The Castle of Resurrection: Part Eight

by phifi

The events are coming thick and fast

Shamathia looked at the crystal column horrified. Because of her desire, she had tried to teleport the Tornado Ring out. The spell had gotten reflected by the crystal surface but the result had been terrible: With a thunderous noise the column had burst a long crack was going straight through the middle! An alarm started and new commands were printed on the small screen on the control panel near the column:

!!! Warning eternal field off-line !!!
Emergency release has been initiated
Contents will be released in 4 ... 3 ... 2 ...1

Another thunderous noise and the column shattered into thousand pieces. The creature which had been kept inside now stood on the solid ground, not moving. Suddenly his arms began to twitch and the one normal eye fluttered. A shivering ran through the mighty body, then he opened the normal eye, and rose his head. The implants were started and a thin beam of laser beam came out of the ocular-implant.

Antanie stood at the foot of the stair and did not know what to do. At first, she had wanted to just run away, but for reasons she did not know she had the feeling that someone needed her help. The way to the cellar was still blocked, absolutely no way to come through. Then she drew her breath: The shaft in the dinning room! It was leading into the cellar as well, this was the way! She ran up the stairs and back into the large dinning room. In the corner she found the shaft again, which had been just for pulling up the prepared meals from the kitchen in the cellar. A rope was hanging down in it. Without too much consideration, Ati climbed into the shaft which was just big enough for her and climbed down the rope.

At the end, she really came into the kitchen. It was not as big as she had expected but still very large. And besides the layer of dust that covered everything, it was completely untouched. She left the kitchen and came into a long corridor. At the end she could see light. She went closer until she had reached the door, under which the light was coming from. Inside, she could hear a tremendous noise, as if something very big moved around. Then she heard a scream from a voice she recognised at once: It was Shamathia!

She opened the door and entered the room. The scenery that she had revealed let her freeze: Shamathia was standing at one side of the room, busy with creating some sort of magic shield around her, but on the other side of the room stood a monster. A hideous mutation, fulfilled with forbidden implants: The realisation of the manic dreams of cheaters. And it was trudging into Shamathia's direction. Something had to be done... if she only had her ultra bubble beam with her, Ati thought.

Because she could not think about anything cleverer to do, she jumped into the room and yelled at the beast: "Let her go or you will vanish!" The moment she said this, she regretted that she had done so. The monster turned around, and scanned her with it's laser eye. Then it spoke with a deep and deathly voice:

"Stupid little Kacheek, daring telling me what I, the mighty Firecy have to do! Woohahahaha, in addition to this Aisha here you are going to be a nice little snack. After this long time I am very hungry."

He ignored Antanie and continued to walk towards Shamathia, but in the time he had turned around she had picked up something lying on a shelf nearby. It was a wand of flamebolt! Also a very mighty artifact from the hidden tower.

She pointed with it's tip in Firecy's direction and shouted: "Stay where you are or I am going to roast you!" but the monster still went on walking towards her, only a few meters were remaining.

"You cannot destroy me, I am already destroyed!"

Shamathia used the wand, a fountain of blazing flames shot out and singed Firecy, but did not really damage him. He seemed to be immune to the flames... still it seemed to hurt him.

"Argh, you are slightly starting to make me angry!"

Extremely quick he went to a glass-shelf which Ati and Sammy had not noticed yet, broken it open with a snappy movement and took out a large, black sword. It was almost a meter long and as Firecy took it in his hand, it started to burn, but the flames were not red or orange but black and taking away the light so that a sphere of darkness surrounded Firecy now.

"You are the first mortal to see my sword of the dark fire in action," he boomed and rushed towards Shamathia.

Antanie watched to scene trembling with fear. What could she do? "Sammy watch out!" she screamed, "The sword will destroy you!!!" Then her eye fell on something that had fallen out of the glass-shelf that Firecy had broken: A Shield of Reflection! She ran to it and grabbed it. "Sammy!" she shouted, "Take this!" and she throw the shield to her.

