The Amulets (An 'Amulets of Andarrin' tale)

M A Card-Mina

Part One of Book One:

The Amulets

An Amulets of Andarrin Tale

Copyright © 2013 by M
A Card-Mina
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof
may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever
without the express written permission of the publisher
except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This novel is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

The Amulets

The Thief

Nightmares

New Beginnings

The Pendant

Banshee

Unexpected Truths

The Vampire and the Werewolf

The Road to Nanantharim

The
Fenvairie Festival

The Illusionist and the Fenverau

Delaius’ Council

Gredacqui
Wine

Abomination

The Journey Home

The Council

Keeping it together

End of Normality

Forced Entry

Agnieszka
the Demon Child

Sabula

Duel

The Attack

Double Jeopardy

Despair

The Eagle, the Dragon and the Fraeir

The Amulets of
Andarrin

Forced Landing

Unlocking the Power Within

Calm before the Storm

Council of Greymir, Nanantharim

Two wizards wearing the dark green robes of the council guard lay lifeless on the smooth marble floor in front of the ornate brick archway that framed a small corridor leading to a large circular door which was two feet thick with golden latches at the top, bottom and on either side. The latches were pulled back and the door had been opened to reveal a small room with a single plinth in the center. The rectangular marble plinth that rose up from the ground to chest height was cut from the finest white marble shot through with luminous streaks of colour, a small golden plate rested on the plinth but it was empty.

Two men stood at the doorway, their faces nervy and stunned.

“How can this be?”

“We do not know sire, this chamber was impenetrable, it was secured by some of the most complex magic.”

“Impenetrable! Look, you fool, it has certainly been penetrated, wouldn’t you say. Who did this?”

“We’re not sure sire, the name Kalerum has been going around the council but no-one knows who he is. It is believed that he managed to pose as one of us but how he penetrated the chamber I cannot say.”

“I don’t care who he is, you find this Kalerum, you hunt him down and you bring that amulet back here, with or without him. He may still be within the council, make sure the guards are on full alert, do not let him escape!”

“Yes sire.”

“If the Fenverau realise what has transpired here, we’ll hear no end from them. Dammit, find him!”

“Sire” the man bowed and turned and headed off, his feet moving quicker than he’d ever thought possible.

The sky was dark and threatening as the moon hid behind the dark clouds. Robed guards rushed around the walls of the council tower, dozens flowed in and out of it in a panic attempting to secure it and find the thief. A cold breeze swept through the air as a man walked through the courtyard with his head down, his hooded robe masking his face. He was headed towards the gates which were now only a few yards away. The man had come from deep within the council walls from the room where he had stolen the amulet he now had tucked away in his inside pocket.

The guards rushed around the courtyard and inside the council in search of the thief. As he came beneath the arches of the gate house, he saw that six of the wizards guarded the gates that blocked his escape. There was no way he was going to slip past them and he knew it, but he’d managed to escape the council walls where the majority of the guards were, so a few more between him and freedom meant very little to this man.

As he reached the gates four of the guards headed towards him. The man in front in a green robe of the council guard held his hand out to signal him to stop. His pale features and abnormally large pointed ears told the thief that this was no man, this was an elf and elves were as dangerous as they come, all male elves received the best weapons training at  an early age.

“Halt!” the elf said.

“What business did you have with the council?”

The man tried to talk his way to freedom as the other three men hemmed him in.

“I have been sent to locate the thief by the high council.”

“That seems awfully sudden considering it was only minutes ago that the incident occurred.”

“I would have thought an elf to be wiser. The sooner we react, the less time they have to escape. Now if you’d be so kind as to step aside…”

The elf looked the man up and down curiously before turning to one of the two wizards still guarding the gate.

“Haldol, seek out the high council and discover if there is any truth behind these words. Your name” he added turning to the man.

The man knew he was caught and he was wasting time there, he noticed a wisp of black emerging from under the gates but then it was gone, the man smiled and turned to face the elf, his wand clasped tightly in his hand but pointed up so it was hidden by his sleeve.

“Your name…” the elf repeated.

“My name is Kalerum” he said and all the guards went for their wands or staffs but Kalerum was too quick, he flipped his wand over and flicked it towards the elf sending him crashing back against the gate. With his other hand he drew his knife, slashing the throat of the man on his right as he span around the back of another man as the other three wizards reached for their weapons.

