An Execution and An Escape

As peruitt made his way out of the room, closing the door behind him. a Figure emerged from behind one of the columns. 

"That clone of mine got a lot more information than I expected him to. Should I pat myself on my back. Who would have thought that this cloning spell would have come in handy so quickly".

"But now I am left with a lot more questions than I initially started with. What I need to do now is to get my hand on that ring and get out of here. I know I am not as strong without it. I am going to need it if I am going to survive going forward."

The door was anything special but I could feel magic surging through it. I turned the knob and a spark ran through my hand. It wasn't painful more annoying than anything else. Beyond the door was a long, narrow, and dark passage. The walls were rough as if made of stone and it felt damp to the touch.

Small orbs of light placed close to the ceiling gave off just enough light. I kept myself close to the wall and walked slowly down the passage. My heart was beating heavily in my chest at the danger that could be waiting just around the corner. The passage was designed in such a way, that you would assume you came upon a dead end but when you made it to the wall there was another passage to your left. Upon exiting the passage I found myself in a large open space with an oceanic blue atmosphere and in a few seconds the room changed colour to a fiery red. It shifted between a rainbow of colors. Stained glass like those you would find in church was used to make the large columns. The walls, doors, and windows glisten like the moment sunlight bounces off the ocean. There were ten huge glowing doors in the room and each door was a different colour. A purple gem was placed into the wall above it and tendrils ran from the crystal to the doors. The doors were nothing like the one I opened to get here. Each door frame was made up of larder boulder-like rocks and the door had deep carvings running through it in an interesting pattern. They glowed a bright yellow and the knob glisten from the light.

The room was fascinating and beautiful and my curiosity was peaked to see what was behind each door but I quickly hid as I heard footsteps coming up behind me. I ran and hid behind one of the pillars. My heart was pounding heavily. It was as if someone quickly grabbed my heart, blocking circulation. It was suffocating and when it was released, it was left gasping. 

The thought was incensitive but I wished my clone would just hurry up and die. It seems until my clone passes away or I end the spell, whatever he learns won't be transferred to me. I can't understand how this magic works until I gain the experience he did and It would be very unwise for me to cancel the clone spell as that would cause them to notice that they have been fooled. I shimmed down to the floor and held my knees to my chest. 

" Why didn't we take the doors in the colecium?".

" Because we are on patrol".

" Yes but everyone was ordered to move to the execution room. You know I dont like walking this way. The Sevens are the ones who normally use these doors and those on duty".

"Which we are, so shut up and stay focused".

"What do you expect to find down here, another thief?" after today, I doubt anyone would ever consider stealing from the Seven again".

"Jesaz Christ Orion... Okay, let's go. Anything to get you to shut up".

" Chris...What door is it again?".

" You are trying to piss me off aren't you?".

"And what if I am .. Tee hee".

"Tee Hee?...Tee Hee! Boy if you don't get your ass through that door I am going ...".

"You going to do what?".

and they both stopped talking and all I heard next were quick heavy footsteps making their way toward one side of the room. Once they passed me, I peered around the pillar to see the Red door slam shut behind them.

" Well, at least I know which door to avoid" I voiced to myself.

I don't have the time to search all these rooms, what can I do to figure out where I need to go" I asked myself as I paced back and forth behind the pillar.

Oh yes, I remember that I am connected to the ring. If I call for it or better yet try to sense it. I might get a better idea of where it is. 

But how do I do that? Here is to me pulling an idea out of my ass.

I closed my eyes and thought about the ring, begging it to reach out to me. To tell me where it was. I stood there in the shadows with my eyes closed and a few seconds passed and then a few minutes and nothing.

"Okay, guess I am checking every door" I mumbled. Making my way over to the first yellow door, I examined the brass plaque and the words written on it, "Sand and Sun". All the doors had plaques on them.

I turned the handle slowly and it was warm to the touch. I pulled it open and peered inside. It was just as the plaque said. It was a room so large that I could not see the end. Down some stone steps were beasts with saddles and in the distance amid all the sand was a large city built around an oasis. My mouth fell open, but I knew I couldn't stay. I ran back up the steps and back through the door and closed it.

I was surprised but I didn't have the time to revel in the amazing impossible things I just saw. I moved to the next door, Blue, and this door read "Ocean".

I opened the door and went inside. There were stone steps again and below were mini-submarines as well as giant seahorses. As far as the eyes could see was the ocean but there wasn't anything there. No city on top of the water and then I recalled the submarines. Could the city be under the water and could that city be Atlantis? It was baffling my mind how both rooms were even possible and to be all contained in wherever this place was. Was I even still in Jamaica?

I couldn't possibly check all nine doors, so I decided to look for the one that seemed most plausible.

The green door said "Forest", the Orange door said "Volcano", the black door said "Forever Night" and the White door read "Forever Day" and then I saw the gray door.

"Offices".

A little anti-climactic but who am I to kick a gift horse in the mouth?

I made my way over to the door and turned the handle.

"Locked.. What now?".

I stooped down to the keyhole and tried to peer inside but I didn't see anything.. I tried the handle again. Turning it more forcefully and screaming that it should open.

"I didn't come this far to be stopped by a locked door. I jimmied the handle harder and shouted "OPEN!".

Before I knew it I saw some white marks appear on my hand and letters I could not read appear in my mind and the door made a click sound. I lifted my free hand to my face to examine the marks. The handle buckled beneath my force and started to turn. Pulling the door towards me, I walked right through the threshold.

"Wait was that my second spell, Well not technically but it was originally my second spell. Clones make everything so complicated".

