The Thirteenth Monk (Bartholomew the Adventurer Trilogy Book 2)

by Tom Hoffman

  Before Bartholomew was halfway down the hallway, Lightning dashed towards him hollering, “Look! Look at this!” He held up a tattered piece of cloth in front of Bartholomew.”

  Bartholomew looked at it carefully. “May I?”

  Lightning handed him the cloth.

  Bartholomew showed it to Oliver and Edmund.

  Oliver said, “Good heavens, is that what I think it is?”

  Bartholomew nodded. “It’s old, and it’s only a portion of a map, but it’s clear as day right here – it says ‘Queen’s Treasure Chamber’. I’m not quite sure what these other words are. This one looks like ‘unes’, whatever that means.”

  Oliver pointed to the map. “I don’t like the looks of that one. It says ‘All Beware the Wyrme of Deth’.”

  Bartholomew turned to Lightning. “Where did you get this?”

  “It’s been passed down through our family for generations, but nobody knows how old it really is. My grandpa and I tried to decipher it, but none of it made sense except the Queen’s Treasure Chamber.”

  It was Edmund who solved the mystery. “I know where that is. We’ve already been there.”

  Oliver looked dubious. “I would most certainly recall having met a creature named the Wyrme of Deth.”

  Edmund continued. “We never saw the Wyrme of Deth, but we did see what it did to the Adventurer II in the sand dunes. The word ‘unes’ only lacks the letter ‘d’ to make it ‘dunes’. The Queen’s Treasure Chamber is located beneath the sand dunes where our ship crashed.”

  Oliver’s eyes grew wide. “That monstrous creature was the Wyrme of Deth? We cannot face a beast like that. It’s not even remotely possible. That dreadful monstrosity would swallow us in an instant! Look what it did to our ship – shook it like a pterosaur shaking a–” He was about to say ‘mouse’ but remembered who their hosts were. “My point is, it sadly appears we must return home without the Seventh Key.”

  Edmund shook his head. “No. We have no choice, we have to recover the key and the time throttle. Even if we wanted to go back, we still need the Seventh Key to open the World Door. I have no idea how to open a spectral doorway leading back to Earth. We will have to find a way to defeat the Wyrme of Deth, even if–.”

  Lightning cut Edmund off. “What key? What’s a time throttle? You know where the Queen’s Treasure Chamber is?”

  Bartholomew answered, “We know more or less where it is. This drawing of trees on your map represents the Timere Forest. If we had traveled directly north rather than west after we crashed we would have entered the forest. It’s a good thing we didn’t because I doubt we would have survived the ants.”

  Edmund spoke up. “We have to face the ants again. I must visit the Tree of Eyes to learn the fate of Edmund the Explorer. Maybe the Tree will also know what happened to the Seventh Key and the time throttle.”

  Bartholomew was remembering Ennzarr’s words. If they didn’t return the Seventh Key to Pterosaur Valley the change Edmund was going through would somehow destroy him. He would cease to exist. Bartholomew put his paw on Edmund’s arm. “Edmund, you’re right. We have no choice in the matter. We have to find the Seventh Key. There are some things that must be done, just as we had to defeat Zoran the Emerald Shaper.”

  Thunder and Lightning looked completely baffled by the ongoing conversation. Oliver was looking ill.

  Bartholomew handed the map back to Lightning. “Come to the library and I will explain everything to both of you. Then you can decide whether or not to join us on this quest. Don’t make your decision lightly. There is a real possibility one or more of us will not return. We have no idea how to defeat the Wyrme of Deth. We don’t even know what the Wyrme of Deth is.”

  Edmund’s eyes were burning bright. “And the ants. We can’t forget the ants.” He smacked his fists together.

  Chapter 31

  Return to the Timere Forest

  One day later, a pair of long wooden boats pushed off from the Island of the Blue Monks. Thunder and Lighting had enthusiastically joined the quest, undeterred by Oliver’s terrifying tales of the Wyrme of Deth. The Red Monks dropped them off on the northern shore of the lake and bid their farewells. One of the monks presented Edmund with a small golden whistle. “Should you visit us again, blow this whistle and a boat will appear to carry you across the lake. A friend of Edmund the Explorer is always welcome here.” Edmund thanked the monk and the five adventurers set off into the jungle towards the Timere Forest.

