Chapter 6

Illyana's teleportational circle turned up above the sea-shore, in the place in which many minutes before the girl had talked to the unusually mysterious man in a habit. Arletta emerged from the bright disc after the mutant. She was disorientated with a sudden transfer to the other place, terrified with the view of the object which she had associated with something holy and forbidden for the ordinary mortal man. She wasn't able to comprehend how she managed to enter the interior of the circle and move with its help to the completely different part of the forest without the smallest damage to her health. The girl fell down on her knees and only one thought remained in her head: the escape. When she tried to walk away into marsh thickets, Illyana stopped her by a force.

"Where are you going? You caused me so much trouble, you'll pay for it!" the blonde shouted at her furiously.

"Who are you?" Arletta asked, looking at young mutant with a fear in her eyes".

"I'm interested only in taking you an your sister to your father! I don't have to answer you!" Magik summoned the Sword of Souls from the nothingness and she touched it to the neck of the black-haired woman.

"Do you want to take me to my father? Why did you save me? I would prefer the death from hands of these slimy lice!"

"Many people died today because of you, including your mate. You forced me to use my magic. I had to leave my friends because of you... if something happened to them, you will pay for it! We're going!"

The girl pushed Arletta and forced her to move. Women were silent for a moment. The daughter of the master of the island overcame her curiosity and a fear she felt seeing the blonde using magic forbidden for people from her world and tried to make closer contact with her.

"Are you shaken by what happened in the stronghold? Are the sight of blood and deaths stunning you?" The black-haired started the conversation again.

"What stuns me really is the thought about how it's possible to be so cold and calculating. You used your own sister to fulfil your plan! You were ready to kill her! I could see your eyes, when you directed the horse at her..." Illyana answered not looking at the woman. Arletta didn't react, clenching her fist with an anger.

"You're a hypocrite." She spoke after a few minutes of silences. She continued.

"What I did before arouses a disgust in you and you're much worse than me now. You rescued me from hands of frog-people, you risked your own life travelling by night all over bogs, but only to get a prize for me which my father promised you. How do we differ from each othert You're a mercenary, for the appropriate price, you're able to hunt for people irrespective of whom they are and whose side the truth lies on. You're surrounding yourself with some shady-looking guys, for example like this magus looking lustfully at Kassima, because they're means, thanks to which you achieve your goal. I was using the man having the power and the army of warriors faithful to him, to get what I desire. I'm ready make a sacrifice, even if my own sister will become it." Arletta's last words irritated Illyana very much. She turned toward the woman and se stopped her looking at her with stern eyesight.

"Don't compare us! You think that I'm chasing you for the fame, money or the renown? You're wrong. I'm here with you because I have to! I want only to get it out from this cursed island, but your father decided to pass no ship from the port until you're found: you and your younger sister! I'm chasing you only because I must set off on the travel!"

"And you think that I joined Harold for taking the power? Just like you, I'm also not doing it for myself! I'm doing it for people, for all residents of the Aranis village! You could see how my father manipulates the life of the city, he's able even to stop the entire trade, when his businesses are in danger. My city isn't being developed, it's dying under his rule. Council compound of his partners is expanding, while the rest of the village lives in poverty paying tax for the father and the Temple in Tarania which also dictates their terms. The fields were taken by frog people and living on the border of bogs became unbearable because of their attacks. I and Harold wanted to change it, but you blighted our chances of the victory! Who is a bigger monster!" Illyana was silent. She didn't feel like continuing the dialogue with caught person.

"Who? Answer me!" Arletta said with a cracking voice.

"People who died today's night are on your conscience, because if not for you and your companions, they still would be living. Just like my sister, who perhaps was beheaded by subordinates of Harold. And now you want to have the next person on the conscience?"

"Shut up! I didn't know that you had been with them! I was convinced that I was saving you and Kassima from hands of some thugs."

"Because my father told you such lies, tempting you with gold."

"I need this money!"

"You want it so much that you will kill again?" Arletta provoked the girl more and more.

"I'm supposed to bring with you and your sister safe and sound. Killing anybody is out of the question."

