One Word Prompts

Ancient - The Golems

"Who wanders here?" a voice asked from the dark. It was deep and gravely, the words slow and methodical.

Erin stopped were she stood, her hand inches from the treasure sitting on the pedestal before her.

"Explorers," Kara, who stood a foot back, called into the dark.

The two of them stood on a platform in a room so large that they could only guess at the size. The platform extended out from the doorway they had come from, just wide enough for the two women to walk abreast, a dark abyss expanding down forever on either side. The platform widened again into a circle not more than eight feet in diameter at the far end, where they now stood. In the center, upon a raised step, stood a pedestal bathed in a soft blue light. Upon the pedestal, just waiting to be taken, was a locket of silver, a gemstone of pale blue set in the center.

Neither woman expected a voice from the darkness beyond the platform to stop them. Neither expected to see the pair of glowing green lights in the dark.

"Explorers?" the voice repeated. The green lights grew closer, accompanied by a low rumbling, the platform shaking.

"Yes," Kara said, thinking on her feet like she always did. Erin took the opportunity to draw her hand back and step down from the platform. Kara continued, hiding her anxiety as well as ever, "We explore the hidden corners of the world, looking for forgotten knowledge to bring back to the people."

"Forgotten?" the voice asked. "Who has forgotten?"

"Well," Kara stammered. "Everyone. No one knew this complex was here before we found the entrance yesterday."

"I knew it was here," the voice said.

"Well, yes, I suppose that's true." She smiled awkwardly. "But, no one I knew before this knew you were here."

"Who are you, anyway?" Erin cut in, changing the subject as fast as she could.

"Me?" The lights grew closer again. A face appeared from the dark.

It was a face of stone, no mouth or nose, just a round semicircle. The two lights were its eyes, made from green gemstones, seeming to look nowhere yet everywhere at once. It sat on stone shoulders, the body stretching down into the dark abyss below.

"I am the guardian," it said. "Keeper. Watcher."

"Ah, we have trespassed! We apologize," Kara exclaimed. "Please excuse us! If we had known this place was not abandoned, we would never have stepped foot here."

Erin eyed the locket ahead of them. She supposed they were going to have to give it up, given that the guard was stationed directly over it. It should have been a small price to pay, giving it up, to keep their lives. But it stung a little. How much was it worth if the creators of this temple had set up an enormous golem just to watch this one piece of jewelry?

Did it possess ancient magics? Was the jewel a diamond? Did it hold an even greater treasure within? Some combination of the three?

Still, their bags were already heavy with gem-encrusted trinkets. If Kara could talk their way out of this, that would be plenty.

"Then you will return the others?" the golem asked.

"Eh?" Kara froze. "Others?"

"You did not know that you were a trespasser. You took what you thought belonged to none. Now you know differently. This is the resting place of Trall, eternal king of stone. You know his guard still stands at his side. So you will return his treasures. His allies."

"His. Allies?"

Their bags began squirming. Something climbed up Erin's back, spindly and clawed. Almost against her will, she looked over her shoulder just as the silver spider with ruby eyes climbed into view.

She didn't quite scream, but she did jump, sending the collection of jeweled creatures climbing out of her bag flying as she did. They spun in the air, the metal glinting in the blue light, stone shimmering under the unnatural light, seeming to grow and expand.

No, not "seeming to." They did expand. They grew until they were the size of humans, becoming golems of metal or jade. They watched the two human women, judgment in their eyes.

"They tried to take the king," one whispered.

"Intruders to our sanctuary," whispered another.

"Do we kill them?"

"Kill the thieves!"

"Ah, we really didn't mean to," Kara said, her voice lost among the rising voices of the crowd.

"Yeah, we'll just leave. We really don't want any trouble," Erin added.

"They are explorers," the stone guardian said, silencing the crowd.

One of the metal golems stepped forward, its amber eye dark with doubt. "Explorers, huh?"

"They find forgotten things," the big golem explained, misunderstanding the question in the other's voice.

"Forgotten? We've been forgotten?" another asked.

"I have not forgotten," the big one said.

The others ignored him. "If that much time has passed, then perhaps our king will awaken soon?"

"We could ride out into the world again?"

"Conquer and build our kingdom again!"

"None would be prepared."

"Another easy conquest!"

Erin and Kara took a step back. What had they awakened? They had to get out. Warn everyone.

A stone hand clamped down on Erin's shoulder.

"Welcome, guest," a golem of jade said, a predatory smile in her sapphire eyes. "Please, stay a while. Tell us of the world today."