David Bishop and the Legend of the Orb by T.C. Crawford (tools of titans ebook .txt) 📕

for any more survivors. The dead were laying everywhere, scattered across the landscape in what seemed to be an endless heap.

Erin remembered how unsettled her opponent’s appearance had made her feel and she decided to get a closer look at one of the enemy soldiers lying on the ground nearby. He was face down, so she had to turn him around before she was able to see his face.

She nearly screamed when she did. He looked white and ashen, but she had come to know that was normal for the dead. What unsettled her was there were already signs of decayed flesh in some places on his face, something that usually took days after death…it had only been hours.

Captain Ryan came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay? You look a little pale” he said.

“I’m just a little shaken up, that’s all. It was my first real experience with combat like this. But even worse…check this out. What do you make of it?” she pointed out the decaying flesh on the man’s face that lay dead beside her.

“What the hell?” Ryan whispered. “That’s strange…hey Jeffries, come look at this. What do you make of this?” he called out to a nearby soldier who was loading supplies on a small wooden cart.

The man quickly trotted over to where they stood and looked down at the corpse now showing even more signs of decay.

“That can’t be…” he said, his face suddenly white as a ghost.

“What is it soldier?” Captain Ryan asked.

“I…. I know this man” he replied, his hands suddenly trembling.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Jeffries, but we all had someone we knew who decided to turn against us when the capital was overrun. That’s something we will all have to come to terms with in the battles ahead” he said, patting the man’s back.

Captain Ryan and Erin started to turn and walk away, trying to determine what could have caused the man’s condition to deteriorate so quickly, before Jeffries ran up and stopped them.

“Sir, I don’t think you understand. I knew this man. I was at his funeral. He died over a week ago… before the coup.”

“What? Are you sure, Jeffries?” the captain asked, confused.

“I’m positive…he was my brother.”

Chapter XXI

"Tyrius, we’ve been trapped in here for days. Have you found a way out yet?” the King asked.

“No, sire, not yet. I’m working on it.” replied Tyrius, closing his eyes and patiently waiting.

“You’ve been saying that since they brought you here. Why are you so certain you will find a way out? Have you forgotten that we are trapped in the dungeons? No one has ever made it out” replied the King, defeated.

“That’s because an Elder has never been held inside” he said, smiling.

Almost as if in response, the chains outside began to creak and the metal beam slowly unlatched, allowing the door to gently creak open. Tyrius slowly stood up from where he sat cross legged on the floor and waited patiently.

The door slowly pushed open and the sound of light footsteps echoed in the dark hallway. The footsteps grew louder as their unseen source approached closer and closer. Finally, the sound stopped and out of nowhere appeared the Master Elder, causing the King to jump in astonishment.

“Master.” said Tyrius in a deep bow. “What took you so long?” he smiled.

The Master Elder smiled somberly to his companion. “My dear, Tyrius. There is much we must catch up on. But first, we must hurry. We don’t have much time. The others are waiting for us in the crystal stronghold in the Birthplace of the World.”

Tyrius nodded and the King gasped in surprise “The Birthplace of the World? I thought that only existed in legend” replied the King.

“No, no, dear friend. But no time to discuss now! We must go at once!” said the Master Elder hastily.

He quickly ran his hands over the length of Tyrius’ body and as he went, his body vanished behind the Elder’s hands until he was completely invisible. The king’s eyes grew wide in shock as his friend disappeared before his eyes.

The Master Elder then walked over to the King and did the same movement with his hands before him, slowly moving down towards his feet. As his hands passed in front of his body, he felt a tingling sensation and slowly Tyrius came back into view.

“While we are invisible, only we can see each other. However, we still make sound, so please be careful and step lightly!” explained the Master Elder, seeing the shocked expression on the King’s face.

The Elder waved his hand through the air and was instantly invisible and together the three slowly creeped out of the chamber into the dark hallway of the dungeon.

As they quietly walked along the dark corridor, they noticed the other chambers were not as full as they once were only a few days before. They silently wondered where all the prisoners had gone as they walked along the dimly lit hallway to the exit of the dungeon.

Once they reached the dungeon door the Master Elder put his finger to his lips in a motion for the others to be silent and to wait here. He placed his hand gently on the door and a light clicking sound resounded before the door gently eased open, revealing a small sliver of light from the entry room.

The Master Elder slowly opened the door and waved for the companions to follow behind him. When they reached the doorway the King and Tyrius noticed there were three soldiers sitting around a small circular wooden table, they were all fast asleep. They had a feeling the Master Elder had something to do with their sudden drowsiness.

They slowly crept by the soldiers towards the stairway leading up and out of the dungeon and made their way into the lower levels of the palace. They each felt a wave of relief as the air changed from the damp, coolness of the dungeon to the