"Ferjar." Chief Orthunk repeated the word to himself like one who's between sleeping and has just woken from a disturbing dream. "No Landdweller has ever been permitted to ferjar. Not even in the days of Athylian, nor his father, when we had more dealings with the Outside."
Orthunk turned his back to the companions and paced toward his hut, his head bowed in thought. After several minutes, he stopped, still facing away from them.
"Which planet?" he asked quietly.
"Allega," replied Krom.
The old chief shook his head emphatically.
"Impossible...impossible," he replied, turning and pointing toward the tree-shrouded sky. "The stars will not allow it. You come too late in the season for Allega. Fenorra, yes. Not Allega."
Krom cast a thoughtful glance at Lasseter and the others before turning back to Orthunk. "If it must be so. You will grant this favor, then?"
The old chief nodded slowly.
They were led by the chief up one of the many spiral staircases that coiled around the trees like snakes. Orthunk's guards had returned the companions their things, which in their hasty and unexpected departure from camp had been left lying on the ground. Skylar looked down into the abyss of darkness below and wondered how high up they were. Hundreds of meters, perhaps. The thought made him shift closer to the tree, away from the edge of the stairs. Encumbered as he was by his pack and satchel, he would have little chance of catching himself should he lose his balance.
They ascended the stairs until they left the light of the city's torches below them and Skylar's legs began to tire. Still they climbed. At last they could scarcely go any higher. The slate gray sky began to emerge above them. They were coming to the top of the forest.
The staircase led them through a small opening in a platform sitting near the pinnacle of the tree. It was a much smaller platform than the one they had first been brought to, circular in shape. What remained of the tree's top pierced through the center of the platform like a tall dark man with a pointed cap.
"Only one may ferjar at a time," explained Orthunk. "A forewarning: the man whose soul possesses too much darkness cannot pass; for the light will destroy it and the man die."
The word ferjar, as yet, meant nothing to Skylar. Orthunk's initial reaction to Krom's mention of it had made Skylar uneasy. Now he felt utterly afraid.
The man whose soul possesses too much darkness... Skylar repeated Orthunk's words in his mind. What's going to happen?
Despite his apprehensions, Skylar remained silent as Orthunk continued to give further instructions.
"The first to go must stand there," he said, indicating a circle near the platform's center, "and look directly up into the heavens. Once you have found Naaros among the stars, fix your gaze upon it; free your mind and heart of earthly shackles; and you shall find yourself coursing through space on a beam of light."
"Coursing through space!" exclaimed Skylar involuntarily.
"Yes, little prince," said Orthunk. "What did you expect?"
"But that's impossible. We have no means of propulsion. Nor apparatus for breathing."
The chief laughed softly.
"Do not fear, little prince. You shall understand better than I can tell you. It is the nature of the light to reveal what is hidden."
This reassurance from Orthunk did little to convince Skylar that they weren't all mad. Not wanting to seem cowardly, however, he asked no more questions. The other companions looked as calm as the Haladrian desert on a breezeless morning.
Krom stepped forward.
"I shall go first," he said in a tone of command. "Endrick shall follow me. Then Lasseter. Skylar. Grim."
Everyone but Skylar nodded assent. Confidently, Krom took his place at the spot Orthunk had indicated before.
"Farewell, good friend," he said to Orthunk. "May next we meet in happier times."
Then Krom lifted his eyes heavenwards. Several moments passed, so that Skylar began to feel awkward. Like the time a strange boy at the Academy had tried to convince him that his pet lizard could answer simple questions by nodding or shaking its head. Skylar had sat there for a good five minutes while the boy rattled off dozens of questions. All the while the lizard sat motionless, never making any motion which resembled a nod or shake of the head. He'd felt uncomfortable then, watching the boy's desperation grow with every unanswered question, just as he did now as he watched Krom standing there, nothing happening. Not that he truly expected anything to happen.
Without warning, a blinding flash of white light burst from where Krom stood. Skylar raised his right arm to shield his eyes, but the light had vanished before his hand reached his face.
Skylar gaped at the spot where Krom had stood. It was empty. Completely and utterly void of any sign that a man had stood in the spot just moments before.
How can it be possible?
Endrick only hesitated a moment before stepping forward to take his turn.
"See you all on Fenorra-if the light doesn't burn me up first, or I don't take a wrong turn at Felos."
