Amulet of Souls (The Sentinels of Wizgrad Book 1)
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Authors: Pegs Hampton
The Sentinels of Wizgrad
Book 1
Amulet of Souls
By Pegs Hampton
www.pegshampton.uk
All Rights Reserved.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner what so ever without written consent from the author.
Ayanda was an elderly man now. His brittle bones had become weak and his face drooped with age, with wrinkles set deep into his dark coloured face.
Ayanda was the leader of an expedition, who had taken a small group of his tribe far from home. Ayanda and his people had travelled from the continent Unas.
Unas was one of six continents in Wizgrad. Those from other continents rarely strayed from their own land.
It took almost a month to arrive on the continent Aceon, but the green pastures and forests provided a home from home. Upon their arrival to this unknown land, they encountered a stranger.
Two years had passed since they met the stranger who had become settled amongst the members of the Lotadilo Tribe.
Ayanda had come to know this stranger well and decided it was time for her to be welcomed officially into the Tribe. It had not taken long for the stranger to make her way into the hearts of the tribe and very quickly became like family.
Ayanda instructed his son Siza to gather the ingredients required to welcome the stranger into the Tribe. He needed special red paint acquired from a rare flower.
Siza had prepared to journey further into the wood and find the rare flower when the stranger approached him. Siza had romantic feelings towards her and blushed whenever she smiled at him.
The stranger had soft, deep purple skin with gleaming yellow eyes like the sun was trapped within them. She had long, straight black hair that fell to her collarbone. Her ears were short and pointed at the end, with an oval shaped face and supple complexion.
"I'd like to go with you," The woman asked.
Siza went red in the face but agreed for her to accompany him. The two of them ventured into the forest in search of the rare flower. The flower bloomed only one month a year and was typically found in dark, warm and humid caverns.
The woman, who was born in the lands of Aceon, knew of some small caverns north of the river. The journey was short, or so the woman thought. They soon arrived at the foot of the mountains with numerous caverns of various sizes dotted nearby.
The woman spotted the plant in several minutes. Siza walked over to inspect it and it was almost what he required. The plant had large, bright red leaves and in the centre were three flowers.
"You see those three flowers,” Siza pointed. The woman just smiled and nodded. "The plant we need will have one of each colour. Blue, Red and Yellow" Siza added with a cheeky grin, happy to see the look of slight frustration on her face.
It took them most of the day to finally find the right plant, which Siza was pleased to have found. The two headed back to the small encampment where the Tribe had settled since their arrival.
They arrived back at the encampment, welcomed by the delicious smell of a large boar that had been roasted on the fire which was the feast for that night.
Siza’s mind was now full of both pride and worry. Once the Tribe had officially initiated the yellow-eyed woman, he could finally ask her to accompany him to live as his spouse. The Tribe had a deep-rooted tradition of no relationships with anyone outside of the Tribe.
Ayanda retreated into the privacy of his hut. He had to grind the red leaves of the plant into a thick paste and add a petal of each flower with a tiny amount of water. He carefully took a small quantity of the paste and placed it into a small container. He mixed the rest with more water to make a drinkable liquid.
He carefully prepared the Tribe’s most sacred cup, handed down to him from his ancestors. He poured the liquid slowly; when a scream from outside startled him, which caused his shaky hands to drop the cup and it shattered in two.
Enraged Ayanda stormed outside his hut, ready to unleash his rage upon the first person seen to be up to no good. What he gazed upon next sunk fear and sorrow deep into his heart.
From the forest, a group of men had started to ravage the Tribe’s encampment. A woman came out of her tent to see what the screams were and a man impaled a sword directly through her chest. Her body fell to the ground with the look of fear still struck upon her face.
Screams and panic engulfed the encampment. The Tribe’s most loyal warriors ran from all directions toward Ayanda to defend him. Ayanda saw Siza in the distance, with the yellow-eyed woman.
Out of the darkness, more men arrived and killed those around Ayanda with ease. One of the men thrust a dagger into Ayanda’s stomach and left him to bleed out. He laid on the floor helpless as he watched the men tease his son with their swords. The men’s laughter echoed through the camp and Siza defended the yellow-eyed woman with all his might.
Siza launched his small sword into the cheek of one of the men and it drew blood. The man retaliated in kind and effortlessly took off his arm before he was decapitated.
Ayanda's vision had gone dark. He would die soon, helpless and alone. Ayanda could barely believe his eyes when a large wolf leapt over the men and positioned itself in front of the yellow-eyed woman. It growled and barked at the men who backed away slightly. They were still surrounded by at least twenty men.
