The Prophesy: Book 2 - The Right Hand of Destiny

 

The cleansing of the old Atlantean city proceeded apace. Mud flew everywhere, creating a black rain on what was left of lake Solon. Paschal spent a few days improving Solon's drainage system, prolonging the sewers until the mouth was again well below the residual lake's surface.

"Why not install a full filtering system, son?"

"We will move everyone out of here shortly anyway. Once this is done, the sewers will no longer be in use."

"And where do you plan to move them, Paschal?"

"To Thebes, dad. It is time we start moving the people into it. We have a lot to do, and we cannot wait to the last moment. Solon's population will be the first, followed by other cities, and villages."

"What will happen to my city?"

"We will recover what is recoverable, Dianne," promised Paschal.

"The fishermen are complaining they can no longer get their boat to the lake's water."

"Tell them there is no fish left in the lake. If they really want to stay into fishing, they will have to recycle themselves to do aquaculture. And we need that kind of expertise to maintain the fish stocks at the Aquarium." Samson's acid tone made it clear he was not much impressed by the complaints. "I might take to Harp's method of cooling hot heads, Dianne. Just remind them of what happened to a few old grumpy arses."

Samson's sortie got everyone laughing except Dianne. She had heard of the misadventures of a few dukes.

"When will the cleanup be done?" she asked, more to change the subject than because she was interested in the answer.

"We are finished, Dianne. We are doing a last inspection of the old city today, and tomorrow, I'll have the leaders of the different species brought here by dragon cargo."

"Should I expect to be of the trip?"

"Actually, Dianne, it seems the count matches a specific set of individuals, and you are not part of them. I am sorry," answered Harp.

"Do not feel bad about this; we knew from the start that only a limited subset of individuals must be present at any specific ritual. You may have your chance to view some actions later," added Harold.

***

The next morning saw the arrival of a veritable flotilla of dragons and dragonlings, carrying every alpha of the Equines and Canines, as well as Queen Annabelle and the royals of the Trolls. Flying with them were also the Pegasuses, while the Unicorns ported directly to the assembly. The last to land were the Queen and King of the Dwarves, followed by prince Yamato, Duke Williams and Dunbar. The dukes had just returned from their latest collecting efforts off the far Indonesian Islands.

"Ladies and gentlemen," began Harold, "I have summoned you because we will need specific members of each of your community to assist us in a way we have yet to fully understand. As you see, on the far horizon, Lake Solon has receded considerably. In the middle of the huge mud flats, still too damp to walk on, is an ancient Atlantean city brought to light by the receding waters. We have spent the last few weeks cleansing it up, and we will shortly port all of you to its agora. Once there, a certain number of you, clearly selected from time immemorial, will accompany us to the Throne Room, and help us accomplish what must be done. Archduchess Dianne, as host to our visit, is kindly invited to join us now, so we can guide all of the visitors to the Atlantean battlements of the old city. Please align and stay still to ease the port. Rank and status have no importance into this, so please feel free to stay with friends."

It took fifteen minutes to bring order to the vast assembly, but, finally, the noise of shuffling feet, or of resounding hoofs diminished.

"Ian, Harp, Paschal, Sitar, Enron, Thorsten, we are ready for the port," thundered Harold.

"Porting in three two one now!" Harp intoned. Immediately everyone materialized in the Agora of the unnamed Atlantean city.

"Porting complete," commented Harp.

"Thank you, son. Now the following individuals are required to follow us into the Throne Room. Again, ladies and gentlemen, the choice is not ours but of destiny. King Samson of the Elves; Queen Annabelle of the Legionnaires, mother of the Heir to the Wolves and Equines Throne; prince Sitar of the Wolf and Equine Thrones; prince Harp of the Wolf and Equine Thrones; Prince Paschal of the Wolf and Equine Thrones; prince Thorsten of the Dwarves Throne; prince Timor of the Troll throne; prince Yamato of the Wolf and Equine Thrones; princess Iridia of the Fairies Throne; Prince Silver Moon, Lord Agramon of the Equine Throne; Duke Williams of the Wolves and Equine Throne; Duke Dunbar of the Wolves and Equine Thrones, Duke Greywolf of the Wolves Throne; Duke Blackie Dog of the Wolves Throne; Duke Bushtail Fox of the Wolves throne; Duchess Astari Hyena of the Wolves Throne; Duchess Long Ears Mule, of the Equine Throne; Duke Stubborn Donkey of the Equines Throne; Shadow Zebra of the Equines Throne, Lance Master, Speaker of the Centaur Federation; Black White-Wing Pegasus, of the Equines Throne; Golden Horn Unicorn, of the Equines Throne, Grand Master Mage Nestor of the Wolves and Equines Throne, and last, but not least, Gold Dragonling, of the Dragons Throne. Please bring your weapons of choice, as there is a need for them during the ritual. The others, please accompany the Archduchess to the battlements."

The Gold Dragonling looked sceptically at the narrow door, wondering how he could move into it. His dad watched his son trying to tackle the issue and gently suggested a solution.

