"But why do you follow him?" inquired the dwarf from Cazra. "At least I struck a bargain with him."
"So you told us," nodded Doryelgar. "Giving your life for that of your king was a noble sacrifice for you. Why do you now grumble about it?"
"I don't know," admitted Kroto. "I guess it seemed like a bargain at the time. You still have not said why you follow him."
"That is a difficult question to answer," frowned Doryelgar as the ship approached the passage between two of the islands. "I knew him as Egam many years ago. It was later that I found out that he was the Mage. In either persona, I knew him to be a good person who does not act out of selfishness. It is clear that he is putting his life in jeopardy for the good of all peoples. Can there be a more noble calling than that?"
"It is more than that," interjected Podil. "He is not just a man. He is far above such labels."
"Of course the Mage is a timeless being," shrugged Doryelgar. "I was not trying to indicate that he was just a man."
"That is not what I meant," Podil tried to explain. "It is more than just being immortal. He is like the world itself, as if he is an integral part of it all, like a mountain or the sea."
"Or a part of each," nodded Galdan. "I have felt that as well, Podil. Words cannot adequately describe my feelings, but I think the Mage is a part of each of us, a portion of every living creature."
"He is, and he is not," nodded Balamor as he stared at Master Khatama hanging in the glass coffin amidships. "I never knew him under any name when we first met, yet I felt as if I knew him dearly. I knew he had come to take me away from my home and my people, and it felt right to me, as if it was my duty and I had been called forth to perform my due. There is more to the Mage than any of us are capable of understanding. Whether we live or die in the next few hours or days, I feel privileged to be in his company."
"I will feel more privileged when I return to the desert," scowled Mustar. "I never bargained on such a journey when he asked me to join him."
"There it is!" shouted Doryelgar as he pointed forward. "Heavens, it is more colossal than I could have imagined."
Everyone turned to gaze forward. At the end of the straits between the two islands, a huge gulf, formed by the islands of the Ring of Fire, appeared. The swirling waters could be clearly seen as the current ran perpendicular to the straits. The farther one looked, the swifter the current flowed. In the center of the huge gulf was a large black hole, the water swirling furiously around it.
"It is indeed a massive drain," Balamor inhaled sharply, "and we are but a small piece of debris floating upon the surface."
"We cannot survive this!" panicked Kroto. "I do not even know how to swim."
"Knowing how to swim will be of no use here," scowled Mustar, "but knowing how to fly might."
"Nobody is going to fly away," Podil said softly but sternly, "at least not until we complete our task."
"How close do we have to come to the center to suspend the Mage over it?" asked Doryelgar.
"The length of the hoisting spar," Balamor frowned as he looked up at the center mast. "I wish we had made it longer. The current in this strait is already moving too swiftly to maneuver well. You had better get to the crew closets immediately. I fear we will be jostled a great deal when we hit the current of the whirlpool."
Balamor connected the restraining straps on the crew closet at the helm while the other mages ran for the crew closets along the port rail and strapped themselves in. Balamor gripped the wheel tightly as the ship neared the end of the strait. He frowned as he watched the approaching turbulence.
The ship heeled hard to port as the whirlpool current grabbed the bow of the ship. The wind whipped into the sails with a fury that caught Balamor by surprise. He fought to magically trim the sails enough to keep the ship away from the coastline of the islands as the current dragged the ship into the whirlpool. After several tense moments, the ship returned to nearly level as the currents took it on a spiraling tour of the Ring of Fire.
Podil tore her eyes away from the swirling waters and focused on the glass coffin. Master Khatama's fingers were moving rapidly.
"Try to parallel the whirlpool," Podil shouted to Balamor. "Seek neither to get closer nor to get farther away. That should draw us to the center slowly."
Balamor nodded as he magically adjusted the sails again. His eyes continued to stray towards the massive whirlpool, its edge becoming more defined as the ship got closer.
"It's incredible," gasped Galdan as he also stared at the center of the swirling gulf. "This ship could easily go down the center of that whirlpool and never get wet."
