The Tree and the Tablet (The St. James Chronicles Book 1)

by Kathryn O'Brien

  “I know this is the right one. I just....” —pausing — “know it,” I mumbled as I placed the tablet into the opening and stepped back.

  As if my body had a will of its own and I was in a sort of trance, the words left my lips, “The great tree of life open this doorway.”

  A great rumbling started, and I wondered aloud, “An earthquake?” I could barely stand, and Daniel reached out to me to steady me from falling as everything shook violently. “Oh, no.”— I yelled. — “I must’ve chosen wrong.” However, as I looked over my shoulder at Phenryr and Falomere, they were almost giddy with excitement. Duck was trying to keep his footing standing near my feet and Daniel stood with his legs spread wide to prevent himself from falling over with the intensity of the shaking.

  The tablet glowed white hot and the wall started to turn red as if it were becoming molten lava. The top of it looked like it was a wax candle. Slowly, it melted and dripped onto the floor below it. It was dissolving and the tablet continued to glow as the rumbling continued and the wall slowly dissolved before us and it was now a pool of cold, hard earth, while the tablet laid on top of the pile of rubble that looked like puddles of hardened wax and rock. The rumbling stopped. Everything was still. There, before my eyes laid an opening that was illuminated by a strange glowing light coming from above it.

  Turning to Daniel, I smiled. Duck started running around in circles and screeching in excitement. Not sure what to expect, I stepped forward to go through the opening.

  Phenryr spoke up, “Maggie?” He sounded unsure. I glanced back at him and Falomere as I stopped mid-stride.

  “Oh. Yes, of course.” Looking at them I said, “Thank you both.”

  They bowed low, “Thank you for allowing us to make up for our past.”

  Smiling gently, I spoke the words, “As a daughter of Valor, I declare, The wrong is right. What was done is undone.”

  Phenryr and Falomere’s forms blurred and swirled in front of my eyes. Magically, there were two very strong seven-foot-tall giant men standing in front of me. They were very muscular and handsome. One with blazing blue eyes and the other with brown eyes. They could have been twins if it weren’t for the different colored eyes and their hair. One had short blonde hair with no facial hair and the other had long red hair with a full beard. They were clothed in armor and short tunics with metal covers over their chests. Each had a long sword in their hand. They reminded me of Roman gladiators or Vikings.

  As if they were afraid to look at each other, they continued to look straight ahead at me and one of them asked, “Did it work?”

  Nodding excitedly and grinning broadly at them, “I think so.”

  They slowly turned to look at each other and their faces both lit up. They whooped exuberantly as they danced around merrily hugging each other and laughing. One of them ran to me and hugged me excitedly. “Thank you, thank you.” He picked me up and swung me around in circles and I giggled. He set me down just long enough for the other to pick me up and repeat the process.

  Setting me on my feet, I was out of breath. When one of them reached out to grab me again, Daniel stepped in front of me and stopped the excitement with his droll expression, “You two will break her with your crazy jumping around.”

  They stopped, looked at each other again, and hugged fiercely. Their happiness was infectious. Stepping around Daniel, placing my hand on his arm, I said, “Stop being such a buzzkill.”

  The brothers stopped and looked at me. The one with the short hair and blue eyes bowed low and said, “Falomere Longbeard, at your service, Mistress Maggie of Valor.”

  The other looked at him then looked at me and bowed as well, “Phenryr Longbeard at your service as well.”

  They both raised up and instantly, I was reminded of the two headed creature as they hugged each other smiling widely. Extending my hand to shake theirs, Phenryr was first to hold out his hand and I took his to shake it. He smiled and pumped my hand up and down.

  As he released my hand, Falomere reached out and repeated what he had just witnessed.

  “Nice to meet you.” I said, as I finished shaking hands with them. Looking at Daniel, I said, “Well, then. We should probably be on our way.”

  They smiled at each other and then at me, “We will go with you.”

  “Sure! The more the merrier.”

  Daniel didn’t look as keen to have them tag along but didn’t say anything. He just frowned and I shrugged.

