The Enchantments: Book 2 - The Key of Gandar

Chapter 23: Black Minions

Simeneon, Fin, Mark and Charlene stepped from the house into hell. As the cool evening air hit them they began to realize how desperate their situation really was. Simeneon moved ahead of the others, the Chalice still in her arms in front of her. Her friends suddenly stopped and let her continue on. The silence was deadly as she proceeded down the circular driveway moving closer to the front gates.

She hesitated twenty yards away and stared ahead at the line of minions coming up around her.

"This relic does not belong to you, it belongs to the ancestor of the Emperor of Malistof. I bear the mark of that family. So if you don't mind allow my friends and me to pass unharmed!" Simeneon yelled into the soundless night.

"THOSE TERMS ARE UNACCEPTABLE!!" A booming voice yelled from the shadows.

Simeneon shrugged her shoulders. "I tried. Never thought it would work, though, but I gave it a try." She looked around at the others and smiled then faced forward again. "THEN WHAT ARE YOUR TERMS?" She yelled back.

"RETURN THE RELIC THEN WE WILL DETERMINE YOUR PUNISHMENT!"

"OH YEA I'M GOING TO AGREE TO THOSE TERMS, DO YOU THINK I'M THAT STUPID?" She bellowed.

"You did walk in here without realizing the consequences." The voice said. She was suddenly staring at a disgusting looking creature standing just off to her left. It glided around and stood in front of her, the smell of decomposition hitting her nose like a truck.

"Well Sly, I'm really glad to smell you, sorry, I mean see you." She scrunched her nose in displeasure.

"Miss Enchantment, still have that same wit we've all come to know and love." He smirked, the skin cracking as he talked.

"You know Sly, you've really got to start taking better care of your skin. A nice moisturizer might make that problem a little more manageable." She batted her eyes in a mocking gesture.

The look of Sly's face seemed to change, the fake smile was replaced by a cynical smirk that seemed to turn the skin a darker shade of gray. "Enough of the pleasantries, give me the relic now!"

Simeneon held out her hands with the Chalice out in front. "Go ahead take it."

Sly looked like he had been slapped in the face. Something was wrong; she had never willingly given him anything so easily before. He looked into her eyes trying to get a grip on what she was planning, but he had come to learn that she could hide anything if she wanted to. He stepped forward, the smirk slipping from his face and reached for the Chalice.

He should have known something was wrong before he had even tried to take the relic. The power seemed to come from deep inside and from everywhere around him. The sheer idea of pleasing his master filled his actions as he took hold of the Chalice and stepped away. He knew at that moment his mistake was huge.

The Chalice began to glow a fiery red and the build up of power was so sudden and devastating that he had no time to drop it when the wave hit. It felt like an invisible wall had escaped from the pyramid and turned his world inside out. The energy shot him away at such an incredible speed he thought he was flying, that's until he hit the reinforced wall of the compound and crumpled to the ground.

The scene was suddenly chaotic as the minions began to get confused, some glided forward towards her, while others flew around in a circle not knowing what to do. Simeneon lunged for the Chalice and pulled it into her chest feeling the warmth of the energy pulsing through her body.

The others had made their way over to her, fear and anxiety splashed across their faces. "WHAT NOW?" Fin screamed in the mass confusion.

"RUN FOR THE GATES!" She screeched.