"You don't even know how naive you are. My father doesn't care about my life! For him, I'm a next opponent on the way to the power. Tomorrow I will be hanged, early in the morning. And later the father will send to the stronghold his soldiers who will make a slaughter worse than the one which your bald man did."

"I must get out from here..." Illyana was unsure of her decision.

"If you think that after receiving the award you'll be able to leave, you're seriously mistaken. I could see how the father ordered to behead mercenaries right after they performed a task at one time. Only a death you can get from his hand".

"I cannot come back barehanded".

"You have my sister, she's naive and she believes that the father really loves her. I can give you back this bloody necklace." Arletta took the Arcalc from her neck and put it into Illyana's hands.

"I don't need it, not now when Harold and many of his people are dead. Why don't you lie, say thath you failed to catch me? I was swallowed by bogs, or killed by frog people during their bloodthirsty rituals? After all almost it almost happened. Release me free and I'll reward you. The next night, we met by docks... I'll show you the ship in which you'll be able to sail across the Sea of Anxiety and nobody will be asking unnecessary questions."

"And am I supposed to trust you? You demonstrated what you're able to do, like father, like daughter." "And you trusted my father? Did you trust those two thugs? You could see what they can do. I want only the future for my city."

Illyana was silent. She felt subconsciously that Arletta hadn't cheated her saying about the meannesses which Aranis' master committed, she knew that she would have to risk accepting the help from all sorts of people, if she wanted to have any chance of getting to Falaria and return home. She used her abilities and silently opened one of her teleportational discs. Horrified Arletta looked at the dazzle beating from its inside. She didn't know what this gesture had been supposed to mark, an invitation to the trip or maybe an execution. She remembered that she had been taught many times about the place where the glitter of discs came from and what penalties was for the ones who dared to get into their interior.

"I opened the portal to the meadow in front of the forest. You can safely leave frog people areas". Illyana announced all the time hesitating what to do with the woman. Black-haired girl didn't move even for one millimetre. Upset mutant ordered her to hurry up.

"What are you waiting for! You have your chance! I can change my mind!"

"Disc... its brilliance kills people..." The girl whispered.

"A moment ago we went through it and we live. I trusted you enough to set you free. Now you must trust me, after all you said that we were the same!" Arletta very slowly moved toward the opened portal. Once again, she has hesitated, she turned around in the direction of the blonde.

"You... how you learnt to control the disc..." She asked.

"I was born like this! And now go through this portal!"

The last words of Magik worked. Arletta crossed the gate and it closed right after the long-haired woman had been engulfed by it. Illyana decided to come back to the stronghold and free her friend. She hoped that she will be able to rescue him and she will leave the island in a quest the way home. In the moment when she tried to open the disc, she felt a huge confusion in the head, racing thoughts which didn't let her focus. The girl wasn't able to use her abilities. Surprised, she started looking all around, thinking that perhaps marsh mists had some impact on her. She noticed in astonishment that Flaroth and his huge friend Urghork had appeared from behind thickets.

"Flaroth, Urghork... why are you here... did you manage to escape? And where are Agnar and Kassima? " She asked. The black-haired magus smiled ominously.

"I'm afraid that they are in the stronghold. Or they were already impaled in a front of the road leading to the city. I don't intend to check because I'm disgusted with such a view." He replied.

"What are you talking about? Why did you left them behind!" The girl became nervous.

"Because they would disturb us in our hunts. Am I right, Urghork, my dear?" The magus asked the giant who nodded his head affirmatively.

"I'm afraid that you're too late. Arletta was dragged into bogs by frog people, but I managed to take the necklace away from her." The blonde showed the Arcalc.

"You're lying, and what's more I'm not interested in Arletta. Awards from Tarania are far more valuable than the ones given by the master of this island." The man announced.

"Whomare you hunting?"

"You, my dear, golden hair magician". Flaroth said gladly.

In the room of Harold's stronghold, the clean blood and remains of the human bodies were not washed away from carpets and the tragedy which came across this place could repeat itself again. Three horrified men ran into the chamber calling warriors who argued between themselves who was supposed to replace the missing master of the stronghol.

"He's here!" The bearded fat person pronounced with an effort.

"Who! The bald one? We will hang him! Murderer!" The moustachioed soldier screamed.

