Rejji announced that they had reached their destination and Squad Leader Botal signaled for the column to halt at the edge of the Qubari Jungle. Botal dismounted and indicated that the squad should make camp.
“We will be leaving the horses here,” Rejji said to Lord Marak.
Rejji felt he was being watched and he waved in the direction of the jungle. Marak issued orders to Botal to keep the squad on alert, but ordered that they were not to enter the jungle. Rejji led Marak, Gunta, and Halman into the jungle.
“Welcome home, Astor,” Mobi called softly.
“Greetings, Mobi,” smiled Rejji. “Meet Lord Marak and his men, Gunta and Halman.”
“Welcome Khadoran friends of the Astor,” smiled Mobi as he appeared on the trail before them.
“Thank you for allowing us to enter your realm,” replied Lord Marak.
“Are you alone?” quizzed Rejji.
“I am,” answered Mobi. “Dumo felt it best if I was the only one to accompany you into the city.”
“Actually,” frowned Rejji, “there is no need for you to enter Angragar again. You have already shown your courage and skill. I merely wanted a guide to the ancient city from this direction. How is Voltak?”
“Voltak is fine,” responded Mobi. “The timing was close, but adequate for his recovery. I will show you the way to Angragar as you wish. I will also accompany you into the city unless you expressly forbid it. I do not do this to show my bravery or courage. I do it to protect the Astor and because I consider it an honor.”
“Mobi speaks wisely,” smiled Marak, sensing that the Qubari was feeling as if Rejji thought the Khadorans were better than the jungle warriors. “As Astor, you are important to your people. It took me a while to accept Halman and Gunta as my shadows, but I have never regretted it. There can be no finer warrior in the jungle than one who lives here.”
“You are both correct,” nodded Rejji. “I fear the loss of any Qubari, but this struggle is as much theirs as anyone’s. I welcome you to this expedition, Mobi, and I am glad that you made me see the faults of my thinking. Let’s go to Angragar.”
Mobi grinned as he spun and led the way down the narrow trail. Mobi stepped up the pace gradually as he sought the optimum speed for the Khadorans in their fancy outfits. He thought he would feel more distaste for the foreigners, but the sight of the warrior, who he had seen in the mural, and his understanding words, pleased Mobi. The pace he was able to maintain also pleased him. Well after the sun had set, Mobi called a halt and indicated they would spend the night in the clearing just off the trail.
“We are not far from Angragar,” announced Mobi. “We will be able to enter as the sun rises.”
Mobi prepared a meal and Lord Marak peppered him with questions about the jungle and the Qubari people. Mobi appeared pleased with the interest Marak showed and began asking questions about life in Khadora. Mobi’s eyes landed on Marak’s sword as the Khadoran lord removed his black cape.
“Is that the snake sword in the mural?” Mobi asked.
“I have not seen the mural yet,” reminded Marak as he drew the sword and handed it to Mobi. “Did it look like this?”
Mobi nodded his head and held the Sword of Torak up to examine it. “What is so special about this sword?”
“I really do not know,” frowned Marak. “It was a gift from the Chula people to me, yet I have been told not to say that it is a gift. It has great significance to the Chula. They call it the Sword of Torak, which is also the name I chose for my clan.”
“It feels lighter than I would expect from just looking at it,” admired Mobi. “So you are considered the Torak as Rejji is considered the Astor?”
“Yes,” nodded Lord Marak, “but I do not know the meaning of it. The Chula say in time I shall know. That is one of the reasons I wish to see this mural.”
“I understand,” stated Mobi. “I know much confuses Rejji as well. I guess it is for God to tell you what it means when the time comes. We only know that the coming of the Astor has been foretold for centuries. The Qubari are excited.”
“Maybe the mysteries can be solved in Angragar,” posed Marak as he took the sword back from Mobi. Mistake mentioned a large library there.”
“Yes but we did not have time to really examine it,” interjected Rejji. “Do you think books that old would reveal anything?”
