The Fourth World Read online

  Amazon Edition

  Copyright © 2014 by Marina Sandoval

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof

  may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever

  without the express written permission of the author

  except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Translation: Marina Sandoval

  Proofreading: Abbey Edits

  Map and Front Page Illustration by: Ernest J. Yardley

  Cover Design by: Gaby Firmo

  Formatting by: Marina Costantin

  First English Edition

  [email protected]

  @marinacostantin

  To my characters, for allowing me to tell their stories.

  CONTENTS

  Chapter I - The Lighthouse

  Chapter II - Lácio

  Chapter III - Raban

  Chapter IV - Sermerios

  Chapter V - Hubert

  Chapter VI - Zauber

  Chapter VII - King Grant

  Chapter VIII - Reunited

  Chapter IX - Lorne

  Chapter X - The Prison of the Oasis

  Chapter XI - Lorne’s Plan

  Chapter XII - Deviation

  Chapter XIII - Chad’s Hiding Place

  Chapter XIV - The Second Tree

  Chapter XV - Minotaurs

  Chapter XVI - Waras

  Chapter XVII - Beach of Rocks

  Chapter XVIII - Kyla’s Lost

  Chapter XIX - Poisons

  Chapter XX - Dividing the Group

  Chapter XXI - Secret Passage

  Chapter XXII - Mermaids

  Chapter XXIII - In the Enemy’s Skin

  Chapter XXIV - Taking Prisoners

  Chapter XXV - Despair

  Chapter XXVI - Grail’s Spear

  Chapter XXVII - Gaining Time

  Chapter XXVIII - Sirenum

  Chapter XXIX - Vanity Fight

  Chapter XXX - Regrets

  Chapter XXXI - Promises

  Chapter XXXII - Duel

  Chapter XXXIII - Restart

  Glossary

  Alchemist’s Sphere: powerful object created by alchemists.

  Arvel: Arvelian’s city.

  Arvelians: winged beings.

  Asadelis: Rabans’ invention; means of transport that flies.

  Azura: human wizard.

  Cercopes: carnivorous creatures that live in the forest.

  Grant: Sermeria’s King.

  Habel: Arvelian; Azura and Kyla’s friend.

  Hubert: human; arrived in The Fourth World with Steven and the others.

  Imp: little being that can teleport, belongs to Raksha.

  Ivy: mutant animal.

  Kekuk: Raban; works in an asadelis.

  Kyla: Arvelian; works with Lorne.

  Lacio: human, Proctor’s brother.

  Mermaids: they live in Sirenum, a city at the bottom of the sea and can control the waters.

  Raban: city within an inactive volcano where Rabans live, race known for being great inventors.

  Richard: human, arrived in the Fourth World with Steven and the others.

  Sephir: Minotaur, Rhod’s brother.

  Sermeria: an island where the Sermerios live, they are responsible for the humans and the portal that brings them back to life.

  Silent Forest: where the Minotaur’s tribes are.

  Sirenum: city at the bottom of the ocean where mermaids live.

  Steven: human; arrived at The Fourth World with Richard and the others, he was the warship doctor.

  Theo: human, his mission was to be Zauber’s guinea pig in his potion experiments.

  Utgard: a place where there was a school for alchemists. After the gods hunted the alchemists for creating the Sphere, the place was abandoned.

  Virginia: human; refused to fulfill her mission.

  Special thank you for my parents that always believed in my books, to Natacha Scarpari that said I should translate The Fourth World so many times, to Ernie Yardley for drawing the map and the ship, and to Robin Dionne for helping me with the map, giving me ideas for the cover, and helping with the finishing touches.

  Chapter I - The Lighthouse

  A ship was navigating stormy seas at a time when waging war was nothing out of the ordinary. Four men were in a boat. They had no idea how they had come to be there. They only knew that the cannonballs had narrowly missed them. There was an explosion, shouting, and then, they had found themselves in the boat. The small vessel continued its journey alone.

  The enemy was amongst them–the pirate. But he was just as dazed as the rest of them. They gripped their rifles tightly, still trying to work out what was happening to them. The sound of the battle was deafening. They felt simultaneously confused and relieved that they were no longer on the ship.

  We should disarm him! thought the two soldiers, but their bodies wouldn’t obey. The pirate was murmuring words under his breath, so quietly that even he couldn’t hear them. It seemed to be a kind of prayer. The waves were drenching them, as well as obscuring their vision.

  The sound of the cannons lessened, and the shouts got ever quieter. Smoke and fog filled the air; it was impossible to see anything. They remained quiet, and, although they knew something wasn’t quite right, the silence gave them a sense of peace they hadn't experienced in a very long time, so they made the most of the moment and didn't question it.

  After a while, the sounds faded away altogether, and the sea became calm. If it hadn’t been for the cold and the pain, they would have fallen asleep.

