The Amulet Trials

by Willa Alders

  Before I could make my move it was Archer had read my mind because even though he was laying there lifeless he was mind speaking to me. He didn’t want me to do what I was about to do. He made that quite clear when he mind spoke. Don’t do it beautiful. We still have a chance.

  Despite how faintly quiet his thoughts were it didn’t matter; I understood. I knew what I had to do now. I had to get Kilyn to quit torturing him just so I could distract her just long enough for him to do what he needed to. I mind spoke back hoping that he heard me. I have to do something so that we have a chance.

  I hoped he understood what I was doing. I sniffled as I gathered up all my power inside my frozen body. I knew I was going to need to harness every bit of it. Kilyn still had her back to me so I started casting a silent chant in my head to help get the strength that both Archer and I would both need.

  Powers that be before me please heal the one I love the most. Please make his wounds disappear. Allow us to harness our strength together. Grant us the abilities to defeat the utmost evil. Powers that before me.

  It definitely wasn’t my best chant. In fact it was a weak combination of a few chants I had mixed together and replaced some of the words. I just hoped it worked as I repeated it two more times. I looked to where the amulet was under the table. I had never called a specific object to me before and I didn’t know if I could even do it or not. It was something I had never tried before. There weren’t too many immortals that could call an object to them without years of practice first and I definitely didn’t have years of practice. I had no practice at all but regardless I had to try. I called to the amulet asking it to come to me. The amulet didn’t move at all it just laid there on the floor. I called harder this time making the urgency in my thoughts more profound. The amulet jolted to life as it slid across the floor. What I was doing was working. I called to it again as it levitated in front of wrapping around my neck. It clasped itself tightly around my neck in place. I looked down and saw it glowing brightly. I knew its’ powers were going to heal Archer now. Now we had a chance.

  I just had to get Kilyn’s attention now. I needed her to focus on me. So I did the only thing I could with my paralyzed body. I used my ability that made me look sick to make look defeated. The tears flooded my face now uncontrollably and my nose started running. This is what I wanted as I hung my head low.

  “Kilyn…… stop please. Please, I'm begging you release him he’s dying. It’s not him you want it’s me. Kill me instead.” My voice quivered as I spoke.

  Her head snapped violently as she turned around to face me. “Good! It’s about time you come to your senses and realize that there is no way you could win this. I was beginning to get bored with beating my pathetic brother.” Her wicked hiss pierced through my ears as she turned back toward Archer. “It seems you’ve been spared brother for now. You can thank your wife she has saved you once again. So it only seems fair that you get to watch her die. I want to rip your heart out and crush it. I want you defeated then I will kill you for failing. For now though I’ll settle on your lovely wife.” She said kicking him in the face.

  Her attention turned back on me as she approached me. I couldn’t move because I was still frozen to the wall. I needed her to unfreeze me so I braced myself for whatever she was about to do. The crimson in her eyes burned the brightest they had now. She let out a malevolent death scream which made my ears ring.

  “Are you ready to die finally?” She shrieked with pure joy.

  I sniffled again keeping my head low so she couldn’t see my face hoping she believed it when I nodded yes. My plan worked perfectly. A huge smirk stretched across her face as she raised her arms like a band director does when he’s directing a musical. This was going to hurt I knew that much. Her fingers started moving back and forth and with each move I went flying. She slammed me into one wall and with a jerk of her hand she slammed me into another. My head was spinning so fast I couldn’t concentrate. Just when I think she had stopped I’d go crashing into something else. I wasn’t a fan of flying into things and being out of control was making me sick. I didn’t know how much longer I could handle being slammed. I got my wish as I thudded to the floor.

