“I don’t know if this is working, Aurora. I don’t see any difference. Maybe there is no Junction.”
Aurora motioned for Dalgar to get down and she climbed up the ladder. When she got to the top, she leaned away from the ladder and looked down. Then she disappeared. Dalgar scrambled to the top and peered down at Aurora.
“How did you know?” he asked.
“When I leaned out and looked down, there was no wagon,” she answered. “Come on, jump. We’ve found Sarac’s Universe.”
Dalgar jumped through the Junction and joined Aurora. Together they set off in search of Sarac.
Egam reached Glendor and announced that he had found the Junction. Everyone gathered to hear the news.
“The dwarf records were a big help,” he began. “Because they were unaware of the terrain, they climbed a section of the mountain that nobody would think of using today. It’s within ten miles of the pass, but I guess they were in a hurry to get away from the elves or they didn’t bother to look for a pass. It will be a little rough getting to, but I’m sure we will all make it.”
“What of the dwarves?” asked Prince Rigal. “Can we proceed without them?”
“No,” answered Egam. “I have already stopped at Talman and they have agreed to send Prince Tergota. He will be carrying the Dagger of King Arak. This expedition must be a joint venture between the elves and the dwarves and we must care for one another no matter what our dislikes are.”
“Agreed,” interrupted Jenneva. “The purpose for this trip is to show that there is no reason for the hostilities that exist between the two races. Let us vow not to take these hostilities with us into the other Universe.”
King Gondoral stared at Prince Rigal. “My son will do well to heed these words. A ruler cannot lead a nation with hatred in his heart. Extend the hand of brotherhood to Prince Tergota during this trip. There will be plenty of time for your hatred to return, if there is still reason when you return, but on this journey, your life may depend upon the skills of this dwarf Prince.”
“I will try, father,” the dark Prince offered.
Prince Elgorn motioned to speak. “I have gathered supplies for the journey. There is ample food and drink. I have included elfin cloaks for our friends, including our dwarf friend. There are also five quivers of myric quills.”
“I will have no need for weapons,” Egam stated.
“Perhaps not,” replied Prince Elgorn, “but myric quills may not be available in the other Universe. If you and Jenneva carry quivers, there will be an ample supply for others. Each pack also has a supply of rope. You will have food for several weeks, but if local game is available, make use of it. You cannot be certain of the time your journey will take.”
“We are not even certain that we will be able to return at all,” Alex added.
“We have no room for pessimism on this trip,” chided Jenneva. “Remember, this is our honeymoon and you’re supposed to be enjoying it.”
Alex laughed and everyone’s spirits seemed to be more positive. The group assembled and said their good-byes. Two other elves would accompany the group to the Junction to make sure that the party left without diminishing their food supply before departing their Universe.
The journey to the area of the Junction took a week and the party joined up with Prince Tergota the night before. The two escort elves departed to return to Glendor and the group headed down the side of the mountain. The path was narrow and twisted a great deal, but it was not hazardous walking. When they had proceeded down about half of the mountain, Egam called a halt.
“We will spend the night here,” he announced. “We are at the place of the Junction. In the morning, we will take a step through a portal that has not been used in many years. If we are lucky, we will travel to Elderal. If not, we will handle whatever fate has given us. Make camp.”
Alex watched the elf and the dwarf stake out spots on opposite sides of the camp area. During the first day together, neither had spoken to the other. Prince Tergota refused to wear the elfin cloak and Alex had stuffed it into his pack. He would have to keep a close watch on these two adversaries to make sure that they both returned alive. Even though Egam was the group’s leader, Alex didn’t think that the old magician would be able to stand between the two warriors if hostile feelings broke out.
The night passed without incident and the group broke camp the next morning. Half an hour down the path, Egam halted the group again. He turned and surveyed the group and then cast the Path Finder spell. The path directly in front of Egam shimmered and the group marched through.
