She approached the table cautiously. As she moved closer, the candlelight reached the other end of the room where she could make out a door to a bedchamber and another staircase that led up, she supposed, to another room. Letting her curiosity get the best of her, she glanced down at the table top and saw a huge drawing of a meadow and a stream, surrounded by trees, cradled in a small dell between two hills and a towering rock cliff. She shuffled the paper to the left to see those that lay beneath. One had what looked like a measured layout of a huge city and the other was what appeared to be a diagram of a network of small tunnels and large corridors. There were markings and names written all over the papers.
Suddenly, she heard faint footsteps coming from the top of the staircase and her heart skipped a beat. Here they come again! Panicked, she peered back down at the papers and names flashed in her mind as she frantically read them — Portalis, Narvoq, Xiron, Chaeopira, Gesheriq, and Barenthren.
“We think you should see them, Ben. It’s important,” the deep voice of Jor echoed from above. They were getting closer, she realized, and there was no time to escape to the staircase at the other end. She cursed herself for being such a curious fool and swiftly bolted for the closet. She opened it quietly and quickly ducked inside just before their candlelight reached around the last turn of the staircase.
The closet was small, but there was just enough room for her to stand. Realizing that her candlelight would give her away, she blew it out immediately and slid behind a cloak hanging from a hook. She placed her ear as close to the closet door as she could and listened. She prayed that they wouldn’t open it. Then, she heard footsteps entering the room.
“Here they are,” Sieren said. “We thought this would be the best place for them. This is the map that reveals the location of Portalis. This one concerned us the most.”
There was a long silence and then she heard Ben say: “Yes, well almost. You have to know the general location already to be able to decipher it, but yes, I see what you mean.”
“Here are the others that detail the layout of Portalis itself as well as the underground cities connected to it.”
Again there was a long stretch of silence as she heard the shuffling of papers.
“Yes, these are quite thorough. What is this?”
“This, we believe, is the diagram of the Maaldan palace because the one underneath it, here, is a map of the islands.”
“But Ben,” Chalice heard Jor cut in, “what is interesting about this diagram of the Maaldan palace is this. You see? Just here.”
“What is that?” Ben asked.
“We don’t know, but there is obviously something huge located right on this spot, just outside the castle wall, important enough to be marked on the map.”
“Where did you get all of these?” Ben asked.
“We confiscated them from a Searcher who needed a place to stay for the night. When we interrogated him, he said that they had been in his family for generations.”
“Hmm … a Searcher? For the cup of power? Are you sure?”
“That’s what he said. Why?”
“These maps belong in the Archive.”
The Archive? What’s the Archive? Chalice wondered silently.
“This is how I know,” Ben continued. “You see this inscription on top? That is a special sign of the Readers. And here is the serial number, right here. This tells me that these were once catalogued there. This is another thing that worries me. How can these have been taken out?”
“I don’t know. I just put them down here so they would be safe and so you would have access to them if you ever came to visit again. I’m sure you’ll want to take them with you now that you’re returning to Portalis.”
“No. Our journey ahead is too dangerous. If something went wrong, they could fall into the enemy’s hands. It’s a good thing you confiscated them before they did. Thank you! They can stay here for now. They will be safe enough. This castle is a fortress, so I’m not worried. I’ll come back for them later.” Ben paused, then said: “I would like to write down these serial numbers, though.” Chalice heard a shuffling sound and the scratching of a quill on paper. Then, Ben spoke again. “Sieren, Jor, if you find any other maps or documents with these marks, please keep them down here, alright?”
“Of course!” Jor answered.
“Alright, time to go back up,” she heard Sieren say. “Our tea will be ready by now and we need to get those procurement papers prepared for you.”
“After you, darling,” Jor said.
Chalice heard them leave the room and ascend the staircase back to the study. She waited an extra minute just for good measure and then let out a long, relieved breath. They were gone. Slowly opening the closet door, it suddenly occurred to her that there was another problem. It was pitch black and she couldn’t see a thing! She moved very carefully, groping her way to the staircase at the other end of the room. She had no idea where it led, but she was sure that if she took the other one, she would find Ben, Sieren, and Jor in the study, talking until the early morning hours and she couldn’t wait that long.
She made her way slowly up the staircase, groping carefully along the sides, until she found a door. She felt for a latch, similar to the one she had seen at the other end, and gently shifted it to the left. It moved silently until she heard a soft click. The door panel opened a crack and all she could see beyond it was darkness. She crept as silently as she could into the room, in case it was a bedchamber. She didn’t want to wake anyone this late. Then, she suddenly recognized the open door, the flickering light, and the bed where she had just been sleeping. It was her room! The other staircase led back to her room! Then it struck her — not her room, Ben’s room.
Of course. It was for his use when he came to visit, she realized. It only made sense that he would have to have direct access to a secret study that he could use — a secret study where Sieren could hide maps of Portalis to keep them safe.
What a fiasco! she thought. Placing the candle into her bag, she decided to leave the room once again in search of food. This time, she would just stop at the kitchen and not let her curiosity go wild again. This time, she told herself, she would stay on track – no detours, no interruptions, just straight to her target. She was determined and as soon as she passed through the doorway, she jumped with a start.
