Velori
Betatakin Ruins - Arizona
5:00 PM
After pinpointing the location of the Treasury from the map, it had been two days, and Gairett was still gone. The map was made up of riddles and had taken her longer than she thought to decipher. Since she had been to this place previously and found nothing of interest, she was surprised to find his family tomb here.
The ruins couldn't be driven up to by car, so she had to complete the rest of the journey on a four-wheeler and even then, the ride was bumpy. As she drove up, the large archway was blanketed in shadows. With the sun going down, the darkness that fell over the little village was almost eerie in its movement. The ruins sat nestled within a massive archway, protected from nature's rains and the harsh rays of the sun. The little clay huts were attached to each other and had ancient ladders going up, this way and that, to hidden away holes. The site had been traveled often by sightseers, so the path up had been nearly trampled away completely. There was a piece of wooden step here and there as it traveled up to the homes but the thought of maneuvering the trail in the setting light brought a chill of insecurity to Velori.
She advanced as far up to the path as she could with the ATV and climbed off to go over the items that were in her pack. She had the map in the small sack on her hip, along with matches, batteries, and water. She took a second to go over her mental list of necessities.
She pulled the small gold disk out of her pocket and studied it. Gairett had said it was a key, so she would have to keep her eye out for its lock.
She started to walk up the stairs as she slid the necklace around her neck and within the same second, she felt dizzy and nauseated. Stopping at the top of the stairs, she dropped to her knees. Her heart was pounding, and she could only take in small gasps of air that didn't quite fill her suddenly starving lungs.
She looked back down toward the four-wheeler, but it wasn't there anymore. The stairs that were once battered and broken were now pristine and new. The sun was still setting but the shadows now touched bright flowers and the breeze smelt of seasonings and perfume. Gairett and another man with silver hair were walking towards the stairway and laughing. In front of them ran the girl that looked like Velori.
Melisa.
She was running up the steps and looking back at them with happiness in her eyes and laughter in the air. She had on leather pants, no shoes, and a small leather top. Her long wavy hair was pulled back into braids that twined together intricately with flowers.
Velori sucked up as much breath as she could and said, "Melisa."
The girl stopped dead in her tracks and looked behind her, straight at Velori. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth opened into the shape of a small O. Gairett and the other man took one look at Melisa and began to rush to her side. However, they halted just as fast, as if she'd told them to halt without moving.
She slowly moved toward Velori with an outstretched hand and curiosity on her face. She acted as though she wanted to touch the disk that hung from the chain around Velori's neck but her hand passed straight through her. Without realizing it Velori was screaming and as quick as the three beings came, they were gone. And the only thing that remained was a slight scent that smelled of lavender.
The disk around her neck was burning and seemed to shriek at her in silence. Whatever they were, they were gone now but she still felt her scream echoing in her ears and throughout the open cavern. Her mouth must have gone completely dry because she could feel the saliva slowly starting to come back.
"Gairett... Were you right? Am I somehow connected to Melisa?" She knelt there for a second contemplating what had just happened.
With a forced laugh, she shook her head. "That's impossible. I'm not connected to some Elf family and they're dead daughter."
Right? She couldn't stop the question from forming in her mind.
She took in another breath and stood up. She quickly grabbed her water out and gulped down the refreshing liquid. After putting it up, she pulled out the map and started to follow the directions, desperately trying to forget the incident.
"Follow the edge, till you reach the back,
And in that room, you'll find a stack."
Okay... whatever.
She assumed it meant to follow the ledge to the far end of the structure, then in the last building, there would be . . . Something? The closer she got to the small building the colder the disk on her chest got. She was hoping that was a good sign? Had she not been told recently that there was magic in the world, she'd be concerned for her sanity again. Instead, she felt like she was being included in something. Albeit, she wasn't sure what.
When she finally reached the last building, her skin was covered in sweat from the heat of the day and her chest felt as if the disc was searing itself into her skin with ice.
She looked up towards the small opening, to the top right of it was a small ladder made of what looked like wood and straw. She let her eyes roam around, soaking in all of her surroundings.
At the bottom of the stairs, the four-wheeler was back where she'd left it, the stairs themselves and then the huge structure. There were many layers to the village, which was built by the old Navajo Natives. Intricate curves and molds wrapped the whole of the village. The stairs and ladders that were still usable had been made with time and care. The high arch was hanging about two thousand feet above her head and even though it was hard to make out, you could see that the clay was the color of khaki and in some spots, a hint of red bled out.
I bet this place blazes at sunrise and sunset.
The ladder caught her attention again and she started to climb, making her way to the small entrance. She took her time with it since the ladder was more than happy to give out. She passed a peg here and there and when needed she threw her rope to the top of the building to hold her weight. Once she was inside, she saw other small holes that allowed some light in, but not enough for her to see.
After clicking on her flashlight, she moved it around the room, trying to take in the small space. It wasn't big at all, maybe ten by ten, and consisted of one table in the back and a pillar about hip-high in the middle of the room. It looked as if there used to be pots and large vases placed about the chamber, but they had been taken out by other scavengers or decayed to time.
The disk on the chain was now ice cold to the touch and was making her shirt wet and her skin itch. She could feel it against her chest more so than she could the heat that it had been emanating before, with Melisa. She moved her beam to the pillar and started to examine it. At the very bottom, around the other side, was a small indention that fit the size of the disk perfectly.
"You'll find a stack." She mimicked the rhyme in her head.
She looked back down to read the rest.
"If you are here, and have the key,
Fit it in, and you will see.
If you do not wish to tumble down,
Clear the way and await the sound."
I guess that's pretty self-explanatory. Just make sure to move your butt Vel.
When she shrugged out of the necklace, her knees nearly buckled as relief flooded her senses. It took a moment but once she cleared her mindset, she placed the disk, emerald side, into the opening and pushed in.
Nothing happened.
Odd.
She moved back and was trying to think of what to do next, when she heard a loud rumble and felt the ground begin to tremble. She slammed herself up against the wall so hard she couldn't breathe. Dirt was falling all around her and part of the outer wall corner broke and fell inwards, breaking the small wooden table.
Once the scraping of rock stopped, and a very heated coughing fit, she moved her light over the pillar. It was just in time to see the stair open at the bottom of it.
Tumble down? She thought. How funny… And deadly.
The stair twirled around the pillar making it impossible to see to the bottom. She pulled out her water bottle again and took another drink. Grabbing the disk and eyeing it with disdain, she slid it back around her neck just in case. Instantly she felt it cool, as it lay against her shirt.
She climbed down what must have been a hundred or so feet, still coughing up some of the dust from before when it finally came to a stop. She was standing in a small hallway that led into a huge room. She walked through the doorway and accidentally stepped on a slate that sunk into the floor.
You're so stupid! Of course, there's traps.