by Travis Pond
Eammon looked up again and pointed to Tureis and said, “I will say, you have a familiar face from my days in the castle, but I can’t place your name.”
“This is Tureis,” said Braon. “Tureis Atreyu. The son of Elis Atreyu.”
Eammon snapped his fingers and chuckled, “That’s right. The librarian in the castle.”
Tureis seemed to take offense at this disrespectful title he’d given to his father. “He’s not a librarian. He’s the keeper of the sacred texts and guardian of the vaults.”
Eammon chuckled, “I meant no disrespect. But really...how is that different than a librarian?” Tureis started to get up but Ailish put a hand on his arm and helped him sit back down again.
“One thing I didn’t tell you about Eammon is he’s a joker. It doesn’t seem to matter what situation I’ve found myself in, here’s Eammon making fun of something or making a joke.” Braon looked at Tureis and said, “He means no disrespect to your father, it’s just who he is. Actually he knew your father quite well...didn’t you?
“Yes I did,” said Eammon. “Actually, your father did a lot to help me. Sometimes when I’d been given a stupid assignment like standing guard near an outhouse or something, I’d sneak down to where your father worked. He’d let me read some of the books and he’d teach me things. I enjoyed listening to him. He used to tell me knowledge was power. I’ve a great respect for Elis.”
“Huh,” was all Tureis could manage to say. He couldn’t remember ever meeting Eammon at the castle.
“Most people thought I was stupid,” said Eammon. “Elis told me I wasn’t stupid, I just thought about things differently than other people.”
“What do you mean?” Ailish asked.
Eammon put his hand into his pocket and removed a small box. The box was ornate and looked expensive. It was only three inches square and looked as though it was hand carved. The designs on the box were made from dark pieces of a different wood carved into a lace like pattern. He handed the box to Tureis. “What do you see?” he asked.
Tureis turned the box over in his hand and noticed a seam near the top. Gently he felt around the seam until he felt a small round raised piece of the darker wood and pushed it. The box opened revealing a shallow compartment covered in felt. The compartment held a small polished metal horseshoe.
“It’s some sort of jewelry box,” Tureis said. Tureis touched the horseshoe for a brief moment and felt a familiar energy. The energy was subtle, but there was an energy to be sure. Tureis looked up and his eyes met with Eammon. As they stared at each other for the briefest of time an unspoken communication occurred. Tureis nodded his understanding, and he would talk to Eammon about this later and in private.
Eammon reached over and took the box back. He closed the lid and asked, “But is that all it is?”
“What do you mean?” asked Ailish.
Eammon turned the box around, then upside down. On the bottom of the box was more dark wood in a beautiful ornate pattern. At the top of the pattern was a small indentation. He put his finger into the indentation and the bottom opened, revealing a very small dagger laying at an angle, also sitting on a bed of felt.
He held up a finger again and said, “Wait.” He replaced the bottom of the box and turned it upright again. Moving his finger over the back of the box, again he pushed a small round button carved into the ornate design and a small door opened. He opened the door and removed a key. “This key,” he said, “Will open any set of leg irons or wrist irons.”
He replaced the key and removed a second larger key. “This key should open just about all the prison cells in Thaven, quite possibly any prison cell anywhere and, with the right touch, any lock as well,” said Eammon “I’ve designed the key to be adjustable.”
Seth took and examined the key. The end of the key that fit into the lock appeared to be a fixed solid piece of metal, but actually it was made of several small pieces of metal that turned on a central axis. To change the profile of the key, you simply rotated the small pins around the central axis to the opposite side. This created longer or shorter pins and thereby, adjusted the key to fit the lock.
Seth handed the key back to Eammon and asked in amazement, “Does it actually work?”
This time Eammon laughed out loud. “You bet it works. Had the unpleasant need to test it a few times. Worked every time.”
Eammon replaced the keys and closed the box. “So you see,” he said, “Elis understood that I wasn’t stupid, I just have a different way of seeing things. Just as you see a simple jewelry box, I see every part of a secret box with multiple compartments. I also see how all those compartments work and know how to build each one.”
He placed the box back into his pocket and they all fell silent. They stared into the fire, watching the flames dance over the wood. Tureis could still feel the energy contained in the horseshoe. He thought about the book in his bag about objects of power and wondered if there was a horseshoe in the book.
Soon Eammon was chuckling again. “So, I guess I should ask you why you’re here. I know Braon cooks a mean venison steak and his fame for cooking extends all the way to Zummot. But my guess is that you’re not here for the cooking.”
After explaining again their reasons for seeking out Braon, and retelling the stories of their travels to Kurith, they all sat back again and stared at the fire. Several minutes later Eammon started to chuckle. The chuckle soon turned into a laugh. The laugh became an enormous belly laugh that had Eammon bouncing his belly up and down so hard Tureis thought he might bruise his stomach.
