And so we come to chapter 28. This was a very interesting and fun chapter to write. The irony is that I found the quick action scenes easier to write than some of the slower talky scenes. Some of it may be clunky but constructive critique is welcomed! Please enjoy!

---

Tales of the Eternals Chapter 28: The Princess and The Sorcerer

<<PREVIOUS | FIRST | >>NEXT

It had been some time since the revolution of Boudicca and during that time, the new crew of Altallo’s ship had been mainly exploring the wilderness away from civilisation. Una and Luc had been awe struck when they saw new places and strange creatures they could never have imagined. From vast open plains and savannah grasslands, to dense steamy jungles to even the depths of the vast oceans. Altallo had explained to them that he made these regular checks to places he had been to study any changes to the environment and animal types. He would also restock on plants and animals to keep ‘genetic diversity’ as he put it, though the two Iceni had no idea what that meant, nor did Asterion when they asked him. After their initial shock at the sheer size of the ship’s seemingly never-ending interior, Una and Luc had become quite accustomed to their new home and all the wonders within. They had even been given rooms of their own in a small corridor leading off from the vast and beautiful plant chamber. Both had been adorned with plain yet comfortable furniture when they were first introduced to them. Altallo explained that he had told his ship there were two new occupants and that it had grown in accordance. When asked by Luc if the ship was alive, Altallo had said “In a sense, yes.”
Since then, they had added their own touches to their rooms. Una had hauled in a whetstone and built a weapon’s rack for swords and axes. Luc meanwhile had decorated his room with various woodland plants, creating a cool and calming atmosphere. Both had also replaced the plain blankets, pillows and cushions with ones covered in Celtic patterns. They had also noticed three other rooms. One was for Asterion who had also decorated his room with potted plants and interesting stones or pieces of wood he had found. The others were Kiya’s and Shern’aath’s. Both had not been touched though they had noticed Altallo occasionally entering them, especially Shern’aath’s.


Throughout their travels, his companions had noticed that Altallo had been rather quiet and distant. At first he had put on a happy face, but gradually this sunny facade had slipped away. He would answer their questions but he didn’t have his usual quirks. Asterion noticed and told his new friends that normally Altallo would be happy to explain any word or term he used to them and would usually be overjoyed when he cam across anything he found; animal, mineral or vegetable. Clearly the loss of Kiya and especially Shern’aath was still lying heavily in his heart..or whatever he had within him like a heart. Aside from expeditions to gather more animals and plants, Altallo mostly kept to the plant chamber, sitting alone on one of the many benches scattered throughout it.


