The Mystical Journey

by KJ Siirila

  “I can only imagine how shocked the sisters are right now.” Trovis giggled.

  “I can see them now staring into their glowing crystal ball wondering what happened to the evil brothers.” Crovis smiled at Trovis.

  “We will stay here only as long as we need to then we’ll find our way back to the Forest of Shadows or the Midnight Mountains and continue our journey for the Book of Elandor.”

  We would not hear from the brothers again for some time.

  In the light of the Valley of Illumination Princess Filmella had told the fairy kingdom of her mother’s death. The fairies were very said and crying. Princess Fimella choked back her tears and went back into the castle where her hand maidens awaited her.

  They brushed her hair as she sat on her mother’s throne. She wasn’t there. She stared off into the sky. She knew she was Queen now and she would lead the fairies the same as her mother did, with kindness and compassion. She couldn’t help but let the thoughts of her mother’s demise enter her head and was angry that the warlocks had killed her. She would avenge her mother’s death but not yet. If the Book of Elandor found it’s way back to the Valley of Illumination she would use it to destroy the warlocks.

  In the Midnight Mountains the Shaman woke Micael up and told him it was time to go. Micael looked around sleepy eyed.

  “I’m sorry Micael but we didn’t find the Book of Elandor, it’s time for us to go back to the Valley of Illumination.” The Shaman started to walk away.

  “We can’t give up Shaman. We must keep looking for the book.” Micael said to him as he walked.

  “He’s right Shaman. We’ve come too far to give up now we must continue looking for the Book of Elandor.” Ovit pleaded.

  “Where else can we look my friends? We’ve traveled through three lands in search of the Book of Elandor and we have nothing. We must go back to the Valley of Illumination.”

  Micael sat for a moment and thought and then he hopped up.

  “What if the Mystagog didn’t lie to us Shaman what if he had told us the truth just like the woman in my dreams said?”

  “What do you mean Micael?” The Shaman stopped and turned to him.

  “Let’s think about what he told us for a moment. He told us to look for a dark mountain and a brook. We just assumed that he meant the Midnight Mountains.” Micael grinned at the Shaman who thought for a moment then began smiling.

  “Of course, the book could be in any mountain range, including the one the Mystagog lives in.” The Shaman gathered up his belongings. “We must go back to the mountain range of the Mystagog. It’s our final hope in finding the Book of Elandor.”

  All four of them took their things and walked off into the darkness headed back to the Forest of Shadows and once again in search of the Mystagog.

  Grimelda and Magella had landed in the Forest of Shadows hours before the others had even thought about travelling back there. Grimelda sniffed around and sensed nothing strange.

  “I’m not sure what could have happened to the brothers.” Grimelda moved in a circle now. They had set their flying objects down on the ground near a tree and began wandering around.

  “We should fly further north Grimelda.” Magella said quietly.

  “Yes we should. Go get our things.”

  Magella walked over to the tree and couldn’t find their things. She searched around for a bit then walked back over to Grimelda.

  “They’re missing.” She said.

  Grimelda looked at her like she was crazy. “What do you mean they’re missing we set them right over there against that tree.” She pointed to the tree and then realized Magella was right, their things were gone.

  Grimelda walked over to the tree and noticed the ground was bubbling. She stood back. “What’s this?”

  Magella walked close behind her and they both sat watching as the ground bubbled and moved away from them slowly. Grimelda picked up a rock and threw it on top of the ground. They both watched in awe as the rock disappeared into the dirt.

  “We must get above the ground Magella quickly.” Grimelda and Magella jumped up on a large rock and climbed into a tree.

  “I think I know what happened to the brothers Magella.” She smirked. “It seems the ground has eaten them.”

  Magella looked at Grimelda and started to giggle.

  “What’s so funny?” Grimelda demanded.

