Chapter 5:
A/N: a concubine in case you don't know is the medieval world's version of a hooker. When you read it don't take offence. I just thought it'd be funny to call her one. I'll apologize to her later.
The ghostly figure of the man began to take on a more solid form. He was dressed as a knight with his helmet under his arm. He had icy eyes that held no human warmth or life. The teens could hear the soft click of his metal feet as he walked towards them.
"Congratulations. You are all fine warriors; I am honored to meet you." The ghost's voice was soft and monotone. It was like listening to a machine saying what it was programmed to say.
"Who are you?" asked Tommy looking the other man over in suspicion.
The ghostly man bowed. "You are the green knight, I know your kind well." He replied not answering the question. He turned to Billy and if possible snickered, "I have always seen and believed that the blue scorers would only do battle with magic, you are truly unique young sir." Billy gave the man his most quizzical look as he continued. The man then turned to Kimberly, "The little dancer. Never would I have thought to see the day when a concubine would be chosen for this task. This surely is a new world." Again the man snickered and actually gave Kimberly an appreciative look over.
"Who are you?" Jason said he was getting impatient with this man if that's what he really was.
The knight locked eyes with Jason and gasped. "Oh my lord, I did not know you had taken this quest. Please forgive my rudeness." The man knelt before Jason on one knee. "I am only but your humble servant Lanark, the guardian of this chamber."
Jason and the others were stunned. Had this Lanark character actually called Jason his lord?
"Sire, if I may rise I will continue my duties." Jason nodded vigorously for the man to stand. It was more then awkward to have a knight bow before you and call you his lord. "My apologies your band, had I known you were part of it the attack would never have occurred."
"You mean you were responsible for the mirror images to attack us?" asked Billy slightly stunned.
Lanark nodded, "Yes.I am the protector of the Vault of Knish, I had thought you the enemy and were here to steal the precious prize." Lanark looked slightly ashamed at his actions.
"Tell me Lanark.why were there only clones of a few of us. Why not Tommy and Andrece?" asked Kimberly.
"Andrece.?" Lanark asked. "Yes.the little redhead that your 'lord' Jason is holding?"
Lanark looked from Kimberly to Jason to the still weakened Andrece and visibly paled if that was possible for a 'ghost'. Taking a deep breath to recover his nerves, Lanark answered Kimberly's question. "The mirrors only duplicate the worst in those that pass them. I suppose your image held nothing that you hadn't already faced." He said to Tommy.
"And Andrece didn't have one because." Kimberly probed.
"That witch didn't have a duplicate because she is without a spirit. Only demons from the depths of the under world don't hold a life force with in themselves. Cast her away before she taints you all."
"Hang on Lanark! Andrece is no demon from the under world. A witch named Katanga stole her soul and sent us on a quest to retrieve it." Jason said forcefully. He stepped closer and whispered only for Lanark to hear, "and I shall never cast her aside."
Lanark nodded and stepped back. There was a moment of tense silence with in the group. It was broken by Tommy. "Lanark you said you were the protector of the Vault of Knish, what is it that you guard?"
"I guard the treasures of the queen. I was instructed until the lord or herself return to halt anyone from gaining access to it."
Tommy turned to his friends, "Guys I have a gut feeling that inside this vault we'll find Andrece's soul. I doubt that Katanga was counting on Jase here being the 'lord' of this place." Tommy turned back to Lanark after receiving nods of agreement from the others. "Will you grant us entry?"
Lanark looked at each of them, last of all Andrece and seemed to ponder all possible out comes of his actions. "I was instructed to allow no one but the lord to enter, but you are with him and on a quest of great honor for Katanga is a highly powerful witch with strong ties to the under world.but if I allow a soulless one inside I could be forever cursed."
"Why would you be cursed for letting in Andrece?" asked Kimberly.