«Son, you have reached the onset of puberty, and it is only fear that stops you from doing what must be done. You have bonded to Prince Ian; you know you can do it. Find the courage to overcome your fears and be the first of us to really complete this journey since time immemorial.»

Slowly, very slowly, as the others watched, the dragonling changed shape, diminished in size, and became a gold-plated copy of Ian. In his right hand he held a flaming sword blade whose light seemed to be held in check by a powerful force field, while on his left, strapped to his arm, was a magnificent shield with a dragon figure.

«Welcome to your powers, my son. You are as magical as your bonded. Be proud, and honour your family by defending your bounded with your life.» Turning to Harold, the Dragon King spoke for all to hear: «By this shifting to your shape, we, of the Dragon lineage, vow ourselves to your service, and accept your lineage as our Liege Lords now and forever!»

«I accept this vow of fealty to my Crown, Gold Dragon King. What name do you want to be known by, son of the Dragon King, Bonded to my Son?»

«I have chosen a name from our common history; one which is ancient, and reflects the time when we bounded with your ancestors, before the Flood; one of power and magic. I have chosen Typhoon.»

Walking to Ian, the dragonling kneeled, and said, speaking for the first time: "I am Typhoon, my Bounded. My life is your life, now and forever, by my blood, and by my magic!"

As soon as the last word was spoken, a powerful flash joined Ian and Typhoon, enveloping them as a powerful gong resonated over the basin of the drying lake. Ian replied, as soon as the reverberating sound diminished:

"I am Ian, my Bounded. My life is your life, now and forever, by my blood, and by my magic!"

Again a powerful flash of light enveloped the two bounded, and a carillon of bells could be heard over the deep powerful gong resonated once again. The two boys looked at each other, instantly knowing what the other knew. Typhoon gained access to the collective memories of the species linked to the Wolves and Equines Thrones, while Ian accessed the collective memories of the Dragons. Of common accord, the two princes began sharing what they had learned with the Consciences, creating a stronger binding of the Community that was being forged. All this occurred within an instant, so fast that no outside observer would have been able to detect a gap in time.

The procession disappeared slowly inside the fortifications under the watchful eyes of the spectators. As Typhoon disappeared last, Dianne hollered for all to hear:

"Ladies and gentlemen, please follow me to the battlements. Albeit it is my first visit to this place, prince Paschal drew a map and we must follow it precisely to end up facing the right way. Please stay in immediate proximity to each other and do not venture away from the group, for risk of getting lost. Right this way, please!"

"That sounds like some tourist guides Harp told me about!" was clearly heard across the agora, provoking an explosion of laughter. As Dianne led the visiting dignitaries, Harp led the others to the Throne Room.

"Boys, you set up that list, so it is up to you to handle things from now on," declared Harold.

"OK, dad. You will notice in front of the throne a mosaic. Each and every species present here are represented. Just outside of the mosaic are footprints and weapon imprints. We believe that for things to be completed as planned by our ancestors, all of these prints must be occupied simultaneously. Thorsten and I did a test as we finished cleaning up the room from its accumulated garbage, and we noticed that when we stepped into our respective emplacement and held our respective weapons so its most prominent feature was touching the marks and crevices in front of us, the mosaic lighted up. At first, lightly, but it increased in intensity as we did the action at the same time. Furthermore, the position of each of you is extremely specific; we tried to exchange places and the mosaic stayed dark. Everyone understand what I am saying so far?"

A resounding yes followed Harp's question.

"OK, please move into position. Dad, wait until everyone is in place before sitting down on the throne. Thorsten, guide those that go on the left of the throne, I'll handle those that go on the right."

Twenty minutes later, everyone was in place, except for Harold, Thorsten and Harp. Thorsten stood at his place, right beside Harp, and Harold climbed the steps leading to the throne.

"All right, step forward and put your right front paw, hoof, or foot in the matching emplacement!" ordered Harp. As one, every single guest did as asked. Immediately, the mosaic began to glow gently as a crescendo of music hummed in the background. Harp waited for things to stabilize and the level of the music to level off.

"Place your left front paw, hoof, or foot in the matching emplacement!" Again the level of the lighting in the mosaic increased, as did the sound of the hum.

"Quadrupeds! Move the right rear paw or hoof in the proper emplacement!" The light grew in intensity as the music added another voice to its growing harmonics, adding to its intensity.

"Quadrupeds, move the left rear paw or hoof in the proper emplacement!" thundered Harp, trying to cover the ever more powerful orchestra. By then, the mosaic was of a vivid colour and the four-voice cannon of the music was deafening.

"Place your weapons in the appropriate sockets!" At that moment, another level of noise could be heard; a deep drumming that marked the tempo of a solemn military march. After waiting for the magic field to settle down, Harp looked at Harold.

"Sit down, holding your Shield and Hammer, dad. Slowly!"

As Harold sat down on the basaltic Throne, it began to vibrate in synchrony with the drumming.

