The Enchantments: Book 2 - The Key of Gandar

Chapter 21: The Prospector

"Mark and Charlene, we've decided to send the two of you to the Southwest. There you will stay in the town of Tumbleweed Gulch. We have very little information on the relic in this area as Professor Tweedle gave us the location of the town only. According to his information, a greedy man wreaks havoc upon the town and his name is Ernest P. Finally. Be very careful on this one for he is known to be ruthless when anyone tries to gather information about him. Charlene, I want you to use your knowledge of Southwest to keep yourselves one step ahead of them. By the time Fin and I join you we're hoping you have a good idea on where the relic is being kept. Please be careful and watch yourselves, this one could get ugly! "

One-Year Earlier- Just Outside Tumbleweed Gulch

The Prospector exited the abandoned mine his face a mass of blackness and sweat. During the days he spent his time in the bowels of the desert looking for anything that the previous occupants had left behind. As he had been working the mine now for a year he had still not found the mother load, but he had found something else.

He stumbled out into the stillness of the night breathing in the cool sweet smelling air that drifted from the north. He loved the desert, the isolation and the untapped resources that lay below it. He chuckled, walked over to the fire pit and started a fire under the millions of stars that twinkled above.

As he brought the stew he was cooking to a simmer, he took the small item from his pocket to look at. He took a bite from a piece of bread and rolled the item around and around in his gloves. He had never seen anything like it before. He tossed the bread away for the birds and brought it closer to his failing eyes.

"A pyramid... well, I'll be." He muttered.

The small relic was only three inches high and down the sides, little notches had been taken out to reveal the jet-black interior. He rubbed his gloved fingers in the holes finding nothing interesting about what it contained. The outside was silver in origin and serrated along the edges to look like actual blocks like the pyramid over in Egypt. As he turned it over he noted other notches on the bottom. To him it looked like some sort of key could be placed upon it, and since he had no other object he forgot about this almost instantly.

Out of sheer dumb luck, The Prospector had placed his fingers in the four slots on the edges and the most wondrous event began to occur. He dropped the pyramid in shock and watched as the top portion of the relic began to open up to reveal the interior. He got up to his feet and stared down at the incredible find below his feet.

"I'm gonna make a fortune from this little trinket." He whispered into the night.

'You will not.' Came a voice out of the wind.

"Who said that?" The Prospector asked in a scared voice.

'We are the darkness as well as the shadows!' whispered the unknown being.

"I have nothing of value for you so leave me be!" He screamed into the cool night air.

Emperor's Chalice

'You possess the Emperor's Chalice, the one relic we need to retrieve the piece.'

"What piece?" He shuddered.

'The sixth of seven.'

"Six of what?"

'The sixth of the Key of Gandar.'

"What's a Key of Gandar?"

'That is not for you to know, all that is required of you is to give us the Emperor's Chalice.'