Seekers of the Stone Maker

Myla awoke in an unfamiliar place, and it took her a few minutes to recognize her surroundings. The blackened stone walls and the dark wood flooring, the magical lights that dimly glowed near the doorframe, and the bed she laid on felt like it had not been used in quite some time. It was warm, but not in the way she ever heard the Nine Hells would feel like. There was no fire, no demons or devils torturing souls that could not travel beyond the River Styx. The Curator’s home reminded her of VerdantKnoll in Lunaris. She almost expected to look out the window and see the Mountains of Novularond in the distance, their peaks slightly covered in snow. As she sat up and looked, she only saw the dark red storms. Lightning flashed between them, but no thunder came.

She reached out to her companions and could feel they had all awakened. She stood and walked to the door, still trying to figure out their plans. It was unlocked.

We’re not trapped, at least. She thought to herself.

Myla opened the door and peered down the hall. The hallway was also dimly lit, but she could see the large windows at the end, on the opposite side of the large open room they had sat in the night before. Closing the door behind her, she made her way past the many doors of her friends’ rooms. She could smell the cooked food as she moved closer to the brighter lights. On the table by a fireplace sat a variety of platters and plates filled to the brim with food. She made her way to the table and heard doors open behind her. Stopping at one of the chairs, she turned to see her friends making their way out. Most looked like they had been awake for as long as she had, hair still slightly disheveled, clothes still worn and ragged from their long week.

Looking around as everyone approached the table and found a seat, she could see the many items of the dragon’s hoard in a neat pile near the window. Coins stacked high and objects laid out carefully in front of it, she could see that everything was looked over while they slept. Next to it, on a small table, was a pile of dragon scales. Zidingris’ scales.

“My automatons have gone through and foraged what they could from Zidingris’ aspect form, as well as identified all of the items that were part of her hoard,” Alyk’s voice rang out.

Myla turned back to see him walking down another hallway. Behind him, four automatons escorted a young man down the hallway. She couldn’t see his face but noted his scraggly brown hair, ripped and torn clothes from many years of wear, and a beautiful lyre on his back, attached by a strap that kept it in place until needed.

“I assure you that my automatons went to the highest of their abilities to ensure no curses, hexes, or wild magic with any of the hoard. The meat is being kept underground in a cold storage facility in case you would like to take any of it,” He stated casually as he made his way to the end of the table and sat down.

“Thank you for your help, Mr. Tennison.”

“Of course, Leaf. While I enjoyed helping you, I must admit that it was for other reasons.”

“What reason was that?” Lyla asked skeptically.

“A favor was owed to Miss Harkspell. By helping you, I was able to get rid of any debts that I had with her.”

“About Helena…” Leaf started nervously. “She’s been inside my head ever since we’ve met her. I am unsure if she has the ability to see what is happening around me or if she only has access to speak to me in my mind.”

“Helena has many gifts, some by blood, some given to her along the way, and some earned.”

“Is there a way to know what she can and can’t do?”

“Unfortunately, I only know so much about her myself. She came to be part of Augur’s Trust through Odin and did not show much of her abilities, as most of the group trusted Odin’s word. I do have a friend, though, who dabbles in divination sometimes and has made items in the past that would help with not being seen through magical means. If time allows, I might be able to ask him to loan or sell them to you.”

“Would that work on more than just Helena, or would it work on others as well?” Myla asked.

It had not been long since she had spoken with Odin last. She wasn’t sure if he was also watching, but maybe an item like Alyk spoke of could help control at least when they talked to each other rather than at random times.

Do you think this could help with the voice in my head? She asked Lyla.

Who knows? But it could level the playing field some.

Should I mention it? He knows Odin. Maybe that would help us understand the connection he and I have right now.

Lyla looked over at Ana, then back to her food.

I don’t think everyone here has our trust. We should wait.

“I don’t think it’s an item specific to one person. I think it works against all forms of divination. You would have to ask him, though,” Alyk answered.

“That would be kind of you, Mr. Tennison,” Leaf politely added.

Myla watched Alyk’s face when he wasn’t watching. Less than a day ago, they had met, and trust was challenging right now. Someone who worked with Helena, Odin, and Trista, someone who knew the Hounds of War and had written about it, someone who had multiple names… Alyk Tennison, The Curator, Hades… It was hard to understand why someone needed and had so many odd connections and titles.

Names had been a large portion of thought throughout the night. Now that they knew they weren’t on the run anymore, being called the Crepuscular Twins wasn’t exactly needed, except with the carnival. The last name, Nightingale, wasn’t needed anymore either.

Maybe a letter to Mom and Dad… She let go of the thought trail, but it felt good knowing it was a possibility again.

“I have some questions for you all as well, if that is okay?” He asked them.

Myla watched as they each nodded their head, then followed suit.

“I don’t want this to sound rude because it is a little blunt, but how long do you plan on being here?”

“Would two days trouble you, Mr. Tennison?” Leaf asked.

“Not at all. I do have some business to attend to, so I won’t be here all day, but if you need anything, you can call on my automatons, who should be able to assist you with basic needs. If it can wait, anything else can be brought to me during dinner when I return.”

