Forging Truth (The Truth Saga)

by Raymond Masters

  “Having suffered such a loss, Aesculapus was unsurprisingly hesitant to accept my presence in his life. Oh, I was nice enough to him. We all were. I think he saw me as an imposter, a would-be usurper of his brother’s love, and relationship. I am a couple of years his junior, you see. It was rough, but we eventually worked through it. I think the fact we did have turbulence to overcome aided in strengthening our relationship. I guess that’s probably true of all blood brothers, too.

  “I remember a time – this was maybe a couple of months after he moved in; and he was just beginning to open up to me – when we got a wild hair to sneak into town together. Neither of us was over ten years old at the time. Keep in mind, though, these were different times, and it wasn’t uncommon for a family to send their kids into town for groceries and supplies, while dad would tend the fields and mom would begin dinner. It was early afternoon, and we were in-between church services. I remember we got to go that morning and after sitting through all of that, we were getting a bit restless. So we decided – probably Aesculapus decided – to go off on our own and try to find some trouble. Funny thing, though, ‘cause trouble never needed findin’ ‘round us.

  “We had made it to Main Street and started making our way to our favorite candy stop. It was a little place with the most mouthwatering homemade candy I’ve ever put in this old mouth. Even still. Most of the time, I’m thankful for this extended life I’ve been blessed with, but I think I’d die a happy man right now, if I had another bite of Mrs. Lockhorn’s apple brittle. Mercy.” I cleared my throat. Caduceus got the hint and continued, “So, I said we couldn’t start our troublemaking on an empty stomach. We only had two pennies between us. That worked well enough for a first dip into the candy bucket. Unfortunately, we had caught the gluttony bug and one dip just wouldn’t satisfy.

  “I said to him, ‘What do we do now, we can’t get by with just a few pieces of candy each. Our coffers are empty, and our day’s quest is still on the horizon. Do we go back?’

  “He gave me a mild, contemptuous chuckle. There would be no going back empty-handed. ‘Try to use that meatloaf head of yours for something useful. We’ve come to stir a little trouble, haven’t we? So c’mon, how much trouble issit going to cause when we make out like bandits in this store?’

  “He wasn’t speakin’ of just a few pieces, either. No, it was go for broke. We devised a plan that would see us through to our prize and safely away to the alley between Mrs. Lockhorn’s and the clothing shop next door. In our little boy minds, it was foolproof and already reality.

  “I went back to the counter and asked Mrs. Lockhorn for some help. I told her I hadn’t had my fill, but I wasn’t sure what flavor to get next. She was more than happy to lend her candy expertise to my cause.

  “While I was keeping her busy, my brother made his move. While her back was turned, I noticed Aesculapus slither under the counter and begin quietly pilfering the candy dishes in the display case. We hadn’t brought anything to carry them in, so he stuffed the rainbow colored treats in every pocket he had. Then, he tucked his shirt in, and began to pour the goodies down his collar by the handful.

  “About that time, my conscience started getting the better of me … well, okay, it was probably more simple than that. I was probably just nervous of getting caught. I asked Mrs. Lockhorn about specific fudge she had on top of the case. As she bent to look at it, I waved Aesculapus out from under the counter.

  “When he was safely out the door, I admitted to being broke, and apologized for wasting her time. She was annoyed I had put her through all of that for no apparent reason. I’m sure she was still shaking her head when I met up with Aesculapus in the alleyway.

  “He had already filled his mouth with some hard strawberry candy and was busy divvying up the rest. ‘That was amazing. What you did back there, oh man, that takes skill. Oh man. Look at all this candy,” I carried on that way for a while. Praising him for a bad job well done. We stayed and finished every bit of the stolen sweets. By the time we were, finally, ready to begin our reign of terror on the unsuspecting town, we realized two things. The first was it was way later than we had realized and we would soon be missed. The second was we were both sick as a dog off all o’ the junk food. We decided to call it quits for the day; and we headed home, clutching our miserable guts.

