Aglanthol 4 - Tyrnae (Journey to the Otherworld) - 11. Chapter 11

Aaron and Neldor looked out on the other side of the dark and scaring river.

"Good Lord," Aaron said in a hollow voice. "It is pitch black over there. What a horrible place to live in the afterlife. I do not want to die, Master Neldor." Aaron was shocked at the horrible sight. His voice was almost breaking.

Neldor patted his shoulder.

"This is what we see from where we stand now, Aaron," he said in a calming voice.

The wizard channelled reassuring energy to the young man. Aaron’s tensed body relaxed a little.

"We are still alive. We see what we expect to see. I am not free of these expectations. We created this sight together, Aaron. The humans tend to think that it is forever night when things come to an end," Neldor said.

"This is why the deceased do lament," Aaron replied. His voice was hollow. "I heard their laments. I cannot blame them for it. This place is absolutely horrifying, Master Neldor."

Neldor nodded and patted Aaron’s shoulder again.

"We must work on our expectations, Aaron," he said in a sober voice. "We must work on our beliefs before we call out to the ferryman. Else a creepy being will appear. Or how do you imagine the ferryman?" Neldor asked.

Aaron shrugged.

"Yes, a creepy creature. The ferryman is a dead man, a skeleton. He is dressed in a ragged black robe and a hood is hiding his skull," Aaron said with utter conviction.

"Do you want to meet this creature?" Neldor asked.

Aaron shook his head.

"In no way, Master Neldor. But we must. He needs to take us to Tyrnae," Aaron replied in a dismal voice.

"If you want to meet this skeleton man, you must continue believing in him," Neldor said seriously.

Aaron turned his head and looked at Neldor. Neldor looked back and gave a faint nod. Aaron thought on the wizard’s words. He swallowed.

"What can we do, Master Neldor? You are saying we created the river and the place beyond, or rather the sight of it. Look, Master Neldor, we created hell. How can we change the sight quickly? We must hurry. Lyaris is in imminent danger," he said.

"First," Neldor said. "We do believe the ferryman only comes to take us aboard when we call out to him? Do you agree?"

Aaron nodded vividly.

"Exactly," he said.

"Good. I can stick to this belief also. And we better continue sticking to it. Else that creature might come to us on its own accord," Neldor said seriously.

Aaron swallowed hard. By all means, he would stick to that belief, too.

Neldor rubbed his chin.

"I see no sense in calling out to the ferryman and then start trying to pay, bribe, or persuade him to take us to Tyrnae. Do you believe this could work out, Aaron?" Neldor asked.

Aaron shrugged.

"In all honesty, Master Neldor, I don’t think any of this would work out. I don’t think the ferryman is an idiot," he replied.

Neldor chuckled. He patted Aaron’s shoulder.

"I’m also having difficulties with this," he said. "I can’t believe we can pay, bribe, or persuade him. So this would not work out."

Neldor rubbed his chin.

"We could try to persuade ourselves that one of these methods will work out well," Aaron suggested.

"Can we?" Neldor asked.

Aaron shrugged.

"I don’t think so, Master Neldor," he said meekly. "If we had more time, perhaps."

"So we must think of something else, Aaron," Neldor replied. "Why would the ferryman take us instantly and without delay to Tyrnae? We must both believe in this excuse."

Aaron shrugged.

"Because the skeleton ferryman has a day off and a nice and kind man works today," he said. "After all, it is the day of Samuin. It is said that horrible creatures sneak about at night. The skeleton ferryman is far away and occupied," Aaron said in totally convinced voice.

Neldor laughed heartily. Aaron looked at him in confusion.

"Wonderful, Aaron," Neldor said. "I can totally believe it."

Neldor did not believe in Aaron’s skeleton man. Yet, since they created their sight together, Aaron’s vivid imagination would doubtlessly materialize a somewhat nasty creature. The wizard thought of Aaron’s words. Yes, he could relate to them. The skeleton ferryman was probably at work elsewhere.

"All right, Aaron, we are lucky. We arrived on the day of Samuin. The skeleton ferryman is not around. A nice and kind man is on duty," Neldor supported Aaron’s imagination and belief. "Why would the kind man take us to Tyrnae and not to the realm of the dead?"

Aaron looked on the other side of the river. He found it was less black over there. He pointed at the other side. Neldor looked in the direction. He had seen the change also. Neldor nodded softly.

"Yes, we are less afraid now. We have changed our sight on the realm of the dead," he said.

Aaron nodded slowly. He started to believe in Neldor’s words. Perhaps they were true, after all, and they were able to influence their surroundings or their sight or their perception or whatever. Aaron pondered on Neldor’s question.

"Well," he said after a while. "We are not dead. Why should he take us to the realm of the dead then? We ended up at the river accidentally. We’re headed for Tyrnae. This is where we want to go to, after all. The good man is kind enough to take us there. Perhaps it is not much of a detour," Aaron said.

Neldor looked ahead. A smile played on his lips. It was always amusing how quickly people were ready to find excuses and how fast they were able to whitewash and blandish everything. This was usually an annoying habit that often hindered people from reaching their goals. Under the given circumstances, however, this annoying ability was worth a mint. Neldor understood why Mimir had sent him and Aaron on this quest together. The skilled wizard was not able to deceive himself so perfectly. Neldor patted Aaron’s shoulder again.

