The Blue Journal (Fantasmagoria Book 1)

by I. B. George

  “How did you find us though?… And Robert?…”

  “I did reach eventually Mivas’s Tavern and found out that you had stopped there until morning. I only stayed at the inn for half an hour, long enough to feed my horse and eat something myself, then I went back on the road. I was lucky that the horse that bore me all the way to you is a strong and hardy stallion. I didn’t need to stop that often so I was able to get closer and closer to you with every hour that went past. I was near Tyreas’s men when Robert was captured. As you were trapped behind the glass mountain, I thought I’d better follow him and try to rescue him as soon as the opportunity showed itself.”

  “And you did well, Your Highness. Your bold action gave us at least a few more hours.”

  “Although,” added Azar, visibly worried, “after all tiredness and wounds you’ve endured, it could have easily ended badly. Praise the gods that all was well in the end and that Prince Robert is with us again as we head towards the end of our quest.”

  “The moment I saw Tyreas’s soldiers leave the garrison with their captain, I knew that was the right time to take action. I had found out a day before the number of troops following you as I had the chance to count them when they had stopped for a rest and I also knew the number of soldiers stationed at the Forgotten Outpost from the Khalari spies. What I didn’t know was when the king’s soldiers were coming back to the garrison so I acted on an impulse, thinking that that was the best opportunity I’ll ever have… the result of my actions shows I was right…”

  “We didn’t know exactly how many soldiers there were in the garrison, although Khar had given us an approximate number. We didn’t act immediately after Captain Kolar and his men left for two reasons. First of all, we wanted to keep an eye on the Outpost for a while longer to make sure there weren’t any other troops stationed there and secondly, we needed Tyreas’s men to be as far away as possible so we could climb down unseen from the hill where we had settled our quarters. So you can imagine our surprise when we saw you entering the Outpost,” chuckled the Professor.

  “Besides,” added Robert, “you couldn’t have possibly guessed Aryana’s intentions.”

  “At one time,” intervened Azar, “we thought that King Tyres has sent someone to get rid of you, but then, when we considered it more, we realised that Captain Kolar and his accomplices could have done that themselves. And what’s more, if someone had been sent by the king, they would have entered through the main gate and wouldn’t have killed the guards at the Outpost. When I saw you going out the gate with the prince, I was convinced I’d seen a ghost.”

  “Luckily for me,” chuckled Aryana, “I’m as real as they get.”

  Captain Cavas approached the group gathered around Robert discreetly.

  “Your Graces, Professor, I must inform you we have roughly half an hour left until we enter the Boundary. The Wanderers and I will make our way back and will try to hassle Tyreas’s men. Prince Robert, I wish you good luck with any future deeds. May Lokar watch over you.”

  “May the gods be with you, Captain Cavas. Thank you for all the support you have offered my friends. I can assure you that if all of this ends well, your efforts shall be rewarded.”

  “Thank you, Prince. It’s been an honour for me to stand by you,” uttered Cavas, saluting with a wide gesture. “Farewell my friends!”

  He then pulled the reins and turned his horse around, heading at a gallop in the direction they had come from. When he reached the Wanderers, he whistled shortly and they followed him, leaving a cloud of dust at the rear.

  ***

  The path was getting narrower and narrower as they were approaching the Wizards’ Gorge, the place that marked the crossing into the Boundary. For the last quarter of an hour they could glimpse the two figures carved in the cliff, ten times higher than any tower of any castle in Fantasmagoria, which stood guard on each side of the entrance into the ravine.

  One of these rock sculptures represented a wizard with long hair and beard, holding a globe in one hand, like the wise men who could foretell the future.

  On the other side of the ravine entrance you could glimpse the outline of another wizard. In his right hand he was holding a thick book which he cradled to his chest while his other hand was pointing towards the path leading to the Boundary, his forefinger pointing accusingly at those who dared to venture into this land.

