That isn’t possible. I know Akil Karanis. I’ve seen him within the year. How long ago was this?” James asked. Luno turned quickly. “Seventy years almost to the day. You must be mistaken. Perhaps someone shared his name… or took it after they knew he’d been exiled.”
“None of this makes any sense,” James said, standing. He began to pace about the room. “If the council exiled Akil over seventy years ago they wouldn’t exactly embrace his return, yet he was high in rank until just recently.
“He wasn’t banished by the council. Have you not heard the legend of Karanis and the Siren?”
“I have not. My parents were unfaithful until they were converted.”
Luno stopped and stared at James for a moment. He shook his head and regained his train of thought.
“One thing at a time,” he said more to himself than to James. “Where was I?”
“Karanis and the Siren,” Kilani said impatiently.
“Yes, Karanis and the Siren. Akil went seeking information that would help him determine the identity of the anointed one determined by the greatest of all seers. In his travels he encountered a Siren. She was the craftiest of all Sirens, the mother of all Sirens, so it is said. He was the first and only lone sorcerer to ever challenge a Siren. It was the battle to end all battles. Magic never before seen or henceforth used rained from the sky like shooting stars destroying the landscape for miles. The battle raged for days until neither had the strength to stand let alone cast a spell. Desperate, exhausted, and delirious the pair cast a combination of spells that when thrust together opened a rift in our world. What happened next depends on who is telling the story. Some believe Akil killed the Siren. He would be the first and only sorcerer to do so, and as he cast his lethal spell, he slipped into the rift and ended up here. Others say the Siren outfoxed him and thrust him into this place.
I looked for this Siren from the time I was twelve, and I came up empty-handed until I was sent here myself. By the time I arrived, Akil’s mind was already gone.”
“Is there a chance this Akil Karanis could be the same man I have come to know as a mentor?” James asked.
“I don’t know.”
“What if he found a way? What if inside that castle is a way out and he found it? What if he found it and managed to reintegrate himself with society,” James asked.
“Are you suggesting that he returned after twenty years and made up a story to explain his absence?” asked Kilani.
“We are missing the explanation of the obvious. Do you remember the year you were sent here?” James asked.
“Eighteen thirty-three,” Luno said without hesitation.
“This year is eighteen hundred and ninety eight. How old was Akil before he disappeared? How old was he the last time you saw him before he battled the Siren?”
“No one knows his true age. If I had to guess, I’d say in his thirties.”
“If you were banished here twenty years after Akil and you yourself have been here sixty-five years years that would make him…”
“One hundred fifteen years old,” Kilani finished.
“Impossible. Maybe here but not in the world we came from.”
“Have you ever tried to get into the black castle?”
“Son, I’ve never seen the thing with my own eyes.”
“You’ve never seen it? Why do you believe it exists?”
“During my extended stay in this lovely place I have encountered three men and one woman who’ve sworn they’ve set eyes upon it. Each could describe it with exacting detail.”
“Are they here? I must speak with them,” said James.
“Two drowned, one was eaten alive, and the fourth stands beside you,” said Luno.
“You’ve seen it?” James asked excitedly, looking at Kilani.
“I have. It is a place of evil. The mere thought of it sends fear through my very soul.”
James, feeling deflated, took a seat in one of the cushioned chairs.
“I’ll tell you this, my boy,” Luno said, his eyes darting about again. “I don’t know if the black castle is real or just another trick of the island, but I’ve seen enough in this place to know that either way, I believe it is a clue to finding a way home.
“Then getting into the castle is the answer. We must get inside,” James said, rising to his feet.
“You will die trying,” Kilani said, looking out over the water.
“I’ve been waiting for someone with the initials JLS to show up for seventy years. If there ever was a time to try again, this is it. You are the one to get us inside. You can free us from this terrible place.”
“Do you see? Do you see what it does?” Kilani said, pointing to Luno. “It will slowly eat away at your mind.”
Luno waved a dismissive hand at her and turned back to James. “How is your strength?” he asked.
“Incredible. Stronger than I’ve ever felt. What do we do now?” James asked.
“I suggest you get settled. Then we will see if she is amenable to your presence,” said Luno.
“She?”
“This land-The Never,” said Luno.