Long, white hot cracks of lightning flashed across the dense and grey clouds above the immense black castle, almost as though warning all others who dare approach to keep away, or else face a most painful and horrifying death. But what was most strange was that the violent storm of crashing lightning, deafening thunder, and torrential rain seem to be only subjected to the lonely and imposing castle. Everywhere else around the castle seemed to be just a bit brighter, but no one had seen the sun shine there for many years, ever since the demon lord Kumraa took residence. A sense of foreboding and intense fear filled anyone who approached it, and the lone unending storm above it just signified what an evil place it was.
Deep inside, sitting on his throne in this darkened and black-walled castle, Kumraa allowed the sounds of the tempest outside to soothe his troubled mind, to relax him as he awaited for the ones he had summoned to come. His rotting and raspy chest rose and fell with each breath, and his long fingers curled as his long and sharp nails scratched the dead wood on the chair handles and left long marks in them. Now he was getting desperate. The group he had vowed to destroy had found the third Scared Medallion, despite all his efforts to keep them from doing it. Zain had proved to be an incompetent fool and was missing, and now Sabanti was on the verge of being destroyed by his own hands! How foolish he had been to trust them to do such a task! But he had a plan, and when it's accomplished, no one will dare ever rise up to challenge him again! For too long he had let his hate and anger fester in him to let a chance like this pass. The gods were fools to have imprisoned him instead of siding with him to control the universe as he had hoped. But try as they might to stop him, he will be the supreme ruler....
His reverie was cut short as the immense double doors of his throne room was slowly opened by two soldiers, and they stepped aside to allow a group of black-robed figures walk in. They were a dozen of them, each hunched over and their hands pushed in to the sleeves of the opposite arms, paying homage to the demon lord before them. When they all stood before Kumraa, the soldiers closed the doors with a loud clang, then all was silent for a few moments.
The first to break the silence was the obvious leader of the group, and he stepped forward and bowed low. "You sent for us, Mighty Lord," he said in a low, hissing voice.
"Yes, my loyal servants, The Brothers Of Darkness...the ones who helped set me free. Time is growing short, and my patience growing shorter," began Kumraa, his raspy voice filling the whole room. "My servants have proved useless in tracking down the prince and the strangers he travels with. The third medallion has been found. I do NOT want them to succeed anymore. I want you to find them. Find out where they are headed; find out what they are up to." The demon was silent for a moment. "When you do, I have a little surprise for them."
"My Lord," The leader bowed even lower, his face almost touching the filthy ground. "It is very difficult to cast a specific location spell like that without something personal of the person we are meant to find...."
"SILENCE, you fool!" screamed out Kumraa, standing to his feet and cutting off anything else the other was going to say. "Do you not think I know this? Do you think me so foolish?"
The leader shook with obvious fear and backed slightly away, his glowing eyes growing dim under his hood. With a growl, the demon lord reached out his left hand, palm up, and a flash of light appeared. When it dissipated, a short thin line of black hair appeared in his bony hand, and with a thought, he raised it high into the air and let it float in front of the group of sorcerers.
"Here is single thread of hair, taken when Prince Djoser was in my grasp....before you fools allowed him to escape. That will allow you to find him and track him. Where he is, you will find the others he travels with. I want no mistakes." When he finished, Kumraa slowly sat back down on his throne.
Immediately the Brothers Of Darkness surrounded the floating string of hair, and began chanting an evil sounding spell in deep and foreboding voices. Outside, the lightning continued to flash and crack across the dismal sky. Moments later, the hair began to glow a dull white, then began to grow brighter and brighter. The voices of the sorcerers began to rise higher and higher with each chant and how brighter and brighter the hair began to glow. Finally, the chanting became a high-pitched and feverish yelling and shouting, until at last, with a burst of light, a holographic yet dull image of Djoser with Jeneta sleeping in his arms atop a flying animal appeared. At the sight, Kumraa's eyes glowed brighter with evil, and his throat issued forth a soft and gravelly chuckle.
"We have him, My Lord!" said the leader with joy.
"Then I suggest you waste no time in tracking him....if you want to prolong your lives." the demon rasped out, curling his right hand into a fist.
Within seconds the location of where they were headed was calculated and plans made. But unknown to them, a small, black bird was watching from the window, tilting his head this way and that as he watched and listen. When all the planning was done, the little bird spread his wings and dove off the windowsill. Down and down he flew in a spiral, unbothered by the heavy rains. Finally he saw the figure he was searching for, her arm raised towards him, wearing a dark green cloak for protection against the rain. She was standing off to the side of the castle. When the little bird landed on the figure's outstretched hand, he shook himself a little, then hopped on the figure's shoulder and began softly twittering into the ear of a demon woman with long red hair and greenish skin. While he was twittering away, Sabanti's eyes lit up, and her lips curled into an evil, devilish smile.