  “I got into bed that night feeling sick. Yes at my stomach, but more so at my conscience. For real this time. When I had stopped to think about it, I wondered what in the world had gotten into me. I hadn’t needed the stuff. It was just … fun, you know. The next day, I snuck back into town without my brother. I was afraid he would think less of me, or worse, talk me out of what I knew I had to do. I confessed it all to Old Lady Lockhorn. I offered her my entire savings from the whole last month, naively thinking that would square us. Boy, was I wrong. She sent for my folks, without wasting any time. The looks on their faces of disappointment and the looks on Aesculapus’ of betrayal made me question my honesty.”

  “What happened,” I interrupted Caduceus. “How bad was it?”

  “Oh, the worst. We were sentenced to spend the entire rest of the summer working … in the bleedin’ candy store! Can you imagine? Us! By the end of the summer, we had made out sevenfold what we had on that first day!” Caduceus laughed so hard it doubled him over. I had to join him; it was just too perfectly childlike, that laughter. The way he told his stories, I couldn’t help but feel like I had been a part of them.

  4

  Choking back the last of his laughter, he continued, “He and I were the best of friends after that, inseparable. We shared everything: from toys, to secrets, to hiding spots. We became brothers. We all lived in this sort of old cobblestone house, way back in the woods, and no one would mess with us. During the summers, it was very common to go weeks without seeing another soul besides him and my Mum and Da. We would spend our days doing chores and such, then we would sneak off – we were always sneaking off for some reason – into Da’s study. He had even more books than I’ve got in my library. In fact, when he passed, father split his collection between the two of us.

  “It was during the summer of the candy store detail, we discovered some of my dad’s books on alchemy, transfiguration, and such. I remember thinking how cool it would be to be able to make candy out of nothing or … or out of a rock, or something. Aesculapus had another idea. He said I was being too simplistic. He asked what our problem was. Why had we had to steal the candy in the first place? ‘Trouble,’ I had answered. ‘To cause trouble.’ He shook his head, waiting for me to catch up. ‘Because we didn’t have any money.’ Aesculapus held one of the books in front of me, his finger pointing to the title. That Golden Touch, it was called. I’ve still got it someplace, though its cover’s a little ragged; it was loved a little too much. In the book, it told of the story of Midas and his golden touch. Then, it went on to tell a little of the dark art of gold making. With that, it was sealed. We would become alchemists.

  “We studied every book we could lay our hands on over the course of that summer and into the following school year. It was about halfway through school we finally mastered the feat and, within a couple of months, we had quite the treasure chest full of various gold coins, bars, and nuggets.

  “When school let out for our second summer together, we went back into that same candy store. Mrs. Lockhorn was surprisingly very happy to see us. ‘Come back for a second year,’ she wanted to know. We shook our heads. ‘Well, ye haven’t come to rob me again; surely you’ve learned yer lesson.’ We pulled out a couple of handfuls of some of the coin and laid them on her countertop. ‘No ma’am, we’ve brought enough to pay this time. We’ve learned our lesson and saved all year.’

  “That actually worked out very well for us. We should have stopped right there. Like a couple of gamblers, however, we got greedy. We painted the town that day. We made the rounds, picking up candies and sweets, toys, just about anything that caught our eye. We weren’t selfish, either. We stopped at the clothing
shop next to Lockhorn’s and picked mother out a dress. Da had just broken his pocket watch, so we picked one up at the watch smith. It was a grand day, and we felt like kings.

  “I wanted to spend the last of it on some of the fudge I had gotten hooked on the summer back. Aesculapus grudgingly agreed, and so we headed back to the candy shop. Too bad Da was waitin’ for us when we arrived.” Caduceus gave a sigh. “Yep, it seems our gluttony and greed were always getting the best o’ us. Apparently, them shop owners had been talking about the two, extremely generous boys, who were making their heyday out on the town. There was some concern over where a couple of kids would get such funds. Most opinions were of the sort that favored us as thieves. Mrs. Lockhorn, knowing our past, had sent word, once again, for someone to come for us.

  “Dad was furious. I swear, I don’t know if he was more upset at what we had done, or that we had used books from his library to pull it off.”

