Chapter 1 - part2

“The time approaches.” An elderly man stood from his seat on a rock. He was surprisingly nimble despite the fact that he looked nearly seventy years old. White hair, forming a short, full beard, flowed from under the hood of the robe the man wore. His lips were full of purpose and held tightly together. The forest around the man was quiet with anticipation. Rumors and legends had been passed down, even among the trees, of the days and months that would follow this fateful day. Despite the rumors, no one could say with any certainty what would come. Prophecy is as true in metaphor as it is in physical reality. The man stood in a clearing amongst the trees, deep in the Tulien Forest, near the kingdom of  Huor, or so it was in days of old. The palace as well as the king in it now crumbled under oppression. The king had not been in the line of Huor for over four hundred years. That is why the trees watched with fervor.

The arms under the long, black robe grasped an oak staff in their hands and slammed it into the ground. “Open,” the man commanded with soft authority.

Even as the words were spoken, a light went forth on the ground in the likeness of a spider web. The strands of the light grew slowly until the man was engulfed by the luminescence which was no longer confined to the ground, but shot into the sky with such intensity, it is a wonder the whole land did not notice, but this moment was set forth from the beginning of time so that no man would look upon the light when it came. Few days were created in such a manner. Every once in a while, fate will intervene in the physical world and protect those who do right.

The man sank through the earth as a ghost through the wall, and as suddenly as the light had come, both he and the it were gone. The man’s feet soon found stability in a rock cavern beneath the earth. At the rate of his travel, the man could never estimate the depth beneath the surface he was. Before him stood an iron gate with ancient symbols on it. Only a chosen few knew then inscription that was there. Even this man only knew parts of it.

From the gate, which rose as high and wide as the cavern itself, large enough to fit a giant through, came two lights which shone like eyes. “What business do you have, Wizard?” The voice was loud in the ears of the wizard, yet no one else would have heard it had they been there.

“The time that Iskatar has appointed is at hand. It is time.” The wizard’s replied solemnly, but only in thought.

“And by whose authority do you do these things? No magic or incantation can open my doors without my help.”

“Inis Tar Kogar.” The wizard answered in the ancient tongue, the same as was written on the sides of the doors.

“As you say, Wizard. You have until sunrise the day after this to return. Beware, Wizard, do not stray off your course. The Netherworld is a danger to those who know not the way.” The light from the gate faded and the door slowly opened.

The wizard took up his staff and strode through the door, which led only into darkness. Once the wizard had completely passed through the gate, the gate itself disappeared behind him.

Many stories have been told about the Netherworld, but none that tells the stories have ever seen it. Many legends say that the Netherworld encompasses all time and space. A kingdom is mentioned in some legends, and it is said that if one knew the way and bore the king’s summons, he might find his way to the king’s throne, forgotten somewhere in the in this mystical land. Few living beings even believed such tales, and fewer yet had ever dared to seek the door. Such stories were only known in legend. The king’s throne was not the wizard’s purpose on this day, however.

The wizard had never been to this part of the Netherworld before, but had been told well what to expect. He closed his eyes and his spirit rose from his body as corn from the husk. The spirit of the wizard remained partially inside his body, although only enough to control it. The eyes of the wizard’s spirit were needed for this job, for once his head emerged from his body, the wizard looked again upon the world around him and saw not a void of darkness, but an array of lands and climates. Ice cliffs with dancing colors in the heavens stood to his far right. To the left of that was desert and rocks, next was a lush forest full of critters and rain, next a violet sea with cold, gray clouds above.

The list continued, but the wizard did not have the time to stare in wonder. His mission must be complete in a day, lest he be trapped here forever. His spirit and not his body spoke the words, “Inis Tar Kogar.” A row of lights, like fireflies, lit the way toward the rocky desert to his right. In this manner, the wizard began his journey to the land called Astranaar.

Natalie was half pulled by her sister into a small hole that led off from the main cavern and then led into a little cubby that had been cut above. “Even if we could outrun them, we can’t keep dodging bullets, especially with your passing out.” Jessica said in a hushed voice as they reached the little cubby. Natalie only returned a shy smile at the comment.

Time is never constant, but especially to those who feel the breath of death upon their necks. Time meant nothing to the sisters; they huddled in that little cubby, ignorant of what was going on beneath them, save the occasional shout or sound of someone shuffling. Silent tears of fear ran off of Natalie’s cheeks as it finally sank into her thoughts the situation they were in. Jessica held her sister as a mother might have, keeping her own cheeks dry out of a need to protect her younger sister. After what may have been several hours had passed, the girls each in turn, fell into a troubled sleep, both waking often in fear of the return of the soldiers.

