The Wizard's Sword (Nine Worlds of Mirrortac Book 1)

by Paul Vanderloos

  ‘Oh … oh. Trouble again,’ Fillytac warned.

  As the erfins hurried back to the Dome, the wind gusted with increasing frequency, tugging and pushing at them as they strained to gain the safety of the caverns within. A heart-chilling howl whined up at them from behind and the storm rumbled and thundered with intimidation. There was a growing roar like nothing Mirrortac had heard before, something monstrous that generated within the storm. Was this Beeble-Zub? Mirrortac swivelled his head around to face it and was astounded. It was not the monster but something perhaps more awesome that was coming at him from out of the storm itself - a revolving funnel of cloud that bit into the earth with angry noisy teeth, casting sand and water up into its mouth in a vicious squall of turmoil. The funnel connected earth and sky, consuming with hungry gulps everything within its sweeping path.

  Fillytac retreated in fear. ‘Too much! Too much!’

  Mirrortac leapt into the sand and lifted his shaky palms upwards, waiting and hoping for the light to stream out of the greenstone clusters.

  The funnel roared closer and all the sand sprung up around him, disturbed by the fury. The crystal stones warmed with renewed life and emitted another brilliant beam of light up toward the funnel. Gusts of wind tried the erfin’s grip as they tugged at his palms and the stones but he held on, his arms swaying and straining. The light struck the funnel and filled it, causing it to release its teeth from the earth and withdraw back into the cloud and the storm. The wind abated and the cloud dissolved into a hole with the sharp light still streaming into it. ‘I am amazed at this!’ Mirrortac shouted. ‘Even the storm is afraid of this light.’

  In moments, the wind had died down to a breeze and the sky was fast clearing. The light diminished as it had before and Mirrortac’s palms felt singed from the heat of the stones. He rested, massaging his sore palms and arms. The battle against the storm had been wearying.

  However, his rest was short lived as another menace growled up from within the earth beneath him. The ground shuddered and an awful tearing sound came up from deep in the earth. This experience was familiar - it had always preceded the coming of the Monsters-of-the-Deep-Earth in Eol. Stone would yield to this, as had the Temple of Mateote. Mirrortac decided to try the stones on the earth but they would not glow - the sand belonged to Wa-Ku but the earth below it was the den of the Master of Darkness. Thunder cracked from out of the earth and the great Spire swayed. Chips of aureum broke off and tumbled to the sands nearby.

  ‘Where are you Beeble-Zub? Are you afraid to come out and face the light!’ Mirrortac shouted.

  Suddenly the air hissed with the snarling voices of the beast.

  ‘We iss no fool, Mirrortac. Drop the glowing stones erfin. Drop them and come to mee. It iss useless to resist. I will destroy all of Petrosium if it dush not give itself to mee. That iss the choice. Drop the stones and give yourself to mee then all of Petrosium will be spared. If you resist, Petrosium will be made into rubble and all will be destroyed. Choose wisely, erfin.’

  Mirrortac knew he was at a disadvantage but he had to be certain that the petros people would be safe.

  ‘I will cast away all the stones in my hands but the stone around my neck must stay. I will promise not to use it if you promise to spare the Petros,’ he bargained.

  ‘It has only one choice. Throw all the stones away and your precious petros will be spared. Decide NOW!’ the voices commanded.

  Mirrortac threw the stones onto the ground but hesitated as he fondled the greenstone necklace.

  ‘Throw them ALL away, erfin!’ came the command and the ground shook again, sending a quiver up the huge Spire.

  Mirrortac tore off the necklace and threw it to the ground with the greenstones.

  ‘Now, come to mee. Petrosium belongs to Beeble-Zub now,’ the monster said, bursting into a horrid chuckling that resounded against the aureum walls of stone.

  The erfin was sickened to be returning to the den of this horrible beast. He thought he had victory but it was yet a hollow triumph. He trudged wearily towards the dark dome behind the Spire, in total defeat, having handed Petrosium to the Master of Darkness. His heart was heavy and laden with age. Wa-Ku seemed beyond saving them now. Beeble-Zub had ample time to reach the under-spire before the dawn and he could do so without entering the passages in the Dome of Petros. He needed only to split the earth and send the giant emerald crashing into the Deep of the Shining Wet.

