He enjoyed a lot of things with her.
Marcius wasn't sure how long they spent, but by the time they had finished, his eyes were crimping from the strain. Selene's brow crunched together as she put it all together.
"Ware these words, and watch the nether,
For the binding of Fate doth tether,
He who's eyes blood-red,
A single tear doth shed
And upon finding, the tear will die,
Promises told and kept and yet a lie
Mistress and Fate have much in store
The end shall begin in war
And upon the death of a friend
Arise, arise, the 'walker shall walk again"
Marcius looked to Selene, not knowing why it was that the words had such a profound impact on him, but unable to deny it. Selene scoffed, clicking her tongue in irritation. "Poetry is for those who do not know how to speak plainly."
"It seems like a prophecy. They went through a lot of work to make sure that it was heard," he reminded her, gesturing to the stone as the premier example.
Selene shrugged. "Prophecies are a lazy way for those who do not wish to take responsibility for their actions. They were fools to hold such faith in it. Now come, I do not think this is what we were looking for and we tarry too long here."
Marcius nodded, surprised at the vehemence in her voice. The thought that one was not in control of their future was hard to understand, and even more difficult to accept. As he considered her reaction, and what he knew about her encounter with the heart tree, her reaction made sense.
Personally, he wasn't sure what he made of the words, and they hung heavily in his mind. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was making a mistake.
Still, it did not stop him from looking back wistfully as they continued through the corridor on the other end of the room. Torches flared alive as they walked down the hallway.
"I feel like we're being led somewhere," Marcius said, voicing his thoughts as yet another set of torches lit.
"Be careful. I don't like this."
Marcius felt it long before he saw it, a quickening of breath and a slight increase in his pulse. The amulet sang in response, prodding him forward, urging, wanting to close the distance.
It appeared off in the distance, at the end of the hallway, a single pinprick of malevolent red light that drummed with power. Is this what Velynere wanted?
Marcius found his steps quickening, and it was with great irritation that he turned around as Selene pulled on his shoulder. "Careful," she said, cutting off his protests. "Remember who got us here. Remember what we gave up to be here." Remember what I gave up for you.
That sobered Marcius immediately. So it was with cautious steps that they entered the chamber at the end. Every second was a test of his self control.
Only a single torch came on as they entered, drowning everything in a dull yellow hue. Marcius would have been disappointed had it not been for the source of the power, the apex which stood in the center.
It stole attention despite the size. Barely wider than the tip of his finger, a single jewel stood in proud defiance of the humility of the room that housed it. It sat on an altar of stone hands, cupped as if presenting the jewel to the two of them.
Marcius couldn't help himself, drawn in by the sheer perfection of it, glittering with a light of its own; a single crimson star that suppressed everything else. Light reflected off every facet, highlighting the edges with a savage beauty.
A hand covered his own. He hadn't even realized he had been reaching for the gem. He looked over and Selene shook her head, giving him a wry, yet contrite, smile. "Careful. I like this not. Let us look around before taking the prize?"
Marcius licked his lips, but nodded. "Do you think this is it?"
"What else could it be? Can you not feel the power it is giving off?"
He could. The gem practically breathed it. A constant stream of overwhelming influence. If his familiar was here, he could only imagine the rippling waves of nether streaming from the jewel.
What was it? He had heard nothing of such an artifact before. Though the amulet was screaming at him to take it, Selene's hand became an anchor, grounding him and providing a safe haven from the tempting song. He took a deep, shaky breath, but nodded to her.
They looked around, but didn't see anything of note. Nothing seemed to stick out beyond the jewel itself and the altar that held it. If Marcius didn't know better, he could have easily confused the altar with a shrine belonging to a rich family or local temple.
After a few long moments, Selene finally agreed. "Aye, take the gem and let us make our way from here. I like it not."
He didn't need to be told twice, but yet he paused for a second. Why couldn't he stop his hands from shaking?
The moment his fingers closed around the gem, a surge of electricity shot through his arm, pounding into his chest with immeasurable force. He flew through the air, hitting the floor hard.
