Overtaking The Throne

Carls, Topaz and Aimee

Chapter Thirteen
Carls, Topaz and Aimee

Now, I have just been informed that this is not how alligators in your world act. Apparently they don't roar? It's a foreign concept to me, so I understand if you feel the same. To make it a little easier, I'll give these creatures a different name. That way neither of us will run into this confusion again. My world's alligators, from this point on, will be known as Carl, or Carls if pluralized.

Got it?

Okay, good.

The Carl noticed me, out of the corner of its dark yellow eye. The scaly creature let out a second roar at the sight of its target.

It inched closer.

I had begun to rack my brain in a desperate attempt to see all of what I remembered about Carls.

Carls could roar. Okay, already gathered that from before.

They were a decent size. Not too big, not too small. Useless, vague information that didn't give away anything of any importance. When would you use that specification? In your search for real estate?

Carls hated bright lights.

Now that... That could be something.

In one swift motion, my crown came from atop my head to resting in my left hand. My eyes closed as my palm lightly hit into the cold obsidian crystals.

"Lumos!" I screamed. Energy poured through me, zapping past my hand to nestle into the crystals. The feeling was peculiar, as if electricity had zipped through my body in one brisk motion, then made itself a home just outside of my being. I could still feel it pulse- just as a fresh spell was supposed to.

Another fact about Carls; they are attracted to loud noises. An example, one I could think of off the top of my head, was shouting "Lumos!" in an otherwise pretty quiet area.

The Carl's head snapped in my direction. He snaked (or more like Carled, am I right? ... Sorry, I'm panicking.) towards the boat. Its malicious eyes cut through me, I froze for a moment, however brief.

Then I remembered the spell, still fresh in my grasp.

A quick tap was all it required for activation.

Instantly, the crown began to glow bright yellow. For a second, my mind worried if my recollection of Carls was correct. What if they did not hate bright lights? What if instead they were attracted towards them? It would mean I had created a Carl beacon!

My fear was short-lived.

The creature let out another mighty roar, this time one of fear. It bolted away quicker than Prince Brice anytime someone mentioned marriage to him. At that thought, I let out a small laugh.

From there, the ride through the swamp was a breeze.

I managed to grab a stick- which this time was not a Carl- and paddle along. Several other creatures darted away from my luminous new accessory, no doubt a few of them being other Carls. I hummed a tune I faintly remembered- something about why magic loved jewels and wands and markings.

Before long, I had spotted it at the heart of the swamp- a small home.

The house was barely bigger than a shed.

A musty smell emitted from the wood, which in turn was wrapped in a layer of mosses. The front porch had been covered in it too, along with a few relaxing turtles. The door, miraculously, was bare. Just a simple wood design, in no way giving hint to the world inside.