  The menacing eyes of the two wizards gave an invisible warning to anyone who dared to trouble the stillness of that frozen land.

  The eight travellers were urging their horses towards the entrance to the ravine, and they felt both respect and anxiety when seeing the two statues carved into the white cliff.

  Captain Vidar had taken command of the group, seconded by Master Azar while the others followed closely behind, flanking Robert. This was the first time they were entering an entirely unknown territory about which everything they knew was from stories they’d heard. From what Rolan had told the rest of the travellers, the only one who had been around these places before, was himself, when he had come here as a child to hunt silver foxes with his father.

  Rolan, who, unlike his friends, was less impressed or silenced by the stone wizards guarding the Boundary, started telling them about the legend of those places.

  “It is said that many years ago, even before the disappearance of Elian, the navigator, the wizards in the Frozen Realm attempted to conquer Fantasmagoria. They came from the White Sea carried by ice giants on their shoulders and stepped into the Lower Realm around this place which they turned into a stretch of snow, just like the place they were coming from. Only the courage of the people in the four kingdoms of Elementis managed to defeat these wizards and send them back to where they’d come from. Those who had the decisive influence were the Fire Chosen who had united their forces with the Chosen of the other elements and managed to chase the attackers over the Boundary. The fights lasted for a long time… they say Yari changed her appearance twenty times during the war.”

  “Twenty phases of the moon?!” wondered the quiet Voras out loud.

  “That’s right, friend Voras,” Rolan reinforced what the Night Chosen just said. “The armies though, stopped at the Boundary because the damage brought upon that land was irreversible. They say that some of the ice giants, weakened during their fight with the Fire Chosen, were left behind by the wizards beyond the White Sea when they left Fantasmagoria.”

  “Ice giants, honourable?!” laughed Azar. “You said you have been into the Boundary… Have you ever seen such a giant?”

  “No… but just because I haven’t, that doesn’t mean they don’t exist, Master Azar.”

  “Rolan is right,” said Radius disarmingly, putting an end to the argument between the two friends. “What I don’t understand is what was it that the wizards from the Frozen Land were looking for in Fantasmagoria.”

  “In order to increase their power, the wizards needed to subdue as many souls as possible. Hungry for power, after taking over the souls in their own kingdom, they started looking at other realms and Fantasmagoria was the nearest.”

  “I hope we find the road that leads to where the people from the kingdom have been banished.”

  “Judging by the maps and from what I’ve learned when I looked into what had happened to the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Fire, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find the pace of their exile. The entrance to the Boundary faces north. We should keep walking straight until we reach the White Sea, then follow the coastline towards East. At the end of the shore, which is flanked between its eastern and southern sides by the cliffs on which the gods have rested the Upper Realm and has the White Sea on its northern side, we should find the dwelling place of your subjects, Queen Aryana.”

  “Let’s just hope they’ve survived so we could put together an army and dethrone Tyreas. Without them, our chances of winning are very small. Even if we can still find people who are willing to join our cause, like Captain Cavas, without those few thousands souls I hope to find
there, our fight is as good as lost.”

  “From what I’ve known of those in the kingdom, Your Highness,” Azar tried to put her mind at ease, “I’m certain they’ve adapted to the harsh environment of the Boundary. The inhabitants of the Kingdom of Fire are brave and determined people who never give up in front of adversities.”

  “Keep faith, aunt,” added Robert. “I haven’t had the chance to meet any people in the kingdom, but having known you and Master Azar, I can tell I’ve never come across anyone braver than those in the Kingdom of Fire. Forgive me, friends,” he said looking at those around him, “I don’t mean to undermine the courage you’ve been showing throughout these last days.”

  “No problem, Prince,” uttered Voras civilly. “As our friend Rolan was saying, without the worth and courage of those in the Kingdom of Fire, the wizards would have taken over Fantasmagoria a long time ago. We can only agree with the praise you’ve bestowed on your subjects.”