“Ramat!” he shouted and the man to his left, who held a long thick staff in his hand, watched as it splintered and cracked all the way up before it shattered sending him hurtling back and crashing to the floor with a shard of his staff piercing his heart.

Still holding the man in his arms for protection he watched as the two guards trained their wands on him, waiting for him to reveal himself from behind his captive. The elf however was now getting to his feet, a black smoke rose up out of the ground behind him, as it did so a female’s face blurred by the smoke could just be made out and then two hands came out of the smoke and pulled the elf backwards into it. The smoke rose up in the air and the elf was
consumed by it, one last scream and he was gone. The smoke shot down from the sky and straight into the ground, as it did so it left  the elf a husk on the ground where the smoke had been.

Kalerum slit the throat of the man he was holding and flicked his wand at one of the remaining guards, killing him instantly, At the same time, as the last man aimed his wand to strike at Kalerum, the black smoke rose up underneath him and flipped him on his belly before dragging him backwards until he disappeared into the smoke.

Kalerum saw his chance to escape with his prize. Opening the side gate he prepared to flee, glancing back to see a number of the wizard guards charging towards him, bright lights shooting from their wands, Kalerum dodging one bolt and then another as they crashed against the gate and walls. With a grim smile he passed out of the fortress.

“
Gruhil, we’re done here” Kalerum shouted, seemingly towards the air and as soon as he did the smoke seemed to understand him because it shot into the ground and moments later appeared on the other side of the wall where Kalerum was.

“It’s time my dear” Kalerum smiled.

Moments later he disintegrated into a cloud of dust which shot up towards the sky and disappeared out of sight.

The smoke vanished on the spot and bright lights from spells, shot from the walls to where they had been, were now hitting trees or falling to t
he ground for they had escaped.

Preston, Earth

Eleven months later

The day was the same as every other day for nineteen year old Jack; a six thirty morning call from his mother, followed by an entrance into his bedroom from his sister forcing him up by way of verbal abuse and warnings of lateness.

Jack had two sisters and one brother. His older sister was from a different father and lived in Australia with her husband. Jack’s brother had a house which he bought with his girlfriend though they had recently split up and so he was living there on his own. He had asked Jack to go and stay with him but Jack had declined, though every day in Jacks house brought him one step closer to taking up his brother’s offer.

Jack’s younger sister, Catherine, continued to shake him. It would be useless to roll over and fall back to sleep because his sister would continue to try and get him up and eventually call their mother as she was the one who would give him a lift to work. Still half asleep Jack got up; his short dark hair stuck to his head where he’d been lying while sleeping. His face looked young, even for a nineteen year old.

In the bathroom he had the usual wash and checked himself over in the mirror; around his eyes were dark marks from lack of sleep which made his brown eyes look darker than they actually were. Jack paid no attention to this, he went back into his room and got dressed, after which, he headed downstairs into the kitchen. As usual there was no time for breakfast but still enough time for a quick cup of tea and a lecture from his mother about responsibility.

“What if you lived on your own, hey, how would you survive?” it was more rhetorical than an actual question as she knew that Jack wouldn’t answer.

Although hard to tell now, Jack’s mother was a caring person who was a more outgoing mother than most and never short of anything to talk about. Shoulder length light brown hair with a fringe which covered the lines on her forehead when she was angry. She had glowing eyes almost child-like, which matched her small nose. Not to mention her strong jaw and rosy red face. If she wasn’t angry she would have looked like she’d just drunk a bottle of whiskey. You wouldn’t say she was a fat woman but she wasn’t thin either, a bit plump would probably be the best description but it suited her perfectly, although at this moment Jack didn’t think so.

She was very dedicated to her job and spent most of her time, even at home, working, so making her late wasn’t the best thing to do.

“You haven’t got time for tea; you should have got up earlier…and…if you’re not going to university you had better start paying rent. I’m not running a hotel here”.

“I am at university and I only work weekends” Jack said matter-of-factly.

Jacks mother turned to him with a grim look. “You’ve been there a few months and how long do you think that‘ll last?”

