Hope by Sam Rook

lot on my mind." She reined in her anger and finished the rest of the training without incident. On her back indeed.

Chapter 12
     
     
    Borith crouched in the dark passage and wondered if he should kill them. The flickering torchlight glinted off the armored guards, giving them the appearance of metal statues. The pair stood in the small antechamber before the main entrance of the Council’s treasure room. Their eyes were always moving, their hands upon the pommels of their swords. He wasn’t worried about them.
    He knew he could deal with the mercenaries. One quick spell would get rid of them. No, he was far more worried about the spells protecting the treasure. The Council wouldn’t just rely upon the muscle of the mercenaries. The mercenaries’ role was to intimidate ordinary thieves and he was far from ordinary.
    Rising to his feet, he ended the waiting game. "Mel’ati E’athos!"
    The guards swung their heads in his direction, but slumped to the ground as an unseen force struck them. Stepping into the antechamber, his black silk outfit absorbed the light from the torches. The stumps of the severed wings protruding from his back gave him the appearance of a disfigured angel. His brown eyes dismissed the unconscious mercenaries.
    He stepped around the bodies and stood before a long darkened hall. "Canto’o Ay’e!" His new spell probed for magical shields or other dangers as he proceeded. The hall turned up ahead, and he saw a ruddy light bouncing off the far wall where it angled into the unseen room. The light glowed blue as his probing spell identified a threat and dissipated.
    Unsheathing his dagger, he slashed at the line of light and the tunnel erupted in flames. The searing heat drove him to his knees and he dropped the dagger, shielded his face with his arms and curled into a tight ball. The inferno subsided and the passage was again dark.
    No light showed on the wall from the unseen room. Borith loosened his body and sat up, feeling for damage. His left palm burned, but he couldn’t see the extent of the injury. Knowing the danger might not yet be over, he pulled off one of his leather boots. Dragging himself from the corner, he then heaved his boot ahead. He heard it thump to the ground. Nothing happened.
    He crawled toward the turn and felt around the dirt floor until he found his boot. His palm burned as he pulled it on. Sighing, he continued his search and brushed the hilt of his dagger as the grit of the floor ground into his skin. He gripped it, bringing it around in front of him. "Canto’o Ay’e!" He inched along the passageway behind his new probing spell and felt the passageway open, a spell triggering with his presence.
    The spell lit the room with a dull white glow. Millions of gold coins and amulets covered the floor of the chamber, only allowing a narrow and winding path ahead. He felt the power emanating from some of the amulets. The Presence in some of them screamed for release into the world.
    "Corrupt bastards."
    According to the histories, the Knighthood destroyed all artifacts with a Presence, or a True Soul, centuries ago. These amulets with Presence contained the actual souls, not just the memories, of long-dead people. Unlike the Soulbearers of the Knighthood who only contained the memories of ancient warriors, anyone who chose to wear one of these amulets would be taken over by the soul of the person trapped within.
    He cringed when he thought about some unseen force controlling his body. They would know his every memory, his every thought. They would control his body, maybe even forcing him to kill those he loved. It reminded him of the Manipulation spell and he almost laughed aloud. He didn’t hesitate to use that spell at all. Tossing away his brief fear, he concentrated on the mission.
    The gold coins covering the path clanged as his brown leather boots sent them rolling. The Order’s idea to just walk right into the Chamber and take the Orb was ludicrous, but his master had