This all made sense but I couldn’t help but wonder if these other members had some sort of destiny or role to play in what I was dealing with.
“Today, we have someone special. I want to introduce you to Cleophas. He is the oldest living member of the Echo Club. I would also venture to say that he is the wisest and most capable person for helping you or anyone else I know.”
Cleophas stood head and shoulders above everyone else in the room. He must have been six-foot-ten. I’ve never seen someone that old so tall. He had to have been in his mid-eighties, but he was a vision of glory. He was strong and cut like a regular gym member of much younger age. He had thick long flowing hair that was mostly white with hints of blonde. His face was chiseled with age, but the creases in his face conveyed strength, wisdom, and optimism as opposed to frailty.
He opened his mouth and began to speak. His voice was deep and projected across the room. It was hard not to be captivated while listening to him. He was an impressive figure and anyone in his presence could not help but notice it.
Cleophas began to tell the story of his life. He explained how he had lived a full and complete one. He told us the tale of his beautiful young bride and his children. He said that early in his life, he was faced with a choice. It was that choice, he said, that led him here today and led him to the Echo Club.
“All of you have been chosen carefully from those who volunteered. I have vigilantly observed the character of each of you and personally selected you. I believe you have the potential to be trusted, but that eventual outcome will be up to you.”
He opened the surprisingly ornate double doors. The wooden doors were lustrous with hints of maroon. They looked to be in excellent condition for being so old. Intricate carvings covered the entire façade. They were thick, sharp, and perhaps the most detailed doors I have ever seen. It was curious that I hadn’t noticed them earlier.
The doors opened to reveal a room that was truly magnificent. While not quite as large as The Keeper’s Workshop, it was still rather spacious. Each wall had its own set of objects. One wall was covered in books, the other statues and figurines. Another wall had shelves filled with what looked like ancient artifacts of some sort. A set of two-story book ladders leaned across the rear and right walls. Two people were standing over a large desk intently observing something that was partially obscured from view. From what I gathered, they appeared to be graduate students. A few rows of seats were arranged in a semi-circle near the front of the room with a large amount of space behind them. Cleophas directed us to sit down.
“Today, I will give you your first lesson.”
After he had been speaking for about five minutes, I finally noticed the two grad students who were standing on either side of the rows of seats. I turned my head to the right. As I did, Cleophas stopped in mid sentence, then he said, “Ahh. Good. Someone finally noticed.”
“You see, the first lesson that you need to learn is to pay attention. Focus is the key.”
He then directed us to do a series of mental techniques. One by one, we went through a series of detailed mental tasks. I listened to his voice and followed his specific instructions. Each exercise lasted about ten minutes, and with each task I got quicker and more accurate at accomplishing each goal.
“This is only the beginning, but it’s a start. You should already have improved your ability to perceive what is around you. We will continue these lessons for some time into the future, and for a few of you, we will learn more advanced techniques as you become ready.
“I must caution you, however, that focus and perception are only half of the battle. The other half is based on what is in your heart and mind. Darkness can cloud your perception. It will cloud both your focus and your judgment. If you give over a portion of your thoughts to dark elements, you may feel strong but it is just an illusion. Darkness can come in many forms, but it is usually very subtle. It can be a creature lurking in the night, but it will usually take the form of choices. Over time those choices can transform kindness into hatred and good into evil. Every day emotions can give way to greed, anger, laziness, arrogance, jealousy, obsessive desire, and even wanting to stuff your face.”
I had to admit that Dante and I are both guilty of that last one, but only on a few occasions.
We walked out together, just as we had come in.
“That was something else!”
“Yes it was, but it was very interesting,” I said to Dante.
I wasn’t sure if I felt ready to take on Them, but I did feel a little more empowered.
I felt I had started the beginning of a long journey. I wasn’t sure how long it would take, but I had decided it was a journey that I had to finish.
EVERVILLE CHAPTER 15
THE MAKINGS OF A KEEPER
The Keeper thought back to his youth and the day of the feast. On the following day, the air had grown colder and the sky darker. The wind was fierce. A winter storm loomed just beyond the horizon. The sky was completely overcast. It appeared as if the heavens were ready to burst forth at any moment.
The Keepers were in their chambers. They didn’t want to speak about what was on their minds, but they didn’t have to. They all knew what had to be done, what always had to be done to stop a breach of this magnitude. While they are able to make adjustments in minor incursions, events of this size required something far more powerful. The Keepers can only play a minor role in the eventual outcome. It was out of their hands. It would be up to Carwyn to stop the advance of Them.
Carwyn was drawn back to the Deep Woods. His father saw him leaving, but he also knew that he had to let him go. Carwyn had found Dagda for a reason.
Dagda was reluctant to follow. Carwyn opened the door. The creature looked up at Carwyn and whimpered as he exited. He tried to tug on Carwyn’s leg and drag him back into the house. Carwyn resisted and picked up the trembling marmook carrying him through the doorway.
