I posted this before, but a couple people asked about Beta reading, so I'll post it again because I don't want you to have to go back to the chapter I posted it in, lol: For Beta Readers, pretty much what I need is someone to: catch typos/errors that I missed; tell me if something doesn't seem right, like for example, how easily Val adjusted to the US, etc. and, if you have ideas, what I could change to make that better; that kind of stuff. Pretty much just what you feel you want to do. I guess you could call it flaming for some of the stuff, though as long as it's not said in a mean way, I call it constructive criticism, heehee. I think that's mostly what it is. Let me know if you try to email me, or (if you do this), you could post your email address and I'll email you for more info. Thanks.

I think that's about it. Thanks for the reviews, guys.

A/N: Oh. My. Gosh. I can't believe how late I've been! And more than once in a row now, too! hits self Okay, now for my traditional lame excuses: I've been Beta reading my friend's wonderful novella manuscript (which can be found under the Spy Kids section of this very website and who's title is Checkmate), I've been playing Golden Sun on my GBA a bit too much, and I've just plain been unable to think of what to do next: magikk lessons or the basilisk. So I think I'll do a bit of both and have a really lame, short chapter because I cranked it off in one day. I could just kick myself so hard sometimes. (Well, actually, sometimes I do, but it's usually by accident) I seriously need to do the outlining that I've been reading about in the writing book I've been spending so much time reading lately, too, lol. Maybe then I won't end up so stuck next time. :P

Chapter Twenty-eight: Close Encounters of the Scaly Kind

After several days of scouting and inquiring, we finally found the basilisk cave. By this time, Relakk had taught us some of the basics of magikk. Shean could now make anyone listen to him for a short time when he played music or sang; I could read the outer layers of thoughts when I actually wanted to now instead of hearing random thoughts; and both of us could now call small creatures to us with magikk.

But even these small magikks took an effort right now. Relakk assured us that once we got better control over our magikk, we would be able to do bigger things and it wouldn't take so much effort. I hoped he was right, because whenever I listened to anyone's thoughts, I got a headache for an hour afterwards, and those were just the surface thoughts that you could almost read on a person's face! I couldn't even imagine being able to speak to animals mind to mind like Relakk said I'd be able to in time. Shean and I would both be able to speak to animals that already have the power of mind speech, like unicorns and dragons and that sort of thing since we both have a bit of animal magikk, but Relakk said I'd be able to speak to other, non-magical animals that only Telepages could speak to.

Anyways, I was talking about the basilisk cave. Well, Relakk, Shean, and I had worked out a plan before we got there. Shean would start playing his guitar and keep the basilisk occupied while I went in and found the Stone with Relakk's help. We would leave the animals tied securely a ways away so that there would be no chance for them to get in the basilisk's way and having it turn them into stone.

We crept up to the cave and Shean went to the other side of the cave mouth and hid behind a bush while Relakk and I did the same on the opposite side from him. Shean started singing a soft ballad and strumming his guitar, but loudly enough for the basilisk to hear him. We heard a groan, and then a shadow fell across the opening of the cave.

The basilisk was about seven feet tall and had a gray skin that looked like pebbly leather. It had its long lizard nose up in the air and was standing on its hind legs as if scenting for something. It looked like a huge lizard, but it had powerful hind legs and its forelegs seemed to be just as powerful, though not in the same way. If a lizard can look dreamy, the basilisk did. It waddled over to where Shean was playing and collapsed in front of the bush and folded its forepaws over each other like it was a big dog lying contentedly at its master's feet and its tail swayed with the music.

Relakk and I crept past into the cave and began searching. Relakk began on the wall crevices on the right side while I took the wall on the left and we searched towards the back of the cave.

"Where do you think it would be?" I whispered as loudly as I dared.

"Who knows? It could be in a gilt case, or it could be buried in a treasure pile. It probably depends on how intelligent the creature that is guarding it is. It might be extremely intelligent and have it buried with other treasures to make it hard to find, or it might prize it and keep it in a gilt case as I said. Or it might just have a lesser intelligence, like I suspect the basilisk has, and then I don't know whether to say the creature prizes it as a fighting trophy or if it is simply one of its many treasures that is has collected over the years."

During Relakk's long speech, we had made our way halfway through the cave walls and not come upon anything.

"Then how do we know what we're looking for?"

"Well, just look for something that looks suspicious, or look for a treasure pile or something. I don't know," he added irritably.

