The Power Stones

(20) The last stand

"Your necklace, is it supposed to do that?" Darren asked. "Huh?" John looked down at his silver necklace, the one Rick had given him. Giving him to track the darkness. It was usually a bright silver color, but it glowed when the darkness was close, but by that time it had faded out to a cold black metal. "No." He said. "What does that mean?" said James, who had now learned to accept that magic was real, pretty much everything about John was magical. "It is my tracker, it tells me if the darkness is close or not." "So?" said Cassie. "It's gone out, So there is no more darkness left to track. She's gone."

They had little time to grieve over their friend, a random alarm had just gone off. "What's that?" said Cassie, "That's the trigger John left, Theo has arrived at the gate." "So what are we doing here?"

They all boarded the Obies aircraft and took off, destination, Who knows? Not me, some made up english village? "Ok, we will arrive by nightfall," said James. "That still gives Theo Twelve hours to reach the earth's core," said Darren. "Not exactly." Began John, "From what Lucy told me before, she well.. You know, anyway she told me that the gate can only be opened at dawn from the outside, so he will have to wait just like us. "Not unless he is already inside, then that's just working against us." Said James. "Sorry, but I must accentuate this but all we can do is hope," said Palmer. "And I'm not one to get my hopes up." "Well, either way that gives us time to fabricate a plan." Added in Cassie

"It's beautiful," said Theo. He was staring at the dark gate beside Karlie. "I prefer to see it from the inside, you know?" said Karlie. "No can do, it can only be opened In the early morning." "Stupid English curses," said Kalrie. "Why are they always so oddly specific?" Karlie was still talking to Theo as she had been, but deep down She was starting to fear him since he killed Lucy. Sure she hadn't liked her, but to kill her?

"Why did you do it?" Asked Karlie, she had to know. "Do what?" Asked Theo after giving her a minute of silence. "Kill Lucy?" "Three reasons, one she failed, Two She was a traiter., Three I'm saving her from the worst fate subject only to her that would be followed by our work." Karlie was a little confused, how could making this world impeccable cause someone suffering? As if he could read her thoughts he said "Stop quarreling about it let's continue on with our mission."

They landed the aircraft a little ways outside the town, then made their way into the mountain trail trying to avoid the people. They then begiane the long precocious hike to the gate.

Roughly four hours later they arrived at the gate, no one was there. "Wait, where are they?" said Cassie. "Over here!" Yelled out Darren. He pointed to some ash from a fire. He stuck his finger into it. "Still warm." "That means.." Begaine Palmer began, but he didn't have to finish because they were all thinking the same thing. They all looked to the gate.

Cassie let out a cry and then ran up to the gate and begiane to pound on it. Dareen put a hand on her shoulder. "Here, let me try." He begiane his phase and then walked into the gate, and bonked his head. "Ow, that's weird. Let me try again." He once again charged himself up and much to his chagrin he knocked his head against it again.

Karlie walked behind Theo as they worked their way down winding staircases and narrow passages to the main forge of the mines, now depleted of all its minerals by the dwarfs and other robbers and thieves..

"What can we do?" Asked James. "We wait." said John and he sat down on a rock, the same rock he had sat with Lucy. "Just wait, that's your plan!" James said. "You will see. I hope."

It sure was a sight, the dwarven forge. It was a large square room, on each side there were two sets of Forges. They were massive, at least as tall as a two story building, and modeled in the shape of a dragon. Karlei imagines that when the forge was up and running Streams of lava would come from their mouths into the molds below. On Top of the dragons were a sort of gutter that ran along the walls and came to a giant gate on either side.