The rustic wooden wall behind the garden stretched around to form the back of the massive room, connecting seamlessly to the stone wall on the right. The waters of both the hot springs on their right, and the garden creek on their left disappeared out through openings in the back wall.
Gigantic clear windows had been placed in the rear wall, well beyond the size of what Aldrick would have thought possible to manufacture. Through the crystal-clear openings, a forest of sorts could be seen, although it was unlike any forest Aldrick had ever seen before. There were several unknown species of bright green trees, and multitudes of shrubbery and colorful flowers of every imaginable shape and hue.
Gazing out one of the windows, he could see the air was filled with steam from the bubbling hot springs. Even from the inside of the chamber, he could hear the calls and chattering of various species of birds and animals. Aldrick thought he recognized some of the sounds, but many of the chirps and squeaks were unlike anything he had ever heard.
“How is jungle here?” Aelianna asked in amazement.
“Jungle?” Garrick repeated, raising an eyebrow.
“I see picture of jungle in book, from Ghandahar, to south of my land.”
“The jungles of Ghandahar are supposed to be quite hot, aren’t they?” Aldrick noted. “How could there be a jungle here in Illyria?”
“They could not exist in Illyria, but anything is possible in Khodara,” Garrick conjectured with a smile. “There are indoor rivers and hot springs, and rooms that change depending on who opens the door. Why not jungle?”
“This is truth,” Aelianna agreed.
“I admit, this place is amazing,” Aldrick added. “I never imagined something like this could exist.”
“You not say this ‘cannot’ be,” Aelianna said with a smirk. “What wrong with you?”
Garrick laughed, and even Aldrick had to smile. It was certainly true that a lifetime of study and logic had not prepared him for the things he was experiencing. He had to admit after all that had happened, that there might be things in the world that could not be explained by logic alone.
Garrick sighed. “None of that explains how or why we came to be here, wherever it is we are.”
“You are in my home, of course.”
They whirled at the sound of the voice behind them. An older man with a kind face, sat relaxing at the round table in the center of the room. Aldrick immediately recognized the stranger from his vision, yet he was nearly as surprised as the others to see him sitting nonchalantly at the table.
The others stood staring at the old man, and said nothing, so Aldrick took the lead. “Is this Khodara?”
“Hello again, Aldrick!” the man said with a smile. “I thought you didn’t believe in Khodara?”
“You know this man?” Aelianna muttered, her voice laced with suspicion.
“Not exactly,” Aldrick replied, and then addressed their host. “I thought that was a dream.”
The old man smiled. “You should know by now Aldrick, that your visions are a bit more than dreams.”
“What’s he talking about?” Garrick whispered.
Before Aldrick could reply, their host spoke. “Each of you has an advantage which you have used in the past whether you realized it or not. While relatively trivial compared to those of your…opponents, they will aid you in the struggles to come.”
Aldrick blurted, “Struggles?”
Simultaneously, Garrick asked, “What’s my power?”
The man smiled and waved off the questions with a shake of his hand. “I’m certain if you think about it Garrick, you will feel you already know the answer. But now is not the time to discuss details. ”
“What is your name?” Aelianna demanded.
The stranger smiled broadly in a natural, unaffected way. “Always direct, very good. Leave tact to Aldrick. One name is as good as another, I suppose, but you can call me Merrek.”
“And how is it that you know us?” Garrick added.
Merrek gave them a mysterious smile. “That is a long story. For now, let’s just say a good host should know a little something about his guests.”
“How did we get here?” Aldrick asked. “Assuming we aren’t dead.”
Merrek gave a good-natured chuckle. “Would you rather be back in the blizzard?”
Aldrick grimaced despite himself. “No.”
“Right! Well, let’s just say it was in my best interest, as well as yours, that you survive. My…adversary has bent the rules, which allowed me to intervene and bring you here. You may wish to take a little more care in the future however. I will not always be around to pull your proverbial asses out of the fire. Or snow, for that matter.” Merrek finished with a knowing smile.
“What do you mean ‘bent the rules’?” Aldrick asked, but Merrick simply smiled. For some reason he could not explain, he suddenly felt as if the answer did not matter.
“We wouldn’t have even been in the blizzard if dagger lady here had waited for something at least resembling a plan, before sneaking away to steal the artifact.” Garrick interjected.
“I need Clavis to save my people!” Aelianna shouted.
“What happened to Jahann?” Aldrick asked, ignoring the interchange.
“Do not be concerned about him,” Merrek reassured them. “He cannot track you here.” Abruptly he stood, and his voice became serious. “As for you Aelianna, the truth of the matter is that it is not only your people who are in danger, but all the inhabitants of this world. The Clavis may lead to saving the tribes of Kemett, as you saw in the Ae’roya Jost, but they aren’t the only ones who need the three of you.”
