by Travis Pond
Looking closer at the object, the feelings and energy associated with the sphere became stronger. Tureis was unsure what to do with the sphere. Should he pick it up or just leave it there? He considered the consequences for a moment. What would happen if he actually touched the sphere? This question caused him to think for a moment. The more he thought, the more he realized he didn’t know what the consequences of touching it would be. Maybe there would also be consequences for leaving it on the shelf and never touching it. How could he be sure what to do? As a test, he slowly extended his hand toward the sphere and the energy became even stronger. The hairs on his arms and neck were now risen completely. He pulled his hand back and stepped away, leaning against the far wall and took some deep breaths. As he calmed himself he once again looked at the sphere and immediately felt the energy start pulling him back towards it.
Tureis didn’t know what to do. After extending his hand and feeling the surge of energy his initial feeling was that this was an object that possessed some sort of power. But was it good or evil? He remembered recently his father had been talking to someone from the castle. They were talking about objects with power. He remembered his father telling the man, “You can know if the object is safe to touch by the feelings you get. If the power is pure and good it will feel peaceful. If the power is evil the feelings will be dark and make you feel uneasy.”
Tureis thought about those words for a moment and thought about the feelings he had experienced when reaching for the sphere. The feelings were not making him feel uneasy, and were not dark. The feelings he had were quickening his heart, warming his chest and seemed to make him feel lighter. There was also a peace that came with the feelings. The hum and the energy were soft and gentle, guiding Tureis towards the sphere, not forcing him closer.
Making up his mind, Tureis walked back to the shelf and reached out his hand. The moment his hand came into contact with the sphere, his whole world changed. Energy from the sphere flowed through his fingers into his hand. The energy moved up his arm into his chest and down his other arm. It entered his legs and continued down to his feet. Then slowly, the energy moved up his neck into his mind. When the energy hit his mind he saw things; places and people in his life and things both good and bad. Tureis saw things he’d done and places he’d been in the past. His mind opened to ideas and things he’d learned, only now finally understanding them. His mind was more alive at this moment than at any time in his life. The feeling was amazing! It was the most peace, comfort and happiness he had ever felt.
Chapter 1
-Freb-
Four Years Later
Tureis felt something hard beneath his cloak and furrowed his brow, confused. Frantically, he scanned the table in front of him but he didn’t see the book anywhere. He just couldn’t understand where the book had gone. He also didn’t know where the hard object in his pocket had come from. He was beginning to think the missing book from the table and the object in his pocket were one in the same. But how could that be? Tureis had never even picked up the book, let alone put it in his pocket
Tureis walked slowly through the store in Freb, a town ten miles south of his hometown of Darish. He pulled his cloak tighter around his head, covering more of his face, to make it harder for people to recognize him. He and Seth shouldn’t be here and the last thing they wanted was for someone to realize who they were. Seth had snuck out of the castle again, and he and Tureis were on an adventure. Something they had been doing for years.
Mostly, they would travel about visiting the surrounding towns and villages, observing the people and exploring the various areas. Occasionally, curiosity would get the better of them, and they would explore a little too much, often getting into some minor trouble. But in all the trouble they’d found themselves in, no one from the King’s Guard had ever caught them. So as far as anyone knew, they had done no wrong.
Tureis thought again about the object in his pocket, now convinced it was a book. The more he thought about it, the book on the table was a book he really did want. He’d been searching for it for some time, but the cost was something he would never be able to afford. He hated stealing or even the thought of stealing and all he really wanted to do was sit down with this book for a short time, read its contents and learn the secrets it contained. What he didn’t want to do was steal the book. He still couldn’t understand how it ended up in his pocket.
Tureis thought back to when he first came into the store, retracing his steps in his mind. Nowhere in his thoughts could he remember putting the book in his pocket. Again, he placed his hand over his pocket and, to his dismay, the book was still there.
“Hey,” Seth said in a whisper. “What’s in your pocket?”
“Just a book,” Tureis whispered in reply.
Seth smiled and jokingly said, “It’s always about books with you isn’t it?” Tureis loved books. He loved all kinds of books. He would sit for hours and read the books he owned over and over again, wanting to extract every bit of information they contained. It was his passion.
One thing he knew for sure was that he was not a thief. He needed to figure out a way to put the book back. Slowly, Tureis walked back over to the table where he found the book. He watched as the shop owner bent over, retrieving something from under another table across the store. Now was his chance. Tureis began to pull the book out from his inside pocket, when it snagged on his cloak. Frantically, he tugged and pulled on his cloak, trying to free the book when a loud voice caused him to jump.
“Stop! Thief!” the store owner shouted.
“I’m not a thief!” Tureis shouted back as he continued fighting with his cloak.
The store owner raced across the store waving his arms, shouting as loud as he could, “Stop! Stop! Stop!”
Tureis still couldn’t get the book out of his pocket and the store owner was getting closer and moving fast. Desperately, he tried to persuade his cloak to set the book free. No matter how much he struggled it wasn’t working. “Come on book, just...come...out! Let...go!” he said as he struggled and fought with his cloak.
