by Jared Stone
“What is that building over there?” Lucian asked his guide.
“That is the temple to the Queen Goddess,” Gino answered, stopping and turning to face Lucian.
“Can we walk over and see that?” Lucian pleaded. The splendor and magnificence of the outside of the temple led Lucian to believe that all of the really interesting stuff would be inside, instead of the mundane horror of a fifth garden.
“I am sorry,” answered Gino, shaking his head, “but only initiated priestesses of the order are permitted to enter. Apart from the Lady Dareia, few have ever entered. Even I have never been inside.” He did not seem disappointed by this, but rather stated it as a matter of fact.
Lucian was very upset by these circumstances, and his countenance dropped to display his displeasure. “How long have you worked for Dareia anyway?” he asked the dark haired boy.
“As long as I am able to remember,” Gino answered thoughtfully. “I am not certain, for the passage of time means little to me; but perhaps several hundred years…?”
Of course…, thought Lucian quietly to himself. A month ago, he would have snapped some snarky comment, but he found himself fully accepting what the ‘young’ man said as fact. “Ah,” he responded with a nod. Gino turned and continued to lead the boy down the left path, back toward the mansion.
Coming to a side door, Gino held it open for Lucian to pass through. As the two of them stepped inside, Lucian could see that they had come to one of the chambers which were previously inaccessible from the main foyer. The walls had been painted a beige color which resembled sand, and the floor beneath them was made of very dark, almost black, marble slabs. White stone pedestals stood at various places throughout the room, and all manner of objects were displayed around.
“This is one section of the manor in which Lady Dareia keeps her collection of precious artifacts,” Gino said to Lucian as he scanned the scene before them. “Please look but refrain from touching, as many of these items are quite fragile or dangerous.”
Lucian took some steps forward and gazed at the artifacts around him. There were precious stone pendants shaped like scarab beetles, long curved blades with jewels set into the golden handles, big ritual urns, something that appeared to be some sort of U-shaped string instrument, and all manner of other objects. Along the sides of the room, the larger pieces were placed on the floor, and Lucian saw one that particularly caught his attention.
Lucian walked up to a sarcophagus standing in the corner. The beautiful exterior was covered in bright colors of red, yellow, blue, black, and gold, and the head of the container was fashioned into the shape of a dog’s. The long black snout stretched out, and two triangular ears pointed upward. Upon the chest of the figure, a circular diagram of a sun partially eclipsed by a full moon stood out against the golden background. Lucian was amazed by the uniqueness of this object; he had seen sarcophagi before on display at a museum when he was younger, but the individuals depicted on the front had always been human. He had never before seen a human-animal mix.
“Ah, you like the Anubis sarcophagus, I see,” said Gino, walking over to the captivated boy.
“It’s pretty spectacular,” said Lucian, still looking at the masterful work. “Where did she get this?”
“It was a gift to Lady Dareia from the High Priest of the Cult of Osiris in Egypt,” Gino responded. “I have been told that it was in appreciation for her services long ago, though I do not know what – or who – is contained within. Even Lady Dareia does not possess the means to open it, and so its contents remain a mystery.”
Just then, Dareia’s voice could be heard from the other side of the door. “Gino!” she called out.
“In here, My Lady!” Gino called back.
With that, the large wood doors to the room swung open, and Dareia slid in gracefully. Seeing her again made Lucian think of how exhausting it must be for her to constantly maintain such poise and elegance. Clasped in her hands, she carried a small ornate box reminiscent of a pirate’s chest of treasure, covered in gold plating and precious stones.
“There you are, Lucian,” she said, smiling. She floated over next to him and lightly put one arm around his shoulder while holding the box against her curvaceous hip with the other. “Thank you for stepping away as Argus and I discussed matters of grave importance. I do so hope Gino showed you a good time on your tour of the estate.”
“Yes, indeed!” responded Lucian fervently, in an effort to not insult his hostess or cause problems for his attractive tour guide. “You certainly do have some wonderful things!”
“Why, thank you, Lucian!” she said with a blithe smile. “Now, I have prepared some rooms for you and Argus upstairs so that you may rest before your flight back tomorrow. This evening, I will have a grand dinner prepared for you both. In the mean-time, you are welcome to join Argus and myself on a walk around the grounds. Alternatively, you may retire to your room for an afternoon rest, if you so wish.”
Lucian suddenly realized how tired he was. Though he had already slept on the plane, it seemed as though he still hadn’t gotten enough sleep, and fatigue had once again crept into him slyly. “Some rest would be great,” he responded thankfully.
“Splendid,” said Dareia. “Argus has also convinced me to entrust this to your care….”
She placed both hands on the box again and slowly lifted the sparkling lid. Inside, surrounded by walls of black satin lining, lay the tip of a spear. It was significantly longer than Lucian had expected – perhaps nine inches in length – and made out of a tarnished and well-worn metal. The artifact more resembled the points of the javelins Lucian once threw in school and less any spear he had ever seen. It looked very unassuming there in the bejeweled container, but Lucian could feel deep inside him that it held great power.
“That’s the spear?” Lucian inquired softly. “I kinda thought it would be more than just the tip.”
