by S. Y. Lee
“It’s a myth, correct me if I’m wrong,” Eva glanced at Jessica, “about a woman named Pandora who was sent by the Gods to the mortal world with a box that contained all the evils that humanity hadn’t experienced. She wasn’t supposed to open it, but in the end, her curiosity got the better of her and she did, letting all the bad things like death and famine out into the world.”
She looked again at Jessica, who nodded her approval at the loosely abbreviated version of the myth, before proceeding to reveal what she knew. “That about covers it. Then the box, which was actually a clay jar, was shattered many years later, and Pandora’s descendants decided to lock the various pieces away and scatter them around the world. The hope was that the pieces would never be seen again, but Pandora’s granddaughter, Thyia, was warned by the Gods that one day, there would come a time for trials and judgment, when humanity would be put to the test to see if they were worthy of inheriting the earth.”
This information was all new to Eva. She had never studied Greek mythology and most of what she knew came from the research she had conducted with Leo in search of a way to open the wooden box. Yet, she hadn’t seen any mention of Pandora’s box after its opening, what became of it, and the prophecy Jessica mentioned.
“Wow,” she said, “You must be some sort of Greek mythology scholar. I’ve never read or heard of that before.”
“No. I work for Steven Wells, the tech billionaire,” Jessica said. “But, I only know all of this because I’m directly descended from Pandora. This information has been passed down by mouth for generations, and weeks before we came here, I was having visions or messages in my head, that warned me that the pieces of Pandora’s box needed to be found so that worthy people were chosen for the trials.”
“Wait, Pandora was a real person?”
“Yup.”
“What about these trials? What do you know of them?” Elin asked.
“Very little. The lore is vague but I presume it has to do with overcoming the evils that were set free from the original box.”
“How many wooden boxes are there?” Eva asked.
“That’s unclear. Over the passage of time, the number of boxes has varied with different accounts. We now know there’s at least two, but I assume there are more. That’s not the problem.”
Eva saw where Jessica was going. “The problem is, how do we pass the trial? So, this entire world is some sort of test where everyone who touched the box was transported to, to overcome some evil?”
Jessica rubbed the temples of her forehead and leaned over on the table. “That seems to be the case.”
Chapter 73
It was dark by the time they reached the tall gates and joined the back of the line. The journey from the Shining Bridge had been without incident, though out of the three humans, only Sarah had any experience riding a horse. She still struggled to keep up with Karine, but at times, Leo and David couldn’t even make their rides go straight or stay on the road for that matter.
As a result, they hadn’t traveled as fast as Karine would have preferred, but the horses still got them to Thelmont much faster than they would have on foot. In a way, the encounter with the bandits had been a blessing in disguise. They had even found some money in the bags of the outlaws that were hanging on the horses, which was presumably stolen.
Leo had tried to start a debate on whether they should use the money for their own benefit, or attempt to return it to the rightful owners, but he was quickly overruled by the rest of the group for various reasons. David thought the money should be used for food; Sarah insisted on using it for lodging along the way to Thelmont. Karine on the other hand, had no strong feelings about how to spend it, but she put her foot down and insisted that it would be a waste of time to search for the village the bandits had robbed, without explicitly stating what she thought of the villagers’ fate.
Now, they waited, standing by their horses as the line moved along. It was going pretty fast, although it seemed that most people were being turned away. Leo had only seen the gates creak open twice since they had joined the line, and he was starting to feel pessimistic about their prospects. Sarah, being the most outgoing member of their group, had gone to chat with other people in line and those being turned away to gather intelligence that may help their admission into the city.
There was another alternative in Leo’s mind that he hadn’t brought up. From what he knew about Karine and her family, he was certain that she was some sort of elven royalty or noble. He wasn’t sure how relations between races and cities in this world worked, but her status must have held some value and he wondered if the elf would mention it to the guards as a last resort if they were refused entry.
