and more action." "No. I will not be a part of this. I won't be responsible for countless deaths. It's insanity," Aldus tossed back, desperately. "We're all are going to die, you here me. No one will be safe." Zachariah clicked his teeth together repeatedly. "Come now, Aldus. Why are you being this way? Don't make things harder than they need to be. You can be cooperative with us or we can force you to. Either way, you're going to do what we want." "No. No. I won't do it. You going to have to kill me before I help you, Zachariah. Any of you." "So sad, oh, so sad," Celeste said, rounding the defiant wizard, she stuck out her tongue and licked his face. "Is that how you treat a friend? And just think, Aldus, I was starting to grow fond of you. I feel deeply disappointed." "We are not friends, Celeste. I'm disappointed in you. Alliging yourself with these two. What would your mother say?" "My moth---," Celeste began, a tear stole her cheek. Her voice was laden with emotion. She paused for a brief moment until she was able to regain her composure at last. "My mother?" she added, jabbing a finger into the face of Aldus. "She can't say anything because she's dead. You of all people should know this by now." Aldus nodded glumly. "Yes, she was an honorable woman. It's a pity it didn't rub off on you." Celeste had had enough. She strutted up to the wizard and slapped him repeatedly in the face. She raised her hand one more time but Zachariah caught her hand in mid air. "What are you doing?" she snapped, her eyes welling once more with tears. "Let go of me!" "Enough!" Zachariah said decisively. "We don't have time for this. You'll get your chance to do as you please soon enough. In the meantime, we got a job to do. If it's alright with you sweet bug, I would much prefer to be done with this matter as soon as possible." "You're right, my love," Celeste said, agreeingly. "Let's finish what we came here for."

"Well, with that matter taken care of, where were we? Oh, yes, Aldus is going to get rid of the protective charm."

"No. I told you I won't do it. You're making a huge mistake."

Ignoring the pleading wizard, Zachariah reached in his pocket and came away with vile that had strange fluid within it. "You're gonna sing the blues, old chap. Thanks to our employer I brought something along a compelling potion just the thing for this type of situation." Fear registered in Aldus's eyes. He attempted to wiggle himself to no avail. Salvatore's grip was impervious.

"What's that?" Jeffrey asked, his eyes bulging from their sockets at the vial in Zachariah's hand.

"It's a serum that'll make the drinker do whatever we want," Celeste said, joyfully, standing on tiptoes to appear taller. Salvatore patted the wizard on the back, causing him to just about fall onto the ground. "You here that, Aldus? Soon you won't have no other choice but to do what we want, and there's nothing you can do to stop us."

"Kill me if you must. I promise you, the new Runekeeper will make sure your goddess is defeated in the end."

The wizard's words invoked a reaction from all three individuals, including Gordon. Jeffrey's mind was a total blink. It was Aldus opportunity to get the upper hand. For the first time, he smiled to himself at the fact that the mere mention of the name Runekeeper had provoke such a negative reaction. It was as if the trio were rendered speechless of his unexpected declaration. And, yet it was only fleeting, for Zarchariah was the first to come out his paralysis. "Buttoms up," he said, laughing menacingly. He poured the liquid down the wizard's mouth who tried fruitlessly of spitting out the elixir. Celeste and Salvatore erupted into laugher. In Jeffrey's mind, whatever this Runekeeper was, it had momentarilty put the fear in the trio hearts, and yet, he didn't find the foul treatment they were doing to Albus amusing at all to say the least But his heart was crumbling for his employer. What would happen to him, next, he pondered.

