The Guardians of the Relic

Ethan regained consciousness. He lifted his head. There was a loud thud downstairs. He didn’t know if it was real or just in his head. He tried slowly to raise himself up off the ground. His leg was twisted at an unnatural angle and he couldn’t move it. He had to help Emily, he thought. She needed him. Blood dripped from the gash on the side of his face. It blurred his vision. As he slowly moved on the floor, he saw a man’s shoes step in front of him. He looked up and saw Sheriff Archibald.

“Who did this to you?” asked the sheriff.

“Sheriff, you need to get out of here,” he said. His throat was dry. The sheriff ignored him and called for an ambulance on his radio. As he spoke to the cop on the other side, he turned around. His mouth dropped when he saw Athena’s bloodied body lying on the floor by the stairs. He almost lost his balance when the tremor hit.

Alastair was thrown with a force against the cage. He felt his bones shatter in his shoulder. The pain radiated through his hands. He shook his head in an effort to clear his vision. He saw Erhan next to him. He was holding Fay’s hands, trying to revive her. Izdel was taking Michael out of the cage to safety. He looked straight ahead and saw Glohone choking Alkron. His hands were burning Alkron’s throat as the two men struggled. Eventually Alkron broke the hold and grabbed his staff. Alastair got to his feet but was too late; Alkron chanted a spell and Glohone fell to the ground. Before Izdel could get Michael up the stairs, he stopped them. He grabbed Michael, who was still unconscious, and dragged him down. Alkron looked at Alastair. “Give it up, you old fool,” he said.

“Don’t be a coward. Let him go.” said Alastair.

“Why do you protect these humans? They don’t deserve to live,” said Alkron. He was out of breath and slowly getting weaker, Alastair could see it.

“They are not our enemy Alkron,” he said.

“Is that why their kind murdered my parents?” His eyes were full of rage.

Alastair fell silent. Glohone shifted on the floor next to where they stood. Izdel moved towards them but stopped when Alkron grabbed Michael’s throat. “I will snap his neck,” he said before dropping him to the ground. Alkron held his chest and screamed. Alastair turned to see Fay. She had her hands out towards him and her eyes were black. She was back to full strength. Alkron continued screaming. A dark cloud of dust formed around him. Then there was silence. No one moved. Glohone was on his feet and stared at the cloud. When it cleared, Alkron was gone.

* *

The tunnel led to the back of the castle. It was almost dark now. Emily was out of breath. She stopped for a minute. Her legs were weak. She fell knees first onto the grass. She looked down and opened her hand. Blood oozed from the cuts in her palm. The pendant rested in the center. Small drops of water fell in her palm, mingling with the blood. It was raining. Emily looked up. Lush green trees covered most of the land. She sensed him behind her.

Emily clenched her fist again. She remembered Alastair’s words: You can harness its power but you must believe. It had never been done before by a mortal, but she had no other choice. She shut her eyes tight and concentrated. She chanted the spell that they had taught her. The rain poured and the thunder rolled through the clouds. The pendant burned in her hand. She flinched and unclenched her fist. The pendant glowed. Suddenly she was lifted off the ground and thrown head first against a large rock. Alkron stood over her as she lay slouched on the ground.

“You pathetic human,” he said.

She grasped desperately onto the pendant, forcing herself to get up. She was uneasy on her feet. Everything around her was spinning. She blinked as she tried to focus on the words of the spell. She continued to chant it, but the words were slurred. She felt like her body was shutting down. He was choking her. Although weak, she carried on.

“You are just as persistent as your mother. So now you will die like her.”

His words only fueled her. Emily shut her eyes and screamed with everything she had left. Instantly she felt the energy from the pendant pulse through her body. Alkron stopped and stared at her in shocked disbelief. He hesitated and stepped back. She struck him with the force of a lightning strike. He shrieked. The sound was piercing. He held his face which began to shrivel up.

“No!” he screamed.

