Beyond the Looking Glass
Light enveloped April and as she looked, the reality she left behind gradually faded away, like a distant dream. The tunnel of light then sloped upwards into a welcoming glare and April was propelled towards it. Strangely she felt blood rushing to her head and as she passed the barrier of light, there was a thud and a burst of pain.
'Ah!' yelled April, she fell headfirst but something cushioned her fall, albeit not all of it. Rubbing her head, she squinted at the surroundings. She was in a large empty hallway, supported by massive pillars. The scent of ancient wood permeates the very air and the steady flickering of candlelight illuminated elaborate paintings on the walls.
'Cortez?' whispered April.
'Cortez!' she called out again, desperate for an answer.
The echoes faded away. There was no answer. Nothing.
Clearly, Cortez is nowhere to be found.
She took a deep, calculated breath and tried as hard as she can to contain the panic swelling inside her, struggling to break free. 'I have a bad feeling about this...' she continued softly.
'Wait... What was that name Cortez told me to remember? Westhouse? Brian Westhouse? I think that was it. Cortez said to look him up when I wanted to go home. Well, I want to go home now...'
'E tu? E milye tu va? Said a low voice behind her. She startled and turned. An elderly man in gray robes greeted her. He was holding a staff in one hand and a tome in another. Apparently he was reading before April's unceremonious arrival. Clueless, she shook her head.
'Ne? Tu van'sath ken? Tu vu ken a-allar, e tue Stark milye? E Thiera? Ton, Maris. Ton!'
She blinked and continued staring at him, like an illiterate nincompoop.
'A ku, kande'e. Good. Niran'ton al'voce. Sank'al koda magic, toranc'e shaal'e. Na'ven, Alltongue.'
Alltongue? What's that? Despite her curiosity, she held her questions.
'Al'orta'e beginning prasam'tin'y y you. You have thiesa y magic'e'sara, y the knowledge aertiu'a y tue by generations e umani, knowledge of Alltongue.' he continued. This is odd but he is starting to make a bit more sense now, she thought.
'Now you have allowed the magic to enter your heart, and the knowledge of Alltongue, ever present but dormant, to guide your ears and your tongue.' He smiled.
'I-I understand you! You speak English? Why didn't you just tell me straight away?' April blurted out, somewhat annoyed.
The man laughed and said 'No child. I do not speak “English”. I speak Na'ven, Alltongue, the common language of Arcadia.'
'Arcadia? Wait a second... how did I get here? What is this place? And who the hell are you?'
'Ah. My manners have abandoned me yet again. I'm afraid my preoccupation with ancient texts and the company of my fellow Fathers have left me unequipped with the grace of social intercourse.' he replied.
'Meaning... what?' said April, staring blankly at him.
'That I have been rude. My name, dear child, is Tobias Grensret, and I am the Vestrum of the Sentinel, the Order of the Balance. We are the Fathers.' His tone rang of authority and confidence.
'Uh...Okay.' April, at a lost for words, continued 'I'm April. April Ryan.'
'I take it this is your first Shift, your first passage through the Divide?' he inquired.
'I have no idea what you are talking about, but I guess this is my... first Shift. I just-'
'Then I will explain... everything. Someone must. You are without guidance? Without a mentor?'
'Mentor? There's this guy, Cortez, he... assisted me. Told me about magic and truth and dreams and portals. Crazy stuff...' she took a deep breath and continued, 'Well, it seemed crazy at the time, although now, I... don't...'
'Cortez?' he considered the name for a moment before he recalled something, 'Ah yes, Cortez. Very good, very good. Then come, let us proceed. Let me show you Marcuria, the grandest city of all ages!' He waved his hands at the massive wooden door behind him and beckoned for her to follow.
As the doors opened, the glare of daylight sifted through the dense air and Marcuria, the jewel of the North greeted her. The city stretched for as far as the naked eye can see, into the horizon. Impossibly huge and amazingly beautiful, it was a wondrous sight to behold. The sky was speckless and the vast ocean beyond the city walls to the north was breathtaking. It was the epitome of nature's beauty. April stood in awe and was oblivious to what Tobias was saying until he patted her on the shoulder, startling her.
'Explore Marcuria April. See the sights, meet the people, and then when you are ready, return to the temple. I will answer whatever questions you may have then.' April nodded, the prospect of exploring an entirely alien city was both intimidating and exciting.
I wonder what day it is in Arcadia. Do they even have Saturdays here? And why am I not screaming and frothing and tearing my hair out when I obviously should be? When confronted with the impossible, isn't your mind supposed to just... snap? Perhaps because I've had so many vivid dreams about... okay, now I don't even know if 'dreams' is the right word anymore. Visions, perhaps. Or even better; premonitions. That's in keeping with the theme of this place. Magic.
