by Hoyt, Joshua
“Who do you suppose he is?” Aithnea asked.
Caspin leaned in even closer. “I’m not sure but he appears to be praying or maybe he’s blessing them.”
“Maybe he’s just on all of their sides or maybe an observer,” Tom asked.
“I don’t believe that he would be on all of the sides, maybe he was just an observer,” Caspin said.
John walked to a chair against the wall and sat down. “Maybe the real question is what do we do with this new information about the order and what does it mean to us?” John looked at the skeletons at the table. “Who are they and what are they trying to tell us?”
They looked at John and then back to the tapestry each deep in thought.
After a few minutes John clapped his hands on the arms of the chair. “I think that the best thing to do at this time is to rest for the night.”
Aithnea and Caspin reluctantly turned from the tapestry and nodded in agreement as they walked toward John.
Cody stood. “I’m not sure about all of you but I think that I would feel safer at the cave entrance than down here with the dead.”
John yawned and looked at Cody. “The only problem with that plan is we would have to guard two entrances…” looking at the skeletons, “…on the other hand if we stayed here we could close the outer door and only have to worry about ghosts and skeletons.”
“I think we could remove the skeletons from the room and then barricade the door,” Caspin said.
“That sounds good to me. Is anyone opposed to the idea?” John said.
No one objected.
“Ok. Cody, Tom and I’ll remove the skeletons,” John said. “Caspin, Kris and Aithnea go and grab our gear and close the door behind you.”
John walked over to the first skeleton and dragged the chair and skeleton out the door. Tom could hear the footsteps of Kristiana, Aithnea and Caspin fade as they walked down the hall. Tom and Cody each grabbed another chair and began dragging them out of the room.
The others returned, walking by the skeletons lined up along the wall in the hallway and John closed and barred the door with a chair.
Tom lay down but was unable to fall asleep as he replayed the day’s events over and over in his head. He wondered about what the man had said about him being a light for others and how he would need to stand up. He worried about his lack of courage and being unable to face the skeleton. How he’d backed down and if it hadn’t been for Caspin, Aithnea would be dead right now. He thought about Aithnea and his feelings for her, how they had grown so close over the years. He was confused about how his life was going and the changes that were happening to him. He worried about the power that was in him. Would he be able to control it or would it take control of him? Tom finally fell asleep, dreaming about skeletons and magic.
Tom was awoken by Aithnea’s gentle touch and soft voice. “It’s time to get going.”
“Yeah, you can’t sleep all day you know,” Cody said.
Tom rolled onto his back and sat up rubbing his eyes and yawning. The rest of the group had already gotten up and packed up the gear. Kristiana, John and Caspin had pulled chairs from the wall and were now sitting at the table talking. Tom stood and Aithnea handed him some bread and water.
Tom took the bread and smiled at her, longing to hold her in his arms once again but too shy to actually do it.
Aithnea smiled back and kissed him quickly on the cheek. “Good morning.”
He blushed slightly but enjoyed the kiss. “Good morning Aithnea.”
They stared at each other for a moment longer before Tom started to pack his stuff and Aithnea walked to the table. He finished packing and joined the others at the table.
“There’s no reason to get aid from Archelaus until we know exactly what we’re dealing with,” John said.
“We need to get supplies and advice. He may already know something about all of this,” Kristiana said. “He has more resources than we do and a huge library that may shed some light on this.”
“Archelaus has always been able to aid my brothers.” Caspin jumped in. “He will be able to aid us on our journey.”
John lowered his head. “I just don’t think that we should trust him with this, not yet. I have a nagging feeling that we shouldn’t.”
The three sat in silence for a few moments. “Let’s search the rest of this place maybe it will give us the answer we need,” Caspin said.
John nodded in agreement and Kristiana consented. The three stood and Tom grabbed his pack and put it on. John moved the chair from the door and with his sword drawn, opened it. There was nothing behind the door other than the eight skeletons lined along the wall.
Tom kept his distance as he walked past them down the hall, still worried that they would rise up like the others had. He was relieved when they got to the intersection and no longer felt the skeletons with their empty sockets staring at him.
The group went down the hallway to the left and turned right at the corner. The hallway continued for about a hundred yards with the same odd lights glowing on the walls. At the end of the hall there was a metal door with an iron handle. Kristiana waved her hand over the door and nodded to John. He slowly put his hand to the handle and pulled the door open.
Tom had his weapon out and was ready for something horrible to burst out of the door when it opened. To his relief nothing burst out from the room and the group entered. There were five tapestries hanging on the walls around the circular room. They seemed to show the five different areas that the big tapestry showed only this time there were no battles. The door opened onto a platform that had four steps going down to a single chair in the middle of the room. The raised area had a table that was also circular in shape with twelve chairs spaced evenly around it. Opposite of the door, hanging on the wall, an arrangement of four roses hung: blue, red, brown and white. The roses shimmered lightly and seemed to be alive.