His skin melted off his body. The layers peeled off. Emily turned her face, unable to continue watching. The ground shook beneath her. She couldn’t control the power of the pendant any longer; it was too much for her. Alkron struck her with the last bit of energy he had. She didn’t move. The force of the pendant was protecting her, and two lightning beams met in the center. Emily tried to hold on. Her eyes burned from the brightness. Alkron screamed again.

Unable to control it anymore, she finally let go of the pendant. A thick black smoke formed in the air. With her heart still racing she searched for Alkron. The rain continued to beat down. There was silence now. She felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped.

“It’s okay Emily, it’s over now,” said Alastair. Emily was trembling. The small silver pieces of what had been the pendant lay on the ground. She looked at the spot where Alkron had stood. All that remained was his black cloak.

They made their way back inside the castle. Athena’s body was gone. Alastair said Fay had carried her away as she struggled to understand her sister’s death. Emily felt responsible. She had promised her that she would be safe. The place was swarming with cops. Although they didn’t want to leave, Alastair and the others had to go before they were seen. She ran outside to the ambulance where Michael sat. His head was bandaged. She grabbed him and hugged him tightly.

After a minute he said, “Okay...take it easy. They both laughed. His face changed when she pulled away and he had a good look at her. “You’re hurt.”

“It’s nothing, I’m just glad you’re okay.”

He smiled. “Same here, although you have some explaining to do.”

“I know. I will,” she said, but she knew that was a lie. She looked at the sheriff who was heading her way. He had that look on his face, the one she knew too well.

“Sorry to interrupt but can I speak with you?” he asked.

The two of them sat on the stairs. The sheriff brought her a blanket since it was cold and she was soaking wet and in shock. He insisted she see a paramedic.

“I’m fine,” she said. Suddenly she thought of Ethan. “Oh God, Ethan. Is he okay?”

“He’s in the hospital. But he will be okay.”

They both sat in silence for a moment. Emily was nervous. She didn’t know what to say to him or how much he already knew. Finally she said, “How did you know to come here?”

“Jessica Ainsley came to see me. She said you were in trouble.”

Emily swallowed. “Did she say anything else?”

He didn’t make eye contact with her. “She just informed me that you and Ethan Cunningham knew something about the killer. So I tracked his car here.” He sighed. “I have to say I didn’t expect it to be Alexander Graham.”

“Well, I guess we never really knew who he was,” she said and pulled the blanket closer to her neck for warmth.

“I will put out a warrant for his arrest. We will find him. He will not go unpunished.”

Emily thought of how Alkron’s face looked before he died. She looked the sheriff in the eye and said, “Yes I’m sure of it.”

The End

About the Author

Louise Cornelius is a huge fan of the Lord of the Rings and her love for fantasy is what drew her to writing. Before devoting herself to writing full time, Louise served as Tax accountant for ten years.

The author is a very self-disciplined woman from the Shire...just kidding. Louise was born in the, scorching hot, but beautiful coastal city of Durban.

As a child, she spent most of her spare time reading any novel she could get her hands on. Since she grew up “accompanying” Nancy Drew, Bella Swan, Frodo Baggins and Eve Dallas on their many journeys and investigations, writing just felt like a natural fit to her.

Louise began her writing in the year 2015. The aspiring author had plenty of encouragement from her mother and older brother and has since written and published many short stories. Her favorite to date is The Final Act, a murder/mystery story. The idea for The Guardians of the Relic came to her one day while on a break from crunching all those numbers and the rest, as they say, is history.

In her free time Louise loves reading (who would have thought...); listening to informative podcasts; watching movies and visiting the beach, the serenity of which also serves as inspiration.

She has also recently developed a passion for Social Media Marketing which she uses to promote her work. Be sure to check out her blog as she takes readers on the journey of writing a novel.

Grateful for all her blessings and assistance in her life, Louise always tries to help others who need advice, encouragement and motivation to achieve their dreams, as publishing her own novel is a dream come true for her. She is currently working on a new crime novel which she hopes to publish next year.