“Where is the army?” Marak asked out loud. “They should be engaging from the rear now.”
Suddenly, a thrown stone struck LunarSigh in the temple. She cried out in pain as she fell. Everyone turned in time to see her fall. Those inside the temple also saw the Sakovan mage fall. DarkBlade slipped out of the doors and drew his sword. He raced into the plaza, slicing down hellsouls from behind with swings of his sword as he ran to rescue LunarSigh.
“We are doomed now,” Rejji said. “The army is not coming, and one point of the diamond is dead. We cannot stop this attack. We should flee.”
“Hold fast,” commanded Emperor Marak as he sheathed his sword and stepped over LunarSigh’s body.
The Torak began unleashing light blades at slight angles to either side of the charging Sakovan warrior.
“You know magic?” Rejji blurted out.
Everyone turned to see what Rejji was talking about. They saw the Torak throwing light blades at a feverous pace. Axor grinned broadly, and Temiker smiled and shook his head as they both continued attacked the hellsouls. Lyra only nodded as if she was not surprised. The Torak looked beyond DarkBlade and saw the rest of the warriors charging out of the temple.
“Our warriors are coming,” Marak announced. “We need to make the diamond bigger to accommodate them inside. Lyra, stay where you are. Axor and Temiker, step forward six paces when you get a chance.”
The Torak continued to throw light blades as he stepped six paces forward. As the warriors got closer, he had to angle his light blades more to the sides to avoid hitting them. He frowned when he saw hellsouls filling in the gap behind the warriors, but there was nothing that he could do about it. DarkBlade finally reached the diamond. He sheathed his sword as he passed the Torak and knelt beside LunarSigh.
“She is alive still,” the Sakovan warrior announced. “I will take her to the temple.”
“No,” Marak said quickly. “Your path back is already closed. Ready your bow to kill those that come close.”
“But that will not vanquish them,” objected DarkBlade.
“No,” replied Marak, “but it will slow them down some. If you see any with rocks, kill them first. The Qubari army is not coming. We must destroy them all. Instruct the others when they arrive.”
DarkBlade nodded and grabbed his bow. He looked towards the temple and saw his fellow warriors following in his path.
“I thought I was coming alone,” frowned DarkBlade. “I did not mean to cause all of us to be out here.”
“It is done,” replied the Torak. “Let us make the best of it.”
The rest of the warriors ran into the diamond, and DarkBlade instructed them to use their bows. The warriors kept close watch on the charging hellsouls. When one point of the diamond was failing to keep up with the charge, the archers focused on that area.
MistyTrail knelt beside LunarSigh and began healing the wound on her temple, while Mistake stood with knives in her hands incase any hellsoul managed to get too close. Halman and Gunta flanked Emperor Marak, while Eltor and Caldal flanked Lyra. Mobi and Bakhai shadowed Rejji, while DarkBlade and Wyant kept close to Axor.
“We are holding our own,” Lyra stated, the exertion obvious from her tone, “but nothing more. Is there no end to these creatures?”
“Not many are choosing to flee this time,” replied the Torak. “I suspect that they are aware that this is the end.”
Suddenly, LunarSigh opened her eyes. She recognized the feeling of healing magic and smiled up at MistyTrail. She looked around to get her bearings and then rose to her feet. She saw the Torak in her original position and shook her head in surprise.
“I can relieve someone,” LunarSigh announced. “Where am I needed?”
“Just join in wherever you can,” answered Lyra. “Your help might be just what we need to finish this.”
The battle dragged on until there was no longer a stream of hellsouls filing into the plaza. Puffs of smoke rose throughout the plaza and hung in the air as if a thousand campfires had just been extinguished.
“No more towards the palace,” Lyra said joyfully as she turned to help Temiker’s side of the plaza. “LunarSigh, aid Axor. We can work our way around towards the Torak, clearing the plaza as we go.”
“Some are fleeing,” Marak warned as the final tide of hellsouls broke. “This battle is almost over.”
