The Golden Key

8. THE PEOPLE OF SHIRE (1)

"As they stood in the dark, damp chamber, the only sound the soft flickering of torches, two figures spoke in hushed tons. Their voices were urgent, their words laced with an air of foreboding."

'The time has come; he said, his voice low and gravelly.
'Are you prepared? 'He asked, his eyes glinting in the dim light.

'Yes, my lord; she replied, her voice dripping with deference.

'What about the Golden key? 'He asked, his tone growing more menacing. 'Who possesses it?

'A human.... Meddy Klass, she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. 'Rumors say she unlocked its power;

He gazed at her, his presence radiating an aura of malevolence. 'You know what you must do; he growled. 'Don't fail me.

'Yes, my lord, 'she replied, her voice trembling slightly.'

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"Kiara Sunshine? Where did you come from?" Meddy asked curiously.

"You're welcome," Kiara replied.

"Yea, I'm sorry. Thank you for saving me!" Meddy said.

"Kiara, how did you know about these creatures?" Klein asked.

"We should get out of here first; it's not safe," Dalai said, as they all headed back to Laura's granny house.

Once they arrived, Klein asked again, "How did you know about these creatures? What were you doing at Du-Locke Park?"

Kiara's voice trembled as she spoke, tears streaming down her face. "It was my birthday yesterday, and my parents decided to celebrate at Du-Locke Park. The party ended at 11:00 pm, and everyone was leaving. That's when...that disgusting creature appeared. At first, my parents thought it was just someone in a costume, but then it attacked them with an axe. I saw a toy gun nearby and wanted to use it to scare the creature away, but it kept coming. I ran without looking back, and surprisingly, it didn't chase me. I promised myself I'd kill that creature by any means necessary. Today, I returned to Du-Locke Park, knowing it might come back for more victims. That's when I saw it attacking your friends."

"We should involve the police," Lizzy suggested.

"How will that sound?" Klein countered. "Creatures, beasts, dragons, centaurs...they won't believe us."

"How did that thing even get into our city?" Lizzy asked again.

Klein recounted everything that had happened. "We need to find the key by any means necessary. If not, we'll lose a lot of people," Dalai emphasized.

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"The troll escaped, and the humans managed to flee," one of the creatures reported.

Xanthous waved a dismissive hand. "It's to our advantage."

The creature looked puzzled. "Master, how can this be to our advantage?"

Xanthous smiled, his eyes gleaming with confidence. "Soon, the key will be ours, and we will reclaim our rightful place as rulers. The humans will fall, and we will reign supreme."

*********************************

"I think I know what we should do," Klein said.

"What's your plan?" Dalai asked.

"We should hide the warlock book," Klein replied. "The creatures need it to find the Golden Key, right?"

"Yes, but we need the book to find the key," Dalai responded.

"But no one can read the warlock book, not even the creatures," Meddy said. "So giving it to them won't harm us."

"Even if they can't read it, Xanthous will stop at nothing to find a way," Dalai warned. "We can't risk it falling into their hands."

"We need to be prepared," Klein said. "We've killed one of their creatures, and they'll want revenge. We must defend our city, with or without the Golden Key."

"That's a suicide mission," Laura said. "Those creatures are too powerful."

"We can't do nothing," Klein argued. "If we don't try, we'll still end up dead. The police won't believe us, and the creatures are targeting us."

"What can we do?" Laura asked.

"We need guns and chemical weapons," Klein suggested.

"My dad is a retired hunter," Meddy said. "He traveled to France, but I know where he keeps his supplies. I'll go get them."

"Too risky," Klein cautioned. "You're not safe, and they know you unlocked the Golden Key."

"Don't worry, I'll go with her," Kiara said.

As Kiara and Meddy left, Laura expressed concerns. "Klein, something feels off."

"Everything will be fine," Klein reassured her.

When they all arrived at Du-Locke Park, Klein spotted a familiar face. "Victoria! What are you doing here?"

Just then, Kiara emerged from behind, and the group was taken aback.

"Kiara! What are you doing here?" Laura asked, confusion etched on her face. "I thought you were supposed to be with Meddy. Where is Meddy?"

Kiara looked equally surprised, her eyes darting between the group. "Meddy? Who's Meddy? And how did you guys know my name?"