“I wish to check on Victoria, too,” Elizabeth admitted.
He unrolled the map from inside the cylinder to take a look. “Of course,” he said, “I’m sure they will all be together.”
“What do you see?”
“Not much has changed.” William continued to survey the map, spotting the small ring icon where his brother and the others travelled. “I see no enemy activity near them or Brymar.”
“They will reach Brymar safely,” Elizabeth assured. “I know that the Arraci will prevail, based on what I’ve seen of them.”
William recalled the conversation between Elizabeth and Adriana. “What did you speak to Adriana about as we approached Noteral,” he asked, “and why couldn’t you tell me at the time?”
Elizabeth nodded, remembering the conversation. “She has been contacted by the Sages of Arborough, an evil ancient order from the Woodland Kingdom. I know that Max cares greatly about her and thought it not my place to tell him about it.”
“Contacted? How?” he asked.
“They speak with her in visions. They are with her.”
“Within her?” William choked back in alarm.
“Not physically possessing her, no, but she has a link to them now. They can speak to her.”
“Will she be okay?” William asked, the tangible concern in his voice. “You couldn’t heal it?”
“No,” Elizabeth admitted. “I tried, but the Sages’ hold was too great. But I believe Adriana strong enough to fight it.”
“I know of no stronger person than her,” William mumbled.
She refocused them. “What of the Eastern Plains, do you see anything near Durk’helm or the surrounding areas?”
His gaze roamed the Northeast. “I see activity on the Northern border close to the forest. It appears the enemy advances on the Navarine Kingdom.”
“That’s far north relative to Druk’helm,” Elizabeth assured. “We should be well out of the way of danger, but time works against us.”
“What’s this?” William said as he pointed to a small pillar icon on the map next to the ancient library. He looked around the map. “I can see a few others scattered around. There’s even one in the Vorshkir Kingdom.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know.”
He continued to graze his hand over the pillar in curiosity. “Perhaps…” his voice trailed off as their surroundings blurred around him.
“Are you alright?”
He could hear her voice but only barely. As he held onto the map, the pillar appeared right in front of him, the rest of the surroundings melting away. At the base of the massive, white stone pillar was a text he couldn’t understand and another symbol, that of a stone eye, that stared back at him. A few other people stood around it, ignoring it entirely. One person even slept at the base, clearly one of the homeless. The other surroundings remained out of focus, and William couldn’t control it. He continued to survey the pillar and made note of the markings before withdrawing his hand from the map.
“What happened?” Elizabeth demanded. “Your eyes briefly illuminated a faint red as you held onto the map. Are you okay?”
“I…just saw the pillar,” he muttered.
She didn’t respond.
William shook his head in amazement. “I actually saw it just now, as if I were standing right in front of it! I don’t know how else to explain it.”
Elizabeth frowned. “Victoria told me that Thrix could do something like that with the map, but I never saw him do it.”
“I could see the pillar in such detail; it was amazing.”
“What did you see, then?”
“Inscriptions on the pillar, but I didn’t recognise any of them. And there was a stone eye that stared back at me.”
“What did the inscription look like?”
He drew a couple of them with his hand in the air, a combination of only curved lines and dots. When she shook her head and shrugged, he tried writing a couple on the map with his finger before giving up. “You don’t recognise any of these?”
“No.”
William sighed in despair. “There was one symbol that stood out from the rest. It was much larger than the others.” He drew it with his finger on the map. “Do you recognise this one?” he asked while drawing it again.
“Perhaps,” she said while nodding and tracing the symbol on Stormcaller’s head. “That symbol may speak of travel.”
“What language is it in?”
“Victoria’s,” she answered, “it’s that of the Vorshkir Kingdom, though the symbol is not quite identical to the one used in that language. I can speak Victoria’s language quite well; you heard me in Orwell, but I can barely read it.”
“What does the eye mean?”
She shrugged again. “I don’t know, William.”
“Travel you said,” he repeated.
“I think that symbol meant travel, but I’m not sure. I think all of the symbols that you just drew are all in different languages.”
“Do you think they all say the same thing?”
She shrugged. “Maybe.”
“I wonder what sort of travel,” he thought to himself.
“So you could see through the map,” she said, “you actually see the places on the map that you touch.”
“I suppose I can.”
“Can you see your brother?”
William touched the map where the ring was, even closing his eyes, but nothing happened. “I don’t know how to control it,” he admitted. “I didn’t do anything for it to happen with the pillar, so I don’t know how to repeat it.”
She nodded. “It’ll take time for you to learn how to use the map, then.”
“Like many things,” he muttered.
“Let me see it,” she said and took it from him. She followed the path from their location to Durk’helm, passing several landmarks and towns along the way. “We should be able to reach Durk’helm in a couple of days from here.”
“That’s a short trip.”
“The ancient library is more west than it is east. We will pass a few towns and the large city of Lontiskil…”
“That sounds like the Laskil Order,” William said with a frown.
She shook her head. “There’s no connection between the two, but it’s a contested city between your kingdom and the Raldari Province,” she said. “It might be hard to pass through.”
“We’ll travel that close to them?”
