SALAMANCA

Chapter 5: The Dance of Mountains

Jacob held out the Compass Talisman, "I have it here!"

"If you are the true keeper, you will find the way to the heart of our domain," the mysterious voice warned them. "As for your companions, we can't be certain. Venture at your own risk."

"I'll be their guide," Jacob announced. "Guys, just follow me."

Jacob led the way as the rest of the gang moved behind him. The towering rocks were like giants looking down at them and they swear there were faces etched on those stones silently watching them.

They can also hear strange noises like some wild animals were lurking behind them.

"This looked like a labyrinth," Kyle observed.

Jacob turned to right, following the  green dial of the compass. As the rest of them followed, they felt the rocks moved and their arrangements shifted, altering the course and blocking where entryways once were.

The group was forced to turn to another direction to the left but the rocks moved again and the alleys seemed to narrow.

"The walls are closing in. They will squeeze us!" Edmund warned the team so everyone ran to the nearest opening they could find.

But once again, the rocks shifted closing the entry behind them and blocking another entrance before them.

"We're trapped!" Kyle shouted.

Mark touched the cold stones as if trying to find any crack or holes. He saw a rough soft patch and tried bumping his arm against it. The rest of the guys helped until that wall collapsed.

However, once they reached the other side of the wall, a new rock raised from the ground and blocked their ways again.

Then, the walls on all sides started to move closer together again.

"What do we do now? These walls will crush us!" Shelly asked fearfully.

Jacob closed his eyes and held the compass between his palms. He prayed for it to show them the way. The Talismans are there to guide them.

A bear appeared in his mind and whispered something to his ears that he surprisingly understood.

"Guys, I can stop these rocks from choking us," Jacob raised his hands and a force seemed to vibrate from them that pushed the walls and stopped them from crushing the group.

"Kyle! Maybe you can try to make an opening on the walls?" Jacob suggested. "Make a portal?"

Kyle held his Talisman and prayed for the Spirits to let him make a way.

It glowed after a moment and projected a doorway to one of the walls.

"Get in there!" Jacob shouted. "The compass is pointing towards it."

All four ran ahead as Jacob continued to control the walls. They crossed another alley when one of the walls floated in the air and then hovered over them.

Jacob extended his hand and the piece of rock crumbled to small pieces.

Kyle did not waste time and continued making doorways. It seemed to be leading them to the center of the labyrinth- the heart of the domain.

Jacob blasted other rocks that moved and attempted to fall over the group.

They ran again and reached another dead end.  Kyle could not open another way, so Jacob consulted the compass but the dials only turned full circle to where they stood.

"Kyle! Try making a door on the ground around us," Jacob said.

Kyle traced a door on the mossy  ground  and magically a door opened downward on one side, causing all five of them to slide down to a dark hole.

***

"Where are we?" Edmund asked scanning the area where they fell.

They were in a clearing and right at the middle of it was a stone table where a small man with long dark beard sat behind it on a throne of rocks.

It did not take long as other small creatures came out of the shadowy rocks. They were gnomes and dwarves dressed in colorful garbs made from moss, grass and rocks.

"Impressive!" Said gleefully by the man on the throne. "I am Dushin, King of the Earth Dwellers. Welcome to our domain, Keepers of the Talismans!"

The group looked at the man covered in golden robe decorated by precious stones and moss. They bowed their heads to pay respect.

"Keeper of the Earth Totem! You passed the test!" King Dushin declared. "With that, I am giving you what you came here for."

The King made a little hand gesture and then five gems, the size of seeds, floated before the five keepers.

'These are the Orenni. The seeds of power that will grow as the powers of the Talismans awaken and reveal more wonders to you."

"Thank you Your Majesty!" Jacob told the king and accepted the gems.

The gems automatically attached themselves to the talismans like an embossed design.

"Now the Earth has seeded the power into the Talismans and you Jacob of Terra, is accepted by the Great Bear Spirit as its Keeper."

King Dushin dismissed them and pointed them to the archway that will lead them back to Salamanca.