The Quest for Nobility

by Debra L Martin

  The trio resumed walking down the road, senses on high alert. After a while, and with no further incidents, they spotted a sign posted along the road.

  “Progress,” Eclair said, pointing at a directional arrow and some writing. “At least we’re heading in the right direction.”

  “You can read that?” Dyla asked.

  “No, it’s gibberish to me, but my guess is that it’s a name or description of some sort and the arrow underneath is pointing the way to it. Maybe it’s the name of the town the old man back at the stone ring mentioned.”

  “Could be; let’s keep moving and find out.”

  Before long, they crested a rise in the road and came upon a commanding view of a small country town. The town of Amesbury was quiet and inviting, nestled in the hills of rolling grassland and old tree groves. A beautiful panorama of the entire countryside was coming into view as the last vestiges of the fog were burning off in the morning sun. The three stood in rapt attention, taking in the view.

  “Look at that,” Eclair finally said. “That could be a town on Otharia.”

  “Yeah, the buildings are so similar,” Darius agreed.

  “It’s actually quite beautiful,” Dyla said.

  “Let’s go to the town center and see if we can find out anything useful. Dyla, keep your senses on high, and signal if you feel anything out of the ordinary. We don’t need any more surprises.”

  “No problem, you’ll be the first to know,” she answered.

  As the trio made their way into town, they came across a number of locals, but no one paid them any attention. The caretaker had said tourist groups stayed at an inn called The Stone Bed and Breakfast. By acting lost and asking directions, they quickly found it. It was a sturdy, two-story structure with a large common room. They entered and sat down at the table nearest the door. The twins leaned towards one another and discussed their next steps.

  When their waitress came over, Eclair looked up and smiled broadly, doing his best to be friendly and fit in. She smiled in return as she handed the trio the menus.

  “Here you go, specials are on the front,” she said, her eyes momentarily lingering on Eclair while he took his menu. “Take your time. If you have any questions, my name is Jill.”

  Jill’s look was not missed by Dyla.

  “Hmm, Jill,” Darius said. “Before you go, can you tell us where we are? We’re a bit lost.”

  “You’re in Amesbury, the closet town to Stonehenge. We’re the central spot for information concerning the ruins, the circle of stones down the road, and its mysterious past. There’s daily tours to the site, and we have a number of local stores with all sorts of information about it.”

  “Which stores would you recommend to find the best information?” Eclair asked, keeping up his best friendly front.

  Jill’s face lit up at Eclair’s question. She was a buxom young woman and when she leaned over, Eclair received quite a view of the local assets. Eclair turned red in the ears and turned his head away in order to find something of immediate interest out the window on the main street. Jill’s own smile widened when she noticed the blush, and she then whispered conspiratorially to him.

  “Let me tell you a secret. Go look in the town library first. It has the same information as those tourist traps and you can look at the information for free.”

  “Thank you Jill. You are most helpful,” Eclair replied, still not looking at her.

  Eclair’s reaction to the flirtatious waitress was not missed by either Dyla or Darius, but while Darius was thoroughly enjoying himself watching the interplay, Dyla seemed less than amused.

  “Where would we find the library?” Darius asked innocently.

  “It’s not far from here, down the street on the left,” Jill replied, looking first at Darius and then back to Eclair. “It’s the two-story building with the big sign that says Town Library. You can’t miss it.”

  “Unfortunately, we can’t read the signs around here,” Darius continued. “Would you be able to show us the way?”

  “Of course, I’d be more than happy to show you the way,” Jill replied. “It really isn’t that far down the road. When you’re ready, I’ll just step out and point you in the right direction, but will you be wanting a bite to eat first?”

  Darius stood up, shaking his head.

  “I’m afraid we’ll have to postpone that enjoyment for now, but we’ll definitely come back later.”

  “OK, let me show you where the library is,” Jill said, grabbing Eclair’s arm.

