The Seventh Seal (The Chronicles of Daniel Stone Book 1)

by A. J. Dobbs

  ‘Young Master Stone, it is an honour to be of service to you. Come in, let us take some measurements,’ said Gertrude impatiently.

  ‘Hold your horses, Gerty, where are your manners? Give the boy some air. My apologies, Master Stone, Gerty here, she’s been so excited she hasn’t slept a wink since we knew you were coming. We served your father all his life. We have every pattern of his still here and I wager the one of his when he was your age will fit you… Gerty, go get pattern 314159, will you? It’s on rack 2112,’ said Fred.

  Fuggle’s and Golding’s was a wonderfully nostalgic place for all Keepers; our passage through life was marked at key points by visits to Fred and Gerty’s for new min-ed clothes. Some of our fondest memories were with them; they were like a favourite aunty and uncle.

  I smiled at Daniel’s first reaction to this great place and was transported back to my first visit. This was no ordinary clothes shop you see.

  Nature had produced in min-ed a material of exceptional quality and that required a sewing machine of exceptional design to deal with the thread and the complex weaving patterns. Enter Heisenberg Fuggle one of the founders of this great institution; he designed and developed the Heisenberg 14. That was remarkable in itself but when you learn that the 14 also represented his age when he designed it you begin to realise the genius of the boy.

  When young Heisenberg drew the initial concepts, so amazed were the Keepers that they gave him sole commission to weave min-ed in perpetuity. He was, however, an engineer and not a maker of clothes and so he joined forces with the finest maker of Theran clothes at the time: Gladys Golding. The heirs have continued the tradition and like all the places on Thera, this place was steeped in history.

  The Heisenberg 14 stood centre stage towards the rear of the shop, fed from hundreds of tiny reels of min-ed twine on its left-hand side. It made the oddest of noises as big cranks and gears meshed and turned pulling the hundreds of individual threads off the reels, twisting and weaving them into a single continuous role of min-ed, four feet wide at the other end. It ran on spindrift and as it weaved, this most magical of all energy sources puffed and blurted out of various vents and chimneys making the Heisenberg 14 look very ungainly. But ungainly as it was it was part of the beat in our hearts, for in this machine we all gained our sense of place and belonging.

  As Gertrude returned, she laid out Michael Stone’s pattern. On the chest area was written in pencil “Measurements taken by G Golding of Michael Stone aged 15”. Daniel touched his father’s name and smiled to himself one of those sorrowful, longing smiles. A smile filled with love for someone now gone.

  ‘Well, Master Stone, shall we see how this fits? Hold your arms up for me,’ said Gertrude.

  For the next twenty minutes Gertrude measured and shouted out numbers to Fred who carefully logged them in a journal, all standard dimensions, columned within a book so that when it was time to cut the pattern there were no errors. As she finished, Fred snapped the book shut.

  ‘What did I tell you? Exactly the same. Exactly the same measurements as his father; well, that will save a bit of work, Master Stone, we can use your father’s patterns,’ declared Fred excitedly.

  ‘Can I choose a colour?’ said Daniel excitedly.

  With that, we all roared with laughter. ‘I’m afraid, Daniel, min-ed has many fine properties, but colour is not one of them; what you see is what you get,’ said Albertus.

  ‘How long, Fred, before it’s ready?’ asked Albertus.

  ‘Two days, Albertus, just in time for the celebrations. We’re very excited, aren’t we, Gerty?’

  ‘Oh yes, Fred, very excited.’

  ‘Good, good, well, we’ll be on our way. Have his clothes delivered to the tower, will you?’ said Albertus.

  ‘Of course,’ confirmed Fred bowing to us as we turned and went back into the hubbub of Keepers Road.

  18th September 2012, Tolemak

  Just as promised, Fred delivered Daniel’s min-ed clothes on time. As he stood before Albertus, Sarah and I in Albertus’ study, he looked at us all for approval; these were clothes unlike anything he had ever worn and he was unsure of them.

  Albertus and I looked on with nostalgia; it was like going back in time to when his father was in a similar position.

  ‘Oh, Daniel, you look so grown up,’ said Sarah with tear-filled eyes.