“Chalice! My dear, what are you doing out of bed?” Sieren exclaimed. She had been standing just outside the study speaking with a kitchen maid. “You shouldn’t be up,” she said as moved brusquely down the hallway to meet her.
“I’m just so hungry.”
“Of course! You must be famished. I will have Sasha bring you a tray.” She moved toward Chalice and offered to take her coat. Chalice acquiesced, as they both re-entered the bedchamber where she found herself once again in bed. She noted how motherly Sieren was, taking her coat and boots, placing them aside with her bags, and tucking her in.
“I’ll go tell her now to bring you a tray. You stay in bed.”
“Okay, goodnight Sieren.”
“Goodnight, darling.”
Chalice couldn’t help but feel a little pang of guilt after having sneaked so furtively around her home. Well, it was true that she hadn’t intended to, but all the same, she felt it was a little dishonest.
If it hadn’t been for my stupid curiosity! she chided herself.
After a few minutes, Sasha arrived with a tray of food, that she set on the bed next to Chalice. She lit the lamp on the bedside table, wished her a goodnight, and left the room. It was the honeyed ham and roast duck that the others had had that evening. There were vegetables, peas, warm bread with butter, and a large glass of milk. She dug into it rapaciously, as if she hadn’t eaten in months. The nourishment immediately gave her strength. It was just the sustenance she needed and when she was finished, she lay back on the pillows with a full belly, closed her eyes, and was again fast asleep.
The Cedarwood University
A few days passed before Chalice was
fully recovered from her illness. Sasha tended to her meals and clothing while the others were enjoying themselves around the castle. She had insisted that she was well enough to join them touring the grounds, riding in the woods, and playing games, but Bunejab wouldn’t have it. He ordered her to remain in bed, taking medicine everyday until she was back to her normal strength again. She was miserable because it was quite boring. The only excitement was in her evening visits with the others, who regaled her with tales of their adventures. On the third day in the late afternoon, Jeremiah came to see her, taking his usual seat in the chair next to the bed.
“I was doing really well until Tyke accidentally knocked me in the back with his stick and I fell off Banner,” he said, pointing to the part of his back where he had been hit. He had grass stains all over him and was telling her about the polo game they had played after lunch. The story about Tycho didn’t surprise her. She was sure he hadn’t meant to do it but Tycho was always clumsy.
“My shin is all bruised, see,” Jeremiah said as he pulled up his pant leg and showed her a huge black-and-blue mark that ran along his shin.
She winced. “Ooh, that looks bad.”
“Bunejab said he would give me something for it after dinner so I’m not worried.” He paused. “Are you well enough to join us tonight?”
“I think so.” She knew he had been waiting for her to recuperate so he could show her around the castle. “Where are the others?”
“They’re still putting the horses away and cleaning up. Everyone joined in the game, even the servants and the guests. Well, everyone except for Bunejab. He was on the sidelines with his bag in case anyone got hurt.”
“You did.”
The side of Jeremiah’s mouth quirked in a crooked smile and he shook his head. “This isn’t serious. After I fell, I decided I had had enough and left for the stables. He tried to give me a poultice for it when I walked off the field, but I told him I wanted to head back to the castle.” He paused, glancing around. “I like this castle. It’s a great place. I’ve never known people like the Farahs before.”
“Yeah, they are really nice.” She suddenly felt another pang of guilt for what had happened the other night in the secret study. She knew she needed to tell someone and she trusted Jeremiah.
“What’s up?” he asked. Apparently the feeling of guilt had shown on her face.
“I have something to confess,” she admitted as she studied her hands. “I woke up in the middle of the night …” She proceeded to tell him the story as he listened carefully.
Jeremiah glanced around the room. “Where is the passage?”
“Right there.” She pointed to the left, where the wooden wall panel sat between the armoire and the writing desk. He walked over and nudged the candelabra to the right. It shifted with a soft click and the wall panel cracked open. He knew he shouldn’t have been surprised, but he was still jolted when he saw it. Then, he pulled the door open all the way to peer down the staircase.
“Wow, you’re right!” Slowly, he shut the door and walked back to the bed.
“So … you think I should tell them?”
“I think you should at least tell Ben. The apartments on this wing seem to belong to him.”
“Well, yeah, I agree with you, but the truth is that this part of the castle doesn’t really belong to him. It belongs to the Farahs. I feel like I should tell them.”
“Well, you can tell all three of them. Just make sure you’re not around the others when you do, you know, just in case.”
She nodded. Noting the puzzled expression on his face, she asked: “What is it?”
“It’s strange, Chalice. You say this castle really belongs to the Farahs and it’s true that it has been in their family for generations, yet they act as if they don’t own it. They act as if everyone else has a special right to it.” He shook his head. “I don’t get it.”
“You’re right. I noticed that, too, when we first arrived. They are very strange people, aren’t they?”
He nodded. “Here come’s Tyke,” he said when they suddenly heard voices drifting in from the corridors outside.
