Aglanthol 4 - Tyrnae (Journey to the Otherworld) - 10. Chapter 10

Neldor and Aaron stood in front of the huge ash tree. Neldor looked at it. The wizard was deep in thoughts. Aaron stood close to Neldor. He glanced around nervously. What were they supposed to do? Aaron looked at the wizard. Neldor nodded thoughtfully.

"Do you have an idea, Master Neldor?" Aaron asked hopefully.

Neldor turned to him.

"I was thinking, Aaron," he said. "Today is the day of Samuin. The veils between the worlds are thin today."

Aaron nodded. He hung on Neldor’s lips.

"The ash tree is the tree of life," Neldor carried on. "The tree will lead us to the realm of the dead."

"How so?" Aaron asked with a questioning look.

"Death is not what it appears to be," Neldor said. "Death is not the end of life. It is just a threshold that we pass as we move from one world to the other. The tales describe this threshold in various ways. One image is that of a river that separates the world of the living and the world of the dead."

"I thought we were supposed to find a real river," Aaron said in confusion. "I thought we were supposed to find the ferryman who will set us over."

Neldor nodded.

"The threshold will probably materialize as a river," he said. "This is what Mimir said and I do trust his words," he replied.

"So why do we stay here in front of the ash tree?" Aaron asked. He felt in despair.

"Because the ash tree symbolizes the worlds. There are many worlds, not only our world, Tyrnae, and the realm of the dead. We want to enter Tyrnae, but the gate is sealed. We don’t have permission to pass it. Like Mimir said, we must find the way to the realm of the dead and persuade the ferryman to make a side trip to Tyrnae," Neldor said.

He rubbed his chin and an amused smile played on his lips.

"I don’t find it very amusing," Aaron said. He sensed tears in his eyes again.

Neldor reached out and touched Aaron’s arm lightly. He channelled reassuring energy to the young man.

"Calm, Aaron," he said. "I myself cannot imagine that the ferryman wants to make a detour. Let’s trust in Mimir’s words, however. We need to find the river today. The veil between the worlds is only thin today."

"So why do we stay in front of the ash tree?" Aaron repeated his question. He sounded impatient this time.

"Like I said," Neldor replied, "The tree symbolizes the worlds. The branches symbolize the higher worlds and the roots symbolize the netherworlds. The trunk connects them all."

Aaron turned his eyes to the ash tree and looked up at its vast and mighty branches. How were they supposed to find a river there? This was all beyond his understanding.

"You are looking in the wrong direction," Neldor said in a sober voice.

Aaron looked back at the wizard. His cheeks blushed, although he could not exactly say why he was feeling embarrassed.

"The realm of the dead, the netherworlds," Neldor said, pointing at the large roots of the tree. "We must find the root that symbolizes the realm of the dead. Then we will follow it."

Aaron looked from one large root to the other.

"They creep across the ground and then grow back into it. Are we supposed to dig a hole?" he asked.

Neldor shook his head slowly.

"I do not think so," he replied. "I suspect the material world will change as we follow the root. I suspect we will see the river without any difficulties, once we have followed the correct root, that is."

Aaron looked at the roots. He felt entirely at a loss. He moved to the nearest root and placed his hand on the bark. He even placed his ear against it.

"Excellent, Aaron," Neldor exclaimed excitedly.

He hurried to Aaron. Aaron straightened and looked at the wizard in utter confusion.

"What, Master Neldor?" he asked in a perplexed voice.

"Very good, Aaron," Neldor said. "We must listen attentively. We must listen for the laments of the dead."

Aaron kept gazing at Neldor. Had the man gone insane?

Neldor noticed Aaron’s look. He smiled at the young man.

"You heard the small bells, Aaron," he said. "I did not hear the faint sound. Listen for the faint sounds that the roots carry to your ear. I then will trace the energy. This is how we must do it."

Aaron stood motionless for a while until the words had sunk in. Then he nodded slowly. He placed his ear against the root. He closed his eyes and focused deeply. He listened for any faint sounds. Suddenly, he startled and opened his eyes. He straightened abruptly and gazed at Neldor with widened eyes.

"What, Aaron?" Neldor asked excitedly. "Did you hear anything?"

Aaron nodded slowly. He felt stunned that the wizard’s plan seemed to really work out.

"I heard the pounding of hammers," he said.

Neldor clapped his hands with excitement.

"The realm of the dwarves. I really would like to have a look. Unfortunately, we don’t have the time to," Neldor said with a sigh.

"No, Master Neldor," Aaron said in a grave voice. "We must really hurry up."

Neldor looked at Aaron and then nodded quickly.

"Yes, you are right, Aaron, carry on," he said.

Aaron rushed to the next root and placed his ear against it. He focused his mind and listened for any faint sounds. He then reported to Neldor what he had heard and the old wizard pondered until he had identified the realm. Aaron was surprised that he was able to hear the faint sounds. He felt insecure in the beginning and he listened carefully for a long time. Soon, however, Aaron felt more confident. He rushed from root to root. Neldor followed him close behind. After one hour, Aaron finally heard the sounds that they were hoping to hear. He heard distant laments and a song that sounded like a death song.

Aaron stepped aside and Neldor stepped forward. The wizard placed his hand on the root. He closed his eyes and focused his mind. He stood like in trance for some time. Finally, Neldor opened his eyes and nodded at Aaron.

"I sense the fading energy of those beyond," he said.

He gave Aaron an encouraging look.

"Our journey begins," Neldor said and started to move along the large root.