  Reaching down to retrieve the tablet, I heard a sound that just about sent me into a fit. A scream rent the air and my heart dropped to my knees. I’d heard that sound before. My legs wouldn’t move fast enough as I stepped into the opening. As I crossed the barrier between rooms, it was like I stepped through a thin curtain. Hard to explain but it was almost like running through one of those banners that they have at football games. Turning back toward the opening, I was confronted with what looked like a wall even though I’d just walked through an opening. Suddenly, I felt a stabbing pain in the back of my head and everything grew dark instantly.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  As I came to, my head was pounding. The most awful pain was coursing it’s way through my temples and working its way through my head. Gingerly, I tried to move but found that my hands were tied behind my back and there was a disgusting piece of cloth in my mouth. For a brief moment I thought that if I kept getting head injuries, I’d need to be admitted to the looney bin. That thought almost made me laugh. Only no sound came out except a rough moan.

  Based on the pressure points, I knew I was laying on my side on the ground. Where was Daniel? Where were the guys? Where was I? All these questions served to cause me more aggravation as I considered that I was probably not going to get an answer anytime soon. My eyes felt gritty and hurt to try and open them. In reality, all I really wanted to do was keep them closed and go to sleep. A sharp pain was soon introduced to my side as a firm booted foot made its way violently into my world from an unseen force.

  “Open your eyes!” Was the command given by the little weasel of a man.

  Barely squinting my eyes open just enough to let minimal light in. That hurt. Scanning the room, I found he wasn’t too far away. He was shorter and uglier than I remembered him. Taking a moment to look around the room, Kelsey was hiding in a corner trying to be brave. I didn’t see Peanut. No one else was close by. Recalling what happened when I went through the opening, I’d spun around at the odd sensation and there was a wall behind me. But how could I walk through a wall?

  He drew my attention back to him. “Where’s the amulet?” He sneered.

  Mumbling, I tried to talk around the gag, but couldn’t get anything out. He must’ve realized and decided to remove the gag. As he pulled it down and out of my mouth, I tried to moisten my mouth enough to talk but wound up coughing.

  “Water,” I rasped. It was all I could get out and was barely audible to my own ears.

  Reaching over and grabbing a flask, he opened it and dumped water on my face. The water trickled down over my mouth and I tried to suck it in to quench my thirst. The water stopped. “Talk.” He demanded. A deranged expression met my gaze as I peered up at him.

  My throat was still dry, and I was barely able to get the words out, “I don’t have it.”

  Another kick. “Liar.” He screeched.

  “No,” I grunted, “Your note didn’t tell me to bring it.”

  Another kick, and another. Groaning under the continued onslaught, I could see Kelsey crying across the room but clearly frightened into staying still. When he stopped kicking me, she started to move toward me and making eye contact with her I shook my head while mouthing silently, “no,” at her which kept her still for the moment.

  “You stupid woman!” He railed as he paced back and forth. He was still limping. He was talking to himself under his breath. It was mostly incoherent and he turned looking up at the ceiling, “No amulet, but I have the tablet.” He held the tablet in the air as if he were showing it to someone.
"No!" He seemed frustrated but also fearful. "I swear. I don't know where she came from. One minute there was a wall and the next, she was standing there."

  There was a movement out of the corner of my eye. My head was ringing, and my side hurt from being kicked repeatedly. Tears streamed down my face even though I was trying not to cry. Gasping for air was quickly followed by a sharp pain, I was pretty sure that he broke a rib or two. The taste of my own blood was in my mouth. It was really hard to breath and I felt like I was going to throw up. All I could think was, Focus on something else.

  “No, mistress. I swear it!” He turned his attention back to me. Spinning on his heel, he marched up to me with his broken gait and leaning over, he whispered menacingly, “You have it!” My response was to shake my head vigorously. He leaned over and ran his disgusting tongue along my face. “You’ll tell me where it is.” Flinching away from the disgusting smell of his rancid mouth, I continued to shake my head. He sat up and slapped me across the face, “Don’t lie!” He screamed as he raised his hand to slap me across the face a second time.

  “No, please! I swear I don’t have it.” As I flinched, his hand swooshed through the air toward me.

