Amulet of Souls (The Sentinels of Wizgrad Book 1)

by Hampton, Pegs

  The Ogre put his free hand on the doors and they opened. The Ogre entered the pitch black room, his footsteps echoed into the darkness. A strange oily smell emerged from the room.

  He placed Iris down on something that felt like a cushioned seat and he left the room. He took a lit fire torch with a dull glow that illuminated only a small part of the hall.

  The Ogre held the light up against a wall at the side of the room. He moved it from side to side as he looked for something. He then caught sight of another torch and held the flame up to it. The other torch sucked the fire from the first like a sponge soaked up water. The new flame was a strange blue colour but it did not give out much light at all.

  The Ogre then walked to the other side of the room and all of a sudden a burst of light and twenty-foot flames shot up from the room. Iris was mesmerised and the flames spread around the room in a large semi-circle that lit everything up within the room. The flames approached Iris and she could feel the warmth on her skin.

  The fire burnt within a troth full of oil that circled the entire room. The room was a huge dome, which sat thirty feet from the floor. The walls were bright white marble, which reflected the fire and brightened the room. The dome was a spectacle itself. It was entirely covered in red gemstones and made the room glow bright red.

  The Ogre had lit a brazier in the centre of the room that burnt elegantly and slowly unlike the fierce, fiery flames around the room. He placed the unlit torch in a holder on the brazier and then stood outside.

  Iris was sat at the back of a long row of benches that filled the entire hall. At the front of the room was a large podium stood on top of a raised stand.

  People slowly started to fill the hall. Some arrived individually while others came in groups. There were many races that Iris had never seen before. No one introduced themselves, instead they all kept their distance, which made Iris feel very uncomfortable.

  After about two hours, Mireylon walked into the hall with a large group of Elves. He separated himself from the others and approached Iris.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked.

  “Awful and my mouth is dry” she replied.

  “One second” Mireylon said. He walked towards the group of Elves and held his hand out. Pieces of wood began to emerge from the palm of his hand and merged together to form a small bowl. Another Elf held his hand above it and clenched his fist in the air. Water started to trickle from the bottom of his fist into the wooden bowl.

  Mireylon walked carefully over to Iris with the bowl cupped in his hands. He passed it to Iris, who did not hesitate to drink the entire contents of the bowl.

  It took almost two hours for the hall to fill completely.

  “ATTENTION EVERYONE!” the Ogre shouted loudly. He was stood next to the raised platform beside the podium.

  “Everyone be seated,” shouted a skinny man who stood on top of the platform. He held his chin up high and made him purposefully look more significant.

  Everyone was seated and the room went silent.

  A scruffy-looking man walked in with Zelkith by his side and a rope leash attached to him. Zelkith pulled straight towards Iris the moment he saw her and broke free from the scruffy man’s grip. Iris was shocked that they would put a leash on him. She took it off immediately. The scruffy man walked over and picked up the rope as if he was about to put it back on.

  “He’s a remnant, not a pet” Mireylon said to the scruffy young man.

  “I’m sorry Mr Commander Sir” the scruffy man replied. He hastily walked away with the rope behind him.

  “It’s good to see you again boy,” Iris said. She stroked Zelkith gently on the head and smiled.

  “It is” echoed a voice. Iris failed to acknowledge the speaker.

  “Welcome, everyone of the Legion of Silver Snake. It has been some time since we called an entire legion congregation, so undoubtedly we have many issues that require some attention today. I as King must make sure all legionnaires are present” said The King, who was stood on the podium.

  The Ogre leader arose and stated, “All Ogres are present”.

  Next stood a large lizard like creature, with skin almost like that of dragons, thick and colourful, along with large horns. The others of his kind all had small curved horns, with large cheekbones, which curved outward and zigzagged teeth. The large lizard like creature said: “All Sseckle are presssent”. His speech had a snake-like manner. He had a long thin tongue with split ends that slivered in and out as he talked which gave him a distinct hiss.

