by MJ Fletcher
“This is our only entrance and exit point that I can sense; the rest of the area is locked down.” I removed my doorknob from the door and held it tightly and nodded in Faith’s direction. She took her own knob out and activated it.
“I think we’re looking at a cartographer’s challenge,” Edgar said. “The hedgerows are a maze and in it we’ll find the Legend, but as we go through, we’ll have to face off against the guards and their defenses. We have to do it quickly, since they’ll call in reinforcements as soon as they spot us.”
“You’re the mapmaker lead the way.” I gestured to Edgar and he headed into the maze of hedges. Faith and I trailed behind him, me with my energy whip out and her with a chained azure mace swinging at her side.
Edgar moved swiftly stopping only for a moment whenever we reached a cross section. I was completely turned around after a few minutes, but Edgar plowed forward with such speed that I figured he knew what he was doing.
We reached another intersection and turned to the left and came to a dead stop.
“Uh-oh,” Edgar said.
A guard was standing at the end of the row of hedges and staring right at us. He seemed almost as shocked to see us as we were to see him.
“Protect!” he yelled as he yanked out a map and all I could think was that’s a stupid thing to do. I mean why would I be scared of a map? I figured that one of these days I’d learn.
“Run!” Edgar yelled but it was too late. Gold energy surged around the map and the lines of energy running across the paper jumped off the page. Everything from the compass to the little lines representing roads danced wildly toward us. But the thing I really noticed was the drawing of a griffin; you know the mythical creature with the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion. I always wondered why they were drawn on maps. Now I had a pretty good idea.
The lines of gold energy raced around the outline of the griffin and its form took on more substance. It lifted its head high and roared, the sound reverberating and shaking the earth underneath us.
“Oh crap!” I scrambled backwards stumbling as I went and the griffin leapt forward, its large claws slammed into the ground where I had been standing and pawed at the earth.
Faith came forward swinging her energy mace above her head and distracted the beast as I regained my footing. The griffin snapped its mouth sending sparks of gold and blue in all directions as it bit into Faith’s mace. She yelped and fell to the ground.
The beast reared back, its one front paw raised, ready to bring it down on Faith. I flicked my arm bringing my whip around and cracking it against the griffin’s leg. The animal screeched, and then its head swung around to me with a snort.
“Chloe?” Edgar said nervously beside me.
“We’ll deal with this thing, you find the Legend.” I pushed him away and spun my whip creating a shield as the beast swung a paw at me. It crashed into my defenses, the blow shoving me backwards.
Faith was pulling herself up and recreating her mace. She took a deep breath and started swinging it again. She attacked from behind, hitting its hind legs. The griffin roared and spun to defend against another foe. As it did I snapped my whip, and caught it good around the griffin’s neck. The creature swung and twisted its neck biting frantically at my energy whip. Every bite reverberated up my arm, but I concentrated and held my weapon together.
“Hit it again!” I yelled over the beast’s screeches.
Faith rushed in and smashed her mace against his back as hard as she could. The griffin roared again and kicked out with its back paw catching Faith in the side and flinging her into the hedgerows.
I yanked my whip trying to tighten the noose around its neck but it jumped forward letting the slack out. His golden arm rushed toward me, its claws flashing ready to swipe. I turned into it knowing that was the only way I wouldn’t get sliced to ribbons.
The turbulent energy slammed into me knocking the wind from my body and lifting me off the ground. I sailed through the air and crashed with a thud on my butt in the grass. I back-pedaled with my legs and arms scrambling to move away as quickly as I could. The ground shook as the griffin pounded its paw into the spot I had just left. That was a second near miss, three times and I’m out.
I twisted my wrist and flicked out my whip and took a swift crack at the griffin’s face. The beast roared back on its hind legs trying to escape the potent blue energy. It gave me just enough time to jump up and push through a hedgerow, the branches clawing at my arms and tearing my stockings. I spun my whip splitting the next line of hedges and ran through the opening I created trying to gain some distance. A whooshing sound rushed at me from behind and I turned to see the griffin leap into the air, its massive wings flapping and kicking out gusts of wind. Its head swiveled searching for me and it let out a murderous roared when it spotted me.