Aaron followed Neldor close behind. They moved slowly. Aaron looked left and right out of the corner of his eye. A mist arose as they moved closer to the point where the root grew back in the ground. The large trees, that seamed the clearing, suddenly looked black and cold, and a cold breeze started to blow. The smooth forest ground turned hard. Aaron glanced down and saw gray pebbles under his feet. He suddenly felt as if he walked down a slope. Aaron looked ahead. The sight took his breath away. Aaron gasped. Neldor stopped and turned to Aaron. He placed his arm around Aaron’s shoulders.

"We have arrived," the wizard said gravely, reaching out his hand and pointing at the river Styx.

The river was large and wide and the water was gray. Neldor and Aaron stood in a dim and poor light. But the other side of the river looked entirely black.

Aaron and Neldor stood motionless and looked out on the other side of the river. The young man and the old wizard were equally awe-struck.

~~**~~

Erendil and Lyaris reached the top of the stairs. They walked down a corridor. It was as splendid as the entrance hall. Erendil opened a wooden door. It showed elaborate carvings. Erendil pointed into the room.

"Come, Lyaris," he said in a seducing voice. "Come and have a look at my room."

Lyaris stepped into the room. Erendil followed him and closed the door. Lyaris looked around. The room was bathed in light that fell through a large window. The floor and the walls of Erendil’s room were also made of marble stone. Fine carpets covered the floor and the walls were decorated with drawings and paintings. Lyaris stepped closer and looked at the aquarelles. They showed airy landscapes and they were painted in soft colours.

"Did you paint them?" Lyaris asked, turning to Erendil.

Erendil smiled.

"Yes, I love the arts. Many elves love the arts. It is part of our innate nature," he said.

Lyaris smiled back. He felt a little awkward. He had never painted in all his life.

"I don’t think I could paint," he said meekly. "They look very beautiful."

Erendil gave a soft laugh.

"You must try. We could do a painting together, maybe," he replied.

Lyaris smiled faintly, and then looked around in the room again. A wooden desk stood at a wall. Bookshelves were arranged beside it. Lyaris walked to the shelves that were filled with leather-bound books. The books looked familiar. Lyaris reached out his hand, yet he stopped within the movement.

"Don’t worry," Erendil said cheerfully. "Pull one out if you like to. I have read them all. I study here and sometimes I also write poems.

Lyaris glanced at Erendil, and then he pulled out a book from the shelf. He opened it cautiously. The hand-writing was elaborate and it looked like the hand-writing in the ancient books that he had taken from his father’s library.

"I have already seen books like this one," Lyaris said in amazement. "I learned of Tyrnae from these books."

Erendil tilted his head.

"Then some of the ancient books found their way to the human world," he said.

Lyaris nodded thoughtfully. He turned the pages of the book slowly. Then he put the book back into the shelf. He turned to Erendil.

"It is said that aeons ago very wise and powerful magicians came to our world. They came from Tyrnae. I guess they brought the books to our world. A few of them have found their way to my father’s library," he said.

Erendil nodded.

"This is true, Prince Lyaris. A long time ago - from the perspective of a human being, of course - these magicians were sent to your world. And time and again a human is called to the land of Tyrnae to receive a gift for the human world. These are the chosen ones. They carry the gift back to your world," he said.

Lyaris nodded.

"This is what I also learned from the ancient books. You said ‘from the perspective of a human being’. What do you mean by this, Erendil?" Lyaris asked with a questioning look.

Erendil smiled.

"Time is different in Tyrnae, Lyaris. A thousand years in your world may be only one day in Tyrnae," he said mysteriously.

Lyaris looked at the elf in confusion. Erendil raised his hand.

"I will tell you more of it later, Lyaris. Come, look around more," he said.

Lyaris turned his head. He saw wooden chests that looked quite familiar. He also had wooden chests in his room. They contained his shoes and clothes. Erendil opened a chest. He took out a ruby velvet vest and held it out to Lyaris. Lyaris felt a twitch in his stomach. He gazed at the ruby velvet vest. Aaron’s face came to his mind. Aaron looked at him worriedly. He had tears in his eyes. Lyaris felt dizzy. His hands started to sweat. He swallowed and took a deep breath.

"Is anything wrong with you?" Erendil asked in a concerned voice. He put the velvet vest back in the chest.

Erendil walked to a small side table and took up a jug. He poured water into a fine crystal glass and handed it to Lyaris.

"You must be tired and feel exhausted. Your journey was long and the passage was draining. Sit down, Lyaris, and rest," Erendil said in his melodious voice.

He pointed at a lounge that looked like a bed or sofa. Pillows were arranged on it and it was covered with a fluffy white coverlet. Lyaris sat down on the edge of the bed and drank of the water. The water was soft and fresh and tasted of lemons. Lyaris emptied the glass. He felt better at once. Erendil took the glass and placed it on the side table. Then he sat down beside Lyaris and smiled.

Lyaris looked at Erendil. The elf was handsome. Long blond hair framed his beautiful face. His hair was braided and revealed pointed ears. Lyaris studied Erendil’s face. He took in his handsome features. Erendil’s enticing beauty drew him in. The elf’s eyes showed a pretty sparkle. An enchanting smile played on Erendil’s lips. Lyaris felt charmed. He felt dizzy again. He felt as if he was in a trance. He felt totally relaxed and comfortably numb. Lyaris leaned back until his back touched the bed.

Erendil bent over Lyaris and smiled at him. Lyaris smiled back and looked up in Erendil’s eyes. He felt dazed and numb, bemused and drunk. What had caused his state? Was it the water? Lyaris tried to think, but he was not able to follow the line of his thoughts. The soft cushions distracted him. And so did Erendil’s beautiful face. The elf leaned in more. His face came closer. Lyaris looked in Erendil’s blue eyes. Erendil smiled, and then his lips touched Lyaris’ lips softly. Lyaris let out a sigh.

~~**~~