The Forbidden Room

Sydney

Isaac stroked my face gingerly. "We have all four pieces of the map now we just have to follow it."
"Did you put it together?"
"Not yet, I figured I would take care of you first. It's getting dark and I know your exhausted from creating that shield but I wanted to talk to you."
I sat up slowly.
"Can we go somewhere else private? Were we won't be overheard."
"Sure." I scanned the area looking for somewhere private. It was just wide open wilderness. "Let's just go for a walk." I really didn't want to I had little strength left but Isaac wanted to talk. I wondered what he wanted to talk about. Possibilities ran through my mind worrying me.
Isaac helped me up and we headed off. He waited for several minutes until he was certain we were out of ear reach.
"I'm not sure exactly how to bring this up without seeming like I don't trust you."
"I know you trust me. You can tell me anything."
"Well, I've noticed you using gifts that you didn't have before. It's not just one either. There's been I think three times at least. Is their something your not telling me?"
I hadn't told Isaac about that yet. If seemed to personal. I didn't want him to like me just because I was powerful either. "The truth is I haven't told you everything." I told him about me being able to unlock all the gifts, about my parents, and even how Ryan and I ended up here. When I finished I kept my head down not wanting to meet his disapproving face.
"That's incredible, you say the locket brought you here?"
"That's what my mother told me."
"May I see it?"
"Sure." I removed it from around my neck and placed it in his hands.
He turned it over and opened the tiny door. "Why does it saw the forbidden room?"
"Not exactly sure."
"Do you know what this powder stuff is?" He asked referring to the small bottle of connected to the chain.
"I thought it was just sparkles."
"This is pixie dust a very powerful weapon."
I tried to think but I was to exhausted to do anything. "Can we head back now? I'm kind of tired."
Isaac nodded. "Lift your hair up." He said holding up he necklace so he could put it back on me.
I did and Isaac clipped the necklace back around my neck. He put his arms around me and kissed my neck softly. "I love you." He whispered into my ear.
Though the words had been said to me countless times by friends and family it felt so nice to hear it from him. "I love you too."
He let go of me and I frowned still wanting the familiar comfort of his arms. I grabbed his hand as we walked back to camp. 

The next morning I got up feeling much better. We all ate breakfast quickly wanting to go.
Jacob had put the map together early this morning and we were all eager to get started.
"So it looks like we will be passing wide open wilderness for most of the time. For about a fifth of the journey we will go through Razic land but they have always been peaceful with us before so we shouldn't have any trouble passing through there. But the swords location is located right at the edge of the snkigs land and they won't hesitate to shoot us down."
"You know for not having a gift of smarts your pretty smart." Aubrey said with a smile
Jacob smiled too. "We better go."
I got bored after the first hour. "How long will it take us to get there."
"Jacob said about a days ride."
I groaned silently. After several more minutes I said to Isaac. "I want to know the little stuff about you."
"Like what?"
I thought about it for a moment before saying. "What's your favorite color?"
"Red."
"When's your birthday?"
"June 8th."
"What's your favorite song?"
"Song?" He looked at me puzzled
"Yah, music."
"What is music?"
I looked at him shocked. Even though we were from different worlds I never thought he wouldn't know what music was. "What about singing? Do you know how to sing?"
He shook his head. "Would you sing?" He said the world slowly like it wouldn't come out of his mouth right.
"I'm afraid I'm not very good."
Isaac said nothing still wanting me to sing.
I sighed then started singing my favorite song; Love Story. When I finished I noticed everyone else starring at me. I blushed a little and bit my tongue.
"How did you learn to do that?"
"I'm not sure I guess I just learned from hearing others."
"Would you teach me?"
"I'm not much of music teacher but I can try." I started by teaching him the solfege scale.   I would sing the note he would repeat it then we would do it together. In almost an hour I had taught him how to sing most of Love Story.
"I can't believe no one ever taught me to sing before."