  ‘Well, my boy, you have taken your first steps to becoming a Keeper. It’s now time to begin your education,’ said Albertus.

  As Sarah and I left, Albertus pulled the Great Book off its stand and sat down in one of the large leather chairs.

  ‘Sit down, Daniel I have a story to tell…’

  For the next three hours Albertus explained to an open-mouthed and enthralled Daniel Stone all about Earth, Arthe and Thera and the role — his role — not only of a Keeper but that of holder of the Seventh Seal, the seal that can channel and direct all the energy of the other six.

  ‘But how do you expect me to take on all of this, Albertus? I’m fifteen, still in school,’ he pleaded.

  ‘I know, Daniel, there is much for you to take in, but this is how it has been for all of time. You have no need to worry; you will grow into it as your father did and you will become confident. We will help you, teach you.’

  ‘So I can die like my father did?’ he said bitterly.

  ‘What if I don’t want to be a Keeper, Albertus? What if I just want to go back to school and forget this happened?’ he added.

  ‘Well, yes, you could…’

  Albertus paused. ‘There is something you need to know, Daniel. When your father died he threw the Seventh Seal into Lake Akgrada…now only you or Smee can recover it. Life is on a knife-edge my boy between good and evil…’

  ‘Why would he do that?’

  Albertus was about to take a big risk and he knew it. ‘He didn’t want you to become a Keeper, Daniel; he didn’t want you to follow in his footsteps. Your father wanted you to have a normal life…he didn’t know of course that Smee was his brother and so didn’t realise the danger he was putting you and all of life on Earth and Arthe in.’

  It was now Daniel’s turn for thought. ‘Thank you for being honest with me, Albertus, I haven’t had that for most of my life… but it’s not my father’s decision, is it?’

  Albertus trod carefully. ‘No, it isn’t, but it was his wish…’

  ‘I understand… I loved my father very much, Albertus… but I never really knew him, did I?’

  ‘I wouldn’t be so harsh on his memory, Daniel. There are always parts of someone you don’t know, that is part of the joy of life and growing up, the unravelling of the layers. Michael was a good father to you. It was in his role as a father that he threw away the seal. It is as a young man now that you need to decide what you want.’ Albertus was gently coaxing the would-be Keeper tentatively along.

  Daniel looked at Albertus in a new way, in the way of a young man not a child. In a moment he had changed and so had the future path he would grow into.

  ‘Albertus… if I say no, Smee will recover the Seventh Seal and all life will be in danger. If I say yes my life will change forever and any plans I had will be gone. Either way I lose.’

  Daniel looked upwards. ‘Thanks, Dad, not much of a choice you left me.’ Daniel looked lost in deep thought as he pondered his alternatives.

  Albertus pushed him for an answer. ‘Is it a yes then?’

  Daniel shrugged his shoulders and grumbled something that Albertus couldn’t understand.

  ‘Forgive me, Daniel; whilst I speak many languages “teenager” is one I have always struggled with,’ he said with nervous jocularity.

  ‘It’s yes, Albertus, but I have no idea what the hell I’m letting myself in for. I hope you’re right putting all your hopes on a fifteen-year-old boy.’

  Albertus smiled with relief. ‘Oh, I’m sure, Daniel; this was what the balance intended…’

  *

  A bright baby blue and cloudless sky blessed us on the day of the cele
brations, with just a hint of a breeze blowing through the central courtyard of Tolemak. This usually calm space was already a hive of activity by mid-morning and the carnival atmosphere was building. Albertus had called in Fawkes and Spokes, carnival specialists for over a thousand years. They had arrived in Tolemak the day before, in a long caravan line that had weaved its way around the countryside like an articulated mechanical worm, from the western town of Bontbridge.

  Having set up a myriad of tents, colourful temporary wooden facades and contraptions to excite and amuse, they were now trading goods for rides. The colourful scene was drawing in young and old like bees to flowers. The ride that caught my attention as I wandered about was emblazoned with a gold sign: “Follow your Destiny to the Arcanum… come and find out the truth”. I smiled to myself thinking, If only they knew…

  It was lovely to hear the excited screams from children and their parents emanating from the tents as they were thrilled by the novelties of Fawkes and Spokes and once again they had produced a carnival of wonder, a party fit to celebrate the coming of a new Keeper.