Suddenly, there was a loud crash, causing the store owner to stop and search for the source of the sound. Tureis dropped the book and ran for the door. Seth had turned over a table at the far side of the store and was now running out the door with his arms waving wildly and holding something in his hand that apparently got the attention of the store owner. “Wait! Stop! Thief!” the store owner managed to scream as Seth and Tureis bolted from the store.
“Quick, let’s go this way,” Seth said as they exited out the door of the shop. They turned left and ran down the street towards a large mass of people in the center of town. They had their cloaks pulled up over their heads, doing their best to not be recognized.
As they ran down the street, Tureis took a quick glance over his shoulder. The store owner was running after them, shouting as loud as he could and people were stopping and staring at the commotion. Determined to escape, they continued running towards the mass of people in the center of town. As they ran Seth looked over at Tureis and said with some desperation, “We need another plan. This isn’t going to work. People are starting to look at us. We need to get out of here. If we get caught we’re both dead.”
Tureis agreed as he frantically searched for a way to escape and hide. Where could they go? How would they escape? They were ten miles from Darish, and had only visited Freb on rare occasions. They didn’t know any secret places to hide or other ways to escape. They were basically lost in a town with no idea where to go.
More and more of the townspeople were staring, becoming suspicious, as they watched Tureis and Seth being chased by a local shop owner. This was not going well. They couldn’t get caught. When Seth said they would die, it was no joke. King Seathan would not be merciful.
As they got closer to the center of town, the store owner was still behind them, shouting.
As they ran, more and more people began moving towards them, apparently thinking the store owner was chasing actual thieves. The closer they got to the center of town, the more people joined the slowly forming web, effectively creating a human blockade at the end of the street. Tureis took a deep breath, attempting to calm the panic rising inside him. Where could they go? He needed to quickly figure out how to escape.
Suddenly he had an idea. He slipped his hand into a small pocket on the inside of his cloak and felt the familiar smooth metal sphere; the sphere he’d found in the cave four years earlier. Even though he didn’t know exactly what it was, he kept the sphere with him at all times. He knew it could help them, and it had many times before. He touched the sphere and felt a gentle flow of energy enter into his fingers. His mind was opened and he saw the map of the town and instantly knew where they were and how to escape.
“Seth, I know where we need to go. Follow me,” he said as he took an immediate left, followed by Seth. They ducked under some hanging rugs and entered straight into a small alley. The alley was fairly narrow and lined by the backs of various stores on both sides. Piles of garbage littered the ground. They quickly worked around the garbage, moving deeper into the alley.
They could hear the shouts of people entering the alley behind them. The faster they ran and further they went into the alley the quieter the voices became, until the voices were just faint noises in the distance. They slowed to a walk and Seth asked, “Where did you take us?”
“I was helping us escape,” Tureis replied.
“Well, there aren’t any people yelling at us now, but we’re still somewhere in the middle of the city. Any other ideas?”
Tureis placed his hand into his pocket. Again the energy flowed and his mind was opened. As the haze in his mind cleared, he saw a door. He focused on the door for a moment, then he understood. They needed to go through the door.
“A door,” said Tureis.
“A door?” Seth asked with some panic in his voice. “Which door? These shops all have doors into the alley! There’s doors everywhere!” That was true. They were passing doors on both sides of them, all leading into the various shops in town.
As they were walking Tureis placed his hand into his pocket again and touched the silver sphere. Immediately, Tureis stopped, as if an invisible force was holding him back. Seth began to panic, looking back up the alley toward the increasing shouts coming towards them. “What are you doing? Why did you stop?” he asked.
Tureis didn’t respond immediately but kept his hand on the sphere, focusing his thoughts on what he needed. His mind was opened and the scene around him became brighter, allowing him to see more clearly. Turning around, he scanned the backs of the old shops, taking in all the details.
Nothing stood out or seemed unusual. Some garbage, a few chairs and benches sitting against the walls, a broken statue laid against one wall. An old tattered blanket hung against another wall nearly touching the ground. As he continued to scan he suddenly stopped and turned back, staring at the blanket.
“Tureis? Tureis? Are you ok? What are you looking at?” Seth was hitting him on the shoulder. “They’re getting closer! We need to go!”
“The blanket. Come on,” Tureis said, his thoughts returning to the present.
“The what?” asked Seth, clearly confused.
“Come on,” Tureis insisted.
They moved toward the blanket on the wall. Seth arrived first and stopped several feet from the wall, staring confused at the blanket. Tureis stopped, “What are you waiting for?”
Seth just stared at Tureis, dumbfounded, “What are you talking about? It’s a blanket...on a wall.” Tureis slid the blanket aside and they found themselves looking into a doorway.
“Get inside,” Tureis said in a rush, and pushed Seth through the doorway.
