Hazel had grown accustomed to handcuffs after being a prisoner for so long, although she had almost exhausted her capacity to worry about Christel and her friends. Grey Skull needs them alive for some reason, she told herself. She travelled alone with Petra and Josiah, further and further into the temple, where the darkness was kept at bay only by the light of Josiah’s torch.
The stopped at a large domed chamber. It seemed to be a dead end, and through the darkness Hazel could see nothing but a number of large stone pedestals. Josiah observed it carefully. “Petra,” he commanded. With a nod she snapped her fingers and shot a flurry of sparks across the room, igniting the pedestals and casting light throughout the chamber. Hazel immediately realised that the domed roof bore a map of the stars, however she was unable to recognise any of these constellations. Josiah stepped towards the centre of the room. “You do not recognise them because these stars do not belong to us.” He stopped and looked down at his feet; he stood upon a stone ring painted with the symbol of a bleeding skull. “And her wrath will spread on wings of fire and the dead will be consumed,” he recited. Next, he stood over the remains of a strange monument that had been shattered long ago. He took Merida’s Key that he had retrieved from Christel, and from his hands emitted a glittering golden light.
Hazel watched in astonishment as the pieces of the monument floated through the air to once again form a solid object. “How did you do that with Christel’s key?” she asked.
“Easy,” Josiah explained. “The key bears the power to restore that which has been lost in time. In this case, I have restored the gateway to the inner sanctum, and soon the path to the Dark Realm will be ours.” He began to recite another verse from the Aprillian Codex. “On the Isle of Great Power, where this life and the next are intertwined, look to the stars where the cage is hidden, and delve below into this earthly realm. Know my power and tremble, for you stand in the presence of he who will bring darkness upon the world.”
At this the ground trembled, the stone bearing the bleeding skull began to turn and reveal another chamber below. Hazel was terrified at what she might find down there. What terrible creature lurked in the darkness at the bottom of those steps? Petra and urged her onto the first cold step when a sudden noise quaked through the temple, as if a bomb had been detonated. The sound was followed by the distant muffled cries of battle. Hearing this, Josiah turned to Petra. “Find out what that is and deal with it. Kill anyone who isn’t a sacrifice.”
Josiah led the way through the darkness and Hazel reluctantly followed. There was a large altar upon which stood the statue of a woman; vile yet beautiful, she glared down at Hazel, holding two human skulls in her petite hands. “Is that Ludovic?” Hazel asked Josiah.
“Yes,” he replied. He set about placing the summoning stones in their respective positions upon the altar, finally setting the Spirit Stone down at Ludovic’s feet. “Though it is said that Lady Ludovic preferred the form of a child.” He proceeded to step around the altar to the far end of the room where he observed a pedestal with nothing on it. “The Vivicanian Codex is the final piece,” he murmured to himself. “In it is the location of the Dark Realm.”
Hazel followed him cautiously. “And yet you don’t have it.”
“It once rested right here on this pedestal before the goddess of time had it destroyed. I find it amusing that by her own device it will be restored to the world.” Josiah returned to kneel before the altar, and chanting in a strange tongue he placed the key against his chest. Hazel tried to step back and covered her eyes as the five summoning stones began to glow immensely and a pentagram of light formed between them. The golden radiance of the watch consumed everything and then ended suddenly.
At first Hazel thought nothing had happened, and then she noticed the revived state of her surroundings, as if the temple had only recently been built. Footsteps echoed down the above as two women made their leave of the room that she was in. Where did they come from? When they reached the stop of the stairs Hazel recognised them as Merida and Vivica. They were conversing, but took no notice of her or Josiah. “You place too much faith in your subjects by leaving that book within their grasp,” Merida was saying. “How much longer to you intend to test fate?”
“One day I assure you that she will be released from her prison, but not from my hands,” Vivica rebutted.
“I can’t say I agree with your methods. The Codex bears too much of your power, not to mention the location of the cage. If a human is ever to use it, it will not be for the reason you intend…”
With that the heavy round stone sealed the chamber and the voices were gone. Hazel turned around to see Josiah holding the Vivicanian Codex in his hands; light bounced off the peculiar gems that were embedded in its cover. That’s why Merida and Vivica were here! We’ve travelled through time! On Josiah’s command the whimsical lights and golden glow of time returned and brought them back with the codex to the present. “You should feel honoured to have experienced such a thing,” he mentioned, opening the codex and placing it on the altar. “It’s a shame you won’t live to tell anyone about it.”
“Won’t live?” Hazel stammered. “Is that why you have kept me alive so long? Am I the centre of all this talk of sacrifices? But if you kept the others imprisoned then that means…”
“Yes,” Josiah remarked. “Even after we pass through the gate, waking her up will require seven sacrifices worthy of the Dark Child. Fortunately, including yourself, we currently have seven prisoners. Destiny brought you together for a reason and I believe this is it!” Josiah clapped his hands together and the pentagram on the altar began to glow loudly. The earth trembled. The circle surrounding the five points of the star vanished. Hazel cried out for help but with every passing second she felt herself disappearing. The power of the stones had taken hold of her and their illustrious magic dragged her out of existence. Her entire being was soon at the mercy of the cosmos.
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