Forging Truth (The Truth Saga)

by Raymond Masters

  I drowned it out. I was getting lost in the horrible possibilities. I was there to stop the evil mage once and for all. Even if it means killing him? And the curse? Could Aesculapus be a descendant of Cain?

  2

  I had made my way through the living room and part of the way down the long hallway leading to the asylum wing, when I was certain I heard footsteps behind me. I spun, ready to fight. I was expecting to find the Dark Monk closing in, but after the type of day I had been having, I was prepared for anything.

  Anything except for my stalker being a little boy.

  “Hello,” I asked, exceedingly unsure of the newcomer. Was this one of the old man’s tricks? If he could disguise himself, then, was a kid out of the realm of possibilities?

  “I’m Seth. I’m glad to finally meet you.” He offered me his hand, but I didn’t move to take it.

  “Yeah, uh, Seth, I’m sure you’re a swell kid, but …”

  “You think I’m one of his tricks?” I started to answer, but he did it for me. “Of course you do. He is my brother.” It sounded like an apology.

  “Crapola.” Amazing, I thought, but I can’t let this kid become too big a distraction. Besides, if he found out what I had come to do, he might try to stand in my way. He could get caught in the crossfire. “Look, it’s been nice meeting you and all, but I’m sorta on a mission.”

  “I’ve seen you before. When you stayed with us.”

  “Really?” He was here? “How come I never saw you?”

  “I had to stay in my room till you were gone. Brother said you were dangerous.” He cringed at his words, as if saying it would make it true.

  “You didn’t think so, tonight, or you wouldn’t have approached me.” I offered a tired smile, wondering how I could shake him off my heels.

  “She told me you were safe,” Seth said, and pointed at the end of the hall.

  Had he meant Mao? “She did, did she?”

  “She said you would come for her, her and Caduceus. She dreamed it.”

  “Oh, yes. Thank God.” I was so relieved to hear they were still alive. I couldn’t rely on assumption alone, so I double-checked. “They’re still alive, right?” He nodded. “Well, can you take me to them?”

  “To Mao,” he agreed. “But my brothers are closed behind the Thirteenth Door right now. We can’t go in.” The hell we can’t. Wait, brothers? Plural? Of course! He would be C’s brother, of sorts, too. I was beginning to feel like I had been cast in a daytime soap opera.

  “All right, to Mao, my new friend.”

  3

  When we arrived at her cell, it appeared empty, but I knew she was inside. “Hello, Mao F’Yang. May I see you?”

  “Polite, as always,” she replied, with a girlish laugh.

  How queer it was to hear the sound of laughter in these hypocritical halls, but how perfect it was on my soul. She’s beautiful, I marveled, as she shimmered into view. Even here. I tried to think of Jessie, but for the moment I found I was unable. Oh, Mao.

  “Well, anytime you’re finished taking in the show,” she said, snapping me back, “feel free to let me out of here, my knight in shining wings.”

  “Oh, sorry. I was just, um…”

  “Good to see you, too, Kade.”

  I asked Seth for the keys. He wanted to help, but didn’t immediately act to do so. Instead, he said, “Aesculapus is a good brother. He sometimes treats me questionably, but I know he does so out of love and concern for me.” He cast his eyes away from me for a second and then back again. “Recently, he seems to be losing it. His treatment of our brother, and of me since first you visited, then Caduceus, has been uncharacteristic and unsavory. Sometimes, he seems like he harbors resentment towards me. Maybe, maybe even hatred?” The loss and betrayal were palpable and added years to the boy’s face. “How do you think he would react if I let you take her? Maybe, I could get back in his graces by trapping you. He does hate you, Kade.”

  “Oh, kid. Are you serious.”

  “Yes, I’m just a kid.” He was shaking now, trying to bolster his confidence. Still trying to decide what he should do. “That’s true, but this house isn’t just a house. I’ve lived here for longer than you’ve been alive, and I’ve watched my brother use it’s properties. I know the charms he’s placed on every corner of this old place.”

  “Look, Seth, it’s like this: either you back off,” I began.

