Opening his eyes as the swirl of wind died down and the portal closed behind him, Kainan stood dumbfounded; what an exhilarating experience! It was like a crazy rush of adrenaline through his entire body all at once, one moment he was standing in the cavern the next he was here, standing in this strange world. How was this at all possible? He stood there for a moment his eyes wide, studying his surroundings, thankfully he was alone. He appeared to be in a large room that was cut deep into rock, a cliff of some sort Kainan presumed sucking his bottom lip nervously. Looking up he saw that it had a high-vaulted ceiling and the entire room was painted a brilliant white. Across the room and to his left he could see a large oval window. Daylight was streaming through the glass showing the speckles of dust dancing in the air that had been angrily disturbed when the portal had opened.
Cautiously he walked over to it and stood behind the heavy green velvet curtain that was covering half the window. Pulling it back ever so slightly he peered outside. Gasping out loud he was hardly able to believe what his own eyes were seeing. It was true, there really was another world! There in front of him he could see an enormous city, far larger than his village back home. He frowned; it was crazy, how was this possible?
Spanning out in front of him were houses in all different shapes and sizes, some with timber roofs and some with thatched roofs, their chimneys smoking away merrily. He stared in awe as he looked beyond the tops of the houses and out into the far distance to a great forest of green. It all gleamed in a strange bright light; he thought as he rubbed the hairs on his chin that it almost looked magical.
Looking away for a moment he dropped the heavy curtain back as he struggled to accept what had happened to him in the last few days. His brothers were dead. He shook his head despondently. All his friends had been slaughtered by these creatures, these Gorzars and then to be told that his whole life was a lie and they were not even his real family, it just tore him apart. Was this place really his home world and not the village on Zyon? How could this place even exist; a world within a world? And why had they chosen him, out of all the people in the world why had these creatures chosen him? The questions were endless.
Lifting his hand he pulled the curtain back once more his eyes scanning beyond the city. Taking a deep breath he stared; there it was in the distance the large triple shaped Dome, glowing immensely pulsating with some kind of power. He recognised it from the description the Gorzars had given him. They called it the energy Dome and this was where the Ardor Crystal was kept, the Crystal he was supposed to retrieve for them in exchange for his mother’s life. There was an angry light in his eyes as he tried to understand why would she have taken him, stolen him from his birth mother and then kept him for her own. None of this made any sense. It was some sick and twisted trick these creatures were playing on him to make him do what they wanted, it had to be.
Looking around he could see nothing else in the room apart from a number of banners hanging on the white walls, depicting different coats of arms. Walking over to them he stopped at one and reaching his hand forward he ran his fingers down the fine silken cloth. His mouth dropped open and a puzzled frown creased his brow. He recognised this symbol without any doubt. Pulling up the right sleeve of his cloak he compared the mark on his upper arm to the one on the banner, the two marks were exactly the same; two swords crossed in the middle with a dragon with green wings in the centre. He had had this mark all his life; his mother had told him his father had done it when he was a baby. She had called it a tattoo and had said it meant he was special. As the eldest son he had no reason to have ever doubted this, until now.
Pulling his sleeve back down he sighed again, what did this mean? Perhaps the creatures were telling the truth. Opening his left hand he looked at the symbol on his palm, this mark had allowed him to pass through the portal. Why else would he have these marks on his body if he was not from this place?
Upon hearing a commotion outside Kainan quickly went back to the window. Leaning tight against the curtain he peered out and then gave a sigh relieved, it was just children playing in an alleyway below. His eyes saddened as he watched them play for a few moments. It reminded him of John and of how they used to play together as children. Grabbing hold of the curtain he steadied himself as he suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of grief flood through him at the cruel reality that he would never see him or his brothers ever again; he sniffed wiping away his tears with the back of his hand. Trying to blank it from his mind he took a few deep breaths as he watched the children play. After a while they became bored of their game and ran off down the alley laughing happily without a care in the world.
