Chapter 20 Tildon Enterprises
Sebastian woke up, putting his hand on his forehead. Pain was pounding through his head so hard, it felt like someone was jabbing a knife into his skull and twisting without mercy. He slowly pulled himself up, realizing he was lying on something soft. Immediately another familiar pain was gripping his torso, reminding him of his ribs. Slowly pushing past the pain, he tried to bring himself around. What happened? Rubbing unconsciousness from his eyes, the unfamiliar bedspread came into view.
“Sebastian, are you OK?” Makayla was by him, putting her hands under his arms, trying to help him to his feet.
Nothing, not even his sister, could make him stand up right now. He swatted at her attempt to help, grabbing his head once more, hoping to push back the pounding headache.
“Where are we?” The question was a distant murmur, a scratchy voice he didn’t recognize. Raising his eyes to see the face that went with the voice, he looked around and saw that they were sitting in a large square bedroom.
In front of him were three ordinary beds. Two of them occupied by Marshall and Ethan, who lay unconscious, sprawled on top of the shabby quilt. The sparseness of the room reminded him of the dorm room at Cornell, where he had the unfortunate pleasure of being held captive for a week at a summer science camp. It was something his dad thought he'd enjoy; a camp about robotic machines. Instead, he just ended up being all by himself, wishing he was at home hanging out with Brooke and Trevor.
Sebastian looked next to him and saw that there was a bed on either side of him, making six beds in all. In the center of the room, a huge circular woven rug covered most of the expanse between the two rows of beds.
The walls were a pale yellow, hardly noticeable at first glance, blending into the unfinished pine slab floor. It reminded Sebastian of pictures he had seen in Makayla's books she had brought on medieval castles, of the tower rooms the illustrators had elaborately recreated in the drawings, trying to bring history to life for the reader. Except this room could use the help of an interior decorator.
The sun was blasting into the room, casting rays that crept onto the middle of the wood floor. Sebastian followed the beams of light to their source to his left. A very large, single pane window reached from floor to ceiling on the opposite wall from the arched wooden door. It was covered with stained glass on the top, which projected tiny rainbows onto the far wall, providing the only vibrancy to the dull room. On each side of the window, sheer white curtains billowed in the breeze of the open glass. Sebastian stood up slowly and ran his hand through the fabric.
“Is it open?” He asked, glancing at the window.
“Yeah, but it's pointless. Look down.” Sebastian walked up to the large transom and felt himself scowl when he saw out. There wasn't anything but a 60 foot drop down to the ground. They must be more than five stories high! But how was that possible? His eyes roamed the scene outside, revealing nothing but a thick expanse of forest that stretched across the horizon. Several clearings swam in the midst of the sea of green foliage, as well as a river to the right frozen in the winter chill. To the left, mountains towered over the forest floor, casting shadows against the top of the thick blanket of trees below. Tightening his gaze in hopes for any sign of civilization, or a way that would lead them out of this place, he felt his throat tightened as he realized there was no escape.
“What is going on?” He whispered to himself.
“Sebastian?” Makayla had walked up next to him and gazed out the window with him. “Are we going to die?”
“No,” Sebastian whispered. He didn't meet her eyes because he didn't want her to know that he was lying.
“What are we going to do?” Makayla was now looking at him, waiting for him to give her some hope.
“Makayla, I don't know. Let me think!” Sebastian spun around, grabbing his forehead, his back turned away from the window. Only then did he really notice the wall with the only door, the one way in or out of this towered room. Short, but wide, it was trimmed in tarnished steel with a large metal ring for the doorknob. Probably for knights to use to rescue their princesses being held captive in the tower, Sebastian thought to himself. He rolled his eyes, making his way across the room. He knew what the answer would be but couldn't resist. He walked toward the door.
“Don't bother. I already tried.” Makayla plopped down on her bed, hugging her knees.
