“The whole truth cannot be revealed within this book.”
Kara sighed. Before she could finish, however, more words began to appear.
“However, there is one who has the answers that you seek.”
“One? Who is it?” asked the princess.
“There is one currently on the boundaries of this Alexandrian fortress. In order for you to find the one who has the knowledge that you seek, first you must go to the one who would take you to where you need to be.”
Kara didn’t quite understand what the book was telling her. “I don’t understand, how do I find this person?”
“You don’t,” spoke a voice from the far corner of her chambers. The voice startled the girl. She jumped up off her bed and turned to face the person who now stood inside the room. She had to look down to see him. He was a small man, around four feet in height. The man wore chain mail armour made of Mythril, a small helmet, and small leather boots. The man looked fairly old, so much in fact that the grey in his beard outweighed the dark.
“How did you get in here?” Kara demanded.
“Charming, and here’s me thinking I was going to get a royal welcome!”
“You’re a dwarf?” said the princess.
“You don’t say,” the dwarf replied.
“Who are you?”
“The names Fargrim,” the dwarf replied. He walked forward and put out his hand, offering a handshake. The princess moved back, keeping a safe distance between herself and the stranger who had appeared out of nowhere.
Fargrim realised that Kara was unsure of him and attempted to ease her concerns. “So I see you found my book,” he said.
“So it was you in the library earlier?” asked Kara.
“Correct your highness.”
“But why?” asked the princess, who was now more confused than ever.
“A friend told me you would need it,” said Fargrim.
“A friend?”
“He told me you seek the truth. He can give you the answers.”
“The Answer to what?” she asked.
“Valentine…” replied the dwarf, narrowing his eyes.
The princess and Fargrim exited out of a passageway that brought them outside of the Alexandrian castle boundaries. The air outside the castle had a cold chill, which was strange for this season. It was as if an omen was telling her to turn back now. The dwarf seemed to know his way around the secret passageways of the castle, some of which Kara herself had never seen before. “How do you know your way around the castle so well?”
“I don’t, this is the first time I’ve ever been here,”
“Really? Then how did you know about the secret passageways? Not many people know of their existence,” Kara asked.
“From memory. The one who you seek knows the castle all too well. He made me memorize every inch of the place.”
“Who…who is it?” asked the princess. Her curiosity was growing about the identity of the mysterious figure who not only supposedly had the answers she was searching for, but also seemed to be very familiar with the Alexandrian palace.
“You’ll see soon enough,” replied Fargrim. “Come, we must move on. We have a long journey ahead of us.”
Kara nodded and placed the hood of her robe over her head. Fargrim took a quick glance at the sky. “You expecting bad weather?” said the dwarf in reference to the girl’s hood.
“No,” said Kara. “The hood is required to conceal my identity. I am one of the most recognisable faces in this realm. If we are to proceed on our journey without being discovered, my face needs to remain hidden.”
The pair continued on, heading out into the Alexandrian land. Kara wondered if this journey would truly give her the answers she sought. Would she find out the truth behind the banishment of this Valentine boy? Who was the mysterious person that Fargrim was taking her too? How did he have knowledge of the events she had seen in her dreams? Why did the king and Auron fear these events? And finally…could she even trust this dwarf? All of these questions drew heavy on the mind of the princess as she and Fargrim proceeded onwards on their journey. As the pair headed towards the mountains to the south of the Alexandrian palace, Kara stopped for a moment and took one final look back at her home. The castle already looked small in the distance. I’m sorry father, she thought to herself. The princess turned around and continued onwards into the outer-world of Alexandria.
Chapter 13: A Temple In The Woods
A small military jet flew in the sky high above the South American region. Moonlight shone upon the craft, which glided gracefully through the air just above the clouds. Inside the vessel sat six agents, all of whom were assigned to Argentina to capture or disable the World Order’s new number one target, Lucius. In the front section of the craft was Chad, who was piloting the jet, and Jade, one of the twins who Chad had become close friends with during their time at the organisations training facility.
Inside the back of the craft, were the agents James, Cody, Sophie and Rachel, the twin of Jade. They sat in four seats and were having a mini conference. The back of the vessel was like a small meeting room. Two agents sat either side of it and James, the leader of the mission, was talking strategy. Normally ultra confident going into a mission, the other agents could sense James was unusually cautious. He had every right to be. Since his discussion with Professor Milton, and his discovery that there may be some sort of connection between, himself, Chad and Lucius, James understood that their target would be no easy foe.
James had not yet discussed his and Professor Milton’s findings with Chad, never mind the rest of the group; therefore he was cautious in his approach to the mission. “I think it’s best if only I or Chad engage the target directly,” he told the group.
Chad had no problem with this strategy. He hated working in the presence of the other agents. He and James would have to hold back whilst working with others in order to keep the knowledge of their unique skills a secret. However, if he was working alone, or with James directly, he knew the pair could cut loose, nothing held back.
