Amulet of Souls (The Sentinels of Wizgrad Book 1)

by Hampton, Pegs

  “I ain't gonna be able to defend meself from Puck with me bare fists!” Thorley said.

  “Here,” said Seth, who passed him a short sword.

  “Don't get too close,” Efrundle said, “their entire body is highly poisonous!” he warned the others.

  Efrundle gave Iris one of the handles of Limbo to use. She looked closely at the crystal to see a swirly pattern inside.

  “Defence?” she asked.

  “You seem to be much more proficient at defending, try using it to attack with too” Efrundle suggested.

  “How?” Iris said confused.

  “Y'know, spikes and things coming out if ye shield,” Thorley said.

  Efrundle used the other handle and a sabre appeared in his hand. One of the Puck leapt at Efrundle and he flicked the sword up in the air and split the Puck in half. He was careful to stand out of the way of the body parts as they flew toward him. Two other Puck went to attack Thorley and Seth. Thorley hid behind Seth just before they leapt at them. Seth used his wand and cast a ball of fire. The Puck lay on their backs and screamed a hideous screech as they were burnt to death in front of them. Seth then pointed his wand at the Puck near Iris, ready to attack.

  “No, let Iris deal with this one,” Efrundle said to Seth.

  “Are you insane?” Thorley said.

  “I will do it,” Iris said. She concentrated on the handle and a large round shield with a large spike in the centre appeared. Iris edged closer to the Puck, its stinger held up high, ready to attack. It leapt up at her and she pulled the shield up in front of her. The Puck missed the spike and landed near her. Iris jumped back and held the shield back up again.

  The Puck reared its stinger up and got ready to lunge forward. Iris tried to relax and breathe calmly. The Puck jumped at her again and she blocked this time but with more precision. The Puck landed directly on the spike and with a crunch was impaled on the shield.

  “How do you feel?” Efrundle said. He marvelled at how skilfully she used the shield as a weapon after so little training.

  “It feels....Numb” Iris said faintly. Her skin had turned pale and her feet had become unsteady. The shield disappeared which released the Puck, its stinger was stuck inside Iris's leg.

  “Not good!” Efrundle yelled. Iris fell to the ground numb and unable to move. She was still aware of her surroundings, but she had lost all hearing and feeling in her body. The floor began to rumble erratically as a huge Puck came out of the ground.

  Efrundle, Thorley and Seth ran over to Iris. Iris saw Efrundle say something to Seth and then took the handle from Iris’s hand. Seth and Thorley picked Iris up and took her away from the Puck. Iris could see Efrundle get further away as he approached the enormous Puck, armed only with Limbo.

  A gleam of blue glowing armour appeared around Efrundle and a large blue gleaming sword in his hand. He dodged attack after attack from the huge Puck with relative ease, but he had no chance to attack himself.

  Seth and Thorley placed Iris down onto a large rock, away from Efrundle. Several more rumbles made Seth and Thorley fall and three more enormous Puck crawled out of the ground and surrounded Efrundle. Seth shouted something at Thorley and he took a step back.

  Seth took hold of his wand and drew a symbol in the air that left an outline of black float in the air. He let go of the wand in the middle of the symbol and the wand floated in mid-air inside the symbol.

  Seth held up his arms towards the symbol and Iris felt a tremendous pain surge through her body. It felt like the spell had burnt her from the inside and was most painful in the wound on her leg. Iris could see the poison get sucked out of her leg and it flowed into the symbol.

  Iris had become more aware, as the numbness had started to wear off. She could see Efrundle fend off four giant Puck.

  Seth focused on the spell a little more and the last of the poison spurted from Iris’s leg in a jolt of pain and the symbol filled with the poison. Seth took hold of the wand once more and the symbol shrank to the size of a fly and embedded itself in the crystal at the bottom of the wand.

  “I cannot fight them for much longer!” Efrundle yelled.

  “The mountain pass” Seth shouted. He turned and ran toward Efrundle and with his wand cast a jet of flames. The fire caused the Puck to scream and back down and it gave Efrundle enough time to make a dash for the mountain pass.