"Neither can I."
"Did you learn how to sing from" he spoke quieter. "The place you came from? What did you call it euth?"
I laughed. "Earth, and yes."
"Does earth have many things that are not here?"
"Yes, I found that you have much more advanced technology here then on earth. Like when I sprained my ankle it healed in less then a day, if I had sprayed my leg on earth it would have taken weeks to heal. But I also found that it doesn't have someone the simplest things that we have on earth like singing."
"Does everyone sing on earth?"
"Most people can. Not necessarily very well but they can."
"Do I sing well?"
I shrugged indifferent.
We continued to talk for most of the trip. Along the way we stopped only a couple of times for lunch and bathroom breaks. We paced the Razic territory without any problem but stopped before entering the snkigs land.
"We should leave the horses here and continue on foot." Isaac said taking charge
"Do you want me to say here and watch them?"
"No you should come with. We can tie the reins to this tree."
We entered a thick forest. The sky disappeared except for the small scattered open clearings. The air felt moist even though it hadn't rained all day. The forest seemed dead. Little life lurked about.
We had gone a ways into the forest when we saw several guards armed with guns. They looked like copies of each other. All dressed in the same heavy armor that wore the snkigs symbol. Guns held at their side and faces covered.
A bird flew by and one of the guards lifted his gun shot it down and returned to his position as if nothing had happened.
I gulped. "How are we supposed to get past them?"
"All of us can't."
"Then what do you propose we do?" Aubrey asked
"Sydney can go."
I looked at him surprised. "Why me?"
"You can turn invisible right?"
I was about to say no that I hadn't unlocked that ability when I heard my mother say. "Yes you have."
"No I haven't." I said to her
"You can unlock all of the gifts you just need to concentrate."
I closed my eyes and imagined myself completely transparent. My concentration not wavering for a second.
"Syd,  you didn't have to turn invisible."
I looked down at my hands which were gone. I guess my mm was right as long as I concentrated I could unlock any gift. I made myself visable again and then apologized.
"Syd will go past the guard invisible find the sword and bring it back."
"Alone."
He nodded.
"Can't Aubrey go with too? She can turn invisible."
"I know but even though you are invisible that doesn't they won't be able to hear you. To create the smallest amount of noise I think only one should go."
It did make sense but I didn't like the idea of going alone. "Alright, then you guys go back don't risk staying here until I return"
"According to the map if you just keep going straight you should hit the location in a few minutes walk."
"Alight, be safe."
"You too." I leaned in for a quick kiss. "Now go."
They carefully headed back the way we came. I made myself invisible and then walked very slowly so I would make less noise. Even though no one could see me I still felt like I should be hidden right now. I made it past the guard when I snapped a twig.
Guard swung around and was about to shoot when he noticed there was nothing to shoot at. He resumed it position skeptically.
Relief flushed over me as I continued. Soon enough I made it to an old stone path. Long grass grew between the cracked stones. Every once in awhile there was a missing one. It led to a  obviously abandoned house that stood awkwardly in an area so thick with trees the sun light couldn't reach through. I assumed the sword was hidden here. The house made me shiver, what once must have been a beautiful garden lining the house was now a thorny tangled mess. Wooden stairs led up to the door. They were rotted through so I doubted it would hold. I stepped on one testing its stability. It creaked loudly but held. I continued up the stairs. I reached for the door handle hesitating first.
I wasn't scared of the house but I was scared of going into it alone. I pushed back that thought and opened the door. I stepped through and caught myself right before falling into a bottomless pit. There was no ceiling. On the other side of the room was a stair case going up. The house smelled terribly of something dead.
There was no way across I thought before seeing a small beam of light that came through a broken window. Right were the light hit you could almost see a light blue practically as invisible as me floor. This was a trick though there appeared to be no floor there really was I could walk across the room with no problem. I laughed a little to myself before stepping onto the floor. The moment I did the floor became completely visible. I walked across it to the stair case which cracked under my weight. I grabbed the rail but quickly retracted it feeling something slimy. I shuddered and proceeds up the stairs cautiously. I looked up to see that the stairs continued for quite awhile longer in a square pattern. With walls on the side.
