Authors: Ian Haywood
All the Generals around the table gazed upon the book in both shock and wonder that something so incredibly important was actually within touching distance of them.
General Azaac was speechless for a few moments, but eventually managed to give a few words of praise.
“You are truly remarkable Alana! We now have everything we need to destroy Gereziac!”
Alana stood.
“Our spies within the Great Council have done excellently and two of them have actually managed to make it into the Great Hall itself as guards to the Great Book. Contrary to what we have been told before, there is only one Prophet who can read its pages.”
“And who is this Prophet?” Azaac asked.
Alana smiled.
“You mean who was he? I made sure that Gereziac remained oblivious to our planned attack by silencing the Prophet forever!”
“You had him killed?” Azaac asked.
“Of course!” Alana answered.
“Then we truly are ready for attack, Alana!” Azaac exclaimed excitedly.
All the other men around the table agreed with Azaac and every eye was firmly fixed on Alana to see what her reaction would be.
“Go and prepare our troops for battle,” she replied, “but nobody is to attack until I say so.”
All the men around the table stood and nodded before making their way out of the room - except for one who was physically stopped by Alana.
“General, if you could retake your seat for a few moments more. I wish to speak to you further.”
The General did as he was told and sat attentively to what Alana was about to say to him.
“General,” Alana began, “as you are well aware, every man who sat around this table a few moments ago are the highest ranked men in our army right now, yourself included, and you have all been rewarded individually for the loyalty that has been shown towards me.”
The man nodded his head in agreement and Alana continued.
“But there are so many different types of loyalty - take General Azaac for example. He loves the sound of his own voice at every meeting we have, but he does do anything that I ask of him without question. There are also other Generals around that table like Delimus and Greigus who sit there in silence quietly plotting what they can personally gain when carrying out my orders – those two would sell their own families to slavery if the price was right! But none of those men have gone through the horrors that you and I have had to endure throughout our lives and every individual around that table was personally chosen by me after struggling to raise an army strong enough to defeat Gereziac’s! I want people who will stand with me no matter what is thrown at us, never giving up, wanting to succeed and actually having the guts to speak up when you sense that something is wrong. You were the only one around this table earlier who questioned whether Mortus’s intentions towards our cause were indeed true whilst the others sat in silence. You and I both know that we cannot trust that snake Mortus as far as we could throw him, but as long as we keep to our part of the bargain, then he will remain happy and hopefully keep as far away from us as possible! I feel like I am surrounded by overgrown lapdogs around this table – and I have longed for a man with true spirit, determination and strength to be at my side and I sense something special in you.”
The man smiled nervously.
“Thank you.”
Alana rose from her chair and moved slowly towards him, stopping directly behind him, before speaking softly into his right ear.
“Maybe it is time for a reshuffle in my hierarchy. Maybe General Azaac needs a change to allow a much younger, stronger and incredibly loyal man to take his place as my highest ranked General.”
The man tensed as he felt Alana’s warm breath on the side of his neck.
“I know who that person could be right now and I could think of no man better than you.”
The man gulped and was speechless at what Alana had just offered to him.
“But for such a kind act from myself, I would need you to successfully complete a mission for me. You are the only one I can trust to do such a thing as the others would surely fail in some way. I am about to share a secret with you that I only discovered a few hours ago when I managed to get hold of the Great Book. Can you keep a secret?”
The man nodded and Alana rested her chin on his right shoulder and whispered into his ear softly.
“Gereziac has a daughter.”
The General was about to spin around in his chair, but Alana stopped him from doing so and once again whispered into his ear.
“I need you to find Gereziac’s daughter and bring her back here to me. She is well-hidden from any Sumarian somewhere within the mortal world.”
“The mortal world?” the man exclaimed, spinning round to face Alana. “How exactly am I going to get into the mortal world in the first place? Hasn’t every Sumarian been exiled from entering it?”
Alana nodded her head.
“Yes, but not every Sumarian is like you. You are only half demon and you would be able to pass through the portal.”
“But what about the Realm Guardian? Everyone knows that you can’t pass through without the Realm Guardian allowing you to and he is fully loyal to Gereziac and the Great Council.” he asked.
“Maybe so,” Alana agreed, “but what if the Realm Guardian was already expecting you and also willing to let you pass through without any question? If we have been able to infiltrate the Great Council itself already, what makes you think that we haven’t got some kind of influence somewhere else?”
The man smiled at Alana.
“You never cease to amaze me!”
“We already have a number of allies in the mortal world already and they have been made aware of your mission.”
“But how will I be able to recognize them?” the man asked.
“They will make themselves known to you. They would be foolish not to assist you as I personally order you to kill any of them if hinder your mission in any way.”
