by Matthew Ward
Then the food came and interrupted the discussion. The two didn’t seem interested in food, so they left.
After a brief period of silence, the discussion changed topics. Drystn couldn’t speak for the others, but he was too afraid that if they talked about it, he might start to believe it. And the implications of that were not something he was ready to consider.
VIII
Where on Talamir did it go? He sat down against the wall and tried to take slow, deep breaths. The air wasn’t enough, and he kept shifting back into short, desperate gasps. Someone had gone into his room while he was away, a violation of privacy that made him uneasy. But worse, the person knew the books were there.
Did the Ruler have spies in the library to see his breach of the law? The only person who could have possibly guessed was Tumr, but Tumr wouldn’t ever do such a thing. Jovial Tumr couldn’t be a minion of the Ruler, could he? Maedc slumped over on the floor at a loss for what to do.
The thrill of the discovery started to override the initial panic. He needed those books back. Those books could hold the key to everything. He did the only thing he could think of. He marched with a purpose down to Tumr’s room. It had to be him. The alternative was too disturbing to consider. As usual, the room was open, so Maedc entered without announcement.
Tumr sat at his desk with his grass quill in hand and scratched notes into his notebook. The desk faced away from the door, and though it must have been obvious someone had entered, Tumr remained so lost in his thoughts that he made no movements to engage the intruder.
Maedc summoned all the confidence he could. Showing weakness at such a time would only admit guilt.
“You didn’t happen to come across some books in my room, did you?”
Tumr shot up, startled. “What are you talking about? I haven’t been in your room. I saw you in the hall and came back here promptly. I’ve just been analyzing similarities I’ve found in the alphabet. This is remarkable. Come look.”
Maedc didn’t want to raise suspicion, so he sauntered to the desk.
Tumr continued, “Look at this. It appears the alphabet has built-in cycles. Have you ever noticed this?”
The page had the letters placed out of order in rows, and Maedc immediately saw the pattern as well. Each row started with the simplest form of the letter and progressed in complexity across the page. The reason this wasn’t obvious before was how the earlier patterns were rotated or reversed before the addition of the more complex strokes. Maedc longed to hear the language to know if the sounds had similarities as well.
Maedc needed to get back to his own discovery. He said, “That’s neat. I’ll talk to you later.”
Maedc turned to leave, and Tumr stopped him. “No you don’t. Get back in here. You acted weird before, and now you’re acting weird again. You know something, don’t you? Tell me.”
Maedc really did trust Tumr, so he shut the door and spoke in a whisper.
Maedc said, “Okay. I found out something remarkable today. I found a strange book with a lot of action pictures in it. It also had a map of Talamir, and it was labeled. I was able to extract the symbols the First Age used to refer to Talamir. Then I found a bunch of books on the shelves that had those symbols on them. This at least narrows down some books to focus on.”
Tumr fiddled with the quill in his hand. “So? That’s pretty great, but why are you acting weird?”
“I think I also found a map showing where the people of the First Age came from. The pictures seemed to tell the story of them migrating here. If we retrace those steps, we might be able to find where they came from. Maybe some of them are still there.”
Tumr shook his head and laughed. He turned back to his own work.
Tumr said, “What? You’re crazy. No one from the First Age has existed for thousands of years.”
Maedc moved to the side of the desk and tried to get Tumr’s attention back. Now that he was explaining the possibilities, his excitement had returned.
“You’re thinking is too narrow. No one from the First Age has existed in Talamir for thousands of years. What if there are people outside of Talamir?”
Tumr laughed again. “What? I don’t even know what that could mean. There’s nothing outside of Talamir. It’s all rock and cliffs. No life could survive out there.”
“That may be what everyone believes, but that doesn’t mean it’s true. There could be life outside the border cliffs if someone could cross them.”
Tumr appeared to be processing this information. His focus had returned to Maedc, but he still looked skeptical.
Tumr said, “You’re getting way too far ahead of yourself. Haven’t you heard of the Femr paradox? If life existed outside of Talamir, we would have encountered it by now, because it would be far easier for outside life to get in than for us to get out.” Tumr stared off for a moment, deep in thought. He continued, “I need to see these books you found first. Let’s get to the library right away. This breakthrough does have potential. I’ll admit that much.”
Tumr stood and walked to the door. He opened it to leave but turned back when he realized Maedc hadn’t moved.
Maedc said, “And now you know the problem. Shut the door please.” He waited until they were secure again. “The books were stolen from my room.”
“I don’t understand. If they were library books, how did they get to your room?”
“I snuck them there to work by myself until I was convinced I had discovered all that there was to be discovered.”
“But who would have taken them?”
Maedc quietly replied, “I don’t know. No one even knew I had them, and I hid them under my bed.”
“Let’s go check the library.”
Maedc wanted to make a snide remark about books magically returning to the library on their own. But he had no better ideas about where they would be, so he kept it to himself. The two had little to say as they made their way around the halls.
Maedc used the time to contemplate what was more terrifying: the books had returned of their own mystical power or that a spy of the Ruler apprehended them. He hoped for the former. At least then he could continue his research without a formal investigation and charges being brought.
