The Blue Journal (Fantasmagoria Book 1)

by I. B. George

  The Professor left the room, shutting the door carefully behind him. Robert removed his waistcoat and shirt and headed towards one corner of the room where he could see a washbowl, a jug of water and a white towel set on a small table.

  ***

  “Let’s go, Akura”, said Robert after he had had a wash and changed his clothes.

  They started together along the corridors of the castle and Akura guided Robert through the web of hallways and rooms, reaching at last the two big doors that framed the library. The guards at the entrance greeted Robert and Akura respectfully while one of the soldiers opened the door and beckoned them inside.

  As soon as he crossed the threshold into the room, Robert was fascinated by the vast collection of books which lined the walls of the library as they stood quietly on the shelves.

  In the middle of the room there was a big, round table and around it, as well as the Professor, there sat several people who Robert didn’t know. Radius jumped up to welcome him.

  “You’re in perfect time, Robert, we’ve all just assembled. I’d like you to meet everyone here”.

  Radius took Robert’s hand and led him to the table. All those present stood up, waiting to be introduced.

  “Robert, meet Azar”, said Radius.

  Robert looked at Azar: an elderly gentleman with white hair and a white beard but with a dignified posture and an alert disposition. His eyes were animated, betraying a kind of youth and vivacity that was beyond the whiteness of his hair or the wrinkles on his forehead and around the eyes.

  “Master Azar, prince, is one of the Fire Chosen”, clarified Akura. “As a matter of fact, he is the one who guided your mother towards discovering her Inner Fire. He had been the master of weapons in the royal court since your grandfather’s time and many of the Chosen lost in the Sardar siege used to be his apprentices. He is the one who joined Your Highness’s father after his flight from the castle, helping him to protect you along the journey”.

  Robert watched Azar gratefully as he took a courteous bow and said:

  “Your Highness, I shall be honoured to share with you some of my knowledge and show you how to use the powers which you have undoubtedly inherited”.

  “The pleasure is all mine, Master Azar. And if you’ve been my mother’s mentor, then I will be delighted to count you amongst my friends”, replied Robert formally.

  The Professor then turned towards another one of those who were taking part in the meeting in the library. He was a short individual with sly eyes but with a certain joyfulness about him.

  “This is Rolan, from the Kingdom of Water. Before asking what his role is here, my prince”, hastened Radius on seeing the frown on Robert’s face when he heard where Rolan was from, “I would like to add that he has been in my service for many years, almost since the war started. His job is to teach you how to defend yourself against the Water Chosen. That is, of course, after you have learned all Master Azar’s secrets”.

  “Your Highness”, added Rolan, “it might be a good idea to let you know right away that I do not and never have agreed to King Tyreas’s politics and I have not been involved in the war unless the Professor has requested me to. As for the things I am supposed to show you, I am looking forward to giving you a good beating, sir”, he said laughing heartily.

  Robert took immediately to his open nature and started laughing along with everybody else in the room when he’d heard Rolan’s words.

  “Next to Rolan is Voras. He comes from the Kingdom of Night and shall accompany us on our journey which will begin when the moon moves into its second phase. Until then, Robert, I hope you will learn everything your teachers will show you”.

  Robert nodded in agreement then turned his attention to Voras. He was a tall, shrivelled man with eyelids that half covered his eyes and with a hooked nose. He didn’t seem very talkative and his whole demeanour made you feel as though he was asleep on his feet. Few knew, however, that Voras was one of the Night Chosen who could employ his abilities so efficiently that no one had yet escaped unscathed from his traps.

  “Professor”, uttered Akura, “it’s high time we talked about what we shall be doing from now on. Time is short and the prophecy must be fulfilled by the fourth phase of the moon, as you all know so well”.

