The Fourth World

by Marina Sandoval

  “Two more arms can always help,” Lorne replied.

  “You’re not going anywhere,” Zauber said. “I want to know where the king hid the other artifacts he collected.”

  “You worked with them,” Lorne replied. “You should know. We do not.” He was already regretting his choice.

  “They did not show me,” Zauber replied, “but I was not the only one who worked with them. Your girlfriend stayed here a lot longer than I did; I’m confident she should have some idea. Come with me, and I’ll let the others go.”

  “What more do you need?” Azura asked. “You already have the spear, a dragon, and whatever else they gave you.”

  “It turns out the king did not place everything at my disposal,” Zauber replied, “but I know it’s there. I’m wasting time; will you come with me for old times’ sake, or am I going to have to threaten your little friends?”

  “I’ll go with you,” said Azura.

  “No!” said Lorne.

  “It will not take long,” Azura replied. “I know where it is.”

  “I was certain you knew,” Zauber said.

  “Then, we are all going,” Lorne said.

  “No,” Azura retorted. “You need to find Steven and Virginia.” She turned to Zauber. “I’ll show you the place, you’ll do what you want, and I’ll leave. Right?”

  “You have my word,” Zauber replied.

  “As if it was worth much,” Lorne said.

  Lorne and Azura stared at each other for a moment and said goodbye.

  “We’ll meet at the portal,” said Azura.

  “Come on!” ordered Zauber.

  They both ran downstairs, and Lorne watched them disappear.

  “Where is the king?” asked Lácio.

  They all turned to the place where the king had fallen, and all they saw was a burnt mark on the wall.

  “The staff!” Lorne cried. “He did not die. We have to get out of here!”

  No one asked for further explanation.

  Chapter XXXI - Promises

  Steven and Virginia waited inside the library, until they heard the guards marching away. A few moments later, the battle resounded all over the place.

  “We cannot stay here!” said Virginia.

  Steven ran through the library in search of a window or door that could be an escape route, but all he found was a large, floor-to-ceiling glass window, and outside was an abyss that ended at the sea. At that juncture, the doorknob turned. Steven pushed Virginia behind one shelf, and they stood still. Someone entered the library and dashed to the shelf that hid the secret passage. Carefully, Steven looked to see who was there. It was the queen. Virginia pulled Steven’s arm and pointed to the door. It was open. The secret passageway was already opening; they did not have much time.

  “Can you run?” Steven whispered.

  Virginia nodded; even though she felt pain all over her body, she thought she could get there, and they needed to continue. Steven waited. The queen entered the secret room, he made a signal with his hand, and they rushed out. They moved down the stairs in an outburst without looking back. Two flights of stairs went down, and the whole building shook, followed by an incredible sound of thunder that reverberated all over the place. They rolled down the stairs. Steven stood again, but Virginia vanished from sight. He ran after her, struggling to balance himself. He looked at the opening in the center of the stairs, afraid that Virginia might have fallen into it, and he saw only water, but the water seemed to be rising. He moved away from the opening and continued running, screaming Virginia’s name several times. He did not care that anyone could see them, because he had a bad feeling. After much calling for her, he finally heard an answer. She was holding onto a step that led into a corridor. Steven helped her up. If the water was rising, they should remain above it, but upstairs was Zauber, and they could not go down. He pulled her by the arm, and they went into the gallery. They had barely advanced when they came upon hundreds of soldiers, coming in their direction. They turned to the other side; the only alternative was to go back to the stairs.

  Maybe we can go back to the library, Steven thought but took five steps, and the queen emerged from the stairs. She had a sphere in her hands. Virginia looked back, as though hoping that the soldiers had disappeared in the meantime, and when she did, she noticed that there was a child with them, and she assumed it must have been the queen’s daughter. She nudged Steven, so he could also see her.

  She wants to save her daughter, Steven thought. She does not care about us, He raised his arms naively to show that he had no intention of confronting them. “We just want to leave!” he cried.

