The Keeper of the Sword

by James Tierney

  Heroes We Must Be

  As the days passed and Seamus read the book, he began to realize why he had been greeted in such a way. He found his name in the book. He found out about the snowstorm, everything, but one crucial thing. Thomas was left out. He wasn't mentioned at all in the book. Seamus had a bad feeling about this because, according to the book, at the same time he and Thomas arrived, an evil force came to the land. Its name was Mot, a strong and powerful evil wizard that took control over the Wombats and led them into a long war against all that is good in the Land of Ack.

  It had been about a week now, and Seamus was only halfway through the book. This was because as he read, he was distracted by strange sounds and voices in his head calling him back to the cave. He always checked on Thomas when this happened to make sure Thomas was all right.

  Thomas and Brendan began to develop a strong friendship, practicing sword fighting in The Fields of Michele and fishing in the river.

  As Seamus observed them, he had a bad feeling that he needed to leave this place now. His son's life might hang on his decision to leave sooner than later. And the voices in his head kept getting louder as the days passed.

  Seamus called to Brendan, “Come, I will go now to see the elders and get some direction about how or when we can leave. Point me in the right direction to this Hall of Elders, Brendan."

  “You must first finish the book to see them,” Brendan explained

  “No!" Seamus yelled. "I need to talk to them now. I can't stay here any longer. We must leave. I feel that something bad is going to happen. These voices in my head are driving me mad.”

  “Okay," Brendan said. "Go to the wall of the city. At the great door, press the green crystal on the right and an elder will come to get you.”

  Seamus did so. As he walked, the Acks working in the fields stopped and bowed to him as if he were a king. The farther and farther away he walked, the more the voices in his head faded. When he arrived at the door, he pressed the green crystal. After a few minutes, the elder arrived from a path along the side of wall.

  “Follow me, oh great Sword Keeper,” he said as they walked to the door that entered into a tunnel. Inside, the carvings on the walls were just like the ones on the walls in the caves of Epod. He followed the elder to an enormous iron door where the old man uttered some unintelligible words. It moved slowly and creaked as if it had not been opened in ages. The door was nearly two feet thick.

  A blinding blue ray of light came from behind it as it opened. They passed through the door. By the time his eyes adjusted he could see that they were standing on a stage in a very large town square in the city. The walls went up very high with plants growing on terraces. Brilliant purple, red and gold flowers draped over the edges. Open windows were all up the sides of the tall buildings. The whole scene looked like a bee hive.

  “This is some city,” he remarked to the elder. “Yes, we grow most of our food within the walls, and the water comes from an underground spring. The time comes near when we will have to bring in all the Acks from outside the walls. No fear— we will have plenty of every thing to survive for quite long time. Plus we have the Blue Crystal Beamers.”

  “What are those?” asked Seamus.

  “We have put large mirrors next to the ceiling of the cave. They reflect the light down to crystals that shrink the light and create a beam. This is so we can shine it to the ground. It will stop the hoards of Wombats that will take siege of our city. We have a hundred of them, all at the top of the wall out of range of the Wombat's catapults.”

  A bell rang, then another and another until hundreds were ringing. The sound was wonderful to hear, like the singing bowls of Tibet. Behind him on the stage were stone chairs carved into the wall, and to the right a doorway. Then he saw them, five little ancient men walking out from this doorway, dressed in robes that resembled Japanese kimonos.

  All of them carried staffs with crystals on the top. Each crystal was a different color and had a small bell attached with a string hanging from the top. The bells rang as the men walked. They sat, and all the bells stopped. An eerie silence filled the air as hundreds of Acks entered, filling the town square.

  Seamus went up to the ancients and said, “I wish to seek council with the Elders of the Land of Ack.”

  “Yes, we know.” The one in the middle stood up and stepped toward Seamus. “It was written that you would ask. You do not need to request a meeting with us. We are always here for all to seek council. So what is it you request?”

  Before he could answer, another one asked, “You wish to leave, correct?”

  “Why, yes."