He was glad that they were finally here after a long journey. Thermine had been an unmitigated disaster and the detour via Servane had been odd, to put it mildly. He hoped Eva had found a way back for them by now. According to Karine, Eva and the wizard should have arrived about a week ago and he had no doubt that they would have gained entry into the city. One was a wizard, the other was the last heir of Silverbrick. He was gazing off in the distance when Sarah returned.
“Well?” her brother asked impatiently.
“Well, it looks like they’re only admitting people who are original citizens of the city, people here to sell food or supplies, and people willing to fight for their cause.” Sarah counted out the conditions for entry with her fingers.
“So, we’ll go with the last one, right?” David said.
“Do you even know what cause you’re signing up for? It sounds like they’re conscripting people for a war. Is that what you want?”
“What I want, is to go back to London. Or Greece or wherever. Anywhere but here. If the answer is behind those gates, then we have to do whatever it takes to get in.” David was adamant and Leo had to step awkwardly between the siblings to stop an argument from breaking out.
“If those are the only options, I guess we have no other choice. Karine?” he asked, bringing her into the conversation to be the final arbitrator.
The elf looked at Sarah. “I’m not sure. I don’t think they’ll take just anybody for their army. You, David, and I will probably be fine, but Sarah, I don’t think she can get in by volunteering to fight. Let me do the talking when we get there.” As usual, Karine had thought through their options and they didn’t disagree with her. If anything, her words had given David enough consideration to shut up for now. As much as he wanted to argue with his sister about who was right, he didn’t want to leave her behind.
*
The gates didn’t open again for anyone to enter since Sarah had returned with the information she learned, and their group was now next in line. The couple in front of them, an elderly duo, were currently arguing with the guards about their need to enter Thelmont to see their family. The man, a gentleman with greying hair and a slightly hunched over back, had even offered to fight, but the guards summarily dismissed his proposal. That’s when Sarah’s hopes took a sharp dive. If they were turning people away because they were deemed unable to fight, her chances of entering were diminishing.
Finally, after a harsh exchange of words, the older man spat angrily on the ground, his saliva narrowly missing one of the guard’s boots, before storming off in a huff. His wife quickly apologized for her husband’s behavior, fearful of retribution, and chased after him.
“Next!” one of the guards shouted.
The group stepped up with Karine taking the lead.
“Good day, mistress…” the guard who had been talking to the couple nodded at the elf, then peered behind her at her companions. “…and company. Are you citizens of Thelmont?”
“No.”
“Then, what business do you have in the city that is vital to the crown?”
“We need to go to the library.”
“Outsiders are not permitted in the library. I’m afraid I’ll have to deny your entry.”
“It’s an urgent matter. And we bring word about Silverbrick and Therm
ine,” Karine said.
“Silverbrick has fallen and Thermine has aligned itself with Gormore. We know. We have scouts. Unless you’re willing to join the army and fight, mistress, and I’m sure we could use someone of your skills, I’ll have to ask you to leave,” the guard said. Unknown to the guard, the tidbit about Thermine’s relationship with Gormore was news to the group, and they knew then why the series of unfortunate events had been triggered. The guard was very polite in turning them down and it was clear he had seen his share of naysayers, like the old man before them, who refused to accept his decisions.
“And if I do, what about my friends?” Karine stepped aside and pointed at the three humans standing behind her. The guard studied them. He nodded at David, then moved on to Leo, and nodded too when he saw the sword by his waist. However, he shook his head when he came to Sarah. While she was dressed for combat, she didn’t have any weapons or looked like she could handle herself in a fight.
“The men can join too. But the girl…” The guard rubbed his chin, trying to figure out what to do with Sarah.
“You’d get three able-bodied fighters if you let her in too,” David said.
“And we’re friends of a wizard. Elin. Maybe you know her? She’s the one who told us to come to Thelmont,” Leo added.
