heads.
Brochfael reached out and patted its smooth, hard surface.
“Symbols of power; warning of a curse. The boulder cannot be
moved.”
A black creature crawled toward her, and she felt a
shuddering jolt shoot through her body. She let out a piercing
scream and leapt back.
Leri grabbed Branda and shrieked, “What is it?”
“A spider.” Branda panted, trying to catch her breath. She
broke out in nervous laughter upon realizing she had been
spooked by something so trivial. Bats and rats were one thing,
but she could handle a bug or two.
Leri swatted the hanging web and the spider jumped instantly
to the dirt.
to the dirt.
“Are you al right?” Brochfael took the torch from Branda and
checked the chamber out thoroughly.
“Why would this god, this Bran, have me look for a treasure if
he didn’t want me to find it?” Branda sighed in exasperation as
she folded her arms across her chest.
“The gods test your bravery.” Brochfael rubbed his chin.
“God Bran wants you to find the treasure but he doesn’t mean
for it to be easy.”
“We cannot move the boulder.” Leri flung her arms in the air.
“We need a board.” Brochfael arched his eyebrows. “For a
lever. Like a catapult,” he said slowly as he looked at the
women.
“Why did you not say so?” Leri roled her eyes upward. ”I
know what a lever is.”
“Brochfael, go. Get a lever. We must find out what is under
the rock.” Branda raised her chin. “I am on a quest.”
He shook his head. “You two wait here. Leri, study the
carvings so you can tel me what the ancient ones were trying to
tel us.”
As he climbed out of the tomb, Leri and Branda knelt beside
the boulder and ran their fingers slowly across the carved
images.
“Look; in the center is an eye.” Branda touched the curly
drawing.
“The eye of a dragon. It means there is power here.”
Branda pointed to another engraving. “These look like wings.”
“Yes. Each beast surrounding the dragon’s eye has wings.
They are birds.” Leri pointed to one. “An eagle.” She touched
another. “A crow .” She ran her finger down the third. “And a raven.”
“The raven is closer to the eye than the others.” Branda
nibbled on her fingernails.
Leri nodded her head. “The raven, like the crow and eagle,
symbolize gods and goddesses of death, but the raven is Bran’s
symbol. The carvings warn us against trying to take his power.
The gods protect whatever is buried beneath this rock.”
“So, there is a powerful relic—something magical—buried
here but if we take it we wil die?” Branda let out an exasperated
sigh. “Yet Brochfael said Bran means only to test me.”
“Yes, but tests of the gods are hard.” Leri clasped her hands.
“You must keep your wits about you while on this quest. Yet, it
warns only. No one but the pure of heart can claim a relic of
Bran’s power. Whoever finds this magic treasure and remains
alive and whole has met the god’s test.”
Branda rubbed her brow as she gazed at the lines of swirling
feathers that made up the three birds. Her musings were
interrupted by Brochfael when he pushed a wooden block into
the chamber. She jumped as it struck the ground with a loud
thud. Her heart sped up and then settled down when he crawled
into the tomb. Before she could catch her breath, he stood and
puled through a long board held by two guards on the other side
of the tomb.
The guards also crawled through the tight entrance into the
chamber. The rough-hewn men nodded at the princesses then
greeted them with, “M’lady.”
Branda and Leri bobbed their heads in return as they stood.
“This is the lever?” Brochfael set the wooden block down.
The guards lay the board on top. He slid one end beneath the
boulder and dug up the dirt until it was half-way under. He stood
and brushed off his braies.
“Wil it work?” Branda rested one hand on her hip.
“Watch.” He stepped onto the far end of the
Brochfael reached out and patted its smooth, hard surface.
“Symbols of power; warning of a curse. The boulder cannot be
moved.”
A black creature crawled toward her, and she felt a
shuddering jolt shoot through her body. She let out a piercing
scream and leapt back.
Leri grabbed Branda and shrieked, “What is it?”
“A spider.” Branda panted, trying to catch her breath. She
broke out in nervous laughter upon realizing she had been
spooked by something so trivial. Bats and rats were one thing,
but she could handle a bug or two.
Leri swatted the hanging web and the spider jumped instantly
to the dirt.
to the dirt.
“Are you al right?” Brochfael took the torch from Branda and
checked the chamber out thoroughly.
“Why would this god, this Bran, have me look for a treasure if
he didn’t want me to find it?” Branda sighed in exasperation as
she folded her arms across her chest.
“The gods test your bravery.” Brochfael rubbed his chin.
“God Bran wants you to find the treasure but he doesn’t mean
for it to be easy.”
“We cannot move the boulder.” Leri flung her arms in the air.
“We need a board.” Brochfael arched his eyebrows. “For a
lever. Like a catapult,” he said slowly as he looked at the
women.
“Why did you not say so?” Leri roled her eyes upward. ”I
know what a lever is.”
“Brochfael, go. Get a lever. We must find out what is under
the rock.” Branda raised her chin. “I am on a quest.”
He shook his head. “You two wait here. Leri, study the
carvings so you can tel me what the ancient ones were trying to
tel us.”
As he climbed out of the tomb, Leri and Branda knelt beside
the boulder and ran their fingers slowly across the carved
images.
“Look; in the center is an eye.” Branda touched the curly
drawing.
“The eye of a dragon. It means there is power here.”
Branda pointed to another engraving. “These look like wings.”
“Yes. Each beast surrounding the dragon’s eye has wings.
They are birds.” Leri pointed to one. “An eagle.” She touched
another. “A crow .” She ran her finger down the third. “And a raven.”
“The raven is closer to the eye than the others.” Branda
nibbled on her fingernails.
Leri nodded her head. “The raven, like the crow and eagle,
symbolize gods and goddesses of death, but the raven is Bran’s
symbol. The carvings warn us against trying to take his power.
The gods protect whatever is buried beneath this rock.”
“So, there is a powerful relic—something magical—buried
here but if we take it we wil die?” Branda let out an exasperated
sigh. “Yet Brochfael said Bran means only to test me.”
“Yes, but tests of the gods are hard.” Leri clasped her hands.
“You must keep your wits about you while on this quest. Yet, it
warns only. No one but the pure of heart can claim a relic of
Bran’s power. Whoever finds this magic treasure and remains
alive and whole has met the god’s test.”
Branda rubbed her brow as she gazed at the lines of swirling
feathers that made up the three birds. Her musings were
interrupted by Brochfael when he pushed a wooden block into
the chamber. She jumped as it struck the ground with a loud
thud. Her heart sped up and then settled down when he crawled
into the tomb. Before she could catch her breath, he stood and
puled through a long board held by two guards on the other side
of the tomb.
The guards also crawled through the tight entrance into the
chamber. The rough-hewn men nodded at the princesses then
greeted them with, “M’lady.”
Branda and Leri bobbed their heads in return as they stood.
“This is the lever?” Brochfael set the wooden block down.
The guards lay the board on top. He slid one end beneath the
boulder and dug up the dirt until it was half-way under. He stood
and brushed off his braies.
“Wil it work?” Branda rested one hand on her hip.
“Watch.” He stepped onto the far end of the
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