  As they fought their way through the tangled undergrowth, Thunder and Lightning kept up a steady stream of stories about their life on the Island of Blue Monks. It turned out that Thunder had been adopted by Lightning’s family after they found him wandering in the jungle as a mouseling, and Thunder and Lightning had essentially grown up as brothers. When they were of an age to leave their home they rented a small shack on the island and found employment which soon proved to be less than fulfilling. They had dreams of becoming treasure hunters – dreams spurred on by Lightning’s grandpa and the mysterious map passed down through their family. Their initial attempt at being treasure hunters had proven to be remarkably unsuccessful, despite their recovery of a few small artifacts in the area. They eventually took work doing chores for the owner of the Paw and Dagger Tavern, hoping this would lead to a spot on a real treasure hunt. After six long months of waiting, they finally got their wish. It hadn’t hurt that the other treasure hunters were all too drunk to care who got the job.

  Thunder and Lightning were drawn to Edmund, more than likely because he was different from anything they had ever seen. “What are you going to do to the ants when you find them, Edmund? Are you going to clobber the Wyrme with your fists or let Bartholomew vaporize it with shaping? How strong are you? Could you lift me and Thunder and Oliver all at once? How come you’re so tall?”

  Surprisingly, Edmund enjoyed the attention and began telling them stories of his adventures with Edmund the Explorer, plus many of the tales Edmund the Explorer had told him. “Escaping the creekers was nothing compared to the time Edmund the Explorer had to climb an icy four thousand foot vertical rock face while being chased by deadly poisonous snow spiders.”

  Bartholomew was glad to see Edmund laughing again. Thunder and Lightning were just what he needed to help him recover from the loss of Edmund the Explorer. Bartholomew wished Clara was here to see this. She would appreciate the appearance of Thunder and Lightning as a gift bestowed upon Edmund by the universe. Cavern had said it many times before. “The most valuable gifts in life often arrive in very strange packages.”

  Despite the presence of Thunder and Lightning, Edmund’s mood began to darken as they drew closer to the Timere Forest. His stories about Edmund the Explorer grew shorter and then came to an end. He stopped laughing. Bartholomew suspected his terrible fear of the ants was returning, but when he reminded Edmund he could shape a defensive sphere to protect them, Edmund had only nodded absently. His mood worsened after they entered the forest. He became distant, hardly speaking. Perhaps the sight of the towering trees was bringing back the painful memories of his first visit, memories of what had happened to Edmund the Explorer.

  One full day passed with no sign of the ants, then another. Everyone except Edmund began to relax, including Oliver. “You know, it has been fifteen hundred years since... since you were here before, Edmund. It’s quite possible the ant colony died off, or moved on to another location. A queen ant doesn’t live forever, and the new queen will often fly great distances to start her own colony. It’s also very possible these gigantic ants were an anomaly, the last of their kind, and died off due to their great size, just as the pterosaurs did.”

  Lightning cried out, “I see an ant!”

  Edmund’s head whipped around. Bartholomew shot up a defensive sphere around them. “Where??”

  Embarrassed by the unexpected stir his comment had made, Lightning pointed to the ground. “Uh... right here, next to my foot?”

  Edmund saw the tiny black ant meander
ing past Lightning’s foot. He stared at it, his fists rapidly clenching and unclenching. Something about this harmless little creature triggered a dreadful rage in Edmund, a rage that spiraled with every step the ant took. Ants. It was the ants who had filled him with his blinding helpless fear, it was the ants who had crushed Edmund the Explorer and ripped him from Emma’s world, and it was the ants who had stolen the Seventh Key. He saw once again the cold and expressionless face of the giant ant as it squeezed the life from Edmund the Explorer. Something inside Edmund twisted and snapped. He knew what to do now. He would kill all the ants. He would smash them and hammer them and pound them to dust. Edmund stomped his foot as hard as he could on the ground. Let them come. He would kill them all. He would obliterate each and every one of them. Before he could stomp his foot again, however, he heard a voice coming from deep inside him.

