Aglanthol 4 - Tyrnae (Journey to the Otherworld) - 2. Chapter 2

Neldor returned to his chamber in the tower. He stood by the window, rubbing his chin. The old wizard was thinking.

Zhoron had taken the queen’s horse from the stable. Presumably, the prince had left on his mother’s horse. However, Zhoron concealed the truth from the king. Moreover, he had made sure that the king delayed any actions and thus gave the prince a head start. Was Zhoron the prince’s confident? Had Lyaris asked the new magician to help him and cover up his secret departure? Neldor gazed outside.

Or had Zhoron sent the prince away? Why? A disturbing thought occurred to Neldor. Had Zhoron found a way to dispose of the prince? Would his henchmen wait for Lyaris? Would they kill him? Would his body never be found? Would everybody assume that the prince had left on his own accord? Would nobody suspect that Zhoron was involved? What had the magician in mind? What was his plan?

Neldor spent the day in his chamber, musing and pondering. Evening had come when a noise outside distracted him. Neldor went to the window and looked outside. The soldiers had returned. Neldor guessed from their slumped shoulders that they had not found a trace of the prince.

‘Incredible,’ Neldor thought. ‘Did they not find any hoof prints?’ He rubbed his chin. "Zhoron applied magic that made the foot prints invisible, I guess," he said aloud. Neldor narrowed his eyes. "I must find out about Zhoron’s role and his plan."

He heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," he hissed grumpily.

The door opened and a young man stepped in. He looked neat and clean and he was dressed elegantly. Neldor gave him a questioning look.

"Excuse me for disturbing you, Master Neldor," the young man said. "I am Aaron. I’m Prince Lyaris’ friend."

Neldor looked the young man up and down. His clothes revealed his noble origin. Neldor did not remember that he had ever seen the young man. He made a gesture with his hand. Aaron closed the door and then he stood in the room awkwardly. Neldor refrained from offering the man a seat. His eyes were fixed on his face instead.

"Yes?" he asked finally when the young man did not speak up.

"The king had everybody questioned again. But nothing new came to light. Master Haryk talked to me in the afternoon. He told me that you were looking for Prince Lyaris," he said.

Neldor raised an eyebrow with surprise. Was he looking for the prince? This was new to him. People always tended to exaggerate things.

Neldor cleared his throat.

"Master Haryk talked to me. We exchanged some thoughts, indeed," he said. "You are saying nothing new came to light. So why are you coming to see me?"

Aaron shuffled his feet. He looked at the floor, and then he raised his eyes again. His cheeks had blushed.

"Because I know where Lyaris went to. I did not tell anybody because I distrust the king and that man," he said.

Neldor narrowed his eyes and studied the young man closely. Aaron looked around nervously. He was obviously feeling uncomfortable.

"Which man?" Neldor asked.

"The new magician," Aaron replied.

They exchanged a look. Neldor pointed at a chair.

"Take a seat, Aaron," he said. "Tell me all you know, please."

Aaron sat down. He looked at the manuscripts on the table.

"I heard you’re doing some mysterious research, Master Neldor," he said.

"That’s quite right," Neldor replied, sitting down as well. He refrained from explaining more to the man. Life had taught him to be cautious.

"What is it about?" Aaron asked, pointing at the manuscript on top of the pile of papers.

"The magical symbols that were used in the early times," Neldor said briefly.

Aaron nodded. He looked at the wizard. His eyes sparkled with excitement. Neldor leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He measured the young man’s face. The man was curious and most likely he was smart.

"So where is Lyaris going to?" Neldor asked in a sober voice.

"Tyrnae," Aaron said simply.

Neldor’s eyes widened. He straightened at once.

"Good boy," he said. "Tyrnae is not a place in the real world. It is the world beyond. How can you say the prince set out for the otherworld?" Neldor’s voice was slightly shaking.

"This is what everybody believes. But once you research and dig deeper, you find evidence that the first magicians came from Tyrnae and that Tyrnae is a real land," Aaron replied. His eyes twinkled with excitement.

