Gravenstein got up, went to a cupboard and took out a little chest which he then opened with a key from his pocket.
“Here is the page about the door between worlds.”
On the page were two trees with their uppermost branches intertwined to form an archway.
“This is what you went through in order to come here.”
“I don’t remember going through this archway,” said Alexander. “We had been walking for a few hours in the forest and then the day turned into night. We were really afraid and then we met Golmuth.”
“On the other hand, this symbol was in the tomb that we discovered,” said Golmuth.
“This symbol represents the portal between worlds. I don’t know if there are more than one.”
“Where is it?”
“Unfortunately the page does not say where this archway is. The only way to get back to your own world is to get into the Sorceress’ castle in Avengard and to find the book.”
It could not have been worse for the children. They knew now how to get home, but the journey seemed even more difficult and fraught with danger than anything they had ever done. Alexander was dismayed, he thanked Gravenstein and left the tree-house. He sat down beside Antarus the ice giant and became lost in his thoughts. The giant moved and dried Alexander’s tears with his big snowy fingers.
“Thank you, mister.”
“I am called Antarus.”
“My name is Alexander.”
“Why do you cry, little Alexander?”
“I will never get back home. I will never see my parents again. I miss them.”
“Have courage, little Alexander,” said the giant, giving him a friendly pat on the back.
“I’m sorry,” said Alexander trying to dry his tears. “Where do you come from?”
“I am from the mountains of Sylum.”
“Do you have family there?”
“Yes, I had a family once upon a time, but I was banished from the city and I never saw them again.”
“Pardon my curiosity, but may I ask why?”
“There are two kinds of Orpes, Ice Orpes and Fire Orpes. There were terrible battles many years ago, but one day we defeated our enemy. As a reward, we took their most precious item, the Sword of Fire. It is a terrible weapon that can burst into flame and take on an orange colour like lava. It is called Vulcaria. I was on guard at our cathedral Synerum one evening, when we were attacked by the Fire Orpes who had come to take back their sword. There were too many of them, they took back the sword and also stole Ganarock, our Shield of Ice. The two holy objects had been resting proudly in our cathedral. I still do not know how they were able to get past our defences. I was found guilty of failing to defend Ganarock and was banished from the city, condemned never to return.”
“That is a sad story. Where is the shield now?”
“In Vulcania, in the fortress of the Fire Orpes.”
“Vulcania?”
“It is a city inside a volcano, that is where the Fire Orpes live.”
“And you would melt if you went to take it back?”
The giant smiled at Alexander. “I am made of eternal ice and snow, little Alexander, no heat can melt me.”
“Alexander!” cried a voice coming straight from the tree-house.
“Werner has an idea of how to retrieve the book,” said Golmuth. Everyone sat around the table again except for Gravenstein, who remained standing.
“The only way to get back to your world is to retrieve the book. That will be difficult, but not impossible. You will have to help one another. If my plan is to work, then I will need gnomes to join the party.”
Everyone turned to Geum and Gom.
“We agree,” they said.
“That’s good. In order to get into Avengard you will have to take a secret passage in the rock. I forgot to mention... Avengard is a fortress built inside an enormous rock. This rock is like a Swiss cheese, but the Sorceress pays no heed to the tunnels in the rock. You will be able to enter via a passage located in the top of the rock. Once inside, you will make your way to the library. There, you will find an enormous map of Arboria hanging on one of the walls. If you touch the drawing of the castle of Avengard, the wall will rotate and you will find yourselves in a secret room. You will have to go down some stairs and you will see a room filled with suits of armour. The book is hidden in the base of one of those suits of armour. In order for nobody to come and disturb your search, Geum and Gom will have to change into Zgard and Zago or Meyffrey.”
“And if the real Zgard and Zago turn up?” asked Gom with fear.
“Do not worry. You will have to enter the castle in the daytime when they will be inside their regeneration sarcophagi.”
“In what?”
“It is a kind of cell in which they sleep and which heals their wounds.”
“Are they vampires?”
“No, it’s just that the Sorceress does not have the power to make her henchmen immortal, so she made these machines. Once you recover the book, you will have to go out the front door. The tunnel through which you will have entered will no longer be accessible. I suggest you destroy the book so that Dementia can never lay a hand on it. This is a delicate mission. Alexander, we are counting on you to recover it. Geum, Gom and Dongo will accompany you. Antarus, you will wait for our friends outside the castle and take care of the girls. You are too tall to enter the castle through the tunnels.”
“Understood,” said the giant, who was poking his head through one of the windows as he was too big to enter the house.
“You will leave whenever you feel ready. No doubt you need to rest.”
