Rejji saw the huge gates as they rounded a bend in the trail. Murmurs ran through the column of Qubari warriors and Rejji saw more than one spear being held at the ready. As they approached closer, Rejji saw the immenseness of the gates. Finely crafted, thick, metal bars allowed Rejji to peer inside the massive stonewall that surrounded the city of Angragar. He looked down a broad avenue of stone, which was bordered by the shells of destroyed stone buildings. Around the exterior of the wall was an open space devoid of trees or brush.
“Do the Qubari keep the wall clear of the jungle?” Rejji asked Mobi, who was one of the three chosen to enter the ancient city.
“No,” answered Mobi as he walked back along the trail and picked up a long stick. “Watch.”
Mobi walked forward and touched the stick to the stonewall. The end of the stick burst into flames. Mobi shoved the end of the stick into the moist soil and extinguished the flames.
“Nothing can touch the wall without being burned,” explained Mobi. “Only the gates may be touched. Try to open them Bakhai.”
Bakhai approached the gates and pushed on them. Nothing happened. Bakhai put his shoulder to the gates and grunted as he tried to force them open. Finally, he admitted defeat and shook his head.
“So it has been for thousands of years,” declared Mobi. “Voltak, Grank, prepare to enter. The rest of you make camp away from the wall. You are to wait for five days. If we have not returned in that time, return to the village.”
When the Qubari warriors, who would not be entering the ancient city, had moved back to the edge of the jungle, Mobi nodded to Rejji. Rejji approached the gates and prepared to push on them, but as soon as his hand touched the gate, it swung open. He looked back surprisingly and saw the Qubari all bowing to him. He shook his head and strode through the gate. His five companions swiftly followed and when they were inside the gate, Rejji touched it again and the gate swung closed.
“I can’t believe that,” Rejji stated.
“Believe it,” smiled Mobi. “Some things are ordained by God and we must learn to accept them. You lead and we shall follow.”
Rejji nodded and started walking up the broad avenue. The buildings along the avenue were reduced to rubble and large round stones were everywhere. Rejji pictured the elves beyond the wall with large siege engines hurling stones into the city. He wondered why the gates had been left intact. He shook his head and continued marching towards the center of the ancient city. As they progressed, they passed cross streets and the damage to the buildings lessened. As they got further into the city, Rejji was astonished at how well the city was preserved. Since he had entered the jungle he had come to believe that things rotted here faster than anywhere else, but Angragar was well preserved.
The first real feeling of uneasiness struck Rejji only a few blocks into the city. He had a feeling that someone was staring at him and turned quickly to look at the other members of the party. Everyone was scanning the sides of the broad avenue and he returned his attention to the city. In many ways, Angragar reminded Rejji of Khadoratung without the people. Each street he crossed appeared to go on forever and he knew that the city was much larger than anything he had ever seen other than Khadoratung. He tried to imagine the civilization, thousands of years old, which would have lived here, and could not.
Rejji again felt like he was being watched and, as he glanced down a cross street, he thought he saw movement. His hand automatically went to his sword and stayed there. In the distance before him, Rejji saw a break in the rows of buildings that lined the broad avenue and picked up the pace a bit. Mobi suddenly appeared at his side.
“There are beings here,” Mobi whispered.
“Have you seen any?” Rejji asked.
“When we crossed that last street,” Mobi replied. “I did not get a good look, but the glint off a sword caught my eyes. It looked human.”
“Tell the others so they are prepared,” ordered Rejji.
Mobi nodded and disappeared behind Rejji. Rejji heard the soft whispers of his fellow travelers and pushed them out of his mind. He drew his sword as he approached the next cross street. They crossed the street without an incident and Rejji relaxed somewhat. He looked forward and the break in the buildings began to look like a large square. He was thinking about where he should search for the mysteries of Angragar when he heard a cry of alarm. He whirled around and saw three men dressed in black cloaks emerge out of an open doorway. They carried swords and the Qubari warriors moved to put themselves between the beings and Rejji. As the warriors took a defensive stance, one of the attackers moved to go around the Qubari. Grank moved his spear in an attempt to knock the attacker’s legs out from under him.
“Don’t play with him!” shouted Mobi as he shoved his spear into the heart of one of the attackers. “Kill him.”
Mistake whirled and threw a dagger into the throat of the attacker Grank was toying with, while Voltak speared the last attacker. Rejji nodded gratefully and picked up the pace even more. Mistake went to retrieve her dagger and Voltak turned her around.
“Leave it,” Voltak said. “We need to get out of this area before more come.”
Mistake nodded and hurried to catch up to the others. As they passed the next cross street, Mobi appeared alongside Rejji again.
“The bodies of the men we killed are gone,” he whispered.
