“Sit, friend,” Emery said.
Hakan sat slowly. “I don’t know why people are so worried. There’s nothing wrong with me. I mean, besides what a couple good nights’ sleep might fix. Perhaps yesterday there might have been a bit of a problem, but I’m much better today.”
“Your condition is better?” Emery asked.
“Aye. Matter of fact, I’m pretty much back to myself.”
Flann cast a doubtful look at Emery. Even Nolan, who didn’t know Hakan well, saw the man wasn’t his normal self. For some reason, the stone didn’t work on him. So much for it being a cure.
“Well,” Emery said, “the only commonality between Nolan and Garrick is their Accuracy. Otherwise, we have no explanation why it doesn’t calm you as well.”
“It’s because there’s nothing wrong with me,” Hakan growled.
A clatter sounded behind Emery’s chair. The old man crouched on the ground, picking up a tray of mugs.
Emery rose and started helping him. “Jared, you’re supposed to be a part of this meeting, not a servant to it.”
The old man smiled. “I was getting a few drinks, that’s all.”
“Leave them,” Emery said. “Come, sit with us, please.”
The man avoided everyone’s glance as he awkwardly chose a chair on the farthest end of the long table.
“Perhaps this stone affects those with Accuracy,” Flann added. “Are there others with Accuracy feeling unwell?”
Garrick grunted. “Most of them.”
“We could test the theory,” Maska suggested, “by asking for volunteers.”
“I’m sure there would be at least ten or more willing to try,” Garrick said.
Nolan imagined a cluster of people clinging to the stone. How could he manage that? What if someone took it away? He shifted in his seat, his heartbeat accelerating. “What about the city?” he desperately suggested. “We should go there first.”
Emery’s Empathy passed over Nolan.
“A good idea. Perhaps we should visit the city first,” Emery said.
Nolan heaved a sigh of relief and gave Emery a grateful smile.
Emery turned to the old man. “Jared, the reason I wanted you here was because of your knowledge.”
Jared’s bald head wrinkled. “My knowledge? I’m not sure how much I can help.”
Emery’s smile widened. “It’s time we put all of those stories your great-grandfather told you to some use.”
***
They set off for the ruins immediately. Once they arrived, it didn’t take long to find the center of the city. Looming above the rest of the chaos stood a partially intact castle. Time and weather had crumbled many of the towers into rubble. The portions standing were made of mismatched stones—some round, some square, some in no specific shape at all. They were plastered together strategically to form, apparently, indestructible walls.
Maska used his Strength and tossed gigantic stones to clear a path to the opening of the castle. Garrick stood next to him, offering suggestions to where the boulders should go. Jared, Emery, and Nolan did nothing but watch. Nolan had seen his fair share of Strength Rol’dan over the years. But Maska, with all of his grace and natural skill, made the other Rol’dan clumsy in comparison.
A movement caught his eye. Hakan paced, his broad shoulders slumped and his face set in a permanent scowl.
Another boulder crashed aside.
“He’s gotten worse,” Emery said, concern lacing his voice.
“Should I go talk to him?” Nolan wasn’t sure what he’d say, but he felt useless at the moment.
Hakan stopped pacing and frowned. “Best leave me alone, lad.” And then without another word, he stepped over a pile of rubble and out of sight.
Emery sighed. “So, Jared … now that you’ve been here a few hours, do you have any ideas of what this place might be?”
Jared pressed his thin lips together.
“It’s okay, Jared,” Emery said. “You can tell us anything.”
Jared nodded and stood as straight as his slumped shoulders would allow. “I believe this is where the final battle took place.”
Flann snorted. “Emery, do we really have time for these tall tales?”
“We have time.” Emery flicked a warning glance at Flann before smiling at the old man. “Go on, Jared. Tell me about this battle.”
Jared shuffled his feet. “Legends say Adamah’s capital was not always in Faylinn. Before Alcandor, there was a grander city. Some believe the king began his rule in a different city five-hundred years ago. It was there where he saved Adamah from the demons who tried to kill all who lived. This could be that place.”
“Most everyone knows of the dark times,” Flann said.
