Chronicles of Moonlight

 

Rating: PG
Genre: Adventure
Setting: all over the place!
Main Characters: Eiko, Elco, Geno, Jet.

 

A Moonlight Gift

 

It’s amazing how quickly time seems to go when you are inside an ancient ruin imbued with ancient magic. Traps affronted us around every corner. At first they were simple traps, and easily avoid, like an axe swinging from the ceiling down the middle of the passage. I had found myself thinking at the time how stupid that was. The three of us were not daring enough to walk down the centre of the tunnel. Yet as we progressed the traps took more skill to avoid. We came across fire jetting out of the walls at one point. It took great care to dodge across in the moments when the flame died down. Geno sustained a nasty burn when the flame leapt into life when he was not quite clear of it. In a panic he had taken a dive. He got away alive but his leg had been badly burnt where it had flown up as he threw his body forward. This was a slight problem for us. The pain that I could imagine was searing his flesh was causing him to limp badly, slowing us down somewhat. 

 

But now that seemed more like a tragedy, we stared at the worst of the traps we had seen. The floor gleamed slightly, shimmering, as though fireflies were flitting about on its surface. I glanced at Jet; he looked nonplussed, and took a step forward. A vibration ran across the room. Jet stepped back, cursing.

 

“Damn, it’s rigged!”

 

“What do you mean?” I asked, apprehensively. Jet glanced at Geno.

 

“It means when we reach a certain point the floor will collapse behind us. Quite quickly too.” I understood why he had glanced at Geno in those words. He would never be able to outrun it. Geno obviously realised too, as he spoke.

 

“Fine, you two go on ahead, I will head back to the courtyard and meet you back there.”

 

“But..” I started to object, but Geno cut me short.

 

“No, I haven’t a hope in Hell of getting across. I can make it back all right. Just promise me you will get the bracelet.” I nodded. Jet readied himself at the side of the glimmering floor.

 

“Ready? We’ll have to run for it” I nodded, nervously. Jet shouted GO and we ran as fast as we could. I was worried, for his Elven swiftness meant he could outrun me. I wondered if he would trigger the floor. He seemed to sense the same however for he slowed to my pace. I heard a rumble, growing louder by the second. Then followed a loud crash. I resisted the urge to look back. The floor was falling. I forced myself into a sprint, a stitch causing me agony in my side. My breath was coming out in harsh gasps, as all I could think about was out running the floor. I could feel it trembling underneath me. Then, suddenly the trembling stopped. With a sob of joy I realised we had made it. I collapsed to the floor. Jet stood by me, waiting for me to catch my breath.

 

I don’t know how long we sat there, but soon I was ready to continue. My heart was still beating fast, and I wondered by how much I had beaten the floor. We walked through the endless corridors. I could sense Jet getting edgier by the moment. I guessed why. There was no sign of a trap. I wondered if the floor had been the last. But then we turned a corner. A shimmering gold powder hung between the walls. There was no way around it, under or over. I glanced at Jet.

 

“We’ll have to chance walking through it,” he muttered. I swallowed, and walked forward. I put my hand into the gold dust, then, as nothing happened, pushed my way through. A dull sucking sound filled the air. I was in a gloomy chamber, and I turned to see if Jet was behind me. But all that stood behind me was a wall. I swallowed, and gazed at the wall for what seemed like fifteen minutes. But Jet didn’t appear. It slowly became clear that I was on my own. I turned slowly. A glimmering up ahead caught my eye. I carefully approached it. It was the bracelet. It had to be. It glinted gold, with five deep, moonlight coloured stones decorating it. I licked my teeth hungrily, and approached it slowly. I reached out and took it from the pedestal on which it sat. I felt immediately different. My senses were much sharper, and I could see, or rather, I could smell my way in the gloom. I clipped the bracelet around my wrist, and fought back an urge to howl. A glimmer behind me made me turn. The golden wall had appeared in the wall. I turned and ran for it.

 

 

I fell through the wall, and onto the floor. An exclamation told me I had fallen back into the tunnel I left. Jet hauled me to my feet.

 

“Eiko, I was worried. You vanished into the gold, and when I tried to follow it was like a solid wall!” /his gaze drifted down to the bracelet. “But you got the bracelet.”

I nodded happily,

 

“Yep, let’s head back outside. I need some air.”

 

END OF PART 6