* * *
Ko-la-ton e-moss-lon Kyhawn, Earron, and Coita chanted. As they neared the natural arches, Kyhawn gazed to their right at the Sealander’s number one mast slanting above the waves. The natural stone arch nearest the Sealander soon caught his attention as the three of them stood before its aging beauty. Kyhawn touched the smooth walls as they walked through the fifteen- foot-long arched tunnel. It was quite amazing how it had retained its beauty through the passage of time, he thought. As they neared the opposite end, the other rocky sand beach awaited them. Soon after their footprints melted into the rocky sand as water seeped in each step they left behind.
The three of them continued to chant as they took in the beauty of the arches that now stood in front of them. They were massive compared to the first arch. The beautiful solid rock structures tapered off high into the mountainside; disappearing into the foliage. As they veered to their left a ways onto drier soil, the chanting stopped. Kyhawn, holding the dagger-key, commanded their attention. “The stones on the dagger-key,” Kyhawn pointed out to them, “look similar to the stones in my dreams,” he said as he told them about his latest dream.
The ocean to their right, Kyhawn, Coita, and Earron left the beach behind and entered the thick of their tropical environment. They soon found a fresh trail. Not giving it much thought, they decided to follow it through, when suddenly a four-foot-long snake dropped from a tree and fell on top of Earron. Startled at first, he slung it aside as Kyhawn and Coita had a good laugh over his fright.
Soon after Kyhawn stopped and studied the dagger-key. “Look here, you guys. All three of these lock-endings are different.” They drew nearer to have a look. “By that I mean the notches are different on these two narrow wings. And look here, these notches on this blade are different from those on the wings.”
“Okay, so what?” Coita shrugged.
Earron glanced at Kyhawn. “Coita, I think he means it’s possible this key opens three different doors.”
“That’s exactly what I was getting at.” Kyhawn turned the dagger-key over in his hands a few times in thought, as he gave the dagger-key to Earron. “Three doors—is it possible?”
“You know what I think?” Coita started walking up the path again. “I think them there side pieces you guys are calling wings are only for decoration.” He glanced back over his shoulder at them. “You know, same as a wealthy Zac might have extra buttons on his cloak to impress his friends.” He looked at Kyhawn’s dark orange cloak. “The one you’re wearing has way more buttons than it needs.”
“It is fancy,” Kyhawn smiled.
“Could be,” Earron said with a nod, admiring the dagger-key. “But the more doors it opens, the more loot we’d have a chance to find.” He smiled as he tapped Kyhawn’s arm. “Come on,” he said impatiently as Coita and Kyhawn followed close behind.
When they came to where the trail ended, the cave stood on a high set ridge before them. Kyhawn admired it before climbing the natural broad flat stone steps, while Earron and Coita rushed up the flat stones to the wide cave entrance.
It also was beautiful, Kyhawn thought. The wide twelve-foot-high opening seemed to possess a sense of magic within itself. With the overhang protruding out like a front porch, the massive tree roots grew into the cracked flat stones. The twisted tree roots were like abstract pillars. Above it stood the mountain leading to the ruins. All sorts of beautiful plant life covered the landscape. There were even some flowers growing above them that must have been over a foot wide. Kyhawn marveled at the sight as his gaze slowly moved back to the entrance. He glanced around looking for white flowers, then not seeing any, he touched the massive twisted roots which he could barely reach his arms around.
Earron looked at Coita as a fellow king of the world. As they stood under the entranceway, Kyhawn turned to Earron. “The dagger-key, please,” he said with a smile.
“Here you are.” Earron returned his smile. “Master Kyhawn, sir,” he bowed.
“Whatever.” Coita shook his head and chuckled.
The large entrance that awaited them had a high domed ceiling that tapered down its rough interior walls. Coita lit a lantern and led the way. “What’s this stuff on the ground?”
“I don’t know, but it’s sticky,” Earron complained.
Seconds later, strange noises came from the ceiling. Coita shone the lantern over their heads. Suddenly they were overwhelmed by two-foot-long flying creatures with long transparent wings. The creatures flew out from the cave entrance into the open sky.
“What was that?” Earron’s eyes widened with fear as he lay low, his knees on the sticky ground.
“Those are dragonflies. I forgot Gerit mentioned them.” Kyhawn leaned against the cave wall. “They’re harmless.” He let out a slight laugh. “But they are a fright to look at.”
“I’d say.” Coita held the lantern out to Kyhawn. “I got that sticky stuff all over my knees. I bet you two glass jars it’s poop.” He sniffed around. “Thanks for warning us.”
Earron put his finger in it. “At least it doesn’t smell,” he said as he wiped the stuff off his finger. “Let’s hurry before they return.” He pointed Coita toward the back wall. “Come on— let’s find that keyhole.”
They began searching high and low for a strange hole. After being attacked twice by an angry dragonfly, they finally found one that was unusual. “The Keyhole—here it is,” Kyhawn expressed, “just as Gerit said it was.”
