Page 43 of The Last Knight

She wasn’t sure what Gwen meant by beckoning, but she didn’t bother asking. It was best to get it over with.

Hands over the box, she waited for the chants to begin and then she opened the lid. Inside the items looked to be innocuous. Nothing special, but like Tristan had stated, antique decorations.

First she lifted the bowl and held it. Nothing occurred, no sensations, no bright lights or shivers. Rather disappointing, while at the same time she was glad. When she lifted the pendant, her hand trembled a bit. Mainly because she hoped the creature wouldn’t suddenly materialize.

Again, there were no signs.

“I think you’re right,” Aubrey said, pulling out the dagger. “There is nothing magical about these items.” She held the dagger in one hand, and then the other.

There was no change to its weight, no lights, and certainly no glitter.

Aubrey placed the dagger and the pendant on the leather strap into the bowl. “I say we leave all of this be. You all have projects to do, and I have a soon-to-be very successful studio to run. Let’s put this all behind us and move on with our lives.”

Aubrey smiled at her cousin. “Let’s pack up all of this and leave it.”

She lifted the bowl and looked at the three items. Something about them gave her pause. Perhaps a part of her had wished for more, to be part of a great adventure like all the others in the room.

“Aubrey,” Erin’s voice held a tone of hesitance. “Put the bowl down.”

“I am putting it into the box. Then I really want to have another glass or two of wine.”

Silence.

“Seriously, I mean it when I say we need to leave this and move on. Nothing will happen. I am sure of it.”

Aubrey’s vision blurred, everything was going sideways. She’d only had vertigo once, and it had been enough. She’d not noticed any kind of nasal blockage, or her ears feeling clogged like the last time. When she’d had it before, it had lasted about two weeks, and it had been miserable. Nausea and dizzy spells had plagued her making it impossible to do much more than lay in bed and do her best not to throw up.

When the room seemed to right itself, she opened her eyes slowly, bracing for her stomach to protest. Her stomach held steady, and she felt no dizziness, Her vision had cleared everything coming into focus.

“What the…”

She held the bowl with the two items close to her chest and looked around.

The surroundings were completely unfamiliar, and she was alone. She stood in the middle of a long corridor, stone walls on both sides, the floor seemed to be made of packed dirt. Evenly spaced along the walls were iron sconces on which candles’ flames provided enough light to see. The slight sway of the flames made for eerie shadows across the floor and up the opposite wall.

This wasn’t her house, Aubrey was sure of it. Growing up, she and her father, sometimes with Erin along, had explored every inch of the property. The attic, cellar, and even the shelter that had been dug out of the ground beneath the barn. If something as large as her current surroundings existed, they would have found it.

At the sound of heavy footsteps coming closer, Aubrey ducked into a doorway and flattened herself against the door clutching the bowl closer to her chest. Try as she might to control her breathing, it was hard to do so as an ominous feeling filled her. Something was horribly wrong. She felt it in her bones.

The footfalls continued past her, probably in the corridor that crossed at the end. With a shaky breath, Aubrey peered around the edge of the doorway. At the sight of who walked by, she gasped and ducked back praying with all her might they’d not heard her over the heavy stomps of their feet.

She’d never seen such a being. Muscular, with a thick neck and hairy skin, the creature was huge, well over six feet. They were creatures like those on the pendant she held.

Terror gripped her and a scream threatened. Aubrey pressed her lips together, and covered her mouth with one hand, the entire time gripping the bowl for dear life.

This had to be a nightmare. She’d passed out in the cellar and was now dreaming. That was the only explanation.

If it was a dream, the best thing she could do was to not panic. Yes, she was the heroine of her own action sci-fi movie. First thing heroes did was to find a place to hide that would give them access to communications.

Her legs threatened to fold as she took a few wobbly steps in the direction the creatures had gone. Hopefully, she could slip away in the opposite direction.

Moving slowly, she was glad that she was still in her yoga clothes, which would make it easier to move about. Her joggers were soundless against the flooring as she placed one foot in front of the other.

She’d almost reached the end of the corridor when the sounds of voices came from her right. Whoever spoke did so in a language she didn’t understand. Fluent in French, Spanish and Akan, the language of Ghana, which she’d learned from her mother, it was easier to decipher other languages. This one sounded more guttural, and harsh. Russian would sound melodic in comparison.

When one of the voices became louder, harsher, it sent Aubrey’s heart into overdrive. The thudding of her heart echoed in her ears, and despite herself, Aubrey was soon sure she’d die there.

Someone grabbed her from behind, one arm around her waist. The opposite hand covered her mouth and dragged her past a doorway and into a room.