“Yes, Master Flann,” Jared said. “That is when Alcandor took the throne. However, my great-grandfather told me a far different tale.” Jared leaned in, as if telling a secret. “It wasn’t demons who tormented us. Those demons were actually Guardians who protected us.”
“Oh, come now, Emery,” Flann said, rolling his eyes.
Jared continued. “This battle—The Demon War—was not the start of our salvation, like the traditional legends tell, but it was really the downfall of man.”
“So in your opinion,” Emery said, “would this be the location of that battle?”
“Aye, sir. This is where the Guardians fell.”
“What is a Guardian?” Emery asked.
Jared wrung his hands. “Protectors, sir. Light-filled warriors.”
Nolan froze. Light-filled warriors? Could these be the same as what Alec saw? Maybe the warrior wasn’t Alcandor after all.
Emery caught Nolan’s eyes. “And where are these Guardians now?”
Jared’s face fell. “Extinct, as far as I know.”
“Demons … Guardians … whatever they were,” Flann said. “What difference does it make? Legends don’t apply to us now. Our primary concern should be our people. Have you forgotten?” He motioned to where Hakan disappeared. “Hakan—as well as a third of our village—is suffering. Shouldn’t we try to figure out why?”
“And also why this stone helped some of us, but not others?” Nolan added.
“What of the weakening powers?” Flann said.
Emery ran a hand through his dark hair. “Yes, there is that problem. Perhaps this new illness and the diminishing powers are connected. Even so, let’s focus on the facts. We’ve come because we found the sword here. Alec seems to think it belongs to the warrior he saw, which is when we suspect he received the stone.”
Jared leaned in. “Master Emery, what sword? What are you speaking of?”
Just then, Hakan appeared on top of a boulder. The crazed expression had left his face, replaced by a small grin poking through his bushy beard. He held out his hand, and a smooth, translucent stone lay in his open palm.
Instinctively, Nolan’s hand flew inside his bag. He relaxed when it closed around the stone.
Emery stepped toward Hakan. “Nolan? Is that—”
“Not mine.”
“Where did you find that?” Emery asked.
“It sort of found me, I suppose,” Hakan answered. “Called to me, it did. Buried under a bunch of rocks. Strange, eh?”
“Two stones? Strange, indeed.” Emery held out his hands. “May I see them?”
Hakan jumped down, anxiety on his face. Nolan handed Emery his stone, already feeling its loss.
Emery held one stone in each palm, moving them up and down like he was weighing them with scales. “They’re identical as far as I can tell.”
He handed them back, but the moment the stone touched Nolan’s palm, it seemed wrong. Hakan held a similar scowl. Without needing to speak a word, they swapped stones. Contentment returned immediately.
“But as you can see, they’re not identical at all,” Emery said.
“So what are they?” Nolan asked. He was now more confused than ever.
Hakan grinned. “Magic stones.”
Flann sighed. �
�Do we really need to consider it?”
“We’ll consider anything we can,” Emery said. “Jared, do you have any ideas?”
Jared’s face was neither puzzled nor thoughtful. If Nolan were to pick an emotion, he would have said the old man looked … frightened.
Jared shook his head. “No, sir.”
“And what of you, Hakan?” Emery asked. “Tell us about these magic stones of yours. Are they the same ones you’ve been making for the children?”
“Aye!” Hakan reached into his side pouch, leafing through it. He scowled. “I’m all out, I’m afraid.”
“Here.” Nolan plucked the small pouch from his bag and tossed it to Hakan.
Hakan caught it. A wide grin spread across his face. “Now where did you get these?”
Nolan cleared his throat, and heat rose to his cheeks. “Found them in the pub in Alton. Stuck them in my bag for safe keeping.”
A flicker of a smile touched Emery’s lips, yet he didn’t comment. He took the bundle, opened it, and fiddled with the stones. “Why six of them?”
Hakan shrugged. “Dunno. Always been that way.”
“And the colors?”
“Don’t know that, either,” Hakan said. “My father gave some to me as a lad, as well as his father before him. There have always been six and were always painted those colors. It’s just a child’s toy. Something all proper kids should have.”
