The Silver Crown

Chapter 1

Caleb

The door is just ahead, a few seconds more... "Come on!" I yell. I reach the door and turn around. I see her sprinting down the path, liquid fire swirling below her on either side. She's almost reached me. As I reach out my hand to her, a column of roaring magma blasts from below, destroying the path. I feel myself hit the stone wall behind me.

I open my eyes slowly, hoping against hope. My heart surges as I see her teetering on the edge of the cliff. Her hand is extended, her body covered in burns. Her wide, deep blue eyes pierce me.

"Help," she whispers as she slowly tips backward. I leap forward to catch her, but instead see her tumble down to the burning lake below.

"Nooo!"

I wake suddenly, panting to catch my breath and quickly tear away my sweat-soaked blankets and rush outside. Face down on the cold grass, I begin to breathe easier. I sit up, looking to the garage. "It's almost done," I whisper. "Tomorrow, maybe the day after." I stand and walk towards the garage.

My nightmares have been constant, the same thing every night. My work is the only escape. I barely sleep these days, preferring to make as much progress as possible on my project. "Tomorrow," I whisper again and then spin on my heel yelling at the midnight sky. "You hear that? Tomorrow, I'll finally be able to go. And then I can find you!"

I turn to the garage.

Kylee

"Come on Kylee, let's go!" Anna encourages. She shoves her bag over her shoulder and starts walking out of the classroom. I sigh and set down my pen, picking up my textbook from the corner of my desk for a final scan. The room is quickly emptying as everyone leaves the class.

"I can't. I have to make up the test from last week, remember? I'll see you tomorrow."

Anna visibly deflates, but nods and walks away. Our teacher walks up quietly and sets the test on my desk. "Thank you for taking the time to do this, Kylee. It's good to see a student taking responsibility for their education. Too many kids these days think they know everything without working for it, but you can't know something without first learning it."

I look up and smile at him. Mr. Madlon is tall and thin with white hair and a thick handlebar moustache. He's solemn and quiet, but kind to his students. "Thank you sir." I say.

He nods softly. "I have to take some papers to the main office. I trust that I can safely leave you to work on this – without cheating – while I'm gone." He gives me a trusting but cautionary look. I give him another smile.

"Of course, Mr. Madlon. Here," I open my desk and place my textbook on the stack inside. I like being organized, so my desk is neatly sorted with a place for everything. "I'll keep it in there so I won't look at it."

Mr. Madlon smiles and nods again. "Very well." He turns and steps out of the room.

The test doesn't take long. I quickly finish it and place it on Mr. Madlon's desk before he returns. I'm about to walk out of the room when I remember my book that I'd put in my desk. I hurry back over and pick it up.

As I straighten my back, a cold shiver runs up my spine. I look around the silent room, suddenly feeling very alone and vulnerable.

Swish, crack!

The room goes pitch black. Several desks fly into the walls, smashing and tearing the posters they hit. I feel something blow past me, knocking me to the ground. Behind me I hear a bookcase tip over with a clatter. "What's happening?" I yell. A deep, booming laugh fills the room, shaking my bones and a phantom light illuminates the room a dull purple. I scream as the space in front of me disappears, as though a chunk of existence had been ripped out of the room in front of me. Even in the dim room I can see a black shape form, rising out of the vacuum.

"Beware princess...." The black shape whispers, still growing larger.

"Your time is upon us...." It's now the size of a large man.

"Bring me the crown when the shircnak ends...." The dark creature booms, two red eyes flashing suddenly and disappearing once again and then falls back to a whisper. "...or the cries of the innocent will fall unheard upon my soldiers."

I weakly try to drag myself backward, but I feel like I've gained a thousand pounds in a few seconds. The blackness stops growing at the size of a large grizzly, its massive bulk blocking the thin stream of light that had previously been coming through the window on the door. A sudden roar blasts my conscience and I tumble into blackness.

"Please, please wake up Kylee, what happened?"

"Whaa..." I slowly open my eyes, Anna is kneeling over me, gently shaking me awake, her mouth a constant stream of questions. "What happened?" I croak. My throat feels like sludge.

"I was coming back to the classroom to check on you and found you on the floor, what happened? The room looks like a bomb went off."

I look at the wreckage of the room. Aside from everything being shattered and blown about, the center of the room is empty, everything had been blasted to the edges of the room and the room and furniture are blackened and burnt, as though a bomb really had gone off. I think for a minute. "I'm not sure."