Chapter Ten
Some thirty feet farther along the passage it suddenly widened into a chamber. The odd, dark glow was stronger, and they could see everything around them clearly.
Directly ahead in the exact center of the room was a stone altar, reminding them of the one in the ancient ruins. Directly over it was a stalactite. All around them were veins of dark material set in the same type of stone as the canyon. All in all, it reminded the trolls of the Amber Cavez.
Ruby went over to the altar and took a closer look. A lone bead had dripped from the stalactite and lay on the altar. It was a very dark substance, and looked familiar.
Suddenly she gasped, clasping her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide.
"Ruby? What's wrong? What is it?" asked Amethyst.
The redhead backed away several steps, and looked at her friends. They could all tell she was trembling. She pointed at the altar, and took a deep breath.
"This... this is black amber," she said at last.
There were gasps from the other four, and they drew closer together.
"No wonder there were so many evil monsters," said Onyx.
"How do you know?" asked Amethyst.
"I know it when I see it. Obsidian kept some at the shop," answered Ruby.
"Sandy not understand," said the ogre, "What is black amber?"
Sapphire pointed to her bracelet. "The spell beads we use are made of regular amber with different ingredients mixed in. Black amber is its opposite, used mostly for evil."
"Oh, that is bad, then," he said.
"Yes. We're lucky nothing happened while we were using all that magic just now," said Amethyst.
"But why didn't it?" asked Topaz.
"I would theorize that the stone tablet under the pond is responsible," answered Sapphire, after a few moments thought. "It is keeping the magic dormant, and the monsters asleep."
"Good thing, too," said Onyx, "I don't want to have a bunch of monsters show up in here, where we can't use magic to defend ourselves."
"Oh, great thought, Little Miss Sunshine," said Ruby.
"Hey, it could happen," protested Onyx.
"I want to get out of here," said Topaz, "I don't like this at all."
"Yes," agreed Amethyst, "Now that we know, we can go."
They headed back out the passage, but Sapphire went over to the wall and examined the strata. Sandstone stood by the opening, waiting for her.
"What you doing, Sapphire-friend?" he asked.
"Getting a sample to study when I get home," she answered. She rummaged in her backpack and pulled out a small box. It was made of an inert material that magic had a very hard time affecting. It would hold the black amber without allowing it to affect anything.
She filled it with pieces she found on the floor and the bead from the altar under Sandy's watchful eye, then put it away and followed him back out.
The two friends found the others at the entrance, where outside the storm continued to rage. It was nearly noon, and the hurricane would be there by four.
"What are we waiting for?" asked Topaz.
Ruby shook her head. "I don't like it here, but I really don't want to go out there. At least in here we're dry and safe from the storm."
"Let's make another weather shield so we can get out," suggested Topaz.
"With all that black amber just behind us? Don't think so," said Ruby, "We're stuck for the moment, so let's eat lunch and make the best of it."
bffl bffl bffl
As they sat and waited, the storm outside grew and grew. The winds howled and rain lashed. The very rock around them trembled with the force of the hurricane.
Suddenly, without warning, it stopped. The late afternoon sun came out, the sky cleared up, and birds began a hesitant chirping.
Topaz ran out into the open. "HOORAY! It's over!" she shouted.
"Yes! And we lived to tell the tale!" said Onyx, joining her.
"Guys, I'm afraid it isn't over," said Sapphire, coming over to them.
"WHAT? How? The rain's stopped, and the sun's out!" protested Amethyst.
"Because the island is now in the center of the hurricane. It's called the eye of the storm. There is a whole other half of the storm coming," was the reply.
"Oh, great!" said Ruby shaking her head.
"I suggest we close up the passage and get out of here. We have maybe a half-hour to forty-five minutes of good weather ahead," said the blue-haired girl.
Using the Magic of the Five they closed the entrance, and it looked just like it always had, no sign of anything else there. They went over to where their other handiwork was and found the ogres turned to stone were gone.
"Guess it wore off," said Onyx.
"Odd," said Sapphire, "I would have thought it would have lasted much longer. A day or two, at least."
"Why?" asked Topaz.
"So the local police could take them into custody, and learn more about the OctOgre Vengeance," said Sapphire.
"Let's go, before it gets any later," said Ruby, and turned toward the steps. Without a look back, the others followed.
At the top they found the backpack the ogres had left was gone as well.
"So we're left without any evidence they were here," said Sapphire.
"Oh, well, we stopped them, and the local government has been warned. That's about all we can do now," said Ruby.
"I guess," conceded Sapphire.
Having to move carefully through the debris, they went back to where the paved road crossed the path.
"We need to go left here, to get back to the house," said Ruby, "Sandy, are you going to join us?"
"Thank you, Ruby-friend," said the ogre, "Yes, I will gladly go with you. My home here is on high ground, and I am not worried about it."
"But what about the beach?" protested Amethyst, "Shouldn't we see if they are still here?"
"Do you really want to be out in it when the storm hits again?" asked Onyx.
Ame's shoulders slumped. "I guess not."
"But we can take a look and see from here," said Ruby, pulling out a bead. "Are the ogres gone from Trollhiti's beach, we'd like to know now, we beseech!"
The puff of magic formed a mirror like panel which showed the beach as seen from where they had arrived earlier that morning. The mast across the way in the atoll was gone.
"They're gone. Good luck in that storm," said Ruby. She turned to Amethyst. "Satisfied?"
The other smiled. "Yep. And it's a load off my mind."
"Let's go, then," Ruby said, and led the way along.
Some twenty minutes later they arrived and passed through the weather barrier. It had done its job, and the house and grounds were untouched except by light rain. They all breathed an unconsious sigh of relief. During the walk they were oppressed by a feeling that something was going to happen.
As they approached the front door, Topaz said, "Look at that!" and pointed toward the horizon.
Across the entire expanse of water from horizon to horizon was a dark blue-green band that rose up to meet the sky. A few clouds scuttled ahead of it.
"That's the other side of the storm coming," said Sapphire, "Let's get inside."
Without the distraction of terrorist ogres, they sat on the porch and watched as Nature unleashed the full power of what she was capable of.
"Oh, Saph, why didn't you want us to tell that guy who we were?" asked Ruby, taking a drink of Trolla-Cola.
The blue haired girl swallowed her chip before answering. "It isn't anything he needed to know. He'll probably find out eventually, but why make it easy for him?"
"Good thinking," said Onyx, "Keep an enemy in the dark as much as possible."
There was general agreement with that, and their attention returned to the weather.
Outside the barrier the wind blew away trees and rain fell heavily, actually changing the landscape a bit. But what caught their attention the most was the lightning. It flashed so heavily and frequently the rain and sky was lit up into a brilliant emerald green that was the most beautiful color they had ever seen in their lives.
It was generally agreed that they were glad to have seen it, but never wanted to again.