A Thousand and One Leagues

Prologue – In the Citadel of the Waking God August 10, 2009

The quiet clicking of Exa’s pocket watch was all but swallowed by the torrential wind that rushed by the ramparts of the Citadel. It almost seemed as if the storm was similarly trying to vanquish time itself. She could believe that here, at the centrepoint of all the realms and in this colossal fort that seemed to wrap every other land around it like a cloak against… what? She did not believe for a moment that there had ever been an invasion aimed at the domain of the Waking God, only small parties seeking His favours. Legends told that once He had walked amongst mortals, protecting them from the beasts of the wild and teaching the ways of survival and prosperity, but had since removed Himself to this castle of many names where He, supposedly, waited for a time when he would be needed again. In the meantime, daring adventurers and young nobles both ventured deep into the dungeons and caves beneath the fortress in order to prove their worth and their valour. It was even said that if one were to reach the bottom, he would meet the Waking God Himself. Even if they could not make the whole journey, most people put much weight on how deep one had ventured as it was necessary to use all the abilities one could muster to survive under the world.

It was now an eighth to noon and Exa checked once more that she had all she might need. True, the great instruction tapestries in the main great hall said that there were sources of food and water inside, but she had still acquired for herself from her court magicians various supplies. Instant rations and ritual scrolls would keep her fed and healthy for two weeks, double the time it should take her to pass her set goal. Indeed, her star-forged armour was the heaviest piece of equipment she carried as her bags were almost solely packed with water-tight containers for the parchment. She had had to have prepared for everything as those who had ventured in to the dungeon were bound by two geasa: first, to never again enter the realm of the Waking God; and second, to never speak of what they encountered while under the stronghold. Though she did not and could not know what she might face – possibly everything she could imagine and maybe more – she knew with the rational part of her mind that it would be worth it to continue receiving the good graces of her mother and father. Her emotions disagreed; she thought this was naught but a waste of time and a foolish ritual with no connection to the needs and desires of the modern age. However, she had to, lest she lose her position and inheritance and that was that.

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