51 Stories from the Fantastic Realm: Bite sized stories weekly from Fantasy-Land. Updates Fridays.
18.18
The Amulet
Petra stared at the lava. It pulsed, in and out, almost as if it were breathing. Petra took a deep breath in herself, just like she'd been trained. In with the good, out with the bad. In with the good . . . out with the bad. In front of her, the lava rose and fell with her breath. Opening her eyes, Petra clutched the amulet she wore around her neck.
Breathe in . . . the lava rose three feet. Breathe out . . . the lava fell back down as her breath did.
Petra smiled. Success.
"Well done," Alemenda, her teacher, said with approval. Alemenda had her own amulet and she touched it now. "But visualize as you breath in. Feel the connection to the lava. Feel it move under your hand. Try again."
Petra pictured the lava as she closed her eyes. She felt its heat. Breathe in . . . she pictured it going six feet. She felt the hot, the crisp to her bones. Breathe out . . . she pictured the lava falling gently down and the heat retreating, replaced with cool air.
She heard her teacher's warm tones. "Good. Better."
Petra opened her eyes.
"Now, for the hard part. I want you to help me."
Petra bit her lip. Helping was never an easy task. But it had not been a question. "What do you want me to do?"
"Hold the boundaries of the lava while I engulf us in a protection spell."
Petra blinked."Why?"
Alemenda smiled at her. "Because we're going through the lava. There's a chamber at the bottom of the volcano and I need to pick up some supplies. Books and such. Besides," she said with a cheeky smile. "It's a good training exercise."
