The Elantra Pirates

Chapter 22

Shanta loomed over Hillanters body with a green bottle in her hand. She grabbed the buttons on his shirt and unbuttoned a few near his collar. She opened the container and squeezed out some clear liquid.

It was an ointment meant to help with high fevers and other flu-like symptoms. In her palm she caressed his chest. Tracing his heart with the cold lotion for just about a minute.

Once she was done she headed to the bathroom and washed her hands off. Drying off she looked up into the mirror and stared at the reflection of herself. Her purple hair drooped down to the left, it wasn't brushed this morning.

"Where are they?" She sighed. "I should've gone with them. But, I did need more info. After everything is all done here, I'm leaving."

"Shanta! I found the book you were asking for!" Jinlin was yelling from the living room.

She dropped the towel and walked out of the bathroom. He had the book opened and was skimming lines with his finger, waiting for her.

"Ah." He looked up. "Was wondering where you-"

"What did you find?" She abruptly cut him off.

"Ummm, well it's actually pretty interesting. I was kind of wrong about how long the illness takes to kill, it's about three days. So we definitely have more time than we originally thought."

"Oh thank god."

"Secondly, Barbara's blood is more useful than healing and the cure. Do you remember when I mentioned Wipter?"

"Yes."

"He not only used Barbara's blood against her wishes for the cure, but also for another ritual. It says that it grants the user who performs it power beyond their imaginations. There was a report of someone who did it and they destroyed an entire town before disappearing, never to be seen again."

"Do you think that Uff is trying to perform it?"

"Most definitely, or he has no idea what he's doing. Though from words around town that I've heard, he was certainly aware of what it's capable of."

"We can't let that happen."

"Yes, most definitely yes."

"What else do you need for the ritual?"

"It explains that you need to draw the symbol of Wipter directly on your chest." He pointed at it in the book, as she peered over his shoulder and scanned it for herself. It was a W with a wavy line in it. A skull in the background with scarily realistic human eyes staring forward. "Draw out some of your blood and mix it in with Barbara's and pour it over yourself. Then the great power from the tombs of Angular will open up and be absorbed into your body."

"Angular? Where's that at?"

"It's actually not that far from here, maybe like a day or two away, Luckily it says here that a grand wizard found a way to seal it with some sort of forcefield, he lives there protecting it. It actually doesn't give any other specific details about it despite that." He closed the book with a loud clap. "Well if there's someone preventing it then we should be in the clear."

Why does that sound familiar?

Then Shanta's face drooped down in complete and utter shock.

The wizard from that island! Was that him? No, he was saying he was using it to gain more power, why would he even say that if he was protecting the tomb, he would've just told us. That just can't be it, but it's so similar. Don't let it get to your head.