“Jonnos told me, but he thinks I am the only one who knows.”
Edward smiled, “I tried to give him aid, but was not able to reach him in time. I am glad that Adriell was much faster than I, for what would I do with her then? At this statement, both men laughed.
“It seems then that both of them are suited for each other,” Mason added.
Edward and Mason clasped hands, “It is settled then,” Edward stated. “Let us go and get something to eat!”
After the dukes had left, Edward, Adriell, Lucinda, Master Rollins, Jason, Damara, and Brianna took the bodies of Pi and Sucinord and headed north. They also had the armor of the ancients with them. They headed up the Halfstaff to Brickens’ Falls and entered the mist. They found the ledge against the cliff face and slowly made their way until they were inside the lower secret chamber. They all had been there before except Brianna and Damara who marveled that such a place could exist behind a waterfall. Edward and Jason prepared their wives for the ride to the top of the falls in the moving room. But even though they had prepared them, Damara was visibly shaken as she exited the room at the top of the falls. She soon calmed down as she took in the beauty of the garden that had been the home of Andronicus for so many years. The group made their way to the glass mansion and decided to rest and refresh themselves there. While they were there, Master Rollins asked Jason a scientific question.
“Jason, how would one preserve papers and writings from decay for many years to come?”
Jason thought a moment and then answered, “Come with me into Andronicus’ laboratory and I will explain what will probably be the best method to do as you wish. Why are you interested in such a process anyway?”
Mater Rollins smiled, “I just wish to expand my knowledge about such matters.”
Jason nodded and began to sort through the things left by Andronicus. He found a glass container and some chemicals and began to explain to Master Rollins their use.
“This glass container will keep the elements out, and this chemical agent will preserve the paper put within. But it must be kept out of direct sunlight, for that will break down the chemical agent and the paper will decay from the light that passes through the glass.”
Master Rollins nodded and Jason left to join the others. After he had gone, Master Rollins took from his bag the journals of Master Fields, his mentor, and added his own journal to the stack. He then carefully rolled them up and placed them in the glass container. He added the chemical agent as Jason had explained and sealed the container with the glass lid. He then placed the container in his bag and went out to join the others.
Once everyone was together again, Edward spoke; “It is time for us to take care of our friends as Pi instructed us.”
They gathered up the remains of Pi and Sucinord and headed to the cave where Andronicus’ remains were laid. Once inside the cave they laid the bodies of the androids in a pile along with the triberridum armor and placed the explosive devices that Andronicus had reserved for that purpose around the bodies. Edward linked all the exploding devices together as Pi had shown him before. He set the timers for ten minutes and depressed the button that activated them. He stood for a moment and watched as all of the timers on the exploding devices began to count down together.
“Come,” Edward admonished the others. “We must wait outside of the cave for our safety.” After everyone was out, they moved off to a safe distance to wait for the explosion. When it did come, the intensity was much more than any of them were prepared for. The ground shook and a great blast of dust and gas came out of the cave mouth.
“Someone will have to go in after the dust clears and make sure the destruction is complete,” Edward stated. Master Rollins volunteered to go and the others waited as he entered the cave with his bag. Once inside Master Rollins could see that there was no trace of the androids left. All that remained was a glassy residue that was fused every where to the rock. Master Rollins could still feel the heat, and decided not to touch anything in that part of the cave. Soon he emerged and informed the others that the destruction was complete. Edward, Jason, and Master Rollins, and the others rolled and piled stones to hide the cave mouth. When they were finished, Edward stepped back to view their work. They had tried to make it look as natural as they could, and Edward decided that only a well trained eye could pick out the subtle distinction in the rock about them where the cave mouth had been.
After they had gathered back in the glass mansion, Edward addressed the group.
“There remains yet one task for us to do. We must burn the Hall of Wisdom and the machines and equipment that Andronicus had here.”
Adriell looked at Edward sadly, “Do we really have to destroy this place?”
She said this with such a pleading tone it broke Edward’s heart to answer.
“Yes, there is no other alternative. All of this has to be destroyed.” No one said anything else as they all went outside and gathered wood from the large pile that Andronicus had stacked outside. They piled it into the middle of each room and placed the machines and instruments that Andronicus had on top. Jason found some oil that burned easily and poured it onto the wood in each room. Edward went around the mansion and broke some windows to allow air to enter. They then set the rooms on fire and stood outside watching the Hall of Wisdom burn. The amount of wood they had piled within created so much heat the group had to move a great distance away from the burning structure. They watched for some time in silence until soft crying was heard. It was subdued and it took the others a moment to locate the source. It was King Edward. He lifted his face toward the flames and tears were reflected in his eyes.
“How can we give Pi and Andronicus proper tribute when their whole lives were spent in the service of this kingdom? How would the people of Glenfair ever understand the love that two machines had for them. It is because of this great injustice that my heart is torn. Great deeds should not be forgotten with time. And yet we destroy all evidence that they ever existed. How will others know of their great deeds? This is the reason for the anguish of my heart and my bitter tears.”