  “We will begin”, continued Radius, “with Robert’s initiation. The prophecy states that this is the key element if we want to succeed in our mission. We have one problem though, the prophecy mentions the blue light of Ga’al’s last descendant, which will bring King Tyreas to his end. I’m convinced that this ‘blue light’ is the key to the Blue Flame, the Eremon House’s secret. Except that nobody knows how this flame appears and how it is produced”.

  “I recall”, intervened Azar, “the time when I initiated Princess Neri into the secrets of the Fire Chosen. After she’d learned to control fire, her father, King Neron – that is, your grandfather, Robert – taught her how to tame her Inner Fire, the legacy of the Eremon House. I seem to remember that one day, inside one of the castle’s courtyards, he showed her the mystery behind the Blue Flame, the family’s most feared weapon. It has always been a well-kept secret and during those days all the doors leading to that courtyard were heavily guarded by soldiers. On one of those days I had left the council and, absorbed as I was within my own thoughts, I got lost among the corridors of the castle. By sheer chance I reached a room upstairs that had some windows overlooking the courtyard where the king was showing Princess Neri the Blue Flame. I have never seen anything as beautiful”, whispered Azar. “Instead of a fire ball, the princess was holding a blue sphere. At one point the princess clapped her hands and smashed that ball of light. The energy released then took the shape of a circle and dispersed through all the rooms of the castle, almost like a wave. Undoubtedly, the Blue Flame holds an exceptional power since the Eremon House has kept its secret so well.

  “If the Blue Flame has such a great power”, inquired Robert, “why wasn’t it used when Sardar Castle was under attack?”

  “Because, my prince,” answered Radius, “only those from the Eremon family are able to use it. Sadly, your mother passed away the day before the siege of the castle. The only one who could still use this weapon is you, Robert. Many have said that Aidan might have been told the secret by Queen Neri so he could pass it on later. Unfortunately, your father perished before he had the chance to share with you the secret of the Blue Flame”.

  “All these considered, what do we do now?” asked Akura.

  Radius smiled and answered enigmatically:

  “We might find the answer to that pretty soon. Azar has given me some information which I am not able to reveal just yet. One thing is certain, though: before embarking on our journey to the frozen land where the exiles from the Kingdom of Fire are, we must take another trip”.

  “Where to?” asked Robert curiously.

  “To the Khalari region, prince”, answered the Professor, amused by the puzzled looks on the faces of all those present.

  There followed a moment of silence. Everybody was gazing at the Professor, expecting some explanation. They were all too aware of the danger of a trip to the Khalari region. To get there they would have to go through the territory of the Kingdom of Night where, as much as everywhere else in Fantasmagoria, King Tyreas’s troops kept order. Then, assuming they could outwit the soldiers’ vigilant watch, they will reach the control outpost in the Misty Passage. Once there, they would need to undergo a rigorous search, which they might not pass. Should they succeed in passing the checks, they would have to follow the road through the Misty Passage, a place where only those who were familiar with the paths would dare to venture. It was said that thousands of merchants and warriors have come to a dreadful end at the bottom of the precipice that bordered the passage.

  “It’s difficult, if not impossible”, protested Rolan.

  “Difficult”, admitted the Professor, “yet not impossible. I have already devised a plan and now I’m ready to share it with you”.


  The professor went over to one of the library shelves from where he took out a large paper scroll. He then unravelled the scroll on the table so everyone could see the exact layout, in the minutest details, of the different kingdoms and regions of Fantasmagoria.

  “We shall enter the Kingdom of Night through here”, he said, placing a finger on the map pointing to a specific place. “We will travel mainly by night, avoiding the well-trodden routes. Then, we will go through the Demented Forest to get to the checkpoint.

  “The Demented Forest?!” called out Rolan and Akura in one voice.

  “Precisely”, replied Radius, “it’s the only place where we’re bound not to come across any soldiers. Nobody ventures into the Demented Forest…”

  “And right they are not to”, interrupted Rolan with a worried voice. “You don’t go there unless you have had enough of life”, he added.