Karine frowned at Leo’s unnecessary outburst. As far as she knew, they were on the cusp of gaining entry to the city when Leo brought up the wizard unprompted. She was still suspicious of Elin’s motives, and she knew that wherever they went, wizards were either well-regarded or despised. There was no in-between. But it was too late for Leo to recant his words, and now they had to see how the guard reacted.
“Elin? Yes, she and her apprentice came through here a few days ago. They’re staying at the Red Pine. Nearly burned the captain’s eyebrows off even though he later claimed they’re friends,” the guard said.
“I take it you let them pass,” Karine said.
The guard pondered for a moment more before shrugging. “Fine. The three of you shall report to the castle in two days. She can enter too even if she can’t fight,” he indicated at Sarah. “If you don’t show up at the castle, guards will hunt you down and throw you in the prisons. There are worse things than falling in the battleground.” He told another guard to write down their descriptions, before shouting for the gates to be opened.
Chapter 74
They were sitting on Eva’s bed and whispering in low voices to discuss their next moves. Elin was lying down on the bed on the other side of the room and her eyes were shut. There were no more spare beds in the inn, and Jessica would have to share Eva’s already narrow bed. The once spacious room for one that had been unoccupied for years was starting to get crowded.
“Are you sure we have to go to Gormore and defeat this Kyle Lipinski? It sounds dangerous and I don’t see how it would get us home,” Eva said. The tome that Elin had unearthed in the library provided instructions on a way into Gormore and they were now a step closer to getting to the Blood Throne. It wasn’t clear what they would do once they got there, and if Elin had a plan, she wasn’t sharing it.
“I’m almost certain. It’s no coincidence that we came to this place just as evil and corruption are spreading and a villain emerges. The fact that he has a name that’s obviously from where we come from, all but confirms it. We must go there,” Jessica said.
“And do what? Kill him? I understand that rules and laws basically don’t exist here, but we’re talking about killing someone from our world! That can’t possibly be the trial that the Gods intended. I also can’t believe I just said that.”
“It’s hard to know what the Gods want. They’re not like us. If you’ve read the stories, they’re not exactly the logical type. Take Pandora’s box. They gave a woman a box with all the evils in the world that could be released merely by opening it. At the end of the day, this is all a game to them.”
“Are they watching us now? Is this entertainment for them, instead of paying for premium channels on cable?” Eva asked in exasperation. Jessica just shrugged and let her rant on for a while about the irrationality of the situation they had found themselves in.
There was suddenly a knock on the door and Elin sat up immediately. “Who is it?” she called out. The innkeeper poked his head in.
“Elin, there’s a group of people here for you. An elf and three humans. Should I send them away?” the innkeeper asked.
Eva practically jumped up off the bed when she heard the innkeeper. “It’s Leo! Let them in!” she said excitedly. However, the innkeeper ignored her. As far as he was concerned, he only took his cues from Elin, who wasn’t saying anything and seemed to be considering if she should allow their visitors in. After a long pause, she got up from the bed and dusted off her clothes even though they were clean, before nodding to the innkeeper. “Okay. Send them in,” she said.
The innkeeper’s head disappeared, and for a few moments, there was silence in the room as they waited with mixed feelings for their visitors to arrive. Eva clasped her hands together when they heard footsteps coming up the wooden stairs outside the door. There was a knock on the door when the footsteps stopped.
“Come in!” Eva shouted, and the door swung open. The first person through it was Leo, and Eva flew into his arms as they hugged, reunited for the second time since coming to this world. Eva then went on to embrace Karine and Sarah, even though she hardly knew them, but she was glad to see the familiar faces. She stopped at the last person and looked at Leo, confused.
“Where’s Themba? And who’s this?” she asked.
Leo was about to answer when Sarah pointed at the bed. “You!” she exclaimed, and Jessica stood up, holding her hands in front of her defensively. “David! That’s the lady from the dig site in Greece, remember?”