A rat ran past me brushing against my ankle and I shrieked. I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something larking around here just waiting for the right moment to attack.
After ten more minutes of climbing the endless stairs I took a small break and sat down on one of the steps. I examined the area It seemed all too familiar. Like I had walked past it me then a dozen times. The stones on the steps all in the same places. The cracks in the wood all arranged the same like a jigsaw puzzle.
I was curious now. I lifted my shirt to grab my dagger hidden underneath and slit a large notch in the wood. I put the knife back and climbed the stairs again this time careful to watch the wood until I saw it the same notch I had put in the wood. I went up farther and again I saw the notch I put in the wood.
This was all an illusion. I was seeing the same thing over and over again. I stepped over to the wall next to me and knocked on it. It sounded strangely hollow. I stepped back and produced a powerful kick. The building started to shake and for a moment I thought I had made a terrible mistake. The wall fell down reveling a secret room. The shaking stopped and I relaxed, allowing my heart beat to go back to normal before continuing. I stepped into the room and the wall I had kicked down was lifted up by an invisible hand leaving me in the dark.
I put my hands in front of me so I wouldn't bump into anything. In front of me a bright light appeared. I waited for my eyes to adjust. An old women sat in a rocking chair knitting.
"You are very smart child."
"Who are you?" 
"I'm nobody."
I stared at her inquisitively. She was much older then I first took her to be. She had deep wrinkle lines like a crinkled paper bag. She let her white wispy hair hang lose on her shoulders. She was very lean and skinny and wore a simple shirt and pants with little color. She hunched over like the invisible weight upon her shoulders was just too much. Her eyes however were what caught my attention. They were so bright a beautiful, full of wisdom, determination and a lovely silver color.
"Why do you look at me like that girl."
I said nothing at first a little embarrassed to have been starring. "Your eyes are." I paused momentarily not wanting to sound rude. "Silver."
"Yes, what's your point."
"I guess it's just a little unusual."
"Oh? Have you looked in the mirror lately?"
"What do you mean?"
The old women raised her old leather hand and above it and small hand mirror appeared. She motioned for me to take it. Slowly I walked up to her and took the mirror. I had the same face same hair bit my eyes they used to be a hazel green. Now there was bits of silver in my eyes. I let out a small scream.
"The older and more mature you become in your magic the more your eyes will turn silver."
"Why? What for?"
"Because you are chosen. You think that you just happen to be able to unlock every single gift imaginable. You have power and you have to know how to use it."
"Look I didn't ask for this I didn't even want to come to this world. I had a great life going on before this place screwed it up. I find out my parents have been living to me all my life and I was only there adopted daughter and my real parents actually live here. I have a brother and a sister who is at the moment in captivity. I have to find this stupid lost sword so that we can defeat some idiot that is terrorizing the people and stealing the powers. Which I find out I have and to top it all off I find the best thing that ever happened to me and he's named Isaac." I had tears in my eyes now.
"I understand your emotional. It's a lot for anyone to take on."
"This isn't what I came here for. Can you please just give me the sword and I'll be gone in a second."
"I would love to but I can't."
"Why not?" The anger was boiling in me now ready to explode at any moment.
"Someone already took it. It was the traitor that the wallabim told you about."
"None of my friends are traitors we all serve one cause wholeheartedly."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." I couldn't believe she accused one of my friends as a traitor. I tried to imagine them as traitors but I couldn't. "If one of my friends is supposed a traitor then who was it."
She says nothing.
"Who's the traitor?"
She looked right at me stone faced and said "Isaac."
I nearly laughed. "You think Isaac is the-" I didn't even bother to finish my sentence since it was so ridiculous. Isaac would never betray me, right?