The First Pillar

by Roy Huff

  Zee opened up the closet door. On the inside of the closet door were all sorts of medieval weapons and many different configurations of swords. I could see longswords, daggers, and stilettos. There were clubs, maces, war hammers, and flails.

  My heart skipped a beat.

  “We’re not going to be practicing with those, are we?”

  “No. Those are just antiques. The real prize is in here.”

  Zee pulled out a chest in the back of the closet. He opened it and took out several pairs of unique-looking gloves. The brown leather gloves covered the thumb and two middle fingers leaving the pinky and pointer fingers exposed. There were markings on the gloves that I recognized from Everville. This caught my attention, but I still did not know what the markings were or what they meant. The best I could figure was that there was some connection. Perhaps this was one of the objects Cleophas and The Keeper had talked about.

  “The gloves will help you train your hands so you won’t need your eyes to focus on the objects in question. There will be many objects you will need to overcome, and you will not know what they all are until the games begin. Oh, and they will be thrown at you in the dark.”

  He turned out the lights!

  EVERVILLE CHAPTER 17

  LAND OF THE GIANTS

  Carwyn looked into the eyes of the giant. His size was menacing, but his eyes told a different story. The giant looked intently at both of them. Dagda began to twirl around and around in circles. Dagda opened his mouth, making a friendly gesture that almost resembled a human smile, and then the giant spoke.

  “The underground tunnels are the only safety from the desert above, but you will need to find the path through the tunnels and across The Valley of Darkness to get to the Dark Forest. The Valley of Darkness is treacherous, and you will encounter all sorts of creatures. Your eyes will deceive you, so your instincts must serve as your guide.”

  Carwyn became convinced he could find his way to the Dark Forest. For the moment, though, he had other ideas.

  A loud rumbling noise arrested the attention of Dagda and the giant. It grew louder and louder until the source was unmistakable. For a moment, the giant looked concerned until he realized it was coming from Carwyn’s stomach.

  The giant began laughing uncontrollably. It was a deep guttural laughter that one would expect from someone of his stature.

  “I will fetch my two brothers.”

  The three giants were the only inhabitants in the underground realm below the brutal desert. They crowded into the small home of the giant. It was tight, but they somehow made it work. They hauled in enormous amounts of food, more food than one would think possible for such a small space. For five people, even with three being giants, it even rivaled the feasts of the Fron. Carwyn wondered how they were able to get the food into the underground home since it seemed cut off from Everville or any other place for that matter.

  The dishes were common, but the occasion made the food taste extraordinary. Starving for days in woods, underground caverns, and barren deserts can have a way of making the blandest dishes taste like creations of legendary chefs.

  Carwyn and the giants ate for hours, partly because they had to be careful not to bump into each other as they used their arms to grab the food and partly because of their insatiable hunger.

  The giant told stories while they ate.

  The night was long, and eventually their fatigue got the better of them. Carwyn walked to the small sleeping area with some difficulty. The cramped quarters made it very difficult to navigate, but the giants had prepared the area as best they could. It was more comfortable than the snow covered floor of the Deep Woods, but not by much.

  Carwyn awoke having no idea what time it was. The lack of sunlight prevented him from making any sort of guess. He noticed the giant was sitting on a small makeshift chair in his small living quarters. He was preparing a hand drawn map on a wilted cloth as well as some trinkets that Carwyn couldn’t clearly make out at this distance. Carywn’s legs made the floor creak as he stood up, arresting the giant’s attention.

  “Ah, you’re awake. Well, you’re going to have to get moving if you want to make it in time. The Valley Of Darkness only has a short window of daylight and it will take you some time to get through the tunnels before you arrive. The mountains that surround the valley are so steep they concave over the valley preventing the sun from ever reaching the valley floor. The light that does reach the valley floor is reflected from the sides of the mountain.

  “I must warn you, there are all sorts of perverse creatures that reside in the valley floor. A few venture out during the day, but they all come out at night. They hide in the darkness waiting to strike. Some will use your fear against you, others your anger. Some creatures will hunt you with skill and ferocity.

  “While they are all dangerous and quite ferocious, the ones you should fear the most are the creatures that will attempt to deceive you and distract you from your mission. You may not recognize them at first since they will likely disguise themselves as one of the mountain dwellers who come down from the mountains to the valley during the day.

  “The mountain dwellers are benign, but they are a miserable race. Thousands of years walking The Valley of Darkness during the day have darkened their spirits and removed all joy and hope. On rare occasions they can be helpful, but it takes a rare spirit to convince them.

  “Before you arrive at The Valley of Darkness, you will need to navigate the underground tunnels. I have a map, but its reliability cannot be completely trusted since I have drawn it from memory. You see, my memory is not as good as it used to be.”

  This made Carwyn a little concerned, but he began to sense that Dagda was familiar with these parts. He had a familiarity with the home of the giants that was more than just good instincts or coincidence. Carwyn thought he was beginning to understand what the villagers meant when they had spoken of a special purpose for finding Dagda. He would need to have faith in the map and Dagda. Dagda would have to guide him in places where the map was not useful.