  For a while, they remained in silence, in the fog, lost in their own thoughts, until they saw a distant light. It occurred to one of them–the youngest–to take up the oars and row towards the light, but his arms seemed too heavy for him to lift. Nonetheless, the boat drifted in the direction of the light, and the closer they got, the stronger the light became, until it was so bright, it almost blinded them.

  Dazed, they squeezed their eyes shut and when they eventually managed to open them, they found themselves in front of a lighthouse, at the base of which was a small house and a jetty, but no boats.

  They were already feeling less disoriented. The oldest was the first to move. He got out of the boat and the others–except the pirate–did the same. They tied up the boat and then bound the hands and feet of the pirate, who offered no resistance. He had a large head wound, which explained his empty gaze and the way his body swayed, as if he was going to faint at any moment. They left him in the boat and, with slow and cautious steps, walked towards the house.

  All the windows were shut tight and no lights were on. They tried to open the door, but it was locked. They were just about the return to the boat when a light flickered on and, seconds later, a woman opened the door. She wore simple clothes, had long hair in a high bun, unblemished skin, and an air of worry and urgency. She was shocked and alarmed at the sight of the men, taking a few steps backward and nearly stumbling.

  They put down their weapons and raised their hands.

  “Don't panic; we're not going to hurt you,” said the eldest.

  She carefully studied the palms of their hands and for some reason, that simple act calmed her tremendously.

  The youngest of the group was blonde with light eyes and seemed to be much older than he really was. The other was much taller and more robust, with an awkward air about him. His eyes were green, and his brown hair covered his forehead. Exhausted and impatient as he was, the youngest said, “Would you mind telling us where we are?”

  “How did you get here?” she asked.

  “We were involved in the battle.”

  “What battle?” asked the frightened woman.

  “We’re at war, Madam! We were attacked
by pirates!”

  The woman sunk into her thoughts and stayed there. She had been in that place for so long that she never thought about what could be happening in her world. She only remembered her visitors when the taller young man cried out, “We’re dead!”

  “No, you’re not dead! At least, not yet,” said the woman, in her constant tone of worry.

  Those words had a greater impact than the woman could have imagined. If they weren’t dead, they would have to go back to war, and the tall young man hated it. He wasn’t like his fellows, who faced everything with defiance. He was scared and never knew what to do. Such was his disappointment, that he left the woman and his companions, walked to the end of the jetty, and sat on the edge with his feet trailing in the water.

  The pirate groaned, and they went to him. The woman followed and immediately saw that he was seriously hurt.

  “Bring him in.”

  The youngest and the oldest lifted the pirate and carried him into the house, but the other remained there with his eyes fixed on the water. It no longer mattered to him where they were, because they would have to go back. He wished they were dead, but they weren’t.

  The pirate had deep, charcoal-colored eyes and dark hair that fell to his shoulders. He looked just as disoriented as the woman. They laid him on the sofa and he remained motionless.

  The oldest man had short, red hair with sideburns and a badly-kept beard. He bowed, smiled politely, apologized, and introduced himself.

  “I am Dr. Steven. A pleasure to meet you. This here is Richard,” said Steven, laying his hands on the youngster’s shoulders, “and that lad perched on the jetty is Mr. Hubert.”

  The woman said nothing and paid little attention to what they said, looking at them as though they were out of place. The doctor continued to talk, speaking slowly, as he was under the impression that the woman couldn’t understand him. He explained how they had gotten lost and asked if she could tell them where they were.

  The woman stuck her head out the front door and looked towards Mr. Hubert. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for him to stare at the water for long.”

  She came back into the house, and the other two exchanged a glance, without thinking much of what she’d just said. In their minds, they had already decided that she must be the lighthouse keeper's wife, who, having spent so much time alone, had gone slightly mad.

  The house was simple. There was a staircase opposite the door and a small parlor on the left, where the woman was opening drawers, as if she was looking for something.

  “I must have a map here somewhere. You can sit down.” It was then that she realized that no one had gone after Hubert. “Where’s the other one?”

  They heard something falling into the water and Richard went running. He didn’t know why, but he felt sure it was something serious. He was too late, though. The last thing he saw was Hubert, shrouded by violet-blue smoke, jumping into the sea.

  Richard shouted and ran towards his friend, with the others following him, but by the time they reached the jetty, the smoke had dissipated, and Hubert along with it.

  Richard jumped into the water in desperation, diving one, two, three times, as deeply as he could, before coming up for air, but the sea was so dark that it seemed Hubert had disappeared.

  “You won’t find him. I’d get out of there before you go the same way,” the woman said. Steven helped Richard out of the water. “Don’t worry; I don’t think he’s dead, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  They looked at the woman as one would look at a lunatic, but before they could say anything, she preempted them. “Things are different here.” She put her hand in her pocket, took out a cigarette, lit it, and began to smoke. She was obviously an extremely nervous person, unused to receiving visitors.

  “You need to find the sermerios.” She paused, measuring her words. “They’ll explain everything to you.”

  They continued looking at her questioningly. As much as everything she said seemed completely absurd, part of them was already beginning to believe that they were no longer in a war.