Ignoring her advice, he pulled on the ring, only to find that he trapped. Sebastian shoved his foot into the door with all the force he had in him, feeling defeated and let himself sink to the floor. For the first time, despair took him over. How could this be happening? Why didn't he just stay in the comfort of his own home? Why couldn't he just be back in Ithaca; a nobody who blended into the crowd? No! This couldn't be happening! He wasn't ready to be responsible for the fate of the other three. He wasn't ready to go on ridiculous missions, face impossible tasks, and risk his life for something he couldn't even understand. A force so fierce from within him made him crumple to the floor. He fell on his face, pounding his fist to let out all his fury. Sebastian let his mind run through all the events of the last two weeks, fresh memories flooding over him. Raw, but real, emotions made him shiver at the thought of recent events: the letter, the trunks, the box, the light, the map, the bus ride, the fight, and Gina. With tears streaming down his cheeks the memories of Gina plagued him still. Would he ever see her again? He thought about her smile, the way her lips turned upward with shyness. The way her eyes had lit up in the store when she saw him. He thought about how she felt warm when her hand brushed his, handing him her card at the camping store. Wait! The card! What was it she had said about it? When you get into a jam? Sebastian sat up and quickly reached into his pocket, hoping his captor hadn't thought to check his pockets. A smile crept across his face as his fingers felt the rough square piece of cardstock in his pocket. For the first time, Sebastian carefully studied the card. On the front, gold foiled calligraphy that said “Gina” in big letters was flashing in the sunlight. But that was it. No phone number, no address, and no contact information at all! He wasn't sure how that could help him now, but thought they could figure out a plan. He flipped the card over and ran his thumb across the back. Suddenly, letters started forming words as his thumb moved back and forth. Sebastian started rubbing faster and the words were staying in sight. Makayla had noticed what he was doing and knelt beside him, her blond hair tumbling over to the side.
The first word that appeared was “If,” then the next word “you.” The words kept appearing one by one. Finally the entire message appeared and Makayla softly read the words.
“If you need my help, rub my name three times. I'll be there soon.”
Makayla looked at Sebastian, folding her arms across her chest and pointed to the card.
“Is this a joke?” Her mouth was puckered, a look that told Sebastian she was not amused.
“What?” Sebastian was confused about her reaction.
“Where did you get that?”
“Uh, Gina gave it to me.” Sebastian now realized what the problem was. In all the chaos, he had forgotten to tell Makayla about Gina.
“Who is Gina?”
“She's a girl I met at The Java Board. She gave me this card before we left.”
“And do you trust her? How do we know she is someone we can trust?”
“What do you mean?”
“Sebastian, wake up! We are locked away in some tower in the middle of nowhere, on a journey for some random key to some magical box, we've had some strange man pop into our lives trying to protect us, and now we are being held by some evil lady who wants to use us for who knows what! Don't you get it? We are being hunted and protected. Why? Who are we that people are doing this to us? What do they know that we don't? Why do we need protectors? I've been going over it all morning and I can't figure out what we did to make this happen! So, I think we should think twice before we
knowingly use magic. We need to start being careful about who we trust and who we don't. If you rub that card, is the floor going to mysteriously open up and we fall into some bottomless pit? What else could possibly happen to us?”
Sebastian stared at her, amazed at this sudden outburst of caution. However, he couldn't have agreed more.
“I know. I have been thinking the same thing. One day our lives are perfectly normal and the next day we are chasing after some magical light. It sounds like a twisted book, doesn't it?” Sebastian was suddenly overcome with uncontrollable laughter. Makayla looked at him like he had lost his mind. Holding his ribs from more pain, he sat there laughing, unable to stop himself. Finally, when he was able to regain control, he took in a deep breath. Glancing over at his sister, he grimaced, when he realized his foolishness had caused her more pain. She had a fresh stream of tears down her cheeks. He stood up to gently wipe a tear off her check, but she knocked his hand away and sat down facing away from him.
