Chapter Seven

Nothing was right. I was walking through a maze of colours, nothing had a real purpose. I was just walking endlessly throughout nothingness. It must have been a dream. I was looking around, for a sign of something normal, when I saw a figure. It wasn’t very big, but it was a figure. I began towards it. I walked for what must have been ten minutes. Still the figure maintained its distance. I tried running, the same thing happened, I couldn’t get any closer to the figure. Then all around me I heard a voice; Arumag’s voice.
         “James, you have little time, you must hurry.”
         It was definitely Arumag. Then as I lost focus on all of the colours and the entire room went black, I could hear voices.
         “Hurry up James we have to go!”
         I didn’t know who it was, but I didn’t want to wake up from this dream, Arumag was trying to tell me something and I wanted to find out what.
         “Ouch!”
         “Come on hurry up!”
         “What? Why did you pinch me?”
         “It’s them!”
         “Who?”
         “Daemon! It’s Daemon!”
         “Oh no! Where’s Dad?”
         “James, he’s dead.”
         “I know, don’t remind me. Where’s his body?”
         “It’s okay, I’ve hidden him, they won’t find him.”
         “Okay, I take it they know we are here?”
         “No, they didn’t come for us. It’s complicated. You’ll see when we get outside.”
We left the hospital through the fire entrance at the back of the complex. When I stepped outside it felt like I was stepping onto another planet. The sun was no longer burning its loving, happy yellow, but a cold, dark, blood red that told me what I needed to know, Daemon had taken over. The whole world was red, there were no more colours, just red. Buildings all around were blazing and there was not a tree in sight. It was mayhem. Some people were running in no obvious direction, screaming, others were just wandering, as if they were nothing any more. Maybe they weren’t, it would certainly explain why they were just wandering staring into nothingness.
“What’s up with them?”
“They’re dead.”
I didn’t think it was possible, Loreli obviously knew more than I gave her credit for.
“What do you mean? I thought it was impossible.”
“No, they haven’t been brought back from the dead, they are reborn and their purpose it to serve their master – their creator – Daemon. I think he wants to build an army of them, that was why he went to the hospital, to find some people he could kill because they wouldn’t be any use as slaves.”
“Right… okay, where the hell are we going to go?”
“I don’t know, we need to find your mother.”
“No, I want to bury my father.”
“It’s too dangerous, Daemon will still be there, it takes time to make dead servants. Don’t worry, his body is safe, we can bury him when we find Arumag.”
         “If we find Arumag.”
         I knew she was right, but I couldn’t help having a niggling feeling that we needed to bury my father, and that if we didn’t, I would miss something important. Dad had once told me that he wanted to be buried, and that when he died I should bury him in the place where he could truly call home, so he can live there forever as a spirit. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but I knew that it was possible that he was trying to tell me something, without worrying me. I wanted to take his body to the castle and bury him there, but I was afraid of what had happened to the castle, and besides, I had no way of getting there. What was it Arumag had said? ‘You must hurry.’ Was he communicating with me through my dreams? It was all too much, I was becoming extremely confused and my head hurt.
         “Okay, you’re right, we can do it after, we’ve got to get on with finding Arumag, something tells me that time is limited. One thing I know is that we need to get out of the open, I need time to think, my head hurts.”
         “Where can we go? Your house?”
         “No, it’s too obvious.”
         “Exactly, which means they probably won’t be guarding it heavily, they won’t be expecting you to go there, they know you aren’t stupid, it’s the last thing they expect really.”
         She was right again, perhaps she was going to be alright after all. The thing we needed to do was do the unexpected, and that was certainly unexpected.
         “I’m not saying we’ll go in, but we’ll have a look and see if they are guarding it.”
         By this time, we were halfway there, and the streets that I once used to walk on my way home from school were unrecognizable and the houses that were once called homes, were now in ruin. It was like a whole new world.

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         When we reached my old home I noticed that there were several of the dead army watching over my house. Standing motionless. There were not enough of them to worry me however, and I persevered.
         “Follow me.”
         I led Loreli round the back of the street and over a few smoldering fences. We had arrived at the back hedge of my garden. There was a guard in my kitchen, but I knew we couldn’t be seen as it was so far back and as the sun was making everything red, we were almost always camouflaged. However Loreli ducked behind a bush, and that suited me fine. She was squatting in exactly the right position.
         “What are you doing?”
         She was asking me, but I couldn’t say yet, I didn’t want to disappoint her.
         “Just wait, you’ll see.”