“The mural is just as old,” reminded Marak. “If the Astor and the Torak can be pictured in a mural, then perhaps the books hold clues as well.”
“It is dangerous to remain there for a long time,” warned Rejji. “While the hellsouls did not enter the temple last time, there is nothing to say that they won’t become less fearful this time.”
“Then we shall strike fear into their hearts,” promised Marak. “Instead of fleeing from them, perhaps we should engage them. The four of us can use our skills to slay them, and you can use your staff to ensure they do not return.”
“There are hundreds of them,” warned Mobi. “We could be overwhelmed quickly.”
“Then we run,” chuckled Lord Marak. “What I am saying that we should try to do,” added Marak as he turned serious, “is to attack them straight on, so that they have cause for fear instead of us. I do not expect that we can kill them all, but fear can be a powerful weapon too.”
“I understand,” nodded Mobi. “Fear has gripped the hearts of many who have entered the jungle. The plan might buy us enough time to accomplish what we want to. Let us rest long this night then, so we are fresh in the morning.”
The group finished their meal and retired for the night. Rejji awoke before the lightening of the sky and saw that he was the last to awaken. Halman and Gunta sat around a small fire and ate the morning meal, while Marak and Mobi talked softly in the bushes a few paces away. Rejji helped himself to some food and wandered over to the conversation.
“If they could be delivered to an enemy,” Marak was saying, “then they could tip the balance of a battle.”
“As long as the enemy did not know of the aftereffects,” nodded Mobi.
“Would if be possible for me to take a lygrim plant with me to Khadora?” Lord Marak asked.
“I will ask Dumo when we return to the village,” stated Mobi. “I do not foresee any problem with your request though. It may not survive well in Khadora, but I am sure you have already thought about that.”
“I am sure my mages can come up with something to keep it healthy,” replied Marak.
“How could the lygrim be a weapon?” asked Rejji.
“Because of the long sleep that follows when you stop,” responded Mobi. “If the enemy thought that there was no price to pay for the extra energy and had their troops eat it, the army would sleep soundly after they got to where they are going.”
“So the army would be very vulnerable,” nodded Rejji. “That is a great idea if you could get the enemy to buy it.”
“It is just something to keep in the back of your mind,” declared Marak. “Now that the Astor has arisen, we should begin our trek to Angragar.”
Halman and Gunta were already extinguishing the fire as Rejji returned to the campsite. Everyone gathered their belongings and Mobi led the group onto the trail as the first rays of the sun started to filter through the jungle canopy. It was less than hour to Angragar and Mobi led the group at a steady, but not punishing pace. As they arrived at the large gates, the Khadorans drew their swords and Rejji touched the gate to open it.
“Protect the Astor well, my friend,” Gunta said softly to Mobi. “He is the key to our survival.”
“Nothing shall touch him,” nodded Mobi as Rejji closed the gate.
“Does this street lead to the temple?” queried Lord Marak.
“Yes,” Rejji responded. “It is quite a ways up it though.”
“Then allow me to lead,” suggested Lord Marak as he signaled Gunta to the right and Halman to the left. “If Mobi will cover our rear, I think we can keep you in the middle of us safely. Touch each hellsoul that you can reach safely, but leave those that would require you to leave our circle.”
Rejji had seen enough of the skill of the Torak soldiers to agree to Marak’s plan and he nodded. Marak led the group along the broad avenue with Rejji protected in the center of the human diamond. They walked silently and their eyes never stopped scanning the streets and buildings. They progressed three blocks before Halman made a hand signal indicating trouble ahead. As they approached the next intersection, Rejji felt his staff warm his hand. Halman halted short of the corner and let the rest of the party continue. As they entered the intersection, three hellsouls appeared to their left on the cross street.
Lord Marak stepped towards them and swung his long sinuous sword. He swiftly decapitated the first hellsoul. The body disappeared in smoke and Marak converged on the second. Halman stepped out of his hidden position and attacked the last hellsoul, which had not seen him. The small battle was over in seconds as Marak moved back into position at the head of the group. Rejji touched the body of the hellsoul that Halman had killed with his staff and the body dissipated instantly. There were no bodies from the two that Lord Marak had killed.
