CHAPTER TWO-THE BROTHERS

"Why did you bring me here? How did you know where I’d be?"

The new smell of crisp autumn air blew through the open windows while Daniel walked beside Nicholas as he looked over the murals and statues that lined the halls of the main building. This clean, untainted world of new scents and colors was overload to Daniel's senses. Everywhere he turned, it was like a new beginning.

An amused smirk curled up on the old warlock's mouth as he held out his hand to usher Daniel down another hall where the family resided. "I didn't bring you here. Even the wisest among us cannot travel through time as you have. You did that all by yourself. You're more powerful than you know, my son. In fact, I venture to say you may be the most powerful warlock this world has ever known."

A dull ache began in Daniel's chest as he kept scanning the places he walked for the woman in his visions, she was the reason he came after all. "Where's the woman? The one with red hair. She's the one who showed me the way here. She asked me to save her, I think she’s in trouble."

Nicholas smiled and sighed through his nose as he stopped in front of a door at the end of the hall. "She will be along in time. Now, while you're here, you will train in the old ways. You will learn how to fight as we do. To live as we do. We are a community here, Daniel, everyone does their part and you will serve in the city's defenses to earn your keep for now."

Looking in Nicholas's eyes, Daniel nodded his head in respect of his new benefactor. Daniel longed to be a real warlock like he’d heard stories about when he was young. "I understand. It would be my honor to learn under you."

As Nicholas opened the door to his new home, Daniel looked the room over. It was a large suite of a bedroom with a fluffy bed near the balcony that overlooked the outdoor dining hall and forest beyond the city. It was a far cry from the cold and tidy bunks that the Emperor provided to his men.

Daniel set his things down on a couch that sat by the door as he glanced around the room at more of the same ancient, faded murals of long-ago battles that lined the walls. "I don't understand why I'm here. Not that I'm not grateful, but what did I do to deserve this?"

Nicholas crossed his arms in front of him and shrugged one shoulder while he pushed out his lips. "This is your destiny Daniel. Fate always puts you in the path that is correct, it is your responsibility to figure out why along the way. Don't worry about the details yet, just see where it leads you. Now, dinner is served at sundown, which, by the way is now. Clean yourself up then come back to the hall where you entered. You will hear us."

When Nicholas pulled the door shut behind him, Daniel went into the bathroom and washed his face and hands. Pulling off his shirt, the evidence of a life of servitude to his warlock master became clear. The healed scars of the beatings and lashings he'd received since he ran away from home as a teenager lined his back and chest.

The Emperor was a cruel master who demanded complete loyalty and promised fortune and fame but delivered little except pain and misery. Daniel cursed himself now as he realized how blind he'd been and that he could have found this place long ago.

Walking back into the hallway, Daniel followed the sounds of loud chatter to the dining room. It sat outdoors because the North Woods was an enchanted city where the weather was always a beautiful Autumn day.

As the beautiful red, brown and orange leaves fell from the trees above, the men and women of the city sat together as a family. Daniel felt a twinge of anxiety as he passed through the crowded room and looked for Nicholas. These people were happy and warm which was something alien to the young man.

The world Daniel was born into was void of most wildlife, and he'd only really ever known manufactured food, so when the aroma of roasted meet entered Daniel's nose for the first time, his mouth salivated with a new longing as his growling stomach called out for a taste.

Seeing Daniel searching for him, Nicholas stood from his seat at the head table and waved him over. As Daniel took a seat next to the wise wizard, Nicholas motioned to the men around him. "Daniel let me introduce you to a few of my children. This is Agamori, Mage and Uzzi."

Daniel looked to the three men and nodded while the servers put a plate of food and a cup of wine in front of him. "My name is Daniel Darke."

The nearly thousand-year-old Agamori raised his arrogant white eyebrow to Daniel. "You must be a witch of great skill to travel here on your own."

As Daniel licked the taste of the strange, sweet liquid off his lip, he looked to Agamori and shook his head. "I don't know how that happened. I was...I was following the woman in my vision. She told me to come here." Snickering to himself, Daniel said, "I was just following her."

