CHAPTER 1

Resurrection

Nothing but darkness existed, swirling around him like a whirlpool. Coldness and despair filled his senses. The passage of time was unmeasured. Had he been here for a moment or an eternity? What was he waiting for? Release from the dark void that surrounded him, which was him.

* * *

After the main battle with the Empress's forces, minor skirmishes between the Freemen and soldiers still loyal to the now-deceased royal family continued. Word spread quickly across the continent that the Empire was defeated, and communities everywhere were ridding themselves of Imperial representatives in favor of local leadership. The larger cities where the Imperial families had resided, three in particular, were targeted by the Freemen and Arctic leadership as areas to set up a new democratic government patterned after the ancient government of the United States of America.

The underground city of Ayers served as the military base for the battle between Freemen forces and those of the Empress. Now that the battle was over, the military base was no longer needed. The bases were organized above ground near communities, so the soldiers' families could be close to them. The main headquarters and training base was set up at Mount Curie, which left the city of Ayers free for people to live their lives normally again without military protocols. The Arctics were aliens who colonized Antarctica centuries ago. They have never been part of Earth's mainstream population and were always referred to as "Arctics." Their King, Jerrick Minotai, requested that the city of Ayers be the place for his people to reside. They were unaccustomed to the hot temperatures and exposure to the sun that life on the surface provided. The Freemen agreed to the request on the condition that those who did not want to return to residence above ground were allowed to stay. Most families wanted to move back to lands once occupied by their ancestors; only a few of the shopkeepers and business men stayed.

Life in the Land of Xanthus was changing. People began calling the continent Australia again and Freemen was now the name of the army that overthrew the ruling families. The people now referred to themselves as Australians, and they were proud of the name. Songwriters everywhere were composing national anthems, trying to write the one that people would like best. Finally, a computer technician in Ayers found the original anthem for Australia in the historical files the Arctics brought with them. "Waltzing Matilda" was soon heard every morning along with a flag raising; the flag's design was also found in the ancient files.

O'lahn Aratune, advisor to King Minotai, resigned as military advisor to work full time on reconstructing a government for Australia. O'lahn was pouring over descriptions of ancient governments for what seemed the hundredth time when he was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in," he said absently. O'lahn hit a button on his desktop to shut off the vid-screen and turned to see who was interrupting him.

King Minotai walked through the door, closing it behind him. "I hope I am not disturbing you O'lahn, but I would like a word."

"By all means Sir. I am always available for you." O'lahn stood until his King sat in a chair opposite him, and then he sat again. He had a comfortable relationship with his uncle, but at work, he showed nothing but respect for the King.

Jerrick smiled as he sat down and waited for his nephew to be seated before speaking. "The Freemen are sending a group out to the Empress's castle on Rottnest Island to see what can be done with the structure government wise. I am impressed with their desire to remove the mark of the Empire from Australia, but they do not seem to want to look beyond the shores of this continent. A defeated Empire and freedom for Australia is only a small victory in the overall battle against the evil that threatens Earth. If we don't find and defeat Izamore, Australia will not remain free for long."

O'lahn took advantage of the King's pause to add his own thoughts. "I agree with you Sir. Now that Arra is recovering, the Seven will be able to continue their work." His cousin was seriously injured in the final battle with the Empire. They were not sure she would survive, and the joy on the King's face over his granddaughter's recovery was unmistakable.

"Yes, Arra is recovering, but it will be at least another month before she can travel. At Arra's insistence, the others are slowly coming back together as a group under the leadership of Moose. But until she is ready, I need you to do some investigative groundwork for me. I want you to go to Rottnest Island with the Freemen group as my representative. They have already agreed, and will allow you to check out any areas of the island I wish." Jerrick stood and took an envelope from his pocket, handing it to O'lahn. "These are the areas I want you to pay special attention to. We must find out more information about the Stygian Order and Izamore."

Opening the envelope, O'lahn said, "I will do as you ask Sir. When do I leave?"

"This afternoon. The transport shuttle is ready to launch. You will have one week on the island. I will expect a full report the minute you get back." King Minotai headed for the door without another word. Even when they were alone, O'lahn insisted on formality at work. The King respected that about his nephew.

He let the King leave in silence. Grinning inside, O'lahn knew what information King Minotai was looking for and was excited to go. He quickly read the contents of the envelope again before putting it into his briefcase. There wasn't much time to pack, so he quickly locked up his office and headed for his living quarters. He wanted to share the news with his mother before he left .