“About your automatons,” Mr. Muffins jumped in, trying to hide his excited curiosity. “How were they created? They seem to run with no arcane control.”

“Ah, yes. That would be my friend, Hephaestus. He loves creating little things when down here. He created these almost five hundred years ago for me. They never wear down, they never tire, and as long as they stay in the Nine Hells, they can be recharged whenever they stand still. From what he’s told me, they are powered by the ninth layer of Hell itself, but it is all gobbledygook to me, the ramblings of mechanics. If he happens to stop by, I’m sure he could ramble on for a century about them,” Alyk said through a chuckle.

Alyk stood. Waving his hand, he produced a small bouquet of flowers from thin air. They were like roses but of purple and pink hues that Myla had never seen before.

“Last question. How do I look?” Alyk said behind a sheepish smile.

“Who are those for?” Lyla asked.

“My wife.”

“Wife?”

“Yeah. She stays here during the winter. I hadn’t seen her in a few days, so I wanted to surprise her. Do you think she’ll like these?”

“Definitely,” Lyla answered with a smile. She turned to Rhokhishi.

“Why don’t you get me flowers?” She joked.

“I’ll give you all the flowers if you want them,” Rhokhishi stated as she smiled back at Lyla.

“Well,” Alyk brushed his hand down his robe, making sure they were clean. “I’ll see you all later tonight then.”

He turned in place, and before their eyes, he disappeared. A single petal from the bouquet fell, leaving the only proof that he had stood before them. It fell slowly, landing on the table.

“I need some hot brown potion if they’ve got it. Then, let’s get going through these items and see if they have any use for us.”

Mr. Muffins stood and walked over to one of the automatons. He spoke to it, and it walked away, down the hall that Alyk had appeared from.

“I… I have something to say,” Ana piped up.

Myla hadn’t taken much time to look at her this morning, with everything else that had happened, but she could see the exhaustion on her face. Some of the scrapes and bruises hadn’t healed yet, either.

“I messed up, guys.”

“Damn right, you did,” Lyla mumbled.

“I’m sorry. I know I can do nothing to fix what I did, but ever since Aramore, it’s become extremely difficult to handle all of this. I am a bit overwhelmed right now…”

“Ana,” Leaf chimed in. “We know that things haven’t been easy for you. We’ve been trying to get you to talk to us, and you kept silent. Then, you took me to the dragon’s hoard, and… What you did up there wasn’t something a friend would do.”

“What happened up there exactly?” Mr. Muffins asked while holding a mug of hot liquid in his hand.

“She took me up to the hoard and tried to convince me that we should dive in and grab items. Then, the cards came into play.”

“Did you pull them out, Leaf?” Myla asked.

“Not exactly. They were in my bag, hidden away originally, but I felt them in my pocket as we argued about what to do. Before I knew it, a card was pulled, and something shifted inside me. I could feel a shift in alignment, and I agreed with her about grabbing items.”

“Where are the cards right now?”

“Here.”

Leaf pulled the deck of cards out from his pocket. Myla watched as he slowly pulled them out and held them before him.

“I think we should find a way to get rid of them. They’ve been nothing but trouble. Hand them here, Leaf,” Mr. Muffins commanded.

Leaf sat still as if something changed. Myla looked into his eyes and could see them glazed over. She wasn’t sure what was happening until it was too late. Leaf pulled the deck in front of him and placed it on the table, but as his hand moved back to him, one of the cards came out slightly. With gentle fingers and quick movement, the card was pulled and in front of him.

“Leaf!” She shouted.

Leaf blinked, the glaze leaving his eyes. Mr. Muffins grabbed an empty bowl, placed it over the deck, and then looked back at Leaf.

“Keep your eyes on me, Leaf. Follow the whiskers.”

“What happened?”

“You have one of the cards in your hand. Don’t look at it. Place it in my hands. I’m going to put it under the bowl.”

“Okay.”

Leaf raised his hand, and Mr. Muffins clasped his hands over his. Quickly, he brought the bowl up and threw the card in. As he did, the card was gone, only burnt embers and ash left.

“Damn it!”

“Did it activate?” Myla asked.

“I don’t know. Leaf, do you feel different?”

They all watched him as he sat silently. Then, as if thinking of a funny thing, he smiled.

“I feel great, actually. Better than ever!”

Leaf stood, the back of his legs pushing the chair back and making a scraping sound against the wood floor.

“We have two days. I wanted to work on my staff before we left and hopefully finish it! I’ll see you all later, okay?”

With a flourish of his robe, he walked away from the table.

“Leaf!” Mr. Muffins shouted at him.

“Yeah?”

“You sure you’re okay?”

“I don’t know how to explain it, but I feel great. Like I could do anything.”

Leaf walked down the hall, opened his door, and entered his room.

“Someone needs to keep an eye on him,” Lyla stated worriedly.

“I’ll check on him in a bit,” Mr. Muffins added. “Let’s get through these items, divvy up what’s what, and get the day going.”