Neldor took a deep breath. He made an encouraging gesture with his hand. Aaron swallowed.

"I was doing research with Lyaris. We rummaged in the king’s library and we delved among books. We found a few books that looked very old. They were written in the ancient language. We were not able to read them. But it was all so exciting. Until the day Lyaris spoke to the magician Zhoron. Everything changed from that day on," Aaron said in a sad voice.

Neldor watched him closely. The young man had not yet revealed all.

"Go on, please, Aaron," Neldor said kindly.

Aaron nodded.

"I wanted to go and see you, Master Neldor. I wanted to show you the ancient books and ask you to translate them for us. But Lyaris objected to my idea. He went to Zhoron instead. His father trusts the man and so does Lyaris."

Aaron paused. Neldor gave him another nod. The young man continued.

"Zhoron was excited about the books. He had not yet found the books in the library because they were hidden in the secret part of it. The king had not yet granted him access. I suppose because he had simply forgotten about it. Else that man would have doubtlessly found the books before we even spotted them," Aaron said in a resigned voice.

"What are you thinking, Aaron?" Neldor asked kindly, although he had a premonition already.

"Zhoron was fascinated. He and Lyaris met every day. They spent hours together and studied the ancient books. The books contain tales on Tyrnae. In the beginning, Lyaris told me of their findings. But he gradually withdrew from me until one day he said me straight in the face that he would not reveal anymore to me. I asked him why. He said it was a secret that lay in the mists of time, a secret that only he was supposed to uncover. He said he was a chosen one. He and Zhoron had found out about it," Aaron said.

Aaron looked at the floor for a while. His face had turned white and his lips were slightly trembling. Neldor watched him sympathetically. The prince had discarded his best friend and had turned to the sapling, the adept. Neldor understood Aaron very well.

"What did you do?" Neldor asked softly.

Aaron raised his eyes.

"I ran after him for a while. But my efforts were useless. I gave up finally. I only made a fool of myself. Lyaris had ended our friendship," he said.

The young man and the wizard exchanged a look.

"I think Zhoron has a big influence on the king and his son," Neldor said slowly.

"What is he aiming at, Master Neldor?" Aaron asked.

Neldor shrugged.

"I have not yet seen through his plan. Try to remember. What did Lyaris tell you? Why did he set out to the otherworld? Why does he want to visit the land of Tyrnae?" he asked.

Aaron looked at the wall and bit his lip. Then he turned his eyes back to the wizard.

"Like I said, the ancient books tell of Tyrnae and they apparently reveal a way to the land. Lyaris said that the gate to the otherworld is open for the chosen ones on a specific day of the year. I think he thought he was a chosen one," Aaron said in a bitter voice.

"Samuin," Neldor said thoughtfully.

"What?" Aaron asked.

"The legend says that the gate to the otherworld opens wide on the day of Samuin. Many have sought the gate to the world beyond, but only few have ever found it," Neldor said pensively. "Why did Lyaris think he was a chosen one? Did he reveal this to you?" he asked.

Aaron shrugged.

"Because he was born on the day of Samuin?" he asked back.

Neldor straightened.

"Good Lord," he exclaimed. "This can help to open the gate, but it won’t suffice to find the way to the otherworld and moreover it does not guarantee a safe way back from it."

Neldor rose to his feet. He had no doubt any longer that the prince was in danger. The wizard was agitated. He felt the need to investigate at once. Aaron rose to his feet also. He looked at the wizard insecurely. Neldor turned to the young man.

"Aaron, don’t tell anybody of our meeting. Don’t mention a word to Zhoron. I will do some research. Come back and see me tomorrow morning," he said.

Aaron nodded. He felt confused. But at the same time new hope filled his heart. He gave the wizard a brief bow and then left the chamber.

Neldor went to his bookshelves at once. He pulled an old book from a shelf. The volume looked ancient. The book had been written aeons ago. Neldor put it on the table cautiously. He opened it and looked at the ancient hand-writing. A shiver ran through Neldor’s body as he read the title: ‘The Legend of Tyrnae’. Neldor took a deep breath, and then he started to read.

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