“It is temporary,” smiled Rejji. “It sounds like Ghala is close enough to allow for periodic visits. I am warmed by the welcome I have received here and I do look forward to coming back, but I do admit that I feel the time to leave has come.”
“Not without a feast this night,” grinned Dumo. “The whole village will turn out to honor our new Qubari. And our new friend,” he added as he smiled at Mistake.
“I will let it be known that we seek three volunteers to accompany you to Angragar,” interjected Yltar.
“Three volunteers to enter Angragar,” corrected Dumo. “I will be sending a score more to escort you to the gates of the ancient city. They will be there to make sure nothing follows you out of the city.”
“You will keep in touch with us via the Air Tunnel?” Yltar asked Mistake.
“I will try to,” nodded the small thief. “Has Lord Marak agreed to others learning the magic?”
“He has,” smiled Yltar. “He was reasonably hesitant at first, but I sense a kindred spirit in Lord Marak and will obey his restrictions regarding the spell. There are not many here that have the capability in any event, but it will be a great aid to us.”
“And we can communicate from Ghala too,” reasoned Mistake.
“Yes,” Dumo nodded vigorously. “I had not thought of that. That will ease an old man’s mind.”
“That will not stop us from visiting,” Rejji said as he hugged his grandfather. “Thank you for understanding my need to move on.”
“I know that you are being driven by God,” responded Dumo. “That makes me proud to see you go. I wish I had felt that way of Hyram. I am sure he was driven as you are. Protect your brother in Angragar. I do not want to lose either of you.”
Bakhai rose and joined in the family hug. “We shall protect each other, Grandfather. It will take more than hellsouls to defeat us.”
Dumo did not look convinced at the display of bravado, but he smiled just the same.
Chapter 24
Angragar
Rejji saw the huge gates as they rounded a bend in the trail. Murmurs ran through the column of Qubari warriors and Rejji saw more than one spear being held at the ready. As they approached closer, Rejji saw the immenseness of the gates. Finely crafted, thick, metal bars allowed Rejji to peer inside the massive stonewall that surrounded the city of Angragar. He looked down a broad avenue of stone, which was bordered by the shells of destroyed stone buildings. Around the exterior of the wall was an open space devoid of trees or brush.
“Do the Qubari keep the wall clear of the jungle?” Rejji asked Mobi, who was one of the three chosen to enter the ancient city.
“No,” answered Mobi as he walked back along the trail and picked up a long stick. “Watch.”
Mobi walked forward and touched the stick to the stonewall. The end of the stick burst into flames. Mobi shoved the end of the stick into the moist soil and extinguished the flames.
“Nothing can touch the wall without being burned,” explained Mobi. “Only the gates may be touched. Try to open them Bakhai.”
Bakhai approached the gates and pushed on them. Nothing happened. Bakhai put his shoulder to the gates and grunted as he tried to force them open. Finally, he admitted defeat and shook his head.
“So it has been for thousands of years,” declared Mobi. “Voltak, Grank, prepare to enter. The rest of you make camp away from the wall. You are to wait for five days. If we have not returned in that time, return to the village.”
When the Qubari warriors, who would not be entering the ancient city, had moved back to the edge of the jungle, Mobi nodded to Rejji. Rejji approached the gates and prepared to push on them, but as soon as his hand touched the gate, it swung open. He looked back surprisingly and saw the Qubari all bowing to him. He shook his head and strode through the gate. His five companions swiftly followed and when they were inside the gate, Rejji touched it again and the gate swung closed.
“I can’t believe that,” Rejji stated.
“Believe it,” smiled Mobi. “Some things are ordained by God and we must learn to accept them. You lead and we shall follow.”
Rejji nodded and started walking up the broad avenue. The buildings along the avenue were reduced to rubble and large round stones were everywhere. Rejji pictured the elves beyond the wall with large siege engines hurling stones into the city. He wondered why the gates had been left intact. He shook his head and continued marching towards the center of the ancient city. As they progressed, they passed cross streets and the damage to the buildings lessened. As they got further into the city, Rejji was astonished at how well the city was preserved. Since he had entered the jungle he had come to believe that things rotted here faster than anywhere else, but Angragar was well preserved.
The first real feeling of uneasiness struck Rejji only a few blocks into the city. He had a feeling that someone was staring at him and turned quickly to look at the other members of the party. Everyone was scanning the sides of the broad avenue and he returned his attention to the city. In many ways, Angragar reminded Rejji of Khadoratung without the people. Each street he crossed appeared to go on forever and he knew that the city was much larger than anything he had ever seen other than Khadoratung. He tried to imagine the civilization, thousands of years old, which would have lived here, and could not.
Rejji again felt like he was being watched and, as he glanced down a cross street, he thought he saw movement. His hand automatically went to his sword and stayed there. In the distance before him, Rejji saw a break in the rows of buildings that lined the broad avenue and picked up the pace a bit. Mobi suddenly appeared at his side.
“There are beings here,” Mobi whispered.
“Have you seen any?” Rejji asked.
“When we crossed that last street,” Mobi replied. “I did not get a good look, but the glint off a sword caught my eyes. It looked human.”
“Tell the others so they are prepared,” ordered Rejji.
Mobi nodded and disappeared behind Rejji. Rejji heard the soft whispers of his fellow travelers and pushed them out of his mind. He drew his sword as he approached the next cross street. They crossed the street without an incident and Rejji relaxed somewhat. He looked forward and the break in the buildings began to look like a large square. He was thinking about where he should search for the mysteries of Angragar when he heard a cry of alarm. He whirled around and saw three men dressed in black cloaks emerge out of an open doorway. They carried swords and the Qubari warriors moved to put themselves between the beings and Rejji. As the warriors took a defensive stance, one of the attackers moved to go around the Qubari. Grank moved his spear in an attempt to knock the attacker’s legs out from under him.
“Don’t play with him!” shouted Mobi as he shoved his spear into the heart of one of the attackers. “Kill him.”
Mistake whirled and threw a dagger into the throat of the attacker Grank was toying with, while Voltak speared the last attacker. Rejji nodded gratefully and picked up the pace even more. Mistake went to retrieve her dagger and Voltak turned her around.
“Leave it,” Voltak said. “We need to get out of this area before more come.”
Mistake nodded and hurried to catch up to the others. As they passed the next cross street, Mobi appeared alongside Rejji again.
“The bodies of the men we killed are gone,” he whispered.
Rejji halted and turned around. He gazed down the broad avenue and saw nothing but the rows of buildings on each side.
“Did you see who took the bodies?” he asked Mobi.
“I saw nothing and heard nothing,” frowned Mobi. “Where are we heading?”
“I don’t know,” admitted Rejji. “There is a large square coming up in several blocks. I think we will start looking there. Investigating each of these buildings would take years. I intend to concentrate on the larger public buildings, but I do not even know what we are looking for.”