Chapter 3. The World of Grozdan

The brothers found themselves in a clearing dotted with stone pillars. The pillars in the world of Grozdan, just like in the world of Kerdiven, were square in shape, with pyramidal points at their tops. Runes were carved on every pillar.

The weather was warm, summery. Cumulus clouds drifted across the sky, and two small yellow suns, the size of hazelnuts, shone above the clearing. One sun hung higher, the other a little lower and to the side. Ahead, a forest could be seen, and behind, mountains.

"We need to remember our own gates between worlds, so we can find our way home later," Blagomir said, looking at the multitude of pillars. Then he continued: "It's easy to remember by the runes — they're different on every gate."

"Yes, it seems this is a crossroads of many worlds, and from here you can reach many different worlds of our universe," Vidomir said.

"It's not like flying on a ship for a long time — you step into the gates between worlds and instantly find yourself in another world," Blagomir added.

"That's for sure! And no need to spend star-dust on ships either," Vidomir exclaimed.

"The fairy Ain said that once you step out of the gates between worlds in the world of Grozdan, you need to walk forward," Blagomir remembered.

"Let's walk forward for now, and maybe we'll meet someone along the way," Vidomir suggested.

Whether the brothers walked long or short, they suddenly saw on the ground an injured, half-dead little bird — a slavey.

"A songbird, it sings beautifully, we need to help it," Blagomir said.

"Burns visible on its feathers — it's frightening to think who could have hurt it like this," Vidomir said with sympathy.

"Do you think a Chernyak has reached the world of Grozdan?" Blagomir asked thoughtfully.

"It's very possible. Let's help the little bird already," Vidomir said.

Blagomir took out the dead water and sprinkled it on the bird's wound. The wound healed at once. Vidomir took out the living water and sprinkled it on the bird. The bird came back to life.

The slavey bird greeted them, thanked her saviors, and asked:

"Where are you headed, kind people?"

Blagomir and Vidomir greeted the little bird. Blagomir answered:

"We need the wizard Vestislav, to lift the spell from us and from our mother Veseya."

The brothers told the slavey bird their whole story. The bird sympathized with them.

The slavey bird possessed telepathy and could read the thoughts of those she spoke with. She began telling her own story silently, transmitting her thoughts:

"A Chernyak is watching us. So that he doesn't overhear our conversation, I'll pass some things to you in thought. Don't answer aloud, just think it, and I'll understand."

Blagomir and Vidomir agreed.

The little bird began her story. She revealed that she was the helper of the wizard Vestislav, and that the evil Chernyak had inflicted her wounds. The Chernyak had been trying to find out where the wizard Vestislav kept the key to the many worlds. The Chernyak was plotting something wicked. Most likely, he wanted to use the key to open a portal into his own world of Antiano, to let in hordes of Chernyaks.

"I'll pass my thoughts to the wizard Vestislav now, without the verben crystal, so the Chernyak can't overhear our conversation," the slavey bird told Blagomir and Vidomir in thought. "I'll warn him of the danger and ask him to open a portal for us to travel through."

About two minutes later, a portal opened before them — a circle about three slant-fathoms across, filled with mist. The mist in the portal dispersed, and on the other side, an orchard with fruit trees became visible.

"Quick, let's go through the portal!" the slavey bird urged.

The slavey bird flew into the portal, and Blagomir and Vidomir hurried in after her.

Coming out of the portal, they found themselves in a fruit orchard. The portal closed behind them. On a branch of an apple tree sat the slavey bird.

"I can feel the evil Chernyak, he's somewhere nearby," she conveyed to Blagomir and Vidomir in thought.

Suddenly the wizard Vestislav appeared. In his right hand he held a staff, and in his left, a round, silvery object, the length of a palm and the thickness of two fingers. Vestislav was already quite elderly. On his head grew gray hair a foot and a half long, and his head was adorned with a circlet bearing an ancient embroidered pattern. His face was adorned with a gray beard, an ell long. He was dressed in a dark purple mantle.

Vestislav at once pointed his staff two meters from Vidomir, and from the staff poured a bright, thin, white light in the shape of a beam. In this beam a Chernyak appeared, and he could not break free of the beam.

"Take the key to the worlds, granddaughter," Vestislav said to the slavey bird, and threw her the object he had been holding in his left hand.

The little bird instantly turned into a human — a young maiden with long golden hair. Over her shoulders was a cloak-mantle. On the inner side of the cloak, runes were drawn. Such cloaks were usually worn by sorceresses. The cloaks served as magical armor, the way warrior-mages wore armor. The maiden caught the key and pointed it behind the Chernyak, quickly whispering an incantation. A transit portal opened. The wizard Vestislav directed the Chernyak into the portal with his magical beam.

"Supreme Keeper Marha, drive the evil Chernyak back to his world of Antiano!" the wizard Vestislav shouted.