"Place your Shield on the left armrest; and your hammer on your right armrest, Then put your hands in the hand marks on the hand marks, dad."

Harold did as Harp requested, and as each object came to rest into its intended emplacement, additional voices and instruments could be heard adding to the total harmony. Once Harold placed his hands on the two hand markers, the entire, still relatively dark throne room lighted up. Deep below, a deep, regular beat could be heard, as, on the floor the mosaic enriched itself by creating a map of the Right Hand of Destiny! Once the mosaic stopped expanding, it began glowing in six specific emplacements, as first, tiny pyramidion appeared and then grew to man-sized structures.

Finally, after thirty minutes, the slow, painstaking process came to a halt; the music diminished in intensity to finally disappear. The only thing left of the huge change in the Throne Room was the bright mosaic and the markers disclosing the emplacement of six pyramids.

"Back off, one foot at a time," ordered Harp in the deep silence that marked the end of the powerful magic everyone had witnessed. Everyone obeyed; the mosaic, contrary to what Harp thought, stayed bright and clear.

"Dad, stand up."

Harold stood and recovered his Shield and Hammer, as did all the others. Again, contrary to expectations, the mosaic stayed fully activated.

"OK, let's go see what this gives outside," suggested Harold, "I am very curious!"

The procession emerged and followed Paschal to join the guests on the fortifications battlements.

***

Meanwhile, the invited dignitaries aligned themselves to overlook the mud flats that were once the huge expense of Solon Lake. The foul smell of rotting vegetation and fish carcasses assailed their nose, but gradually, they got accustomed to it. As the last visitors found a place to overlook the deserted scenery, they began to feel in their feet a mounting vibration. Some thought it was a tremor, but others remarked that it was too regular to be of natural origin. As the intensity increased some began to panic and only a severe reminder from the Archduchess kept them in place. Then the drumming began. As they watched on the far horizon, first appeared a tiny extrusion of rock that slowly developed into an ever-increasing mountain whose regularity revealed its artificial nature. By the time the drumming stopped, they were facing a pyramid of four thousand feet in height, of a deep blue colour.

"That is blue quartz!" exclaimed Diamondcutter, whose expert eyes had immediately identified the nature of the material.

"Look at the size of that pyramid, Diamondcutter! How tall do you think it is?" asked his wife.

"I have no idea, maybe four thousand feet? And easily six thousand two hundred feet per side!"

"Imagine the power required to lift that out of the lake bottom!" mused Dianne, to the assenting crowd.

"You have a fine eye for geometry, Diamondcutter," commented Paschal as he climbed the last step to the battlements' overhang. "That pyramid is effectively four thousand feet high, and six thousand two hundred and seventy nine point seventy-six feet to a side, for a slope of zero point six, three, six, nine, six, six, and a few dust grains. And it is indeed blue quartz, not found in these parts. We imported every block from our homeland, under the Mediterranean, before the Flood."

"Ladies and gentlemen, please stay here while those destined to first enter the Blue Pyramid proceed to do so. Once we have finished what we must, you will be invited to visit. What you see is only one step of the process," Harp informed them. "According the Kantar Prophesy, five more pyramids must be discovered; and only seven must be present at each opening, plus the proper escorts. Ian, Enron, Paschal, Thorsten, Typhoon, Sitar and myself as primary; The six wolves dukes; the six dog dukes, namely Blackie Dog's pups; and the six Equines dukes. The others stay here. Sorry dad, that includes you and mom!"

Harp had barely finished stating the facts that those called to duty popped out to the base of the pyramid.

"That kid will give me white hair early!" muttered Harold.

"Sorry my friend, he has succeeded already!" Samson replied.

***

"What now, Harp?" enquired Thorsten, as he gauged the formidable building that blotted the sun, as they had materialized on the north side.

"Look at the centre of the wall's base. Notice these imprints? We need to clean them up first," replied Paschal.

The group immediately began the task, which, given the help of magic, was done rather promptly.

"Ok, now remember the ritual we did in the Throne Room? We have to do the same here. Find your marks, and on Harp's call step into them. Notice there are marks for dogs, wolves, and equines encircling us, with Ian in the middle."

Every individual moved into place, and on Harp's count, stepped into their respective pawmarks. Immediately, the segment on which they stood began rising, until it reached the seventeenth level, as marked by thin, barely discernable lines.

"Now what?" Enron asked.

"Let me clean that block in front of us and we'll see," replied Harp as he moved out of place. After carefully cleaning up the area, it revealed another hieroglyph code.

Figure 23: The Key to the Blue Pyramid

"What does that mean?" wondered Thorsten.

"Let me see; on the right is Ian's hieroglyph, and on the left is Enron's. We see two hands, one right hand, and one left hand. On top is a message that clearly indicates a pyramid underwater, and the number six, if what Yamato taught me about hieroglyphs is right. If I understand that symbol, there in the middle, it is door; the other one is lock, and the left-most symbol is hand. Any suggestions?"

"I think if we read it from right to left, we can say to unlock the under water's pyramid door, use your hand," suggested Thorsten.