Nodding to himself he knew it was time, there was no point delaying the inevitable any longer. Wrapping his torn cloak tightly around himself and pulling on his hood he knew the first thing he had to do was find his way to this Dome without being stopped. That in itself would be a miracle. He made his way over towards a large oak door and turned the round handle. It creaked and moaned a little as he pushed it open, cautiously peering outside. A cool breeze gently touched his face as he stepped outside. There in front of him was a wooden staircase leading down to the ground level. Looking about and seeing no-one around he carefully made his way down the stairs.
Once at the bottom he found himself in the alleyway that the children had been playing in. He had been right; looking upwards he could see the portal room was built into the cliff face of a far-reaching mountain. He frowned again, something was very strange only half the mountain was visible, it seemed to disappear as it reached a certain height. He shook his head puzzled. Then looking about him he could see that he had a choice of two ways, the first to his right didn’t look like it led anywhere, a dead end that ran into rock.
Turning around his eyes followed the alleyway in the direction that the children had run, that looked far more promising. He began walking in that direction down the deserted alleyway that was running between the cliff on one side and a large building on the other. Following this for a while he came to the end. Warily leaning against the cliff side he peered around the corner. Thankfully he had been right and slipping out of the alleyway he entered what appeared to be the main square.
Head down he walked past the children he had seen playing earlier; some chickens pecked at the dirt while others strutted and clucked. Ahead of him was a bustling market set within a large square surrounded by shops and houses. In the centre of the square was a large well and surrounding that were row upon row of stalls each one with a brightly coloured canopy that flapped about in the gentle breeze. Fruits, vegetables, clothing, Kainan could see an abundance of different stalls. As he ventured through, the market traders called to him offering him their wares. The young man in the hooded cloak shook his head at them lowering his face as he hurried along. It was very busy. Several women chatting among themselves strolled past him, paying him no attention.
He was relieved, he had been really worried at one point whether or not the people in this world were going to look like Gorzars or look like him. Thankfully it was the latter otherwise there was no way he would have just been able to walk through the city so casually. Passing a stall Kainan inhaled the teasingly good smell of freshly baked loaves. He could feel his mouth watering and it took all his strength to ignore the bread he was so hungry for. He had no money and to have attempted to steal one from under the watchful eyes of the buxom woman who stood at the stall would have been foolish so he moved on quickly.
Time and time again people came toward him as if they knew he should not be from this place, each time they passed him by without pausing, even occasionally nodding their heads in greeting. His face lowered within his hood, the cloak held close about his body, he nodded back in acknowledgment, hoping upon hope that no-one would stop him.
There, finally ahead of him he could see the top of the Dome towering above the skyline. With his head down and his hood pulled tight he tried to stay focused on his mission and made his way towards the direction of the Crystal Dome.
He noted along the way the various shops that he passed, a general store, a butcher, the blacksmiths, remembering them in turn so he would know his way back should he need to leave in a hurry.
As he wandered through the city he could not help thinking about what the Gorzar’s had told him, that he had come from this place. Were they telling the truth, had he really been stolen from his true parents? If it was true, what had they done when he had been taken had they ever given up looking for him? Did he have a sister or a brother, were his true parents even still alive? There were so many questions he needed to ask that his head began to throb again. He took a deep breath as his thoughts went back to his brothers; desperately he tried to fight back the tears that were threatening to flow with the memory of their final moments which continued torturously playing over and over again in his mind. As far as he was concerned whether they were blood related or not it didn’t matter to him, they were his brothers and he loved them just the same.
Wiping his nose with his sleeve he thought angrily of those creatures that had stolen his life, vowing that one day somehow he would get revenge for their murder and those of his fellow villagers and friends. He would also come back to this place hopefully along with his mother to find out the truth, to find out who he really was.