Sensing the tension, Eva quickly stepped between them and pulled Leo to her side as they stood together to form a short human wall. “Wait! Everybody calm down! Let’s first go around and introduce ourselves. I think we have a lot of catching up to do,” she said. Elin hadn’t said a word since the newcomers had arrived, and she was currently exchanging icy stares with Karine in a continuation of their last meeting.
“Eva’s right. Let’s all sit down and talk before anyone comes to any hasty conclusions. I think we’re all on the same team. Probably,” Leo added. He wasn't sure who the person standing behind Eva was or why Sarah seemed to know her, but more than anyone in this world, he trusted Eva, so he stood by her.
*
“He’s from South Africa? So that’s why I thought he sounded different from everyone else! I should have known, but I guess he barely spoke when I was around and I mistook him for a local. One, two… that’s at least six people we know now who were brought here by the wooden boxes,” Eva said when Leo finished telling her about Themba.
After everyone had settled down from the initial injection of excitement, they sat in a circle and took turns going around to introduce themselves like it was the first day of summer camp. Karine and Elin’s introductions were both brief and to the point, each simply stating their names and not offering any more about themselves. David’s presence was no surprise to Eva since Sarah had mentioned him when they first met. However, when Jessica went last, her story came as a shock to the newcomers as she repeated what she had told Eva and Elin.
“Okay, so the five of us need to complete some test?” Sarah asked at the end of Jessica’s explanation of Pandora’s box and how they had come to be there.
“Yes, I believe so,” Jessica said, “I think we have to defeat this Blood King, who is clearly from our world.”
“But if he is, and he was brought here by one of those wooden boxes as well, wouldn’t he be on our side?” Leo followed up. He was still trying to come to terms with the notion of Pandora’s box being a real artifact, but he didn’t object to it when he looked at Eva. Her eyes conveyed her confidence and belief in the matter. From what she said about the numerous books she had thumbed through in the library, her kn
owledge and understanding of the situation was far more in-depth than his. Leo trusted her, and he was more concerned about the final outcome and resolution of their journey, rather than the cause.
Nobody said it out loud, but it appeared they were heading down a path that might lead them home at the expense of someone’s life. It wasn’t that he hadn’t taken a life before or hurt anyone since getting here, but now they were talking about the life of somebody not from this world, where killing and being killed were part of the social norm. Aside from retribution and vengeance, there was no evidence that laws bound people from committing crimes or harm onto others.
“We don’t know that he’s definitely from where we came from, though the chances are high. I mean, there are no Lipinskis in this world. I think that’s a Polish name. At the very least, we must confront him about it and we can go from there,” Eva said.
“But we can’t get into Gormore. How will you face him unless he’s as easily baited out of it like Thurmill Furngood?” It was most words Karine had uttered since arriving.
“Elin thinks she’s found a way to get to Gormore unaffected by the evil that corrupts anyone who steps foot into its territory,” Eva continued. She looked to her mentor to elaborate but the latter was staring blankly at the floor. “Elin?”
“Yes, child,” the wizard said slowly, lost in thought. There was no point in rushing her and everyone waited for her to explain. Sitting directly across from Leo, Karine rolled her eyes at him, and he remembered what she had said about wizards after they had first met Elin. They always have their own motives. When Elin finally focused and looked around at everyone, she nodded grimly. “Yes. There may be a way. In one of the books, there is mention of a time long past when Gormore was not what it is now. A time when something else stood in its place. It wasn’t always a desolate city of ruins,” she paused, studying everyone’s expressions.
“Long ago, it was a trading post, back when Thelmont wasn’t a city surrounded by walls and buildings and residents. It was just a castle, the same castle that stands now. However, it was a dangerous time and the people of the castle couldn’t risk transporting their goods out in the open and availing themselves to attacks from vagrants and bandits, so they constructed a tunnel under the ground that led to the trading post where Gormore now stands.”