The Elderine Stone (20 page)

Glass cabinets were plotted around the room with a large desk sitting at the side with a wooden chair. The cabinets contained a host of many strange looking objects, strange models of creatures, scrolls, and dusty books, large and small stones of varying colours, a cube of red glass imprisoning a large eye, that seemed to watch Emily as she walked around the room, In one of the cabinets Emily saw something that made her heart slow, and her blood turn cold, skulls and bones.

Nothing in the room pointed Master Talathin out as being on a darker side, but it did show that he did have a darker side, a side that he had hidden from Emily, her family and perhaps many other people. Emily continued to look around. She didn’t want to miss anything, perhaps if nothing else she would be able to find a clue that will help with their quest. Deep down Emily had other reasons to find the truth, she wanted to be proved wrong, her trust in her grandfather was what she built her life upon, she didn’t care for The New Order that her grandfather was such a huge part of, in fact if anything the New Order may have caused him to become the twisted man that she feared she would find him to be.

Sitting on the desk was a strange object it looked like a mirror, but it showed no reflection, the surface appeared as a slivery liquid that swirled when Emily passed her hand across. She felt the need to touch it, she felt drawn in by it, as if it was communicating with her. The mere touching of this creation would open new doors of understanding. Her hand was so close. She felt the icy surface chilling her palm.

Knock knock

Emily heard someone knocking at the door, she couldn’t let Jason or Sherbit see what lay down here, she couldn’t let anyone know, she didn’t want to know herself.

Emily ran up the stairs the room behind her faded into the darkness as the torches lit the path up the twisting staircase towards the door.

“
Hey Emily.” Jason said as Emily opened the door “Sherbit isn’t around anywhere, maybe he came to his senses and headed off on his own, at least one of us had a bit of sense, but I guess we should probably make a move too.”

“
Yeah, I was just checking on something, but we can go now, I’ll just get some food together and we can set off. Maybe we should leave a note for Sherbit, just in case he does decide to come along with us.”

“
That sounds good to me.”

Emily led the way back into the house underneath the tree. She grabbed a quill and a piece of yellowed parchment from a side table in the hall, and continued to walk into the kitchen. She began to write:

Sherbit,

Where have you been? I’m guessing you are reading this now as you have realised that you would do better coming along with us. Well we have headed towards the Hardyhan Bridge. It’s just a little north, just follow the path.

Oh and I Left some food here beside the letter, but I’m guessing you will have already devoured that by now. Typical.

Emily and Jason

“
That should do it” Emily said as she folded the letter and scribbled Sherbit in big letter across the centre. “I’ll leave some food beside it, that should at least attract Sherbit’s attention if he does come looking for us.”

Jason laughed “That is purely typical of Sherbit, where there is food he will go.”

“
So true, perhaps we should make a trail of crumbs for him to follow?”

They both laughed and set off out the door towards Hardyhan Bridge.

Devon was the first to awaken from his sleep
. It had been a new experience for him, being used to the comfortable environment of the royal palace in Haspar, but nonetheless he still managed to have a good sleep, and felt completely refreshed ready to tackle anything that might get in his way. But of course now that he was up, it was only fair that Grimble should be awake too.

Reaching for a stick that was lying close to where Devon had slept he grabbed it and hit Grimble a few times to stir him from his slumber. At first it seemed like a losing battle as Grimble didn’t even make a slight movement, he was obviously a heavy sleeper. Though with a few more whacks with the stick and with more force that almost caused the sturdy stick to snap into several pieces, Grimble woke with a snort.

“What? No I don’t want to fetch the water…” Grimble said, as if entering the real world from the exit of another.

“
Quiet you fool, you were dreaming.”

“
Oh okay” Grimble said and suddenly fell back to sleep.

“
Why did I bring you with me?” Devon questioned in anger as he slapped Grimble again completely waking him up from his second slumber. “Stay awake this time. Remember why we are here.”

Devon pulled himself up, and then walked over to where Grimble had thrown the bag containing Sherbit the night before. The bag was still puffed out and was gently rising and falling.

Devon smiled wickedly as he picked up the small bag and threw it over his shoulder, holding onto the tied draw cord waking its contents.

“
I think I heard the other two leaving a few minutes ago, which means we can go and explore the house, maybe grab something to eat, although I don’t suspect it to be of any quality, but pauper food will have to do”

Grimble slowly eased up sliding his back up against the wall, keeping an eye on the sack, he still thought Sherbit could make a tasty meal, but if there was food to be found in Emily’s house that would certainly do instead.

Devon stopped outside the front door of Emily’s house, and cautiously looked around, being caught now would most certainly ruin Devon’s plans, he wanted to sneak up at the last moment and claim the victory, and of course this would save him from actually having to fight the Dark Lady, something he’d prefer not to do.

Pulling the sack from behind his shoulder, Devon loosened the draw cords and looked inside, to see a nervous big eyed imp looking up.

“
Where have they gone? You should probably tell me before I let Grimble eat you!”

At the sound of that Grimble began to bounce up and down with excitement, Devon turned round quickly scolded Grimble in a somewhat angry whisper “Stop it you fool you’re not going to eat him!” Devon turned his attention back to the small creature in the bag.

“Well?”

“I-I-I don’t know” Sherbit replied sounding very sheepish indeed.

“Of course you now, do you take me for a fool?”

