Crown and Key
By Sandra and William Johnson
Prologue
The musty scent of death hung thick in the air of the sightless cavern. Heavy shadows caressed the mildewed stonewalls. Near the roof of the cave, a single match was struck; one perfect oval of light. Nimble fingers used it to light a single lantern and tie it to the end of a silken cord. Then, the rope dropped silently into the seemingly bottomless hole. As it hit the bottom, the owner of the lantern tied her rope to a large boulder and slowly began her descent into the foul smelling earth.
Having reached the cavern's bottom, the young tomb raider tossed her long unibraid back over her shoulder and pulled her map from the belt of supple black leather that was wound tightly around her waist. Using the light of her lantern, she peered cautiously at the ancient hieroglyphics that appeared on the wall. She slowly turned her head left, and then right; taking in the appearance of the tomb. She noted that the cavern had two tunnels. Consulting with her map, the woman advanced towards the entrance to the right.
Holding her lantern in front of her, the young brunette moved silently through the otherwise blackened tunnel. Rats, spiders, and the other inhabitants of this place scurried along at her feet. She let out a startled cry as she heard something crunch under her hiking boots. Looking down, she saw what appeared to be the skeletal remains of some type of bird. Examining the walls, she slowly translated what was written there.
"Who so ever enters the tomb of the ancient hoard shall taste of its power through centuries past and future." She read aloud. As the words were uttered, the tunnel burst into light at one end. A glowing, golden oval of light burned beyond the treasure she had come to seek. Standing on a pedestal near the oval was the Crown of the Morganna the Misbegotten; a perfect golden circlet with three huge diamonds supporting a golden spider with a large ruby for its' body. Carefully moving forward, the woman gently lifted the circlet from its stand. She braced herself for the inevitable trap that was sure to be set off upon removal of the crown. Nothing came.
"That was too easy." She said aloud to herself as she turned to walk back the way she came.
"Guess again." A rough voice behind her said. The woman whirled around. Standing in front of the circlet was a woman, easily six feet tall with long blonde waves that cascaded to her shoulders. Her glittering blue eyes were frigid, and the temperature of the room dropped six degrees upon her entrance. She flashed Lara a flirtatious yet sinister grin, the torchlight shining off her ruby red lips.
"Where did you come from?" The woman casually tossed.
"Another time. You will know me well, Lara Croft, now, before, and in the future as well." The woman smiled. As she did, rays of ice shot from her eyes. Lara knew then who she was facing, Morganna herself. Nimbly, Lara dove to the right, avoiding the icy rays. Rolling back to her feet, the tomb raider quickly whipped the twin pistols from their holsters on her hips and opened fire on Morganna. The bullets ricocheted off an invisible barrier only inches from Morganna’s face. Lara swore as Morganna’s girlish laughter filled the cavern.
Quickly, Lara tried a different tactic. Holstering her pistols and avoiding another blast of ice from Morganna, she quickly tossed her lantern at the woman. The glass shattered, sending kerosene everywhere.
Using the light from the glowing oval to guide her, Lara reached into her pocket for her matchbook. As she did, a large, oval pearl flew through the gate and landed near her feet. Without thinking, Lara grabbed the gem, the crown, and her matches. She struck a single match and tossed it over her shoulder. The room was consumed by fire as she ran, melting the ice from Morganna's eyes.
A hissing sound issued from the cavern. Lara ran and shimmied up her rope as the flames spread down the cavern she had just run from. Using the rest of her strength, she shoved the boulder. Surprisingly, it moved rather easily and settled itself in the hole that she had previously dropped into.
With a sigh of satisfaction, Lara climbed down the mountainside and made her way back to her jeep. As she slid into the drivers seat, her mind passed over the events that led her to this desolate spot. Less than 3 days ago, the map she followed had arrived on her doorstep, with a note from her long deceased father. The note was short and concise, explaining how Lord Croft had learned of the map during his time with the Illuminati, and how they desired to own the crown themselves. It went on to tell Lara that the Cavern of the Horde could only be accessed on a precise day and time, and that if he was unable to do so himself, then Lara was to follow the map and recover the crown before others who were after it did so. Lara had the note’s authenticity verified by MI-6 itself, and once she knew her father had indeed sent it, she immediately began preparations for the trip. Now she had the Crown, but knew next to nothing about it.
***
On the other side of the portal that had opened upon Lara's entry into the Cavern of the Hoard, a skeletal face awaited Morganna's return. His large muscular body was covered head to foot in Blue fur, revealing only his face.
As his mistress returned from her trip, the man bowed at her feet. "I trust that all went well, my lady?"
"Of course it did." She replied, the ice in her eyes melting as she considered the fire of her victory to come. "The crown was successfully removed. Thus, the portal from Eternia and their world is unlocked. Testing if it actually works is another story."
"The Shadoweaver attempted to send the princess’ sword through, but was partially unsuccessful."
Morganna raised one eyebrow. "Partially?"
"The sword itself remained, but the stone from the center is missing."
Morganna's gaze darkened. "It doesn't matter. Return the sword to the princess’ bedchamber this night, before she awakens and notices it's absence. The portal to Earth has been opened, and therefore we can capture the key to the dimensions. By absconding with it, there is no limit to our power." She exited on a breeze of icicles. The man's skeletal face turned up into remnants of a smile as he laughed maniacally.
***
On the other side of Eternia, a woman known as The Sorceress was awakened from her sleep with visions of shadows and the smell of death. As she sat up in bed, drenched in sweat, the images from her dream faded. Turning about, she noticed the golden glowing oval coming from behind her wardrobe.
"The portal!" She gasped. The Stone of Earthly Magic had been returned to it's home. Opening that long locked and guarded door between worlds could only mean evil. Desperately, she attempted to contact the possessor of the stone through telepathy, but her mental abilities were blocked. That could only mean that the person who held the pearl also held the Ruby of Eternia and her magic was being blocked by its powers.
Reaching out again with her mind, The Sorceress called upon the one man she knew who had a chance of rectifying this terrible situation.
***
"What is your destination, Lady Croft?" The pretty young customs agent asked Lara from behind the counter.
"A small town outside of Los Angeles, I believe." Lara said as she idly flipped through her black leather address book, looking for a specific name. Finally she came across it; Rupert Giles.
"Sunnydale, California."
“Very Good Miss. Enjoy your trip." The young girl said cheerily as she stamped Lara's passport. Collecting her things, Lara considered what it would be like to see her old History tutor after so many years. "I wonder if he's still searching for his `chosen one'; his vampire slayer. Funny how he once thought it was me..." Lara allowed her thoughts to trail off as she climbed aboard the plane and settled herself in for her long flight, her last thoughts before sleep took her dwelling on whether her old tutor might know the Crown’s secrets, when all her vast archaeological tomes could not.
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