Cobwebs choked the passage before her, a sign that no one had been down here in ages. Skye proved undaunted by this, in fact, this spurred her on even more. She had pieced together fragments of tales and stories, following in the steps of those that walked this forlorn path before her. None of her predecessors had succeeded, but she hoped with all her heart that she would be the first.
The dragoness stumbled every few steps as the rough stone floor beneath her caught her feet, or a loose piece shifted beneath her weight. She pressed on anyways, buoyed by what she hoped to find. She scowled a bit as her stomach growled in anger. Despite the second breakfast she had gulped down that morning, her weighty body was already demanding the first lunch. She dug a bag of chips from her bag and scarfed it down, followed soon after by a second and a third. Not quite enough, but they would have to do for the moment.
Distracted by her still protesting stomach, the doughy dragoness almost ran nose first into an old wooden door. The hinges creaked, but wouldn’t budge. Shoving her shoulder against the door, it started to open, but not all the way. Putting her considerable weight to task, the wood groaned before a sharp snap proved the only sign as the door gave way. She hacked and coughed at the clouds of dust kicked up by the impact. She bared her teeth as she felt an ache start in her belly from how she landed on it.
Wobbling to her feet, she found her flashlight nearby and cast its glow around as she swiped at the cloying dust that clung to her. Several tables lay scattered about, their tops littered with tools and moldering books. She even saw a couple spots where tables once stood, but they had rotted away over the years, leaving behind only scraps.
Her flashlight flickered, and she scowled as she shook it. It lit up again, before flaring bright and going dark. She growled and hit the tube against her other hand several times, but it remained unlit. She froze when she saw that there was still a pale glow in the room. Feeling her way through the gloom – tripping over some of the decayed leftovers along the way – she came to a curtain covering an opening in the wall. She could see the glow leaking around the edges. Throwing the curtain back, she found a staircase cut into the stone, spiraling down out of sight.
Following the stairs down, she came to another large chamber. She shivered, and rubbed her arms, and now realized that she could see her breath puffing in little clouds. Looking up, she gasped and froze. A huge crystal floated in the middle of the chamber, one point almost touching the floor, while the other was almost at the ceiling. The glow she had been following came from within, but down here it was somewhat painful to look it. She couldn’t resist though. She continued to stare through eyes screwed almost shut.
With a jolt, she realized that she had wandered close to the stone. Her hand was up and almost touching. She drew it back. Some of the fragments she had encountered warned of grave danger should the crystal be touched without proper protection. Setting her bag on the floor, she pulled out the ingredients she had collected. Before long, a collection of small bags and glass bottles surrounded her. She still felt amazement at how almost everything she needed was present here on the island; it was as if some force tied the island and the crystal together. The only thing that wasn’t native to the island was the roses brought by some of the later occupants of the island. From those, she had several handfuls of petals.
With everything set out, the dragoness plopped down on her considerable rump and set to work. She mixed some of the powders together before spreading them in circle around her. Next came the liquids, these she poured into set spots in the powder circle, watching as the reactions happened each time. Then she pressed candles against the stone outside those spots, lighting them each in turn. She spread the rose petals throughout the interior of the circle as the second to last step. At last, she unstoppered the bottle containing water from a specific spring and doused her hands with the water before dribbling the rest down over her heart.
The air seemed to grow even more still, as if anticipating what was to come. Skye couldn’t stop the shiver that passed down her spine and along her tail. Others had tried similar combinations of these ingredients, and met with failure at best. She hoped beyond all belief that she was the one to get it right.
Hefting her bulk to her feet, she reached out for the glowing crystal. A tingle spread from the tips of her fingers up her arms as she paused with her fingers a hairsbreadth away. Then with a final gulp, she pressed her hands forward that final gap. An electric shock launched up her arms and into her body as an icy chill settled in her gut. She felt torn between excitement and fear, not sure whether it was working or not. A smile started to form on her face as she felt…something happening.
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