It took about five minutes to reach the meeting hall. Nate wondered if Jesse was leading them at a slow pace because he dreaded presenting them to the Sentinels or if this was how slowly he always walked. Nate couldn’t understand what the big deal was, but he decided not to give it much thought. He went over the questions in his mind again and again, though he knew he didn’t need to. The questions he had were basic and the answers would mostly come down to a yes or no. He didn’t expect the meeting to take more than just a few minutes. Either they knew how to help him or they didn’t, and if they did, the solution was probably what they had already been told. He just hoped they could point him in the right direction.
Nate wasn’t sure how many turns they made leading up to the meeting hall. He hadn’t been counting, but he figured after about five or so, he would have been thoroughly lost. Still, they eventually found themselves standing in front of a set of wooden double doors where there was another set of guards, pikes and all.
Jesse looked at one of them and told the guard that he was there to present the group to the Sentinels. The guard nodded at him silently and both guards reached for the handles and opened the doors wide for them to enter. Jesse turned and motioned for them to follow.
This room was nothing like the corridors in the rest of the keep. It was vast and open, with candles shining in various places to provide sufficient light, though none of them were needed at this hour. On the far wall opposite of the doors was one giant window that stretched from the floor to the ceiling and from one end of the wall to the other. In front of the window were five large wooden podiums, behind which sat five individuals like judges in front of a courtroom. Each of them looked up when the party came through and Nate immediately felt a surge of anxiety as his group stepped into the room.
These were the five Sentinels. From the left there was a wood elf, a dwarf, another wood elf, a human, and another human, the last one being the only woman out of the five. Then to the far right of the Sentinels was another woman. She was younger than the rest, probably no older than Jesse who stood in front of them, holding his hands together nervously.
Each of the Sentinels wore thick woolen cloaks, their cowls hung loosely about their shoulders and back. None of them wore smiles on their faces. Nate couldn’t tell if they seemed more annoyed or concerned about this unexpected meeting. Whatever the case, Nate would be sure to make this short and sweet with the least amount of trouble. Nate had gotten on the bad side of some rough people before, but he was certain he didn’t want to make enemies with the Sentinels.
Nate watched Jesse as he stepped in front and bowed low to the people sitting. “Sentinels,” he said. He turned toward the girl at the end and bowed a second time. “Elise. I have come before you today to present a group who has traveled far to seek you out. I met them yesterday while in Bathevar.” He looked at the group. “Everyone, these are the Sentinels.” He motioned from left to right. “This is Sentinel Jandar, 456 years. Sentinel Hoccar, 773 years. Sentinel Laegren, 98 years. Sentinel Kellen, 648 years. And Sentinel Gwen, 935 years.” He then motioned to the last person on the right. “And this is Sentinel-in-training, Elise. She is studying under Sentinel Gwen as a replacement Sentinel when her thousand years has ended.” Jesse swallowed and wiped his forehead. “And this…”
Noticing Jesse’s struggle, Nate stepped forward. “My name is Nathaniel Cole,” he said with a grin. Then he shrugged. “Almost thirty-one years.”
Alban looked at Nate sharply and shook his head. Finally he stepped forward. “My name is Alban Lang. This is my daughter, Rachel, and of course this is Marum.”
Nate watched the Sentinels. They were about as cheerless as a funeral. None of them seemed too interested in the group, their dull eyes barely on the uninvited guests—all but for the last Sentinel on the far right. Gwen. While the others seemed to look on the group from face to face, person to person, Gwen kept her focus on Nate. Her eyes were wide, almost as if she was afraid or terrified of him, but also like she was studying him. In a way, she seemed to be looking at him like she recognized him somehow.
Nate held her gaze, but only for a few seconds. He wasn’t usually intimidated by a stare, but this unnerved him a bit. He looked away from her and at the ground in front of him. He thought about Jesse’s words. She was Gwen, 935 years. He supposed that meant she’d been a Sentinel for 935 years, so she was coming up on the end of her time. More than 935 years in this world and she didn’t look any older than Nate. But at the moment, none of that bothered him. What bothered him was the way she stared. The way she seemed nervous by him. Nate tried to keep his eyes set ahead, but he wasn’t sure he’d be able to concentrate.
