The Rising Past: Book 2 in The Keepers of the Orbs Series

by J. G. Gatewood

  “I’m overjoyed to have you around a little longer,” she replied, smiling.

  Dinner progressed and each new course delivered looked more lavish than the one before. Raythum enjoyed the special dishes prepared for him, not at all envious of his brother who received the same meal as their parents. Tirell looked miserable.

  Raythum enjoyed listening to his parent’s conversation and loved the time they spent together. He started feeling as though he related to his father more and more every day. It didn’t hurt he showed skill with a sword. He would hate to be in the same position as his brother. His father just didn’t understand him at all.

  When dinner concluded, their father dismissed them and left them in the capable hands of Bel. She led them back to their rooms where they retired for the evening. Raythum felt both full and content, Tirell was a different story.

  A Free Afternoon

  Raythum had been given a rare afternoon off as Guenter had other matters to attend to and couldn’t conduct his training. Raythum enjoyed more freedom now that he had turned ten, and was no longer required to stay within the palace grounds. He decided to leave Havenbrook to enjoy the countryside; after all, the day looked perfect for it. The warm weather touched his skin and the meadows were filled with flowers in bloom—the perfect example of a late spring afternoon.

  He strolled through the eastern gates of the city where a cool breeze filled with the scents of the forest hit him in the face. He stopped and took in a long deep breath; enjoying the wonders of nature.

  He left the trail and made his way under the deep cover of the pine boughs. He had made this trip several times with his friends. He knew it so well he didn’t have to pay attention as he walked. A river ran through the forest to the northeast. With the help of his friends, he had created a platform sitting high in an old pine tree, on a thick branch overlooking the river. They had even tied a long length of rope they had found, and used it to swing out and jump in the river. Although he doubted the water would be warm enough for him to partake today.

  His mind drifted in thought as he walked. Once again, his father traveled away from Havenbrook; off on an errand, which had taken him to Melina. He loved his father dearly, but he traveled too much. The important aspects of life a father should impart on a son, he had learned from Guenter. This made him feel sad, but he remembered his father was a king whose responsibilities to the realm were as great, if not greater, than the responsibilities he had toward his children. A painful, but important lesson Raythum had to respect. While he yearned for the companionship of his father, he felt comforted by the fact his mother overcompensated for her husband’s absence and always made herself available to meet the boys’ needs. As much as he wanted his father’s attention, he knew his brother bore the brunt of his absence. They had nothing in common, and as such, he paid very little attention to his eldest son when he was present.

  As he made his way through the forest, he could hear the rhythmic flow of the water rushing down the river, carving its way ever deeper into the riverbank. He knew he needed to be careful as the river still ran high with an increase of water from the recent warming, causing the rapid melt of the winter’s snow pack.

  He drew nearer the riverbank, feeling as if the temperature had decreased, and he felt a sudden shiver run down his spine. He shook it off and looked up to the platform, his home away from home. As his gaze drifted skyward, he realized someone had already climbed up there. This bothered him. He felt betrayed, even more so, violated. This was his place, his and his friend’s anyway, and all of his friends were busy with their studies or work and wouldn’t be up there today. He drifted closer and his feeling of violation grew when he found his brother. He bit back a curse and made his way up the wooden ladder.

  Once up top, his anger grew. Tirell ignored his presence, but Raythum could see a smirk spread on his lips. He hated how his older brother could get under his skin even through something as small as the act of ignoring another person.

  Tirell had his head buried deep in a book, which didn’t surprise Raythum in the least. If his brother had a free moment, he filled it with reading. Raythum bent his head down to examine the cover to understand the importance, and to understand why his brother would ignore him. The cover looked old and worn with lettering he couldn’t read.

  Agitated, Tirell slammed the book closed. “Don’t bother. You can’t read the title.” He offered a sarcastic smile to his younger brother. “Your brain cannot comprehend the language, I’m afraid.”