"Marcius!" The elf was by his side, helping him up in an instant. It had happened too fast for him to even process it. "Are you alright?" she asked, peering at him with concern.
"Well," he said, looking up at the elven woman, "I've been better. I feel like I've gotten kicked in the chest by a mule."
He chuckled. Marcius didn't know why, but he felt giddy; a tingly vibe ran through his body. Selene frowned a bit, but helped him to his feet. She looked at his hand and raised an eyebrow. It was then that he realized that he had a vice grip on the gem still, to the point where it was cutting into the palm of his hand.
Slowly he opened his fist, wincing at the pain. There it sat, glowing but muted, as if the initial shock had taken something from it, though it still gave off an aura of power. There was a flickering of hesitation before he finally gave in, putting the gem in the same pouch which housed the amulet.
"I do not wish to cause concern, but we have other problems," Selene announced.
When Marcius turned, it was apparent. A heavy stone door had slid down over the entrance, locking them inside. With growing fear, the two of them combed over it, looking for some weakness, some flaw, a way out.
Nothing.
"What do we do now?"
Selene opened her mouth to respond, but stopped. Marcius heard it too, a grating noise like stone against sand. As one they turned behind them, to the altar. The hands were moving! Spreading apart as if welcoming!
There was a click.
"I don't think-" Selene's words died as the ground mimicked the hands, opening up, swallowing them.
Chapter 28
Marcius and Selene tumbled down, a tumultuous mixture of arms and legs in the darkness. They landed with a thud. Marcius groaned. Selene had landed flat on his chest and he could feel her hot breath on his neck.
They both waited a few moments for the pounding of their hearts to quiet. The elf rolled off with a slight grunt and Marcius immediately missed the proximity of her warmth. He shook his head in shock. What a thing to think of now.
"Thank you for softening my landing," Selene whispered, and despite the darkness, Marcius could feel her smile.
"Anytime," he said in the most magnanimous tone he could manage, wincing as he righted himself to a sitting position. "Always an honor to serve."
Marcius couldn't see anything and so he reached into his pouch, pulling out the amulet. Blinking his eyes at the intrusion of light, he looked around. They seemed to be in a hallway of sorts; composed of uneven stone and sand. Marcius flashed the light up to where they had fallen from. Too high.
Was it a trap? It had to be, because they had fallen into it. But the big question was: to what purpose?
He did a quick self-check and was pleasantly surprised that besides a few scrapes and bruises, he was relatively okay.
Flashing the light over to the elf, worry entered his thoughts. The fall hadn't been kind to her broken arm and even her lips had a grayish quality to them that Marcius had not seen before.
Still, the tight smile she flashed him said not to worry. After a few tense moments, Marcius decided to trust the elf. "What should we do about-"
I can't protect you down here. My powers are weakened by something. Now would be a good time to start running. . .
The voice was back! And then Marcius heard it, an exhalation of breath, a brief pause in the air, expectation simmering to a light boil. The hairs on his arm tingled and a shiver ran down his back.
Something was here!
Selene must have noticed too, because she became frantic, drawing her knife so quickly that it looked as if it materialized from nothing. Marcius held his breath, trying to calm his racing heart as he strained to hear something, anything above the pounding in his ears.
"Marcius," Selene whispered slowly, forcibly stressing each syllable, "When I tell you to run, you will run from here, okay?" Marcius opened his mouth to protest. To tell her that he didn't want to leave her by herself, but she cut him off, "No arguments," she hissed, "You are still my charge. Do. You. Understand?"
He nodded, feeling silly because the elven woman's back was to him. Selene was scanning everything, and Marcius tried to follow suit, yet he still couldn't hear anything. There was only the intense feeling of something watching him. The light from the amulet revealed nothing, just more hallway, half-hidden by shadows.
There was a snarl to his left and Selene shoved him to the side. "Run!" she growled before leaping into the darkness.
It had all happened so fast! The sound of combat echoed through the corridor and Marcius froze, unsure of what to do. "Run!" Selene's voice repeated from the darkness, her obvious desperation finally stirring him to action.