"The treasure within the vault is power, great powers of good; created by our kingdom's first wizard of blue. If any evil were to touch it even for an instant it would be destroyed and the world as I know it would cease to be. And the protector, me, would led an afterlife of the worst sort for the dishonorable act." The teens stood for a moment taking in the information. Lanark broke the silence, "Perhaps I could guide you to the vault but I shant go any further then the door to its chamber. You must be warned I was only one line of the queen's defense system. There are tales of a monster who holds the entrance to the vault stalking the chamber before it. None but the queen could pass it."
"We will heed your warning but our time is limited so if you wouldn't mind let us head off for this vault. We will face the monster when we have to." Billy said.
Lanark smiled at the shorter man, "I had always heard that the blue ones were verbose, you are both a unique warrior and a classic sorcerer what a grand combination." Giving a short husky chuckle Lanark turned on his heels and led the group out of the chamber of mirrors and into another dark hall way.
Kimberly walked quickly to catch up to Billy, "What's a concubine?" she asked. Billy only chuckled and then whispered the answer in her ear. She seemed to peak near the point of screaming at Lanark when Tommy looked at her. She shrugged and told Billy, "At least I know to whom I belong. To my Green knight and only him." Together she and Billy shared a chuckle.
"No! No! No!" screamed the silver haired witch form her watching chamber. "This can't be happening. Those children can not be of the lost warriors. This simply can't be!" Katanga threw a clay pot containing orange powder across the room where it smashed itself to pieces against the wall.
"Some thing wrong?" asked a silky smooth voice that was laced with poison. "What little detail did you forget yet again to look at?"
Katanga turned and glared at the intruder. "Nothing that can't be fixed."
"We shall see witch, we shall see soon enough. Maybe after your failure reaches the high court will I receive my chance to show everyone how things are really done."
Katanga picked up another small pot this one filled with a red powder and threw it at the gloated being. "I shant fail!" she screamed as her mocker left her chamber laughing as the wind. "I shant fail again. Not after all my work. All I have to do is slightly alter the course of events. Perhaps modernize the creature of the vault." A sinister smile graced the thin lips of the witch as she began to enact her attack.
To be continued.
R/R please
A/N: a concubine in case you don't know is the medieval world's version of a hooker. When you read it don't take offence. I just thought it'd be funny to call her one. I'll apologize to her later.
The ghostly figure of the man began to take on a more solid form. He was dressed as a knight with his helmet under his arm. He had icy eyes that held no human warmth or life. The teens could hear the soft click of his metal feet as he walked towards them.
"Congratulations. You are all fine warriors; I am honored to meet you." The ghost's voice was soft and monotone. It was like listening to a machine saying what it was programmed to say.
"Who are you?" asked Tommy looking the other man over in suspicion.
The ghostly man bowed. "You are the green knight, I know your kind well." He replied not answering the question. He turned to Billy and if possible snickered, "I have always seen and believed that the blue scorers would only do battle with magic, you are truly unique young sir." Billy gave the man his most quizzical look as he continued. The man then turned to Kimberly, "The little dancer. Never would I have thought to see the day when a concubine would be chosen for this task. This surely is a new world." Again the man snickered and actually gave Kimberly an appreciative look over.
"Who are you?" Jason said he was getting impatient with this man if that's what he really was.
The knight locked eyes with Jason and gasped. "Oh my lord, I did not know you had taken this quest. Please forgive my rudeness." The man knelt before Jason on one knee. "I am only but your humble servant Lanark, the guardian of this chamber."
Jason and the others were stunned. Had this Lanark character actually called Jason his lord?
"Sire, if I may rise I will continue my duties." Jason nodded vigorously for the man to stand. It was more then awkward to have a knight bow before you and call you his lord. "My apologies your band, had I known you were part of it the attack would never have occurred."
"You mean you were responsible for the mirror images to attack us?" asked Billy slightly stunned.
Lanark nodded, "Yes.I am the protector of the Vault of Knish, I had thought you the enemy and were here to steal the precious prize." Lanark looked slightly ashamed at his actions.
"Tell me Lanark.why were there only clones of a few of us. Why not Tommy and Andrece?" asked Kimberly.
