Secrets of the Fortress 'sorcery'

by John Victor

  “I want to show you around this place where you will be staying for a while.”

  Emily said nothing else as she looked blankly at him and began following him with a feeling of stabbing him to death. She kept her cool as he was showing her the lobby. She looked inside and some men stared at her but returned to their duties.

  After showing her few other places, Emily concluded that she was the only female present in the castle. She noticed they had gotten to a place where nobody present. He told her the place was very sacred and only few people were allowed to go to that part of the castle.

  Emily then remembered a man came for her in the morning and decided to ask Kujoo about it. “Did you send anyone to me this morning?”

  He turned his face sharply towards her surprised. “No, I didn’t, did you see anyone?”

  “Actually, I did. He told me you sent for me and had the intention of bringing me to you but almost got me killed in the process.”

  “I think we have an intruder in this building and we’ll get him soon, but I have to show you the whole place.”

  Emily was surprised at the quick reply but she was quick to speak for him not to sense her doubts. They continued their tour round the castle as she heard a scream coming from somewhere below them, Master Kujoo seemed not to hear.

  Emily knew something was wrong with the place but she had no right to speak. She whispered to herself as they got to the floor where she heard a voice “I just got here, I know nothing.” As she passed a door, she saw something on the floor. She looked bewildered, “Is that blood I’m seeing over there?” noticing her voice was loud, she looked beside her to see if Kujoo heard, he was gone.

  * * *

  Evalle looked at the man again expecting him to talk to her. She was glad and scared as he began to talk to her. ”I am the librarian here, what do you want?” Emily screamed “Librarian? Is this place a library? How did it come to be?” He stared at her more intensely “What can I do for you, Master?” “I am his Master?” Emily asked herself in surprise.

  “Could you please tell me how this place got into my house? And why are you calling me master.”

  “Ma’am, you built this place with an ancient spell, and you asked me to watch over it for you. I waited for you for several years, but you never came back.”

  Evalle was so shocked but impressed that this man has been loyal even though she does not recognize him. “Why can’t I recognize you?”

  “You have to find your memory since you died and came back as a new being. Your mother had to give her life for you to find this place, although, she didn’t know of it.”

  Emily slumped on a chair beside her as she heard what caused her mother’s death. She then stood up with determination, “let me go through these books.” He nodded his head in approval as she set to read. Each book was locked with magic in which she alone could open.

  As she opened the first book, something struck her and she whispered aloud. ”This is the diary of the previous me, if I can read it, I think I will have an idea on what to do next”.

  As she began reading, she felt different emotions arise within her as tears flowed from her eyes. She was beginning to remember, how she defeated a great beast she found when her school went on excursion into the Jungle.

  She remembered how she left her mates without them noticing her as she squeezed herself into a hole she found on the ground. She didn’t know why but she felt something pulling her to the place.

  She got in to find a dark tunnel, moving forward, she found another path that led to the light. She began to move faster until she got to a large hole where she found a creature staring at her.

  She tried to run back but met the creature in front of her breathing fire as it spoke “You can’t run from me now, I’ve been hungry for so many years, I’ll be so glad to feast on you now.” Emily gave him an arrogant stare, and he moved to pounce on her but stopped abruptly. She was removing all her clothes. He began moving closer to her, getting famished for the tasty flesh in front of him. He stopped again.

  CHAPTER 3

  Right in front of the creature, Evalle was turning into a demon, a beast that it hadn’t seen in its lifetime. By the time she was fully transformed, the creature was hiding behind a huge rock. The lady beast moved swiftly towards the rock.

  Her arms swerved into the air as she struck the rock with her fist, slicing it in two. The beast looked terrified as he saw her staring at him with angry blue eyes. She reached for its neck with one arm and raised it very high until it was screaming and begging for mercy.

  Evalle retracted her arm and delivered a punch to its face instead. Falling to the floor, it yelled in pain. She raised it up again as if trying to get some information but threw him to the far end of the cave.

  The creature was filled with rage as it looked at her. It sprang towards her but she was prepared for it and hit it square on the face making it fall to the floor, lifeless.

  She was brought back to the present as she heard a deafening sound. Some books fell off the shelf when she used leg to hit it. Right in front of her lay a book with a bright cover. She got interested in it and she picked it up.

  She began examining the book’s cover as it looked different from the other ones she had seen or read but the more she tried, the harder it was for the book to open.

  * * *

  Emily looked at the floor to confirm if she was seeing things. As she stooped, the door opened a bit as she saw a group of men cutting something on a very large table. She couldn’t see it but it was clearly something that once lived.

  She wanted to know what it really was when a tall man shut the door. What is a wild animal doing around here? She wondered aloud.

  She continued walking down the passage when she saw Kujoo walking ahead. She walked faster so she could get to him. She left the path and moved to another passage and sat on the floor, breathing heavily.