"Grr, I wish I had a flashlight, or even a penlight," I muttered.

We had finally worked our way to the back of the cave when I heard Relakk give an exasperated grunt, there was a whizzing sound, and then a soft glow illuminated the cave. I stared at him.

"How'd you do that?"

I could see his face now, and it had twisted into a scowl. "Do you forget that I am a weather mage?"

"But I thought you could only use wind and water…"

"I can, but I had another mage who has the power of light give me a limited spell in my Tool so that I can call the wind to bring light to me. In this case, the light is being held in my ball." He held up the hand that contained the light and through the glare, I could just make out the outline of a ball.

"Now, may we continue?"

I nodded. With the light, we finally found a medium sized treasure pile. We had to sift through it for a good fifteen minutes before we finally came upon what appeared to be a Stone.

"Val, listen to me. We need to be able to verify that this is an actual Stone and not an imitation. Take my hands and try to read the Stone like you read minds. I will thread the procedure for probing the Stone into you so that you can do it."

I nodded, not sure how this would work, but trusting him. I closed my eyes and I felt Relakk take my hands in his. I started to probe the Stone and felt myself thrown backwards out of the near-consciousness I could feel in the Stone.

I sat up from where I'd fallen backwards from the force of the mental shove.

"Val, are you all right?" I nodded. "Well, I would have to say that that verifies that it's the Stone," he laughed. I nodded again and smiled weakly.

"But that seemed almost too easy. I mean, all we had to do was go and find the basilisk's treasure pile and root through it. Isn't it supposed to be harder than that?"

Relakk shrugged. "Some Stones will probably be easier to find than others. Come on, let's go."

We stood up and I grabbed the Stone and wrapped it in a cloth. I put it in the bag I had brought and Relakk extinguished the light. We hurried back towards the front of the cave when a shadow filled the entrance and I realized that I didn't hear any guitar music.

I knew it seemed too easy, I thought.

The basilisk lumbered in and thumped down onto four legs.

What are you doing here?

"You know what we're doing here," I hissed at Relakk. Then I realized the words had been in my mind, and Relakk didn't have mind powers.

"W-who was that?"

It was I, of course. Now please answer my question.

"W-we're just leaving."

I know that. I ask you again, what were you doing in my cave.

"We were just looking for something."

One of my treasures?

I gulped. "What do I say?" I hissed in Relakk's ear.

"Say about what?"

I forgot that he couldn't hear her. "She wants to know if what we're doing here." "Tell her the truth," he advised.

"Yes, we were looking for one of your treasures." I winced and readied myself to get whacked into the cave wall by an angry basilisk. I heard a sound like a cat's purr.

Is that all? Why did you not ask me first? Why did you send that boy out there to lull me to sleep?

I gasped. Shean! "What have you done to Shean?" I cried, panicking.

I have done nothing to him. He stopped playing for a moment, and I came back to myself and when I looked at him, he ran behind a boulder. He's probably still there.

I could have sworn I heard the basilisk chuckle at the thought.

"What are you going to do to us?"

Do to you? Why, nothing, of course.

It took me a moment to register this. "Wait, what about all those other knights who you turned to stone?"

They charged me with guarding a Stone, which I suspect you took, until someone could come and get it without my knowledge. This you have done, up until the boy stopped playing, so I grant you the Stone. The other men who came before woke me and I was startled and stoned them. I moved them to another cave, though, because they were starting to clutter up my living space.

I stared. This was not what I had expected at all, and I suspected Relakk hadn't either, judging from his remark earlier about suspecting the basilisk to be one of the less intelligent Guardians.

"Then we can have it?"

Take it, and with my blessing. I've had more than enough Questing knights to last me two more lifetimes.

We made a dash for it as she moved aside, just in case she changed her mind. We did indeed find Shean hiding behind a boulder, as she had said he was. We quickly made our way back to the horses and Keegan and rode away.

A/N: Okay, I have the blog up, but I'm still looking for a magic-type background for the website so I can make a theme, so that might not be up for a while. :P Once again, I'm really sorry, I'm so late; I'll try to get back on track and write more. I just have to decide if I'm going to chronicle every single Stone's recovery, or if I'll just recap some of them to keep this short. Any suggestions, opinions, comments, etc.? Thanks for being such good readers. I love you guys!

Also, quick note: my blog address is http / solowriting . blogspot . com / (without the spaces). If anyone wants to leave comments there, too, that's totally cool.