Carwyn walked apprehensively closer and closer to the Deep Woods. The usual rainbow colors and vibrant hues of the rolling hills had been overtaken by duller greens with hints of brown and gray. After walking for hours, they could finally see the Deep Woods off in the distance. The woods cast a shadow despite the fact that the sky was overcast. The shadow was longer than what would be physically possible even if the sun were shining.
They continued walking slowly towards the woods. The howling of the wind fell completely silent. Carwyn could hear every step as he pressed down onto the grass one foot after the other. It wasn’t long before they reached the entrance of the Deep Woods. As they stepped across the threshold into the woods, the wind began to gust even louder than before. Darkness fell, and the heavens burst forth with an unbelievable amount of snow making it impossible to see anything behind them.
The cold wind was biting. It felt like sandpaper on the back of Carywn’s neck. Luckily, the snow and wind was muted by the tall trees. The cold, however, was not. It buried down deep into their bones. They continued to plod slowly through the woods. Eventually, even the shelter of the trees was unable to prevent the snow from piling up on the ground in massive structures that resembled sand dunes in the desert. Each step became more difficult until the drifting snow prevented them from making any more progress.
Carywn found a spot next to the trunk of a large tree and pushed the snow into a pile clearing a small space for Dagda and himself. They were able to gather enough branches to make a small shelter between the snow and the tree. It would have to serve as their sleeping place for the night. The ground was hard and cold, but Carwyn was exhausted. Within a few minutes, he had fallen into a deep sleep.
All Carwyn saw was blackness. Slowly, he stepped forward. The darkness lifted, and he looked across the vast expanse. The ground slowly faded into the horizon without end. He continued to walk, and as he did the ground expanded. He kept walking, and the ground moved with him. Every step created an equal amount of space in front of him and behind him. He was unable to make any progress. Whether he stepped
forward or backward, he kept getting farther away from where he was and where he wanted to go.
The ground shook and opened up. A larger fissure split the ground in two, and out of the fissure a mountain rose into the sky. Forests grew on the mountain, and the mountain became a series of mountains. The mountains pierced the heavens, and thick clouds obscured their peaks. Time sped up as he saw himself trekking across the mountains, through forests, across rivers, and vast expanses. He saw creatures he had never seen and he had a feeling he had never felt before.
Carwyn awoke and felt as though he’d had a long journey. The dream foreshadowed what was to come. He did not know why, but he knew he must complete this journey and that it would be long and difficult. As a happy Fron, Carwyn did not have much experience with difficult tasks. Those were left to the few leaders of the Fron and The Keepers. He felt a strong sense of resolve overtaking him. He became convinced he would find the source of the problem and a solution to fix it.
Snow blanketed the ground of the Deep Woods making it difficult to press forward, but Carwyn and Dagda were determined. They moved slowly, but eventually they arrived at the place where they had met and both fallen into the ground.
After plodding in the snow, walking freely in the underground catacombs was a relief. The walls were lit with something embedded in the dirt. The dirt itself exhibited a luminescent property that sparkled as they walked. Carwyn also noticed that someone was living in the tunnels. The tunnels went on for quite some time, but they stopped when they came to an oddly shaped door.
Sako, the leader of the Fron, opened the door before they even had a chance to knock. He had clearly anticipated their arrival.
“Hello! How are you? Please come in!”
Carwyn and Dagda entered, though somewhat startled from the unexpected invitation.
“I see you’ve stumbled upon the workshops of The Keepers. I’m Sako. The Fron have chosen me as their leader to work with The Keepers and help protect Everville from Them and The Other In Between. These tunnels have special properties that allow The Keepers to have a better sense of things in this time and in that, over here and over there. They have made this their home since the beginning of the first incursion a long time ago, sometime before now.”
Before Sako had a chance to finish his conversation, the ground began shaking violently. Objects starting flying off tables and shelves. An eerie rumbling noise slowly grew stronger and louder with each passing moment. The walls began to shimmer. Carwyn saw a crack open in the wall. It grew larger and larger until he could see glimpses of mountains and trees, rivers and hills, deserts and oceans. Then, he saw a familiar place from his dream. He stepped forward. The crack in the wall closed behind him.
As he stepped through, he looked around. The desert was endless. Dagda and he were the only living creatures visible for miles. There was not so much as a blade of grass, shrub, or any other plant growing.
Dagda looked at Carwyn and began running around him in circles, jumping up violently as if to get his attention.
Suddenly, two great big hands, larger than both of them, grabbed Carwyn and Dagda pulling them underground beneath the desert sand. The giant’s hands pulled, twisted, and yanked them through the ground for what seemed like a couple of minutes.
Finally they emerged unharmed, less a few minor cuts and bruises. They were in the residence of an honest-to-goodness giant. The home was earthy, smelly, and damp. It was, however, preferable to the brutal conditions above ground on the brutal desert where they arrived.