“Makayla, I know how crazy this has been. I'm sorry that I haven't been able to protect you more than I did. I'm sorry that I feel asleep and let those boys from the bus bother you; that I couldn't have done more at the restaurant or keep this crazy lady away from us.”
Makayla turned and looked up. “You think this is all your fault? Are you crazy? You're the one who tried to keep us away from the trunks, you're the one who didn't want us messing with the box, you're the one who nearly got killed standing up for me. Sebastian, this is anything but your fault.”
Sebastian shrugged, “Well, right now it doesn't matter whose fault it is. We just have to figure out what we're going to do. I wish Marshall would wake up.” He was absently turning Gina's card over in his hands.
“I think it'll be a while. The gas will take longer to wear off because they're so much smaller than us.”
Sebastian nodded, knowing she was probably right.
“Do you trust her?” Makayla looked at him, pointing at the card in his hands.
Sebastian hesitated and thought about Gina. He thought about her gentle laugh at the coffee shop, her translucent blue eyes, and warm smile. A knot came in his throat and he could feel his hands getting sweaty as her face swept across his memory. “Yeah, I'd trust her with my life,” he whispered to the floor.
“Well, it's all our lives we'll be entrusting her with, if you rub that card. But I don't see what other choice we have. I think you should do it.”
Sebastian knew she was right, again. He gently put the card on his knee, using his index finger to rub her name three times, just like the backside had instructed.
The two of them held their breath, waiting for some flash of light, some puff of smoke, someone to jump into the room. They glanced around, waiting. After a few minutes, Makayla stood up and wiped her hands on her jeans.
“Well, so much for that idea.” She stomped off to her bed.
Sebastian sat there, disappointed, a twinge of anger creeping up inside him. He felt foolish for thinking such a thing really worked. Shoving the card back into his pocket, it was hard to push away the feeling of betrayal.
Just then there was a loud clink of metal, as the handle to the door hit its wooden face. The sudden intrusion to the suspenseful moment made him jump back, subconsciously moving closer to his brothers. Holding his breath, he could feel chills course down his spine as the lady from the chamber appeared in the entryway.
“Good morning, children. I see we are wide-awake.” She looked over at Ethan and Marshall, ticking her tongue in disapproval. “Or at least some of us are. Too bad those two couldn't join us this morning. Oh, well. Maybe they’ll join the festivities this afternoon.”
Makayla stood up and threw her fisted hands to her side. “Don't you dare touch them,” she growled.
The lady smiled, gliding into the room. “Feisty little thing, aren't we? For being the pure one, you sure have a temper.”
Makayla shot Sebastian a wide-eyed look.
“What did you call me?” Her obvious curiosity betrayed the rage she was trying to keep on her face.
“So many questions! In time my dear. We have lots of time, don't we? But now it's time for you two to meet someone very special.” She grabbed Sebastian by the arm and threw his hands in front of him. She tied his wrists together with a coarse rope that cut into his skin. Once he was bound, she grabbed Makayla by the arm and did the same. She then connected both sets of binds to a main rope that she used to pull them forward. She dragged them out behind her, forcing them to follow.
The lady led them down a long hallway that was dark and richly decorated in maroon wallpaper. There were gold sconces hanging every few feet, providing what little light illuminated the ancient house. The carpet was a patterned Berber, dark in color, just like the rest of the creepy hall they were trekking through. It was hard to make out many of the paintings or details, but from what he could tell, the décor seemed more than 100 years old. The whole house smelled like lemon wood polish, and he could imagine an entire house staff slaving away to keep this mansion clean. He shuddered, thinking again of Makayla's books. Who owned a house like this anymore? He would give anything just to know where they were. But, he figured, that would never happen. Secrets seemed to abound in his life at the moment. Secrets he wanted nothing to do with or would never get to know their answers. Sebastian found himself brooding once more on his plight, when they came to a dead end, where the hallway turned. Down to his right was a smaller hall with a set of wide cherry double doors at its end. The lady pushed the double doors open in one graceful swoop of her arms and led them into a large round room surrounded in windows, providing an almost panoramic view of the woods below. Sunlight was pouring into the room, a stark contrast to the dark, depressing hallway they had just left. The sudden light nearly blinded both Makayla and Sebastian, but with their hands tied, they could only narrow their eyes from the sun.
