Beyond The Hero's Chamber

by Ian Newton

  Chapter 7

  Baggage

  It was three o’clock in the morning and the night air was unseasonably cool. Giant, billowing rain clouds obscured the waxing crescent moon as Connor slept restlessly by the fire.

  They had left the Oasis three days ago, and tomorrow they would reach the Empire. Ross had the last watch for the night. He poked at the small fire, occasionally adding to it from a small pile of branches and twigs.

  The fire popped, sending an ember in a high arc. The tiny, glowing shard cleared the ring of the fire pit and rolled along the damp, sandy ground. It collided with a pebble next to Ross’ foot and the flickering light of the ember set Ross’ mind adrift.

  He dreamily wandered the trail they had blazed for the last three days, but it wasn’t the path that captivated him; it was the man they accompanied.

  Since leaving the Oasis, Connor had snared four rabbits, taken down two pigeons with a sling of his own making and started three fires without flint and steel. His conversations with the Caretakers ranged from what it was like to be a Blacksmith, to how to Cooper just about any wooden container imaginable.

  He spoke about iron and steel as if they were his friends. He described different trees and the wood they yielded like a father describes his children.

  Connor’s energy and charisma flowed naturally, making the Caretakers feel both needed and appreciated. His conversational dynamics frequently created open debate within the small group but never a confrontation. He was so articulate and genuine that Tarquin, Ravi, and even Ross had unexpectedly given up restricted pieces of knowledge about the village or being a Caretaker.

  Ross watched the sputtering light from the ember, wondering why the fire had discarded it or if it left by choice? Was it defective in some way? Did it offer no value or was it sent out to try and start more fires? Was it hurled across the void to get his attention? Was there something he was missing?

  Connor’s dream brought forth the creature from the Chamber, and he jerked hard enough to send sand spraying into the fire. He woke up and yawned, rolled over onto his back with his eyes open and rubbed at his ears.

  “Another bad dream?” Ross asked quietly.

  “It’s the ringing of the hammer against the iron, and the iron against the anvil,” he lied. “It’s enough to drive you mad.” He stretched and yawned making Ross unconsciously do the same thing.

  “If there weren’t any clouds, how many stars could you name?” Connor asked.

  “Maybe a hundred, how about you?”

  “My grandfather is a sailor. As a kid, I remember getting up to about two hundred, but I don’t know if I could still do it.”

  “Did you sail with him?”

  “Every summer for five years. Back then, he was just a ship's Blacksmith, but now he’s the Blacksmith Guild Master for the King’s fleet.”

  “Is that how you know so much about the trade?”

  Connor propped himself up on an elbow and stared at Ross from across the fire. The heat from the embers distorted Ross’ face, making him look like a mirage.

  “It’s complicated.”

  “My father always says you can lighten your load if you set down the bags you’re carrying.”

  “I don’t think you want to look inside my baggage, Ross. There are demons in there.”

  “How long are you going to carry them around?”

  “I don’t know how to put them down.”

  “I’m a Caretaker. If you can’t tell me, you may be hard-pressed to find anyone you can tell.”

  “If I told you what I carried, you and your friends would leave me here. Not even you would want to take care of the real Connor Duncan.”

  “That bad?”

  “I was banished from the Kingdom. I’m rotten to the core.”

  “How much do you actually know about the Kingdom?” Ross asked.

  Connor’s eyebrows went up, pulling his mouth into a smile.

  “How much do I know?”

  Ross nodded in response while Connor shuffled around the fire until he was sitting next to him.

  “Caretaker, right?”

  “My only job is to assist you. I won’t judge you, I won’t turn against you, I won’t abandon you, and I will never lie to you. There are things I am not supposed to tell you, but if you’re interested, I’ll make concessions if you will.”

  “Concessions?” Connor asked.

  “I’ll ask you a question, and you answer with the truth. You ask me a question, and I’ll do the same.”

  “Is this a Caretaker game?”

  “No, it’s me taking a chance. It’s me trying to help, it’s me breaking the rules because sometimes the rules stop making sense. My grandmother always taught us that sometimes you have to let your heart lead you down the right path.”

  “I know more than you think, are you sure you want to do this?”

  “Under one condition.”

  “Name it.”