Aldus let out a whimper. He squirmed and kicked frantically in an attempt to free himself. He was far to weak, and lacking his wand to protect himself. He stood no chance against the collective might of his adversaries. He looked at Jeffrey with appeal in his eyes, but he knew the young man was powerless to help him. Strangely enough, he should've known Gordon had betrayed him long ago. He was not surprise at all that his long time employee had been in league with his enemies. How long has he been consorting with the scum of the world? If you lay with dogs you wake up with fleas, he thought. At once, the potion had instaneously taken affect, faster than even the wizard realized. He sensed himself being wrench from his body. His vision blurrred. He felt his mind was swimming out of control, tumbling towards a dark, inescapable abyss that may very well be his last. He fought with everything he could muster. It was an useless endeavor. With the last of his strength spent, he surrendered to the unrelenting darkness that awaited him. The last thing he thought before his mind went blink was of his family, and whether he would ever see them again or not. And then, everything went dark. Whatever remained of Aldus was nothing more than mindless and empty shell of his former self. Unblinkingly, the museum owner stared endlessly at his captors, as if he was seeing beyond them, not knowing who he was or what lied ahead for him. Celeste waved her hand back and forth in his face just to make sure the elixir had worked. True to form, his eye were motionless, no signs of life showed on his face. "Hello, anyone home?" she quered. Her answer came in the form of quite from the wizard. "Atta boy, Aldus," Zarchariah said, pleasingly. He shoved the wizard's wand into his chest. It was very lightly colored and carved with serpent scales. "Now do us a courtsey and cast off your protective spells." "Yes, master," he said, nonchalantly. "Your wish is my command." "No!" Jeffrey barked, frantically. He reached out to the wizard, but was forced back by Salvatore, whose outstretched hands had snatch his collar. "Don't listen to them, Aldus. This isn't you. " The young man's words fell on death ears. Without hesitation, Aldus extended the wand away from his body, aiming it at the museum, and with the outstretched magical rod he executed three circulat patterns in the air. At once, he recited a foreign language, which ignited tiny specks of bright green energy from the wand. Before he could finish his alien incantation, a voice arosed out of the museum. "Everyone freeze! Put your hands up, nice and slow. No one has to get hurt." The voice came from Gordon, who had his gun drawn. Jeffrey could tell that his partner's grip was shaky at best. He guessed that the old man, more than likely, this was the only moment he had used the firearm. "Everything's in order, officer," Celeste said, flashing an enticing smile. "Our dear old buddy, Aldus, here, was simply assisting us, that's all. We'll be out of your hair in no time." Gordon screwed up his eyes. "Is that true, Mr. Silverbourne? Are you really helping them?" Aldus didn't say a word. He remained unearthly still; his eyes staring unblinkingly, as if he could see beyond the older man at something that wasn't there.. The side of Gordon's mouth quirked upward, seemingly satisfied with the museum owner's oblivious state. He turned his attention to Jeffrey, leveling his gun at the young man instead. "What are you doing, Gordie?" he said, shockingly. He couldn't take it in. A thought occured to him. Was his older partner betraying him? "it's me, Gordie, It's Jeff." "You know what you must do," Zachariah said, addressing Gordon. "Kill him!" Gordon hesitated, appearing rather unsure of what he should do. He tilted his head from side to side as indecision played havoc with his mind. Jeffrey could sense his partner's uncertainty. He had every reason to believe that now was the moment to talk him out of performing Zarchariah's cruel order. "Kill him!" Zarchariah repeated. "Kill him now. Do what you are told, or would you rather die in his stead. You can be easily replaced." Jeffrey's eyes bulged out their sockets. He was fully aware he had to do something fast or he would meet his maker sooner than he had ever conceived. His mind raced, attemptng to understand Gordon's reason for alligning himself with these people. "Gordon...?" He began. "What's going on? You don't have to do this. There has to be another way. If you kill me you'll have to live with it for the rest of your life." Gordon's eyes softened. A mask of uneasiness wavered across his pale face. "I'm sorry, Jeff," he said, remorsefully. "You think I want to do this? I don't, but it's out of my hands. It's either you or me. I don't have a choice." Jeffrey shook her head. "No. That's not true. You always have a choice. Some choices are harder than others, but the decision is yours to make. In the end you're accountable for your own actions." Gordon looked over at Zachariah, who impatiently motioned him to pull the trigger. "I'm sorry, Jeff," Gordon said, softly. Tears stole his cheek. "I'll let your family know your death wasn't in vain." "Please, Gordie," Jeff pleaded. "I don't want to die. This isn't you. Let's talk about this." Gordon ignored him. He fired his gun three time in succession. His male target lifted both hands up, shielding himself, but it was of no use. Jeffrey was struck in three different spot in his chest, knocking him off his feet. He collasped to ground, blood gushing from his perforated wounds. He laid there, gasping for air and coughing up blood. He knew he was a goner. His fellow worker, a friend to him during his brief time at the musuem, and now his was double-crossed by that same friend; his killer. Looking up, Jeffrey's eyes met Gordon's, as the older man stood over him. A hint of both compassion and remorse shown his pale countenance. He knelt down beside his fallen conrade, his firearm pointed directily at Jeffrey's