  My body ached everywhere as I pushed myself up with my hands. I stood up and knocked back down by a fireball. I didn’t know she could do that either. Within a matter of seconds she was right over me. I could feel the rage boiling out of her. Out of nowhere she plunged a silver handled dagger deep into my stomach. I couldn't believe that she had just stabbed me. I looked down expecting to see blood gushing out of the gash and for it to be pooling around me. Instead I saw nothing not even a small slice mark anywhere and the dagger just ripped itself out of my body and fell to the floor beside me. I was completely shocked when I realized the amulet was radiating light. It was protecting me and shielding me from harm like it was supposed to. Kilyn fell off of the top of me shielding her eyes from light as she screeched in pain. The light was blinding her.

  I stood up not wasting a second while she was down. I glanced over to where Archer was. He wasn't lying there lifeless covered in blood anymore. He was standing up now. I watched him as he jerked him arms breaking the metal chains that bound him. The chains shattered like glass shards falling beneath him. Within seconds he was standing directly behind Kilyn now with a smile on his face. His face needed no interpretation he was ready and so was I. It was time to finish this.

  "NOW!" I screamed as high pitched as I could.

  The windows around us shattered with glass falling to the floor due to the boom of my voice. Archer nodded at me as his bow and arrow appeared in his hand. He loaded eight arrows into the bow aiming it directly at Carter who was lying on the ground in front of him. I watched him draw the bow back releasing the arrows. The arrows struck Carter in his arms and legs pinning him to the wall. He had nowhere to go and no way to escape. Archer took two steps toward him as he loaded ten arrows this time into the bow. He shot the bow again piercing Carter perfectly in his chest, and stomach. Blood started seeping out from underneath the arrows as Carter hung there limp. The only way I knew he was still alive was because he made himself look at Archer. His eyes were desperate and pleading as he choked for air.

  Archer wheeled around so quick that I didn't know what he was doing. He in front of Kilyn in an instant slamming her into the wall with his hands tight around her throat. I thought that he was going to choke her right then. This was a side of him that I'd never seen before. I didn't realize that he had that much built up rage inside of him. I watched a smile creep up on Kilyn's face as Archer picked her up. She was enjoying this.

  "What are you going to do me brother?" She asked.

  "I'm going to make you feel the pain I felt and I'm going to make you suffer." He spit out his words were full of hatred and ice.

  Archer dropped her letting her go then and then he was right back in front of Carter. Who was still hanging from the wall limp with blood spilling out of him. Archer smiled as he held up the dagger that was just inside of me in his hands. He turned mouthing the word PITY to Kilyn. With that he loaded the dagger into the bow just like an arrow. He drew the bow back launching the dagger. The dagger flew furiously through the air slicing through Carter's shirt as it plunged deep into his chest. He howled out in pain begging for this to be over. I stood there completely shocked at what just happened. Carter's cries subsided as he took his last breath. He was dead now and the way he was hanging there with the arrows and sword through him looked like a scene you'd expect to see on a homicide scene on a crime show.

  Kilyn screamed in agony for her lost lover. I stood there waiting for her to attack me. I figured she would because we had just killed her lover and there was no way she was going to let me get away with that. She would make me pay. She surprised me though doing the opposite of attacking me. She gave one quick glance at me and I could have sworn I saw a crimson tear fall from her face as she ran toward the window. She didn't get a chance to get very far because she tripped over the s
hrapnel of the chains. That did her in because she fell to her knees sobbing now. I knew she was beginning to realize that she wasn't going to win this battle. She was making herself too easy of a target now and it was exactly what I wanted.

  I walked quietly over to her kneeling down beside her tapping her shoulder. A low growl came from his lips as she brought her blood stained eyes up to me. Her face was covered in blood stricken tears from her sobs. Sitting in front of her now I could see the pain she was in. If she hadn't been so determined to undo me I would have reached out to hug her. I didn't feel that way though now. Now her red stained face made the urge for me to destroy her even stronger. I knew she was in pain and I was relishing in that. This pain wasn't nowhere near close enough to what I wanted her to feel. I wanted her to know that the last face she would see wouldn't be Carter's it would be mine.

