Aglanthol 1 - The Legend of Khaalindaan - 15. Chapter 15

Aglanthol 1 – Part II – Neldor’s Quest

Some months later.

Neldor tried to remember who had given him the key. He scratched his head as he turned it in his hands. Sixty years had passed since he had been given the key. The wizard Neldor looked at it and he pondered for a while.

Finally, he placed the key on the map that was spread on the wooden table in front of him. Neldor gazed at the key and the map. The parchment was old. One side of the map was covered with mysterious symbols. Neldor had tried to figure them out. But the symbols had remained a mystery to him. The other side of the map showed two continents and an ocean between them. This side of the map made perfect sense to Neldor.

The legend said that many centuries ago foreigners had come to the land by ship. The foreigners had all died of the plague. Their corpses had been found, but nobody had ever found the ship. As time went by, the story that the natives had told had slowly turned into a legend. Nobody really believed in it now.

Neldor, however, did. He had evidence. He had the map that the foreigners had drawn so many centuries ago. Neldor scratched his head. Why was he not able to figure out the symbols? He was sure that they were an ancient language or perhaps a code. But so far Neldor had not found the key to the secret.

The wizard gazed at the key. A strange feeling took hold of him. He tried to remember who had given it to him. The image of an old man came to his mind.

"The master of the library!" Neldor exclaimed. The wizard grew excited. He rose to his feet and paced the room. "He gave it to me back then when I visited the old castle. But then I was more interested in the books."

Neldor sat down and took the key that he had found a couple of minutes ago behind a leather-bound book in a shelf. Neldor turned it in his hands. He nodded pensively.

"The Castle of Saelethiel holds the secret of the ancient map. I must travel there at once," he said as he placed the key back on the table.

~~**~~

Neldor left early the following morning. Dawn had just come when Neldor mounted his horse. The weather was bad. Heavy rain was falling.

Neldor had neither informed the king nor the king’s counsellors nor anybody else of his departure. He doubted that anybody would even notice his absence anyway. Neldor had remained in his tower for the most time of the day. He was seventy-six years of age. He was an old man who nobody was interested in. His skills as a wizard were not acknowledged by the current king. The king was a fool in Neldor’s honest opinion. However, he did not really mind that the king did not require his service. Thus he had been able to spend his time on his research and his studies. Neldor had studied the ancient map and the symbols for many years.

Neldor left the castle without looking back. He was not sure he would ever return. Either because he would not make the long journey to the Castle of Saelethiel and back – he was old and could well die on the way – or he would be able to unveil the secret and only fate knew what he would do in this case.

Neldor’s horse moved slowly. Neldor held the reins and looked ahead. He did not pay much attention to his surroundings, however. Neldor pondered again on the map.

The ancient map had been among the legacy of his master. His master had never shown the map to Neldor. But Neldor was smart enough to figure out very quickly what was drawn on the inside of the old parchment.

Neldor knew all the legends of Aglanthol. One of the oldest said that foreigners had come to the land by ship. Neldor was sure these people had drawn the map. The symbols on the outside of the parchment, however, had remained a mystery to him.

His master had been a wise man and a great wizard. He had taught Neldor all that he knew and Neldor had never believed that the man was selfish and kept things to himself. He had doubted his master’s motives, however, when he held the ancient map in his hands. He was a young man then and he felt somehow betrayed by his master. Neldor had felt disappointed. But his attitude had changed meanwhile.

Neldor had not been able to figure the symbols out in fifty years. His master most likely had not figured them out as well. Neldor understood his master well meanwhile. The old man had not shown him the map most likely out of embarrassment. At least, his master had not destroyed the parchment. He had left it to Neldor and thus had entrusted the secret to him.

Neldor travelled north-west. The Castle of Saelethiel was high up in the Western Mountains. Neldor had visited it with his master sixty years ago. His master had taken his apprentice to the castle because it was famous for its old books. But only the wise men knew of the castle. It was hidden well in the mountains and it was hidden from the eyes of an average man. Only the wise men knew of it and they guarded the secret well.

The face of the master of the library came to Neldor’s mind again. Neldor had spent many days in the library and the old man had often talked to him. Neldor had absorbed his words and he had read as many books as he could during his stay in the castle.

His master had discussed the books with him later in their home far in the north of the country where they lived a solitary life. Neldor had learned many things from the man. He let out a sigh at the memory of his old master. The man had died when Neldor was twenty-six years of age. From that time on, Neldor had learned and researched on his own.

Neldor had never visited the Castle of Saelethiel again for he had been sure that he remembered all that was of value to him. Neldor had become a powerful wizard over time and the two previous kings had often required his service. They had trusted him. The current king, however, considered Neldor just an old man whose skills were way behind time. The king had summoned a younger magician. Neldor wrinkled his nose. He did not think high of the man. But the king was impressed by the younger man’s outgoing demeanour. Neldor had never been an outgoing and sociable man. He was a solitary man who lived a solitary life and Neldor preferred that. And for that exact reason, nobody would miss him at court.

Neldor’s thoughts turned back to the master of the library. One afternoon, the old man had shown him to a chamber that Neldor so far had not seen. The air in the room had been stifling. The shelves and books had been covered with dust. They had spent a couple of minutes in the room. The man had not let Neldor touch a book nor had he explained anything. The master of the library had then locked the door again and had given the key to Neldor.

‘I can see through you,’ the old man had said with a mysterious look and a strange smile that had almost frightened Neldor. ‘Read these books when the time has come. They are here for you,’ the man had added. Neldor had taken the key. He had seized it tightly, and then he had gazed at the old man in almost fear. The man had just chuckled and then had led Neldor to another room that was filled with fascinating books on magical techniques. Neldor had spent the remaining days of his stay in this room. He had thought of sneaking into the dark and dusty chamber again, but he had delayed the endeavour until it was too late. He and his master departed and Neldor took the key to the secret chamber with him. In the early years, he had now and then thought of travelling to the castle again. But his life had moved on and many things had changed and time had passed quickly.

Neldor was already forty years of age when the then reigning king summoned him to court. Neldor had travelled to the royal court of Aglanthol and he had moved into the tower. He had taken his belongings with him, among them plenty of books on magic, the ancient map, and the key to the secret chamber. Neldor had hidden the key behind a leather-bound book in a shelf and then he had forgotten about it.

Neldor had focused on the ancient map that his master had left to him. He had done extended research on magical symbols and ancient languages. In fact, he had spent fifty years on his research, counted from the day he had found the map among his master’s legacy. It had been a fruitless effort.

Neldor looked up at the sky and then dismounted. He needed to rest. He sat down on a rock and pulled a loaf of bread from a bag. Then he took a few sips of water from a water skin. Neldor looked up again. More clouds had gathered. The wizard let out a sigh.

"Time to move on," he said and rose to his feet.

Neldor was a solitary man and he had an eye for solitary places. He spotted a deserted hut as he rode along the road. Neldor settled in it for the night. He moved on the following morning.

Three days passed. Night was falling when Neldor arrived at a deserted farmhouse. He watched it from the distance for a while. It seemed to be a good place for the night. Neldor hesitated, however. His sixth sense warned him. A couple of minutes passed. Then suddenly the door of the house opened and a man stepped out. He was dressed like a soldier. He had apparently searched the house. The man disappeared behind it, but after a while he came back, leading his horse into the rotten stable.

Neldor sighed. Another traveller had already chosen the deserted farmhouse as a place for the night. The man left the stable. Suddenly, he turned abruptly and gazed in Neldor’s direction. The wizard winced. Had the man seen him? Neldor did not move. He gazed at the man with a frown.

"Neldor," the man called out.

~~**~~