"Right, Aaron," he said in a grave voice that showed also surprise. "You found the solution to the riddle at your first attempt."

Aaron gaped at Neldor, and then he smiled awkwardly. Aaron felt embarrassed and flattered at the same time. Neldor smiled inwardly. He had sustained Aaron’s belief with ease. This was essential under the given circumstances. Time was ticking. They needed to cross the river in short.

"Look, Master Neldor," Aaron called out suddenly.

He pointed at the other side of the river. Neldor turned his eyes. A pale moon was now shining on the other side and a few stars twinkled brightly. Neldor smiled and nodded at Aaron.

"We’re getting better at this, aren’t we?" he asked.

Aaron smiled with relief. He relaxed. His horrible fear had finally gone and he almost looked forward to crossing the river. His altered state of mind instantly showed its effect. Dawn was breaking on the other side of the river. Aaron gaped at the sight of it.

"Good Lord," he said in awe. "Good Lord, Master Neldor, I can barely believe it."

Neldor nodded, and then he moved on. He descended the slope and moved to the river. Aaron followed him close behind. They stopped at the river bank. The river was deep and wide and the water looked cold and gray. Neldor and Aaron looked left and right. There was no boat on the river.

"We need to find the landing stage," Aaron said.

He hurried down the river bank. Neldor followed him slowly. The young man would find the landing stage where he believed it was supposed to be. They walked for a few minutes. The river made a soft curve. The water was shallow on their side.

"I found it," Aaron exclaimed excitedly.

He waved his hand. Neldor walked to where Aaron stood. A wooden landing stage led out on the river. Aaron had already entered it. Neldor followed him. He walked to the end of the landing stage. Neldor took a deep breath and then he called out loud.

"Take us over, ferryman!"

The call split the silence and for the split of a second the energy of the place changed. Neldor found it felt like a rupture that, however, in the split of a second healed.

Like out of nowhere, a boat came to the landing stage. A stout and small man with a bald head and rosy cheeks secured the boat and then smiled at them kindly. Neldor and Aaron exchanged a quick look. Neldor winked and Aaron smiled briefly.

"Good day, wanderers," the man said in greeting. "A passage to the realm of the dead?" he asked in a businesslike voice.

"I fear we have lost our way," Aaron said quickly. He stepped forward and looked at the man. "We wanted to travel to Tyrnae, but we lost our way. Look, good man, we are still alive. We’re not headed for the realm of the dead."

The stout man studied Neldor and Aaron. A good-natured smile appeared on his lips.

"Good you met me, wanderers," he said. "The place can be scary on the day of Samuin. Get into the boat. I will take you to Tyrnae. It really is not much of a detour," he explained.

"Thank you, good man," Aaron said quickly and then jumped into the boat.

He waved at Neldor. The wizard moved forward. Aaron helped him climb into the boat. The man set the boat adrift. He pointed at the other side of the river where a golden sun had risen.

"A good day there also," the man said in a cheerful voice, and then started to whistle a merry song.

Aaron and Neldor exchanged a look. An amused smile played on Neldor’s lips and Aaron almost burst into laughter. After some time, the riverside changed. Fine sand replaced the gray pebbles and the water of the river looked dark blue.

"We’re almost there," the stout man said cheerfully.

He pointed in the distance. Aaron and Neldor spotted another wooden landing stage. They arrived there a short while later. The man secured the boat. Aaron jumped out of it quickly.

"Wait," Neldor called out to him.

Aaron turned around and bent down to help the wizard out of the boat.

"What do you think does he want in return?" Neldor whispered at Aaron.

"A gold coin," Aaron said in a convinced voice.

He pulled out a neck pouch from under his tunic and took out a gold coin. Neldor watched him and let him do what he believed was the right thing to do. Aaron bent over and thanked the man. He handed him the gold coin. The man set the boat adrift. He waved at them, and then moved on. Neldor and Aaron looked after him.

"Good Lord," Neldor said, shaking his head. "Your imagination is truly peculiar."

Aaron looked at Neldor as if he was pouting.

"Why so? Better a stout man with a bald head and rosy cheeks than a skeleton man," he said.

He smiled at Neldor. Neldor smiled back, and then the wizard pointed up the river bank.

"So hopefully this is the land of Tyrnae," he said. "Now let’s go and find Prince Lyaris and then let’s get out of here. Hopefully, we can cross the gate."

Neldor smoothed down his tunic. He found he looked a bit too ragged in the ancient realm of Tyrnae.

"We can always call the stout ferryman again," Aaron said.

He followed Neldor’s example. He smoothed down his clothes and wiped back his hair. Aaron felt nervous. They had arrived in Tyrnae where only the chosen ones were welcomed. Aaron reminded himself of Mimir’s words. The gatekeeper had told them that they were supposed to come here. Aaron took a deep breath.

"Master Neldor, where do we go now?" he asked.

"Do you remember what I told you?" Neldor asked. "Time is different here. Everything is different here. This is a magical world."

"It looks much like our world," Aaron said, looking around.

"Appearances are deceiving," Neldor said with a serious look.

A cold shiver ran up Aaron’s spine. He sensed that the words of the wizard were true.

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