Rodrigo couldn't tear his gaze away from the furious sea that struck the high pillars with all its might. Despite the ground on which they walked being very solid, he didn't feel particularly safe crossing a bridge that had appeared from nowhere. He couldn't help but think it could disappear as fast as it had appeared, resulting in them falling into the sea. Fortunately, that didn't happen and, when there were just a few metres left of the bridge to cover before reaching the fortress, he heard a creaking noise and the large iron gate began to slowly open. Now that he was nearer the fortress, Rodrigo could better observe the banners that waved above the entranceway. They were dark red in colour and upon them in the centre was a golden dragon raising its claws.

'Where did this castle come from?' Oliver asked.

'It's been here for hundreds of years but no one can see it,' Adara explained. 'When Arakaz began to become more powerful, King Garad protected it by hiding it with a spell. You can only see it if those inside the castle decide to open the gate.'

Next to the gate, two men were waiting. They were dressed in red tunics with a golden dragon sewn on the front, just like the banners flying above their heads.

'We were worried about you, Adara,' one of them said. He was tall and had wavy brown hair that reached his shoulders.

'I had to follow them for quite some distance,' she replied. 'They tried hard to lose me and they almost managed it. They were very clever.'

'Maybe your abilities are waning, Adara,' the other joked.

'My abilities remain intact, dear Aldair,' she responded with a defiant smile. 'Would you like me to show you?'

'Well,' the man laughed. 'I'd love to.'

With a movement so quick Rodrigo almost didn't notice it, Adara had removed the man's sword that was hanging from his belt and, before he knew it, she had the man frozen to the spot as she grazed his face with the sword's blade.

'I reckon I should cut out your tongue from that big mouth you have,' Adara said. 'You're lucky I'm here with guests today. It would be impolite of me to make them wait.'

With that, Adara returned the sword to the man, smiling, and guided the four of them towards a stone path surrounded by gardens.

'Aldair likes to brag and sometimes you have to take him down a peg or two but really he has a kind heart,' she said. 'Now I'm going to take you to Balkar's study. Balkar is the Grand Master of our order.'

The huge exterior wall was left behind as they neared what appeared to be the main part of the castle: an impressive, rectangular building covered with large windows and surrounded by tall towers with pointed roofs, like upside-down cones. Adara ushered them through a large door which was open and free of guards, and they found themselves in an interior stone courtyard surrounded by columns. They continued on their way, crossing the courtyard, but they were forced to stop in the middle as a group of girls and boys were practising archery.

'Come on, kids. Lower your bows. What are you waiting for?' ordered a rather slim man with very tanned skin. 'Good morning, Adara and company. Welcome to Garador Fortress.'

Adara returned his greeting and continued on her way as soon as the children had lowered their bows. Rodrigo and his friends followed her but, when he passed in front of a boy with straight, shiny hair that was brown in colour the boy lifted his bow and aimed it at Rodrigo, who couldn't help but jump before he noticed the boy didn't have an arrow. The boy started laughing while Rodrigo turned red with rage.

'Kyle, give me your bow!' the tanned man ordered. 'No practise for you for a month.'

'But I didn't do anything!' the boy protested. 'I didn't have an arrow. It was just a joke!'

'Well, you need to learn that you can't play around with weapons,' the man replied flatly as he removed the bow from the boy's hands.

Adara gave the boy a withering look as she continued walking to the other side of the courtyard where they passed through a gateway that led to a corridor with a vaulted roof of intersecting arches. On both sides, there were numerous wooden doors but Adara continued walking straight ahead to the door at the end of the corridor. When they reached it, she knocked.

'Come in,' replied a man's voice.

'Good morning, Balkar,' Adara said as they entered. 'I've just got back with the kids of Sermok Forest.'

'Hello, children. Please, come in and take a seat.'

As soon as Rodrigo glanced at the eyes of Balkar, he knew he was in the presence of a man of great power and authority. His calm, piercing gaze oozed confidence along with a certain level of respect. He had short, very white hair and a white beard which served as proof of his years of experience, despite his face and body preserving the vigour of youth.

