Dimensions

Prologue

   A rat skittered across the cold stone floor of a dark and dreary cave. Outside, the wind howled loudly, whipping even the mightiest of oak trees. But a storm wasn't the only thing brewing at the top of Stormshadow Mountain. A cauldron bubbled in the center of the cave, giving it an eerie green glow and casting sharp stalactite shadows across the room. The small rodent found its way to the foot of a dimly lit woman. She stood hunched over the cauldron, adding questionable-looking ingredients to her dark mixture.

    "Please stop! This has gone too far. When you asked me to help you, I didn't think you meant I was helping with treason." Another woman stood shaking in the corner. Her hands covered her eyes in terror, she was one of only two other people who knew what was going on there.

    "There is nothing you can do to stop this now that it has started. Soon the spell will be complete, and I will be known as the greatest witch that ever lived." The woman reached down and picked the squirming rat off the ground. "Agh!" She gasped as the rodent bit her. Grabbing it by the tail, she held it over the cauldron. "Stupid vermin." She dropped the rat head first. It squealed as it disintegrated quickly in the mixture. The woman dipped an oddly shaped ladle into the potion and scooped out the leftover bones.

    "Sister, please. Sophia is already rotting in jail because of us, don't make this any worse. I don't want to get caught." She begged.

    "That is always how you are, isn't it. 'I don't want to get caught.'" She mimicked waving her hands around wildly. "It always has to be about you. That's why I'm doing this. Because I want to do something about ME, not you! I am going to make a name for myself. I'll be know all throughout the whole land!"

    Putting her hands on her sister's shoulders, the other one turned and looked desperately into her eyes. "Look, I do not know what I have done to wrong you, but please, let me make it right. And then we can end this." But as soon as the last words came out of her mouth, four knights ran into the cave. They wielded freshly sharpened swords and had bright silver shields. The crest on their shields had an N going through a W, with the word OF painted below it.

    "Freeze! In the name of the King, you are under arrest for violating the eighth law against the misuse of magic. Witch." The smallest one said with a sneer.

    "You are too late, my spell has already begun to do its work! Soon the whole land will feel my wrath." The witch shrieked with glee.

    "Get them and let's go. " The knights seized the ladies and exited the cave. The storm picked up as they left, forcing the men to cover their heads with their shields.

    Back in the cave, the cauldron started to glow. It bubbled over and fell to the floor. Gushing, it rapidly spread and covered the hard stone. Then a giant flash of light beamed across the cave. It turned into a swirling abyss of mixed shades of green, blue, and with what seemed to be all kinds of pictures.

                                                              )( )( )( )(

    Far away in a murky dungeon, the witch turned to her sister. Another smaller woman was now sitting by them silently sobbing into her delicate hands. With a satisfied smile, the sorceress threw back her head and broke into a fit of mad giggles. The rest of the night you could hear ear-piercing laughter echoing from their cell.