ECHOES OF OBSIDIAN

CHAPTER2

The Tide of Secrets

Elena's POV

As we sliced across the lake, the only sound disturbing the terrible quiet between Adrian and me was the steady hum of the boat's engine. My hands trembled still. From the bright light in the sky, the shocks underfoot, the strange occurrences at the docks, and the cryptic warning Adrian had given me, my brain spun. Tonight felt no genuine at all. Still, the weight of the amulet in my coat and the chill wind biting at my cheeks reminded me that this was no dream I could wake up from. Right then, this was my reality.

I looked at Adrian, who was concentrating on negotiating the dark seas. Though he had said so little, what he had omitted most unsettled me. Like someone I should know but did not, his presence looked familiar but alien at the same time. Each response he provided simply begged additional inquiries.

Who are you actually? Though I kept it back for now, the question blazed at the rear of my mind.

Rather, leaning against the edge of the boat, I pulled my coat around myself. Strangely soothing, the smooth lapping of waves on the hull contrasted sharply with the anarchy in my head.

I said, shattering the stillness. "Are you going to let me know where we are headed, or are we just sailing off into the emptiness?" Though I was too weary to care, my voice sounded more caustic than I meant.

Adrian's lips quenched, but it was not exactly a smile. We are not distant from each other. On one of the smaller islands just outside the city limits is a safe home. There we will be free to discuss.

"Good house? Talk freely? I repeated, focusing on narrow eyes. You give it the impression that we are fugitives.

"Technically," he pointed to me. "We are. At least, should they know where we were, we would be.

I moved slightly. "Who's 'they'?"?

Adrian's jaw tightened slightly, then he looked back toward the dark waves ahead. Elena, there are others searching for the amulet. Dangerous folks. Should they learn you have it, they won't stop till they have it. And they won't give a damn about who they damage on route.

At his words, a cold knot tightened in my stomach, and I reached for the amulet automatically feeling its smooth surface under my fingers. "What about me?" I murmured once more, but this time the query seemed weightier. more in need.

He sighed, his shoulders slumping only a fraction. "I'm complicated; I wish I could tell you everything right now. More complex than you might believe. The amulet is endowed with a mind of its own. It chose Elena, you. And that qualifies you now as part of this.

"I didn't ask for this," I said, the annoyance tumbling into my voice. Not a combatant in some ancient conflict, I am a scientist.

Adrian cast a sidelong glance at me. Still here you are, nevertheless. You assume I too wanted this? His voice softened, and I detected for the first time a fracture in his austere façade. None of us get to decide our part in this.

Not knowing what to say, I stayed silent and gazed out at the inky black sea. His comments hung in the air between us, and for a time I felt as though his eyes reflected my own weight—raw and unspoken. Perhaps our similarities exceeded my expectations.

As the boat neared the little, unlit island's shore, it lurched somewhat. I could see the shadow of a run-down cabin tucked amid the forest. As we got off the boat, the wind blew up and I put my arms around myself to feel a coldness going deeper than the evening air.

I said dryly, after Adrian down the worn road, "This place is... cozy."

With a clipped tone, he said, "It's safe." Opening the cabin door, he motioned for me to go first.

I hesitated, looking one final time at the black sea behind us and then entered. With just the basics—a table, a few chairs, and a bed put into the corner—the lodge was small and plain. Adrian firmly clicked to lock the door behind us.

Sitting at the table, I felt the weight of the occasion fall across me. "Now, I think you owe me some real answers," I remarked, speaking with a firmness not before. "You've hauled me out here, and I still don't know what this is about—what you're about."

Adrian did not answer straight away. Rather, he strolled to the window and peered out into the darkness as though he expected something—or someone—to show up. Long still, he turned to face me with an incomprehensible expression.

"Elena, I'm not just some historian or archaeologist," he said softly, as though he was picking his words precisely. "It's a Guardian".

Blinking, perplexed, I looked at A Guardian? Among what?

"Of the amulet," he replied, staring right at me. "My family has been entrusted with safeguarding it for future generations and preventing improper ownership. And now that you have been selected, I also have a duty to keep you safe.

Levers back in my chair, my head whirled. Wait; so you knew this would occur? You understood the amulet would pick me?

Adrian gave a head shake. "No." I failed. The power of the amulet has been latent for decades—centuries even. We believed its time had passed. But then things started to shift. It began to come back active. And it found you when it did.

I watched him, trying to make sense of all he was saying. Directors? antiquated amulets? Not one of these fits the world I know. Though the proof was directly in front of me, the rational side of my brain wanted to dismiss it all completely. The amulet had selected me; whatever it meant, it was genuine.

"What then?," I asked . My voice was softer this time. "What then?"

Adrian's look darkened. "We now get ready. Some people—groups—will stop at nothing to get their hands on the amulet. Before they catch up with us, we have to find out why it chose you and what it is trying to tell us.

I choked hard, the gravity of the matter seeping in. My life, my regular, comfy life, was ending. There was no going back; I was part of something far more than myself now.

The uneasy quiet was broken suddenly by an outside loud crash. Adrian and I shot to our feet, our eyes locked for a single second before he headed for the door.

His voice tight, he said, "Stay here."

"Like hell I will," I said, having headed for the door with him. Should danger exist outside, I was not going to back off and wait for it to approach me.

Adrian looked at me angrily but he did not dispute. Rather, he motioned for me to follow softly while grabbing a knife from his coat.

We left into the frigid night air, the sound of the breaking waves enveloping our solitude. As we moved closer to the noise's source, the shadows of the trees created spooky forms over the ground and my heart hammered in my chest.

Abruptly, someone emerged from the undergrowth headed directly for us. Before Adrian tackled the intruder and pinned them to the ground, I hardly had time to respond.

"Who are you?!"!" Adrian insisted, his knife held to the throat of the figure.

Struggling against him, the invader gasped. 'Wait! Don't murder me; instead!

My breath seized in my throat as I approached to see the intruder's face. She had big, fearful eyes and was young, hardly older than me.

Her voice trembling, she begged, "Please." "I am able to assist you. I am aware of the amulet.