  “Shut up!” He squealed. God, what did he want? Talk or shut up? My head was reeling. His eyes were darting around. He reached down and spun me so that I was mostly on my back, he ripped my shirt open to the waist. Baring my sports bra and the rest of my upper torso as the shreds of my shirt fell to my sides. His eyes narrowed, scanning me for the amulet. Not seeing what he was looking for, he pulled out a knife and leaned in to slit my bra in two.

  “Please, don’t do this,” I begged.

  “I said”—he raised his other hand to knock me senseless— “SHUT UP!” He stopped his hand mid-air and his eyes went wide. “I knew it!” Giggling like a giddy schoolgirl, he reached over and plucked something from the ground next to me. My eyes grew wide at what he lifted into view. It was the amulet! But how? As he spun around and raised it into the air gleefully, I remembered. Daniel had said that there was an almost identical “fake” amulet in Maxwell’s discarded backpack. But how did it end up on the ground next to me?

  A little black shadow ran swiftly from one side of the room to the other. It was miniature Duck. That must’ve been what I’d seen earlier. Something told me that’s how the fake amulet magically appeared near me. But where were the Longbeards and Daniel? Dammit, where was Peanut? Looking over to where Kelsey still sat silent and crying, I saw what I’d been looking for. There was Peanut, being held close to Kelsey. Relief flooded me. For now, at least, they were safe and they only looked a little dirty. Now, I just needed to figure out how to escape this crazy man.

  As if sensing my grand scheme, Maxwell reached down and dragged me into an upright position. He was almost frantic. Maxwell turned to me, “How did you get here?”

  A lie, “I don’t know.” He started to move toward me as if he were going to kick me. “No, I swear, — Moving away from him and still gasping for air, — “One second I was just sitting in a corner looking at the tablet and thinking about Kelsey and the next, I was looking at a wall.”

  He studied me, trying to determine if I was telling the truth or not. “I don’t know, Mistress.” He glanced up at the ceiling. He looked back at me. “Show me how to use it.” With a crazy gleam in his eye, he reached out his hands and held the tablet toward me.

  "I don't know how to use it." Trying to sound strong, I couldn't hide the small quaver of fear that crept into my voice.

  "You lied about the amulet. You're lying about knowing how to use the tablet."

  “I can’t, I’m tied up.” Looking up again, he mumbled something under his breath.

  He looked up at the ceiling of the cave again. Shrugging his shoulders, "ok, if you say so.” He stopped talking to the ceiling and like lightning, he reached behind me with the knife and quickly sliced through the rope tied around my wrists. Quickly, I reached down and pulled my shirt closed. Imploring with him, “Please, can I have one moment with my niece first?”

  Glancing over to Kelsey, he seemed to soften a bit at the sight of her. It was pretty evident that he didn’t want to hurt her after all. However, he stared at me with contempt. After looking me over for a second, licking his lips, he looked back at her and replied, “Well, I suppose I don’t need her anymore anyway.” His eyes roamed over me suspiciously, “Don’t try anything funny.” Nodding my agreement, he replied, “Okay, then. But only for a minute. Then you have to show me how to work the tablet.”

  Scrambling over to Kelsey, she ran to me holding Peanut close. We met halfway and hugged fiercely, “Oh, Kelsey. I’m so sorry it took so long.” Pulling back to make sure she was alright and taking in every detail of her, I tried to make sure she was okay and reassure her at the same time. “Are you okay?” She nodded, tears falling softly across her precious cheeks.

  “That’s enough.” Maxwell demanded, grasping Kelsey by the hand and pulling her away from me.

  She clutched at me. Her eyes were wide with fear and she screamed, “NOOOOO!” Followed by sobs of despair, “Please! I promise I’ll be good.”

  “STOP IT!” He exclaimed.

  Fearing for her, I quickly kneeled down and made eye contact, “It’s going to be okay, honey. I love you so much. We’ll be together. Soon.” Glancing over her head to Maxwell standing there, then I smiled at her, “Just be a good girl and go back over to the side where you’ll be out of the way, sweetie.” She was shaking her head and just saying no in a soft voice. “Honey, please. It will be alright, I promise.”

