Shattered Kingdoms | Book 2 ✔ (REWRITTEN AS 'THE EXILED KING')

Chapter 18 - Possessed

Dark and stale air rushed out from within the doors of the treasury. Reyneld did not hesitate, but grabbed a torch from one of the scones set to the wall and swiped it against the wall. Sparks flew, and the torch ignited. Reyneld was illuminated in a flash of light, and Jason blinked, momentarily blinded by the sharp light.

"Ready?" Reyneld looked closely at Jason. Jason nodded tensely.

Jason had inherited his hair and eyes, but had a sharper jaw from his mother.

Reyneld turned and disappeared down the tunnel, the torch illuminating his path. Jason quickly scurried after his father, a bead of sweat running down his back. It felt so wrong.

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They reached another set of doors, heavily barred with what looked like the smashed remains of a fort or some other large building. There was lumber, cracked stone and dented metal pieces. Jason followed Reyneld, stepping over the largest pieces of debris, but otherwise stepping on them. He stepped into something that trapped his foot and gave a dull crunching sound. Jason reared back, fright giving him superb reflexes. His foot was still stuck, so he fell heavily, causing Reyneld to pause, and turn back to Jason.

"Jason? Are you alright?" Reyneld asked.

He walked over to Jason illuminating the floor. Jason screamed and frantically tried to get up. He had stepped through a rib cage, and skeletons littered the ground.

"Oh Gods! By Pelos!" Jason yelped, eyes wide.

"You've... not seen a skeleton before?" Reyneld cocked his head to the side, looking at his son curiously.

Jason turned to him angrily, "Of course I have! Just... not... like this," He gestured to the ground, covered in corpses. It was clear that some had been knights, because they wore rusted chain mail and helmets.

Reyneld's eyes darkened, "Tomb raiders. I should have known. It looks like a whole army of them, too!"

"Tomb raiders? I thought you said this was a treasury?!" Jason cried.

"Well, yes. I assumed you knew that the first golden guardian was buried here. Our ancestor. And the Bladesworn treasures have been gathered here, in his tomb, ever since," Reyneld explained.

"Gods..." Jason swore softly. So much history, and he didn't know any of it.

"Are you alright? Really?" Reyneld asked again. When Jason nodded, he spoke again, "Then let us go. Be warned, Endon will not be kind to us. Are you prepared?"

"Yes."

With a grim nod, Reyneld lead the way towards the door. Still, Jason could not shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Reyneld cleared some of the debris from around the large double doors, but there was too much in the way.

"Jason? A little help here?" Reyneld cleared his throat and beckoned to the debris cluttered by the doors.

"How can I help?" Jason frowned.

Reyneld pointed at Jason's bracelet, "Are you a Guardian or not?!"

Jason's eyes widened, "Right! Yes. Of course."

He closed his eyes and held one arm out. Fire began to build up in his hand as he drew out power from within himself. Then his eyes opened quickly and he hurled the fireball at the door. Reyneld's eyes widened; he dropped his torch and took cover behind a large chunk of stone as the heat washed over them, the light blinding. When the light had receded, they looked upon the door with wide eyes. Not even a scratch marred its pristine surface, even if there was a pile of rubble on the ground.