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Untitled Document
"Looking for this?" he smiled cruelly as he held up the
wreath. I felt Shard's twinge of mental surprise and fear.
"Who… who are you?" I stumbled, still shocked.
Visions from the day I tumbled from the ship resonated through my mind, and
I angrily pushed them aside. "Or better yet, what are you doing here?" I demanded,
more firmly and a tone of anger ringing in my voice.
He faked offense. "Is that how you always greet
strangers?"
However, I stood still, waiting for the answers,
whether he was going to give them to me or not.
"Very well," he conceded. "My name is Hyacinth,
and I'm an agent of Rasifath."
He raised an eyebrow when I gave no gesture of
recognition.
"Rasifath? Ruler of the second dimension? Not
ringing a bell?"
I refused to reply.
He gave an aggravated sigh. "There are three
dimensions, one being the one we live in now. Or, at least, you live in. Well,
better yet, those Zafaras live in."
I stiffened protectively.
"The third dimension is where souls reside.
Those that are lost."
When he smirked at me, I scowled fiercely.
"The second dimension is where I live, where
Rasifath rules. It is the borderline between the first and third dimension.
It is the cusp between life and death.
Rasifath wants the amulet for himself, as, I'm
sure you know, it can produce tremendous magic abilities. He wants you near
the amulet, so that the amulet doesn't switch the roles of bearer from you to
Rasifath. He doesn't want the side-affects of the amulet, of course."
I paused for a second. "I see. This makes sense.
However, you didn't come all that way just to give me lessons on Rasifath and
the dimensions."
"Ah yes," he said. "Rasifath, against common
belief, does not like hurting innocents. This is a warning. If you do not leave
in a day, I will be forced to attack you in this town - therefore bringing innocent
natives into this."
I growled involuntarily as he started to fade.
"Remember - a day…" came a disembodied voice from where he stood but a moment
ago. The flower wreath he was holding fell limply to the ground, petals sprawling
across the dirt.
***
It was early morning when Hyacinth returned to my court from the first dimension.
"Milord Rasifath," panted Hyacinth. "I gave
him the warning, though I still can't figure out why you mind innocents possibly
being hurt…"
I glared at him, trying to instil my authority.
"Why my orders are being issued is none of your concern Hyacinth," I hissed
angrily.
A glimmer a fear shone in Hyacinth's eyes before
it was quickly banished. After a quick bow of his head, he murmured, "Of course,
milord."
"I'm retiring to my bed chambers for my late
morning nap," I informed, before striding purposefully out.
Upon arriving at my chambers, I looked into my
mirror, contemplating. Had I made a mistake, trying not to hurt the natives
of Mystery Island?
"No, I haven't," I said out loud. It wasn't
right to hurt innocents.
But what really was right? Was dragging the Bearer
to the court so I could use the amulet's magic right? Was having him bear the
backlash of the amulet's magic right? Was the-
I stopped my flow of thoughts, turning away from
the mirror. Was I doing the right thing? I wouldn't use the amulet for bad things…
but in reality, what was I going to use it for? I hadn't considered the possibilities,
it just seemed like a good idea for me to have unlimited magic. Was it right?
Was I doing the right thing?
Oh where is my mentor when I need him,
I thought despairingly. I was so unsure of my actions; my mind might change
at the drop of a hat.
However, as I curled into bed, I weighed the
options and gains. Yes, I decided. I am doing the right thing.
* * *
Late night came, and I was still hopelessly tossing back and forth in bed.
Through Shard and my bond, I felt that he was snoozing carelessly, but the hot,
sticky sheets were the last thing I could drift to sleep in. My mind craved
for sleep, and my eyelids were like lead, but in some strange logic, I was too
exhausted to fall asleep easily.
Several hours later, I was finally tugged into
sleep. I felt myself tumbling blindly and aimlessly through a sea of black before
blurry images propped themselves up before my mental eyes.
I walked through this world my mind had set up
for me. The trail I was padding up on hung on the side of a mountain, and images
appeared over the edge of the cliff, just out of reach. As my feet carried me
up (of which I wasn't controlling), I stared, transfixed, on the images. Hyacinth
appeared, smirking at me. A creature I might have imagined Rasifath to look
like appeared, dictating orders to helpless servants mercilessly. The servants
melted and turned into Sohra and Wahre, cowering and crying…
"NO!" I screamed angrily and lunged toward Rasifath.
However, I tipped off the cliff and fell toward the rocks below…
I woke with a start. Panting in anger and terror,
I peeled off the sheets from my messy fur, hopping out of bed. I stopped abruptly
as I realized that Shard was scared.