skull. "What's happening, Gordie?" "You're dying son. Good news is that the pain and suffering you're feeling will be all over soon." Jeffrey erupted into another coughing fit.The last thing he remembered was the sound of a gunshot before everything went dark. "It's done, he's dead," Gordon said, softly, as he stared at Jeffrey's inert form. "You happy now? Isn't that what you wanted?" "Oh, don't be such a downer, Gordie," Celeste said. "It had to be done. We can't have any loose ends. That means, no witnesses. And besides, your actions today will get you into the good graces of the darkling one." "Well done, Gordon," Zarchariah said, patting the older man on the back. "For a moment there, it was touch and go. I thought you wasn't gonna pull the trigger, you sure proved me wrong." To Albus. "Continue my old friend. Let's get that protection spell down. We got money to collect." As Zachariah's words came to an end, absentmindedly, Aldus again raised his wand much in the same way as before, he began to chant words in a foreign dialect. At the same time, the invisible protection spell that safeguarded the museum was crumbling with each and every word the wizard was speaking. Zchariah looked on twiddling his thumbs in anticipation. ◆◆◆ The city of Elysuim stood near a mountainside, called The Laughing Peak, overlooking and surrounding a large, fortified building called Eynesworth Palace, a mighty and virtually impregnable stronghold. Or so it seemed. Eynesworth Palace was surrounded by a deep and treacherous moat and thick, spiked walls, where for all intents and purposes were used to defend against raiders and other enemies alike. Located on the Isle of Lempon, a large island, and perched atop a mountainous cliff, looked over a lake to the north and a vast forest to the south. In the east laid the harbor, whereas another forest was located to the west. The palace was approached uphill via a wide cobbled road. From the outside, Eynsworth Palace, named after its owner Master Minion Elynsworth, who settled there a millia ago and forged a great army. The stronghold gave the impression of being quiet from the outside, much like any other palace. Although, it was in the wee hours of the morning, nothing seemed out of the ordinary about it. Looks can be deceiving. A faint flicker of light radiated from the window of one of many chambers within the confines of the immaculate fortress. Hardly noticable at first glance, a person wouldn't suspect a thing if they didn't know where to look. The dim illumination originated from the palace library. And yet, the perplexing activity in the reading room wasn't the only thing occuring under the cover of darkness: a lone figure, draped entirelly in black stood in silence behind a bookshelf, watching covertly at what was taken place within the reference center, and out of sight of prying eyes. A pair of oddly dressed teenage girl and boy were in the library, each dressed in identical dark attire as their concealed eavesdropper. It looked as if they weren't there craming for extra credit or reading. Notwithstanding the fact that it was nearly daylight, nothing indicated that this was odd behavior. On the contrary, the pair sat on the floor in the middle of the room. Four sets of candles were spread neatly around the both of them, providing the only source of light save for the streamng beams of moonlight filtering in through the many widows of the library. A white outline of a pentagram was sketched upon the floor just beyond where they sat. A goblet filled with water from anearby spring laid at the young woman's feet, along with a wrinkled map and a small statue of a golden lobster. Inceases were lit and surround the youthful duo, filling the air with an exotic aroma of fresh flowers and other plant life. Both teenagers each held a candle in preparation of performing a spell of some kind. "Cordy, tell me again," the voice of the young male quered. His high pitched voice echoing throughout the library. "Why are we doing this? You know, for clarification." Ashby Constantine, the brother of princess Gardenia Constantine and the son of King Grigol Constatine, was a young wizard-in-training. He was new to the world of magic, having learned of his heritage in recent months due to the emergence of his innate abilities, nonetheless, he was fearful of his father finding out about his newfound power. "Ashby, please," the girl tossed back in a rather low hoarse voice. "All your questions will be answered soon enough. Just keep your voice down. I'm trying to concentrate.And besides, I don't know about you, but i don't particularly want to be discovered here this late after hours." "B-but what if we get caught?" he said, a sudden hint of apprehension crept in his voice. "You know I can't afford to get kicked out. My father is a king y'know. He'll kill me. Some of us, aren't as lucky as you. Your mother is a member of the coven." "Relax, we won't get caught so as long we keep our voices down to a minimal. And besides, nobody else knows we're here. More importatly, the library is the ideal place, Ashby. It has the perfect aura to perform the locator spell." Simillar to Ashby, Cordelia Frost was a witch, and much in the same way as her mother, she was a member of an esteemed coven of witches and wizards around known as the Circle of the Emerald Rune, headed by the high priestest, Lady Morgana Drake and devoted to Master Galaeron and Lady Rosaria. Petite, with copper-brown skin, and shoulder length, curly dark hair, she was an elf. Ashby's breath caught on a sigh. He rubbed his hands as if he was nervous. "Uh, sorry. I tend to get that way sometimes. By the way, who are we looking for exactly? Tell me, this is gonna work. The last time we performed something similar we almost blew up my bedchambers." Cordelia declined to answer. Instead, she rummaged through her backpack and retreived a piece of blundled paper, attrached securely via a string that was wrapped around it. She untied the string and unfolded the