“No, I swear I know nothing” Sherbit continued to cower within the bag shielding his head.

“
Useless” Devon puffed as he quickly drew the cords again sealing Sherbit within the bag. “Well at least we still know they are heading north, we will just have to head that way and hope to get there in time, let’s grab some food out of her kitchen.”

Grimble watched with his mouth dropped, he had expected Devon to throw the small creature over to him, to feast upon.

Grimble wasn’t a cruel creature. It wasn’t even that he normally went about eating living things. It was more a case that he didn’t have the sense of what was food and what was something that shouldn’t be eaten. Having lived in the palace with Devon he never had to worry about determining the difference. He was a strange creature at that, fierce looking, but soft at heart really, his stomach just did more thinking than his brain did.

Devon walked into the hall of the house within the tree, he didn’t care to look around at anything, though he did smirk and grunt a noise to show some interest at a collection of the objects Emily’s parents had collected that were associated with the Order of Elderine. Walking straight into the kitchen Devon dropped the bag onto the table almost right on top of the note that Emily and Jason had left for Sherbet moments earlier. Devon more interested in the search for substantial food missed the small pile which Emily had put together for their small missing friend. Devon being clueless continued searching the cupboards.

Grimble followed in behind and began to search the work benches for any sign of food, it wasn’t long before he caught the sight of the bag again and began to walk closer to the unsuspecting victim that lay within.

“Why can’t I leave you for one moment? You are always after that thing, leave him be!” Devon scolded as he hung from one of the cupboard doors with one foot just reaching the stool that sat on the floor, “Wait one moment,” Devon exclaimed sounding very methodical “What’s that sitting beside the bag?”

Immediately Grimble picked up a piece of the food that was sitting on a small plate and showed it to Devon.

“
No, no, that piece of parchment, Give it here!”

Grimble passed the yellowed parchment to Devon who quickly snatched it off him, and began to read into himself stressing some of the key points.

“
Ah so they plan to cross the Hardyhan Bridge, don’t they know of what lies there, they must be fools. But something that we can take to our advantage, if they do manage to get past the creature that awaits them there, they will be slowed down at least, which will give us enough time to prepare for them arriving at the ruins. Come Grimble let’s go.”

Grimble quickly stuffed the items of food on the table into his mouth, chewing rapidly and swallowing large amounts with each gulp. Devon walked down the narrow hall and out into the open.

“
We will head through the Elderine Forest, it might take a little longer, but it won’t be anything compared to what those two will face.” Devon laughed as he began to walk in the direction of the Elderine Forest.

The path north to the HardyHan Bridge was nothing but a track of dirt. By the look of things it had been months or perhaps even years since it had last been tread. The path had been worn into the ground many years ago when the city in the Mingus Mountains was thriving, now though as much like the city, the track looked unused, and defunct. The Elderine Forest ran adjacent to the track. Strange hoots could be heard from what must have been birds from amongst the branches of the towering trees, often attracting the attention of the young friends. It was early morning, and the sun was almost at its highest point.

Jason walked flanking Emily. It was times like these that Jason really felt like he had some time to himself. He had the company of Emily, which he greatly enjoyed but he also had time to think, which was much easier now that Sherbit wasn’t there to constantly distract him. He could concentrate. Concentrate on what he had to do. Though as much as he tried, he couldn’t work out a plan, he didn’t know how he was going to battle the darkness in the north that people feared or reverted into believing in an aspirant religion that was based on false ideologies, if anything.

His thoughts kept leaping back to that lady in Haspar. Her voice was so gentle, perhaps even motherly. Her emotions were hidden from sight but yet so clear. Jason knew deep down that if anyone apart from Emily was of a kind nature in this land it would be that strange lady. She had been the only person that Jason had seen in this world who had taken an interest in him for a positive and caring reason, apart from Emily of course. That lady was different, he knew it. He just couldn’t put his finger on why.

As they walked in silence, Jason re-acted the scene in his mind, to see if he could remember anything peculiar about that day, about that lady. He remembered the time he was standing outside the library and felt as if someone was watching him. Perhaps it was her, but if it was, why didn’t she follow them into the library. He couldn’t think.

“
Emily, I have something on my mind.”

“Um hmm?” She murmured looking rather concerned in Jason’s direction “What is it?”

“
It’s that Lady, you know, the one we met in Haspar, in the alley? I can’t get her out of my head. I know she has some part to play. And when I think about it, I remember sensing that someone was watching us go into the library”

“
You think it was her?” Emily look puzzled, she for one didn’t sense anyone watching them, well at least anyone that they should be weary of.

“
I don’t know.” Jason replied “But if it was, why did she wait for us in the alley, and not follow us into the library, after all it would have been safer there. How could she have known that we were going to walk down the alley, we didn’t even plan that ourselves”

“
It’s easy Jason. She didn’t come into the library simply because she had to make sure you were the one she had to speak with. Plus there is matter of the Library being watched constantly by the New Order, and perhaps others. She didn’t want to risk being spotted or bring attention to you. I’m not sure about the alley, maybe she expected us to find a quick way out of town and seeing the main street blocked herself thought we’d try the alley?”

“
I really should think about things more” Jason said looking at Emily “You really have a knack of looking at things logically.”

“
Well I do try, but Jason I am curious what was that
thing
she gave you? I didn’t really get a close look.”