Snippet #1594227

"Don't worry, Alice, I'm fine," Satariel said. He was grateful for the touch of Alice's hand around his. "The angel just caught me a glancing cut on the shoulder. It's shallow, but the blade has some kind of toxin in it. They'll be able to heal me back at the palace. Or maybe I can find some medicine here."

He laughed when Shaylin knelt beside him and started asking all kinds of questions. It was clear that unlike her two friends, she was more excited than scared or shocked. It felt good to laugh after the fear he'd felt at being attacked by Uriel. It sent a wave of relief through his body, and he decided that answering Shaylin's questions was the least he could do to thank her for her cheerfulness.

"Yes, I did bring us here," he said. "Being a - " he almost mentioned that he was a prince, but stopped himself just in time. He still didn't want Alice to know, although he knew that she would have to find out eventually, especially now that they were in the Dark Kingdom. But when she found out, she would probably treat him differently, and he wasn't ready for that. Not yet. "Being one of the few demons with true wings, I can shift between dimensions quite easily," he finished. "And it is magic. I know that magic is just a legend in your world, but in the Dark Kingdom magic is a real force, an energy that exists everywhere. It's a bit like gravity or electromagnetism on Earth. We use magic to power our cities and make devices and keep the whole kingdom running."

He paused and looked around. "There are raw particles of magic in the air all around us right now. You can't see them without a magiscope, though. Airborne magic only exists in tiny amounts, so you can't do much with it. To get a lot of magic, you need to mine crystals. A magic crystal forms underground when raw particles of magic gather and are heated and compressed, turning them into a crystalline structure like diamonds. Maybe I'll show you our magic crystal mines one day. That's where the kingdom gets most of its magic from."

Slowly, he pulled himself to his feet. "The surrounding lands are dangerous, but the inside of this castle should be safe," he said. "It was built a long time ago, and there are extremely powerful spells and charms in the castle walls to keep out any dangerous creature. The castle was abandoned when it was attacked by a dragon, which was strong enough to break through the spells, but dragons are very rare, so we shouldn't have anything to worry about."

His gaze travelled over the group, taking in the three girls as well as Rocky and Incendia. "It looks like you girls will be in the Dark Kingdom for a while. Those angels were out to get you as well, though I don't know why. It's not safe to return to Earth until we figure out what the angels want with you. In the meantime, if you're going to be staying in the Dark Kingdom, you'll need some items to help keep you safe. Everyone, follow me."

Satariel led the way from the courtyard, through a long stone tunnel and down several flights of stairs. When he got to the bottom, he placed his hand on a stone wall, which slid back to reveal a hidden door.

"This is an old armoury," he explained. "It should still be stocked with weapons, equipment and other items that will be of use." He opened the door and led the way into a darkened room. Candles burst into flame when he waved his hands, revealing wooden chests, shelves of books, swords, armour and other mysterious objects. "Let me see now," he said, taking a old tome from a nearby shelf and turning to face Alice. Suddenly, the cover of the book flashed with light, and Satariel stared at Alice in surprise.

He walked closer to her, and the book glowed even more brightly. He tried walking towards Shaylin, then Taura, and the same thing happened each time. With a puzzled frown, he returned to his original place, then stared thoughtfully at the three girls.

"I hope this isn't a rude question," he said, "but... are you three girls fully human? Because this book of magic is reacting to all three of you, and it's only supposed to react to magicians... but it's very rare for humans to be born with the gift of magic." Could this be why the angels had attacked the three girls? Because they knew that they were human magicians?

Satariel had another idea. "You know," he said, "this castle once was home to three powerful witches who served the Triple Goddess. They left behind three sacred weapons that can only be wielded by three worthy women. So far, no one has been able to use the relics. I wasn't going to offer them to you girls because you're humans, but if you have magic in your blood, it could be worth a try."

Satariel rummaged around and brought forward three chests bound with gold. The first chest he placed in front of Shaylin, and opened to reveal a beautiful golden sword lying on a bed of velvet, with a sun on its hilt. "This magic sword is said to contain the spirit of the warrior woman Azapheth," he said. "It's rumoured that it contains the fire of the Sun and can destroy any opponent if wielded by a fierce heart. The spirit of the sword is supposed to watch over its bearer and assist them in battle."

The second chest he placed in front of Taura, and opened to reveal a silver wand, with a moon at its tip. "This wand is supposed to have belonged to the priestess Diana, who worshipped the moon goddess. It's said that it grows stronger at night and waxes and wanes with the Moon's power. It's believed to contain the spiritual power of hidden and secret knowledge, and the ability to cast charms, spells and bewitchments."

The final chest he placed before Alice, and opened to reveal a white goblet decorated with stars around its rim. "This cup was supposed to have belonged to the Witch Brenwyn. It is said that she used it to brew potions that could heal a man or kill him. When she filled it with a secret potion at night, under the Stars, she could gaze into the cup and read the past, present and future in the reflections of the constellations."

He stood back and watched the three girls nervously. "If you were holding these objects of power, you would be able to survive on your own in the Dark Kingdom, even if you get separated from me or Rocky or Incendia. But before you can use these objects, they have to accept you as worthy. Try picking them up and seeing how they feel. It's up to the objects if they accept you or reject you."