Search for the Crystal Key (A Continuation of Dark Escape)

Chapter 12

Tara's mouth tasted like she chewed on an old cotton rag for the majority of the night. To add to her misery, her head felt like someone slammed a hammer across her skull more than once. The room looked as out of focus as the rest of her. The faint murmur of voices in the distance sounded familiar, but she couldn't think who they belonged to nor could she understand the words.

****

Joshua's nostrils flared with rage and his eyes glowed with a wicked orange hue as he interrupted his heated conversation with the old wizard to observe Tara's stirring. The old fool obviously gave her far too potent a dosage of the potion he admitted to slipping into their stew.

He'd been up and about for several hours with minimal residual effects.

"If you've damaged her in any way old man," Joshua spit from between clenched teeth, "you'll feel not only my wrath, but that of my king." He turned and looked Hannigan squarely in the eye, "I assure you old wizard that's something you don't wish for... ever."

"Don't threaten me young man. The foolishness you display is surprising. I expected better from you," Hannigan replied with calm disdain.

"You'd do well to fear me old man," Joshua spat as turned his back on the indignant wizard and made his way to Tara's side.

His touch was cool and soothing against her skin. She was so very hot. She should have known better than to have fallen asleep so close to the fire. A cool glass of water would be wonderful right now. If she could only get her wits about her so she could request one. Her tongue refused to move. The rest of her body rebelled as well. She was miserably hot, miserably parched, and unable to do a thing about it.

Hannigan moved to inspect her a little closer. His long, thick beard tickled her skin, but she was unable to move away. She wondered what purpose such a long beard served. Wizards were described in books with beards as such, but she never actually questioned the reason for the abundance of facial hair until now. For that matter, up until now she hadn't considered the fact that wizards were anything more than a funny looking character in fairy tales and their beards and long hair were simply part of the imagery effect.

As the old man drew closer, she was able to make out his concerned features from beneath her lazy eyelids. His eyes looked like beady pools of dark, misty water set a generous distance apart beneath bushy white brows that accentuated his deep creased forehead. He was clearly old, yet he radiated a youthful energy that she'd never felt from someone as aged as he. With his face just inches from hers, her senses were teased by his aromatic breath that hinted of mint and honey. Still unable to move and her vision only mildly restored with words a foreign jumble, she grew concerned. What caused her body to go on strike? She would have thought it was something the old wizard had done, but the only thing he could do would be to lace her food with some concoction and Joshua ate the same food as she did.

"Al-ja-ha-ma-dom," the old man purred as he slowly moved his hand from left to right only inches from her face. "Dom-ma-ha-hunda, dom-ma-ha-jume," he continued.

As the old wizard said his incantation a buzzing sensation spread from Tara's ear until it consumed her entire body. She could feel a ball of energy form in the base of her spine and work its way up until it reached the center of her back. From there it split and rushed down her arms all the way to her fingertips. She felt like she would explode if the energy hadn't left her body as quickly as it did. She instinctively swung her arms wide and spread her fingers to assist the energy with its exit. Marveling at the myriad of colors that shot from her fingertips, it took a moment for her to realize that she wasn't only seeing and hearing clearly, but her mobility also returned.

She had no idea what the old wizard did, but she was grateful beyond words for his doing it. Stretching in a cat-like manner she slowly stood up, bringing herself to full height. She felt slightly light-headed, but instinctively knew that would pass within a short period of time. Taking deep gulps of air, she focused her mind on grounding thoughts, something Maggie taught her early in their lessons.