  Mirrortac paused before the pitch form of the Dome of Shadow, and taking a breath, entered into its black interior. A pale one-eyed creature took him down to the den of Beeble-Zub and left him quivering before the six yellow eyes. The putrid acid smell of the monster made him gag in the cold musty confines of the chamber.

  ‘Mirrortac iss back. What a foolish erfin. It will not get rid of mee so easy. It will not get rid of Beeble-Zub as it did She and her precious snerks. It has shown mee the way now. I know where the eyes of Wa-Ku are and I will shatter its stone into the Deep. It will be blind and I will have Petrosium. All the petros will be free in the darkness. The darkness iss free. The darkness iss safe. Join mee in the darkness, erfin. Join mee,’ its voices whispered.

  ‘What do you want with me, Beeble-Zub? Let me go or eat me. I will not live here,’ Mirrortac said.

  The yellow eyes blinked and nodded at the erfin.

  ‘Erfin-faug. Wee know all about it. Beeble-Zub will need its help. It will lead mee to the forest and to Eol. It will let mee take them all for the darkness. It will let mee take the darkness to all the worlds. I want it all; for the darkness, you understand. Darkness iss free. Darkness iss safe,’ it said.

  The erfin trembled. ‘I could never lead you to them. I will die first!’ Mirrortac insisted.

  The chamber shook as the monster whacked the floor impatiently with its tail.

  ‘It will do as I say! Cursed erfin!’ Beeble-Zub growled, raising its heads up to their full height.

  ‘Eat me if you please. I will not take you anywhere.’

  The chamber shook again, this time with such violence that the walls cracked and buckled with the monster’s rage.

  ‘Then I will destroy Petrosium now if it dush not agrees!’ Beeble-Zub threatened.

  The erfin found himself complying again to Beeble-Zub’s demands. But he had no wish to keep his promise. He would have to bide his time.

  ‘That iss better.’ The beast seemed satisfied. ‘Now to shake the stone of Wa-Ku loose and blind it.’

  Beeble-Zub manoeuvred into position with a rumble of unseen feet, and with its six heads, began biting and chomping out a tunnel for itself in one wall of the chamber. It ate with a noisy crunching of rock and dust, which whirled into the already musty space behind it. The erfin coughed and spat out the dust and dirt as Beeble-Zub munched away into the wall. After some time had passed, Beeble-Zub had cleared a tunnel to below the under-spire and halted. Mirrortac wished the monster would disturb the waters of the Deep of the Shining Wet and be drowned in the process but it seemed able to direct the vibrations of its horns so that only the stone above the chamber would be affected.

  Soon, Mirrortac could hear the distant cracking and shudder of rock as the monster concentrated upon the greenstone set in the ceiling of the cavern above the Deep. He wished there was some other way he could stop this happening. He muttered anxiously to himself and winced as a sharp pain welled up from his side. He looked down and was startled at the sight of the feather that had been nestling in his belt forgotten. The feather glowed now with a constant cool light.

  ‘Yenic!’ he cried. ‘Is that you? Are you really here with me?’ A lump came to his throat and his eyes filled with tears.

  Mirrortac withdrew his sword and, clasping the feather to the hilt of Moongleam, raced into the tunnel. The rubble of stones and dirt littered the floor of the freshly made passage. The erfin hopped over them with renewed vigour. Beeble-Zub was still concentrating on the giant greenstone when Mirrortac confronted him, sword blazing with a cold and brilliant light.


  ‘Yield Beeble-Zub! Yield to the Light! Mirrortac shouted.

  The beast turned its many heads towards him and yelped with surprise, plunging its heads out of view of the glow of Moongleam. Beeble-Zub swung its armoured tail as a lash to catch the erfin offguard but Mirrortac leapt clear. Its tail lashed back and forth and whacked heavily on the floor, setting loose a shower of stones and rock from the ceiling. Mirrortac jumped out of the path of the falling stones and tripped, sprawling to the floor. Moongleam clattered out of reach and was swept up immediately by the monster’s tail. The erfin sat dazed for a few moments then stumbled to his feet. Without hesitation, he leapt over the monster’s tail and rolled over to the sword, picking it up in a smooth action. Moongleam was glowing twice as brightly now. The feather adhered to it in a fey manner, giving it added power.

