CHAPTER III

THE CASTLE OF THE SORCERER

They fell earthward until Raphael felt dizzy and sick. His ears hummed; his stomach rose. He shut his eyes and clutched desperately at the feathers along the eagle’s back. After an agony of excitement, the wind-song died to a hum; they dropped less rapidly, and Raphael with a gulp opened his eyes.

They were flying above the sea, which appeared in the morning light to be covered by a bright sheet of silver mail. The aeroplane of the Sorcerer had disappeared.

The eagles bore Raphael swiftly toward a cloud which lay in the distance above the ocean. As they drew near, the cloud changed, and land appeared rising fresh and green out of the sea. On this land the boy made out a great palace of white marble.

‘Is this the Sorcerer’s castle?’ Raphael shouted into his friend’s ear.

[Illustration: ‘IS THIS THE SORCERER’S CASTLE?’ RAPHAEL SHOUTED]

Empyrean nodded.

First the eagles flew round the castle from left to right, and Raphael marveled that there were no doors, no windows in this strange building. All he saw were blind walls which towered heavenward, a huge pillar of cream-white stone.

When the eagles had circled the building three times, they flew directly across the top. On the roof was an immense court surrounded by walls and shaped like the inside of a saucer. Within this bowl lay the aeroplane of the Sorcerer. Raphael saw figures running about on the roof.

Beside the large island lay a little one, barren and brown like the naked back of a sea monster. Here the eagles gathered together for a council of war. After many impatient and fierce proposals from his followers, Chief of All the Eagles in the Sky spoke:

‘We have come, O Eagles, to save the sister of our friend and to war against our enemy, the Sorcerer. But harken. We pit our strength and cunning against a powerful foe who has magic at his command about which we know little. Our brother,’--the eagle motioned toward Raphael--‘is of another people, a people more accustomed than we to such machines as this Sorcerer is lord over. Therefore it seems advisable to me that he go forth and bring us news.’

The eagle ceased to speak. The bird-warriors turned and stared at the boy, who, proud and self-conscious, bowed his head in assent. His first test had come.

Calling upon Gæa, as Empyrean had instructed him, Raphael claimed the powers of a water spider, and turned toward the water that separated the little island from the larger one. He was to try the powers granted him by the Queen Mother. Would the sea hold him? He stepped nervously onto a wave that broke in a carpet of white foam at his feet, and took a hasty step forward, then another. It was partly like walking over an uneven floor, partly like climbing a moving sandhill.

Far below on the bottom of the ocean he could hear clams chanting a hymn of triumph in which he distinctly caught the echo of his own name.

In a few moments Raphael stood on the shore of the main island underneath the walls of the Sorcerer’s castle. The tall blocks of stone which seemed to pierce the reeling sky were cold to his touch. There was no life, no movement on the whole island. Even the palms which fringed the shore were motionless. Only a large steel sign that read, _Keep Out! This Means You!_ hinted at human occupation. To the castle itself he could find neither door nor window. That’s very queer, thought the boy.

Calling upon Gæa for the powers of a bird, Raphael raised his hands above his head and stood upon his toes. Then, using his arms as wings, he jumped upward. It was like beating a very soft feather pillow. Slowly the boy left the ground, kicking awkwardly with his legs; and lit, out of breath and sprawling, in the saucer-like basin where he had last seen the aeroplane of the Sorcerer. The roof was deserted and bleak. Only the thin outline of a large trapdoor showed where the Sorcerer had entered his stronghold.

Raphael walked about nervously, expecting to be attacked at any moment. He could see no sign of life, and yet he felt that invisible eyes watched him.

There must be, he thought, another door to this castle under the sea.

Raphael leapt from the roof to fly back to the eagles. He dropped earthward, and only by beating the air wildly with his outstretched arms could he regain his balance. With a sense of relief he landed fluttering like a wounded bird on the little island.

When he told the eagles what he had found, they burst into a shrill clamor devising schemes of war. As before, Chief of All the Eagles in the Sky was the last to speak:

‘Comrades, since you demand war, there shall be war. But I believe you underestimate the power and resource of the enemy. Before we use violence, let us discover whether there is another entrance to this castle through which the Sorcerer might escape. Although a journey below the sea is not possible for eagles, to Raphael, who has power over the sea, it should not be difficult.

‘My boy’--he turned to Raphael--‘I charge you with this mission. Go to the King or President of the Atlantic, for I think that he will help us.’

In this way the conference ended.

[Illustration]