  Dyla bristled as the young waitress led Eclair out the door, her arm interlocked with his arm. Darius glanced at Dyla when they left the restaurant, but wisely wiped the smile off of his face. They fell into step behind Jill, who was tugging Eclair along, and walked for two blocks before Jill stopped and pointed across the street.

  “That’s it over there,” she said, squeezing Eclair’s arm. “Now, remember, you promised to come back for a bite to eat later.”

  “Hmmm, of course, I’ll remember. Thanks for your help, Jill.”

  “Yes, thank you,” Darius added. “You’ve been more than kind.”

  Jill released Eclair and gave him her prettiest smile before turning and walking back to the inn.

  “She was helpful, wasn’t she?” Eclair asked weakly.

  “Oh yeah, extremely,” Dyla replied, dripping sarcasm.

  “Oh such a plate, best served cold,” Darius quoted, savoring his sweet revenge while remembering so many tiny pebbles bouncing off his head.

  “Darius, enough,” Dyla said.

  “OK, OK,” he said. The last thing Darius wanted was to anger his sister.

  “But we didn’t eat anything,” Eclair said, looking at the twins, confusion written on his face.

  The look that Dyla shot Eclair should have been warning enough, but Eclair really was naive around women. However, he didn’t need to be a telepath to know that something was bothering her.

  He stepped beside her. “Something wrong Dyla?”

  “No. Nothing. Nothing at all.”

  “You sure sound like there’s something bothering you,” Eclair said, pushing the point.

  Darius listened to the exchange between them and chuckled to himself. He didn’t have to read anyone’s thoughts to know that his sister was jealous, and Eclair was clueless. Eclair questioning Dyla just made things worse, but Darius was not about to stop him.

  Yes indeed, I’ll just let him figure this one out on his own.

  “Eclair, just drop it,” Dyla answered tersely. “Let’s concentrate on finding the crystal.”

  “Uh, OK.”

  Eclair stood dumbfounded by Dyla’s reaction. Jill had showed them where the library was, so he couldn’t understand why Dyla was upset. Wasn’t this the best spot to look for clues?

  “Come on you two, let’s go inside,” Darius said, barely holding back his laughter.

  Dyla shot her brother a look before walking up the library’s stone staircase to the double wooden doors. They passed through the doorway, and found themselves in the library’s lobby. A pleasant-looking woman was sitting at a large desk. Behind her, the room opened up into a large, cavernous space with bookcases standing like soldiers in row after row to the back wall. In the center of the room were several wooden tables and chairs. A few people were seated at the tables, surrounded by piles of books. It could have been a scene out of the Otharian Institute for Paranormal Studies.

  Darius walked up to the front desk, giving the woman his brightest smile. He was thinking through the best approach to ask about portals and crystals when Eclair stepped up beside him and started talking.

  “We’re looking for information about the circle of stones not far from here. Can you help us?”

  “Of course, I can help you. That’s the subject I get asked about most,” the librarian replied.

  Eclair beamed as he looked at Darius and Dyla.

  “We’re looking for the history of who built the circle and where they may be now,” Ec
lair continued.

  “Oh, but that’s the great mystery, isn’t it? Scholars have been wondering for centuries who built the stones and what they were used for.”

  “I can tell you that.”

  “Of course you can,” the librarian said patronizingly. “Lots of people think they know the answer. If you want to look at the histories, our collection is on the second floor to the right.”

  “But I do ...”

  Eclair let out a yelp when Dyla stomped on his foot.

  “Thank you,” Dyla said sweetly to the woman. She pulled Eclair toward the staircase.

  “What’s wrong with you?” she whispered furiously. “We need to find out information, not call attention to ourselves.”

  “Sorry, I was only trying to help,” he replied.

  “Help like that could get us killed,” Darius said. “We need to keep a low profile. Let’s go upstairs and see what we find on our own.”

  Eclair nodded and followed the twins up the stairs. By looking at the book covers, it didn’t take them long to find rows upon rows of books on Stonehenge.