Cutting round the back of some houses the people around him began to get fewer and fewer. Then as he turned the final corner he stopped staring ahead. He had arrived at the Crystal Dome. The triple Dome sat within a large open field and beyond it was shadowed by a great forest. It was truly magnificent; it was without any question the most amazing place he had ever seen in his entire life. There were three interconnecting Domes; each one in turn was the size of at least four houses piled up on top of each other. Kainan looked around cautiously but the whole area appeared to be totally deserted. He could see the entrance quite clearly; it was in the centre of the middle Dome.
Taking a steadying breath he checked over his shoulder again and then continued towards the door. As he approached he could see that the Dome was made entirely from opaque crystal. Reaching out tentatively he touched the walls. It felt solid and cold; running his hands across the smooth surface he looked up. At the top and in the centre of the middle Dome was a large funnel shape emerging from inside. Squinting from the brightness his eyes followed the top half of the funnel which was glowing incredibly brightly with a multitude of colours that danced up and down, shooting high into the sky in a pulsating movement. He could hear a dull humming sound which was being emitted with each pulsation. Glancing around him again he began to feel anxious and uneasy. He thought it was strange that there was no-one else around except him. Maybe it was some kind of a trap? Surely these people would have guards on such a fantastic place, someone must see him and at least try and stop him? He stood there for a moment indecisive.
Then gathering his nerve he continued forward towards the door. Looking around nervously and taking in a deep breath, he tried to calm himself down, wiping his sweating hands down his cloak.
There on the door he noticed the same symbol that was on the gate inside the cavern and on the palm of his left hand. Hesitating for a moment he looked around again to be sure, but there was still no-one around. Perhaps he thought, it would be dangerous for him to go into the Dome? Some kind of poisonous gas might strike him down dead the moment he went inside. Or what if there was something inside waiting for him, something even worse than the Gorzars? His hand instinctively went to his side and then biting his lip he cursed himself for being such an idiot and forgetting. He didn’t have his hunting knife, the Gorzars had taken it. There really was only one way to find out, so reaching his shaking hand forward he placed it on the symbol. Without hesitation the door whizzed open in front of him. Looking around one more time he then peered inside; it appeared to be empty. He sniffed the air but he could not smell anything so he stepped inside.
The door automatically closed behind him with a sudden whoosh! Kainan jumped two paces forward his heart was racing. Lowering his hood he looked around quickly assessing his situation; he was relieved to find that once again he was alone. The Dome was large inside and incredibly bright but at the same time it was strangely calming and he felt himself begin to relax. Walking forward he could see that the room was quite bare apart from in the centre where there stood a raised platform and positioned in the middle of the platform was a large pedestal. It appeared to him to be made of solid stone and etched on to it he could see the symbols from his upper arm and the palm of his hand as well other intricate designs. On top of the pedestal was poised a huge sword shaped Crystal. It was fantastic and Kainan stared at it in awe. Magical multi-coloured light was emanating from it, sparkling and glowing brightly; and for a moment he just stood totally transfixed by its incredible power.
Then his eyes following the light upwards towards a large funnel above, stared. The funnel appeared to be absorbing all the light and the power. Shaking his head he pulled out the sack from beneath his coat and sighing with trepidation he climbed up onto the pedestal. Suddenly he felt himself clenching his fists and he hesitated. He could feel every bone in his body, every nerve every feeling inside him telling him that what he was doing was wrong and he needed to stop. Scratching his head with one hand he thought for a moment as he traced the intricate patterns on the front of the pedestal with his other.
Then making a decision and taking a deep sharp breath he reached forward with both hands and carefully lifted the Crystal out of its holding device. It immediately stopped glowing. Anxiously he waited a moment expecting some kind of an alarm to trigger but nothing happened. Then he wondered why it had stopped glowing. Had he by removing it broken it? Slowly he placed it back into the holding device and immediately it began glowing again. Sighing with relief he once again removed the Crystal. As before it immediately stopped glowing.