The man sitting at the center podium was Kellen. He had long black hair pulled back into a ponytail, his beard cropped short and thin. He had an almost devilish look about him. He looked older than Nate, maybe in his forties, though Nate knew he was more than 600 years old. The thought baffled Nate. He wondered if any of these people were sane after living for so long.
“Marum,” Kellen said. “Please step forward.”
“I would like to speak on her behalf, Sentinel Kellen,” Alban said, stepping forward.
Kellen’s dark brow furrowed. “Why can’t she speak for herself?”
“I can speak for myself,” Marum said. “And I should tell you there has been a mistake.”
“Marum,” Alban pleaded.
But she ignored him. “Jesse here was under the assumption that this meeting was about me, but it isn’t. We have come to the Sentinels to discuss a matter that has nothing to do with me.”
The Sentinels looked at each other, all except Gwen, whose stare moved from Nate to the podium in front of her, her eyes still wide.
“Then what is this about?” Hoccar, the dwarf said.
“If I may speak,” Alban said. “Marum doesn’t think we should bother you with—”
“No, Alban,” Marum said. She shook her head at him. The man wanted to say more, but he simply watched Marum, disappointed and saddened.
“It is within our good graces that we allowed this meeting,” Kellen said. “Normally we wouldn’t entertain uninvited guests, but Jesse was insistent, and Marum is an important figure in these times. Please…get to the point.”
Nate had about all he could stand of this. He shook his head and stepped forward. “We came here because of me,” he said. “None of ya’ll know who I am. You don’t know my story. But if you take a minute to listen, you might be able to help me.”
Nate recounted the events of the last month. He told them about how Tyler Montgomery had hired him to obtain a book. He left out the part about it being in a bank and that he was an outlaw, but that part didn’t matter, he decided. He told them about how he’d gone into the book as well as his brother before him.
The Sentinels listened to Nate in silence, perhaps in wonder, as he told them about waking in a cell next to Marum and how he helped her escape. Cara was a more intriguing part of the story.
“She told me to come to you because you would have the answers,” Nate finished. “So, here we are.”
The room was silent for almost a full minute. Each of the Sentinels seemed deep in thought about Nate’s story. Jesse seemed confused by it considering he’d thought this whole meeting had been about Marum.
Finally, Kellen spoke. “So, what do you want us to do with this information?”
“I need to get back home,” he said. “And I don’t know how.”
“Well, clearly the only way back home is through the books,” Kellen answered.
“Is there not another way?” To Nate’s surprise, it was Rachel who spoke this time. “Going through the books is not only dangerous for Nathaniel, but it’s dangerous for all of us. All of Galamore.”
“She’s right,” Jandar said.
“There’s no other way that I know of,” Laegren said, looking at the others. A couple of them responded with head shakes. “The only way a Sojourner can get back to his world is through the bo
oks.”
“Or so we know,” Hoccar said. “Since no one has done it, how can we really know?”
“Only the Author knows,” Kellen said.
“Well,” Nate answered, “I’m a resilient fella. I ain’t afraid to go into some book and get whatever relic key I need.”
“What you’re proposing is that you become the Keeper of the books,” Kellen said, scratching at his thin beard.
“Unless there is another way,” Nate said.
“But the books are lost,” Kellen said. “I will be honest. The Sentinels know where The Book of Life is located, for we hid it away ourselves.”
“It’s here?” Nate asked, too eagerly.
“No,” Kellen said, “it’s hidden.” The man had an intensity in his eyes that unnerved Nate. Kellen seemed agitated. Like he was ready for this meeting to be finished before it even started. “But that’s not to say we know anything of the whereabouts of The Book of Time, or The Book of Death. So, even if we allowed you to access to The Book of Life, it would do you no good.”
