The Fourth World

by Marina Sandoval

  “Why are we fighting?” Lorne asked. “I want to take Azura and the others out of here; I’ve told you that before. Let us leave, and you can do whatever you want with these people.”

  “It will not be possible,” Zauber replied. “I need your companion to locate what I’m seeking—now more than ever, since you’ve deceived me with your little trick, and I killed the king for it.”

  “He’s not dead, and you know it,” Lorne replied.

  “No matter,” Zauber countered. “Evil was done.”

  He attacked Lorne with his lightning sword. Lorne defended himself with the scythe, intercepting one attack after another. Zauber came closer and closer. Lorne was being cornered, but there was no way to attack, and he did not have much strength left to perform any kind of magic. When Zauber delayed the strike, Lorne saw his only chance and threw himself forward, tearing at Zauber’s face. The wizard took a few steps backward and collapsed on his knees, howling and feeling the blood drip; the cut went from his temple to his chin, slicing through his eye. His lightning sword was still in his hands, so Lorne did not let his guard down. He took a few steps forward carefully, knowing how treacherous the man was, but his feet stopped when he understood that the lightning sword was turning into something bigger.

  Meanwhile, Azura asked Virginia to fly as low as she could and concentrated on the object that Zauber wanted—The Sphere of the Alchemists. She had the power to attract anything she wanted within a few yards of her. Before Habel could fire the arrow at Zauber, Azura said she could not find it, but she was not truly trying; she was apprehensive of what he would do if he had the sphere, and she was not the only one, for the queen rushed to take the object out of the library as soon as her husband fell dead, but now, it did not matter; it was the only thing that could make Zauber let them go. Virginia asked what she intended, and she explained in a few words.

  “The queen was with us when the wave came,” said Virginia. “Maybe it’s over there.”

  They flew near the place where they had the exchange with the mermaids, and, some time later, the sphere flew into Azura’s hands. “Let’s go back,” she ordered.

  “I promised Lorne that I’d leave you at the portal with the others,” Virginia said. “I can give him the sphere.”

  “Let’s get this over with!” Azura cried. “I’ll give this sphere to Zauber, and he’ll let us go; that’s all he wants.”

  “What does this sphere do, anyway?” Virginia asked, frustrated. “Don’t you people tire of these items?”

  “Look!” said Habel, who flew beside them, pointing to the horizon.

  Four dragons were heading toward the two wizards. A hot sweat trickled down Zauber’s face; he could no longer hold it; his knees were sagging, and his arms were shaking. He held a globe of lightning that was about to explode.

  “It will hit you, too!” Lorne said, gritting his teeth and backing away, but Zauber did not seem worried.

  Ivy was approaching the two when she stopped following Virginia’s commands and flew as high and fast as she could. Virginia and Azura screamed for her to come back, but she did not comply. Seconds, later a wave of lightning devastated the city further. After seeing Ivy distancing herself, Habel did not know what to do—until she saw a great flash. She tried to fly but was caught by the wave, and it washed her away. Ivy did not suffer too much from the impact; yet, she lost control of the flight, and Azura nearly fell. Virginia took her hand and pulled her back, but she lost the sphere. Azura wanted to land instantly, but they had to wait because the dust was so heavy that her eyes could not open. The two women said nothing; Virginia felt her despair as if it were her own. As soon as the dust cleared, they moved down. The sermerio’s dragons also tried to flee before the globe exploded; not all succeeded. Those who resisted the impact were flying straight to Zauber. Ivy arrived before the dragons. Zauber stood up slowly, dirty with blood and dust, his breathing heavy and his hands shaking. The wave had knocked him for a loop, but it had not hurt him too much; he wore armor beneath his clothes—Grant’s gift for one of his services—and he was more prepared than anyone could imagine.