"No... no.. not him!" In the same moment the blackness engulfed the room, as if living, cold darkness, carrying graveyard air and despair of thousands of children murdered beneath walls of the beleaguered city, filled it. Warriors were struck dumb, they froze as if the cockatrice turned them into rocks with its devious eyesight. A tall figure attired in old clothings tightly covering every scrap of her body stood in the room. Her red eyes looked angrily at horrified people and the hand attired in the black glove held the severed head of one of their companions.

"Where is the one which I desire? Where is the one marked by the darkness? Show me him, or else you will join my procession." The head said, rolling its dead eyes.

"Young boy named Agnar." It added after a moment of a break. All soldiers calmed down, since there was a slightest chance, that the immortal rider would spare them. They indicated the route to basements in which Agnar and Kassima were imprisoned.

Illyana stood opposite Flaroth and Urghork, she clenched her fists with an anger, she was ready to summon the Soulsword and use the magic against their associates.

"What do you want?" She asked the sorcerer.

"Nothing. Some man from Tarani promised me the great reward for you. Don't bear me a grudge, I only do my work and earn money." Urghork nodded his head giving his friend the sign informing him that he agreed with everything. The blonde remembered the moment when the Black Knight attacked her, she recalled Ariana's words about the fact that she was chased by evil people.

"Who is looking for me! Who did pay you for kidnapping me!" She shouted out in anger. She knew that she could not obtain the reply, but she had to relieve the tension intensifying in her body.

"I cannot give you the identity of my client. You should know about it. You're the hunter yourself, at least you told me so." The mage was talking with the smile glued to his face.

"But perhaps let us do the real thing. We shouldn't lose strenght for unnecessary conversations..." He added after a moment. After a moment, he spread his arms widely, creating the big web of black substance, pulsing like blood vessels taken out from the inside of a huge body, around himself. After his silent order, the strange structure headed toward the girl. Flaroth was certain, that the fight had been ended. The Net of the Enslavement was one of the most powerful spells he knew and he had risked a lot to get all the elements needed for its generation. Supposedly this charm was created in dark palaces of outcasts from the Arillon land or maybe it came even from the Emptiness between Worlds. Unfortunately, this time he met a hard opposition. The dark web was cut by Illyana's bright sword like the ordinary thread and fell to the ground gushing with a purple blood. The girl looked triumphantly at her assailant.

"Did you think that I was weak? Did you think that I would let you defeat me after you betrayed me and you exposed my friend to an danger? Never!"

Magik summoned three magic balls, stating with contentment that this time she creatied the spell with much more easiness. Three bullets of the light dashed off toward the black magus, but the one didn't even try to step down from their way. Man took the black stone out of his bag with a fast move, raising it above his face. Strange black barrier, like a magic shield or force field of unknown origin was created around his body. Globes of the energy hit the shield and were entirely consumed by its surface. Urghork, seeing that mutant tried to hurt his friend, took the axe out from behind the belt gearing himself up to an attack. Flaroth stopped him with one move of the hand.

"We're not supposed to use the force on such a girl." He whispered. At the same moment, two sharp, extended icicles rushing with a huge speed to the meeting with the girl's back, appeared out of nowhere behind her back. The girl managed to dodge them, but she lost her balance, stumbled over the root sticking out of the soft soil and fell down on thickets. She was furious at herself that she didn't trust her magic armour and she let the opponent to triumph over her. Flaroth created next set of icicles which stuck into the ground very close to the face of the girl, her hands and buttocks. The magus played with her not wanting to give her a final blow. He knew that he could not hurt her, but only tire out and capture her.

