Prelude:
We're on a journey. To where exactly I'm not to sure. All I know is that were looking for something. What are we looking for, again, I'm not to sure. I do know that once we fine it the traveling, the running, and the danger will stop once we find it.
My sister Sera and I are searching for something that was taken from our family when we were smaller. It was very important and held powers that could inflict great dangers if in the wrong hands. Our mother was the keeper, but she's gone. Killed to be exact, by the Dark King, ruler of the black cauldron.
The cauldron is the heart of all evils. Every demon in existence is born from it. Every horrible day and every night mare that leaves you screaming into the night comes from it. That's how the demons get their power, they thrive from peoples misery. The only way to stop them is to destroy the cauldron, but it's indestructible... or so they say.
Since Sera and I are the youngest in the family line of Nites, we are always in danger. for a prophesy is said; 'When two nights of the same age act as one, they alone will have the power to destroy the Black Cauldron.'
"Camryn, slow down!", Sera called to me from a little ways behind. I stopped so she could catch up. It was a wonderful day. The sky was a forget-me-not blue without a cloud in it. I stood on top of a rock admiring the beauty of the woods that surrounded us. My auburn hair had fallen out of the tie that I put it in earlier and was dancing in the wind.
Sera and I have been looking for a cave that was said to be in the woods. The woods themselves are said to be haunted and if anyone went into the they'd be walking into a gateway to hell. We've never believed in any of the stories that had found their was in our village about the cave, but when a person goes missing it's always the same, 'The forest has taken there life!'or 'They found the cave!' Six years of searching and we still haven't found the cave.
"Why are we still looking for this cave?", Sera started to wine. " Apparently the adults just made it up just to scare little kids. If it was real, we should have found it by now!", Sera sat down on a rock that was next to the one i was standing on. "And why today of all days?" she added as an after thought. She was looking at me waiting for an answer. i avoided her eyes, for today was the anniversary of our mothers death.
She had dies seven years ago on this day. I was nine and Sera was eight. Mother had gone into our room to tuck us into bed, she had her traveling cloak on and told us she was going for a walk. When she left I went to the window to watch her. The window was facing the wood so i was able to watcher walk right into them. She never came home, but some villagers went in to look for her. All they found was her cloak with blood on it. They never found her body. Some say she was taken by a bear, other said she found the cave. No one really knows.
I also remember that she used to wear a pendent on a silver chain. The pendent was the size of a closed baby's fist, When the light hit it just right it looked as if it held all the secrets to the universe inside of it. The pendent was never found, just like her body.
Now I'm sixteen and Sera is fifteen and are still looking for the cave. We've been looking since the year after our mother died. Almost every kid in our village had looked for the cave at least once, but most gave or stopped by the time they were twelve.
Sera was still looking at me waiting for my answer. Instead i jumped down from the rock and continued to walk deeper into the forest. I heard her sigh and get up to follow me. My sister and i are alike in many ways. We both have the same straight auburn hair that was more brown then red. Mine went down to the center of my back, while Sera's rested above her shoulders. We were both about the same height, I'm just a little taller. Our eyes were the only feature we didn't share. Sera's eyes were a clear gray with specks of blue in them, like our fathers. My eyes were a shocking green with a black circumference with specks of yellow, our mothers eyes.
With our personalities we were very different, but we both love the thrill of a fight. Sera is more out going, and it shows in her fighting and is some times very predicable. Her style of fighting is hand to hand combat. Her weapon of choices is a silver plated dagger that had belonged to our grandfather. He was one of the five greatest warriors our village has ever seen. Sera also love to use a bow and arrow.
My personality is stubborn, quick-witted, and sometimes very loud, but I'm mostly quite. My temper is also a problem that i deal with and i usually getting to trouble because of it. It's easy for me to think my way out of a tricky situation. My choice of battle is with swords. I love the beauty they posses. From the tip of the blade to the last twist or jewel in the hilt.
Out Father is the captain of the warriors in our village. He has trained us just like any other boy who made it into the stage of warrior. He's taught me how to use long swords and daggers. He also taught me how to through a dagger and hit a stationary target every time. I'm just getting the use of using two swords.
Sera and I are just as good as any other boy in our village, maybe even better, but if the every was a battle we wouldn't be able to stay and fight. Our father wouldn't want anything to happen to us. Our father and his second in commands son, Seth, is also our friend. He's also is sixteen but is four month older then me. When we were little we used to fight each other pretending we were our fathers. It was never a fair battle because Sera and I were always on the same team.