One of the men, who held a large club, whacked the wolf on the head and knocked it out which left just the yellow-eyed woman. One man tried to grab her arm and she dug her nails deep into his skin. He released his grip on her arm and blood dripped from his wound.
Ayanda caught a glimpse of a soldier in bright silver armour who ran across camp and intercepted the blow from a sword which would have ended the yellow-eyed woman's life.
A sparkle of silver armour flashed in front of him and a soldier knelt in front of him. The soldier spoke, but Ayanda did not understand what he said. He recognised the soldier’s armour, these were good people and they would protect the woman with their lives.
"May the spirits of the Lotadilo guide and protect your way, Iris"
Ayanda prayed for the yellow-eyed woman. Darkness came over him and then he was gone.
It was the last day before Iris was to finish her Joining at the Legion. Iris was still not very eager to join, but after her near death experience where the Legion saved her life, she took their invitation. She also thought it would provide the perfect opportunity to search their library for records about her birth parents.
Each member had to go through many mental and physical trials before they were eligible for the Joining. The Joining was a ritual that would make them a fully-fledged member of the Legion. Iris and the other recruits were now in the last briefing before they started the Ritual.
"Any questions?" Morton asked. Morton was an Officer of the Legion, who wore a full set of silver armour from head to toe. His chest piece had a symbol of a shield with a black python just like the other Officers.
"Me Sir," said a shy recruit from the back of the room.
"What is it this time?" Morton snapped. He was fed up with the questions.
"Just what do we do in the Joining?" replied the recruit.
Morton looked straight at the recruit: "It's a ritual that has been used since the dawn of the Legion. Not everyone survives the..."
Suddenly the door slammed open with excessive force and the whole room shook.
"MORTON!" shouted a deep booming voice.
"Yes?" Morton replied angered from the shock.
"The King requires your immediate attention," said the same booming voice in a firm tone.
A huge figure appeared from around the door. A pair of deep-set red eyes stared at the recruits as the mysterious figure entered. His skin was a shade of dark green, with two large tusks coming from his jaw. Iris felt pure intimidation from just one look at him.
"Return to your dormitories," Morton said assertively. He stood up hastily and followed the enormous figure out of the door. Everyone inside did as instructed and returned to their rooms. However, Iris and Zelkith remained.
"Did you see that Ogre's eyes?" said one of the recruits nervously as they strolled out.
Iris looked at Zelkith with concern who must have thought the same thing as Iris by the expression on his face. Zelkith was Iris's remnant, a creature bound to her soul. There were many different types of creatures as remnants, but typically smaller animals. Zelkith was a very rare great wolf, much larger than normal wolves.
Iris and Zelkith stayed in the main hall for a while, they stared up at the intricate mosaics on the ceiling.
"We should be safe here... Right?" Iris questioned.
They had no desire to go back to their dormitory and they were not allowed to go anywhere else. Iris pondered at the meanings of the mosaics, it was like a story was written, but in cryptic images.
"Beautiful aren't they?" said a gentle voice. Iris looked at a pale Elf stood at the doorway. He was quite short for an Elf and had a soft complexion.
"It’s said that Biren himself made those not long before his death. Our scholars have spent many years studying these mosaics and trying to understand their meaning," the Elf stated in his gentle voice, more to himself than Iris.
"It's Iris, isn't it?" the Elf asked politely.
"Yes," Iris replied.
"So this must be Zelkith then? Great wolves have always fascinated me, the only wolves that now strive in solitary. It amazes me how you managed to have one as a remnant".
"Who are you?" Iris said abruptly.
"Oh, I do apologise. I am Mireylon, the Commander of the Legion. I heard about your courage in battle. I am deeply sorry for your loss."
Iris failed to respond and instead, she looked down to the floor, the sadness still raw in her heart as she tried to keep her emotions contained.
"Anyway, that is not why I am here" Mireylon quickly changed the subject "as the Commander I deal with the Joining."
"We can't join can we?" Iris pretended to be disappointed.
"Oh, it's not that. We have decided to start your Joining now, before the other recruits".
Mireylon chuckled at the obvious look of concern on Iris's face. "Don't worry…we require a different procedure for remnants. You're Joining will just be somewhat…Unorthodox".
"Why, what's going to happen?"
"I will explain more when we get to the ritual room," He said. Mireylon led them out of the large hall towards the massive steel door that they were forbidden to open. Iris was intrigued as to how they would access a door with no handles or way to open it from the outside.
