A clacking sounded through the entire cave as the young man struck the flintstones against each other to ignite the fire bowl standing in front of him. "There's no point in that, nobody's been here for ages. The thing never burns!" a shrill woman's voice rang out in the darkness. At that moment, a spark flew on the tinder that the man had previously placed in the bowl. A short glow was to be recognized, which went out however just as fast again, as it came. "Let's just use our fire magic. Why do we control her?" the woman continued. The man rose and threw the flint stones on the ground before his deep, humming voice sounded: "It really doesn't make sense. Then I guess we'll have to find our way in the dark. And you know exactly why we don't use our magic. So come on." He turned away and walked slowly forward. Fortunately, he had a very good memory, which made it easy for him to remember the layout of the cave system. "Just because a newcomer who had walked away said that we shouldn't use magic doesn't mean that we have to listen to him, does it? She hated the darkness and couldn't cope with it either. She constantly stumbled over stones protruding from the ground or hit walls or columns with her shoulders and head. But "Don't make such a noise" was the only thing that got her to listen to her protest and only made her more angry. But that didn't interest the man walking safely through the cave. He focused only on the floor plan in his head and where he stepped. A short time and a few cave sections later the man stopped in front of a five meter high wall. A whole piece behind him approached his companion, stumbling and cursing quietly. "Are we finally here?" Her voice didn't sound any less annoyed than it did at the beginning of her maze run. "Yes, we are. You know what to do?" his voice muttered, which sounded threatening through the reverberation of the cave. "Yeah, yeah, I know!" She went to the right side of the wall and the man went to the left. After some keying, they found small openings no larger than two fingers and placed their thumbs on each of them. "On three!" said the woman and her voice sounded completely different than it did a few moments ago. The annoyance had completely disappeared and was replaced by anticipation and tension. "One... two-sided Three..." After both pressed in their switch at the same time, a loud noise was heard from the other side of the wall. Like heavy stones rubbing against each other. The floor began to vibrate, dust and small pieces of rock fell from the ceiling and the wall began to sink slowly. The joy in both rose with every piece that the wall lowered, even if at least the man didn't let it show. Unlike his partner, who made squeaky noises. "We're almost there!" she rejoiced. But at that moment the wall stopped halfway up. "What are you doing?! Shouldn't this thing go all the way down?" The annoyance in her voice returned abruptly. The man smiled at the rapid change of mood. After all, he was used to it from the eight years she had been in the Order. "Take it easy. I'm sure it'll be the same as the fire bowl. It's just been too long since it worked properly" "We're so close. Should we press the mechanism together again, maybe it will continue," she asked almost desperately. "That wouldn't make any sense. Come here. Come here. I'll lift you up." He leaned forward slightly and folded his hands into each other to provide a secure stand for them. His hands, like his entire physique, were huge compared to his slim companions. She stepped on his hands with one foot and held on to his broad shoulders to keep the balance better. With one jerk he rose and tore his arms up. The woman's screeching sounded through the entire cave system. "Not so fast!" she shouted, but then she flew through the air. The tremendous thrust not only pushed them onto the wall, but across it. Fortunately, she was very well trained in the unarmed martial arts to land on her feet without any problems and to roll safely. As she rose up again, she heard a dull bang made by the heavy body of the man behind her jumping from the wall. For someone his size, it was no problem to overcome such a hurdle. "Did you have to throw me so high? I could have hurt myself," she shouted at him and underlined her anger, about it with a blow to his chest. Which didn't bother him much. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I misjudged your weight. I thought you were heavier," he mentioned casually and set himself in motion without paying any further attention to her. But that only fuelled her anger even more. "Are you saying I'm too fat? Or what are you trying to tell me?" A sigh escaped the man. He got tired of her constant moaning. "No, that's not what it means! You look great and now calm down and concentrate on our task." They walked along the long corridor, which had nothing in common with the cave system before, not even the darkness. The corridor was level, with brick walls. Every ten metres there were holes in the ceiling, into which the light of the full moon fell and visibly illuminated the passage. "It's got to be that way. How are we doing in time?" The man, wrapped in a now visible dark grey coat with hood, pointed with his finger to the passage further ahead. When asked, the woman took a child's fist large stone out of her pocket and held it into the moonlight. "According to the statements of the new man, we still seem to have time. But I can't imagine that this really works. How can an ordinary stone like that shine in the moonlight? Why hasn't anyone ever heard of it or seen anything like it before?" The man shook his head. "He explained to us that this is no ordinary stone and that this is no ordinary moonlight. It is transformed by a magical barrier in the ceiling holes or something like that. I didn't exactly get that either. But if he's really right about what he said, it's definitely worth the effort," he said almost admonishingly. "If you say so. I'm only with you anyway because the head of the Order asked me to "take care of you". The man broke out laughing and took an evil look for it, which silenced his laughter. "I know for a fact that you are just as excited as anybody else in the Order to see if what the new one said is really true. And if anybody's got to watch who, it's more like I'm watching you." Without answering anything, she walked past him as if she hadn't heard what he said.