parchment, scanning the contents upon the page, where she spoke at last. "I happen by chance found this parchment in the Hall of Insight and Prophecy." Ashby eyed the parchment. "You still didn't answer my question." "We're going to find the Runekeeper." "Runekeeper? Eynesworth's wand, what's a Runekeeper?" "Not a Runekeeper---The Runekeeper. This parchment fortells of a rise of a champion, one person in all the world fated to fight against the forces of darkness, and upon whom had been granted powers and abilities that makes that individual more than human, but not quite anything else. That's what it's referring to, the Runekeeper." Ashby scratched his temple. "I'm drawing a blank here, but I do vaguely recall one of my father's stories from one of his journeys where he met the Runekeeper. The story goes like this: Runekeeper helped my father rescue my sister, Gardenia from some trolls living under a bridge. I don't how much truth is to it, though." To some degree, Cordelia also recalled the tale from different individuals, but the identity of the Runekeeper remained a mystery. Although, there are those who have mentioned that it was a woman, while others speculated it could be a man. Either way, she wanted to find out the identity of the Runekeeper. "In every generation a person is chosen to become the Runekeeper, but here's the catch: Neither you nor I or anyone else we know can be the Runekeeper." Ashby frozed. "That sucks. Then who's the lucky person. If what you say is true we wouldn't know this person, would we?' Cordeilia inclined her head gravely. "Fraid not. That honor is reserved strictly to a family of unknown origin that predates anything we have at our disposal." "I refuse to sit idly by and let the world go to hell in a hand basket. C'mon Ashby, don't give up on me now. I need you. I can't do this on my own." "Fine...you win. You drive a hard bargain. Count me in, but if i get caught this time, I'm gonna big you down with me." "Thanks, Ashby. I knew I could count on you. You'd never let me down yet. Consider me warned." Cordelia returned to examining the photos. Adam leaned in, trying to understand the words on the page, but he found it hard to decipher the unfamiliar dialect. "What does it say?" "Well, it mentions that in seven days forth mysterious omens shall come to pass, signaling the rebirth of a great darkness. An altar shall be ercted on potter's field and it is here that this darkness will rise and restart a new war. But from the age of ignorance a chosen one embued with the power shall emerge to combat this darkness." "Right. So in other words it doesn't go into detail of who this chosen one will be." "Come to think of it," Cordelia said. "It's like looking for a needle in a haystack. Prophecies in general are vague and cryptic." "I thought so," Ashby said, dejectedly. "However, it does narrow down the search to some degree. It gives clues of who this person might very well be. Ashby's countenance gleamed. "What kind of clues?" "Okay, for example it mentions the age of ignorance and bearer of children." Ashby gave a dumbfounded expression. "You got me there. What does that even mean?" "In other words the prophecy is decribing a teenage girl." "Oh, I should've figured that one out," Ashby said, hitting himself in the forehead. "But are you sure. It wouldn't be the first time you interpet a prophecy wrong. You said so yourself that they can be vague and cryptic." Cordelia scratched her neck in thought. "You do raise a valid point. Ashby pumped his fist in victory. "I knew it. One for the team Ash. Yes." Cordelia shook her head. "Are you done? I would like to move on." "Um, sorry. I got way ahead of myself. I'm gonna scale it back. I'm back, now. So, where were we?" "Right. Okay, the phrase bearer of children is quite obvious. It would make perfect sense that it is describing a female, because correct me if I'm mistaken, but I find it highly unlikely that a male can bear children " "Point taken," Ashby said, crestfallen "Way to deflate my ego. Showoff." "And before you ask, there's no ay of knowing what family has been sigled out or what individual in that bloodline is the latest of warriors to take on the role of the Runekeeper, chosen by fate to combat the rising tide of dark forces." "Hence a locator spell, right?" Ashby said, a matter of factly. Cordelia inclined her head. "Verily. It's the only way to find out the precise location of the Runekeeper. We got a tough job ahead of us, but together we can be successful." "Then," she added. "We'll inform Lady Persephone, right? I mean, she'll know what to do. It's her area of expertise giving the fact that she is the castle librarian." "Do you think it'll work?" Ashby asked, warily. "Thing is, will we really be able to find this girl's whereabouts?" Cordelia nodded. "I'm fairly certain it will. Besides, if it doesn't no harm, no foul...we move on to something else---anything that will help us to locate the Runekeeper before the signs I alluded to earlier start to happen. Otherwise, what we do here wpn't make a differnece in the end, if we fail." Ashby sighed. "Well then, if it means that much to you then count me in." "I couldn't agree more," Cordelia said, smiling. And, without saying another word, she scooted forward, and extended her hands out in front of her; at the same time, Ashby followed her lead, as together they held hands in the outer edge of the crafted pentagram. In unison, the wizardry pair clasped their eyes shut, for the sole purpose of concentrating on the task at hand. And then, Cordelia started to chant, in a way that only she could understand. At the start she recited the enigmatic incantation quietly to herself as her voice rose in intensity. "Ceimmui, Bestower of Knowledge, Lord of Hidden Doors Betwen what is Lost and what is Found, I call upon you. Ceimmui, I summon you. A follower of the Old Ways avail myself of your help. Open the gates between the Realm of the Lord and the Realm of the Found for I seek out the Chosen