  After the Seckle was seated, a small green creature with wings on its back flew up from his chair. He had a large nose and pointed smile, with two tiny fangs in the corners. His ears were tall and thin like his wings. His small leathery like tail had a spear-shaped end. It seemed to hover effortlessly.

  The creature spoke: “All Yin are present”. The small green Yin then floated back down to his seat and a man stood up.

  “All humans are present,” stated the man. The man sat back down when another race stood up. This time, it was a furry creature with a long wavy tail. It looked almost Tiger-like but stood like a Human.

  “All Kijiar are present,” said the creature.

  She elegantly sat back down in her seat. Then a petite figure that was like a miniature Human stood up on his chair.

  “All Gnomes are present,” said the Gnome and he looked at a gadget on his arm.

  The Gnome then sat down and another shorter being arose who was much broader and had a full beard that run over his plump belly. “All Dwarves are present,” the Dwarf said.

  The Dwarf sat down and was followed by a large being with enormous wings covered in feathers. He was almost as large as an Ogre and had a large beak and large talons on his bird-like hands.

  “All Greelong are present” the creature squawked.

  “They look nasty,” Iris whispered into Mireylon’s ear.

  “They are very proud people, they would take kinder to an arrow in the wing than an insult” Mireylon said in a hushed voice.

  Mireylon then stood himself.“All Elves are present.” He then sat back down quietly and the man at the podium peered through the people in front of him.

  “So, that accounts for everyone but one,” he said. He pointed his finger at Iris. “You there! You must be Iris then, the only Dark Elf among us, and the reason we are all here today” the man bellowed. The King glared at Zelkith, and whispered into the Ogres' ear.” What is that mangy thing doing in here?”

  “Watch your tongue Human, before I remove it!” yelled a husky and angry voice. Iris looked around in shock as did everyone else at Zelkith, who had just spoken out loud like a Human.

  “What?” Zelkith said with a look of innocence.

  “Zelkith…You’re...You’re talking!” Iris stuttered.

  “You understand me?” Zelkith exclaimed. He was shocked himself.

  “Loud and clear Zelkith, Remnant of Iris,” The King said.

  “It has been many years since we have had a remnant among our ranks and we all welcome you” he continued.

  “Not the best first impression...” Zelkith muttered quietly to himself.

  A small murmur in the hall started to get louder and the chatter amongst the different races was raised.

  “SILENCE!” shouted the Ogre. His booming voice filled the room and it was quiet once more.

  “Now that everyone has been accounted for let us start addressing the issues. We will begin with the most important, an issue which is the very reason for this emergency calling” explained The King.

  The Ogre walked up to the edge of the raised platform and pulled out a small scroll.

  “Morton Harthorpe. Stand forward,” the Ogre said in a loud, clear voice. The King looked directly at Morton with a look of disgust.

  “Morton, you are accused of purposefully destroying our most sacred relic, which not only contained the soul of Biren but was our only means of attaining and preserving the Legion itself. How do you plead?” the
man said and he looked down at him. Morton just stood in silence.

  “Commanders of the Legion. You have had several days to reflect on the issue, what is your verdict?”

  In the same order that they stood up to announce themselves, they each arose to give their verdict. Every single one said guilty. However, Mireylon had a distinct look of remorse on his face.

  “With a unanimous verdict, you are to be forever labelled a traitor and sentenced to Banishment by the mercy of Biren” The King announced.

  The Ogre walked over to Morton and picked him up by the back of his shirt. He then threw him roughly onto the floor next to the pedestal.

  “You are to be stripped of your ranks and weapons. You shall be left with nothing but the mark of a traitor forever on your skin.” The Ogre cursed. He kicked the back of Morton’s legs and he fell to his knees.

  Mireylon wanted to stand and protest, his hands twitched and his muscles tensed. Morton grazed directly at Mireylon and his face was strangely calm as he subtly shook his head.

