The Crystal Keepers, An Overseers Novel

by Mary Coffin

Elwyn, Brethren of Darkness

  Desert

  Elwyn stood at the table and used a wooden mortar and pestle to grind the dried plants into a powder. She felt Hector’s gaze on her and wanted to tell him what he could do with those bulging bulbous eyes of his but she had to remind herself that she had made it this far. Don’t ruin it now, she thought.

  “Grind it finer, Elwyn. It’s more potent that way,” insisted Hector.

  Elwyn forced a cordial smile and nodded her understanding. He didn’t have to tell her how fine to grind the leaves. She had been experimenting with its properties since she was a child but Hector wouldn’t know that. He could never know that.

  Elwyn was walking a fine line and had been playing a dangerous game since she joined the Brethren of Darkness. Her father had taught her what little he knew about the dark arts as she was growing up. Although, once she got the basics under her belt, unbeknownst to her father she continued her studies on her own and often used her brother Tannis as a guinea pig. Of course, Tannis wasn’t always a willing participant and he usually didn’t realize what was happening until it was too late for him to do anything about it. Elwyn manipulated him. He was an easy subject, quite predictable, and it gave her plenty of practice for using the darkness.

  When she was accepted into the Brethren, she was shrewd enough not to reveal how skilled she was with the dark powers. The first time she met Draevil, Lord of the Brethren of Darkness, it quickly became apparent that he wouldn’t allow any member to become more powerful than he was. He specifically taught only enough of the arts so that the Brethren could serve him but never more than the minimum. Elwyn caught onto this quickly and played the part of a novice, willing and eager to learn what she could.

  She knew, without a doubt, that if Draevil learned of her abilities it would be the end for her; not an end to her membership in the Brethren but more likely an end to her life. She couldn’t let him find out. Gaining power with the dark force was the single most important thing in Elwyn’s life. She had lusted after power ever since her father started working with her as a young girl. So, pretending she was a novice and having Hector treat her like a subordinate, was a small sacrifice to make – or so she continually reminded herself.

  She spent a long time relearning boring, menial tasks and tricks, all the while trying to find a way to earn a position closer to Draevil. She wanted to be in his company, to earn his confidence with the hopes that he would recognize her natural talent and teach her more. She admired him. Actually, she feared him but admired the power he held and that’s what she wanted, too – power.

  It had taken her awhile just to earn the position of working with Hector, the Brethren’s Apothecary, but she still needed to find a way to catch Draevil’s attention. Hector picked up a jar with his thick, fleshy fingers and placed it near Elwyn.

  “Here, pour the powder into this. It’s time for me to make Draevil’s tonic.”

  He slowly pushed his overweight body up from the stool and half waddled, half limped to the shelves. He rose up on his toes and reached for an earthen jar on the top shelf. Elwyn heard him grunt and watched him stumble backwards, nearly losing his balance. He grabbed the shelves to steady himself.

  “Hector, are you okay?” asked Elwyn. It must be his foot again, she thought. She grabbed his stool and placed it beside him. “Here. You need to rest.”

  He sat heavily on the stool and let out a deep sigh.

  “Is it your foot?”

  “Yes, I’m afraid so.”

  “I’ll be your hands. Tell me what to do.” She turned and faced the shelves. Then she reached for a container on the top shelf and showed it to him. “Is this the one you wanted?”

  “Yes. Set it on the table.”

  Elwyn did as he asked. “What else do you need?”

  Hector proceeded to give her instructions for selecting specific ingredients and amounts from his potions and mixing them together. She paid close attention to the directions, committing them to memory, all the while restraining herself from showing her excitement. The possibilities raced through her mind as to how Hector’s unfortunate health could work to her advantage.

  She knew that Hector personally delivered Draevil’s elixir to him daily but now this could be the very opportunity she had been seeking. Since Hector’s foot was causing him trouble, of course she would have to deliver it. It was the perfect break she needed! Then she might be able to talk with Draevil and just happen to mention her little secret.

  Elwyn knew that Draevil was searching for the same crystal as the Guardians. She overheard a conversation by some of Draevil’s henchmen, which is where she first learned about it. Then, with keeping a psychic watchful eye on her brother, she realized that the Brethren and the Guardians were after the same thing. Although it had been some time since Elwyn overheard the Brethrens’ conversation, it left her with the impression that Draevil was using the Guardians to locate its whereabouts. He had spies watching them but since they hadn’t learned of its location yet, neither had he. She doubted that Draevil knew she had a brother in the Guardians or that her brother was helping to decipher the journal that alerted them to the crystal in the first place.

  One thing she knew for certain though. Draevil didn’t know about the thought that she recently extracted from Tannis’s mind while he slept. It was a thought that Tannis himself wasn’t aware of yet. But it did offer a new perspective in the search for the crystal and that was the secret that she hoped would get her closer to Draevil.

  If Draevil knew how much information Elwyn got from watching her brother, he wouldn’t be able to resist asking her for assistance. But, of course, she couldn’t come right out and tell him how she watched her brother and how she knew what he was doing without divulging her proficiency with the dark powers. So, when the opportunity surfaced and Draevil asked how she knew her brother’s business, she would explain that they had a strong bond when growing up and that, when Elwyn still lived at home, Tannis visited and told her about the journal and the crystal. Then she would tell him that Tannis visits her regularly in her dreams and that would explain the current information.

  “Pay close attention to what you’re doing, Elwyn! The tonic musn’t get too hot or it will be ineffective,” spouted Hector.

  “Yes, I’m sorry.” She realized she had been carried away by her thoughts and hadn’t noticed the tonic was close to boiling. Using a glove, she removed it from the fire and set it on the table.

  “Stir it again. If it isn’t too thick, it will be okay. Otherwise, we will have to start all over.”

  Elwyn heard a tinge of annoyance in Hector’s voice. She stirred the brew and felt that it was still fluid. She breathed a sigh of relief, realizing how close she had come to ruining the potion.

  “It’s very fluid,” she replied.

  “Good. Then pour it into his cup and don’t spill any. Then go find one of Draevil’s men to come and get it. I cannot walk the distance to his quarters.”

  Elwyn hadn’t anticipated this. “I would be happy to take it to him. I’m sure he is expecting it soon so wouldn’t it be more efficient for me to take it straight to him?”

  Hector stared at Elwyn for a moment, as if he were determining her ability to carry a cup of liquid through the caves without spilling it. Finally he consented.

  “I suppose so but be quick. We have much work that needs to be done here.”

  “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” replied Elwyn. Of course, if Draevil required her services right away then Hector would just have to do all the work himself, she thought.

  SIXTEEN

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