They stood together, their eagerness showing. Kyhawn inserted the dagger-key’s blade. Their hearts pounded with excitement and images of what might await them. Kyhawn turned the dagger-key to his left, but nothing happened. He then turned it to his right. “It’s not this one.” He removed it and quickly inserted one of the narrow wings. He turned it to his left. “It seems … no … it’s also too loose, just as I thought it’d be.” He turned it to his right, but unfortunately they didn’t hear any sounds of a door wanting to open.
Earron was beginning to have doubts. “Try the other one.”
“Yeah, try that one.” Coita frowned.
Kyhawn inserted the other narrow wing, but once again they were disappointed. “I don’t understand.” He felt defeated. “It’s a bit loose, but it does fit. And it even turns …?”
“Let me try.” Earron held out his hand. But his attempt also proved unsuccessful. He handed Coita the dagger-key. “You think you can unlock it?”
Coita shrugged. “If you guys couldn’t, I doubt I’m able to,” he said, turning the dagger-key over in his hands.
“Now what?” Earron crossed his arms.
“Look you guys, this big jewel pushes inward,” Coita explained. “It’s hard to push down on, but it does move.”
“Coita,” Kyhawn said with a smile, “see if you can move one of those wings.”
“Yeah, Coita.” Earron tapped on the key. “Try pushing up on one of the wings.”
Coita pushed in on the jewel with one hand, and to their surprise when he went to move a wing, it fell into place overlapping the blade.
“Amazing!” Kyhawn shouted as Coita handed Earron the dagger-key.
Earron clapped Coita’s shoulder in gratitude. “Here, you take it, Kyhawn. If it wasn’t for you and your sandcastle theory we wouldn’t be here.”
“Someone put it in,” Coita reminded them.
“I bet you two glass jars it works.” Kyhawn glanced at them with a smile and inserted the dagger-key. “Much better fit,” he said excitedly. He turned it to his left, and they heard a clicking sound. The door moved. A slight bit of dust stirred the air.
Kyhawn took the dagger-key from the keyhole. “Each one of these lock-endings must have a different role. Putting two of them together like we did yields only one way in which this key functions.”
“I understand all that,” Coita said airily as he headed for the newly revealed cave door with a candle in hand.
Earron, who didn’t like dark places, quickly grabbed the lantern
. He stood just inside the door.
“What are you waiting for? Hold that lamp out in front of you.” Kyhawn nudged Earron along. “We’re behind you.”
“Come on, Earron.” Coita insisted. “Or give me the lamp and I’ll go first.”
Earron suppressed his fear. “There’s a small drop-off here, so be careful.” When he looked forward, he quickly backed away, bumping into Kyhawn.
Kyhawn held out his hands, catching Earron. “What’s wrong?”
“Yeah, what’s wrong?” Coita questioned.
“There’s someone … or something in there lying on the floor,” Earron said with a frightened look. “I … I’m not going in first.”
Kyhawn grabbed the lantern and stepped down into the cave chamber and went forward a ways. “It’s just a skeleton.”
“Let me see.” Coita nudged Kyhawn aside.
“This skeleton has probably been here for years.” Kyhawn moved the lantern from side to side, and then over to the skeleton again. “Appears some of his belongings are here as well.” They began to investigate the cave, which looked much like the cave entrance. “We should put something in the doorway.” He glanced at the skeleton lying on the rocky dirt floor, then went over to the door. With his hand on it, he said uneasily, “Earron, it’s good you stayed behind with your weight against this door. There isn’t any way to open it from the inside.”
It wasn’t long before they had a good-sized flat stone keeping the door from closing. “That should do it.” Kyhawn stepped down into the cave chamber. “Watch your step, Earron.”
“I know.” Earron stared at the skeleton. “I wonder how long he’s been here.”
“Most likely a long time.” Coita stared at what was left of the garments on it.
Kyhawn had an inspiration. “Look at the way his fingers are pointing. Could be he’s trying the leave a message…?”
“He’s pointing at that wall behind you,” Coita told him.
“Appears so.” Kyhawn wondered.
Coita seemed more interested in the small wooden box lying on its side next to the skeleton, concealed partly by the skeleton’s cloak. He tried not to think about the skeleton as he knelt by it with his candle in hand and reached for the box.
At the same time, Kyhawn carried a candle while Earron held the lantern as they went in the direction of the pointing finger in searched for another keyhole, or a lost treasure of some kind, only to find two small pools of liquid about one third of the way up the cave wall.
“Odds are … one’s in here, somewhere.” Kyhawn glanced at Earron. “Why else would there be so many lock-endings on one key?” Kyhawn combed the walls with his free hand.
“What if there isn’t one?” Earron asked as he went and sat beside Coita. “You’re touching him, Coita,” he said shakily.
“He might have something worth keeping on him.” Coita rummaged through the skeleton’s ragged pockets.
Earron shook his head, “Maybe.” He reached for the old box. “I wonder what’s in here.” He opened the lid, its leather hinges holding firm. He picked up a piece of parchment, but quickly discovered it was blank.
When he reached for the rest of the parchment, Kyhawn shouted, “I found another keyhole!” He gestured for them to hurry, “Grab the dagger-key from my cabac.”
