Chapter 4 04

The castle stood jutting up into the sky amidst neighbouring structures. It has been there for ages and has now become the most prominent feature of the Underworlds. Many has struggled to explain who built it or how many secret chambers it contained but no outsider has ever been able to give a concrete account of this. The internal lay out of the castle of Sarbella has been at best a matter of guessing.

With the wall greenish with age, the main wing and other surrounding wings could be seen from afar. Small usually dark windows peer at the unassuming world below as if consuming age-long dark secrets. Many desists from loitering close to the castle of Sarbella, fearing sudden misfortunes. Not even the half-beasts of the Underworlds risk their fortune around the castle of Sarbella. Such was the dread oozing from its walls.

The deep moat dug around the castle receives it's supply of water directly from the flowing river connecting the Underworlds to the famous Cordian water ways. The crocodiles inhabiting the moat are like no other elsewhere. Long jaws filled with long sharp teeth that appear to catch the reflections from the sun as they lay basking in the midday warmth, with enormously long trunk and tails of over thirty feet in length. The crocodiles are known to fight one another to the death occassionally and nobody cantell how many of them inhabit the moat of the castle of Sarbella.

Lord Karius paced the ground in his topmost chamber. He appeared lost in thought as he he stared out through the window from time to time as if expecting a visitor. He knows that few dwellers of the Underworlds dare approach his castle so the heavy metal sound of the draw bridge over the most of the castle promptly pulled his attention. He glanced down through the window at the solitary horse rider entering the castle. His dark purple hood and roan brown horse instantly revealing his identity. The draw bridge was raised and Lord Karius made for the door to meet his visitor, the priest of the Underworlds.

Starring down at the winding staircase spiralling downward before him and the naked flame torches hanging from the aged walls, he decided against climbing down. Turning into a big black bat he glided down the stairwell with ease. This is why he is known as The black bat. Within minutes he had descended to the lowest floor.

The unsuspecting priest stood in the middle of the floor of the visitors' chamber in his dark purple hood. His face concealed completely and hands held against his body. He knows what is to come. He understands the nature of the business ahead. The priests before him all faced similar situations and most of them survive it. Only that this particular situation comes with a deadly twist of fate. Yet the truth must be said; even in the face of death.

The sudden fluttering sound of wings coming from a doorway to his left announced the entrance of the Black Bat. The priest slowly turned in that direction as the Black bat changed form in mid air. Lord Karius stood before him in his glory. His very being emanates fear and you can never predict what lays behind those dark brows. With mind as dark as the dreams of a chronic sinner, lord Marius has destroyed many for daring to stare into his eyes. His eyes sometimes glow in the dark and his feature gets worse with his mood. The ruler of the Underworlds however assumed a mild mood on this day.

The priest bowed in reverence to lord Karius, his ears at alert to pick sounds of any sudden move from The black bat. On raising his head, he peeled of the hood of his garment exposing his face to the light. His pointed ears and grey beards stood out prominently from his wiry old face. He was meeting lord Karius for the second time. The first meeting ended with a feeling of uncertainty in their working relationship as the priest holds on to his belief of an oncoming day of reckoning. He presumed it was too early for wielding of power until the coming season of green skies is taken care of, if that is still possible.

"Welcome to the dreaded castle od Sarbella" boomed lord Karius. His carefully shaped dark beards gleaming in the light.

"My lord" was all the priest said in response. He has been here many times but no previous meeting filled his heart with what he now feels. He sensed the tension throughout the Underworlds, spreading to the Midlands and beyond. Even though many tried dismissing the rebirth, the palpable fear of the unknown yet hang in the air.

"I sent for you to put a final end to this unnecessary fear tormenting the land" continued lord Karius.

The priest opened his mouth to speak but was waved back to silence by lord Karius.

"Save your word o priest. Let us find comfort in my study the we can talk"

He ordered for wine as he made for his study with servants darting in every direction to do his bidding. He sat in his plush seat in his study backing the window. The priest sat across the table partly facing the window and in good view of the door, thinking he might need the door soon. Scrolls and articles of ancient values filled the shelves covering the walls of the study. Two scrolls lay on the table with one particularly attracting the priest. It is a fairly detailed written prophesy of the rebirth.

"So you know why we are here. There was never a reason for a rebirth. And I told Scott myself as he bled and died under the stroke of my sword there will never be a rebirth" he paused. His eyes glowed briefly, relecting his mood.

"But here we are with the land awashed with stories of a possible rebirth. There has to be an end to this" he concluded, his right hand pounding into his left palm.

With a weak smile from a sad face the priest looked at lord Karius, instinctively focusing on his forehead avoiding his eyes he said "It is not for us to decide the truth in this matter. Time shall do that. We can only prepare for the unknown".

The discussion continued for sometime when there was a sudden commotion among the servants of lord Karius. The two men sensed in the study that something was wrong. The cold and quiet castle was bursting into activities as men and women ran around. The priest wondered what was wrong then, looking out beyond lord Karius through the window he saw it too. The greenish sky spreading from the north.

"The rebirth is here my lord" he said as if in a croak.