“No, the shaft was destroyed long ago,” responded Dareia, looking down at the spear head. “This is all that remains of the artifact. But do not worry: its power is still very much intact.”
Lucian’s eyes remained fixed on the precious item until Dareia closed the box again and withdrew it. “I will give it to Argus before you leave. After that, what you do with it is up to you….” She said this with a hint of apprehension, and Lucian sensed that there was once again more to the situation than he could discern.
“Thank you,” Lucian said to her with a grin. After this, he followed her out of the room and up to the bedroom where he would nap for the rest of the afternoon.
12 - Connections
Tuesday, November 4th
The return flight from Rome was uneventful, much to Lucian’s delight, though the trip time was about twice as long as the original voyage. True to form, Dareia had arranged a huge banquet for them on the night before their departure, and Lucian had filled up on such a variety of delicious meat that he barely needed breakfast in the morning. At the conclusion of their travels, Gus and he arrived back at his dorm just around midnight on Monday. Lucian was very grateful that, though quite exhausted on Tuesday, he wasn’t forced to miss anything too substantial. He had thankfully prepared everything to be home with his parents that whole weekend, so his work had been completed, for the most part, on the Thursday before. Sloppy and thrown together as they might have been, he had at least finished them before their specified due dates.
Dareia had given the spear tip to Gus, and the Kílán had somehow managed to bring it back with them. Passing through customs, Lucian had been holding his breath, hoping that the officers would not find a lethal weapon stashed in his friend’s luggage. But, after a thorough check, both Gus and Lucian were waved on their way into the United States.
“How did you manage to get the ‘item’ through!?” Lucian turned and asked Gus after clearing earshot of the customs agents.
With a chuckle, Gus simply responded, “Oh, come on! I haven’t been around this long and not learned how to hide things where no
one will find them!”
Lucian grimaced at this. He wasn’t sure that he even wanted to know what that meant…
But now Lucian had to once again return to classes. It was a strange feeling to be forced back into the mundane tasks of his “normal” life. Dareia’s estate had been so majestic and had possessed such a mystical quality that Lucian now found his daily existence at school to be wanting. As he climbed the bleak cement steps to Schuntz’s class, he actually longed to be at Deer Park with Panhavant and Gus, discussing their plan of action.
Lucian entered the lecture hall and walked over to his usual spot, staring at the floor in front of him, lost in his own mind. Upon arriving at his desired destination, he stopped and stared in horror at the girl with the red streak in her hair occupying his seat.
“Golden Boy,” Willow stated in greeting when she noticed Lucian frozen in disbelief before her. “Long time no see.” She had her leg crossed over her knee and was glancing down at her painted fingernails smugly.
“Umm, what are you doing?” Lucian asked, clearly demonstrating with his tone that he was not pleased.
“Whatever do you mean?” Willow responded coyly. Lucian almost thought he saw a smile attempt to creep across her face before it was squashed down again by the girl.
“You’re in my seat,” Lucian stated defensively. The whole situation suddenly felt like an Old West duel in front of the saloon. “I sit in the same place every day.”
“I noticed that,” said Willow unapologetically. “It’s weird,” she concluded, glancing up at him.
The two locked eyes for a moment, each staring at the other defiantly. Lucian could practically hear the high-pitched whistling accompanying their standoff, and he almost expected to see a tumbleweed roll by. But, despite his best efforts at coercion, Willow did not appear to be moving, and he clearly didn’t have Gus’ puppy dog eyes upon which to rely.
Lucian took a deep breath in and released it. Let go, he thought to himself. Perfect partner in patience and all that….
“Fine,” he eventually stated, glaring at the girl, “I’ll just sit here, then.” He tried to look smug, and, to accentuate this, he forced out an artificial smile. He walked over to the seat right next to Willow and sat down with conviction. If he couldn’t be in his usual seat, he would at least be in the next one over. It still felt strange to him to be viewing the classroom from this new vantage point, though, and he found himself wondering in vain why the girl derived such pleasure from seeing him suffer.
They sat next to each other in uncomfortable silence for a moment. Then, turning to Lucian, Willow said, “Seriously, though. Like, if this seat were removed somehow or destroyed in a fire or pulverized by a comet or something, would you totally go crazy? Start killing people or something?”
Lucian didn’t find her jab funny, and he sat there with a scowl on his face. Instead of engaging her, he leaned down and started to remove the necessary class materials from his bag.
“So, I’ve also noticed that you have no friends,” she continued with her typical lack of tact. This rude assertion caught Lucian’s attention once again, and he sat up and faced her.
“Huh?” he asked her brusquely. “Why do you think that!?”
“Because I always see you sitting and eating alone around campus,” she said, a little more gently than her previous goading. “Plus, you always sit in the same seat here in class, and you’re always by your-self. It’s sad.”
Although her manner of conveying the information was abrasive and just a bit insulting, Lucian could see now that her intentions might be ultimately altruistic; perhaps she secretly wanted to make sure he was okay.
“I just have a lot of friends outside of school, that’s all,” said Lucian as images of Gus and Panhavant arose in his mind. “I go and hang out with them on weekends all the time,” he added, trying to sound like a typical, average college kid.