'I imagine Lady Adara has already told you who we are and what we do,' he said. 'I want you to know that our home is your home and we are pleased to offer you our hospitality and our protection. But before all that, I have to ensure you are not in the service of Arakaz.'

'Of course we're not!' Darion said vehemently. 'We were just trying to escape from him when Adara found us.'

'I know, child,' Balkar said with an affectionate look, 'but we have to be sure each time someone new arrives at the stronghold. I suppose you already know how far the emperor's power can reach. Adara, please, could you go and search for Donegan?'

'Of course,' she replied, rising from her chair and exiting through the door they had entered.

'You have nothing to fear,' Balkar stated. 'Sir Donegan, who is a knight, has the power to recognise lies. I merely require him to be present in this room to guarantee we can trust you.'

Just then, a cry startled them all. Oliver had jumped to his feet and was shaking his arms around as if he had gone mad.

'Calm down,' the grand master laughed. 'It's just a ferret. Its name is Kepi.'

'Oh, how sweet!' Aisha said. 'Can I hold it?'

'Of course,' Balkar said, placing the little animal in the girl's arms. She began stroking it while Oliver eyed it warily. A moment later, Adara re-entered the room accompanied by a tall, blond man with pale skin.

'I would like to introduce you to Sir Donegan,' Balkar said as the blond man sat down, staring at them closely without saying a word. 'He shall tell me if your answers are sincere. Now, tell me, have any of you appeared before Arakaz at any point in your lives?'

Darion and Aisha emphatically told him that no, they hadn't, while Rodrigo and Oliver shook their heads.

'Therefore, can you confirm you are not loyal to the emperor and that you do not work for him?'

The four of them denied they did in unison while Balkar turned to look at the blond knight who nodded, which seemed to be sufficient proof for the grand master.

'In that case, I welcome you all to Garador Fortress,' he said. 'I want you to understand that you will be safe here from the power of Arakaz. Our fortress has remained hidden for centuries without the emperor ever knowing of its existence. If you decide to stay with us, you have two choices: if you would like to become knights in the future, we shall name you squires and we will instruct you in the art of combat; however, if you would prefer not to take up arms you may also learn a trade, as a few examples, you could be a smith, potter, miller or carpenter. In any case, you can live peacefully here for the rest of your lives but when you turn eighteen you must always obey what is asked of you. I assure you, you will always have a warm bed and a plate of food waiting for you here but you must understand that potatoes don't grow from nothing and cows cannot milk themselves. Do you understand?'

Rodrigo couldn't help but smile at an image of Oliver milking a cow that flashed through his mind. He could hear him saying, 'Hey, fatty, put your milk in this bucket, I haven't got all day.'

'Speaking of milk and potatoes, I imagine you are starving,' the grand master concluded, smiling. 'Luckily, you have arrived just in time. Lunch will be served in a few minutes. Adara, could you accompany them to the dining hall?'

With the grand master's words, Rodrigo's stomach began to rumble stronger than before.

'There's one more thing you should know, Balkar,' Adara said. 'These two boys, Oliver and Rodrigo, say they come from a different world. They told me they were exploring a tower when the floor disappeared beneath their feet and they appeared in Karinthia. They've never heard of Arakaz or varblins. It seems that no one has a gift in their world.'

'Is this true?' the grand master asked, looking directly at them. They nodded timidly.

'It's true, they're telling the truth,' the blond knight confirmed.

'Well, well, well. It would appear you have passed through a portal linking two worlds, boys,' the grand master said. 'I have heard of such portals but I have never met anyone who has passed through one.'

'I promised them we would help them find the way back,' Adara interrupted. 'They were planning to travel all across Karinthia looking for a tower that would transport them back to their world.'

'We will do everything in our power to help you,' Balkar confirmed, 'but I must warn you it won't be easy. These portals can be anywhere and some only appear at certain moments.'

'That's true,' Oliver said, 'but we know the exact moment thanks to a riddle that appeared on the tower wall in writing.'

'What did the riddle say?' the grand master asked without attempting to hide his curiosity.