  “Kill them!” said the queen with no hesitation.

  Two soldiers set their bows, aiming at their chests. For Steven, everything happened very slowly; he looked through the arches in the corridor; they were on the third floor, and they could not jump. He felt Virginia’s hand grasp his. Then, there was a cry that made the arrows fly aimlessly upwards. The soldiers looked back. Steven and Virginia could see a sermerio running towards him, bringing another sermerio that was bruised in his arms.

  The sermerio gasped. “The mermaids...”

  The queen went towards the commotion.

  The sermerio quickly told her what had happened before Thomas and Richard fell off the bridge. “The mermaids saved them!” she cried, still amazed.

  Steven and Virginia walked slowly away without hearing the report.

  The queen turned to them. “Did you make any agreements with the mermaids?” she asked.

  They did not answer; they did not know what to say. Maybe they have should lied, but that thought was out of their minds when one soldier pointed a spear at Steven’s throat.

  “I know nothing. I’ve never seen a mermaid in my life,” Steven said.

  At that moment, Lorne and the others appeared, running up the stairs and into the corridor. Before the queen could command the soldiers to kill them, she saw a huge wave, coming in their direction from behind the group. Everyone ran as fast as their legs allowed. They heard the cries of those who lived in the corridors below; the water destroyed everything it encountered. Lorne and the others ran side-by-side with Steven and Virginia; they were the closest to the wave. There was no point in running, though; they clung to the pillars and held their breaths. The wave came, but instead being drawn into it, the water circled around them. It took a few seconds to comprehend that they were not drowning, but it soon became obvious; they were being spared. The sermerios in front of them had been swallowed. Steven came down from the pillar. The queen and her daughter tried to hold onto a pillar ahead.

  I do not have an obligation to save them, Steven thought, but it’s just a child...

  He reached for the queen and pulled them into the dry center. Meanwhile, the others were still coming down from the pillars, spurred on by being alive.

  “What’s that?” Steven asked, pointing to something moving in the water toward them.

  Everyone looked curiously, trying to figure out what it was, until the shape came out of the water, rolling onto the floor and coughing water out of their lungs. It was Thomas, Richard, and Habel. Behind them, four mermaids armed with bows and tridents surrounded them, half-submerged in the water.

  The queen was already standing and protecting her daughter with her arms. “How dare you attack us?”

  “You contaminated our home and wanted to make us servants,” said one of the mermaids. “That was a big mistake.”

  They were about to shoot; it was clear they would kill them both.

  Steven stepped in front of them. “Wait!”

  The mermaids stopped in surprise.

  “The king is dead!” he cried. “It is not enough?”

  “Why do you protect her?” the mermaid asked. “If I recall correctly, she wanted you and your friends dead. If that’s what you want, I can kill you, too.”

  “No! I just want to avoid more death. They are not all like him...” Steven said, remembering Naruc and wonderin
g if he was still alive.

  “He did not die,” Lorne interjected. All eyes landed on him. “The queen should know more about it than I do.”

  She swallowed dryly but was smart enough to realize it was better to speak. “He got the staff,” the queen replied. “He cannot be killed, but I do not know where he went, and I do not care; I want to protect my daughter.”

  The mermaids looked at each other. They did not need to speak; they could communicate mentally, and that was apparent to everyone. They analyzed the queen with their eyes, as though they wanted to make sure that they were not being deceived, then they looked at Lorne.

  One said, “Do you know how to kill the king?”

  “I know,” Lorne replied, “but...”

  “What about the wizard?” the mermaid interrupted impatiently. “Can you kill him? Your friend suggested you can; that is why you are still alive.”

  Lorne looked at Habel, who was wide-eyed. “We can...” he answered, with little conviction.

  The mermaid turned to the queen again. “If you promise me you will help them kill the king and that wizard,” she began, “we’ll spare you and your daughter and liberate the city.”