  “Our conversation is between us. Whatever we learn from each other goes no further.”

  “I was banished from the Kingdom for being a disgraceful human being, are you sure you can trust me?”

  “Can I?”

  “I’m a liar and a bully. I’m damaged in places I can’t even describe.”

  “That wasn’t my question.”

  “I’m not sure I can trust myself, but I promise to honor our agreement.”

  “Where I come from we shake hands to formalize a commitment. We also make promises that can’t be broken.”

  Connor held out his right hand, and said, “Ross Elbe, you can trust me. I will not lie to you, and I promise to keep everything we discuss between only you and me.”

  Gripping Connor’s hand, Ross said, “Connor Duncan, you can also trust me, and I will only speak the truth. I promise to keep our conversation between us, and may the Light forgive me if my actions cause harm.”

  They shook briefly, released each other’s hands and paused.

  “It’s pretty obvious I’m the first visitor at the Oasis in a very long time. Would you mind telling me what a Caretaker is?” Connor asked. “I mean, why were you there?”

  “A Wanderer escorts the Hero to the Chamber. A Caretaker waits for the exiled. For the last two thousand years, we’ve just been waiting for you.”

  “For me?” he asked, chuckling a little. “That doesn’t even make sense.”

  “A long time ago,” Ross said, looking up at the stars, “when the Kingdom stood for all to see, it was our job to help the exiled find their way. We’re still here Connor, watching and waiting because there’s one person left who needs our help.”

  “Me?”

  “The path you choose will affect us all.”

  “The path I choose?” Connor mumbled to himself. “Speaking of paths,” he said, looking at Ross. “There are two ways out of the Kingdom. One is banishment, and the other is the village. I was banished and yet none of my memories have faded, probably because I never received the gift of knowledge.”

  Unable to fathom how anyone could know what Connor knew, Ross stared at The One in amazement.

  “You have all the mannerisms of a brave and honorable man. You have no use for money, and yet you carry thirty pounds of gold. Your friends are wise, trustworthy, and strangely innocent. I would ask you to confirm that you are from the village.”

  Ross winced at the question, thought about his promise, and answered, “We are.”

  “I’ve read most of Celeste’s diary. I’ve held and used the magic shield. I’ve entered the Hero’s Chamber, answered the questions, battled the demon that is myself and I’m still alive.”

  Ross’ mind was reeling. The only thing he could say came out as a whisper, “Wow!”

  “Your turn,” he said, nudging Ross with his elbow.

  Looking up at the s
tars, Ross whispered, “My cart is missing a wheel.”

  “Your cart?” Connor asked.

  “It’s just an expression. It means I no longer control my own path. Unless I jump from the cart I’ve lost control of my own destiny.”

  “Do you really think you have control over your own destiny?”

  Clapping Connor on the back, Ross declared, “Wonderful. So, how did you answer the questions in the Chamber?”

  “Badly.”

  “Go on.”

  “The Light is within me. I am the Light. I was there to acquire wealth and power, mountains of it. My father defended me with the magic shield that can’t be destroyed. We lost, and somehow I survived.”

  “That’s amazing! Do you know the right answers?”

  “Not yet, but I’m working on it. Did Andrew?”

  Ross sighed knowing he had crossed the line long ago, and answered, “Yes.”

  “Who defended him?”

  There was a full on war in Ross’ head, and he wondered if this is how Kaya felt. He imagined himself in a small cart speeding down a steep slope. The front wheel had just come off, and it was bouncing along next to the wagon.

  “My sister, Kaya.”

  Connor smiled with such warmth it made Ross confident in his decision to have the conversation.

  “So far, I really like your family.”

  “You are very kind. Thank you.” Bumping Conner with his elbow, Ross asked, “I’ve heard you refer to yourself as we or in the third person. How many people are in your head?”

  Connor chuckled as he stared into the glowing embers. Reaching behind Ross, he picked up a branch from the pile. Little sparks flickered above the coals as he pushed at them with the stick. When the tip of the branch caught on fire, he stuck the twig into them, making it stand straight up. They watched as the fire began to consume the dried fuel.

  “Much to my surprise, there are three people in my head. There’s me, Connor Duncan, an eighteen-year-old orphan, and there’s the person I’ve always talked to. You know, the person who answers when you ask yourself questions?”