Another blinding flash followed and Endrick vanished.
Lasseter followed.
Skylar felt sick to see the spot where Lasseter had stood. Not only because it meant his own turn was at hand, but because he didn't know if he would ever see his uncle again.
"Do not fear, my prince," came the voice of Grim. "The light is our ally."
Grim's words were calming and granted Skylar the courage he needed to walk forward and take his place on the spot from where the others had vanished. Heart pounding painfully, Skylar looked straight up and tried to remember Orthunk's instructions. So many questions flooded his mind. Not the least of which was, where would the light take him?
He found Naaros gleaming brightly in the night sky. A star his uncle had taught him to recognize. Free your mind and heart of earthly shackles, he repeated in his mind. Free your mind...free your mind.
Involuntarily, the words of Grim's song of Elydar entered his mind. As the words flowed he found himself desiring to go there. No sooner had he thought this than he felt an extraordinary stillness.
It was like nothing he'd ever felt. The stars had grown brilliant beyond imagination, and so large that he felt he could reach out and touch them. He looked down and realized he no longer stood at the top of the tree, but floated in space. Yet, as though he were still on Quoryn, he saw Grim and Orthunk as clearly as if they stood in front of him. Everywhere he looked it was the same, as though everything were before him all at once.
Skylar felt no sense of motion. Yet he knew that he was moving. Moving so rapidly that no mortal eye could see him. He did not breathe. And yet, he felt no need to. And without knowing how he knew, he understood how to go where he wanted.
Scanning the space around him, Skylar located Fenorra, a gray, craggy planet, sprawling with mountains. Effortlessly, he spied Krom, Lasseter, and Endrick standing on top of a mighty peak, the full light of day beaming down on them. Keeping his eyes focused on the companions, he directed his thoughts to that one spot, thinking only about being there. And as suddenly as the stillness and peace overtook him, it was gone. A frigid mountain wind struck him from the side, and the other three companions stood before him.
No longer buttressed by the unseen force that carried him across the galaxy, Skylar's body felt heavy, his legs weak. He sank to his knees, panting heavily. Lasseter came and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Fine job, Skylar," he said. "Fine job. The weakness will wear off. Here-drink."
Lasseter handed him a water skin, from which Skylar drank greedily. Before he withdrew it from his lips, a flash of light burst around them, leaving Grim standing beside them in its wake.
"Glad you made it, Grim," said Endrick. "I was beginning to think you'd been burned to dust."
"We have precious few hours of daylight left," said Krom. "We would do well to get off this mountain and reach the gates of Dura Cragis before nightfall. Lord Orphlyus I know to be loyal to Athylian. He may be able to provide us with a shuttle and escort to Allega.
"If I am not mistaken, we stand above the northeastern point of Horned Vale, in the Boldúrin mountains. Once in the vale, our journey to Dura Cragis should be less than a league. Let us be off."
The companions shouldered their packs and began the cold descent off the mountain. Skylar, still in a daze and puzzling over how he had traveled across space in the blink of an eye, fell-in behind Lasseter. Their going proved arduous, for they found no clear path leading down. Many times their progress was stymied by an unexpected chasm or cliff wall. Weariness slowed Skylar's steps. They had not slept. And it was well into the night on Quoryn by now.
When finally they made it off the mountain and down into Horned Vale, the sun hung below the tops of the mountains, bathing the valley in a premature twilight. Krom's estimate as to their location had been accurate. Dura Cragis was just under a league from where they now stood. Due north from their corner of the vale, chiseled into the side of the black mountain, Dura Cragis could clearly be seen.
After a brief stop to rest and eat a morsel of food, the companions resumed their journey. They followed along the base of the foothills of the mountains, where the trees and vegetation grew denser, to protect their march from any unfriendly eyes. It was nearly dark by the time they came just outside the city walls. Dura Cragis rose before them proud and defiant, a mighty stone fortress, as impenetrable as the mountain into which it was carved. The lights of its buildings and towers burned golden, lending an air of life to an otherwise cold and dead mass of rock.
The companions halted just inside a line of trees, staying out of view from any sentinels.
"I shall go," said Grim "There may be unseen danger. I know Orphlyus well. I shall petition him on our behalf then come and bring back word."
Krom considered the matter from several moments, looking out at the mountain city. After a while, he nodded.