"Given your level of intuition, Thorsten, we will try that. Now, whose hands should we use?" questioned Paschal.

"Given that all this revolves around Ian, and the notion of right hand, I suspect it is Ian's right hand that goes on the right imprint, and, given the other symbol is Enron's and it is a left hand, then I suggest he use his left hand," Sitar replied.

"OK, do we all agree?" No one objected. "Enron, stand behind Ian. Let's see what happens when both put the appropriate hand into the prints!"

Enron and Ian moved to the wall and placed a hand in the cavities. Initially, nothing significant seemed to happen, but as the boys were about ready to give up, the two prints retracted into the wall by about two inches. Then a rumbling noise was heard, deep within the pyramid and, after five minutes, a rock slab slid slowly down, hiding the handprints and the hieroglyphs.

"Lux Maximus" whispered Harp, awed by the appearance of the huge hallway. The light emitted by Bata revealed a profusion of hieroglyphs whose bright colours dazzled everyone.

"Yamato will have some more bedside reading, if we judge by these walls," commented Sitar.

"Should we call the others, since it is now open?" asked Typhoon.

"Not yet, I think; I feel a call to a location, well within the pyramid, and I think it's important only the seven of us enter to locate that place. You guys, stay back, and wait for us, is that clear?"

"Yes prince Harp," replied the others, albeit reluctantly.

"I understand your reluctance, but we have enough magic between ourselves to hold our own," replied Harp.

As the others watched the princes organize themselves for their exploratory mission, Sitar took charge. "Paschal and I will lead; Ian behind us; Thorsten and Harp behind him, and finally Typhoon and Enron will ensure rear guard. Get your shields up. What can you tell us about that pyramid, Paschal?"

"Let me test something first, and I'll answer."

Paschal walked to a wall and touched a number of coloured blocks. As he touched them, a hum could be heard deep within the pyramid until, finally, the dark hallway was washed with long streaks of blue-white light.

"Good, it's functional. Now, we must navigate the maze to the core of the pyramid. By the way, this is a misnomer; it only looks like a pyramid, it is more than that."

"How can something be more than a pyramid?" wondered Thorsten.

"I designed this so it is two pyramids tied by their base, like this:" Paschal materialised a chalk and drew a simple figure on the ground.

Figure 24: Sketch of Pyramid

 

"Interesting, you mentioned this was a maze? How complex is it?" asked Typhoon.

"Complex enough; Daedalus was one of my students, and his maze was simple compared to this one! I had so much fun designing it! The funny part is that it is not static, but dynamic. As you walk the maze you change its configuration. Poor Daedalus! He was good at getting lost in his own constructions! Luckily, he never mastered the ever-changing labyrinth technique, or he would still be roaming his first one!"

"A nice idea you had there, Paschal, but how do we navigate this?"

"Simple, very simple, indeed. Thorsten, you played with encryption a lot didn't you? Well, remember the use of prime numbers? This labyrinth is based on prime numbers. You count the number of branches and either turn left, right, go up or down, or go straight, depending on the colour of the last change of direction you took. See that entrance brick, here? It is bright red; we are at zero; the next prime number is one, followed by two, then three, then five, and seven. When we reach the first branch, we look for the red brick; just below is another brick of colour, which may also be red, by the way. We take that path, and go straight, counting intersections to two, look for the next brick, and so forth. Neat, is it not?"

"Nightmarish, you mean. Let me do the first fifty primes before we start," replied Thorsten as he materialized a scroll, a pen, and a notepad.

"While Thorsten is busy, how do we go back, once we have found what we need to find?" wondered Typhoon.

"We don't."

"What?" exclaimed the others shocked by Paschal's simple reply.

"Then how do we get out of this place?" Enron asked.

"That is one of the secrets of this pyramid. It is but a doorway. Yes, the core of the pyramid is important and will reveal to us a lot, but it is also a gate. We leave that pyramid by that gate, and only by that gate."

"Won't the others waiting outside be worried?"

"Probably, but the moment we step beyond that fine line you see on the floor, the door will close, and only Enron and Ian can reopen it. That is why I ordered them to move away from the door."

"A doorway, you say, Paschal. A doorway to what?"

"There, Harp, you will have to wait and see. I have no idea."

"Then how do you know so much?"

"Thorsten, I am being fed the information as I request it; I asked the question and met with silence. So I figure we will discover in time what it is."

"What do you mean, you are being fed the information?"

"Harp, telepathy: remember what that is?"

"Paschal, are you nuts? Are you telling me this building is telepathic?"

"In a way, I guess. That is another thing I have yet to get an answer about. Thorsten, are you finished?"

"Yes, Paschal, I am just verifying my calculations. It would not serve us right to do a mathematical error."

"There, you are right! Continue your verifications and check again!"

***

After fifteen minutes of careful verifications, Thorsten gave the list to Harp, for an independent check. After a careful recalculation, Harp agreed with Thorsten's numbers.

"Why did you stop at the fiftieth value, Thorsten?" he asked.

