Gift of Gold (The Year of Churning Bloods) (37 page)

The professor looked slightly offended at the texture of my voice, but took a deep breath and closed his eyes as carefully as he could.

              “The Minfrillis while exceptionally dangerous and strong, can only exist in environments with very little light. The real reason that I was late in filing my bath was because I had gone to the library to light a lantern. I had assumed that this lamp would stay lit for a few hours, however it must have blown out sometime before you arrived.” The professor sighed and folded his arms while looking immensely guilty. “I didn’t warn you about this creature Jacob because I believed that it would only promote your fear to enter the library. I inadvertently placed you in danger Jacob and I will try to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

              “Thank you,” I said, somewhat alarmed at this unexpected response. I sniffed and twiddled my thumbs feeling suddenly embarrassed at my angry outburst. “I went to the Caterwaul’s office,” I told the professor quietly.

              “Did you?” he asked eagerly. “What did you find?” I took a shuddering intake of breath and explained my findings to the professor. After I had finished, Professor Wenchenberg pinched the left side of his eyebrows in deep thought.

              “Troubling news indeed,” he mused to himself. “Orthonus growing active and myself being unfortunately suspected of helping the talented Jacob Ofpacis. On top of all of that you tell me this entire test is simply a decoy set up to assure the king’s nobles that he’s taking precautions against this dragon?” He shook his head sadly, taking my silence as an answer to his question. “What is the world coming to?”

              “But do you think I can?” I asked quietly.

              “Do I think you can what Jacob?” Professor Wenchenberg asked while casting his gaze over to me.

              “Do you think I can kill Orthonus?” The professor smiled slightly and stayed quiet for a lengthy amount of time.

“I believe that you will always do what is right Jacob. If that means killing Orthonus, then nothing will stop you from doing that.” He patted my shoulder, and for some odd reason I found this the most reassuring thing that he had ever done for me. “You’re a good boy Jacob,” he whispered softly. “It may not feel like it sometimes, but you’re a good boy.”

“If I do it, will the king still give me three wishes?” I asked quietly. The professor nodded.

“He is bound in blood Jacob. No matter how much he doesn’t want to grant those three wishes, he would be required to so long as you were the one to do the deed.

“Aren’t you going to tell your professor about your surprise meeting with the Caterwaul?” Umber asked, clearly dumbfounded that I hadn’t yet brought it up.” I shook my head slightly.

“The professor is already guilty about this Minfrillis creature attacking me. Telling him that I had gotten tied into one of his meetings would likely devastate him.” Umber rolled his eyes, but much to my relief said no more. The professor gestured to the book resting on my lap.

“I see you’ve found yourself a nice little piece of reading material.”

I nodded quickly and the professor beamed.

“I can take that off of your hands while you’re out snooping about. I doubt that it would be that practical carrying a heavy looking thing like that.”

I breathed a sigh of gratitude and passed the book onto the professor who put it into his own shoulder bag.

Over the next few minutes, the professor explain the path that I would need to take in order to go into the dungeons. “-And once at the Lambalatrate gardens, you simply cut across here where you’ll find the entrance to the storage holds here. Once you go inside, I will drop my mimicking spell so that you can safely retrieve the artifact without fear of the age spells going off,” the professor said, winding up his extensive explanation.

“What’s it like inside the dungeons?” I asked forcing my attention past the map and into the eyes of the professor.

Wenchenberg smiled uncertainly. “Unfortunately, I’ve only been down there once to help sort out the storage depot. It is a long series of passageways guarded by enchanted doors and other obstacles.

“How long do you say they go on for?”

“When I say long Jacob, I mean that they’re longer than literally any other tunnel that man has ever built. They stretch under the concentration camp like a twisted maze of roots, exiting just about anywhere you want to go, but yet still remaining unseen.”

I let out an instinctive moan before I could control myself. “How on earth do expect me to find such a small object in such a large area of space?” I asked  while lightly tugging at the hair by my temples.

Professor Wenchenberg smiled curtly at this question. Clearly he had a response planned for such a question. “The Grimlars while dreadfully powerful, still follow very basic logic. They protect that which is worth protecting and they spare no expense in doing so. On this map of the underground, I have circled the one area that receives the highest amount of anti-magical protection. A small insignificant room is being held together by a very powerful age spell, so powerful that most people over the ages of eighteen can’t even place a toe inside without every elder in the camp knowing about it. Something is guarded here and I believe that something is the pendant that we’re looking for.”

“I don’t see why we’re still waiting then,” I said bracing myself for the pain of the professor’s spell.

