He watched as a mounted guard approached the ship, that had to be for him, there were two spare horses at the rear, obviously they expected Madeira to accompany them too, that was good. He didn’t really want to part company with her until they had a better understanding of the events that were unfolding. The leader of the troop dismounted and walked up the gangplank to where Wollfen was standing next to the railing,
“
I am here to pick up your prisoner, take me to your Captain immediately.”
Wollfen smiled inwardly.
“
Yes sir, please follow me.”
He led the man to the Captains quarters and knocked on the door.
“
Enter.”
Wollfen ushered the officer in and went to follow as well but was stopped by him.
“
You may return to your post sailor.”
Wollfen nodded and went back out on deck. He walked back to his original spot wondering what Serhatnan would make of the officer’s request. He really wished he could have stayed there to watch the mans reaction.
Madeira was there when he arrived back and from behind he could hear the Captain and the officer exchanging a terse conversation.
“
He should be in chains!”
“
Well you can put him in chains if you wish, discuss it with the High Priestess Madeira.”
“
That I will!”
They approached now and both Wollfen and Madeira turned to face them.
“
Lady Madeira, do you not think it wise to shackle the prisoner before we see the Queen?”
The officer stood there glowering at a smiling Wollfen.
“
If you wish to shackle him that is your business, but you should know, he is a sorc too and it took the power of seven Isogorrean sorcs and a squad of soldiers to subdue him.”
The officer hesitated, not sure what he should do or what was expected of him. Wollfen decided to let him off the hook, he had his fun.
“
What is your name sir?”
The officer regarded him warily.
“
Uh, it is delegate Volknan of the personal guard to the Sorc Clique of the high tower.”
Wollfen nodded.
“
Very good Volknan, may I assure you, you will not be needing shackles and am looking forward to meeting my old friend the Queen. Now, shall we mount up and move out?”
A somewhat confused Volknan quietly nodded and they moved to their designated horses. Within minutes they had left the ship far behind and Madeira was still smiling as they rode. She thought it was quite a lark watching the officer in charge get so flustered. It was always fun when Wollfen decided to have a bit of play.
REVELATIONS
Wollfen stood with four guards around him in a large throne room of the Sorc tower. He had watched as they had ridden into the city and the single tall structure had materialized off in the distance. The shimmering heat haze had revealed a spire, gray in color that must have risen a good 350 feet into the air. It was an imposing piece of architecture and it was probably designed to not only impress the local population, but also used to keep an eye on the vicinity too. He imagined that on a good clear day you would be able to see very far indeed.
It wasn’t long before he was inside, then he could see that internally it was huge in here too. All designed to make an impression on any new visitors he was sure. He thought about what Madeira had told him on the ride over. She had checked with her friend and found that the Queen had made no preparations at all to receiving Wollfen. There would be no display of magics tonight, no attempt to bend him to the Queen’s will so that just left the possibility that the Queen would make her move later which suited him perfectly. He wanted to find out just who this person was and find out as much as he could before making plans on what to do next.
All of a sudden the four guards started retreating without a word and Wollfen turned to watch them go. Now that was curious. Turning back he saw her. The Queen had taken her place on the throne at the end of the room while he had watched the retiring guard. He looked carefully, from this distance he was able to make out that she was indeed an elf, but at a distance of approximately 40 paces he couldn’t make out who she may be. The Queen gestured for him to approach.
“
Come.”
He walked towards the throne studying her face intently, her features becoming clearer as he drew near. Wollfen came to within two paces of the bottom step and looked at her still not recognizing her face.
“
Hello Wollfen, it has been a very long time.”
And then, it dawned on him.
“
Drexus?” She smiled.
“
Yes, has it been so long that you have forgotten? How long has it been?” He thought a bit and the realization came as a surprise too, had it been so long?
“
It's been just over a hundred years since I saw you last. Gods Drexus we all thought you were dead! What happened?”
The Queen smiled again.
“
Before we get into that, please, come closer.”
Wollfen mounted the steps and stopped before the throne, their eyes were level.
“
My, my, you have not aged a day, how do you do it?”