"If Paschal made the labyrinth so we have to count two hundred and twenty nine intersections, I'm having him put in the loony bin and throwing away the key!"

A good lot of laughing and ribbing ensued.

"OK. Let's get moving. Are there any other tricks we need to know?" enquired Sitar, "such as booby-traps or other niceties, Paschal?"

"No, the trap is the labyrinth."

"I will mark each intersection we cross with a number, Paschal," decided Enron.

"And I will check-mark on a scroll so we do not lose count," added Harp.

"Ok. This is point zero, or the starting point."

"Wait! You said this labyrinth changed each time someone travelled it, right?"

"Yes, what's the issue, Enron?"

"How is it possible? Prime numbers do not change, as far as I know."

"No they do not; but the colour coding does. Luckily, none of us is Daltonian! There are three primary and three secondary colours; that gives six paths. More than enough to discourage any treasure hunter!"

"You went for overkill, Paschal, you know that, don't you?"

"We thought that was the case with the pyramids in Egypt, but it did not stop robbers going in, all for naught, I might add," Sitar replied.

"But they were not underwater, under the floor of a lake bed, and what else "

"Bah, Enron, remember the old adage: the harder the treasure hunt, the more rewarding the hoard."

"Knowing you, Paschal, I would be surprised if the hoard, as you say, was not a pile of salt!" exclaimed Thorsten, from behind.

"OK, guys, let's get serious. We are at the starting line! Lights, Harp, Paschal!" ordered Sitar.

The princes began a slow, careful trek through the labyrinth. At first, keeping track of the number of branches was easy, but at the tenth prime, twenty-nine, keeping track of the number of branches was becoming ever more difficult.

"Let's take a break, Sitar. If my count is correct, we will have to follow that down twenty-nine levels. I may be young, but my legs are getting stiff!" said Paschal.

"Ok, Lunch time. Harp, how about materializing some food and water, while we look at things around this branch?"

"Ok. Do not leave the nexus, Sitar. We have no idea what happens behind us, or lies ahead."

After a few minutes, Thorsten called Enron to look at something.

"Didn't you mark all changes of directions as we walked?"

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"Look at this. Is it one of your marks?"

Enron became white as a sheet. "Paschal! Get your arse here! I think we're in trouble!"

Paschal made his way and looked at the mark.

"What's the issue?"

"We went through this intersection before, that's what! It's my mark you see there!"

"Don't panic. One thing I made sure of is that following the wall, a classic method to solve a labyrinth, did not work; some segments can make you return on yourself six times, although the actual path is not likely to do so. I wouldn't be surprised if as we progress, we meet more of these pre-marked intersections."

"I think I'll ask dad to confine you to a ward, Paschal. You are totally nuts!"

"Me? Well, at least, I'm edible!"

"I wonder how many miles of tunnel there is in that pyramid?" wondered the taciturn Typhoon.

"Enough to make you regret riding a horse, I would think," Ian replied.

"Oh, not really; that building had to be solid, so it has rather thick walls. I did have a lot of space, and many cavities are hidden which hold doors and sliding walls, but otherwise it is as solid as a rock."

"How much space are we talking about?" Typhoon was not really into mathematics.

"Let's see, 59,580,509,009 cubic feet." Paschal answered, smirking.

"I'm with math nuts!" exclaimed Enron, in a pathetic tone. "Gaia, take pity on me!"

After a quick lunch, the boys resumed their walk, in this case a long sequence of descending hallways. At the fifteenth change of direction, after ascending forty-seven levels, they emerged into a long rectangular room. There, seven red seats were organized in a hexagonal formation with one located in the middle.

"Well, we reached our goal. Let's eat a bit, it must be nearly sunset, and I am feeling hungry again."

"Agreed, Paschal. Time to rest. I tried to inform the others outside we were safe and sound, but I've not been able to establish telepathic contact for the past hour," Harp told them.

"Is the magic field deficient?"

"No, Thorsten, it's very powerful. The issue is that the pyramid itself seems to actively block telepathy to the outside world."

"Again the idea that the pyramid is telepathic, Harp. Are you sure you aren't as nuts as Paschal?"

"I wish! He has nuts, I got peanuts!"

"Are you telling me I have sunflower seeds?" Ian replied.

"Let's eat. Whose turn is it to materialize food?" asked Sitar.

"Yours!" exclaimed the others.

After a quick dinner, the boys began exploring the room.

"One thing bugs me, Paschal. Apart from where we entered, I see no exit?"

"There I'm at a loss. I so wish my memory would return, but we all know everything is preset and every step must be taken one after the other in this trip, Sitar."

The seats, which no one had examined closely yet, had fascinated Thorsten, so he decided to have a closer look. As he began his examination, he couldn't help but whistle in total stupefaction, which brought the others to his location.

"What have you found, love?"

"Harp, each of these seats is made of a single ruby crystal. At first, I thought they were made of some red rock, then garnet, and finally of closely adjusted rubies, but after closely examining each one, I have to conclude they were sculpted straight out of the biggest rubies I have ever seen."