“In your culture,” Flann said.
Hakan smirked. “Aye, in a proper culture.”
Flann was about to retort, but Emery glared at him, a flare of Empathy light in his eyes. Flann closed his mouth, scowling.
“Have you noticed the six colors are the same as the Rol’dan’s?” Emery asked.
“Aye,” Hakan said. “But colors are common enough. Adamah is obsessed with them. Their houses. Their clothes. Why wouldn’t the stones be colorful too?”
Emery motioned toward the rock in Hakan’s hand. “And, isn’t it strange that this one responds to Nolan and Garrick, both of whom have Accuracy? And the other responds to only you.”
Nolan gawked at the stone. No. It couldn’t be, could it? Like Hakan said, the magic stones were only toys.
Garrick and Maska approached.
Maska bounded across the sharp rocks on his bare feet without flinching. A layer of sweat gleamed on his torso. His gaze flickered to Nolan and then to Hakan. His dark eyes dropped to the stones in their hands. “I have the way cleared. The inside has been relatively untouched.”
“Very well,” Emery said. “Let’s see what you’ve found.”
They followed Maska to the structure and entered a demolished corridor. The walls still stood, but the ceiling was nonexistent, allowing full view of the dark clouds above.
Nolan felt strange as they walked, as if he’d already been down the corridor a hundred times before. They turned at another hall, and the eerie familiarity sent a shudder down Nolan’s spine. Why did it seem so familiar?
They turned once more and walked through an archway. It opened into a magnificent hall with intricate ivy carvings chiseled into trim along its walls. Nolan froze as recognition hit him. It was true. He’d never been here, but he’d practically lived in a room like it.
“It’s an exact replica of the Great Hall in Alton.” Nolan ran a hand over his chin.
Emery raised a brow. “Is it now?”
The domed ceiling in Alton’s hall held fine glass; this one had no glass remaining. Instead, birds roosted. Nolan scanned the ground and, just like Alton, darker stones were embedded in circular patterns across the floor, evenly spaced from the center of the room. As crumbling and broken as the rest of the city was, this room appeared to be untouched.
“Over here,” Hakan said.
On the wall, where a gaudy tapestry hung in the Great Hall, an ornate grouping of words was carved into its surface. Nolan blinked. The ancient text of Adamah? Here?
“What’s that?” Hakan asked.
“A language of sorts,” Maska answered.
Hakan shook his head. “It’s old, for sure. That there are Brim’s words.”
“Brim?” Maska asked, his dark brows rising ever so slightly.
“Aye, Brim. The god of light.”
“Ah.” Maska’s brows resumed their unemotional position. “The old Adamah religion.”
“Just because your kind doesn’t believe in Brim,” Hakan said, “doesn’t mean he isn’t real. Some say it’s the sun where Brim lives. Some say it’s in the night sky or in the flames. But most believe Brim is the source of our Shay powers.”
“Or perhaps it is a tale for brutish clansmen.”
“Brutish clansmen?” Hakan snorted. “You’re the brutish clansman.”
Hakan and Maska continued to argue while Nolan read the text. He was beginning to think they liked arguing. Nolan pressed fingers to his temples. Crows, they make it hard to concentrate. Nolan knew this text, but it had been too long. Think, Nolan, think.
“Everyone knows who Brim is,” Emery interrupted them, “not only Higherlanders. Though few actually believe in him anymore.”
“Maybe this is where the people worshiped Brim,” Hakan said, his eyes bright with excitement. “What a find!”
“Perhaps.” Emery stepped closer, squinting up at the wall. “Jared, can you share anything about this ancient text?”
Jared frowned. “I’m sorry, sir. I can’t read.”
Nolan adjusted his spectacles. Time had worn the symbols. “I think it says, ‘All come to the light, and the living power of Brim will shine through you.’”
All turned toward Nolan, several with their mouths slightly ajar.
“You can read it?” Emery asked.
He cleared his throat, blood rushing to his face. “I did study the ancient text.”
“You taught yourself the ancient text?” Hakan said. “Blimey. Now that there is dry reading, for sure.”
Emery smiled. “How old are you again?”