  Mao interrupted by banging on her cell door, and shouting, “Kade Christopher, you should be ashamed.” It was weird being scolded by someone I have only seen one day of my life (dreams not included, of course.) Then, it was Seth’s turn to get an earful. “And you: I thought you and I had bonded. You confided a lot in me in the last twenty-four hours. Was I wrong?”

  “No, but my bond with my brother …”

  “Your brother is a parasite, feeding off your everlasting youth. You’ve told me as much, Seth.” It could’ve been a metaphor, but knowing Aesculapus, I doubted it.

  Seth hung his head, placing his palms to its side.

  “Look,” I said, “This is way too tiring, and it’s cutting down on any element of surprise I still have. No offense, but I’m just gonna blow the lock.”

  “You can’t,” Seth said.

  “You’re not going to stop me, so just drop it.”

  “No,” he explained, “I mean, it has to be one of us, Aesculapus or me, to do it. It is a bloodspell.”

  Mao went for the softer approach. “You’re scared, I know. You don’t want to drive Aesculapus away. But think of your other brother. Do you think he deserves to be tortured like that? Remember his screams?”

  Caduceus’ screams? Blood heated my face. “Do it. Now,” I threatened, bringing my aura to life. Whitish blue flares arced from my body at irregular intervals.

  That got him moving, and within a moment, Mao was bounding into my embrace. I had thought how real my dreams of her had felt, but I had been wrong. This. This right here, felt real. Felt right.

  I thought of my fiancé, and released Mao, and covered my guilt by turning to address Seth. “Thank you. I’m sorry if I scared you, but I really am thankful. Now, I’ve got to go save a friend. Show me this door thirteen.”

  “The Thirteenth Door,” Mao corrected, “And it’s we have to save a friend.”

  I nodded. “Sorry I left your invisible butt out of my plans.”

  “My cute invisible butt,” she winked at me. Seth rolled his eyes, and I did the same. I got punched in the arm for it. Seth did not.

  “It is just there, at the end of the hall,” Seth said. “I must open it for you, as well. Once inside, be prepared for anything. Behind that door is where the terrible monastery slaughter occurred. It is a portal to hell. A doorway, more than capable of letting in whatever hellish things that wish to come through.”

  The one Seth pointed out was the door I had first glimpsed during my short-but-too-long stay in the Aesculapus household. It was of a different material than the others, and there was – as silly as it sounds – a presence about it. Portal to hell or not, I would see Ducie again. “And you’ve seen this portal in action?”

  “Many times,” Seth said, cutting his eyes to Mao. Tears stood in her eyes. They really had bonded. She knows what he’s about to say, and it’s breaking her heart. “My room is through the Thirteenth Door.”

  4

  The setup Seth had delivered, made me believe as soon as the door swung open, we would be flooded with demons and devils of all shapes and sizes. Instead, all we were met with were the screams of silence. The door opened onto a descending hallway that rounded abruptly to the right. As we made our way down the circular ramp, I thought of where my life had been a year ago. I was happy in my smalltime security position, in love, and without my abilities. It’s funny how a few months can change everything. Example: Currently, I was off to hell to save the friend who had taught me to spar while midair. Beside me was an eighty-something kid, and a girl who could turn invisible. Oh yeah, plus my mom and I are on spe
aking terms. Things change.

  I had to get my head in the game. I was in the lead. There were torches on the wall, but my natural illumination was all we required. I scanned our surroundings for the slightest sign of trouble.

  The ramp ended in a rounded chamber about twenty feet in diameter. Along the parameter were a number of cells. I presumed Caduceus was in one of these. I looked to our guide for confirmation. “One of those?”

  “That is my room. Caduceus is in the one next to it.” He was in denial. Brainwashed. He insisted on calling it a room. Just because his cell was nicely decorated, didn’t mean it wasn’t still a cell. After all, I had stayed in the monk’s quarters on my visit, and I was just a ‘guest.’

  As if by knowing Caduceus’ location, I could now hear his cries. They were low whimpers and grunts, peppered with howls of pain and frustration. I moved to enter the cell, then remembered: “Can I open it, or do you have to do something special.”