It would have been pointless to argue so Jack threw his tea away and headed for the door, “ok let‘s go”

When he arrived at work he actually felt good getting away from his mother, even if it was work. The whole car journey there was like being in a nightmare. Jack, who spent the whole time looking out of the window wishing he was somewhere else, only caught a few words from another lecture his mother was giving him “…living there…free…lazy little…grow up…”

Jack worked in a shop and was a clothing sales assistant. A job which he hated, but then Jack hated every job unless it involved sports. After signing in, the daily work routine began, the same old routine that happens every time he works. Take out rails of clothes and place them where they will best sell on his department, removing ones that are not selling. Then to the stockroom to go through boxes of delivery, new and replenishment stock, categorising each.

Throughout the day Jack would assist customers, replenish the department and make sure everything was clean and tidy. That had been Jacks day every weekend since he’d started university, and when he wasn’t in university it was his day five days a week with an increase of hours to eight, which never settled well with Jack as he didn’t particularly enjoy what he did.

Other people Jack worked with enjoyed their job and wanted to progress in it or they were students like him needing a bit of money. Jack was different, he neither wanted to progress nor did he even want to work there. His problem was that he was easily bored and usually only lasted a few months before hating wherever it was he worked.

The only thing that cheered Jack up was Lily. A year younger than Jack, Lily was a charismatic girl and her personality gave grace to her beauty. Charming, fun, full of energy and she always had a cheeky look on her face which Jack found attractive. Lily was the only thing Jack went to work for; in fact he spent most of the time getting into trouble for talking to her. During one conversation Jack found out she had a boyfriend which was a long term relationship and had been with him since school. Even worse they lived together. Jack wanted nothing more than to be with Lily, so much so that he would give up everything and anything to be with her. So finding this out, he was distraught. He had finally met someone he really liked and just his luck she had someone else. This however, didn’t stop him from having fun with her. Every time she was working when he was he would speak to her and if they had the same dinner, would spend most of the time trying to talk to her.

Unfortunately for Jack, Lily wasn’t in today, however he studied Business at university which she also studied so Jack knew he’d see her sooner or later whether it was in work or at university so he did everything he could to get on with his job and get home.

Jack finished the day, got a lift home from his mother who was much more pleasant than earlier that morning. At home he got showered, had tea while watching a film that his mother had on, said goodnight and got into bed.

Daydreaming whilst lying there, fame came into his mind. Imagining he was walking the red carpet, signing autographs for screaming fans and being interviewed. Then, there she was getting out of the limo behind him, wearing a
colourful blue dress which matched her eyes. Her light blonde hair down to her shoulders, looking as beautiful as it always was she was walking towards him with a smile on her face. Lying there Jack’s face crumpled into a happy grin. Letting his mind go blank Jack rolled over and went to sleep.

The basement felt damp and cold. It was a rectangular room about the size of a small bus. The bricks which made up the walls were bigger than normal and looked beaten and cracked, bits were missing, as if hit with a hammer. The smell was old and dusty. There were no windows but, thanks to the bulb hanging from the ceiling off a thin grey wire, the room glistened with an eerie orange glow, this was due to the brick’s sandy colour. Jack found himself standing in the center of the room holding a white basket full of towels looking at the only other thing in there which was a square white washing machine which looked as though it hadn’t been used in years. Taking a closer look, the colour of the washing machine was more of a stained yellow than white. Jack looked at the washing machine and then behind him to the brown wood which stood surrounded by a wall of rotting bricks and made a door frame. It had the look of a mine entrance and had three wooden steps leading down from it at forty degrees which is where he had come in, or had he? This puzzled Jack because he couldn’t remember getting to the basement nor picking up a basket full of clothes. Then he heard voices coming from around the corner of the entrance “No he’s down in the basement sorting the towels” and then it became clear to him, the voice was his managers. The thought of how he got there left him because now it was clear that he was in work and he was sent to sort the towels. Jack walked over to the lonely washing machine, crouched down placing the basket under the door as he did so. After stuffing the towels in Jack scanned the buttons on the machine and noticed it was set to max “at least they’ll be clean.” Smiling, Jack shut the door, the creak going right through him as he did so. Spotting the washing tablets sitting on top of the machine he picked two out and placed them in the slot above the door, everything set, he  pressed the start button. As soon as he did so the washing machine rumbled to life, swirling the towels around as if they were consumed by a twister.