As the others examined the seats, it became apparent that Thorsten's observations had been correct. Each seat, covered with thousands of years of dust, was indeed made up of a single ruby. High above each seat was a dull dome.

"Let's clean up this place. We all have magic, let's use it," decided Harp.

Each boy took to cleaning a segment of the ceiling, which revealed nothing of importance; then the walls were cleansed of their grit, again revealing nothing of value to their search. The boys tackled a seat and the thing above it with a lot more care, as if they knew they were nearing the end of one stage in their long quest. Last the floor, which had accumulated the most residues, was revealed.

"Well, guys, look at that. Is it not the big brother to the drawing we saw on the Cave wall in Kantar?"

"Yes, Enron, that was the first piece of the puzzle, the one refering to you, Ian, the one we called the Right Hand of Destiny," replied Paschal, as he eyed the floor mosaic.

"What does it lead us to?" Typhoon wondered.

"Everything so far fits. Let me think." Thorsten replied.

After about ten minutes looking around and strolling thoughtfully in the vast room, Thorsten let out a loud yell.

"Eureka! I found the solution!"

"You speak ancient Greek now?" asked Harp, looking at him.

"Well, reading all these books by the ancients had to have some bad effects on me!"

"What did you find?" Paschal asked, growing impatient with the banter.

"There are seven chairs. They are all identical. Their placement closely matches the hexagonal form of the drawing on the floor. Now each drawing on the floor is unique, and matches one of us in its essential ability. All we need to do is to sit in these chairs, together, and we will have walked another obstacle course. That means Ian goes in the middle chair; the chair behind him is for Typhoon, on his left is Enron, master of the Birds, on his right, it's me, the Dwarf. Up in front is Sitar, master of the Wolves, on his front right is Paschal, master of the Dogs; and finally, on his front left is you, Harp, master of the Horses. Remember, you told me how much horses deferred to you while Ian was away or too young. Each and everyone of us is represented and placed on this diagram."

"Thorsten, are you sure you aren't made of gold?" exclaimed Paschal. "It took us three days to come to that conclusion in Kantar!"

"And we had forgotten about it with all that has occurred since!" added Harp, hugging Thorsten like there was no tomorrow.

"OK. What do we do first? Sleep or sit?" asked Sitar.

"Sleep, we are tired and we have no idea what is going to happen after we sit on those chairs. I want to feel refreshed," decided Harp.

***

The next morning, as best as could be guessed by their biological clocks, the boys ate a frugal breakfast composed of fresh water, fruits, and ham, all compliment of Thorsten. Once everything was cleansed, and the room immaculate, the boys moved to their respective position.

"Ok. Let us sit on three," proposed Harp, to the agreement of the others.

"One Two Three!"

As the boys sat on the ruby chairs, they began to glow. The domes that had been above the chairs began to descend slowly, finally encasing their heads.

«Identify: Give your name and title,» they all heard in their heads.

After thirty minutes, the same disembodied voice replied:

«Identity confirmed. Welcome to the Hall of Learning. Lesson one. Relax and sleep."

As each boy lost consciousness, his brain was fed a high volume of information. Only the constant supply of magic let them organize it into a coherent collection of information. It covered the history of Atlantis from the Flood, the Diaspora and the tracking of their people by the huge pyramid as it used the fibre of magic itself to store the information and do its business. It also began educating the boys into the secrets of the Ancients, and answering their questions about the post-Flood history.

From the outside, the boys seemed to be statues, totally immobile and not breathing. The day passed on but for the boys it seemed thousands of years flew by. Time lost all meaning, and they learned and learned even more, until, after twenty-four hours, the boys woke up, hungrier than a dragon teen, and ready to devour a planet of food.

"Finally!" exclaimed a very tired Harp. "What a nightmare!"

The boys looked at each other, and walked off the chairs to devour a gargantuan meal that would have put the gods to shame.

"What now, Harp?" asked Enron, still under the shock of seeing history unfold as if he had lived it. "I feel dirty, like I've never felt before."

"Me too, I have the impression I've taken a dive in an ocean of blood and guts. The history lesson I have received would have disgusted even the most seasoned butcher. Let's strip and wash up."

Harp materialized a Jacuzzi fit for a dozen people and the boys relished the feeling of the hot water massaging their body after spending thousands of years fighting, gutting and getting gutted.

"Let's sleep again. I don't know what to expect tomorrow, but if it's as tiring as this was, I do not have much enthusiasm for the next few days!"

Everyone concurred with Harp's analysis and took to their sleeping bags like broken dolls. For a reason none of the others understood, Typhoon reformed to his dragon shape, and requested they all sleep within his wings.

***

During the night, the pyramid reconfigured itself, ready for the next intrepid or dimwit explorer that might try breaking in to reach the Hall of Learning, as it had been identified by the Pyramid's Conscience. The boys had yet to understand what it was that made the Pyramid able to think, as they needed to assimilate more knowledge. The Pyramid itself that projected on the Hall of Learning's ceiling a rising and brilliant sun, of which there had been few over the past few years in the Elvin Kingdom, announced the next morning.