'Well, I can't remember exactly, but it had something to do with a meteor shower and the moon. How did it go again, Rodri?'

Despite feeling a little intimidated in the presence of the grand master and the blond knight, Rodrigo had no choice but to repeat the riddle's words.

'Interesting,' the grand master said, deep in thought. 'Those words seem familiar to me. I believe I have heard them before, although I cannot remember where.'

'That's what I thought,' Adara said. 'We have to think back, Balkar. If we saw those words written somewhere, it could be the portal these boys need to return home.'

'I am sure we will recall it at some point,' the grand master agreed. 'However, right now, it would be best if you took these children to eat, unless we want them to starve right here.'

'Of course, you're right,' said Adara, rising amid laughter. 'Come with me, children. Today you've earned a good meal.'

Rodrigo quickly rose to his feet but he wasn't the only one to do so. His three friends stood up just as quickly, as though their seats had been set alight. Obviously, they were all feeling extremely hungry. Despite this, Rodrigo's desire to eat had not dimmed his interest for the final words of Adara and Balkar. If the riddle was familiar to them, it was surely because they had seen it before somewhere, probably in the place that would take them back to their own world. This thought gave him a breath of hope before another glimmer of doubt took over his mind: how much time would pass before a meteor shower coincided with a new moon again? Would time intervals in Karinthia be the same as those in his own world?

'Wow, this is like a maze,' Oliver commented, breaking through Rodrigo's thoughts. Rodrigo had scarcely taken note of the route they were taking.

'The fortress has a total of three hundred and twenty doors, ninety-seven corridors and eight hundred and fifty-four windows,' Adara explained. 'Apart from that, there's also everything that surrounds it: barns, stables, a mill, a blacksmith's, a kiln... After you eat, I'll show you the most important parts but you'll need time before you remember it all.'

'Is the dining hall upstairs?' Rodrigo asked, seeing that they were beginning to climb a staircase.

'No. It's on the ground floor but first we're going to your dormitories so you can change your clothes.'

After climbing four flights of stairs, Adara came to a stop on a landing and opened a wardrobe before she began to remove and share out items of clothing among the four of them.

'Here you go,' she said. 'Now you have shirts, vest, trousers and boots. If they're uncomfortable, let me know and I'll find you some others.'

The collection of clothing was comprised of the same attire that the children in the patio had been wearing: grey wool trousers and shirts and a brown leather vest that was rather heavy.

'Here are your cloaks,' Adara continued, handing them thick leather garments. 'Don't forget to wear them when you go outside. Now, off you go into your dorms and change. The boys' dormitories are along the corridor to the left and the girls' dormitories are to the right.'

Rodrigo and Oliver had to watch Darion so they could wear their new clothes correctly, but soon the three of them were ready, likely down to the desire they had to eat. When they left the dormitory, Adara told them to hurry and guided them downstairs. After walking through a few more corridors, they reached what appeared to be the dining hall. Adara opened two large wooden doors to reveal a room filled with long tables, many of them occupied by children around the same age as them or older. On both sides of the dining hall large, stained glass windows dyed the sunlight filtering inside, providing the room with a happier appearance than any other part of the stronghold, or at least any of the areas they had seen up to that moment.

'Over here,' Adara said, steering them towards a table that was occupied by two girls of roughly the same age. 'This is Vega and Noa. They've only been here at the fortress for two weeks. From now on, you'll be in the same group as them, which involves sharing a table as well as the other daily tasks you are entrusted with. You can sit down. They'll help you with all your questions. I have to go and supervise the groups that are responsible for serving the food.'

The four of them sat down. Aisha hurried to sit next to Vega and Noa, keen to share the company of other girls. Rodrigo, Oliver and Darion took the three chairs opposite them.

'Hi. My name's Aisha,' she said. 'This is my brother, Darion, and these are our friends, Rodrigo and Oliver.'

'I'm Vega and this is Noa,' said the girl who was sitting next to her. The other girl smiled shyly without saying a word.