The marks slowly faded and the sensation running through my arm dissipated.

I shut the door behind me and stepped into the room. It was different from the one outside but the same. The walls had a more simplistic design to them. White wall, a light by each of the seven doors, and on further inspection. Each door had the name of one of The Seven on it. There were three doors on either side and one at the far back. Each door had a plant and a two-seated sofa like a waiting area.

"If I had a magic ring who would I give to keep it?".

"Think...Think" I said tapping a finger to my head.

"Papa Bois is definitely out as no one is going to trust him to watch it again".

"Come on think. Which one of the remaining six would have it".

"Riva Mama!, I remember she said the others already had a piece guarding and the ring was hers and Papa Bois's responsibility.

"Now which room is it...." I wondered.

There are three women named here, Rachel, Shanique, and Dionne.

Why didn't I pay more attention to their names? ( why would I waste the time when I thought I was going to die" a voice inside commented).

Dionne first. Her door was the one farthest to the back in between the row of doors. I opened the door to find myself looking into an average-sized office with a beautiful blue carpet that covered the floor. A few plants decorated the corners and a huge painting of a star night sky with a small red moon. The room was dimly lit and on one wall was a long shelf with different size awards.  There was a door that was at the back of the room behind the desk and chair in the center.

"Something told me I was inside the wrong room so I quickly left and closed the door behind me.

I opened the door marked Shanique next and found that the room was a mixture of red, orange, and yellow. It was almost as if I was inside the center of a volcano. Her desk was dark black with a lava lamp at the side. Three large paintings decorated the wall that came together to make one image of a flaming asteroid flying through the sky. Her carpet was an orange color with large black pocodots.

"This is the wrong room. It doesn't give me, a being of the sea, anything to do with water, much less a river".

So it had to be the next one, Rachel's office. I went to open the door but it was locked. If I wasn't sure before, I was now. I tried to call the ring and I felt a strange sensation at my fingertips. I held the handle and I took a deep breath. 

"Please, Open!".

Seconds passed and nothing happened but then I felt the sensation running through my arm and the strange markings appeared on my arms. I heard that distinct sound of gears turning and in moments the door was open. I knew I didn't have much time but I knew I still had some as my clone was still alive.

Rachel's room was what I expected it to be. The wall was an oceanic blue but the wall behind her desk was made of colorful shells laid like scales in a myriad of colors. They glistened and shun on the wall. The light in the center of the room was encased in a blue orb with water at the base. The ground swayed and shifted like that of the oceanic floor.

Three paintings that came together as one was stretched across the majority of the wall. On it was a beautiful Mermaid, and on further inspection I realized it was of herself.

"Full of oneself. much" I scoffed and called to the ring again and heard the noise in the draw.

"Locked".

"Paranoid much... She locked her door and then now this draw."

I fueled my frustration into my fingertips and called out.

"Open".

"Click, Click, Clunck" the lock sounded and opened. I am getting better at this."

Inside was a small box. The ring was inside. I tried to open the box but it would not budge.

"Open," I said but nothing happened.

"Open!" but after a minute, still nothing happened.

"I guess I have no choice but to burn the box away".

"Oh wait, I still don't know how to summon fire".

Let's think back, when my clone used fire, he was angry and when I first opened the door I was angry and frustrated. Even after that, I was just thinking how frustrated I was to have the door closed and that I wanted it open. 

My problem is that there are spells to this magic. Those weird shapes, letters..it could be words that appeared in my mind.

Seems my intention may be strong enough to pull the spell to me and my anger fuels the magic. 

It's just a thought though. I'll have to try and see if it works or the worst-case scenario is that I wait until my clone dies and then get the knowledge he accumulated but by then everyone will be heading back and it would be harder to leave.

I held the box in my hand made my intention clear and pulled my frustration up to the surface.

But nothing happened. All I saw was the strange shape open.

" What am I doing wrong?" I said stomping my foot. I placed the box on the table and sank into one of the chairs.

Guess I'll just have to wait for my death.

*Clones View*.

I came to a stage, my hands and head bound. I was on my knees and very wet and cold. Before me was a huge crowd of what I assumed were magical creatures and beings. The number of people seem to reach in the ten thousands. I didn't see any big screen television so I was confused why the people at the back were even doing there. I would have gone back home. 

A manly voice started to announce to the crowd and his voice echoed.

"Jeremiah Weedling is hereby sentenced to death by execution via The Guillotine for the stealing and or accessory to the theft of "The Seven", Magical Artifact. Your Execution shall commence now. 

Any last words?".

"I just want to say that, I am not your enemy. I am here due to unfortunate circumstances and being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Try to prevent situations like these in the future and prevent the deaths of innocent people.

"Also I hope you stay true to the words you whispered to me".

"Wasted set of last words," The voice of the Rolling Calf (Marcus)said.

" it sure is" Riva Mama (Rachel) agreed.

"Even now he calls for the ring, I can feel it trying to escape my enchantment. Drop it!" she shouted.

*Originals View*.

"This lady is so self-absorbed. Are all these reflective surfaces just for her to catch glimpses of herself? Oh God," I groaned.

I sat in the chair and continued to wait, tapping the box. I pulled it closer to my face. 

"Oh wow, that's not the light. Is there a thin layer of, water magic, around the box?".

I spun the box in my hand but suddenly tears started running down my cheeks, and I dropped it. I held my throat as if I was trying to hold my head to my shoulders.

"I just died," I said, the words barely audible, as I wiped tears from my eyes.