Till time forgets

Located in an forgotten and isolated corner of Iceland, diggers extracted a square tomb that stood 20 by 20 and as softly as possible managed to set it down so that it rested on the grass. "This is the tomb! This is where she will be." Matthew exclaimed. I could basically feel the excitement pouring of off him in waves as we stood before the foreboding sight of our latest discovery. Matthew has been a most willing and helpful volunteer in the attempt to locate this creature since the beginning, 7 very long years ago. " Well done, Mr Shadows." I replied sharply. I had believed in Matthew from the beginning - seeing that I was the one who ha recommended him for this task. " When does President Jackson arrive? Shouldn"t he be here? You see, I am very eager to get this mission underway. It"s quite a hopeful thought that we may still have a future, even after all that has happened." He says solemnly, turning away not wanting to show me a sadness I knew all to well. I paused, a momentary glimpse of reflection swims across the edges of my thoughts - their eyes, the screams - but it was abruptly cut short by the incoming sound of chopper blades that slowly started to enter into the near distance swiftly throwing me back into reality, where another mark in history was about to be carved. "He"s arriving." I say shortly and start a slow walk to the designated area upon which the chopper will land with Matthew following swiftly behind. The chopper sets down moments later and as the wheels touch down I set a brisk walk towards the door ready to greet Henry Marcus Jackson, President of the United States of America. As he steps out of the helicopter I take in his appearance, he was of average height - maybe around 5ft9" with thick dark brown hair which had started to turn grey since I had seen him last, dark bags have also started to appear under his hazel-green eyes. He was quite built in stature but seemed to have lost a little weight as well, times where far from easy now. "Have we located the tomb General Luther?" He says as the chopper blades fall silent and reaches out to shake my extended hand. "Yes, Mr President, we have. If you"ll follow me please." I say as I direct his attention to the east of us, nearly 50 feet from where we are stood, where the tomb sits, menacingly. "Are we clear, My President?" Matthew asks, his first words since Henry arrived. "We are clear." Henry says in reply. As he says this, the Presidents bodyguards - except one who remains by his side - begin escorting all other employees from the immediate area. When they are out of sight the one remaining guard hold up a briefcase that he was carrying so that Henry can input a code to open it. He pulls from it a thin small chest which has seemingly ancient markings etched into the wood, he also takes out of the case a smaller, more cube-like box and places it in his jacket pocket. The guard then closes the briefcase and he to leaves the vicinity, leaving the three to undertake their mission. We all walk quietly to where tomb sits in all it"s glory and come to stop a few feet from what we knowto be the front of it. Henry pulls from around his neck a chain which holds a thin, long key and places the key into the lock which sits on top of the box, twists it and it unlocks with a resounding click. He lifts up the lid and pulls out a small spherical device. We all turn to look at the flat, marble like surface that was where the entrance would appear, Henry walked to within inches of it, hand out-stretched he placed the device on to the surface and as soon as contact was made it looked as though a a ripple effect had been made. He retracted him hand swiftly and we watched as the device was swallowed into the liquid. A few seconds passed and nothing, a thin line suddenly started to appear and form a line down the centre of the front marking the entrance. The substance parts silently, too quietly for a tomb aged such as this one. I looked towards Henry and he in turn looked towards Matthew who stood on his other side. A nod was that passed, no words where needed not could any of us find the appropriate ones I presume. Behind this nod was a good luck because we all knew the chances of us leaving tomb alive where slim. Too slim, either way we were as good as dead out here. Henry then turned to face the entrance once and took a step forward with myself and Matthew quickly behind him. As we all pass into the hallway the doors close behind us as silently as they had opened, leaving us engulfed in enclosing darkness that wrapped around us like a silk blanket. SERAPHINA They are coming, I can feel them moving within my walls, my prison, my home. Had a time come so desperate they had need to call upon and strike a bargain; I thought to myself. I felt them moving closer to my chamber then I heard them. The torches which haven"t tasted the warmth of a fires breath burst to life, a warm glow starts to flood the corridors finally coming into the grand chamber, where I am sat at the farthest end on a high throne atop a small flight of steps. As the torches light fills the space with a dull light, the flames illuminate the images and markings along the walls, depicting a woman, strong, fierce and all powerful stood among piles of the dead and dying. She stood with wings unfurled and her weapon - a scythe in her hand. Others showed how she had been captured and put to sleep in this prison, until she is needed once more. The three men who had entered her tomb had now come to stand at the entrance to her throne room in what I assumed they thought were confident stances, but I could see through ever so easily. They were afraid, pure and simple, otherwise they