The Fourth Realm (Realms Gate) Read online

  There was a soft knock at the door before a young servant slipped into the room. “My apologies, my lady. Breakfast is in the dining room when you are ready.”

  Arianna rose and put a brush through her wild hair before straightening her clothes. She could have done with a toothbrush, she felt like she had major dragon-breath. With any luck she could grab something to eat and be gone before Damon put in an appearance. She wasn’t that lucky. He was waiting for her in the dining room.

  “Good morning, Sleeping Beauty,” his clear blue eyes twinkled.

  “Beast,” she grunted, sitting down and pouring a large cup of coffee. Damon had thankfully brought a few First Realm habits with him.

  “Is there anything you would like to do today, my dear?” he asked, passing her a basket of sweetbreads.

  “Other than running you through with a sword, no,” she smiled falsely.

  Damon laughed. “I do so love your sweet nature.”

  “Sadly there is nothing remotely I like about you,” Arianna retorted.

  Damon rested his cool hand on hers. “Come, let us not fight just this once. I was hoping you might assist me with something I am working on.”

  “Why would you think I would help you?”

  “Because you like a challenge.”

  Arianna flopped back in the chair. “I will need a few details before I am to agree.”

  “I am looking for a gateway to the Fourth Realm.”

  “There is no Fourth Realm.”

  “I beg to differ. Before Valkarin’s mishap, we had a neighbour, two in fact. Mallenvaar and Bassengaard.”

  “What happened to them?”

  Damon shrugged. “They aren’t attached to the First or Second Realm, so they have to be in another dimension.”

  “Has no-one tried to look for them before?”

  “I imagine so but the gateways have never been found.”

  “Perhaps none exist?”

  “No. I think they do and they are blocked.”

  “So how can you find a blocked gateway?”

  “Research and sorcery.”

  “What did you need me for?”

  “The research, obviously.”

  “You aren’t planning on using the dark arts are you?” Arianna scowled at him.

  “The only sorcery will be contacting my father. He should be able to advise me how to find the gateways. He searched for many trying to uncover Valkarin’s tomb.”

  “Your father is dead; how can you talk to him?”

  “By Baldoren crystal. Your mother started using her father’s one when she was about your age to reach him. Heinrekh had one, which has now passed to me. Erin showed me how to use it.” He gave an enigmatic smile. “Without her, I would never have met my father.”

  “What was he like? I know you look just like him, I’ve seen his portrait.”

  “Some will tell you he was a ruthless, cold killer. But I think that was down to his start in life. Mum only saw the kind-hearted, lonely man who had been hurt badly. Your mother had great respect for him, even though his aim in life was either to get her to join him or eliminate her. I think it was because despite being a so-called evil sorcerer, he was principled. And it was that which made Erin side with him over Olav.”

  “Mum went against my grandfather?”

  “Yeah. She and your father committed treason apparently. I recall someone telling me once that she put the king on his butt in full view of his guards.”

  “Why do parents never tell you about the good bits in their lives?” Arianna could more than envisage her mum as a hormonal teen. Many people said she was just like her mother at that age.

  “Because then we would know they were no better at our age. Now are you going to help with this quest of mine?”

  “I guess I have nothing better to do,” Arianna shrugged.

  “That’s the spirit,” Damon grinned. “Well, eat up, we have work to do.”

  Arianna had never been in Damon’s study before and standing in it, she felt honoured. It was obviously his private haven. The portrait of his father mesmerised her; he was one striking man. Then again, so was Damon.

  “Handsome genes run in the family,” Damon said smugly as he propelled her down the stairway to the vault.

  Arianna swatted him, she often wondered if he could read her mind. “Pity it skipped a generation.”

  Damon steered her to some charts spread out over the tables. “This shows the original location of the missing Realms. So somewhere along our borders we must have a gateway.”

  “It could be anywhere.”

  “Not really. Think about our gateways. They are either through an arch, or a waterfall or a crevice; there has to be some structure surrounding them.”

  “It’s still a pretty big area to search. And it might not be restricted to the border.”

  “True but it’s a starting point.”

  “And if the gateway is blocked, we stand no chance of finding it.”

  “So are you going to give up before you start?” Damon sounded disappointed.

  “No, I’m just being realistic. As the only other thing I would be doing today is having a screaming match with Kat, this looks like the lesser of the two evils.”

  “I am honoured you have chosen me over your sister,” he bowed dramatically.

  “However, if you continue to speak, I might change my mind.”