'Are you sisters?' Aisha asked and Rodrigo was surprised at the question as the girls didn't seem at all alike. Vega was quite tall with extremely tanned skin and jet black hair that stretched down to her waist. Noa, in comparison, was a redhead with hair so short she seemed like a boy. She was smaller and had very fair skin, her face dotted by freckles.

'No,' Vega replied. 'We aren't even from the same town. We met each other when the varblins came looking for all the twelve year olds in our region, you know, for the oath. A few days later, the knights attacked the varblins and freed us. What about you? How did you come to be here?'

'Well, something similar, but we managed to escape without help,' Oliver bragged. 'It's great having animals obey you.'

'You have power over animals?' Vega asked, astonished.

'Yes he does,' Aisha interrupted, 'but don't believe everything he tells you. If it weren't for the help of Adara, we wouldn't have managed to escape.'

Two boys approached the table with a wooden cart that was transporting two large copper pots. They both began to serve food on one side of the table. Rodrigo instantly recognised one of them. His lank hair, which looked as though a cow had licked it, was unmistakeable. It was the boy who had aimed his bow at Rodrigo when they'd passed by the children in the courtyard.

'Hey, Nestor,' the boy said to his companion. 'Give this rookie double helpings as he lost his breakfast when he soiled himself a short while ago.'

The two of them began to laugh as Rodrigo felt anger boiling inside him.

'Don't pay attention to him,' Vega said when the boys had moved off. 'That's Kyle. He's an idiot. He's been annoying us since we got here, especially Noa. He won't stop calling her the little red hen.'

'Don't worry,' Rodrigo said to Noa. 'Sooner or later we'll teach him a lesson.'

'I don't mind, really,' she replied. 'I'm used to it. People laughed at me in my town because I have the most useless power ever.'

'It's not your power that's important, it's what you do with it,' Aisha said. 'Anyway, I'm sure your power isn't as useless as you say it is.'

'You're right,' she admitted resignedly. 'At least it made everyone else fail to realise that I always wore the same clothes.'

'What do you mean?' asked Aisha.

'My power is being able to change the colour of things,' the red-haired girl explained.

'Well, that's not so bad,' Aisha said. 'You can...'

Aisha trailed off, although she wasn't able to think of a single real purpose for Noa's power.

'Are you kidding?' Oliver cried. 'That's amazing! With your power and mind, we can teach that idiot Kyle the lesson he deserves. I'll ask a cow to do the biggest, most disgusting cow pat it can, then you can turn it yellow. Whenever they serve mashed potatoes, we can put it on Kyle's plate. He'll never know.'

Rodrigo wasn't so sure his friend's plan was completely feasible but at least it drew a smile to Noa's lips.

'What about you three? What powers do you have?' Vega asked, looking at Darion, Aisha and Rodrigo.

'Mine is telepathy,' Aisha said. 'I can communicate with others using my mind.'

'And I can create illusions,' said Darion. 'I can make you see things that aren't really there.'

'Well, I have the most incredible power of all,' Rodrigo said. 'I can make Oliver get out of bed when his alarm clock goes off. I'm the only one who can do it.'

'It's because you're rougher than straw underwear, mate,' he complained.

'Ha ha,' Vega laughed. 'No, really. What's your gift?'

'The truth is I don't know yet, that's if I even have one. Oliver discovered his a short while after arriving here, but I've not noticed anything different.'

'A short while after arriving here?' Vega seemed confused. 'You mean the fortress?'

'No, Karinthia,' Rodrigo said. 'Oliver and I come from somewhere else, another world where powers don't exist.'

'Come on!' she laughed. 'Don't make us beg you. Just tell us.'

'It's true,' Darion testified. 'I found them just after they'd reached Karinthia. When we came here, that blond knight with the power to read minds interrogated them. You can be sure that what they're saying is the truth.'

'I don't believe it at all,' she said, still laughing. 'So where are you from? The moon or another planet?'

'It doesn't matter. I understand you don't believe me,' Rodrigo said. 'I would have laughed too if somebody had told me about Karinthia yesterday.'

'What about you?' Aisha asked. 'You've still not told us what power you have.'

'I can see through objects, walls, doors,' Vega replied. 'It can be really useful sometimes.'

