Legends of Amacia Heart of Darkness
Chapter 13: Nathanael the Portal Master

As everyone began to scatter to put the plan into action the plan, Nathanael sent word to the recon team to gather in the courtyard in a half hour. The messenger he sent returned ten minutes later telling him they’d be there. “Good work,” he told the messenger. “Now go and help Nicodemus with the preparations.” The messenger nodded with a smile and left on a mission as Nathanael headed to Hannibal’s quarters to get the scepter to open the portal.

A half hour later, Nathanael, Nicodemus, Joshua, Amos, and the recon team met in the square. Nathanael held the scepter in his gloved hands as he stood at the center of the pattern and thought for a moment while looking at the staff. The crystal head glowed softly as did the runes on the staff itself, as if it were anticipating his thoughts. How does this work? he thought to himself. Hannibal made this look so simple. Therefore, as everyone looked on, Nathanael sighed and said, “Here goes nothing.” Mimicking the way Hannibal handled the scepter, he brought it down deliberately on the center of the pattern and thought, Okay machine…start.

The scepter rang out with the impact, chiming like a bell as its crystal head and the runes on the staff glowed brightly. The pattern immediately began to light up, starting in the middle and working out. Even with the gloves on, Nathanael could feel the incredible power surging through his hands to the point that his hair and fur began to stand on end. Everyone noticed it and backed away in fear.

“Watch yourself!” Harry called out with concern for Nathanael’s well-being upon seeing his fur and hair standing up. A few moments later and right on schedule, the square began to rumble and shake as the pillars rose from the square.

“I don’t believe it,” Nathanael breathed softly. “This is actually going to work. Thank you, Lord.” When the pillars rose to their full height, the crystal on the scepter quieted, awaiting its next instruction. The power levels diminished and Nathanael’s hair ceased to stand on end, even though every nerve in his body tingled slightly from the machine’s power. Slowly, everyone gathered behind Nathanael as he held the scepter like a statue.

“Amos; now we need you,” Nathanael called out. “Come forward and put your hand on the staff with mine and tell it where you want to go.”

Amos swallowed hard, trying to quell his fear, and stepped forward. Nathanael looked at Amos, saying, “Be not afraid my friend. Grasp the staff and think of Acheron.”

Amos grasped the staff with his gloved hand and thought of Acheron, saying at the same time, “Take me to Acheron, ancient machine of the gods.” The crystal head of the scepter sudden blazed like the sun as lightning-like energy beams erupted from its head, striking the pillars. The pillars, as usual, redirected and amplified the energy between them. Energy bolts raced up and down the entire height of the pillars in a much more violent display than the last time. The bolts of energy shined a brilliant blue as they merged in the middle. In a flash, the glowing sphere appeared, followed by the portal. Energy crackled around the portal, which spanned twenty feet across. The ancient portal had opened on the top of a small mountain just outside of the city walls overlooking the city. Amos looked through the portal with wonder and breathed with fear, “Behold, the cursed city of Acheron.”

Everyone gathered around the portal and looked through. The recon team was ready for war as they looked through the portal with Nathanael, Nicodemus, Joshua, and Amos. “My God!” Thomas exclaimed. Similar exclamations were uttered from everyone as they looked upon the city from the portal.

From their perch on the mountain, they looked though the portal out over a colossal ruined city five times the size of Kaal Bek; the city being almost three leagues across filling the entire valley. It was filled with pyramids and burned-out temples, some of which were toppled. Giant buildings three and four hundred feet in height soared over the piles of debris in the streets from the buildings that were toppled. The city itself was backed up against a mountain ridge like Kaal Bek with the most important edifice...the keep being right in the center of the city. It was a gigantic fortress covering nearly a square mile carved right out of a solitary peak in the middle of the city, rising nearly twelve hundred feet in height. Fifteen towers rose from its walls, some of which were toppled, rising nearly eight hundred feet for the ones that were intact. In the very center of the citadel soared the main keep, which rose twelve hundred feet. Around the entire city lay a cyclopean wall rising five hundred feet, being nearly sixty feet thick. The walls had several gates, which could be seen from their vantage point on the ridge. The whole city, even in its ruined state, gleamed like a precious gem when held up to the light. At times, the city sparkled from the curious mixture of pearl-white stone, crumbled stone constructions, and dark scorch marks scattered throughout the city from fires that consumed the city long ago. Parts of the city lay hidden from view by the citadel and the surrounding hills. Directly through the middle of the city ran a wide river that had its headwaters northwest of the city in the mountains.

Nicodemus looked on and finally said, “I had no idea it was this big.”

“I had forgotten how big it was,” Amos breathed.

“I have a question,” Jonathan said. “Why didn’t the portal open up in the city itself like it did when Hannibal went to Cushar? Why did it open outside the city?”

“Because the view from this hill was one of the very few clear memories I have of this place,” Amos replied as he let go of the scepter. “This was where we first saw the city. I don’t remember much of the inside of the city. But it was this view that was burned into my mind forever.”

“How far is it to the city from this point?” Harry asked in a businesslike manner.

“Not far,” Amos returned. “The wall’s about an eighth of a league away at the base of the mountain.”

“It may be to our advantage for the portal opening where it did,” Nathanael suggested. “It doesn’t put us right in the middle of the city and whatever problems lurking in there. It’ll give you a chance to do a proper recon. How long do you think it will take to recon and maybe secure the citadel? That’s where I believe we should concentrate first. That citadel is much bigger than this one, thus it would be an ideal place to start.”

“I’m not sure,” Harry returned. “It may take several hours to secure it, depending on what we replace. We’re not going to be able to rush this. It’s definitely going to take some time.”

Nathanael nodded and said, “Very well. It’s not wise to keep the portal open all that time so I’ll open it back up in three hours at this location, if that is all right with you guys.”

“That’ll be fine,” Harry replied.

Just then, Arabella ran up...armed and ready to go with a pack of medical supplies. “I’m going too. You may need my help,” she said resolutely.

Morrison stepped forward and asked, “Why? I suspect this is going to be very dangerous. It’s definitely hostile territory that no one has apparently set foot in for many millennia. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“That’s exactly why I’m going,” Arabella retorted. “My place is at your side. Besides, you don’t have a trained doctor on the team. What happens if someone gets seriously hurt? What’ll you do; what if something were to happen to you? I’m not going to let you make me a widow just yet. We have so much life left to live. I’m going!”

Harry smirked while Nathanael and Nicodemus chuckled.

Joshua smiled and said, “She’s got a point. You could use a doctor on the team. When this thing closes, you’ll be on your own for that time and her training may be valuable.”

Morrison smiled and hugged her, saying, “All right. Come along, Arabella. It’s pretty obvious that you’ve made up your mind that you’re going whether we want you to or not.”

“You’re darned right,” Arabella replied with a smile.

“Okay, you guys. Get going,” Nathanael ordered. “Be back here in three hours. Watch your backs. Who knows what you may encounter down there.”

“All right guys, let’s move out!” Harry ordered, hefting his war hammer over his shoulder and stepping through the portal into outskirts of Acheron followed by the others.

“Three hours!” Nathanael shouted through the portal. Harry nodded, giving thumbs up. After the recon team cleared of the portal, Nathanael closed it by picking up the scepter out of its place on the pattern. He sighed deeply while looking at Nicodemus and Joshua.

“Come, we have much to do,” Nathanael said with authority.

“Yes, we do.” Nicodemus replied in agreement. “Let’s keep them, Amelia’s team, Hannibal and Selina up in prayer. They’re going to need it.”

Nathanael nodded and said, “Yes. That would be a good idea when we have everything ready. Come. We have much work to do.”