John and Kristiana slowly walked down the steps toward the single chair in the middle and Tom walked toward the first tapestry to his right. The tapestry was of a mountain with a cave in the side of it. As he studied the tapestry, images began to flood into his mind and he saw the hallway, the room with the table and the twelve chairs around it, along with the other twelve chairs around the wall. The images continued to come to his mind and he saw the circular room he was now in. He blinked and backed up with his mouth dropping open. “Wow.”
The others looked at him.
“What was it Tom?” Cody asked.
“When I concentrated on the tapestry images came into my mind and I could see inside the mountain and the rooms,” Tom said.
Cody walked next to the tapestry and looked at it for a few minutes while the others watched. “I don’t see anything.” He hit Tom softly in the shoulder. “You’re just imagining things.”
Maybe he’s right.
Tom looked back at the tapestry studying it again. The images came back just as they had before. “It happened again,” he said.
“Don’t worry we don’t think your crazy,” Cody said with a drawl.
Kristiana glared at Cody. “It must be something with the different energy that’s in you. It seems that what ever makes you…” Kristiana paused, “…Also allows you to see things that others don’t.”
“So it seems that we’re in one of the places that the order of the rose were fighting for in the other tapestry,” Caspin said. He walked up to the next tapestry. “Look at the next one. See if it allows you to see it as it really is.”
Tom walked to the next tapestry and studied it. The tapestry had a picture of a meadow with a small lake in the center of it. Tom stepped back in shock, this picture looked the same as the one that he had seen in his dream so many years ago. It was just as he had seen it, with the clear lake and trees surrounding it. There was even a fawn with its mother at the edge of the lake.
“This is the meadow in my dream that I had when you first picked me up,” Tom said.
“What are you talking about?” Cody asked.
&n
bsp; “When I was first picked up from the orphanage I had a dream about this meadow, it was as if I was there. The dream was very peaceful until...” Tom trailed off remembering the feeling of horror when the darkness came.
Kristiana stepped toward Tom. “What did you see Tom.”
Tom turned and looked at her in surprise. “I just saw it get dark and then the meadow began to die. It was as if the meadow had been burned by fire.” He stopped, remembering the dream clearly. “The pond was no longer crystal clear but blood red.”
Kristiana looked down deep in thought. He turned back to the tapestry and began to study it again. Images flooded into his mind once again. The trees opened up and a pathway appeared beyond them; it seemed like he was really there. He followed the path, which led to a spot that was completely covered with tree branches, where the sun light couldn’t penetrate. There were the same odd lights on the trees that were in the hallway of the cave. A table was set up with twelve chairs around it and in the center where the same four roses. Twelve chairs stood around the edges of the trees as well.
He was back at the pond and another opening in the meadow appeared that led to a beautiful waterfall. A room was made by water falling on all sides in a circular shape. There was a single chair in the center of the water room and a table that wrapped around the edges that sat on a platform that had four steps going down to the center. Twelve chairs sat behind the table and there were five tapestries hanging from the ceiling behind the chairs.
Tom explained the images that he saw to the group and walked to the next tapestry. The tapestry was of a person who had no definite features to distinguish it as a man, woman or human for that matter. Tom studied it but he couldn’t get a clear picture the shape seemed to be continually changing. The longer he studied the tapestry the less clear it became and he finally gave up looking at it.
“This one is very strange,” Tom said. “The image keeps changing between different humanoid shapes with no distinct features.”
Tom shrugged and Caspin encouraged him to move to the next tapestry. The tapestry was of a cloud sitting on top of a mountain with a valley far below. Tom studied the tapestry for a long time. Images came into his mind of a path that led up the side of the mountain. The next image was of twelve pillars in a circle supporting a giant round stone. Inside the twelve pillars there was a single chair in the middle with four steps leading down to it. The image looked the same as the others except for what made up the outside wall which was a cloud. Tom explained the images to the group and walked to the final tapestry.
This tapestry was of an open volcano where the pool of lake was the focal point. He looked at the tapestry and images came once again. He saw a path that led into the center of the volcano. The images were similar to the others except for they all took place in the center of a volcano with lava flowing all around. After he was finished looking at this tapestry he explained what he had seen.
Kristiana pointed to the tapestry of the non-descript person. “I understand all of them but this one.” She pointed to each one as she spoke and then back to the first, “Earth, water, air, and fire, but that one I don’t understand.”
“Maybe it’s the individual who wields magic,” Aithnea said.
“I had thought of that and that may be exactly what it is but all of the other tapestries point to a specific place.” Kristiana looked at the other tapestries. “Why would they then have the fifth one if it’s just inside the particular person?”
“It may be the internal battle that a person must wage between himself and the magic within him,” Caspin said.
“Yes, but once again it doesn’t point to a particular place,” Kristiana said.
Tom walked back to the tapestry and studied it once again. He tried to force images to come to him but became so ill that he nearly threw up. He walked away from the tapestry and bent over.
Cody hurried to his side. “Are you ok?”
After a few minutes Tom was able to stand upright. “I’m fine. I think.”
John walked up to Tom and patted him softly on the back then looked up at the others. “Now that we have seen these tapestries let’s compare them to the bigger one in the other room.”