The mianl halls whizzed by, and soon they found themselves in the old dusty library. Maedc knew exactly where the book had come from. Such a discovery would never leave his mind. He went to the spot so quickly that Tumr couldn’t keep up. Maedc shivered at the sight. He stood in silence for what seemed like forever.
Tumr asked, “What is it?”
He had expected to see an empty space, yet there it was. The strange book had made it back to its spot on the bookshelf. Maedc darted around the stacks to get to the location of the other Talamir books he had taken.
No. It couldn’t be. Those books were back in their places as well. He fought for his breath as he made his way back to where Tumr still stood. Tumr had taken the strange book and held it out in front of him.
“Is this the book you’re looking for?”
“Yes.” He couldn’t contain his surprise. “Somehow it got back here on its own.”
“Are you sure this is the same one?”
“Yes. Feel the cover. It is made from a substance I’ve never felt before. It’s definitely the same one.”
Tumr ran his fingers over the cover. “Leather.”
“What?”
“It’s a word I made up to describe this. The substance exists in a few other artifacts of the First Age. It’s made from animal hide.”
Maedc’s head spun. Why was Tumr speaking as if he had access to information about the First Age that no one else had?
He managed to sputter, “I don’t understand.”
Tumr said, “Well, you told me earlier that the people of the First Age migrated here. They had access to animals other than fish. They used the skin from those animals to make this.”
A shiver chilled Maedc, and he shouted, “How do you know this?”
Tumr spoke these wild ideas with such
confidence, as if he had thought about them and knew them to be true before now. Other animals? What could that even mean? Fish swam down the river, and sometimes birds flew across Talamir, depending on the season, but there were no other animals.
Maedc spun toward a side entrance at the sound of a slow clap. A large hooded figure moved towards them. He walked in a slow, dramatic manner. Click, swish, click, swish; shoe against mianl, robe against mianl. Maedc tried to back away, but he had nowhere to go. Tumr remained still, unconcerned.
The figure spoke as he moved. “Very good, Maedc. You’ve figured it out. Tumr, you can stop pretending now. We have to tell him everything.”
That voice. It was so high-pitched and distinctive. Why did he know it? The figure got close enough that the color of the robe appeared, and he flipped off his hood with a flare: the Ruler. What would he be doing in the library at this time?
Maedc’s voice quavered. “Figured what out?” He turned to look at Tumr who seemed unfazed by any of this. “Did you know this would happen when we came here?”
“Yes. I found this book a while ago and brought it to the Ruler’s attention. I scouted the area shown by the map, and there does seem to be a hidden pass in the cliffs. There are even strange animals visible. That’s how we know about the animals. We’ve been waiting for the right moment to send some people farther to check it out.”
Maedc continued to back away from the men until he hit the bookshelf behind him with a thud.
He said, “But why did you keep it a secret? Why lure me here rather than just tell me that from the start?”
The Ruler shot back in as forceful a voice such a high pitch could make. “Why did you keep it a secret?”
The answer became clear. It would be a nightmare to try to get any research done on the book if a hundred people all vied for the only copy.
The Ruler continued, “It doesn’t matter now. Tumr is going to need a travel companion. Since you’re the only other one who knows about the book, you will accompany him into the mountains to find if there are remnants of the First Age there. I don’t need to tell you twice that this is of vital importance to the survival of Talamir.”
Maedc couldn’t believe this was happening so fast. He was a scholar, not some rugged miner. He had developed more than his fair share of fat over the years from sitting around with books all day, drinking grass wine. He was risk averse and out of shape. There was no way he would be able to scale the cliffs to get out of Talamir. It also sounded like they might have to fend off wild beasts. They would die before they got started.
Maedc said, “I’m not sure I’m cut out for this type of thing.”
The Ruler’s face contorted into a look of disgust. He lowered his voice as much as he could and said, “I’m not asking! You will go. You have no choice. You’ll rot in the cells if you don’t go.”
The Ruler moved right up to Maedc’s face. The smell of grass filled the air. His tone softened.
The Ruler continued, “You are also one of the best linguists we have. Most are no longer devoted to the project. They’ve given up hope. If you encounter people from the First Age, you’ll need to learn their language as fast as possible to communicate. Come to my quarters at First Moon tonight for further instructions. You will need to pack, so that you can leave in the morning. We have collected gear to aid in the journey. There is no more time to waste. The bairsgn grows bigger by the day.”
~
Maedc walked the halls to the Ruler’s chambers. He was thankful for not having much time to second guess this decision. He wasn’t sure what he would do if he had time to realize how insane this was. This was a death sentence, and he might have tried to run away and go into hiding rather than get killed by some unknown entity. For all he knew, the people of the First Age were ruthless murderers. The very people they sought might kill them if they succeeded in the journey.
He entered the quarters and found the Ruler standing with a large grass sack that would cover his entire back when strapped on. Tumr stood facing the Ruler and had his sack resting against his leg on the ground. Maedc entered the room and stood at attention next to Tumr. The ruler set the sack on his desk and pulled out the first item.