  Arianna lost all track of time as she studied detailed charts of Vasmaar, highlighting any possible locations. There were plenty. It amazed her how little she knew about the territory, it was certainly much larger than she had always thought. Other than a mug of coffee, Damon did not disturb her. She was shocked to find it almost lunchtime when he reappeared.

  “Timmo is here to escort you back to Lokranor.”

  “Has it taken him this long to track me down?” Arianna muttered without looking up.

  “No, he knew where you were. His father told him to keep his distance.”

  “Why?” she glanced at Damon.

  “You weren’t in the most rational of moods yesterday.”

  “Spineless creature.”

  “He also could not have removed you from the castle without my permission; to do so could have been seen as an act of aggression.”

  “And imprisoning the heir to Lokranor is not?”

  “You came here uninvited. Now before we get into another argument, Wilhelm has need of you.” He propelled her towards the exit. “We can continue our search another day.”

  “Just don’t go looking without me,” Arianna warned him. “If you do, I’ll bust your ass.”

  “Like you could, girlie,” Damon laughed. Actually she probably could but he was not going to admit it to her.

  CHAPTER 6

  Ulrik was back in the library with Lukas. He had seen the medallion Katya’s father had worn and was trying to trace it. Likewise, her mother’s family crest was everywhere in the house, signifying it too was old.

  “What exactly are we looking for?” Lukas sighed.

  “Two crests.” He did a rough sketch. “One has two serpents intertwined, the other a dragon.”

  “How far back do you want me to look?”

  “Before the rift.”

  Lukas retrieved a massive, leather bound volume and started to turn the pages. He did not have to dig too deep. “Dare I ask where you saw this serpent crest?” He peered over his glasses at Ulrik.

  “I cannot say at the moment,” Ulrik responded. “Who does it belong to?”

  Lukas spun the volume around to show him the page. “That is the royal crest of the Lokranor.”

  Ulrik stared at the page somewhat lost for words. Katya’s father was King of Lokranor. That would make Katya of royal blood, and if she was, why was she riding around alone with no body guards or chaperones in sight? “The other crest?”

  Lukas found the answer to that shortly as well. “That is the McLomard crest. A very old family line indeed.”

  A family who also possess great t
alent, Ulrik thought, recalling the portrait of Katya’s mother. She carried a Talmar, very few people had the power to do that.

  “You are starting to worry me with your detailed knowledge of the realms before the rift. Who is your source?”

  “I cannot betray their confidence, not just yet,” Ulrik glanced at his tutor. “We will talk more on this shortly.”

  As Ulrik was heading towards his quarters, he heard the commotion outside. He moved to the front steps and joined his father. “What’s going on?”

  “It seems there has been some sort of attack on Vengaard.”

  “Who?”

  “We’re not sure, the soldiers who returned said it was sorcery.”

  “It was more likely they were drunk. No-one has used sorcery in the realm for a very long time, have they?”

  “Not that I am aware of. But we will need to investigate.”

  “Do you want me to go?”

  “I have already sent Oskar.”

  “Of course, I am clearly incapable of looking into such an occurrence. I look forward to the announcement that you are making him heir,” Ulrik glowered at his father.

  “He volunteered to go,” Sigfried looked at his son.

  “Spare me the justification, I no longer give a damn.” He had at least two new realms to investigate, he no longer cared that much anymore.

  Oskar stared in astonishment at the creature before him; it looked like a dragon but was a luminous blue. It breathed blue flames not the usual fire associated with dragons. He turned to the soldiers behind him, drawing his sword. “It seems we have sorcery at work. Be on your guard.”

  Charging towards the creature, he felt little fear. He knew how to kill it, his father had told him. The villagers of Vengaard were running scared so it was down to him to save the day, which he would of course. With one swish of his sword, the creature’s head was cut clean off; a moment later it had turned to ash. He was somewhat disappointed, he wanted a trophy to take back to the King.

  Some loud screams highlighted the possibility of more creatures. Oskar ordered the soldiers to spread out. It was kind of a novelty having something other than a stag or boar to hunt, and the slight element of danger made it most enjoyable. That and knowing he would leap up higher in Sigfried’s estimation. Ulrik was not cut out for battle or hunting.

  With the enchanted creatures killed, he returned to Mallenvaar Castle to report back to the King. His father had arranged for a series of attacks on outlying villages, which he would suppress and thereby prove to all that he could protect the Realm from whatever dangers were thrown in his path. He just hoped the sorcerer his father was in league with could be trusted. It was always dangerous bringing in hired help.