A few ceiling openings further she noticed how the stone in her hand easily began to glow as she walked through the moonlight. "Xemir! Look! The stone actually begins to glow when I hold it into the light. The new guy seems right." Full of admiration for the shimmering white stone, she stopped in the moonlight to take a closer look at it. "What are you standing there for? We're running out of time, we have to hurry!" Xemir shouted over her shoulder, already accelerating his step. Only at that moment did she realize what it meant that he began to glow. You really had to hurry. "You're still rooted to the ground, Shula!" It was at that moment that she set herself in motion. First step by step, which became faster and faster until she finally ran to shorten the distance between herself and Xemir. But she could not keep up with his amazingly fast steps for his size. She only reached him when he had stopped in front of an altar. "So this is it, the resting place of the phoenix," Shula said in awe. "You mean gravesite," corrected the humming voice. Without saying anything else, Shula stood in a small circle irradiated by moonlight and held the stone, which now shone much brighter than before, on the flat hand, clearly visible to Xemir. He stood directly in front of the altar and laid both hands on the rectangular button. "Remember, you have to wait until he lights red," Shula reminded him of the new man's words. As if he needed a memory. The white shone brighter and brighter, so that almost the entire room appeared as bright as day. Xemir had to force himself not to look away so he wouldn't miss the moment. When it became almost unbearable, there was a small, barely perceptible spark inside the stone and the previously dazzling white turned into a pleasantly warm red. Rather out of surprise, Xemir pushed the stone slab into the altar, setting a new mechanism in motion. A rumble seemed to come from all directions. Hectically, the two looked around where something was happening. That was the only thing the new guy couldn't tell them. He only said that the phoenix would resurrect from his prison at the right moment after pressing the button. The rumbling stopped. Suddenly the stone tablet broke and a small red glow rose out into the air and floated over the altar. It almost seemed like a firefly, which it certainly wasn't. It swayed back and forth in the air, without wanting to take a particular direction, until it suddenly flew straight towards the now fiery red glowing stone in Shula's hand. When they touched, time seemed to stand still for a moment. After this short moment the stone dissolved into a gigantic fire wave. Shula had no way of escaping from her and was completely consumed by her. Xemir, on the other hand, was fortunate that the blast wave that propelled him hurled him behind the altar before the flames reached him. He lay on his back with his face eaten away by pain, trying to understand what had just happened. He tried to stand up and look around when he noticed. The altar had not been able to completely protect him from harm. His right arm with shoulder and almost his entire face had been caught and burned by the fire wave. Now that the shock had disappeared and he had grasped the full extent of the pain, he screamed out loud, even if he tried to pull himself together. With great effort he leaned his left arm on the ground to see what had happened to Shula. The shock wave had broken large pieces out of the ceiling, so that the room was now completely wrapped in cold moonlight. That's how he could see it clearly. Where Shula had just stood, there was now only a small pile of ash. "He heard a voice from the hallway they had taken. "What?" he shouted as he saw the man in the black cape just entering the room. Even though his face was completely covered by the low-hanging hood, Xemir knew exactly who it was. "What are you doing here? Did you know that was gonna happen?" In the otherwise quiet, grumpy voice anger rose. "No, I didn't know for sure, I had only heard rumors that it should be so. Now all we have to do is wait until the time is right, my friend." Xemir could well imagine the gloating grin under the hood. "We're not friends, you dog! You just sacrificed Shula's life for your goals," he yelled at him. "You're gonna pay for this." A laugh sounded out of the hood before he moved towards Xemir, "Indeed, you might be right that I'm going to pay for that. But until then, we still have some time. Look up," he instructed Xemir, who at first didn't understand what it all meant. Then he noticed that the white light of the moon had turned red. Jerkily, he looked through the large hole in the ceiling and saw a meteor wrapped in fire, moving through the sky. "A new era is dawning" was the last thing Xemir heard when his body surrendered to the pain and he lost consciousness.