“Lord Marak,” Rejji called softly. “You didn’t leave any bodies.”
“I noticed that,” Marak frowned. “Has this happened before with anything other than your staff?”
“No,” Rejji replied. “The last time it was like the one Halman killed.”
“I suspect the Sword of Torak has similar properties to your staff,” Mobi stated. “Did it warm your hand, Lord Marak?”
“I did not notice,” Marak admitted. “Let us worry about it later.”
The group returned to silence as Lord Marak led them deeper into the ancient city of Angragar. A shriek was heard in the distance as they passed a cross street and Rejji saw one of the creatures several blocks away. Rejji expected Lord Marak to pick up the pace after the shriek, but the Khadoran stayed with the same steady pace they had started with. He wondered if Lord Marak had even heard the shriek or knew what it meant.
“They know we are coming now,” Rejji said nervously, but Lord Marak just nodded.
As they got closer to the square in the center of the city, more shrieks were heard and more hellsouls were seen down the cross streets. Everyone in the party knew that the hellsouls were gathering in the square to attack the humans, but nobody spoke. Lord Marak kept their advance to a steady and predictable pace. Half a block from the square, Lord Marak suddenly stopped.
“Mobi, be very careful now,” Marak said softly. “They will come from my end first, but soon they will come your way too. Pay no attention to what we are doing up here. If you feel there are too many at your end, shout.”
The group stood in the center of the broad avenue and waited in an eerie silence. For several minutes, nothing happened. Eventually, a hellsoul appeared in the square and peered down the avenue. It stood there for a moment, perhaps perplexed by the halt of the humans, and then it let out a loud shriek and moved towards them. Others could be seen coming around the corners of the building in the square. Halman and Gunta moved forward and stood abreast of Lord Marak. Soon the square was blotted out as the black shapes funneled into the broad avenue.
Marak swung the Sword of Torak as the first black shape stepped close enough for him to reach. The head of the hellsoul went flying upwards and turned into a puff of dark cloud as its body fell to the ground as a pile of cloth. Shrieks echoed off the buildings as the wave of hellsouls continued forward. Soon, the three Torak soldiers were swinging their swords back and forth. Bodies started to pile up around Halman and Gunta and Rejji darted behind each of them in turn and touched his staff to hellsouls as they fell. Rejji heard Mobi behind him clashing with his spear and suddenly Mobi’s voice rang out.
“More than I can handle back here. The dead are starting to rise.”
“Now we move forward,” called out Lord Marak.
The three Torak soldiers screamed as loudly as they could and started moving forward, felling the hellsouls as they advanced. The hellsouls hesitated at the sound of the screams, and as they saw the black clad Torak soldiers coming at them through the billowing cloud of smoke, many of them turned and ran. Those that didn’t run were sliced by the long two-handed swords wielded by the Khadorans. Rejji ran after the Khadorans in a zigzag as he raced to touch each fallen body with his staff. As they entered the square, Marak saw that the hellsouls had spread out into a large semicircle, which he figured is what they had planned all along.
“Which way is the temple?” he called out.
“The large building on the right side of the square,” Rejji answered.
“Get ready to run,” ordered Marak. “As soon as we show which direction we are going, the others will try to close in on us. My men will open a path for you to run through. Don’t worry about touching their dead; just get the door open for us. Now!”
The Khadorans turned as one and charged the portion of the semicircle that blocked their path to the temple. Shrieks filled the square, as the intent of the humans became known. Halman and Gunta stopped short and turned to face the curve of the semicircle as the hellsouls converged on them. Marak continued onward and started slashing at the thin line of hellsouls with his long sword. Rejji raced through the gap created by the Khadorans with Mobi on his heels. Mobi halted on the steps of the temple and turned to face the square as Halman and Gunta slowly backed their way towards the temple.