Una was not happy at all. The ship had landed near a desert oasis and had taken the form of a tree with beautiful red blossoms. Una had been in a desert once before and hoped she’d never find herself in another one. Hot, dry, desolate...something about them always filled her with dread. How anyone can live in them she could never understand. Close by to the oasis is a winding road makes it way beyond to the gilded roofs and minarets of a massive city shimmering on the horizon.
“You could have landed us there you know,” grumbled Una. “Why did we have to land in the middle of nowhere?”
“Safety reasons,” Altallo replied flatly. “I don’t want anyone to steal the ship again.”
With that, he turned and briskly walked off to a nearby patch of vegetation to make some observations and take samples. Una was taken aback and somewhat unnerved by this blunt response and wondered just how deeply desensitised Altallo had become. After they had stored the samples taken around the oasis in the ship, they started towards the city in the distance. The trek was hot, dry and exhausting. Neither Luc nor Una took in much of the scenery along the way. In contrast Asterion was pointing out interesting things along the way to and Altallo would take the odd sample here and there. By the time they arrived at the city, Una and Luc were covered in sweat and panting. They saw a large fountain close to the gates. Without thinking they ran over and started gulping down the azure water within.
“I don’t think that water is for drinking.” commented Altallo but the two Iceni didn’t listen and kept drinking, ignoring the odd odd stare or peal of cackling laughter from nearby citizens. What finally caught their attention were rough hands yanking them by away from the fountain. Six burly guards glared down at them (or face to face in the case of Una and craning up to see Asterion). They were dressed in shining mail, which even covered their faces. They carried swords and bows with quivers of arrows on their backs. Two of them were riding horses, which were also covered in mail armour.
“You know its illegal to drink out of that?” their leader growled. He was the only one not wearing mail across his face. He was a large striped hyena with a long scar running down his right cheek, snarled at them. He jabbed a finger at Una and Luc. “For making a public nuisance, you’ll be spending a night in the dungeons.”
As the boar and stag started to object, Altallo pushed his way towards the guard commander. “Sir, I apologise for my friends. We’ve travelled for some time and-”
The guard commander had wheeled around and was about to reprehend Altallo when he finally paid attention to his appearance and gaped. To him Altallo’s headdress looked like a royal crown, a symbol of authority. His clothes were a tad dirty, but that could just be from a long journey. Almost at once he and his guards kneel on one knee in front of Altallo.
“Forgive us noble prince,” the commander murmurs respectfully. “We shall overlook this transgression.”
“Prince? But I’m-”
“Ah yes, his royal highness thanks you,” Luc hurriedly said over Altallo.
“Oh but Lu-”
Once again Luc interrupted and hissed into Altallo’s ear “Keep quiet and play along,” before he turned and gave the captain a winning smile. “The noble Prince Altallo of …” Luc’s eyes zip around looking for inspiration. He spies a market stall cluttered with jars and another with a basket full of pears. “Basjarear!”
The captain exchanged a confused glance at his men, who either shrugged back or scratched their heads. “Never heard of the place.”
“Well of course you wouldn’t have,” Luc said, putting an arm around the captain’s shoulders and gesticulating with the other. “Its far away across the seas. Famed for its forests and riches! Now his highness needs to rest. Please escort us to somewhere we can recover in peace.”
The captain and the guards, though still confused, led them away into the city.
“You were lucky to even reach Shushtar, there’s been trouble in the countryside of late,” the captain said as they walked. Seeing their confused faces, he adds. “Shushtar is the name of city, surely you knew that?.”
“Er, oh yes, of course,” Luc replied quickly. “Forgive us, we are tired from our journey.”
“What sort of trouble?” Altallo asked.
“Diplomats and princes from other kingdoms have disappeared along all the main roads. We can’t find any trace of them, just their carts and animals left unattended. Its like they just wandered off. His highness the king is most concerned by this. His allies and client kingdoms are up in arms that none of their ambassadors have returned and are demanding answers.”
Altallo wanted to inquire more about these bandit attacks, but the captain and his men had stopped outside a grand building. Its stone walls were covered in colourful plaster and two large towers with openings helped catch breezes and keep the interior cool. Inside, there were finely furnished rooms decorated with mosaics and statues.
“You will wait here while we inform his majesty of your arrival,” the guard captain informed them. He turned to Altallo. “I am sure you are anxious to meet your bride to be, the Princess Samira. I’m sure the king will introduce you to her tonight.”
The words hadn’t fully sunk in until the door closed. Asterion tried to open it, but it was locked. Luc meanwhile was perusing the ornaments scattered around the apartment.
“You know, I think we may have hit the mother-load coming here,” he said with a gleam in his eye. “And with this princess and Altallo together, he can move on from that feathery lizard of his-”
He was interrupted by a door slamming shut which caused him to jump and almost drop a delicate vase. It was then he noticed that Altallo had gone and both Una and Asterion were glaring down at him. “What?” he said indignantly.
“Where to start?” Una growled through gritted teeth. Asterion signalled to her that he was going to go check on Altallo. “Yes, you go do that. I’ll have a nice little chat with my brother in arms…”


Asterion sighed as he closed the door behind him, drowning out Una and Luc’s argument. He found himself in an airy room with a central table and several reclining chairs around it. A veranda gave a spectacular view an enormous artificial river, which was being fed by tunnels and pipes made of stone. This was the hydraulic system that provided Shushtar with fresh drinking water. Altallo was perched on one of the chairs, looking out at the water. It was still and the only sound was the rushing water and Asterion’s hooves on the floor. Altallo twitched at the sound of footsteps.
“I don’t want to talk to you Luc!” he barked, shattering the silence. When he felt a movement on the couch, Altallo glared up at the intruder, fully expecting to see the young stag, only to find himself looking up at an anxious Asterion. Altallo shuffled closer to Asterion and rested his head against Asterion’s chest. The minotaur wrapped an arm around Altallo and they sat together with only the sound water outside the veranda to be heard.