  To the left of the tower entrance specialist vintners from Tolemak had set up their bar with the highly prized Cask 43 wine. This special wine was heavenly and only brewed in Tolemak for drinking on occasions authorised by the Keeper of Peace; it is like nothing you would taste on Earth or Arthe. The production process was complex and the recipe only known to the Professor as fermentation was replaced by an energy infusion from the regulus. The taste created a performance in your mouth that couldn’t help but make you happy. As the wine was given freely, the bar was busy and noisy with laughter. In fact, as I looked back at the colourful scene around me it was with a wonder of happiness and calm and for the briefest of moments Odling Smee was not occupying my mind.

  ‘Good morning, Elias,’ shouted Albertus from the bar.

  Daniel and Sarah were with him and Daniel was looking slightly lost but nonetheless enchanted by the whole event.

  ‘Good morning all, a fine day for a celebration. Don’t worry, Daniel, enjoy yourself; there will be plenty of time for serious matters down the line,’ I said.

  ‘It’s just awesome; I still can’t quite believe this is all real, that you are all real,’ said Daniel.

  ‘Well you’re dressed in the finest min-ed clothes and look every inch a Keeper; yes, my boy, it’s real alright. How does it feel?’ said Albertus, smiling.

  ‘It feels special, I feel special and these min-ed clothes are like my favourite pair of denim jeans.’ We all laughed, not really knowing what denim jeans were but happy that Daniel was now relaxed with us and with what was ahead of him… at least for the moment.

  ‘What do I do today, Albertus?’ said Daniel.

  ‘You don’t need to do anything, just say hello to people as you wander around. They are interested in you, to know who you are. The formal proceedings to make you a real Keeper will come once we have recovered the Seventh Seal, but that is something for another day,’ said Albertus.

  ‘How do I get the seal back from the bottom of a lake?’ said Daniel with some concern.

  ‘Do not worry; it can be done, that is all you need to know at the moment. Now go and enjoy yourself and have some fun. This is your home now; you belong here as much as any one of us,’ said Albertus affectionately.

  Sarah looked at Daniel with a mother’s love. ‘This is a big day for you, Daniel… I know in the end…’ Her head dropped before she recomposed herself. ‘This was not what your dad wanted for you, but I think he would have been proud of you.’

  ‘Thanks, Mum… I think he would have too.’

  Daniel felt good, he felt like a warrior and he felt powerful. It was easy to see in this young man how a wrong path could be followed, how the differences between Smee and him, the lines between good and evil are finer than we think.

  Hester Fawkes joined us with James, chatting and laughing.

  ‘Good morning, everyone, I hope you are enjoying another fantastic Fawkes and Spokes extravaganza,’ he declared.

  ‘Another success, Hester, our young would-be Keeper here is in awe of all you have done,’ said Albertus.

  ‘Well I’m truly pleased.’

  Hester turned around. ‘Daniel, why don’t you try the Arcanum ride? It is the latest addition to our show and Spokes and I are very proud of what we’ve done… James, why don’t you take him?’

  James and Daniel set off into the heart of the carnival and as the people of Tolemak smiled and nodded to him so Daniel smiled uneasily back.

  ‘How are you, Daniel?’ said James.

  ‘Honestly, I don’t know. It’s so much to take in. It feels like a vivid dream and any minute I’m going to wake up; sometimes I think I’m going to walk into Dad here somewhere. A lot of the time I don’t know how to feel; laugh or cry, be happy or sad. I think my brain is going to crash, you know, like a computer.’

  James paused to reflect. ‘Sometimes you just have to take things as they are, as you see them…’ He sang, ‘Like a wave washes ashore, what was once is no more.’

  ‘What’s that mean?’ said Daniel.

  James was now a little embarrassed. ‘It’s from a song… it means don’t let life weigh you down, let the new replace the old.’

  ‘Okayyy,’ said Daniel, with a ‘you’re a little bit odd’ tone.

  ‘Let’s get on that ride, shall we?’ he said, taking his advice and washing away James’ last remarks.