  Iris happened to be close to the mountain pass. Iris looked to see the oversized Puck rampage toward her and she rushed to her feet. Pain from her leg caused Iris to fall to the ground as she stood, but Thorley took hold of her arm and hastily helped her up.

  They ran toward the mountain pass, Efrundle quickly caught up to them. Seth fired a spell every few strides to try and keep the Puck back, but it wasn't really much help. They hastily got to the foot of the mountain pass and the tall rocks of the mountain slowed the Puck down.

  The group narrowly escaped onto a path, which forked off into two directions. One was a paved road which seemed to wind up the mountain itself and the other was a chasm with tall vertical rocks that reached up into the sky either side of a narrow passage. The group ran for the gap and the Puck slammed into the rocks. The Puck reached inside with their legs to try and attack, but there was no way the huge creatures could get through.

  The group stopped just inside the chasm and caught their breath. The Puck did not stop their attack and tried their best to get through.

  “What of Zelkith and Loona?” Iris said worriedly.

  “There is no way we can go back, we cannot defeat those things,” Efrundle said. Thorley and Seth agreed it was far too dangerous, especially with Iris injured.

  As horrible as it was to leave Zelkith and Loona on their own, there was nothing they could do but press on. Iris was thankful that they were taking the cobbled road which would eventually lead to the same place the mountain path should.

  They headed down through the chasm and into an underground cavern. Seth was in front and used his fire spell to light the way.

  The ground shook and one of the Puck crawled through the gap at the bottom of the chasm. It looked like it would fit through just enough to attack the group.

  Thorley was at the back and armed with only a small dagger, he shouted to the others for help. The mountain shook violently and everyone fell to the floor. The Puck’s long black spider-like legs stretched through the gap and was an inch from Thorely’s leg when a boulder smashed on top of the Puck with a huge crash.

  “That was close,” Thorley said.

  The group stood up in the blackness of the cavern. Seth lit the way with his spell, but he could not do it for long as it would drain his power. The ground had shaken several more times before it settled, but the group pressed on through the cave.

  The small passages inside the cave meant they had to push their packs through first and then shimmy down on the cold, wet floor and climb up and down some dangerous paths.

  They came to a large open area in the cavern big enough for them to all sit down and rest. Efrundle and Seth seemed at home in the dark caverns but Iris and Thorley were not. They struggled to sleep but were so exhausted they eventually slept for what felt like ten minutes.

  It was about an hour before Efrundle and Seth had awoken. They talked and ate in the pitch black of the cavern before Seth started his magic again to light the way.

  Progress was extremely slow and time seemed to slow to a halt. Every passing was a struggle as they had to squeeze through tight gaps and ravines in the pitch black dark. Iris was sure they had travelled for almost an entire day, and no one spoke as they needed to focus on their path.

  “We are getting closer,” Efrundle said.

  “Closer to what?” Thorley asked.

  “The outside”.

  Iris noticed it too. The moss was thicker and small plants were dotted here and there. There was also a very slight breeze. It was very faint, but it was enough.

  They came to another large area in the cave which was much bigger than the othe
r. It was still pitch black and Seth had run out of magic. At the top of the cave, they could see the night sky, its stars shone brightly and the fresh air rushed into the large space below.

  They decide to rest until the following day. Iris slept on a large bed of moss, which was slightly more comfortable than before. Iris awoke to what looked like a tropical paradise.

  The sun shone brightly through the hole at the top of the cavern to reveal a room with beautiful green plants and moss layered the floor like a carpet. In the centre was a large pool of crystal clear running water that flowed down from a small crack on the side of the wall and it trickled its way past an odd looking palm tree that bore fruit.

  “I wonder if they are poisonous,” Thorley said.

  Thorley held one of the fruits in his hands. It was a small purple egg-shaped fruit. Thorley cut it open with his knife to reveal a bright green and soft inside. He smelt it cautiously and took a bite.