Indeed, the remnants of the charge turned and fled from the plaza. Everyone let out weary sighs.
“I am glad that part is over,” Marak said amidst the silence. “We need to find out what happened to the Qubari army. They can be useful in taking care of those creatures that managed to escape.”
Mistake immediately wove an air tunnel to the city gates. She spoke to Voltak and discovered that the gates were locked. Everyone listened to what had happened the night before.
“You will have to open the gates again,” Marak said to Rejji. “You will need an escort. Choose whoever you want.”
The Astor looked around at all the weary faces. He did not have the heart to ask any of the warriors to escort him. He knew they were all exhausted, although not as badly as the mages.
“Mistake and MistyTrail will escort me,” Rejji announced. “Their blades may be short, but they are fresh and fast.”
“Are you sure?” asked Mobi. “You must be protected.”
“I am sure,” nodded Rejji. “We will move swiftly while the hellsouls are still looking for places to hide. On the way back we will have the entire Qubari army to protect me. Do not worry.”
The Torak grinned as Rejji, Mistake and MistyTrail left and ran towards the gates of the city.
“They will do fine,” he smiled. “Let us regroup in the temple. We need rest.”
The group returned to the temple. They closed the doors but did not barricade them. As everyone sat and relaxed to restore their energy, Lyra walked over and sat next to Marak.
“Why have you hidden your magical talents?” she asked.
“I am from Khadora,” explained the Torak. “Do you really think any of the Khadorans would have followed a mage? They were not ready for that.”
“I understand,” nodded the Star of Sakova, “but there are others that you could have told.”
“I could have told you,” agreed the Emperor, “but I chose not to. I did not wish to deal with remembering whom I had told and whom I had not. It has been my most closely guarded secret. Not even Halman and Gunta knew.”
“Goodness,” replied Lyra. “I did not realize that there was anything that they did not know about you.”
“They do not yet know that I am half Chula,” the Torak revealed.
“Will that matter to them?” asked Lyra.
“Not any more,” smiled Marak. “Nor will the fact that I am a mage. In the beginning, any of this knowledge about me could have caused things to turn out very differently, but now it does not matter any more. The Khadorans must accept the Chula. Perhaps the knowledge of my ancestry is what will make people realize that they need to unite. I do not know.”
“Your use of magic can still remain hidden,” offered Lyra. “Everyone here will remain quiet, except perhaps for the elves, but they will leave soon. I doubt that they will ever return.”
“I hope they do return,” replied Marak. “We will need all of the help that we can get in the coming times. As for my magic remaining secret, I do not have to even ask anyone here not to mention it. I am sure they will not talk about it unless it is already known. I am not sure that it needs to be secret any more, though. It almost feels good for the secret to be ended.”
“I can understand you having the ability,” probed Lyra, “but how did you develop the skills required? Someone must have been teaching you.”
“I have had tutoring over the years,” admitted Marak. “Slaves were the first to teach me. They had no reason to spread the word about my abilities. Lately the Chula have been teaching me. They truly know more about me than anyone. I have always felt that my secrets have been s
afe with them, more so than my Khadoran followers. The Chula have never let me down.”
“Nor will the Sakovans,” smiled Lyra. “They know that you have been sent by Kaltara as I have.”
“You are blest with the Sakovan people,” the Torak replied. “I have always felt at home in their midst.”
“The vision that you saw regarding Angragar,” asked the Star of Sakova. “Did it come true?”
“It did,” nodded Marak, “and for the better. I saw LunarSigh fall in my dream. I could not tell if she was mortally wounded. I am quite pleased that she was not.”
“Why did you not mention it?” asked Lyra. “Couldn’t we have had a chance to change the vision?”
“We might have,” frowned the Torak, “but at what cost? What if we managed to save LunarSigh, making the vision inaccurate? Would you have been struck down instead? Or myself? Or Rejji? I intentionally watched out for LunarSigh during the battle, making sure her sector was always covered. Yet I had not anticipated a thrown rock. Trying to alter the outcomes of visions is something that we need to talk seriously about. Is Kaltara showing us what must be, or is he offering us a chance to be prepared to alter our fates?”