  The entrance to the Arcanum ride was a wooden facade shaped to look like Tolemak and was cleverly painted to depict the grandeur and scale of the castle, giving it depth and relief. From the edges of the wooden facade, heavy canvas formed a huge tent in which Fawkes and Spokes had created the story of the Arcanum.

  ‘Ah, my dear friends, come, come with me. You are about to enter a whole new world that will amaze and defy all that you thought was true,’ said Bernard Spokes to James and Daniel.

  ‘I doubt that, I’ve no idea what’s true,’ whispered Daniel to James, smiling.

  They followed Spokes through the gates of Tolemak; it was dark inside, too dark to see anything at first. The transition from the brightness of the day meant their eyes needed a few moments to adjust.

  They were standing on a platform looking down onto a single track and opposite them was another platform with a similar track. A small number of phosphor lamps hung on the walls and the soft light revealed the arching tunnel they appeared to be in, beautifully crafted in hand-cut stone. Daniel thought it looked like the London tube.

  As they stood on the platform an open carriage decorated with strange regulogical symbols and lit by two phosphor lamps on the front emerged from a tunnel on the opposite track. The carriage came to a stop and four amazed riders with beaming smiles got out and made their way out from an arched stone exit near where the carriage had stopped. The ride operator cranked a lever on a control desk and the carriage started moving once again, making a U-turn onto their track and stopping directly in front of James and Daniel.

  ‘Well…do you want to find out the truth about the Arcanum?’ said Spokes.

  They both nodded in excitement, already immersed in the experience.

  ‘Well get in and hold on,’ shouted an enthused Spokes.

  The operator once again cranked the lever and Daniel and James were off.

  ‘This is like Disneyland back home,’ said Daniel excitedly.

  ‘Well Fawkes and Spokes designed most of their rides so that would make sense,’ said James.

  Daniel looked around at him. ‘What? How…? Oh never mind… I know, let it wash over me like a wave on a shore, right?’

  James smiled at him and Daniel turned back around to face forward as the carriage began to climb. He could now just make out the immense timber structure that the carriage was riding on and he held on tight. As the carriage climbed he could now see what looked like a solid stone castle wall and he was heading straight for it. As he got closer he was even more convinced it was solid and the carriage was
speeding up. He gripped the brass handrail on the carriage front and knew that if he could have seen them, his knuckles would have looked bone white. He knew he was white with fear and he screamed at the top of his voice, but just before the carriage slammed into the stone wall a beautiful arched opening appeared and the carriage rode on through.

  They were now in what appeared to be an infinitely dark space; the only light came from the phosphor lamps, but they were too weak to pierce this darkness. James tapped him on the shoulder and Daniel turned. James was laughing.

  ‘Fawkes and Spokes are good, aren’t they?’

  The carriage stopped. Daniel felt as if he was floating timelessly in this infinite blackness. There was a rumble and then the whole space went from the deepest black to the whitest white, intensely bright, so bright it hurt his eyes and he covered them with his arm. The carriage shuddered like it was being jostled by an explosion and he thought it was going to come off its rails. The intense light gave way to cooler light and gas clouds formed all around them. Daniel was open mouthed now as the carriage began to spin slowly through 360 degrees. Little explosions of light were now going off everywhere in no particular pattern from within the clouds.

  ‘Awesome, it’s the birth of the universe.’

  He turned to James. ‘These explosions; this is the battle between matter and antimatter, it’s so beautiful.’

  James, a little bowled over by Daniel’s understanding, just smiled. ‘You are definitely Michael Stone’s son.’

  Within a few moments the universe had inflated sufficiently and stars and planets were formed. The carriage once again began moving, taking the pair to a certain solar system, our solar system, the Milky Way. They were travelling fast, but Daniel’s fear had gone; it was excitement that gripped him now.

  The carriage once again stopped to a view that he partially recognised: the blue planet, planet Earth. He had seen the image countless times in books but never like this. Like a shadow of Earth and interconnecting with it were two other planets; it was like looking at a 3D movie in the cinemas without the glasses, Daniel thought. To the side of Earth was its direct copy and on top was a smaller planet. James offered up the explanation as his arm now pushed forward past Daniel’s shoulder and he pointed.