Manorborn: The Battles Between

Chapter 3

As they came out into the bright light, blinking against the brilliance of the twin suns shining down on them in full, the captain and her crew were surprised by what they saw.

There was a picture standing before them, a picture frame of a size and a shape that resembled a door; one two men could easily pass through standing side by side. The frame stood on a spit of sand no larger than perhaps 10 paces in either direction. Nothing seemed to support the wooden frame, yet it stood as sturdily as a tree might. The image it bore was that of a great expanse of the universe; a star filled black expanse that seemed to go on forwever, with a path along the lower edge of the image that seened to cross to the right and left of the image. It was, quite possibly, the most unusual, and most unexpected, sight any of them could have anticipated, and all stood at the gunwales gazing at the picture in wonder, curiosity aroused on every face as they did so.

"What're we looking at, Captain?"

Old Jim, the cook had come up on deck to see what was causing all the quiet among the crew. Now, the graybeard was at Mahrmia's side and, like the rest, gazing out at the sight before him in open curiosity and wonder.

"I'm not sure, Jim. But, I confess, I was not sure what I would see when we arrived her anyway."

"It is just me, or does that picture seem more than an image?"

Jim was peering closely at the picture, eyes bright despite his age as he spoke.

"Aye, I think you see right," Mahrmia nodded, "that is more than just a picture over there. There is something to that thing than just being a portrait of some kind."

Beag turned to the crew, raising her voice in command.

"Stop standing about you lazy sods! Drop anchor, reef the sails! Ready a longboat and a crew! The Captain is going ashore!"

The crew did as ordered and, a short time later, Mahrmia, Beag, and a half dozen crew were on the beach, the longboat firmly set on the sand, and making their way to the tall picture frame.

"Beag, have you ever seen anything like this before?"

The dwarf shook her head slowly, gazing at the thing in wonder, and a bit of fear as well.

"It's not natural, Captain. This should not be here. There is no reason for such a thing to exist, much less just be standing here in the middle of a cloudbank, hidden from the world."

She adjusted the pistols in her belt, loosening them as well, as she watched the picture as if she expected monsters to burst forth from it at any moment.

"It makes no sense to me either." The Captain of the Stalwart agreed, her eyes tracing the lines and figures that decorated the frame as she spoke.

"Captain, there are words on the frame." One of the crew pointed to softly glowing letters that seemed to appear from nowhere.

Looking at them, Mahrmia and Beag read, "Seekers of aid, Servants of Light, let not your hope fade against the trials of Night. Enter through me and you will find, there are many others of like mind. Step through my frame and onto the path, for doing so will save you from darkest wrath. Do not let your faith be forlorn, enter through me to find the Manorborn."

"So this is some kind of gate or entrance? This is where we go to find this help you were talking about?"

Beag stood, arms crossed, clearly mistrusting of what they were being asked to do.

"Sounds like a trap to me. This is just the kind of thing Almakhadie would create to trap us, don't you think?"

Mahrmia nodded slowly, pondering as she spoke.

"It does, yet it does not. Almakhadie would make it seem good and wonderful, easy to do. What he would show would seem easy, with no need for extra thought or trust on our part." She gestured to the frame. "This requires us to trust, to take a step ourselves into the unknown."