"You must make more of an effort if you don't want to end up as a nobody in life," shouted the man dressed in a long robe adorned with golden runes. His beard seemed to be longer than his arms and was just as black as his long hair tied together in a braid at the back. The face was narrow and angular, yet always friendly. His green eyes sparkled in the glow of the fire bowls that stood in every corner of the room, almost resembling sapphires seen in the sunlight. His hands were hidden in the hem of his garment and so he looked at Apoka, who had been panting on the ground and tried to stand up again with difficulty. He was a young lad who was just in the middle of his development and still had a lot to learn. He was slim and slightly smaller than most of the boys his age. He wore a plain white shirt, matching light brown cloth trousers and no shoes. He liked to feel the ground under his feet, he felt a little freer there, he always said. The black hair soaked in sweat fell into his face and was just short enough to look out of his steel blue eyes. "I can also become someone if I don't become a great sorcerer like you." he brought out gasping for breath. The older man smiled as he slowly approached him and couldn't or didn't want to hold back his mockery. "If you go on like this and spend the whole day chasing after some fantasy and letting time pass in the country, you'll always be a good-for-nothing and never become a notable man like me." He reached out his hand to Apoka to help him up. But Apoka, who had heard this sermon hundreds of times and could already hear it from memory, fiercely struck away the helping hand and shouted with a slight tremor in his voice. "You have no idea, father! One day I will leave the village and find the holy phoenix of which so much is written in the legends. Then all the world will know my name and I will be even more famous than you!" The adrenaline that comes with a fight with his father.
gave him enough strength to jump up and run out of the room. He slammed the door behind him and the teaching board that hung next to the door slipped. The noise of the door reverberated throughout the house and Apoka's father looked disappointed at the door through which his son had just disappeared and at the doctrines. Especially the first one was always very important to him. "Control your emotions, then you'll master any difficult situation." That was something Apoka had not yet mastered. Shaking his head, he walked down the stairs next to the door Apoka had just thrown at him. At the bottom of the stairs was the kitchen. It was not big, but big enough that there was a table in the corner where at least six people could sit. The ceiling hung low and was covered with wood like the floor. Everywhere on the walls hung pictures showing various magnificent buildings in front of which Apoka's father stood. An older woman stood by the stove and cooked. She was quite daintily built and wore the usual clothes for housewives, a long light blue dress with a white apron over it. Her long dark blonde hair, interspersed with some grey strands, was tied with a thin bow to a plait. "Did you argue again, darling?" she asked her husband, who had just entered the kitchen, in a sad tone. He knew that the question didn't need an answer, after all you could hear the slamming of doors all over the house. It was also not the first time that the practice lessons, if you could call them that, ended with his son. So he remained silent and sat down at the large wooden table at the front, which pointed to the door. Where every head of the family had to sit. To interrupt the embarrassing silence, he answered her, although she knew exactly what was coming. "Instead of spending time practicing and studying books, he wastes his time "researching" according to a thousand-year-old legend that most people don't even know anymore." The woman began to set the table for three and replied in a warning but loving tone, "He is only fifteen. His whole life still lies ahead of him and even if he doesn't become a master of all spells like you, he will find his way in this world. He didn't fall on his head after all, and your son did. These are the best conditions, aren't they?" "I don't want to hear that!" he replied. "At sixteen, I was already a talented magician who traveled halfway across the country, overcoming many adventures and dangers." The woman smiled and her voice had changed to a lovely soft voice. "I know, darling. But even if Apoka has not yet seen and experienced as much as you did then, he is still just as intelligent and stubborn as his father. But now enough of your quarrels and your past exploits. I made your favorite, let's eat. Apoka is certainly out and about in the village for a while and, as always, doesn't come back so quickly". Apoka ran through the empty streets of the small village of Tyron. This was situated on a large clearing of the beautiful peaceful forest of Forgan, not far from the mighty Mount Farem, which was higher than the clouds reached. In Apoka's head, the same scenario happened as always when he fought with his father. "Why doesn't he support me? Why can't he just leave me alone with his magic lessons? I don't want to be a sorcerer like him! There are still so many things you can do to achieve something in life." While he was annoyed, his way led him directly to the small library, which stood a little off the beaten track at the edge of the village. It was a very old building, if not the oldest one in the village, but Apoka could not interpret it correctly, as most of the buildings were renovated every now and then. But not the library. It still consisted of the old grey stones, which had become porous due to the weather, and a thatched roof, which was the only thing that was renewed after a fire a few years ago. Fortunately, not one book had been damaged in the fire, which was almost a miracle. "Hello Apoka!" it sounded friendly when he entered the threshold. "Have you come back to read the old legends?" "Good day to you