  “You want me to help humans kill my husband?” the queen asked.

  “It’s your decision,” the mermaid replied.

  The queen eyed the arrows.

  “While you ponder, your people perish,” the mermaid reminded her.

  Her daughter’s hands tightened on her arm, and the queen yielded. “I agree!” she said, almost breathlessly.

  “I thought you would,” the mermaid replied. “Let one thing be clear: You are not welcome in our waters, and we will take something for collateral.”

  A whip of water grabbed the queen’s daughter and pulled her into the water. The mermaids disappeared with the girl, and, in no time, all the water that had invaded the city was returning to the river, leaving destruction, dead, and wounded behind. The queen shouted as loudly as she could, but it did not help. Hubert and Theo hugged Habel. Kyla smiled but kept her distance, only asking what had happened. Habel explained in a few words, as Steven and Richard greeted each other. As soon as Richard and Thomas laid eyes on Lácio, their hands searched for their weapons. Before Steven could say anything, shadows passed over their heads, and they looked up. Sermerios were mounted on dragons, flying in search of survivors, but among them was one whom the queen soon recognized: Zauber, and Azura was with him.

  “Who had the splendid idea of giving him a dragon?” Lorne asked the queen.

  Amid tears, but trying to compose herself, she replied, “Zauber convinced my husband that, with a dragon, it would be easier to hunt you down.”

  “Where is he going?” Habel asked.

  “He is looking for the—” she stopped talking as her eyes settled on Lorne. He was also a wizard, and she trusted him no more than she trusted Zauber. “It does not matter. I will see what remains of our troops and have them slay the dragon...”

  “No!” said Lorne. “No one kills that dragon while Azura is up there.”

  “Make no mistake,” the queen replied. “I’ll help you, but I’m not your friend. If I were you, I would leave. No one can realize I’m helping you; I have to keep up appearances.”

  The queen took a small wind instrument from her dress pocket and blew it. It created the roar of a dragon. Soon the flying soldiers approached. The group quickly moved away and hid behind the debris, close enough to hear them. Three dragons landed around the queen.

  “You must shoot down the wizard’s dragon,” the queen said. “Let everyone know; he can’t leave Sermeria!”

  The sermerios took off, as the queen headed for what was left of the stairs. Lorne and the others followed.

  “Where are you going?” Lorne asked.

  “I will look for the king.” She kept walking, but the answer did not satisfy Lorne.

  “I can tell the mermaids you are not helping us much,” he said. “I wonder what they will do with your daughter.”

  The queen turned. “You’re still alive, are you not? That’s all the help I can give.”

  “You will kill Azura!” he cried.

  “No, I will kill Zauber,” the queen replied. “That’s what the mermaids want; they do not care about your partner, either.” She proceeded on her way but was stopped once more.

  “What about me?!” Lácio shouted.

  “What about you?” she countered.

  “Our agreement?” Lácio reminded her.

  “The agreement was that when the king finished questioning them, you would see to their killing,” she replied. “Look; they’re still alive.”

  “Things have changed!” exclaimed Lácio desperately.

  “Exactly,” the queen said with a satirical smile. She took a step forward, but stopped again right next to him and whispered, “Come to think of it, you can still be useful.” She turned back to the group. “Lácio will accompany you; it will be my assurance that you will do nothing that could harm my daughter. If you do, he will let me know, and you will pay.”

  Lácio looked at her in amazement; he had not agreed to any of it.

  “Consider this your new arrangement,” the queen said and walked away again, leaving them alone.

  Steven could not believe it. He and Lácio stared at each other for a while; the man’s shame was visible, but Steven could not tell whether what he felt was humiliation for what he had agreed to do or for not having performed the task.

  “What shall we do?” asked Virginia, who, at that moment, was more distressed because of Azura than because of Lácio.

  However, nobody knew what to do. The silence that followed lasted for several minutes, until Richard nudged Virginia.

  “Looks like your friend is back,” he said.