One." According to ancient text, Cemnui is a young, dashing god that embodies creativity, energy, vitality, growth and self-expression. He is idealistic, virtuous, brave and true. As Cordelia continued to chant, a peculiar green orb of light emerged from the pot, hovering a few feet off the floor. And then, a sudden gust of wind whipped out of nowhere, increasing in ferosity like a minature hurricane. The gusty wind lashed out throughout the whole library. Anything lightweight and not tied down didn't stand a chance as loose debris swirled in the air, but Cordelia paid no heed to the turbulent scene unfolding right before her very eyes. "Um, Cordy?" Ashby said, his eyes bulged out of their sockets as he started confusingly at the swirling debris. He dodged a file cabinet that nearly struck him. It slammed into the wall, splittering to pieces. "You might take a look because I don't think this is part of th spell, do you?" At once, Cordelia snapped her eyes open. Her eyes turned big and round as sauces. Her thoughts swirling through her mind, much the same way as the chaotic scene occuring within the reading room. "This isn't supposed to happen!" Cordelia yelled over the noice. It sounded like a freight train was heading straight towards her. Ashby did a double-take. "What do you mean not suppose to happen? Because, from where I'm standing it looks like it happening. " Cordelia kept absolutely silent, unable to summon a response the intial shock of the uncontrollable nature due to the spell. Did she make a mistake? What if she had said the wrong word? So many questions, but no answers were forthcoming. "Why is this happening? How do you stop it?" "I don't know. All I can say whatever is happening, it's not by my doing. I think we have a visitor. And they have some serious mojo." "What are you saying?" "What I am saying, our mystery visitor is trying to prevent me from completing the locator spell." Ashby's teeth were clattering. His eyes peering this way and that in search of the unwanted intruder. "You mean we're not alone? How do you know this?" "I've been sensing an unfamiliar aura," Cordelia replied. "Like the presence of evil, but I wasn't quite sure." "When were you gonna tell me? That's something you should share with somebody, not hold it in. Sorta like informing a person that you're a relative of a murderer." "My apologies," Cordelia said, regrettably. The gusty wind whipped about all around the library. Anything lightweight and not tied down didn't stand a chance as loose debris swirled in the air. Cordelia paid no heed to the turbulent sight unfolding around her. "Um, Cordy. Is this part of the spell?" Ashby asked nervously. Eyes wide, he gaped in horror at the furniture and books swirling around the room like a tornado. He ducked out of the way when several books blew in his direction. "Is it time to end this? "Cause I think we're heading into dangerous territory right now. What should we do?" Cordelia didn't respond. She was having a difficult time concenstrating over the fierce winds that had whipped up. On top of that the bodiless intruder was making serious headway in disrupting her spell. Even now, the spell seemed to be dissipating at an alarming rate. Cordelia continued to chant, but louder this time as she channeled more energy from around her in order to increase her own, in the hopes the additional energy would do the trick, and yet she could feel the energy was going in reverse. A brief and sudden image of a petite, deep brown skinned human teenage girl formed in front of Cordelia before it evaporated out of sight. Who...? Cordelia thought. But then, out of the blue, a light appeared, rapidly expanding outwards until the entire library was engulfed with a magnificient glow of blinding white light. So bright, in fact, that Cordelia could do nothing but shield her eyes with her hands. As quickly as the flash of blinding light appeared it was gone in the same fashion, replacing by a scene of utter chaos and destruction. The library was in ruin, and as the wind died down, Cordelia could finally access the damage. She slowly got to her feet, the pentagram and all its contents were scattered everywhere the eyes could see. She blinked the white spots out of her eyesight and noticed Ashby was nowhere to be found. On the top of the fact that her friend had gone missing was her awareness of large words embedded into the wall nearby with the name of 'Desiree,' scratched across the wooden surface. "Desiree," Cordelia muttered to herself in spite of the fact that the name barely registered upon her mind, she had sneaky suspicion it was somehow connected to the locater spell. Had she discovered the name of the current Runekeeper? Was there a link between the spell and the image of the girl? Anything's possible, she thought. But she had other matters to deal with. "Ashby," she said, looking and sounding deeply concern for her absent friend. There was no anwer. Nothing but the sound of her own voice echoing all over the room. She peered this way and that, hoping the young man would reveal himself. Nothing. "Ashby," she repeated. "This isn't the best time to be playing games. You can come out whereever you're hiding at. I promise you the danger has passed." Cordelia's answer came in the form of the floor creaking behind her, followed immediately by the silhousette of a shadow the size of a person, appearing on the floor right next to her. She could feel its slow, measured breaths crawling up the back of her neck. She dared not to look back. Uncertainty and fright shown upon her features; she swallowed hard, hesitant to turn around to confront the individual in the same room with her. Was it Ashby? Or could it be someone else? She hoped for the latter, and yet she feared her second choice was true. True to her prediction, Cordelia turned around to see what appeared to be a figure that resembled an abnormally male physique. He was dress entirely in black, a cloak covered his head and partially hidden face, but the elf