Nolan was about to answer, until he realized Emery was joking. “I told you I like to read.”
Emery chuckled then focused back on the wall. “So Hakan might be right. This seems to be a temple to Brim.”
“Then perhaps the Great Hall in Alton was one as well,” Nolan suggested.
“And come to mention it,” Garrick added, “the throne room in Faylinn resembled this, too.”
Emery wheeled and looked at Garrick. “You’re right, Garrick.”
Flann stepped forward. “And once again it has nothing to do with our problem. It’s a ruin. Nothing more.”
Nolan’s mind drifted as the conversation continued. Who would’ve believed reading those dusty old books would come in handy? He stared at the words again. How did people worship Brim anyway?
The dark clouds shifted, casting a flicker of sunlight across the dirty stone floor. Like the tournament location, the sky was a bit clearer in the forest. More blue. Nolan lifted his hand and let a ray of sunlight spray across his palm. “Come to the light,” the words said. Did both the Great Hall and this temple have ceilings to let in the sun? Both displayed the same symmetrical patterns on their domed ceilings: a small ring in the center, surrounded by six more iron rings spread in equal distance.
A bird landed on one of the rings, holding a worm in its beak. In the Great Hall, those places held expensive gems. But here, the spots were empty.
Nolan scanned the floor. Surely, stones like those would’ve been stolen long ago. His hand wandered to his bag, turning the translucent stone round and round in his palm—a habit now.
He thought more about the text: … the living power of Brim will shine through you. Why did it say through and not on? It was a strange way to state it. Maybe he misread it. It wasn’t as if he was an expert on the language. He’d studied it out of boredom. Sunlight could never shine through a person. It only shone through things like the gems, or glass, or …
He stilled the stone. It wasn’t as clear as glass, but it most definitely could allow light to shi
ne through.
The voices stopped, and a pair of Empathy Shays passed over him. Both Flann and Emery must’ve noticed his tense silence.
“What is it, Nolan?” Emery asked.
“Maybe nothing.” Nolan moved the stone toward the light. He nearly dropped it when the sunlight brightened. The clouds scurried away from the sun, like a roach from a flame. A blue symbol shone underneath the stone onto the floor: three Vs, one inside the other, with a solid circle nestled in the smallest of the Vs. It was the symbol of the Accuracy Rol’dan.
Nolan could scarcely breathe. Hakan joined Nolan, placing his stone in the light next to his. A second ray of sunlight burst through the clouds, and another symbol appeared on the ground. This time, it was an orange light consisting of three intersecting lines: the symbol of Perception.
“Blimey, Nolan! How’d you figure that out?” Hakan asked.
“I … I don’t know,” he stammered. “Just came to me.”
“It explains quite a bit. Why your stone didn’t work on me.” Hakan barked a laugh. “It wasn’t my Shay!”
“Two stones?” Garrick motioned to Hakan. “Where’d you get that?”
“Found it in the ruins.”
Emery slapped Hakan on the shoulder. “They are different. Just like your magic stones.”
Hakan grinned. “Aye! Like my magic stones!”
“Remarkable,” Emery said. He knelt and touched the symbol of Accuracy. Blue light reflected on his hand.
Garrick knelt next to Emery, repeating the same action. Except as soon as the light touched him, he gasped and yanked his hand away.
“Garrick?” Emery asked.
Garrick studied his fingers. “I’m not sure. It was … strange. Not painful, really. Just strange.”
Nolan examined the ceiling and the intersecting bars. An idea came to him, one so obvious now. “I could be wrong,” he said, “but I believe they go up there.”
Emery followed Nolan’s eyes. “Well then. Let’s find out.”
They went outside and searched the temple. It didn’t take long to find the crumbling remains of a ladder, carved out of the stone, climbing the outside of the temple and disappearing over the top.
Maska took both stones and made the perilous climb. He swung and leaped so smoothly; Nolan marveled as he watched. Above, the clouds parted once again, and two beams of sunlight shot down. The stones were in place. A moment later, Maska descended at a speed that would’ve caused Nolan to plummet to his death. Maska dropped lightly to the ground.
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