EVERVILLE CHAPTER 16
THE GALLERY
I thought to myself how nice it was not to have been drawn into Everville the second I closed my eyes. I was finally able to get some much-needed rest. I was hoping today would also be rather uneventful, but I wasn’t counting on it.
Dante had gone on and on about how he was looking forward to hearing more about the Roundabout. Today was the day we were finally going to learn what exactly that was.
Dante, Anika, and I sat down in anticipation of the first official meeting of the Art Club. The room was conspicuously large with elegant furnishings. It was also completely packed. Being the most popular club on campus, though, I wasn’t at all surprised. Why shouldn’t it be? It was sleek, stylish, and had perhaps the most popular professor as a senior member, his clothes notwithstanding.
“Before we begin, Professor S. has kindly agreed to give us a private viewing of all of the newly found artwork as well as some additional pieces in his own collection.”
Zee spoke in an aristocratic tone, but he had also been very friendly and charming. That might have come across as disingenuous coming from most people, but he somehow managed to pull it off.
He guided us through a large hallway and into the main gallery.
“Please, take your time to scrutinize the pieces and we’ll begin shortly after the viewing.”
Once again, I was drawn to the same painting I had seen in Art History class. The painting was haunting. I stared deep into the purple-blue fabric. The texture of the canvas began to blur. The longer I stared, the more details I could see that were not visible with just a passing glance. I began to see what looked like representations of Everville. I could see the underground catacombs, the villages of the Fron, The Deep Woods. Then, I could also see other realms that I did not recognize.
“Yes. That’s a nice one.”
“Thinking about something to write about for class?”
Professor Samil had taken my attention away from the painting. When I looked back, the details were gone. I could see the same painting, but the images I had seen when I was focused intently without distractions were nowhere to be found. I wondered to myself if I had actually seen the details or whether my mind was adding the details from my memory. I wasn’t sure which.
“May I also suggest this piece over here?”
My eyes moved slowly to the painting he was pointing out. Instantly, the painting had put me in an almost trancelike state.
There was nothing terribly remarkable about the painting. The longer I stared, though, the more the portrait began to resemble myself. The figure in the painting was wearing a sleek black suit with a delicate red handkerchief that accented the dark color quite nicely. The style was eerily similar to that of the other portraits displayed in the meeting area that I had noticed earlier. It had an extra quality about it, though, that the others were lacking. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but it was definitely there.
Slowly, the other members began walking to the meeting room. Eventually, Professor Samil and I were the only two left in the gallery.
“You have a very good eye, Owen. I think the Art Club suits you very well.”
We walked back into the meeting hall, and I sat down next to Anika.
“Now, what you have all been waiting for, this year’s Roundabout will be held on the first of the month. You will be divided into teams of five. You will have until tomorrow to pick your teams where they will be announced at the next meeting. As club leaders, Drusilla and I will pick a member to be on our team. The three senior club members will also each pick a team member, and the rest of you will have to decide which team you want to be a part of. As the winner and team leader of the last Roundabout, I have first pick. The person I select is Owen. Drusilla has second pick as last year’s runner up.”
“The person I select is Dante.”
I was stunned. We had all wanted to be on the same team, but now that was not going to be possible. Well, I suppose we could pick each other as our selected guests if we won. Now that I think about it, that would likely double our chances.
Anika hurriedly walked up to Zee and announced she wanted to join our group. Two other members stepped forward as well. Then three members quickly joined Drusilla and Dante’s group. We were the first groups to have all five members selected. The other teams seemed to be in a bit of disarray.
“For those of you who are unfamiliar with the games, each team leader will explain the ru
les. You will have four weeks to train, and then we will meet at the estate of Professor S. for the Games. As you already know, the winners and two guests will get to stay for a weekend at the Hamptons. If I do say so myself, it is the most sought-after property in the area. After staying there for a weekend, you won’t want to stay anyplace else! For the two teams that have already chosen our members, we will discuss our strategy. The rest of you can continue discussing amongst yourselves which teams you prefer to join.”
Drusilla took Dante’s hand and gently pulled him towards a room in the back hallway with the other members following closely behind. Zee then motioned for us to follow him across the hall.
“Come. I have won the games two times already, but we will need to train if we are going to win. Drusilla is a formidable opponent.”
Zee took us into a back chamber where we trained for the games. He had one first place plaque and two second place plaques hanging on his wall.
“Those two I lost to Drusilla, but she was kind enough to invite me as one of her guests. This will be our last game, and I am determined to win this.”
It was beginning to seem as if one of our two teams winning was the most likely outcome, but I still wasn’t very certain about much of any of this.
“The Roundabout requires great skill, focus, and desire. It will consist of seven individual games. Each game is designed to test a specific skill. You must improve these skills if you have any hope of winning. The games are performed at seven different locations at Professor S.’s estate. Each location is carefully selected to make it more difficult to win. With enough practice and a little luck, you can overcome these challenges and win the game.
“We will begin training for the first game.”