The Door Between Worlds Chapter 19

Count Sornione sat in council with Queen Lydia and her most trusted wizards.  There were five of them in all.  Queen Lydia sat at the head of the long stone table.  At her right, sat Count Sornionne, and then next to him sat the Witch-dog, Inganno.  He was a ruthless wizard.  It was said that he drank blood instead of water.  Across from the Count, sat the Necromancer, Ratto.  He was cunning as he was pale.  Next to him sat Ladro the sneaky.  He was a short, slight wizard that bent the darkness and shadows to his use.  And finally, beside Ladro, sat a nervous youth, who was a promising lad of some sixteen summers.  His name was Vigliacco.

All wizards of choice.

All wizards bent to shape the earth to their will.

All wizards determined to pick up the pieces of this earth that the Maker had left in shambles.

They called themselves the Healers.

Queen Lydia slammed her fist onto the table, bringing Sornione's musings to an end.  "We move through the Gap tonight.  We have to move before Jason has time to rally his soldiers there.  I didn't mind the plan of letting him go through, but I didn't think that it would take two weeks before we could actually get through."

Ratto spoke up, "But, my Queen, we aren't ready ye-"

Lydia cut through like ice, "I don't care.  We can still obtain the element of surprise.  We must muster our troops and begin our conquest of his world."

Vigliacco looked confused, "But, why don't we begin here in Alepp?"

Maybe not as promising as I thought, Sornione smirked at the confusion of his younger colleague.

Lydia glared at him, "Because the world Sterling is from has weapons that our world does not have right now.  And if we fail there, it won't hurt us.  We will merely have to retreat back through the portal."

Ladro and Sornione exchanged a worried glance and looked back.  But not before Lydia caught the glance.

"What?  What is it?"  She snarled.

"It's just-"

But once again they were interrupted.  But this time, it wasn't Lydia.  The council turned in unison toward the big double doors at the end of the chamber.

Abraham's voice reverberated through the room as he kicked open the doors, "Show yourself, queen!"

           

The Door Between Worlds Chapter 18

Lydia peered down the long dark shaft, half listening half ignoring her commander as he explained how they had found the Regina.  As planned, they had cut a piece off the amazing jewel and allowed Jason to capture it and head back into his world.  A test drive.  They weren't sure if it would work, and Lydia did not want to risk some of her men in a futile mission.  They could afford the life of so deadly an enemy.  If the jump into the other world didn't work, and the bearer of the jewel died, then good-riddance.  But if it did work.. Lydia grinned.  Her conquest could begin.

Lydia's thoughts of glory and Mathie's monologue were cut short as the make-shift pulley hauled up the most amazing sight either of them had ever seen.

A stone about the size of a large mammal, emitted a deep amber glow that bathed them in a warmth that made them feel.  Mathie felt a sudden urge to sing at the top of his lungs.  He just barely stifled the urge.  But, for Lydia, it made her feel cold.  A remorse that she hadn't felt in awhile, hit her in a sudden wave of emotion.  It made her want to weep at what the stone revealed in her. She resisted it.  But not before a single tear slid down her pale cheek.

Then they heard it.  A single note.  A rustle.  Subtle, but powerful.  Quiet yet loud enough that made Niagra Falls sound calm.  Roaring yet soothing.  A pitch, high and low at the same time.  An all encompassing note.  Frightening as a lion's roar yet peace-filling like the spring time sun.  The song fell then rose. It wove in and out.  It painted a picture.  It filled the two with an irresistible joy.  It sang of a time that was.  And was no longer.  It told a story of a fall and a rending.  An ending.  But then new life.  A new promise.  It was the story of life itself.   It thundered to be heard.  It made forgetting impossible.

It reminded Lydia of good.  And she despised it.  She screamed and covered her ears.  She rushed at it, and shoved it off the precipice, but it merely swung out over the chasm and swung back.  The rope that had hauled it up had held true.

Tears streaming she looked over at Mathie, who looked like he had just woken from a dream.  "That is the bewitching power of Him.  And this is what I am protecting you from.  I am protecting you from ignorance.  I offer you freedom.  Beware, lest you slip and slid backward to this ugly ignorance from whence I opened your eyes to.  His time is over.  it is the time for man to take his place as ruler of the worlds.

"Go, make ready the men and the work stations.  We have work to do."

Mathie saluted and marched away.

His head in turmoil.  And somewhere, deep inside him, something stirred.

The Door Between Worlds Chapter 20