  They looked at the horizon and saw a large, bluish-gray bird approaching.

  “Virginia, do as I say,” Lorne said.

  “I can go with you!” Virginia argued.

  “I do not think you can go anywhere,” Lorne countered.

  “Azura is also my friend. I’m going,” Virginia demanded.

  “I’m going, too,” Habel said.

  “What about us?” Kyla asked.

  “We’ll talk without this traitor around,” Richard said, looking at Lácio.

  “This is not the time to settle our differences,” Lorne said.

  “The sermerios who survived will not hesitate to shoot us,” Richard said. “Take all the weapons you find on the way and go to the portal; Kyla knows the way. If we are lucky, we will meet there shortly.”

  “Do you want to cross the portal?” Habel asked. “What about the promise we made to the mermaids?”

  “I never meant to keep it,” Richard replied.

  “But they... they’ll be furious,” Habel argued. “They will go after Sephir... or me!”

  “I thought you were coming with us!” Richard cried. “Sephir will be fine; he had nothing to do with it. I do not have time for this, Habel. I have to go. Are you coming?”

  Before she could respond, Ivy landed next to them.

  “Always on time,” Lorne said, stroking her.

  Virginia and Lorne jumped on her back.

  With no confidence, Lorne said, “See you later.”

  In seconds, they vanished into the sky, and Habel followed them.

  Chapter XXXII - Duel

  As soon as they were in the air, Lorne created a dense haze around Zauber. The mist forced him to fly almost close to the ground. It was Lorne’s purpose; with the sermerios attacking, Azura could fall at any moment but if she were close to the ground, she would not get hurt too badly. Habel could approach from above without being seen. The fog did not disturb Zauber alone; she could not have a clear shot, but she had to take a chance; if she could kill him, maybe the mermaids would not be so furious when they realized Lorne and the others had left. Azura was in front of the wizard, so Habel could only aim at his back. Habel took her chance. The arrow went through the lower part o
f his back but caused no fatal damage. Zauber bit his lip in agony, and then laughed. Habel moved quickly away from view.

  “Do you want to play?!” he shouted. “Let’s go!”

  Lightning crashed around them.

  “Fly above him,” Lorne said to Virginia. “You cannot stay here. I will jump on him. Azura will go down; you grab her and go to the portal.”

  Virginia tried to argue, but lightning fell strongly on their side. Ivy dodged and cried out; when she looked to her side, she saw three sermerios falling from their dragons, and Lorne was already preparing to jump.

  “I will go back for you,” Virginia said as he jumped.

  They all rolled to the floor, including the dragon, who soon stood back up and spat fire on all sides, before flying away and abandoning Zauber. The lightning ceased, and the haze dissolved. Habel plunged towards Azura. Like the others, she was stretched out on the ground to escape the fire. Before Azura realized what was transpiring, Habel grabbed her and lifted her to Ivy. As soon as she understood where she was, she panicked, for the bird was leaving.

  “We cannot leave him alone!” Azura shouted.

  “I’ll drop you safely, and I’ll come back to pick him up,” Virginia declared, struggling to remain calm.

  Shortly after Azura was taken away, Lorne and Zauber stood to face each other.

  “Why are you doing this?” Zauber asked. “You were never the humanitarian type.”

  The wizard picked up the spear. Lorne smiled internally. He took advantage Zauber’s intention to use a fake weapon and placed his hand on the floor. The earth beneath Zauber’s feet opened. Zauber launched the spear at Lorne, aiming at his heart, but Lorne parted the spear with his other hand like it was a stick and threw it to the ground. The weapon returned to its original form, causing Zauber to utter a cry of fury. Even bewildered, Zauber created a lightning storm again. Lorne controlled one bolt, returning it to Zauber, but he grabbed it, and the other bolts joined the one he held and turned into a kind of lightning sword. Lorne still had the scythe he had picked up during the battle, but he felt drained; he would rather settle the situation differently.