"Once we find the cave", I started to explain to Sera of the hundredth time. "we can stop coming into the woods. We'll explore the cave for a few seconds then go back to the village and prove to them that its not a gateway to hell." When I turned around to look at her I could tell from the look on her face that she was afraid. I was too, but I wasn't about to show it.
"There coming closer.", a shadowy figure said in a harsh voice.
"Yes, closer then they have ever been.", a second voice said to the first. This voice was slick as oil, but filled with venom like a snake.
"What should we do?", the first shadow asked. "Should we call upon the King or handle this our selfs?"
The second figure considered this for a moment. Calling the King for nothing could lead to his death, for the King doesn't like to be bothered. On the other hand... they might have something for him. The two sisters together and getting every so close...
"We will not call upon the King," the second figure decided. "He has enough to deal with at the moment with his sons. We will send out some drunes, they'll take care of the girls" Then the two figures laughed a laugh that could melt the flesh off human bones.
The hike through was not at all has it been when we first started. It was getting worse by each second that went by. In one hour the clear blue sky has become an anger gray mass. The promise of rain hung in the air. Every animal; the birds, the chipmunks, even the bugs have disappeared.
"Sera!", I called out to my sister, I kept walking on deeper into the forest. I had this sudden feeling of uneasiness, like someone was watching me. There was a huge bush up ahead and i started to move the branches back.
"Camryn,", her voice was very distant. I kept the bushes parted and turned around. "please can we just go back? You and I both know there is no cave and its about to-", her voice trailed off as she looked at the roots of the bush I was holding back.
I looked down and tangled in the roots of the bush was a silver strand. I went to get a closer look when the first pelt of lightening struck over head, followed closely by a loud roll of thunder. By the sound of it, it seemed to be coming from right over our heads. At the same moment my hand hand curved around the string, Sera grabbed my arm.
When I looked up, her face was wide in fright, her mouth was open at if in a silent scream, and she was looking past the bushes that I was holding back. I didn't ask what was wrong, the silver stand had too much of my attention. I reached out and to my surprise saw that the strand was really a chain. Then surprise tuned to shock as I looked closer at the chain. Where the clasp was, there was a charm with the letters 'E.N' carved into it.
"Camryn", Sera whispered my name. She still had her hand on my are and was shaking uncontrollably. I looked up to see where she was looking and felt my jaw drop. There, after all these years of searching, was the cave.
I was completely speechless. There were many emotion that were going through me at that moment; excitement, fear, and the need to go into the cave. Just as I was about to get up it started to rain. Within seconds the raid had turned into a down pour.
"Let's go into the cave!", I shouted over the rain. "We can stay there until it stops raining!", I grabbed Sera's hand, she was still staring at the cave, and dragged her into the cave. I wasn't dark near the entrance of the cave, but the farther l looked the darker it got. It looked as if it went on forever.
Sera had went to sit in the lightest part of the cave and stared out into the rain. When my fingers started to go numb I looked down and saw that the chain was still in my hand. It was entwined around my fingers, the charm resting just below my thumb. E.N... Ella Nite, the name of our mother. Who else could it belong to? I looked out into the rain wondering if it was any where near where the chain was.
"Sera", I whisper walking over to her. She looked up at me. "look what I found." I held the chain in front of her face. She put her hand up and I dropped it into her waiting palm. Her face turned to pure fright from being in the cave to pure shock at seeing the chain. But as soon as the chain left my hand, I heard something coming from inside the cave.
I was very subtle, I could barely hear it over the rain and thunder coming from out side the cave. The tails of what awaits anyone who enters the cave started to creep into the back of my mind. What if this really is a gateway to hell? As soon as I thought that I shoved it from my mind. I looked over to Sera, who's face was still in shock, and genitally took the chain from her hand. She too had recognized the chain.
"Camryn,", Sera's voice was quiet. "do you think that could be our Mo-" She was interrupted by a roar that came from inside the cave. With one look into each others eyes we ran into the rain and away from the cave. We ran ten yard when I thought it was safe to look back at the cave.
Through the rain I saw a silhouette of a mass that had to be at least ten feet tall. There was a new ferocity in my run. I knew right then and there that that mass, whatever it was, was not our friend.
As we ran I put the chain on around my neck, knowing that I wouldn't lose it this way. The trees started to thin and I knew we were almost home. We had to see our father right away to tell him what we saw. He would know what to do about the thing that came out of the cave.
As we ran slipping and stumbling into the village I heard another roar from behind us. Now there seemed to be more then just the one we saw.