  The kind giant handed him a pouch with some food, a few trinkets, and the map.

  “You must hurry and navigate the tunnels in order to reach the valley by the early light. This will allow you enough time to cross before darkness sets.”

  Carywn and Dagda carefully walked through the underground exit of the giants’ home and into the opening of the tunnels. A sense of urgency had taken over them.

  They walked quickly yet carefully through the narrow pathway until they reached a large opening that split in three directions. Carwyn took out the map and inspected their location. The map was clear. It indicated they should take the pathway on the right.

  EVERVILLE CHAPTER 18

  PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

  Anika and Dante sat down next to me on the table by campus center where I was eating my lunch. On Tuesdays we only had one class, so it was a nice day to relax and enjoy the extra time we had left after lunch.

  Anika smiled at me while I was eating my sandwich.

  “I can’t wait ‘til the Echo Club meeting today. I mean, that was pretty amazing what we did there last time.”

  Dante hardly finished swallowing before he replied to Anika.

  “Yeah, I know. It was like I could actually see what he was describing when I had my eyes closed. I wonder what other cool things we are going to learn. Hey! Maybe we can use some of the skills we are learning to have a better chance of winning in the Roundabout.”

  “I’m not sure it works that way,” I said somewhat dismissively.

  My concern was whether we were going to learn what we needed fast enough in order to be able to help us with the fight against Them. I’m not sure if Dante had fully grasped the difficulty we faced in saving Everville and our world from the forces in The Other In Between. It didn’t seem to have fully sunk in with either of them.

  We took our time eating. Afterwards, we strolled leisurely across the campus walkway until we reached the Echo Club entrance.
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  This time, we all met directly in the back room behind the double doors. Cleophas, with the assistance of the two grad students, had lined up a series of objects and placed them in front of us. The objects were taken from the shelves that were lined up against the walls. I recognized some of them from our last meeting.

  “I want each of you to touch, inspect, and see if you can get a sense of what these objects were used for and if they have any special meaning. Take a few minutes and then we will discuss it.”

  In front of me was a dusty old handkerchief. There was nothing noticeable about it other than the fact that it was underwhelming and lacked any thing that might peak my interest.

  Dante was the lucky one. He had a very magical-looking antique gold amulet. It had all sorts of interesting markings on it. Some of them were similar to what I had seen before when I was in Everville.

  Anika had an old pocket watch. It wasn’t as sexy as the amulet, but at least it was a little more interesting than the boring piece of cloth that was in front of me.

  Slowly and carefully, I picked up the handkerchief. It didn’t seem that I needed to, but I figured I would go along with the exercise.

  Dante was much less patient. He eagerly grabbed at the object trying to figure out its innermost secrets. For a moment it seemed as if he would break it before he had the opportunity.

  Anika carefully inspected the pocket watch in front of her. She ran her fingers delicately around the edges of the watch and slowly opened the silver casing, revealing the timepiece inside. It was simple, but elegant. She looked intently at the steel chain attached to the main piece hoping to find some hidden secret.

  It was difficult not to watch them as they explored their objects. My handkerchief created little curiosity. Nevertheless, I slowly inspected the cloth starting with the edges on one side. Then I turned it over, carefully looking at the threads that decorated it. It was mostly white with subtle hints of yellow.

  I then turned my attention to the texture and feel of the cloth. It was smooth with a cotton feel. Nothing extraordinary stood out. I continued to feel the cloth, one area at a time, to ensure I didn’t overlook some small detail or noticeable deviation. After going over every region of the handkerchief, I concluded that there was nothing apparent in the feel or appearance of the cloth. I had to admit, I was growing rather bored with what seemed like a pointless exercise.

  After about ten minutes, Cleophas asked us if we were able to find out any of the secrets that our objects possessed. The room was silent. Apparently, no one had found much of anything.

  “Okay, now I want you to inspect your objects again. This time, what I want you to do is close your eyes. Just as a blind person can acquire enhanced senses when they lose their sense of sight, so too can each one of you learn to enhance your perception by willingly muting one or more of your senses.

  “Now, with your eyes closed, focus on the texture and feel of the object. Try not to think about its appearance. Just get the image of the object out of your mind and focus instead on what the touch and feel of your object reminds you of.”

  I closed my eyes. This time, I pressed the cloth between my thumb and index finger more slowly. I did this from the top of the handkerchief to the bottom. Then I repeated this inch by inch until I had reached the lower right corner of the cloth. Once again, I did not find anything that seemed noticeable or important.

  Dante had a lot to work with. The amulet he held was covered in all sorts of markings. The ornate design of the amulet also resulted in numerous grooves that nearly covered the entire object. No matter how hard he tried, though, he couldn’t seem to get the image of the amulet out of his head. The feel of the markings kept bringing to his mind the images that were etched into the amulet.

  Cleophas was undaunted by our apparent failure. He possessed a patience that comes with time and wisdom. Our lack of experience and knowledge in these matters were expected.

