The Thirteenth Monk (Bartholomew the Adventurer Trilogy Book 2)

by Tom Hoffman

  “Oh dear, you’re going to do that again? Perhaps you might wait until I am otherwise occupied in the kitchen before you perform your blinking business. It’s most alarming to see you and Clara vanish into thin air. It doesn’t seem natural, if you don’t mind my saying so, sir.”

  “I understand completely, my friend. We will wait until you’re safely out of sight.”

  There was a flash of light and Clara blinked into view in front of Bartholomew. “Are you packed? I’m quite eager to see Oliver and Edmund again. It seems like it’s been ages since we’ve seen them.”

  Parfello staggered back a step, putting his paw to his chest, but quickly regained his demeanor. “I beg your pardon madam, your appearance was... rather unexpected. If you would be so kind as to give my regards to Oliver T. Rabbit when you see him, I would greatly appreciate it. And perhaps to your new friend Edmund the Rabbiton, though I have never met him.” He mumbled under his breath, “Or any other ten foot tall mechanical rabbit.”

  Much to Parfello’s embarrassment Clara gave him a hug, saying, “Have a lovely relaxing time while we’re away, Parfello. Bartholomew will return after two weeks, and I shall be back in three, following a week long initiate quest. I will be guiding four new members of the Penrith guild on a hunt for Night Blossoms in the Brycin mountains.”

  Bartholomew picked up both satchels. “Ready to blink?”

  Parfello scurried out through the doorway, disappearing into the kitchen.

  “We’ll see you in a few weeks, Parfello!” With a brilliant flash of light, Bartholomew and Clara blinked and were gone.

  It was Morthram who had taught Bartholomew how to blink, after their narrow escape from the terrors of King Oberon’s ferillium mine. Blinking involved converting the physical body into a thought cloud, traveling at enormous velocity for no more than two seconds, then converting the thought cloud back to its original physical form. If the shaper remained in cloud form for more than two seconds it became impossible to convert back to their physical body. They were technically still alive, but no longer able to interact in the world. This time limitation was a harsh reality of shaping and put a deadly restriction on the distance they could travel with each jump.

  Three minutes and four jumps later they blinked into the main foyer of the Fortress of Elders. A smiling Rabbiton greeted them warmly. “Good afternoon....” The Rabbiton’s eyes glowed brightly, scanning their faces. “...Bartholomew and Clara. I will take your bags and you may head down to sub level two. Please note we have recently numbered all the rooms in the Fortress for the convenience of both our visitors and resident Rabbitons. Your two friends, Oliver T. Rabbit and Edmund the Rabbiton, are waiting for you in room 2810 on sub level two. Oliver has mentioned a number of times how anxious he is to see you.”

  “Thank you, it’s wonderful to be back in the Fortress.” Bartholomew and Clara walked along the main corridor down to the first sub level. They walked silently past the room where Oberon’s infernal shaping machine had once stood. Bartholomew had come very close to losing his life there. Clara looked away when they walked past.

  “That dreadful room. You almost died saving my life.”

  “I would do it again in an instant.”

  “I know you would, and I would do the same for you.”

  Bartholomew took Clara’s paw as they walked through the long corridors. “This is where we defeated Zoran. I was not at all certain my plan would work, you know. So many things could have gone wrong.”

  Clara nodded but said nothing. She did not like reliving the memories of those dark days when she had been held captive by King Oberon. They continued on until they spotted the massive stairway leading down to sub level 2. After another ten minutes of walking they reached room 2810. Clara touched a violet disk on the wall and the door silently slid open, revealing a vast chamber and a long, graceful silver ship.

  “There they are!” Oliver’s great voice echoed across the room. Bartholomew and Clara’s faces lit up the instant they spotted Oliver and Edmund.

  There were hugs for everyone, especially Edmund. Before Bartholomew could say a word, Oliver pointed to the gleaming craft and said, “Allow me to introduce my latest creation, the Adventurer II, the future of transportation for all rabbits and muroidians. What do you think? Is she as miraculous a creation as the duplonium wagon we used to outrun those dreadful pterosaurs?” He laughed loudly.