He looked at her very carefully, searching, studying her as old memories came flooding back. She seemed so cold to him now. His emotions were in conflict, she was so distant and calm at seeing him.
“
I have been doing Lord Vincent’s work for many a year. You know of all that, I guess I must continue to walk this earth until I pay for the sins of my past.”
Drexus nodded looking at him impassively.
“
Yes, you have done much these past one hundred years that I have been watching. Until now I didn’t have much interest.” Wollfen was a bit confused by that last comment and it showed, “I see you are wondering how that could be yes?”
He nodded.
“
As you would remember I was commissioned by you and the elf King to destroy all the crystals of power that had been forged in ancient times by the elven race. I cannot say I understood your reasoning at the time, but then, I was a loyal servant of the King and Queen, I did their bidding without question. You must remember, I never really argued the point with you even though I disagreed with it. I went about the task as instructed, cracking and releasing the bound forces within, one by one as instructed and it was a laborious process I can tell you. After a week or so of this I have to admit I was getting tired of it, so basically I decided to destroy the last remaining two dozen at once. You see I made the silly assumption that I could control the release of power.
The destruction process must have triggered one of the teleportation crystals because as I cracked them all, a portal was opened into which I fell. It dropped me in Isogorr in a field of wheat. Not the most grand of entrances but at least it wasn’t in mid air or high above rocky ground yes?” Wollfen nodded, she had his total attention, “It also turns out that not all of the crystals were cracked and I found a number around me, one of them being a seer crystal. It has allowed me over the years to watch the progress of not only the local population but others too across the seas, even you Wollfen.”
He understood now how they had managed to be ready when he showed up in Port Cholandra. He had always wondered how they managed to be prepared for their first contact with him after Madeira explained they had knowledge of his existence.
“
Why did you not return home?”
The Queen looked at him as to one who was slack of mind.
“
It was many years before I found out where I was, after all, elven folk do not travel amongst humans or their lands. This place was totally alien to me, even your Kingdom cities are alien to me and they occupy the same land I lived in.”
“
And yet here you are Queen of all.”
She reacted angrily to his comment, her voice raised,
“
Well of course! What did you think I was going to do? Sit around moaning about my lot in life?”
He looked at her a little exasperated and taken aback by her open display of emotions. Elves just didn't act this way.
“
But Drexus, all of this! How could you pervert things like this?”
The Queen laughed.
“
Come, come Wollfen, they are only human! I understand that you are of their ilk but surely you don’t have any romantic notions about them? They are a barbaric lot. You are vastly more enlightened than they will ever be. Why do you think the elven folk accept you?”
He glowered at her, it really was a typical elven response. They were an arrogant haughty lot, setting themselves above all other races and believing in their own natural superiority. But for this to come from Drexus, she had been so different back in the day, something was wrong.
“
That does not give you the right to set up unrealistic social standards that set them even further back--exclusivity through virginity? The right of magic holders over all others? Magic is supposed to benefit all, not be used to set yourself above and apart from them. And what of Lord Vincent’s teachings? You have taken his name and abused it in setting yourself up as the highest power in the land even over the King. You simply cannot abuse your position like this, you have got it wrong Drexus.”
The Queen looked at Wollfen disparagingly,
“
Do you really think I would sit back and allow myself to simply be equal with these mud dwelling insects?”
Wollfen had to calm himself down. This was going to get them nowhere he realized. She was elf and more set in her ways not only because of her elven inclinations but also her longevity. Yes it had been over a hundred years since he had last seen her that fateful day, but still she has changed so much from the person he had known. Oh Drexus why are you treating me almost like a stranger?
“
Tell me Drexus, since I am here now and you have plans for me, what is it you think that I will do for you?”
“
That’s simple my dear, you need to return to Kassandrea once I have provided you with enough power of a crystal here to crack open a static portal deep below the city.”
“
And why would I want to do that? Where does it lead?”
The Queen watched him as she built it up, feeding little snippets of information. She didn’t get to have many interesting conversations with anyone she could consider an equal and while she didn’t think Wollfen was in the same class as her, he certainly was a damned sight better than the moronic masses that surrounded her in this forsaken land.