would not be here. The humans are a proud and selfish species - they are a doomed race and they know it. The one in the middle takes a step and the other two follow after him gazing about them in wonder and curiosity. As they make there way towards where I sit them come to a stop at the foot of the steps and drop to a knee bowing their heads as is curtesy and the same man who took the first step is the one brave enough to speak first. "I have disturbed your sleep Goddess as our would is in desperate need of your strength." He speaks quietly, though not so quiet I don"t hear him. I wait for what feels like minutes but is seconds. I breathe my first breath in what has to have been years and open my eyes. HENRY As I look up from the spot my eyes have been glued to since we approached the Lady of Death I take in a startled gasp as I notice that she has opened her eyes. Those eyes. No pupils, just filled with black, they were almost soul piercing. She is sat atop a golden throne and is wearing - what looks like - a cloak made out of the midnight sky. Her face coloured a pale mix of dark and light and blood red lips, her pure white hair wraps around her face framing her in the image of innocence, I take note that her lips are moving but no sound reaches my ears. A nudge from my left has me turning my head to look at General Luther forcing me back into reality. SERAPHINA I wait expectantly for the man to reply to the question I have just asked not seconds ago. "My apologies Goddess, I fear that the sight of seeing you had made me at a loss for words, may I ask you to repeat your question?" He replies finally, seemingly embarrassed. "I do not repeat myself for many races human, so listen carefully" I say coldly "Who are you and why have you disturbed my sleep?" I ask again. He rises as he begins to speak and the two others follow suit. "I offer my apologies once again, Lady of Death and ask you forgive my rudeness. My name is HenryJackson, I am the President of the United States, this" I gesture towards my left "is General Evan Luther and this" I gesture towards to my right "is Matthew Shadows. He is the one who located your whereabouts. We are here, to beg your mercy and make a bargain with you. Earth is being overrun and the human race is being either decimated or taken by...by... We don"t know what they are, f*****g monsters! We are being overwhelmed because we don"t know what we"re dealing with and they are slaughtering us! We are here to beg for your help, Lady of Death." He finishes quickly. He words were heavy and strained on him. The events occurring clearly weighing him. Human; I thought. What desperate they are, as they are now they nothing compared to the other races I had encountered on my journey. They are even less when compared to my own. Does this mean that I show them mercy; I wonder still sat silently, eyes flickering from one man to the next then back again. As someone who has lived for too long and seen too many worlds wiped out of the night sky, do I help, or as someone who has been imprisoned by them, should I leave to their own designs and watch them suffer a fate placed upon them. "Do you know why I am sat here, in this throne President Henry Jackson?" I say slowly, curious to hear his reply. "Yes, I do Goddess. Mr Shadows was very insightful with his findings concerning your imprisonment. IfI am correct, I believe you were in Egypt and you had been seeking a place of sanctuary at a monastery hidden away. You were tricked and bound to this prison by members of the council who believed you to be a great threat. They had the help of Seraphs in order to build this prison and contain you. They took something from you as well and bound your power, sentencing you to spend eternity here." He says in response. Humans, as well as proud and selfish, they are also deceitful; I thought to myself. "So answer me this, human! Why should I deign to help to very race which sentenced me to spend eternity in this tomb?" My cold, unwavering voice fills the room, echoing. A shudder runs through the men as my eyes pierce theirs. I can smell the fear seeping out of them. Taking a deep breath, I inhale and it fills my nose sending a shiver through my lifeless body. "Mmmhh, I can smell your fear and it"s tantalising" I say slowly, calculating "So tell me, why should I save your worthless race?" I say again. "We can give you back what was wrongfully taken from you, when you were first imprisioned." He replies carefully, cautiously. Surely he knew - they all knew - that the chances of all leaving here alive were next to nothing, my hatred towards the human race was palpable in the air. "What are you talking about?" I question. Do he have it? Really?; I think. He reaches in his pocket and pulls out a small wooden cube box. A pulse went through me and suddenly I felt alive! In the blink of an euro had moved and was no longer on the throne but stood mere inches from the man who held my soul. In a box. Visibly shocked he goes to take a step back but I stop him by grabbing his lapel and instead pull him closer. "How did you come to have this? Where did you find it?" I ask hurriedly. I cannot believe it is here, within my grasp. In the hand of a human. "It no longer matter Lady of Death. What matters is that it back where it belongs, should we be able to make a bargain. So, my Lady, will you make a deal and come to our aid or do we leave and seal this tomb for another millennia?" His words growing more confident. How easy it would be to kill them all, take what is mine and flee. How easy but, that is not the way of my people. We unlike the scum of earth are oath-bound, honourable and always true to our word. Decisions, decisions.