  Bartholomew studied the craft carefully, but appeared perplexed. “I realize you are a renowned scientist and inventor, Oliver, but it seems you may have unwittingly neglected to put wheels on this sleek silver wagon.”

  Oliver slapped his paw to his forehead. “Oh, great heavens, I thought something looked off about it! I know, I shall dash back to the Excelsior Corporation and requisition four Model B12-A heavy duty wheel assemblies.” He strolled over to the gleaming ship and climbed a small ladder to the cabin. Taking a seat at the main console, he flipped all eight red levers, then the yellow lever. A low and powerful humming noise filled the room. Bartholomew and Clara looked at each other with clear concern, backing away from the craft. Oliver waved to them, then pushed the number one green lever. The nozzles rotated in unison, and were now directed towards the floor. He pushed the number two green lever and the hum changed to a deep roar.

  Bartholomew and Clara watched in astonishment as the Adventurer II gently rose up from the floor until it was hovering twenty feet in the air. Oliver nudged the number two green lever and the craft circled the huge room. Moments later he brought it softly down to the ground.

  “What do you think?? Are you ready to take her out on a real adventure?

  Bartholomew was plainly dumbstruck. “Good heavens, Oliver, this is amazing. You have created a flying vehicle! You are a miracle worker, my friend. I have only one question. How soon can we leave?” He turned to Clara. “What do you think? Shall we take the Adventurer II on a quest to find Bruno Rabbit’s mystery house in Pterosaur Valley?”

  Clara laughed. “Count me in. I’ve always wanted to see a real pterosaur.”

  Oliver beamed with pride. “It’s settled then, we’re off to Pterosaur Valley. Edmund, you’d better pack your bags – I’ll be needing a trusty copilot on this adventure, and I can’t think of a better one than you.”

  Edmund was already backing up towards the door, his eyes locked on Oliver. “Do not leave without me. I’ll be right back – right back. I have to get my adventurer’s hat!”

  Chapter 7

  Edmund’s Curious Question

  After giving it more thought, Oliver decided to conduct three full days of rigorous flight testing on the Adventurer II prior to their departure for Pterosaur Valley. This would additionally give him time to teach Bartholomew the proper operating procedures for the craft, in the event he should ever have to fly it. Clara chose to take advantage of these three extra days by exploring the underground gravitator transportation system, and Edmund had graciously volunteered to be her guide.

  Their first stop was the vast Central Information Repository where Edmund had spent over fourteen hundred years as Master Repositorian, a vast library of knowledge containing several million books and countless crystalline storage centers.

  “Weren’t you lonely spending so many years by yourself, Edmund? The Elders left for the City of Mandora shortly after you began your position here as repositorian. What was it like when the Elders left, and what made you decide to remain here in the Fortress?”

  “To answer your first question, I had no concept of loneliness during those years. It was only when Morthram asked me to choose a name for myself that I began to feel a sense of self-awareness. It was not until after my adventures with Bartholomew, Oliver, Morthram, and you that I found myself wishing to be in the presence of others, specifically the four of you. Since I had never had anything resembling a friend before, I had no reason to feel lonely. It has proven to be a bewildering transition for me, at times quite unsettling. Oliver seemed pleased when I said I missed him and he did s
ay that he also missed me. It is readily apparent that rabbits enjoy the attention and affection of others, as do muroidians, but this quality seems to be lacking in Rabbitons. More precisely, all Rabbitons but me.

  “To answer your second question, I remember when the Elders left, but I did not take much notice of it. I was the Master Repositorian and that was my sole focus. The Elders are in some ways quite different from you and Bartholomew. I spoke with them on a regular basis, but I don’t believe they ever thought of me as anything other than a Model 9000 Rabbiton with the optional A7-Series 3 Repositorian Module. I do have a faint memory of meeting Edmund the Explorer, which for some reason has stayed with me all this time. Perhaps even then part of me wanted to become an adventurer, just as Bartholomew always did.

  “I have no ready explanation as to why I remained here in the Fortress.” Edmund paused. “I simply could not leave, but I do not know why.”