“What does the artifact lead to?” Aldrick asked.
“How you know of this?” Aelianna sounded doubtful.
Merrek once more waved off the questions. “I had hoped by now it would be clear to you Aelianna, that your way ahead lies with these nice fellows. While the Clavis is far from useless, you should know it is not your true objective. That may not have been clear in the Ae’roya Jost, which only showed the first part of your journey. I can only say that the Clavis is the key to your destiny.”
“What do you mean by, ‘our true objective?’” Aldrick asked. “We came here to retrieve the artifact, that’s it.”
“Ae’roya Jost only show Clavis,” Aelianna added.
“Your Ae’roya Jost was only the beginning, my dear. I know you don’t understand all of this yet, but the three of you needed to be brought together, and that required a bit of manipulation by the universe. Why you three were chosen is another long story, but believe me, you are the best suited for this task. Aldrick has already seen this, haven’t you Aldrick?”
“I did see the three of us together in a dream,” Aldrick admitted, as the other two looked at him in surprise, “or maybe it was a vision. I don’t know anymore.”
“I would never have imagined that you, of all people, would believe in visions,” Garrick noted with a smile.
Aldrick merely shrugged, so Garrick continued. “What happened in this vision?”
“We were…” Aldrick glanced at Merrek, who simply nodded. “We were confronting someone; a common enemy. Sorry, I’m not used to sharing my visions. Honestly, I’m not even used to believing they are anything more than dreams. Yet events have continually proven my visions to be quite accurate; more so than any normal dream could ever be.”
“And who is this ‘common enemy’?”
“He appears in the guise of Sargon the Destroyer, but who he really is, I cannot say. Merrek?”
Merrek strolled over to the table. “A common enemy is a simple enough explanation for now, and the very reason you have been brought together. If he is not stopped, his blight will spread across all of your countries, and beyond.”
“Who is he?”
Merrek had a twinkle in his eye. “I’m sure you know of whom I speak, Garrick.”
“Of course!” Garrick said in sudden recognition. “It’s the bastard who killed my father!”
&
nbsp; Merrek smiled knowingly but said nothing, so Aelianna asked, “How you know this?”
Garrick shrugged. “I get these…feelings, I suppose you could call them. If I understand you correctly, Aldrick’s visions are similar to dreams, but more meaningful. My feelings are like that; different than normal emotions in a way I recognize but don’t fully understand. But I’ve learned to trust my feelings, or instincts you might call them, when I have them.”
Aldrick nodded. “It’s the same for me, as much as I hate to admit it. I don’t always know what a vision means, but I almost always come to understand it eventually.”
“This is not fair!” Aelianna exclaimed.
“What is not fair?”
“I see no vision, except Ae’roya Jost. I not have feeling to guide me. What I have special?”
All heads turned expectantly to Merrek, who still sat at the table with an enigmatic smile. “Everyone is special in the All Father’s eyes.”
“This is no answer!” Aelianna huffed.
Merrek shrugged noncommittally. “I imagine if you think about it, there was a time you got what you wanted, what you needed, even when it seemed impossible.”
“The gorg’gron, yes this is truth,” Aelianna acknowledged after a moment. “I want them not to attack, and they did not. I want them to go, and they did. I will think on this.”
“Right. You do that.”
Aldrick cleared his throat. “You certainly seem to know a lot about us Merrek. Aelianna did manage to retrieve the artifact, although we almost died as a result. I’m sure we would have argued over who would keep the artifact, but you solve that by telling us it’s useless, other than as a key to our true objective. Then you seal our fate by adding that without this objective, the entire world will fall to a madman.”
“We not fight over Clavis,” Aelianna declared. “I steal it, it is mine.”
“In any case,” Aldrick continued in a flat tone. “The whole situation is incredible, to say the least, and a bit difficult to accept.”
“Let’s say for the moment we believed you,” Garrick suggested. “What is this ‘true objective’ you spoke of?”
Merrek stood without a word, and apparently lost in thought, slowly strolled towards the back of the cavernous room with his hands clasped behind his back. An entire section of the back wall blinked out of existence at his approach, seemingly as if by will alone. Merrek walked through the open space without so much as acknowledging the change.
Aldrick glanced at his companions, the question on each of their faces. Aelianna said nothing and Garrick only shrugged, so they followed the strange old man out to the back of the unusual house.
The jungle, as Aelianna had called it, seemed as good a description as any. The unusual foliage was thick, lush and green, and the leaves of the strange trees were covered in a fine mist. The air was thick with the unrecognizable chirps and calls of a plethora of strange birds and animals, and who knew what else. Back out of sight they could hear the steady roar of what sounded like a large waterfall, and Aldrick thought he could just catch a glimpse of it through a gap in the broad leafed trees.