“A good question,” Lyra frowned in thought. “Were I in your position, I am not sure what I would have done. My first impulse would have been to eliminate LunarSigh from the group, but you present a valid question about the wisdom of doing that. As it turned out, the outcome was quite pleasing. Had I substituted someone else for LunarSigh, who is to say what might have happened out there?”
“For the visions to be of help to us,” nodded the Torak, “we must discover the effects of altering them. I would prefer to experiment with a situation that is less dangerous than the one we just went through.”
“I agree,” replied Lyra. “What is our next step?”
“The Qubari army must search out the last of the hellsouls,” answered Emperor Marak. “Angragar will not be habitable until that is accomplished. Then you, Rejji, and I must enter the prayer chamber here. I have no idea what happens after that.”
“It will be in Kaltara’s hands,” smiled Lyra as she grabbed the Torak’s hand and squeezed it. “I just know that he has brought us together for a noble purpose. We will accomplish whatever he tasks us to do.”
Marak gazed into Lyra’s eyes and smiled broadly. “We will accomplish much together,” he grinned. “Perhaps even more than Kaltara has planned on.”
“Who can say what Kaltara has planned?” Lyra grinned as she put her head on Marak’s shoulder and closed her eyes.
Chapter 14
Love is in the Air
Emperor Marak walked out of the temple and wrapped his arms around himself. The cold bitter wind lifted his cape high as he crushed the frost underfoot. Marak kept his numb ears tuned to the sounds around him as he walked towards the narrow canyon. The wind intensified in the canyon until it felt as if an arctic gale had descended upon him. He pushed the cold out of his mind as he continued through the short canyon. He actually felt warmer when he emerged on the barren wasteland of the mountaintop. He stared down at the trees towering up from below, his eyes searching for any movement. He knew the Chula were down there, but he could not see any of them. He stood and waited.
His ears detected a very soft padding on the stone-covered trail. He walked to the edge and smiled when he saw a Chula coming up the trail. Riding a sleek black jaguar, the Chula came ready to attack. Only when he recognized the Torak did the Chula ease his battle stance.
“What is the Torak doing at Changragar?” asked the Chula warrior. “We were not told that you were up here. How may I serve you?”
“I need a message delivered to Tmundo,” replied Marak. “Changragar is a temple for Kaltara. It must be maintained as one.”
“It is no longer used,” countered the Chula warrior. “The Chula worship wherever they are.”
“It will be used once again,” declared the Torak. “It is to be maintained. Its rooms are to be furnished, its libraries filled with books and scrolls, its kitchens made to heat food. Replace that which is missing. Fix that which is broken. Paint what needs to be painted.”
“The message shall be delivered,” promised the Chula warrior. “I am sure that Tmundo will immediately do what is necessary. Does this mean that we must come to Changragar to worship now?”
“No,” the Torak shook his head. “The Chula are free to worship Kaltara wherever they exist, but Changragar is our monument to Kaltara. It is to be treated as such. Changragar is to be something that the Chula are proud to call their own. That is my message. Deliver it promptly.”
“It shall be as you command,” replied the Chula warrior. “Do you need a cat to ride? I will get you one before I return to the village.”
“I have no need for one,” answered the Torak.
The Chula warrior frowned with confusion. He turned the jaguar and began riding down the trail. He constantly turned to see if the Torak was still there. Emperor Marak shook his head with a slight smile and returned to the temple. He made his way to the small room behind the bookshelf and returned to Angragar. When he entered the library, Rejji and Lyra were waiting for him.
“How did it go?” asked Rejji.
“It is so cold there,” Marak replied rubbing his hands up and down his arms. “I wish the Chula had built their temple in a more hospitable area. Other than that, it went well. The poor Chula warrior will have a hard time explaining that the Torak sent the message, when Tmundo knows that I am at Angragar. I would love to see his face.”