  Azura saw him standing with his head down. He must be exhausted, she thought. Maybe I can—

  -Her thought was interrupted as she saw the sphere rolling toward the wizard’s feet. He took it as though he were lifting a baby, and then a wave of arrows flew toward him; the sermerios were shooting. Zauber did not move; he held the sphere and smiled internally; even though he had fought for a lie, he had won because he had gained something much better, something the king had refused to give him. He raised his face and looked at Azura, blew her a kiss, and disappeared.

  The arrows fell to the ground. There was no sign of Zauber or the sphere.

  Chapter XXXIII - Restart

  Ivy found Lorne under a section of pillar, and Habel was found among the debris. Amid all this turmoil, the others got out of the chaos of the city. Lácio followed them, but as soon as they were out of sight of the sermerios, Thomas stabbed him in the back with the handle of his weapon and tied his hands.

  “You can go on,” he told the others, who turned in bewilderment. “We have to clear something with this one.”

  The group hesitated a little but continued—except for Steven and Richard.

  “I’m trying to find a reason not to kill you, but I’m not finding it,” Thomas said as he placed the tip of his knife against Lácio’s jugular.

  “Drop it,” Steven said. Although deeply disappointed, he did not want to have the Lácio’s blood on his hands.

  “Why?” Thomas countered. “If he comes with us, he’ll betray us again.”

  “He was going to kill us!” mentioned Richard.

  “I know...” Steven answered.

  At that moment, Hubert ran back to them and gasped. “The portal... is... broken...”

  They rushed to see what he was talking about. Thomas lifted Lácio by the shirt and dragged him. The portal was an arch made of white stones, but one pillar had been ruined by the force of the water, leaving only a narrow structure that remained standing, resisting the weight of the bow, but it would not take long to collapse. Everyone stared at the great structure.

  “We’ll never escape this place!” Theo said desperately.

  “There are others...” Kyla said, but her voice broke.

  “Nobody knows where they are,” Lácio said sorrowfully.

  “Well... it’s not that difficult to find out where they may be...” Kyla replied, then clarified, “We did not have much time, and this was the only portal we were sure of that was still whole and functioning.”

  At that moment, they saw a flash, followed by a blast. They instinctively bowed and felt the earth tremble, and a cloud of dust came upon them; they glanced at each other with concern and stared at the sky in silence, hoping to see Ivy and Habel. It was a long wait, until finally, the bird appeared, carrying one in each talon. Ivy settled Lorne and Habel gently on the ground and stood there. Nobody dared to speak. The rumor of the sermerios on the other side of the mountains echoed in their ears as something distant and uninteresting. Steven knelt beside them and put his finger on each of their wrists. He took care of Lorne first, pausing there for a long time—longer than required—wishing to feel something, anything that showed the wizard was still alive, but there was nothing. Steven could not speak; he looked at his companions, then at Azura, and he shook his head. He placed the wizard’s hand on the ground and turned to Habel. The girl had broken bones and many scratches and bruises, but Steven could still feel her heartbeat.

  “Her heart is weak...” he murmured.

  “She needs care,” added Virginia without taking her eyes off Azura. She did not expect her to decide, but without her, they would never leave this place.

  “We’ve got to get out of here now!” Thomas said, watching the dragons in the distance.

  Azura did not listen to what they were saying. She lay down on Lorne’s body and replayed everything on her head, struggling to u
nderstand what had happened. Kyla was holding back the will to cry. She was so angry with them both after what had happened to her wings... now, that did not seem so important. She had been with Lorne for so long. What would she do without him? No one knew what to say; time was passing, and they were there easy targets, waiting quietly for the arrows to strike.

  Hubert was the one who found courage and placed his hand on the wizard’s shoulder. “We can hide among the mountains and decide what to do, but we cannot stand here.”

  “I know what I should do,” she responded, almost without opening her mouth. “I’m going back to the minotaur tribe.” They looked at each other without knowing what it meant. “Look at the portal,” she continued. “The flood destroyed it. Neither I nor the sermerios... nor Lorne... no one can make it work now.”