Small patches of light blue sky peeked through scattered openings in the heavy boughs of the giant leafy trees. The natural stone that formed the right wall of the giant chamber stretched off into the trees, and was now mirrored on the left side by a similar rocky barrier. Although it was difficult to see past a short distance due to the thick vegetation, Aldrick had the impression the area was enclosed by a large canyon, or hidden ravine. The alien sights and sounds of the jungle were wondrous and varied, and everything he saw was green, lush, vibrant and wholesome.
Aldrick could only think of one word to summarize the miracle before him. Life.
“Isn’t it wonderful?” Merrek asked in a dreamy voice.
The others could only nod in amazement, but Merrek smiled as if he had seen their response. “I’m glad you like it.”
Aldrick was finally able to ask, “How is this…jungle oasis possible in Illyria? It will be winter soon.”
“Oasis, I like that,” Merrek mused. “Very accurate. Actually, autumn has come and gone, and we are now well into winter; in this part of the world at least.”
“Well into winter?” Aldrick repeated. “How long were we asleep? Jelénna must be sick with worry!”
“I’m afraid that was unavoidable,” Merrek said, his tone consolatory. “Healing takes time.”
“Can I contact my family?
“I’m afraid not.”
“They need to know I’m alive and well,” Aldrick pleaded.
“I understand your concern Aldrick, however that is not possible at the moment, and I’m afraid there are larger concerns.” The old man put a conciliatory hand on his shoulder. “For now you must focus on your objective. Your family will know soon enough of your recovery.”
Aldrick felt strangely calm at his words, and believed what the old man said to be true. “What of this objective?”
“You are a great man, Aldrick,” Merrek said with a thin smile. “Unfortunately, as important as it is, I’m unable to describe your objective.”
“What?” Aelianna exclaimed. “Why?”
“How are we to know what to look for?” Aldrick added.
“You must trust your intuition,” Merrek replied, looking Aldrick in the eye. He then turned to Garrick and said, “And your feelings.” With a final look at Aelianna, he added, “And…your desires.”
Aldrick grimaced. “That is not particularly helpful.”
“I wish I could say more than I already have,” Merrek apologized, and then clapped his hands together in excitement. “Right! Who’s hungry?”
Before anyone could answer, the unusual old man wheeled and walked back inside without a word.
“I’m hungry,” Garrick admitted.
“How you think of food at time like this?”
“A time like what, beautiful? A time for us to recover from nearly dying in that blizzard? A time to relax and enjoy the hospitality of our gracious host?” Garrick smiled all of a sudden. “A time for free food?”
They followed their host back into the main room of the house, if it truly could be called a house in conventional terms. Inside they discovered the large round table in the center of the room was now filled with steaming platters and bowls, heaped with food of every possible description. Aldrick could not believe the variety he saw; some of the dishes he did not even recognize.
It was obvious from the steaming food that the table was freshly laid. Strips of beef sizzled in a dark wine sauce, bowls of potatoes and vegetables steamed and golden butter was melting on freshly baked bread. Aldrick could see no sign of servants or waiters who could have delivered the appetizing feast.
“Come, eat!” Merrek invited them in a friendly, welcoming voice. “You must all be famished, you haven’t eaten in ages.” With a quick glance directly at Aldrick, he added, “Yes, even you Aldrick.”
As if on cue, his stomach began to grumble, and Aldrick realized that regardless of his worry and concern, he was indeed very hungry. He suddenly could think of almost nothing but food, but there was one last matter of concern he felt he must address.
“What became of Warren and Dathan?”
“How could I have forgotten Warren?” Garrick gasped in astonishment. “Is he alright?”
Merrek laughed, sounding quite amused. “I was wondering how long it would take for you to remember your sick friend, left on the side of a mountain.” He cocked his head as if listening to a distant sound. “Right. I believe your answer is arriving as we speak.”
The door at the far end of the commodious room swung open, and two figures stepped through.
“I don’t believe how bloody long you took to figure that out,” Dathan said, his voice echoing faintly.
“It’s not my fault,” Warren stammered. “I didn’t see you suggesting the handle trick either. Whoa, look at this place!”
“About time you two showed up. Did you get lo
st?”
Warren’s exclamation of “Garrick!” was closely followed by warm embraces and excited inquiries of what had happened since they had seen each other. Warren and Dathan told a story similar to their own, of waking up in their own amazing rooms, and wandering the pristine white hall until discovering the trick with the handle. Once the newcomers had been introduced to Merrek and briefly caught up on current events, everyone sat around the table to eat.
The Key of Creation: Book 03 - The Temple of Kian Page 3