Shamathia had watched her and caught the shield. That moment Firecy hit her with the sword, but he missed and hit a table instead of. Black flames consumed the table and within seconds it was gone. The flames also burned the floor, and big holes were created.

"Ati, run for you life!" Shamathia shouted don't worry about me, run, just run!" Again Firecy hit with his sward, this time he hit a barrel. Ati hesitated: Should she really leave Sammy? But on the other hand, she could not do anything at all, and someone had to inform a owner about the events at the castle. So left the room and ran back to the kitchen. At the last time that she saw Shamathia, she was just running away from another hit of the sword. Half of the room was already burning with dark fire.

She reached the shaft and climbed up as fast as just possible. Behind her, she could suddenly hear a terrible scream, then a deathly silence followed. The arrived in the dinning room, rushed down the stairs back to the entrance hall, out of the tower, out of the castle, she ran and ran until she could not move anymore. She sat down on a hill which was a bit higher than the rest of the area. Somewhere in the dark distance the terrible castle lay... It was about dawn and the first glimpse of light could already be seen between the leaves of the evergreen forest. If only Shamathia could manage to get out of this disaster as well.

Shamathia was too busy to notice that Antanie could escape. Again Firecy tired to hit her with the sword and this time he was faster than Shamathia: She had only time to hold up the protection shield of reflection before the might strike hit her. She shield burst at once, but the flames were reflected back to Firecy! He tried to rise his sword to block the flames but it was too late. The flames had gotten him, he swayed and fell on the floor. A deafening scream escaped his breast before he was completely covered with the flames.

Shamathia already thought it was over and made to fatal mistake to only drew her attention for a brief moment. A mighty claw came out of the flames and grabbed her leg. The pain almost let her faint, and full of despair she hit the claw with the wand of flamebolt. Already, she could feel her bones breaking but then the force suddenly decreased and the claw fell to the floor, only a few second before it disappeared together with the rest of Firecy. Against his own weapon, he had lost.

Shamathia also fell on the floor. All around her the laboratory was consumed by the dark fire, and worst of all, the weapons which got exposed to the flames started to explode. This was the end, the situation seemed desperate... but then she saw something that awaked new hope and powers in her: On a table nearby lay a transporter helmet! Using her last powers she reached the table and took on the helmet, just in the very last moment before the dark flames had reached her position.

Antanie was still sitting on the hill, when suddenly Shamathia appeared next to her, wearing the transporter helmet.

"Shamathia!" Ati squeaked, "You are safe, you managed to escape this beast!" She came closer and wanted to hug Shamathia but she refused and answered in a very weak voice, "No! Do not touch me or you will also perish."

She coughed, "Firecy is destroyed but he won, though, for one of the dark flames singed my fur when he grabbed me... I have only... very few moments remaining, I suppose..." her voice lowered ever more.

"No, you aren't leaving us, I won't let you go. Hang in there, we will soon be found, someone certainly noticed the use of the dark fire!"

"Antanie," Shamathia said, "it is too late for me, my time has come now... urgh... but not yours yet. Please... please promise me that you will inform the Faerie Queen about what has happened. And also promise me, that you will take good care of my owner, will you?"

"Sammy no, you mustn't leave us, please!" Tears were running down from Ati's eyes.

"Please promise me... " Shamathia repeated, but her voice trailed off and her body did not move any longer. Her heart did a last beat and she took a final breath. Memories passed through Shamathia's mind, memories of happy days long ago... when she first meet her owner, the jolly riverside, her first Faerie, the beaches of mystery island, the party after the victory over Dr. Sloth, a joyful day in summer, Faerieland and her beautiful house, her boyfriend Sidolin and all of her other friends, her Gathow Evening Star ... all this she saw in front of her inner eye in her last moment. And then it was over.

"I will," said Antanie.

The End