  “Thank you for telling me all this, Edmund. I count you among my dear friends, and it is well accepted among rabbits that friends can discuss with each other their concerns and worries. If there was something I was worried about, I would feel quite comfortable sharing it with you. Now, to lighten the mood a little, Bartholomew mentioned some wonderful food synthesizers down in the gravitator tunnels. Could we visit them? I’m quite hungry and Bartholomew had nothing but good things to say about the food there.”

  “Of course we may go. We can ride one of the vertical gravitators down to the underground tunnels right now.”

  Edmund led the way across the repository to the vertical gravitator. He tapped the violet disk and the door quietly slid open. Once inside the gravitator he tapped a blue disk and the door closed behind them. The transparent cylinder descended rapidly for several seconds then came to a gentle halt.

  They exited into a vast tunnel, at least three hundred feet wide and several hundred feet tall. Clara watched as any number of gravitator cars shot past, floating several feet above the long rows of sparkling silver tracks. One of the cars had come to a halt at a nearby platform, a steady stream of rabbits and muroids pouring out of the seventy foot long glass cylinder. The extensive system of platforms paralleling the tracks were filled with muroids, rabbits and Rabbitons walking this way and that, many of them carrying brightly colored shopping bags. Wide stairs led up to the main shopping areas.

  “Oh my, why have I not been here before? This is quite marvelous. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “The food synthesizers are farther down the platform, if you would like to visit them before we see all the shops in the upper levels.”

  “Thank you, Edmund, that would be wonderful.”

  A half hour later Edmund and Clara were sitting at a table by a wall of brightly lit panels filled with moving images of rabbits eating all manner of tasty delights. As rabbits and muroids approached the synthesizers, the panels would talk to them, describing in great detail the various types of food available at each machine.

  “This looks delicious, Edmund. Thank you for showing me how to use the food machines – they are quite miraculous. Bartholomew always shapes his food, but I’m a little more adventurous and like to try food I’m unfamiliar with. I never know what I’ll find.”

  “Clara, I would like to speak to my inner voice. Can you tell me how to do this? I have watched Bartholomew speak to the Cavern of Silence, but I lack a clear understanding of the process.”

  Clara’s fork stopped in mid air. This was the last question she had expected to hear from Edmund. “You wish to speak to your inner voice?” She repeated the question, trying desperately to think of an appropriate answer.

  “Yes. From what I understand, my inner voice will be able to tell me more about who I am. I have begun to question my sense of self.”

  “You wish to know more about who you are?” Clara repeated the question, her mind racing. Did Rabbitons have inner voices? Perhaps they did. A rabbit’s physical body is just an organic machine, so why couldn’t a Rabbiton have an inner voice? The difference was that rabbits were filled with life force, as were all living creatures. She would not tell Edmund he had no inner voice, as she had no idea how that might affect him. He might be indestructible, but she could clearly see there was also a very fragile bunny-like side to him. Besides, to be truthful, she didn’t really know if he had an inner voice or not.

  “Indeed so. I have recently become interested in understanding my place in this world.”

  An answer finally came to Clara. “Edmund, the process is quite simple. You need only find a quiet spot where you can be alone, away from all distraction. For Bartholomew, that place was in the Cavern of Silence. It was really only an ordinary cavern, but it gave him a silent refuge where he could close his eyes and listen to the voice inside him. He was looking for the answer to a specific question. There was something missing from his life and he wanted to learn what it was. It took several days before he finally heard the answer to his question. Often times the answer is not entirely clear – you may only get a feeling, or an image, or a sound, but don’t be disappointed if you receive no answer at all. Many rabbits have gone an entire lifetime without speaking to their secret voice within. It may simply not be the right time for you, and there is no shame in that.”

  “Thank you, Clara. I will follow your instructions. Because I am a mechanical creation of the Elders, it is logical to assume I do not possess an inner voice. That being said, I am quite certain I do have one.”

  Clara reached across the table and put her paw on Edmund’s hand. “Whether you have an inner voice or not, Edmund, you are always my true friend, and in this world true friends are what matter above all else.”

  Chapter 8

  Maiden Voyage

  “Is everyone ready?”

