Free Kara by Scott J. Kramer Page A

enter the darkness
surrounding it.
    La’ard forbade anyone to touch a thing.
“There’s still magic here,” he said.
    Farther along the wall from the chest, a
cabinet made of crystal twinkled. Inside were several items,
ranging from a rectangular mahogany box, a chalice made out of
black rock, a yellow-stoned ring, and a bat-shaped pendant.
    “Who did this room belong to?” La’ard
whispered.
    “One of the ancients, or so the spooks say.
They are attempting to decipher the runes for clues,” Kreitan said.
He took particular interest in the enclosure.
    In the corner opposite the cabinet, stood a
mirror. This mirror captured La’ard’s interest, passion, and greed,
igniting them as soon as his eyes fell upon it. Thoughts of magic
and enchantment left him. Kreitan watched with interest, but dared
not speak a word when the royal hand touched its surface. Nothing
happened, but the king’s second hand reached up to grab hold of the
mirror.
    “This is exquisite!” La’ard’s voice was
breathless He gazed into the onyx surface. His men watched, their
own greed piqued by the king’s lustful tones. La’ard sensed their
jealously, their wanting. “I want the Witch Guard out!” he shouted.
“Master Kreitan, see to it that your men remain guard outside. The
spooks and you can stay.” The king did not move much from his spot
in front of the mirror while Kreitan ordered his men out of the
tomb.
    Kreitan and the spooks inspected the whole
tomb while La’ard remained in front of the mirror.
    Several minutes later, Kreitan approached the
king. “Sire, the spooks have decoded some of the runes here upon
the wall.”
    “Yes?” La’ard said with indifference.
    Kreitan unfolded a sheet of paper a spook had
handed him and read, “Beware these possessions, for in possessing
them, one may be possessed himself.”
    “Rubbish! Utter nonsense.”
    Words that in time, La’ard would deeply
regret.
    “We also found another door, possibly leading
to a burial chamber.” Kreitan said. He pointed to the left of the
throne. Faintly carved into the wall, La’ard could see the outline
of a door.
    “Good, good.” For La’ard had no idea what
Kreitan said. He was lost in his own image. “Have your men take
this mirror to the palace, but take care. I do not want it
damaged.”
    Back at the palace, the looking glass stood
in the courtroom at first, but soon La’ard became anxious and
nervous about the object. His fears of magic began creeping back.
Often, when he was not staring at the fractured surface, he had the
uneasy feeling of eyes upon him. Paranoia often made him glance
toward it, expecting something other than his reflection would be
smiling back.
    Euphoria instantly fell in love with it.
“Daddy, what a beautiful mirror! Where did you get it?” La’ard’s
apprehension of the piece abated, replaced by the joy and happiness
that he had pleased his daughter. It infused his own soul with
ignorance. He granted her the mirror and ordered it taken to her
room.
    For much of the next few weeks, Euphoria
rarely saw others. At first La’ard hardly noticed the princess was
absent since there were other matters of the kingdom that occupied
him. But soon, he observed something was the matter with her. Her
manner used to be sweet, innocent, and very kind. Now she was
snippy and nervous. In the past, Euphoria had always prided herself
on her appearance. Now she wasn’t taking care of herself, often
leaving her hair unbrushed and her dresses wrinkled or askew.
    One night a servant came knocking at his
chambers. “Sire! Come quick! The princess!” The man’s voice and
hands were shaking.
    Fear gripped the king’s heart with those
words. His mind knew something horrible had befallen his daughter.
He rushed to her chambers.
    Euphoria lay unresponsive on the floor, like
a crumpled child’s doll. The mirror was broken, a crystal tiara
that belonged to the princess among the pieces.
    They called in physikers. “Not dead,”