Aglanthol 3 - The Castle of Saelethiel (The Law Cannot Be Shaken) - 19. Chapter 19

The brethren stood and with their inner eyes watched out. Silence hung over the castle.

The Castle of Saelethiel lies high up in the Western Mountains. It was founded in the mists of time. The castle guards secrets that are far beyond a man’s understanding. The guardians of the castle watch out and enforce the law. The law is timeless and it cannot be shaken.

When time has come, man must face the truth. He is summoned to look into the abyss of his soul. Man must undergo a trial.

The brethren raised their hands and stepped closer to the centre of the circle. The energy field reacted instantly. It condensed and the magical energy concentrated in the centre. The material world changed at once. The magic wove a tight web inside of the Palace without Entrance. The inside changed in order to challenge the trapped men.

"No man can avoid his destiny. This law is written in the book of time. When time has come, man must face the truth. He is summoned to look into the abyss of his soul," Leandor said in a grave voice.

"No man can avoid his destiny, however hard he tries. This law is valid for all times. This law cannot be shaken," the brethren replied solemnly.

The brethren fell silent. Silence hung over the Castle of Saelethiel. And the trial began.

~~**~~

Magath was lying on his back on the hard ground. He looked up into the night or whatever this darkness was. His whole body hurt. His limps felt numb and he felt cold. His mouth was dry despite the rain that poured down on him. Magath licked the rain from his lips. However, it did not suffice to quench his thirst.

He had waited for hours for something to change. But the darkness lasted and the rain kept pouring. First, Magath had tried to convince himself that he was just mistaken. He had come to the abyss earlier than he had thought. Morning would definitely come within a few hours. But morning had not broken.

The pouring rain got on Magath’s nerves. The splash of the raindrops was all he heard. Magath tried to ignore the sound. However, he was not able to. As time went by, the sound of the rain seemed to even get louder. His hearing had taken control of his sense perception. His eyesight was of no use in the darkness. His sense of touch was useless also since Magath was stuck and could not move. All he sensed was the hard ground and the rough stones when he moved his hands along them. Magath lay with his eyes closed. Now and then he opened his eyes and gazed into the darkness.

Magath’s mind finally accepted the truth. Morning had not broken. He was trapped in some unreal world and he did not know how to escape it. Magath still hoped his companions would find him. But his confidence was more and more shaken as time went by. Magath finally felt totally hopeless.

His mind went back to previous times. He thought of his former life. He thought of Tanmil and his home. He saw the village and his house in all detail. Magath mentally wandered through his house. He looked at all the things that he had left behind. He wondered why he had not repaired the roof and why he had left a mug on the table. Magath left his house and went over to Gwyn’s place. He knocked at her door. The old woman opened it and smiled at him warmly. She asked him in and offered him lunch. Gwyn had just finished cooking. Magath accepted gladly. He followed the old woman inside.

Rain ran into his eyes again. Magath wiped it off and briefly opened his eyes. The darkness still had not gone. The sound of the rain was unbearable and his body hurt and felt totally numb. Magath closed his eyes again and plunged back into his dream that gave him shelter and made him feel warm. Like she had done so many times before, Gwyn covered the table. They ate scrambled eggs and then they talked. Magath felt at home. He felt safe and comfortable.

A thunder rolled and shook him out of his dream. Startled, Magath opened his eyes. Had the thunder rolled above the canyon or had he just imagined it? Magath was confused. His confusion frightened him.

~~**~~

Ogol was lying on his back on the hard ground. He suffered from dehydration. It blurred his mind and Ogol noticed it. He fought against it with mere willpower. Since he was trained on focusing his mind, his efforts worked out for a while. Ogol realized that he found himself in a trap. The brethren had changed the energy field. He knew that whatever magic he thought of, it would not work out in the end. Ogol admitted this to himself. He knew that he would only waste time with deceiving himself. He focused his mind on the Castle of Saelethiel and he tried to see through the brethren’s plan.