  Ross nodded.

  “There’s also Jacob Duncan, my fifty-year-old father. He crawled in here,” he said, tapping his finger on the side of his head, “when we bonded with each other in the Chamber.”

  “I’ve heard of that,” Ross said. “Sometimes when one of the men survives, he’s not himself anymore. He’s what you just described.”

  Connor stared at the fire spreading up the branch.

  “Did you really know your grandfather, the sailor?”

  “Yes and no. Connor didn’t, but Jacob did. What we told you about him was Jacob’s memory.”

  “You just did it again.”

  “Did what?”

  “You referred to yourself as we.”

  “Oh. I’ll try to stop doing that, I’m sure it sounds crazy.”

  “Are you angry at Jacob?”

  “Furious.”

  “Why?”

  Connor held up a hand and was about to start ticking off the reasons when he realized that’s exactly what Jacob would have done. It made him angry, and he stuffed his hand back between his knees. “He orphaned me, abandoned me, lied to me, and led me on some crazy expedition to the Kingdom. Which as you can see, didn’t end very well.”

  “It didn’t end very well?”

  “Not for me it didn’t.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Are you serious? I feel like I’m insane. I’m not myself anymore. I’m sure as heck, not my father. I can’t seem to tell when I’m remembering my own past or his, and I always feel like making a barrel! I’ve never made anything in my life, let alone a barrel!”

  “That aside, if I’m not mistaken you’ve acquired his skills. What about those rabbit snares you came up with or the sling? You lit this fire, and I’m still not sure how you did it. You’re both a Cooper and a Blacksmith. You have knowledge and abilities that take a lifetime to obtain, let alone master. And this is a bad thing?”

  “Well, what about him? It’s not like he survived the Defender’s Portal.”

  The wheel bouncing next to Ross’ runaway cart hit a rock and shot off into the distance. It picked up speed, and his stomach lurched as he careened to one side.

  “He did,” Ross said, grabbing the front of his shins and squeezing. “He stood with Kaya and Andrew as the Kingdom was rebuilt.”

  Connor made a snarling sound between clenched teeth and stood up. He walked into the distance, his hands balled into fists.

  He couldn’t stop hating Jacob. Not after what he’d done, not after the risks he’d taken, not after the fool he’d made of Connor. By all accounts, Connor should be dead and Jacob with him. Jacob had the whole thing wrong from the beginning, and he was willing to let Connor and himself die while he figured it out. Now Jacob was standing in the City of Light, on top of it all! His suffering was over, but Connor’s would never end.

  “I’m better than he ever was, and I’ll use every ability, every scrap of knowledge, and every memory I have to prove to the world who Connor Duncan really is,” he mumbled under his breath. “I refuse to become a sorry, broken down old man living in a crooked old house with a skinny old horse. I’ll show them all! I’ll be the best Blacksmith and Cooper anybody has ever seen. I’ll be respected, and I’ll be rich. I’ll be powerful, and I’ll be the one in charge. I don’t need the Kingdom, and I don’t need Jacob or Andrew. One of these days he’ll come back, then we’ll see what he thinks about his son.”

  With his new resolve, Connor walked back and sat next to Ross. The branch in the middle of the fire had broken in half and was engulfed in flames.

  “You said we’re going to the Empire. Who is the King of the realm?”

  “He’s an old and bitter man. His name is Gothel Pridarius the Third.”

  “I know Gothel! We’re going back to our home, I mean my home. Dammit! I mean we’re going back to Jacob’s home.”

  “Then it’s not surprising the Kingdom sent you to the Oasis. It’s the only Sanctuary within three hundred miles of the Empire.”

  “Why do you call it the Empire?”

  “It’s just the name we use for it. It’s the largest city on this side of the ocean for five hundred miles north or south.”

  “Perfect, I can hardly wait.”

  “What can you hardly wait for?” Ravi asked, rolling over to face them.

  “I’m going home,” Connor said.

  “You lived in the Empire?” Ravi asked, sounding surprised.

  Connor held his hand out to Ross, and the two shook. There was no need for further discussion.

  “Ravi my dear Caretaker, I most certainly did. I’ll even take you to both of my houses.”