Glancing to his father, Agamori smiled a tight-lipped grin while the evening breeze caught his white hair then lifted it from his back and blew the subtle scent of the red-haired woman across Daniel's face. His eyes snapped up to the pale warlock as the burn of jealousy rose in his chest.

Sensing Daniel’s uncomfortable stare upon him, Agamori took his glass in his hand and glanced to Daniel "It is a rare gift to travel through space and time without a guide. Even the oldest of us have difficulty doing so. I am quite eager to see what other skills you have yet unknown."

While the evening carried on and the men's tongues grew looser, the wine began to work its spell on Daniel, and he finally managed a small smile as Nicholas told stories of the old times. Every now and then when he caught the smell of her again, Daniel would look back over his shoulder and dart his eyes around the room searching for her.

Watching Daniel frantically look for his daughter, Nicholas put his hand on Daniel's shoulder and shook his head. "She's not here Daniel. Not yet."

Daniel's heart sunk in his chest, and he nodded in understanding then returned to his food.

Walking back to his room that night, Daniel slid his fingers along the murals and flashes of ancient memories came into his mind. Every second he spent in this new world he found, Daniel's powers grew.

Stopping in the library, Daniel looked at a mural and crossed his arms as he took in every curve of the artists brush strokes and cracked ancient scrap of paint. In the scene a dark-haired warlock with flashing dark eyes struck down and enormous monster of a beast. In his slightly drunken state, Daniel sneered at the beast and a cold chill went down his back. "Fuck you, you ugly bastard."

"That's the Great Evil." Daniel startled and gasped back a breath as Nicholas walked up behind him. "Nearly a thousand years ago, that creature tore our whole world apart and killed nearly half the people. It took all the power we could muster to contain it."

Glancing over his shoulder to Nicholas, Daniel looked around the old warlock's face. "Contain? You didn't kill it?"

Nicholas came to Daniel's side and sighed as he crossed his arms. "Nothing ever really dies, Daniel. Even when your body ceases to breathe, you will go on as does The Evil. His soul lingers on the wind and in the hearts of bad men. The time will come when he is able to poke a hole into this world and begin his reign of terror again." Putting his hand on Daniel's shoulder, Nicholas looked at Daniel. "We must be ready when the time comes."

As his eyes took in every horrid feature of the monster, Daniel nodded. "We will be."

"I have no doubt. I know the things you've done Daniel." Daniel glanced back to Nicholas and licked his lips as he glanced to the floor and nodded. "We need men like you. Men who aren't afraid of doing what needs to be done to win. The fate of all depends on your ability to be ruthless. It is your gift to us. Don't be ashamed."

Daniel huffed out through his nose and smirked to himself. "Another master told me the same thing once."

Nicholas turned to Daniel and shook his head. "But this time, no one's demanding that you do so for glory or power, only for survival. And here, Daniel, you are your own master. You are free to come and go as you please. The only thing that binds you to me or anyone else is your own loyalty. There are no chains to tie you down."

Looking into Nicolas's eyes, Daniel said, "You know why I'm here."

Smiling at Daniel, Nicholas turned away. "Yes. There's much to do before she returns. You should get some rest. Your training starts in the morning."

As Daniel walked back to his room, he felt the doors with his hands as he walked by until he reached one that made his fingers buzz and knew who belonged there. Closing his eyes, Daniel pushed the door open and the gentle smell of wildflowers from his memory swirled around him.

Closing the door behind him, Daniel walked to the bed in the corner of the room and sank down into it on his belly. "It's you. Where are you? Please come home."

Burying his face into the pillow she once rested her head upon, Daniel's chest filled with an ache he'd not felt since he was a lonely child begging for his family's attention. His broken heart called out for her, and he'd never be whole until she was finally by his side. Whatever their connection was lit a fire inside Daniel and his whole body was consumed by the burning desire to be in her presence.

The soft bed he laid on invited him to stay as his heavy eyelids began to bob up and down. Pushing himself up, Daniel slid his fingers across the pleasingly silky sheets as he walked towards the door. Before leaving the room, Daniel looked back at her bed and put his hand over his heart. "Everything I do is for you now. Wherever you are, you are my Queen."