"A fleet of ships you mean," scowled Mustar. "I could not have imagined anything so large. It is akin to the center of a huge swirling tornado, only it sucks things downward instead of upward. This ship will never withstand this challenge."
"The Mage had a reason for his design of this ship," countered Galdan. "I have to believe that he knew what we would face out here."
"Perhaps it is even bigger than he thought," retorted Kroto. "Must you think that Master Khatama is infallible?"
"We might as well believe that he is infallible," sighed Doryelgar. "To think otherwise is to admit defeat before we have begun. I will not allow the seeds of doubt to germinate in my mind. Talk no more of failure to me."
The ship was drawn steadily inward towards the dark void at the center of the whirlpool. The islands that formed the Ring of Fire began to spin by at a dizzying rate as the current drove the ship faster and faster.
"Swing one of the boulders out on the starboard side," Podil commanded as she watched Master Khatama closely. "Make it the one on the forward mast."
Balamor nodded silently as he magically worked the winch of the forward hoisting spar. The large boulder rose slowly off the deck, and the spar swung out over the starboard rail. The ship shuddered violently for a moment, and the bow turned slightly away from the center of the drain.
"Good," called Podil. "Now I am going to extend the glass coffin over the port rail. Be ready to position the aft boulder. The weight of the glass coffin and Master Khatama will drag us closer to the edge. Put the second boulder out when I say so."
Balamor nodded silently. He raised the aft boulder off the deck and waited patiently. Podil magically adjusted the center hoisting spar. The glass coffin swung slowly over the port rail. As Podil slowly moved the glass coffin farther away from the ship, the bow turned inward towards the edge of the spiraling whirlpool. She watched Master Khatama's hands intently as she positioned the glass cage.
"We're heading into the core," shouted Balamor as the bow swung more to port. "Should I adjust the sails?"
"No," Podil replied nervously. "Leave the sails as you have them set. Be ready with the boulder."
Podil extended the hoisting spar to its maximum extent. Master Khatama now hung in his glass coffin well off the port beam. The ship angled sharply towards the abyss.
"Put the boulder out now," commanded Podil.
Balamor needed no urging. He swiftly swung the aft hoisting spar over the starboard rail. Again the ship shuddered violently as it tried to buck the current. The boulders and the glass coffin swung furiously, but eventually calmed down.
"There is no water under us," shouted Mustar as he gazed downward from his crew closet on the port rail. "We are going over the edge."
Balamor's fingers stiffened on the wheel as he gazed intently at Podil. "Talk to me, Podil," he yelled. "We are going into the abyss. The boulders are not enough of a counterweight."
Suddenly, the glass coffin shattered, thousands of pieces of glass showered into the black hole of the whirlpool. Master Khatama hung from the rope by one hand, which was securely wrapped in the loop at the end of the rope. His eyes rolled up in his head as his fingers moved frantically. The ship shuddered once again when the glass coffin shattered.
"There is water below us again," Galdan sighed with relief. "That was too close."
"The glass cage is shattered," Dor
yelgar announced with alarm. "The Darkness will now be able to get at the Mage."
"As it must be," Podil declared unsteadily. "Start gathering your wisps of the Darkness and directing them towards the Mage."
"But he will lose his memory," objected Mustar. "We must shield him. He cannot function for long without shields."
"No shields," Podil shook her head. "His plan calls for the Darkness to attack him. This is as it must be. Gather your wisps."
The ship spun around the abyss at a dizzying speed as the mages reached out and gathered wisps of the Darkness. They directed those wisps towards Master Khatama who hung lifelessly at the end of the rope suspended over the black hole in the water.
* * *
King Arik stood in the bow of the Song of Alcea watching the Mountain of Death grow larger before him. He felt tainted as he gazed up at the black canopy of the Darkness. He shivered involuntarily at the thought of what might await him on the approaching island.