Despite the sun, his eyes roamed the elaborately rich space. The ceiling was covered in wood beams that matched the double doors to the room. In front of him there was a large black desk with a laptop opened in the center. The rest of the desk was bare, except for a small name plate and a piece of brown-colored paper. Rich, plush carpet lay under their feet; several sets of couches paired together, a fireplace on the one wall without glass.
Inside the brass holder, the name Tildon was glaring at him. Sebastian felt like he stopped breathing, the name literally knocking the wind out of him.
“Tildon,” he whispered quietly to himself. The pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place in Sebastian's mind: Tildon, as in Tildon Enterprises. The company his parents worked for, the company that has them out of the country almost the entire year, digging for priceless artifacts.
A small door opened on the far side of the room. Sebastian's eyes darted to the opening, only to find that it was a secret door disguised as the wall right next to the fireplace.
A tall, skinny man walked into the room. He wasn't an impressive-looking man; in fact, he was fairly ordinary. He had short, cropped gray hair and a small matching mustache that came to the end of his thin lips. Beady, black eyes, like those of a snack, adorned the top of his lean face. The white button down shirt only drained the already pale skin, making him look sickly. However, he didn’t have the same translucence to his appearance that Gina and Cyrus seemed to possess.
The man walked around to the backside of his desk, keeping his eyes on Sebastian and Makayla. He reached down, pulling out a drawer on his left, bringing up a cigar box that he gently laid in the center of the desk. He continued to remain silent, taking his time picking the right one. He kept glancing from the children in front of him, to the cigars at his hands. After selecting the one he wanted, he replaced the box in the drawer, walked around to the front side of the desk and sat down on the corner. He seemed amused with himself, puffing smoke rings into the air. Finally, the man looked at Sebastian with a smile, his eyes
remaining dark and void of life.
“So, you are the famous Sebastian Hanks?” The man seemed amused about something Sebastian couldn't see.
Sebastian had no idea what he was talking about.
“Sir?” He was afraid to say anything more.
The man chuckled to himself. “Ah, I forgot. Angelica told me you have no idea who you are. Isn't that something?” The man winked at them and went back to sit down behind his desk.
Sebastian shivered, suddenly afraid to find out why Tildon has referred to him as famous.
“So, tell me, Sebastian, what do you know about your parents' employer?”
Sweat began beading on his forehead, adrenaline starting to race inside him. Yet, he couldn’t stop staring straight into Tildon's ominous eyes. Choosing his words carefully, Sebastian decided that less information would be better.
“I know they are employed by an antiques collector who owns a company that buys and sells expensive artifacts. They are sent around the world to find pieces of history that haven't yet been discovered.”
Tildon sat forward in his chair. “Yes, that is true. Do you know the name of that company, my boy?”
Sebastian swallowed. “Tildon Enterprises, sir.”
Tildon smiled wide. “Do you know who I am?”
Sebastian looked at the floor, afraid to admit he did. But what else could he do?
“The name on the desk implies that you are Mr. Tildon.”
The man chuckled. “Very good my boy. So you are intuitive. But the stories say that the younger brother, Marshall, is smarter. I don't know. It seems like if he were as smart as the stories say, he would have figured out how to get out of this simple place, let alone figure out who you are, huh?”
“Stories, sir?” Sebastian asked, glancing over at Makayla.
“Yes, the prophecies, my boy; the legends of the boy Sebastian and his brothers and sister who save Armistoria. Don't you know the prophecies?” Tildon narrowed his eyes, staring at them.
“No, sir, we've never heard of such tales.” This time it was Makayla who spoke up.