"Very well. We shall wait for you a little farther back into the woods. Be cautious."
"I shall return in no more than an hour," replied Grim. Removing his pack, he then set out into the open, heading straight for the gates of Dura Cragis. Skylar watched him until he could see nothing but a black blotch, which gradually melted into the deepening night.
Time crept by slowly. Within the cover of the trees, as they were, without a fire or torch, the darkness was complete. The other companions, as Skylar saw them were naught but black shadows against a dark gray canvas, striped with the thick black lines that were the trees around them. Despite his weariness, sleep eluded him. But he didn't wish to sleep. An undeniable concern for Grim's safety gnawed at him.
An hour passed. Krom left the companions to look out across the clearing, only to return shortly after with no news of Grim.
Two hours passed.
Three.
Skylar's nerves were tense.
"Shouldn't we go after him?" Skylar blurted out when he could bear the waiting no longer.
"No, Skylar, we should not," came the low voice of Krom out of the darkness.
"But he said he'd be back-"
"I'm well aware of what he said."
"Are we just going to keep waiting? He may be in trouble."
A sickening silence followed.
"We shall not wait. I very much suspect there is trouble. Real trouble. Grim most certainly would have returned by now if not. That is trouble which we cannot afford to put you in. We must get away from this place."
"And leave Grim!" Skylar's voice had risen to a near shout. "We can't just abandon him."
Despite Skylar's anger, Krom remained calm. Yet he spoke firmly and with a finality which left no room for argument.
"Grim will take care of himself. It is not my wish to leave him. But we have no other option. You are the future of the empire. Grim would not have us risk your safety to help him. Let us depart."
In the darkness, Krom gathered his belongings, turned and started heading back the way they had come. The other two companions stalled for a moment. Feeling desperate at the thought of leaving Grim, Skylar made a plea to Lasseter.
"Uncle?" was all he said.
"Come, Skylar," he said softly. "This is easy for none of us. But it must be so."
Then he turned and followed behind Krom. Wordlessly, Endrick waited for Skylar, who glanced back toward Dura Cragis once more, bowed his head then reluctantly set off behind the others.
They trudged on for an hour or more, keeping to the foothills which wrapped around Horned Vale, moving ever father away from the fortress city, away from Grim. Though he could still see the dark silhouettes of his companions, Skylar felt utterly lost and alone-a wanderer benighted on a cold, unfamiliar planet. Every step he took in that dismal state deepened the intensity of it. He was walking away from where he knew he ought to be.
Soon the mountains began to turn westward, forcing them to either ascend their rocky heights or head west. Krom led them west. Shortly after, they came to a break in the trees. Krom stopped just inside the deep shadows of the forest. Skylar looked out.
Not a hundred meters from where they stood stretched a road running north and south. Though no moonlight illuminated the scene, it was evident that the road came from the mouth of some tunnel through the mountains. And despite the late hour, there were shapes on the road. Skylar could hear them better than see them. The sound of legions of boots crunching on gravel filled the icy night air like an army of ghosts marching to battle.
"More of the king's soldiers," whispered Krom. "It's as I suspected, but hoped not true. I fear Lord Orphlyus is no longer Lord of Fenorra.
"That tunnel they pass through is narrow," he continued, "a safeguard against invasion. There could be thousands more. We'll pass on the mountainside. The way is not steep and there are plenty of boulders to hide us from view."
They did not have to travel far up the mountainside to find a path which led them over the tunnel. As they crossed over it, Skylar could still hear the ominous sounds of the troops marching toward Dura Cragis. Once they'd passed over the tunnel, Krom led the band gradually back down to the smoother terrain of Horned Vale.
In the darkness it felt as if they had been walking all night. Skylar checked his chronometer. Not yet midnight. Soon black trees surrounded them again. Krom guided them deeper into their protective shadows. A quarter of an hour later, Krom signaled a halt.
"We shall sleep here tonight," said Krom.
"I'll keep the first watch," replied Skylar, trying not to sound too eager.
There was a pause. Skylar waited nervously for Krom's reply.
"I suppose since Grim is not...very well. Wake me immediately if you hear or see the slightest thing."
It took no time at all before the sounds of slumber rose from his three companions. Still, he waited several minutes more. He couldn't risk waking one of them. This opportunity would not come again. Convinced they were all soundly asleep, he quietly slipped away from the camp, and disappeared into the night.