  Raythum walked over and sat down, irritated. “Why are you up here? Better yet, how did you even know about this place?”

  He laughed. “My little brother, I know about everything you do. You were so proud of this place you talked about it nonstop. So one day I followed you. Ever since then I have made it a habit of coming here when I needed some time away, of course only when I knew I wouldn’t encounter you.” His gaze drifted as he examined the majestic views the little lookout provided, before he leveled it back at his brother. “This is quite a little place of solace you have created.”

  “But it is my place. Find your own.” He looked away from his brother’s haunting stare. “Besides, what are you doing? Shouldn’t you be with Norlun?” He didn’t go much farther. He could still remember the day several years prior, when he stumbled upon his brother torturing little animals and insects. He loved his brother, but sometimes feared him as well.

  “I should ask the same of you. Shouldn’t you be training with that barbarian Guenter?”

  Perturbed, Raythum responded. “He is with father in Melina, so he gave me the afternoon off, which I had enjoyed until I stumbled upon you.”

  Tirell lowered his eyes. “I see. Well in answer to your question, Norlun had to travel back to Riverfell.” He stood and walked to the edge of the platform. “Not that it matters anyway. I have learned all I can from him.” He spun on his heels and faced Raythum. “He is a fossil, you see it, right?”

  Raythum shook his head no. “It doesn’t matter what you think of him. He is your teacher. You think I like learning from Guenter? He is old, slow, and his bones creak. But he still has the necessary intelligence, and can further my skills with his instruction. So I listen to what he says, and I accept it.”

  Tirell strolled back to his brother’s side. “That is where you’re wrong. I have learned all I can accomplish through my spark. I understand my skills and know what I can control. I know there is more untapped. I grow weary of the childish exercises he puts me through. Control a fireball. Move water. Manipulate the air. I can do it all without thought.”

  Raythum stood and looked his brother in the face, although three years younger, he had already reached the same height. “Exactly my point. You are practicing these things so you can do them without thinking. It should be an extension of your mind so when you think something, you make it happen. I’m sure it is repetitive, but the repetition is necessary if you are to master your craft.”

  Tirell poked his finger in his brother’s chest out of frustration. “That’s not the point! I know I can do so much more, and you know nothing of such things.” He bent over to pick up his book. “The old man has me practicing children’s tricks, when I should be learning spells capable of feats the like haven’t been seen in our ages. These are all trivial and grow tiresome.”

  At a loss of what to say to his older brother, Raythum walked to the edge of the platform and gazed upon the water flowing down the river. He wanted to yell, but understood his place and instead decided to let the subject go.

  “I bet the old man can’t teach me more advanced spells because he doesn’t know how to manipulate the elements in the necessary ways.” He joined his little brother’s side. “Yes, Raythum! That has to be it. The skills I seek are beyond his reach. Have you ever even seen him create anything larger than a small flicker of flame, or a gust of wind at just the right time?” He waited for his brother to respond.

  Raythum grew tired of their conversation. His brother
always reached for more than he should, and Raythum figured it would be his undoing. “You just don’t get it. He is not here to impress you. Father summoned him to teach you; to give you the education you need, to one day rule this country. Instead, you seek power and I’m afraid of what it will do to you in the future. It is as if you are consumed by this need to prove yourself.”

  Tirell spun his brother around and stared deep into his eyes. “Prove myself? And why do you think that is? Don’t think I don’t see how father looks at you, and how he looks at me. Yes, I am next in line for the throne, but don’t kid yourself. Given the opportunity he would replace me with you.” Pain and sadness crept onto Tirell’s face.

  Raythum took a step back and almost slipped off the platform. “Be true with yourself. Father might not know how to treat you, but he still loves you, as does mother. All father knows is how to be a soldier. The fact you are destined to use your spark in a different manner scares him, and he doesn’t know how to act around you. He has no plan to replace you with me.” He walked closer to his brother and put his arm on his shoulder to comfort him. ”Besides, that is not what I want. I have no delusions I will be in power, and am content to serve at your side while you rule this country.”

