text: ### The Glass Locket ###### 7 min read - 1812 words "VANQUISH!" My cry rippled forth through the locket as I lay with broken wings on the battlefield, awaiting the magic that pulsed in my outstretched hand. I watched as the black smoke poured forth, transforming into millions of dark Fairy warriors of old. They moved like lightning, leaving a path of destruction in their wake. I knew the weight that the command would carry. Usnar, the blistered Demon of plague, crumbled before me mid-stride and let out his last breath as his army of evil followed suit. Winter was falling upon the land of Amignor and the war was finally over. It was mid summer when I came upon the glass locket. I was exploring the ancient caverns of Rawnessmined, the abandoned fortress of Inod, the Dwarf King. I had learned from the lore of old that the fortress had fallen when a dwarven miner had accidentally opened a chamber while excavating the royal tomb. An accident that had allowed Goblins, Orcs, Ogres and Demons to sour the land for nearly a millennium. These were caverns that had forever sealed evil away from the peaceful world above. Free from their earthen jail, the armies of evil made their way to the surface, leaving the caverns and spreading their plague upon the world above, slaying any good creature that stand in their path. In the years following this release of evil, all manner of creatures came together, hoping to restore peace and the world to its former self. Elves, Fairies, Humans and Dwarfs working together was a rare sight indeed, but our numbers were slim in comparison to the thousands of evil creatures that now plagued our former homes. I had found a small hole in one of the cavern walls that allowed passage into the tomb of a long forgotten Elf. It was hard to say how long the body had been there or how it came to be in such an unnatural resting place. It was like he was frozen in time, clutching the locket to his heart, in a deep and peaceful slumber, resting in his casket. I remember stretching my hand out to clear the dust from the locket and as my slender fingers made contact, the Elf withered and crumbled to dust. The locket, loose from the grips of the Elf's hand, slowly began to shrink until it was an appropriate size for a Fairies neck. Among the ashes was a notebook that had also shrunk. The words were hard to make out, but the images made it clear that this was no ordinary locket. A mysterious magic placed upon this forgotten artifact allowed the holder to issue it commands. I placed the notebook in my satchel. Placing the locket around my neck, I decided to make my way to the forest surrounding the fortress before night fell upon me. "Ora... ORA!" I could hear my father calling me from the doorway as I walked the branch that led to our home within the oak tree. For as long as I could remember, Havenwood had been home to the Fairies. Elves would come and go as they pleased, but it wasn't until recent years that the encampments of Dwarfs and Humans had started to grow. I double checked my neckline, making sure the locket was out of site. I didn't want anyone to discover it until I had a chance to learn more about the magic it held within. "I'm coming! Sorry I'm late. I was just out searching for food and..." "You know I don't like you going anywhere near that dark place. We've had this discussion a thousand times. It's simply not safe." Father shook his head and sighed a sigh of relief, knowing his only daughter was safe. "Just because we stay young forever..." "Doesn't mean we can't die. I know, I know. I'm sorry! I just can't help myself sometimes. It's not like there's evil living there anymore. We know they've left." "We can't know that for sure. The forest is our home. We have no business in the stagnant air of that cursed place." Father turned and walked back inside the oak. He paused in the doorway and turned, motioning for me to follow. "Imere would like to hold a meeting tonight. You've been invited to join us. Come along child, we're late." Imere was Queen of the Elves and very wise. Although she was older than anyone could recall, it was hard to tell from looking at her. She had a timeless beauty, fair and soft. Looking her in the eyes gave me goosebumps. Whenever I was around her, it felt like my mind was an open book for her to read. The meeting was short lived, as Imere was growing tired of the Dwarfs and Humans using the forest to cook their meals and their smoke that would billow through the boughs. Her main objective was to remind us all that there was evil lurking outside the forest and it was growing in numbers and strength. Something had to be done and time was running short. For months, the Dwarfs had their blacksmiths working day and night to create Armor, Weapons and Traps. The Humans worked with them to create Broadswords, Daggers, Mail and anything they could contribute to the coming war. The Elves had been working tirelessly on Bows, Quivers and Arrows. The