Later that night, the travellers were taken to the royal palace. The interior was one of the most amazing places that Luc and Asterion had ever seen. Even Una who was still angry at how Luc had used Altallo was impressed with what she saw. The palace’s banqueting hall was under a massive dome. There were mosaics everywhere on the walls, floor and ceiling in every colour imaginable. These mosaics weren’t in any specific form, but they suggested shapes such as flowers or flowing water. Large windows kept the interior airy and gave scenic views of the palace gardens. Five long tables were lined out with gold and silver plates, along with soft pillows for diners to lean against. Luc, Asterion and Una were resplendent in fresh Sassanid clothing. Una looked uncomfortable in the beautiful dark green dress with gold embroidery, but Luc was very pleased with the deep wine red tunic he sported and Asterion seemed very happy dressed in plain white. Altallo was dressed in his usual clothes, but they had been thoroughly washed for the event. His headdress had been polished to glistening perfection. Despite all this though, Altallo was still quiet and sullen. As they entered the palace to a fanfare of trumpets and drums, Luc smiled and waved to the crowds of guests already seated around the tables. In contrast Altallo kept his head bowed and made no eye contact with anyone. There were murmurs among the guests, who were surprised to see what they believed was a human prince. The king of the Sassanids was an elderly leopard with an impressive silver moustache. Atop his head was a gold and blue velvet crown and he wore beautiful pale blue robes. He opened his arms wide as they approached.
“My friends, welcome! After so many long months, it is a joy to finally have such...royal guests?” His voice trailed off as he watched them. Una was picking her nose, while Luc had picked up a golden goblet and was examining it before quickly hiding it behind his back. Asterion was smiling down at the king and still Altallo kept his eyes to the ground.
Quickly clearing his throat, the king continued. “May I introduce my daughter, the most precious thing in my life, the princess Samira.”
Mina like her father, was also a leopard. She was very beautiful, with glossy black fur in stark contrast to her father’s yellow. She bowed courteously to them before they took their seats, with the guests following after. With a wave of the king’s hand, servants dressed in clean white trot out and start piling plates in the middle of each table high with food. Luc and Una eagerly start eating messily, grabbing anything they could at hand. The Sassanid king felt mortified by the sight of this but was reassured by Asterion’s manners. Despite his size, the minotaur ate very daintily and with a great sense of restraint. Altallo meanwhile sat beside Samira with an awkward silence hanging between the two. Samira had tried to start a conversation with Altallo, but everything she brought up seemed to fall on deaf ears. The poor thing kept staring down at his empty plate. When she asked him what he enjoyed, he brought up animals, including various insects which made her skin crawl. Eventually she recognised defeat and instead ate her food in silence. She was not looking forwards to this marriage and prayed silently for another prince to come.


After that awkward dinner and some formal goodnight wishes, they went their separate ways. In her bedroom in the palace, Samira lay in her luxurious bed, unable to sleep and dreading the future. She turned away from the window and failed to notice a shadowy figure looming over her.


Meanwhile in their quarters, things were tense between the four travellers. Altallo had locked himself in his room and was refusing to speak to anyone. Even Una and Asterion couldn’t get through to him despite showing sympathies. Luc meanwhile was getting impatient with the stubborn little creature. He hammered hard on the door.
“Listen here you!” he barked. “Tonight was a complete disaster. I saw you with the princess, you weren’t even trying!”
There was no response so Luc went on. “You need to move on from Shern’aath and-ouch!”
He winced as Una punched him on the arm. “Why did you say that?”
“Face it Una, he’s going to have to move on eventually. He can’t mope about and -mmph!”
Asterion had covered Luc’s mouth with his hand.
“Good, I was getting tired of his yapping,” Una said but Asterion pointed to his ears. Una listened carefully and she heard something that made her blood chill, a scream of pure terror. “That sounds like its coming from the palace!”
The door to Altallo’s room slammed open and Altallo ran out. “Quickly!” he called to the others. Before she followed the others, Una looked out of Altallo’s window. The palace windows were clouded by a thick, jet black smoke through which the occasional bright flash illuminated figures struggling within.