  Tirell let out a loud, sinister laugh. “You say that now, but I don’t think you will be content when you are older. You are strong and the need to take over and rule will hit you one day. I think you are the one who is delusional.” He thrust the black book in front of Raythum’s eyes. “Which is why I’m going around my teacher and I’m learning on my own. You see this book? It is the personal diary of Luther.”

  Raythum jumped. He wasn’t a wizard, but the name brought fear to him and induced a shiver that ran through his body. “Tirell, no! Luther was a dark wizard, one of the worst. Where did you get that book?”

  “Ha ha, I didn’t find the book. It found me. For many nights, I lay in bed restless and unable to sleep. I heard a whisper calling to me, tickling my intrigue and keeping me awake. So late one evening, I crept out of bed in the middle hours of the night, and followed the whisper into the library. On a shelf, hidden in a back room I found this dust-covered tome. I opened it and watched as the unknown and alien characters transformed before my eyes into a language I could read.” Tirell’s eyes were aglow with something dark and archaic.

  Raythum glanced at the cover of the book. He understood what his brother described, but he still couldn’t read the writing on the cover. It appeared foreign to him. He tried to reach for the book, but Tirell pulled it back at the last second. Raythum looked his brother in the eyes. “You must destroy that book.”

  “Don’t be childish. This is the most magnificent gift I have ever received. To destroy it would be to destroy myself. And I wouldn’t, nor couldn’t do that, could I?”

  “But, we have both been told the ancient stories of the evil wrought. We must dispose of it,” he pleaded with his brother, who walked away and strolled toward the ladder not sparing a backward glance.

  “I already told you I cannot. It is a part of me, and I have been studying it for the past three months. It is time for me to take my education upon myself so when you try to take my place—or anyone else for that matter—I will be prepared to protect what is rightfully mine.” He climbed down the ladder while Raythum watched him, jaw agape, unbelieving of what he saw and heard. “When the day arrives, I will be ready.” He made his way out of the forest.

  Raythum stood on the platform, watching him leave. He couldn’t believe it, and wasn’t sure whether or not he should approach his parents with this news; or even more, maybe Norlun. He watched his brother as he disappeared on the horizon.

  Before he made his decision, he wanted to follow his brother. He ran down the platform and trailed him, gaining a little bit, but maintaining his distance so he wouldn’t raise his brother’s suspicions. Tirell soon disappeared out of sight. He had no chance of following him now. He decided to make his way back to the palace to wait for Norlun’s return. He decided it would be a stressful couple of days.

  As he had anticipated, the three days were agonizing. The time crept by and he had a hard time concentrating on his own studies, drawing the ire of Guenter—and a couple of bruises too.

  He waited with anticipation and received word Norlun had arrived. He waited another hour—not an easy task for a ten year old—to make sure Norlun had time to settle, before he made his way to his quarters. He tapped his knuckles on the thick stone door.

  The door creaked open and the old man looked disheveled and lost. “Yes, yes, what is it?” He glanced around before he lowered his gaze to the young boy. He narrowed his eyes, causing his nose to wrinkle, and glared at him through his spectacles. “Well…, what is it Raythum?”

  Nervously Raythum returned the old man’s gaze. “If it isn’t too much of a problem, sir, I wonder if I could come in and speak with you. It won’t take but a couple of minutes.”

  The old man harrumphed. “I’m very busy. Can’t we do this another time when I am…” he turned and glanced around his quarters, “settled and more prepared for visitors?”

  “I wish it could wait but you see, it concerns some important information about your student. If I could just have a few moments of your time,” he pleaded with the old wizard.

  “I’m afraid I’m tired from my travels and would like nothing more than to drop down on my bed for a nap before dinner.” He waved his hand to dismiss the boy and started to close the door.