Mireylon tapped a small wooden wand he grasped in his hand on a small crystal in the centre of the door. The door started to open which revealed a long grand hallway.
Everywhere within the stronghold looked expensive in some way. The floor was layered in a purple woven rug that stretched from corner to corner. The walls were white marble and polished so much it was like a mirror. Every several feet there was a small mahogany block that protruded from the wall with a diamond sat on top. The diamonds glowed brightly and lit the way in an uneven glow.
They had barely stepped into the hall when Mireylon turned and opened another door in the same way as before.
The door opened and a cold wind gushed out which had a strange earthy smell to it. Mireylon took Iris down an uneven stone spiral staircase. The only light there had been was the torch in Mireylon's hand.
The further down they ventured, the colder it became, with more and more strange smells. They eventually reached the bottom to see a large wooden door.
In front of the door stood the same Ogre that had asked for Morton earlier. As soon as he saw Iris he lifted a massive wooden plank, which locked the door in place.
"Morton is inside preparing, he should be done now," the Ogre said, who then pushed open the doors.
Mireylon, Iris and Zelkith stepped into a small cavern. The smell of burning wood, herbs and earth were strong in the cold, damp air. The door closed behind them with a thud and they heard that the wooden plank had been put back into place on the outside. The room was extremely dark and illuminated only by a single candle. In the centre of the room stood a giant stone statue of a Python, identical to the one on the front of the Officer's armour.
Morton appeared from behind the Python. "The Legions final Joining will be similar to how your remnant ritual was carried out, magically speaking," he said.
"Remnant ritual?" Iris asked confused. She had no idea what they referred too.
"The Ritual, the one that joined you and Zelkith together," Mireylon said.
"I cannot remember any ritual… Zelkith has been with me since I was a baby" Iris explained.
Both Mireylon and Morton looked at Iris with surprise. Zelkith, who must have somehow understood, nodded his head.
"During a Remnant Ritual, the souls of an animal and person are bound together by using spells and special liquids to enhance the ritual. It is those liquids that are the most vital part to the joining they perform at the Legion. To bind an animal as big as Zelkith must have been a massive challenge" Mireylon clarified.
"The Legions ritual uses that same liquid, but in a different way," Morton explained.
Morton picked up a bowl with a putrid smelling liquid within it. He placed it to the python statue's mouth and poured. He then picked up a small cube which was wrapped in a cloth.
"I think it's time…" Morton muttered to himself. He turned around and put the small cube into the python's mouth.
"MORTON…WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Mireylon exclaimed.
"You must hurry, the liquid will not hold for long. As soon as the door is locked, pour the candle wax inside the statue's mouth" Morton told Iris. He hurried Mireylon out of the room.
"MORTON?" Iris shouted. "What did you mean earlier, that not everyone survives?" Iris asked concerned.
"Oh, some people get eaten alive".
The door slammed closed before Iris could respond. Iris let out a sigh. There was nothing they could do now.
Iris stroked Zelkiths back. "So, are you ready?"
Zelkith peered at Iris with a look of worry in his eyes. Iris picked up the candle and poured the wax into the statue's mouth. The flame of the candle extinguished as she poured and the room was pitch black.
The eyes of the statue began to glow a faint blue which somehow paralysed Iris. She closed her eyes, but the statue seemed to gaze into her mind and read her memories like it was a storybook. Iris even watched elements from the past that she did not remember herself.
"Finally, the time has come. I have been waiting for you" spoke a voice in Iris's mind. The voice sounded familiar in some unknown way. It was calm and gentle and the words were not rushed.
"You have some hard times ahead of you Iris. I must give you a stern warning before I depart. Beware the Leader and anyone he is associated with, they cannot be trusted. You must also find your brother, with his help you will return these lands to how they once were" said the familiar voice.
"Who are you?" Iris thought in her mind. The voice sounded so familiar, but she was unable to picture who it was.
"You will find out soon enough." The voice said in a cheerful manner.
"I have a…brother?" Iris asked.
"Yes, but I cannot tell you where he will be, just look for the orange eyes. I am afraid my time in this place is almost up, a new destiny awaits these lands".
The Python statue started to squirm and twist. It let out an ear-piercing shriek and plunged its fangs into Iris and Zelkith. They felt their bodies instantly go numb and they fell to the floor within seconds.
"Get that door open now!" shouted a voice from outside the door.
"I am glad to finally see my…" the voice said in Iris's head and it fell into silence and Iris passed out into a deep sleep.