The Expedition: Chapter Two

Snakes started to slide out of every hole in the walls around her, and Amelia backed against the wall as the serpents hissed and sniffed their way toward her. This could not be happening!

Amelia ran out of the room, screaming bloody murder as the snakes poured into the main hall after her like a river of slithering death. They must have been born there because she saw no evidence they'd traveled far from home before now - only sand on their scales showed how old they were. Still, the creatures pursued her at lightning speed, looking more than capable of catching her if she fell.

The nearest snake was nearly on top of her when she rolled over a table and felt it scrape along her skin. She lost her grip on the dagger but did not fall off balance, so she quickly snatched it back up and turned right to run between two tall shelves lined with broken pots and vases. She heard the snakes scrambling behind her but did not dare look back; instead, she dodged left around another table to get some distance. Another cobra slid under the edge of the table where she had been standing seconds earlier, narrowly missing her feet, making this chase even easier for the beasts if they caught her again. Amelia gritted her teeth and sprinted forward until she could go no farther due to a solid wall blocking her path. A giant stone statue sat in front of an arch in the corner of the room and seemed an impossible obstacle to climb over without being eaten alive by angry snakes.

Amelia stood still while her heart raced and sweat poured down her face. The snakes that slipped past the first barrier began pouring through that door one after another. There were too many to fight, and using the knife as a weapon was futile since those sharp fangs would kill her long before she reached them all. Snakes were clever hunters. She knew she would not live much longer if she let herself be cornered. It was a terrible decision.

She climbed up on the statue as the snakes surrounded her perch, hissing and snapping their fangs at her! One snake came close enough for her foot to slip off the bottom ledge of the base, and she flailed about for balance just in time for a serpent's mouth to snap at her thigh. Amelia kicked the snake away and climbed higher before any more could come near.

Behind the statue's head rested a small ledge with a beautiful gold and blue lamp. It was beautiful, considering where someone had hidden it, but there was no way she could reach it with her bare hands. She tried anyway because she had no other choice - or rather, it was the only thing she could do - and grabbed the lamp. The lamp felt strange in her hands like it had some powerful magic stored inside. That could save her life. When she turned around to examine the snakes behind her, they backed away from the sound of something moving across the stone. They knew what she held...and she knew they did not like whatever this lamp was.

She waved the lamp at the snakes, and they backed up like a receding wave.

She blinked and looked at the lamp. "What are you?"

Could she use it to escape?

She jumped off the statue and held the lamp in front of her, and the snakes receded like a wave going out to sea.

She pushed them away from her, causing the mass of serpents to keep moving away as they hissed and backed away from the lamp. She worked her way back to the ancient library, and no snake got within ten feet of her, but they slithered and hissed angrily.

Amelia kept walking toward the library until she heard shouting outside the entrance, so she peeked through one of its windows to see a group of cultists standing next to two long tables. There were seven men and three women dressed in black robes that reminded Amelia of monks who spent their lives in silent prayer and contemplation. Each wore a white bandana tied around their heads and covered their mouths. One man, presumably the leader, was wearing a green sash with red and gold embroidery and had a large silver medallion hung over his neck. He stood facing away from Amelia but turned when he noticed her peering through the window at him; she ducked quickly but caught sight of another familiar symbol on his shoulder - an upside-down five-point star similar to what she'd seen earlier on her mirror.

Had they seen her? She knew they must be here looking for her!

Now she would have to deal with cultists if it weren't for the snakes!

She ran to hide inside the library, hoping the snakes would not follow her inside, where they might find a more powerful enemy than themselves inside a room full of books. Her heart raced as she thought about how many scrolls and books could be used against these people if any of them were magic, but she had no time to figure that out.

She looked out the doorway and saw the cultists arguing loudly and gesturing to the left and right sides. The woman in the lead shouted something at the others, and they all started moving in that direction like a herd of sheep. They were going deeper into the ruins.

Amelia watched through a second window until they disappeared, then stepped back and near a table, hoping not to be seen. She placed the lamp between her knees while she considered her next move. The snakes were hissing around and following her from a distance.

She heard the cultists in a room nearby, one of the entrances she first came inside by. She heard voices speaking a foreign language, which meant the cultist leader probably wanted her captured or dead. If Amelia stayed in this library forever, someone else would eventually come along looking for her, or some other threat would show up...

She smiled and walked away from the lamp.

The snakes sensed the lamp away from her and began to slither towards her in a large group, staring with black, reflective eyes.

Before they could attack, she darted back towards the lamp with the snakes in tow! They hissed and slithered, and she heard the cultists take notice of the noise, and she heard their voices from one of the halls entering the room.

She thrust the lamp towards the snakes and herded them towards the hall with the cultists with a devious smile.

The cultists saw her from down the hall and raised their swords to charge.

And then they saw the snakes.

"Sorry to be you," she smirked.

Amelia turned and ran, letting the snakes attack the group of cultists; hearing them yell and shout, she crawled out a window to the outside. She hoped no others were out there, but a few more groups rushed into the ruins she had just left to help the others. She darted away through the ruins, weaving around stone pillars, ducking through doorways of crumbled walls, and putting as much distance between her and her pursuers as she could.

The sun began its descent when her legs gave way underneath her and made her fall to her hands and knees. She thought about finding another hiding place while her breath returned, but these people could follow her anywhere. Her mind raced while she looked at all the nearby buildings, hoping to find a hiding spot before being found again - like a wolf on the prowl. She only spotted three other temples or tombs that might fit the bill for a short time until the cultists tracked her down once more. She decided to climb up the hill, get to the top, and perhaps work her way down to the nearby oasis in the dark. If she stayed here long enough for it to grow too cold, she'd die of hypothermia if she did not eat soon.

As she walked closer to the top of the ridge, she heard something in the air...a faint sound coming from far away yet familiar...

A horn blast? A drum beat?

Was someone summoning an army?

The price on her head must be high for this many cultists to look for her!

She collapsed on the top of the hill, between a few large sandstone rocks, and watched the sun go down.

The last rays of light faded quickly as darkness fell upon the land. The moon and stars shone overhead, providing the night sky with a bright canvas for Amelia to watch the world around her. There was no wind to speak of, but she felt the desert sands shift as the breeze brushed against her cheek. Tonight was going to be cold.

Her stomach grumbled; she wished she had some bread or dried fruit left but didn't dare make a fire near the temple ruins because that would draw attention. She needed food now. She sighed and pulled the lamp from her pocket to examine it.

She spoke to herself. "Why were the snakes so afraid of you?"

Amelia held the gold-and-blue metal device close to her face and stared at its design. It appeared to have been created by hand, each piece painstakingly cut into shape using sharp tools on rock tablets and then fitted together like a puzzle. She smiled at its beauty, tracing her finger along the gold inlays and studying the figures in the blue glaze. It was a pretty lamp.

A golden serpent coiled on one side of it while another creature sat next to it, looking similar in shape but more animal than humanoid. A man stood over both creatures holding his hands out towards them while looking toward heaven. His expression was serene, not angry nor sad...a picture of tranquility. A tree grew from behind him with red flowers growing all across it from base to crown. Above him hung a ring of thirteen stars - the sign of the mystical constellation she recognized from her father's book.

"Well," she said, "as long as I have some time to waste, I might as well polish you up."

She used her sleeve to wipe away any dust that covered the sides and cleaned the entire metal surface. Once finished, she found a small stone to use as an abrasive for rubbing away stubborn pieces of dirt and sand. Soon the lamp shined again and had a shine that almost made Amelia feel warm inside compared to the sandstone rocks around her.

Amelia polished the lamp; she noticed a trail of pink smoke emanating from it!