  Although this conclusion was not unexpected, hearing her words confirmed that they were farther away than ever to returning home. Deep down, they had still hoped she could fix the portal, but she could not. Azura stood up, her face apathetic, as though all her feelings had gone away. She took her wand from her waist and drew a circle on the ground around Lorne and Habel.

  “Whoever wants to come with me,” she said, “had better enter the circle.”

  ***

  Sephir had just spoken to the council. It was comprised of seven members, of whom only two had agreed with his arguments; three thought it was foolish to challenge the sermerios, and the other two declared that they required time to think. So, that was it... he had to wait. He was on his way to the tavern, wondering if he had done well in appealing to the mermaids... or did they only make it worse? It was already night, and a cool breeze blew; he walked with slow, desolate steps. Suddenly, black flames appeared right in front of him. He stared at the spectacle, petrified. Then, in the same manner that the flames appeared, they died out, and there they were again—including Ivy, who was still a giant bird, and Lácio, who was being dragged by Thomas.

  The minotaur had led Habel to Inyanga, who was the healer of the minotaurs, and then they left Lorne at his house. Azura wanted to remain with him. They laid the wizard’s body on Sephir’s featherbed. Azura looked at Lorne and saw a void; the minotaur’s mattress was huge, making Lorne look tiny. Her tears poured in silence. They did not know whether it was better to leave her alone or if anyone should stay. However, all were injured and required care. They announced they would return soon, but they could not know whether she heard them—or even if she cared. Sephir left a bucket of water and strips of cloth beside her. As soon as she was alone, she cleaned his body. When they left Saphir’s house, he asked who the bound man was. Richard explained everything about Lácio, and, at the end of the story, there was silence, for no one was certain what to do with him.

  “Maybe it’s better to abandon him somewhere and let him find his own way,” Hubert said after a moment.

  “No! I can help…” protested Lácio.

  “I think you should join Proctor in the dead world,” Thomas suggested, squeezing the cloth that bound Lácio’s hands.

  “No one will kill anyone while we are in my tribe.” Sephir spoke with authority. “For safety, until we agree on what to do, I’ll put you in jail. No one will hurt you.”

  With some hesitation, Thomas let Lácio be led by Sephir.

  “I will take Ivy to sleep with the waras,” Sephir said while moving away.

  The minotaur left them in the care of Inyanga and left Ivy in the arena where the waras slept. She entered the arena without a problem.

  “Looks like you got hurt,” Sephir said, studying her wing. “I’ll come back to take care of this.”

  The prison was a few feet away. When they entered, Lácio thought it was not as dreadful as he had imagined; there were only 10 cells, and he was the only prisoner, since the tribe rarely had issues of this kind. The walls were made of stone, and the bars were made of iron. Sephir took the key hanging on a hook and opened one cell. The cell was spacious, but the dirt and cobwebs revealed that no one had been there in a long time.

  “The last prisoner who stayed here was also human,” Sephir explained. “He came here in search of shelter, so as not to have to spend the night in the forest, but he made the mistake of playing a game in the tavern. He lost and had no means to pay; if we did not put him here, he would have been killed. We sent a letter to the sermerios, asking if anyone would take responsibility for him, and, while we waited for the answer, we felt sorry for the poor fellow and provided some things for him to distract himself with. The sermerios answered that we should punish him with our laws. Our law for anyone who does something like that is public humiliation and working for whomever you owe the debt. The lad was not clever; he tried to run away and was killed. Anyway, nobody cared to clean or take the things we brought him. At least, you will have some diversion.”

  Sephir untied Lácio’s hands, then put him in the cell and locked it. The bed was a piece of wood with an old cloth suspended over it; in front of the bed was a small hole in the wall, where there were two candles already lit, and above the bed was a window with bars. Lácio soon understood what Sephir meant by having a distraction; inside the cell, there were many objects; the first that caught his attention was a violin on the corner of the bed.

  “I’ll be back soon with food and something for your wounds,” Sephir said.