“Seriously?” I sighed and edged backward as it flew at me. I needed a plan but at the moment I was clear out of ideas.
The griffin soared down, swinging its claws at me. I deflected it with my whip and a shower of energy washed over me. If this was my plan it was a bad one, I would either run out of energy or the alarm would sound and we’d get caught.
The beast roared its frustration at what I assumed was his failure to bite my head off. I could only deflect for so long and I couldn’t wrap my whip around it or the beast would just lift me into the night and drop me who knows where.
Apparently, I was taking too long to figure out my choices. The griffin swooped down and angled for me between the hedgerows. I turned and ran for it all the while hearing the sounds of bushes being shredded by its large golden wings. I reached a corner and spun on my heels to the left. The beast didn’t have enough control and tumbled head long into the new row of hedges. I didn’t waste the opportunity. I raised my arm and with a forceful snap brought my whip down cracking it across the beast’s back. His howling screech nearly punctuated my eardrums.
The guard who’d released the griffin walked through a broken hedge. He was holding his map and scribbling on it furiously. I brought my whip back once again as the griffin roared up and turned on me. I ignored the raging breast and cracked my whip aiming for the map. I hit dead center slicing it in two and breaking the energy that had created it. The griffin screamed and shattered into a shower of golden sparkles.
The guard stepped back, spun around and ran right into Edgar’s fist. I heard the pop as the man fell to the ground out cold. Edgar stood over him holding his fist in the air like some kind of trophy.
“I got him.” He smiled as I dropped to my knees exhausted. Edgar rushed over and slid to the ground beside me. I looked down and saw that my stockings were shredded and my legs covered with thin cuts and smeared with blood. My next shower was going to be a pain filled experience that’s for sure.
“Have you seen Faith?” I took deep breaths trying to steady myself after expending so much energy. I used the breathing techniques my dad had taught me years ago. They were the same ones he would use during his magic act.
“No, I saw her get knocked aside and then I started searching for the Legend. After I found it I came back looking for you.”
I was so exhausted from the battle with the griffin that it took me a moment to realize what he had just said. I grabbed his shoulders shaking him. “You found it!”
He blinked rapidly and a smile spread across his face. He reached into his bag and lifted the Legend out. Power emanated from it as if it was the Holy Gail.
“I did,” he said proudly.
“Edgar, my boy you’re a freaking rock star.” I laughed and he dug through his bag till he pulled out the map he had created. He spread it out on the grass and winced, I knew he was desperate for more time than we had with the Artifact but that’s one thing we were short on.
“There you guys are.” Faith came around the corner and rushed toward us. She skidded to a stop a few feet away and stared down at the Legend in Edgar’s hand. Her eyes lit up and her hand flew to her mouth.
&nbs
p; “You okay?” My hand squeezed reflexively around my doorknob, but what had caused that strange reaction? It seemed instinctive and yet it was crazy. Faith was my friend and not just any friend, lately my best one.
“You got it?” she whispered through her hand.
“Edgar, found it.” I smiled but my hand never left my doorknob.
“I can feel its power; it’s amazing” Her eyes were locked on the Legend and mine on her. Something was wrong. The ache in the back of my neck suddenly felt more like an itch I needed to scratch and for some unexplainable reason I thought it had something to do with Faith.
Edgar’s fingers moved deftly activating the Legend and attaching it to the map he had created. Shimmering lines of golden energy shot from the map and numbers and equations danced in the air around us. Faith stepped forward and again instinct to hold and I moved closer to Edgar and the Legend.
“What’s that map?” Faith focused on what Edgar was doing and I felt a burning sensation in my stomach, a nagging sense pulling at me trying to force me to remember something.