witch could tell tht he wasn't human. On each of his exposed fingers were jeweled rings that glinted in the moonlight. The moment Cordelia saw it, the figure cast aside it's robe and cloak to reveal to individuals that looked like very short humans, but were too small to be. To her astonishment, it was just one small person, it was two. In truth, they were halflings And then, one of the halflings pressed its hand together, creating a light that materialized between them. He opened his hands to reveal a black spider within his hand. Immediately, the spider shook wildly about in the intrudor's hand like it was in the throes of a spasm attack. Cordelia stared disbelievingly, mesmerized at the surreal spectacle as a second spider detached itself from the first of identical weight and size. "Where's Ashby? What have you done with him?" "What makes you so sure I've done something with your friend, elf witch?" "Where's Ashby?" Cordelia repeated, her hoarse voice was laced with concern. "What have you do with him? Answer me!" "If you insist. I will show you and see for yourself the consequences your meddling has caused, but you might not like it." Cordelia's brow furrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?" Trezor pressed his hands together; at the same time, a faint light materialized in between them, and then, he quickly opened them as the light vanished, replaced by something that put a creepy chill down Cordelia's spine: A black spider was in the palm of Trezor's hand. Cordelia smirked. "A spider, really? Is that suppose to frighten me?" Trezor declined to answer. Cordelia clenched her jaw. She had no idea what the reason was behind the sudden appearance of the intruder, considering he had to make his presence known in the middle of her attempt at locationing the exact whereabouts of the current Runekeeper. What she did know was the stranger's arrival wasn't an accident. One way or another she was determined to find out. Wordlessly, Cordelia had her wand in hand, pointing at the interlopper as she shambled toward him, her eyes scowling in contempt. Simultaneously, Trezor held up his hand and Cordelia ground to a halt nearly a foot away, powerless to move any closer at all. Her wand flew out of her hand on its own accord, apparantly from some unknown spell that Trezor had conjured inaudibly to himself. Confusion flitted across the petite young woman's elven visage as she struggled against the invisible binding spell. "There," Trezor began. "Now that I have your undivided attention, you might be asking yourself what's the point with the spider in my hand? Well, I won't hold you in suspence any longer. This spider happens to be your little friend. Say hello." Nothing. Trezor frowned. When Cordelia didn't anwer, it dawned upon him what was wrong. "Speak," he said absently with a wave of his hand. In that instant, Cordelia felt her lungs deflating with a deep release of her breath as if she'd been trying desperately to get the words out the entire time. "Please...Take it easy. You don't have to do this. Let's be reasonable. We can talk about this...just change back my friend and hand over the necklace." "Don't listen to her. You have the stone. You have what you came for. There's nothing more you can do. Get out, now." Trezor touched his temples, as if a sudden headache was coming on. "I told you to get out of my head. Y'know, there's barely enough room for me in there as it is." "And I told you to leave immediately. Even you with such an insignificant brain can understand that. Need I remind you what's at stake here: The Reawakening Ceremony has to happn. It has been decreed." The door to the library burst open, The halflings around toward the source of the voice. A female figure stood at the doorway with a three prong object in her hand. Dressed in black, light gray, and purple, a pair of knee-high lace-up boots and a long dress with long sleeves, a silk scarf and a brimless pointed hat that slopes backwards. She was straddling a somewhat old lynx, above average size with dirty white fur and roan hindquarters and green eyes. The woman dismounted from the lynx, and stepped over the treshold, holding the trident all the while. "I beg to differ," the woman said. "I order you to do what the witch says, and change the wizard back. In addition to that, it might behoove you hand over the the Rune of Aderise this istant." "Lady Persephone," Cordelia whispered delightfully. "Right, Lady Persephone. I would be remiss if I didn't say that I'm surprise to see you here. Though, I had hoped it would've occurred longer after I was far away from here." "I can say the same thing about you, Trezor. Hand over the necklace and this minor indiscretion will be overlooked." Trezer gave a lopsided grin. "Oh, please, Persephone. Don't insult me. We both know you don't have the power to do that. Only Master Galaeron and Lady Rosaria have that authority." Master Galaeron and Lady Rosaria were the reigning royal house of Elynsworth Palace. They had been in rule for more than forty years. The doppelgänger sprung from the hooded trespasser's hands, and then, the process happened over and over agai until there was a few dozen duplicates scurrying about at Cordelia's feet. "No...no...this isn't happening," she cried, coming to realization of Ashby having been magically transformed into scores of arachnoids. Her heart sunk. A tear stole her cheek. She hadn't the slightest idea where to look for the original spider. