The Crystal Keepers, An Overseers Novel

by Mary Coffin

When Tannis first awoke, he was in as much of a sour mood as when he went to sleep the night before, except this time it was the annoying dream about his sister that got under his craw. He couldn’t help but feel that she took something from him; that she lured critical information out of him – again! He wanted to punch something!

  Strangely enough, at the same time, he felt an underlying sense of optimism but couldn’t pinpoint why. It was as if he were on the verge of recalling something, some small but obvious detail that would provide a turning point for finding the crystal. He chose to focus on this instead of his annoying sister. He had spent enough years letting her get the best of him but, he reminded himself, he left that behind when he left home years ago. She’s miles away, so why let her ruin my day? There are more important things to think about.

  He brought his attention back to the task at hand and let his mind relax so that whatever detail he thought he was missing would surface. It’s got to be something simple, he told himself.

  Anton was still in bed, with his back to Tannis, so Tannis quietly dressed and snuck out of the room. He was light on his feet as he headed to breakfast, whistling along the way. He wanted to eat before meeting with Markus so that he had plenty of energy for the next vision. He traipsed across the compound and entered the dining hall.

  It was early enough that the dining room wasn’t very full; only a smattering of Brothers and Sisters were scattered throughout, eating their morning meal. Tannis grabbed a plate, piled on some food, and took a seat at an empty table. He faced the windows, with his back to the dining room, so that he wouldn’t be bothered. He just wanted to eat in peace and let his mind wander loosely over things.

  Halfway through his meal, Anton plopped himself, and his plate of food, down on the opposite side of the table. Tannis looked up momentarily and then continued with his meal.

  “You’re up early this morning,” noted Anton as he broke off a chunk of muffin and popped it into his mouth.

  Tannis grunted in reply.

  “I thought you’d sleep in after having such an active night.”

  Tannis looked across the table, chewing thoughtfully on his bite of food, as he studied his roommate. He swallowed. “What are you talking about?”

  “You were talking and stirring a lot during the night, so much so that I figured you’d be worn out this morning.”

  Tannis wondered if he revealed anything in his sleep that he would regret. “What did I say?”

  “I couldn’t make anything out. You must have a lot on your mind though.”

  Tannis didn’t respond and resumed eating. He was grateful for the silence as Anton focused on his meal. Several minutes passed and Anton grabbed his empty plate and stood.

  “Oh, by the way. I didn’t see your name on the duty rosters so I put us both down for going to the village to get supplies today.”

  Managing the compound as well as the membership of the Guardians required a lot of work. Some of the functions were turned into full-time positions which were given to Guardians who exhibited an aptitude for those tasks. Other day-to-day chores were shared by all the others. For this, rosters were put out daily and members who weren’t assigned a full-time position were expected to sign themselves up for at least one task. It was on an honor system and they were good about ensuring all the work got done.

  Now and then, someone would be given a special assignment, which relieved them of duty roster sign-up until their assignment was complete. Tannis was on such an assignment for Markus as long as Markus requested his help with the journal. It was Markus’s highest priority at the moment, although he asked Tannis to keep it low-key when talking with others.

  “Cross off my name. Someone else will have to join you.”

  “Oh. Are you still on special assignment?” asked Anton.

  Tannis looked around them to be sure no one else was within ear shot. He regretted sharing with Anton that Markus had enlisted his help with finding the crystal. He hadn’t shared anything more than that but he didn’t want others to know about his special assignment.

  In response to Anton’s question, he nodded and then picked up his plate and carried it across the dining hall to where the dirty dishes were collected. He was a little peeved that he hadn’t had the quiet time at breakfast that he wanted but at least his belly was full and he had energy for the upcoming vision.

  He left the dining hall and walked briskly across the compound, heading toward Markus’s quarters. He took in a deep breath, telling himself to relax, as he mentally prepared for the session with Markus.

  Markus obviously trusted Tannis to have brought him into the inner workings of the Guardians. He had faith in Tannis’s abilities and Tannis wanted nothing more than to repay Markus by giving him what he wanted. Only select people, over the years, had actually seen the journal or been privy to the writings inside. After all the years that Tannis had been with the Guardians, he couldn’t have dreamt of a better way to be of service. He took this opportunity seriously. He only wished that Noya could recognize that.

  Tannis entered the residence hall, the largest building in the compound. He walked with purpose and kept his eyes low, letting others know by his body language that he didn’t want to be engaged in conversation. He was aware of passing people, some who were occupied with the daily chores, others who were just coming out of their rooms to start the day. As he walked the halls, he caught small bits of conversation but did his best to tune it out. He was focused. He was ready.

  He turned down the last hallway that led to Markus’s quarters. Only when he was a few doors away, did he allow himself to look up. Just as he did, Noya came out of Markus’s room, joined by the Guardians’ healer, Traitus. Noya closed the door behind them and said something to Traitus.

  Tannis’s heart sank, like a big hole had opened in his midsection, causing his heart to fall through. Traitus’s presence couldn’t be a good sign. As he approached, Traitus acknowledged him with a bow and continued past. Noya stopped.

  “There won’t be a vision today.”

  “What’s wrong? Is Markus all right?”

  Noya held his gaze. “He’ll be fine. He didn’t sleep last night. He just needs some rest. Perhaps in a couple days.”

  Tannis wanted to object. He could still do the vision on his own and let Markus know what came of it. He was going to ask if he could borrow the journal but as he looked into Noya’s eyes, the intensity of her gaze told him there was no way in hell she would allow him to do that.

  “I’ll let you know when he’s well enough,” she added.

  She left no room for Tannis to offer any other possibilities. He felt deflated. There was nothing left but to turn and walk away so that’s precisely what he did.

  He walked through the halls in a daze and, before he knew it, found himself standing in the middle of the compound, staring at nothing. Now what? He was so primed to enter the vision but, in a split second, the opportunity fell through his fingers. It was out of his control. He needed to do something to pass the time. He couldn’t just sit around and wait for Markus to rest. He needed something physical; otherwise, the disappointment would eat at him all day.

  He walked over to the clerk’s building where the day’s duty rosters were kept. He scanned the rosters for the various tasks that were left. As he looked over the pages, his eyes fell on the sheet for getting supplies from the village. The slots were filled with names but something wasn’t right. Anton had said that he signed himself and Tannis up for the task. Not only did Tannis not see his own name with a line through it but he didn’t see Anton’s name either. Did he misunderstand Anton? Was Anton saying that he was going to sign them up? No. He was fairly certain Anton said he did sign them up.

  He searched the sheets, looking for Anton’s name, and finally spotted it on the roster for stable duty. He concluded that he obviously heard wrong. Besides, it’s not like he didn’t have other things on his mind while Anto
n spoke to him at breakfast.

  Tannis continued thumbing through the sheets and saw one that made reference to repairs that were needed on a section of the wall that surrounded the Guardians’ compound. That sounds physical enough, thought Tannis. There was only one name listed, that of Brother Timothy. He had worked with Timothy before, a hard worker but not much of a talker. That’s perfect! Tannis scribbled his name down and headed outside.

  FIFTEEN

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