  “You see my dear friend you underestimated us. You failed to realize that your brother and I are smarter than what you gave us credit for. You didn't expect us to come up with a plan to kill you because your sole focus was on killing me. I suspect you that you didn't bother to learn about our history either because if you had you would have known about the prophecy of you and me and the undoing of one of us. You see the prophecy stated that the most evil immortal of the Abaddon would try to defeat the most pure immortal of the Kintana. You had one up on me though because you knew that the only way to defeat me was to weaken me and to do was through my mate. I didn't know that at first. I only learned about it through the prophecy which entails so much more. It gave us the clues we needed to defeat you. You see Kilyn both you and I are quite the same. We're both the most powerful immortals ever known to our kinds. We both harness several abilities that few are likely to possess. Not to mention that the key to defeating me is the same key to defeating you." I smiled at my once friend.

  I glanced over to where Carter's lifeless body was dangling on the wall. She glanced over to where he hung there turning her head back slowly to me. There was a new expression plastered across her face now. HORROR! Everything was sinking in I could tell. She realized the key to her demise was Carter!

  "Yes that's right! It's finally sinking in isn't Kilyn?" I continued on. "You see as you know you had to weaken me somehow through a mate. So you created your diabolical plan. You gave Archer the ultimatum of making me fall in love with him for his freedom. Who does that? You knew that your brother was so good looking and kind that there was no way I would be able to resist him. You gave him everything he needed to make me fall for him! Your plan worked I did fall hard and quick for him just like you wanted. You had to have known though that I would find all his scars and ask him what happened. Didn't you? You didn't really expect not to question him, and you should have known that I would find out eventually who was behind his torture. I did too. I pushed until I found out who was behind it. I didn't expect it to be you. You were supposed to be my best friend! I couldn't believe I was so wrong. That's when I knew I had to destroy you. We figured out that since the only way to weaken me was through Archer that you could be weakened the same way through our mates. Except you see the big difference between Archer and Carter is that Archer isn't a hybrid." I hissed.

  "Archer is pure immortal so he cannot be controlled as to where Carter is a hybrid. Hybrids are so easily controlled by someone who has the ability to control them. We figured out in training for this that Archer has that ability. I bet you didn't know that. Once we knew that the balance tipped in our favor. That was our key to defeating to you. So believe it or not how this whole thing has played out was our plan from the start. I knew that Archer had to get beaten to a bloody pulp to make it look like you had the upper hand in this. So as much as I hated seeing him lying there lifeless I had to endure it. There was no avoiding it because it was necessary. While you were busy torturing him I allowed Carter to seduce me just so that you'd continue thinking your plan was working. You bought it so easily and you thought I was the gullible one. So you see while your attention was on me and hurting me it activated the amulet I'm wearing. You see the amulet on my neck has special abilities too. It heals people that I love as long as I am wearing it and healed Archer binding us together again by our inseparable bond which makes us each stronger. So now thanks to you we're stronger than ever before and you are completely shattered. You have nothing now. You don't have your abilities, your strength and especially not your lover. How does that make you feel knowing that you have absolutely nothing right before you die?" I asked and she didn't answer.

  "Now I could make you endure a great physical antagonizing painful death. I thought of doing that but unlike you I'm not evil. I have more decency towards you then you did me. Even though I shouldn't and I should make you feel every bit of the pain that I felt because of you. I'm going to be more gracious because I will never stoop as low as you. I'm simply going to send you into the bottomless fiery pit below the earth with a chant and just like that you will be gone!" I boomed to her with such power it startled me. My voice had never sounded so strong and majestic before.

  “From the depths within and from the ancestors before me bless me now. Good has conquered before so I call upon you to grant me the ability to overpower this vile evil. Give me the strength I need to banish her to the fiery pits of destruction below. From the depths below and from the ancestors before me bless me now.” I chanted.