         I dug my fingers under a single square of turf and ripped it away, to reveal an old-looking man-hole cover; it looked as if it was out of place, and the rust seemed to make it dull, and ugly. But in fact it was beautiful. I was amazed that it was still here, I thought Daemon would have known everything about my house, and put a stop to any entrance I may or may not have. This hole led right down into my cellar.
         I lifted the cover with ease as the rust made the hinges brittle and therefore they snapped without too much effort. I hoped I had not made too much noise.
         “I’ll go first. Once I’m down, follow me and pull back over the cover. Come all the way down and stay quiet.”
         She did as instructed and soon after I felt the cool floor beneath my feet she slid down the ladder, much like a dancer would, with elegance and grace.
         “No-one knows about this.”
         “Where are we?”
         “My cellar; pretty weird isn’t it, handy though.”
         “Very.”
         Loreli moved over to the door and tried to push it open.
         “It won’t budge.”
         “Because it’s locked.”
         “Well that’s helpful!”
         “Yeah, well it doesn’t matter. It suits me fine to stay down here so I can think and devise some sort of plan. Turn the light on will you? The switch is to the left of the door.”
         I buried my head in my hands as I heard Loreli feeling for the switch. I heard the click then the ‘whirr’ and soon I could see light all around me. When I heard Loreli gasp I looked up in panic, and half-screamed myself, but I stopped myself because I didn’t want anyone to find us. Sitting in the corner of the room was the battered figure of my mother. I swore quietly, and it made me feel better, as I couldn’t shout.
         “I’m glad you came, James.”
         “Mum, what are you doing down…”
         “The exact same as you. Hiding.”
         “Okay, I need your help. I need to find ‘K’.”
         “Ah, don’t we all. He has a lot of explaining to do.”
         “What?”
         “Ever wondered why he left? He turned spy for Daemon. Arumag found out and banished him from our castle grounds. It seems ‘K’ knew more than he should have, but I don’t think he told Daemon everything.”
         “Why?”
         “Because Arumag had already put powerful protection in place over his secrets. I cannot speak of them, and nor can many others.”
         “Okay, so Arumag kicked him out, then what?”
         “He was of no use to Daemon. He only just escaped. He has been in hiding ever since.”
         “Then why did Arumag send me to find him?”
         “Arumag knows things I know not. If he told you to find ‘K’ then I suggest you succeed or die trying. In these difficult times, what other option do you have?”
         “Where can I find him?”
         “I don’t know. He will definitely be in the hidden kingdom. I believe your female companion knows how to get there?”
         Loreli stepped forward.
         “Yes, I do. But how did you know that? Anyway, we won’t find him just with that, it is such a big place it’s like finding a needle in a haystack.”
         “Indeed it is. The last I heard of him he had a scrap with a drunk in the pub in Caliste. He will have moved on now though.”
         “It’s a start.”
         “There’s something you should know. ‘K’ will only be found if he wants to be found. If Arumag has warned him of your arrival, which I suspect he has, ask the right questions and you will probably find him.”
         “Thanks, you’ve helped us so much. Are you coming with us?”
         “No, but I can do you one last favour. Andrew will be here in a minute, I’ll slow him down for you, and then I will lose my powers. From now on the journey is yours. Choose your paths wisely, and be careful.”
         At that moment the rasping sound of the cover being lifted was heard, and Andrew dropped in with a thud. His eyes no longer a pale green, but blood red and evil. Even down here, with no sunlight, Andrew was so immensely swallowed by evil that his face was a kind of deep red, and his eyes were inhumane.
         “Well, well, well. What do we have here?”
         Andrew looked at my mother.
         “You have done your part now woman, leave us.”
         “No.”
         “Leave us!”
         “No!”
         “Then you shall leave us for good! How dare you disobey a direct order from your lord?”
         “You are not my lord. I have been spying on you for months you dumb fool, and the powers I still possess will come in handy.”
         “Stupid woman, your powers will be stripped almost immediately now that you have shown your true colours.”
         “Yeah, almost.”
         I watched as my mother lifted her hands and out shot blue lightning. It struck Andrew in the chest and amazingly he crumpled to the floor without a sound.
         “I still have a little bit of my power left. We must now part ways, but I can do you one last favour. Good luck James. And be careful. We shall meet again one day. I promise. I will fight with you until the very last day of my life!”
