CHAPTER ONE

The sun shone over their weary heads, bringing beads of sweat to their foreheads as they crossed the bridge of Ivádia. Not even the smallest young man is spared, neither women nor children. Everyone had his share of the work so long they were Mandrins. 

The hot, coarse grains of sand that had basked in the intense light of the sun were like hot coals from a furnace to their bare feet. Only the wind from the west gave them hope that the moon would soon defeat the sun and reclaim the sky. 

Isaias looked up at the sky, and the fading sunlight consumed his face and left him with no sight. He took a deep breath, and before he could think to pause, he heard a strong female voice behind him shout, "Go on, you fool!" He was startled by the trembling voice of the old witch who watched over all the mandrins crossing the bridge.

He glanced at her face, and the grim expression on it made him move on against his will. His knee was almost to the point of collapsing. He had travelled such a long distance with the bag of bricks over his shoulder.

Isaias grew up in this environment. His mother was pregnant with him before the witches exercised their full power. Even though she had died, Isaias still had his father Amyas. Growing up as a servant was all life had given him, and he had never been fortunate enough to enjoy freedom. Those born before the witches' rule told stories of what it felt like to be free, and Isaias wondered if he would ever get that feeling, even if it was just a day when he could do what he wanted without being restricted by the Wall or watched over by the cruel women. 

After crossing the bridge, the Mandrins reached the large land area in front of them, where a foundation was being laid. A second castle was being built on the huge area, some of the prominent buildings had already been erected, and the Mandrins came there every day to work on them. The population of witches had grown, as had that of the Mandrins. The quarters where the Mandrins lived in the castle in cramped quarters were already overpopulated, and that led to what was being built on the vast land.

Isaias trudged into the middle of the field and threw the sack of freshly baked bricks over his shoulder. He turned to see how his father was coping with all the hard work and saw him struggling with the sack over his shoulder. 

"I am going to help him. Focus on what you are supposed to be doing," Elvio told him, referring to the instructions Isaias had received earlier from the witch. He was to dig a large part of the foundation before sunset.

He was not put to this alone, but together with nine others, including Elvio. His share was the largest and since only ten of them were working in the northern region of the field, it would be best if they did not waste time.

He picked up a shovel and made the first strike at the solidly cleared piece of land staring back at him. Just before he could strike it the second time, he felt a hand creep over his shoulder. 

"Father, are you all right?" he said. He sighed and placed his right hand on his father's shoulder after taking the shovel in his left hand.

The grey-haired old man staring into his eyes was weak, and Isaias saw that he needed rest. Amyas had been a labourer in this field when Isaias was a young boy. He had aged so well that his face was covered with wrinkles. His grey hair had no more room for any other colour.

"Son, I am fine. Do not worry about me, I have been doing this longer than you," he said to Isaias, forcing himself to smile. 

Isaias sighed and watched as his father took a shovel from the pile and went to join his friend Dalmatius and the others.

"He's a strong man," Elvio said. He also took a shovel and joined Isaias. 

"He needs rest more than anything else at this stage. I wish there was something I could do for him, but..." said Isaias to Elvio just above a whisper. The witches had eyes and ears everywhere, he needed to be careful with his words. 

He could not finish his statement as he and all nine men were distracted by the shrill sound emanating from his father's first hit. 

It sounded as if the tip of his shovel was hitting another metal, perhaps a stronger one. The effect caused Amyas to let go of the shovel. And then there was silence, followed by curiosity. Silence flooded their midst as everyone's attention was drawn to the spot where Amyas' shovel struck. 

"Amyas, what was that?" asked Dalmatius. His question broke the stifling silence. All nine men, including Amyas himself, had the same question in the back of their minds.

"I don't know," Amyas replied to Dalmatius' question. Everyone stopped working and gathered around Amyas as they watched him pick up his shovel and try to hit the same spot again. 

Isaias  and Elvio quickly covered their ears when they suddenly heard a shrill noise that was even louder than the first. Those closest to his father also covered their ears, because the sound could have deafened them - who were even closer to the source. 

Amyas’ eyes widened as he felt the ground beneath his feet vibrate. It was strong and he knew nothing good was going to come out of it. 

"Run!" said Dalmatius, crying out in fear.

Before they could all move away from the area, a strong wave broke over the earth, kicking up rocks buried deep in the earth's crust.

A green gem erupted along with the rocks. It was an explosion as the gem broke loose from the mud that covered part of it, releasing a dense green mist that swept each of them off their feet.

It smelled like the petals of Ovir: a highly poisonous flower that grew near the lake of Amist. The shrill sound stopped and all ten of them cried out in pain because they had fallen so violently on the rocks. 

Isaias touched his head and discovered a deep wound on his forehead. He turned to Elvio and saw that he had lost a lot of blood in that short time. "Elvio, Elvio, Elvio, stay with me, do you hear me!" he cried as he crawled to him. 

"Go, check on your father. He was closer than anyone else. He must be badly hurt," Elvio said and Isaias agreed with him. 

"Father!" he called out. He tried to get up and noticed that his knee was twisted. With all the events and devastation, he could not pay attention to his own body. Isaias groaned through clenched teeth as he fell back onto the sand, realizing how much his kneecap had slipped. With his left arm pressing against the ground and his left thigh dragging the sand, he tried to get to his father while avoiding the bum knee touching the ground. 

"Father! Talk to me," he said to his unconscious body while patting his cheek to bring him back to consciousness. His efforts were in vain, however, as he showed no signs of consciousness.

He examined his body for wounds but found none. Seeing him in this state reminded him of how he had lost his mother. 

Two witches ran down to the field, for it seemed that they had also been hit by the explosion. The sound had travelled through the walls and into the castle at the other end of the bridge.

"What just happened here?" yelled one of them, the older one, who was about Isaias' age. The other... a child, about 18.

Isaias looked up and caught sight of the green gem still floating in the air, glowing so strongly that even the sun could not block out its light. He could not look at it directly, he had to shield his eyes and look through his fingers. He pointed it out to the witch who screamed in response, and her attention was drawn to it. Isaias found it hard to believe that they were both looking at it without shielding their eyes. Amazingly, they did not even blink, not once.

"Callibra! The cursed Eye of Arak!" she groaned, expressing her knowledge of the gem with a strong desire to get her hands on it. Her eyes lusted for the gem, not only hers, but also the young girl's.