'I can imagine!' Oliver exclaimed, impressed. 'I think that's the most useful power I've heard of. Can you see through clothing as well?'

'I could, if I wanted to,' she answered, blushing, 'but I don't, of course.'

'Wow! Now controlling animals seems really stupid!' Oliver complained, feigning rage. 'I'll swap with you! Is there any way of swapping powers?'

'No, of course not,' Aisha said, laughing. 'Fortunately, you will never be able to change your power with Vega's.'

'But that's not fair!' he replied. 'She can see us and–'

'I already told you, I don't do it,' Vega said. 'I only use my power when I need it.'

'Well, I don't know about you, but I'm starving,' Rodrigo said, picking up his spoon. Then he realised his plate of food had disappeared. 'Who stole my plate? Oliver, stop joking around. We haven't eaten a bite for fifteen hours.'

'I swear it wasn't me,' his friend replied.

'It must have been Nott, the imp,' Vega said. 'Every day, he steals somebody's food although nobody knows how he does it.'

'Did you say imp?' Rodrigo asked. 'Do you mean a little goblin with pointy ears?'

'I guess so. I've never seen him, although he has stolen one thing from me. It's what imps normally do. The good thing is that he keeps everything he steals in his attic. The downside is you could spend hours trying to find it.'

'This time he's chosen to steal food from the hungriest person in the whole fortress,' Rodrigo grumbled.

'Don't worry,' Noa said. 'You can have mine. I'm not that hungry.'

'Neither am I,' Vega said. 'We'll each give you half.'

Rodrigo tried to object but the rumbles echoing from his stomach forced him to accept the generous offer of his new friends. He devoured the stew as though he hadn't eaten for a week, finishing just in time for the second course. When they had all finally fulfilled their appetites, Adara approached them to ask Vega and Noa to show the four of them the rest of the stronghold.

'I have to do something right now,' she said urgently. 'If you don't mind, accompany your new friends and show them the most important aspects of the fortress. They've already seen the dormitories but I would be grateful if you could show them the bathrooms, library, stables, barn... Everything you can think of.'

Vega and Noa happily agreed and they all immediately rose from the table and headed for the exit, their intention being to visit the stables first. In the arms courtyard, they ran into Kyle and his friends once again but this time there was no knight with them.

'Look at the newbies!' the boy teased. 'What a bunch of chickens. I don't know why Adara insists on bringing in cowards. They'll all end up kneeling before Arakaz sooner or later.'

'Well, you must have done it a while ago, right?' Aisha replied.

'Ha! This little chicken is learning to cluck!' Kyle said, letting out an exaggerated laugh. 'Let's see if you're as brave when you're on the buttress.'

'What are you talking about?' Aisha asked defiantly.

'Can you see that kind of bridge between those two towers?' Kyle signalled. 'That's a buttress. It acts as a support to ensure neither of the towers collapses.'

'So what?' Aisha challenged him.

'We all underwent a test of bravery when we entered the fortress,' Kyle replied. 'If you want to prove you're not chickens, you have to cross from one tower to the other using the buttress.'

Rodrigo observed the stone arch Kyle was referring to. It really did seem like a bridge: it was semi-circular underneath and flat on top. The difference was that it was barely two hands wide and it had no railings. One misplaced step or a slip would result in certain death.

'Of course we'll do it,' Aisha responded with disdain. 'We've experienced much greater dangers. Come on, let's go.'

Without thinking twice,' Aisha began walking towards one of the towers. The rest of them looked at each other before finally following her. Only Noa remained where she was. She was pale and sweat was beading on her forehead.

'I... I can't,' she stammered. 'I'm afraid of heights. I get dizzy. I'll definitely fall.'

'That's exactly it,' Kyle said. 'A brave person isn't someone who doesn't fear anything, a brave person is someone who confronts their fears.'

'But I'll fall!' the redhead replied desperately. 'Heights make my legs shake and my vision fog up. I can't do it.'

'If you don't do it, you'll regret it, little red hen. You've got many years ahead of you in this fortress so it's worth your while getting on well with us.'