too, Mr. Kenwig. Of course, I want to know everything about the ancient legends and tales, especially those of the holy phoenix," Apoka replied with a friendly smile. Mr. Kenwig was a very old man who had moved to the village fifteen or sixteen years ago and had taken over the library of his predecessor. He sat as always in his rocking chair, his grey hair combed to the side, small glasses with round lenses on his nose and a small wooden pipe in his mouth. In his lap lay a thick book which looked very old, as Apoka stated. He couldn't hold back the question. "What are you reading? It looks very old." Mr. Kenwig smiled. "Nothing escapes you like I've come to know you. Come here, I'll show you." Apoka hurried to him and stood next to the rocking chair and took a closer look at the open side. But disappointed he noticed that he could not read these characters and had never seen them before. The only thing he could see was a picture. A seal that showed a bird. "What kind of characters are these?" he asked curiously. "And what's that picture?" When asked about the characters, the old librarian looked surprised. "I'm surprised you don't know her. It is Turani, a very old script that is no longer written today and only a handful of people in the country can read it. One of these men is your father, Tumar Fallden." Apoka looked horrified. "He's never told me that before." At the same time the thought formed in his head that he absolutely had to ask his father to teach it to him. Before he could finish his thought, Mr. Kenwig continued. "This illustration shows the seal of a Secret Order known as the Keeper of Fire. Their task was to keep the power of the holy phoenix away from people who were "up to no good" with it. When the holy phoenix was mentioned, the disappointment of not being able to read Scripture disappeared completely from Apoka's face and suddenly changed into interest and fascination. "What's in the book?" he pushed the old man into the rocking chair. But he just shook his head and laughed. "What are you laughing at?" Apoka ran into him. The laughter faded and changed to a friendly smile as Mr. Kenwig replied, "Nothing. I just knew you'd ask. Unfortunately I can't tell you what it says because I can't read the script very well either. And it would take too long to tell you everything." With a determination in his eyes, he promised that he would learn to read this scripture and then get to the bottom of the mysteries of the book. So he ran out the door.
Tumar was still sitting at the lunch table when Apoka rushed in and could hardly wait to ask his father to teach him to read this scripture. "You're back early, son." Apoka did not escape the astonishment in the voice of his father, which slightly offended him. After all, he lived here too, but he preferred not to say anything that could upset his father and thus refuse to teach him the Scriptures. "Yes, I'm back and I have good news for you, Father." Apoka's grin grew wider and Tumar knew that it didn't mean anything good. "Well Apoka, I don't suppose you've come to your senses and now want to follow in my footsteps to become a great sorcerer," Tumar still asked with a slight astonishment in his voice. However, this did not prevent Apoka from making his request full of anticipation. "No, father, not that, but something much better," he said with his eyes wide open and radiant with enthusiasm. I want you to teach me how to read the old Turani script, that I am just like you one of the few people in the country who can". Tumars Miene changed, which Apoka could not interpret exactly. It was a mixture of wonder, horror and disappointment. "I know you never cared about old scripts." he said to his son. "Not even for those who are even more frequently written. So why do you want to be able to read the writings of the Turani and how do you know I master them?" Fortunately, Apoka had already found the right answers on his way home in case such questions should arise. He could hardly tell his father that he wanted to learn Turani in order to be able to read an old book about the guardians of fire and the holy phoenix. His father would say no to that. "I was in the library with Mr. Kenwig. We talked about life here in the village and my future. He's very old, as you know, and he said he wanted to go back to Solan before his life ends, to the big state library to say goodbye to some old friends. Since the journey is long and arduous, I offered to accompany him. And that's when..." That's where Tumar interrupted his son. "You want to go with an old man alone the long way to our capital, which lasts several weeks and without any knowledge of the world or already only how to make a fire or how to feed in nature? Apoka was very angry that his father kept interrupting him and that he didn't trust him. He hit him. "Let me finish first, please!" After a short moment of silence he suppressed his anger and continued speaking as calmly as possible. "Yes, I would like to travel to the city with you and yes, I have no idea what is going on outside the village. But I have enough magical knowledge to light a fire and if we take enough food with us, we don't need to feed on nature. But now to the actual subject. Mr. Kenwig said he had good contacts at the State Library and if I could read special writings, he could get me a job to stand on my own two feet." "And you also know from him that I can read the almost extinct Turani script?" Tumar asked briefly before his son could begin another sentence. Apoka looked a little nervous when he answered his father. "Well, yeah, he told me that." His father looked at Apoka with great respect. Silence regained the upper hand in the small kitchen. All you could hear was the crackling of the fire in the oven. This