  “Can either of you read these titles?” Darius asked.

  “I can make out a little, mostly from the pictures, but I don’t think that will help much,” Dyla replied.

  “The writing looks like an old, archaic form of Otharian, but without a key reference to go by, it’ll take some time to decipher it,” Eclair said.

  “Great, we’re going to need more help,” Darius said.

  “What do you want to do?” Dyla asked.

  “We need to be careful how we ask for help. Eclair, you keep quiet. Dyla, I want you to extend your senses as I approach someone and ask for help. If you feel any suspicion or threat, give me a sign immediately.”

  “OK.”

  There were a number of people milling around the section on Stonehenge. Any one of them would probably be helpful, but as Dyla looked around the room, she spotted the familiar face of a pretty, young woman sitting alone at a table. Without a second thought, she knew exactly which person her brother was going to ask for help.

  Excerpts from the field journal of Catiana Spencer:

  The legends of King Arthur and Merlin the Magician have been steadily fading through the mists of time. Nothing has ever been found to support the stories of Arthur’s mythical sword, Excalibur, nor of the magical prowess of his court magician, Merlin. The legends that have been passed down are shrouded in fanciful imaginations and the ignorance of the time. To the peasant and noble of the day, anything unexplained was chalked up to magic, the devil, or any number of gods. To decipher reality from legend has been the quest of many modern-day scholars. Unfortunately, nothing to date has been found that can substantially prove Excalibur, or Merlin, ever existed.

  Chapter 24 – Catiana

  Professor of Archeology Catiana Spencer looked up from her research and glanced around the room. Her eyes were blurry from trying to decipher an ancient manuscript about the Druids. She had been working on one particular passage for months, and it annoyed her that she still wasn’t able to translate it.

  She needed a break, and stood up to stretch her tight muscles. Glancing around the library, she noted the usual assortment of graduate students diligently researching the volumes of works written about Stonehenge and the mysterious Druids. She felt a kinship with these students, because she was close to them in age, and because they had not yet become cynical concerning the legends of old, unlike most of her fellow professors. She had to admit that some of the theories she postulated were far flung, but Cat firmly believed that most of the legends of Arthur and the times of Camelot were based in fact, and she was determined to prove her theories with concrete evidence. She only wished she would discover something tangible soon, if for no other reason than to put a few of the old codgers in their place.

  As she stretched, she spied a dark-haired youth walking toward her, carrying a large book. She thought there was something familiar about him, and when she saw the other two trailing behind him she remembered them from her near-accident on the road. Here, in the library, they didn’t seem quite as threatening as they had on that lonely stretch of country road. She watched them carefully and, as the young man neared her table, she moved a few discreet steps sideways to keep the table between the trio and herself.

  Darius noticed the woman’s reaction to him, and stopped a good distance from her table. He put on his best smile, trying to reassure her that he was no danger to her.

  “Excuse me, I was wondering if I might have a word with you?” he asked politely.

  Well, at least he’s well-mannered, Cat thought.

  Looking at the trio from this distance, she noticed two of them were twins. Their striking resemblance gave her a moment’s pause. They looked like students, but Cat couldn’t be sure. All three were dressed in leather pants and jackets, and could easily be part of a motorcycle troupe. She noticed the other two kept their silence.

  “I don’t mean to alarm you, but I believe we got off on the wrong foot back on the road earlier today,” Darius continued. “I got the distinct impression that you thought we meant you harm.”

  “That’s because I did,” Cat answered. “What did you expect me to think?”

  “I’m not quite sure what you mean.”

  “Well, to start with, your friend back there,” Cat began looking at Eclair, “was standing in the middle of the road, acting like he wanted to be a hood ornament for my van. When I nearly hit him, I almost had a heart attack. Then, when I stopped to make sure he wasn’t injured, you two jumped out of the bushes and rushed me. I thought you were going to rob me.”