  Robert thanked the taciturn Voras with his eyes. He was glad he could count on such friends who had stood by him on so many occasions throughout their journey and had fought valiantly, overcoming every obstacle along the way.

  With such thoughts in mind, they crossed into the ravine. The steep rock walls, devoid of any vegetation, appeared like a corridor leading to the After World.

  It seemed that no living being dwelled in these places and the only noises they could hear were those of horseshoes scraping the gravel of the ravine, the horses’ snorts and the riders’ breath.

  The further they went in, the colder it got. Dense fog accompanied their own and the horses’ breath as they were being carried along the ravine at a slow pace.

  A few snowflakes started dancing around them. The Professor called out to his friends to stop. They got off their horses and pulled out of their bags the furs they had received from Cavas, which he had acquired when he had robbed a traveller who dealt in animal skins.

  None of them had a coat that fitted, but they were all grateful to have something to wear against the freezing cold that seemed to reign the land beyond the gorge.

  Thus clothed, they got back on their horses and started once more towards the Boundary, sinking further into the ravine. The cold seeped in ever more deeply, which made each of them thank Captain Cavas in their heads.

  A few hundred paces before them they could glimpse the exit to the Wizards’ Ravine. They advanced cautiously, the blizzard raging in their faces, intent on getting out from between the narrow walls which lined the path.

  “Here we are nearer the end of our journey, Robert!” called out Radius, trying to make himself heard across the whistling wind.

  “That’s right, Professor!” agreed Robert as he pulled his coat’s collar shivering on account of a snowflake which landed on the back of his neck. “Let’s hope that our effort will be worth it and we shall find someone who knows the secret of the Blue Flame. Otherwise, all our effort until now would have been in vain.”

  “Don’t lose faith, Robert. I trust that all will be well in the end. But, from what I’ve learned in life, every great deed requires lots of hard work. You can’t expect to be handed everything on a plate and all you have to do is reach your hand and pick what you desire…”

  “We’re here, Professor… we’ve entered the Boundary!” called Robert excitedly.

  The snow crunched under the horses’ hooves. Big snowflakes fell gently and the wind that made the snow and cold worse until then seemed to have stayed behind them, trapped inside the ravine they had just come through.

  The trees were barren, their branches covered in ice, which made them look like ice sculptures. A flock of ravens perched atop the frozen boughs, seeming to salute as they followed them with their eyes.

  Everything looked as white as a shroud that covered a land which seemed lifeless. The snow was untouched, a sure sign that no living thing dwelled around here or had ever dared venture into this wilderness.

  One of the ravens croaked giving everyone the chills.

  “What a sinister place,” said Akura, thinking how hard it must have been for the people in the Kingdom of Fire who were used to the warmth to live in this corner of the world.

  “Yep,” agreed Voras, urging his horse through the snow which was getting higher and looser than it was at the ravine’s exit. “Has anyone else noticed that the further we go, the bigger the snow gets? It’s possible that soon enough we won’t be able to ride our horses anymore.”

  “We could stop for a rest before we get to the White Sea,” uttered Azar. “At least for an hour. We don’t know if later on the weather would be as settled or if we find shelter again. According to the map, we still have a few good hours to go until we get to the dwelling we’re looking for.”

  “Master Azar is right,” agreed Captain Vidar as he turned his horse towards his friends. “Maybe we won’t get the chance to have a rest until we find the prince’s subjects.”

  They guided their horses towards a place a bit higher than where they were and dismounted. Captain Vidar had chosen that place to rest, as he felt safer in an area from where he could keep an eye around them and be able to see any possible dangers.

  Master Azar tried to light a fire with the help of a few frozen twigs that his friends had found in the snow and had gathered in the shape of a pyre. The fire took a long time to start because of the wet wood but eventually the flames started engulfing the twigs.

  A flock of crows flew off startled by the sight of fire, which went to show how unusual a sight it was for those places.