“Will Tmundo believe the messenger?” asked Lyra.
“He will,” nodded Marak. “Even if the messenger ends up thinking that he only saw a vision of me, Tmundo will see that my words ring true. The state of Changragar is an embarrassment. Tmundo will change that.”
“Mobi returned while you were gone,” stated the Astor. “The city is clear of hellsouls. The army has searched every street and every building. There are no creatures left.”
“Are we sure?” asked Emperor Marak.
“As sure as we will ever be,” answered Lyra. “I walked around the city this morning with my rapier. I felt no warming of its hilt.”
“I did the same last night,” nodded Marak. “Good. Now we shall move on to the prayer chamber. I have a feeling that Kaltara will know if the city is not safe for the Qubari to return to.”
The Three walked out of the library to the entry foyer where the rest of the group was camped. They checked to make sure that there were no important developments requiring their attention before heading to the prayer chamber. They stepped inside and closed the door.
Once the door was closed, the prayer chamber was completely dark. Marak reached out grasped the hands of Lyra and Rejji and led them to the center of the round room. Together they kneeled in the dark.
“The Three come to you in prayer,” the Star of Sakova said.
“Give us guidance in what is to come,” added the Torak.
“So we may serve as suits Kaltara’s needs,” completed the Astor.
Suddenly, the room shook violently. The Three clung to each other’s hands as the tremors continued for several minutes. Unexpectedly, the shaking stopped and the room filled with an eerie glow. The round walls turned to visions of the city of Angragar. The buildings looked refurbished and people walked the streets. The Three turned and stared at the moving images.
“You have not disappointed me,” boomed a voice. “The Three are as one. Angragar has been restored this day and the whole world knows about it.”
The vision changed to that of a foreign city. An imposing pyramid temple rose over the city, its steps littered with bodies dressed in bright red uniforms. As the Three watched, the bodies rose and looked about in panic. They dusted off their uniforms and reformed their ranks and continued marching down the steps.
“The Island of Darkness,” Marak gasped softly.
“Yes, Torak,” boomed the voice. “The temple of the usurper. He now kn
ows of Angragar. Your work is almost complete in Angragar. Find the Pit of Death and seal it. Only then will Angragar be truly safe. When this is done, disperse and gather the followers. The Time of Cleansing is soon upon you.”
The vision winked out and the room returned to darkness. The Three waited some time before they realized that Kaltara was not going to say anything further. They rose and left the chamber. Outside the chamber, Temiker, Mobi, and Axor waited.
“The city is open,” announced Temiker. “The jungle no longer surrounds it. The harbor is open to the sea, and the gates to the city are wide open. What does it mean?”
“It is time for the Qubari to move in,” declared Rejji. “Send word, Mobi. The Qubari have a new home.”
Mobi bowed and hurried off.
“It felt like an earthquake,” stated Temiker. “Did you feel it inside?”
“It was felt all over the world,” answered Lyra, “but it was not an earthquake. It was the hand of Kaltara.”
“We need to get back to the library,” stated Marak. “We must find references to the Pit of Death. Tell everyone to gather in the library.”
Temiker turned and left. Axor walked with the Three to the library. Soon the library was full as everyone began searching the tomes for any reference to the Pit of Death. Marak saw the elves in the corner talking among themselves. He walked over to them.
“Angragar is born again,” he stated. “The time for you to return to your homeland has arrived. I trust that you will deliver my words to your queen. I hope she receives them favorably.”
Eltor and Caldal looked at each other with disbelief. They smiled and shook their heads.
“Do you mean it?” asked Eltor. “We are free to go?”
“You have always been free to go,” smiled the Torak. “I have stated so before.”
“We didn’t believe you,” Caldal said frankly, “although I am no longer surprised by your words or actions. I have learned how wrong I have been. You are a man of honor. I thank you for all that you have done for us. Your words and more will be delivered to Queen Alycia. That is my pledge to you.”
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