Illyana was furious, she wanted to use the disc and run away somewhere far away from two mercenaries. One person knew already about her extraordinary abilities and she didn't want this knowledge to spread in the land. It would mean that the price for her head would rise and her chance of the return to her home diminished. Illyana was invited for the crazy dance in which she had to dodge ice spears attacking her from all directions, simultaneously trying to hit magus with her bright magic missiles. Unfortunately, the barrier of the man was too strong. At some point, the sorcerer decided to end the fight. Lumps of ice and snow started whirling around his hand as he geared himself up to hit the girl with the stream of the cold which would take all her willingness for the fight. Illyana knew that she would have to act quickly. She remembered the spell of the fire and the way of forming the sphere of flames. She imagined herself in the middle of the raging fiery storm, she tried to gather the entire heat of the phenomenon in her hands, in the tips of her fingers. She realised with a joy that she could do it more easily than before. She formed the sphere of fire throwing it at Flaroth, at the same moment, when he summoned the stream of ice. Two enermous energies met each other to get into the confrontation, which was supposed to judge the victory of one of them, for the first time and the last time. As it turned out, Illyana's fire was stronger. Her stream melted cold rays, and then it moved toward the man. Surprised sorcerer tried to defend himself with the help of his black stone. The wall of the fire hit the shield effectively dispersing on it, but the pressure was too strong, cracks appeared on the stone and Flaroth fell over struck with an energy getting out of the crystal. Urghork seeing his friend in a danger, was possesed by the rage. He rushed at Illyana waving his axe. The girl was horrified. Seeing bloodshot eyes of the bald muscleman, she remembered what had happened in the stronghold a few hours earlier, she remembered the scream of people who were beheaded and disemboweled. She protected herself instinctively with the Sword of Souls. When the blade of the Urghork's weapon hit the magic steel of the sword forged in the Limbo, cracks appeared on it. The failure didn't muffle the enthusiasm of the warrior, instead it infuriated him more, the man started losing the control over himself. He moved in the direction of Illyana trying to defeat her with his pure physical strength. The girl was faster and more agile than the muscleman, she managed effectively to escape from his way.

The giant driven by his own inertia tumbled down into nearby thickets. It turned out, that he had touched down in the bog and his weapon was irretrievably consumed by it. The blonde noticed that Flaroth had recovered and planned the next magic attack. The girl had to act the quickest she was able. She ran up to the black-haired man and directed her sword to the bag with his magic crystal. Artefacts were broken into thousands of small pieces and their magic was effectively absorbed by the blade of the magic weapon. One of the crystals, black and glistening with a purple glitter, fell down on the stone under feet of the girl. When it butted against the surface, a magic hologram portraying her and the long-haired man appeared before the eyes of the girl. The wraithlike figure started saying the recorded message:

"I am offering the award for Ariana, keeper of bright discs. I am offering even bigger award for those who will bring her companion with the golden hair to me! Living and in good health! Azureus from Tarania".

"Who is he? What does he wany from me?" Magik asked with a fury.

"I don't know... I only did the task which he commissioned to me." Flaroth replied smiling crookedly. Illyana took the black crystal and she put it in her trouser's pocket.

"You will tell me everything you know." The girl threatened the magus with her sword. At that very moment, a shout reached her ears.

"Help me!" Urghork screamed as if somebody stripped his skin. As it turned out, the swamp covered his body almost entirely. Only his head and one of hands stuck out from the sea of mud covered with rushes.

"Urghork!" Flaroth shouted. He tried to move to help his friend, but Illyana didn't let him make a one step. The Soulsword sparked with a glitter resonating with an anger of its owner. In the same momen, Urghork inhaled the air for the last time and was buried in the stinking grave. Illyana started fighting with her own thoughts. She wanted to punish people who cheated her and her friend, but simultaneously she was horrified with the fact that next person died because of her. The girl felt that she had started experiencing strange feeling of euphoria and satifaction from a torment of her enemies. She knew that she would have to fight this feeling, because otherwise she would move closer to becoming same as Belasco.

"I won't let him die." She said aloud. At the same moment, a bright disc turned up in a front of Flaroth. The amazed magus moved away a few strides and the large bulk of his bald friend emerged from the the circle. Urghork, dirty with mud and marsh water but safe and sound, fell down on grass. The black-haired magus very quickly came to him to check whether his companion was ok. When he became convinced that the giant had been breathing, he approached the blonde.

"I own you Urghork's life." He said bowing to the girl. Illyana remained adamant.

"I'm not a monster. I did it for myself not for you." She answered coldly.

"Who is Azureus? Why did he order to kidnap me?" She asked again.

"I don't know, I didn't lie to you. My crystal collects magic messengers containing lists from the ones who seeks services of mercenaries. After performing a task we get in touch with their author and we establish in what way we will exchange goods or the person for a gold." The girl took the stone out of a pocket and she gave it to the man. She directed her sword at him.