  The group watched anxiously, but Thorley’s face lit up with surprise and he took another bite shortly after. The group took the opportunity to eat some of the strange fruits from the trees and then argued if it was better to carry on or try and escape through the hole in the top.

  “I think we should try and get out here, or at least try and see where on the mountains we are,” Thorley said.

  They scaled the tree and it was just tall enough to reach the lip of the large hole at the top. Iris was the first up, and she helped the others up out of the hole and into the freezing cold of the mountain tops. They looked around but could see nothing but several mountains around them. They had no idea where they were.

  Thorley scaled a nearby peak and spotted a few villages at the bottom which he thought he recognised. He believed that if they follow the mountain north, they should reach Stoweforth before nightfall, where they hoped Zelkith and Loona would be.

  The wind was hard against their faces and they struggled through the thick snow that had laid over many years. Thorley pointed toward a small black mark of a town far in the distance “There it is, Stoweforth, just under the sea line.”

  Iris glanced at the mountains with amazement. “What a beautiful sight,” she said.

  The fields below spread out from the town like a sea of green. There were small houses dotted here and there in between the ridges of the hills. The sun had started to set over the sea which smothered the town in a deep orange glow. They glanced back at the mountains they had just scaled.

  “Let's get down there, I'm sick of this mountain,” Seth said. The others agreed and they began their descent down the last hill of the mountain. They walked down into a large grassy field and onto the lovely soft ground.

  A thick cloud of fog came out of nowhere and surrounded the group. Countless cloaked skeletons crawled out from the ground and the fog dispersed. The skeletons simultaneously raised their arms and the group froze. None of them could control their bodies, other than Seth, who seemed unaffected.

  “You did well,” said one of the cloaked skeletons. Seth pointed at Iris and Efrundle. “She has the amulet and the male has Limbo.”

  A cloaked skeleton walked up to Iris, she tried to resist control, but could not move. Against her control she reached around her neck and unclipped the chain.

  “The power of the amulet is mine again,” the cloaked skeleton said in triumph. Iris looked into the amulet that was waved in front of her face. She wondered what power it could hold.

  The cloaked skeleton pulled back his hood to reveal an old and haggard face. It was wrinkled beyond belief, the eyes sunken far into his head. He could have passed off as a skeleton as his bones protruded through his hands and face. Iris recognised the wrinkled face, it was the same figure who killed Thorna back in the cave when she found the amulet. The wrinkled old man took the amulet and placed it over his head. His face started to fill and the wrinkles on his face fleshed out. His body became stocky and strong and the sliver of white hair darkened to black and had grown down to his shoulders in jagged black spikes.

  “I'm a god once more!” the man laughed. Even his voice had completely changed. “Morgoth!” he called out.

  Morgoth? Iris thought to herself. Plode had killed him back at the Legion stronghold, how could he be alive? From within the mass of cloaked skeletons appeared Morgoth’s black armour, which was still darker than the night itself.

  “Yes master,” Morgoth said in a deep booming voice.

  The cloaked man pointed at Seth “I believe there is another soul for you here.”

  “Yes, master,” replied Morgoth.

  He walked up to Seth and picked him up by the shirt.

  “What the hell is going on! I did exactly as you asked me to do! Let me see my family like you promised!” Seth pleaded.

  “Yes, I guess you did...But you are no longer of any use to me” the cloaked man said, and waved his hand at Morgoth.

  “You can’t do this! You gave me your word!” Seth begged.

  The cloaked man grinned to his ears. “You will see your family in the afterlife.”

  Morgoth took the dagger from his side and killed Seth without a struggle. The blood ran thick over Morgoth’s hands and down Seth’s shirt and he dropped his lifeless body to the floor.

  “You’re not a god, you’re a monster!” Efrundle yelled at the top of his lungs.

  The cloaked man walked up to Efrundle with a club from Morgoth’s side. He knocked Efrundle out with one blow to the head.

