Game of Destiny, Book I: Willow
Page 22
Geldane was the first to break the silence. He threw out his hands. “What does that mean?”
“Which part?” Willow asked.
“All of it.” He reached for the paper and Willow passed it over. “This part,” he said, tapping the paper, “about speaking words not yet, or this part, about some Sword of, of…,” he squinted at the paper, “of Deceit. Is that the treasure, an evil magical sword?” He flapped the paper at Willow. “And what does it mean, travel sixty-six to the thirty-eighth?”
Shrugging, Willow turned to face Everam. He hadn’t moved. His eyes stared vacantly into the distance, his face slack, as if his thoughts spun about like a dust whirl, picking up bits and pieces as they scampered through his mind.
“Everam?”
Everam’s eyes refocused. Geldane pounced over. “Do you know what this means?” he asked, now flapping the paper at Everam.
“Not entirely, although it suggests several things.”
“Like what?”
“It’s both a warning and a message of hope.” Everam stood and begin pacing. “It warns us of past failures, failures that swelled to such proportions that they destroyed our world. That, Geldane,” he said with a gesture, “is your Sword of Deceit. It also indicates that we can avoid repeating the same mistakes with the Staff of Truth. The message then tells us where we can find it.”
“Is that the sixty-six of the thirty-eighth part?”
“Indeed, I believe it is.”
“What does it mean?”
“I have an idea but I need to check on some things first. Nevertheless, there’s a problem, a big problem.”
“What?” Willow asked.
“The message says, clearly, from the first, travel sixty-six to the thirty-eighth.”
Willow arched her brows.
Everam paused before Willow. “Where is the first?”
“Oh!” Willow exclaimed. “Swiik died without telling us where the oddment came from.”
“Indeed.”
Chapter 7