         She lifted her hands once more, and pointed her long fingers at me and Loreli. Within seconds I felt the sensation of drowning and screwed my eyes shut. When I opened them me and Loreli stood in a different world. The sign in front of me said something in a strange language, and at the end of the sign I saw a word I recognised. ‘Caliste.’

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         Loreli had laughed with excitement when she had first read the sign.
         “Your mum did it!”
         She had screamed. I was thinking too heavily about what I hadn’t done to care. I hadn’t buried my father, and he had told me under strict orders that I should do so, and that something good would come of his loss. Maybe he was wrong I thought, maybe he was just saying it to make me feel better. I certainly couldn’t feel anything good at the moment.
         We had walked for what seemed like an eternity. Out here in Caliste the edge of the town was a mile away from the centre - a mile of nothing but red dessert and funny looking red plants. I wondered what colour the plants would be in normal sunlight. Maybe it would be the green of a cactus, or even a deep purple. In this alien world it seemed anything could be possible.
When we had reached the pub we went straight to the barman and asked if he had any rooms. He simply grunted at us and held out his hand as if to say, ‘show me the money and I’ll give you a room.’ Of course it was what I had been expecting. There was nowhere for us to stay. We had decided it would be a waste of time asking around for information on ‘K’. There were a few drunken looking trolls – literally – sitting at the bar and they didn’t look much help. We were out of options. We found a decent spot outside a small wooden hut that looked like a home, and we laid down next to each other, our backs touching to share body heat. Slowly and gently I began to drift off to sleep. I felt safe sleeping next to Loreli, and I sensed that she felt the same too.

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         The next morning when I awoke, I was startled to find myself sleeping on sand next to a girl, but then I was relieved, as my memory trawled back from the vivid dream I had been having. I had been dreaming of my room in the castle, and having Arumag and my father sit with me and talk about stupid things. It was a bit of a soppy dream to have, but expected. I turned onto my side and looked over at Loreli. She was sleeping soundly. I couldn’t just leave her here. I put my hand on her shoulder and shook her gently. She awoke and turned to look at me. I looked into her eyes and saw something I hadn’t seen before. She was looking at me with pride.
         “You sleep okay?” She whispered.
         “Yeah, fine. You?”
         “Yeah.”
         “You felt safe then?”
         “Of course I did, I was with you.”
         We were still whispering. I looked at her and smiled. She put her arms around me and squeezed me tight.
         “We’re going to be alright, aren’t we James?”
         “Yeah, we’ll be fine.”
         She let go of me and lied back down. I did the same and watched as the clouds seemingly stained red, passed by and I was deep in thought. I was thinking about my father, and Arumag. But I was also thinking about what had just happened. Could it be possible that I was falling for Loreli? She was certainly nice enough, and pretty enough. And yet I couldn’t let that happen. If Daemon knew, he would wrench her from me, even make me watch her die. I looked at Loreli and suddenly felt guilty. What had I gotten her into?

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         That afternoon we realised that we would need money somehow. We hadn’t eaten for two days, and we could really do with a room. We decided to go to the pub and ask the barman if there was any work needing doing in the kitchens. When we opened the door the whole room went silent. Trolls, goblins, pixies, elves, dwarves, centaurs – you name it were all looking at us. There were so many magical creatures in there, I was amazed. We walked through the middle of them, and some of them glared at us. It seemed some of these creatures were less than friendly. We walked over to the barman and he ushered us out of the room.
         “Are you crazy?” He said angrily. “You could have started a riot, barging in like that!”
         “What do you mean?”
         “Where the hell are you from? Those people in there. They hate humans, they only accept me because they’ve known me for such a long time and I’ve gained their trust. This bar ain’t for people like you and her.”
         “But why? What have we done wrong?”
         “I know you haven’t. You’re just two innocent kids, but they don’t care, any human they can pick a fight with and they’ll try it.”
         “What have other humans done wrong?”
         He sighed.
         “The great war has left many creatures hating us humans. They were fine until a couple of days ago, when the sky turned. They know what it means. They know dark times are approaching, and they blame all humans for that.”
         “Well I guess they kind of have a good reason.”
         “Don’t speak nonsense boy. It’s hardly the whole human race’s fault. It’s the minority that causes all this agro. I tell you, when that boy who is supposed to save us all finally shows his face it’ll be the best news I’ve heard in years. Finally someone who can stop all this nonsense and get life to how it should be. Peace between all breeds and individuals. We can only dream.”
         “My, you’re placing a lot of weight on my shoulders there.”
         “What? You mean… it’s you? You’re the one who’s supposed to save us?”