They arrive at the palace to a scene of pure chaos The black smoke had formed a low lying fog along the palace floor. Sinister dark figures loomed and were in fierce combat with the guards. Even the king had joined the fray, desperately issuing orders and brandishing his own sword. A figure emerged from the smoke in front of the travellers. It was sooty grey with no facial features except for dark hollow eyes. It made a lunge at then with long wispy claws. Una lashed out at it with her fist and the creature immediately disappeared. The boar was confused at first but then grinned and flexed her arm. However more shadows soon emerged. This time, swords and maces appeared in their flickering hands.
“Una! Luc!” Altallo had ran to a wall where a pair of ornamental swords hung. He threw them to the boar and stag who caught them. The shadows charged, but they were prepared. Luc deftly parried a swing from one, the smokey weapon clanging with his and then sliced upwards at what looked to be the creature’s head, which split in two. The creature melted back into the shadows. Una had taken on three smoke creatures and wielding her sword like an axe had taken all three out with a savage blow. She whooped with raucous glee at her fallen foes, but it was short lived as even more creatures came swarming. Altallo and Asterion were fighting side by side with their fists. Asterion used his sheer strength to punch aside the shadows. In contrast Altallo delivered short but rapid and concise blows. Even Luc was impressed.
“Where did you learn to do that?” he asked loudly as he backed up from another figure before cutting at its arm.
“Can we talk about this later?” Altallo bellowed. No sooner had the words left his mouth, then the shadows and smoke evaporated. There was a deathly silence as the guards picked themselves up and tended to their wounded. Then a bright harsh green light filled the chamber, emanating from a point at the centre. From the light, a figure appeared. Tall, sleek and distinguished, it was clothed in armour, a cape and a hood. It slowly lowered its hood to reveal the face of a secretary bird, with beautiful white and black feathers and orange skin around his piercing eyes.
“You know me,” he announced in a cold clear voice. “I Kamran, who once served loyally as your general and confidant.”
One of the guards without waiting fired an arrow at this figure, but the arrow flew straight through and clattered against the wall. The king was staring in horror at Kamran’s cold face and he continued speaking as if nothing had happened.
“And what do I get in return? Exile. Our Empire could have shone like a jewel in the East. But you refused my offer, now I have taken what you hold most dear.”
The ghostly figure pointed out of the open palace gates to a bright star shining star on the horizon.
“Follow that star with ten thousand drachms and we can discuss my terms in exchange for your daughter. Do not think of opposing me, you have only had a small taste of the powers I have gained.”
As quickly as it had appeared, the looming secretary bird disappears with a loud crash, leaving a small crater in the tiled floor. The king stared at the shattered tiles where Kamran had once stood and then sat heavily down on his throne, head in his hands.
“Your highness,” said the captain of the guard. “Ten thousand drachms is a heavy price, but rest assured, we will gather every coin from across the empire for the payment.”
“Its not the money that frightens me,” the king said slowly and sombrely. “Its the thought of my daughter in the hands of that creature.”
“Forgive me your highness,” Una spoke. “But who is this Kamran?”
“He was once a respected general of my army and a good friend,” the king replied. He pressed his fingers together and reminisced on happier days. “We stabilised the empire and fought back against the Romans who have tried to conquer us since.” He chuckled and smiled down at Una and Luc who had bristled at the mention of the Romans. “I assume you’ve had prior run-ins with them? Well rest assured, they have failed time and again. Kamran restructured the army and we regained much of our own land, while also expanding southwards and east. Then, he became hungry for more power. He urged me to betray our allies and join forces with the Romans, claiming that the two most powerful empires together would be unstoppable.”
The king sits back, his eyes cold now.
“I refused. I would never turn my back on my allies and become another Roman vassal. Kamran was furious, declaring that I and the Sassanian people would regret this.” He closed his eyes and sighs. “Now it seems he’s found new powers and is about to make good on his promise.”
“Then let us go find her,” Una said boldly, placing a massive fist onto her chest. “She was taken when we arrived, the least we could do to repay for your hospitality is to help you.”
The king lifted his head and stared at her. She had a fire within her and the heart of a lion. Her determination rekindled a little of his faith. Asterion had also stepped up and with a hand on Una’s shoulder nodded his agreement. With some trepidation, Luc also shuffled up next to his sister in battle.
“You would do this for me? Though we have just met, the way you fought those minions of Kamran shows that I can trust you. Now I will send you with an escort to the port of Siraf. You will sail with our most trusted captain Omid and...wait where is your companion, the prince?”
Behind them, they heard the scrape of ceramics. Altallo was examining the crater left in the mosaic floor.
“Altallo,” Luc hissed. “You’re being rude and not-”
“Listening?” Altallo replied without looking up. “Trust me, I have been. I just wanted to take a closer look at this...aha! Here we are.”
Altallo stood back up and showed them a thin shard of vibrant green crystal.
“So that is the source of Kamran’s magic?” Una inquired.
“Not magic at all,” Altallo said. Luc noticed he sounded far more engaged than yesterday, he was practically bubbly. “This is technology. Look closely and you can see the circuits and conductors.”
Una bent down and eyed the fragment. Inside its green depths were intricate yet delicate lines of some sort of coppery metal. There was something organic looking about them, they didn’t seem to follow any logical pattern but spread like the veins of a leaf.
“And what is that thing supposed to do?”
“Presumably it was a simple hologram projector,” Altallo said thoughtfully. Then he added to the confused boar, “It made Kamran look like he was in the room when he wasn’t. I’ll have to study this later.”
Altallo puts the shards into his poncho and turns back to the king.
“Your highness, I too will save your daughter. However, I think Kamran isn’t the only thing we’ll have to worry about, he’s clearly got an ally who made that crystal for him.”
The king leaned forward with interest. “Who would help Kamran though? He has no friends here, I assure you and I doubt the Romans would be too welcoming to him after he failed them.”
“I have no answers at the moment, but I intend to find out.”