  “No, when he is in his brother’s mind, he sends me upstairs to keep from being disturbed. I don’t think he even bothers to lock up. A dose of the red, and Caduceus is docile for some time.”

  I knelt, to meet his eyes. “Okay, Seth, thank you. You don’t have to stick around for what comes next. The same goes for you, Mao.” They both indicated they would stay (Mao indicated I shouldn’t mention it to her again, if I knew what was best.)

  “How will you do it, without ripping their minds in two,” Seth asked.

  It was a concern I hadn’t even considered. I couldn’t care less if Asshole-lapus’ mind got shredded to tiny bits, but Ducie? “I’ll know when I get there.” It was more than a figure of speech. Suddenly, I was filled with certainty it would all become clear once inside. Since this joyride had kicked off, I had learned to rely heavily on those gut feelings. I would know what to do.

  5

  Seth and Mao took up positions at opposite sides of the cell, while I squared off with the door. It’s funny. Neither of us had made an effort to keep hidden or to keep quiet, for that matter. I think we all could feel a little something special in the air. Special and sinister.

  I entered the cell to find a painfully familiar scene. Caduceus was seated at the far end of his bunk. Standing before him, garbed in black, stood the malevolent Aesculapus. His ghostly hair billowed around him with static. His fingers were literally sinking into the scalp of the other man. The power that arced between the two was immense, and I knew it well. Aesculapus was inside Caduceus’ mind, just as he had been inside mine.

  This had been going on for weeks now, and I hadn’t tried to stop it. I hadn’t even known. Well, no longer. But how do I stop this? I had felt I would know when the time came, but if this weren’t the right time, there wouldn’t be one. Then, I did feel something. I was being propelled forward. This wasn’t some figurative way of saying I felt compelled to act. It was Van Parson’s crystal. I looked down to see the thing levitate off my chest and come parallel to the floor. It acted as a divining rod, and it was pointed directly at where the two men became one.

  I snapped the chain and brought the crystal before me. The stone was giving off energy of its own, projecting it toward the two brothers. At the same time, I noticed, it was siphoning from that roiling off them. When the circuit became complete within the crystal, my aura flashed white-hot; and then everything went away. The cell, Mao, Seth, and – most alarming – I vanished, leaving only Caduceus and Aesculapus, alone in a world of infinite white.

  Then, that was also gone, replaced with a swirl of half-digested memories.

  6

  a boy/the boy/Lazarus/Seth/brother

  death/dead

  abandoned/orphaned

  The Twenty-Six/possibility/probability/resurrection/

  The Twenty-Six/damnation

  loss/lost

  rejuvenation/life everlasting/The Twenty-Six/damnation

  7

  An eternity of books. Covering the walls, surrounding me. I had been transported to Aesculapus’ library. But why? Is there a spell in here to help me stop him? What does this have to do with saving Caduceus?

  “My dear sweet brother, God love him, made some sort of deal with the devil, and now he and Seth are payin’ the price. An agreement forged in false hope and misplaced faith.” It was Caduceus. I had found him, as if on cue.

  “C! Am I glad to see you!” I lunged and threw my arms around his meaty frame. “I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner.”

  “Aye, some friend you are. Do ye know how many of my shows I’ve missed while I’ve been trapped in here?” He offered me a somber grin. “Though I’ve had no shortage of books to read.”

  “So, you’ve just been chilling in Aesc’s library all this time?” Ducie cocked his head to the side and gave me a mocking grin. I was missing something. Then, it clicked. “Um, you were just in your cell being tortured, and now you’re here. In my excitement, I didn’t accidentally teleport us both?” He shook his head. “Yeah, didn’t think so. No, this library isn’t real. Am I right?”

  “Yer close to it.”

  “We’re somehow in your head, then.”

  “Not mine. This is his library, his head,” he said, indicating his brother. “And these books: they are representations of his memories. I’ve been trapped with them for a long time. How long, I’m uncertain. I’ve been viewing these books, hoping I would stumble upon something, anything that would help me understand what has happened to him.”

  “And,” I prompted.