The others weren’t thrilled with the idea. Since becoming agents, they longed for the thrill of battle. The missions had become an ecstasy to them and they lived for it now. Cody and Sophie were a little more understanding than the twin’s with James’ plan. They had witnessed first hand the skills of the target, Lucius whilst on the mission in Sydney. Both were lucky to escape with their lives, and it was due to this experience that Sergeant Cooper had assigned them to the Argentina mission also. That fear of dying would keep them alive. That was the sergeant’s logic anyway.
“Lucius is obviously looking for something in this temple. We need to find out what it is and gain possession of it before he does. Those are our orders,” said James.
“Do we have any idea what it is that he’s looking for?” asked Sophie.
“Not exactly, but judging by what he’s been collecting before, I’d guess it’s some sort of artefact,” said James. In truth, James didn’t have any idea what Lucius’ plan was. His only thought was that he and Chad needed to reprimand the man. James wanted answers about his past, and he knew that Chad would too. We will capture him and Professor Milton will divulge answers from the man.
“So James, I hear this guy kicked your arse last time out?” shouted Rachel from the co-pilot seat at the front of the craft.
James was a little annoyed by the girl’s comments, however he didn’t let it show. “Not exactly. He caught me off guard. That won’t happen again!”
“Don’t worry my man, I’m here this time. We’ll whoop this guy all around the walls of the pyramid,” shouted Chad.
James didn’t reply but he was happy that Chad was coming along. Not only for the fact that they hadn’t had the opportunity to catch up for a while, but also because Lucius, the mysterious white-haired man, had been the toughest opponent that James had ever faced. He knew that if he was to stand any chance of taking him down, he needed Chad by his side. I’m not sure if even that will be
enough…
James stood up from his seat and began to move towards the front of the vessel. He arched forward slightly as he walked, for the roof of the craft was smaller than the agent’s height. “Jade go back and see your twin, I think she’s missing you.”
“What?” said Jade. Clearly, the twin hadn’t taken James’ hint that he wanted to sit up front. So he now made it crystal clear.
“Go sit in the back, I want to talk to Chad for a minute,” he said, sounding as blunt as he could.
Jade puffed her cheeks before leaving her co-pilot seat and went into the back section of the vessel. James took the seat next to Chad in the cockpit.
“What’s the matter with you grumpy?” asked Chad. He knew James very well, and could always tell when he was worried.
“I’m not worried, just focused,” he lied.
“Don’t worry man, that weird white-haired guys not that tough. We’ll beat him, just like we always do.” Chad feared no man; he had total confidence in his ability to take on anybody. The same could have been said of James until recently. However, his defeat to Lucius, and the brutal manner of it had shaken his confidence. It wasn’t just that though. James knew that their enemy shared the same gifts that he and Chad possessed; however, the white-haired man’s seemed far more advanced.
James was also anxious to get answers to questions he had his entire life. Why did he have unique abilities? What was the connection between the three of them? It was possible that Lucius could have the answers that had burned on his mind since he was small. James felt bad that Chad didn’t know what he knew. However, Professor Milton had asked him to keep this a secret for the time being. At least until they had captured the white haired man and brought him in. Professor Milton knew that Chad fought on raw emotion. If his friend were to have knowledge of what James knew, he would act rashly, as was his characteristics. James knew this too; therefore he decided to deflect the attention off him by asking Chad about his actions back at headquarters.
“So, I heard you got yourself locked up again?” said James, in reference to Chad’s confrontation with Sergeant Cooper.
“Yeah. I’m surprised it’s taken you this long to bring it up!” replied Chad.
“Brawling with the sergeant? That’s a new one even for you!”
Chad didn’t reply.
“So…you want to tell me what happened?”
Chad’s eyes began to become heavy, as James waited for his response. A dizzy feeling began to engulf the agent. James also began to feel something, although the effects were not as strong on him.
“Hey, are you ok?” asked James, who began to hold his forehead. Inside of Chads mind, an image of a golden axe, the same one that he had seen in his dreams many times before, began to flash in and out of his mind. Chad began to loose focus on piloting the craft, and it began to slowly descend. James grabbed onto the steering wheel before the vessel went into free-fall.
“Everything alright up there?” asked Sophie, who, along with the rest of the group, had felt the slight disturbance of the craft as it descended.
Not wishing to alarm the rest of the crew, James played off as if everything was fine. “Yeah we’re good!” he shouted. “Prepare yourself for landing, we’ll be arriving at our destination shortly!” They will all be in grave danger once we’ve landed. Chad and I should have come here alone. James focused his attention on Chad once more. “What’s the matter?”
Chad seemed fine almost instantly. “I’m ok, I just felt…something for a second.”
“Like some sort of presence down there?” asked James.
“Yeah…you felt it too?”
James nodded in response. “It has to him.”
“Lucius?”
“Yeah.”
“I wonder why we can feel him from all the way up here?” asked Chad.
A sudden thunderbolt appeared in the sky. The entire group looked up in surprise.
Chad examined one of the weather readings on the crafts control panel. “What the hell?”