She started walking towards a busy intersection of the city, apparently it was a marketplace of sorts with people and strange looking creatures bustling through the streets.
Oh yeah, magic. Apparently I'm simply supposed to accept, without question, that magic does exist. Which is impossible. But clearly not impossible enough, because here there IS magic. Wherever 'here' is.
Someone was selling strange wares that look vaguely like musical instruments, and another store, blue pincers the size of a miniature bull.
Still, she thought in the face of all this strangeness, I feel... normal. For some weird, inexplicable reason – and even though I've still to wrap my head around the concept – I accept this place. It feels comfortingly familiar, in a distant, hazy way. And even though I want to go home, like right now! I'm not panicky. Not a all. Just a little bit.
She passed by a shopkeeper yelling at the top his voice 'Care for a game of cups? Lots of prizes to be won!' and another yelling 'Maps! Top quality, life-saving maps for sale! Get 2 for the price of one!'.
The maps merchant, a stout fellow with remarkably nimble fingers shot a disapproving look at the cups-handler. The latter did the same, followed by a 'Shut up you useless bag of wind!'. Despite the apparent rivalry between the two, they look fairly comical. Beside the cups-handler was a black bird which resembles a crow, in a cage. Its eyes have a mischievous glint to it. Curious, April approached the bird.
'What a sorry-looking bird.' said April.
Surprisingly the bird snapped back, 'Hey, you don't look too polished yourself, lady.'
Taken aback by the sudden reply she said hastily, 'Oops. I didn't know you could... talk.'
'Didn't look as if you could talk either.'
'Maps! I got maps! Can I interest you in map, miss?' someone yelled over the din. Apparently, it was the maps merchant, his neck barely visible. 'Top notch, hand drawn in quality ink by skilled Sunriders. Ain't no better in all of the Northlands!'
Curious, April asked 'How much are your maps?'
'That depends, miss. Got a very nice one here of the Border Mountains for only six arens.' Arens? That must be local currency. 'Fresh from the quill of a Sunride-'
Distracted by another prospective buyer, he starts yelling again, 'Maps! Get your maps here!'
April feigned a cough, catching his attention again. 'Yes?' he replied, as though he never saw her before.
'Do you sell maps of the city?'
'Wha- Oh. Can't help you there, miss. The Guild of Tourism has monopoly on city maps. I can tell you're not from around here, or you'd know that.' he replied, his voice a monotonous drawl. 'Got tons of maps of all the Northlands though, from the city of Tyren to the Bay of Fir-'
Disgruntled by the lack of customers, he starts yelling again. 'Maps!'
'So... where can I find the Guild of Tourism?'
'They are closed for the holidays.'
'Sure. That makes sense.' April said.
Obviously, he missed the sarcasm and continued yelling at the top of his voice. 'Maps!'
There was a conversation nearby and she caught the word 'Sentinel'. Somehow, that brought back memories of the elderly man she met earlier in the temple, Vestrum Tobias.
'Do you know Vestrum Tobias?'
'Eh?' His eyes darted back to April. 'Everyone knows Vestrum Tobias, girl. He's been an important part of this city for as long as I can remember.'
'What can you tell me about him?'
'The Vestrum is an honorable man, but a conservative one, and I don't know if he still has the best interests of the people at heart. Sometimes, I think he worries too much about custom. The Sentinel have been our so-called protectors and keepers of the Balance for so long, we don't even think of it anymore.'
He continued, 'But now the Vanguard are introducing a new way of thinking, new philosophies... I'm afraid the Sentinel will find their power diminished before too long. Their resistance to change will be their downfall, mark my words. Their downfall for certain.'
He paused for a moment to catch his breath. 'And Tobias – honorable man that he is – will be remembered as the captain who went down with his ship.'
Interesting. So Vestrum Tobias is a respectable and well-known figure here.
'So how do you get along with your neighbour?' She hinted at the cups-handler.
'The cups-handler?' A look of contempt spread across his face. 'Stay away from him, miss. He takes great joy in robbing people's purses. You can't beat his game, not without magic, and he doesn't allow magic at his table.'
'How would he know if I did use magic?'
'Oh, he's got one of those blasted talismans. They're always digging up magical artefacts in Ch'angagriel, and they sell them to dogs like him for a silver coin or two.'
At this point, he starts throwing insults at the cups-handler, yelling over the cacophony of the marketplace. 'Get a proper job, you son of a mole!'
'So. A map for you, miss?' he asked sharply.
'Uh. No thanks. Not today.' She backed away hastily, blending into the crowd.
-to be continued-
Still working on the rest of chapter 2. Stay tuned for more! ^_^