Rejji halted and turned around. He gazed down the broad avenue and saw nothing but the rows of buildings on each side.
“Did you see who took the bodies?” he asked Mobi.
“I saw nothing and heard nothing,” frowned Mobi. “Where are we heading?”
“I don’t know,” admitted Rejji. “There is a large square coming up in several blocks. I think we will start looking there. Investigating each of these buildings would take years. I intend to concentrate on the larger public buildings, but I do not even know what we are looking for.”
The nagging feeling of being watched became constant for Rejji and he frowned as they entered the large square. There were six large buildings around the square, two on the side they had entered and two on the opposite side. On one adjacent side was a large temple and on the other was a palace. Rejji turned towards the right and entered the first large building, which was three stories tall.
“Let’s split up into pairs,” said Rejji. “Each pair can take a floor. Mistake, you take Grank and cover this floor. Bakhai, take Voltak to the second floor.”
“What are we looking for?” asked Mistake.
“I have no idea,” frowned Rejji. “If you find something important, take it. Otherwise, just try to remember what you have seen and we can discuss it later.”
Rejji raced up the stairs with Mobi on his heels. The third floor appeared to be a series of dormitories and they completed their search swiftly. As they checked the last room on the floor, Rejji walked over to the window overlooking the square. He gazed out the window at the square below and the buildings surrounding it. He frowned as he noticed the length of the shadows and realized that night was fast approaching.
“We are going to need a place to sleep for the night,” he said to Mobi. “It will be dark soon.”
“Maybe we should have waited outside the gates for a new day before entering the city,” pondered Mobi.
As Rejji gazed out the window, he saw shadowy figures several blocks down the broad avenue where it continued on the other side of the square. He leaned out of the window and peered at the street that ran in front of the building he was in. He looked far to the right and far to the left and saw other shadowy figures converging on the square. The figures appeared to be keeping to the shadows and Rejji figured that they were trying to approach unseen.
“There are more hellsouls coming,” Rejji stated. “They are approaching from every direction, but they appear to be more cautious than impatient. Do you think we can hold this building?”
“Depends on how many of them there are,” answered Mobi. “If the group that attacked us are any indication, these creatures are slow. I cannot see how they could protect the city from anyone. I would prefer a building with less entrances though.”
Rejji peered out the window again and looked around the square. He saw a hellsoul enter the building across the square, which looked identical to the building he was in. His eyes landed on the temple and he nodded.
“The temple might be better for us then,” Rejji stated. “I can only see one door to it.”
“If it is like our temple in the village,” offered Mobi, “there will be no other entrance.”
“Let’s join the others and move there before it gets dark,” suggested Rejji.
Mobi followed Rejji down the stairs to the first floor. The others were waiting by the door.
“Any thing important in this building?” asked Rejji.
“There is an armory on the first floor,” offered Mistake. “I grabbed a few more daggers.”
“Nothing on the second floor,” Bakhai offered. “Just dormitories.”
“I think I will see what the armory has,” Voltak said. “I don’t think we can have too many weapons in this city.”
“Just dormitories on the third floor too,” reported Rejji. “This was probably a barracks of some kind. We are heading for the temple next. It has started to get dark out, so we will spend the night in the temple. The hellsouls appear to be converging on the square, so we should keep together.”
A shout and a clash came from down the hall and the group sprinted around the corner. Rejji slid to a halt beside the body of a hellsoul with a spear in his chest. He looked into the armory and saw Voltak nursing his hand.
“What happened?” asked Rejji.
“I don’t know where he came from,” Voltak said. “I was just picking up a sword and he slashed down on my hand with his sword. I dropped the sword I had just picked up, but my spear was not far away. Sure glad he wasn’t any faster.”
“Are you all right?” asked Bakhai.
“Yes,” Voltak replied. “It was just a nick on the hand. I will be fine.”
“Retrieve your spear,” ordered Mobi. “We are moving to the temple.”
Voltak nodded and pulled his spear out of the hellsoul. Rejji led the group out of the building and into the square. He saw hellsouls darting for the shadows and into buildings around the square. He marched the group out into the square to avoid walking near any of the buildings, and then turned towards the temple. He tried to lead the group at a fast walk, but fear gripped him and he ended up running for the steps leading to the temple. The others followed right behind him and as soon as they entered the temple, the group let out a collective sigh.
“Mistake,” ordered Rejji, “take Grank and see if there are any other entrances to this building. Bakhai and Voltak watch the door. Mobi and I are going to find something to barricade the door.”
Rejji and Mobi trotted off and returned carrying a large wooden table. They shoved the table against the door. Mobi ran off again and returned with a large vase and propped it on top of the table.