Earron dropped the parchment and retrieved the dagger-key as they rushed to where Kyhawn was standing.
Earron handed it to him. “I didn’t think you’d find another one.”
“Yeah, neither did I.” Coita dropped a few coins and colored stones into his pocket.
Kyhawn took a close look at the three lock-endings. “I too was beginning to wonder if we would find another keyhole.”
“Try using two of them together, but this time use the wing we didn’t before,” Coita suggested.
Kyhawn pressed the large jewel inward, shifted the lock-ending in place, and inserted the key.
Coita held his candle, and unknowing to the other two a small colored stone. As he stepped forward, he tripped on a loose rock and dropped the stone.
“Coita, you okay?” Earron went to his aid.
Kyhawn laid his candle down and reached for the lantern. “Come on, Coita,” he said in a concerned tone.
“I’m okay. I dropped … where’s my candle?”
“Here it is.” Kyhawn reached for the candle while Earron helped Coita to his feet.
“Don’t wait for me. Turn the key,” Coita told them as he relit his candle, glancing around for his stone.
Kyhawn placed his hand on the dagger-key and slowly tried to turn it to his left. “This darn key …”
“Turn it the other way,” Earron told him.
“It’s not going that way either. This doesn’t make any sense. It should work.” He pulled the dagger-key out and held it next to the lantern.
“Put it back like we found it and try using only the blade,” Coita suggested. “Sure is a tricky key.”
“It’s hard to say how many doors it’ll open,” Earron reminded them.
Kyhawn pressed on the large jewel and pushed upward on the second narrow wing-shaped lock ending. The jewel popped and locked in place. “This should do it, all three of them. If we only used the blade, it’d be too loose.”
“Just put the key in,” Coita insisted, losing his patience.
Kyhawn inserted the dagger-key and repeated the process. This time he tried turning it to his right, then to his left. Unlike the first door, even after he turned it three-quarters of the way around, it didn’t want to unlock.
As they stood so quietly one could hear a raindrop hit the ground, they looked at each other and frowned. Kyhawn gave the dagger-key one last jerk. It moved another quarter turn.
The lock clicked. The door came free from its ancient cave walls and slowly opened.
Kyhawn bravely held his lantern in the doorway. From the new cavern came a wave of cold air. “Did you guys feel that?”
“Feel what?” Earron looked at Coita.
“Yeah, feel what?”
“Nothing. I guess it was nothing.” Another breeze brushed past them, but this breeze was tainted. Kyhawn took a step backward, stumbling into Coita. The lantern crashed to the ground along with Coita.
“Hey—you want to watch where you’re going!” Coita sounded both angry and fearful.
“The lantern!” Earron cried out.
Kyhawn quickly reached for it, but it was too late. The old lantern had seen one too many seasons on the high sea. And most likely had bee dropped one too many times.
“That’s great—“ Coita said scornfully, “you’ve busted our only lantern.”
“I’m terribly sorry, guys.” Kyhawn set the busted lantern aside. “But that smell—it caught me off guard.”
Earron relit Coita’s candle. The two stood a few feet from the doorway.
“Yeah, I smell it too.” Coita held his hand over his nose. “But that doesn’t mean you had to go knocking everyone over and breaking the lantern.”
“It was an accident, Coita,” Earron reminded him.
“I said I was sorry.” Kyhawn brushed his hair away from his eyes. “Anyway there’s nothing we can do about it now.”
“I don’t like it when it’s this dark.” Earron moved in closer. “I don’t even have a glass casing for my candleholder.”
“At least you can’t break the candles,” Coita sneered.
Kyhawn ignored his remark. “They give off plenty of light. Earron, could you hold this? I have an idea.”
Earron gave him an odd look but took the candle.
Kyhawn tied his scarf around the lower half of his face. “Now let’s find out what’s down there,” he said as Earron lit his candle and handed it to him.
“It smells like a dead animal.” The muscles on Coita’s face tightened. “You don’t have another scarf, do you?”
“In my cabac.”
Earron pulled his own lucky scarf up over the lower half of his face. Moments later Kyhawn held his candle out
and stepped down inside the second cave chamber. “Doesn’t smell like dead animals.” Kyhawn’s voice shook.
Earron and Coita looked at each other. “It’s those one Zacs who found the key first,” Earron muttered as he and Coita leaned against the heavy door.
Kyhawn looked over his shoulder at them. “We need someone to wait out here. Coita…?”
“Sure, I’ll do it.”
“Earron, you ready?”
Earron glanced in Coita’s direction. “Make sure this door doesn’t close.You seen what happened to those others,” he exclaimed.
“I’ll be here,” Coita said as he placed his hand over his scarf.
Earron stepped down into the second cave chamber behind Kyhawn. With one hand on Kyhawn’s shoulder, Earron held his candle in his other hand as he looked at what lay before them. He sounded sick. “Is it them? Because if it is … it looks as though they died of … fright?”
Kyhawn nodded with uneasiness, and slowly replied. “Gerit, his two sons, and Arbra … yes. But they most likely died from lack of air.”