Fairies very rarely used weapons and preferred their own methods of war. We had armies of trained war mosquitoes. While the larvae grew, we would poison their water and increase the toxicity within their habitat, slowly making them immune. When grown, we would prepare them for war by allowing them to gorge on the poisoned animal blood we were given by the Humans, who loved meat. This kept them immune and in times of war they could easily spread the poison to any being who was not protected by our antivenom. Over the following weeks, I tried to decipher the text of the notebook, hoping to uncover it's secrets. I recognized the characters and some of the dialect, as it was some form of Elvish, but due to its age and wear, it was hard to be sure what all it meant. One afternoon, in the late fall, I was sitting on a tree limb, enchanted by the drawings within the notebook. Without much thought, I put the notebook back in my satchel and took the locket out from under my coat. I decided to open it up. Everything around me went quiet and still. As I looked around, I noticed birds were floating mid flight and leaves were frozen in the wind. Time stood still. I shut the locket and the deafening silence disappeared, returning bird calls and sounds of rustling leaves to my ears. Both amazed and confused, I quickly searched for the notebook in my satchel, hoping to uncover this secret. To my amazement, it was like new. What had happened? I opened it up to find that the language and imagery was clear and in my own native tongue. How strange, I thought. Out of fear, I tucked it back in my satchel and decided not to open the locket again. Upon returning home, my Father was waiting for me. "Imere would like to see you. She tells me it's urgent." I wasn't sure how to react and now I was definitely concerned about what I might have done. Were there other side effects from opening the locket? I pushed past my father and made my way to our usual meeting area, anxious and scared. "I believe you have something that doesn't belong to you." Imere said sternly. "Unfortunately, there's nothing to be done about that now." She opened her right hand and gestured for me to come closer with her left. "The notebook please." "What note..." "Please, don't take me for a fool." Imere extended her right hand closer. "What you've found should never have been found. However, now that it has... Please, bring it to me." I handed her the notebook and took a step back, awaiting my punishment. I watched as she flip through the notebook and close it with a look of sadness. "Come with me. I need you to understand the significance of what you mistakenly took for an ordinary piece of jewelry." In the weeks leading up to the war, Imere explained the powers behind the glass locket and its history. She taught me the commands, explained the imagery within the notebook and told me how it could never fall into the hands of the awakened evil. The more I learned, the more intrigued I became and understood why she seemed so concerned upon realizing the locket had been found. When winter arrived, we thought we were prepared for the battle ahead of us. We gathered together and made our way to the outside edges of the forest, dressed in armor and weapons ready. The enemy had been preparing as well and their armies were already approaching. Before we knew what hit us, we were engaged in battle and surrounded. Our first casualties were the Humans on horseback that led us out into the battlefield. Swarms of war mosquitoes covered the evil forces that threatened to smite the existence of good throughout the land of Amignor. They were practically useless against the massive hoards of Goblins and the Orcs weren't even phased for a moment. I watched as our numbers slowly dwindled, hoping not to have to use the locket. I was caught off guard and felt the crude club of a massive Ogre strike me in the back. The blow propelled me forward, dazed and injured. I fell to the ground and rolled to a stop. I felt the club tear my wings and the fall only further crumpled them into a useless mess. I rolled over to my back, preparing myself to fight from the ground. The hoard of evil's leader, Usnar, was striding towards me. I could hear my father shouting out my name in despair. Reaching towards my neck, I pulled out the locket and took a deep breath. \* \* \* When the battle was over, I wandered back into the forest and found my way to the old abandoned fortress. Without the use of my wings, it felt like it took a lifetime get to the entrance. I stumbled my way deep into the depths of the caverns below, finding the hole in the wall where I had found the locket. I crawled along the tunnel that led to the tomb of the lockets previous owner. When I had arrived I noticed that the elf's casket had shrunk and was like new, just like the notebook. I climbed inside and removed the glass locket from my neck. Holding it to my chest, I laid back and fell into a deep sleep.