“That should at least alert us if they try to get in,” stated Mobi.
“No other entrances,” reported Mistake as she and Grank returned.
“Good,” responded Rejji. “I think we should eat and then get some sleep so we can get an early start in the morning. We will take turns guarding the door during the night.”
“Can we have a fire or will that alert them to where we are?” asked Grank.
“I am sure they know we are here,” frowned Rejji. “Light a fire if you wish. I am going upstairs to a balcony I saw from the other building.”
Rejji climbed the stairs and Mistake followed. They found the balcony with little trouble, although the inside of the temple was quite dark. They stepped out onto the balcony and Rejji noticed that the sun had set. They city was a maze of shadows of gray and black and Rejji knew it would be all black soon. They walked cautiously to the edge of the balcony and gazed down on the square.
“There are hundreds of them,” he frowned. “We cannot kill all of them. Look, they infest every building even. I think they allowed us to get to the city center so that they could make sure that we never left.”
“Not every building,” corrected Mistake. “They seem to be avoiding this one. There is not even one on the steps below.”
Rejji looked below and nodded. “I wonder why?” he queried. “Do you think they are afraid of the temple because they know we are in it?”
“They weren’t afraid to enter the barracks and they knew we were there,” declared Mistake. “I think they are just afraid of the temple.”
“I think you are right,” agreed Rejji. “I imagine they might fear entering the house of the god that left them captive here. That suits me fine. We should get some torches after the meal and explore the temple while we are stuck here.”
Mistake gasped and grabbed Rejji’s hand. She pointed to a figure that had just approached the temple steps, but had stopped before reaching them. Rejji could feel Mistake’s hand trembling and he focused on the figure.
“There is no way that thing could be alive, Rejji,” she said haltingly.
“Not with your knife still in its throat,” agreed Rejji. “These things are not really alive, so how can we kill them?”
“Let’s find what we need to and get out of this city,” suggested Mistake.
“I wish it was that simple,” sighed Rejji. “We have no idea what we are looking for. I wish the Sage had been clearer on the subject.”
“Maybe we have already found what we came for,” offered Mistake. “He said to discover the mystery of Angragar and learn the mysteries of yourself. Perhaps knowing for sure that you are the Astor is what he meant.”
“He also said our fate lies within the walls,” added Rejji, “so I think it is more than just opening the gate.”
“Perhaps,” agreed Mistake, “but the mark is on your hand so I think he was talking to you. He must have known you were the long awaited Astor and that is why he sent us here.”
“What am I supposed to do as Astor?” sighed Rejji. “The Qubari act like I am a god. I just want to help the people of Fakara. I don’t want to be a god.”
“Not a god,” smiled Mistake. “You are a special servant of God. Why do you fight it? Had your father never left the jungle, you would probably have ended up as the chief and Bakhai as the shaman. Why is this so different?”
“I don’t know,” admitted Rejji. “I am barely older than a boy and all of these people are depending on me. I fear letting them down I guess.”
“Then try hard not to let them down,” suggested Mistake. “Nobody can ask more of you than you will ask of yourself. Just do your best.”
“Let’s go get some torches and explore,” Rejji said. “The meal can wait.”
“You go ahead,” responded Mistake. “I want to contact Yltar and let him know what we have found. I will be along shortly.”
Rejji nodded and found his way to the stairs and descended to the first floor. He reported his observations to the others.
“That makes our task more difficult,” observed Mobi. “Still, knowing they do not care for the temple is a blessing. We have decided to split the watch between my men and myself. The three of you can use the time to explore or sleep as suits you. I will prepare the meal and call you when it is ready.”
“I found torches,” added Bakhai. “It will make searching at night possible. Shall we get started?”
Rejji nodded and Bakhai handed him a torch. Rejji lit the torch in the fire that Grank had just lit and turned to explore one side of the first floor. Bakhai lit his torch and went in the opposite direction. Rejji found mostly storage rooms as he explored until he came to the library. The room was huge and had floor to ceiling shelves, which were loaded with ancient books. Racks in the center of the room held thousands of scrolls. He glanced at the books along the shelf and realized that they would all predate the time of Vand. He could not imagine that they would hold any clue as to his fate. He ran his finger along one shelf and noticed that there was no dust on the shelf. He wondered how anything could last for thousands of years and not even have dust on it. He shook his head and headed for the next room.
As he was walking down the corridor, he heard Bakhai calling his name. He turned and ran towards the sound. He reached the entrance hall and turned to the right, just as Mistake bounded off the stairs. He passed through a massive room with benches and an altar, with Mistake right behind him. Bakhai kept calling, but his voice sounded excited, not frantic. Off to one side of the altar was a doorway and Rejji raced through it. He ran down the hallway and through the doorway at the end where he could see a flicker of light that he assumed was Bakhai’s torch.