  “We know of your needs, but this Thomas, he is not spoken of in the Book of Zierns or in any other books left by the ancients. It is truly puzzling to us. Since you arrived, we have gathered in council going over all the knowledge left to us. We have gone over all the books and still do not have the answer. Do you?”

  “I will return to help you, but I feel that something is wrong and I need to get Thomas out of here. The sooner, the better. I wish to leave today,” Seamus exclaimed with a more determined voice.

  They whispered among themselves and stopped. Again, the one in the middle spoke. “I am Belter, the Oldest of the Elders in the Land of Ack. I tell you we have decided to let you go to take Thomas home, as long as you return the very day you go. You see, time goes by faster here. A day in your time equals twelve in ours. So every day counts.”

  Just then Brendan came running through the crowd shouting. “They have him! They have him!”

  When Brendan got to the stage, he could barely breathe.

  “Who has whom?” one elder said softly.

  “The Wombats have Thomas!” Brendan screamed.

  “Tell us what happened.”

  “We were out in the fields running toward the river when Thomas just stopped, turned and ran toward the opening to the caves of Epod. I tried tackling him, but he was like ten men pushing me away. He wouldn't listen to me. I could see their eyes in the cave and heard them in my head beckoning us to come in closer. I was trying to put them out of my head. Then it happened. A large hook on a chain shot out and hooked Thomas by his leg and pulled him into the darkness of the cave. I didn’t have my sword on me. I couldn’t chase them in the dark. That is just what they wanted." He then turned to Seamus and said, "I am so sorry. I was entrusted with his safety. I have failed you.”

  Seamus's eyes bulged. “I must go now and save my son!" he screamed. "How do I get to this Gleep? I'll rescue him from those things myself."

  Belter spoke calmly and with compassion. “We feel your pain, Seamus. We have all lost family to the Wombats. But you have to be realistic at this time. They are far gone by now. He may already be a Wombat, turned by the Black crystal that sits in the tower of Gleep. Or he may even be dead by now. No one knows for sure what happens to their captives. All we know is that no one has ever returned once captured. Even after many rescue attempts, none have returned. We have sent hundreds of Acks on these pointless attempts of rescuing only one. We wind up losing all, so please do not do this. I plead to you, do not go.”

  “I have to try." He turned toward the crowd and yelled, "Who among you are brave enough to go with me?”

  Brendan held up his fist. “ I, Brendan. I pledge my life and my sword to Seamus.”

  The little old man they first met at the entrance of Isnack said, “I, Mij, will go to guide you with the knowledge of the Book of Zierns.”

  "So be it. Once upon a father's tears,” stated Belter.

  The crowd solemnly repeated, ''Once upon a father's tears.”

  “But first you must find the Sword of Zierns to help you on your quest. It is written that the wisest will travel with you. Mij, the fastest sword; Brendan, the strongest; Brudie the Bold; and the most important one, Willow the Pink. She, above all, must go on this quest."

  “All right. They all can come,” Seamus said. He shifted on his feet, impatient to get started.

  With that
, Belter's voice became very loud, and he said to the crowd, “The time of the Keeper of the Sword is upon us. We have to prepare for what will come.”

  Mij pulled out a map from his book and pointed down and said to Seamus, “First we must go to the Mountains of Mazzel to find Brudie the Bold. Then to the town of El Ehcim to get Willow the Pink. Without them we will surly perish. So it is written. Then we must retrieve the Sword of Zierns from the cave where it has been hidden from the Wombats for a millennium. Then, and only then, can we go to save your son. Agreed?”

  “Agreed,” said Seamus, and they shook hands on it.

  Seamus was reluctant to do this. He wanted to go after Thomas immediately. He knew of the Wombats' cruelty and evil from reading the book.

  “How does your son act? Is he a good boy?” Mij asked Seamus.

  “Why?”

  “You see, the Black Crystal has never been used on a human before. It multiplies whatever evil hides within you. Acks are very loving people and still become very evil. I just wonder about the coming of Mot to the stories and the taking of Thomas.”