“Let’s begin. We’ve collected together some gear to aid in your journey. Most of this technology was developed by the miners in the outer ring. You’ll have them to thank if any of it saves your life.” He held up a pair of shoes. “These special shoes have spikes on them to help stabilize yourself on difficult terrain.” He pointed out the sharp areas and how they could be used to create footholds.
He continued in this fashion showing the items one by one: a blade attached to a handle for clearing brush; a sturdy sealed bottle for water; dried fish for food; fishing line; a grass blanket; the book to show people. The list went on. They would then have to take turns carrying the supplies to build a tent for shelter.
Maedc looked on in dismay. He had the sudden realization that he had lived his entire life in luxury. He would have nothing out there. He had never had to catch his own fish, and he didn’t have the first idea of how to go about doing it. Finally, the Ruler ended the demonstration, put the supplies back, and then handed the sack to Maedc.
“The truth is that you will quickly veer away from the river, so you probably won’t be able to rely on fish for food. You may need to figure out how to catch and eat some animals you’ve never seen. Any questions?”
Maedc said, “Yes. How do we know they’re safe to eat? Or what if they’re sentient?”
The Ruler chuckled, a strange high-pitched sound Maedc had never heard him make.
“Ah. The concerns of a philosopher. I think your concerns will be alleviated when the choice is to live and eat the animal or die and save it. Any other questions?”
Maedc tried to stall for more time. As soon as he left this room, the journey would be a reality he couldn’t stop. “How long do you expect we’ll be gone?”
The Ruler started to look annoyed. He must have known these weren’t serious questions. He spoke with a more rapid cadence.
“Well, if you make contact, and I hope you do, you’ll try to convince them to let you stay with them and learn their language. So it could be a very long time. Maybe more than a year.”
Nausea overwhelmed Maedc. He might have to survive in the wild for over a year? He would be dead in five days for all he knew. He still considered running away, but then that would leave Tumr all by himself. Attempting the journey solo would be a death sentence for his friend.
The Ruler continued, “I must warn you that there are many dangers you can’t even imagine at this point. We have no idea how these creatures will react to you.”
Maedc’s voice cracked. “This is crazy. We can’t do this. We need more information to make sure we have the best chance of survival.”
The Ruler shouted, “That’s just not possible! We don’t have time to slowly make the journey in partial steps. We need a small crew who can go quickly. If you aren’t successful, we’re probably all dead anyway. The bairsgn grows at an exponential rate.”
This comment was probably meant to be reassuring, but Maedc did not take any comfort in the thought. So he would die either way.
Maedc said, “I see.”
He took his pack and left for the night. He would meet Tumr in the morning outside of Talamir Center to begin the journey. That night he lay in bed looking at the pictures from the book once more. He ran his finger over the ancient paper.
Who were these people who had learned to carve giant structures out of mianl and wrote a library full of books? What happened to them, and where did they come from? The man on the page had such terror in his eyes. Something had forced them to come to Talamir, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to know what it was.
IX
Drystn had a hard time keeping focus through the next day’s monotonous lessons. They seemed to go on and on, and they weren’t learning anything new. He got the point. If one could think of it as a variant on something t
hey had learned at school, then they had tried it. Why they needed to detail every tiny variant was beyond him.
Finally, the day ended, and the crash course was over. The next day they would get to find a research group and start working on their own ideas on how to beat the monster.
Drystn, Ninml, and Loegr stared ahead, dazed by the experience, as the instructors fled the room. Drystn figured the instructors were happier it was over than the reluctant students.
When they were out of earshot, Drystn said, “Well, that was pointless.”
Ninml nodded. “I don’t think my head has ever hurt so much. What were they thinking?”
Loegr said, “Let’s get out of here.”
Drystn struggled to his feet. His back ached from being hunched over for so long. They sauntered out of the room. The drunk guy from the previous night sat on the floor outside the room. He looked like his hangover hadn’t quite left him yet.
Loegr said, “What are you doing here?”
He looked up but didn’t stand. “Hey. You’re done. I just needed to apologize. Sorry about last night. I’m not usually like that.”
Drystn said, “Drunk or a crazy conspiracy theory pusher?”
“Drunk.” He clambered up and gave them all a deadly serious look. “The conspiracy is real. We got off on the wrong foot. My name is Finr. I know we never even introduced ourselves.”
The three went around and gave their names.
Finr continued, “Anyway. We have a meeting tonight if you’d like to come and find out more information.”
Finr revealed a toothy smile, and Drystn noticed his good looks for the first time. Drystn sensed he could trust him. Those penetrating eyes had an earnest sincerity to them.
Ninml broke into Drystn’s misty thoughts when she asked, “What do you mean meeting? You’re a part of some secret society or something?”
“Something like that.”
Ninml said, “We’ll talk about it.”
Finr gave Drystn a piece of paper with a room and a time on it. Finr’s hand brushed lightly against Drystn’s, and a shiver ran through him.