“Makayla Hanks: The pure one. So, it is true. You are a rare beauty; pure of heart, pure of spirit, pure of mind.”
Makayla looked sideways at Sebastian, mouth opened in awe.
“Well, enough of this foolish talk. You'll find out soon enough the stories of who you are and what legend has told of your future. What I want to know is something of another matter.” Tildon grabbed the brown-colored paper on his desk and walked toward them. He held the paper in his hands and shoved it in Sebastian's face.
“Do you recognize this?” Tildon had bent down so low, Sebastian could his breath on his neck.
He gasped. There on the paper was the crest that he had seen in his dream. Despite their current circumstance, he could not help but be mesmerized by its brilliant colors and design once more.
“Well?”
“No. I've never seen it.” Sebastian lied.
“Are you sure?” Tildon's face was beginning to lose his cool composure.
“Positive” Sebastian said through his teeth.
Tildon stood up and smiled, watching them for a moment. Pulling at the ends of his mustache, he smirked, “Well, if you're positive. I think maybe some time to think about what you've seen and haven't seen would do you two some good. We'll continue this conversation over dinner tonight.”
Sebastian and Makayla exchanged glances. Tildon noticed their silent communication, watching them as he pulled at his mustache.
“You do eat, don't you?” Tildon asked, laughing to himself.
“Yes, sir, but we’d like to go home,” Sebastian said meekly.
“Well, now I can't see how that is going to be possible since the prophecies are starting to unravel. Besides, your parents have gone missing, leaving me to assume they've finally figured out the power of the trunks.” Tildon sat back in his chair and propped his feet up, finishing his cigar.
“Are my parents all right?” Sebastian questioned.
“Who knows?” Tildon glared at Angelica. “My associates lost their trail in South Africa. But, we'll catch them sooner or later. They're bound to come after you, aren't they? Another reason to keep you close. But the real treasure isn't found in the trunks, now is it?” Tildon cocked his head and smiled. His dark beady eyes flashed for just a second, something evil glancing through them. Sebastian thought he was going to hurl.
“You see, my boy, I was actually sent by the King of Armistoria to protect you. I was the first of your protectors.” Tildon stood up and faced out the window, remembering back. “I was a great warrior in Armistoria, and I was chosen to be the first one sent on the greatest of missions. But I really only took the job because I was so sick of Armistoria, of the will of its King. All the selfless living the people had subdued themselves to made me tired. I wasn't sure who I was anymore. I’ll never understand why the King agreed to send me, knowing my faith was wavering. I thought he knew me better than I knew myself. But, regardless, I was chosen and I was sent. On my way to Ithaca, I met Angelica, a member of the Sepulcher who was keeping watch at the portal's entrance. Asheron and his spies had been waiting for centuries, trying to guess when the children of the prophecies would be born. So, they always had a guard at the portal's entrance, knowing eventually the first protector would emerge.” Tildon stopped speaking for a moment. Sebastian held his breath, trying to take in what he was saying. None of it made any sense.
Tildon shook his head, realizing their confusion, and continued his tale. “You see, long ago, there was a beautiful Kingdom named Armistoria and it was held together by the powers of the seven seals. When unified, those seals can keep any evil from overtaking the land they were created to protect. This was something the King himself created to protect his people, but he also protected them by keeping secret how the power worked. Harnessed with a perfect mate, created separate but meant to be a whole, the seals rested in a room called the room of transition. One part of the seal was the imagination, the etching on the wall; the other was the tangible, the fabric of the seal that sat on display. Together, with the others, they were enough power to hold out even the vilest of creatures. But the King had not shown anyone this room before. He knew its power would be too much temptation for anyone to withstand. But that doesn't mean people didn't try to find it. For centuries, traitors and spies were caught and killed for attempting to capture the glory of the room.