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Djoser's eyes were closed against the soft winds caressing his hair and face, Jeneta safe in his arms, when a sudden flash of fear entered his mind. It was a terrible feeling, as though something evil was watching him, taunting him, and he nearly cried out with the surprise of it. He awoke with a jerk and looked all around him, forgetting where he was.
It took a moment before his memories returned to him, and he knew that he was still atop the beautiful creature that took them to safety from the vengeful Zain. Breathing out a sigh in relief, he looked down to see Jeneta resting peacefully against his chest, the wind gently blowing a few strands of her hair across her youthful and beautiful face. He looked up and saw that the others were doing just fine flying ahead of them. Prya rested comfortably against Ling's chest as the Chinese girl was wide awake and taking in her surrounding, but still had a worried look on her face. Tao and his flying creature were just flying over a small cloud. The young man then looked back and gave a thumbs up sign to Djoser. Ahead of him, Angeni and Heather were looking down and excitedly watching a group of whale-like creatures swim peacefully in the vast ocean they were flying across. In the horizon, the sun was just about to sink and allow the dusk to finally take over. Thankfully the avilares had taken them to the Southern part of the world where it was warmer within just a day of flying, leaving behind the crisp and chilly weather they spent most of their adventure in.
Moments later, the sun sank, and a beautiful sight the girls had never seen began to rise and take shape in the darkening sky. Heather and Angeni both cried in awe at the sight, as well as Ling. Excitedly, she shook Prya awake in front of her and pointed up. When she awoke groggily and looked up, the Indian girl smiled happily and clasped her hands together.
Smiling and not wanting Jeneta to miss it, Djoser gently shook the sleeping girl in his arms. "Jeneta, there's something you should see." he whispered.
The dark-skinned girl moaned and began rubbing her eyes. "Hmm? Djoser, what's wrong? Are we there yet?" she asked sleepily.
The young mad shook his head, then pointed up at the dark sky and smiled once more. When Jeneta looked up, her mouth nearly dropped wide open; above them in the rapidly darkening sky were nine round and large objects that could only be moons of this world. Each moon was in an almost straight line with each other, and looked close enough to touch. But the most amazing thing about them were their colors. The first moon was a deep, dark maroon color and slightly bigger than the rest, the next a soft yellow, the one after that a pale white, like Earth's. The fourth moon was a bit harder to figure out, but it resembled a sort of red mixed in with green. The moon after that was a bright shining blue, with soft clouds swirling about. The one coming up after that was a dark and dull grey, and seemed to move faster than the others. The next moon, the largest, was a sharp emerald color, and the lowest one after that was a dusty pink color, like a pink rose. The last moon, the smallest, was a deep orange color and seemed to have deep craters in it. Each moon shined brightly against the backdrop of stars, comets, and wisps of clouds, and looked completely magical, as though from a fairytale Jeneta loved to read as a child.
"Wow! It's fantastic. Are those your moons?" asked Jeneta, completely fascinated.
"Yes, but they can only be seen on certain parts of our planet, and in certain times of the year....like the season we are in right now. The names of them have long been forgotten, so we just say they are our gods watching out for us." The dark-skinned man smiled softly, happy to have shown her another beautiful sight of his world.
Jeneta was silent for a moment, taking in the sight, then turned back to look at him. "Djoser, your world just gets more and more....magical and so mysterious!" she said excitedly. A slight sadness entered her eyes as she lowered them. "I wish we could have come here under better circumstances. I mean, Kumraa and all..."
Djoser shook his head as he turned serious. "What matters now is that you are here, and that gives us a better chance to bring peace back to this land."
Once more Jeneta smiled as she nodded her head. Then feeling adventurous, she went on her knees as the creature flew on, and threw her hands high into the air, much to Djoser's surprise. She laughed loudly as she spread her arms far apart as though she had wings, and closed her eyes in exhilaration as the wind rushed through her hair and clothes. Then opening her eyes, she laughed again as she saw Ling, Heather, and Angeni doing the same thing as Prya looked on in nervousness. Tao could only shake his head and laugh along.
Soon, under Djoser's insistence, the girls settled down again and relaxed for the rest of the long night as the animals flew on over the vast ocean beneath them. They slept again, and before they knew it, a new day began once more with the sun rising, and the ocean gave way to lush-filled, hilly lands and mountainous regions. Once more Djoser shook Jeneta awake, and this time she smiled with obvious relief at the sight of land. Each girl gave a shout of joy and a "hurray!" as Djoser gave them the signal to be ready to land.
Tao led the way as he guided his avilari into a downward spiral into a clearing just outside a large rain forest..a jungle to Heather's mind. Carefully, the other avilares followed the same downward spiral path, making sure to not rattle their passengers too much. The creatures whistled and hooted excitedly as they touched down a few minutes later and landed on soft, rainforest ground.