“Not to mention,” the dwarf, Hoccar said, “no one has gone into the book and returned. We’d be sending you to your grave.”
“That’s for me to worry about,” Nate said.
“No, it isn’t,” Kellen answered. “For if you were to come back, relic key in hand, then you would seek the other two books. If you have the ability to survive the first book, what is to stop you from surviving the second and the third?”
“But that’s the whole point.”
“I can’t say I would want a man of your type to be the one to write the ending to The Book of Galamore.” Kellen said this with a near snarl on his lips
Nate could feel his cheeks getting hot. He didn’t like this Kellen one bit. “And what is that supposed to mean?”
“It means we’re here to keep Galamore together, not let it fall to ruin because you want to go back home.”
This meeting wasn’t going at all as Nate had expected. He looked back at his companions for a moment only to find stunned looks on their faces as well. Was their long journey really going to end like this? To be turned away like it was nothing?
“Listen,” Nate said, “I can write a good ending. An ambiguous ending.” He shook his head. “I’ll write whatever you want, I just need to get home.”
“And that’s it, right there,” Kellen said. “You’re showing that you’re exactly the person who should not be the Keeper. The Keeper of the books needs to be someone who loves this world and wants the best for it. He will be wise beyond his years. He will be in tune with the Author. He will not be some man looking for an easy way back to his home.”
“You don’t know who it will be, Kellen.” All heads snapped toward Gwen. She stared at Kellen who scowled at her. “I know you are referring to the ancient poem when you talk of the Keeper, but you forget, it’s just a poem.”
“It’s a prophecy,” Kellen said.
“If it’s a prophecy then it is a weak one,” Gwen answered. “There are no certainties that can be claimed from it. There is no text to tell us what will happen and what won’t happen. There are only theories.”
“Yes, Gwen believes the Keeper can be anyone,” Kellen said. “A frightening prospect.”
“So, what do you want me to do?” Nate asked.
“Make a life for yourself, Mr. Cole,” Kellen said. “There is no other option.”
“That’s it then?” Nate said. “We’re finished?”
“We’re finished,” Kellen answered.
“What about my brother? Joseph Cole? Have you heard the name Tyler Montgomery?”
The Sentinels were silent and finally Kellen shook his head. “I am sorry to tell you that your trip was a waste of time. This is why we encourage people to send a request by post. You want to avoid long journeys with disappointing results.”
Nate didn’t even notice his hands clenched into fists until Alban set a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s go, Nate,” he whispered.
“Wait,” Sentinel Gwen said. “I need to speak to the Sentinels alone.” She looked at Nate and the others. “None of you leave the keep until you’re summoned.”
Everyone in the room watched her in silence, curious about her intentions. But she simply nodded toward Jesse, his cue to take the others back to their rooms to wait.
Before leaving the room, Nate’s eyes locked with Gwen’s and the two stood waiting for just a second. Nate wished he could understand the look she gave him. He wished he could stay for whatever she was about to discuss with the other Sentinels.
Kellen sought to destroy whatever hope Nate had. But this woman seemed to be the only chance for Nate to get back home.
Gwen
Winter, 903 A.O.M.
Gwen stood in the middle of the meeting hall, a spot usually reserved for those wishing to make a case to the Sentinels. The remaining four Sentinels stared at her, waiting for her to explain why she had just asked Nate and the others to leave the room.
She felt the pressure. Even Elise seemed confused. She had every right to be. Gwen had never told her the full truth. She had never told anyone the full truth. To them, Nathaniel Cole was just another person. To Gwen, he was the Keeper of the books.
She wouldn’t have forgotten him. Even after all these years. She couldn’t have.
How quickly almost a millennium had passed. Still, she had not forgotten his face. She had not forgotten his voice. The memories threatened to overwhelm her. She was struck with a sense of terror, but at the same time a sense of longing—for the days of old when things were more simple. It was more dangerous in those days, but she had been younger. A lot younger.