  Seamus stopped, knowing there was something he ought to say, but he didn't want to believe it himself.

  Mij said, “We must move fast.”

  Seamus pulled his shoulders back, hoping Mij didn't suspect anything.

  The Quest Begins

  And so our three heroes began their walk toward the gates of Isnack to the outside. As they walked, people in yellow cloaks supplied them with armor and bags of food wrapped up as if they had anticipated what was going to happen.

  They handed Brendan his sword. It was beautiful. It had a leather-wrapped handle and blackened iron circular cross guard that had cut bamboo trees in gold decorating it. It looked just like a samurai sword from Japan.

  Then they handed Seamus a sword. Kind of ugly compared to Brendan’s, but it looked as if it could do the job. They handed Mij a bow with a large quiver full of arrows and a small sword. Then they placed around his neck a glass vial. They handed all of them canteens and Brendan a bottle of dark liquid.

  “I am very impressed," Seamus stated. "It seems like the entire city knew we would be leaving today. Strange, huh, Mij?"

  “Yes very strange." Mij chuckled quietly and gave a sly smile. "But we will see much stranger things in time. Yes, in time."

  As they arrived at the great gates of the city, the crowd cheered and blue crystal dust fell from the windows onto the crowd. When they stepped out onto the road, the door slowly shut behind them. Silence fell upon the land, and a great gust of a foul-smelling wind blew from across the fields. A great horn sounded, and all the workers in the fields started walking toward the city.

  “They know we are coming,” Mij said in an anxious voice.

  “So who will lead this party of heroes to our destination?” Seamus raised his arms and smiled at the group, hoping to break the mood of doom that had fallen upon them.

  Brendan puffed out his chest. “I will. Follow me to the River of Life where a boat awaits us.”

  They marched through the fields, and after several hours finally reached the river. Sitting like a present in the water was a green thirty-foot boat with black sails. It looked like a Chinese Junk, but smaller.

  “We will set sail immediately,” declared Mij.

  “I am tired,” protested Brendan.

  “No worries. We have a crew to sail, so we can rest on the trip.”

  “Wow!" Seamus exclaimed. "They thought of everything.”

  They rested in the tiny cabin as the rocking of the boat put them into a deep sleep in their hammocks. When they awoke the next morning, the boat had already docked, and a fire and food had been prepared for them by the crew. As Seamus came out of the cabin, he saw a large lake in front of them and a wall with an archway over the entire river marking the beginning of the lake. Steps rose to the top of the wall where a balcony had been built.

  “What is this place?” Seamus asked.

  “It is the Screaming Wall of Crystal Lake,” Mij answered.

  “Screaming walls? Oh, no don’t tell me....”

  “No. No. The walls don't scream," Mij said to Seamus. "You see, for centuries mothers, wives and family of the missing have come here. They scream the the names of their loved ones across the lake at Gleep, hoping their voices will break the spell cast on the victims by the Black Crystal. The lake has strange properties. Sound travels great distances across it and hits the walls of Gleep on the other side. Then it echoes back. Still, no one has ever been returned to loved ones. Yet, the hopeful ones always come here to try.”

  They all helped to unload the supplies onto the shore. “So where are we now?” questioned Seamus .

  Unraveling his map, Mij pointed.

  “We are here, at the base of The Hills of Mazzel that turn into the Mountains of Mazzel,” said Brendan.

  “We now must put on our armor. It is easier to wear than to carry,” said Mij.

  The armor was styled like ancient Asian armor that Seamus had seen in history books. It was like a mix of Japanese and Chinese.

  Seamus' armor of black with red trim fit perfectly. It was was very light for the amount of material it was made of.

  “What are these made of?” Seamus questioned.

  “A special metal found only in the wastelands. See the yellowish sky behind the city of Gleep? That is the beginning of the wastelands. Many stories of horror have come from there. It is a very risky trip to go to the mine and get the ore for a suit of armor. But most warriors will make the quest as a passage into adulthood. Your armor belonged to Brudie the Bold's father. He was the largest Ack, until Brudie, of course,” explained Mij.