  “Now, as for you...I planned to kill you, but I think perhaps your powers might be useful to me” the cloaked man said with an intrigued look on his face when he looked at Thorley.

  “Morgoth let us see that they are comfortable in our new home,” the cloaked man said. He handed Morgoth back his club and Morgoth gave an unpleasant smile. Morgoth walked over to Iris and hit her in the back of her head.

  Chapter 9

  “What are we supposed to do?” Zelkith said worried.

  “We should just keep going, we've been back to the incident there's no way we can follow them,” Loona tried to reason with Zelkith. They were inside a room at an inn of the town. They had taken the money from the wreckage of the waggon and used it to stay the night. The rain crashed down outside and gusts of cold air forced its way through the cracked walls of the inn.

  “But why would they go through the mountains?” Zelkith said. “You saw the tracks on the ground, they had no choice. Either way, there’s nothing we can do now...” Loona explained. She blew out the candle inside the lantern beside her.

  “But...”

  “No buts...It's a three-day journey to Stoweforth, even for us. We have to rest” Loona insisted.

  They woke early the next morning and continued to Stoweforth. They both ran in wolf form, but they would still be lucky to get there before Iris and the others.

  On the dawn of the third day, they arrived at Stoweforth. It was a large port town, similar in size to Alphaport with hundreds of buildings and taverns. However unlike Alphaport, it was run mostly by humans. When Zelkith and Loona arrived, she returned to her human form and said that Zelkith was a pet.

  Zelkith hid his face “This is so embarrassing” he said.

  They strolled through the town and looked through taverns and inns to ask if anyone had seen anyone matching Iris's description, but no one had seen her.

  “They may not be here yet. The mountain pass can’t be an easy one” Loona said. They walked outside to notice a small bunch of different races. There was an Ogre, a Dwarf, two Kijiar and a wood Elf. It was the Commanders from the Legion. Mireylon, Dakho, Plode, Liamar and her husband, Koruko.

  “Zelkith! You're here, is Iris with you?” Mireylon said surprised.

  “No, I thought she would be with you.”

  “Who are these people?” Loona asked.

  “They are friends, Commanders of the Legion of the Silver Snake!” Zelkith said.

  “These are the Commanders, what are they doing here?” Loona said shocked.

  “The same
as you, looking for Iris,” Mireylon said.

  “So what do we do now? We need a way to fight back” Dakho said.

  “There are none of us here strong enough to fight back, not even Mireylon. Don't forget they have an army of Yin, Seckle, Ogre, Greelong and evil men yet we number just seven” Plode said.

  “There are some alliances with our races which I'm sure under the current situation would assist us in this time. This is not how I wanted this to go, but to fight back, we must call for any allies possible. I am sorry to have to ask this of each of you, but we have little time and we must do what we can.” Mireylon explained.

  “Dakho, I want you to go down into the Dwarven Mines and try your best to see if the dwarves will help us. Liamar and Koruko, I want you two to go to Talimara City and convince the Kijiar to rally their troops together. Plode I want you to return to Haven and ask Mr Pannett if he will help us. I will try and get the help of the Elves” Mireylon asked all to do their part for the battle that would come.

  “We can’t just leave here, what if Iris and the others return?” Zelkith questioned.

  “You do make a good point, I will send a Magical Jenny to find where she is,” Mireylon said.

  “Is that really enough?” Zelkith argued.

  “It’s as much as we can do” Mireylon replied.

  “What about us, why don't we just stay here?” Loona said.

  “I believe there is a mission already bestowed on both you, from Biren himself,” Mireylon said and he looked at Zelkith with raised eyebrows. Loona gave Zelkith a puzzled look.

  “When I did the joining, Pagnell spoke to me and told me that I would reunite the great wolves under a new banner. I think I now believe this is the reason as to why we must” Zelkith explained.

  “We?” Loona asked.

  “She said that I would not be alone. It's what we always dreamed about.”

  “That's no simple task, to break a civil war which has lasted several decades. The remaining great wolves are spread throughout the land and we have no time,” Loona said.