On the other side of the transit portal, the gates to the world of Antiano could be seen, and a thousand-strong army of Keepers guarding the gates. The Keepers looked like ordinary people, differing from humans only by their white wings. The Keepers were dressed in silvery armor.

The Keepers caught the evil Chernyak in their magical energy beams and led him to the gates of the world of Antiano. Opening the gates for a moment, they sent the Chernyak into his world, then closed the passage behind him.

The wizard and his granddaughter thanked the Supreme Keeper Marha and all the Keepers, after which the young maiden closed the portal.

The wizard Vestislav greeted Blagomir and Vidomir:

"Hello, hello, Blagomir and Vidomir!"

The brothers weren't too surprised that the wizard knew their names. They greeted him in return and wanted to tell their story, but Vestislav interrupted them:

"I know, I know, about your adventures. In the Sreydim dimension, I spoke with the fairy Ain, and with the spirits: the stone Gvaul, the little stream Ele, the forest Bran, the mountain Elban, and the river Nikhasa. They told me everything. The Chernyak that Supreme Keeper Marha and the Keepers just sent to the world of Antiano was that very same Chernyak from the world of Kerdiven, who enchanted you and your mother Veseya. And this Chernyak reached this place — the world of Grozdan — through the gates between worlds, before you did."

"But how did he know how to use the gates between worlds?" Blagomir asked.

Hearing Blagomir's words, the wizard Vestislav thought for a moment, then said:

"It seems the Chernyak, in an invisible state, overheard your conversation with the fairy Ain, or perhaps found out some other way. Now we can only guess how the Chernyak managed to open the gates between worlds."

"My brother and I saw the trail the Chernyak left in the world of Kerdiven. He caused trouble for the spirit of the stream Ele and the spirit of the stone Gvaul. And the spirit of the forest Bran very nearly perished," Vidomir said.

"And how did you see the Chernyak?" Blagomir asked the wizard Vestislav.

The wizard Vestislav began to speak:

"I used an incantation to see the Chernyak. I too can become invisible with incantations, but if an opponent is strong in magic, he will still see me. I had, of course, hoped that the spell would lift from you once we sent the Chernyak to the world of Antiano. However, it seems we're dealing with one of the most ancient and most evil entities, whose magic is incredibly powerful. And no one really knows much about this world of Antiano. Tomorrow we will all set off for the world I come from, and there we'll begin searching for knowledge about this ancient evil. For now, rest. My granddaughter Aria will feed you and get you settled for sleep."

Blagomir and Vidomir went with Aria to have supper. They entered the house. Then they went through into the dining room.

Vestislav's dining room was spacious. Two large windows. All the furniture carved, and on the pleasant green-colored wall hung many shelves with kitchenware. In the middle of the room stood a large round wooden table on a single thick, carved leg. Around the table stood several carved chairs. The ceiling was white, with a large chandelier at its center. The chandelier was made of colored glass, shaped like flowers: one large flower at the center, and small flowers around it. Each flower held corundum crystals: a larger crystal in the large flower, and smaller crystals in the small flowers. The corundum crystals were opaque, resembling large crystals of salt.

Aria approached the table, whispered an incantation, and in her palm, shining gold, appeared a small glowing energy sphere. She threw it into the center of the chandelier, and at once the corundum crystals lit up within it, filling the room with soft, warm light. Aria whispered another incantation, waved her hands, and on the table appeared many fruits, berries, and much more that was delicious.

"Sit down at the table," Aria said to Blagomir and Vidomir.

All three youngsters sat down at the table.

"In our world of Narspi there are many varieties of fruit too," Vidomir said, seeing such a great variety of fruits.

"In the world of Narspi there are three suns, and we have warm summer all year round. Fruits and berries grow all year. Picked fresh from the tree, they're so delicious," Blagomir said.

"Here in Grozdan we have two little suns, and winter does come, but it doesn't last long, only one month. The suns are positioned so that winter only happens in the northern part of Grozdan. But I love winter. I love skiing down the mountains, and skating," Aria said.

"We've never once seen winter," Blagomir said.

"I'll invite you to visit when winter comes," Aria said.

"We'll definitely come," Vidomir said, and reached for the soaked apples.

"Oh! Why did you go straight for the soaked apples, Vidomir?" Aria asked Vidomir.

"Vidomir has had a weakness for sour things since childhood. He only likes fermented fruits and vegetables. Our mother Veseya was always amazed by this. Mother would speed up the fermenting time of food with magic, if she forgot to set it to ferment in advance," Blagomir said.

"Here, only grandfather Vestislav eats soaked apples sometimes, and my parents very rarely," Aria said.

"I don't even know myself why I like fermented food," Vidomir said.

"I never would have thought that such a small bird was you," Blagomir said.

"I had to keep from giving myself away. I turned into a bird when I was fleeing from the Chernyak, and he didn't see me turn into the slavey bird. Probably?" Aria said, though the last word thoughtfully.

Vestislav walked in and said:

"Morning is wiser than evening, time for bed."

Everyone slowly began settling down to sleep.