“What a way to die,” Earron said sorrowfully.
Kyhawn sadly agreed, then went to the doorway. “Let’s jam the door like before.” He held the fancy candleholder made of wood and brass with a glass casing protecting its flame. He glanced around for a large stone. “We should try and air out this cave.”
“Needs it,” Earron agreed.
“There’s a flat stone over there.” Coita pointed as he leaned against the stone door. When Kyhawn and Earron stepped up into the first chamber, Kyhawn reached for the keyhole. “Where’s the dagger-key?” Kyhawn looked at them.
“It’s in my cabac,” Coita told him. “It’s them, isn’t it?”
Earron nodded, “It’s them.”
“They look as though they’ve been dead about as long as they’ve been missing,” Kyhawn told Coita, then helped Earron shove a flat stone in place.
Kyhawn looked at Coita. “You can let go.”
Coita pushed on the door, but it didn’t budge. Unsuccessful in moving it, they decided to leave the space between the stubborn door and the large flat stone.
“Even if the door does decide to move, it won’t be able to go far.” Earron chuckled as he gave Kyhawn’s candle to him. “Okay, let’s let it air out.”
After leaving the cave Kyhawn stood underneath the overhang as he lowered his scarf and had a look around. Coita and Earron also lowered theirs. Kyhawn felt confident no one had followed them. Taking his lead stick and parchment pad in hand, he sat under the overhang and made a quick drawing of the dagger-key.
Coita stared at the ceiling with his arm stretched out above his head and candle in hand, “I thought bats were night creatures?” All of the sudden a few dragonflies flew toward him. He leaned to one side to avoid them, and out into the open sky they fled.
“They’re not bats,” Kyhawn reminded him. “They’re dragonflies.”
Earron ducked behind a twisted tree root to avoid two more that had fled into the open sky. Their large narrow eyes glanced at them when they passed, giving them a hissing sound as if trying to scare them away. “Yeah, and big dragonflies at that.”
“Whatever,” Coita said. “They all look the same to me.”
“Dragonflies feed on bugs twice a day.” Kyhawn turned toward the cave door. “Once at night, and once during the day.”
“Who cares?” Coita ran his hands over the top of his head as if a dragonfly had messed up his hair. “They’re weird. And awfully ugly.”
Kyhawn looked at Earron slightly smiling, because of what Coita had just said. He then dropped his lead stick and parchment pad into his cabac and handed Coita the dagger-key. “Take this—maybe it’ll help keep those dragonflies away from you. Seems they’re attracted to your greasy hair,” he said as he started for the cave door with a slight grin.
Earron asked, “Where are you going?”
“Yeah,” Coita echoed. “I doubt the cave’s aired out yet.” He said staring above them, looking out for dragonflies.
Kyhawn adjusted his scarf. “I’ll be fine.” He stepped over the flat stone, candle in one hand and his cabac over his shoulder. He began to get an eerie feeling as he neared the skeleton. The shadows moved with his candle’s flame. His thoughts were curiously drawn to the small wooden box. When he knelt beside it, a cool breeze passed over him and again he felt chilled.
Earron quietly entered. “Is it the one in your dreams?”
“Don’t ever sneak up on me like that!”
“We just walked in, sorry.” He shrugged as if he wasn’t sure why they had frightened Kyhawn. “At least it doesn’t smell in here as bad as it did before,” he said as he wiped his feet off on a small flat stone.
Earron glanced over his shoulder at Coita with a quick smile. “Kyhawn, isn’t that box like the one you described—you know—the one in your dreams?”
“It does give me a strange feeling. Did you guys feel that breeze?”
Coita shrugged as he too wiped his feet clean. “What breeze?”
“I didn’t feel any breeze,” Earron glanced at the skeleton then look down at Kyhawn. “You and your strange breezes .…”
Kyhawn shook off the thought. “Even though this box is much plainer than the one in my dreams, it’s possible it’s meant to be the same one. I don’t know why I didn’t pay any attention to it earlier. I guess I was just too busy.” He thought for a moment, then reached into the box. “This feels like good quality parchment.” He held it over his candle, looking at one side then the other.
“Kyhawn, did you see this pool of water on the wall?” Coita asked as he dipped his finger into it. “Doesn’t have a smell.”
Kyhawn set the parchment aside. “Yes, but it’s not water. It’s some sort of liquid that has seeped in from above. Don’t mess with it—it might be tainted.”
“We were just wondering if you knew what it was, but it sounds like you don’t.” Coita continued to stir the mysterious liquid, then flicked it at Earron.
Earron swung his hand to avoid being splashed and knocked Coita’s candle into the liquid.
A flame ignited. For a second Coita’s face had a touch of madness. He stumbled into Earron and they hit the rocky soil.
Although they were frightened, Kyhawn’s eyes lit with joy. “Wow … a natural lamp!”
They were amazed as the flames lit a good portion of the cave, casting a mysterious shadow over the skeleton.
“I thought we were goners for sure,” Coita said as they had a good laugh.