"Call him! Now! Say you want to meet with him because you caught me!" She ordered.

"I'm afraid that it is impossible. Your sword destroyed the possibility of the communication." Flaroth replied. The blonde took crystal, she watched it noticing scratches and the lack of a purple glow which surrounded it minutes before.

"Don't try more to attack me again. Next time I won't be so kind to you." The girl geared herself up to walk away.

"You rescued Urghork's life. I'm your debtor now and I swear that I won't disrupt your travel again. Besides..." Flaroth fell into a pensive mood.

"I don't have a chance with somebody who controls Scared Discs. I'm starting to understand, why somebody from Tarania is interested in you." Illyana didn't answer him. She summoned the teleportational disc and disappeared in it leaving mercenaries alone in the middle of bogs.

All Harold's subordinates sat in the main room of the stronghold being afraid to make the smallest movement in order not to arouse the anger of the unwanted guest. Guards were not talking to each other, feeling a fear although the dark figure left the chamber a long time ago heading towards basements where the man, who it desired so much, was imprisoned. Agnar realized what had been supposed to happen to him, when an unnatural cold carrying feeling of the emptiness and doubt turned up at his cell. Kassima also knew that something unusual had happened, she instinctively moved back to the other end of the room in order to find a little air not poisoned with the darkness of Immortal Rider. The dark knight wrapped in the old, torn up clothings from head to toe, came slowly, like the smoke rising from the chimney in the windless day, to steel grating and he looked at the black-haired boy with blood-red eyes. In spite of princess' cry of fear, Agnar remained adamant, he could not move any limb of the body or even blink to stop the eye contact with the demon. His mind was claimed into the black hole of the thoughts of the Dark Rider and his free will, feeling of own separatness was weakening with every passing minute, it was being washed away in the the darkness full of shouts of poor wretches who had belonged to the procession of the knight in all centuries. Agnar's mind slowly became the property of the demon. The boy was on the strange journey into the abyss surrounded by the tunnel of pulsing red and the whine of Nameless beings, circulating through the Eternity in the Emptiness between Worlds. In front of Agnar's eyes, images swam, whose meaning he wasn't able to comprehend. He could see the great battle, hundreds of soldiers attired in armours, horses as black as the night and with red eyes. He thought that he was observing the battle forever, he was participating in it, he was feeling emotions of everyone. He could see the defeat of the army's leader whose armor was shattered into hundreds of slices as sharp as fragments of the mirror, mirror stealing people's dreams and thoughts. He was falling with him into the abyss into the emptiness, an absence of everything real and possible to comprehend with a mind. He could see the sky shimmering with rainbow of colours and winding roads of thorny branches on which notions of the up and down, left and right didn't make any difference. He walked along slithering one-sided surfaces and his body as well as the mind became its own mirror image. He observed shapeless monsters trying to get out of their never ending nightmares and majestic beings with bodies greater than the horizon of crystal glass spheres whirling together with golden planets above his head. He was a witness of forging of the black armour in sources of the eternal life and damnation and later he saw King dressed in it, ruling the Emptiness, sentenced to the eternal walk all over deserts full of fossilized bones of dragons from worlds before the beginning of the reality. He looked into the stream of time in which the past, the present time and the future mixt like water churned up in the mountain stream. The invasion of mages of the Temple, the march of scaled beings and the rising of the deceaseds from their graves were events, which shreds he could see. The vision which he experienced wasn't similar to anything he knew from his life.

In the real world the Immortal Rider moved the hand close to the Agnar's face. Kassima was sitting in the corner hunched and tears of terror poured over her face. In the same moment, in the corridor a teleportational disk appeared and Illyana emerged from its inside. Kassina noticed Illyana's arriving, but the fear which paralysed her was too strong to overcome. The princess cringed. The blonde had the sword in hand and armour covered the part of her body. The girl recolled falling down a chasm and magic fever which attacked her body. Illyana knew that the meeting with the demon who tried to steal her thoughts had been inevitable, but she didn't suppose it would happen so quickly. Seeing the dark figure, she felt like escaping, but she didn't want to disappoint somebody who helped her again. If she defeated the demon in her dream, perhaps she will have a chance in the real world - she thought. She started reminding herself all known spells. The fire ball was the strongest spell she knew, but using it she could hurt Agnar, he was too close to the Knight. She thought about ice blades which Flaroth had used. She closed her eyes trying to imagine something opposite to the heat, freezing cold, touch of the frost on Siberia which she remembered from the childhood or the coolness radiating from streams where she had played as Belasco's pupil. A large ice spear formed in her hand. She raised it with will power, the spear was shot in direction of the Immortal. The demon was pierced with it, he hit the wall and ice covered his body. Illyana knew that it wouldn't stop him for ages.