  “Could you lend us that map, please?” asked the doctor. His thought process was simple. If she was a madwoman, a map would lead them to the closest base, and if she wasn’t… either way, the only thing he wanted was to get off that jetty, which gave him goosebumps.

  She went into the house and kept looking for the map. The two sat down in the parlor. Richard was devastated, with tears in his eyes. He kept the tears in, but every centimeter of his body trembled.

  “You wouldn't have any dry clothes, would you? To stop my friend from freezing?” enquired Steven.

  “Of course! Forgive me. Come with me.”

  The two went up the stairs and Steven thanked her.

  Shortly afterward, the woman came down and continued her search, whilst the doctor tried to get more information.

  “Have you lived here long?”

  “For a while, but I don’t live here. I’m only here for the time being… at least, I hope so.”

  “Have you already met these sermerios? Are they a tribe or… what are they?”

  “Yes, I have already met them, and no, they’re not a tribe.”

  “And why are you still here?”

  “They gave me a mission that I didn’t want to carry out… found it!” she said, taking a crumpled piece of paper out of a drawer.

  “Here it is!” She opened the map on a long table in the center of the room.

  Richard ran down the stairs at the sound and they gathered around her.

  “When Ivy comes with the food, you will follow her, and once you are out of the fog, you will be here.” She pointed to a spot on the map. When they looked at where she pointed, they realized that they had never seen this topography before.

  The woman continued, “The sermerios are on the other side of the river; that means you’ll need a boat. I'm going to ask Ivy to take you to the nearest town. When you get there, you should get a boat or maybe a means of air transport... I don’t think it will be a problem; many beings help those who have just arrived. You must be hungry; I'll make something to eat. You're a doctor, are you not? You should take care of him; the ride is long,” she said, pointing to the unconscious pirate on the couch.

  She went into the kitchen, leaving both men perplexed, staring at the map.

  Richard could not stop himself and went after the woman. He had no doubt that the map proved they were somewhere else; maybe they were on a continent that had never been discovered.

  “What happened to Hubert?”

  “He probably went to Arvel.”

  “But you say he's okay?”

  “I think so.”

  “And how will he find these sermerios? Would not be better if we went after him first?”

  “It is not good to be walking around without first talking to the sermerios. One way or another, he will find out what to do. There are no groups here; each one has its own mission and must do it alone. At least, that's what they think.”

  “Why you don’t come with us?”

  “I can’t! I'm stuck here.”

  “I don’t see anyone stopping you.”

  “If I leave, they will find me and kill me. You don’t always need handcuffs to be a prisoner.”

  “What was the mission you didn’t complete?” Steven asked, listening to the conversation in the kitchen doorway.

  “I was supposed to kill a... a person. Not quite a person, but anyway, I couldn’t do it.”

  Realizing the subject troubled her, he decided not to ask any more questions, and then he remembered that they still didn’t know her name.

  “May we know your name?”

  She thought for a moment and finally decided to say, “Virginia.”

  While they talked, she cooked. There was meat, potatoes, vegetables, and bread. Everything had a tasty smell that made Richard salivate. She placed the food on the table.

  Steven was staring at the map, trying to find a place he knew. She went
back to the kitchen and picked up a wet cloth and a knife. When Steven noticed that she was cleaning the pirate's wounds and freeing his hands and feet, he got irritated.

  “You shouldn’t do that! He's dangerous!”

  “Here he is no longer an enemy. We're all the same.” She thrust a vinegar bottle underneath the pirate's nose and he woke up. “You need to eat. Sit down.”

  The pirate gave her a crooked smile, his eyes still empty. He stood up, staggering, and attacked the food, which Richard had already begun to do as well.

  “When is your friend coming?” the doctor asked impatiently, not taking his eyes off his enemy.

  “I don’t know.”

  They ate in silence for a while. The men were a little frightened, but no one wanted to be alarmed. After all, they were men of war; they should not be afraid. So, they acted as if everything was normal, but she knew what was going through their heads, since she had already been in the same situation.

  “I know how it all seems confusing at first. I've been through this, but it's not my job to explain everything to you, and if I do, you may have a misconception of what's going on here. I'm sorry that I can’t ease your tension.”

  They ate and drank beer, but it was not like the beer they were accustomed to. It had a reddish-brown color, the taste was sweet, and it went down with tenderness.

  “Since I can’t tell you much, it would be good if you could tell me about this war you were in.” For the first time, they saw a timid smile on her face and Steven thought she was beautiful.

  At first, they didn't know what to say, but then, with the help of alcohol, they broke free. Richard told her his father was a brave soldier and he wanted to be like him.

  Steven did not reveal that much; he just said, “The only ones who go to war with the intent to save and not kill are us.”

  After a moment of silence, the woman asked the pirate, “And you, what's your name?”

  He looked up and stared at her.

  “Thomas.”

  “He's a killer; don’t listen to him,” Steven said.