Early the next morning, before the sun had risen, they assembled at the gates of the city. After the king had offered them a prayer for their safe journey and return, they set off into the desert towards coast. Una and Luc at first were unhappy to go back into the desert, but they perked up immediately when they were given a cart with a cool canvas stretched over it for when the heat came in the midday. The sun was just appearing over the horizon as they made their way through the winding road, the purple of the night sky slowing giving way to pinks, oranges and yellows of the dawn. Despite the beauty, the guards were on edge within the cart and had their bows and spears ready. As they rounded a large rocky formation Luc, who was peering out of the cart spied a strange glow in the depths of a cave nearby. He called the cart to stop and they disembarked.

The cave was at first rather narrow, twisting and turning like a maze. Asterion was uncomfortably reminded of the labyrinth where he was kept as a prisoner before meeting Kiya and the others. The walls were made of red sandstone which had built up over millions of years, or that is what Altallo told them. Eventually the passage opened up into a cavern. Within was the source of the odd light, a bright orange crystal the size of a hand embedded into the wall at the far end of the chamber. A low opaque mist hangs at ankle level. The crystal periodically dimmed and then lit up again, casting eerie shadows. In the gloom, they could see figures standing silent and still. It was hard to make out any features from where they stood. The guard captain stepped forwards, placing a foot into the mist. He quickly retracted his foot.
“Its freezing cold!” he gasped.
Altallo took a torch from one of the guards and descended. He didn’t even react to the strange mist. Moving to the closest figure he held up the torch, revealing a somewhat snobbish looking young ibex in ornately decorated clothes. He was staring straight ahead, eyes unfocused and he didn’t react to the flame of the torch. Behind him the captain’s eyes widen.
“That’s the prince of the Lakhmids!” he croaked. “We thought he had been killed by bandits.”
“He looks dead to me.” Luc said bitterly.
“He’s not dead,” Altallo replied. He had been feeling the ibex’s pulse through his wrist. “He’s in a trance.”
Altallo made his way through the throng of frozen princes and diplomats, taking care not to hit any with his torch. He made it to the far end and reached a hand tentatively to the crystal. To Altallo, was cool to the touch, but to anyone else it would have felt like touching ice. He took the crystal gently from its alcove. As soon as it was removed, the mist disappeared and there were gasps and groans as the frozen figures suddenly shuddered into life.


After many explanations, rants, complaints and assurances, all the princes, diplomats and their retinue were herded onto the cart which was whisked away by half of the guards. Una was at first unhappy to see their transport disappearing behind a dune, but was soon mollified by the guard captain pointing around another dune. Not too far off, the golden sands of the desert met the azure sea. In a sheltered bay lay a cluster of stone buildings and a forest of ship masts.


