Space Blood

13. The Locket

The doctor came today in the morning, he went straight up to Izzy's room. Our weapons couldn't disappear like Susie's could, so we stored it in my closet. Lauren wasn't the toughest girl I knew, so the cut on her arm might take a few days to heal up, even with Riley helping.

I woke up Alia and told her to be ready in 10 minutes. The doctor came out of Izzy's room with a serious look on his face. "You're mum has a few major injuries, she'll need to be escorted to the hospital."

"Thank you doctor," I said as the nurses came downstairs with a sleeping Izzy. I waved the ambulance away and Alia came down the stairs, in a t-shirt and jeans. I locked up behind me and got into the car, Alia in shotgun.

"Where are we going?" Alia said as she buckled her seat belt.

"To the mountains." I said as I reversed out of the driveway.

"Why?" Alia asked.

"I've got to check something." I replied, Alia shrugged and looked out of the window.

The houses started to thin, replaced by fields and plains. Soon, the mountains came into view, the snow melted even more from last time we visited. I pulled up on the grass and got out. The grass was dry and the earth was hard. I locked the car after Alia got out. I crossed the small plain and stood below the mountain.

I climbed up to the crack in the mountain and pulled Alia up with me. I jumped into the crack, feeling the silky straw under my figures. Alia stayed where she was, looking down at me. I swept my hand across the straw, feeling for something hard. I figured that my parents wouldn't have sent me down to Earth without anything, Susie had her bow.

My hand brushed past something hard, I pushed away the straw and picked up the object. It looked like a locket, the case was made of solid gold with sterling silver. I lifted the locket up in the sun and the gold shone. I flipped it open and stopped. There was a photo in the locket, a photo of a man and woman. I recognised them immediately, Oscar and Georgette Lorale, Dad and Mum. Susie did have Mum's freckles and I had Dad's nose.

There was something else in the locket, something hard hidden behind the photo. I took out the photo and there was a note, folded until it slotted perfectly in the frame. I unfolded the note, careful not to rip the delicate papyrus. There was a diagram drawn on with ink, it showed the plans of a sword. At the top with big letters were 'Rillien'. The sword was drawn with detail, every carving in the handle and the engraving on the sword.

The part were the handle and the steel met was circled. It labelled 'Heart of Rillien'. I heard Alia call out and I stuffed the locket into my pocket and climbed out of the crack.