A moment later the laugh died down and Eammon held his stomach as if trying to contain himself. He stopped chuckling and looked at Seth and said, “Your highness-to-be, it would be an honor to accompany you to the Oracle. I’ve always wanted to meet the Oracle, but more importantly, if King Seathan asked you to go, it would be an honor to serve your father, the great King of Thaven.” After speaking, he again removed his pretend hat and bowed his head.
“Would you please stop bowing,” said Seth. “And it’s not ‘your highness-to-be.’ It’s just Seth.”
“Are you sure?” Eammon asked. “You are the Crown Prince of Thaven. It just seems disrespectful.”
“And the phrase ‘your highness-to-be’ isn’t disrespectful?” asked Seth.
Eammon lowered his head and said “Good point. Please accept my apologies.”
“I would love you on this journey with us, but only if you call me Seth,” he said.
Eammon smiled and said, “Oh thank you your highness-to...I...I...I mean Seth.” He then winked and they all started laughing. After they all had a good laugh, they were once again staring into the dancing flames contemplating the evenings events.
Tureis stood and walked to the mouth of the cave and looked out into the night. He thought about their decision to include Eammon on their journey and smiled at the thought. He considered Braon and why was he so set on knowing why they had wanted him to go. Simply explaining their story didn’t seem to be enough.
While Tueris trusted Emmett and his father, he couldn’t help but wonder if there was something he wasn’t seeing, or maybe there was something they didn’t see either. What were the feelings he kept getting from Braon? It was an unsettling feeling that he didn’t understand. For now, Tureis would keep this to himself, since it may just be his own fears coming to the surface and really didn’t mean anything. When they met the Oracle, he would be sure to ask her about this. Hopefully she could help him understand.
Ailish placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered, “What are you thinking about out here?” Tureis was leaning against the rocks at the entrance of the cave staring at the stars.
Tureis took a breath and with his gaze still upward said, “I was wondering, now that we found Braon and have Eammon, how do we find the Oracle?”
Ailish stood
beside him and looked up at the millions of stars. “If it’s true that the Oracle will find you when needed, how do we know we’re needed and how does she find us?” asked Ailish. “My father also said we needed to find the oracle, so how does that work? Do we find her or does she find us? I guess I’m a bit confused.”
“I’ve been thinking the same thing,” said Tureis. “As far as finding her, the only thing we know is that the Oracle lives in a place called the City of Rock. I don’t know what that means.”
They stood in silence for several minutes. Ailish put her hand on Tureis’ arm and looked at him. “We will figure this out,” she said. “So far the pieces are all falling into place. Maybe a good night sleep will let our minds work it out. We’ll figure out something tomorrow. I’m sure of it.” She left and went back to sit by the fire.
The morning came and went and still the three of them slept. Finally, Tureis awoke and sat up. The sun was high and the afternoon heat could be felt coming into the cave. Tureis looked around and Braon and Eammon were nowhere in sight. He got up, walked to the mouth of the cave and looked outside, but saw no signs of either of them. A small voice came from behind him, “I’m hungry.”
“Seth you’re always hungry. I’m hungry too,” said Tureis. “It’s afternoon, so we should be hungry.”
“Afternoon? Really?” Seth asked.
“Yeah. We slept for a long time,” said Seth. “Braon and Eammon aren’t here either. I don’t know where they are.”
Ailish stirred and sat up. “Did you say Braon was gone?”
“Yes. Both of them are gone,” Tureis replied.
They all got up and found their bags. They removed some biscuits and hard cheese and ate. Seth took a bite of a biscuit and asked, “What did you think of Eammon last night?”
“I like him,” said Ailish. “I can’t place a finger as to why exactly, but I like him. What do you think Tureis?”
“I think he will make a good addition to the group,” said Tureis. “He seems very loyal to King Seathan and I think he’ll be able to be trusted.”
Ailish spoke up, “I trust Braon and if he says Eammon would be a good addition then that’s good enough for me.”
Seth and Tureis nodded and continued eating. After several minutes had passed, there came a loud crash outside the cave entrance. Seth and Tureis immediately pulled out their daggers, Ailish already had the crossbow up with a bolt locked in place facing the door. They waited, listening.
Suddenly a loud laugh erupted, followed by more crashing. After a minute, Eammon came into to the cave, still laughing. “I don’t know if you saw that, but that bush attacked me! I barely made it out alive!” Eammon sat down on a stump and pulled some leaves and twigs from his beard.
Seth and Tureis replaced the daggers into their belts and Ailish removed the bolt from her crossbow. They all sat down, watching as Eammon tried to remove all the plant material from his very bushy beard.
“Where did you go? Where’s Braon?” asked Seth.
Eammon made a gesture as if to bow and said, “Well, your highness...excuse me...Seth, I went into the shop to get some extra weapons and tools for the journey. Braon went to get some extra food and other supplies.”
“Do you know when he might be back?” asked Ailish.
“Come to think of it, I expected him back long before me,” said Eammon. “We left at first light this morning. Wonder where he went.” Eammon waved his hand and shook his head. “No matter. He’ll be back soon I’m sure.”