“It doesn’t matter.” My voice felt heavy, as if I was talking in slow motion and I tried to stay steady. What the hell was wrong with me? Suddenly everything felt strange, as if time and place was completely off kilter. Faith looked up at me and her face turned pure white, and then she glanced down at my hand grasping my doorknob so tightly that my knuckles turned white.
“Chloe, is everything okay?” She gulped.
“Why wouldn’t it be?” I was angry and I didn’t know why, but yet I felt that I should be angry and that made me even angrier.
“Did I do something?” Faith’s hand drifted toward her pocket and I activated my doorknob pouring energy into it.
‘Don’t even think about it.” I seethed.
“Chloe, what are you doing we’re best friends?” Faith smiled.
My mind reeled. No, something was wrong none of this was right. My best friend was Val, as much as I hated admitting it, it was true. An image of Faith sneering at me crashed into my mind, but I had trouble focusing on it, tuning into a clearer image. Someone was standing behind her and I was yelling but I didn’t recognize the place nor could I make out what was happening.
“I got it!” Edgar yelled and the power of the Legend quickly faded.
I shook my head and looked down at Edgar smiling and rolling up his map, then he slid it into his satchel. I glanced back at Faith and she was smiling at me, her hands tucked in her pockets. I’d been sure of something a moment earlier and now I couldn’t remember what it was, damn these headaches were starting to annoy me.
“We should get out of here.” I shot a quick glance around wondering why more guards hadn’t shown up by now or why no alarm had gone off yet.
“What about the Legend?” Faith asked.
“We return it,” Edgar cut in and started walking.
“But what if the First Kind comes for it?” Faith asked trailing after him.
“It’s being moved; it’ll be safe from everyone. We got what we needed that’s the end of it.”
We crossed over several hedgerows into a large open field with shrubbery carved into different cartographer symbols. Dragons and sea serpents roared up from the grass all around us, I shuddered as I passed the griffin.
“Oh no,” Edgar said.
I saw the body the same time Edgar did. He ran forward and dropped down next to the guard. His neck was twisted at an awkward angle. He’d never realized what happened to him; it had been that quick.
“We’re not alone,” Faith said and looked around frantically.
I tightened my grip on my doorknob and rushed toward Edgar grabbing him by his jacket and yanking him to his feet. “We can’t leave the Legend and we need to get out of here now.” The hair on my neck and arms rose as portal energy began to surge around me. “Get down!” I threw Edgar down and dropped on top of him as a blast of energy tore through the hedges incinerating them.
“Well look who we have here.”
The familiar voice sent chills up my spine and I sprang to my feet, my energy whip crackling beside me. Caleb Darker stood across the field, his wide grin matching a fresh scar that sliced across his cheek.
“I see you’re still on my mom’s leash, Darker,” I spat at him.
“There are people much worse than your mother. But at least she lets me have fun now and again, like the last time we met... when I had the pleasure of killing your little friend.” He laughed and it took all my will power not to rush him and attack, but Gavin had taught me better than that. Darker was baiting me, trying to get me off my game.
“From that scar on your face it looks like he left you with a nice present,” I smirked and Darker’s hand flew to the scar, his eyes narrowing and his mood souring.
“Give me the Legend and I won’t make you beg for your life like I did him. Wait—that’s right—you abandoned him and didn’t see how he died. It wasn’t quite as heroic as you would imagine. He died whimpering and cursing your name.”
“Liar!” Edgar shouted and I threw my arm out to stop him as he lunged forward intent on doing Darker harm.
“Look it’s the little mapmaker,” Jasper said emerging from another row of hedges. “How’s your little girlfriend. It’s a shame I didn’t get to spend more time with her.”
This time I had to grab Edgar’s arm to hold him back. Jasper had tricked Val and used her as bait and if Edgar got a chance he would make Jasper pay for it.
“You’re going to regret that,” Edgar roared.
