The Obsidian Crown, page 13
“You freaks! Of course, we’ve seen that emblem before, we’ve been here before, remember?”
“Yes, but Hailey and I didn’t go to the café,” I said to Taylor, who just harrumphed and looked away.
“Here you are; one lemon meringue, one blueberry sconce, and two teas. For you, miss, a complimentary green tea and apple pie. We grow our own apples. See the big tree out there? Yup, this straight from there,” the short gentleman said as he used the plate of pie to point at a tree outside the window. We followed his gaze to a great old apple tree to the side of the house. It was still full of apples. Next to it was a gigantic elm tree with a dark dirt mound in front of it. I got goosebumps looking at the small hill, but I didn’t say anything.
“Umm, Mister...” Taylor started.
“Elwood. Just Elwood.”
“What kind of antiques do you sell here, Elwood?” Taylor asked.
“Ohhh all kinds! We’ve been here a very long time and my family came from the old world. So we have some very, very old and very rare items.”
“Would you happen to know something about an item called the Obsidian Crown?” Taylor asked.
“Now girls,” he said in a lowered tone, “I don’t know what they teach at that Academy of yours but only a very few people know about the Obsidian Crown. It’s just talks of legends and myths from the old world, a time long past. I’m surprised such young ones like you would even have heard of it. Even then, you should be careful asking about such things.” He let his eyes wander around the room to emphasize that we were in a public place.
“Oh...it just came up in, umm...world history class. And it sounded so fascinating. I heard that it has the power to make kings!” I made up, putting a little lilt in my voice to sound nonchalant.
“Well, you have been misled. The Crown is not to make kings. It is to punish kings. You see, in the old days, kings are above all because they are considered almost gods or god-sent. So when the king misbehaves there’s not much anyone can do. So the powers-that-be decided to make this Crown to punish a king that gets too greedy. But like I said, it’s just talk. No one has actually ever seen this Crown. I think it was just a story they made up to scare little kids,” Elwood said, waving his dishrag nervously.
“Wow, that’s fascinating. So you don’t think the Crown exists?” I asked, hoping that my voice still sounded casual.
“Oh, I don’t know about that. But I should get on; I have a lot of other customers.”
“Thanks, Elwood!” I said.
“Sure, sure. I’m always good for a story or two.” He chuckled and pulled the bill from his apron. He looked it over, smoothed it with his palm, and then said, “Here you go. Don’t let this rush you. Take your time enjoying the view,” and left.
“Well that’s no help, whatsoever,” Hailey said.
“No, actually I think we’re getting somewhere. We at least know that we’re not crazy. People do know about the Crown. I know if we dig deep enough, we will find a historical figure that triggered the legend,” Taylor said.
“Yeah, that it is someone’s idea of a boogeyman,” Hailey answered sarcastically.
“We just need to dig deeper, that’s all,” Taylor fired back.
I grabbed the bill to take my mind off the Hailey and Taylor show when I saw that on the back of the bill was a note. I turned it over, and it said: “Third Floor. After closing. Don’t let anyone see you.”
My hand quivered as I read the note again still trying to maintain an objective view of the situation. I surreptitiously passed the note to the others making sure they didn’t blurt out the message. Shortly after we finished our food, the café started to get less busy. Some of the customers stayed until closing time, and then they piled out of the café. We also got up and pretended to leave, but instead, we hid in the bathroom. We stayed there until the place was completely quiet, then headed up to the third floor.
When we arrived, Elwood was not there but a very tall, skinny man greeted us. His gray hair was thick and wavy. His gray beard was meticulously trimmed into a point just below his chin where it met the “v” of his starched cotton white shirt, which is further framed neatly by the upturned collar of his black coat. The long black coat came midway to his lower legs where the hem met his long boots. By today’s standards, he could pass for a well-researched steampunk dresser, except I knew everything about him was authentic. He seemed to have bought his clothes at the same time the house was built. He looked, well, Victorian.
“I heard from Elwood you are seeking information regarding the Obsidian Crown,” he said as he ambled to the cupboards with the jar specimens.
I wasn’t sure if that was a question or a statement, but I thought someone should say something.
“Yes, we were wondering if you might tell us something about it. That is if you know...Mister. ...” I started slowly.
“I know of it. And I know of the prophecy. But why do you want to know?” he pressed, inclining his head towards us so that we could see his face.
“Well, we are researching for school...” Taylor began.
He narrowed his eyes as he stared directly at Taylor as she faltered. “No child, we will not start this relationship by telling each other lies. Once again, why are you looking for the Crown?”
I decided it was time to come clean. I worked my way in front and looked at him squarely.
“I believe bad people are trying to get the Crown at any price including murdering me and my friends. I now believe that my parents were abducted and are being held hostage in a cave in Xana Mundi, possibly to exchange for the Crown. We had the Crown, I mean, I had the Crown but it was stolen this morning. Now that they have what they want, I am worried about what they will do to my parents. I am already being accused of their murder so it would be very easy for them to just kill them and pin it on me. I want to find the Crown so I can get my parents back,” I said in a strong, unwavering voice.