"You are quiet," remarked Tedi as he approached the bow. "Much too quiet for my tastes. What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing," the king murmured. "Everything."
"Well which is it?" laughed Tedi.
"A bit of both I guess," sighed King Arik. "My mind is wandering from thought to thought. I don't like the feel of being under the Darkness again. I will be glad when all of this is finally behind us."
"As will all of us," nodded Tedi as he leaned against the rail. "It has been a long journey getting to this point. One way or another, it will all be over soon."
"It has been a long road," nodded the king. "Many times I think back to the beginning of it all when you and I encountered that witch, Wolinda. Do you ever think back to those early days?"
"I used to think of them often," Tedi shrugged, "but lately I have not dwelled on much of the past. The future occupies my thoughts more than ever before."
"The future," King Arik murmured as he nodded and smiled at Tedi. "Natia is a wonderful woman. I can understand where your thoughts about the future are coming from. What is it like?"
"Being married or being a gypsy?" questioned Tedi.
"Marriage," chuckled the king. "I can easily imagine you being a gypsy. I think you always were one."
"That is what Adan keeps telling me," Tedi grinned. "Marriage is a wonderful thing. I am not sure that I can adequately describe it to you, though. It is more than just being with a woman you love. It is as if she is half of you, if that makes any sense at all."
"That is hard for me to imagine," frowned King Arik. "What do you mean?"
"My thoughts are constantly revolving around her," answered Tedi. "Every decision I make, the effects on her are always considered equally with the effects on myself. I do not think in terms of myself any more. She is a partner in everything I think and do."
"Do you always agree?" inquired King Arik.
"Oh, no," grinned Tedi, "but when we disagree, we sit down and work it out so that we both approve of the solution to the problem."
"What if you can't agree on something?" questioned the king. "What happens then?"
"That has never happened," shrugged Tedi. "Love means caring for the person you love more than yourself. How can you then be adamant about wanting your own way? We always agree in the end."
"And what would you do if you loved Natia, but she didn't love you in return?" posed the king.
Tedi pushed away from the rail and stared the king in the eyes. He smiled compassionately and nodded. "This is about Tanya, isn't it?"
King Arik sighed and nodded bashfully. "I can not get her out of my mind," he admitted. "She clouds my every thought. Even now as we approach the Mountain of Death, my thoughts on are how to woo her. I fear that my preoccupation with Tanya will cause me to make mistakes when I can least afford them."
"What happened between you two?" asked Tedi. "I always assumed that you would marry Tanya long before I got married myself. She seems so cold towards you now."
"I don't understand it," King Arik shook his head. "I thought we were close. I even thought about her as my queen, but she let me know quickly that she was not interested in the least. I guess things have gotten worse since then."
"Well now is not the time to dwell upon Tanya," sighed Tedi as he gazed up at the approaching mountain. "This island gives me the creeps. What do you think awaits us here?"
"I have no idea," admitted the king. "The vision showed us precious little about the island. I only remember the bridge and the two statues."
"I think I can just make out the bridge from here," Tedi declared as he pointed upward. "Is that it?"
King Arik looked where Tedi was pointing. He could see a deep chasm and something thin stretching across it. He opened his breast pocket and woke Prince Midge.
"Are we there yet?" asked the fairy prince as he poked his head out of the pocket.
"Just about," answered the king. "Why don't you exercise your wings and see what awaits us on this mysterious island?"
"As the Bringer commands," saluted the fairy prince. "I shall be back shortly."
"A good idea," remarked Tedi. "There could be cannibals on this island like there was on the Island of Storms. Somebody had to build the bridge we saw in the vision."
"True," nodded the king as the Song of Alcea slowed considerably.
King Arik turned and saw Admiral Hill issuing orders to the crew. He turned back to gaze at the island, which was now quite close. His eyes scanned the shoreline looking for an acceptable place to land, but the coastline was rugged. He could not see a beach anywhere along the coast.
"They are readying the small boats," commented Tedi. "It looks like we are to be ferried to the island."