  “I can’t believe we spent so much time worrying about what to do with the brothers when all we had to do was send them to the Forest of Shadows where the ground gobbled them up.” She started laughing loudly and Grimelda joined in.

  “I would say it’s safe for us to travel back to the Midnight Mountains now Magella as long as we’re careful of the ground below us.”

  They waited for a long time before the ground stopped bubbling below them. Eventually, they climbed out of the tree and began walking back to the Midnight Mountains assuming the brothers had been destroyed.

  The ghouls had been waiting patiently in their castle. They had no idea what they were going to do to try and find the Book of Elandor. They didn’t want to go back to the Forest of Shadows and they definitely didn’t want to go to the Valley of Illumination.

  “We can’t just sit here while the others are out there looking for one of the most powerful books in the world.” Helmog said anxiously.

  “We have no choice. We have gone to the Forest of Shadows and searched the Midnight Mountains and returned with nothing.” Slothard said exhaustingly.

  Wagrim stood in the window watching the witch’s castle. “I noticed there are no lights at the witch’s castle. Where do you think they’ve run off to?”

  Helmog and Slothard walked over to the other windows and stared out.

  “It seems that the witches had other plans.” Helmog tapped his chin. “I think we should leave and go to the Forest of Shadows.”

  “I think we should go back into the mountains.” Slothard raised his eyebrow. “We didn’t look hard enough and I could barely concentrate with that haggard witch yelling at me the whole time.”

  “I think it’s a good idea.” Wagrim walked away from the window.

  “It seems I’ve been out voted once again. I guess we’ll go to the mountains.” Helmog spoke with a tone of defeat. He was getting frustrated with Slothard and Wagrim. They didn’t look up to him any longer in fact they treated him like garbage. He wanted to find the Book of Elandor so could make them respect him again.

  The witches were entering the Forest of Shadows after a long walk through the Forest of Shadows. They decided to come from a differen’t direction which was a good thing for the Shaman, Sindor, Micael and Ovit who had entered towards the north.

  “What should we do now?” Magella asked.

  “Luckily we don’t have to do much the Forest of Shadows took care of two of our biggest problems.” Grimelda chuckled.

  “What about the ghouls should we worry about them?” Magella asked.

  “We have no need to worry about them either we’ve already shown them what our spells are capable of.”

  “What about the Book of Elandor?” Magella looked at her searching for any answer.

  “We will find the Book of Elandor it’s our destiny to control it.” Grimelda shuffled along with Magella following close behind.

  The Shaman, Sindor, Micael and Ovit were in the swamps of the Forest of Shadows and about to cross into the desert. They had been traveling a very long time and needed to rest. They stopped only for a moment and then continued on. They wanted to reach the mountain range as fast as they could.

  The Forest of Shadows felt strange to them today. The Shaman felt as if something had been watching him since they came back.

  “Something has changed here.” The Shaman said.

  “I know I feel it to Shaman.” Micael walked close to him.

  Sindor and Ovit walked behind listening to them. They felt it to.

  “We should move quickly. I feel if we stay in one place to long we’ll be in danger.”
The Shaman stepped up his pace and the others followed.

  “What do you think it is Shaman?” Micael asked.

  “I’m not sure but whatever it is it’s not good. We must find the mountain range.”

  They were almost running through the desert now running away from something they couldn’t see. They didn’t realize their feet were touching the very thing they were running from, the ground.

  It took them almost eight hours to reach the mountain range and luckily they saw the entrance the Angelic Spirits had found. They walked up the path until they reached the face of the mountain.

  “You’ve returned.” The face called to them

  “Yes we have.” The Shaman smiled.

  “Your friends came looking for you.” The face grinned.

  “Our friends came looking for us? Do you remember what they looked like?” The Shaman asked.

  “They were tall creatures wearing all white. They were friendly and kind. We let them use the same shortcut we let you use.” The face smiled.

  “The Angelic Spirits, they must’ve been concerned for our safety.”

  “So you finally figured out your riddle?” The face said.