“What is it?” asked James.
“According to these readings, there isn’t a thunderstorm at all,” replied Chad.
Another large thunderbolt appeared in the sky. This one narrowly missed the craft. The wind around them began to increase in strength. “Do you get the impression that somebody knows we’re coming? Chad said.
James took a few moments to respond. The feeling of a presence was becoming stronger. “Just stay alert,” he said finally. He knew that a storm was coming, however, he was not thinking about the storm in the sky. He knew that the real storm would begin when he and Chad confronted Lucius. He only hoped that with Chad by his side, he would be able to find the answers he had been looking for since he first awoken in an orphanage all those many years ago.
Down below in the Silva jungle, Lucius stood at the entrance to the mysterious temple, which he had unearthed from the ground only a day earlier. He looked into the sky, which was lit up by the now constant thunder and lighting. He could see a small vessel approaching in the sky. The sight of it pleased Lucius, who smiled with the thought of its imminent arrival. And so the vermin finally arrives. Come, my friend, come and unlock the door. Now begins the second act of our story. The rise of chaos and the end of the deluded desire! Lucius turned and slowly walked into the temple, quickly disappearing into the darkness beyond it.
The group of six agents walked along the port of the small fishing town of Rio Gallegos. The high winds blew small pieces of shopping items and fishing equipment around the area. As the agents passed through the port, they noticed that most of the residents were hidden indoors. A few of them peered through their windows. The look of fear was edged on their faces.
“What are they all afraid of?” asked Rachel.
Another fork of lightning struck the jungle area in the distance. The people cowered behind their windows.
“Really? These people are afraid of a little thunder and lighting?” said Jade.
“I don’t think that’s what they’re afraid of,” said James. They fear him, as you should too.
Around one hundred yards in front of them, an old looking man came storming out of one of the small houses at the edge of the port. The man walked over to a closed market stall and began throwing something at it. This was the same man who Lucius had encountered earlier. The man was throwing the coins he had received as a gift from the white-haired man at the stall and cursed them at the top of his voice.
The group advanced to where the man was throwing the coins. He turned to them and began to shout in Spanish: “Cursed, they’re cursed!” The man threw the coins into the ground with venom and hatred. The agents all gave each other slightly awkward glances, not knowing quite what to make of the old man. James tried to calm him, using caution as he approached him. The man began to weep with sorrow. Sadness filled his heart.
James wasn’t even sure if the man could speak English but he gave it a try anyhow. “Sir, what’s the matter?”
The man, who had now sat on the ground, looked up at James. “Cursed, he’s cursed our land,” said the man in broken English. The old man held out the coins in his hand.
“Who has?” asked James.
“A demon with white hair. He came to us and offered me riches. But he is the devil!”
James realised the man he was speaking of was Lucius. “He was here?” asked James.
The man nodded. “He went into the jungle. And then…he raised an ancient temple. Something that has not been seen in these lands for centuries.”
James, realising the need for haste, turned to the others. “Come on, let’s move out.” Because of the thunderstorm that seemed to locate around the jungle, the group had to proceed on foot. The group began to jog in the direction of the jungle, which could be seen in the distance.
“Turn back, he is the devil I tell you. Turn back!” shouted the old man in an attempt to warn them. It was too late though, for the group had already disappeared out of sight.
The
thunder and lightning increased in ferocity. A bolt of lightning struck the top of the temple, smashing violently against the stone walls yet leaving no mark. The agents, who were now advancing through the jungle at great speed, could see the lighting strike over the heads of the trees. The group cut any vines that blocked their paths with small machetes as they ran. Branches began to break off the trees due to the high winds. One of them narrowly missed the group as they headed towards the temple.
“Is it just me or is this storm getting more intense the closer we get?” said Chad.
“I guess he knows we’re coming,” said James. The other four agents, Sophie, Cody, Rachel and Jade shared a mixture of confusion and fear.
“What are you talking about James? Are you trying to suggest this guy has something to do with the weather?” asked Cody, who had been unusually quiet up until this point.
He is afraid, James realised.
Just as Cody finished speaking, the group passed through the final section of trees that covered their view from the temple walls. The temple was much bigger than any of them could have anticipated, standing over two hundred feet high.
“Everybody, get ready…we’re here.” Said James. A serious look formed across his face.
The temple was raised up from the ground by a large crater, which had formed when the structure had risen from the ground. The stone looked old in age, much like the stone you might find in a pyramid. A large staircase led up to the entrance of the temple, outside of which, two large fire torches shed some light upon the night. The others required the torches to be able to see where the entrance was located as they now stood in darkness. Chad had no such concerns. His eyes worked better in darkness anyhow and he could clearly see the outline of the entire structure.
“We all stick together inside, understood?” said James. He was clearly concerned for the safety of the other agents. It would have been only him and Chad on this mission if he had his own way. As it was, he had to babysit the others too. The others will be no match for Lucius if they come up against him. For that matter, am I? “Alright, let’s go.”
Clash Of Worlds Page 29