Valour of the Spirit People
Page 11
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Michael walked through into a sparse cold looking room. There at its centre was a man strapped to a rack. It was Uziel; his unconscious form scarcely looked like it was alive. His face was bruised and his body beaten. Michael shook his head in sadness and disgust as he walked over to him and from the pouch at his side produced some herbs, he spat on them and held them between his hands as if praying; energy transferred to them. The herbs were then placed in Uziel’s mouth; he barely had the strength to swallow them. Almost instantaneously his breathing, instead of being shallow, became steady. The bruises on his face began to disappear. A shining glow emanated from his body. It was as if he were transfigured. Uziel was an Angelos once more; his beaten haggard form had gone and was replaced by a firm robust figure. His eyes opened.
“Michael,” said Uziel. “What took you so long, this Vision Realm isn’t the friendliest of places to spend time in.”
“You know…if you will go off on your own,” replied Michael cutting Uziel’s bonds.
Michael passed Uziel a dagger to cut the rope around his feet; as he took it he threw it at the open doorway where a Mage had just appeared. The Mage dropped to the floor dead, the dagger sticking from its chest.
“What of Malachi?” replied Uziel as he swung his legs round and propelled himself off the table. “It was he that did this to me?”
“This war, like all wars, is getting out of control.”
“Michael,” replied Uziel seriously, “you know as well as I do that only those that are being defeated feel that war is out of control.”
“Calm yourself,” said Michael, “what I meant is, war is chaos and that is why even after so many ages it is still so alien to us.”
The two crept over to the opening where the Mage now lay. Uziel bent down and removed his dagger. The two then made their way across the library and out into the corridor. They heard a strange whirring sound and as they crept towards it one of the doors to the side of them opened and out rushed Humming Bird and Gabriel. Michael gestured for them to be quiet before they embraced Uziel out of joy and relief in seeing him alive. The whirring resonated louder as if a great swirling wind were close by. Gabriel suddenly stiffened and turned to Michael with alarm.
“Portal,” they said simultaneously and sprang forward towards the sound.
As they crashed through the door, Malachi was on the other side of a vast hall. A sinister smile on his face, he was standing in front of two large columns above which was an architrave carved out of stone. It was engraved with Angelos script; between the columns a shimmering reflective rippled light shone out.
“Once again,” said Malachi, “you’re too late. You have not overcome the Mages and you will not overcome the Wold - they will be next to descend upon you.”
He stepped through the portal. Gabriel was about to leap forward and give chase but was prevented from doing so by Michael. Almost instantaneously the light between the columns blinked out.
“We’ve got what we came for,” said Michael.
“Unfortunately so do they,” said Gabriel, visibly frustrated by Malachi’s escape.
Uziel hurriedly crossed to the Portal.
“We,” began Michael, “need to get back. We must warn the Longfoot of the imminent attack of the Wold, the ones you know as the Wendigo. Lothos will use them to divert us away from setting out after the Ute. Uziel, how goes it?”
“There’s no way to set it,” said a stunned Uziel, “we’re trapped.”
Humming Bird shot Michael a worried glance.
“I can open the gateway,” cried Anaki, appearing at the door. “The Djinn are vanquished or rather driven for the most part from this realm. Did you manage to defeat Malachi?”
“He escaped,” said Michael with some displeasure.
“What about the Mage, Moloch?” asked Anaki.
“Also escaped,” replied Gabriel.
“Did anyone not escape?” said Anaki.
“Well we haven’t yet,” replied Uziel.
“That at least,” responded Anaki, “I can remedy.”
“Then please do,” replied Michael now annoyed with himself that Malachi had been allowed to get away so easily, “we need to get back to warn the Longfoot of what you told us earlier - that the Wendigo are massing to strike; I am sure Malachi is setting them up as a means to prevent our journey to the Ute but I do not think he truly knows the power of the Longfoot.”
Anaki tapped his staff three times. It began to glow as the portal once more came alive. “Gabriel, Michael and Humming Bird, you enter together, then I will follow with your friend.”