“Yes, right along the border. We’ll almost pass into the Navarine Kingdom, too, as Durk’helm is at the centre of all peoples.” She handed the map back to him. “You’re going to see a lot on this journey.”
“I’m ready,” he said. “It’ll be good for me to see more of the world I live in, the lands we’re going to protect.”
She nodded. “The next town is Orthantioch, where we can rest.” She started to trot, slowly picking up the pace. “We will need to be weary along the way. These lands are different from the ones you are used to seeing.”
William caught up with her, matching her speed. “I am ready.”
Chapter XXXII
They galloped through the midday heat, Brian leading them in the front. Without a cloud in the sky, the scorching sun beat down on the riders, the horses panting from the arid air around them, their lungs gasping for moisture and choking from the clouds of dust. They’d already stopped several times to provide water for the poor creatures, but still they struggled. Brian slowed them to a brisk walk and turned to face Aroden, who rode several horses behind with his two sons close by.
“We must stop again to provide water for the horses,” he said.
“No,” Thrix interjected angrily, “enough of this stopping and going.” He rode directly behind Brian. “We won’t be back before midday tomorrow at this pace.”
Brian glanced at Thrix’s horse with a raised eyebrow and an unamused smirk on his face, his patience wearing thin. “Oh, is your horse an Eternal like you?”
“Of course not.”
“Does he possess infinite endurance?”
“No,” Thrix shot back.
“Then judging by his gasping for air, I’d imagine he’s just as exhausted as the others.”
“Hurry,” Aroden called out, sensing the tension between them. “I don’t want for this to take long.”
Thrix’s face scrunched up and his fist clenched. “I should just take the stone to Brymar myself,” he called out.
“And be attacked,” Brian asserted, “and die…”
“It’s my home,” he interrupted. He moved from the front and approached Victoria. “The stone,” he said, holding his hand out. He glared at Brian. “Enough of this, one of you must travel with me to Brymar and escort me inside. The gravity of this situation isn’t one to take lightly, a fact to which you all seem to be utterly blind.”
“I’ll carry it,” Victoria rebutted as she held Lilia in front of her on the horse. She could feel the girl shaking in fear.
But Thrix didn’t move his hand. “Hand it to me,” he demanded.
Victoria cringed. “Why not let…”
“Give me the stone!”
She withdrew the small black bag and handed it to him, the anger in his eyes concerning all of them. He took the bag and squeezed it in his hand, feeling the sides of the bag compress against one another without resistance. He squeezed it once more before shooting a look at Victoria, one of fury and betrayal; she retreated after seeing the palpable ferocity in his gaze. After opening the top of the bag, his eyes widened with rage.
“It’s gone,” he shouted as he threw the bag onto the ground beside them. He directed his fury to Victoria. “Where’s the stone?”
“Elizabeth…”
“No,” Thrix interrupted. “No! The two of them have it?” Victoria nodded while everyone else remained silent. “Do you know what you’ve done?” he said and shook his head. “Foolish,” he scoffed.
“Tolin said…”
“You know nothing about this Tolin. I know nothing of this Tolin!” Thrix shouted back. He turned his horse around but muttered to himself. “And without the map, I have no way of finding them. This realm will be consumed unless that stone is returned to Brymar.”
Aroden spoke up to defend William. “Well, you say nothing of why it must return to Brymar and not to Durk’helm. You tell us nothing of the dangers, or this apparent destruction. You can’t even tell us why the stone must go with you. Perhaps Tolin knows something you do not; after all, he’s the one that ensured Elizabeth would steal the stone from the enemy. Why exactly are you the one who can stop this consumption?”
“I don’t need to explain anything,” he shot back, “and the destruction of this realm wasn’t enough? I’m an Eternal, one of the forefathers of life in this realm. You don’t think I’d understand how the stone works?” He paused, directing his anger towards Aroden. “And how dare you expect that I explain myself, and you of all people, King Aroden.”
Aroden fell silent while Max shot an inquisitive glance.
Thrix buried his head within his hands. “I must travel to Durk’helm.”
“What’s the danger to the North?” Aroden pressed. “You must tell us so that we can prepare rather than keeping us in the dark.”
“My oath…”
“Will be meaningless if we all meet our doom,” Aroden interjected. “There’s no point in protecting knowledge from the dead.”
Thrix said nothing.
Before he could speak, a voice boomed around them, a female voice that startled all of them and the horses. “Tell them all!” it bellowed, “now!”
Silence.
“What was that!?” Max called out, staring at Thrix for an answer.
“My master, the Master Architect,” he replied calmly, “Elitheria has spoken.”
Everyone paused.
“So you must tell us,” Aroden stated, his attention alternating between Thrix and their surroundings; he recognised the voice of Elitheria, bringing a sadness to his eyes as he momentarily reminisced about their time together all of those years ago. Had he known her true identity at the time, perhaps things would be different now. “What’s the truth, Thrix?”
“The invaders to the North,” Thrix started, obeying his orders. “They fight under the command of another Eternal, Varik, who aims to steal the powerful fragment from this realm.”
“That would explain the similarities in crests,” Max muttered.
“I thought Eternals fought for justice,” Victoria called out.
