The Dark Binding

Chapter 3

''Is this it?'' Sabrina asked, disappointment creeping into her voice.

She stood gaping at the cracked stone horse before turning to her father.

''This is the Grand Guild?''

''If it is,'' Pam looked about disapprovingly. ''Its name is terribly misleading.''

Sabrina had been so excited when they left the town, assuming that the Grand Guild would be in some far-away land. Imagine her surprise when the location was Mason's Point, the spot she had had lunch with her friend a day ago.

''Where we need to be is Mason's Point.'' Father said flatly.

''The Grand Guild is in the Hidden City.''

Dried twigs crunched underneath his boots as he made his way toward the statue. He placed a bear sized palm onto the tarnished white stone and turned toward Sabrina and her sister.

''This isn't just any old statue,'' he said.

''it's a sentinel, they serve as doorways to the Hidden City, the city of magic.''

She could glimpse a thin smile appearing on his lips. ''Our city.''

Sabrina and Pam exchanged looks of awe.

''you see most magi cannot use magic without drawing from the elements; water, earth, fire and air.'' He counted them off from his fingers.

Pam's eyes narrowed. ''Can you use magic without the aid of the elements, dad?

Father shook his head seeming annoyed at the question, '' but you can... for some reason.''

''As I was saying,'' he restarted.

''They are the corner-stones of magic and as such the sentinels were sculpted into images best representing each element.''

Father looked from the statue to his daughters. ''And what element does the horse represent?''

She felt her father's heavy gaze adrift from her to Pam. Sabrina looked up at the clouds as though she would find the answer there, before glancing at Pam who was scratching her head.

''It represents earth,'' father sighed.

''Well they don't make it easy do they?'' Sabrina chuckled at her joke before looking bashfully at Pam who simply frowned at her.

''So,'' he continued. ''We need the Earth binding spell to open the gate.''

Father stood before the statue, his body rigid and eyes focused.

''Ergo on grada.''

His command sent a shiver up Sabrina's back. She had heard those words before, but where?

There was a loud crackling sound, like hail stones battering against a hard roof.

Sabrina and Pam, their bodies tight with tension watched as a thin crack broke out onto the horse's head before the statue slowly split in half.

Bits of loose white stones fell away sending up plumes of dust into the early morning sky.

When the dust had cleared, Sabrina found herself looking into a dark tunnel ensconced between the two symmetrical sides of the horse.

''That is our passage into the Hidden City,'' father smiled.

Sabrina stared, amazed down the seemingly endless tunnel.

''It's brilliant!'' she exclaimed.

''You've already said that,'' Pam replied.

Sabrina stared at Pam, taken aback.