Luck Of The Claw

by Matthew C. Gill

hollow. At least that way if the two sleepers had tried to follow them they wouldn't be easy to spot.

  "You're still doing it, Cam!" Trinity fussed at him. He didn't even seem to hear her as he dumped his bundle down on the ground. Camden smiled one of his big silly grins as he held up two of the items. "Look, Trin, I got you a present," he proclaimed as if he had just returned from the city market triumphant. She was about to correct him but when the light caught what he was offering her she lost her train of thought.

  "Oh, thank you Cam," she said with a squeal as she accepted his pseudo-gifts. It was a simple book with a faint etching of a horn on the cover and a silver and ivory pendant. Trinity had always adored both books and jewelry but they were the kind of gifts one gave to a noble lady or someone wealthy enough to purchase them for one. It wasn't something a kid much less a poor one would ever have.

  As she inspected her newfound treasure she couldn't help but spot a smudge of dirt. Those two they had come across most likely had pawed over this prize with their dirty hands before throwing it aside like garbage. "Uneducated mongrels," Trinity muttered to herself. The very notion that anyone could treat a book in such a way was utter insult, at least to her.

  The hem of her dress was still partially damp; she was certain she could at least wipe it down and get some of the dirt off. While she set herself to cleaning her treasured little tome, her brother was already scrutinizing his own preferred prizes. It may not have seemed like much to anyone else but to him his heart was already awash in wonder.

  Two items out of all the bobbles called to him, catching his eye. One was a rather plain long dagger that wasn't quite big enough to be a sword but clearly wasn't a typical dagger either. He had heard stories, even seen a few on the sides of knights, this had to be the kind of dagger they used to defend themselves when they couldn't use their swords. The blade was thick and sturdy, clearly made more for use instead of looks.

  The other thing to interest Camden was a leather bracer, it didn't have a match but it did have a shiny silver stud on top. Or at least it would have been shiny; it was a little tarnished from not being taken care of in a while. Camden didn't care; he finally had something that let him feel more like an adventuring hero.

  "Cam," Trinity called to him, her voice while quiet had an edge to it that grabbed his full attention. Her book was glowing, and as her eyes poured over the first page it was slowly changing from a blank one to become covered in strange words. When next she spoke her tone was musical and different.

  "Virtue is the key for any who desire to enter me. The Vault of Echoes shall mirror forth that which is within and weight your worth." Trinity closed her eyes as she shut her book. "Cam," she began, "I think we're into a different kind of trouble."

  "Not trouble, Trin, adventure!" Camden corrected with eyes that burned full of excitement.

  - Episode 8 -

  The very ground itself shook as Baron Samael's voice echoed like thunder. "What do you mean you didn't bring me everything you fool?" He was genuinely furious, so much so that the stone tower was threatening to come crashing down. All his plans, all those years of carefully positioning everything could be ruined.

  "Tell me again, you ignorant wretches, what is the fate of the key? Where is it right now?" the Baron asked them while still rubbing at his forehead. Sheepishly, Thatch was the first to open his mouth. "Uhm, gee Baron, there wasn't any keys that we found. I looked over everything real good, and I couldn't find anything that looked like a key at all."

  After a moment Cobble decided to add to the explanation as well. "Yeah, Baron, we did toss a few pieces of junk out for you though. But it was only a blank old book and some other stuff that we left in the woods. We figured you would be proud of us, wasn't that smart of us? Huh, Baron, didn't we do well?" Before the Baron could even turn on his heel to gaze at his blundering minions, Thatch had already nudged Cobble for mentioning it.

  "A book you say? You complete blunder-heads! Was I not crystal clear? Did I not give you the utterly simplest of instructions? You were to go there and recover every single thing and return to me with all of it. And what of my crow, what has happened to it? Why wasn't I even informed to expect your return, as instructed?" By now even Thatch and Cobble could feel the power that was hanging in the air as it built upon the Baron's rage.