  “Oh, I see. That must have seemed a bit strange; but, I can assure you we meant you no harm then, nor do we now. I apologize if we gave you that impression,” Darius replied, bowing to the young woman. “My name is Darius and this is my sister, Dyla, and our traveling companion, Eclasius.”

  Cat was startled by Darius’ mannerism and apology. It was unusual for young people to be so polite, and she felt herself relax her guard slightly. Their names were a bit odd, and she was having trouble placing their accent. She felt some reservation, but there was no reason to be rude to them.

  “My name is Cat,” she replied. “You look like you need help with something?”

  “Actually, I was hoping you could help us with this tome.”

  A small smile crept across Cat’s face at Darius’ archaic name for the book. She turned her attention to the book he held, and noticed it was a haphazard reference book concerning Stonehenge.

  “I wouldn’t bother reading that tome. It’s practically worthless.”

  “Ah, now we come to the problem at hand, my lady, for you see, I cannot read this at all,” Darius said, holding up the book.

  Cat looked curiously at the young man before realizing what he meant.

  “Now I understand; you can’t read English. Before we get to that, let’s clear up something first. I am not royalty, no need to address me as ‘my lady’. My name is Catiana Spencer; you can call me Cat for short. Maybe I can help you, but what exactly are you looking for?”

  “Cat, we’re searching for information about the ancient histories of this area, like the circle of stones referred to as Stonehenge. Unfortunately, everyone we’ve met so far has had no useful information, and they’ve directed us here, to this room full of books that will not help us because we can’t read them.”

  “It’s not surprising that you’ve been directed here concerning Stonehenge. No one really knows the full story of the circle of stones. Most of the research around that site is concerned with carbon dating the geography, but there are endless myths and stories about this area that have been handed down through time.”

  “Myths and stories? That may be exactly what we need. What do you think Dyla?”

  Dyla stared at Cat for a long moment before answering her brother’s question.

  “I feel we need an expert on the subject. We’re sorry to have taken up your time nee
dlessly, Catiana Spencer. Thank you for your help, but we’ll be on our way now,” Dyla said curtly.

  Darius looked at his sister, catching the nuance in her voice.

  Cat was surprised for the second time today by this trio. She was willing to point them in the right direction, but her ego had taken a hit when the young woman questioned her expertise on the subject. She felt a moment of déjà vu as she began to justify herself once again. She would inform these three young people to exactly whom they were talking, and she moved a step closer to the table.

  “Wait a moment. I would like to clarify your misconception. I’m a professor of archeology and a leading expert on Stonehenge. I doubt you’ll be able to find anyone else here that could help you more than I can. Besides, I’ve read every book in this library concerning Stonehenge, and I’ve actually written a few of them.”

  Darius watched Dyla raise her eyebrow, but say nothing in response to Cat’s tirade. He recognized his sister’s intent, and immediately knew her ploy.

  “Cat,” he began, somewhat condescendingly, “it’s not that we doubt you’re an expert, but we’re looking for someone with a bit more experience.”

  I can’t believe this crap, Cat mentally screamed.

  She didn’t have time to help these kids, but they continued to touch that sore spot that had been rubbed raw over the years by her fellow professors. The professors had never given her due credit, and now it seemed even total strangers doubted her veracity. She should let them go on their way, but she felt herself getting hot under the collar, and couldn’t stop herself.

  “I’m a world-renowned expert,” Cat said softly, through clenched teeth, “and I have experience.”

  Eclair stepped in front of the twins.

  “In my opinion, writing a book on a subject does qualify you as an expert, a consummate expert,” Eclair said, extending his hand to Cat. “My friends call me Eclair, I hope you will too.”

  Eclair’s wide grin was infectious, and his friendliness was like a splash of cold water on Cat’s face. She immediately calmed down after hearing his simple, yet elegant, statement. She felt a kindred spirit in him, and she took his extended hand. His openness was a welcome relief from her previous experiences with strange men.