The guard led them through the town to the port, where they are greeted by a strange looking figure. He was a young oryx with a lithe, strong body with short yet striking white and orange fur. His face was the most distinguishing feature. The top half of his face, including his nose and upper lip were covered in an ornate mask. Aside from his eyes, no other facial feature could be seen. Una and Luc found the effect very eerie, but the oryx spread his arms wide and smiled.
“Greetings my friends, I am Omid and I will be your captain on this voyage. The king send word ahead and I’ve prepared our best ship,” he indicated the ship behind him. It was a sleek galley. It wasn’t anything as fancy from the king’s palace, but it looked sturdy. Omid clapped his hands happily and turns back to them. “So, any questions?”
“Um...what is with the whole.” Luc said, indicating the oryx’s face. What little they could see of his eyes and his lower jaw seemed to tighten somewhat, though his voice remained steady.
“I would rather not talk about that, thank you.”
“Sorry for that,” Altallo said, putting a hand on Luc’s shoulder. “He was just curious as anyone would be. Is there somewhere on your ship where I can study these,” he holds up a bag and shows Omid the orange crystal and the green shard. “They’re very important and I need to keep them safe.”
“Ah yes, we’ve prepared a room below deck for your use. I hope you’ll find the arrangements acceptable.”
While Altallo and Asterion had boarded the ship, the guard captain had taken Una and Luc to one side.
“I wanted to give you these.” he said, producing a pair of curved swords in simple yet striking leather scabbards. The two Iceni warriors unsheathed the swords and gasped. They were made of a metal with a rippling pattern across their surfaces, like waves in a silver sea. “They’re made from Damascus Steel, some of the finest metal we have in our empire.”
Una held up the sword to the light of the sun and admired how it glinted. “Thank you...what is your name? You never told us it.”
“Its Raushan my lady,” the leopard replied. He peered round to see Altallo being lead around the ship by Omid. “I wish you all a safe journey and return. You’re going to need it.”


Soon the ship had left port. True to Omid’s word, the ship sliced through the waves at incredible speed with the sails catching the breeze. Una and Luc had descended into the ship’s lower deck to a room with no windows. This was where Altallo had step up a workstation using some tools provided by the captain and strange devices he seemed to carry with him all the time. Inside, Altallo had sliced open the orange crystal and was examining the insides. Like the green shard, it was full of complicated branches of wires and metallic filaments. Una knocked on the open door.
“How goes your magic?” she asked.
Altallo didn’t look up when he replied. “This equipment is old.”
“You mean we’re dealing with some sort of ancient-”
“Oh no, not that sort of old. This technology is similar to that of those of Eternals but its old fashioned, out of date. Like the things we made as experiments before we built our ships.”
“You think it could be another Eternal could be Kamran’s ally?” Luc asked. Altallo turned to look at him with a mixture of fear and apprehension.
“I sincerely hope not. That would be breaking one of rules; we do not interfere with other planets we’re not assigned to, unless if its an emergency from another Eternal of course,” Altallo thought back to that time he received not one but three of these emergency contacts. That had been one of the darker parts of his travels with Kiya and Shern’aath. He vividly remembered both confiding in him that the experience had deeply disturbed them and he often wondered whether he should have taken them with him. He shook these thoughts from his mind and focused on the present. “But, I said it was similar, but not the same as our technology. Maybe some other species has developed along our lines and have either provided Kamran with these things, or he stole it from them somehow.”
“So…” Una said slowly sounding confused. “We are still in the dark?”
“Essentially. But only for now.” Altallo replied. Una thought that she heard some of the old, always inquisitive and energetic Altallo poking through. At least one good thing has come from this she thought to herself.


Omid’s ship soon made anchor in a sheltered bay with high cliffs on an island called Socotra. Altallo had immediately recognised it as somewhere he had visited numerous times prior. Inside his ship was an area dedicated to its unique flora and many animal species were preserved also. The crew and passengers went ashore to gather freshwater from a nearby wadi or to relax on the beach. All seemed idyllic until a strange wind started wafting in. At first it seemed like a sea breeze, but then it picked up in intensity. A figure them loomed above from the sky. There was no mistaking who it was, Kamran’s face glared down at them like some pitiless god.
“I was expecting this, his highness sent his favourite errand boy to avoid any responsibilities,” the giant sneered in a booming voice at Omid. The oryx snarled and gripped his sword hilt. Kamran turns his attention to the rest of the crew. His piercing eyes spy Altallo and his friends. “Well well, something new. Shame on you Omid for dragging these outsiders in matters that don’t concern them. It’ll be on your conscious what happens to them.”
“You fiend!” Omid shouted up at the phantom. “Come down and fight us with honour!”
Kamran cackled with malicious joy. “Oh you poor little thing. Why should I when I can do this?”
The face disappeared in a flash. For a few seconds, all was still. Every noise seemed to have been snuffed out. Then a bone chilling sound rang across the bay, a loud, grinding, cracking noise. Cracks had started forming on the cliff above them, an eerie white glow shone through them. Panic swept through the crew below who dashed back to the ship with all haste as the cliff exploded in a brilliant white flash.