“We’ve been carrying these candles all this time,” Kyhawn said. “While this cave already has its own source of light.” He turned his attention back toward the old box, which was partly hidden in the shadows. “Come here, you guys. Just before you discovered the lamp, I was looking at this parchment and admiring its quality.” He moved it about as he spoke. “It’s got a really fine texture. Go on—feel it. I noticed it hasn’t yellowed like lower quality parchment tends to do.”
Earron took hold of the parchment and began to move. Kyhawn placed his hand on Earron’s leg, “Where you going?”
“Over here where there’s more light.”
“Use the candle.”
“Okay.” After Earron looked at it for a moment, he waved the parchment in Kyhawn’s face. “It’s good parchment, but so what?”
“Yeah, what does this mean to us?” Coita crouched down between them.
Kyhawn’s dark brown eyes peered intently at them. “This Zac must have been an artist type to be carrying parchment of this quality.”
Coita nodded. “Hum … okay. Whatever.”
While Earron held his candle again next to the parchment, his eyes lit up with surprise. “The parchment—something is starting to appear.…”
Coita pointed, thinking about a new fishing boat.
Kyhawn leaned in close and they waited impatiently.
“There’s nothing there but smudges,” Coita said, as he glanced at the skeleton thinkin
g about the stones he placed in his pocket. He wondered when or if he should tell them about his find. I’ll tell them later, he thought.
Kyhawn’s hand rested on Earron’s shoulder. “Just give it a chance.”
Seconds passed. The skeleton seemed invisible for the moment. As the candlelight cast elongated shadows behind them, a tingling sense of excitement rushed through their souls as something started to show.
“Wild—it’s a map!” Earron practically glowed. “We might get rich after all.”
“Kyhawn, how’d you know?” Coita asked.
“It’s an old trick.” Kyhawn answered as Earron handed him the map. “Zacs used it during wartime when they wanted to send secret messages to one another.”
“Ya Coita. An old trick?”
Kyhawn studied the map, “Just an old trick,” he said softly “And it worked quite well from what I have read.”
Earron looked at Coita. “It keeps the enemy from finding out your plans, right?”
“Exactly, but why did he use it on this? Unless of course he didn’t want anyone to uncover its secret,” he said as he continued to study it.
“Is that some sort of foreign language written there?” Coita pointed at some strange markings on the map.
Earron too stared at the strange markings.
Kyhawn nodded. “Yes, but I’ve never…” he paused for a moment. “Could be a Togmonian language of old. I’m not sure…?” He slowly turned his head from side to side. “Perhaps Washburrn can read it.”
“Yeah, he’s been everywhere,” Earron said. “I bet he knows what it means.”
“But that means we’ll have to show him the map,” Coita frowned.
“We have to show somebody,” Kyhawn insisted, flipping the map over curious there might me something on the backside. He quickly noticed there wasn’t. “We can trust Washburrn.”
“Yeah, we don’t have any choice Coita. We can trust him,” Earron repeated.
Coita shrugged, wishing he could read it, “Whatever. But we don’t’ tell anybody but him.”
As they agreed Washburrn was the only one to know about their secret, Earron reached into the box. “Hey—I wonder what’s on these other pieces of parchment.” He sat between them and turned each piece over, observing both sides. “No ink markings on these two.”
“Nothing we can see, anyway.” Kyhawn grinned.
“Yeah, nothing we can see,” Coita agreed.
“We should put a candle under these two,” Earron suggested. Feeling a cramp, he stood on his knees for a moment, and rubbed one of his legs.
Coita picked up another piece of parchment from the small wooden box, which was blank on one side, but when he turned it over his eyes widened with excitement. “Another map!” He held it out for them to see. “There’s no writing on it, but you can see the map.”
“You don’t have to shout in my ears.” Earron grabbed the map and gave him a shove. “This one looks different from the other—and it’s in regular black ink.”
Kyhawn viewed the maps, remembering what he had learned about them in trade school. He set his candle in front of them. “This second map sort of looks like one of this island.”
With the two maps in hand, Kyhawn gave the one in regular ink a serious overview. “Look here—perhaps these shapes are the ruins.” He moved his fingers as he spoke. “This here must be the beach where the ship went down, out here next to these sharp-looking rock shapes.”
“Could it be this skeleton Zac was a mapmaker?” Feeling he was being left out of the conversation, Coita again went over and crouched between them.
As Kyhawn held the maps next to one another again, Earron picked up two blank pieces of parchment and handed them to Kyhawn. “See if these have maps on them.”
“I doubt it’s another map,” Kyhawn said as he took hold of the parchment.
“Then I bet there’s a message on them.”
While Kyhawn held a candle up to the one piece of parchment, Earron held the other over his candle. A minute passed, but nothing happened. Another minute went by with still nothing. After about five minutes of waiting to see if anything would emerge, they decided the two blank pieces of parchment were as they appeared.
Kyhawn drew their attention back to the invisible ink map. “Look here—there’s an X, and it’s marked directly over this waterfall on the far side of this island. An X usually means treasure of some sort. And here, if you’d notice, he has marked an X here as well.”
