Seals
Page 22
I don’t know how long I stood there, watching the green flames dance along the edges of the cabinet, but in my moment of panic I had forgotten to count.
Damn, Elena. I cursed to myself. You can be such a fool sometimes.
How many seconds had passed? Twenty? Thirty? My cheeks burned at my own stupidity and how easily I had been distracted.
I took a deep breath and braced myself.
“For a better life,” I whispered and stepped into the veil of green fire.
I cringed, not knowing what to expect. The flames tickled my skin and warmth spread on my face as though the sun kissed my cheeks. But it didn’t burn, and surprisingly my skin didn’t melt.
I couldn’t hear anything except the pounding of my heart in my ears, but I could see my quarry through the swaying green flame. It was a golden crown set with gems, and it featured two golden lions facing a large red diamond. It was probably the high priests’ most valued treasure, and they had gone to the trouble of conjuring magic fire to protect it. It was the crown of the last king of Anglia, and it had been stolen three hundred years ago by the priests of the Temple of the Sun Empire. They had taken it just as they had taken everything else.
Heat flushed my face as my hatred for the priests mixed with the heat of the flames. Many babies had died of the fever last winter, but no healers had been sent to our aid. With all this wealth they could easily have sent healers. But they hadn’t. We didn’t matter. And it wasn’t just the priests, even the nobles and the lords of Anglia pretended we didn’t exist.
Although diamonds and precious stone necklaces, rings, bracelets and encrusted weapons hung on the walls of the vault, I knew they were nothing compared to the value of this crown. This crown was my ticket out of the Pit. This crown would give me a new life.
The crown sat on a plush red cushion, daring me to take it. The thought of Mad Jack’s face when I handed him the crown made me smile. I was almost giddy. I had told him I could do it, but he had laughed in my face. And now freedom stared me in the face. It was almost too easy.
And he said it was impossible.
Carefully, I picked up the crown, wrapped it in a cloth, and dropped it into the pouch around my belt. I didn’t have time to admire it. I knew my five minutes were nearly up. I had to leave now.
As I turned to leave, my vision blurred for a second, and the green fire began to burn my lungs. Smoke coiled from my black wool cloak like a mist, and the smell of burned hair filled my nose. I fought against the dizzy spell that shook my knees. If I passed out now, I’d either burn to ash, or the temple guards would feast on me. The thought was enough to shake me out of my stupor.
I pulled my hood over my head, spun around, leaped out of the flames, and bolted. I was at the vault’s door in a few great bounds.
As I reached for the handle I looked back at all those gleaming diamonds and pearls. It was the richest sight I’d ever beheld. Part of me wanted to reach out and fill my pockets with treasure for the others in the Pit, especially for the little ones, to fill their aching bellies. But I knew it was too risky. I couldn’t chance anything going wrong when I was so close.
The only thing left for me to do was to run.
About the Author
Kim Richardson is the author of the SOUL GUARDIANS and MYSTICS series. She was born in a small town in Northern Quebec, Canada, and studied in the field of 3D Animation. As an Animation Supervisor for a VFX company, Kim worked on big Hollywood films and stayed in the field of animation for 14 years. Since then, she has retired from the VFX world and settled in the country where she writes full time.
To learn more about the author, please visit:
www.kimrichardsonbooks.com
www.facebook.com/KRAuthorPage
http://twitter.com/Kim_Richardson_