Gwen glanced at Elise. Compared to the ages of all those in the meeting hall, Elise was hardly more than a child, though not so much younger-looking than the rest. Gwen wondered if what she was about to say would trouble the girl. She would speak of a magic none of them would understand. She should have known this day was coming. The day she met Elise, Gwen knew this day would come, though it had never felt real until Nathaniel Cole walked in.
She breathed in heavily through her nose and closed her eyes briefly to gather her sporadic thoughts—placing them neatly in a mental basket to create order within her chaotic mind.
When she opened them, she faced Hoccar, Laegren, Jandar, and Kellen. Each of them provided his own expression in varying degrees of confusion, though Kellen seemed angry.
“Care to explain what this is about?” Kellen said. His hands were clasped together in front of him, his fingers intertwined tightly. “Why did you dismiss our guests when I was just about to ask them to leave the keep?”
“Because they shouldn’t leave,” Gwen said.
“But we can’t help them,” Hoccar said.
“You’re wrong. In fact we must help them.” The others watched her, no doubt wondering why she was acting so strangely.
“I do hope you have a good reason to say this,” Kellen said. “As senior member of the Sentinels you deserve the benefit of the doubt, of course. Still…” he shook his head. “Helping him would be sending the man to his death. And if he succeeds, we have a much worse problem on our hands.”
“I understand why you feel that way, Kellen. All of you. But now I have to share information that I’ve withheld from you for many years.” Gwen let the statement stand in the moment, reaching into that mental basket for the first item to display to the others. She didn’t miss that Hoccar and Jandar both shifted in their seats. Laegren and Kellen remained still, waiting. Watching.
“I was there at the turn of the age,” Gwen said. “Out of the five current Sentinels, I was the only one there.”
“Of course,” Hoccar said with a smile. “You are our senior member.”
“Yes,” Gwen said. “From your history, you will recall, as most can, that the one who brought us out of the Age of Dragons and into the Age of Man was Lord Winterlyn.”
“Common knowledge,” Kellen said, “what’s the point?”
�
�That point is that Lord Winterlyn stood before you just moments ago,” Gwen said. “Nathaniel Cole is that man, though he doesn’t know it yet.”
Three of the Sentinels exchanged glances, but only Kellen sat unmoving, studying Gwen with thin, distrusting eyes.
“How could he not know?” Jandar asked.
Gwen breathed heavily again, not out of annoyance, but to allow herself a moment to concentrate. She knew the information she carried was heavy, and perhaps too difficult to believe. But it was the truth.
“He doesn’t know because he hasn’t become Lord Winterlyn yet,” Gwen said. “Lord Winterlyn came to us 903 years ago and helped us win the Great Dragon War. But he was not a man of that time. Not even a man of this world. He was of a different world, and from the future.”
“I fail to see what you’re getting at,” Kellen said.
“Lord Winterlyn came to us in the year 1137 in the Age of Dragons. But he came to us by way of The Book of Time. The journey of his miraculous appearing back then starts here, today.”
“But there is no record of Lord Winterlyn saying this,” Hoccar said. “No written accounts. Nothing.”
“I know, but—”
“And,” Kellen interrupted, “you cannot forget that Lord Winterlyn even prophesied of his second coming.”
“A day I have waited in anticipation,” Gwen said.
“But if he declared he would come back,” Jandar said, “then he would know it when he was here again.”
Gwen shook her head. “The second coming he was referring to was actually his first. Nathaniel Cole has already done those things in history, but he hasn’t done it yet. In this age, he has yet to find The Book of Time and go back to the Age of Dragons.”
“This makes no sense,” Kellen said.
“I know it’s hard to conceive of, but it’s true.”
“According to you. But we can’t just go on your word, can we?”
“Didn’t you say I deserve the benefit of the doubt?” she said, raising an eyebrow at Kellen.
The Outlaw's Quest (Keeper of the Books, Book 2) Page 7