  “We haven’t found what we’re looking for yet, but we hope we find it here.” The Shaman walked away slowly. “It was very nice to see you again.”

  Sindor looked at the faces as he walked past them. He was amazed that the mountain was talking to them. He nodded his head as he walked by to say hello.

  They walked about an hour before deciding to rest. The Shaman lit a fire and they all sat around it. Micael nodded off and fell into a dreamworld once more.

  “Wake up Micael.” That familiar voice came to him again.

  “Is that you mother?” He asked.

  Once more he stared at the shadow trying to make out a face but couldn’t.

  “I’m glad you listened to me Micael. I told you the Mystagog didn’t lie.” She said.

  “I don’t know that yet mother. We came back here because it’s the only land that has mountains besides the Midnight Mountains.”

  “Micael, the answer was right under your nose the whole time. Don’t you remember anything about the Mystagog?”

  Micael thought for a moment then started to remember pieces of the puzzle. The Mystagog lived in a dark cave in the mountain. There was a running stream of water inside of the cave. The Mystagog had told them the truth. The Book of Elandor was there the whole time.

  “Can this be real mother? Is the Book of Elandor really in the Mystagog’s cave?” Micael could feel a rush of adrenaline.

  “I can’t tell you that Micael you must find out for yourself.” Slowly the woman disappeared from his dream. Micael woke up quickly.

  “The woman came to me in my dream again Shaman. I know where the Book of Elandor is.” Micael was so excited the Shaman had to calm him down. Micael told the others what the woman had told him in his dream and how he pieced it all together.

  “It’s time to pay the Mystagog another visit.” The Shaman, Micael, Sindor and Ovit gathered their belongings and walked to the bottom of the Mystagog’s mountain. They began climbing to the top. It took them quite a few hours to reach the peak.

  Once atop the mountain they all walked slowly to the Mystagog’s cave and found him lying by the fire. He sat up when he heard them.

  “You’ve returned.” He smiled.

  “The Book of Elandor was here the whole time wasn’t it Mystagog?” The Shaman walked towards him.

  The Mystagog started to giggle. “I knew you’d figure the riddle out eventually I just didn’t think it would take you so long.”

  “May we have the book?” Micael stepped forward.

  The Mystagog walked towards them.

  “This is your mystical journey myrmidon, you need to finish it.” He stepped out of the way and the Shaman smiled at him as he walked past.

  Micael walked over to the stream and looked down in the water. The Book of Elandor was right in front of him sitting on a pile of rocks. He reached down and picked it up. Micael turned around holding the book in his hands. He had tears running down his face as he handed the book to the Shaman.

  “I believe you should have this.” Micael handed him the Book of Elandor.

  “We must go back to the Valley of Illumination and put the Book of Elandor in the castle of the Angelic Spirits.” The Shaman turned and began walking out of the cave. The Mystagog followed them.

  “I can get you there much quicker.” The Mystagog grinned widely.

  They all turned to him and wondered what he was talking about. The Mystagog began chanting and it’s the last thing any of them remembered.

  Micael woke up back in his bed and saw another bed had been added to his room. He got up and walked over to it and found Ovit fast asleep. He woke him up.

  They both walked upstairs into the castle and knocked on the door of the Angelic Spirits sitting room. The door opened and they walked in.

  Mitral, Ademus, Aerifus and the Shaman were sitting at the table with the Book of Elandor sitting between all of them in the middle.

  “Come in Micael and Ovit.” Mitral summoned them.

  Micael and Ovit joined them at the table.

  “It is a great day in the Valley of Illumination. The myrmidons and creatures are safe for now.” Mitral looked at everyone at the table. “It’s not over though, it’s just the beginning.”

  “What do you mean?” Micael asked.

  Mitral stood and walked over to Micael and rested his hand on his shoulder. “Let me put this simply Micael. Your mystical journey has just begun.”