Mud seeped through the cracks of Sophia’s toes as she crept forward in the strange, dark burrow. She walked in a downward spiral with her left hand grazing the wall’s edge. Searching roots spread out and searched along the ceiling and floor around her. The sight of it made her think the tree itself was a creature, alive and equipped with grotesque tentacles that plunged far into the ground. It made her feel uneasy.
Guiding her eyes was the flickering of verdant firelight that reached up from deeper within. The woman’s comforting voice had ceased, and now fear had replaced the earlier curiosity that spurred her feet forward.
I should turn back, she thought. There’s still time, I can escape.
But it was as if her feet rebelled against her mind. One step followed another, and soon she could hear the faint crackle of a hearth echoing from below.
Finally, after almost tripping over a wayward root, she came upon a wide den. Surrounding her were even more roots that fell in every direction from the ceiling. She peeked around a corner to see an untended fire in the room’s center. Its smoke billowed and disappeared into the thicket of knots curling above her head.
"Come, child." Sofia’s eyes widened as she took a step backward. "Come, come. You are safe here." Sofia’s eyes scanned the room but saw nothing. She no longer trusted the voice that had lured her there. Then, from the wall of protruding roots, stepped a figure cloaked in a hood of tweed.
"It is no small feat to come upon this place. Have you the wit to deceive the likeness of a dragon?" Sofia shook her head.
"Who are you? How did I get here?"
"Ah, I see. You have stumbled into this place. Even still, it is impressive on your part." Sofia frowned.
"You can’t keep me here. I want to go back, I want to go home." The figure shifted and lifted its hood to reveal the face of a beautiful woman. Raven hair glistened in the fire’s shifting light as it fell from the robe’s hood. She had a sharp jaw line and modest cheek bones that sat below two emerald eyes with a sliver of black etched down each.
"What are you?" Sofia murmured.
"I am a visage. I take the form of a human, as it is familiar to you." The woman walked around the fire, never breaking her gaze. "I saw as you picked up the gem and placed it around your neck."
The jewel. Sofia reached for her neck, but it had vanished.
"You’re still wearing it out there." The woman’s eyes glanced upward. "You are set in a trance. A spell cast by the emerald upon receiving a new host. A spell of my conjuring."
"You’re a witch." Sofia spoke plainly. "You cast spells and eat children. Are you going to eat me?"
The woman grinned.
"Some call me a witch. Some call me other things. I care not for the names others give me, for they are of no consequence. And I’ll not be eating you." Her eyes shifted with an even firmer gaze. "But what are you then, child? Maybe you are the villain and I am the damsel." Sofia stared back at the woman without protesting this accusation. "This necklace you wear is a relic used by those who lived long before you. It was worn during a fight for a noble cause and passed down from one wearer to the next until the cause was forgotten and the treasure lost. That is, until you picked it up."
"I don’t understand." Sofia was having a difficult time understanding the strange sorceress. "Why is everything green?"
"You're in an emerald, my dear. How else would it be?"
"And this is your magic? You’ve put me under a spell, but you don’t want to eat me?"
The woman laughed before walking forward.
"Come, look into this fire. It will give you the answers you seek." Sofia looked hesitantly before stepping closer to the fire and peering in. The flames swirled and spread outward, and she could feel the heat intensify as something began to form at its center.
From the flames, a series of images emerged, recounting the story of the jewel she wore: how it was crafted, the ones who bore it preceding her, and the powers it bestowed on them. They were formidable powers that could be harnessed by the wearer to bend others to their will—powers once used to sway the very tides of war.
Sofia snapped back from the vision, almost falling as she did.
"I don’t want it. Take it from me, take it back."
"Once the jewel has chosen a wearer, there is little I can do. The act of removing it from you would destroy your frail, mortal body."
"Why did that daft dragon have to take me from my home?" Sofia shouted, her eyes wincing.
"Rahan." The woman sighed.
"You know him? He took me from my father, and now I am trapped in a cave."
"Yes. This would make sense. He is my son, left to guard the necklace from those who would do unimaginable harm to your world. He has indignant qualities, but he means well and is to be trusted."
Her son? Sofia thought.
The woman looked up at the ceiling, her eyes constricting as if she could hear something approaching. "There is a disturbance in your world. Rahan will protect the one who wears the gem, but I will send you back to ensure your safety." The woman’s hands raised high in the air, her cloak falling back as they did.
Sofia stepped forward.
"Wait. I still have questions."
"Trust the stone. Call upon it when you are in need, and it will imbue you with the power to overcome your foes."
"Wait!"
But it was too late. The woman clapped her hands over her head, sending Sofia’s consciousness into a vortex of whirling light. In a fraction of a second, she was back in her body. She gasped as feeling returned to her body and the glaze dissipated from her eyes. Her head twisted around to see nothing but the darkness of a moist cave and the faint glimmer of morning light falling in from its entrance.
Rahan stood in the light, peering out over the mountains. He glanced back to find Sofia with a troubled look painted over his face.
Something was coming.
To Be Continued…
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