  Mirrortac ran up and leapt upon the back of the monster, gripping Moongleam and keeping beyond reach of Beeble-Zub’s treacherous tail. The six heads would not look at the light from the sword but their horns were starting to vibrate. He had no time to waste. Beeble-Zub was not about to yield to the light. ‘Find the heart,’ a voice said within him and the erfin crossed the spiny plates on the monster’s back. The beast swayed about violently, attempting to throw him off its back, and the earth above them was shaking and trembling. Stones and rock and dirt plummeted around him. Mirrortac stepped between two necks and climbed beneath its exposed underbelly, clinging on with his tree claws. He swung the sword over the chest in a pendulum motion, watching it as the glow pulsed to differing degrees of intensity. Then, as the sword passed over a particular spot, it glowed with a dazzling light.

  Mirrortac plunged the sword in through the thick hide and slashed the blade through the tissue of the monster’s heart, then withdrew it as Beeble-Zub bellowed. Black blood gushed out of the open wound and the erfin jumped clear. Dirt and rock and stones rained down everywhere as the beast unleashed a final vengeance upon Mirrortac and Petrosium. The erfin shielded himself and made a quick escape to the relative safety of the tunnel. He could hear the beast’s thunderous bellows and the tremor of the earth all around as he dashed through the tunnel, weaving and ducking the continuous rock fall as it all started to cave-in around him. The monster’s den was shut to the outer passage but a single command with the sword caused it to open up again, allowing the erfin escape to the surface.

  Petros of the Shadow emerged from out of the shadowy passages, their eyes streaming with tears and pleading with confusion. Their whimpers moved the erfin to pity for them and he told them to escape to the surface before all the passages collapsed. They followed in their slothful movement, making little headway to regain the safety of the surface in time. Mirrortac could not wait for them and in a half broken voice said to them: ‘May Wa-Ku give you mercy poor creatures,’ and they seemed to understand.

  Mirrortac emerged into the air and stumbled as the ground quaked all around him. He watched as the Dome of Shadow shattered into rubble, burying all those who dwelt within. He wiped his eyes and sobbed for the Petros of the Shadow who had been victims too. There was so much he could not understand. Wa-Ku had condemned these petros to be slaves to Beeble-Zub. ‘Why?’ he asked himself. ‘I do not hate these.’

  His thoughts were interrupted with a sound of a great explosion beneath the earth and the whole of Petrosium shook. The Spire of Wa-Ku shifted in its place and the Dome of Petros split almost in half. The sands near the Spire fell inwards, into a huge hole that had been made in the earth. A spectral shadow drifted out of the hole and hovered over Petrosium for a few moments before whisking past Mirrortac in a rush of wind and freezing air. The breeze warmed again and all was silent.

  Mirrortac examined his sword. The blade was dulled again and stained with a congealing crust of black blood. Upon the cross of its hilt were set the three amber stones of the wizard’s making. The erfin felt the weariness returning and replaced the sword into its scabbard and adjusted his belt. He glanced over his belt and noticed something was amiss. He searched it and the hilt of Moongleam but the feather was gone. He must have lost it sometime in the fight or escape from Beeble-Zub. He noticed a shape on the ground nearby and heard his friend groaning in pain.

  He rushed over to his friend who had large wounds on him and nearby was a large rock stained with his blood. It must of hit him when the part of the spire broke off and fell to the ground. Mirrortac looked down upon his friend as Fillytac rasped.

  ‘It is time for an old erfin to go to the Otherworld. I am sure there is more of this darkness for you to battle. It is all yours now.’ He breathed out heavily and shut his eyes. Fillytac was dead.

  ‘I’m sorry old friend. You have served well,’ Mirrortac whispered, his tears falling freely and splashing on the body before him. The weariness weighed upon him more, like a burden that grows until the weight is too much to bear. Mirrortac tried to focus his eyes but his vision wavered into a blur. He was feeling dizzy and weak and stumbled about, feeble from too many battles. He could not concentrate and the world was dimming fast, dimming into a void into which he was falling.