  "It was killed by a starving hunter, Baron," Thatch scrambled to explain. Cobble opened his mouth to protest but he quickly stomped his foot to try and mask his cohorts objection. "After we obtained your items we were set upon by an armed hunter who took us by surprise. We barely made it out of there with anything but he managed to strike the bird with a lucky arrow." Desperately Thatch prayed the Baron believed the tale, that and that Cobble had just enough sense left to keep his own mouth firmly shut on the matter. This could very well be the only chance they had to not end up as specimens in a jar, or worse.

  The Baron's mind raced and riddled over his next course of action. These two might have just completely destroyed all his plans in a single moment of stupidity. But then again, he had chosen them for the task even though he was never one to let blame set on his shoulders. There was always the chance that this whole matter might still be salvaged. Perhaps the book was still safely setting within the forest and had yet to be found by anyone else.

  "I shall spare your miserable lives but know this; your fates are now bound to my plans. Should they fail me even in the slightest the both of you can be assured to feel the full measure of my displeasure." A voice from deep within Baron Samael warned him that this wasn't a good idea. Both Thatch and Cobble had screwed things up terribly so far, odds were they would only make matters worse.

  However, he really didn't have too many other disposable assets to send forth at the moment. Plus, only these two maggots for brains knew where they had left the book. A second thought occurred to him before sending them on their way. "Do make certain that should the book not be where you claim then it might be wise to not return until you locate it. And if it has fallen into another's hands, then do whatever is necessary to recover it."

  Emerald flames burned behind the Baron's eyes as he peered straight through Thatch and Cobble. "Bring back that book - no matter what it takes!" Neither of the two waited to be asked if they understood; it was obvious to them both. They both scurried down the tower as fast as their feet could carry them.

  - Episode 9 -

  "It'll be getting dark soon Cam, we really should be finding a place to bed down for the night." Trinity was right, of course, but it didn't mean Camden had to like it, or make it easy on her. "It isn't dark yet though Trin, we could still make it a little further before we do." Trinity begrudgingly nodded to her brother and the two continued on through the forest.

  "Why can't you ever just accept that sometimes I am right?" she asked Camden's back. "That is an easy one; it's because you’re always playing it way too safe. If we only listened to you then we would never have any fun or find half the opportunities for adventure that we do. Besides, you would have never even picked up these things, would you?"

  Trinity did have to stop and think about that one. She honestly couldn't say she would have just picked them up, even if they had been left there without anyone around. Who knows who they had belonged to or what kind of trouble they could bring. But Camden had already taken them and something told her there wasn't any returning them now. Not that she could really bring herself to consider parting with them now. They had kind of grown on her already and felt important to her. She couldn't resist the idea now that they belonged to her as much as she might belong to them.

  "Do you wonder maybe why these things were tossed aside like they were? Or, I don't know, get curious what those two were even doing with them? It doesn't seem like something normal, does it?" Always worrying, always asking question - that was his sister for you thought Camden.

  "Quit being so concerned! They were asleep and had thrown these things away, it is that simple. This was just stuff they did
n't want any more or something why would that be a problem? Probably they should have thanked us for taking it for them." The sun was starting to pass behind the hills to the west, making Camden secretly have to admit to himself that his sister had been right.

  "Hey, Trin, it looks like it is getting dark already. I got an idea; maybe we should head over there to that old granary to hide for the night." Camden didn't want to bother thinking too hard about the matter; to him it just seemed like a good idea. They would need shelter for the night and that right there was obviously some shelter they could make use of.

  "And you honestly don't think the farmer there will mind when in the morning he'll find two strange children asleep in his granary?" Trinity pointed out. "Details, details," Camden complained with a groan. "I doubt that thing is even used much anymore, and besides we'll be awake and long gone before some old farmer finds us. That is if there is even anyone still working this farm at all."

  Trinity couldn't agree with her brother on this one. He obviously wasn't even really thinking