"Kassima! Kassima!" She shouted at the girl through grating. Agnar was in the shock triggered by the mind of the Rider. He didn't move and his eyesight lied on stone clouds moving somewhere in his imagination. Magik got rid of the padlock in the door of the cell with the use of the sword and then she came inside to calm the girl.

"Kassima! Pull yourself together! We must escape from here!" She screamed looking into her watery eyes.

"Who...is he..." Kassima asked not being able to bring fear under control.

"Unimportant, he won't harm you now. We must escape! Do you understand?"

"Yes..." The black-haired replied unwillingly. Illyana ran up to Agnar.

"Agnar! What about you? I defeated him! Can you see? Just like in the vision. Didn't I tell you that I could?" The mutant girl started the conversation, but she was afraid of the worst. She thought that she had arrived too late and the mind of her friend had already belonged to the black knight. She looked with a fury at the demon. Clenching her fist, she opened the teleportational disc sending the Rider into the most distant place which she remembered - the horizon over the sea visible from the edge where she had met the ginger monk. Kassima was horrified, glitter of the disc caused that she had frozen. Her fear was greater than the one from a few minutes ago.

"Kassima, we must escape from here!" Illyana urged the girl.

"Who are you... how did you do this?" The princess whispered.

"The first time I summoned discs when I was younger than you. I was born with these abilities. Don't ask me how it is possible, because I don't know. One day I simply realised that I could open gates between places."

"Going through discs is forbidden, no man can survive it..." Kassima was afraid to approach the blonde.

"As you can see I live. You must trust me and pass on the other side with me. You must help me. Look at Agnar. Don't you want to help him?" Illyana continued. Black-haired girl looked like a boy, his empty eyes and the face devoid of the emotions. The honour didn't let her abandon the man who saved her life.

"Ok... I will go with you.." She decided. Magik summoned the teleportational disc and together with Kassima, she helped to lead Agnar to its bright surface. Soon all three plunged into its light passing to its other side. Kassima was walking with a belief, that she won't see her castle, the father and all marsh-woody areas which she knew from the childhood. However she hoped that it she would turn out to be the Saint from legends told by older women from the market, legendary traveller who can travel the Emptiness between Worlds. The second possibility that Illyana was a demon coming from the emptiness, was too terrifying for princess, if she though about it, she wouldn't able to sink into the bright tunnel inviting her into its interior with dumb melody of the light.

There was a dark night and on the sky above the forest, murmuring with the warm wind, stars and a large silver moon were twinkling. Tired Kassima fell asleep om a clearing, which Illyana chose for the campsite and therefore mutantk girl had collect wood for the bonfire herself. Agnar wasn't talkative, he didn't even try to look at the direction of the girl. When Illyana lighted the fire, the boy sat down on the rotten stump sticking out of thickets and he started looking mindlessly at dancing flames. The blonde looked at black crystal belonging to Flaroth, she passed fingers over its cracked surface. She already knew the name of the one who wanted her for unknown reasons and was probably responsible for kidnapping her to the strange land full of the magic. Hours of a sleepless night passed with sounds of forest animals and the noise of the stream flowing somewhere between trees.

"I don't want to know who you are..." - a cracking Agnar's voice broke the silence. Illyana quickly came to him. The boy didn't look at her and his eyes didn't stop checking on creaking flames jumping from kindling for kindling.

"I won't even try to understand who you are. After what I saw today I know that there are things of which we didn't dream even in our boldest dreams. You came back after me and you rescued me again. I will try to remember only about it..."

Illyana didn't want to speak. The sadness in Agnar's voice moved her more than at night, when Korus had been killed.

