After we had fled the oasis, a kindly woman who was part of our caravan and who had recently lost her own baby agreed to act as a wetnurse for the infant during the several weeks we expected to spend in the desert. My heart went out to Brengazi who mourned the loss of the woman he had loved, but at least he knew the child was safe for now and that his destiny was being realised. He often wondered what had become of the other groups who had fled the oasis, but I urged him to drive the thought from his mind. We both knew without saying that anyone caught by the soldiers of the evil chief would have been slaughtered without mercy.
* * *
At last we reached the dock, and I felt a sudden surge of fear pass through me because I knew we were still in great danger. The desert chief would not hesitate to use all of his resources to track us down in order to save face with his people. I knew I would not rest easy until we were on one of the ships and well clear of this harsh and unruly land, so I quickly set about negotiating with some traders to sell the camel caravan, dispersing the animals amongst the traders to hide any evidence of our presence from our enemy.
Brengazi had taken my advice. He would flee this dark land and come with me to the new world where he could put his powers to good use. After rewarding our supporters, I used the balance of the proceeds to buy passage on one of the tall ships for the sorcerer, the child, and myself. I also bought passage for the wetnurse, who was willing to come along to ensure the child’s survival so long as she could rejoin her people later. The tribesmen who had helped us escape swore that they would one day return to the desert, drive the evil chief from power, and avenge the loss of their princess; but I will never know if they were successful in their quest.
At dawn the next day the tall ships set sail for the new land with all four of us on board. Immediately my spirits rose as we watched the barren hills of that desert land recede into the distance. The wish of the sorcerer’s dead father had been realised in his son’s union with the white princess, and in the child who would one day grow up with the combined powers of the sorcerer and the girl. For the first time since we had met, Brengazi became very excited at the prospect of finally being able to use his powers for good purposes in new lands, and he was already making plans to travel widely as his son grew and developed his own powers. As we travelled, he asked me to record the things I had seen so far so there would be a permanent record of our adventures together; and he also begged me to care for his son if he should come to some unfortunate end himself. He wanted to be sure there would be someone available to nurture the child and tell him of his beginnings and his destiny to perform good deeds. To this I agreed.
The journey to the new world would take several months, and the tall ships frequently had to brave bad weather and high seas, as well as the constant risk of meeting hostile vessels. Three months into the journey my greatest fear was realised, when we were suddenly set upon by a huge band of pirates in three longboats. Attacking from the rear, they quickly overpowered the other ship, which had been following about half a mile behind our own. In short order, the unfortunate crewmembers who had survived were tossed overboard like rag dolls, and the ship was sailed away to wherever the pirates kept their lair. Helpless to alter the outcome, I watched this brutal attack with growing horror, while our captain jettisoned as much cargo as he dared to lighten our ship and increase her speed. However, one of the longboats did manage to catch our ship as she fled, the pirates preparing ropes and ladders with which to board; and then our captain urged his crew to prepare to fight to the death.
Brengazi waited patiently near the rail until he could make eye contact with the invading pirates. When he did, he began to conjure up images of fire and lightning and hordes of fierce sailors; and the pirates quickly fell back in fear. Sadly, during the struggle Brengazi was struck in the head by a stray round from a musket, and fell to the deck in a rapidly spreading pool of blood. Despite my frantic ministrations, he died quickly and silently right there on the deck, his hopes and dreams flowing from his body with the crimson blood that stained my hands as I cradled his head.
By then the valiant crew of the tall ship had repelled the confused pirates, and a sudden high wind gathered up the vessel and bore it quickly away from the scene of the carnage before others could reach us. Brengazi’s brave actions had saved the ship and the life of his son, and I knew as I held his dead body that I would honour my promise to him until my own death.
I spent the rest of that journey compiling this journal, as I wanted one day to be able to share the secrets I know and thus discharge my promise to his father. Brengazi had told me that the boy’s mystical powers would begin to emerge when his age reached double figures: this, he felt, would be the appropriate time to tell him of his strange beginnings and his mission in life. He had been resolute that his son should use his powers to help people in the new world, where the ancient forces of darkness and evil were not yet in play. He had also warned me that the boy should not be told anything of his history until the first sign of his mystical powers emerged, because only then would he be mature enough to develop his inherited skills for the good of all he encountered.
At last the ship arrived at the colony. There I met up with my dear wife, Ede, who had accompanied my brother to the new land earlier to seek out suitable property for investment. When I had inherited considerable wealth from my own father, we had decided to leave behind the troubled old country of England, determined to make a new and successful start in the wonderful new land across the sea that we had heard so much about. Even then I had an inexhaustible thirst for knowledge and was probably too keen for adventure, so I opted to send my wife and my younger brother on ahead with the main English convoy while I made other travel plans for myself. I decided to take a route through the ancient countries of the East in search of knowledge, as well as goods that be of use to us in the new land. Little had I known what wonderful things I would see on that journey, let alone that I would end up with a child to rear, one with a mysterious past and a fantastic future.
That child was several months of age by the time we disembarked the ship, and no longer dependent on the wetnurse who was longing to return to her own people. It was therefore arranged right there at the port that the woman would be sent back with the very next convoy to rejoin her family. Ede was eager to take care of the child, being too old to have any children of her own. When she held out her arms, the child responded at once. She admired his dark locks, smooth brown skin, and large, liquid blue eyes. “But what is the child’s name?” she asked as she held him close and stroked his cheek. “You have not told me the boy’s name.”
I confess that I was caught off guard at this point. It had not occurred to me before that the boy had not yet been named, and now both his parents were dead and could not be consulted. “His name is Brennan,” I said at last, deciding to use a combination of Brengazi, the boy’s father, and Nan, the name of the white princess. “He will bear no other name, just Brennan, and he will be known to the world from now on as our nephew.”
As I began to take charge of my affairs, I was distressed to learn that my brother had made no investments and had squandered much of my fortune in the bars and fleshpots of the new colony. I managed to overcome my anger, however, aware of my own selfishness by my going off adventuring and leaving too much responsibility with my brother and Ede. Instead, I threw myself into the exclusive control of my own business, and took up a large selection along the river on the outskirts of the colony, quickly developing a successful mixed farm. I like to think of myself as a clever and industrious man. My dear wife, though, was a simple but kind woman, and my brother was a man who preferred to enjoy the fruits of others’ labour, being reluctant to work hard himself. Neither of them were therefore ideal business partners; but I nonetheless resolved to build the best life I could for all of us here in the new country.
I also built a busy and successful trading post, buying materials, goods and produce from all over the colony. The goods we then either sold to the settlers or exported them back to the old country. We worked hard and within three short years we were quite successful and our endeavours in our adopted country were returning comfortable profits. During this time,