  “You promise, Auntie?” Her little lip quivered.

  “I promise, sweetie.” Attempting to smile at her reassuringly, I was trying to figure out how I was going to get out of this one. She finally relinquished her hold on me and walked back over to where she was hiding earlier. My gaze shifted for a moment and then sought her out again to emphasize my pleasure in her actions by giving her another reassuring smile. As I stood, I slowly moved toward her so that she was behind me.

  “Okay, show me!” He thrust the tablet at me.

  Just then, Daniel came out of the wall behind Maxwell and I grabbed the tablet. “Hello, Weasel!” Daniel said menacingly.

  Maxwell jumped. His eyes grew large and he laughed. Turning toward Daniel, he seemed on edge. “Hello, son of Doane. She said you’d be here, but she didn’t know how close you were.”

  My heart leapt into my chest. My world was crashing around me and I just couldn’t breathe. Swallowing hard, I tried to keep the bile down. My mind raged. No! I just couldn’t believe it. He was playing me all along. No wonder he didn’t want to share. I finally understood what Ellandra had meant when she said her son had his hands full with me. Inside, I was screaming, but outside, I was slowly and calmly moving toward my goal...Kelsey.

  Daniel turned a scathing and evil smile toward Maxwell and in that moment, I was afraid of him. “Enough!” He barked. “I’d shut your mouth now if you want to continue to breathe.”

  Maxwell appeared to jump, but since he was in front of me and facing Daniel, I couldn’t determine if he was frightened. However, I could see Daniel’s face. He seemed on edge. He looked past Maxwell to where I stood. Frozen, I stopped what I was doing. I’d been slowly motioning behind my back for Kelsey to come to me as I backed away from Maxwell. The next words out of Daniel’s mouth almost cut me in two.

  A softer expression crossed his face and he gently coaxed me, “Give me the tablet, Maggie.” He started to walk toward me.

  Just then, Kelsey grabbed my hand and I took a deep gulp of air as I held the tablet out in front of me and yelled, “STOP! Daniel, don’t take another step or I'll destroy it.”

  He had the decency to look unsure and stopped where he was. A spark of doubt crossed his face as he calmly spoke, “Maggie, I know what you’re thinking”—

  “You have no idea.” My voice cracked and speaking over my shoulder, I whispered to Kelsey, “Hold on, sweetie!” As I quickly glanc
ed over my shoulder at her, I could see she had Peanut in her other arm, and she was nodding slowly.

  “Yes, I think I do, but that doesn’t matter right now.” —He started to move forward again. — “Maggie, please!”

  “I’m sorry, Daniel, but this is where we must leave it.” The tablet started to pulse. Reaching out with my mind, “Duck, follow my thoughts.”

  “Yes, Mistress!”

  With that, I closed my eyes, and envisioned the land Nohad and the Glenn of the Maiden. As quickly as I thought it, we were whisked away to land on our feet in the Glenn next to the entryway.

  Turning to Kelsey, I hugged her close. Peanut wriggled free of Kelsey’s grip and started licking my hands and yipping excitedly. Kelsey was in shock and as I checked her over, I knew she was overwhelmed by what she was seeing. She turned away from me sobbing, and cried out, “Mommy?” Before I’d thought of where we would go, I’d forgotten Andrea was there. My only thought had been to get Kelsey out of the cave and away from the danger. Andrea rushed over to hold Kelsey close.

  The reunion was bittersweet to watch. They hugged and looked at each other and hugged again. My heart swelled and a tear trickled down my face. I hadn’t thought of it before, but bringing Kelsey to this land with me would allow her to be with her mother again. Now, all I needed to do was to find a way to bring Jaxon here.

  Looking at the tablet, I wondered if it was possible. Duck arrived and was converted to his beautifully scaled form only still in miniature. Holding the tablet in my hands, I closed my eyes and wished with all my might. Tablet of power, please convert my dragon friend back to his normal size. The tablet glowed and words formed on the face.

  A mighty foe so strong and bold