  “Both of your houses,” Ravi said laughing. “You’re joking right?”

  “I’m not kidding,” Connor said, standing up and dusting off his pants.

  Reaching down, he helped Ross to his feet, and whispered, “If it’s all right with you, I think I’ll leave a couple of those bags right here.”

  “Good. Feel any lighter?”

  “Yes, actually I do.”

  Tarquin rolled over, and asked, “What’s for breakfast?”

 

  The dirt road they’d been walking on since before sunrise finally gave way to cobblestones and Connor asked Ravi how much gold they had.

  “I’m not really sure,” he confided. “We have coins from all over, not just from the Empire. Why?”

  “I was just curious. Do you have any silver or copper?”

  “A little,” said Ross. “What are you planning?”

  “At the moment, food.”

  Tarquin’s pace quickened until he came into stride next to Ross. “Do you think we could, just this once?”

  Connor kn
ew Tarquin was excited about visiting the Empire, so he encouraged the conversation by asking Ross, “Just this once?”

  Ross spoke for the group, saying, “We avoid the Empire and everything in it. It’s the same with all permanent towns, villages or cities. We don’t eat there, we don’t buy things there, and we certainly don’t stay there.”

  “Why?” Connor asked.

  “We avoid attention of any kind. Think about it.”

  “Yup, I get it,” Connor said, “but one little rabbit and some half cooked roots between the four of us doesn’t make for a very filling breakfast. And unless one of you has some secret stash of food, we’re out.”

  “We do need supplies,” Ravi said to Ross.

  “I know, but let’s take it one step at a time.”

  “Are all three of you coming in with me?” Connor asked, to nobody in particular.

  He could practically feel Tarquin begging Ross, and he knew Ravi would follow Ross’ lead; so as usual, it was up to Ross.

  It didn’t really matter to Connor one way or the other, but he thought Ross might want another option.

  “If you like, you can all stay at my house outside of the city while I go in.”

  “Can we have a few minutes to discuss this?” Ross asked.

  “Of course, take your time. I’ll keep walking, just catch up to me when you’re done.”

  “Thank you,” Ross replied.

  Connor kept walking, and called back, “Take your time, Caretakers. I’ll be safe enough.”

  Ross, Ravi, and Tarquin stopped in the middle of the road.

  “I like that guy,” Tarquin said.

  “He is very likable,” Ravi agreed.

  “Be that as it may, we have a job to do,” Ross reminded his friends. “And we need to figure out the best way to do it.”

  “We need supplies,” Ravi said.

  “Ravi, I know. I’m just not sure walking into the Empire with sacks full of gold is the right way to go about it. Besides, we need to make sure Connor is going to be all right before we leave. That’s our job.”

  “Should we go in and get a room?” Tarquin asked.

  “In the Empire?!” Ross demanded.

  Tarquin’s eyes went to the ground, and his head fell forward.

  “I’m sorry Tarquin. I’m just hungry and tired. I didn’t mean to take it out on you.”

  Looking up, Tarquin said, “I guess it was a silly question. I just really want to see what it’s like. You and Ravi have both been there, but I’ve never had a chance.”

  “We’ve only been in there for information,” Ravi said. “It’s not a very nice place anyway. You’re not missing anything.”

  “He’s right,” Ross added. “It’s not a very nice place. The people are rude, ill-tempered, and it’s dirty and crowded. It’s not the place for us.”

  “Then how do we help Connor, and how do we get food and supplies?” Tarquin asked.

  “That’s the problem isn’t it?” Ross acknowledged. “If we’re not going in, how do we help?”

  “Maybe if we stay outside of town at Connor’s house, a solution will present itself,” Ravi offered.

  Reaching out, Ross put a hand on both of their shoulders. “That is wise advice my friend,” he said approvingly. “We’ll accept Connor’s offer of lodging, and in return, we’ll provide him with something so meaningless I find it bothersome to even think about.”

  “He could even buy a horse. It would be much easier for him to come and go,” Ravi added.

  “The sooner somebody makes it back with food, the better off we’ll be,” Tarquin complained as his stomach gurgled and groaned.

  “We’ll give Connor enough gold to buy a horse and supplies, and we’ll see where we go from there,” Ross said.