  5

  “It seems you weren’t kidding when you said you had an interesting childhood. Sounds fun, C. Sorry you two had a falling out. So, where, exactly, are we? We’ve been walking for over an hour, now. Don’t you think maybe, we should consult a map, or your staff, or something?” I was starting to get tired. Caduceus’ tales had distracted me, momentarily, but now that we were at a lull, I found my legs were starting to ache a little.

  “Faith, son. Have faith. Besides, I am using the staff as a sort of divining rod, if you will. I told you; I lost touch with (and neglected to keep tabs on) Aesculapus, years ago. If you want the truth, I feel like we’re getting warmer. We’re certainly headed in the right direction. Look.” He held up his tattoo. It glowed and pulsed like a neon sign. “So have faith.”

  “Faith. Gotcha. So, back to your story. What happened, with the alchemy stuff? Did you guys ever get rich off that? No offense, but … I’ve seen your house, C. It’s the most amazing place ever, but it’s no mansion. The guestroom doubles as a laundry room, for crying out loud.” He didn’t respond. “Did you hear me, man?” When he still didn’t reply, I nudged his meaty shoulder. “Hey, Caduceus, you home?”

  “Yeah. Yeah, sorry, it was just that I …” He trailed off, looking around. “I thought I saw someone.”

  I took in the street. We had made it to a busy intersection. There was a hotdog stand on one corner, and a tie-dyed t-shirt stand on the opposite. People milled about, waiting for the light to change, and both vendors enjoyed a modest amount of clientele. “Duh. I see them, too. What’s up, man? Paranoid, much?” I knew I shouldn’t press him like that. He had every reason to be cautious and paranoid. He had been right there in the middle of a terrorist cover-up attempt by one of the world’s most powerful men, be it Adelard, Perry, or Van Parson. “Let’s get a couple of dogs and you can tell me a little more of your childhood shenanigans, while we follow the glowing hand of doooooom.”

  He smiled absently, reluctant to give up his scan of the crowd. “Never mind. You have a dog, I think I’ll have one of the snacks I packed.” He reached into his satchel and brought out a bowl covered in plastic film. The aroma that filled the air when Caduceus removed the cover was so powerful, two of the women to our left, stopped their conversation and looked our way.

  “What. Is. That?” I wondered.

  “That, my dear boy, is none of your concern. You go on ahead and visit yonder street vendor.”

  “No way. What is that orgasmic smell,” I insisted.

  “Hmm. I’ve an idea. Close your eyes.” I did so. “And open your mouth.” No lack of trust here.

  “Careful,” I said. I couldn’t help but feel like a total tool, just standing in the middle of the sidewalk with my eyes closed and mouth held wide. I felt him place something in my mouth that was both crisp and gooey at the same time. “Well,” he asked after a moment.

  I chewed the bite up and moved it to one side of my mouth, so I could talk. “It tastes a lot like chocolate and coconut, but with …”

  “Go on.”

  “Well, it also tastes like it might have some sort of exotic, spicy meat flavor going on.” I swallowed it down. “Yeah, there’s definitely some serious, meaty aftertaste. Why would that even taste good to me?”

  “Don’t you like chocolate, coconut, and meats?”

  “Well, not usually together. I should be throwing up right about now.” I smiled to show him this wasn’t an insult.

  “Ah,” he responded, “Very much my first reaction to them, as well.” He offered me another one. This time, my eyes were open. They looked like your average sausage balls, only a little darker. “Mother used to make them for us, when we were younger. Aesculapus loved them. I figured they would be a fitting snack for this particular journey. I brought a second tub to leave with him. If he even wants them.”

  “Okay, enough of a break. Let’s hear the rest,” I prompted, taking another of the unique treats. “I’d like to hear everything before we get there, and the way your hand is lit up, we’ve gotta be getting close.”

  6

  Caduceus scanned the street once more and continued. “To answer your question: no, we did not get rich. You’ve heard the term ‘gateway drug’, yes? Well, the alchemy served as a gateway magic. Ironically, our punishment for the gold incident, like the community service at the candy store, was just as much a reward. We were grounded. Of course, that was back before they called it such. We were just told to stay in the house unless we were working in the fields. We did stay in the house and had nary a problem with it. We welcomed it, spending more and more time, pouring over the endless shelves in Da’s study.

