The room was lit with a soft glow from hundreds of different candles that were grouped around the room in different patterns and colors. Kevin supposed it had some sort of religious or arcane meaning. There was incense, too, which gave the air a smoky, delightful fragrance.
Kevin and Ka-el were led before a small stone altar at the front of the room. There were two more wizards seated on each side of the altar. One was dressed completely in black, even his hair and beard were black, and his black robes were decorated with odd symbols stitched in silver thread. The other was dressed all in white, including his hair and beard, and his robe bore similar symbols in shiny, black thread, but the symbols seemed to be turned in a different position from those on the black-robed wizard.
Chagallo instructed Kevin and Ka-el to sit on the floor before the altar and to listen closely to every word uttered but not, under any circumstance, to interrupt.
The black-robed wizard spoke first. In a deep-toned baritone voice that was so beautiful it almost seemed to be a song, he intoned:
She stretched a slim, tapered hand toward him and he slowly reached forward to take it in his own. But just before their fingers could touch, she gasped and whirled away from him. Walking up behind her was a tall, muscular man dressed all in black. He sneered and grabbed her arm above the elbow. She fell to his feet with a cry of pain. He pushed her down and placed one heavy-booted foot on her head. He looked at Kevin and laughed a deep-throated, evil laugh.
"You, boy, are you come to rescue the fair maiden? You are a joke and no match for me... leave here now, or watch me crush her miserable life under my foot like an insect!"
Kevin felt himself being thrust away as the image faded. He hid his face in his hands in despair and terror.
"Do not let the black-heart defeat you with images, Kevin." warned Chagallo. "He will try to destroy your faith in yourself so you will not have the courage to come against him. He is not unconquerable, but you will have to find great courage to face him."
Kevin looked up at the wizard, unmindful of the tears that flowed down his face. "But I did nothing to help her. She looked like an angel - I could feel her goodness flow over me like cool blue water, but I just stood there and let him hurt her. He's right - I'm only a boy, I'm not a man, not yet. I don't have the strength to stop him." Kevin shuddered and turned his face away in shame.
Chagallo put his hand on Kevin's shoulder and squeezed lightly. "My son, do not despair. This was only an image placed in your mind by the evil Prince, Nolstrak'nor. He planned every movement and utterance in it. It is not Truth you saw, only what he wishes were so.. Deny it, don't claim it, for to do so is to accept defeat."
Ka-el leaned close and grasped his wrist. "We can do it, brother. We can save her, I know it. I saw her, too, and I want to tear that boot from his foot and..."
"Quiet, Ka-el," spoke Chagallo, "Kevin must want to do this himself or Nolstrak'nor will have won before we even start... This will not be easy, nor will it be without great danger. Kevin can choose to go back to his own world where he will be safe. It's up to him, and him alone now."
Kevin looked from Chagallo to Ka-el and back again. He took a deep breath before speaking, "There is no choice to be made now. I could never leave her with that demon-man. She is depending on me. If I don't at least try to help her, I could never hold my head up again. I would always know that I had destroyed her. I'm in all the way. What do we do now?"
I hope you enjoyed this excerpt from "Magic's Way" by S. Tilghman Hawthorne. I would love to hear your comments! Please email me at meenie@picusnet.com