  “Listen. In order to find the connection between your object and its meaning, you must clear your mind of the object. It’s not the object that has the connection, but rather what the object represents.

  “Think back to an event where you had a very strong emotional reaction. Now I want you to clearly picture where you were at the time of the event and everything that was around you when you experienced that emotion. Imagine the colors, the sounds, and the aromas.

  “Imagine now that you were holding the object you have in front of you when you experienced that emotion. Think of going home after that event and looking at the object. From now on that object should remind you of that emotional event every time you look at it or hold it.

  “This time, carefully touch your object, imagining the rush of emotions and memories flooding your body as you think back to the event. Keep repeating this until you get a genuine reaction from the object.”

  I thought back to my time in middle school when Brad confronted me. The fear, the anger, and the pain associated with that moment was a perfect event to think of for this exercise. I imagined lying in the hospital bed tightly holding the handkerchief in my hand after I had awoken from being knocked unconscious with Anika next to me.

  Suddenly, my body was flooded with powerful emotions. These, though, were not from my memory. They were someone else’s. I could feel the emotions of another person, an older man in his forties. Images of his experience intruded my thoughts. The handkerchief had belonged to a man who was a former member of the Echo Club.

  He had known about Everville and had been placed in a similar position where he needed to stop the progress of the darkness from The Other In Between. He was confident and perhaps a little arrogant. He believed that he could easily defeat the forces of Them. The situation he faced was not as serious as the current predicament, but the threat was just as real.

  His emotions were from a specific moment where he willed himself from this world to Everville. There was no dream, vision, or memory. He physically transported himself by sheer willpower alone.

  He had perfected his ability to perceive the connection between worlds through objects. The objects themselves served only as conduits of energy and power. It was the person perceiving that power who could channel the energy for good or bad. One could magnify or lessen that energy depending on whether it was good or evil. I could also sense that it was the emotions, beliefs, and desire that were the key to utilizing that power. It didn’t matter whether the person’s thoughts were good or evil, only that they had a mastery over them. It did matter, however, as to whether that power would ultimately be successful in achieving the desired outcome.

  EVERVILLE CHAPTER 19

  UNDERSTANDING

  Adrenaline pulsed through my veins. My body was invigorated by the sense of clarity achieved with the revelation of the connection between one’s will and the power of certain special objects. I didn’t understand all of the pieces just yet, but they were starting to fall into place like a puzzle just before it starts to get easy to complete.

  I was not under any illusion, though, that defeating Them would be an easy task. The words of Cleophas and The Keeper regarding one’s motivations and choices offered a reason for caution and reflection, not to mention the fact that I still did not understand why the breach occurred or how Them were able to make more progress than in past incursions. I needed to know that in order to be able to have some idea of what needed to be done to stop Them. Once I uncovered that, then I should be able to move on to the more important task of figuring out exactly how to accomplish what needed be done.

  It was getting rather late, but it felt as if I had just drunk several cups of coffee and glasses of caffeinated soda. I could not focus on school or my practice, but the day’s events had drawn my attention back to Everville.

  My thoughts returned to when The Keeper was at the feast as a young Fron. Instantly, I found myself back in Everville. My body was still in my dorm room, but my mind had been transported to The Keeper’s Workshop. It wasn’t clear whether I had willed it o
r whether The Keeper had taken me back, but he sensed it was time for me to have a better understanding of what I would be up against.

  The Keeper opened a door that revealed a large spiral staircase. The Keeper’s Workshop had special properties, and each region of The Keeper’s Workshop had a unique purpose that made it easier to connect with places here and there or times now and again.

  We walked up to the top of the staircase and looked out into the vast expanse. At first, there was only blackness. Then, The Keeper used his thoughts to summon a vision of The Other In Between and the realm of the eight worlds that surrounded it.

  I realized this was the first time that The Keeper did not use the learner device. He sensed my thoughts.

  “We all have our own limitations that we set for ourselves. Those preoccupied with only what is easily apparent sometimes need a little help to bridge the gap between belief and reality.”

  The Keeper then showed me the darkness that had nearly taken over the eight realms. They were the dark realms that are not completely controlled by Them, but border The Other In Between. Beyond the eight realms was a vast expanse of time and space, but they were connected to Everville and its corresponding parts.

  The incursion had spread across the vast expanse and now began reaching the eight lands of Everville that surrounded its center above ground. These lands were in the domain of Everville, but had a connection to one of the eight border worlds that surrounded The Other In Between. The Deep Woods had a connection to the Dark Forest and each of the other lands in Everville had its own connection to one of the eight border worlds.

  If one were to imagine the Earth and the universe as we know it, it would be somewhere in the center of a massive sphere. Everville and The Other In Between were on opposite sides of the outside of that sphere with endless unknown lands separating them. Everville had its center with eight lands above it. The Other In Between was on the other side above the surface with eight much larger worlds surrounding it, but separated from The Other In Between by a vast border expanse.