  Darkness enveloped all his consciousness yet the dizziness continued within a spiral that led him farther downwards; forever it seemed, falling without gaining purchase. Mirrortac could feel the solidity of the ground against his back, pinning him up against a space that itself seemed to sway and drop, sucking him and all the world into its never-ending depths. His muscles lay numb and weak while his consciousness failed to release him from the sensation. But he endured it, helpless in this spiral of nausea. Gradually, the dizzy fall slowed and the erfin rested into the place of dreams. There, the lone white bird of the Spire flew, gliding as it surveyed the horizons with its serene face. Mirrortac looked about him and realised that he too was a bird. He flexed his wings and dived into the current of air, watching as the sparkling movement of a giant lake – The Wet – moved upwards to greet him. Within it, sleek shadows slipped in and out of the light, merging and re-emerging from the turquoise depths. The other bird glided slightly beneath him and to his left. It bent its head towards him and their eyes made contact. In his mind he heard the voice of Ni-Do - ‘You have earned your rest my warrior-one. But the time is also coming when you will be tested again. Our mission is yet to begin.’ The bird changed course, sweeping up and out of sight behind. He looked down once again at the immense waters. A strange shape sailed into view, afloat upon the surface of the waves while before it, moved larger shadows in unison. The shape did not sink but pitched and fell in its progress through the waves. Figures of upright creatures could be discerned standing within the shape while another lay prostrate upon its deck. Mirrortac glided in closer, strangely compelled towards the limp form on the deck. As he moved ever closer, he realised that the form was an erfin and the erfin was he. Suddenly, there was a snapping sound and he felt himself being separated from the body of the bird, watching it fly upwards away from him as he fell, downwards, into the shape on the deck; into him Self.

  Chapter 8 – The Endless Lake

  ‘Breath is life and life is breath. Breathe in, breathe out, feel the air inside you. Allow it to fill you; breathe in, breathe out.’ The words floated through Mirrortac’s half-awakening. Most of the dizziness was gone but he still felt very weak. By degrees he became aware that the surface beneath him was in constant motion and he felt a little wet. His ears tuned in to the ‘sloosh, ka-plash!’ of what must be deep and awesome waters nearby. ‘Where am I?’ he thought. His eyes flashed open.

  As his vision cleared he could see that he was lying in an intricately fashioned vessel of wood that rocked and plunged atop the horrendous waves of The Wet. Petrosium was nowhere in sight, only this strange vessel and the ceaseless play of the limitless waters. Mirrortac licked the moisture from his lips and tasted the bitterness of it. The foam of angry waves leapt up around the vessel and plunged in over its bow, attempting to engulf it. Yet, it did not yield but progressed onwards, marching across the endless lake to unknown destinat
ions.

  Standing an erfin-length away and peering out was a being of just over an erfin-length in stature. Its blue-grey fur lay close against its body that was slim and fish-like in its sleekness. The being’s feet were webbed and its hands were partly webbed. Mirrortac could see four thin long whiskers protruding out from its snout while upon its head it wore an aureum crown that swept back in a diamond of which the lower portion was longest. The being made no sound but seemed preoccupied in its thoughts. The vessel rolled abruptly to one side, catching the erfin off guard. He grabbed the timber decking and felt a rush of nausea and fear. He cried out in distress, afraid of the wallowing hidden depths of the waters all around him.

  The being broke its concentration and turned towards the erfin. Two others popped into view, their faces pressing down towards him. Mirrortac cringed into the deck, uncertain of the motives of these weird beings. They poked their heads towards him, peering at him with quick brown eyes and earflaps attuned to any sound he made. They scrutinised him like some object of curiosity and exchanged silent glances with each other. The vessel heaved upwards and Mirrortac let out another shriek. The beings jerked their heads around, watching and listening with intense and solemn faces.

  ‘Can it speak?’ Mirrortac ventured.

  The beings stared down at him and waited for more speech.

  ‘Mirror ... Mirrortac. I am Mirrortac,’ he stuttered.

  The beings exchanged surprised glances, sniffing and wriggling their whiskers.

  ‘M I R – R O R – T A C,’ he enunciated, pointing to himself.

  One of the beings let out a high pitched squeal and strutted to another part of the boat while the other two still watched him, their soft black snouts twitching.

  Mirrortac was startled as a fish hurtled through the air and slapped onto the deck near his face. The being at the other side of the vessel had thrown it to him and was picking up another. The fish floundered and squirmed beside him, opening and closing its mouth in gasps. One of the beings reached down to it and pressed its fingers into the head of the fish. The movement stopped and the fish was pushed against Mirrortac’s face as if to say ‘Eat this!’