The Destiny of Amalah
Read The Destiny of Amalah Online
Authors: Thandi Ryan
Table of Contents
The Destiny of Amalah
by
THANDI RYAN
PUBLISHING INFORMATION
First published in 2012 by Bimbisara Productions
London N14 6LH
Copyright © 2012 Thandi Lubimbi
The author’s rights are fully asserted. The right of Thandi Lubimbi to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
A CIP Catalogue of this book is available from the British Library
First published as an eBook by Bimbisara Productions in 2012.
Mobi ISBN: 978-0-9571797-1-4
EPub ISBN: 978-0-9571797-2-1
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.
This book is sold subject to the conditions that is shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publishers prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
This is a work of fiction. The events described here are imaginary and it is not intended to represent specific people - living or dead.
Cover design by Dave Watson
Cover copyright © Dave Watson
Typeset by www.chandlerbookdesign.co.uk
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Special thanks to Celia Monksfield for kindly typing up my manuscript.
Thanks to Dave Watson for a great cover.
Chapter 1
Few can truly tell this story. The gods can tell it but they are forever busy and have no wish to; so that leaves only me. For I have been around since the beginning of time. Speaking of time; what a marvellous opportunity for me to introduce myself to you. I am the Timekeeper; the keeper of all time. I exist everywhere and anywhere, few can truly grasp the concept of me and I have yet to meet a human who can. Suffice to say, I exist to guard against and put right corruptions in timelines. You’d be surprised at just how busy that keeps me! But back to this story!
The gods – there are twelve in all – had roamed freely on your world; before humans arrived, they stayed in their own form but with your inception, they morphed into human form and some even lived among you as lovers, spouses, parents and teachers and despite warnings from their peers; some became attached to you. When the equinox arrived, the gods would meet in their temple and talk; mostly of their exploits and universal findings but all of which, I am sworn to secrecy about. In the temple they would talk, laugh, drink their nectar and share their discoveries.
Ah yes, the temple of the gods; the place you now call Stonehenge. A strange name indeed but I am getting used to the quirks of humanity. When it was the temple; the gods would inscribe their words and their works into the great monoliths.
Their works in their words are carved from top to bottom on each of the monoliths in the temple; they wrote answers down to many questions concerning the universe, the earth, humanity, magic and a blueprint for your evolution; as well as many answers to science that are still to be discovered.
Their words are not visible to the human eye but it was hoped, that as you evolved, one day, you would come to read their works so you could understand yourselves and have an insight into their existence.
That was their hope, until the god Zarab carved an answer to time in a section of the monoliths. This was knowledge that many gods felt that humans should never have. Zarab’s words unnerved them but the gods’ were of equal standing and all works were permitted. So there, in the place you call Stonehenge lies an answer to time. A way to reverse it, propel it forward or even stop it.
The gods’ of whom I speak had become impressed by human beings and they began to realise that human destiny must be forged by humans alone. Back then, magic was commonplace; as were seers and empaths’. It was foretold that humanity, magic and the physical form would create a unique destiny in the universe. The gods began returning to the heavens and a few years later; they held their last meeting at the henge.
At the last meeting on earth, it was decreed that humans would be left to their own devices. Freewill would be the order of the day and any distortions or alterations in the human timeline, were now strictly forbidden.
Mortal death would be permanent and human spirits would have to leave the mortal plane. Some of the gods – the ones who had become attached to you – grumbled at the decree but the majority had ruled and once a law was passed, it was binding and could not be broken. Salwar, the most radical of the gods, soon found himself breaking those decrees and to his chagrin, found himself expelled from the heavens indefinitely.
With their departure, which was just over three thousand years ago, they left you and your nations to carve out your own future. Ah yes, the nations, their names long gone and long forgotten by now but there were nine of them back then: Amalah, Lansten, Santeb, Aradene, Mantor, Filine, Basimine, Equer and Parades.
I know any human reading this will not believe me when I speak the names of these nations; for they are not in history books you have read. This is very true but let’s just say, it was one of those corruptions in the timeline that I told you about. It’s not only cities that can get lost you know!
It was pangea at the time I speak of. The magnificent nation of Amalah was at the centre of the world with, a beautiful and vibrant city with the same name at the heart of it. Amalah also housed the temple of the gods. Then, there were rivers and spas running through the nations but not large enough to divide the continents as they do now.
In those days, Amalah consisted of what you now call Europe, the Middle East and a part of Russia; of course those names were a long time coming. On the east of Amalah were the mountainous nations of Santeb and the snow filled nation of Lansten. Santeb became Asia and Lansten, Russia.
To the southeast of Amalah was the nation of Aradene, a place of natural wonder and paradise. To the south was the mighty nation of Mantor, now Africa. To the north and south were a few archipelagos’. To the north of Amalah, were the glacial Parades, now Greenland and Scandinavia. Finally, to the west of Amalah, were the nations of: Filine, Basimine and in the northwest, cavernous mountain of Equer, now southern, central and northern America.
***
Even when he was a child, Adriel had hated and despised other children. They had mocked him mercilessly for his rakish and weakly stature, not to mention his harsh facial features. The teasing had been relentless and he could never vent or take his frustrations out on the children who made his life a misery, for he was always outnumbered. And, unlike most children, Adriel had no other friend.
Even now, in his fifteenth year, as he walked quickly through the forest of Amalah; the other children were intent on pursuing him all the way home. Adriel cursed his frame; his odd features and he cursed his peers even more. Always, he would hasten his stride but always, it was futile and the missiles of bread and stone that the children hurled pelted him on the head and back.
For days, weeks, months and then years; Adriel had begged his father to do something, but his father –as always – was too lazy and spineless to intervene and speak to the children’s parents.
‘They are my customers,’ his father would say in a feeble voice. ‘If I don’t have custom, I don’t have a living and we, dear Adriel must eat and be clothed.’
Thoughts of Adriel’s father only infuriated Adriel and brought his feelings of contempt for him and the children to the surface. Adriel’s lips curled into a smile as he remembered his retort:
‘When you are old and weak father, and I am the one going out to earn a living; if you are tormented and beaten, should I not speak to them? Will it console you, when I say to you, they are my custom and without custom father, we shall not be clothed or fed?’ Adriel seethed as he remembered his father smiling wanly, ignoring his witticism. ‘Curse you father,’ he spat; ‘and curse those vermin who chase me day after day,’ he spat, as yet another snarl left his lips.
As usual, Adriel reached boiling point and as usual, he turned to scream at those infernal children and throw something back, mostly it missed as his eyesight and co-ordination also failed him.
‘Leave me alone,’ he screamed, as he threw the remains of his lunch at Jonas, the leader of the pack and also the tallest and strongest of the group.
This time though, things were different. As the remains of Adriel’s lunch left his hand, streaks of red energy left his fingertips and travelled towards Jonas, hitting him dead centre in the body and sending him flying.
This was the day Adriel’s life changed forever. As Jonas landed on the floor, everyone, including Adriel froze. When the children looked at Adriel now, it was not with mockery in their eyes but with fear. The children thought that Adriel had also frozen in fear at his new found might – how mistaken they were!
Adriel had not frozen at all; he had simply taken a moment to savour the fact that the tide had now irrevocably turned in his favour. He had taken a moment to relish in Jonas receiving his long time comeuppance but most of all, Adriel was standing still, so he could decide which one of those children he wanted to hurt next.