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack, as far as she was concerned. "What have you done?" she quered, her rose almost to a scream; matching the anger and dispair that she was feeling. "No---Please. You can't leave him like this. You must turn him back." "Don't worry, witch. I will turn him back once I am far from here, but until then, he is my 'get out of here free card.' My insurance policy as it were." Sighing in relief, the elf witch looked up suddenly becoming aware of the fact that the thief's merciless actioms that he had done to Ashby moments ago was nowhere to be found. Yet, despite how sorrowful she was feeling, she could help to force a smile upon her face for Lady Persephone hadn't abandoned her. Tears slipped from the corners of Cordelia's ebony as she desperately tried to pluck up the remaining spiders into her hands and placing them inside a bag one at a time, but the elusive creatures bolted away from her grasp. Oh, no Ashby. What have I done? she thought. Trezor, why are you doing this? This isn't you." The halfling lowered his head in shame. He knew what he was doing was wrong on so many levels, he knew that by stealing the necklace he would be the most hunted thing dead or alive, but he refused to grant Persephone the privlege of him admitting the obvious. "You think I want to do this? I know what the rune represents." Persephone frowned. "Then, end this scheme. Give me the rune and turn this young man back to his former self." "You know I would, but I cannot. I don't have a choice." That's rubbish. We all are given choices in our lives, and yes some are harder than others I admit, but why would you throw yours away with a simple act ofthievery? You have a good heart." Trezor shook his head in disbelief. They'll kill my family if I refuse," he confessed, his voice was laced with anger and nerves. "Don't you understand? I don't have a choice." "Lady Persephone, please don't listen to him," Cordelia popped in. "Think of Ashby. For all we know Trezor could be deceiving us." Quinzor smiled, and a hint of arrogance glimmered in his fair brown eyes. "By all means, Persephone, do as the witch elf says and don't listen to me. Take your chances. See where it gets you. Your friend here may not live that long." "What would your uncle think? I fear your parents would turn over in their graves if ---" "--- Shut up," Quinzor barked, his voice had risen almost to a scream as it match the hardness of his darkened gaze. "Leave my parents out of this. If you so much as mention them ever again, I will kill you without hesitation." "I can help you. The coven can protect your family. Place them somewhere they can be safe." Quinzor shook his head in disbelief. "There's no place safe. The Order of Wegondor are everywhere. If they get wind that I betrayed them, my family is as good as dead. Tou can't protect them any more than I can. Not even the coven. No one can." The halfling's invoking the name of the Order caused Persephone to have a feeling as if her heart was shredding into pieces. Was Quinor working for the nefarious group behind the scene? she thought. It couldn't be possible. But the more she thought about the halfling's traitorous actions were all the more reason to convince him to listen to reason. "You don't know ---" "--- spare me your false claims and lectures for someone else gullible enough to listen. I have my orders. I've made up my mind and you can forget about changing it. If this was your family you'd do the same thing to ensure their safety." "This is the end of the line, Quinzor. You have nowhere to go. Stand down and surrender the stone. This is your only opportunity to put things right." Persephone took a step forward; at the same time, in his mind, Quinzor "Stay here. I shall return," Persephone said at last. "Wait. Where are you going? You can't leave me like this." "To stop the halflings before they gets away. If the pair were to escape with the Rune, there stands a chance that the entire world is in grave danger. Lives can be snuff out in a single whim. It is my sworn duty to ensure that it won't happen." Cordelia inclined her head. She understood what was at stake. "Lady Persephone, if it means anything, I just want to you to know, thanks for your help and...and to be careful." Persephone smiled. "You know I will." Without waiting for the female elf to reply, the sorceress wheeled around and sprinted out of the door.

Quinzor and Trezor winked into view outside the library. Simultaneously, Persephone was there in a flash. "This is the end of the line, Quinzor. Trevor. You have nowhere else to go. Stand down and surrender the stone. This is your only opportunity to make things right." "You go Trezor," Quinzor said, decisively. "Take the necklace. I will deal with the witch." "B-B-But what ahout you, my brother. We both are suppose to do this together." "Don't worry, brother. We will see each other again. Just do as I ask. It'll all right. I give you my word." Trezor lingered there, uncertain of whether to leave his brother there or depart with the necklace. He made up his mind. "Then I will go. But be careful, the witch is very powerful. Don't take any chances. If you find yourself on the verge of defeat you need to retreat." With those words, Trevor waved his hand and wink out of sight, leaving his brother and Persephone alone. Persephone took a step forward; at the same time, Quinzor the halfling measured in his mind his own personal space between himself and the approaching sorceress. He took a step back in response, mirrowing her forward progression. He held out his hands with palms up, in an attempt to ensure wouldn't invade his space. "I'm warning you. Do not come any further, " he cautioned. "Stay where you are or your little friend will never get to see normalcy ever again. He'll be nothing more than a dead spider. And you know I can do it." Persephone stopped dead in her tracks. She was well aware that Quinzor was serious about following through with his threat, but she refuse to give in to him. "Listen ---" "--- No. You listen," Quinzor snapped, as angry lightning was sizzling through every vein in his body. "I'm the one calling the shots, not you. And, I'm the one who has the leverage here. So, in other words, I'll be doing the talking, and well you'll be doing the listening. Case in point---," As he said this the halfling waved a hand, and in that instant, Persephone discovered she could no longer move her body save for her eyes. And then, both Quinzor and Trezor winked out of existence.

