The Destiny of Amalah (46 page)

At first, the changes in the two young men were not noticeable when Rail began teaching them but then he had influenced them with his half-truths and constant casuistry, which he used so deviously.

Slowly but surely, Adriel upped his campaign of corruption until it took over their personalities – and – by the time they reached the third year at the school, most, if not all of the students had gone from liking the two young men to being very afraid of them and even afraid for them, but they never said anything to anyone. Rakan and Rufus had crossed the line and had threatened and cajoled and given those students bold enough to cross them, a taste of their dark magic. The students’ said nothing though, yes they feared Rakan and Rufus but they feared the teacher known as Rail even more.

Only when Rail was completely sure that Rakan and Rufus had stepped onto the path of darkness and evil, did he reveal the path he had chosen for them. One evening he took them into the fifth tower of the school and led them to the very top of it, in what was a dark and dank brick walled room. Once there Rail turned to look at the two boys and smiled as he continued to stare at them.

‘Are you happy with what I have taught you?’ he asked.

‘Yes,’ Rakan and Rufus replied.

‘And are you happy with the power that you now have?’

‘Yes,’ they replied grinning at each other and then at him.

‘You know that you have crossed boundaries and broken rules, do you not?’

‘We do,’ answered Rakan and Rufus nodded.

‘Good,’ Adriel said nodding. ‘I gave you my time and taught you the most powerful of magic’s for a reason. The pair of you has a unique destiny which I know you can fulfil.’

‘What would that be?’ Rakan asked.

‘It is not for me to answer,’ Adriel replied cautiously. ‘It is for a higher power to do so. A being who is infinitely higher than me, or you to tell you of your destiny.’

‘Higher?’ an intrigued Rufus asked.

‘Yes, higher,’ Adriel said in a satisfied tone. ‘Higher than humans could possibly imagine.’

‘What would be higher than a human?’

‘That would be for Salwar himself to answer.’

‘Salwar,’ Rakan said slowly and thoughtfully.

‘Yes, Salwar.’

‘When will we meet Salwar?’ Rakan asked.

‘NOW!’ Adriel replied, in deeply powerful voice that Rakan and Rufus knew could not possibly belong to Adriel.

The two young men were startled by the power in Adriel’s voice and then what they saw next startled them even more. Adriel’s eyes changed colour, his pupils became shiny and then jet black and the rest of his eyes turned blood red. He then took a knife from within his cloak and he sliced the palm of his hand open, which to Rakan and Rufus’s utter surprise and horror oozed a thick black substance instead of blood.

‘It cannot be,’ Rakan said aghast.

‘He lives within me,’ the weak and rasping voice of Adriel replied.

The thick substance dropped to the floor in long stringy pieces and as Adriel pointed his hand downwards, the substance kept coming; soon there was more of the thick black goo than any human body could possibly have held. When the black liquid had completely emptied onto the floor, Adriel’s hand sealed itself leaving no sign of the gaping wound that he had just inflicted on himself and Rakan and Rufus gaped at the sight of Salwar standing before them and they were spell bound and overcome by his presence and his power.

‘Mighty Salwar, I bring to you the two princes of darkness,’ Adriel said, kneeling before Salwar.

‘Indeed you do,’ Salwar bellowed.

Salwar stared at the two young men through his constantly colour changing eyes and then bellowed at them.

‘I am a god,’ he said staring at them with eyes that went from jet black to blinding white. Rakan and Rufus needed no convincing of his status. ‘As mere mortals’ you should kneel before me,’ Salwar told them, his eyes still changing colour.

Rakan and Rufus dropped immediately to their knees before the mighty Salwar and waited for him, or it to speak again.

Salwar remained rooted to the spot and he changed from the form he was in, into something resembling human form. He walked over to where Rakan and Rufus were kneeling and motioned to them to get up and they instantly complied. Salwar sat at the table and invited the two young men to sit with him while Adriel remained at the door.

‘Now listen to me,’ he began in a silky hypnotic voice. ‘The world is not how it is supposed to be and only humans can remedy this grave state of affairs,’ he told the spellbound Rakan and Rufus. ‘I believe that the two of you and your friends can correct that which went wrong with your world.’