         “Yeah. And I’ll do my best. It’s just, me and my… companion here, we haven’t eaten for days, and we could really do with a room. Is there any kind of work in the kitchens or something we could do?”
         “Work? You? Don’t be so stupid. I’d be throwing away my duty to what’s right if I didn’t help you in any way I can. No, you shall have a room, my finest room in fact! And you shall have a hearty meal, and then you can do what you see fit.”
         “You are so kind. I cannot thank you enough.”
         “It’s no worry. I’ll be glad to help.”
         “How do you know I’m telling the truth.”
         “I don’t know. I just do. There’s something about you boy, and I know that you’re going to be the one to save us all. And your female companion there should feel proud that she is to travel with you, as much danger as she is in.”
         “Oh don’t worry, I am.”
         I looked at her and gave her a questioning look. She blushed and turned away. I looked at the barman and once again thanked him. It only seemed right that I should ask him about ‘K’. Of course it had been he who had caused a brawl in his pub, he might know what became of him.
         “Had a fight you say? You couldn’t be talking about old Kalypso could you? Yes, he got into a scrap with a troll the other day, was accused of causing the sky to go red. It seemed to touch a nerve. He got badly had up. In fact he was so bad I’ve had my wife nursing him ever since. You want to see him?”
         Loreli smiled and I turned away. She looked so pretty when she smiled. The barman led us up the staircase.
         “Name’s Jarik by the way, m’ wife’s name’s Pelio.”
         We reached the door and Jarik knocked.
         “P, we got some visitors.”
         “Send them in.”
         Jarik opened the door and pointed to another room. He mouthed the words ‘that’s yours’ and set off down the staircase back to his pub. Me and Loreli stepped inside the room and ‘K’ looked at me.
         “I wondered when you’d get here. I thought that little fight with the troll would give you a hint.”
         “’K’, it’s been so long. It’s good to see you.”
         “And you James. You’re not looking too well. Understandable. Pelio here will have to nurse you for a bit. How’s your old father?”
         I looked at him blankly and realised I would have to break the news. I was on the verge of tears myself.
         “He’s… gone.”
         “Gone?”
         Loreli looked at me and understood.
         “What James means to say is… his father is dead. He died protecting James.”
         “As he always said he would.”
         ‘K’ sighed a sad sigh and looked down at his hands.
         “Not many of us left now. Me and your dad were good pals, it’s a shame we parted company in the circumstances we did. I presume you know about my past, I am ashamed and I would like it if you pushed me not on the matter. I have seen the error of my ways, and having to live with what I did is punishment enough.”
         “Okay, I won’t say anything.”
         “Thank you James. Now, I understand from Arumag you have something to tell me, and ask me. He did not say what.” ‘K’ turned and looked at Pelio. “Could you leave us for a moment?” She left and closed the door behind her.
         Yeah, well Arumag was killed by Daemon, but not fully, he said he can come back, and he asked me how I could do it.”
         “You can’t.”
         “But Arumag said I can.”
         “I’m afraid it was wishful thinking.”
         “I refuse to believe that. If there wasn’t a way then Arumag wouldn’t have told me that there was.”
         “I understand your thinking, but I assure you it cannot be done. You can’t bring anyone back.”
         “But Arumag isn’t just anyone. He’s different. There must be something, anything.”
         “Well, I do recall some ancient history, in which a man was resurrected on the highest mountain in the land. It is said that the passage between the afterlife and the world is better there, and that it is possible to pass between the two, with the use of a special talisman. It is said that only a God can do it. I suppose Arumag could be classed as a God.”
         “Yes, I would say so. A talisman you say?”
         “Yes. Do not ask me which. I do not know. However I do know a man that would. And he lives not too far from here. He is a priest by the name of Filia, and he knows about that sort of thing. I cannot come with you on this journey, I am too old, too weak, and it is too dangerous. I would be something of a liability.”
         “It’s fine. Me and Loreli are quite capable of journeying ourselves.”
         “Okay, Filia can be found in the next village about five miles north of here. In the village of Haruna. The mountain of which you will need to reach the peak is the tallest in the land. It is named after the God who was resurrected on it; Litmunami. I trust you know where to find it?”
         Loreli nodded her head.
         “Good, now I suggest you rest up here and have a good meal before you set off. I recommend setting off tomorrow morning at first light, that way you can get a good day’s travel in. I have one-thousand Calina that I can give to you. That money should see you well in your quest. I will see you tomorrow to bid you farewell. I suggest today is used for rest and recuperation.”