After a substantial breakfast, the Pyramid's inducted learning resumed for another day, completing the history lessons from the Cataclysm to the present. The boys were awed by the precision of the history as they could see each other in the projection of the most recent events, as well as hear a running commentary of parallel event that occurred while they were busy. They thus learned that the Minotaur and King Edward had survived, and were now on the East Coast of Americus progressing painstakingly north, still several years away given the amount of obstacles they had to overcome. By the end of the second day, the boys wanted to kill the dastardly individual that was bombarding them with so much information.

Finally, the end of the day came, and the Pyramid announced, in a thunderous voice:

«I have given you what I was designed to give. Tomorrow, you will leave my heart empty, Princes of Atlantis. May we meet again another day!»

«Hold it right there, Pyramid. Paschal, does the Pyramid belong to Thebes?" asked Ian.

«Truth be told, the Pyramid is one of the six Anchors that will complete Thebes, Heir to Atlantis!» replied Paschal in a formal tone.

«So be it. We are Infinite, Seven, One. By Word by Will, join your rightful place in Thebes!

As Ian joined his hands above his head, all six others did the same, and a powerful Pyramid of Magic formed, perfectly matching the Blue Pyramid in size, and making its exterior shine a dazzling blue.

***

From the outside, those that had accompanied the princes to the Pyramid's door, and whom had seen it close on their charge, did not even feel a tremor, as the Pyramid majestically rose from the emplacement it had occupied since its construction seventeen thousand years earlier. Water flooded the now vacated space and the Pyramid began moving toward Thebes at an ever-greater speed. Less than half an hour later it descended toward the plains of Lava flows and inserted itself in one of the great areas left free so far by the assembly of the Thebes three-dimensional puzzle.

From the walls of the old city that had once overlooked the Pyramid, the royals had watched the Pyramid lift and disappear on the horizon. Then, to their total surprise, the old Atlantean capital itself was ported to its rightful position within Thebes, adding yet another piece to the ever more complex puzzle Thebes was fast becoming.

"Well, our sons have done it again, Annabelle. I shiver at the precision and power required to move that Pyramid so slowly, and then bring us with them. I wonder what has happened in that Pyramid for them to gain such power. If it continues, it is whole planets they will be able to move!" Harold held Annabelle at the hips, as the two looked at the result of the feat of magic of which they were proud to no end.

Diamondcutter and his wife were no less proud of their son's involvement in this momentous event, and were crying openly of joy.

"When I think our son is part of this," whispered Thorsten's mother. "I have never been so proud of our son in my life!"

"As I am, believe me. As soon as he is back, I am abdicating. No more regency for Thorsten! He is King, and in his own right!"

"My thoughts exactly, Diamondcutter, Just wait until Enron sets foot in the Imperial Throne Room, and I will be abdicating in his favour. He is past the Regency stage."

«I would do the same, if only my son was regent,» commented the Dragon King, "but I must stay until the Events foretold so long ago come to pass. Then, and only then, shall offer my seat to my son, for the election of the Royal Leader of the Flock.»

«You never told us you had far seers, Oh Lord of the Dragons,» commented Harold.

«The occasion never arose until this day. As my son has gained his metamorphic powers, he has been able to access your herds' Consciences by sitting on the shoulders of his bonded, one Prince Ian. It thus came to our knowledge that you had also some that could see in time. I will be asking him to perform a ritual as soon as he too is back, in my stead, since I am too big to enter your nests. It will bond us to you even more closely. This will be done by request of the Adults of the Dragon Clans and my son. The dragonlings, which are now ready to shift shape, are waiting for the return of their bonded to complete the Shaping Ritual.»

«Is it why you can now talk to us directly?»

«This is true, bonded to the Lord of all Herds. My son taught us how to adjust to you and all these strange others that accompany you in your migration. My son's bonding to the one named Ian has been immensely beneficial to all of us. We have gained a vast knowledge we did not even know existed. He has told us of your projects to protect animals and plants. We will gladly contribute to both. We fly with you to protect and defend.»

«How do you feel about your son being involved with what just happened?» asked Samson.

«I do not know what feel means. I do however get a strange constriction in the guts, and my head is light, much like when I have been doing loopings for too long.»

«Given the circumstances, King of the Dragons, I would say you are proud of your son's achievements,» replied Annabelle, smiling.

As the Pyramid settled into its new location, and the elements from the old Atlantean capital finished settling into place, another powerful feat of magic occurred. The archduchy of Solon's populace found itself relocated within Thebes, as most of its infrastructure got moved and fused with the ever-expanding Thebes. The Archduchess, which had not yet left her bedchamber that morning, felt absolutely nothing, but the alarm of her staff woke her up.

"Archduchess! Archduchess!" exclaimed a panic-stricken page. "We have moved!" as he barged into the bedchamber without even knocking.

