Curse of Stone

Chapter 3

Three sharp insistent raps on the front door made us both jump. "Open up in the name of the Council of Witches!" a female voice shouted.

"That doesn't sound good," I said.

Anara smiled. "It shall be, Micah. Once they know of the Symbio Magique, then the Council will surely support us."

"Hmm, you have more confidence in governmental institutions than I do."

Three more insistent knocks came. "Open up!"

Anara replaced her half-mask and arm sleeve, then hobbled to the front door, opening it.

A tall, muscular woman with blonde hair glared at us. She wore a gold headband, a form-fitting leather top, and short flared skirt like an Amazon warrior. A blue crystal hung from a silver chain around her neck. Two other women, similarly attired, stood behind. "Anara of the Starlight Coven?" she asked.

"Yes?" Anara answered. Targon fluttered up from its bed and landed on her shoulder, then hissed at the woman.

The woman huffed at the little wyvern, then turned narrowed eyes at Anara. "I am Council Agent Xena, and you are under arrest for violations of the Sorcery Code."

"But I found him." Anara grasped my arm, pulling me forward. "This is Micah from Kansas. He is the Symbio Magique — I know it!"

"Where is Kansas?"

Anara answered. "Somewhere over the rainbow."

The woman paused, eyes narrowing. "From the Earth Realm?"

"Yes."

"That is another serious violation. He comes with us, too." The woman held out her hand. "Surrender your Talisman."

With a reluctant gulp, Anara handed over her pendant crystal.

Another woman wearing a purple crystal similar to Anara's, waved her hands in a circle. Streamers of sparkling violet poured from her fingertips, swirling and expanding into a large ring. Within it, a vision of another place shimmered into view.

A portal?

Xena stepped through first, followed by Anara, using her wooden cane for support. When I hesitated, the women behind shoved, and I stumbled through onto a stone floor at a place somewhere else.

The portal delivered us into what looked like an ancient Roman temple. Ornately carved marble pillars held up a peaked roof with a triangular cornice at one end and massive rounded-top wooden doors at the other, forming an expansive outdoor veranda. A series of rectangular rock benches lined the perimeter. The polished white rock gleamed uncomfortably bright in the afternoon sunlight. A gentle breeze swirled around the columns, wafting a faint sea fragrance, slightly muggy and salty.

I am not sure how far we traveled, but judging by the how much the two suns shifted higher in the sky, we crossed at least twenty degrees of latitude.

"That was an awesome way to travel," I remarked to Anara.

"How do you travel in Kansas?" she asked.

"Usually by car, but it takes hours just to get across the state."

"What is a car?"

"A motorized vehicle that moves along roads." As she furrowed her brow, I asked, "You don't have cars in Elysium?"

"No."

"That may be a blessing."

As Anara and I sat down on a hard bench, Xena commanded, "You shall wait here until called," then promptly turned and walked through the doors, opened by two muscular guards wearing thick leather kilts, red capes, and bronze helmets reminiscent of Spartan warriors.