“Mr. Potts?” Ayana says.
“That is correct Miss Brown,” he replies. “Welcome to the chamber of the Knights of Light!”
“But I thought you disappeared,” she replies. “I went looking for you…”
“Ah, yes,” he says. “Sorry about that. Being tracked and all. I had to make it appear as if I was out of town.”
“Where are we?” Tate asks as he looks around the room.
“The chamber you are in is in the sub-basement of my premises. It’s more like a manor, but there should be time later for a proper tour. Let me ask you this: Did anyone see you enter?”
“As a matter of fact, yes,” Ayana replies. “Someone was following us. I think whoever it was made it into the mine, but must’ve turned back when he encountered your friendly bobcat.”
“Oh, I was afraid of that. In that case, we haven’t much time,” he says. “I’ll explain later. Come, let’s sit at the table.” Mr. Potts leads them to a large circular wooden table in the center of the room. The face of the table has the familiar compass markings, but has additional relief carvings as well. Potts is wearing a garment resembling a white karate gi with the emblem of the Knights of Light embroidered in black. They look around and notice the chamber is illuminated only by torch light.
“So how did you know we were coming?” Schuyler asks.
“I’m sure you have a thousand questions, but we’ll get to all that in time,” he explains. “To answer that specific question, I’ve generally been expecting that you might come this way, I mean you were getting close with the clues. From a practical standpoint, I was further aided by the silent alarm I installed on the passage way back in the mine.”
“Cool,” Tate replies.
“But why all the secrecy?” Ayana asks. “What is this all about?”
“The Knighthood is ancient, but there is a fractious history. You would never believe the splinter groups… Our fundamental principles, the quests, are universal. There are those that would like to see us run out of existence and, frankly, they’ve been doing a pretty darn good job at that. We’re considered too dangerous to their initiatives, leaking too much to the hoi polloi.”
“Wait a minute, is this some sort of cult, or illegal activity?” Rebekah intones.
“On the contrary young lady, we welcome all who possess the certain ingredients,” he responds. “Ingredients you have displayed in well measure by making it this far. And I can assure you that all of this is perfectly legal.”
“Ingredients?” Ayana asks. “What ingredients?”
“First and foremost is desire,” he responds. “A burning desire as we like to call it. Most people wouldn’t have kept on the path you’ve been following. It’s really been remarkable to watch you from afar,” he says smiling.
“What other ingredients?” Schuyler asks.
“Another is team work,” he replies. “It’s impossible to make it into this chamber without a helping hand. Frankly, that’s why seekers never find the Dutchman mine. Loners and hoarders need not apply. That little obstacle at the passage way precludes anyone from entering alone. A ladder won’t work. The straddle holes were intentionally designed that way.”
“What about the handles?” Tate asks. “That golden nugget was very inviting.”
“Ah, yes, the decoy,” he replies. “Encapsulated light. Quite effective, especially in a mine. That brings us to the first Knight’s quest. ‘Listen to your heart.’ You might be surprised, but there’ve been very few cases over the years where anyone has actually made it as far as you have. You followed your intuition, instead of following your senses, the allure. You’ve displayed that ability quite effectively in this quest.”
“Quest?” Ayana asks. “There’s that word again. Why quest? Why Knights? Why Knights of Light?”
“There will be more time for all of this at a later date,” he responds. “Right now, our time is limited. You see, the decoy brings you into another pathway that leads around to the other side of Black Mountain. It comes out to a manhole cover just off School House Road. The decoy walk, it’s really a labyrinth, takes about 45 minutes. Fortunately for us, I’ve got a short cut route that cuts it down to 15. Given that you went through the hatch nearly 20 minutes ago, that leaves us with approximately 10 minutes before you’ll have to go. You’ll be expected.”
“So someone will be waiting for us?” Schuyler asks.
“Yes, I suspect whoever was following you has been ordered to watch the escape hatch,” he replies.
“What do they want from us?” Ayana asks. “Are we in danger? Who are they?”
“If you come out the decoy hatch, you shouldn’t be,” he says. “It will be a positive sign to them that you’ve failed in your attempt. Most people give up after encountering the decoy, and they’ll suspect you will as well.”
“School House Road?” Tate asks. “That’s near where the festival is going on at this moment. There’ll be a lot of people around. We should be able to mingle in with the crowd.”
“Excellent idea,” he replies. “Now, let’s dispense with the exemplification of the first Knight’s quest. If you’re up for it, we have a short welcoming ceremony to signify your pursuit of the Order. Kind of a graduation ceremony for the first quest. Please wait here for a moment.”
He walks over to the far wall to a shield that has two swords that cross through the back side. He turns the handle of the left sword which opens a door hidden in the stone wall. He pushes it open and goes inside. They stare in continual disbelief. They glance around the room and notice the illuminated portraits along the walls. Portraits of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Benjamin Franklin figure prominently in addition to others not visually recognizable. Large, wooden bookshelves full of dusty volumes line the adjacent wall.
A moment later, he reemerges with a silver box, bearing the shield with the compass emblem on it. He also has some white garments strung over his left arm. “Please take one of these pull over robes, and place it on. You should also tie on one of these white belts,” which he hands to them.
“I’m actually a second degree brown belt in Kempo, but I guess this will do,” Schuyler whispers to Tate.