Rejji shouted as he opened the door and Marak signaled his men to fall back as he continued to slice through the hellsouls. As soon as he felt his men pass him, Marak turned and ran. They dashed through the door and Rejji slammed it closed.
“Anybody get cut?” questioned Mobi.
They all shook their heads.
“Wasn’t that a little risky?” questioned Rejji. “We could have been trapped in that block.”
“Not as risky as you think,” answered Lord Marak. “Their swords are a lot shorter than ours. They could not cut us unless we made a mistake.”
“They are also slower,” added Gunta. “And now they are about fifty fewer in number.”
“At least fifty,” Mobi grinned. “And they are afraid of us now. I like that feeling much better than last time. Dumo will like you Khadorans.”
“If the other Qubari fight as you do, Mobi,” smiled Marak, “Dumo is a fortunate chief indeed. Let’s rest a minute before we go to the mural.”
“Did you scream to scare them?” asked Rejji.
“The screaming by itself would not scare them,” explained Halman. “It breaks their concentration and causes hesitation if they are not expecting it. When put together with a change in posture, such as us advancing rather than defending, it can cause great uncertainty.”
“And being uncertain is not the best feeling in a pitched battle,” added Gunta. “They fled back to the square where they were more comfortable, but that in itself gives them a new feeling of being defensive rather than aggressive.”
“They are not so afraid that they will not attack us again,” interjected Lord Marak. “It is just enough to make them wary. What we must avoid is allowing them to surround us. That is why I stopped mid-block so they only had two approaches to us. If they had had four, we would have been in serious trouble.”
“Will we do the same thing to get out of the city?” asked Rejji.
“No,” answered Marak. “Always do the unexpected. I think we shall try to sneak out at night.”
“They will be hard to see in the night,” protested Mobi as he lit a torch.
“So will we,” smiled Marak. “And the Sword of Torak does warn of their close presence as the staff does. Let’s worry about our departure when the time comes. I am ready to see the mural.”
Rejji led the group past the stairs and through the large room with the altar. He opened the door at the end of the hallway and went to the far end of the long table. Mobi caught up to the group and raised a torch high above his head. Lord Marak stood staring at the mural for a few minutes.
“That is Lyra, the Star of Sakova,” declared Lord Marak.
“You know her?” quizzed Rejji.
“Yes,” nodded Marak. “She is around our age and leads the Sakovan people, far south of Fardale. I visited with her not long ago. This makes me more curious than ever. It indicates that our three lives are intertwined in one fate. Mobi, what is the name of your god?”
“Kaltara,” Mobi answered. “Have you heard of him?”
“Indeed I have,” nodded Lord Marak. “Kaltara is the god of the Sakovans.”
“So we have Lord Marak flanked by two people who have been chosen by this god, Kaltara,” posed Gunta, “yet in Khadora we have many gods and don’t take any seriously. This does not make sense.”
“Perhaps,” murmured Lord Marak as he wondered what god the Chula worshipped.
Very few people knew that Lord Marak was actually half Chula, and none of them were in the room. As he rolled the riddle around in his mind, Marak was struck by the fact that Lyra was only half Sakovan and had never heard of Kaltara before entering the Sakova. He had recently been told that Rejji was half Qubari and also had never heard of Kaltara. He mentally nodded at the strange parallels developing.
“Gunta,” ordered Marak, “check out this entire building for exits and I don’t mean street level doors. Halman, search for rope, lots of it. We will be leaving tonight via an unorthodox exit and then sneaking out of the city, hopefully undetected. The rest of us will be in the library. Join us when you are done.”
The two Khadoran shadows left the room and Lord Marak nodded to Rejji that he was ready to leave. Rejji led the way back to the entrance hall and turned left towards the library. The volume of books and scrolls present in the library stunned Lord Marak. He walked around the room, inspecting the shelves of books and settled on the floor near the only shelf that was not entirely filled, figuring that the shelf would be the most current works.
“I will start here,” announced Marak. “If you find anything about Sakova, or Star of Sakova, or Torak, or Astor, shout.”
