Mystified (dropped)

Chapter 6

Elaine opened her eyes. She found herself seated on a rainbow lawn chair. In front of her sat a plump woman on a stool. They sat facing each other, a campfire nestled between them. Around her, Elaine heard the hushed voices of others. It felt like she was still at Camp Half-Blood but strangely these campers wore turquoise shirts. Even she was wearing the shirt - her purple one had disappeared and been replaced. All the shirts had different silhouettes of an animal on the front, Elaine noticing that some doubled up. There were ones with a horse, others with a bear, and looking down, she noticed that hers had a wolf.

The woman who sat before them appeared to be telling a story. She continued to speak in a kindly soft-spoken tone, "The adder stone goes by many names and has been used by many groups of people."

The woman held up a stone that appeared to be a replica of Elaine's, the one that hung from her necklace. From where she sat, Elaine saw that the woman's stone differed from hers. It was smaller in size and oval in shape.

She continued, "It was once renowned for its ability to heal snake bites and extract the venom from the victim safely. It is with this ability that it garnered some names like the one we know - the adder stone. Other names include hag stone and Gloine nan Druidh meaning druid's glass. Not only did it have this ability but it was a powerful weapon against unknown dangers. For, unlike garlic, shamrock or fairy dust, an adder stone reveals what is hidden. All one must do is peer through the hole in the centre of the stone and all will be revealed."

"This is boring! Why do we have to hear about some old stone?" One of the younger campers called out.

"Now Luna, I understand where you are coming from but these stones are very useful. It is the adder stones that line our defences and protect us from monsters." The storyteller calmly explained, "So long as the stone is present, the sword will remain calm."

"What?" Elaine perked up at the woman. She had to be hearing things. The woman got up from her seat and walked up to Elaine who sat frozen. The storyteller's yellow eyes bore into hers. Looking at those eyes, Elaine felt small - they seemed to see through her, having seen much in their lifetime.

"You should listen more carefully to my stories, Elaine." Standing before the fire, the storyteller smiled ominously at her. The light of the campfire illuminated her features. Her appearance was youthful but the light wrinkles that decorated her face told Elaine she was older. The storyteller gazed at Elaine with an unknown expression. Her tone became more urgent as she spoke, "Keep the stone with the sword. Though not strong enough to ward off the sword's influence, it will keep you alive."

Everything began to tremble and shake, her vision blacking in and out. The campfire began to sway and enlarge, the flames shooting up into the sky. Elaine became scared. She fell back off her seat and...

Crash!

She was on the wooden floor tangled in a blanket. Looking up, she must have fallen off the bed. The green blanket was placed neatly back onto the bed as Elaine shakily stood up.

"You're awake," Tammin said. They sat in a bed nearby, bandages covering parts of their arms and body.

Looking at Tammin, memories of what happened started coming back to Elaine. The fight. The voice. Her mistake.

"The sword!" Elaine gasped, looking to find it. She no longer wore her necklace, the sword no longer near her.

Tammin voiced, "I wouldn't go looking for that thing."

She turned to Tammin. Their wounds didn't appear to be deadly but they still looked like they were painful. The sword had controlled Elaine and she had hurt someone. She needed to worry about them first.