Chapter 2
Ryan had researched for a week on the sages. Most of what
he found was in the old history books and children’s stories. His eyes were
sore from the constant reading, and his mind was just as tired. He ran a hand
across his eyes to give them a light reprieve. How long has it been since he
slept? Ryan had lost track. He knew that today was his last day. If he didn’t
come up with an answer soon, he would be late. And that would be the end of all
his hard work and planning. “’Find the truth?’ How am I to study something from
five hundred years ago?” He put his head down in the book and sighed. “At
sunset I need to depart.” He took a deep breath and pulled out another book
from his stack. “No rest for the weary, I suppose.”
As he thumbed through another stack of books, the pain in
his eyes grew worse. Finally, Ryan was forced to leave the books and go for a
walk. He hoped the sunlight would help his mind too. He took the steps up to
the temple gardens. Ryan was mulling over what he had studied and accidentally
collided with a noblewoman. She let out a startled yelp and clutched her hands
to her chest. Ryan took a step back and fell over into the fountain. A mighty
splash of water soaked both of them. “Forgive me, milady.” Ryan stood and waded
out of the fountain. After the intial shock, she composed herself. “I’m sorry
as well. Did you get hurt?”
“No, I am unharmed. But you are absolutely soaked.” The
girl giggled. “Well, so are you.” He chuckled at that and wrung out his coat.
“Well…o, wait! I have an idea. Stand still a moment.” Ryan brushed his hair
away and focused on his magic. The focus on the base of neck began to glow a deep
blue. “So, a mage?”
“Of course, milady. My father told me all noble children
get magical training.” The girl smiled. “True. They do, don’t they.” Ryan held
out his hands and syphoned all the water out of both their clothes. He then let
it sprinkle over the flowers. It left a rainbow across the terrace. “How
lovely! You must be quite the mage, milord.” Ryan shrugged. “Not quite. I just
started learning.”
“That is amazing what you did though. My name is Elaine.
Elaine Regale.”
“I am Ryan Seldr. It is a pleasure to make your
acquaintance, lady Regale.” She curtsied after Ryan bowed. “The pleasure is all
mine, lord Ryan. Edmund Seldr has raised a fine gent. My father will be
astonished.” Ryan smiled. Lord Regale was head of the Emperors Royal Guards. As
such, he had power in both the senate and the royal court. Had this encounter
gone otherwise, everything Ryan’s family owned would be naught but ash within
an hour. Ryan was calm on the outside, but a complete mess on the inside. Every
last outcome of this encounter played in his head. Not many of them were good.
“What brings you here, lord Ryan?” She spoke softly, but
still with the confidence that only noblewoman possessed. He sighed and looked
towards the garden. “I am researching the Sages. The olds ones, from the
legends.”
“Really? I would never have taken you for a scholar.”
Ryan nodded meekly. “It was recently that I made the decision.” Elaine giggled
again. “Well, at least you are honest. What have you found so far?” Ryan sighed
again and rubbed his eyes. “Absolutely nothing. Most histories are conflicting
and the children’s tales only tell of their battle against the Great Calamity.
That’s it. No engravings, no hidden books, no journals: just fairytales and
mixed reports.” Elaine motioned towards a bench. The two of them sat on
opposite ends. The separation would imply to a passerby that there were no
romantic intentions between them. Rumors spread like wildfire within the
capital city. “Well, lord Ryan, if I may?”
“Certainly, milady.”
“It seems that you have your answer.”
“Pardon?” She smiled and smoothed her dress. “Children
are the most moldable of minds. Should they read a story, it will soon be told
to them that it is false so that they do not go on believing in pixies and
werewolves. Also, I believe that an amount of faith is required for any
endeavor. It may be the wrong choice, but all the fairytales match, right?”
“Yes…”
“And all the histories conflict?”
“Yes.”
“Then it seems that you must take what you have learned
by faith. After all, what is the worst that can happen?” Ryan thought to reply
that he could lose his chance to study with Logan. Instead he found himself
thanking the girl. He resigned to these three simple facts: she was right, he
was out of time, and he was too tired to go back to studying. “If you will
excuse me, lady Regale, I must be off. I must go and find my tutor before
sunset.” He stood and bowed. She remained seated, but nodded towards him. “Lord
Ryan, I wish you luck. May the gentle breeze soothe you on this quest.” Ryan
smiled and turned to leave.
The girl sat on the bench and clenched her fists. Very
unladylike, but shows of anger frequented her. “That boy.” She smiled. Not a
polite, courtly smile. This was a vicious and lustful smile. “So kind. So
polite. So…innocent.” She unclenched her fists and began to wring her hands.
“And so young too. A powerful mage, a dedicated scholar, and a right
gentleman.” She let out an evil laugh. “Father must know of this at once.” An
elderly man stepped from the shadows. He held a glass of water in one hand and
a silver platter of fruit in the other. Following him was a young child, no
older than ten, who carried a small bowl for the lady’s jewelry.
“Milady; I believe it is time for us to be off.”
“Yes Winston, I believe it is.” She reached up and pulled
out her earrings and unclasped her necklace. “He didn’t even notice them. He
did not even once comment.” Winston shrugged. “’Tis nothing we can do, milady.