“Natalie?!” a voice called. Natalie looked around the dark tunnel to see a group of guards rushing at her. Fear consumed the girl who couldn’t even move away from the stream of soldiers, then her father showed his face among the throng with a gun in his hand. 

“Where is it, Natalie?” Natalie instantly knew it had been her father calling.

“NO! You can’t have it!” Natalie screamed then began to cry as she sank to the floor before her apparent destiny.

“Fine.” Her father retorted. “Have it your way.” He raised the gun and a pure white light engulfed Natalie, similar to before, but the light had warmth to it this time.

“Natalie.” The voice was a new one, but it seemed similar, like a long, lost friend. “Natalie, prepare yourself. There is a life greater for you than this, but you must give up everything if you will have it. Do not fear, for you will not be alone. The time is nearly here.”

Jessica screamed, “Stop!” The scream woke Natalie. At once, Natalie remembered the nightmare she was in and tried to decide how to proceed. At the entrance to the cubby where she sat, two soldiers grappled with her sister in an attempt to drag her outside.

The sound of a gun unloading on the soldiers in the small cubby almost deafened Natalie. The soldiers went limp and Jessica kicked them down the shaft to the floor below before retreating to her sister.

“Don’t kill them.” The governor insisted. “I want them alive.” Two more guards showed their heads in the cubby; Jessica only hit one this time. A second later, a canister came flying into the cubby and gas began to pour out. The girls instantly began to feel faint. Tears poured from their eyes, and blurred hands dragged them down from the cubby. Forceful men, scraping the girls skin against the rocks and dirt on the cavern floor and walls, dragged them by their legs into the main area of the cavern. The same hands shoved the girls against the side of the cavern wall a distance from the cubby where they had been.

By this point their bleeding arms and stomachs, mixed with the pain in their heads made them crave an escape. Any escape. Even death. Both girls knew death to be inevitable at this point, but both grew less resistant to the idea. Natalie held onto the calming voice that had been in her dream and she held onto the idea of her land of dreams so tightly that she didn’t even hear the screaming threats of her father at first.

“Don’t tell him, Natalie.” Jessica insisted to her sister. “He’ll kill us either way.” It didn’t take a lot of effort for Natalie to guess the context of the conversation.

“What was that?” the governor demanded.

“You’ll never find it! And what’s more, you’re a pig-headed pompous ---” Jessica was cut off from finishing her insult by the butt of a rifle to the side of her head.

“Listen, rats. Without me, you’ll be dead on the street in a week. Tell me where it is and I’ll help you. Insult me or fail to cooperate, and I will not hesitate to treat you like the scum you are.” The governor’s voice was sadistically calm.

“You’re an Ass! Leave us alone! It’s not our fault you killed mom! Go find your own damn necklace wherever it is!” Natalie’s blood boiled so deeply that she couldn’t keep from speaking. She waited the blow that was likely to come from the soldier, but never came. She shuddered upon looking at her sister’s crimson head.

The governor drew his black handgun and pointed it toward the lifeless gaze of Jessica’s eyes. “I see. . . well, then I guess I’ll just kill her first.

“NOOO!” Natalie could handle death, but watching her sister die seemed too much. She jumped between the gun and her sister. “If you want her, you’ll have to kill me.” Natalie insisted.

“No. I think not.” The governor motioned for one of his soldiers who grabbed Natalie and pulled her away. Natalie, trying to protect her sister, kicked and screamed against the soldier. The governor lowered his gun to Jessica’s heart then pulled the trigger.

“No. . .” Natalie’s voice trailed off. “How. . .” Natalie’s world crumbled in the moment her sister’s blood turned her white shirt deep red. Natalie attacked the governor with such intensity and zeal that she knocked him over. In the second of punches and scratches before the guards could drag her off, Natalie ravaged the left side of his face. Two of the soldiers held Natalie against the wall while the governor took aim with his gun.

“The time in now, Natalie. Will you come with me?” Spoke the voice Natalie had dreamed about for such a long time now. Back then, the dream seemed so wonderful, but now only death seemed worth living for.

A white light appeared behind Natalie’s head and grew to encompass her whole body. Hands reached forth from the light and grabbed her shoulders gently. “I won’t leave my sister.” Natalie sobbed.

“Come and you will know life. Stay and even the life you have will be taken.”

“I. . .” Natalie looked around to see the scene around her frozen in time. “Let me take my sister.”

“Her life is already gone, your sister is no longer with you, only her shell.”
            “It doesn’t matter! Let me bury her.” Natalie grew angry at the thought of her sister being gone.

“Okay.”

Natalie drew her sister close to her chest and screamed, “Take me quickly.”