“
It doesn’t lead anywhere at all to be perfectly honest. It is unfortunately blocked within.”
She really wasn’t giving him the full picture and Wollfen wasn’t liking it. It made him more suspicious.
“
So are you going to tell me why I am to open it then or is this the quiz of thirty questions?”
She decided to come clean. He just didn’t seem to be terribly impressed by her attempts at intrigue. A hundred years ago he was a lot more playful.
“
We have a mutual friend trapped in there. He has been stuck there since the dawn of this world. He is our Master and guide in all things.”
Wollfen stood there not quite able to accept what she was saying.
“
But that cannot be, as a servant to the Gods he could not be trapped in this world. He helped make it. Lord Vincent is in there? How do you know this?”
“
Another odd effect of the teleportation through to Isogorr I am afraid. I have one more crystal of teleportation. If you grip it long enough, you can feel his essence. The crystal is somehow connected to that portal. I have spent many years holding it and working out the spatial location of the portal itself.”
He could only stand there with wide eyes. This was all too much, it boggled his mind.
“
You intend for me to release him? You want me to set him free?”
“
If I had known a lot earlier of his whereabouts I would have set things in motion many decades ago. As it was it only came to me just over two years ago, everything that has happened is in service to that one goal, to get our mentor free of his prison.”
Wollfen’s mind was in a spin, he was still grasping the concept that Vincent could still be here after thousands upon thousands of years trapped below what was now Kassandrea.
Drexus made her final play. Slipping a hidden panel open on the arm of her throne she removed a turquoise crystal from within.
“
Here Wollfen, take the crystal. I don’t need to convince you, Lord Vincent can do that himself.”
She held out to him, the crystal glinting in the open palm of her hand and he looked at it a little hesitantly. Then he reached up and lifted it from her hand, it was warm to the touch and even tingled a little.
He stood there looking at it and turning it over in his hand. There was nothing for it but to open his mind to the crystals properties and see what was within. He closed his eyes and relaxed. The crystal took a life of its own, glowing there in the dark of his imagination. Now he felt it, the warmth flowed through him. Calming and peaceful, its glow grew and he felt that familiar presence. It was him. Vincent was there. Wollfen focused and he was transported along an ethereal plane to a shining doorway set amongst the stars. There he felt him, there he resided, it was Vincent just as Drexus had said. Wollfen felt him now stronger than he ever had before and he felt good. It was like a wave of peace and pleasure that washed over him.
He tried to go in, but something invisible blocked his way, the doorway while seemingly open was blocked. He understood it would have been closed by Lord Vincent after leaving this world, but the fact that Vincent was trapped in there also meant that the next portal beyond was blocked too. He focused on Lord Vincent and tried to feel for his knowledge of what lay beyond. It was just a feeling. Wollfen was right, the next portal was blocked just as this one was. It was as simple as that. He searched more now, looking about to see exactly where this portal resided in relation to the physical world.
Drexus looked on and she too passively felt Wollfen’s journey, watching and pleased by his progress. Everything was going according to plan just as she had wanted it. It had taken her forty years to imbue that crystal with the ‘feel’ of Vincent to make it just right. She had spent almost five years making minor corrections until it felt perfect in every way.
She could tell Wollfen was totally fooled by this pseudo connection with Vincent and now everything was falling into place. He was the only one that would be able to release the entity trapped in that portal in a short space of time. For her to do it would take so many years and there was the possibility of years of excavation to get down there deep under Kassandrea on top of that, he could do it in a matter of minutes. Using him was the only sure way. Mind you Wollfen would get a rude shock when he opened the portal. Drexus wondered if he would survive? Probably not, he would be totally unprepared when the entity hit him.
Wollfen opened his eyes and looked at Drexus. She smiled at him and he responded in kind. Now he thought of something.
“
Why haven’t you gone and done this yourself?”
Drexus was prepared for the question, she had taken years in preparation for any contingency.
“
I may be able to do it, but then I have never stood in the presence of a demigod like you have. Nor have I ever teleported between worlds either, not like you coming to this world so long ago. Your skills are far beyond mine. I should think you would not find it hard at all to do this?”