Within moments of touching down and getting off the creatures, Heather reached up and wiped the sweat off her forehead. "It's beautiful here, but HOT!" she said, shielding her eyes from the blaring morning sun.
"Don't worry, I'm pretty sure there must be a river or something near by. I've studied this region in Bhunathra before in school." Djoser quickly reached in to the saddle-bags hanging to the side of the griffin-like creature and began taking out containers and small bags of food. "Come on, we shouldn't waste much time. It gets really hot here."
"But what about them?" Prya asked, softly stroking the beak of the avilari she was riding.
"It's okay, they're very well-trained." said Tao, coming up to stand next to her. "The moment they sense trouble, they'll just run into the forest and stay hidden until we need them, or they'll just fly on home if we don't come back for them. But Djoser's right, we should get moving. We can leave our coats and heavy clothing with them."
"Any hopes that there's a hotel here where we can take a shower?" Angeni muttered, already feeling hot and sticky.
"A what?" Djoser looked at her in curiosity at the strange word.
Angeni, not expecting Djoser to have heard her, blinked a few times and opened her mouth to explain what a shower was, but then closed her mouth and shook her head. "Errr...never mind." she said, wishing more and more that she would be swallowed up by the ground.
The girls couldn't help but giggle at Angeni's embarrassment as she rolled her eyes, then the group moved out into the rainforest and searched for a river. For almost two hours the girls stepped over roots and passed shrubbery and bushes through the humid forest while the sun climbed higher and higher. Beautiful small creatures scurried and hid from them as they walked on, and the larger creatures, resembling deer and elk but bigger and darker, looked at them in curiosity. The rain forest was full of sounds of hooting, snarling, and whistling creatures, filling the area with life and vitality. Excitedly, the girls pointed and laughed at monkey-like creatures jumping through the branches and hooting, and birds of all beautiful shapes, colors and sizes flew over them, one even landing on Jeneta's shoulder as she giggled in delight.
Just then, a rustling sound was heard above them, and as the group looked up in alarm and Djoser and Tao protectively stood before them, a shadowy figure cried out in alarm and dropped right through the tree's branches, landing in front of them.
The figure stood up in pain and began dusting off himself, then turned around to look them. He looked to be no more than in his early-twenties, and wore a light, beige-colored, intricately designed robe that seemed almost too big for him. His black hair was plaited in a long braid to the middle of his back, and his skin color was just a shade darker than Prya's, making him almost as dark as Jeneta. His large eyes were almond-shaped and hazel, and he was just a few inches shorter than Djoser. His face was very handsome, but still held a child-like, almost feminine and innocent quality.
"Who are you?" demanded Heather, looking him up and down.
"Oh! I...errrr...I am..err." The young man thought for a moment, then raised a pointed finger into the air. "I am Kondolar, and I am the greatest sorcerer ever to live! And you have been trespassing in my kingdom's forest! You...you cannot go any further, or...or I'll stop you with my powers! I've been following you!"
"Oh really? Stop us with your powers?" said Ling, folding her hands across her chest with an eyebrow raised.
"I guess I'll just have to show you!" shouted the man. He raised both his arms, and shouted ""Incinterous!". For a second, nothing happened....until a fizz popped out of Kondolar's fingertips and smoked followed.
The group looked up at the young man with a deadpan expression, completely unimpressed.
"Oh! Oh dear, oh dear, that didn't turn out right at all!" said Kondolar in exasperation as he shook his hands. "Alright, I have another spell, this one I know will work! Igniticus!"
Again the young man raised his arms skyward, but nothing happened. With an embarrassed look, he shook his raised arms again and again, but nothing happened.
Unable to help herself, Prya giggled softly into her hand and blushed as everyone continued to look on, unimpressed. "Oh dear, oh dear, I was sure that was it. I practiced so hard and..."
"Enough of this!" yelled out Ling. "Look buddy, we didn't know we were "trespassing" on anyone's property. We're just looking for a river so we can gather water and find the city of Calithra. We just want to.."
"Calithra? That's where you're headed? Why, I can lead you there, that's where I'm from!" Kondolar said excitedly, his embarrassment almost forgotten. "My master sent me out here for some strange reason. Something about meeting my fate." He looked at the group suspiciously. "But only if you don't mean any harm, I mean, I don't want to have to battle you if you just wanted to rob us or anything."
Heather chuckled as she walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "My friend, I think we've seen what a...err...powerful wizard you are with the "great powers" you've demonstrated, so I don't think you have anything to worry about."
Kondolar blushed with embarrassment at his less than perfect magic, then shook his head. "I have a boat waiting at the river not too far from here. I can take you upriver to the city, but it'll be a while."
"Sounds fine to me. We'll explain everything on the way to the city. Lead the way." Djoser said. Quickly, the group lead by Kondolar headed west to the sound of rushing water, hopeful to have a clue of where to find the fourth Sacred Medallion before it was too late.
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To be continued
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