  They all sat down in a circle around the yellowy-reddish pyre, enjoying for a while the warmth they felt.

  Rolan sharpened a thin branch then took out a piece of dried meat from his satchel and proceeded to stick it on top of his skewer. He then held it over the flames, turning the piece of meat from time to time, as the smell started wafting around, making the crows that flew away earlier on come back to the braches of the tree nearby.

  His hands stretched towards the fire, Robert was enjoying that moment of rest, warming up his body. He closed his eyes, cheered up by the orange light which caressed his eyelids. He smiled, content in that moment of repose, thinking about how close they were to the end of their quest.

  He thought he could feel the snow underneath moving, but blamed it on tiredness, thinking that he must have dozed off and lost his balance. He opened his eyes and watched his friends. Captain Vidar and Master Azar were sharpening their swords with the help of some rocks while Rolan was biting heartily from the piece of meat he had roasted earlier.

  The Professor poked the embers with a stick.

  “Judging from the information I have, Robert, I think that in less than ten hours from now we would reach the dwelling at the edge of the Boundary. The map I drew is not entirely accurate… I sketched it by putting together the recollections of people who had ventured around these places, but in principle, if we follow the coastline we should get straight to your subjects.”

  “I’m starting to get scared, Radius. We’re getting closer to the end of our journey and the time of the prophecy is also near. What if we don’t find what we’re looking for? What if we never uncover the secret of the Blue Flame? Tyreas is much too powerful to face with just a handful of tired warriors.”

  “Even if we don’t learn the secret of the blue dust, we must carry on till the end. I trust the prophecies of the Oracle of Konaar who, as I was telling you, has never been wrong. And if the oracle can foretell a ‘blue light’ which will bring an end to the reign of King Tyreas, then we must have faith in our destiny until the last moment.”

  Again, Robert could feel the earth moving underneath him. He looked towards the Professor who in turn, watched him in surprise.

  “You felt that too, didn’t you?” he asked.

  “I felt it earlier too,” confirmed Robert with worry, “but I thought it was just tiredness.”

  “We’d better get going. I don’t know what dangers lie hidden in this land and I’d
rather…”

  The Professor didn’t get a chance to finish what he was saying as a long howl, as though from a wounded beast rang across the silence of the Boundary, making everyone jump to their feet.

  They looked at each other, not daring to utter a word, when suddenly the earth underneath started lifting up. Everybody rolled over while their horses started galloping wildly towards the Wizards’ Gorge neighing with fright.

  As he got up from the snow, Robert watched in horror as the earth they stood on until then seemingly started shaking the snow off.

  Behind him he could hear Rolan mumbling:

  “An ice giant! Have mercy on us, mighty Lokar!”

  The silhouette before them started taking shape as, raging with fury, the giant propped himself up with the help of his powerful arms.

  He roared, throwing his fist at Captain Vidar, but the latter rolled over to the right and avoided the terrible blow, also helped by the slow movement of the giant, who moved very heavily because of his size.

  Robert was amazed at the immensity of the ice giant who was watching them with cold, glass like eyes, as he searched for his next victim. He approximated the creature’s size and decided he was the height of at least twenty people.

  The giant lifted his leg, aiming to squash Rolan and Voras who were near him, but they broke into a run and took shelter under a tree.

  Azar was the first one to react by drawing his energy from the fire which was still flickering. He threw a stream of flames towards the giant, who took a step back frightened. Azar’s attack took out a chunk of the giant’s shoulder, making him holler in pain.

  Robert realised at once that the giant before him was entirely made of ice and that the heat of fire would surely hurt him.

  Unleashing his Inner Fire, Robert created a ball of fire which he threw at the ice giant’s right leg. As he was hit, the giant howled like a wounded beast and fell down on one knee.

  Suddenly the earth shuddered again and the eight friends froze to the spot as they saw rising from the snow the figures of another six giants shaking the sleet off their bodies and roaring threateningly.