wounding him and putting his life at risk.’ The jarl took a deep breath, and his voice carried a chill. ‘And they attacked my son, Einar, who was unarmed and had provoked no one!’ Father almost hissed the end of the sentence through clenched teeth.
‘We have heard the charges.’ Heres turned to face the Gate and bowed deeply. Following his example, everyone did the same. ‘O good gods, who have been gracious enough to hear us mortals, look upon our grievances and deign to bestow your wisdom upon us. Grant us words of truth, bestow a just verdict, and punish the guilty. We, your humble and simple servants, beg for a moment of your eternity and words from your boundless storehouse of knowledge.’
Silence fell, disturbed only by the distant roar of waves crashing at the foot of the cliff and the rustling of leaves swayed by a gentle breeze. Everyone remained bowed, waiting for something to happen. After a long moment, Einar caught a sigh of relief, a malicious snort, and then silence fell.
A true silence, undisturbed by anything. Surprised, Toinen looked up. Everything looked normal. The leaves swayed on the trees, and the stars glinted on the waves. Suddenly, the temperature dropped. Einar instinctively looked at the Gate and could no longer see the horizon or the starlight through it. Between the marble columns lay darkness. A bottomless void, devoid of all light. The boy could not tear his gaze away from it and shuddered in fear as the space within the Gate cracked like a sheet of ice. The cracks quickly began to widen, and new ones appeared. Finally, when they covered the entire surface with a dense web, small shards began to fall through the Gate, revealing a tangible Darkness rippling like a very delicate fabric in a light breeze. Einar felt fear. An immense, paralysing and boundless fear. He did not know why, but his hearts were beating at a dizzying pace. Suddenly, a figure emerged from the darkness.
A boy, no more than ten years old, with a cheerful face and a
