Chapter 3

She tiptoed along the ledge, cautious not to slip and plunge to a watery grave. The castle was well situated, atop a knoll that was surrounded by the seas during high tides. It wasn't easy getting to where she was. The lions and guards were simple enough to evade, but the crocodiles and eagles were something else. She knew the lord of the castle had a way with animals, but nothing prepared her for the menagerie that she had encountered, and dealt with swiftly, silently.

At last, she found the room she had been looking for. The highest point of the castle, overlooking all around the land. You could see your enemies approaching from half a day's march away. Ample time to prepare. If you knew what your enemy looked like.

The Artifact was nestled where the Old Man said it would be. It almost seemed all too easy. She thanked the gods for watching over her on this simple yet dangerous quest. She was the only one qualified enough to take up this venture. The Order knew this painfully, as others sent before her had not returned.

She knew the import of this quest, and to not take it lightly. It could well tip the balance of the war to their side. The glory will be overwhelming. She might be promoted, to stand along with the Gifted One. Ah, the Gifted One. How she had missed him. How she longed for his gaze to set upon her once more. She knew as she set off on this quest that so too was the Old Man, in search of the Gifted One. When he returns, if he returns, and with this Artifact in his hands, the war would be as good as over. Finally, after the decades of strife, peace could once more grace the kingdom.

She heard the shard slicing through the air. "Too late," she thought to herself. She had let her wishful thinking delude her of her situation. She was in the direst peril. After all, she was in the enemy's lair.

She felt her skin tear, and fibres in her shoulder splitting as the shard made its way through her conditioned body. The pain shot to her spine like lightning. She stifled the scream that almost escaped from her lips. She spun and tumbled to the wooden floor. Blood erupted in front of her as the shard peeked its head back out into the air. The thick crimson liquid dripping from its tip. She heard the laughter and the rejoicing approach with an orange flame as the door swung open. Another character appeared from the corner, hidden the anubian shadows.

"They sent a wretch! The guile of those fools. To think that a mere bitch could steal the prize from us. I will enjoy making you suffer the err of your Order's foolishness."

She tried to appear strong, but the fear overtook her once she saw their scaly bodies bathed in the orange glow. Their once human eyes sparkled as the flame danced in its position. And slowly, the flame made everything blur into oblivion as she passed out.