A Collection of Poems and Short Stories

Game of Jewels: a short story

With her breath coming in quick gasps, she forces her feet to move faster, trying to escape the beast behind her. Hot, sticky breath brushes the back of her neck and she feels the hair covering her fair skin stand like thousands of little soldiers along her arms and the back of her neck. Sucking in air, she tries to move her aching legs faster. Light shines in the darkness ahead and she pushes herself faster, muttering under her breath to push herself just a little faster. As she nears the source of the light, she launches her body towards it and falls into the white pit.

She hisses as she lands on the other side, ignoring the roars of the beast above her. She rolls onto her stomach, coughing as she tries to regain her breath.

"Why is it, that I always seem to get here so much faster than you and  still manage to avoid the beast, yet you  cant seem to keep the thing off your tail." Her companion says, his arms crossed over her chest as he looks down at her with that annoying smirk he always seemed to wear.

"Shut up, Zack." She says, glaring up at him. "I am not in the mood to listen to your annoying voice right now." She adds, pushing herself to her feet. She looks down at herself, checking for any injuries that wouldn't heal in a matter of minuets. That was one of the few good things about their little situation. Most wounds healed quickly and only severe ones took time. She nods when she finds nothing important and picks up the bag she had dropped when she had leaped. She opens the leather bag and looks inside, checking to make sure its contents were still held within. With a nod, she adds the small bag to the larger one she carried on her back.

"Jewel number three. Two more to go." Zach says, his lips moving into a grim line as he looks at her. "You know what that means."

"It means one of us is going to die." She says, looking away from him as she fiddles with her bag. "We aren't invincible anymore, so try not to get hit by anything. Alright." She says, putting the bag on her back as she turns to look at him. He simply nods and turns to walk away. She sighs and takes the lead, her mind whirling with thoughts.

"Do you know what the Beast is in this one?" She asks him as they walk away from the portal they had entered through.

"Of course I do!" He huffs, rolling his eyes at her. "I memorized the entire journal before we came. I'm not an idiot, Ruth."

"Not so sure about you not being an idiot." She says, a smile flashing on her face as she looks at him. "So, what is it, O So Brilliant One." She says mockingly, playfully nudging him.

"Something called a Romal. There was a brief description of it but it sounds weird." He says, his brows drawing together as he remembers what had been written.

"What do you mean by weird? I just got chased by a gorilla man so it can't be much more weird than that." She says, looking at him with curious eyes.

"Oh, trust me. It's weirder than that." He chuckles, glancing at her. "It's a beast with the body of a dragon, head of a lion, and tail of a scorpion." He says, piecing together the images in his head to get a good idea of what something like that may look like.

"Alright, I'll admit that it beats the ape thing." She says, frowning slightly as she thinks about what that could mean for them.

"Yeah." He says before they slip into the calm silence they often traveled in.

Their feet crunch over the red sand as the wind lifts it into their faces. Grit gathers in their eyes and pricks their faces like a thousand needles being thrown at them. The three suns rise into the sky and the air grows to the heat of a furnace around them. Panting, sore and worn to the bone, the pair reaches their destination across the barren red desert.

Looming above them lies the black castle. Its towers reach towards the sky and its walls rise from the ground its self.  Ruth's eyes travel up the iron gates, her eyes taking in the shapes created by the twisted iron. Zach steps forward and lays a hand against the iron bars and gently pushes. With a screech of agony, the gates swing open and the two walk through to face their fate.

Leaving the scorching heat of the desert, they enter the cool air of the Black Castle. The suddenly frigid air sends shivers down their spines and they each draw their arms around themselves to chase away the cold. They hesitates just inside the castle gates with only the need to finish their tasks pushing them froward. Ruth takes the first step away from the entrance and Zach quickly follows her, having no desire to be left behind to face the horrors of the castle alone.

The sound of their footsteps pounding against the stone makes them wince. The adjust their weight to their toes, trying to reduce the amount of noise they made that could alert the inhabitants of the castle to their presence though they were already sure they knew of their intrusion upon their home. Their eyes look over the stone that stretches towards the sky and search the shadows for signs of life. They were on edge, not trusting their eyes alone to alert them of potential danger. At every little sound, the jumped and wheeled around to investigate. The silence of the castle was only deserter bed by the sounds of their steps and their breaths that seemed to echo like a rolling thunder.

Suddenly, the world around them goes dark and they find themselves shaking in terror. A sound like a deep rumble rises into the air around them. It seeps into the soles of their feet and rises through their legs and into the very core of their being. The sound grows and vibrates through their bodies, forcing them to their knees with the sheer power of it. They cover their ears, trying to block out the noise as it grows in pitch. With a scream of pain Zach forces himself to his feet, drawing the sword from its sheath as he forces his eyes to open and search the growing darkness. Ruth remains on the ground, trying to block out the sound as it rips through her head like a serrated knife.

Driven by instinct, Zach draws the sword back over his shoulder and behind his head, turning to face the unseen opponent. His arm snaps forward and ends the sword through the air, aimed into the darkness. He falls to the ground once more, praying to whomever would listen that his sword would find its mark. The sound ceases and blinding light cuts through the air, blinding them even behind their lids. As the light softens and the silence stretches on, the lift their heads and open their eyes, removing their hands from their ears. Zach's eyes travel in the direction he had launched his sword and he finds it laying on the ground uselessly. He looks at it in confusion, the theory that he had killed the creature dissipating.

"Welcome, travelers." A silky voice floats on the air. Ruth lifts her head, her gut churning in distaste at the sound of the voice and her hand moves to her weapon at her hip. "You have traveled over quite some distances and I must admit that I am impressed with your perseverance." The voice continues as movement in the corner of their eye draws their gaze to the shadows.

"Show yourself." Zach orders, his sword returned to his hand as he stands beside Ruth.

"I am, dear child. You simply refuse to see." The voice replies, tinged with laughter. "Open your eyes and accept what you wish to remain a secret. Allow yourself to see my face."

Ruth's nose wrinkles in disgust as she hears the source of the voice only inches from her own. For a moment, she finds herself believing that she had felt the breath of the creature brush her cheek. Zach narrows his eyes, but allows his senses to expand and accept that there may be something there. He reels back as the creature comes into view, his sword rising to protect himself. It was nearly exactly as the journal described with the only difference being the human eyes peering at them from amongst the mane of the lion.

The creature opens its mouth and laughs, looking at the boy. "Striking, aren't I." The woman's voice floats from the lions mouth.

"That is one way to put it." The more collected Ruth replies, glaring at the creature she had allowed herself to see. "Where is the last Jewel?" She growls in demand, her face a mask of restrained fury.

"Now, now, dear. Let's not be hasty. Let us enjoy ourselves first." The Romal purrs, her scorpion tail flicking behind her in amusement. The world is plummeted into darkness again and the sound of the voice comes from a place closer to them before. "Run."

Comment or vote for the next part of this story. Also, I would love any feedback you have for me. Thanks!
-Rose