It wasn't until the King's most favored and closest companion, Asheron, betrayed him causing the seals' power to be cursed. Asheron was loved by all, especially by the King himself, and was treasured in the company of the court. He was the King's most prized warrior, most beloved confidant, most trusted companion. He is the only human in Armistoria who has been given the King's gift of immortality. But what the King didn't know was that Asheron had spies, working in Armistoria, trying to find the secrets to the room of transition. Of course they finally found what they were looking for. The King, having learned of his betrayal, cursed the day he created the seals. With one word, the seals were separated from their mates and scattered all over the earth, all across time. And not only were the seals scattered, so was the Kingdom of Armistoria. The King sent some of his people with the seals, instructing them to protect them and keep them hidden until the time came to reunite them with their mates. They are called the guardians. Asheron, in the meantime, used the room of transition to scatter his spies, trying to follow the guardians. After learning the first members of the Sepulcher, Asheron’s followers, escaped the King shut down the room, locking them out of Armistoria forever. Asheron, meanwhile, hid away, slowly building an army of those who were tired of the King's ways, hoping for a new kind of life; a life where self had significance. Time passed and the betrayal of the King became a story, which then became legend. But within that legend there was always a prophecy that spoke about the rise of Asheron once more. It spoke of an
unfathomable evil he'd bring to Armistoria, hoping for its final destruction. The only hope of saving this world, the future world of the human race would be to reunite the seals once more into the room of transition. Such a task would be left up to six children, souls who were untainted and compromised by the world of the King.”
Sebastian could feel his head spinning. He barely managed to find his voice. “So who are you in all this talk of legends and prophecies?”
Tildon, turning slowly around, studied Sebastian before he spoke.
“Only the King knew the exact time the prophecies would unfold. He may have given Asheron immortality, but he didn't give him omniscience. So, Asheron instructed a select few of the Sepulcher he scattered to watch the room of transition, a job to be passed down to their descendants, knowing that eventually one of the King’s protectors would emerge close to the time of the prophecies. And so, after I surfaced, I met Angelica who had an offer from Asheron of unlimited power, unlimited position in this world, if I would be of service to him. He needed the knowledge the King had imparted to me before coming here. Also, I have the ability to detect the King's magic when used. You could say it was a gift given to me some time ago. Tired of the foolish ways of Armistoria, I gladly accepted the offer and thus, my greatest arch enemy became my ally. Since then, I’ve decided that since you are destined to find the seals, you'll find them for our purposes instead of the King’s.” A snarl came across his lips and a flash of bright red came across his eyes. Makayla shrieked, burying her face in Sebastian's arm. Tildon crossed over to them, leaning down close.
“But there is a seventh trunk that we haven't found yet. It was your parents' job to find all the trunks for me, and then I would've disposed of them. It's your jobs to find the seals. But with them gone, we'll have to figure something else out, now, won't we?” Tildon was leaning so close to Sebastian's face, he could smell the acidic breath that came from this man who no longer seemed human. His lungs burned after several seconds of trying not to breath, afraid his breath was poisonous. Tildon noticed the moment of panic in Sebastian's eyes, making him chuckle under his breath. He turned as if starting to leave, and then swung around to face them. His eyes still black, Tildon opened his mouth. Where his tongue should have been, there was a silver blade of a sword. It shot at them, coming inches from their faces, covered in dripping blood. Tildon let the sword recoil back into his mouth, laughed and walked out of the room.
Angelica took them back to their room, having to practically drag them all the way. Makayla and Sebastian could barely get their feet in front of them, after what they had just seen. When they got back to the room, Marshall and Ethan were still passed out on their beds. A tray of food was on the floor at the foot of each bed, but both had no desire to eat. They threw themselves on their own beds, silently facing each other. After a few minutes, tears started streaming down Makayla's face and Sebastian turned to stare at the ceiling.
A creak in the wood floor near the window made Sebastian sit up. Two dark shadows coming out of the corner of the room were creeping toward them, finally stepping into the sunlight.
Sebastian gasped, “Gina?”