  “What is… the Demented Forest?” wondered Robert, frightened by Rolan’s reaction.

  “There is a myth…” intervened Azar.

  “It’s more than a myth, it’s a fact”, hurried Rolan.

  “There is a myth that in this place live the spirits of our loved ones who lure you into the depths of the woods in order to do away with you. Still, I believe it’s only a story… and it should remain just that, so as not to frighten our prince”, he continued, eyeing Rolan with a knowing glare.

  “Yes, of course, just a story”, mumbled Rolan, guessing the meaning in Azar’s eyes. “Who’s afraid of a story, right?… not even babes get scared of stories… or the bogeyman… although, when I was a child… Right, I’ll shut up now”, he stopped realising that he was off the track and everyone around the table was giving him funny looks.

  “Leaving aside our friend Rolan’s childhood memories”, resumed the Professor ironically. “I trust that we will pass the trial of going through the Demented Forest successfully”, adding mysteriously, “I have a theory which we will put to the test when we get there”.

  Nobody asked what he had in mind. They all trusted Radius’s ability to overcome difficult situations and to reach a solution when nobody else was able to find a way out.

  “Once we’ve left the Demented Forest behind, we will approach the checkpoint at the entrance to the Misty Passage. In order to get through we will pose as merchants. I trust that our friend Voras here still has friends within the Kingdom of Night and that he will be able to procure a cart with some goods and suitable outfits. For the right price, of course”.

  “I think that can be arranged with the help of some friends and the right amount of money”, replied Voras simply.

  “We have to be extremely careful”, intervened Akura, “as the soldiers who guard the checkpoint have always been very strict about those who travel to and from the Khalari region. Now the danger is twofold because the soldiers of that outpost are all devoted to the new ruler, King Tyreas”.

  “That’s right”, agreed Azar. “We will plan very carefully the exact moment of our passage through the checkpoint. I trust we will deceive the guards’ vigilance and we will be safely on our way through the Misty Passage”.

  “An extremely dangerous place”, rang out Rolan’s voice. “All those going through the Misty Passage are accompanied by guides who are very familiar with the many paths and traps in that area”.

  “In that respect, there won’t be any problems. Years ago I went through the Misty Passage many times. I shouldn’t think much has changed since then”, spoke Azar.

  Everybody looked at him in surprise. They didn’t dare ask him what kind of business led him to the lands of the Upper Realm and even if they asked, they weren’t sure that quiet Azar would have answered.

  “Dare I ask, Professor”, interjected Rolan, “what exactly is it that we’re looking for in the Khalari region? It’s not exactly the most hospitable of places”.

  “That’s a secret only Azar and I know and for the moment, it’s best to keep it that way, in the eventuality of our being captured”, answered Radius. “

  “It’s better that King Tyreas doesn’t learn of our plans. All you need to know is that once there, we are hoping to meet someone who can help us fulfil the prophecy to the end”.

  Whispers of surprise rang out. Everybody wondered who might that person be and what information they could hold.

  “Friends… my friends”, tried Radius to quieten the uproar that had started in the library. “What is important now is that we agree on the plan I’ve suggested for our journey. Are you with me and the prince?”

  Everyone looked around for a little while, each of them seemingly looking for a sign of approval from the others. At last, the quiet Voras spoke:

  “I believe I speak for everyone here when I say we shall be with you till the end, isn’t that so?”

  Everyone else nodded in approval even though deep down they felt a bit uneasy when thinking ahead of the dangers of the journey. They were all too aware that it was the only way to bring back peace to Fantasmagoria.

  “Then it’s settled: we will set off twelve days from now. You, Robert, will begin your training with Master Azar as soon as possible. I trust that you will make a good apprentice”, smiled the Professor encouragingly.

  They neared together and stretched their arms, placing their hands on top of each other’s in a gesture of avowal:

  “Till the end!” said Radius.

  “Till the end!” answered everybody in one voice.