  “Very little,” he admitted. “Only childhood nostalgia, painful memories of the two of us. Okay, enough of this. Let’s get the hell out o’ here, eh?”

  “Yeah, about that: I’m not really sure how to pull that off. Seth says I can’t just force you out, or it could rip your mind like a wishbone.”

  “You’ve spoken with Seth? He’s quite the lad.”

  I nodded. “So, any ideas?”

  “Hmm, perhaps. Y’see, since the first time Aesculapus delved into my mind, I’ve been trying to reverse it. I’ve attempted to use these sessions to gain information. As I’ve said, I have no idea what would’ve made him turn on me so. Each time, some sort of mental barrier has blocked me.

  “Then, one day he erred – got too confident per’aps, and I finally broke through. At first, twas nothing more than memories of our scheming and getting into trouble. Boy stuff. Then, I started getting glimpses of the betrayal he had felt toward his parents for tossing him out, on account of Seth’s death. More, he resented the blood bond my parents and I shared. He longed for one o’ his own. I know he loves me, but it was Seth he longed to be with.

  “Over time, it became an obsession. It was Seth’s death that inspired in him the desire to take up reading from Da’s dusty tomes. He was certain the answers hid in there.

  “So, we had dabbled – just playing around, I had thought – with things we had no business messing with. Time passed, and I kept playing, while he, he was doing something more. He was building a knowledge base, a skill set, a latticework of magicks. When he left home, he was nearly to where he needed to be, to achieve his dream.”

  “He brought his brother back from the dead? It’d been years, though. How is that even possible,” I wondered, finding myself both enticed and sickened at the prospect.

  “I don’t know the specifics, yet, but I’m getting there. He’s kept that secret closer guarded than the rest. All I know is, he’s cut a deal. A deal with the devil.”

  8

  “So, what have you managed to see, skulking around?”

  “One book revealed how he killed Josh, during the president’s debate with Adelard.” He cocked his eyebrow. “Wondered what happened there. Aesculapus posed as Van Parson to lure the poor boy in. Should’ve guessed as much, but I had two things working against me. First, I didn’t trust Richard Van Parson one iota. Second, though we hadn’t spoken in decades, I would’ve trusted my brother with the world.”

  “Of course, C. He’s your brother. It’s not your fault.”
/>
  He blew off my words, not ready to come out from under the blame just yet. He continued, “I saw a story about you, too, son.”

  “Me? My time at the monastery?” I plucked a book off the shelf closest to me and thumbed through as we talked.

  “Aye, one moment in particular. I hadn’t spoken to my brother at all after I dropped you off with him. Not that I didn’t wonder ‘bout you, I was simply busy with Meow an’ Julinn. I just wanted you to know, it wasn’t me on the other end of the phone that day.”

  “The phone call.” All this time I had thought C hadn’t wanted anything to do with me. “It was all a ruse so I wouldn’t come looking for you.”

  “It is as you say, Kade.” Spying my book, he asked, “What is it you have there?”

  “I’m not sure yet. I just got into it.” Turning the page, I saw a familiar sight. “It’s your house, C; I can see your living room.”

  “My house,” he mused. “From when they attacked us?”

  “Yeah, maybe, but …”

  “What, Kade, what is it?”

  “It’s Aesculapus …”

  “Mmm, he was the one who helped Van Parson and his men subdue me.”

  “No, Ducie, it’s Aesculapus, but he so much younger.” I read on till someone else came into the picture. “Oh, C,” I said, amazed, “He’s not the only spring chicken in here. You’d better have a look at this.”

  “Ha! That’s your ol’ pal, Caduceus. I’d say we were younger then, and quite a bit, too. That was, roughly, eighty years ago. This is a bittersweet memory, so it is. I remember it well, for this is the day my brother stormed from my life, for reasons known only to him.”

  Rubbing my face, I said, “Maybe they no longer have to be known only to him.” I handed the memory book to my friend. “You wanted to know Aesculapus’ motivations, well, buddy – as the old saying goes – read the book.” I stepped to his shoulder so we both could see the story unfold. I had been correct: this was definitely what Caduceus had been missing all these years. Each new page filled in another piece to the puzzle.