The next day, the children prepared for their dangerous journey. Alexander was the first to wake up, and he ate the breakfast that Gravenstein had carefully prepared.
“I’m very sorry that I cannot go with you. My mind is still keen, but my body has not been so for a very long time.”
“If we fail, we will never tell the Sorceress of your hiding place,” said Alexander.
“Which direction should we go?” asked Hope.
“We will have to cross the tunnel to Kratoa again,” Meredith said.
“No,” Gravenstein replied, “I built a small wooden plane capable of gliding over the chasm. I designed it in case I would have to leave in a hurry one day and thus make sure not to be followed.”
The whole group set out towards the highlands.
“You must fly over the chasm and pass through Vulcania, that is the shortest way to reach Avengard, but beware of the Fire Orpes. I will wait for your return at Between-Two-Rocks.”
The children thanked Gravenstein and settled down in the small wooden plane. It was Antarus who lifted it from the ground and the children clung on.
It took off and sped into the open air above the Quilar Ravine.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” said Alexander.
“Wow, this is great!” said Hope, overcome with a rush of adrenaline.
They flew over the chasm and landed a few meters over the far side.
“I cannot wait to do that again,” said Hope.
“I can,” said Alexander, whose face had turned pale green.
CHAPTER 8: THE LAND OF FIRE
The little company set off in the direction of Vulcania. From a distance, they admired the throat of the volcano belching out smoke. After a few hours of walking, the contrast in the landscape became clear: there was not a single tree, the earth was black. Smoke billowed from holes in the ground, the air was dusty and rivers of lava flowed past here and there. The heat was becoming unbearable.
“Everything is dead here,” said Amy.
“Everything here was burned. A long time ago the volcano started to erupt and the Fire Orpes came out from the bowels of the earth,” said Antarus. “There was a terrible war between the Ice Orpes and the Fire Orpes. We were victorious, but at what cost? There were many dead on both sides. We took their sword Vulcaria as a reward.”
“Do you not think we are
at risk of being spotted out here?” asked Dongo.
But it was too late. A horde of Fire Orpes emerged from a cave and surrounded the group, brandishing their lances. These Orpes were magnificent: their bodies were made of dried lava with veins of red and orange, their heads were the same shape as the Ice Orpes’, but their rectangular eyes burned orange.
“You never wanted us to get across in secret, did you?” asked Alexander.
“I am sorry, little human, but I have been on the run for too long,” Antarus replied.
They were brought by force to the leader of the Fire Orpes. He was sitting on an immense throne of lava flowing more slowly than a river through a hole high above and cutting out a channel across the whole room. Around them, hundreds of Fire Orpes were stirring, waiting for the reaction of their leader. The chief of the Fire Orpes had bright red eyes. The expression on his face did not bode well.
“Antarus, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I have come for Ganarock.”
Laughter filled the throne room.
“Ganarock belongs to me, as do you, your friends and all those who find themselves in these lands.”
“Leave my friends out of this. I claim the right to face the thief of Ganarock in a duel in the arena.”
An ugly Fire Orpe stepped out of the shadows. He had a scar on his face and one of his eyes had been extinguished.
“Did you not learn your lesson the last time?” he said in a cavernous voice.
“If I win, you will return Ganarock to me and ensure that my life and the lives of my friends will be spared.”
“I have already defeated you once. This time, I will not let you leave with your life. I accept your challenge.”
“So be it,” said the leader, “everyone to the arena!”
The children were put in one of the many stands overlooking the arena. It was immense, and several thousand Orpes took their places there. The two adversaries entered the arena, the tension increased a notch and all the spectators applauded Arlock and whistled at Antarus. A long silence followed during which the two fighters stared into each other’s eyes. The fight began and turned to Arlock’s advantage. Antarus took a heavy blow to the chest. Arlock grabbed him around the waist and tossed the Ice Orpe into the air.
“Get up!” cried Alexander.
“You will die before your friends. I will crush you like an insect.”
Antarus took a heavy blow to the back and crashed to the ground. He tried to get up and knelt on the ground. Arlock looked to the platform and waited for his father’s order.
“Kill him,” he said.
“No!” cried the children.
Alexander put his hands over Amy’s eyes. Arlock crouched down and whispered in Antarus’ ear.
“I will tell you a secret before I allow you to die. It was your brother Glacius who let me into your city to take back our sword.”
“You’re wrong. You’re lying.”
“Believe it or not, I care not. Your brother wanted to sit on the throne. He got rid of you, he made you bear the brunt of the attack to get away from you. As things stand, he has probably already killed your father the king of Sylum and is sitting on the throne of Synerum.”
“Nooooo!” cried Antarus.