  “Edmund, what matters in this world is intention. Just as Rabbitons were programmed by the Elders, the ants were programmed by nature.When they attacked Edmund the Explorer there were no evil intentions, they were simply doing what they had been programmed to do. They were surviving. It is hard for you to see clearly now, but your choice to walk of your own free will through these terrible fires of life will eventually bring you a great happiness.”

  Edmund weaved slightly, then fell to his knees and, like a sinking ship, rolled over onto the sunlit forest floor.

  “Something happened to Edmund!” Lightning’s eyes were wide with fear. Bartholomew and Oliver dashed over and knelt down next to him.

  “Edmund? Are you all right? What happened?”

  Edmund slowly sat up, a dazed look on his face. “I don’t know. I wanted to kill the ants. I wanted to kill them all, but it wasn’t their fault. A voice said it wasn’t their fault.”

  Bartholomew stared at Edmund. “What voice? Who told you that?”

  Edmund shook his head. “I don’t know. It seemed like something the Thirteenth Monk would say but it wasn’t his voice.”

  Bartholomew put his paw on Edmund’s shoulder. “Are you okay? We need to keep moving.”

  Edmund rose to his feet. “I believe I am fine. I am no longer angry at the ants. Perhaps it was my inner voice, although it was not the same voice which told me to open the spectral door to Nirriim. It’s all quite confusing. On my return to the Fortress I shall have the A9s check my programming crystals for any possible corruption.”

  Conversation was subdued for the rest of the day, but gradually picked up as their journey progressed. Edmund’s mood seemed to be improving rapidly, something Bartholomew attributed to the loss of his anger towards the ants. He would make a joke now and then, especially with Thunder and Lightning, and was telling Edmund the Explorer stories again. This may have made him feel as though Edmund the Explorer was once again walking alongside him.

  The giant ants never came, and the trek through the forest became far more enjoyable without the constant fear of being attacked. They could walk and talk normally now. Despite Edmund’s curious incident with the unknown voice, Thunder and Lightning were as exuberant as ever, dashing here and there, often climbing the smaller trees just because they could. On one occasion Bartholomew shaped a two hundred foot rope ladder from the one of the great trees, but as it turned out Thunder and Lightning were not especially fond of heights. After they had climbed twenty feet they decided they’d had enough, returning to the safety of the forest floor.

  Edmund did not tease them about it. He simply said, “That’s why they invented minifloaters.” Then he had to explain what minifloaters were and tell a few hair-raising stories about his experiences with them, usually involving a chase and some hideous flying beast with razor sharp teeth.

  On the morning of the sixth day Edmund spotted the circle of trees surrounding the clearing where the Tree of Eyes grew. He held up his hand for the party to stop. “The Tree of Eyes is in here. Bartholomew, this is not the Tree you know. Fifteen hundred years ago this tree was far older and wiser than the Tree of Eyes in our world. I have no idea what it will be like today.” Edmund slipped between the massive trunks, pushing his way through the brush and foliage and into the clearing, followed closely behind by Bartholomew, Oliver, Thunder, and Lightning.

  Chapter 32

  Edmund the Explorer Goes Home

  Edmund walked towards the Tree of Eyes. A thousand eyes turned towards him. Thunder and Lightning murmured to each other. “Holy creekers! It has eyes all over it!” The truth was they couldn’t wait to get back and tell their friends about this extraordinary creature.

  Edmund was having a very different reaction. He was remembering the sight of Edmund the Explorer wrapped in a leafy cocoon. The anger that had flared so brightly inside him was gone now, and all that was left was a deep sadness. He missed Edmund the Explorer and Emma.

  The Tree was the first to speak. A long tendril reached out and wrapped itself around Edmund’s arm. “Hello, Edmund. We are pleased to see you after all these years. We see you are healing nicely from the events which occurred during your last visit. We also see you wish to know the final fate of your friend Edmund the Explorer.”

  “Yes, I would like to know what became of him, if he has moved on to another world beyond this one.”

  “We have come to understand the nature of time and are able to move about within this river at will. We can tell you what happened, or if you would prefer, we can show you. You will see Edmund the Explorer and others you may know, but you will be unable to communicate with them.”

  Edmund looked back at Bartholomew. “What do you think I should do?”

