Chapter 15
The Enchantress
The breeze that swept across the valley gave it a refreshing sense of mental fitness that suited the two men. The prince noted the bright shining sun from above them which gave them warmth and light and to places man could only dream of. It took them a while for them to their sights off from the temple to realize that they were standing on the edge of a very steep cliff.
Taking up a rock, the prince let it fall towards the ground beneath him. There was no sound of the rock falling into the ground.
"A fall of no return," whispered Jamal. He shook his head in dismay and decided to rest his aching legs by sitting on a large boulder at one side of the large door. The prince gazed far out towards the temple while a sudden feeling of hope entered him.
Just a little more and we'll make it. He turned to Jamal who was busy examining his arm. A large cut was still on it.
"Are you well enough to move?" he asked, slowly pacing the ground, not lifting his eyes from Jamal's wound. Jamal shrugged and moved his shoulders slowly then his legs and lastly his arms.
"I think I should be of use when the time is right. For now, I think we should rest. My body hurts still." He grinned at the prince. "But tell me one thing first."
The prince moved towards Jamal's s right sat upon a boulder not too different in size and proportion than Jamal's. He drew in his breath and exhaled.
"What now? You want to know why the earth's is flat?" asked the prince, joking slightly. Jamal laughed and shook his head.
"No, not on that particular piece of information. I've already learnt about that a long time ago. I just wondered…" he paused which left a gap of silence between them.
"What is it?" asked the prince finally, breaking the silence. The sun's warmth was soon beginning to leave as dusk arrived. It gaze Jamal a hollowed kind of look as the shadows covered his face.
"How in the world do you think Zarul managed to find this place?" said Jamal, his face stern.
The very words that escaped Jamal's lips struck the prince like a fiery arrow flying through the air at breakneck speed.
Yes, how did he find the temple? He thought, scratching his unshaved chin. He turned to Jamal. A sudden cooling breeze slapped against their skin which made them shiver.
"You don't think that…"
"Yes I do," said Jamal, folding his arms, nostrils flaring. "And I might just be right as well." He threw his spit on the ground and returned his gaze with a serious look on his face. "Zarul might be somewhere inside the temple, doing who knows what with the crest. We don't know what sorts of traps or warriors he has there but it could be fatal to just storm into the temple with a proper plan. And besides, how else could he have created a path leading to this place if he had not found the temple first?"
"You have a good point there," said the prince, getting up from his seating position. "This will cause a problem. And with the Dahaka gnawing on our heels, it doesn't help in our now serious condition."
Jamal nodded in agreement. The prince knew that night was soon to be and so he decided to find some food and refreshments in the lush green forest that lay beneath them. He decided to bring the extra water skins he still had to be refilled.
"Be careful! You never know what could be out there!" shouted Jamal from a gradually far distance. The prince shook his head.
What an interesting fellow your ancestor there, said the dagger suddenly. The prince took it out from his waist belt and marched on into the wilderness.
Yes well, he's quite a lively fellow, replied the prince sarcasticallyThere was a chuckle from the dagger.
Be careful out here prince, danger lies in every corner. And their link was cut-off. The prince tensed himself from action, ready for any wild beast that would stampede at him. Fortunately, none did.
He entered a vine covered path, filled with plants, insects, trees, and flowers. Everything was vividly green and the prince almost thought he could see no other colour than that. An animal in the shape and likeness of a cat whipped passed him in the darkness, surprising him. It jumped from one branch and stopped at one. Turning his oddly shaped head around, the prince saw 3 glittering blue eyes than stared at him. The creature soon departed and the prince was left alone in the forest once more.
What is this place?
Passing a few more rows of pine trees, the prince eventually came upon one tree that bore fruits edible enough for a human. After putting a few strange looking apples and banana's into a sack, he ventured further into the heart of the now lively jungle.
He could hear the songs of the crickets in the air, the birds singing and the sounds of harmony all around him. It made his sense calm and peaceful, free from the stress and burdens from the outer world.
He shook his head to regain his alertness and continued on. And then he heard a rush of water not too far away from his position. A renewed vigour replaced his fatigue and he rushed towards the sound, ignoring the pain burning in his legs. He cut a few vines and branches blocking his way and he felt the sensation inside his body grow.
Its getting closer! I can feel it!
He jumped over a toppled tree and through the curtain of leaves and he was there. He was standing before a stream of crystal clear water. The rays from the moon and the strange glow from his surroundings gave the moving water a sapphire look, illuminating it beautifully.
The prince dropped his sack down next to the bank and walked into the water. It was cold and clear and the prince could see his distorted reflection in the sapphire blue water. It amazed him how nature could create things so amazing such as this. Lowering his hands into the cool and refreshing water, he took up a small amount of it and drank the remaining amounts still left in his hand.
The liquid felt cool as it ran down his dry throat and the prince savoured the taste. Water has been the most valuable gift God could give him right now. Remembering his task, he grabbed the water skins from his waist belt and lowered it into the water. Water slowly entered and when the prince was finished and satisfied and his water skins filled, he walked the bank and grabbed his sack of fruits, ready to return.
As he lifted his sack by his shoulders, a melodious voice entered the air and penetrated his senses, making them keener than ever before. The voice was sweet, harmonic and alluring. The prince could not help it, he turned and headed straight towards it. A burning sensation was left in his heart and all he could do was do what his heart told him to.
What am I doing?
The voice was spellbinding, drawing the prince toward him. He needed to find the person with this enchanting voice, he must. He walked through the stream, half his body covered underwater and then he saw it.
At the end of the river sat a bunch of flat blue coloured rocks. Amongst the rocks were stalactites and other strange looking shapes. Animals of all kinds gather around her, each one of them singing the tune of the song in their own way and tongue. It amazed the prince at how tame these creatures were. But what matter to him more was the person in the middle of the circle of animals; her eyes closed singing the wondrous tune that drew the prince towards her.
Her hair was as blue as the water, flying vibrantly in the windy air. Her skin looked pale to the prince and her lips were blue. Something about her gave her a terrible sense of beauty but she seemed rather dangerous as well. But the prince did not seem to notice for he was caught in her spell, face in a screwed up in a twisted manner. Clothed in a white satin robe, she twirled and danced with the grace of feline as she twisted through the rocks, singing. Her slender body moved around as that of a snake, each of the movements fast and deadly.
The prince felt his body move on its own, legs inattentive to their master. His mind was astray, the sound of the tune making him giddy. His vision began to daze and soon, he could barely keep his balance. But he pressed on, fighting off his sudden tiredness. And then his knees buckled, driving him into the blue-sapphire coloured water. His eyes were still open under the flowing water and the last thing he saw was a pair of gems staring back at him. And then he saw nothing but darkness.
Author's Note: Thank you so much for our review guys! I hope you all like the chapter! I did extra work trying to create a plotline that was WAY different that anything and I know you'll want to have more after this chapter. Heehee, other than that, carry on with fanfiction!!!! So long and Goodnight!