Chapter 2
The Plan
Dalgar landed next to Aurora and looked around. Everything appeared just as it had before he came through the Junction with a few minor exceptions. The wagon and the bodies of the painter and his family were missing. Sarac’s monument was also missing. He told Aurora to stay where she was and started dragging rocks towards her to create a marker for the spot. Within fifteen minutes he had assembled enough rocks to create a marker so they would be able to find the spot again without casting the spell.
“Now all we have to do is figure out where Sarac is,” he stated.
“That may not be so easy,” responded Aurora. She looked completely around the horizon and could not see any people. “Which way do you think we should go?”
“Well,” answered Dalgar, “Mordac said he had been left behind at Sarac’s castle which was quite a bit north of here, so I would imagine that Sarac was heading south when he decided to leave. Let’s head south towards the mountains.”
“Okay,” Aurora agreed, “but we aren’t likely to find any stores to buy food. We’d better gather whatever food we can find along the way. Our travel packs won’t last more than a week.”
By nightfall, the pair of magicians had reached the foothills of the mountains. They set up a camp and started a fire. It was still early fall and the nights would not get really cold yet, but the fire would help in keeping predators away. They sat up for several hours discussing theories on where Sarac might go from their present position and then they went to sleep.
Half way up the mountain a solitary figure sat in the darkness watching them set up the camp. Shortly after they started the fire, he departed. He passed off a message to another Black Devil and returned to his post. Four hours later three other Black Devils joined him. The four men crept down the mountainside towards the sleeping couple. When they reached the bottom of the mountain they split into two groups and each group went towards one of the sleeping figures.
With a nod from one of the Black Devils, the four followers of Sarac stepped into the camp and seized the two visitors. Ignoring their protests, Sarac’s men quickly tied the visitors’ hands behind their backs.
“Who are you and what are you doing here?” demanded the leader.
Dalgar looked at the forearms of the four men before answering. “I am Dalgar and she is Aurora. We are members of Mordac’s Inner Circle and we have come seeking Sarac. We have found a way for him to return.”
The four men whispered among themselves for several minutes, while Dalgar and Aurora sat wondering whether their captors were Black Devils that were loyal to Sarac or some type of group that may have split from Sarac.
The leader finally returned and introduced himself. “I am Borundi, one of Sarac’s Inner Circle. We will lead you to him.”
Dalgar sighed with relief. “Great, how about untying our hands?”
Borundi smiled. “I think we can wait until we reach Sarac for that. Follow me, we have a long journey ahead of us.”
Borundi turned and started up the mountain. The three other Black Devils waited until Dalgar and Aurora followed Borundi before they fell into the procession. The journey was indeed long. One of the Black Devils left the group and resumed his duty at the lookout post. The other three Sarac devotees escorted Dalgar and Aurora for two days before they came to Sarac’s castle.
Dalgar stared at the ogres, but his questions went unanswered. F
inally, they were led into a room in the castle and placed in chairs. They sat there with their hands still tied until Sarac arrived.
“Dalgar and Aurora, is it?” Sarac asked.
“Yes, Your Holiness,” Dalgar responded.
Sarac flinched at Dalgar’s words. He examined the two captives for a few moments before speaking again. “I find your choice of words interesting, Dalgar. Explain them.”
Dalgar was confused. He hadn’t said more than three words. “Is it improper to refer to you as Your Holiness?” he asked.
Sarac bristled. “I didn’t ask you to pose a question. I asked you to explain your choice of words.”
“I beg your forgiveness,” Dalgar offered. “Your disciple, Mordac, always demanded that your name be spoken with proper respect. I have never spoken to a god before and assumed that Your Holiness was an appropriate address.”
Sarac laughed. “Very well, Dalgar. How is my disciple, Mordac?”
“I am afraid he is dead,” responded Dalgar. “He was attacked by Targan Rangers and many Black Devils died with him.”