  A breeze fluttered through the curtains of the library windows and the voices of the merchants in the harbour and others around the castle rang through the room, carrying an aura of peace.

  ***

  Robert woke up early before dawn and after getting dressed he emerged into the back courtyard of the castle. As he arrived he caught sight of Azar who was just palming handfuls of fire from one of the torches that lit up the yard. He then proceeded to move his hands with a circular motion until the flame became tame, taking the shape of a ball of fire.

  He suddenly hurled it towards one of the straw dummies lined up at the other end of the courtyard. The ball of fire left Azar’s palms at lightning speed, crushing the dummy which had been set ablaze.

  Robert was speechless. He had never seen anything more amazing in his whole life. Until now he used to think that the people he’d seen at the fair swallowing swords and fire were the most fantastic thing in the world. What Master Azar did just now though was beyond anything imaginable.

  Robert pondered on how he’d never be able to do that. Until yesterday he had been an ordinary little boy and now he had to become a master in throwing balls of fire, just like his forefathers in the Eremon House.

  He was afraid he was going to fail. It crossed his mind that maybe he wasn’t the person they were looking for, that he simply didn’t inherit the powers of his ancestors. After all, only half of the blood running through his veins was that of the Eremons. There was a chance that he couldn’t control fire after all or that he wouldn’t be able to release the energy of the Inner Fire.

  “Step closer, prince!” called out Azar, his powerful voice ringing out in the morning silence.

  “Did you know I was here?” asked Robert in surprise.

  “Of course”, chuckled Azar. “I heard you from the moment you stepped into the courtyard. A good warrior always keeps his senses alert. It’s the only way to keep his life”.

  Azar pointed to a tree stump for Robert to sit on.

  “To begin with, Your Highness, I will show you how to handle a sword and the bow…”

  “But I thought…”

  “My prince, first you must learn that you are never to interrupt your mentor. You will begin with the sword and the bow and arrow in order to learn discipline and coordination. What’s more, you don’t know when you might need to respond to an attack and then you will thank me for what I’m about to teach you. At the same time we will do some lessons on how to control fire. We have a lot of work to do and time is running out. Normally I would have require
d four times the amount of time we have been given. I’m hoping though that the keen nature and thirst for knowledge that you have inherited will help you learn quickly everything I have to show you”.

  “I hope I won’t disappoint you, master”.

  “I hope so too, prince”, answered Azar kindly.

  Azar headed quickly towards one corner of the courtyard where he found two wasters or training swords, robust and well-polished. He threw one to Robert:

  “To begin with, we will learn about the ‘en garde’ position. The sword should be gripped firmly, otherwise you might end up without it”, said Azar, lunging and engaging his wooden sword with Robert’s.

  His sword flew over, forming a semicircle in the air and landing a few feet away. Azar saluted by placing the wooden waster in front of his face and urged Robert with his eyes to retrieve his weapon. Robert recovered his weapon, promising to himself that he would pay more attention the second time.

  Robert hadn’t even finished thinking that when the naughty sword flew cheerily through the air again, jerked away by Azar’s quick movements. Robert never imagined that this grey-haired man could possess such agility in manoeuvring weapons.

  “I get the feeling, my prince, that the sword in Your Highness’s hands likes to fly”, said the master ironically.

  Robert retrieved the weapon and clutched it in his hand, determined not to let it go again. But the wooden pole didn’t seem to care much about his royal blood and flew for the third time, now landing in a rosebush.

  “The trick, my prince, lies mainly in the flexibility of your wrist, not only in the strength with which you’re holding the weapon”, said Azar, showing him the movement which could help him avoid the sword being yanked away. “It must be like an extension of your arm, not just an object you’re holding. Again!” shouted the master, trying the same move for a fourth time.

  And the miracle happened: the sword was still in Robert’s hand and he had managed to avoid his opponent’s attack by using that simple movement of the wrist.