‘What is wrong with our world,’ Rufus asked.

‘You were meant to be immortal,’ Salwar lied. ‘You were not meant to grieve or suffer pain and death. A terrible wrong occurred and only humans can fix it.’

‘How?’ Rakan asked.

‘It is much that I ask of you,’ Salwar said feigning humility. ‘You must embrace the dark side of your humanity and your magic – it is the most powerful part of you.’ Salwar hesitated. ‘Perhaps I ask too much of you…’

‘No, great Salwar,’ Rakan said. ‘It would be my honour.’

‘And mine,’ said Rufus.

Salwar took a sharp intake of breath. ‘Very well,’ he replied. ‘You must do this willingly, of your own freewill. If by the time I have finished telling you of your destiny, you must freely decide to come to me. Once you give me your word, you cannot go back on it.’

‘We understand,’ said Rufus.

‘Then this is what I seek from you,’ Salwar began.

When he had finished, Salwar looked at Rakan and Rufus who were still spellbound and in awe of him. ‘Can you fulfil your destiny young princes?’ Salwar asked.

‘Yes!’ Rakan said without hesitation.

‘Yes,’ Rufus said instantly.

‘Good,’ said Salwar. ‘Then swear your allegiance to me, if and only if, you understand what I ask of you and that you act so, willingly.’

Rakan and Rufus dropped to their knees once again and swore their allegiance to Salwar.

‘You will not speak of my name again unless I appear to you, do you both understand me?’

Rakan and Rufus nodded and Salwar smiled: ‘Good.’ He turned to Adriel and smiled also. ‘You have chosen well too. Do not disappoint me this time,’ Salwar said before he disintegrated back into the black blob and snaked his way back into Adriel’s body.

Rakan and Rufus watched in awe as Salwar slinked back into Adriel’s body and Adriel stood rigid as the process took place.

‘How can it be so?’ Rakan asked.

‘I do not think I wish to know,’ Rufus said, looking at the process with slight disgust and awe.

Salwar disappeared and Adriel returned to normal and he looked at Rakan and Rufus and smiled a sly smile.

‘There is just one matter that I must confess to you,’ Adriel began.

‘What?’ asked Rufus.

‘My name,’ Adriel said with a slight sigh. ‘It is not Rail.’

‘Then what is it?’ Rakan asked. ‘And why would you lie?’ he asked in an accusing tone.

‘To protect you and to protect myself,’ said Adriel; ‘for my name is well known in Amalah by Michael, your father Garrick and the old guard they fought with,’ Adriel finished.

‘You know them,’ Rufus said in surprise, his tone hostile.

‘I know of them,’ Adriel answered; ‘and I have seen them.’

‘What is your name,’ Rakan said sharply to Adriel.

Adriel pursed his lips and then another sly smile crossed his lips. He sighed for dramatic effect and then he looked at Rakan and then Rufus in turn and stared at them for what seemed like an eternity before he finally answered Rakan’s question.

‘I am Adriel,’ he said simply.

‘It cannot be,’ Rufus shouted.

‘No,’ Rakan croaked, as he slumped forward. ‘You were the one who…Michael…’ he said but could not go on.

‘I was responsible for slaying the family of the one you call Michael,’ Adriel admitted. ‘It was my decision.’

‘You murdering, lying…’Rakan began as his rage got the better of him.

‘What have we done?’ a devastated Rufus asked, as he realised that he had wholeheartedly aligned himself with Adriel and the power behind him.

‘You have given into your quest for power,’ Adriel said simply. ‘You let yourselves be seduced by dark magic and now – well – now you are committed to this path,’ he said smugly.