Sarac was intrigued with this news from his home Universe. He called for Borundi and had the ropes removed from Dalgar and Aurora and ordered food and drink to be brought for them.
“I think you have a rather long story to tell me,” stated Sarac. “Begin at the beginning and tell me everything you know.”
Dalgar and Aurora spent hours detailing the events of the last two years. Sarac was surprised at Mordac’s cleverness in making Sarac a god. He was even more surprised to find out that Egam was still living. Dalgar played up the importance of himself and Aurora in implementing and formulating Mordac’s plan and failed to mention the real reason that they were absent during the final attack. He told Sarac they were returning from checking out the Junction site when the attack happened.
Sarac ended the meeting and had Lattimer find Dalgar and Aurora quarters for the evening. The next morning they met again and Sarac had a list of questions for them. He probed the couple for information on Jenneva, Egam, and Alex. He also demanded information on the governments of Targa, Sordoa, and Cordonia.
“What happened to the Book of the Beginning?” Sarac asked.
“Mordac had it when he was attacked,” answered Dalgar. “If it wasn’t destroyed in the attack, the Targans have it. Aurora and I do remember portions of it though. We memorized the spell for finding Junctions.”
“You will write down what you remember after the meeting,” commanded Sarac. “What of this Ali Kasim? Do we know anything about him?”
“He was a fairly well placed officer in the Sordoan Army,” Dalgar replied. “I believe he was a Lieutenant. I am not sure how he surfaced to lead the country. Some of the Black Devils who were in Sordoa at the time said the Royal Palace was taken over by Rangers and they turned the government over to Kasim. I don’t know if that is true or not. I had heard of him before all this happened, but it was nothing extraordinary. He was in the Sultan’s Guard and was said to have a bigger head than his shoulders could accommodate. He will probably be a ruthless ruler.”
“Is he married?” asked Sarac.
“He would not be able to marry and be in the Sultan’s Guard,” Dalgar answered. “If he is married, the ceremony would have been performed after the Sultan’s death.”
Sarac dismissed Dalgar and Aurora and told them they were free to roam around. Sarac called Lattimer into his study.
“Lattimer,” Sarac began, “I want you to send a group of men and ogres into the other Universe. Dalgar has marked the Junction to Targa with a pile of stones and has written down the Path Finder spell. I want the ogres to build a tower on this side of the Junction. The men are to go through to Targa and get rid of the wagon. Then I want them to have a large building built so that one of the rooms on the second floor will open up to the Junction.”
“Can’t we use the ogres to build the structure in Targa?” Lattimer asked.
“No,” Sarac replied. “I do not want any ogres going through to Targa. Take whatever gold you need from the ogre mine and hire people to build the structure, but don’t let them work on the Junction room. Tell them we are building an inn. They will probably laugh at you, but I don’t care. We are going to use the inn as our own private entrance between Universes. We will need a large storage area for weapons and supplies and it might as well be in Targa.”
“What if the wagon has already been discovered?” Asked Lattimer.
“Then you have to kill everyone who knows about it,” declared Sarac. “In fact, arrange an accident for the construction workers when they are done with the inn. Before you leave, make sure everyone is familiar with the Path Finder spell.”
Lattimer hurried off and Sarac called for Borundi.
“You are Sordoan, aren’t you, Borundi?” Sarac asked.
“Yes, Master,” Borundi answered.
“Good,” stated Sarac. “I want you to return to Sordoa and rebuild the Black Devils. Mordac was playing me up as the God of Magic before he died. Tell them that Sarac lost faith in Mordac because Mordac’s followers were not devout enough. Predict that I will send a disciple to them soon and I will make her Empress of Sordoa.”
“Sordoa doesn’t use the title Empress, Master,” Borundi offered. “They have always had a Sultan and always male.”
“I know, Borundi,” replied Sarac. “No one will believe you and converts will be hard to come by. Don’t worry about it. Keep spreading the word that Sarac will not return until the Empress sits on the throne of Sordoa and the people of Sordoa rally to her. The Black Devils who you recruit do not have to be magicians.”