As he raced into the room, he saw Bakhai standing in a large room with a long table in it. The table was ringed with chairs and murals adorned the walls. He did not see any danger and he slowed to a walk.
“What have you found?” asked Rejji as Mistake moved beside him.
“Something you are not going to believe,” Bakhai declared. “Take a look at the mural on the far wall.”
Rejji tired to see the wall mural, but he was too far away and mural was in darkness. He walked around the table and held his torch up high to shed light on the mural.
“I don’t believe it,” gasped Rejji. “How can this be? This place is thousands of years old. It just isn’t possible.”
“And yet there it is,” Mistake said haltingly. “I think you have discovered your fate, Rejji.”
Rejji stepped closer and held the torch close to the mural. He shook his head in disbelief. The mural was a perfect picture of Lord Marak holding his wicked-looking sinuous sword. On one side of him was a young woman and a blue star shone from her finger. On the other side was a picture of Rejji holding a staff with three red rings around the tip. A crescent mark was just visible on the other end of the staff where the likeness of Rejji’s hand held it. Above each of the three people were symbols. The woman had a five-pointed star above her. Lord Marak had his sword above him and Rejji had the crescent above his likeness.
“It is as if this is all preordained,” Bakhai said softly.
“Only part of it,” corrected Mistake. “The Sage indicated that there are many paths to the future and any one future depends upon the actions of many people.”
“You mean if I had died before getting here that the picture might have been of somebody else when they arrived?” questioned Rejji.
“Perhaps,” frowned Mistake, “or maybe you and Lord Marak would also exist at another time in history until you all got together. Maybe you both have existed before in time and the reason it has taken thousands of years is because those earlier versions of you never made it this far. I don’t really know, but I would sure like to talk to that Sage again. This is too strange.”
“Who are the other people?” Mobi asked from behind them.
“The one in the center is Lord Marak,” Rejji answered. “I do not know the woman.”
“I think what you seek here in Angragar must be that staff,” declared Mobi. “If I were king and had possession of something like that, I would keep it in the treasure room at the palace.”
“Then that is where we head in the morning,” decided Rejji.
“That may be a problem,” frowned Mobi. “The treasure rooms were sealed with magic. The meal is ready. Let us discuss this while we eat.”
The group returned to the entrance hall and Mobi explained to his men what he had seen. His men merely nodded and Rejji frowned.
“Why are you Qubari not surprised at what we found?” he asked.
“You are the Astor,” explained Mobi. “Your coming has been foretold for thousands of years. Why should we be surprised that God would know what you would look like? If he placed that mark on your hand at birth, why do you find it hard to believe that he shaped your face also?”
“So it is not that the picture looks like Rejji, but that Rejji was made to look like the picture,” nodded Mistake. “That makes more sense.”
“So what am I to do with this staff?” asked Rejji. “What am I supposed to do with my life?”
“I do not know about the staff,” answered Mobi, “but I think the mural is clear about your path. Did you not make an agreement with Lord Marak?”
“I did,” nodded Rejji.
“Then proceed with your plan,” replied Mobi. “This Lord Marak plays an important part in what is to happen, as do you. If you both have agreed to do something, I have to believe that it is the right thing to do.”
Rejji nodded and everyone finished their meal. Grank had drawn the first watch and the others bedded down for the night.
Mistake awoke first and stirred the embers of the fire until it flamed up. She looked towards the door and saw Voltak sprawled on the floor. She quickly scanned the sleeping bodies and saw Mobi and Grank sleeping and realized that Voltak was supposed to be guarding the door. She woke Mobi and they headed towards the door.
“He was fine when he took the watch from me,” Mobi said softly. “He does not look good now. His cut hand is ice cold, yet his body fevers.”
“Poison?” queried Mistake.
“I do not know,” frowned Mobi as he cracked the door open. “It is beginning to lighten. Wake the others up.”
Mistake woke everyone and they gathered around Voltak.
“We need to get him to the village,” Mobi declared. “If you stay in the temple, I can carry him to the gates and send him to the village with my men.”
“You will need Rejji to open the gate,” reminded Bakhai.
“I had forgotten,” frowned Mobi.
“Let us dash to the palace treasure room and then we can all leave the city,” suggested Rejji. “I do not like the thought of you going alone anyway. If we do not give the hellsouls any advance warning, they may be taken by surprise.”
Mobi nodded and gathered his spear. Rejji peeked out the door and saw no hellsouls in the square. They left Voltak on the floor and slipped quietly out of the door of the temple. Rejji started across the square at a very fast walk, hoping to silently cross the square. They got halfway across the square before a shriek rent the air.