The man inclined his head into a slight nod to acknowledge that he understood my predicament. “Sir Arcturos is my name,” he said in the same monotonous voice he used before. He proceeded to go to the bookcases in the back. I thought, it looks like no one has touched those books in a century.
It jarred me when he looked at me and said, “Because no one has touched these books in over a century, emphasis on the “has”. Without breaking eye contact, he continued. “Well except for some curious students who stumbled upon them quite recently,” as a direct answer to my unspoken thought.
“I-I didn’t say anything,” I murmured.
“You didn’t have to. In fact, the only things touched here by human hands were by you two.”
Now I was freaking out. How did he know that we were here? What’s he going to do?
“Don’t worry. I’m not stingy with my things but you need to be careful about touching things from the other realms, especially those that you don’t fully understand. At the moment, I can tell, there are very many things you do not understand. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing,” he said with an air of superiority.
“Maybe we should go,” Taylor said, visibly scared now.
Sir Arcturos pointed at a book in the bookshelf farthest from us, and it pulled away from the rest and floated in the air towards us.
“I know, how clichéd; an old book of magic to help you out. So let me be clear: this is not an old book of magic. This is not one book. This is a collection of books on the history of the Old Dominion, its magic, and its people. Before everything is, the Old Dominion was. I believe this will help you. Read it. Learn it.”
The book landed gently a few inches from Hailey’s toes. She bent down to pick it up. The leather-bound book was encrusted with jewels. I thought the cover alone would bring a nice sum. I couldn’t imagine how much more valuable the content could be. Hailey was turning the book over and over again, in obvious awe of it. I cleared my throat after I felt a sudden dryness. I figured that I had my mouth open, gawking at the book.
It looked precious, but why give it to Hailey?
Again, without any verbal communication from me, he answered my comments. “It is of immeasurable value. If the Obsidian Crown was made to break a king, this book is the instruction manual on how to create a good one. You must bring this back once you have finished your mission.” He paused. He came a little closer to me and said, “And because it’s Hailey that must be convinced.”
Hailey looked at Taylor and me, wondering what he meant by the last comment.
I cleared my throat and said, “I asked, why you?” She nodded in understanding. She looked at the tall apparition, slightly bowed her head in respect, and said. “Thank you, Sir Arcturos.” Taylor did the same.
The kindly face turned to us and said, “Thank you, farewell, and good night!”
“Good night, Sir Arcturos,” I said.
Without any words, he bowed. And to our collective gasps, he became transparent and eventually vanished completely, being replaced by the darkness.
CHAPTER 15
The Book of Lines
We walked out of the Black Rose and into the darkened parking lot.
“What was that all about? It was your idea to go to the Black Rose?” I snapped at Hailey.
“You were acting really strange in there, girl. What’s up?” added Taylor.
Hailey got in the car and put her seat belt on, still not saying anything. She made a fuzz about searching for her water bottle and then, “Look it’s just hard for me, all this! None of this makes any logical sense. I feel like I’m losing myself in it!” Her voice cracked, and I realized she was crying.
“I’m sorry, Hailey. I didn’t realize this is putting so much pressure on you. I’ve been very selfish,” I said.
“It’s not your fault. It’s just you don’t know me too well. My mom doesn’t know I’m here.”
“Hailey, no one knows we are here,” Taylor said in exasperation.
Hailey shook her head and wiped away her tears, and continued, “It’s nothing like that. I know my mother would not agree with this. It’s not you, Monty. It’s because we’re dealing with supernatural stuff. When I was very young, our neighbors were very, very mean to us; egging the house, putting salt in our garden, making threatening phone calls in the night.” Her voice broke off into sobs.
“You don’t owe us any explanation, Hailey. We accept you as you are,” I said, comforting her.
She took a sip from her water bottle and said, “No, you should know my secrets if we are to work together.” Then she continued, “My mother found out it was because my father descended from the Goodson’s of the Salem witch trials. The neighbors were scared that I am a witch.” She paused, her voice breaking. I took out a box of tissue and handed it to her.
“She didn’t want the stigma on me so she moved me here, where nobody knew us and no one cared about the witch trials. My mom became an atheist and swore off all talk of religion, or anything supernatural, including Santa Claus. You can just imagine the kind of Christmas I had as a child.” She tried to stifle a sob, but it was clear that the memories of those bad Christmases still haunted her. “And then, there’s my dad. He moved from one cult to another until we never heard from him again. But, here I am, Hailey Goodson on a quest to find Xanas. I’m sorry if I was mean to you both but I was really hoping that we won’t find anything there. I feel like I’m betraying my mother’s sacrifice. And it’s tearing me up inside. I can’t do this.” And she buried her face in her hands as she sobbed quietly.
We sat in silence for the rest of the drive. Neither Taylor nor I dared to push Hailey further that night.
The following day, the buzzing of the clock on my bedside table jolted me awake. That momentary shock was enough to trick my mind into thinking that I was back in time when my life was normal. I thought I could smell pancakes and bacon like my mom used to make. But the blinking red letters of the digital display projected against my ceiling told me otherwise. It showed today’s time, date, and T minus 5. That brought me back to my harsh reality. Five days before I get arrested for my parent’s murder and my only hope of clearing my name rested on Hailey. Hailey, my best friend who, after what we found out last night, was the least likely candidate for doing any magic.