Arlock prepared to deal the fatal blow, but Antarus stood up. His azure blue eyes burned and became even brighter. Arlock tried to land the final strike but Antarus was too fast. His arm drove clean through his opponent’s chest. Arlock collapsed into a leaden silence. The chief of the Fire Orpes, Katorock, stepped down from his platform. He approached Antarus and looked at Arlock’s lifeless body.
“You have taken a son from me today, and you have sealed the fate of your people. I will keep my word, take your shield home and prepare for war.”
“And my friends?”
“Free them!” the chief told his men.
The Fire Orpes freed the children from the stands. All that was left now was to flee. They ran from Vulcania without ever turning around and it was only when they had arrived safely back in the forest that Dongo called out to Antarus.
“You big simpleton! Your scruples almost got us killed! I was almost eaten by Fire Orpes!”
“Calm down, Dongo. Everything is fine, we are safe and sound now,” said Alexander.
“Calm down?! Calm down?! Look at my petals, they almost withered in that heat.”
“I am sorry, my friends. I put your lives in danger.”
“The main thing is that we are all in one piece. Now you have to help us fulfil our quest.”
“I will help you, but I must also warn my people of the incoming attack.”
“Where are your people?” asked Hope.
“In the mountains of Sylum.”
“How do we get there?”
“We will have to cross through Avengard once you have your book.”
“In that case, there is no time to lose. Let’s go.”
It took three days of walking to reach Avengard. A thick fog was scattered all through the forest, and Meredith was walking straight ahead when Antarus suddenly grabbed her by the shoulder. The ground had suddenly come to an end and her feet were dangling in thin air.
“Thank you,” said Meredith, relieved.
“We have arrived,” said Antarus.
“I see no castles,” said Golmuth.
“It is just beneath our feet,” said Antarus.
The children had not noticed that they had reached the rock that Gravenstein had spoken of. The view from that place was incredible. The town of Rocaille could be seen in the distance, as could an immense expanse of green. The rock of High-View was also visible.
“What are those ruins over there?” asked Meredith.
“That is Aramunt Vell.”
“And that big rock over there?”
“That is the tallest rock in all Arboria. That is High-View,” said Antarus.
“I thought Rocaille was the tallest rock in Arboria,” said Alexander, looking at Golmuth.
“My dwarfen eye may have misled me,” he answered with a smile.
CHAPTER 9: AVENGARD
Further on, they found a little in the ground. Antarus knelt and looked inside.
“Here is the entrance. I cannot go any further.”
Alexander stepped towards the giant and hugged him.
“Take good care of my friends. Girls, I’ll see you in a few hours,” said Alexander.
At that moment, Alexander looked at Hope. He wanted to tell her about his feelings for her, but he couldn’t. He opened his mouth but he could not force any words to come out.
“We will meet at the bottom. We will hide in Aramunt Vell and look out for your exit from the castle.”
Antarus and the girls set off and Alexander suddenly realised that this may be the last time that he would see his friends. Dongo, now a faithful companion, insisted on going with him.
“I will come with you, you might need me. An Elwing is always useful.”
Golmuth smiled and also clambered into the hole. They descended a few metres and followed a tunnel until they found themselves in front of a mirror. Gom took on the shape of the mirror to see what was on the other side.
“The path is clear,” he said, “it is a secret passage.”
He resumed his normal form and pulled the mirror aside. They discovered a long corridor guarded by stone statues. A red carpet ran all the way down.
“Where are we?”
“I do not know,” said Geum, “somewhere in the castle, I imagine.”
Suddenly there was a noise in the corridor. The gnomes immediately changed into statues and the others hid behind them. A warrior came striding down the corridor. He was large and looked menacing. His skin was green and he had long white hair.
“Zgard!” said Dongo.
“Shh...”
“Zgard,” said another voice, “our Queen wants to see you in the field.”
“Very good, Meyffrey.”
The two henchmen moved away, walking with
out exchanging a word. Judging from the tone of Meyffrey’s voice, these two clearly did not enjoy each other’s company.
“They scare me,” said Alexander. “Let’s find the book and get out of this place.”
They decided to go in the opposite direction to the henchmen. They found a gigantic stone staircase, went down a few steps and turned to the left, coming out onto a balcony overlooking a vast room below. At the other side of the chamber was a throne, and it was then that Alexander saw the Sorceress for the first time. She had a dark demeanour, seemed rather tall and was fully dressed in a black cloak. Her face was pale and had a purple shimmer to it as if she was frozen or on the verge of death. Alexander remained motionless, the sight of this woman froze his blood. Her three warriors Zago, Zgard and Meyffrey were kneeling before of her.
Arboria Page 8