  Ulrik was noticeable by his absence in the Great Hall as Oskar updated the King and his advisors on what had occurred in Vengaard.

  “Did it appear an isolated incident?” Sigfried asked.

  “If sorcery is at work, I think that unlikely,” Oskar responded.

  “I will need to put the army on alert.”

  “Might it be worthwhile trying to find the sorcerer in question? Surely there cannot be many who practice in this Realm?”

  “Yes. Please do so but with discretion. The last thing I need are the citizens panicking.”

  Which they soon will, Oskar smiled to himself. Following the spate of incidents to come, Sigfried would have no choice but to announce him as his successor.

  CHAPTER 7

  Damon rode over to Lokranor at speed; he had received word that Ajax might have uncovered some useful information regarding the missing Realms. He was relieved that Wilhelm was happy for him to take the lead on finding these Realms even though it could impact the security of the Second Realm.

  He was surprised to find Arianna at the Archives. It appeared she was taking to her new research role. For some reason he was very happy.

  “You have news?” he glanced from her to Ajax.

  “Yes. Arianna actually uncovered it.” Ajax deferred to her.

  “I was reading up on what was known about Mallenvaar before the rift. Whilst we had Valkarin to deal with, it seems the other Realms also had their own evil to contend with.”

  “Sorcery was rife back then.”

  “Yes. But Mallenvaar’s sorcery was in fact quite different.”

  “How so?”

  “Whilst we favoured the Baldoren or Frejan crystals and used blue energy, Mallenvaar and Bassengaard used a different energy source. They had sun stones and moon stones; the former using fire as its main element, the latter ice.”

  “I’m sure there must be a point here?” Damon was impatient for answers.

  “Of course,” Arianna grunted. She was not going to be rushed. “Whilst our crystals contain no actual power when not being used, these stones apparently do. They can work with each other to create a force similar to a shield.”

  “Yes,” Damon looked at her expectantly, clearly waiting for something monumental.

  “Is he always this thick?” Arianna glanced over at Ajax.

  “He’s more for action rather than research, I think,” Ajax smiled.

  “Did I miss something?” Damon grunted.

  “Let me put it in simple words,” Arianna sighed. “There is every chance that the two stones are creating the shield which is preventing us from seeing the gateways.”

  “Arianna is correct,” Ajax added his piece. “I would imagine after the trauma of the rift, the stones were set in place to protect Mallenvaar from the likes of Valkarin. After time, people forgot they were there and that knowledge was never passed on.”

  “So basically if we find the stones, then we’ll find the gateways?” Damon asked eagerly.

  “Yes, I guess,” Arianna nodded.

  “I’ll use some darkish sorcery to locate them.”

  “Actually it’s not that simple,” Ajax burst his bubble. “The stones are a bit like a Talmar, they will only respond to those with the right bloodline.”

  “And how do we know who has the right bloodline?”

  “You don’t. The stones will make themselves known to the person who has that honour.”

  “So what you’re saying is that even if we manage to locate the stones, we can’t activate them to drop the shield.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Perhaps being Valkarin’s heir might give me the right bloodline?” Damon was forever hopeful.

  “That I cannot answer.”

  “Being his heir does not give you an automatic right to everything,” Arianna groaned. She loathed how he always assumed he was more powerful than everyone because of his unusually black blood. What she hated more was the fact she had no powers whatsoever; something he was more than happy to point out whenever the opportunity arose.

  “Most things,” he gave her an irritatingly smug grin. “As I’m here in Lokranor, it would be rude not to stop in and see your parents.” He stood up to leave. “Are you coming with me?”

  “If I must.” She rode with him over to the castle. “You do realise we probably have other information relating to Mallenvaar back in Muirhead. The library is pretty extensive.”

  “Is that an observation or an invitation?”

  “An observation. But you are probably overdue a visit with your mother, you could do both.”

  “And there was I thinking you were warming to me.”

  “Delusional as always.”

  Later that afternoon Arianna and Damon rode through the Realms Gate to Muirhead; Arianna was keen to raid the library at her home. Or rather to get Jasper working on it. He’d not quite catalogued every book in that vast room but he’d made a good start.

  “You do realise my birthday is just two days away,” Arianna reminded Damon. She knew how useless men were with dates.

  “Yes, it is rather difficult to forget that fact. You have reminded me at least five times this week already.”

  “You’ve slept since the last time I told you. I know how vacuous your head is and I want to make s
ure you have bought me a horrendously expensive gift.”

  “Why would I do that?”