"Andrece.?" Lanark asked. "Yes.the little redhead that your 'lord' Jason is holding?"
Lanark looked from Kimberly to Jason to the still weakened Andrece and visibly paled if that was possible for a 'ghost'. Taking a deep breath to recover his nerves, Lanark answered Kimberly's question. "The mirrors only duplicate the worst in those that pass them. I suppose your image held nothing that you hadn't already faced." He said to Tommy.
"And Andrece didn't have one because." Kimberly probed.
"That witch didn't have a duplicate because she is without a spirit. Only demons from the depths of the under world don't hold a life force with in themselves. Cast her away before she taints you all."
"Hang on Lanark! Andrece is no demon from the under world. A witch named Katanga stole her soul and sent us on a quest to retrieve it." Jason said forcefully. He stepped closer and whispered only for Lanark to hear, "and I shall never cast her aside."
Lanark nodded and stepped back. There was a moment of tense silence with in the group. It was broken by Tommy. "Lanark you said you were the protector of the Vault of Knish, what is it that you guard?"
"I guard the treasures of the queen. I was instructed until the lord or herself return to halt anyone from gaining access to it."
Tommy turned to his friends, "Guys I have a gut feeling that inside this vault we'll find Andrece's soul. I doubt that Katanga was counting on Jase here being the 'lord' of this place." Tommy turned back to Lanark after receiving nods of agreement from the others. "Will you grant us entry?"
Lanark looked at each of them, last of all Andrece and seemed to ponder all possible out comes of his actions. "I was instructed to allow no one but the lord to enter, but you are with him and on a quest of great honor for Katanga is a highly powerful witch with strong ties to the under world.but if I allow a soulless one inside I could be forever cursed."
"Why would you be cursed for letting in Andrece?" asked Kimberly.
"The treasure within the vault is power, great powers of good; created by our kingdom's first wizard of blue. If any evil were to touch it even for an instant it would be destroyed and the world as I know it would cease to be. And the protector, me, would led an afterlife of the worst sort for the dishonorable act." The teens stood for a moment taking in the information. Lanark broke the silence, "Perhaps I could guide you to the vault but I shant go any further then the door to its chamber. You must be warned I was only one line of the queen's defense system. There are tales of a monster who holds the entrance to the vault stalking the chamber before it. None but the queen could pass it."
"We will heed your warning but our time is limited so if you wouldn't mind let us head off for this vault. We will face the monster when we have to." Billy said.
Lanark smiled at the shorter man, "I had always heard that the blue ones were verbose, you are both a unique warrior and a classic sorcerer what a grand combination." Giving a short husky chuckle Lanark turned on his heels and led the group out of the chamber of mirrors and into another dark hall way.
Kimberly walked quickly to catch up to Billy, "What's a concubine?" she asked. Billy only chuckled and then whispered the answer in her ear. She seemed to peak near the point of screaming at Lanark when Tommy looked at her. She shrugged and told Billy, "At least I know to whom I belong. To my Green knight and only him." Together she and Billy shared a chuckle.
"No! No! No!" screamed the silver haired witch form her watching chamber. "This can't be happening. Those children can not be of the lost warriors. This simply can't be!" Katanga threw a clay pot containing orange powder across the room where it smashed itself to pieces against the wall.
"Some thing wrong?" asked a silky smooth voice that was laced with poison. "What little detail did you forget yet again to look at?"
Katanga turned and glared at the intruder. "Nothing that can't be fixed."
"We shall see witch, we shall see soon enough. Maybe after your failure reaches the high court will I receive my chance to show everyone how things are really done."
Katanga picked up another small pot this one filled with a red powder and threw it at the gloated being. "I shant fail!" she screamed as her mocker left her chamber laughing as the wind. "I shant fail again. Not after all my work. All I have to do is slightly alter the course of events. Perhaps modernize the creature of the vault." A sinister smile graced the thin lips of the witch as she began to enact her attack.
To be continued.
R/R please