moment appeared to Apoka as an eternity until his father freed him from it and received a loud laugh through the house. "That's a really good story, my boy. With your mind, it didn't take you long to think it up. But you seem to have forgotten the most important thing. That I am your father, who has accompanied and raised you for the fifteen years of your life. And even though I am no longer in the King's service, I still have a sharp mind and an excellent grasp. So why do you really want to be able to read this scripture?" Tumar looked at his son friendly and visibly amused by his story and waited for the answer of the thoughtful looking boy standing in front of him. Apoka stood there only mute, lost in thought and searching for the answer how his father could see through him so quickly. After some thought, he had to realize that his father had already said his mistake. His father was not just anyone, but the great sorcerer Tumar Fallden. Any other father would have believed that story. With a heavy heart Apoka told his father the truth about the guardians of the fire and their old book. He hoped his father wouldn't punish him for trying to lie to him. "That sounds more plausible, son." Tumar rose from the table and walked toward his son. He already closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to watch his punishment. But all he felt was one hand resting on his left shoulder. When he opened his eyes again, he saw that it was his father's hand that nodded his head slightly and spoke. "It seems really important to you to read this book. So I'll make you a deal. Please come into my study with me." Apoka nodded and thought, "His study, I've never been in it before." He followed his father out of the kitchen. They went through the practice room, where his father had tried to teach him the arts of magic just a few hours ago, into the right back corner of the room to a stone door without a handle or other mechanism to open it. Apoka knew that behind it was his father's study and had often seen him disappear into it. But he never saw how he did it. Now finally was the day when he would see it, he was happy inside, even if he was more interested in his father's suggestion at the moment. What would he ask in return for teaching him the script? At that moment Tumar stepped in front of the stone door, put his right hand on it, closed his eyes and a moment later the door opened. He opened his eyes again and said to his son, who stood there frozen in stone. "Come come in, it's time." When Apoka's rigidity was released again and he found his language again, Tumar, who had already crossed the threshold, could only understand from the stammer what Apoka was saying "... but how...". With a slight laugh he spoke. "That my son is magic. Same magic I've been trying to teach you for the last six years. If you hadn't chased so much after the insane legends and listened and practiced more to me, you would know exactly what just happened and would be able to do the same. Now come on, before the door closes again." Apoka was brief and walked through the frame. As soon as he was on his father's side, he saw the stone door appearing out of nowhere and blocking the way to the practice room. "Now there's no turning back." thought the young man who followed his father a narrow path. All around them was only cold dark stone. Every ten metres torches were hanging from the walls and as soon as you came a little closer they ignited with a soft hiss and illuminated the path. As Apoka turned, he saw the torches from which they had moved extinguish and disappear into the darkness of nothingness. "Father!" he started, "What is this place? Why didn't you ever tell me?" But Tumar remained silent and walked along the narrow path that seemed to lead her downhill. Suddenly Tumar broke his silence, as if he had thought about the best answer to the question. "We are now about sixty meters below Mount Forgan. The reason I never told you about this will come when we get there. You wouldn't believe me if I told you anyway." Apoka frowned even though he knew that his father couldn't see it and thought to himself, "We are sixty meters under the mountain in a secret tunnel, what can we do now that I wouldn't believe if I didn't see it? But as soon as he had thought the thought through, the image of his surroundings changed. The narrow narrow corridor became a wider high corridor, which after only a few steps led into a huge room that was at least as big as her entire house. "Father, what is it?" But instead of answering him, Tumar raised his hand in which fire formed. Apoka was glad that he was not surprised. After all, he could, too. That was just the basic skill of fire. But even more such big surprises as the thing with the door or the secret passage to the mountain he certainly couldn't cope with today. At that moment Tumar swung his arm and hurled the fireball away. At the place where the fire started and went out, a fire began to burn, which moved along the wall with a hiss and ignited several large fire bowls on its way, so that the whole room was radiated as if it were a day of glorious sunshine. Apoka froze to stone again and couldn't get out of his amazement. The room was even bigger than her house. On the walls wall paintings were illuminated by the fire bowls which showed a war. At the right edge a small child was to be seen, which was lit up in its cradle by a bright star in the sky. Just as the painting on the left stopped, the painting on the right began with the child and the star. When Apoka wanted to continue looking at the painting, he realized that the rest had broken out of the wall and could not be found anywhere in the room. Hastily he turned to his father and asked. "Where's the rest of the