I got up and started to brush my teeth. I placed some toothpaste on my electric toothbrush and stuck it in my mouth. I dreaded facing that day. I specifically dreaded facing Hailey. How do I tell her that she was wasting precious time? That her studying that book was just about as futile as me reading a book on particle physics. That is, if she was even able to bring herself up to open it. Unless we can find someone who actually has magic, it’s all just academic. I was about to wipe my face after brushing when I realized I hadn’t even turned the toothbrush on.
I was on the edge of losing it before I even got to school. It was all I could do to not pick a fight with the first person who wrongs me that day. I got to my locker, and Hailey was already standing there. She had bags under her eyes; her face was puffy and pasty-white. It’s obvious she didn’t get any sleep at all.
”Hi, Hailey. How did it go last night?” I asked.
“Monty, I really want to help but I think Sir Arcturos made the wrong choice. I don’t do magic. I can’t do magic. Maybe we can go back there. Maybe talk with Elwood again,” she said, almost begging.
“Hailey, don’t give up so easily. I have to believe he gave it to you for a reason,” I said, controlling my temper.
“I can’t.”
I let out a long breath, releasing the tension on my back, and said, “He gave you the book because he thinks you are the best person to open it. You are the key. And don’t say you haven’t done magic. You have. We brought someone back to life. We’ve traveled back in time. Those are no small feats.”
“I know but I wasn’t alone then. You were all with me. The Doctor is a Xana. I have no powers. I never once thought that I had any contribution there at all,” she said meekly.
I was upset. Why did Sir Arcturos give this book to her? Why couldn’t Elwood just tell us what to do? It was infuriating how they talk in riddles when we have very little time. But there is no point in throwing a tantrum. I need to keep it together.
“Why don’t we meet at the Glee Club room, second period? I think it’s vacant today,” I said.
“Thank you, Monty. You know I will do what I can,” Hailey said.
I nodded and left for my class, still annoyed that Sir Arcturos could have made such a blatant mistake.
Hailey was already in the Glee Club room when I got there.
“Show me,” I said, barely able to keep the temper from showing. She pulled the book out from her backpack and handed it to me.
I looked it over. I couldn’t really read the title because there wasn’t one. Again, I was amazed at how the cover was just full of jewels of multiple colors. The stones were arranged in a pattern that converged in the middle of the book, where a huge red stone was being held in place by chunky silver claws. The spine of the book was bound in leather and silver. The pages of the book were divided into sections using small metal plates. Each plate was secured into place by a round gemstone, which served as a lock on the side of the book. A chain went from the spine to a page inside the book to mark a spot. But we can’t get to the page because the book was locked.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have any keys,” I said.
“Neither do I,” Hailey said, frustrated.
I examined the locks more closely. I noticed the gems could be pushed sideways to reveal the same indented circle with a sharp tack in the middle as the Kerberian Box.
“Wait, I think I know how to open it,” I said.
Hailey came in closer to watch. I took a deep breath and pierced my thumb with the lock for the first section. Nothing happened. I wrapped my thumb with a napkin while waiting, but still, it remained locked.
“Let me try,” Hailey said.
She pierced her thumb with the tack, and I heard a click, and the first section of the book opened.
“Hailey, you did it!”
We opened it where the bookmark was located.
They just looked like straight lines for pages and pages. I really couldn’t figure out what the lines are supposed to be. We grabbed a magnifying glass from the props box and looked into it. They looked like very tiny Cyrillic symbols. They didn’t make sense. I took out my phone and turned on the flashlight function. Still, they were unintelligible squiggles. I kept turning the pages.
“Monty, wait,” Hailey said. “Look at the wall.” The writings were being projected on the wall in a larger size. I noticed that it was my flashlight causing the projection.
“But we still can’t read it!” I said, frustrated.
“Let me see the book.” Hailey pulled the book from me and pressed her wounded thumb against the page. “Ouch,” she said as she felt the sting of the papyrus on her wound.
“Hailey, the wall. It’s the book. It’s rewriting the line…into…English?” I said, astounded, as the tiny squiggles, we saw before started to move. Just like when the symbols on the Kerberian Box began to swim into clearer and sharper view, these did the same. The graceful wisps rearranged themselves into readable, understandable English words. I momentarily forgot all about being irritated.
“Ohh…wow,” Hailey said.
“Ha! We did it!” I said as we did a fist bump.
We flipped through the pages. It was hard to find things because there was no table of contents or index of any kind. It was just pages and pages of writing.
“Monty, why don’t you go to class and I will read on. There is no point in both of us missing classes.”
I agreed and left, feeling better that we found a way to read the book.
“Ms. Montserrat, Ms. Montserrat!” boomed the voice of my math professor. “It would do you good to pay some attention when you are in class! For now, you are being summoned to Professor Andrews’ office,” he said, waving a note in front of me.
