Free Amulet of Souls (The Sentinels of Wizgrad Book 1) by Pegs Hampton

out a soft, quiet howl. Iris got closer to see a tear roll down his cheek, and he whimpered softly.
    Iris walked up to Mr Pannett, knelt down and stroked his back. The sorrow in his face was unhidden, a face that yelled out for relief. Iris attempted to give him a comforting smile, but he turned away.
    "No matter how hard I try, even with all the people I have helped. Without her, I truly am lonely" Mr Pannett sobbed. He did not hold back the sadness in his voice.
    "Who was she?" Iris asked softly.
    "We buried her here after we were cursed."
    "Cursed?"
    "We were Elves once, the two foxes you saw and me. We were cursed to live like this for eternity."
    "That doesn't sound like much of a curse."
    "We had our loved ones tortured and killed in front of our eyes, we had our homes destroyed. Just living to us is a curse, but she kept us strong and warm even after her death" Mr Pannett explained. He placed his paw on the trunk of the tree. Iris did not say anything but gave a curious look.
    "To escape our enemy we hid down in these ruins, we discovered an enormous hollow tree and found this area of dirt. We decided to bury my wife here and in her place this magical tree grew, which provided us with warmth and light."
    "She sounds exceptional," Iris said.
    Mr Pannett paused for a few moments "May I show you something?" he asked and Iris just nodded.
    Mr Pannett wiped the tear with his paw and limped off back into the large acorn house. He showed Iris his private study and waited for Iris to step inside. He pushed the door closed with his nose and leant onto the bookcase the other side of the room.
    He pushed one of the books from the bookcase and with a small rumble it split in two and moved out across the wall. The hidden door revealed a small room, with nothing but a desk at the back. On the desk sat a single black leather bound book and a little pot with soil inside. Iris glanced at the book to see the word 'Amateru' on the front.
    "It means shining in heaven, I guess it was not just a name" Mr Pannett said.
    Mr Pannett walked over to Iris with the small pot of soil in his paws. He asked Iris to place her hands inside. Iris did what Mr Pannett asked and she put her hand upon the soil gently. She felt a surge of warmth shoot up her. She released her hand to see a plant sprout with incredible speed.
    The plant was a few inches tall and had two stems, one stem bloomed a single bright yellow flower, which illuminated the small room. The other stem had an abundance of dull yellow leaves.
    "I never thought this day would come," Mr Pannett said in amazement. He cut off the stem with the dull leaves. The flower withered into a black ball and the rest of the plant died. The cutting that he held in his paw was still as colourful as before. He took the cutting and placed it into Iris's hands.
    "Will you take this and protect it with your life?" Mr Pannett asked.
    "I don't understand, what is this? Why give it to me?" Iris asked utterly confused.
    Mr Pannett said nothing, and let out a small sigh. "You won't understand unless I tell you a few things, but these words must not leave this room," Mr Pannett asked.
    "Your secrets are safe with me," Iris replied.
    "When we buried my wife Amateru, the tree outside sprouted in her place and gave us warmth and light. What everyone else did not know is that she was pregnant before she died, and when the tree sprouted, it gave just one single seed. I took the seed and placed it into this pot we see here." Mr Pannett had tendered and watered the pot for so many years, yet nothing at all happened, until this day when Iris turned up.
    "But why give it to me?" Iris asked.
    "From the moment you walked into Haven, I felt the same warmth as I did from my wife. I always believed that the child would be reincarnated in some way" Mr Pannett insisted.
    "Mr Pannett I can't take something like this," Iris said. She held out her hand for him to take it back.
    "And why not?" he argued. "There is so much in this world