  Raythum stepped forward and placed his foot in the crack to stop it from closing. “But sir, it concerns Luther’s diary. My brother has it and he is reading it.”

  This got the old wizard’s attention. He grabbed Raythum by the shoulders, dragging him into the room and tossing him on the bed. “Luther! He has the diary you say?” Raythum started to answer the old man, but no answer seemed expected. Norlun instead continued on, often talking to himself. “The diary, but that cannot be. I hid it well in the library. He could never have gotten his hands on it, unless…” He spun on his heels and faced Raythum. “Tell me what this book looked like. Describe it and spare no details,” he urged.

  Norlun had begun to make Raythum uncomfortable and he started to regret his decision to come here. “It appeared to be an old leather tome. It had etched gray lettering, appearing almost burned into it. But it wasn’t burned, at least not that I could tell.” The old man nodded his head, urging him to continue. “The lettering, though, looked foreign in a language I couldn’t understand.”

  Norlun pressed for more information. “Anything else? Did you notice an image on the cover?”

  Raythum lit up. “Yes. A picture of a serpent coiled around a long sword, in the same etching.”

  Norlun turned and gazed out his window while he stroked his long gray beard. “Blasted! How could he have gotten his hands on it? I should’ve noticed his lack of attention the past couple of months. He just hasn’t been the same and has been questioning more of his instructions.”

  “I can answer that too.” He relayed the story Tirell had provided of his midnight walk into the library.

  Norlun shook his head and sat down on the bed. “I should’ve seen this coming. Your brother has never been satisfied with his pace of learning and seeks the more dangerous side of the spark.”

  Raythum approached the old man. “That is why I came to you. I thought if anyone should know about this, it should be you. To be honest, the way he is acting is scary.”

  Norlun patted Raythum on the back. “You have done well.” He stood up and crossed the room, grabbing clothes on his way and folding them before putting them in his bureau. “The question becomes what can I do to steer him from this path?”

  “I don’t know if you can.” He stood before continuing. “I have been spying on him; following him to see what he has been up to. He has buried his head in the diary morning and night, as if he is obsessed. He told me you don’t know how to conjure powerful spells, and it has always been my father and your i
ntent to teach him nothing but the basics.” Raythum could see the disturbed look in Norlun’s eyes, and he ran through the events of the past few days to ensure he didn’t miss anything else. “He thinks one day I will try and take his place, and his only way of stopping me is through Luther’s teachings.” He stepped forward. “You know I would never do that, right?”

  Norlun patted him on the back. “Thank you for what you have told me. I know it must have taken quite a bit of courage to come here and lay it all out.” The old wizard walked to the window and gazed out at the ocean to the east of the city. Crystal blue skies with nary a cloud to be seen. Strong, thick, yellow rays of sunlight cast down on the ripples of the water, highlighting the whitecaps as the waves rolled in.

  He summoned the boy closer to the window to gaze out with him, putting his arm on his shoulders. “I assure you, I’m much more capable than your brother thinks,” a gleam twinkled in his old eyes.

  As if out of nowhere, gray-green clouds blocked out the sun. Thunder and lightning filled their eyes and ears, as large drops of rain pelted the roof of the palace before turning to large chunks of ice. Norlun looked down and met the wonder-filled eyes of the boy. Norlun winked, as the storm cleared and blue skies returned as if nothing had happened.

  Raythum stepped back in surprise; fear and awe flooded him.

  “Your brother is not a bad soul. He is just misguided and it will be my responsibility to turn him from this path. I just have to engage him.” The old man turned and walked back to the door of his quarters, herding Raythum out of the room. “Maybe it is time I taught him something more powerful. I thank you again for bringing this to my attention. There is nothing to fear, after all, I’m the one who took care of Luther.” Raythum’s eyes lit up in surprise. “That is right, my young friend. Over a thousand years ago I dealt with that menace and I won’t let your brother reach the same fate as that twisted soul,” he said, as much to Raythum as to himself.