The sound of the pouring rain unnerved Ogol. But he was able to ignore it. He was also able to ignore his aching body. His thirst, however, was tormenting him and it disturbed his mind. Involuntarily, images of brooks and springs formed in his mind. They were tempting and they drew him in. Ogol tried to push the images aside. But the images returned and subtly filled his conscious mind until Ogol, against his will, plunged into the image of a spring of water. He dived into the water and drank of it. The water was cool and quenched his thirst. The water refreshed him and revived his spirits. Ogol felt filled with new energy. He felt ready to act on his aspiring plans and he was ready to step into the future.

A thunder rolled. Startled, Ogol opened his eyes. Reality caught up with him. He found himself in the trap again. It was pitch-black in the canyon and the rain poured down on him. His body hurt and his thirst tormented him. Ogol looked up and listened into the night. Had the thunder rolled above the canyon or had he just imagined it? Ogol forced himself to focus his mind. Yet, subtly and yet unnoticed by him, fear crept up his spine.

~~**~~

Magath was lying on his back on the ground. Fear had taken hold of him. He gazed into the darkness with widened eyes. He ignored the rain that ran down his face. What if nobody came for his rescue? What if this unreal world lasted forever? Magath’s heart was beating fast. Sweat covered his hands and his body was numb. The sound of the rain did not disturb him any longer. He paid no more attention to it.

Magath started to think the impossible. If nobody came for his rescue, then he would remain trapped in the canyon. How long would he last before death would come upon him? Time was running out. Magath was fully aware of it. Despair took hold of him.

Why had he followed Neldor on his quest? The wizard had tempted him. The wizard had bragged about his skills. But the wizard had not accomplished anything. He had not stopped Ogol. He had not found the castle. Even his magic did not work properly. He, Magath, had fallen for a fraud who had led him here. The wizard had led him into this unreal world. He had led him into a trap. And now he would let him die here all alone. Magath finished his inward rant and opened his eyes in despair. He gazed into the darkness. His limps were stiff. His body was cold and his mind was almost blank.

The image of the palace that he had seen the previous day came to his mind. His cheeks blushed at the thought. At the sight of the image, he had sworn he would not give in to temptation. But his own words meant nothing to him the following day. He was just a loudmouth, a liar, a fool. He needed a scapegoat for whatever went wrong in his life. Why the hell did he always blame Neldor for whatever did not work out? Probably to distract himself from his own flaws.

The wizard had not forced him to set out on the journey. He had volunteered. It had been his own decision. It was his own responsibility. He had been naive. He most likely still was. But it was up to him to learn and to grow. After all, ignorance was no excuse in law.

The wizard had not thrown him into the abyss. He had gone to the abyss in the dead of the night. He had stood on the edge when the wall had tumbled. Did he really want to blame the wizard for not watching each of his steps? After all, he was not a three-year-old. Magath blinked and he swallowed hard. Perhaps he was no more than a naive child.

He turned his head aside and closed his eyes. Magath swallowed and tears filled his eyes. Magath felt despaired and ashamed.

~~**~~

Ogol was lying on his back on the ground. He had given up his attempt to see through the brethren’s plan. The guardians of the castle had demonstrated their power and had made clear to him that he would not be able to stand a chance. The brethren had not fought a long fight. They had woven a magic that involved no losses. At least not on their side. Ogol was the only one to lose. He realized that he had never had a chance. He had been bound to lose from the very beginning, since he had come up with his pretentious plan. The brethren had won and Ogol had fallen. He had fallen deep. The brethren had thrown him into the depth of an abyss where he would soon end his miserable life.

Ogol gave a bitter laugh. The brethren were not without humour. He was lying on the ground of a deep abyss. He could not have fallen deeper. What a sarcastic image the brethren had chosen in order to make his total failure clear to him. Ogol’s thoughts stopped short as the facts occurred to him. The brethren had not thrown him into the canyon. He himself had climbed down to the bottom of it, eager and greedy to steal the brethren’s magical tool and willing to betray the oath that he had once sworn in the castle.

Ogol turned his head aside and closed his eyes as the bitter truth dawned on him. His own greed and vengefulness had led him here. His unquenchable thirst for revenge had ultimately sealed his fate. His unquenchable thirst tormented him. Ogol finally realized. He closed his eyes in shame and despair.

~~**~~