“That’s where we are,” Coita said excitedly.
“Yeah,” Earron agreed as their thoughts lit up with wonder.
As Kyhawn studied the maps, Earron reached into the old box. “Look at these old navigator instruments. I think he was a sailor.” His eyes suddenly lit up. “Colored stones,” he murmured as he grabbed a few of them.
Coita rubbed the lump in his pocket and looked at the small stones in Earron’s hands.
Kyhawn smiled. “I bet you two glass jars this invisible ink map will take us to some more of these stones.”
“I wonder what these stones might be worth.” Earron held his candle close. “I can see us now, walking down the main part of town, showing off our new garments. And maybe even a real castle of our own.”
“Yeah, we can rebuild one of those castles from the old city behind Omakohak, and buy some Ooweds to clean it,” Coita chuckled.
Laughter filled the air, but then it became silent as their gaze became directed toward the second chamber door. “What do you say we investigate the other side of that wall?” Kyhawn suggested.
“I’m ready.” Earron got to his feet and dropped the stones into the box. “Besides the cave has had plenty time to air out.”
Kyhawn dropped a colored stone into the box, closed the lid, and got to his feet.
Coita picked up his cabac. “What do you think—should we take everything in with us?”
Kyhawn set the box next to his cabac. “They’ll be fine out here,” he said as he neared the second chamber, followed by Earron, and then Coita. They stepped down into it with their stomachs churning, their scarf-covered faces making them look like bandits.
“It doesn’t smell as bad as it did before.” Earron looked again at the bodies.
Coita lowered his scarf. “But I can still smell them.”
“If my guess is correct, this part of the cave has natural lamps as well.” Kyhawn searched the walls alongside Earron.
Coita found himself compelled to have a closer view of the bodies. He tightened his scarf as he stood in front of them and stared at the deep eerie lights and shadows created by his candle’s flame. He thought about what could have happened to them.
As Kyhawn and Earron came up, at first Coita didn’t say a word but just kept looking. Then in an almost haunting whisper, he said, “I see what you mean. It does look as though they died of fright.”
Kyhawn turned to his side. “There’s a wall lamp here beside us. There’s liquid in it as well.” He struck a flint stick, held it arm’s length, and dropped it. The liquid burst into flames. The four bodies even looked more frightening.
“Just what are we looking for?” Coita stared at them as though he wished to think about something else.
“For anything that might have any value.” Kyhawn continued to search the cave.
“I found another lamp.” Earron gestured toward the far end of the cave chamber. He struck a flint stick and dropped it into the liquid. As the flame ignited, a large relief carving appeared before them on the cave wall. Right then Kyhawn discovered a third wall lamp. He glanced at Earron, then at the carving on the cave wall out in front between them. “Look at that carving you guys. It must be over thirty-foot-long.” Kyhawn’s eyes filled with wonder as he stood before the large relief carving.
“This is weird … I wonder who made it.” Coita blew out his candle, wet the wick and put it in his pocked.
“It’s ancient.” Kyhawn studied it from left to right. “The flames from the wall lamps perfectly light it.�
�� He pondered what this might mean. “It’s most definitely ancient.”
“It does look old,” Earron agreed as they stood amazed.
“What makes you all think it’s so old?” Coita asked.
“Come over here and look at this part where water has washed away some of the image.” Kyhawn ran his fingers over an eroded portion. “It takes a huge period of time for water to do this type of damage.” Baffled at what the carving meant, he felt he must understand the reason for its existence. “It seems to be telling a story. A long time ago, before Zacs had a written language, they expressed themselves using relief carvings such as this one.”
“Let’s see if we can figure out what’s going on.” Earron pointed to the first panel. Coita stood next to him; his hands pressed to his side.
It wasn’t long before Kyhawn got tired of Earron and Coita bickering over what they thought each of the carvings meant. At this point he decided to bring out his parchment pad and lead stick.
“Kyhawn, what do you think this scene means?” Coita asked.
“I’m not sure … but it looks like a picture of those sea creatures trying to sink a large boat, or perhaps a small ship?” Kyhawn felt a sense of eeriness as he quickly sketched the first few panels. “Anyway, it’s hard to tell with the center portion missing from the water damage.”
Two panels later Kyhawn looked at them, “When you guys get through debating, maybe you might want to have a look for another keyhole.”
“Yeah, this picture is too old to figure out.” Coita waved his hand as if he had become bored with it.
“Kyhawn’s drawing the panels so we can look at them later,” Earron noted as they went in search of a third keyhole.
Moments later Earron and Coita called for Kyhawn to come quickly. He dropped what he was doing and hurried to where they were calling from in a dark, long, and narrow passageway from which a slight breeze was coming.
“Colored stones—everywhere colored stones!” Earron said, his and Coita’s expressions clearly showing their belief they were now wealthy.
“Your dreams are coming true!” Coita pulled another stone from the soft clay-like textured walls.