“We do,” Thrix stated. “We have always fought for the preservation of life and the balance of the realms. But this Eternal broke the oath many millennia ago, forming a tyrannical despotism, asserting himself as an overlord with divine power and authority.”
“But he does have divine power,” Richard fearfully mumbled quietly.
“But not divine authority,” Thrix shot back.
“Is he in this realm, then?” Aroden asked.
“I do not know,” Thrix admitted. “Varik should not be able to pass through the realms, but he has already claimed three fragments of creation from other realms; not even the Architects fully understand the power of these stones. Varik may yet find a way to come here.” Thrix paused, his expression dire. “The stone was removed from Brymar by his followers, and the protective barriers surrounding this realm vanished. Without that stone, he’ll continue to send his armies, unchecked by the natural order, until he retrieves it for himself.”
“How was the stone removed from Brymar in the first place?” Aroden pointed out. “Wasn’t that your responsibility to protect?”
Thrix refused to answer the latter question. “Someone removed it, but I don’t know how they accessed it.”
“Who would know about it?”
He shrugged. “No one should, that’s what I don’t understand.”
“How would they pass through Brymar unnoticed?” Max asked. “Surely someone would’ve noticed a stranger.”
“Of course they would’ve,” Brian asserted. “The Arraci…”
“Beneath the mountain,” Thrix interrupted, “there exists a pillar of teleportation, an ancient method of travel used by the Eternals and Architects.”
“The divine power,” Brian muttered. “Is that what you spoke when you translated the text in the pub in Orwell, the divine power beneath the mountain?”
“Not entirely, no; that would be the stone that was stolen. The texts all over Brymar speak of it.”
“And the golden key,” Aroden repeated, “simply opens a passage to this pillar of teleportation?”
“Yes,” Thrix nodded, “along with the treasures beneath Brymar.”
“Treasures,” Aroden repeated, losing his breath.
Thrix nodded. “Precious metals for all across the realm, coins from every kingdom, weaponised relics from the oldest ages, and powerful artefacts that I’ve collected over time.”
Aroden couldn’t summon words.
“Does the key activate the pillar?” Max followed up, seeing the excitement in his father’s eyes.
“No. I’m not sure how the pillars are activated,” Thrix muttered. “They were erected by the Architects.” He paused. “But I found the pillar activated when I saw the stone to be missing, connected to another pillar in a place I was not familiar with.”
“An unfamiliar place?” Max repeated.
Thrix nodded.
“Are there many Architects?” Max questioned.
“Yes, there are seven, with Elitheria the Master Architect.”
“Well, someone managed to activate it,” Aroden mumbled, trying to redirect himself from the mentioning of treasure. “We must close it, or we risk Brymar being compromised.”
“It can be closed only by an Architect,” Thrix finished.
“So we have a gateway open to another realm beneath our home, and we have no idea who’s using it,” Brian stated under his breath. “That’s hardly comforting to know.”
“The pillar lays dormant, now,” Thrix corrected. �
��It was closed by Elitheria; otherwise, I would’ve already used it to return the stone to Brymar. As an Eternal, I am capable of using it at will when it is open, and have been using it for millennia now. It’s why I always had access to Brymar, how I circumnavigated the outer defences and protected the stone. But I don’t know how to activate it again.”
“Who’s this Architect?” Richard asked, breaking his silence and trying to put on a confident voice. “Is that the voice we heard?”
“Yes. Elitheria.”
“From Zed’s book? The female diety?” Richard asked in awe.
“The same,” Thrix replied.
“Can you not ask her how to open it again?”
“No,” Thrix answered. “I would not dare open the portal again knowing that the enemy has access to it. That would certainly compromise Brymar.”
Richard nodded, quieting himself again.
“Well, what do we do now?” Victoria asked.
Thrix shook his head. “I must find them in Durk’helm. It’s the only way to ensure that this realm survives, to restore the protective barriers around it.”
“The Sages of Arborough believe otherwise,” Adriana spoke up to the surprise of the others.
Her words had caught the others off guard.
“What did you say?” Thrix shot back.
She shifted uncomfortably in her saddle. It’d seemed like the right time to say something, but she now regretted that decision. “I said the Sages of…”
“I heard what you said,” Thrix interrupted with his hand raised. He rode his horse up to her and inspected her eyes; after seeing Thrix move, Max approached Adriana, too, not liking Thrix’s tone. “Your eyes,” Thrix muttered to himself. “They appear a light blue.”
“She always has blue eyes,” Brian justified, “just like I do.”
“No. They appear an electric blue, lighter than yours, and I can see them fluctuating. We are being watched!” he angrily asserted.
“What are you talking about?” Brian demanded as he focused on his sister for answers. “Who are these sages?”
Adriana spoke up. “They are not watching as you say,” she corrected Thrix before redirecting to her brother. “You recall my headaches and the fluctuations in my sight, all of the strange things that have been happening to me lately?” Brian nodded. “Well, the Sages of Arborough are responsible for all of it. I am having visions. They spoke to me while I slept,” Adriana said, “and told me that only William can wield the stone and save this world.”
The Secrets of Brymar (The Elitherian Fragments Book 1) Page 37