Once inside, they put the blanket back in place and sat down on the floor of a dark room. Together, they sat in silence, and waited. After a few short minutes they heard the commotion of people running through the alley, passing by without stopping.
It quieted down. Seth got up and carefully peered out from behind the blanket. He briefly looked around, then he replaced the blanket and sat back down. “No one out there,” he said quietly. “I think they’re gone.”
Tureis nodded his understanding and said in a low voice, “I still think we need to sit here for a while and stay quiet.”
“No argument here,” said Seth. “How did you know there was an alley behind all those rugs?
Tureis shrugged and said, “Just a lucky guess.”
Tureis had never told anyone about the sphere he’d found in the cave. It was his secret, and he just didn’t know when he would ever share it with anyone. He didn’t think he was ready to share it with Seth...at least, not today. He was still trying to figure out all it could do and how the sphere knew what he needed when he was in trouble. Like today, it seemed to know how he could escape. Over the last four years simply touching the sphere when he needed help provided him with the exact way to escape. Those times had been few, but it had never been wrong.
“What about this room? How did you know it was behind the blanket?” asked Seth.
Tureis thought for a moment, “I just felt like stopping and looking around. We were running and needed a way out. I guess I just thought a blanket on a wall seemed strange. I thought it had to be covering something.”
“Well, nice guess,” said Seth. “You literally just saved our lives.”
Seth was not kidding about that. The king was a kind man but strived to be equally fair to everyone. If a person committed a crime, the king felt consequences were in order. This went for everyone, including his son. Sitting next to Tureis in this small dark room was Seth Branagain, the son of Seathan Branagain, the King of Thaven. If Seth’s father found out the two of them were causing problems and had also stolen things, there would be consequences. The king had been known to kill thieves and imprison their families as well. With things like stealing and destruction of the store owners table, even Seth could find himself in prison just to teach him a lesson.
Tureis and Seth had been friends since they were both seven years old. During that time they had caused a bit of mischief, broken some things—accidentally of course—but more importantly, they had had a lot of fun. Mostly, they had just been curious about things and they really enjoyed figuring things out. Today was a first, however, as they’d never stolen anything before.
With some of their features being similar, there were those who thought Tueris and Seth could pass as brothers. Both of them had brown hair and blue eyes. Their birthdays were only a month apart, with Seth being the older of the two. Tureis was taller than nearly every boy his age of twelve. He was even taller than some of the grown men in Thaven, and he was very athletic. Seth was also tall, but about two inches shorter than Tureis and his hair was slightly darker. Seth was also athletic, with a slightly larger frame than Tureis.
Tureis had met Seth one day while in his father’s bookstore. Seth had snuck out of the castle and had come in looking for a book. Tureis’ father had recognized him instantly, and quietly ushered Seth into the back of the store to wait while he went to find someone to take him back to the castle.
Tureis had been in the back room reading and looked up to see his father bring in Seth. After his father left, Seth had sat down on the cushion near Tureis and they started talking. Seth shared with Tureis how he’d found a secret way out of the castle and had been sneaking out since he was five years old.
Since that day, every time Seth would sneak out, the two of them would meet in the private yard behind the bookstore and then go off together. They explored the city and the woods, as well as surrounding towns and villages. There were times they would just sit and watch the blacksmith work, amazed at the way he heated and shaped the metal. Once they even snuck into the trai
ning area for the King’s Guard and watched while they practiced. At times they seemed more like brothers than just friends. There wasn’t anything they wouldn’t do for each other.
As Tureis sat there on the floor in this dark room, hiding, he felt something hard pressing on his leg from the pocket inside his cloak. He reached down, touching the object and froze. There was definitely something hard in his pocket. His hand explored the outside of the pocket and he was shocked, realizing what was there. There was no way there was anything in his pocket, let alone the book. He leaned against the wall, closed his eyes and thought about the past hour.
He played and replayed the scene in his mind, still unsure how this object ended up in his pocket. He distinctly remembered dropping the book in the store. He closed his eyes tighter trying to remember every detail. After only a moment, there it was, the detail he was searching for. He had dropped the book, but the book never hit the floor.
He opened his eyes as this new piece of information sank in. He lowered his head into his hands, realizing at that moment he was a thief. He had actually stolen the book. He sat quiet with his head down thinking about what his father would say and the disappointment and shame he would bring to his family.
After some time the light coming from around the blanket covering the door began to fade. “It’s getting late. I say we get out of here and get back to Darish,” Seth said. Darish was a two to three hour walk from Freb and they would be late getting home tonight.
Seth stood and walked to the doorway. Slowly, he moved the blanket to the side and peered out. Satisfied, he let go of the blanket and said, “There’s no one outside. What do you think?”
Tureis shook off his thoughts and came back to the present. “Yeah. let’s get out of here. But we can’t just put our cloaks up over our heads, we might be recognized from before. And you can’t just walk around with your face in full view.” Tureis paused and thought for a moment. “We need some type of disguise. I wonder what’s in here we can use. We need some light.”