The Third Sign

by Scott D. Muller

  Tonight had been a peaceful night; nary a spirit visited, allowing Men’ak plenty of time to sit and think. He liked coming to this mist world to think. There were no distractions, and the time passed in a wink, so to speak.

  He looked at the isolated patch of ground upon which he was sitting. To any who might observe, it seemed all together the same as the waking world. He had found out how to create grass, leaves, trees, and even water. He couldn’t extend it very far, but from where he sat, there was grass with wildflowers. He dug his bare feet into the grass and felt the coolness of the earth. He reclined on a blanket he had conjured and stared up at the sky.

  Conjured was a strange word. It seemed to Men’ak that conjuring was an art of the wizards where spells were cast to make things happen. He didn’t exactly conjure here, but more or less willed things into existence. The girl Lana, had helped him understand more about the place than he would have ever figured out on his own. He was very grateful!

  He hadn’t managed to alter the sky yet, only make it brighter. To him, it looked as though there was fog surrounding his little patch of heaven. He pulled out a blade of grass and gnawed on the end. He wondered if it was real. He supposed not. He couldn’t get a straight answer from the girl, although he couldn’t explain why he felt that she would know. It was just a hunch he had, that was all.

  Lana warned him that other things roamed the mist that he needed to be careful of, things to be feared and respected. However, based on his experience, this was one of the most peaceful places he had ever visited. Other than the people and the demons that crossed through, there didn’t seem to be much else. Nothing had ever threatened him here, even the nastiest demons he had ever seen.

  He was laying flat on his back, staring off into the nothing. He didn’t see the eyes that were watching him. Hidden by the mist, they hovered just above the ground. They watched, they all watched.

  A loud moan interrupted his meditation, and he sat up on one elbow to see what was happening. He saw a robed man shuffling along off in the distance. Then, he saw another, and another. Within a couple minutes, there were a handful walking in his direction. So much for a quiet evening!

  As the man got closer, Men’ak thought he recognized him. He squinted, trying to get a clearer look through the thick mist. By the gods! It was Qu’entza. What was Qu’entza doing here?

  Men’ak shot to his feet and waved his hands over his head. He shouted out, “Over here! Qu’entza! Over here!”

  Then he recognized Zedd’aki. As they got closer, Men’ak noticed their clothing, wounds, and the scrapes. They all looked like they had been in a battle, their bodies dirty, torn and broken. Men’ak wanted to look away, unable to bear the sight. There were rib bones poking through their chests, broken arms and heads twisted in un-natural ways. Their expressions were blank and their faces dirty and drawn, without emotion. They rolled their heads and seemed unable to focus their eyes.

  Men’ak jumped to his feet and rushed over to Zedd’aki. “What happened here?”

  Zedd’aki looked up, not recognizing the boy. “We were caught, ambushed by the Warvyn at the Keep. He brought all of Darkhalla with him! We fought, but so many came. They killed us one by one. ...”

  “Was Ja’tar with you?”

  “No, I didn’t see him.” Zedd’aki stared at Men’ak for a second. “I think I know you ... you seem vaguely familiar.”

  Men’ak grabbed Zedd’aki by the shoulders and hugged the man. “It’s me, Men’ak. You’re in the between world, the mist world.”

  “Men’ak? Mist world?”

  “Yes. Didn’t Dra’kor write to you that I was a Dream Walker? Ja’tar came here; he said he died and that you were going to save him.”

  “Ah ... I seem to recall that ... Then I must be ...?”

  “Dead!” Men’ak cried.

  “So that was it,” Zedd’aki grumbled, hanging his head. “It seems like it should have been ...”

  “Been what?” Men’ak asked, trying to look in the big man’s eyes.

  “More. It should have been more, just ... more.”

  Men’ak understood fully what Zedd’aki was trying to say, but was speechless to respond.

  He changed the subject. “Can you tell me what happened?”

  Zedd’aki tried to focus and recall. “We held the Closing ceremony today, everyone was here to help. We closed off the Gate to Naan. Something must have gone wrong. The ceremony seemed to go fine, except that Qu’entza got attacked by the Mist. After the ceremony, we ate and then crawled off to bed. I have no idea where the demons came from. When I woke up from the noise ... the battle was already raging. I tried to kill Warvyn. My spells didn’t even injure him. It was like I were tossing marshmallows at him instead of Wizard’s Fire.”

  Men’ak turned around, grasping his head shouting, “No! No! How could this have happened? This isn’t happening. What should I do?”

  Zedd’aki shrugged. “Nothing can be done. The Keep is ... lost. I don’t know if any made it out alive, but I doubt it.”

  Men’ak’s eyes were wet with tears and he watched the old mage stagger and take another step. Then, one by one, they began to fade. “I guess it’s time for me to go ...”

  “Stop! I still have questions,” he shouted. “I command you to stay. What should I do?”

  Once by one, they winked out of existence. They didn’t sink into the earth the way the others did. They just faded away. The last thing he saw was Zedd’aki giving him a short smile and a wave.

  Men’ak shot up in bed, his body soaked with sweat and his heart pounding loudly in his chest. He threw back his blanket and stood up on weak legs, grabbing the wall to steady himself. His hands trembled uncontrollably when he leaned over and shook Dra’kor’s arm.

  “D-D-Dr-Dra’kor, wake up! We need to talk. Something’s wrong at the Keep.”

  “Go away!” Dra’kor said, swatted at the arm pushing on his.

  Men’ak grabbed him by the arm and shook him forcibly a second time. “Please wake up, please?”

  An agitated Dra’kor rolled over and swat at Men’ak’s arm. “What! It’s the middle of the night, go the halla to sleep!”

  “We need to talk, now!” Men’ak demanded, summoning a bright light that lit the room.