"Worlds which the Immortal showed me... what I saw there... I'm not in the state to tell about it... I'm not even able to think about it. What I knew so far is only a shadow of the reality in which we live... I'm not able to live anymore..."

"I have the new objective ahead of me now... the only one which I will devote myself to..." Agnar announced with a firm voice.

"I must understand what I could see. I must understand whom the Immortal Rider is, what his past is why he is travelling between lands sowing the death and damage. I must know his weak points and destroy him so that he stops threatening our lands." Agnar said angrily and with a passion. The girl at first was glad that the apathy had passed him, but soon she understood, that a strange fanaticism was behind his words, the one which would be able to kill him in the future.

"Take me with you on your travel, Illyana. Let me keep you company and teach your real mission you have to fulfill in our world. Help me to get to know the past of the Rider and powers which created him."

"I already told you, I only want to get to Falaria and get back home. I don't have any other missions here. If you want to travel with me it's excellent, but everything what recently happened me, outgrows me also. I could see things which I don't understand and I'm having a feeling that I'm a pawn in the game of somebody very powerful." Agnar looked at the blonde like he didn't believe her and he threw the next dry branch into the bonfire.

"What happened after you had dashed off after those two? Did you catch them?"

"Yes and no... I told you that I had seen things which I don't understand completely. I managed to find those two, it turned out that the guy was dead, some monsters from bogs killed him."

"Frog-People?".

"It's unimportant. I went to search the girl and I met somebody unusual."

"Yes?"

"I don't know who he was. He looked like some monk in the habit, he had red beard and he played with the falcon. I talked to him briefly, I think that he knew well how I was captured and how I can get back home. But his replies were riddles, as if he played with me. Then he disappeared in the fog and...that's all..."

"It's becoming really terrifying."

"You think?"

"And what about that girl?" Agnar changed the subject.

"I rescued her from hands of frog-people and later I set her free."

"What?"

"We have the necklace..." The girl showed the golden Arcalc hanging on the neck.

"... and her. " She pointed at black haired princess sleeping on moss.

"It should be enough. She convinced me that her father isn't who whe appears to be. And warned me against him."

"We must risk."

"I know. But it's not the end. Flaroth and Urghork betrayed me, it turned out that they had hunted for me."

"Bastards! I knew that something had been strange after they had escaped from the stronghold."

"It's not important, I defeated them and look..." the girl gave Agnar cracked black crystal.

"It's a message from the one who ordered to catch me. Now it's destroyed but I managed to hear it through. He is called Azureus and come from Tarania. Dave you heard about him?"

"No... but the name belongs to somebody from high places, he can be knight or somebody from the Temple."

"You want to discover the past of the Rider, I'm going to find this Azureus. Will you help me?"

"Yes, I can't to come back to the former life. What's with Flaroth and Urghork, won't they be searching you?"

"No, let us say that they are in debt know. Will you tell me, what you could see in the eyes of the Knight?" Agnar clouded over again. He looked straight ahead to bonfire's dancing flames.

"I don't know words which could describe it." He replied coming back to his meditation and dissociating himself from the reality.

"Please yourself. I'm going to bed. Tomorrow, we're going to Aranis for our money and from there straight to Tarania. Ok?"

"Of course."

"And one thing more. I'll tell you about myself, who I am, where I come from and why I can control discs. I promise that I'll tell you the whole truth." The boy didn't listen to the blonde, because his mind was plunged into nameless worlds from the vision.

Illyana, Agnar and Kassima reached the Aranis before daybreak. Neighborhood was completely desolate, only guards walked here and there. The black-haired princess didn't say a word during the entire travel, she remembered everything what had happened in the previous night, but realising that the couple of travellers were no threat for her, she decided not to ask them about details how Magik defeated the Rider controlling the bright teleportational disc. When all three approached the gate leading to the castle of the town's master, three dwraves went out to meet them. Seeing Kassima's face, they were glad very much.

"I can see that you found our lost kitten!" One of them said.

"Next reason to admire you, young lady!" The second one announced.

"But let us not discuss here, but let us walk to the prince, he will certainly be glad from the return of his daughter." He added opening the wooden gate.