  ***

  When Sephir returned to Inyanga’s house, everyone had been looked after, and they were all waiting outside for him; only Habel was still inside.

  “So, what happened?” Sephir asked.

  They told them everything, and, in the end, Richard said, “Kyla said it should not be difficult to discover other portals. Do you have any idea where they might be?”

  Sephir shook his head. “After the sermerios took responsibility for the humans, we ignored the other two portals,” he explained, then asked Kyla, “Why did you assume it would be easy?”

  “It was Lorne who once said that the gods have placed the portals at the three extreme points of the world,” Kyla replied, “but he did not say much more than that—except that he did not have time to find out, so we would have to go to Sermeria.”

  “Even if you found another portal,” said Sephir, “it was Lorne who would have sent you home.”

  “Azura could try...” Kyla said without conviction. “Of course, she needs to want to...”

  “Why would she refuse?” Sephir asked.

  “If I know her well, I would say the only thing she is thinking about is going after Zauber and killing him—or rather, torturing him, and then killing him.” Watching their perplexed faces, Kyla proceeded, “You do not know what she is capable of.”

  “She’s hurting!” added Virginia, trying to defend her friend.

  “I believe this is not the best moment for this,” said Sephir to calm their moods. “Habel is in good hands. We need...” The minotaur gasped for a moment. “Lorne needs to be buried... and you must rest. Then, with your stomachs full, and your minds rested, we will consider what to do.”

  Everyone—except for Theo, who chose to stay with Habel—went back to Sephir’s house. On the path, they continued the discussion.

  “If I heard correctly, Lorne promised the mermaids he would kill the king and Zauber, did he not?” Sephir asked.

  “He did not promise,” said Virginia. “They asked if he was able, and he said he was.”

  “That sounds like a promise,” Sephir replied. “I assume it’s best to call them for a conversation. They are challenging to negotiate with—especially when they are as angry as they are.”

  “Lorne died,” Virginia insisted. “It’s not our fault; we cannot do anything.”

  “I’m afraid they might think differently,” Sephir replied, “but this is also for a later discussion.”

  They walked for a little longer and came to Sephir’s house. As soon as they opened the door, they smelled the damp wood. The house was so silent that if they did not know Azura was there, they would have thought no one wa
s there. The house had two floors, but on the second floor, there was only Sephir’s bedroom.

  “I do not think it’s a good idea for everyone to go see her,” Steven said.

  Even with all the difficulties he and Lorne had, he felt as if he had lost a great friend, and it was so horrifying to realize he would never see him again, and that this man who was stronger and more powerful than all of them was dead. He had the impression that at any moment, the wizard would wake up, saying it was one of his tricks, and he would laugh at everyone’s faces and mock at their surprised expressions, but Steven knew this would not happen, and so he did not want to see Lorne’s body. As the group looked at each other, Steven heard a funny sound; it was a tiny, sharp voice, calling his name. He looked around a little, alarmed, and everyone looked at him.

  “Are you not listening?” he asked.

  Everyone paused to take notice, and then they were all kneeling, looking for something and not knowing what it was.

  “There!” Hubert shouted, pointing to a small creature on the table. He was the size of Hubert’s middle finger; he wore a green hat and had pointed ears and a pointed nose. He had treacherous eyes and carried a paper in his hands.

  Sephir knew what he was and did not like that he was there. “What do you want here, plague?” he asked. “Get out of my house, before I crush you like the insect you are!”

  “Either I tell you what I’m doing, or I leave your house,” the creature replied. “I cannot do both.” His laugh echoed around the room.

  Azura left the room to see what was transpiring and stood at the top of the ladder.

  “What is this?” asked Thomas.

  “It’s an imp,” replied Sephir. “You will not want to have anything to do with these beings; they are sleazy. Say what you want and leave,” he commanded of the imp.

  The Imp leaned on a piece of paper with a smirk. “I’m not here because of you, horned man,” he said. “Queen Raksha has a message for the hum—”