“For purposes of the Knights Order, we all start out as white belts – Squire O’Brien,” Mr. Potts answers academically.
Without further discussion, they quickly put the robes on, and look to each other with nervous smiles. He then places the silver box on the table, opens it, and produces a single white candle which he places on the table before lighting it. He then produces small scrolls, and hands one to each of them. He then asks them to remove the white band, and unroll it.
“Very well,” continues Mr. Potts. “We’ve talked briefly about this first Knight’s quest. Always remember to seek out your compass which points to the light. This guidance will help you in good times, and bad. You’ll also need it to achieve the second Knight’s quest, but that is for a later time. Please read the scrolls out loud in unison.”
“Mr. Potts, I need a second to speak with Rebekah,” Ayana says. “She’s fairly new to our group.”
“Very well,” say Mr. Potts. “In the meantime, you boys can begin entering your names into the Squire Roll,” he says handing them a leather bound book and a quill in pen.
Ayana takes her arm and together they walk nearly 10 paces away from the table area. “Are you cool with this? I mean you’ve seen a lot lately...”
“I’m good,” Rebekah answers. “You’ve saved my life, and now I have some sort of purpose. I can’t explain it all… Besides we don’t have much time. We just need to make sure we get out of here.”
“We will,” Ayana responds. “Trust me.”
The two girls walk back toward the table, where they also enter their names into the book. They all look at each other awkwardly, Schuyler nods, and they begin in unison:
Quest 1 Rite: Knight Vision – The Compass
In reading this document, and signing the Roll, we squires proclaim the v
alue of listening to the pure heart. A healthy introspection invites inspiration. The internal guide will light our pathway, if we clear space for it. Over the millenniums, the illumination has been named many things by humans. Misguided knights of earlier times fought thousand-year battles over names, but our Knighthood acknowledges that the internal guide assumes many forms, many personal in nature.
The only effort required of us is to grant intense attention to the small, still voice within, for as it has been said, ‘All around the circle of the sky I hear the Spirit’s voice.’
We will be tested, chaos will challenge us, temptations spring up, emotions will rise and fall, the ego will attempt to seize control. Through all this, the Knight’s ultimate weapon is to keep the stillness within us, and realize true intuition will always guide us correctly. For the ancient tome says, ‘Let us go into the clear light, trust it, merge with it. It is our own true nature, it is home.’
For once we have called upon our internal compass, the Knight’s heartware, we follow its direction. In so doing, we embark upon the prologue for the second quest. Our compass has told us where, we must now formulate the how. Saddle up for the next quest: Thoughts are things. For as a man thinketh, so is he.
In merry weather, the Declaration’s author commissioned the next expedition. The salty air will enliven our senses and steady our thinking. For despite what history tells us, the core of discovery begins at this termination point.”
“Congratulations squires,” Mr. Potts. “You’ve now emerged from the first Knight’s quest. Please make sure you keep your scrolls in a very secure place. They are yours to keep. The information is extremely valuable, and this can’t get into the wrong hands – no matter what.”
“Thank you Mr. Potts, but I do have a question,” Ayana says. “Why didn’t you tell us about any of this when we talked to you at the mining museum?”
“The quest young lady!” he replies. “That’s what’s important here. The valuable things in life must be experienced – pursued really - to be truly understood. You have to be guided by your burning desires.”
“Can we tell anyone about this?” asks Schuyler.
“I will fill you in quickly while we make arrangements for your departure,” he answers. “Please hand me your robes.”
They quickly loosen the belts and pull over the robes which they hand to him. He then motions for them to follow him toward the hidden door which is still open. As he reaches the door, he then turns around. “The principles of our order are universal and must be shared with all who possess the certain ingredients. Use your compass to determine if new recruits possess the necessary burning desire.”
“Can we come back here again?” Ayana asks. “What about the Dutchman’s diary? Why did the Knighthood disappear?”
“As initiated squires, you are free to come here anytime,” he answers. “You’ll need to come in pairs given the obstacle course. Our library here contains several valuable volumes, including the diary you seek. As far as disappearing, we’ve been leaving clues all along, the most prominent of which is in the center of Care Free. It’s a light instrument, that points to a stationary light source. Come follow me to the exit hatch.”
“But again, why the secrecy or subtlety?” Ayana demands. “Look, we’re in this thing now, we have a right to know. We’ve completed the first quest.”
“I’ll need to make this quick, for all of our sakes,” says Mr. Potts. “This is only a beginning, but a very important beginning, perhaps the most important. You will find the need to come back to this beginning, often, perhaps daily. You will encounter more difficult challenges that will require what you have demonstrated here. But a word of warning: There are those who guard and hoard these secrets, which hasn’t benefitted society. Share what you find, but carefully. I can help you most effectively, if I stay completely in the background, at your service. For that purpose, now you must go.”
He leads them into the antechamber where they first arrived. He then walks to the far end and opens another hatch door. He throws a rope ladder down into the darkness. It’s only about 20 feet down. Once you are down, I’ll pull the rope back up. Follow that first tunnel to the main tunnel which will lead you to the manhole cover as we’ve discussed. Good luck and farewell for now young squires.”
One by one, they depart the room down into the dark tunnels below Black Mountain.
Chapter 20: Fast Away the Old Year Passes
We shall not cease from our exploration, and at the end of all our exploring, we shall arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. -T.S. Elliot