Mimic Ch. 09

"Shut up," she snapped. "I have the key. Now let's get in there and get what you need to restore Loc."

Zerret looked at the lock and shook his head. He could have opened it by morphing his finger. The lock did not look all that difficult. The lock opened and she took it from the latch. He stepped to open the door.

"What are you doing?" asked Lunixri.

"Going to find the box," he replied.

"Good luck with that," she said, grinning.

He opened the door only to find stone on the other side. The door was in the middle of the wall and went nowhere. He looked at Lunixri who just stood there grinning. He closed the useless door. She carried the lock to the ring in center of the floor. Bending down, she locked it to the ring and the whole room shimmered as the treasure appeared from thin air.

"I don't care how many thieves have picked the lock, none of them found the treasure," she said as she stood back up.

"And you called me clever," he said.

Looking around the chamber, he found the chest. It sat between a pair of statues. Both were female and very familiar. As he stepped closer to open it, he realized the one on the left was Nye-Sly. She looked demonic with pointed teeth and was heavily scaled. Not at all like the lithe sex sprite bonded to Passion. He couldn't place the face of the one on the right.

She put the key in the lock. {Why are you opening this chest?} it broadcast to the both of them.

He sent an image of the wand that would return stone to flesh. The lid opened and the wand was the only thing in it. He picked it up and the lid closed of its own accord.

"Don't see something like that every day," Lunixri stated.

"Thank you, Uncle," he said and exited the room.

Returning to the hall where Norrinshrin stood guard took only a few moments. His senses were imparted with the function of the magical item. He felt her tense to strike then relax once recognition set in. It washed over him then. She had been the statue standing to the right of the chest. A being of divine beauty with a look of deep sorrow etched on her frozen features.

{Don't dwell on it, Zerret, or suffer our fate as well,} Loc sent.

His mind closed her out as he focused the wand on her motionless form. A bright pulsing beam bathed her body. Three eye stinging flashes later LocNial stretched her body as if waking from sleep. He tucked the wand into his cloak.

"All of us survive the next few days and I will be given a bunch of fucking answers," he snarled. "From the dragon and you." Zerret grabbed Norrinshrin by the arm. "She needs to eat. Time for us to go."