  Dra’kor heard the sense of urgency in his voice, rolled back over and mumbled, “Can’t it wait until morning. I just got back and I need my rest. I almost died today.”

  Men’ak stood up and yelled, “No, it can’t wait. Something is terribly wrong at the Keep. I just saw Zedd’aki and Qu’entza in the dream world with a bunch of other wizards. They’re dead. They’re all dead.”

  Dra’kor wiped the sleep from his eyes and squinted. “What are you talking about, Men’ak? You aren’t making sense.”

  “Oh, god!” he moaned. “The Keep is under attack, and they’re being slaughtered.”

  Dra’kor sat up and motioned for the light to dim slightly, while he tried to open his tired eyes. He squinted at Men’ak. Men’ak’s face was as chalky white and he was bathed in sweat. Dra’kor could see his whole body trembling.

  Dra’kor shielded his eyes and frowned. “Under attack? When?”

  “Just now! Zedd’aki said the Warvyn was there. The bloody Warvyn.”

  “The W-W-Warvyn? You don’t mean ...?”

  Men’ak nodded. “They ... Zedd’aki and Qu’entza just showed up in the dream world, then they faded away. They only had time to tell me the Keep was under attack by the demons.”

  “Faded way?” Dra’kor asked, scratching his head and yawning. “What the halla does that mean?”

  Men’ak put his hands over his face and shook his head. “I don’t know.”

  Dra’kor’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t know?”

  “No,” Men’ak said, shaking his head. “I don’t have a bloody-ass clue!”

  The End of Book 2, The Third Sign

  Glossary

  Every effort has been made to accurately translate the Torren language, how
ever some terms are not well suited to English and their nearest equivalents are taken from Gaelic, Norse, and Latin as needed. These are contained and explained below.

  Ægis - protection/protector by a strong force or terror (Norse) derivative of 'terror'

  Æsir – The God(Gaelic)

  Àilleachd – beauty (Gaelic)

  Alzær - also the Fire of Alzær. A region to the north where the ground burned and at times glowed red. A place where the earth was sick and belched the rock from festering sores (Norse).

  Ardisia - Coralberry or Marlberry

  Attorlaðe – Cockspur (Old Gaelic)

  Aontaithe – ‘united’. Pronounced: ain-taha (Gaelic)

  Bakree – an elven loin cloth

  Balandrana - a wide cloak worn by travelers in the 13th and 14th centuries (Medieval English).

  Banail –female (Gaelic)

  Beachdachadh Mountain – the Mountain of Knowledge. (Ancient Gaelic) word for observation, thinking, or studying. Where the Keep is located.

  Beul-aithris –oral tradition of storytelling(Gaelic)

  Bingeweed – a herb used by the elves to cure hangovers caused by Elvenrude.

  Braies - short underwear tied at the waist (Medieval English).

  Bovate – an amount of land which could be worked by a competent team of oxen in a year (Medieval English).

  Darkhalla – the fourth plane demon capital, where Warvyn rules

  Dubh – dark, black (Gaelic)

  Catomen – a cat-like demon, single eye, very large, demon of the first plane

  Chape – a long heavy woolen cap/jacket(Old English/Norse)

  Chausses – baggy pants made of wool or cotton(Old English)

  Cliste –wise (Gaelic)

  Comharraidhean – marking (Gaelic)

  Epitoga - wide, un-gathered robe, belted and sometimes with sleeves, mainly worn by academics in 13th century (Medieval English).

  Ewaiyi – ancient chains of servitude

  Fades – Sprits of captured human beings.

  Fan láidir – stay strong, the name of Bal’kor’s sword(Gaelic)

  Fille – Thyme (Old English)

  Finule – Fennel (Old English)

  Garterobes – a latrine built into a castle wall overhanging the

  ground or water below

  Halla – most often used in an expression much like ‘go the hell’

  Hauberk – a chain mail suite that reached mid-thigh

  Hephaestus – The God of fire

  Ilmenite – an ore used in the making of weapon grade steel, a titanium iron oxide

  Mægðe – Mayweed or Matricaria (Gaelic)

  Maslin – course bread made of stone ground rye and wheat (Medieval English).

  Mattock – a weapon preferred by dwarves, half axe, half pick

  Miasma - a heavy vaporous emanation or atmosphere

  Mucgwyrt – mugwort(old English)

  Naan – To’paz’s realm, across the I’jean sea

  Nænýa – baby in the Elven tongue

  Olc'Corryn – ‘Man-spider’ (ancient Gaelic)

  Patten - wooden plates strapped to the shoes to keep them from getting wet and muddy (Medieval English).

  Pau amarello - an exotic hard wood.

  Pavise – a narrow shield with stakes in the front and a strong brace to the rear, shaped somewhat like an easel. Used by crossbow archers who hid behind them while reloading their bows (Medieval English).

  Quintal - a hundred weight, 100 lbs. or 4 stones (Medieval English).

  Saki'char – ancient forbidden rite of taking life from another

  Scrying – using an enchanted pool to see the future or current events

  Skree – a demon of the second plane used to clean the battle fields, classified as a hard shell, has some magic. A basic eating machine.

  Smallclothes – the underwear of the day

  Spawn – half demon, half man, creation of the dark magi

  Stiðe – Nettle (10th century Old English)

  Stone - a unit of weight, about 30 lbs. (Medieval English).

  Stune – Watercress (Gaelic)

  Tharseo – to face with courage (Ancient Greek).

  Ululates Umbra – shadow demons used to poison things that grow

  Wegbrade – plantain, the mother of all herbs (Saxon English)

  Wergulu – Crab Apple (Olde English, Germanic origin)

  Wolven – wolf/human like demons of the second plane

  Zylliac – ethereal creature that controls all magic