Even though the fleeing halfling had a head start, Persephone managed to catch up to them in a matter of seconds after she the spell they had placed on her had been lifted. She reached out and snatched the closest halfling to her which happened to be Quinzor's robe, tearing a piece of fabric off. Not satisfied with her prize, she reached out once more, at the pair of male halflings, but they avoided her using their speed to create distance between themselves and the sorceress. Persephone screwed up her dark eyes. "We am nothing more than a figment of your imagination. A mere speck in the grand scheme of things...nothing more." "Be that as it may. You don't have the slightest idea what you have there in your possession, do you?. I suggest you hand it to me." "I know exactly what it is," he countered. "Then you must be aware of how invaluable it is? And in the wrong hands it could mean the end of the world." The other halfling gave a belly laugh. "As a matter of fact I do. It's the infamous Rune of Aderise. Is it not?" Quinzor took a few steps back. Then, he stopped just short of the edge of the bridge. He briefly turned around, and stared downwards at the moat beneath the stone-strewn overpass. Hie had a hint of remorse on his face. "Watch the ledge," Persephone cautioned, holding her hands out with palms up. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do. " Quinzor gave a furitive smile. Persephone knew right away what he had in mind. "No. Wait! You don't have ---" Persephone's words fell upon death ears for the unidenified thief had stepped backwards off the bridge, falling out of view. Persephone rushed over to the edge of the window, peering downwards in the nick of time to see the hooded figure as he slowly ascended into the air via atop a massive beast with wings. Persephone's shoulders was feeling laden with anguish. To her dismay, Persephone looked up to see the winged apprarition soaring above the bridge that was the only way across the moat surrounding the grandeur stronghold. Oh, my! Persephone exclaimed to herself. Her heart nearly skipped a beat and every hair on her body stood on its end. The airborne apparition flew in the direction of where the square-faced sorceress stood as it hovered there a few meters from the bridge. Persephone hesitated. She lowered the trident as she stood there like a statue, staring in complete disbelief at the sight of the enormous dragon. Astride the dragon was Trezor. It had become apparent to Persephone that the scheming halfling wasn't going to abandon his brother after all. The dragon's skin was bronze with an elegant body. Its thick, metallic scales are the color of burning flames, getting finer and less thick on its limbs. On the end of its tail is an axelike extension. Elongated, slender limbs with three digits on each foot that end in long claws. It has small wings. Two rows of bony knobs run down its back. This dragon has a large mouth. It has deep-set eyes that are silver. This dragon has strange membranes that function as ears. Winglike bony plates project from the back of its head. A hornlike projection juts straight out between its nostrils. Two short, straight horns extend from its forhead. "Never! I will never join neither of you. What happen to you, Trezor? This isn't you. You're not a thief." Trezor face crumpled briefly and then, he spoke, throwing his chin up in defiance. "Times have change Persephone. I suggest you get up to speed to who holds the power here. And that isn't you." Persephone inclined her head. "Nor is it you. You must give me the Rune. The power it possess you will never be able to wield. Only the Runekeeper has the power to use it." Trezor ignored her. "Join me and we can wield its power together. We'll be unstoppable, you, Quinzor and I." "Not a chance, Trezor. I will never side with a thief like you. Besides, in the name of King Galaeron, I hearby place you both under arrest for interferring in the affairs of the castle." "Suit yourself," Trezor said, his voice was subdued and tense. "You have to catch us first. And I don't think you can." "You have made the biggest mistake of your life, sorceress," Quinzor said, with his menacing tone of voice. "You won't receive another offer like this ever again. Alas, I must bid you a fairwell." Trezor blew the sorceress a kiss. "Til we met again,' he said, with a wink. "Stop!" Persephone protested. "I cannot allow this. You don't know what you're doing. The Rune doesn't belong to you. Please do the right thing and return it to me straightaway." "I beg to differ," Quinzor popped in. "We know eactly what we're doing, sorceress. " As he said this, he gave a lopsided grin, and then he squeezed the dragon's side, commanding winged creature to take off. Oh, no you don't, Persephone thought. You can't get away from me that easily. Once more, the sorceress took aim at the fleeing halflings with her trident in hand, in an attempt to keep the otherworldly being from escaping. But her efforts were in vain: both the dragon and its riders were too far away for Persephone to get off a good enough spell. She held her stomach for it was feeling hollow. Powerless, Persephone could do nothing but look fixedly in disappointment at the fleeing enormous airborne creature flapped its wings rapidly, ascending into the air beyond her reach. It's massive body and the halfling's form grew smaller and smaller as it took off toward parts unknown. Persephone cursed silently to herself. She ran to the guardrail, peering into the darkness as she watched the inky speck of the beast disappear into the horizon. Both the halfling and the dragon were gone. Elsewhere in the library, Cordelia was tired and alone. She collasped to her knees in despair, sobbing over the egregious fate of her companion, Adam as she held him within her hands. Her heart ached with grief and sorrow. What would she tell his family about what had happened to him? If they would even believe her story. Next to her the name 'Desiree' was still engraved in the wood. Desiree was hurled backward, her essence propelled, as if she was being shoved from the front, hauling through a blur of indescribable images, flashing past as she was helpless to stop herself from her reversed progression through the kaleidoscopic abyss. Then, without warning, she saw a barrier, a wall, as her essence was catapulting towards it at breakneck speed, bound for collision. She hardly had time to brace herself for the inevitable collision that was impossible to avoid at such a rapid pace. DESIREE LOVELY CHAPTER TWO Desiree Lovely awoke with a start. "Desiree?" It's time to wake up." A voice uttered to the stirring female figure, who was hovering in midair above her bead, "You're desiny awaits!" As her dream faded, Desiree chased it, forlorn from the horrible events she had seen. But, the voice that had mentioned her name, she pursued it as well, holding onto the voice much the same way as a life preserver until she was aroused from her dream or could it have been a nightmare? As fa as she could tell, the vision was anything except for normal. Desiree lay flat on her back, breathing hard as though she had been chased by an unknown pursuer. She had awoken from a vivid dream with her left