painting? What's the next step?" Tumar looked sad and said in a disappointed voice. "Nobody knows anymore. Nobody can tell today where the missing pieces are or what this painting means. What I can tell you is it's over a thousand years old. We also don't know who built this room or what for. My ancestors found him the way you see him now." Apoka was astonished and looked at his father questioningly. "This is really fascinating, and you were right. I wouldn't have believed you if I hadn't seen it. But what does that have to do with the fact that I want to learn to read the Scriptures of the Turani?" Tumar laughed at his son and said in a tone of contentment and wisdom. "You're too impatient. I didn't bring you here because of this room. Do you see the big archway at the other end of the room? Behind him is the reason for our being here." Apoka swallowed when he saw the archway and walked towards him. With every step he took, he seemed bigger and bigger. He suspected it was probably twenty metres long and over four metres high. Behind it, he didn't just see darkness. The light of the fire bowls seemed to be absorbed by the archway, because even when Apoka stood only a few steps from the threshold, he could not see anything. With a timid expression he looked at his father questioningly. "What's behind it?" Tumar started laughing again. "You don't have to be afraid, there's nothing dangerous behind it. At least if it's in the right hands." His father's words did not necessarily make him more courageous, but he thought of reading the scriptures, deciphering Mr. Kenwig's old book, and then getting one step closer to the phoenix. He summed up all his courage and took the first step across the threshold. As soon as he put his foot on the ground, he heard hissing and cracking from everywhere, that he shrugged together and closed his eyes. He felt his father step beside him and pat him on the shoulders. "You can open your eyes again. It's all right!" He did what his father told him and slowly opened his eyes. At first he only heard a bright glow like that of a giant fire. Once again he plucked up his courage and opened his eyes. What he saw was so unbelievable, it threw him to the ground. He found himself in a room whose size he could not describe. He seemed to be bigger than the whole village and everywhere there were big fire bowls that bathed the room in a warm light. When Apoka stood on his feet again and took a closer look at the contents of the room, he noticed that it was a library. Wherever you looked, there were huge bookshelves, which were probably five metres high. They were made of a dark precious wood that Apoka did not know, and all edges and edges were decorated with golden engravings that reflected the glow of fire, making the shelves even more noble than they already were. Tumar did not escape Apoka's enthusiasm and his questioning gaze and so he answered his unasked question. "This is an old library built by my ancestors. These books are sometimes many hundreds of years old and collected from all parts of the world. Many of the books you will find here are the last copies and therefore no longer available in the largest libraries." There was silence and Apoka had to fix some things in his head before he could bring out a meaningful sentence. "But how is that possible? How could it be that one hasn't discovered such a huge cave in Mount Farem yet? How was all this built without anyone noticing?" Tumar raised the corners of his mouth and smiled happily at his son. "I'm glad these magical things fascinate you, even though you always say they don't interest you. This cave was artificially created. With the same magic as the one I used on the door in the practice room, and it's exactly this magic that protects this library from discovering strangers. Because of the question why no one noticed, you must know that Tyron was founded about two hundred and forty years ago by my ancestors. At that time the secret of this place had already been passed down over several generations. But I'm sure you'll find out all about it. For the next few weeks you will spend several hours a day here studying the basics of magic, the knowledge of the world and the writings of the Turani." Apoka looked a little upset and moaned at his father. "Can't I just study the scriptures? Do I really have to deal with magic again or with things from the world that have long been forgotten and no longer interest anyone?" Tumar looked at him severely and spoke to him with a warning tone. "You have asked me to teach you this scripture and I have told you that it is subject to certain conditions. That's what they are. So either you accept them so that you can read the book soon, or you look for another way to learn them". With a sigh Apoka agreed. "Well, if you must. Better to stay here for three or four months than to roam the country for years to find someone to teach me." The severity of Tumar's face had given way to the goodness with which he tried to encourage his son. "Well, that's right, my son! And believe me, you'll enjoy it more than the exercises from the practice room. Because so far we've only practiced a few basic things. But here in these books you'll probably find some of the most powerful spells there are and so it's of the utmost importance that you don't tell anyone about this place. If this knowledge falls into the wrong hands, it can completely destroy the world as we know it.