  “So where did you get the ideas for the designs of the armor? They resemble Asian-styled armor from my world,” asked Seamus.

  Mij explained, “Eons ago, an Ack ventured out into your world and found a large book and statues of people wearing these types of clothing. He brought back parts of the book and started a tailor shop making the style of clothes he saw in the book. His brother was a silversmith and started making the armor for the warriors who returned with the metal from the wasteland. They were the rage, and now we all wear this style.”

  “Plus it's comfortable,” Brendan said chuckling. “Do we have everything?” Brendan asked.

  “Water?”

  “Yes.”

  “Food?”

  “Yes.”

  “Swords?”

  “Oh wait... I left mine on the boat. Let me get it,” said Seamus. He came running back after a few minutes.

  “I have it now.”

  “Seamus, we must keep our swords at the ready. You must be very aware of your surroundings now that we are in the area where the Chise hunt,” Mij explained.

  “Wait. Stop! What is a Chise, and what do they hunt?”

  Mij spoke softly and calmly. “Let’s see, a Chise …well, I have seen only one in my life. It is a large, black, scary lizard thing with wings and flies very fast. They are the size of a house.”

  “They have long necks and big claws,” Brendan added.

  Mij said, “They fly very quietly. They come from the depths of the Chasms of the Chise next to Gleep. See here on the map,” he pointed out.

  “You forgot the best part. They hypnotize men and eat them, but it doesn’t work on women. If women get between a Chise and its prey, it will rip them into pieces,” Brendan stated

  “Great!" Seamus yelled sarcastically, "House-size man-eating dragons that fly quietly. What else is out there that can kill us?”

  Brendan raised a hand. “Well there is the. . .”

  “Stop! I don’t really want to know,” Seamus said angrily, stalking up hill. “Lets just go.”

  Mij calmly reminded him, ”Remember, we do this for the good of all the Acks. We all appreciate your sacrifice, Seamus.”

  Seamus apologized. “I’m sorry for the attitude, Mij. All of this is just so insane. I am really worried about my son. I don’t know how I'll tell his mother
when I return, if I return. She will be so upset if we don't save him. Just a few days ago I was sitting in my chair with my family playing around me with no worries in the world. Now I’m on a quest to save the lives of not just my son, but of an entire civilization.”

  The Chise Attack

  Across the fields the three went as they walked closer to the forest. Flowers in every imaginable color covered the field. The fragrance was so sweet, Seamus couldn’t help but inhale their sweet, heavy aroma.

  “Wow," he said These flowers are the sweetest . . ." Without warning, Seamus felt dizzy and collapsed face down in the flowers.

  “He’s blacked out!” Brendan yelled.

  “Oh, no, the Shell flowers. I forgot he’s not used to them yet,” Mij explained.

  As everything started to come into focus again, Seamus smelled the distinct odor of garlic. He sat up and then felt very dizzy and sick to his stomach.

  “Sorry," Brendan said, "we forgot that you have never smelled Shell Flowers of The Hills of Mazzel before. Their sweet fragrance is quite intoxicating if you are not used to them. So Mij wrapped a scarf soaked in garlic juice around your nose. You must keep this on. Then, every thirty minutes you take it off and walk a while. Then put it on again, increasing the time of it off each time until you do not need it anymore.”

  “How long before we get away from these flowers?"

  “About four hours' walk until we reach the Forest of Zaboom,” Mij said.

  After about three hours, Seamus was used to the smell of the Shell Flowers. Mij told him, “We all played in these fields as children, so we have an immunity to the fragrance of the Shell Flowers. Also, the smell keeps the Chises away from the children. You see, if a Chise comes, lie down as flat as you can into the flowers, and you will be safe from the Chise's wrath.”

  “The flowers taste as sweet as they smell, like candy. Later, we will dig up and collect some roots," Mij explained. "They are great energy food when climbing the mountains ahead.”