Job done, Jack stood back up and walked towards the door, leaving the washing basket under the machine‘s door. Three steps later the washing machine gave a huge roar, rumbling and shaking where it stood. After a few seconds the floor began to shake, the noise and force of it becoming stronger, louder and faster every second.

Wearing black leggings, a denim blue skirt and a grey top, blonde hair hanging down past her shoulders, Jack’s manager had come rushing in. Her usually soft and smiley face replaced with a look of terror.

“Oh my god, what have you…?”

Jack turned to her, his face filled with equal horror “I put the towels on and it…” but before he could finish the roof and floor began to cave in.

It occurred to Jack that underneath and around the washing machine seemed to be collapsing. How? He didn’t know but it looked as though it was creating a sink hole that everything
seemed to be falling into. Bricks began falling from above them and screams could be heard coming from upstairs. Jack turned to his manager.

“I think we should go. Go, Claire …
RUN!!”

They made a run for it; straight out of the entrance, round the corner and up the stairs. A few steps up some of the roof collapsed behind them. To their shock two people fell through as well but there was no time to stop, they had to get out.

Running as fast as they could around a wide spiral staircase they passed bodies which had been crushed by bricks and what looked like roofing from inside the shop.

Jack reached the top of the stairs “come on” he shouted, turning around Claire had gone, looking over the staircase he couldn’t see her “Claire” there was no response.

A rail of clothes fell through the massive hole behind him…. then a car.

A car?
“Whoa” he shouted.

He had to move but there was no exit, there was nothing there apart from sky above him. Standing at the top of the stairs, everything was shaking and people were screaming, Jack was scared, wondering how it had happened.

He turned around and everything had collapsed around him, all he could see was the floor far below now reduced to rubble and still shaking. Around him the walls had formed into a massive well the size of a house and the stairs were collapsing where his feet were.

“Grab the wall” he heard someone shout.

The voice sounded familiar but he couldn’t put his finger on it. There was no time; Jack grabbed a piece hanging out of the wall in front of him as the stairs fell to the bottom. Holding on for his life he looked up and saw the shape of a man’s head blocking out the dark clouds from the sky. Jack felt his arm being grabbed and moments later was lifted up and out of the hole.

Lying next to the hole he was just pulled from, he began coughing from all the dust he had inhaled “Are you ok? Hey! Are you alright?”

That voice. Jack sat up coughing and wiping his eyes. “Who are you?” he asked as clouds of dust blurred his vision.

“It’s me you idiot” the voice said.

“Huh” Jack said coughing...

“Your brother…James” the voice said.

At this Jack looked up and saw his brother standing over him. James was a tall handsome man and was older and more confident than Jack. From the expression and tone of his voice his brother did not seem happy with him.

Jack stood up and gazed between James and the huge hole next to him.

“What have I done? It was my fault James I set the washing machine off and it…did it? I don’t know…It…”

James had a disappointing look on his face. “I know it’s always your fault. Why can’t you just listen to people? You got people killed this time Jack.”

Tears began slowly falling from Jack’s eyes “but I…Lily oh no, was she in there? Oh God, please.”

Jack fell back to his knees and tears poured from his eyes holding his fist to them he knelt there rocking on both knees.

“Yeah Jack she was. I hope you can live with yourself because I don’t want to know, you’re weak and stupid” at this James walked off.

Jack didn’t try and stop him as he was still on his knees crying into his fists saying “I’ve killed them,” was this really happening he thought to himself.

After a few minutes Jack stood up, tears still in his eyes looking down at the sink hole. As his eyes cleared he began scanning the area. What he saw was confusing. There was no one in
sight and it looked as though he was in an old English town square, surrounded by old buildings. He looked back at the hole but then heard footsteps behind him. Crossing the street was what looked like a woman wearing a hooded top, long dark hair hanging out from the sides hiding her face.

“Hey! Excuse me, hey!” the woman didn’t respond but carried on walking. “Hey!” still no reply. Jack couldn’t understand it. She carried on walking and continued down a side passage between two buildings.

Jack ran after her. “Please, stop” but the woman continued walking down the side street.

As Jack got to the entrance of the side street the robed woman had reached the end but stopped. Still at the entrance Jack tried speaking to her again