Beatrix left the temple early in the morning to take her daily walk through the forest. The sun broke through the branches and the rays fell warmly on Beatrix's narrow white face. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the pleasant warm rays as a light breeze swept through her shoulder-length wavy hair, the brown of which looked brighter in the sunlight than it actually was. She liked the walks in the early morning when the forest was bathed in warm light, the birds in the trees began to chirp happily and the dew on the ground and on the leaves shone and sparkled in the sunlight as if there were hundreds of crystals. When she stepped on a small clearing, she was startled. In the middle of the clearing a small camp was set up, which did not surprise her further. It often happened that hikers or hunters stopped for a rest in this part of the forest. But this camp looked devastated, as if there had been an attack. With quick steps she approached the camp to examine it. The closer she came, the stronger the smell of blood and burnt flesh became. The moment she walked into it, she was horrified. Several lifeless people lay on the floor. She took a closer look at the men's injuries. According to their clothes, they were merchants. They were slaughtered. To the first, they had cut open his entire belly, his intestines swelling out. He also lacked both forearms. However, it did not look as if they were cut off with a blade, but torn off. The second man had severe burns all over his body and his head was missing. The last one seemed to have found a quick merciful death compared to his companions. He had his throat cut. Beatrix looked around the camp to see if there were any traces or signs of the attackers. However, when it came to reading traces, she was not as skilled as she was in dealing with magic and words. She became uncomfortable. She felt looks of herself watching her. Slowly and inconspicuously she searched the undergrowth around the camp to see how many they were watching and where they were. Fortunately, the observer was just as inexperienced in hiding as they were in reading tracks. She soon realized it was just one person. She was also able to determine that she did not belong to the attackers, but to the victims, from the trace of blood that led to his hiding place. So she called out. "Come out and show yourself, I won't hurt you!" For a moment silence lay over the forest. There was no bird to hear or the wind whistling through the leaves. Suddenly Beatrix heard a man's voice. She sounded narrow and weak. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" The trembling voice of the man only made Beatrix more certain that there was no danger from him. "My name is Beatrix Lysar. I live here in a nearby temple. Show your face and tell me your name so we can talk in peace." The man stepped out of the bushes. He was maybe in his mid-twenties and a little taller than her. Unlike the dead, he was not dressed like a merchant, more like a fighter. He was wearing a light leather armour that looked old and worn. On the right side of his hip hung a sword. But his blade was broken after a few centimeters. His right arm hung motionlessly down. Surely he was hurt and in his face she could see his exhaustion and despair. He dragged himself with heavy steps on the clearing in the direction of Beatrix. When he stood a few steps in front of her, he said quietly and in a weak voice, "My name is Luca. I'm glad I found you." Talking put a strain on him, so he took a short break to catch his breath. "We were on our way to your temple when..." A short twitch went through his body when he collapsed a moment later. Beatrix tried to hold him down to slow his fall. But it all went too fast, so she couldn't get a good grip on him. He hit the soft forest soil with his body first, which saved him from further damage. She quickly checked to see if he was still alive. His pulse was weak and his breath became flatter and flatter. She closed her eyes and put her hands on his upper body. A whitish light came out of her hands and spread to his body until he was finally completely enveloped in the bright soft light. His pulse and breath increased slightly and followed their usual rhythm as if he were sleeping. The light disappeared again and she rose with the knowledge that she had saved his life, at least for the time being. If she did not bring him quickly to the temple where he could be properly treated, however, it would only be a matter of hours before his life light would go out. She laid her palms on top of each other as if she wanted to pray, squatted and closed her eyes again. Shortly thereafter a noise roared through the whole forest, as if rocks were falling down near a mountain. But it was the forest floor under Luca that rose and began to float. It looked as if he was lying on a stretcher made of stone, floating just above the ground. Beatrix slowly opened his eyes and rose. With her palms still pressed against each other, she made her way back to the temple. The stone stretcher floated after her. She would have liked to think about what had happened and what it all meant. But she knew she couldn't lose her concentration, otherwise the stretcher would fall to the ground and do more damage than it could have healed. Beatrix felt her strength slowly weaken as she saw the top of the temple emerge above the treetops. From the direction of the temple she heard quick steps that were coming towards her. It was the temple servants Luis and Sola. The two twins carried a stretcher and hurried to Beatrix to help her. When Beatrix saw the two young men, she was relieved, closed her eyes and began to set the injured down on the ground as gently as possible. When the stone touched the ground, she heard Sola calling. "Are you all right, Master Beatrix? What happened?" When she opened her eyes again, both her helpers had just arrived at her "Thank you, I'm fine. But he wasn't so lucky." She fingered Luca. "He must be brought to the temple immediately and treated." she instructed. "How did you know something had