Journal Entry 1265

    I stood over the book.  Understanding why Noira didn't want me to bring anyone into Amerak.  That would not only endanger our lives.  But our friends.  She was risking all that she could afford.  Us.     I could already tell by looking at the image of the linking book that whatever tinkering K'aastor had done with Amerak was now taking it's full effect.  The island not only seemed to be more than an unpleasant place to look at.  I could see the integrity of the island's earth had been changed for the worse.   I wondered if they had decided against linking there.  Nevertheless I placed my palm on the image and linked out of the store room.
    My eyes watered from the acrid fumes and I could feel the heat of the land almost burning the bottom of my feet.  The temperature outside was intense despite the fact that it was night.  Amerak was highly unstable.
     Ahead of me I could see a fire.  There was my love with K'aastor's arm around her.
    "Hello Agmis!"  K'aastor roared, his voice had the tone of an eager champion.
    "K'aastor?"  Taking unwavering faith in my wife, i stepped forward, knowing his intent was to let me die here.
    As I drew closer I could see that he had a weapon.  Some type of staff.  "I hadn't planned on your age being in such a bad state."
    I glanced at Noira, she held a linking book. She opened the book and spoke, "I wish there was a better way to do this Agmis." She gave K'aastor a sad look. He made no notice.
    K'aastor's weapon opened, "I also wish the same.  Noira and I have been talking for the past several days.  We understand each other.  Of course you took advantage of her mind when she was most eager to break free from her little world.  She deserves better than you."
    I could see Noira bite her lip.
    I shook my head.  "I don't understand"
    "You're too young to understand. You're just another spoiled guildsman. You do not see truly beautiful a wife you have. Had, rather." The ground shifted, nearly throwing all of us to our feet.  I could tell Noira became heavily agitated.  K'aastor leveled his weapon.  "Noira, this is where we depart."  He nodded to me, "Good bye Agmis.  Your book closes here."
    K'aastor put out his hand for Noira.  He looked at her quizzically as she took a step away from him and towards me.  "No Kas.  Yours does."  His look of confusion didn't last long.
    The island split itself apart.  The crack began right before K'aastor's feet and he was tossed the opposite way that we were.  A quarter of the island snapped in half to my right, a red steaming ooze began to seep from the edges of the torn earth.  Amerak was breathing it's last breath.
    I heard a strange explosion from K'aastors staff as yellow light flew into the sky. "NOIRA!!!  Don't let him touch the book!"
    The quakes of the island had thrown all of us far apart.  Noira and I ran towards each other.  Suddenly a rift opened between us.  Noira fell forward towards the heat of the volcano. Making a small jump over the rift, Noira and I embraced for the first time in what seemed to be a lifetime.  "The book?"
    She shook her head, "It fell."
    "I didn't bring another," I whispered.
    "I know."
   And we embraced together again, in what would be our last.
    "AGMIS!!!!"  K'aastor had his weapon aimed at me from across a land split.  "Get your hands off my wife."  K'aastor slipped a linking book out of his cloak.  "Noira?  Please assure me that you are clinging to him out of fright?"
    "No Kas."  Noira stepped near the edge of the wide crevice that separated him from us.  "You know what's happening."
    I could see that our small piece of the island was sinking slowly into the molten earth.  K'aastor understood our position, "Then you will die together."  He waved the linking book he held.  "I shouldn't have ever opened your book vault.  Or linked to the age with that sphere.  For once my curiosity has helped me.  I found this in your store room Agmis.  I don't know where it goes but it'll get me out of here.  I'm sure I'll find a wife that won't try to kill me there."
    I could see that K'aastor's land strip was also beginning to melt slowly downwards.  Several fountains of lava began to burst around us.
    Noira shook her head.  "Kas.  Please give us the book."
    K'aastor laughed.  "What?  Agmis annoys me.  You betrayed me.  And you're making the judgments of who lives and dies?"
    She stepped back from the crevice as lava began to spray near the edge.  "You've been alone for too long.  You're dangerous.  I'm sorry that I don't love you.  But if you do love me...  I want to live."
    I could barely see K'aastor's face, the lava was flying too high above the crevice between us.  But I could tell he was in pain.  Through the light of the fiery earth I could see K'aastor still had a side of him that wanted to feel truly complete.
    The linking book landed at my feet.
    "Thank you Kas."  Noira turned back to me to pick up the book, her face streaming with tears.
    We had little time to link, our island was almost melted down to nothing.  K'aastor's was almost down to but a red sea.  Noira linked first.  I looked up from the linking image, I could see his head looking skyward through the fountains.  Then I could see he had the staff pointing at me.
    "What is it that you really want?"  I asked.
    "Keep her happy."  K'aastor closed his weapon.
    I nodded in agreement.  And linked.
    Later that night Noira would tell me about K'aastor.  His hard child hood, isolated teens, and those lonely years he had spent on his ice age.  My final images of him would be his face hidden behind the fire fountains, looking into the sky.  As if there could be an answer he was looking for hidden within those stars.  I would later cry for the man.
 

 Journal Entry 1266

    We have linked away from imminent death, only to become trapped.
   I didn't give it much thought when we first linked here, to Elanif.  But there is no way out of this age.  We do have a linking book, but it's not within my grasp.
   I took a step too far into security this time around, always feeling that it wasn't enough to keep strangers out of my ages (Recalling my father's code to the library, I wonder if this is a chronic syndrome the D'ni suffer from).  The only linking book is locked within a large nara capsule.  The only way to gain access is with the key, which there is only one of, and still sits in the store room on Gaelin.

    Noira and I have talked about this, and it seems that we may be stuck here eternally.  I didn't have time to give the new code to the store room to Noira's parents or her brother.  Our only chance is that someone finds my journals, and is able to decipher the code to the store room. This is so unlikely. It's not like someone typically romps through dangerous worlds reading other people's journals for fun.
   Noira and I are content for now, after what has happened we have realized that loves cannot ever laugh or embrace enough in the short times we are given with each other.
   Although we do hope that perhaps one day a friend will discover us, or we will stay trapped here indefinetely, away from our loved ones.
 

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