  The Ogre ripped off Morton’s shirt with ease, which exposed his back. The Ogre walked away from him toward the roaring flames at the back of the room.

  From the troth of burning oil, the Ogre pulled out a steel branding iron. The end of the iron was bright red and dripped with oil. He swiftly brought it towards Morton and plunged it into the back of his shoulder.

  Iris looked away as Morton yelped in agony at the scolding hot branding iron burnt into his skin. The sound was amplified in the halls and it was unbearable to hear. The Ogre then pulled back the branding iron and dug it deep into the back of Morton’s hand.

  “Get the traitor out of my sight” The King ordered.

  The Ogre used a single hand to grab the back of Morton’s neck and lifted him off the ground. The floor suddenly began to shake violently and an archway appeared in front of the Ogre. A strange blue vortex appeared in the archway. When the entrance was complete, a blizzard gushed out, which spread freezing cold air and snow around the hall.

  “Any last words?” The King said.

  Morton looked up into the vortex and spoke a phrase in a language that Iris did not understand.

  “BANISH HIM!” yelled The King. The Ogre threw him through the vortex and as quickly as the archway was made, it had dissembled itself.

  “Now that’s over, let us deal with the mundane issues” The King continued like nothing had happened.

  It was another six hours while many other problems about supplies, training, recruitment and petty legislations were discussed. When it was over, everyone looked glad to finally be able to leave. Most of them moaned that they were hungry, although Iris had lost her appetite.

  Iris and Zelkith waited for the others to go before they left and Mireylon stayed beside them. Even though Iris had done very little, she was exhausted and had fallen asleep while she waited for everyone to leave.

  “I’ll take her to my dormitory, there is enough room for both of you,” Mireylon said. He picked Iris up softly and looked at an equally tired Zelkith “I’m not carrying you, though,” he joked.

  Mireylon took Iris out of the hall and both the Ogre and The King glanced at her with distrust as he walked past them.

  “Take care of her Mireylon, she is essential to our survival,” The King said.

  “Yes, your majesty,” Mireylon said through gritted teeth. They made their way to the Elven sector. The Elven sector was down a long hallway which branched off into all the different races and where they lived.

  “God I hate him, he thinks because he is The King that he is invincible” Mireylon grumbled to himself.

  They arrived at the Elven sector, a large woodland area, full of trees, plants and harmless flying insects. All the houses were high up in the trees away from the floor. However, some of them had extravagant staircases that led up to the entrance, just like the one for Mireylon’s house.

  Mireylon opened the door and gestured Zelkith inside.

  “Make yourself comfortable,” Mireylon said. He laid Iris down gently on an expensive looking bed. Zelkith sat beside the bed and fell asleep.

  “Aaaahhhh!” Iris screamed the next morning.

  Zelkith shot up, instantly alert. “Iris what’s wrong?!”

  “Zelkith you’re... you’re talking? Am I still dreaming?” Iris said confused.

  “This is not a dream,” Zelkith said reassuringly.

  “I'm sorry...I'm...not used to it. These past few days have been crazy. It all seems like a dream”.

  “You’re telling me, after all, these years I can finally…” Zelkith was cut off mid-sentence by Mireylon’s arrival who had ran into the room with a wand in hand. “Is everything ok? I heard a scream.”

  “Just a nightmare,” Iris said. She noticed Mireylon looked weary and concerned. “You look tired,” Iris said.

  “Sleepless nights,” Mireylon said ashamed.

  “You were going to protest weren't you, yesterday. Why didn’t you?” Iris asked. She had noticed how unsettled and uncomfortable he had acted the rest of the evening.

  Mireylon responded, “It would have solved nothing, and there are few of us left now”.

  “Few of whom?” Zelkith asked curiously.

  “Those who were alive before his ascension.”

  Mireylon explained as best he could about how it happened. It was while he was away on a mission. When he had come back, the true heir to leadership had gone, leaving nothing but a note to say that Dartis would become the new leader and that he would never return.

