"...You're not serious..." Silver said in complete amazement. Blaze was speechless.
"I am serious" Wolfgang confirmed. "Within this mountain range, the Shrine of the Sol Emeralds exists. I am certain of that fact alone"
"...How?" Blaze asked quietly. Wolfgang turned back towards the mountain range and gazed at it for a prolonged period of time.
"When King Murdoch was in power..." Wolfgang retold. "Some of the elders within the castle decided to go on a pilgrimage. Of course, the world has never been in perfect harmony ever since the beginning of its creation, and there were to be some dangers in their journey. So as a young soldier, about twenty eight years ago, I was asked to join as a guard, to protect the pilgrims. The final leg of the pilgrimage took us here, to the Shrine of the Sol Emeralds, where the pilgrims went inside and prayed for the goddess Sol, who created the Emeralds. I have seen the Emeralds myself, and have entered the shrine to pray also. It was an experience I shall never forget" he explained, sighing rather wistfully afterwards. He then cleared his throat and turned around.
"But only one can enter the shrine at a time. Therefore, the two of you must decide which one of you will go" he added. "Then you shall ascend the steps hewn into the stone of the mountains and we can bring this to an end"
Silver stood up straight away.
"I'll go" he said. But Blaze quickly put a hand on his shoulder.
"No Silver...let me" she said. Silver, a little startled by Blaze's hand, turned around to her in worry.
"But Blaze, what if you..." he asked quickly. But Blaze put her hand up, silencing him. She them smiled warmly.
"...get hurt?" she asked. "Silver...look at you. Your hands are cut...and I'm not taking the responsibility I should right now. Please...let me go" she asked kindly.
"Blaze..." Silver uttered hesitantly. Blaze walked towards Silver and wrapped her arms around his waist, purring quietly to him. He sighed and kissed her cheek softly.
"...Just be careful" he said quietly. Blaze then stood back and raised her hand. A flurry of flames emitted from it.
"Anything that gets too close will be singed" he said confidently, smiling at her hand. "I'll be safe"
"Then go Blaze..." Wolfgang said, looking at her. "Follow your destiny as a princess and obtain the Sol Emeralds!"
Blaze gave Wolfgang and nod, and took one last look at Silver before turning his back to the both. She then began to walk towards the hot mountain range, her figure vanishing in the haze...
As she climbed the stone steps, she looked all around her. She could see ashes falling from pace to place around her, and the sounds of volcanoes bubbling filled the area. But Blaze somehow felt rather comfortable and safe in the mountains, enveloped in the heat. She continued to walk determinedly towards the shrine, climbing the steps further and further into the mountains...until finally, she reached it. A small hole in the middle of the largest mountain in the whole range. She could feel a strange sense of power emanating from within the mouth of the dark cave. Taking a deep breath, and taking one last look at the outside, she took her first step into the Shrine of the Sol Emeralds.
The cave was a small and narrow passageway that seemed to dip slightly as it went further inside. Blaze kept her eyes open for an opening at the end. She saw one in the distance, and the sounds of the bubbling volcano could be heard again. The heat coming from the cave was incredible, Blaze felt as energized as she walked through the tunnel, before coming out into an opening.
She was inside a volcano. Up above was an opening where smoke seemed to form around the edges of the volcano's mouth. There was a small rocky platform leading to a large stone pedestal that stuck out of the magma pool below. The great pedestal was empty, except for the middle, where a small stone tablet stood. Blaze gasped as she saw what was held within the indentations of the tablet: The Sol Emeralds.
The seven gems lay upon the tablet, untouched, unhindered. They glowed with such a brilliant intensity, and there was a huge surge of power coming from them. Blaze could almost feel nothing within her except the same surge of power. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before. Before she knew it, she found herself pacing towards the tablet, with a hand out, held in a deep trance and captured under the powerful spell. She got closer and closer, until she was merely metres away from the tablet, until...
"Halt. You will not go any further"
A short chapter, I know, I shall try to make the next one longer so the overall pattern of the story doesn't change. I like putting suspenseful endings to these stories, especially now that this is beginning to come to a close! Where's a my questions...Who is speaking to Blaze? Will she be able to get the Sol Emeralds? And if Silver had gone, surely he would have been cooked into a nice fine tender goose by now? Get ready for Chapter 21!