The door of the throne room opened with a loud creaking. When Kassima saw her father sitting on a throne, she smiled widely and quickened the pace in order to be in his arms as soon as possible. "Kassima..." The moustachioed man said. The black-haired girl cuddled up to him and he touched her gently with one hand.

"You did it." He announced looking at Illyana's and her companion's eyes.

"What about Arletta? What about the necklace?" He asked after a moment. The blonde came up to his throne and gave him the golden locket. Rufon quickly grabbed it. He looked at it for a moment feeling distinct relief, that his real treasure also returned home safe and sound.

"We have bad news about your second daughter, prince." Agnar said.

"Arletta wasn't kidnapped. She faked her kidnapping in order to deprive you of the throne together with the Harold." Illyana added.

"That snake... I didn't think that she was able to do such a thing." thoughtful Rufon replied.

"What did happen to her?"

"I don't know. She escaped with her partner to bogs and I wasn't able to catch her. I could see a lot of groups of armed frog people there. Arletta and Harold probably became their victims." Illyana lied just as she had promised the older daughter of the prince.

"Prince, we have a lot way ahead of us. Would you keep your promise and reward us for our effort?" Agnar added after a moment of thought.

"Of course, Of course." Rufon said. He asked Kassima to sit down on the armchair standing under one of windows and rose from the throne approaching the girl and her companion.

"I am a man of honour, so I will keep my promise. Gromth will lead you to the strongroom, where you will receive a prize." He announced smiling. One of the stocky dwarves with red beard tied up into two plaits emerged from behind the slightly opened door.

"Gromth! Give our warriors the award!" He shouted. The short man looked at the blonde but after a moment at her companion.

"Go with me!" He ordered. Illyana and Agnar left the throne room, for the last time looking at the black-haired daughter of the prince. They went in silence along the long corridor heading obediently after red-bearded dwarf. The man reached the big, wooden doorway and opened it with the help of the key taken out from the belt. He told them not to follow him and disappeared behind the gate. Soon, he was back in the corridor.

"Come!" He shouted with a hoarse voice. When Illyana and Agnar went behind the door, it turned out that they came outside, near the wall surrounding the stronghold, opposite to the market and the front gate of the castle, on the area adjoining to bogs. A surprise which quickly assumed the form of fear and readinesses for the fight seized the girl.

"Arletta was right." She said quietly to the boy.

"What are you talking about?"

"Rufon is a piece of rubbish." In the same time, three dwarves emerged from behind bushes. Each of them was holding an axe and was ready to do the last order of his lord - taking travellers' life.

"What doy you want? Where is our payment?" Agnar asked, guessing that he was cheated.

"You'll get it here!". The ginger bearded man laughed.

"Don't bear us a grudge for it. We must simply listen to the one who pays for the duty." The short man said. Magik clenched fists.

"You don't bear me a grudge for what I will do now." She whispered. With the intense whistle, three ice spears flew out from nearby thickets. All blades approached castle guards' backs, they were expecting nothing. Bearded men felt severe twinge, like biting of some huge insect and inconceivable cold going from wounds to the furthest nooks of their bodies. Not uttering not a single sound, all three of them fell on wet grass of the swamp.

The ginger short man was surprised very much, he looked all around expecting the opponent. Agnar looked at Illyana with the mistrust, he thought that the girl had killed three people with a cold blood. Magik was as astonished as her acquaintance, she didn't have a clue what had happened with her opponents. She considered using the magic towardsdwarves, but she didn't manage even to think about summoning the charm. After a moment, a next ice lance loomed into view from behind the tree. It effectively hit the last assasin, When the ginger bearded man fell down into a mud, Illyana knew where the unexpected aid came from. She spotted two male figures moving in bushes. One of them was as large as the mountain, second one was slim and agile. The girl smiled looking at walking away figures.

"What happened here?" Agnar asked looking at frozen remains of guards.

"It was Flaroth." Magik replied calmly.

"What?"

"Flaroth saved our life."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. He was indebted at me. We must walk away. The entire neighbourhood will be talking about two mercenaries who killed personal bodyguards of the prince."

"Where do you want to escape? How do you want to get some ship?"

"Somebody is still indebted at me." Illyana and Agnar headed toward the port small town.