‘I would die a thousand deaths before I aligned myself to you,’ Rakan said, barely containing his rage. ‘Had you not been so dastardly and cowardly and revealed yourself; I would have killed you where stood,’ Rakan said slamming his fist onto the table. ‘You tricked us…’

‘Oh come now,’ Adriel sneered. ‘I only withheld my identity, you were both perfectly willing and eager to jettison your morals for a taste power, weren’t you…hmmm,’ he said archly. ‘You were weren’t you?’ he said, his face mocking them. ‘The blood rituals and sacrifices that you both performed willingly and you both knew that they were strictly forbidden,’ he said looking at them both. ‘You knew it was dark magic. I would even go so far as to say, that both of you,
knew
that what I was teaching and what you were doing was evil – didn’t you, hmmm,’ he said in a child like voice that he had somehow managed to make sound evil. ‘And yet – you jumped at it willingly,’ he said as he walked back and forth and then stared at them. ‘Even when I began asking you to do things that you both knew were patently wrong or forbidden,’ he said staring right through both of them. ‘It mattered not what you believed my name to be,’ Adriel said bluntly. ‘What matters is that you chose to engage in all the acts you did over the last three years.’

‘Why us?’ Rufus asked.

Adriel laughed: ‘because I sensed your power and because I knew who you were and your betrayal to Kai’s daughter and those who stood with him – yes Rakan – your father too.’

‘Why you…’ Rakan began,’ his blood boiling as he rose to his feet but Adriel was quicker than he and he outstretched his arm and telekinetically lifted Rakan into the air and swung him hard against the wall. Rufus immediately threw a volley of energy balls at Adriel but Adriel easily deflected the first few and then disappeared into thin air.

Rufus ran over to where Rakan was. ‘Stop!’ Rakan shouted. ‘I’m still pinned to this wall, his power is doing this.’

‘He’s still here?’ Rufus asked dubiously.

‘He must be.’

‘Indeed I am,’ Adriel said, as a volley of energy balls appeared from nowhere behind Rufus and flew in Rufus’ direction.

‘Levitate!’ Rakan shouted, resisting the urge to shout “behind you.”

Rufus immediately leapt into the air but a little too late, as the last energy ball hit him in the calves, causing him to scream in pain and break his levitation, sending him crashing to the floor.

‘Amateurs!’ Adriel spat, as he reappeared and threw energy balls at Rakan and Rufus simultaneously, causing Rufus to fly backwards.

Adriel disappeared again and Rufus and Rakan stared at each other, trying to work out how to deal with Adriel. Rufus instinctively moved towards Rakan to free him but he stopped still when he heard hissing and whispering that was unfathomable.

‘What is it?’ Rakan asked.

‘I know not,’ Rufus admitted. ‘It is not a human language I recognise,’ Rufus said, as he went to move towards Rakan once again but he found his feet bound to the ground. ‘What the…?’ Rufus asked as he looked down.

‘I may have taught you a lot Rufus and Rakan,’ Adriel began before he reappeared; ‘but never in your lifetime, can you hope to be in the same league as me from a magical perspective,’ he said, as he held his open palm out near Rufus’ neck. ‘I could have killed you at any second,’ he said menacingly, as a dagger appeared in his hand and he jabbed it into Rufus’ neck, causing Rufus to wince. ‘It’s just a nick,’ Adriel snapped. ‘This time it is just a nick. The next time I have to teach you a lesson, I will not be so pleasant,’ he warned, as he released Rakan and Rufus.

Rakan dropped to the ground but his physical and magical training saw him land on his feet kneeling. He sprang up, indignant that Adriel had treated him that way and resentful that he had not even been able to retaliate.

‘One day Adriel,’ Rakan snarled.

‘Hmmm,’ Adriel said pouting at Rakan as though he were a child. ‘What is it?’ he said in that childlike voice that Rakan was quickly beginning to hate. ‘What have I done to upset you, hmmm?’ he said and then made a whining sound as though he were a dog, irking the two young men even more.

‘Do not think that I will do your bidding for another second,’ said Rakan.

‘Nor I,’ said Rufus.

‘You really are becoming rather tiresome,’ Adriel said wanly. ‘It is not my bidding; it is Salwar’s. I am his vessel, if he commands, you do as he commands.’

‘And if we don’t?’ Rakan asked.

‘I will live inside you,’ Salwar’s voice boomed; ‘and if I do, you will know what pain and torment are,’ he screeched, as he caused Adriel’s skin to burn and blister, leaving Adriel to scream.

Rakan and Rufus flinched as Adriel’s skin turned red raw and his blisters began weeping. Salwar ignored Adriel’s screams as he intensified the heat until Adriel was begging Salwar to stop and then he fell to his knees crying.