Trial By Fire (Going Down in Flames #3)(72)
Valmont turned to see where she was going. “What’s what?”
“The sparkly thing.” As Bryn walked toward it, the light winked out. “Where’d it go?”
“Where did what go?”
Had the sword scrambled his brain? “The light on the wall.” Bryn hurried forward and scanned the items on the back shelf. There were boxes of paper and blank scrolls. Empty wooden boxes sat with their lids propped open.
A strange warmth started in Bryn’s chest. Wait, not in her chest, on her chest. She pulled on the golden chain, which held the gold key with the red and blue stones. The key itself felt warm…far warmer than her body temperature.
“I think the key is attuned to something in here the same way you were attuned to that sword.” Taking great care, she pulled the chain over her head and let the key dangle from it. Even though there was no breeze in the room, the key swung forward and to the right.
“It’s like a magical magnet?” Valmont asked.
“I guess.” Bryn advanced in the direction it indicated, taking care not to step on the books, which lay scattered about on the floor. It seemed to be leading her to a shelf, which held intricately carved wooden boxes.
“Before you try to open any of those, we should make sure it’s safe,” Valmont said.
“The same way you made sure that case was safe when you were trying to reach the sword?”
“Point taken.” Valmont joined her by the boxes. “I believe this falls under the do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do rule. Which box does the key want?”
Bryn extended her arm, holding the chain out so that the key dangled in front of the boxes. It swung forward and landed on top of the box in the middle. Leaning in close, Bryn blew on the top of the box, scattering layers of dust. She used her sleeve to gently wipe away years of residue, revealing a keyhole surrounded by red and blue stones.
“This could be big,” she told Valmont.
“It could, but be careful.”
Afraid if she picked the box up it might fall apart, she placed the key in the box and gently turned it to the right. The lid slid sideways rather than opening like a normal treasure chest.
Nestled in blue silk, lay a thick gold cuff bracelet with red and blue stones. She picked it up and stared at it before attempting to slide it onto her left wrist. It didn’t fit, so she tried her right wrist where it slid on and fit like a second skin. The metal of the bracelet felt cold, but then warmed to her body heat. Magic pulsed up her arm making her suck in a breath and then the bracelet stung her… It felt like two fangs had sunk into her wrist. She gasped as a wave of dizziness hit.
Chapter Twenty-One
One minute she was looking at Valmont in the secret room, and the next minute she was surrounded by darkness. “Valmont?”
She could hear him saying her name, but he sounded far away.
“If you want to wield the bracelet, you must survive the Trial By Fire,” a disembodied voice spoke in Bryn’s mind. “Prove your worth or burn.”
Okay, she hadn’t signed up for this. Time to put the psycho bracelet back in its box. She tried to move but was frozen in place. Crap. She tried to shift. Nothing happened.
Out of the darkness, she could see the bracelet. Red fire and Blue frozen flames swirled around within the gold and then shot up her arm, wrapping around and around and writhing like a red and blue boa constrictor that wanted to eat her whole. Her heart pounded as the fire and ice constricted. The twin flames worked it’s way up her shoulder to her neck, tightening as it went, and then the snake reared back, flame fangs exposed before it struck, biting her carotid artery. Fire and ice shot through her veins, taking her breath away, but it didn’t burn. “You are worthy,” the disembodied voice said. “Wield the power well.”
Fire and ice shot from her palm in a long thin stream and then froze in place creating a sort of sword.
“Wow.” She felt the weight of the sword in her hand, like it was real.
And then she was back in the secret room with Valmont calling her name. “Bryn?”
“I can hear you now.” She turned the sword, admiring the flames.
“You’re all right?” Valmont stared at the sword.
She nodded.
“You’re sure?” he asked. “Because flames are shooting out of your hand, and that’s not normal.”
“No, but it is cool.” She told him about the voice and what it had said to her.
“What would have happened if a dragon with the wrong lineage tried it on?”
“According to the voice, he would burn.”
“Makes me thing we should be a little more careful with what we find down here.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” she asked.
“Let’s try a little test.” He picked up a piece paper. “Hold still.” He dragged the piece of paper over the blade of Bryn’s sword. It sliced right through it like it was made of air. “Yep, it’s a real sword.”
“This is so cool.” Bryn grinned at Valmont and struck a fencer’s pose. “En garde.”
He laughed. “I don’t think there’s enough room in here for a proper duel.”
Wanting to try out her new weapon, Bryn backed up to the entrance of the room and swung the sword in figure eights. She misjudged the distance and clipped the corner of the table. The smell of burnt wood filled the air as the sword sliced through the oak table shearing off the corner.