  Why did Kujoo leave me here? He was walking with me but disappeared just in time for me to see those people. My instincts tell me that something is really wrong with this place. I need to move out of here as fast as possible.

  Emily screamed as she got up and ran towards Kujoo “My father.”

  As she got to him, she forgot why she ran but started shouting at him “Why did you leave me alone?”

  “I didn’t leave you, you seemed so taken aback and I decided to leave you to yourself.”

  “But that’s a lie, I was talking to you, then you vanished” She screamed at him. The air seemed to be getting thinner around Kujoo.

  * * *

  “Emily tried to open the book, but it didn’t get to open. She stood up from the chair and moved towards the shelf, searching for other books that had the type of cover possessed by that book. She tried to open the first one but the same thing happened until she got to the last one.

  She slammed the book on the table and headed for the librarian’s table screaming at him.

  “Why can’t I open some of the books?”

  “I don’t know why you are asking me that” he asked, looking confused.

  “You said I created this place, I can’t get to open a silly book.” That’s pretty annoying, you know?”

  “I don’t know why ma’am, but I think you should be able to open all the books here.”

  She left the side of his table and moved few inches before asking for the way out of the library. He snapped his fingers and a door appeared right at the spot she came in through. She said a goodbye by waving her hands and left after he returned the gesture.

  Evalle was immediately headed for her guardian’s house. As she got home, her mother was sitting on the couch, not saying anything. She ran immediately to her and shook her arm, no movement. She carried her in her arms and wept after seeing her broken neck.

  Who would have done this to such a peaceful lady? Life is so cruel. She thought.

  * * *

  Kujoo felt so tensed and he started walking slowly away from Emily and she was moving towards
him. She then remembered why she ran after him as she screamed at him “Where is my father?”

  “Your father? What happened to him?”

  “You are asking me that? You were one that said he was sleeping when I saw him yesterday, weren’t you?” Tears were beginning to drop from her eyes.

  “Yes, he was sleeping, but now, he’s no longer with us.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “I mean what I say. We do not have him here anymore. He should be in Africa right now.”

  “What is he doing in Africa?” she asked bluntly.

  “He’s having a nice time, we placed him in a nice place and I think he’ll do just fine over there.”

  “Okay, will you please give me the address? I can’t still believe you could do this. For heaven sake, I am his daughter and you shouldn’t be hiding this sort of thing fro. . .” As she turned to look at Kujoo, she didn’t find him beside her anymore, she just let the words slip out of her mouth as she stamped her feet on the hard tar angrily. “He is gone again?”

  He was suddenly staring at her again and she let herself scream. “How did you do that?”

  “What did I do?” He asked looking a bit surprised.

  “You appear and disappear at will. I really hate it, I was talking to …” The passage began to spin round Emily until she fell to the floor.

  CHAPTER 4

  Evalle ran to the garden and lay on the floor, weeping bitterly. Her only family was dead and there was nowhere else she could go. She just kept crying. “She said she does not have a relative, I don’t even know of any. How am I supposed to get rid of her body?” She asked herself still seeming uncertain on what to do.

  She stood up and went back into the house. She came back to the garden with a shovel and dug for several hours. When she was done, she went in to get the dead body, threw it into the hole and covered it up.

  Evalle ran into her room, packed her luggage and proceeded to leave the house when she found something beside her bed, she picked it up and opened it. Evalle saw that it was a map describing some unknown place. “This doesn’t look complete” she whispered to herself.

  She left the house for the library, after putting the map in her bag. She then decided she was going to stay in the library until she got more answers.

  As she got into the library, she immediately settled down to read a book when she noticed that the librarian was not there. She stood up and went to his table but he was not there either. She then saw something that looked familiar, laying on the table.

  She remembered the incomplete map she found in her room and recognized the one on the table as the other half. She picked it up and placed it in her pocket.

  * * *

  “I think something is wrong with you, Ms. Emily, you are seeing things. I am still the same and didn’t go anywhere.”

  “I don’t think so sir.” Emily barked back at him.

  “You really need to take a rest.” Kujoo said as he finally began to leave her alone. Emily stormed back towards the direction of her room and decided to check back at the strange room she passed by. Maybe I am seeing things Kujoo may be right, for the first time. She said to herself after a long walk.

  As she approached the room, everywhere seemed quiet as she couldn’t hear any sound. She opened the door and stepped into the room. The room was small with a light bulb hanging from the ceiling, right in the center of the room.

  The room was empty but Emily noticed traces of blood on the floor. She traced the blood from the door to a corner of the room where it stopped. She looked in front of her and saw what seemed to be a door. She pushed, it flung wide open.

  Emily felt goose bumps appear all over her skin. The room was cold and constructed like a refrigerator. She was about to open one of the cabinets when she heard someone enter the other room.

  She immediately dashed under a table she found. The goose bumps on her skin seemed to grow bigger. Emily began to feel dizzy as it seemed like years under the table. Everything went black.