happened?" she added. The men placed the stretcher next to Luca to lift him onto it, while Luis explained. "Grand Master Benala noticed the noise you made creating the stretcher and sent birds in the direction to scout out what was going on. Recently the birds came back and told her that you were on your way here with an injured person, so she sent us out to meet you." Beatrix's mouth formed into an ironic smile. "Birds! I could have come up with that to inform you." When the two of them lifted the stretcher and moved towards the temple, Luis tried to comfort them a little more "Grand Master Benala has much more experience than you. Besides, you had to act fast to save him. You might forget something and nobody but you or the Grand Master would have made it out of the temple to get him here alive." Even if the words only came from a temple servant, they had the desired effect. "Thank you, Luis, and of course Sola. Go ahead and make sure he gets his treatment as soon as possible. I'll be right behind you. We'll talk later." The two of them agreed with a short nod. "Yes, Master Beatrix." And they were in a hurry on their way back to the temple. Beatrix took a deep breath, then she also made her way to the temple. The sun shone down on them and the birds sang. Everything seemed as peaceful as ever, but she knew something was going on. Her experience and wisdom was not yet as great as that of her Master, yet she felt that a great disaster was upon them. As she approached the temple, she looked at it as she had looked at it hundreds of times. It was higher than the highest tree in the forest and several hundred meters wide. Despite its size, it adapts very well to the forest. Everywhere at the high temple walls ivy climbed up the way to the sun. Above the wall one could see the treetops of the trees standing in the courtyard. The high main tower in the middle of the complex was also covered with ivy and other green plants. Who did not know it, would have said that it was an old temple ruin, where no one had lived for many years. At the main entrance Grand Master Benala waited for Beatrix to find out what had happened. She stood there in her long white robe, her grey hair pinned together to a high hairstyle. She hid her hands in the hem of her dress. She stood there in an upright position, with her chin raised, so that everyone could see that she was in charge here. Despite her advanced age, there was not a single fold to be seen except the one on her forehead, which she laid herself because they worried about the latest events in the forest. "What do you have to tell me, Beatrix?" she came straight to the point without exchanging much courtesy when Beatrix reached the gate. "Unfortunately I can't tell you anything more than what the birds must have told you. In a clearing not far from here, a camp of merchants was attacked. Whoever it was had no problem with his victims suffering terrible anguish before they died." This bad news worried Benala even more, as could be seen from the ever deeper crease. "As a matter of fact, my birds have already told me. I was hoping, however, that you were exaggerating. But after you confirm it, I guess it will be. Have you been able to identify any leads to suggest the attacker? And do you know who this young man is?" Beatrix bowed his head. "No, I'm afraid I haven't been able to find any leads to unmask the unsub. The only thing I found was the wounded man whose name is Luca. Shortly before he collapsed, he told me they were on their way to our temple. When they pitched camp in the clearing at night, they were attacked. Unfortunately, he could not yet tell me who had attacked them or why they had made the journey to us." The wrinkles on Benala's forehead lay down a little and her voice sounded softer than before. "I understand. You did good when you healed his most serious injuries and brought him here. We'll question him about the incident when he recovers. I didn't expect anything else from the contender for the Grandmaster title." Beatrix turned red and would have preferred to sink into the ground with embarrassment. "I thank you for these words of praise Grand Master Benala. So would any other magician of our temple have acted." Benala smiled. "You're as humble as ever my love. You are right, everyone from the temple would have acted like this, but you are the only one who would have been able to make it this far." "Where is he at the moment and how is he?" Beatrix quickly raised the question to change the subject. Benala smiled briefly at the change of topic before answering. "He's in our prayer room right now. Master Shaphari is with him. It doesn't look good about him after her first assessment, but you know, she has already kept many consecrated ones in life and helped them to regain their strength." Beatrix felt a touch of self-doubt. Was she too slow? Should she have treated him more locally? Would it have been faster if she hadn't forgotten to send birds as messengers? Benala did not miss the disappointed face of her student. She stretched out the hand hidden in the hem and put it on Beatrix's head and spoke with a mother's kind voice. "Don't blame yourself. You did the right thing. Continuing to treat him on the spot would have been too great a risk, as the attackers could still have been nearby. If he cannot do it, it is the will of the gods." A sigh escaped Beatrix. "You're probably right as always, Grand Masters. Now all we can do is wait and see whether Master Shaphari can perform miracles for him too." "That's how it is. Go get some rest first, Beatrix. You've had to cast the Earth spell over a long distance, you're probably exhausted." Beatrix bowed slightly. "Thank you, Grand Master Benala!" She rose again and disappeared into the temple.