“But seriously how do I know I can truly trust them? Who are they and where do their loyalties lie?”
Alana laughed before answering.
“You question the loyalty of the Disciples of Draig?”
The General jumped up in shock.
“The Disciples of Draig! I thought they had been eradicated many years ago! I heard stories about them as a child and my father told me how you could identify them through their secret insignias.”
“Then your father has passed on vital information to you already!” Alana replied, “Gereziac foolishly thought that he had eradicated them all after killing Draig himself, but some continued to survive within the mortal world after Gereziac closed the portal between our worlds. They continue to exist completely undetected and luckily for us, they are on our side and will prove invaluable in your mission. I take it you are aware of their secret It will not be easy I can assure you, but remember that the reward for your success in this mission far outweigh what would happen if you fail. Leave immediately for the portal, but remember you must bring back Gereziac’s daughter by whatever means possible - but it is imperative that she remains alive! Now, go quickly and do not speak of this to anyone. This will remain our little secret until your return.”
The man nodded and walked out of the room briskly, knowing that failure in his mission would not just jeopardize the cause for which he was fighting, but also could end his life.
Alana gave herself a smile of satisfaction as she watched her general leave and took her cloak off as she headed towards a long flight of stone steps that led towards her sleeping quarters, rubbing the newly acquired tattoo on her right wrist.
Meanwhile, miles away on the other side of the Sumarian Valley, a shocked Gereziac was being woken from his sleep by one of his Generals.
“What is the meaning of this interruption when I am supposed to be sleeping?” Gereziac boomed.
“I am sorry to wake you at such an hour Gereziac, but I have been informed that the Great Book has disappeared from its podium!”
Gereziac shot out of his bed in disbelief.
“Disappeared? How could it have just disappeared? It’s in the Great Hall - and if I’m not mistaken, isn’t that one of the most heavily guarded rooms within the Great Chambers?”
“You are correct.” the General confirmed.
“So how come you are standing here at this very moment informing me that something so incredibly important has just vanished into thin air after being in the same place for centuries?”
“If I knew for certain who had taken it, then I can assure you that it would have been safely returned to its rightful place by now and that person would be no more, Gereziac.” came the reply.
Gereziac put his head into his hands in utter disbelief at what he was hearing and as he did so, his General continued.
“We have every available man searching through the Great Chambers as we speak for it. It could not have gone far.”
Gereziac lifted his head.
“Not gone far? What if it has already left the Great Chambers and is in the hands of our enemies somewhere out there at this very moment?”
“Then, as your friend I can assure you that I will personally find it and return it safely to you Gereziac.” came the reply.
“And as my friend,” Gereziac replied, “you are well aware of the sensitive information that is hidden within it concerning what steps we have taken over the years to make sure that the Great Council continues to be led by my bloodline in order to retain the peace and well-being of our people if anything should ever happen to me!”
The General realized immediately what Gereziac meant.
“She is safe within the mortal world, Gereziac.”
“Is she?” Gereziac asked. “How can we know for sure? If our enemies discover her existence, then I’m sure that they would stop at nothing to cause her harm!”
“Which is exactly why she was put in the mortal world with people who could be trusted – all our enemies are banished from stepping through the portal. The only people in this world who know where she is -”
“Is you and me - I am aware of that. But for how much longer? You said a few moments ago that as my friend you would personally find the Great Book and return it safely to me.” Gereziac interrupted.
The General nodded and Gereziac continued.
“Well, without sounding disrespectful to any of my people or the Great Council itself, I personally feel that my daughter’s well-being is far more important at this moment in time!”
“I understand!” the General replied.
“The disappearance of the Great Book obviously indicates that there is a traitor within our ranks and you are the only person I can trust right now.”
The General nodded his head in appreciation.
“And that is why I think that it is better that the search for the Great Book should be led by myself and the other Generals.” Gereziac added.
“You are relieving me of my duties?” the General asked with a look of shock.
Gereziac gave a wry smile.
“Of course I am not relieving you of your duties! I am asking you as my friend to travel to the mortal world and make sure that my daughter remains unharmed – maybe it is time that she returned home. But your mission must remain a secret until the two of you are back here.”
“I will do as you wish and bring her back personally, Gereziac. I will leave for the portal immediately without anyone knowing, but I am sure that our men will begin to grow suspicious of my sudden disappearance when such a criminal act has been committed within our ranks.”
“I will cover for you until your return – they will not question me. We must move quickly as to stay ahead of our enemies. I thank you as a friend and as an anxious father. I truly wish you luck in your mission.”
“I have never depended on luck throughout the years Gereziac and I am yet to taste defeat in anything that I have ever done!”