For years, O'lahn was Special Advisor to King Jerrick Minotai and teacher to the King's granddaughter Arra, who is also his cousin. He watched her leave the Antarctic colony to find six others that would fulfill the ancient Prophecy of Hope:

From Seven lands will come seven, Strong, united, without fear. After many years of darkness, They will bring forth the light of freedom.

O'lahn had sat in offices and command centers, organizing and directing the evacuation of the Antarctic colony to Australia, and then the battle for freedom from Imperial rule while Arra traveled the world. She was gathering the group that is now referred to as "Force Seven." O'lahn always wished he could travel and be part of the adventures with his cousin and help defeat the evil that was still growing on Earth. Now was his chance. The King was sending him to search through the rooms that belonged to the most powerful wizard in Australia. Galien was of course dead, but who knew what booby traps or magical things he may have left behind.

O'lahn thought about everything the members of the Seven had told him about the Empress' castle and the wizard's rooms while the shuttle flew toward Rottnest Island. He was examining the floor plan when the shuttle landed in the castle's front courtyard.

The delegation of Australians disembarked ahead of O'lahn. They were met by a boy who, although tall, couldn't have been more than 13 years old. His dark-blonde hair was flying in different directions and matched his patched dirty pants and shirt. He wore his clothes neatly with his shirt tucked in and his light-brown eyes hinted at intelligence.

The boy was well spoken and formal. "My name is Elio. Welcome to Rottnest Island gentlemen and lady." He bowed slightly toward the lone woman in the group.

Maria Graiden was an Australian who had been tasked to check out the Empress's quarters. She smiled back at the boy and he continued. "I brought a small group of servants to take care of you while you're in the castle. There are no others on the Island. It has been deserted for the last month since the animals started dying and the birds flew away."

"Why are the animals dying?" Maria asked. She looked up at the castle's tall walls and felt a chill on her skin.

"No one knows. Some people think it's the spirit of the dead wizard taking revenge on all living things." He chuckled and shook his head as he spoke. "I don't believe that though." The boy began to walk toward the castle doors.

O'lahn felt a spark of excitement at the mention of the dead wizard. He moved to the front of the group as they climbed the steps. "What do you think ... uh ... what is your name again?"

Elio stopped and faced O'lahn. "Elio. And I think there was some poison left behind after the battle for power on this island or the wizard may have cursed the land, but I don't believe in ghosts." Elio grinned and turned toward the castle once again. The group followed.

Once inside, Elio informed them of mealtimes and general directions to the dining hall as they followed him to the second floor of the south wing. "You may choose any room in this hallway for your quarters. Numbers have been chalked on the doors. Give your number to one of the maids at dinner tonight, so your room will be kept up." Elio turned to go down stairs; his job was done and he wanted to get away from the dignitaries. He was no longer a street urchin looking for an easy mark, but people in authority still made him nervous. He hoped that John (one of the Seven that he worked for when everything in Perth became so chaotic) would be with the group, but he wasn't. He was almost to the bottom of the stairs when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

O'lahn put his things in the nearest room so he could hurry and catch up to Elio. He wanted to get some information from the boy about the island and castle. He thought a friendly conversation would be a good way to start. "Excuse me, Elio." O'lahn startled the boy and quickly continued to try and diffuse his obvious discomfort. "If this island was deserted, how is it that you are here and with these other people?"

Elio was instinctively defensive when he was touched, but he immediately changed his attitude. After all, this man is an Arctic, so he must know his friends. "I was informed by John Slater of the delegation's arrival, and he asked me to be here at the castle with help for your group." John contacted him through the underground radio that Elio's uncle maintained, but he did not mention it even though he felt he could trust this man. It was a closely guarded secret because factions of Imperial sympathizers were continuing to make trouble in the city.

"I see." O'lahn saw the boy's tension relax and pushed on. "My name is O'lahn Aratune. I am Special Advisor to King Jerrick Minotai. I know John very well, along with the other six members of Force Seven. As I am sure you noticed by my eyes, I am an Arctic. Arra is my cousin." He hoped that by letting Elio know of his close association with the Seven, the boy would be more comfortable and not just talk with him, but show him around as well.

"You are a friend of the boss?" Elio smiled and spoke with the excitement of a boy his age.

"The boss?" O'lahn had not heard that reference before.

"John." Elio spoke with a hint of impatience. "The boss."

"Why do you call John the boss?"