  “Over the next couple of years, Aesculapus and I made a sizeable dent in his collection. We would read some and try to find ways to copy what we read. We would stage some problem or issue and go about fixing it with our newly gleaned magics. The bigger thrill, though, would come when the problems weren’t staged. Anytime we could use our spells and incantations for practical use was a very satisfying day, indeed.

  “We didn’t limit our powers to personal gain. I remember, when I was about sixteen and Aesculapus was eighteen, dad had a couple of cows he had to put down. They had some type of fever disease, or some such. The farm was going under, but the stubborn old man refused to let us mint any more coins. He said it wasn’t the right way. So, we let them die. This went on for weeks. Vets from near and far came to try their remedies and treatments. Our neighbors offered help, trying to keep it from spreading to their stock. The disease cut it’s way through over half the herd, before we found a way to stop it.

  “In the course of our studies, we had learned a lot about medicinal spells, and charms, and such. There was even some experimentation. We started a week or two before with mending cuts and scratches, and whatnot. It really wasn’t that difficult for us to heal such small things.

  “Aesculapus wasn’t satisfied to leave it at that, though. One day, as we were walking home from school, talking about our lessons, he grew quiet. When I turned to see what he was up to, he pounced on me. He landed hard, knocking me on my back. He further startled me by quickly landing a series of blows upon my face, neck, and shoulders. The ring he wore on his right hand tore my cheek and brow. All the while, I was screaming for him to stop. Pleading with him for my life. After what felt like hours, he finally got off me and helped me to a sitting position. I fought him every inch of the way, too, but I was so weakened it wasn’t much of a fight. He produced one of Ma’s compact pocket mirrors and showed me the damage. He grimaced as tears flooded his eyes.

  “I wanted to ask why he’d done this to me. He was my brother. What offense had I brought upon him? He began to weep openly then, and threw his arms around me. I was confused and dizzy. I looked down at my chest, and I noticed my shirt was soaked. Red. My lap was gathering a small pool of blood. ‘What have you done,’ I tried to ask, but all I could manage was a weak gurgling low in my throat. My vision doubled, trebled, then I blacked out.

  “I came to an indeterminate amount of time later, still in the same spot,
but with my head resting in my brother’s lap. Aesculapus was gingerly stroking my straw-colored mane. I had momentarily blocked out the past few minutes and his broadsiding me. ‘What happened,’ I wanted to know. My head felt weird. Swimmy.

  “He gave me a sad little smile and dropped his hand to his side. ‘You don’t remember?’ He pointed to my ruined clothes. In a flash, it all came back to me with crystal clarity. I could see the whole thing in my head, and I knew instantly why he had done it: To heal me. He held the compact in front of my face. The only signs of lingering trauma were the light bruises and a tiny scar where his ring had dug in deep above my eye.” He pulled his bangs back and pointed to a place above his right eye. It was about a half inch long and very faded.

  I was ready to put on my brakes and throw it into reverse. “He forced a brutal human trial for his healing touch? Isn’t that a little bit psychotic? And you’re telling me this now?”

  “I warned you before we set out. His experiments can hurt; they can be mean, and even worse. Much worse. However, he knows his stuff. He is the only sorcerer I know who approaches his magic with a flair for the sciences. A few of these experiments had to do with the mind and memory. Memory alteration and retrieval, that sort of thing.

  “Anyway, after the healing, we really didn’t say much of anything to one another for a long, long time. He felt guilty over what he had done and poured himself into his work for days. Finally, Aesculapus broke the silence. ‘Caduceus, it was unfair of me to attack you so. I got caught up in the moment, I guess. I was no longer content to cure small cuts and abrasions, not when I knew I could accomplish so much more. Brother, know this: I am on the verge of something. Something huge. I can feel it. If I had possessed these powers back then … If I’d been able to perform these acts then, surely, I could have saved my brother. I will not fail the next time I am called upon to do so.’