At the finishing of Edward’s speech, others wept as well. No more was spoken until the Hall of Wisdom was nothing more than glowing coals.
“It is time to go,” Jason said. “There is nothing left for us here.” When the group of friends had exited the falls and were standing on the banks of the Halfstaff, Edward and Jason took off their signet rings and tossed them into the river. For Edward it was the final severing of his ties to that part of his life. He was almost overcome with tears again as he looked up at the top of the falls and knew he would never go there again.
They had all been told it was a very special occasion. It was a reunion of the king’s family at the king’s castle. When everyone arrived, the king gathered everyone into the great hall. His hair was black and gray, and as he sat viewing all the young people before him, a great satisfaction filled his heart. In a few moments he was joined by Jason Crestlaw, his sister Adriell, and Lucinda. All of their children were gathered before them, some were young adults, others in their teens. When everyone was quiet, the king began to speak:
“We have gathered everyone together to share something very special. With the help of your parents I wish to tell you why Glenfair is special and why God’s favor has shined upon this small kingdom. It all began when my father, King Raven was only a prince....”
Epilogue
OVER 3,000 YEARS INTO THE FUTURE
Blastion Astmos stood looking at the statue of Rebekka Kallestor. He had been head of state for two terms of four years. His life had become meaningful all because of the woman whose likeness stood before him. After his retirement he had taken up archeology as a hobby. His deepest desire was to find some information, or trace of what had become of Rebekka and her daughter Adriell. He missed little Adriell the most. She had called him uncle Blastion with much affection and she was the closest thing to family that he had ever known. In a way he was he
r great, great, great, way down the line uncle, for his brother Uriah was her distant ancestor. The day Ellise had taken them back to their past was a time of mixed emotions for him. He wanted them to be with their family in the past, but he also wanted them to stay here in the future with him. After they had gone he spent all of his spare time looking for any clue in the past that spoke of their fate. Since the restoration of the castle in the middle of the little valley, not much else had been found. Often, Blastion would consider giving up his search, but his need to know what happened to Rebekka and Adriell never waned.
As Blastion stood there looking at the statue, someone yelled at him.
“There you are, we’ve been looking all over for you. We thought you might want to know that the university has found something at the top of the falls. Dr. Groller asked me to bring you up to have a look.”
Blastion smiled at the young archeologist and said, “What are we standing around for, lets go!”
When the flyer touched down at the top of Brickens’ Falls, Blastion was out and moving toward Dr. Groller before anyone else. The young apprentice shook his head. How did this older man move with such agility and smoothness? His grace seemed abnormal for someone his age.
As Blastion approached Dr. Groller he asked, “What have you found?”
“I am not sure, that is why I asked for you to come up here, Blastion. One thing we know, there was a very old structure here at one time. Our tests have indicated it was burned, but that is where the confusion begins. In the remains of the fire we have found traces of modern alloys and ceramics. If I were not mistaken I would say that there were parts of computers and machines in these ashes.”
Dr. Groller was silent as Blastion read through the reports and field lab tests. Finally he looked up at Dr. Groller and said, “I believe you have found what I have been looking for all these years. Your data is correct, but your conclusion is all wrong.”
Dr. Groller rubbed his chin, “Then you do not think the military or some government tech group from a few years ago burned some things they wanted destroyed on this site? It would be the perfect place to hide something during the days of Layton Teal’s empire that he did not want found.”
Blastion shook his head, “Your own statement verifies my hypothesis. This is the perfect place to hide something. I believe the remnants of these machines are those of my brother’s and the rebels that fled back in time from Layton Teal.”
Dr. Groller’s eyes went wide, “That would account for the discrepancy in the tests that show these modern alloys to be very old. It is too bad that there is very little left because of the tremendous heat.”
“What do you mean?” Blastion asked.
“Someone destroyed this place intentionally. There was too much heat for this to be a normal fire. This whole building was probably filled with wood and then burned. Look at the fused glass everywhere on the ground. I am afraid there is little left but the traces we tested. The fire melted everything.”
Blastion was very disappointed. It seemed there were no traces of the past he so desperately wanted to find. He knew the reason why. They had tried to hide any hint of their existence from Layton Teal, and they had done a very thorough job of it. He decided to take a walk since he was there. As he walked along the Halfstaff he came to the cliff face of the mountains that rose higher still from the little plateau. As he was looking and contemplating his mind registered an abnormality. Blastion, like his brother Uriah had been genetically engineered to have heightened senses and reflexes. Now he searched his mind for the piece that was out of place and found the rocks piled against the cliff face. He quickly called for Dr. Groller and explained what he had found. Soon junior archeologists were swarming the cliff face and removing the rocks from the cave opening. As soon as it was cleared, Dr. Groller and Blastion entered. They were soon disappointed that there was nothing in the cave except a glazed appearance of the rock. Instruments were brought in and tests made to reveal traces of modern elements again.