Willow furrowed her brow in doubt. “I see…,” she said without the slightest attempt to disguise her skepticism. “Well, I was gonna say…. Do you want to come over to my place after class today? Just chill and do whatever?”
This caught Lucian completely off guard. He had always just assumed Willow liked being irritating and prodding him with her words just to get a rise out of him. He had never before considered that she had been trying to make friends. The notion dawned on him that she might be just as lonely here as he had been before meeting Gus, and he suddenly felt pity for her instead of his usual caustic irritation. Still, as he thought through all of this, he remained silent, staring wide-eyed at the girl.
“Well, I mean, if you don’t want to…,” Willow said indignantly, looking off to the side in such a way as to unintentionally display her disappointment and embarrassment.
“Oh, no!” said Lucian, snapping out of his trance. “I’d love to. Sorry, I was just thinking about my schedule later today,” he lied.
“Okay, great,” responded Willow. Her face looked slightly contorted as she said this, possibly from consciously suppressing a smile. “We can walk over there after class then.”
“Awesome,” said Lucian with a grin. He turned and continued to remove his belongings from his bag. As he did so, he thought more about the strange events of just a moment before. He would never have expected to be spending time with Willow outside of the classroom like friends, but, now that it had been offered, Lucian found himself almost excited at the prospect. When they had first met, Lucian had assumed that Willow was crazy and delusional with her talk of magic and witchcraft. But, after the events of the last couple of months, he found himself quite open to the possibility that she had been telling the truth. Perhaps she could even aid them in their fight against Zagan.
Lucian played with these thoughts in his head and Willow remained silent as Schuntz walked onto the stage and prepared to start class. In one last-ditch effort, Lucian turned back to Willow and pleaded, “Any chance I could get my seat back now?”
“No,” she responded bluntly without turning to look at the boy.
* * *
“Mr. Aarden,” Schuntz called out at the end of the period. Lucian hesitantly looked up from putting his things back in his bag. “I would like to have a word with you.”
Lucian could feel his stomach lurch again briefly, as it did whenever the man called his name. Although his previous meeting with Schuntz had gone much better than expected, the strict old professor still had a way of speaking which made the boy feel as if he was constantly being reprimanded. Lucian nodded in Schuntz’s direction to indicate that he had heard him, then looked over at Willow apologetically.
“I’ll just wait, then,” she said disdainfully. Lucian couldn’t tell if she was upset at him for delaying their departure or if she was showing empathetic support arising from her hatred of the professor.
Lucian took a deep breath and rose from his seat. He proceeded to make the harrowing journey from the back of the theater down to the podium where Schuntz waited. The professor, per usual, wore no signs on his face which would reveal his intentions, and Lucian found himself guessing wildly at what might be said.
“Mr. Aarden,” Schuntz began sternly, “I would like to discuss your most recent paper….”
Lucian wasn’t sure what the professor was hinting at, so he chose to remain silent and stare at him in anticipation.
“On the whole, it was quite elementary,” Schuntz continued judgmentally. “The advanced clarity and insight you demonstrated in your previous work were not present in this most recent piece. It seemed as if you haphazardly threw it together without any thought whatsoever to what you were discussing. What do you have to say about this?”
Schuntz glared down at the boy expectantly. Lucian swallowed hard as he racked his brain to assemble a convincing excuse. Death in the family? My dog ate it? No, that makes no sense, stupid. Gus ate it? Haha, that would probably be the most likely…. Lucian eventually concluded that Schuntz was too intelligent anyway; he would easily see through any lame excuse co
ncocted.
“I’ve just been very busy, sir,” admitted Lucian as images of meditation, sparring, and nearly being killed by a bloodthirsty demon in a church floated through his head.
“We have all been very busy, Mr. Aarden,” Schuntz responded without a hint of sympathy. “I suggest you realign your priorities to better plan for your future.”
Schuntz’s last point struck Lucian as very odd, and it took him a moment to realize why. This was the first time in the past few months that anyone had encouraged him to think of the future; most of the time, it was actually very much the opposite advice. Lucian nodded his head.
“Yes, sir. I’m sorry. I’ll focus much harder on the next one.”
“See that you do,” responded Schuntz. “Especially if you are still considering a major in Religion.”
Lucian wanted to admit to the professor that he had never actually been considering a major in Religion, but he thought it best to keep this decision to himself if he was planning on completing this course with a satisfactory grade. The boy simply smiled and said “Absolutely!” before turning and walking back down the steps at the front of the stage. He joined Willow in the center aisle, and the two of them walked out of the lecture hall and building together in silence.
Stepping out into the midday light, Willow turned her head toward Lucian and began walking down a path leading away from the exit door. “What did hard-ass have to say?” she inquired.
Lucian couldn’t help but chuckle at her frankness. “Just that my last paper sucked,” he said casually, trying to seem as though he was brushing it off like nothing. Deep down inside, however, it genuinely bothered him that his work had been slipping as a result of focusing on other matters.
“Eh, don’t worry about that,” his female companion reassured him. “He’s just a bitter old dude who needs everything to be perfect. He should chill out a bit.”