Colored stones clustered the passageway walls and ceiling. The three darted back into the first chamber to fetch their cabacs. When Earron emptied his, he realized he had forgotten about the bracelet Emaya had given him for Kyhawn. “Here, this is for you. Emaya asked me to give it to you, but with everything going on, I forgot. She said you’d need it some day.” He quickly handed it to Kyhawn and hurried into the second chamber with his empty cabac along with Coita. Kyhawn had almost slipped the bracelet in his pocket, but a voice from deep within his soul told him to put it on. He quickly fastened it around his wrist and hurried back into the second chamber with Earron and Coita.
Once there, they were stuffing their cabacs with as many colored stones as possible, when a cry echoed passed them along with another chilling breeze. “You guys heard that, didn’t you?” Alarmed, Kyhawn stood erect.
Coita nodded, but continued to put stones into his pockets as fast as his hands allowed him to scoop them off the ground, or pluck them from the walls.
Earron was startled when a small colored stone or two fell from above. Seconds later colored stones were falling from the ceiling all around them. It was exciting at first. They were too small to hurt them so they held out their hands to catch the riches dropping from above.
All at once, it stopped raining the colored stones.
Their joyful expressions quickly changed to fear. A hunting sound came from deep within the passageway. As the sound grew louder, Kyhawn drew his sword. “Look,” he muttered as he jabbed at a cloud of mist coming toward them. Earron and Coita both gazed in the direction of the blade of his sword.
Two ghostly figures emerged from the walls and raised their weapons, a look of death in their eyes. Kyhawn, Earron, and Coita huddled close, their cabacs in hand.
The chamber door slammed against the flat stone. For a second they thought they had been trapped inside. They gripped their cabacs and ran for the door. When Kyhawn glanced over his shoulder, the figures were gone. So he quickly went back for his lead stick and parchment pad. He grabbed he pad leaving the lead stick behind, but when he turned the figures stood between him and the door. Kyhawn froze. Earron jumped down into the chamber and drew his sword as Coita stared from the doorway, protecting their stones.
“Kyhawn, maybe we should give them the stones.” Earron slowly walked around them toward Kyhawn gripping his lucky scarf.
Kyhawn held out his cabac at them trembling.
As the ghostly images peered at them, they became as real as the colored stones. Yellow skin pirates, Kyhawn thought as he dropped his cabac at their feet and drew his sword. As Earron moved in next to Kyhawn, four more frightening figures appeared, surrounding them with swords.
Kyhawn and Earron pointed their own swords at them. Seconds later Earron and he began sword fighting two of them as two others of the ghostly yellow pirates turned and started to walk slowly toward Coita. He trembled at the doorway not sure what to do. He glanced over his shoulder at his exit, then down at the cabacs stuffed with colored stones, finely he looked at his two friends, then stared at the pirates with his sword trembling in his hand.
Earron swung his sword, clipping the pirates sword. Back and fourth they traded dreadful looks as their sword continued to clash; the one trying desperately to defeat the other.
Earron fell, dropping his sword. A sword was at his throat. The yellow pirate’s voice echoed in the chamber with laughter. Earron rolled to one side grabbing his sword. At the same time his appoint drove his sword down at Earron. Earron rolled to one side again missing the piercing point of its blade by inches. Earron jumped to his feet stumbling back a few feet, when yet another pirate from behind him shoved him forward.
Earron glanced over his shoulder at the door. But he didn’t see Coita, only three pirates standing near the door. It was as if they weren’t able to leave the cave chamber. Earron held his sword steady, pointing it at the pirate that stood before him. He glanced at Kyhawn.
Kyhawn was fighting off two of them now. With his dagger he had taken from his sheath legging in one hand, and his sword in the other, he continued to block his appoints forward thrust of their blades. It’s as if they were taking turns with him, while the other pirates stood nearby and watched.
Suddenly Kyhawn’s bracelet became exposed, sparkling briefly. With that a strange gust of wind came in and surrounded the ghostly yellow pirates. Blood began to drip from their eyes. Their garments and flesh began to rot. And as Kyhawn and Earron continued to battle them, their opponents weapons quickly rusted away into dust.
The pirates cried an eerie cry as they looked at each other vengefully when suddenly their eyes dried up and disappeared into their eye sockets. Another gust of wind pulled at them. A moment later all that remained of them were their skeletons. As they tried clawing at Kyhawn, Earron, and Coita, who stood at the doorway, more eerie cries echoed in the space between them. Then the frightening figures were sucked back into the passageway from which they had come.
Kyhawn had dropped to his knees, but Earron got to his feet and shook his good friend’s arm. “Let’s get out of here.” They quickly grabbed their things and ran for the door. When they removed the flat stone, the door closed on its own. Kyhawn reached for the old box and they rushed for the outer door. They quickly shoved the flat stone aside. Another gust of wind swept through the chamber carrying whispery echoes of words they didn’t understand. The door closed. Although Kyhawn slipped on the sticky ground, Earron and Coita were quick to help him up, and they quickly descended the flat stones and started for the waterfall lake.
They didn’t say much on that unusually warm sunny day as they walked the narrow path, stopping only for a drink of water from a small creek. “I don’t think we’ll be going there again,” Coita said as he filled up his leather water pouch.