The still drowsy Dianne looked at the poor page with eyes that would have frozen hell over. "Explain! I felt no earthquake!"

"We are no longer in Solon! The lake, the countryside, everything has disappeared to be replaced by this scenery directly out of Hell!" If ever a description fitted Lava Flows that was one!

"Are you sure you are not drunk or on some hallucinogen?"

"No! Look outside! I clean up your room every morning, my lady, and I know what can be seen from your bedchamber windows. Look through that one!"

The archduchess, ignoring the lad's wide eyes as she got out from under covers as nude as the day she was born, walked to the proffered window. Indeed, between two towers of her castle, she could see the ashen grounds of the lava beds that gave the Archduchy of Lava Flows its descriptive name.

"Well that does it! What did these princes do now?" She turned toward the page, to say something then her head snapped back at the window. The Pyramid, which had been prominent in the distance, was nowhere to be seen! "Damn, they managed to destroy a pyramid of that size!"

"No, the Pyramid is visible from the other window, my lady. It too got moved, and it changed position relative to your castle, that's all!"

"What?" Dianne moved to the other window and, indeed, she could see not only the huge Blue Pyramid, but also many buildings she did not know about, including huge castles and battlements. Then, on the farthest her eyes could discern details, she noticed a building she could recognize: one of the corner towers of the castle that housed one of her barons, which had distinctive patterns representing a sphinx exploding in flames. "Boy, get my clothes! It's not only this room that's moved, it's everything!" said, shakily, the Archduchess.

The tone made the poor page almost lose control of his bladder. What could flip the unflappable Archduchess? He ran into her wardrobe and got her a tight military uniform, feeling, intuitively, that this is what his mistress would want. As he helped her dress, he kept silent, biting his tongue to the point of drawing blood. As the Archduchess fixed her military style hair, he got her armour, blade, helmet and shield from their hangers. A few minutes later he helped her dress up for battle, and then retired to inform the cook the archduchess was expecting military rations this morning.

Dianne quickly swallowed a piece of pemmican, and washed down the salty and hard piece of meat with a glass of water. Then, followed by the still completely panicked page, she took off at a run for the stables, and literally jumped on her destrier bareback. As she raced out of the barn's door, almost riding down the puffing page, the stable master got out of his room to immediately jump back as the Archduchess passed where he had been yawning from being awoken earlier than usual. Unable to follow, the page saw his mistress jump the gates leading to the inner courtyard, hollering for the doors to be opened.

"What's the rush, boy?" asked a wide-eyed stable master.

"We moved!" huffed the poor boy, unable to explain more coherently. "Go see at the fortifications to understand! I have to go back to my room to put on some clothes. It is cold outside and my bits are shrinking both from fear and cold!"

The stable master finally realized the boy was as nude as a worm, and couldn't help but laugh his ass off! At first, the boy was offended by the man's reaction until the ridicule of the situation appeared to him. He finally began laughing as well, as he retreated to the insides of the castle. As the boy's butts disappeared inside, the stable Master decided to do as the page had suggested, and strolled leisurely to the nearby stairs that led to the median defence wall. What he saw there did not at first strike him as strange, but as he looked more carefully, his eyes widened in shock.

As the last pieces to be picked up from Solon settled into place, the energy field that had enclosed the Blue Pyramid vanished, freeing the princes' escort to move out of its immediate vicinity into the considerably reconfigured Thebes. At first, the Dogs, Equines and Wolves were a bit miffed by the new geography, but they finally managed to find an area they recognized, a part of Solon. Unfortunately, the feeling of recognition lasted but a few blocks and they suddenly found themselves in another part they had no idea existed. Only the flair of the Wolves and Dogs allowed them to track from the rare whiffs of wind the odour of Harold. As they managed to reach the royal party, Harold spotted them.

«Where are the princes?» he asked, expecting to see them behind the animals.

«To the best of our knowledge, they are still inside that strange building. It closed half an hour after they entered. We were able to track their progress by mind speech until two days ago. It was growing ever more difficult to keep contact, and the last we had contact with was Harp. He reported all was fine. Then this morning we saw things around us move, even if we felt nothing. Have you had any news?»

«None whatsoever. We can only wait.»

***

Meanwhile, inside the Blue Pyramid, the princes talked to the resident Conscience, and helped it connect with the magical core of the city, multiplying their mutual power by their respective contribution.

«You are now where you should have been.» stated Paschal.

«Now, we must resume our quest.» stated, rather formally, Ian.

«Place your right hand on the right armrest, and I will take care of everything, my Lords."

The princes did as asked and just before everyone was ready to touch the hand marks, Harp thought of something.

«Blue, please inform our parents we have accomplished the first part of the quest successfully and that we are proceeding to the next stage. We have lost contact with our escort for at least two if not three days, and they must be worried.»

«It is done,» replied the entity as the royals and their escort received the message. «Be safe and careful in the next part of the quest.»

As soon as Harp, which had been holding back touching the hand rest let his hand fall in place, a deep blue halo enveloped the princes and ported them to their new adventure.