  The floor around us exploded into a thousand pieces. We were left on a small section still held together by luck. A black fire began raging below us the flames deep and hollow bursting through the air. The flames grew so big that they started swirling around as it reached the ceiling. I had never seen anything like that before. I had no idea that one chant could cause a tornado of black flames to appear. I looked at my once friend one last time feeling absolutely nothing for her.

  “Goodbye Kilyn!” I said as I took a small jump off the piece of flooring holding us both.

  Archer caught me holding me in his arms as we watched what was happening. The black flamed tornado swarmed in a circle violently heading toward Kilyn. Kilyn’s eyes were darting around trying to find a way to escape, but there was no way to escape her doom. Not now especially. The tornado picked her up tossing her around in the whirlwind like a doll. Her screams were full of pain as the tornado swirled downward disappearing into beneath the ground into the black pit. Once it was completely gone the shattered floor reassembled itself back together perfectly. I walked over to where Kilyn had just been stomping on the floor just to make sure it was going to break. It wasn’t going to break. I couldn’t believe it.....our plan had worked. Kilyn was gone forever! Archer and I had banished her and we were still in one piece.

  I turned around to face Archer. His face met mine with a smile. Within seconds he ran over to me, picking me up as he twirled me around. I watched as the curls fell around his face as he put his lips gently to mine. His lips were soft and gentle as always as he kissed me. This time for the first time I allowed myself to get lost in his kiss with no interruptions. I kissed him back wrapping my arms around his neck as he came closer to me. His hands were cradling my face now as the kiss got even deeper. When he stopped my eyes fluttered open expecting this to be a dream.

  “You did it beautiful.” He whispered as he kissed my cheek.

  “You’re wrong.” I whispered as he raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t do it by myself. We did it together.”

  “Yes we did. Thank you for saving my life. Aralynn, I love you.” Archer said as one of his smiles that melted me stretched across his face.

  “You’re more than welcome. I want to thank you for not getting mad about the whole Carter thing, and for saving my life.”

  “Why would I be mad at you? I know you only did it so that we could have the upper hand. No worries beautiful. Although I must admit seeing you kiss someone else drove me nuts and the fact that was Carter even worse. Every part of me wanted to rip him to shreds. I don’t like knowing that it drove me insane. I’m not typically jealous but this time I coul
dn’t help it. You made it so believable. It really looked like you were enjoying yourself even though you weren’t. So if this whole ruler of the realms fails we could move to Hollywood and you could take up acting because you’re one good actress!” Archer smiled.

  “You were jealous?” I asked trying to hide my mock surprise.

  “Yes I was insanely jealous.” He whispered into my ear as he pulled me close. “I don’t want you to ever decide to kiss someone besides me.”

  “How can I? When you make me breathless just by touching me and you make me lose all sense of everything when you kiss me!” I laughed as I kissed him once.

  “Good! What do you say we leave this place?” Archer asked as he took my hand as we headed toward the door.

  I nodded as we walked out of the factory not looking back. Archer wrapped his arms around me as we started twirling. This time I didn’t bury my head in his chest with my eyes pinched shut. This time my eyes stayed locked on his angelic face as we twirled high enough above the ocean. I knew it had been hours since we started twirling but it felt just like minutes when we landed on the very top of the Eiffel tower. The moon hung high with the stars twinkling illuminating Paris in the crisp air. I smiled at the beauty of it as Archer kissed me again. Then I hugged him as we swooped to the palace.

  I smiled at the doors of the palace standing before me. I looked at Archer and I could see he was just as anxious to go into the palace. I pushed the doors open and just inside the grand entrance our whole family was there. Caleb and Carmina stood closest to the doors. Carmina’s sighed a sigh of relief as we walked in. She was to me first pulling me into her arms squeezing me so tight I thought I was going to have the life squeezed out of me. Caleb was next as he kissed my forehead.

  “Your mother was worried.” Caleb smiled at me. That was the first time he had referred to Carmina as my mom.