“Yeah,” Earron
muttered. “Once is enough for anyone to visit that cave.”
“But you have to admit—it was exciting.” Kyhawn held up the old box, his cabac weighing heavy on his shoulders. “We’re rich—we’re truly rich,” he chanted, followed by Earron and Coita. They danced a song of joy along the path, chanting “We’re rich—we’re truly rich!” alternating with “Ko-la-ton e-moss-lon .…”
When they reached the waterfall lake, they rid themselves of their dirty garments, washed them in the lake, and hung them on some nearby branches to dry. While Earron and Coita jump in the lake for a swim, Kyhawn stood facing the waterfall on the far side of the lake. He then stared at the lake and thought about the ocean and the ghost of many colors. “Thank you … dagger-key,” he said as he jumped in along with Earron and Coita.
After they had bathed and swam for a while, they picked a bunch of zuetia leaves while giving their garments a chance to dry. They then walked around the lake and hid their cabacs behind the waterfall. And as they stood behind it and gazed at the water rushing down into the lake before them, they felt as though they had awakened from a dream. But when Coita reached for the dagger-key he had place in a large pocket inside his coat, there was only sand.
Kyhawn looked at them with a slight smile. “A key that comes mysteriously in the night and vanishes at any given time it pleases....” He shook his head, dumbfounded by the thought. “At least we know where to find it if we ever need it again.” He chuckled as he went to the edge of the cave opening so not to get wet from the waterfall and departed. Earron and Coita soon followed.
After absorbing the warmth of the sun for a while longer their garments had finely dried. By this time they were getting cold and more then ready to get dressed and start back to camp. “We can reclaim our cabacs later,” Kyhawn said.
“Yeah, after all of them thieves have been captured,” Coita said as they walked shoulder to shoulder with Earron in the middle.
When the mountain was to their right and the camp was still in front of them, they heard noises in the trees off to their left. “That’s Shellean,” Kyhawn reported as they hurried into the thick of the trees.
The voice once again called out, “I found some more over here.”
“That’s most definitely her voice.” Kyhawn sounded relieved.
While Kyhawn went up to Shellean, Earron and Coita joined the others who were also picking fruit.
Shellean was up high in a tree when Kyhawn approached. “Have you been here long?” Kyhawn asked her.
“Not long—as you can see, I’ve only picked one piece of fruit so far. It’s on the ground there next to you. What’s in that box you’re carrying?”
“This box?”
“Why yes … the one in your hands.”
“Nothing, just an old box we found,” hesitating on what to do with it, or where to lay it, so he might be able to give her a hand. “We found it in the cave.”
“Okay. Do you think you could manage to lay it down and give me a hand?” She started counting to herself, “Eight more of these up here.”
Kyhawn looked up at the caygeo fruit, which was over twenty-five feet in the air. Too high for me, he thought.
Shellean looked down at him. “Is there anything wrong?”
Kyhawn hesitated.
She asked him once again, “Are you going to help, or just stand there and hold that old box, or what?”
Kyhawn set the box aside. “I can catch them as they fall.” He held his hands out.
“You’re not afraid of heights, are you? Here comes one!” she shouted as Kyhawn stood ready.
“Nice catch, but you didn’t answer my question. Are you afraid of heights? Here comes another one.”
Kyhawn caught the large oval fruit. “Let me put it this way—I don’t care to climb anything unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
Shellean chuckled. “Okay, here’s another one,” she said, thinking Sounds to me he’s afraid. He’s too proud to tell me. I’ll pretend I didn’t notice.
As Shellean tossed him the last of them, she started to climb down plucking some dried bugs from the trunk of the tree, and stuffing them into her pocket. “Washburrn made it back earlier. They also brought Luxton with them. He and the other two tried to escape. It happened when all of us were at the beach.”
“Tried to escape … how? Did they get far?”
“I don’t know how. But earlier today when Washburrn and the others returned, they had Luxton with them. They didn’t say much, only that the other two were dead.”
Kyhawn looked worried. “All of this happened while we were on the beach this morning?”
“Not all …”
“What about Washburrn?”
“If you mean did anyone get hurt, you’ll be pleased to know Washburrn didn’t.” She sighed. “However that professor, Romeous, and Dylc are dead.”
“Dylc and Professor Romeous … dead.” Kyhawn lowered his head with a sigh. “What about Werdna and Bekim and the others?”
“Bekim’s okay,” she said as she landed next to him and brushed off her garments. “Werdna was hurt, but not badly.”
“Tell me everything. I mean what all happened while they were up there? Did they run into Mekon and his gang as well?”
“I wasn’t told, and I didn’t ask.” She brushed off her hands and straightened out her uniform. “Malnur is missing too. I’m sure Washburrn will tell you the particulars later.”
Earron, Coita, and the others approached with their arms full of caygeo fruit. On their way to camp they traded stories. Kyhawn, Earron and Coita were quick to tell them about Gerit, his two sons, and Arbra, but none of them mentioned maps or colored stones.
The Dagger-Key and The Lost Treasures of Kebadon Page 36