Jeremiah was right. Tycho was the first to pop his head into the door. “How ya feelin’?” His eyes smiled with humor. Kirna followed right behind him as they took a spot on the bed next to Chalice.
“Good!” She smiled at him. It was always good to see Tycho. He had a way of lifting her spirits.
“I suppose Jeremiah told you all about the game, huh?”
“Yes, he did.”
“His team still won. You should know that!”
“I believe you.”
Just then, Ben walked in to inform them that dinner would be ready soon and took a seat next to the bed.
“I fell off my horse, too, at the end,” Tycho continued. “I felt something brush my shoulder and lost my balance. That never happens!” Chalice looked over and met Kirna’s eyes. Kirna shook her head at her as if to say: “forget it.”
“It was strange because Ben was right next to me and he was on the other team. Hmm …” Tycho added.
Ben arched an eyebrow. “What are you insinuating Tycho? That I pushed you? I was too far away,” he said, shaking his head.
“Yeah, but you are Terravailian.”
Ben smiled. “Using your power in a game is cheating. Even if I had wanted to, I could not have used it to knock you off your horse.”
“Oh, give it up Tycho! You fell of your horse because that happens all the time!” Kirna said.
“Nuh uh!” he responded defiantly and she rolled her eyes.
Just then, Charleton walked in with a small cup in his hands. He shook it at Tycho and it rattled.
“Do you know how to play jags?”
“Yeah” Tycho jumped up from the bed. It was his favorite game. Jags was a game of triangular dice that Tycho loved to play, but only if he could win, which he usually did. The game consisted of seven matches and whoever won the most matches, won the game. The two young men sat down on the seats near the fire and began to engross themselves into their first match.
Chalice looked at Ben. “What do you mean, Ben?”
“What do you mean what do I mean?”
“Why couldn’t you use your daieoden to knock Tycho off his horse? Not that you would do that. I’m just asking. Why? What do you mean?”
“The Terravail cannot use their power to harm or kill another living creature.”
“Why?”
“Because it is a violation of the natural order. The avie is the power that connects and nurtures all living things. We cannot use it to kill or harm them. You see, we cannot use that which creates and maintains life to destroy it.”
“So, it cannot be used in battle then?” Jeremiah asked.
“It can, just not directly. For example, it can be used as a shield to protect something or someone. Or it can be used to start fire, winds, rain, or thunder and lightning, all of which can serve as tools in battle, not to destroy, but to defend. If you try to use it to destroy something that is alive, it will not work. For example, if an enemy attacks you with arrows, you cannot create lightning to strike them down, but you can create a shield of air or a heavy rain or fire that will render their weapons useless. You see?”
“So, battle with the Terravail is a matter of strategy and cunning?” Jeremiah added.
“Exactly. Very good! You learn quickly.”
“Thanks!” he replied.
“It is also a competition of who has the greatest power. One side may have a brilliant strategy, but if they don’t have enough Terravailian power to execute it, they will lose. It’s very complicated.”
“So, for example, what would you do if …”
As Ben and Jeremiah continued to talk about battle strategies, Kirna told Chalice about the castle. During the time that Chalice had been bedridden, Sieren and Jor had given them all an historical tour.
“… and they took us to the oldest tower in the castle. Sieren calls it the astronomy tower. She said i
t was perfectly intact when they built the castle except for a few minor blemishes. In fact, this castle is a reconstruction of one that existed anciently. It was in ruins when they first found it.”
“Really?” Chalice was amazed. She had always believed there was nothing left from the ancient world to validate the stories and yet the castle stood as proof.
“Yeah, it had strange marks and cuts in the walls and no one knows what they mean, at least that’s what Jor said. There were also these weird instruments that looked similar to the eyeglass that Ben has. They were up on the top of the tower.”
“I can’t wait to see it! Was Jeremiah with you?”
Kirna rolled her eyes. “Yes, of course, he was the one asking all of the questions.”
Chalice smiled. She could picture the scene in her head. He was so predictable.
“You coming to dinner with us tonight?” Kirna asked and Chalice nodded.
“I win!” The shout startled them and they turned their heads to see Tycho throwing up his hands in triumph. Apparently, he had won the match.
“Not quite,” Charleton said.
“What do you mean?!” Tycho asked, nonplussed. “Swords trump clovers!”
“Yes, but hearts trump swords. See?” Charleton responded, pointing to one of the dice.
Tycho looked down and frowned. “You’re right. Dang it!” he said in frustration. “Alright, we’re playing again. My turn to go first.”
“Sorry Tycho, but you will have to play later. It’s time to get ready for dinner,” Ben interrupted, nodding toward the door where Sasha stood. She was motioning for them to come. Chalice smiled at Kirna. They both knew that if Ben let him, Tycho would play all night until he won.
“Okay,” he said reluctantly and picked himself up from the chair, staring at Charleton. “But as soon as dinner’s over, we’re coming back!”
“You’re on!” Charleton laughed.
“We’ll see you in there, Chalice,” Kirna told her and with that, they all rose from their seats and headed out of the room.
The Raie'Chaelia (Legend of the Raie'Chaelia, Book One 1) Page 22