The Enchantments: Book 2 - The Key of Gandar

Chapter 19: A Piece of the Past

The sky was an angry shade of grayish blue as the large rumbling from the storm came across the slopes of the mountains to the west and through the central plains. Simeneon gazed at the burial grounds in the distance and shivered. It wasn't the thought of going into the ancient remains of the Impashee Burial Grounds, but what lay beyond the confines of the circle of stones.

Simeneon turned to watch the others gathering their equipment together and sighed. The last few months had taken a huge toll on her and Fin, and as she looked at her friend she could see the bags starting to form under his eyes. They had been non-stop since the day Professor Tweedle had graced their doorway with the information that led to the search of the pieces to the Key of Gandar.

Fin saw the look in her eyes and smiled. He knew what she was thinking, he tried to tell her by his expression that everything was all right, and he was with her all the way. He turned back to the task at hand, the time was short and they had to move towards the burial grounds before the storm crossed their path.

Simeneon peered over at Heidi seeing the determination upon her face. She knew that Tanya was in trouble and it was up to all of them to get her back. She caught sight of Simeneon's gaze giving her a nod that they were ready to move. It was the first time she had come out of her shell showing emotion to all of them.

"When are you expecting her?" Fin asked as he walked over to Simeneon who continued to pack a few items into her bag.

"Today, I hope." Her train of thought was broken as the sounds of a racked up old truck began to come down the dirt road. "Well, well, well, speak of the devil!"

Fin smiled as well as the familiar form of a young girl appeared from the back end of the dusty old truck.

"Marlanda! Thanks for coming on such short notice!" Simeneon bubbled.

The long dark bushy haired girl jumped to the ground with the biggest smile you had ever seen. "Thanks for bringing me along, I was starting to go stir crazy sitting back at Dr. Miller's house. He's a nice guy in all but he sure can be stuffy. If I had to drink one more cup of tea I was going to throw it at him."

Simeneon and Fin giggled knowing how difficult Dr. Miller could be for a bunch of unsophisticated kids. Come on I want to introduce you to our new friends." Fin helped Marlanda with her bag and they strode over to where the others were waiting.

"Marlanda Parthas I would like to introduce you to Heidi Waterbridge, Brock Simms, and Challoch, he's the chief's son." She walked forward and began shaking hands with the group. They exchanged pleasantries, joked about how trouble had started when Simeneon came into their lives and watched as she began to blush with all the attention. They all began to laugh as they rushed over to her and began hugging her. It was the closest they had ever become with anyone even their relatives.

Simeneon pushed them all away laughing uncontrollably. It felt good to be amongst all her friends even if they were about to embark on the most difficult times in their search. She stood away from all of them and smiled. "Shall we all go before the storm hits?"

There was agreement from all of them, they moved together and grabbed the bags necessary for the trip through the Impashee Burial Grounds. Simeneon stopped just before the field and looked over at the cemetery in the distance. She knew that this was going to be the most difficult events they would ever have to persevere. Not just because they were headed to a place that was more dangerous than any of them could ever imagine, but because the glowing lights from inside the circle of stones had changed from blue to the dark red color of blood.