Rejji and Mobi split up and started going through the books. After a while, Gunta and Halman arrived and Lord Marak instructed them on what to search for. They searched for hours and hours and grew tired and frustrated, as they could find no mention of any of the terms. The search extended into the night and finally Mobi called them all together.
“I have found a scroll that mentions you,” Mobi stated.
“Read it to us,” requested Rejji.
Mobi nodded, “The great evil, having been cast out of the land, shall seek to return and destroy all that is good. Persistently, it will seek out the weak and the strong until it finds the perfect host. It will devour this host and empower it to deceive and destroy. This host will rise in the form of a man and seek to take power from those Kaltara has appointed. The good and the holy will renounce this man and throw him out of the kingdom and consider the matter completed, but that will be the beginning of turmoil. For this great evil will rise and deceive allies to wage war on one another. He will raise himself above men and declare that he is god. Great multitudes will waver in their faith and follow the evil, and they shall build a great temple unto this false god and they shall declare the evil the highest god of all.”
Seeing the Mobi was having a hard time reading and holding the torch, Gunta took the torch from Mobi’s hand and held it aloft for him.
“Kaltara will become angered and strike out at the multitudes. He will rent the earth and cause the sea to swallow the faithless. Kaltara will scatter the survivors to the far shores of the world and rebuke them to return to the faith, but the great evil will resist. He will find a new home and flourish once again. The people of this new home will flee in desperation and burn their ships and sear their minds to eliminate their return and their fears. The great evil will devour all that exists in his home and yearn for more. Eventually, the magics used to sear the minds will fail because of intermarriage and the evil will be summoned once again. This will be known as the Time of Calling.”
“Time of Calling?” interrupted Rejji.
Mobi nodded and continued, “In the Time of Calling, Kaltara will send forth the Torak and the Star and the Astor and they shall gather the faithful and the faithless as one to stand against the evil. When the evil arrives, the Time of Cleansing begins. The great evil will battle Kaltara’s trio unto the death. Ask me not of the outcome, for this was the end of my vision.”
“So this was the recording of somebody’s vision,” concluded Lord Marak. “And the mural was probably a depiction of what he saw, but what is this great evil?”
“From the reading, I suspect the great evil was embodied in Vand,” responded Mobi. “He was a man who declared himself god thousands of years ago in the time when Angragar was a great city. He built Vandegar Temple as a monument to himself. Legend says that the plains of Vandegar were split in two and one half was swallowed by the sea when he defied God.”
“And what Dumo calls the invaders,” interjected Rejji, “were really the people fleeing from wherever Vand went?”
“I believe so,” nodded Mobi.
“What of the searing of their minds?” asked Marak. “And the part about intermarriage calling the evil?”
“I can only guess,” offered Mobi. “Yltar may be able to decipher it better, but I think they may have used magic to forget where they came from, and the magic might be countered by intermarriage.”
“So the invaders tried to kill all of the indigenous peoples,” added Lord Marak. “No intermarriages and they would be safe, but does that mean someone like Rejji being a half-breed would call this evil?”
“I do not think Rejji is at fault for this,” Mobi said. “Grulak may be though. He is also a half-breed and has made Vandegar Temple his home. He is rumored to be crazy as well. Also, the vision showed the three of you coming during the Time of Calling, which means the one to start it had to come before you.”
“Sounds to me like this Grulak must die quickly,” interjected Halman. “Perhaps the Time of Calling will end with his death.”
“With a Jiadin army of tens of thousands,” frowned Mobi, “I think keeping the Astor alive is a more immediate task than killing Grulak. We need time to prepare for this evil whatever it is.”
“And time is something we are always short on,” nodded Marak. “Take the scroll and let us get out of this city while it is still dark. Have you found our exit, Gunta?”
“Second story at the back is another balcony,” Gunta declared. “We will be two blocks away from where they think we are. Hundreds were gathered in the square when I last looked so there cannot be many in the other parts of the city. If we are stealthy, we will reach the gates undetected.”
“Let’s go then,” decided Lord Marak.