  “Edmund is wearing his adventurer’s hat, so I know he’s ready!” Bartholomew laughed, giving the thumbs up sign to Oliver. One by one, Oliver flipped the red levers and the eight gleaming Mark VII Vacuumators began their low, steady humming.

  “Amazing! I can hardly hear them. Remember how jarringly loud the old Mark IIIs were?” He flipped the yellow lever and powerful streams of air blasted out of the sixteen high pressure exhaust nozzles.

  Edmund called out to Oliver, “Rotating nozzles to 90 degrees.”

  Oliver inched the green levers forward and the Mark VII Vacuumators roared to life. Clara could feel the ship vibrate briefly as it lifted off the ground. “Three cheers for good Captain Oliver!”

  Oliver gave a great guffaw, giving Clara an exaggerated salute. He then turned to Edmund saying, “Once we’ve reached an altitude of five hundred feet, head us due south southeast. We’ll take it slow for a while – twenty miles per hour should do it.”

  The Adventurer II rose smoothly into the air, Edmund’s watchful eye on the altimeter. “Five hundred feet.” Edmund pulled back imperceptibly on the number two green lever and the ship held steady. He adjusted their speed and direction. “South southeast at twenty miles per hour.” The craft turned gently and began to accelerate.

  “Look at the Fortress down there! It’s massive. I can’t imagine how the Elders engineered such a gargantuan structure.”

  Clara cried out, “Look how far you can see! And how small the trees look. We are seeing what the birds see when they fly – it’s breathtaking!”

  For almost an hour the only sounds were the steady roar of the Vacuumators and the rushing wind as the Adventurer II sped forward through the clear blue skies. The adventurers watched in silence, mesmerized by the ever changing kaleidoscope of landscapes passing below them.

  Their peaceful reverie came to a sudden end when Edmund sprang to his feet, frantically skittering back from the control panel. “An ant! Oliver, there’s an ant on the console! What should I do? It might damage the controls and crash the ship!”

  Clara and Bartholomew spun around towards Edmund, confused by his sudden outburst about an ant.

  Oliver remembered well Edmund’s inexplicable fascination with the ant back
at the Fortress, but this was different – Edmund seemed to be afraid of this ant. Oliver strode over to the console and spotted a single ant walking up the side of the number one green lever.

  “It’s all right, Edmund. The ant won’t interfere with the ship’s operation. It’s true they’re very strong for their size, but they are far too small to cause any problems with the ship. I will toss it over the side – it’s so light it will float safely down to the ground below.”

  Edmund nodded, but kept his distance from the ant. Oliver let the ant walk onto his paw, then stretched his arm over the side of the craft and the wind carried the ant away. “It’s gone now.”

  Returning to the console, Edmund was his old self again. “Current speed is twenty-five miles per hour. Shall I boost it to forty? Everything is running smoothly.”

  Oliver nodded. “Make it so, my friend.”

  A gentle nudge to the green lever and the Adventurer II sped forward, now cruising through the skies at an amazing forty miles per hour.

  Oliver called out to Bartholomew. “We’re traveling faster than when we were being chased by the pterosaurs, but this time there’s no wild and terrifying ride!”

  “This is fantastic, Oliver! You were right, this ship is the future of transportation. You’ve created Lapinor’s first flying carriage!”

  Nobody mentioned Edmund’s unusual reaction to the ant, but several minutes later a puffy blue thought cloud floated out of Bartholomew’s ear and over to Clara. She pulled it to her and heard Bartholomew’s voice in her thoughts.

  “Why do you think Edmund reacted to the ant like that? He seemed to be truly frightened of it.”

  Clara thought for a moment, then sent a cloud back to Bartholomew.

  “I honestly don’t know. There’s something happening here that I don’t understand yet – it feels like a transformation of some kind. I can’t pull any thoughts from him though. When he was showing me around the Fortress he asked me how to speak with his inner voice. You can imagine my surprise. I was as gentle as I could be with him, and truthfully I have no idea if he has an inner voice or not. This new fear that ants hold for him is quite mystifying, but I know in time its meaning will become clear. Events are unfolding and we can only watch and wait.”