  The Tree of Eyes looked at Bartholomew and Oliver. “We are pleased to see you also, Bartholomew and Oliver. We have fond memories of your visits when we were very young. We understand how foolish we must have appeared back then, but that is the nature of creatures born into this world. We have grown in awareness since those distant times. We remember teaching you how to read thought clouds, Bartholomew. We also clearly remember the look on Oliver’s face the first time he heard us speak.” One of the eyes giggled.

  Oliver bristled slightly, but then laughed, remembering how astonished he had been. “My word, when I think about that it makes me realize how much I too have changed since then, and all the astonishing things I have seen and learned.”

  Bartholomew answered Edmund’s question. “I would let the Tree show you what happened. It will seem real to you then.”

  Edmund nodded and said to the Tree, “Please show me what happened to Edmund the Explorer, and what happened to me.”

  “Very well.” The Tree’s branches rustled in an invisible wind and everything around it blurred, returning sharply into focus moments later. Edmund looked down at his hands but saw nothing. He was only awareness floating in empty space. It reminded him of his journey through the Void.

  Edmund saw a gleaming Rabbiton lying on the ground by the Tree of Eyes. He recognized it as his own A2 body. It was partially wrapped in the Tree’s green tendrils, but they were quickly unraveling. He heard the familiar hum of a blinker and looked up.

  Like a great dragonfly, the blinker hovered overhead. A pale green beam of light shot down, scanning back and forth over Edmund’s old body. The beam disappeared and the blinker darted down next to the Tree, setting down silently on the ground. The ramp flipped down and a pilot emerged from the craft. He strode quickly over to the A2 body, kneeling down next to it, opening a small panel on its chest. A transparent holoscreen popped into the air above the A2 and the pilot swiped through several pages.

  “It lost power for a while. That’s why its memory is fried. It’s going to need a total refurb. Other than that it’s fine.” The pilot stood up and pulled a silver cylinder out of a side pocket. He was about to flip it on when he noticed the Tree of Eyes for the first time.

  “Holy Narkks, that’s one weird lookin’ tree. Looks almost like it has eyes. This world gives me the creeps. Load the A2 and let’s get the blink out of here. I can’t wait to get back to Earth. Keep your eye
s open for Anarkkian attack ships – I don’t want to get dusted in some loopy world like this. I’m guessing a neuro beam got this A2. Who knows what it was doing way out here.”

  The pilot pressed a small tab on the metallic cylinder and a shimmering gray light hit the A2. The Rabbiton vibrated, rising several feet into the air. He used the cylinder to maneuver the floating A2 through the blinker door. Edmund heard the words, “Strap and roll, rabs.” The ramp snapped shut and the blinker zipped straight up several hundred feet, held for a moment, then shot forward, disappearing into a large bank of clouds.

  The world blurred once again, then returned to normal. There was a brilliant flash of light and a rabbit appeared next to the Tree of Eyes. Edmund drew his breath in sharply. He would recognize the long green cloak anywhere. It was Bruno Rabbit, and Bruno’s expression was grim. “How is he?”

  The Tree of Eyes replied, “We will show you.” The center of the Tree began to rustle, a long leafy cocoon emerging. The cocoon was connected to the tree by hundreds of green tendrils, some almost a half inch in diameter. The Tree gently lowered the cocoon until it came to rest on the grass. The tendrils unraveled, withdrawing back inside the tree. Lying in front of Bruno Rabbit was the body of Edmund the Explorer. His eyes were closed, his body still.

  Bruno asked, “Is he alive?”

  “He is not alive, but neither is he dead. We have stopped the passage of time around him.”

  Bruno looked down at Edmund the Explorer. “I liked him. He was different from most of the explorers I’ve known. He cared more about rabbits than he did about treasure. What happened to the A2 he had with him?”

  “A blinker scout picked it up and took it back to Earth.”

  “You did everything you could?”

  “We did. The key was nowhere to be found, nor was the time throttle.”

  Bruno gave a sigh. “He did the best he could. He prevented the Anarkkians from using the throttle and he sent Neilana back home. Edmund the Explorer will be one of Earth’s great unsung heros, which is probably how he would have wanted it. I will do what I can for him.”