  It was a strange choice, Dartis was always a little off with the majority of the Legion and many people did not believe that it was legitimate. Regardless of this, they followed the rules of the Legion. Over time, Dartis changed many rules; never for the better and those who did not believe its legitimacy slowly lost their lives in missions and battles.

  “Dartis is the scrawny man that spoke in the meeting?” Iris said.

  Mireylon chuckled “Yes, that's him.”

  “So why do you think Morton was banished?” Zelkith asked Mireylon directly.

  “Morton told me that destroying the statue was the only way to start the new age and that you were an important part to this new age” Mireylon explained.

  “Me? Why, I am no one special!” Iris said defensively. She denied that she could be of any importance to something she had no connection with.

  “I’m afraid I would agree… However Morton believed that it was you, and so must I believe in him. I must admit you do share some similarities with Efrundle” Mireylon uttered. Iris gave Mireylon a questioned look.

  “Efrundle was a gifted leader, and he was a Dark Elf like you. The heir that left the Legion” stated Mireylon.

  “So you’re saying that this Efrundle is related to me?” Iris asked. She thought back to the Joining she had experienced and that she must find a brother that she did not know even existed.

  “Yes, and you are the second in line to the Legion’s throne,” Mireylon said proudly.

  “I don’t understand, I was born in a Dark Elf village, not raised in some palace,” Iris said.

  “What he said is true” Zelkith confessed.

  “What on earth do you mean?” Iris asked.

  “If what Mireylon says is true, then I have seen your parents. When I was bound to you, there were five people including a Dark Elf couple holding hands” Zelkith explained.

  Iris sat there motionless for a few minutes, not sure how to process and respond to this new information. She was no leader, but this Elf, who was meant to be the rightful heir to the throne, was her sibling and she knew she had to find him.

  “We must find my brother” Iris demanded.

  “No one has seen him since he left, or if he even still lives,” confessed Mireylon.

  “Is there no one that knows at all, no one you can ask?” Iris said. She felt someone must have information.

  Mireylon looked at Iris carefully. “There is one person I can ask…In the meantime you
must go and visit Thorna, you will find her in the large meadow near here” Mireylon said. He picked up a few things from the table and walked out of his house and down the stairs.

  “Well... I guess we may as well go and see this Thorna” Zelkith said. There was little they could do to find her brother, Efrundle.

  They walked out of Mireylon’s house and wandered around the Elven sector. They soon came to a small archway and inside there was an enormous open space, with a vast meadow that stretched the entire room.

  Stood inside was a female Elf, with strange black marks in thick lines that went around her eyes. Her hair was light brown and shoulder length, but unkempt, wavy and knotty. She walked over to them slowly.

  “Who are you?” she said abruptly.

  “We are looking for someone called...Thorna?” Iris asked.

  “You did not answer my question…Well?!” She replied instantly.

  “I'm Iris, and this is Zelkith. We have been told to find someone called Thorna”.

  “Who sent you?” snapped the Elf woman.

  “Mireylon...do you know” replied Iris.

  “Well why didn't you say so!” interrupted the strange Elf. “She is the one inside on top of the waterfall”.

  “Err, thanks,” Iris said, but the Elf had vanished.

  Iris glanced up at the waterfall to see someone that looked very similar, unkempt hair and the same clothes.

  They walked onto the field, closer to the waterfall; which was as tall as the room and gushed with fresh, clean water into a large pool at the bottom.

  “Is that Thorna?” Iris yelled at the top of her lungs.

  “That's I. What can I do for you?” she yelled back.

  “Mireylon sent me to find you.”

  “Why on earth would he send you to tell me that?” the Elf questioned. She made her way down a path beside the waterfall.

  “That Mireylon sure is a strange fellow, I never did understand why he always sent people to me, can I help you?” The Elf said. When she got close enough, Iris and Zelkith realised it was the exact same person they had previously spoken too.