The Emerald Legend (Book 1)

Chapter Thirty-Six: Tears of Amethyst

Amalia waited that night until she knew Osirian had gone to sleep. She waited patiently, making sure to do everything precisely. Every fiber of her being was telling her that this volcano was going to destroy the mountain, and Osirian would be trapped upon the plateau under the onslaught of fire. She knew the only way to free them from this place was to break her promise to Osirian and destroy the teal crystal.

The night was quiet, still, and thick. Amalia had cloaked herself in a long brown garment to keep the chill off of her skin. The moon hung full behind a shroud of clouds and she would not wait another moment for the volcano to erupt and destroy everything. To Amalia, there was only two options, break the seal and leave this mountain with the man she loved, or die with him.

She pulled her cloak tighter as the rain began to spread around the valley. She hurried across the mud-stricken gravel to the winding branches of the towering oak. She caught her breath for a moment under it, gazing upon the dark windows of the place she had grown so fond of. She would never forget this place, the flowers, the scents, and all the time she had spent here falling in love with Osirian.

She turned towards the hole leading beneath the rooted oak and slipped under. She followed the mud staircase down further and further. The wet steps became familiar, she knew the grooves within each of them. Her hands no longer needed to reach out beside her to hold onto the soil-molded walls for balance.

As the cave unfolded in front of her she saw the dazzling amethyst surrounding this place, as well as the softly moving stream. She had only one reason to come to this space and it was right in front of her: the teal, glistening crystal engulfed by the winding roots of the oak tree.

She dropped her cloak by the entrance and stepped carefully towards it. Thoughts came racing through her mind, thoughts of failing, thoughts of succeeding. Although, one thought remained so prevalent—death.

She pushed the thought far beneath the surface of her mind and stepped into the cold, misty water that separated the quartz island from the rocky earth leading outside. Her feet felt the smoothed rock, paved by years of erosion, and stepped onto the even smoother crystalline floor. As she approached, a blue light danced over the edges of the gem. She could feel all of the energy being pulled into this one source, as if it conducted the gravity towards it.

Amalia looked back towards the exit reassuring herself that Osirian would not come to stop her from destroying this wretched crystal. She nodded and turned back to the teal gemstone and prepared herself mentally with a deep inhale. Her eyes opened with a surge of determination and a hint of excitement bubbled within her. Her energy pulsated out around her and she began taking details of everything surrounding her; the sounds of the trickling water, the formations of crystal and soil, as well as the sprawling roots coming down from the ceiling.

She was able to control her sense of focus much deeper now and she began to feel every inch of the room. Her senses heightened beyond human measure and she could hear the crackling of the growing crystal, along with the strained stretching of the tree's roots. Everything was alive; every crystalline formation, every grain of soil, every molecule was alive.

She began to hear the sounds of her own heartbeat, the sounds of her lungs rising and falling. She became aware of the veins that ran throughout her body, the muscles, each tendon became easily controllable. Even the spaces behind her eyes came to the forefront of her consciousness. Then, every bit of her drive honed in on one single thing: the azure crystal. An enormous pressure rose in her body, in her chest, and in the center of her forehead. The pressure escaped into the room and everything felt heavy, strained—as if the gravity had been magnified.