Jasper laughed and more First Kind stepped out from the hedges. Yup, they’d found us alright. We were surrounded and I didn’t have a clue as to how the hell we were going to get out of this one.
“Give me the Legend and I might let you live,” Darker shouted.
“Maybe we should do it,” Faith urged as she moved up beside me “We don’t have any portals to exit through and we’re surrounded. I don’t think we have a choice.”
“There’s always a choice,” I replied, though I didn’t want to mention that our other option was to go down fighting.
“I’m open to ideas.” Faith bit nervously at her lower lip.
“I’ve got one.” Edgar’s voice was unfamiliar to me, it sounded angry and determined at the same time. He reached into his bag and pulled out the Legend. He lifted it up high and a hush fell over the First Kind. “This is what you want? Come get it.”
Edgar’s fingers began moving rapidly as he activated the Legend and slammed it down onto the ground and bellowed.
“Protect!”
The ground rumbled and I grabbed Edgar’s shoulder so that I wouldn’t fall over. Lines of golden energy began to shoot out from the Legend, crisscrossing over the field. They seemed to be searching like bloodhounds on someone’s trail. They found what they wanted as each golden line of energy halted at the meticulously sculpted cartographer shrubs.
Light exploded so intensely around us that I had to cover my eyes with my hand. The earth quaked and then a low growling echoed all around. I finally opened my eyes and was stunned at a fantasy world come to life. The griffin shrub had leapt into action chasing First Kind members. Caleb Darker ran backwards as the giant glowing gold dragon raced toward him. All around us the cartographer objects sprang to life and followed Edgar’s one order... protect the Legend.
I grabbed Edgar by the scruff of his jacket and spun him around and Faith rushed along with us.
“Run!” I ordered. We took off as fast as we could rushing off the field and away from the screams of First Kind as they tried in vain to fight off the various beasts. We made quick time through the maze since much of it had been destroyed.
The access portal was close by and I activated it pushing Faith through and then Edgar, I took one glance behind me and saw Darker standing near the maze smiling at me.
“I’m coming for you girl; count on it.” He laughed as I jumped through the portal.
Chapter Fifteen
Status: I’m a
mental case.
I crashed onto the ground and rolled forward skidding to a stop a few feet from the portal door. I stretched my arm out and twisted my hand cutting the flow of power. My doorknob fell to the ground the doorway disappearing in a blink.
Let’s call that Plan 101 that went completely wrong. I rolled over and looked up at the night sky alight with sparkling stars, water crashed on the sand only to hurry off again and the ocean stretched out endlessly until it looked as if it dropped of an edge. I’d portaled us to the beach near my house, not a bad spot I suppose. The Reliquary would have been safer but for some reason I chose here instead.
“Everyone okay?” I pulled myself up and reached over grabbing my doorknob and slid it into my pocket. Faith was staring out at the water and Edgar was leaned over, his hands clutching the Legend.
“What are we going to do with it?” Edgar’s eyes never left the artifact, his voice quivered and he shivered either from the cold or perhaps fear. After all we had stolen the priceless artifact.
“I’m not sure.” We couldn’t exactly walk in and give it back; there would be far too many questions.
“We could use it to complete your mission.” Faith never turned around, she kept staring out at the ocean.
Edgar gave a quick glance at Faith and then shook his head at me. I knew he didn’t want her here, but what was I supposed to do, tell her to leave? She’d helped us.
“How did the First Kind find it?” Edgar rolled the Legend carefully and slid it into his bag.
“Maybe they tracked one of you,” Faith offered, but that didn’t make sense. How would they know what we were up too? Even if they were tracking us they wouldn’t have known we were going after the Legend so why choose that moment to come after us?
“I don’t see how they could. Something doesn’t fit, I can’t put my finger on it but something’s not right.” I stood next to Faith and shivered from the wind rushing off the water. The cuts on my legs were also making themselves known and my limbs ached. I wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep, but I couldn’t. “We better hide it.”