“Someone destroyed things in here as well,” Dr. Groller stated. “We found traces of the ceramic titanium alloy, triberridum in the walls and cave floor.”
Blastion smiled, “This is where the androids were destroyed.”
Dr. Groller frowned, “You seem to make these strange assumptions, Blastion. How do you make these jumps in logic?”
Blastion smiled again, “Queen Rebekka told me much about the past, including the presence of an android. Plus, when Ellise took Queen Rebekka back to the past, her personal android went with her. That means there were two androids in the past. The structural frame of modern androids is composed of triberridum. I will wager that you will find the other trace elements of the androids as well.”
Dr. Groller shook his head, “You astound me, Blastion. We will run the tests as soon as possible.” With that he left the cave quickly in search of his colleagues. Blastion was just about to leave the cave as well when something out of place registered in his mind once again. He closed his eyes and concentrated, searching his memory of the cave until he found it. Looking up in one corner he saw a rock leaning up against the cave wall on a small ledge. He reached up and moved the rock and abruptly dropped it when he saw what lay behind. With trembling hands he gently reached up and took down the glass jar that contained the journals of Master Fields and Master Rollins.
Blastion quickly went outside and examined his find more closely. At that moment Dr. Groller approached.
“Is that something you found in the cave, Blastion?”
“Yes, it was behind a rock on a small ledge.”
Dr. Groller was excited, “Quickly, take it into the portable lab out of the sunlight. If it is something of antiquity, the sunlight will not be good for it.”
Once they were inside the portable lab, Dr. Groller examined the glass container more carefully. With a sigh he shook his head in disappointment.
“The container is not of any design of antiquity, in fact it is only at most fifty years old.” He handed it back to Blastion who was smiling at Dr. Groller.
“What are you smiling about, Blastion?”
“You keep forgetting, Doctor, that the rebels who fled in time took things back with them from this century. It may look like it is not very old, but it could be from thousands of years in the past.”
Dr. Groller almost turned white, “Of course, how foolish of me. We need to test its age immediately.” He yelled for some of his assistants and in a short time were able to determine that the glass jar and its contents had come from the distant past. Blastion and Dr. Groller took the glass container over to a table and set it down.
“Let us see how well this thing is sealed,” Dr. Groller stated. As the seal was turned, an audible hiss in pressure was heard from the container. The unmistakable odor of a chemical preservative was also detectable.
“Amazing,” was all Dr. Groller could utter. Blastion put on some rubber gloves and reached inside the glass container and removed the contents and placed them gently on the table. He then opened the first page of the top journal slowly, trying to determine how brittle the books were. To his, and Dr. Groller’s astonishment, the paper was still flexible. And to their delight the words were that of the language of the people of the past. Still readable, but awkwardly archaic. Blastion could not contain his excitement.
“I need to read these journals,” He sated.
Dr. Groller looked at Blastion seriously and said, “I do not think that a wise thing to do, Blastion. Now that the seal is broken and they are out in our environment they will deteriorate quickly. They need to be placed in a safe environment and slowly studied.”
“That could take years, and I do not have years!” Blastion said emphatically.
Dr. Groller could see how intense Blastion was about the books. He also knew that Blastion had spent most of the last fifteen years looking into the past and searching for just this kind of information. Although Blastion was not an educated archeologist, he had
become the authority on the small valley by his tenacious investigations.
Dr. Groller softened, “Look, Blastion, you know these need to be taken care of right away, but, they are in such good condition being in that dark cave that I believe we can turn the pages once and scan the books before they are sent off to the university. We have the equipment here if you will assist me. Make sure you tell no one that I let you do this.”
Blastion and Dr. Groller set up the scanning equipment and placed the first journal under the scanner and gently turned the pages one at a time. Within an hour all three books had been scanned and they were rushed off to the university and Blastion was handed the data cube that contained the scanned copies. Blastion left immediately and hurried back to his home. Once there he inserted the data cube and began to read the journals. He was so intrigued that he stayed up all night reading. Mid way into the next day he finished the journals and called his friend John Martin.
When John Martin’s face appeared on the view screen Blastion spoke; “John, good to see you again. I have something I want you to look at. I am sending it over to you now.”
John Martin frowned, “What is it you wish me to read?”
Blastion smiled, “A little history is all.”
John Martin shook his head, “I doubt that it is only a little history. Does this have anything to do with Queen Rebekka and Adriell?”
Blastion nodded and signed off. John Martin sat back thinking of the woman who had changed their world. He always wanted to know what had happened to Rebekka and Adriell after they had returned to their own time. All the years that Blastion had searched he hoped Blastion would find something that would let him know that Rebekka and Adriell were all right. Without further hesitation he turned to the screen and called up the information that Blastion had sent him and began to read.
The King's Descendants Page 22