He seemed rather attentive though. He hung on every syllable.” The boy nodded.
“Yes milady. He did, that he did. He couldn’t take his eyes away from yours.”
She crouched down to be level with the boy. She put the jewels in the bowl and
smiled at him. “I noticed that too, Ice.” Winston coughed and lowered the fruit
to Elaine. “Your father has been informed both on Lord Mavericks…disappearance,
as well as the arrival of this Lord Ryan. Seldr has been a thorn in the
master’s side for some time now. Hopefully this will give him reason to remove
it.”
“Good. Thank you, Winston. And my dresses?”
“Ah yes…” Winston pulled out a slip of paper after
handing the glass to Ice. “It seems that the tailor could not mend the green
one.” Elaine pouted. “The red one has been fixed, but the sleeves had to be
removed.” She seemed fine with that remark. “What of the white one, Winston?”
“Most of the blood has come out. There are a few pesky
stains from the Maverick boy, but it should be taken out in a bit. We have a
mage coming in to do it. No questions will be asked, and no report would be filed.
The dress should be cleaned in about three days.” She nodded and stood. “Well
then, we should be off. Father will want to see me.” She glanced over her
shoulder and sighed longingly. “O Ryan…my sweet, sweet Ryan.” She lifted the
hem of her dress and hurried off to meet her father.
*****
Ryan raced towards the meeting place. Gobehyz sat
watching the sun. He sat at the foot of what looked like a small shrine. It
sounded more glorious when Logan talked about it. It had a quaint feel. It was
a place of peace. A place of prayer. Ryan calmed himself with a breath.
“Gobehyz?” Logan motioned next to him. Ryan sat and watched the sun. “Have you
found the truth, Tolel?” Ryan nodded slowly. “I have.” Logan nodded as well but
prodded no further. “I hope you learned the true lesson, Ryan.” He turned to
look at him.
“I gave you a task you could not complete. You see, I
have the only book that has an accurate account.” He handed Ryan a small black
book. “This is second book in a pair. Inside is the truth about the sages.”
“Then, why did you ask me to…?” Gobehyz smiled. “What did
you do when the despair set in? What did you do when your mind and body began
to fail you?” Ryan nodded, understanding. “I sought to relax and unwind. I
sought someone to converse with. This was to teach me not to bear my burdens
alone, correct?”
“Yes. That, and to find time to rest. You may have a lot
of responsibilities, but knowing your limits is essential. Should you be
pushing the limits in times of peace, it will cripple you in times of
distress.” Ryan understood and reclined back on the steps. “Now that you
mention it, I haven’t slept in a week.” Gobehyz laughed. He stood and lifted a
travel bag over his shoulder. “You did well to find me, Tolel. Now then,” He
opened a map, “Our next meeting point is going to be difficult to get to. I
shall await you in Daylon, most likely in Zander’s Cove. I shall remain in
Daylon for a year using the cove as my base. Shall I expect you there?”
“Certainly.” Gobehyz gave a troubled smile. “So be it. I
expect you to read the book I’ve given you. We will discuss that the next time
we meet.” Ryan nodded and opened the front cover. The leather bent with ease.
It felt soft and well worn. “Tolel.” There was a sense of urgency in his voice.
“Not all is what it seems. That book…it has driven many to the point of
insanity.” Ryan looked at him. “That is why it was split into three pieces. One
was given to me, long, long ago. The other was given to the royal family of
Col. The other, laid to rest in a demon forge.” Ryan sat up and glanced down at
the pages of the book. “It is important that you never ever lose that book.
Keep it safe, guard it with your life.”
“How can you trust me with something so valuable,
Gobehyz?”
“While the truth is important, some of it is best left
forgotten. Only when the time is right should such ugly truths resurface.”
Logan left after giving that warning. Ryan stared fearfully at the book before
him. To possess such secrets, what must be sacrificed? Ryan wondered this as he
tucked it inside his breast pocket. He would go home and rest. Then, he would
begin his studies.
*****
Logan walked a good distance from the shrine and sighed.
“Reveal yourself, specter.” There was a moment of silence. Following this, a
strange figure rose from the ground. “I see. So you still live.” There was a
wail of affirmation. The creature stepped forward and removed its mask. A pale
white face met Gobehyz. “It has been far too long, wanderer.” Logan dropped his
sack and faced the siren. “Very well, Plague, what do you want?” Plague laughed
and crouched down. “I was told to take you alive. I am rather hungry though.”
His thin lips parted, revealing a row of long, sharp teeth. His glassy black
eyes followed Logan’s every move.
“Heh…It has been a while since your last bout, has it
not?”
“What if it has?” The siren shot forward. Gobehyz took a
step back and thrust a palm at Plague’s chest. The blow hit, but the monster
kept pushing. Gobehyz did all he could to push back the monster, but to no
avail. It snapped at him with the ferocity of an animal. When Logan flared his
magic, the monster jumped back. It snarled a bit before charging its own magic.
Gobehyz thought for a moment before releasing the charge. “You win. I won’t
fight you.”
“Aw…I wanted a repeat of our last battle.”
“I’ll not fight you for another two hours.” Plague put
his mask back on and put a hand on Gobehyz’ shoulder. “Alright, let us be off.”
Both men melted into the earth and off to the Siren’s home.
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