Sarac stared out the window and saw Dalgar and Aurora gaping at the ogres. “Actually,” he continued, “create two organizations. The Black Devils will be magicians and everyone else will be the Servants of Sarac. Learn all you can about Ali Kasim. I am going to send our new female recruit to charm him out of his country and I want your organizations in place to help it along. Take plenty of gold with you and buy allegiance from those who are not foolish enough to convert for free. I will send further instructions with Aurora when she leaves.”
“My Master’s orders will be followed,” Borundi declared.
“Very good, Borundi,” the Black Devil leader declared. “Choose someone for me who knows Cordonia as well as you know Sordoa and send him in as you leave.”
Borundi turned and left his Master. Moments later, another Black Devil entered Sarac’s study. Sarac indicated that the Black Devil should sit. “Mitchel, I have a task for you that will require you to return to Cordonia. I want you to be the next President of Cordonia. The elections should be in a few months, so you will not have much time.”
“As you wish, Master,” Mitchel replied. “I am not sure that I am capable of such magic, though.”
“You will not be alone,” Sarac stated. “I will send Dalgar with you. He believes that I am a god and will do whatever is necessary to get you elected, even if it means that you will be the only candidate to survive. Take whatever gold you will require to set yourself up as a very wealthy man. After the elections, I will send further instructions on how Cordonia is to be run. Work with Dalgar and let him do whatever needs to be done behind the scenes. He will also be resurrecting the Black Devils in Cordonia.”
“What about the attack of the ogres?” asked Mitchel.
“I cannot unleash the ogres before spring,” answered Sarac. “I will not make the same mistakes that I made last time. This time Targa will have no advance warning of what is coming. Borundi and Aurora are going to capture Sordoa while you and Dalgar take over Cordonia. I will use the forces of these two countries to remove certain obstacles that might hinder the ogre attack.”
“You mean that witch, Jenneva,” said Mitchel.
“Yes,” responded Sarac, “as well as Egam and Jenneva’s boyfriend and his band of Rangers. Mordac squandered many Black Devils, but he did show a certain amount of ingenuity by capturing the Targan Throne. That trick would
not work in Targa again, but its neighbors should be ripe for a little trouble. Make sure that Dalgar knows the Voice of Comfort spell before you leave.”
“As you wish, Master.” Mitchel bowed and left Sarac’s study.
Sarac was very pleased with his new visitors. They not only discovered the Junctions, but they offered new ideas for implementing his revenge on Targa. If things continued to fall into place, he might not even need the ogres to attack. Controlling the individual nations and using them to crush his opposition would be fun. Let Jenneva try to overthrow his governments when the people of those countries love their leaders. Sarac no longer wanted to just kill Jenneva. He wanted her to suffer. Killing everyone she cares for would be a good start.
Sarac looked out the window and saw Lattimer instructing the other Black Devils on the use of the Path Finder spell. His remaining Black Devils were a loyal and skilled group and could produce much havoc without any other help. Combined with the ogres and his plans for Sordoa and Cordonia, he would be unstoppable.
Sarac rose and headed down to the courtyard, wondering why he should be satisfied with controlling just one Universe. He already controlled two Universes and Targa would make the third. He began to wonder how many Universes there were. He strode up to Lattimer who was just finishing his teaching.
“One more job before you leave, Lattimer,” Sarac commanded. “I want ten men assigned to this Universe and ten more to the other Universe. They will travel throughout the continent mapping any Junctions that they can find. I want to know what other Universes connect with these two. Give them six months to complete their task before they are required to return here.”
“Should they investigate the Junctions that they find?” Lattimer asked.
“No,” answered Sarac. “They can peek through the Junctions to see if they can determine what creatures reside there, but their time should be spent mapping the Junctions, not exploring other Universes.”
Ancient Prophecy Page 2