"I worked for him when he was here in Perth. I helped him get on this island." Now he grinned in pride.

O'lahn thought the boy was warming up to him. "Yes, I remember him telling me how helpful a young man was to him." The story he was told hadn't lead him to believe the boy was so young. Despite his age, the actions Elio took during that dangerous mission made him a young man. "Well, I am here to check out the wizard's rooms. Can you help me? And maybe while we are looking around, you can tell me all about this castle and the island."

Elio planned on returning to the kitchen where his grandmother was cooking dinner to continue with his lessons. He'd been working on reading and writing to impress John the next time he saw him. O'lahn was a friend of John's though, and helping him look around the wizard's quarters sounded like a lot more fun. "Th at would be great. What room do you want to start in?"

"Why don't we start with a general tour of the castle and grounds, and then you can tell me some of the history of this place as we walk." O'lahn followed Elio around the castle and listened intently to all he had to say. Much of the information was all new to him, and he asked many questions. By the time they were done, dinner was ready.

"My grandmother has prepared a wonderful fish dinner; we can begin with the wizard's rooms in the morning." Elio led the way to the dining room and continued to regale O'lahn with descriptions of his grandmother's cooking talents.

O'lahn found the dinner to be very good, and was surprised at how much he enjoyed Maria's company. She sat next to him at the table and they talked about the history he learned from Elio. Maria was a historian herself and found the topic very interesting. He found himself looking into her eyes as often as he could. When he realized she was looking into his as well, he began to feel nervous. O'lahn had never taken the time to develop a relationship with a woman before. As an Arctic, he will live for hundreds of years, so he never felt a need to hurry that part of his life. The food was wonderful, but its taste was lost to his senses, as the beautiful dark-brown eyes and flowing hair were all his brain wanted to focus on.

After dinner, O'lahn and Maria walked back to the guest hallway together and parted at her door. He wanted to hold her hand, give her a hug, and even a small kiss. She had completely overwhelmed him with her intelligence and charm.

"I will see you at breakfast in the morning Maria." O'lahn bowed and forced himself to walk away. He also managed to keep his goodbye formal.

Morning came and a quick, quiet knock at O'lahn's door awoke him from a dream of Maria. He climbed out of the very comfortable bed and opened his door to find Elio bright-eyed and ready to explore.

"Sir, I thought you might like to see the sunrise from the wizard's tower. We have about two hours before breakfast."

O'lahn was about to say no, but then thought better of it. He was here to do a job for the King, and it would not do to linger around the dining room waiting for Maria to show up for breakfast when he could be examining the wizard's tower. "I would indeed; just give me a minute to dress." He closed the door and went to find some clothes.

Elio led him to the west wing of the castle and up a flight of stairs. At the far end of the hall, the boy pointed at the door to the wizard's tower. O'lahn remembered it from the general tour the day before.

As he reached for the door knob, Elio grabbed his arm and stopped him. "This tower and the dungeon below have not been opened since the night the great eagle, Talon, defeated Galien. We should be careful of magical traps."

O'lahn paused a moment before he reached for the door. He took note of the boy moving a few steps back. If there were magic traps, they couldn't detect them anyway, and he had to go into the room to do his job. He found himself holding his breath as the knob turned and he pushed open the door. Nothing happened, however, and they walked slowly up a stairwell that curved in a spiral ending at another door. O'lahn did not hesitate this time. He was too excited about what was behind the door to care if it was locked or booby trapped. What he found inside was more than he could have hoped for. The sunrise through the window of the room was beautiful, but he didn't notice.

The room was full of books in cases along the walls. A large desk was on the far side of the room with a black velvet curtain behind it. O'lahn walked inside and started looking at the books on the shelves to his left . Some were very old—their age was made evident by the worn bindings. A layer of dust covered everything in the room, making it hard to read the titles. As O'lahn dusted off books, Elio wandered over to the desk and looked at the objects on it.

"O'lahn, the books on this desk are probably the ones the wizard was using before his death." Elio reached for one. "Maybe they have information in them that you need." Before the boy could pick up one of the books, O'lahn was at the desk grabbing the first one.

"Excellent observation!" O'lahn said excitedly, a little embarrassed at his greedy behavior. "I will take these to my quarters and read through them."

The two spent another hour going through the drawers in the desk, finding different objects and papers that O'lahn put aside for later study. After checking every stone in the wall for a false panel, Elio turned to O'lahn and announced that it was time to leave and go to breakfast.