Lord Karius starred at the priest briefly then at the slightly open heavy oak door, listening to the commotion from the hall way. Then he followed the gaze of the priest, looked out through the window at the green sky outside. Disbelieve struggled with reality as the obvious starred him in the face with cold certainty. Even though from his location he could not see the stars forming the bear sign in the sky ultimately announcing the rebirth, he knew they must be there in the sky somewhere.

He rushed to the window, flinging the double glass open. The rising intensity of the breeze and a partial view of the stars in the sky said it all. In a fit of rage, lord Karius screamed with his voice echoing over the city from his castle as disbelieve give way to anger. He changed instantly to a big black bat then back to the form of a man. He clenched and unclenched his hands.

"This battle is not over after all. Scott! You shall die again" he screamed into the strong breeze.

Lord Karius fears no foe and will willingly fight any challenger. But there is the little matter of the prophesy that lord Scott will return with immortal powers. How do you kill immortality? How do you hold eternal power at bay?

The priest watched on in silence. His mind was a pool of contrasting feelings. Relief against fear; joy against sadness; and certainty against what to come. The end has finally come. Nothing will ever be the same again. Life as it used to be will quietly fade of and pave way for this new dawn.

Lord Karius turned back towards the priest and bellowed "Is there any way of stopping this menace, priest"?

With a slightly trembling voice "None in the books of prophecy, my lord" responded the priest.

Lord Karius glowered at the priest in naked anger. It was as if the priest was the cause of the coming rebirth. He needed to transfer his anger to someone, or something, anything. He took a step towards the priest with his right hand reaching for the handle of his sword on his left thigh.

"Then why are you a priest, Murdor"? He called the priest by his name for the first time. And maybe the last time.

The old priest took a step backward, ready to fight back in defence. He quickly recalled some of the magic spells he was taught. The spells have remained unused for decades until this day.

Lord Karius whipped out his sword in a flash and the priest almost at the same second stretched his left hand towards him mummbling a few magical words. The sword fell off lord Karius' hand with a bluish spark flashing through thr room.

Lord Karius' beamed in excitement stretching out both hands "Really? You want to fight back? This is the rehearsal i need"

"Why must I die for a sin I know nothing about" said the priest loudly.

"You are useless to me Murdor. If you have no answer to this predicament". said lord Karius as he picked his sword from the floor.

"There is no solution proferred in the prophesies" the old man said defiantly.

"But there is. There is a way out of this my lord" it was a feminine voice.

She stood at the doorway radiating beauty and confidence in equal measures.

"I have waited this long for this day. Today, I shall redeem myself in the eyes of my lord with the ancient powers of my late mother" Laendra said with a flourishing movement of her long slender arms.

Lady Laendra is the wife of lord Karius. Her reluctance to support him in the quest to usurp the throne by killing his former friend Scott, causedca rift between husband and wife. The occasion however presents a perfect opportunity to return to relevance.

As she stood in her beauty, a well shaped curvy but slender body holding up a pristine glorious face by a slender neck, she radiates beauty for all to see. The most beautiful woman ever to descend from the race of the half-beasts. She looks entirely human, except for her biforked tongue suggesting serpentine blood.

She soon led her husband and the priest to the underground chambers of the castle, where all was set for the sacrifice. A fire was made with a basin to the left. A shining knife with a red piece of clothe tied to the handle was placed in the basin. Then on a nearby table lied a tied weakened black bear.

As they entered the chamber the stench suggested to the priest that blood sacrifices have taken place here in the past. He looked around at the paintings on the wall and woñdered how many other secrets lie in the walls of the castle of Sarbella. He was jolted back to the business at hand by the sleek voice of lady Laendra.

"The threat of the rebirth shall be dealt with. This danger shall be averted" she said

"The antidote lies in the open yet not seen. The blood of a bear with a few ingredients will do the trick" she explained impressively.

" Then we have to be fast before it is too late" exclaimed the priest.

Lady Laendra swung into action with her husband quiet all the while. He wondered what else the wife learnt from her mother. Then he spoke "Time is not on our side. We have just minutes at most"

Lady Laendra in her flowing blue gown and silver diadem slit the throat of the bear like an expert, a slave positioned the basin to receive the gushing blood. She mixed the blood with a few other ingredients and with a glowing beam rivaling the sun she approached the burning fire. Then she began to mumble incantations. Quietly at first then with her voice rising she poured the content of the basin into the fire. But there was no sign to show the reversecof the rebirth.

Lord Karius grew impatient, flew up the staircase taking three steps at a time to getvto the nearestcwindow. He stared out at the greenish dark sky as the wind battered his face. The gust of wind also rocked the fire of sacrifice as he stood there watching his wife going into a frenzy as she chanted her incantations.

Then suddenly the wind ceased and the skies began to clear. The rebirth has been repelled but not forever. The awe of the change in the skies was palpable through out the land; from the Underworlds to the Midlands and to the Ssakan kingdom. While the Midlanders heaved sighs of relief, the Krakaan mountain dwellers wailed in sorrow.

As the euphoria continued into the night with all the allies of lord Karius fwing to the castle to pay renewed homage, the priest quietly exited. He knew the rebirth has only been postponed. The events of the day clearly showed the rebirth is real after all. As he rode away into the night he flipped back his hood with a grimace. He knows lord Karius may still come back for him and the rebirth will not be averted forever.