It was very heavy and he placed it carefully into the sack that the Gorzar had given him. Nervously he looked up at the funnel, but it was still glowing with a bright white light. It didn’t appear that he had done any damage but he did wonder as he tied up the sack what the Gorzars wanted with it. It was obviously important to the people of this world. He wasn’t stupid; he could see that it contained some kind of powerful energy. What would it do to them, the people of this world by him taking it away? Rubbing his brow he floundered for a moment fighting with his heart and his conscience. Even though he knew deep down that the right thing to do would be to put the Crystal back, he thought of the fate that awaited his mother. There was no way he was going to walk away from her and just let her die. Jumping back down he made his way back to the door and placing the palm of his hand onto the symbol the door once again flew open. He peered outside slowly, making sure; but there still appeared to be no-one around. Quickly and without any hesitation he began walking back in the direction of the market place.
Once he was back in the bustling market he began to relax a little. Pulling his hood over his head he praised himself on just how easy that had been. Then twitching his nose he pulled his bottom lip through his teeth, maybe it had been a little too easy? Shooting fleeting glances all around him he was suddenly convinced that he would be pounced upon at any moment by some enraged guards. Everyone who glanced unexpectedly towards him suddenly became a threat. He needed to move much quicker; he needed to get the Crystal back to the Gorzars and save his mother.
Quickening his pace he wandered through the market lost in his own worrying thoughts. There were lots of people like him carrying sacks, some full of chickens clucking away others with fruit. He was just like everyone else, so no-one paid him or his sack any attention; that was until he stopped to pick up a ball that a small child had thrown in front of him. Automatically without thinking Kainan bent down picked up the ball and threw it back. As he did so the hood of his cloak fell back revealing his face. The boy grinned and waved and then as if suddenly realising something the boy’s eyes widened and he quickly bowed his head. Kainan was a little taken aback but returned the
gesture. Maybe he thought, it was the way of these people, how they said thank you?
Hesitating where he stood for a moment he watched as the boy ran to his mother and began tugging hard at her skirt until finally he got her attention, then as she bent down to him he whispered something to her. She lifted her eyes toward him and stared and then looking back at the little boy she nodded. Kainan was not sure what was going on and suddenly he felt a bit nervous, he glanced around to see if anyone else was watching them. The woman turned back towards him bowing her head and humbly curtseying to him. Kainan nodding back at her hastily pulled the wide hood of his cloak tighter, shadowing his face within its depth and then hurried along. Maybe he thought, it was not such a good idea to draw such attention to himself. Quickening his pace even more he resolved not to stop for anything until he was safely back at the gate room.
The sack was quite heavy by now and Kainan was glad when he reached the alleyway back to the gate room. Heaving the sack onto his other shoulder he climbed the staircase up to the gate room. Upon reaching the door he stopped, abruptly spinning around his gaze uneasily sweeping the staircase below him. The hairs on the back of his neck were prickling him with such intensity that it had sent goose bumps all down his arms. He could have sworn someone was there watching him, yet he could see no-one. He turned back round puzzled, giving his head a quick shake. Then turning the handle of the large wooden door he pulled it open entering the gate room. He pulled the door behind him but he failed to notice as it bounced back slightly open. Walking over to the window he looked back down into the alleyway below just to make sure there was no one following him. Shaking his head he was still puzzled. It was one of the weirdest feelings he had ever felt. He was absolutely convinced that there was someone there, he could feel their presence. Turning back around he shrugged it off and approached the gate. Taking a deep strong breath and then swallowing he knew the hardest part was yet to come. It was time to go back and face them. He was still trying to be optimistic in hoping that they would keep their end of the bargain and give him his mother back alive and let them both go. He knew however that there would be a good chance they would just kill him; but while there was glimmer of hope, no matter how small that he could get her away alive he had to risk it. He just wished he had been able to get hold of some kind of a weapon, and then maybe they would stand more of a chance.
Deragan Sword Prophecy: Book 01 - Kainan Page 4