  * * *

  Evalle went round the library in search of the librarian and discovered she had only been reading the books on a shelf in the library and there were many more. As she finished her tour without positive results, she was headed back for his table when she saw him sitting.

  This really shocked Evalle and she almost ran away but then reminded herself that he was not human. “Where did you go to?” She asked.

  “I went home.”

  “Home? I thought this is your home.”

  “No ma’am, I have a home far away from this place and I only have permission to go twice a liguin.

  “What is a liguin?” Evalle asked, looking curious.

  “It is four decades.”

  “Oh, I see.” She replied as she turned to leave when she saw a strange looking pair of glasses and picked it up. “What is this for?” She asked, a bit concerned.

  “It is used by those that possess magic to read pretty fast.” He answered without looking at her face.

  “Why didn’t you give this to me earlier?” She questioned as she put the large goggles over her eyes. Evalle immediately felt her eyes sharpen and she had a clearer view of everything. “Can you give this stuff to me?”

  “You are free to take it ma’am but it is not supposed to leave this library.”

  “Why is that? Evalle asked.

  “This library was built several centuries ago with magic, this pair of glasses is part of the magic. It could possibly change it functions if outside the library and could be catastrophic, if it gets to the wrong hands.

  * * *

  Emily woke up to find herself in her room. She began to panic as she pondered aloud. “What did they do to me? I thought I slept under that table, what am I doing in this room? Everything here needs an explanation. She sat up on the bed and heard a beeping. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw the clock on the clock on the wall.

  Screaming aloud, she stood up to open the curtains. “I slept for a whole day? This is not possible. They drugged me to sleep? I haven’t even taken my bath for two days now.” She hurried to a corner where he found a door. As she opened it, she saw the best bathroom she’d ever seen in her lifetime.

  Emily stepped in and proceeded to look at herself in the mirror. She saw a lady with unkempt blonde hair and rashes all over her face, staring at her from the mirror. “What have these people done to me? She questioned herself.

  She removed the only piece of clothing she had on her which was a blue gown her father made for her when she was fifteen. Emily stepped into the tub and searched for a bucket of water but found none. She wanted to step out of the tub when she found something by the side of the wall.

  As she tried to turn it on, something began to fall on her from above and dashed out of the tub immediately, screaming “Rain.”

  CHAPTER 5

  Evalle picked up the pair of glasses and walked to a shelf, she picked a book and sat down when she remembered the map she kept in her pocket. She brought out the map from the back pocket of her jean trouser.

  She placed the two halves of the map beside each other. The maps came together without any help and the map became complete.

  She studied the map and saw where it was headed. “An island in the middle of nowhere? What is this stuff anyway?” She put down the map and picked up the book to read, when she saw a word at the top corner of a page.

  Evalle turned the book around and saw what it really was but she still didn’t know the meaning.

  The doves and ostriches will show you the way.

  “Doves and ostriches? What does that mean?”

  * * *

  Emily looked up and saw what it was that sprayed water all over her. She sighed as she got back into the bath tub and quickly took a shower with the cold water splashing all over her face. She found a towel hanging on a rack beside the wall and took it to clean up.

  She looked into the mirror and admitted that she felt better. Emily took a comb and p
assed it through her thick hair and packed into a ponytail. Emily stepped into her room and opened the wardrobe. They gave me clothes too?

  Emily took one of them and put it one. She immediately stepped out of the room, opened the door and started walking towards the passages. I don’t believe it when they say my father is in Africa.

  * * *

  Evalle looked at the book again and tried to decipher the meaning of the words before her eyes. Am I supposed to go anywhere? Where is it guiding me to? Evalle looked at the table again and saw the map. She picked it up and studied it carefully. She nodded her head in approval as she stood up to get the large encyclopedia she found.

  “How are birds and ostriches supposed to guide me? Okay, this is a map showing half of the world.” She placed the encyclopedia on the table and searched for places on earth where ostriches and doves can be found together. She let her hands run through the pages of the big book as she thought aloud. ”When I find this place, what am I to look for?”

  * * *

  Emily walked down the passage, looking at the strange structure of the building. There were signs on the wall that she had not seen before. She looked closely at it but had they had no meaning.

  She continued moving down the path when she heard some strange sounds. Are there women here too? I’m so glad, at least I am not the only one. Emily started moving towards the direction of the sound. As she peeked through the small hole on the door, she saw something very different from what she had imagined.

  Homosexuals? Kujoo and the others here have sex with each other. I’m in a real mess.

  As Emily walked past another room, she saw something that shocked her. Kujoo is having sex with my dad?

  CHAPTER 6

  Evalle continued looking at the large book when she suddenly yelled in happiness. “Yes, I now understand. So, I am to look for places on this map where doves and ostriches can be found. Is that even possible, how will doves and ostriches be in the same place? This stuff keeps getting eerier the more I proceed.