Once again the armies of darkness are sweeping across the world and this time there may be no stopping them. Only by standing together can the heroes of civilization hope to prevail, but at this hour of their greatest trial the mightiest of their nu...
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Shaun and Matthew jumped hurriedly out of the cubicle before it could take them back to Fort Battleaxe, and then sighed in relief at having gotten away from the terrible priest with their skins intact. “Phew!” breathed Shaun as he looked around to see where the others had gone. “Thank the Gods he’s on our side.”
“Yeah,” agreed Matthew. “I wonder what he’s like when he’s angry.”
“I don’t want to even think about it.” He spotted the others about thirty feet away, staring around at the other teleportation cubicles, each leading to a far distant part of the world. They were at the bottom of a large, bowl shaped depression with stairs in the slope leading up to ground level.
The soldiers walked over to rejoin the others, and the six of them stood around uncertainly, not knowing what to do next. “I suppose we go up there and try to find someone,” suggested Thomas. “We can’t stand around here all day.”
“I thought there’d be someone here to meet us,” said Diana.
“So did I, but there isn’t. We’re definitely expected though, aren’t we? I mean, he said they’d changed the rules so we could come through more quickly, so they definitely knew we were coming.”
“Hey, there’s someone coming now,” said Jerry, who’d been looking in another direction.
They all turned and saw a young, athletic looking man trotting down the stairs behind them. He was wearing casual clothing. A short sleeved shirt, walking boots and a wide brimmed hat to shade his eyes from the yellow sun. He carried no weapons, but was so fit and muscular that he didn't look as though he needed them. He looked as though he could wipe the floor with all six of them without raising a sweat if he wanted to.
They felt no fear of him, though. On the contrary, there was something immensely reassuring about his presence, and as he drew nearer the six questers felt completely safe and protected, felt all their fears and worries melting away. Thomas felt himself liking the newcomer even as he drew near, and it puzzled him. How can I have such a strong feeling for someone I’ve never met before? he wondered. For all I know, he might be a mad axe murderer. It’s very strange. The feeling was much too strong to deny, though, and the wizard knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this was a good man. More than that, this was the finest human being it had ever been his privilege to meet.
“Hi,” he said when he reached them. “Sorry I wasn’t here to meet you but things have been a bit hectic lately and I got held up. Welcome to Pargonn.”
Lirenna blushed and did a little curtsy. Diana put her palms together and bowed her head, and all the men bowed respectfully, none of them really knowing why they were doing so except for an unconscious feeling that this man deserved honour and respect. "Thank you for helping us this way, Sir," said Diana, looking a little ashamed as if she thought her words were clumsy and inadequate. "I'm sorry, but I don't know the proper way to address you..."