"Send Button around the island," suggested the king. "Maybe there is a beach on the other side."
"No need to," announced Bantam as she fluttered down to land on the rail. "I have already been around the island and told the captain that there is no safe landing place anywhere. The whole coastline looks similar to what you see before us."
"See?" King Arik shook his head at Tedi. "My mind is not focused on what we are doing. I should have released Prince Midge to check the island out an hour ago. I should have known that Admiral Hill would not arbitrarily decide to land us on this side of the island without checking out the rest of it."
"You must get Tanya off of your mind," admonished Tedi. "Either she loves you or she doesn't, but dwelling on it now is dangerous. Concentrate on the Amethyst of the Gods."
"Of course she loves him," volunteered Bantam. "Are the males of every species so clueless when it comes to love? Speaking of clueless, where is Prince Midge?"
"He is checking out the bridge over the chasm," King Arik replied with a puzzled frown.
"He should not go alone," pouted Bantam. "There could be dangerous creatures on the island."
The blue fairy leaped into the air and darted towards the island.
"Do you think she knows how Tanya really feels?" asked the king.
"Maybe," shrugged Tedi, "but maybe it is wishful thinking. She is assigned to Tanya after all. All of the fairies know that she is chasing after Prince Midge and not having much success in gaining his attentions. Perhaps she thinks that if you and Tanya get together, Prince Midge will no longer be able to avoid her. Put it out of your mind until all of this is over."
"You are right," King Arik agreed with a sigh. "There will be time to deal with my emotions after the Sword of Heavens is restored."
"Let's get our packs together for the ride ashore," suggested Tedi as two crewmen came forward to drop the anchor.
King Arik nodded and led the way to where the boats were being lowered. The rest of the Knights of Alcea were already gathered near the rail.
"This is the best that we can do," declared Admiral Hill. "The boats will take your party ashore and remain until you give word that you are secure. We will keep a constant vigil for your return, day or night."
"Good," nodded the king. "We have five fairies with us this tr
ip. I would like to leave one with the ship so that you can communicate with us if need be."
"Newt can stay with the ship," offered Fredrik. "Bantam would scream if she were separated from Prince Midge, and Shrimp has no intention of being far away from Button."
"Newt it is then," nodded the king. "Let's go ashore."
The captain had lowered three boats, and the Knights of Alcea climbed into them. One crewman in each boat rowed to shore and deposited the Knights of Alcea on a thin ledge just above the waterline. Alex removed a coil of rope from his shoulder and attached a grappling hook to the end of it. He inched away from the others and then tossed the hook up the side of the mountain. It caught on the second try and Alex scrambled up the rope to investigate the area.
"There is a wider ledge up here," Alex called down to the rest of the party.
King Arik turned and waved the boats away in dismissal. "Bin-lu goes next," the king declared. "Then Tanya will lead the women up. The rest of us will follow."
Bin-lu, Tanya, and Natia climbed the rope. Sheri almost slipped on the way up, and Wylan raced to catch her. She looked down at Wylan and shook her head.
"I can do this alone," she said confidently. "I just need some practice."
Wylan stepped back nervously and let Sheri climb the rope. She sent more than a few pebbles streaming down the side of the mountain, but she made it all the way up. Wylan sighed with relief.
Jenneva rose up the rope with surprising ease. The king smiled and wondered if she had used magic to ascend so effortlessly.
"Niki will need help with this," Fredrik said softly.
Niki did not argue, and King Arik stepped forward and stripped off his weapons and handed them to Wylan.
"Put one arm over my right shoulder," the king instructed Niki, "and the other under my left arm. Clasp your hands together and hang on."
Niki did as she was instructed as the king stooped down so she could reach. King Arik grabbed the rope and pulled himself and Niki up to the next ledge. Prince Darok took the king's weapons and strapped them to his body before climbing up. Prince Garong, Fredrik, Tedi, and Wylan soon followed. King Arik put his weapons back on and looked around for Alex.
Amethyst of the Gods Page 27