Obstacles

The key clicked. Everyone still held their breath until one of the soldiers pointed out the obvious. "Nothings happening."

Cid looked at the soldier with a 'duh' expression. "We must be missing something. Maybe we're supposed to say something?" Marina suggested. Balthier shrugged and stared at the key. "Let go of the key" Cid said suddenly.

Marina looked at her hand and realized that it was still holding the key. She let it go and still nothing happened. "Maybe you didn't turn it all the way" Balthier said. Cid took the key and tried turning it farther but it wouldn't budge.

"Let me try" Balthier said. Cid let go of the key and stepped back. He grasped it with both hands, expecting there to be resistance, but there wasn't. The key easily turned another 1/8 of an inch and clicked again. Then the stone wall in front of them began to slide away into the wall. Everyone looked at Balthier but Balthier was too busy staring into the room ahead to notice.

The room was circular and dimly lit with the same unknown magic that had kept the torches lit in the Temple of Naboo. But there were no torches here. Just a dim light.

Cid and Balthier were the first to move forward. Marina was next to closely follow Balthier and the soldiers reluctantly followed Marina.

The walls near the back were lined with rounded book shelves that were stacked with scrolls. They seemed to be organized alphabetically but it was a language that had been lost long ago. In the center of the room, a scroll that looked just as normal as the rest, was suspended five feet above the floor.

Cid turned to his soldiers. He pointed to one and said, "You. Try to grasp that scroll." The soldier swallowed nervously. "B-b-but my lord-" Balthier cut into the soldier's nervous stammering with something that sounded more like a command than a suggestion. "I'll do it."

Marina grabbed his arm. "But Balthier... you don't know what could be protecting that thing." He smiled gently at her. "I'll be fine. I promise." He took her hand gently in his own and detached it from his arm.

Balthier turned towards the scroll and approached it cautiously. He was about ten feet from the scroll when he stopped. "What's wrong?" Cid and Marina asked together. Balthier reached his hand up and touched it against an invisible gel-like wall. Ripples moved out from underneath Balthier's hand and over the whole wall. As the ripples moved across the wall, the party could see that the scroll was protected from all sides.

Marina walked up to stand beside him. Balthier took his hand away and the ripples immediately stopped. Marina raised her hand up and touched the force field. It felt like thick, clear water was sliding out from your palm and under your fingers. "It's amazing" Marina said breathlessly. "I know" Balthier agreed as he raised his hand back up and went to touch it again.

Only this time his and Marina's hands went through as if the wall no longer affected them. Not daring to waste the oppurtunity, they walked completely through and stood before the scroll. Everyone stared at it for several long minutes.

Finally, Balthier spoke. "Who do you think should pick it up?"

Marina stared at it, concentrating. She kept hearing faint voices in her head as if the scroll was trying to speak to her. She reached her hand towards it and the voices became louder and merged into one.

"Marina don't!" Balthier went to grab her wrist but it was too late.

Wind burst out of nowhere and circled around Marina if she was the source. With the scroll in one hand, she closed her eyes and spread her arms out wide. She was lifted three feet off the floor as her raven black hair lengthened until it reached the small of her back. It swirled gently around her as if caressing her like a lover. Her clothing changed from that of a pirate to that of a princess. A thin floor-length dress that resembled an extinct Egyptian style billowed gently against her and her pirate boots were replaced with thin sandals. A beautiful golden necklace appeared around her neck.

Suddenly, she turned her head up as if to look at the sky and power that resembled blue electricity moved from the scroll and across her body. It only took a couple of seconds and the scroll disappeared and the wind stopped but she still remained suspended in the air with her arms out wide and her head turned upward.

Balthier stared up at her. She was beautiful and all he could have ever wanted before. But now it seemed as though power rested inside her like a beast and it made her seem beautiful but deadly. "Marina?" he asked cautiously.

Her head tilted down and her eyes snapped open. They were still ice blue but now a dark blue mist swirled around in slow circles inside her eyes. She stared at Balthier as if looking through his soul and then her eyes softened slightly.

"You have come. Just as you promised." Her voice echoed softly off the stone walls. It was raspy and demonic and full of power. And it held you with a power that made you never want to refuse anything it said. "And just as I promised, all of the spells are here. But first...you must remember."