WHY COULDN'T YOU WAKE UP? he screamed
in my head and I reeled back with shock.
I tried to wake you! Amita, time works differently
in the third dimension. It's been 25 hours there!
His words fell on my head and I stared back dumbly.
A second later, what he had said sunk in.
I have to get out of here, fast. Help me pack,
I replied hurriedly.
We both started stuffing my meager belongings
into a spare bag I had bought. Sand from the floorboards scratched up into my
paws as I tried carefully to pack some of the more rare and more potent herbs
into my pack. However, a feeling of tingly itchiness spread across my back.
Something was terribly wrong.
Grabbing Shard, for he had felt it too, I bolted
out of the room, wincing from the midday sun. Feeling dread, I ran to Firne's
house. Memories of the dream of the twins last night ran through my head as
clear and crisp as photographs.
Bursting through the door, I saw Firne's surprised
face at the kitchen sink. She was doing the breakfast dishes. A pleasant smell
of bacon wafted through the house.
"Firne," I gasped. "Where are Sohra and Wahre?"
"They went out to the waterfall again," she
said, obviously shocked and confused. "Why?"
My eyes shut and I moaned. Sohra and Wahre at
the waterfall? That seemed to be the chosen spot for Hyacinth to enter and depart…
if he caught them there…
"Why?" she demanded, more clearly.
"Never mind," I rushed, and bolted toward the
path to the waterfall. Firne's outraged squawk that I wouldn't answer sounded
behind me, and I heard her clumsy running as she scrambled to follow me.
When the waterfall came close, I heard Sohra's
uncertain and fearful voice, though I couldn't hear the words. Bursting into
view, I caught the whole scene - Hyacinth smiling unpleasantly at the twins,
who looked dumbfounded. Firne stumbled out behind me and gasped at this strange
man who was talking to her children.
Upon seeing me, Wahre's face burst into a grin.
"Hi Amita!" she said brightly.
"Ohhh… so you know Amita?" Hyacinth said, a
trace of sadistic delight hidden in his voice.
"Of course I do! He's-" she started proudly,
but I cut her off.
"Leave them alone Hyacinth. Your issue is with
me," I said, with as much authority as I could muster. The amulet was starting
to draw strength from my soul again. Firne gathered the twins protectively,
as they looked on with uncertainty at us.
"Ah, so I suppose it is. You're not gone yet."
"You didn't exactly tell me time works differently
in the second dimension." At these words, Firne mouthed "second dimension" and
terror glimmered in her eyes.
He covered his mouth and gasped in mock dismay.
"Oops, must have slipped my mind I suppose… oh well, no loss."
I bristled at his insolent tone. My muscles tensed
and my tail lashed.
"Don't think you'll take me without a fight.
How do you plan to anyhow? What makes you think you even can?"
He laughed, "My magic is to travel between worlds.
I can, of course, take you with me if I'm touching you." He paused, and considered.
"Do these Zafaras know your magic? Hmm Amita? Did you show them?" he cackled
in delight.
I stepped backward. Shard's anger echoed in my
mind and intensified my own. "Don't you dare," I said angrily.
Wahre's frightened squeak made me jump. "What
does he mean Amita? You have magic?"
"No, he…" I stopped, at a loss for words.
Hyacinth turned to Wahre. "Would you like to
see Amita's magic?" he said dangerously. She nodded slowly.
"NO!" I snarled, but it was too late. Hyacinth
burst into my mind, and unlocked the protective barriers I wore around other
people, so that they did not feel the amulet. Wahre and Sohra and even Firne
were too innocent to feel that kind of anguish and pain.
The amulet flickered into view, as the pain lessened
in my mind, having more area to spread its poisonous effect. I shuddered as
I realized that now the twins and Firne were now feeling it too.
Sohra burst into tears of despair and Wahre screamed.
Even their mother had silent tears running down her cheeks as she tried to comfort
her despairing children.
"Stop it," I hissed to Hyacinth. "Can't you
see what it's doing to them?"
Even he looked a little more broken-down, a little
less sure of himself. As his pressure on my mind weakened, I pushed him out
and re-established the barriers. Wahre and Sohra stopped wailing as the full
force of the amulet stung my soul.
"How dare you go inside my mind," I began angrily.
"Get out of here Hyacinth."
And with that, I gathered magic from the amulet
and pushed him out of the first dimension. As he fell back and faded, a tone
of hatred and fury rang in his eyes. "How could you…"
But he was gone, and the backlash of the amulet
set a nasty pain behind my eyes.
"Time to go," I said dully, and trudged through
the underbrush back to Firne's hut and my room.
To be continued...
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