The companions followed him back to the other room and they each turned a chair towards the large tapestry. They examined the tapestry for a long time. Tom could now see the images from the small tapestries clearly on the large tapestry and saw the different men of the order fighting over each place. The only one that he did not see was the fifth one of the person. He saw men fighting around the mountain, in the meadow, in the sky, and around the volcano. Then he saw it.
Two people were fighting each other in the center of the tapestry. They were identical in every aspect and only fighting each other. They have no face. Are they men or women, or human for that matter?
“Look there,” Tom said pointing to the dueling pair.
“Yes there’s the fifth element,” Kristiana said getting up from her chair.
She walked up to the two figures. “They are identical and they’re fighting only each other. Caspin are these markings familiar to you at all?”
Kristiana pointed at some markings on the people. Caspin stood next to her. “Yes they are familiar to me. The one means ‘of God’ and the other means ‘of man.’”
“Ok so the fifth element definitely represents the struggle inside the person.” Kristiana shook her head. “I still feel we are missing something.”
“I think as we go to each place there will be more clues to this riddle,” John said.
John walked over to the part of the tapestry that showed the mountain fight. “We are here…” Pointing at the mountain, “…How do we get to these other places?” he said pointing to the other scenes.
Tom sat studying the tapestry. The others continued discussing the different possibilities but he didn’t pay much attention to them. The longer he sat the harder it was for him to keep his eyes open. He jerked. He looked around. Where is John and Kristiana? I must have been asleep for quite awhile.
Cody walked up to him. “Oh you’re back with us. Kristiana said to let you sleep. I think she’s hoping that you’d have another one of your dreams.”
Tom looked at Cody for a second trying to focus and gain his bearings. “No luck there, but I did get some good rest without having to listen to you snore.”
“My snoring ....”
A scream pierced the air from the hallway. Tom jumped out of his chair turning toward the door. Caspin ran across the room and was about to head out the door when John appeared, carrying Kristiana.
“What happened?” Caspin said.
John gently put the motionless body of Kristiana on the floor. “I’m not sure,” John’s voice was shaking, “We were studying the tapestries in the other room looking for a clue when Kris screamed. She was sitting in the chair in the middle of the room not moving at all.”
Caspin chanted under his breath and placed his hands on her arms, sweat ran down his face and Tom could see the strain in his face as he held onto Kristiana’s shoulders. His hands began to clench tighter and then he fell almost to his back.
Breathing hard Caspin said, “Her soul is not here and I can’t reach her.” Caspin looked up at John. “You’re her counterpart, reach out to her and try to find her.”
John grabbed Kristiana’s hand in both of his and bowing his head he closed his eyes. After what seemed like an eternity John and Kristiana both opened their eyes.
After a few moments Kristiana spoke, “I now know what the chairs are for. It seems that whoever sits in the chair will have to undergo a trial of whichever element they are in at the time.”
John sat next to her holding her up and comforting her. Kristiana was still shaking from the experience and she had a lost look in her eyes. She took a deep breath and continued, “I was sent to another plane in which I underwent several tests that related to the earth element.” She looked up at John. “I wasn’t able to get very far in the tests. I think t
hat it was because I was removed from the chair.”
Caspin brought her some hot tea. “Drink this it will help you feel better.”
Kristiana smiled as she took the warm cup. “I was lost between two realms, I don’t remember much other than darkness and heaviness. John saved me. He was able to reach me and bring us back because he is connected to both this plane and to me through our bond.”
The companions watched Kristiana for a few more moments, and then she rose with John’s help. “I think I need to rest for another day and in the meantime we can decide what to do with this new information.”
They discussed their options for several hours, Caspin and Kristiana both wanted to go to Archelaus with the information but John felt that it would be better if they continued on their own. Eventually they grew tired of the discussion and set up camp in the same room they had the night before, once again blocking the door with a chair.
The next morning John didn’t feel good about leaving the skeletons in the hallway so they were all moved back into the room. The companions closed everything up as they had found it and headed toward Darthmoth. They had not yet come to an agreement but felt that it would be a good idea to restock in Darthmoth. Maybe by then they could come to an agreement as to what to do next.
Tom and Cody took rear guard again. “Why do you think John is against taking the information to Archelaus?” Tom asked.
Cody looked ahead at John and then back to Tom. “I think John has never been used to the idea of following Archelaus…” Cody paused scratching his chin, “…Before they ever joined up with Archelaus they were with Karman for a long time.”
Aithnea looked over her shoulder at them. “According to Kristiana John has been against joining with Archelaus since the beginning,” she said.
“Why would he be against Archelaus though?” Tom asked.
Cody hesitated. “Well I heard that Archelaus at one point had supported a group of witches. The rumor is that he funded them against the counsel, hoping that he would be able to take control but they were eventually found out. The rumor is that Archelaus denied it all and supposedly walked away from the group.” Cody looked at them for a second then continued, “Karman then approached him in secret hoping that Archelaus would still want help taking control of the counsel. Karman hoped that Archelaus would reform the counsel and make it better, less corrupt.” Cody shrugged. “Archelaus agreed to Karman’s terms. But I think John has always seen Archelaus as power hungry and willing to do whatever it takes to get his own personal agenda met.”