Eammon then proceeded to remove various objects form one of his bags. He removed a couple crossbows accompanied by bolts of varying kinds. Several daggers, some short swords and a couple maces also came out of the bag.
He opened another bag and removed some hammers, plyers, files, and several other tools they didn’t recognize. He then removed a large salami and took a big bite. “Ah,” he said chuckling, “That’s what I was looking for.” He took several other large bites, just swallowing without any appearance of chewing.
The others just stared at him with disgusted looks on their faces. Sensing the glares, Eammon looked up with a full mouth and asked, raising the salami, “You want some?”
They shook their heads, sat back down and began looking through the various weapons and tools. Seth held up a small leather pouch with very small files and picks inside. “What are these?” he asked.
“Those are for locks,” he said taking another bite of salami. “I made them to open locks, in case my secret key doesn’t work, but I’m really not very good at it. I may not have designed them right or they just might need some modifying or something. To be honest, I haven’t taken the time to figure them out. I’m sure they’ll work, just haven’t perfected them yet.”
“Do you mind if I try them out?” asked Seth.
Eammon thought for a moment and chuckled. “Go ahead. Maybe you’ll have better luck than I did.”
“Thanks,” said Seth as he sat down examining the tool kit.
Just then Braon entered the cave out of breath. “Hey there. I got some more food,” he said. “Between all of us, we should have enough to get started.”
Eammon put down his salami and chuckled to himself. “This may be a dumb question, but where are we going?”
All eyes went to Tureis. “Any ideas?” asked Ailish.
That was a question Tureis had been pondering for the entire journey. Ever since he found out they needed to go to the Oracle, he had been trying to figure out where to go. Thus far he’d only come up with the “City of Rocks,” and that didn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense. It wasn’t a city listed on any map and he couldn’t find any further reference to it in any book he brought with him.
Tureis looked back at each of them, not sure what to answer. Then he felt it. Somewhere deep inside of him, a sort of light turned on and a warmth came upon him. He knew the feeling now, as he’d learned to recognize it these last few years. The light had come, the Matya was opening his understanding.
Somewhere inside him he knew what to say, but he didn’t understand why he was saying it. He had learned enough about the inner light that when he felt it and it told him what to do, if he listened to it, it would all work out. He looked at his friends and said, “I’ll know in the morning. We need to prepare tonight and tomorrow we’ll depart.”
The remainder of the evening they packed and prepared everything for the journey. Tureis sat and stared into the fire trying to figure out the answer to the question of where they would go. He sat there with his hand in his pocket rubbing the sphere and feeling its energy, thinking and hoping he would figure it out.
Everyone had gone to sleep and still Tureis sat by the fire. The thought came to him again and again. He pictured in his mind the old toothless woman from the small shop in Kurith. She would wink and say, “Knowledge is power.” He also remembered times at home when he would ask his father questions, his father would say, “When you need an answer, all you need to do is look. The answers are always there.” He stood up, walked over to his bag and opened it. As he looked inside, immediately he knew what he needed to do.
Quietly, he picked up his bag and left the cave. The moon was bright tonight and Tureis could see enough to move into the forest a short distance from the cave. After he felt he was a safe distance away he sat down next to a fallen tree and opened his bag. Staring back at him was the book he got from the old lady in Kurith who apparently didn’t sell books. He remembered her words, “Your book. You take. You read.”
Removing the book from the bag, he could feel the energy it contained. He rubbed his hand over the cover of the book, hoping to find a title. The worn leather was completely blank, not even a hint of a previous title. The back cover was equally blank. He opened the book and there was no title page either. The strangest part of the book was the very firm spine. Very worn leather cove
red the spine of the book, but the spine was very hard, almost rock hard. Much harder than the could be explained from the worn leather. Tureis rubbed his hand up and down the spine and as he did so the energy seemed to increase. It was a though the spine contained Matya.
He opened the book again, anxious to learn the secrets it contained. His father always said that all books contained knowledge and the use of that knowledge led to power. This book contained knowledge for sure, but it also had a strong energy that could be felt. Whatever it contained, Tureis knew it was strong and should be learned and used.
He removed the sphere from his pocket to find it emitting a soft blue light. Looking at the glowing sphere, Tureis noticed something new. Across the face of the sphere appeared several shapes. He had looked at this sphere countless times and had never seen them. He turned the sphere around in his hand. As he came back to the shapes, he noticed they had changed. They were still there, but now were different.
Startled, he almost dropped the sphere. This time in place of the original shapes were different shapes and what appeared to be writing or letters. But the language was nothing he understood. He opened the book and the writing vanished. He turned the sphere around in his hands but no further writing appeared on the surface.
Setting the sphere close to the book and using the light it emitted, he began to read. The power of the words entered his mind and thoughts and ideas came to him. He continued to read throughout the night, hoping this would give him the answers he sought.