'Come on, Noa,' Aisha said. 'You'll be fine. Trust me.'

Noa continued staring at the buttress with terrified eyes but, after a few seconds, she seemed to relax and joined them. Aisha must have said something to her by telepathy.

'Would you prefer us to cross the buttress walking or by doing a handstand?' Darion asked.

'You can tell me when you get up there,' Kyle replied. 'You have to go up to the library and look for the window behind the corridor of ancient books. Be careful nobody sees you. That's the knights' library and we're not allowed in there.'

'Don't worry, Noa,' Aisha said when they entered the tower and began climbing the stairs. 'We're not going to cross that stupid buttress. We'll stay hidden and Darion will project an illusion of us.'

When they reached the library, they searched for the window Kyle had told them about and they crouched behind Aisha when they located it. Darion stood up, opened the window and ducked down as well. Then an identical version of Darion appeared, climbed out of the window and began walking across the buttress on his hands. When he reached the tower opposite them, he did an about turn and returned cartwheeling. After him went the copy of Aisha who hopped across, then Oliver, who also crossed the buttress in cartwheels. When it was Rodrigo's turn, he couldn't help but shake when he saw his completely identical double, but it was amusing to see himself walking across the buttress while calmly reading a book. After him went the illusion of Vega who crossed dancing a waltz before finally Noa crossed normally, so as not to raise any suspicion. They were still laughing hard when they heard a noise. Someone had just entered the library. The six of them remained in crouching positions, trying not to move. They would be in trouble if they were caught in a place they weren't supposed to be on their first day, although maybe they could claim they had got lost. Rodrigo considered that perhaps the most sensible option would be to stand up and act normally, as if they were exploring the library, but seeing that his friends weren't moving, he was left with no choice but to do the same.

'It was over here,' Adara's voice said. 'It was a very old book. I think it was called Chronicles of the First Age.'

'The oldest books are in the corridor at the back,' the voice of Balkar, the grand master, responded.

They were trapped. The exact spot where they remained crouching was right behind the ancient books section. It was highly improbable they wouldn't be discovered.

'As soon as the boys told me about the riddle I knew I had read something similar before, but I could not remember where,' Balkar said. 'You have an excellent memory, Adara.'

Their footsteps drew closer and closer. It was a question of seconds before they would be discovered.

'Here it is,' said Adara. 'Look: Chronicles of the First Age.'

'Allow me to take a look,' Balkar asked.

There were so close, Rodrigo could clearly hear Balkar flicking through the book's pages. He tried to mask his breathing as much as possible and trusted that his friends were doing the same. It was no longer simply a question about avoiding a punishment: he wanted to remain unseen so he could continue listening to the conversation between Adara and the grand master. Obviously they had discovered something related to them. It had to be about another tower in Karinthia with the same inscription.

'There,' Adara said. 'Listen.'

The woman began to read a kind of poem.

Of this land he will be emperor

And will know great power

He whose every uttered word to which

Everyone must submit.

For all the magic that may appear

The person he shall fear

Is the one who bears at the hour

The Mirror of Power.

Finding it will be the destiny

Of one from a clearly

Faraway and lost world that insists

No power there exists.

He will find his path and hear his call

When he sees the stars fall

The day the moon appears in the sky

Before night comes to lie.

'Do you realise what this means?' Adara exclaimed, breaking off from reading. 'It's them! One of them will find the Mirror of Power!'

'You are undoubtedly correct,' said Balkar. 'It all coincides.'

'But... If we help them return to their world, we will lose our only chance to bring down Arakaz,' Adara murmured.

'The prophecies of the seers are always fulfilled, Adara. If it is the destiny of those boys to find the Mirror of Power, there is nothing that can be done to stop it. Perhaps they shall return home but it will be after they have fulfilled what is written here. In any case, it seems that Arakaz will not be the last enemy we must face. Have you read the final verse?'

Adara was silent for a moment.

'That doesn't make sense!' she said finally. 'Arakaz doesn't have an heir. There must be a mistake.'

'I have already told you. I am afraid that the seers' prophecies are never wrong.'