“In that case,” the professor said while forcing his eyes shut. “I bid you the best of luck.”

Chapter
fourteen

             
Cherry Trails

             
He rose from ash and broken bones

             
And filled the sky with hopeful tones.

             
I fell to the ground and looked to the skies

             
And swore on my life that I saw my own eyes.

With great effort, I stretched my old achy Professor Wenchenberg arms from side to side. Every careless movement I made in my own body seemed to require so much more energy while in the body of someone decades older. Raising my hands above my head felt a bit like I was carrying the weight of a full bag of soot. Clenching my fists required about as much time and tension as it would take to crush a rotten apple.
             

“
Your professor's
no
help,
”
Umber
proclaimed surely. “He
g
ives you weak medication
after you nearly killed yourself
just so that you can run his thieving agenda
? How can
you possibly find inspiration from such a selfish man
?”

I smacked
the eyes of Umber out of the air angrily, before briskly limping down a length of stairs.
“Quite frankly
he's
the only thing I can trust in anymore
,” I responded, curtly diverting my attention to the tips of my toes.

              “Oh, as if you’ve never had to trust in me before,” Umber simpered, revolving around my head in slow moving orbit. “If anything you’ve been entirely dependant on me, constantly asking for my advice and sage wisdom on nearly everything.”

I turned a light tinge of pink. “I do not!” I stammered grumpily. Umber sighed slightly, as if it was just too difficult to fathom how the inside of my head worked.

              “You think I speak in jest Jacob, however the fact that your professor abuses your servitude is a legitimate concern which I at least insist you consider.”

              “I do consider it,” I responded with a quick roll of the tongue. “However after consideration I see that the professor is simply trying to do what is best for all of us. Risks must be taken and if I’m the only one who can take them, then so be it.”

Umber rolled his eyes in dismay and tittered softly as I lengthened my strides. “Just what exactly is the purpose of getting this artifact?” Umber asked after a minute or two.

I stopped dead in my tracks, surprised that Umber would ask such a ridiculous question. It was in fact a very silly question! Of course we had to get this artifact because it would... Well it would... I brought a hand to my jaw in more careful consideration. Now that I thought about it, it didn’t really seem like there was a very strong reason to sneak into Castle Lambalitrate. After a few moments of agitated thought, I finally formulated an answer. “Having this artifact in my possession will make me more likely to win the competition.”

              “And those are the key words,” Umber responded quickly. “
More likely
. Notice how you did not say that having the object would ensure your victory. If that’s the case, then why risk finding it at all? If anything the object could put you in further danger, for what would happen if you were found with it?” I shrugged, and folded my arms.

              “I could hide it,” I said less than certainly.

              “For how long?” Umber wondered.

I sighed and brought a hand to my forehead. “For as long as it would take to get me out of here,” I responded sharply.

Umber sighed in dismay before turning to face me. “You’re already one of the Quenched Jacob. There will not be anyone else like you for quite some time, so surely that would already make you very likely to win the competition. Why risk your life to improve those very high chances?” I bit my upper lip and swallowed about three degrading comments I could have used against Umber.

              “I will be up against one of the most powerful dragons in existence. I said quietly. I’m going to need all the power that I can get.” Umber chortled loudly at this remark.

              “You think that you can kill a dragon with brute force? Most dragons can be anywhere from thirty to fifty feet tall. Their scales are literally harder than just about any sword you could get, not to mention the fact that dragons have a vast intellect which mortals can only dream of.” I scowled at him from the corner of my eye. “
Most
mortals,” Umber conceded. “Oh, I forgot to mention the fire! Jacob they also breathe fire.”

“Enough!” I exclaimed, swatting him away with more force than before. “We’ll take this in small steps, not running strides. I understand this is probably the most difficult thing anybody has ever had to do, but it still needs to be done.” Lingering down a lengthy passageway on the ground floor, I rounded a corner and immediately stepped outside into the cold air.

              Even in the night, the gardens of Castle Lambalitrate effortlessly showed off its high maintenance and pedigree. Hovering above most flowerbeds were small globules of glowing water, which calmly illuminated the unearthly plantlife. Large pieces of shrubbery were crafted into intricate figurines that although stationary, portrayed a fantastic sense of movement.  Green leafy swans loomed over a small pond bed, with their tall necks craning nearly twice my size. Fantails perched on white flower beds looking ready to take flight at any moment. However by far the most amazing of these creatures was a single aggravated looking lynx of impossible proportions. At nearly three stories tall and contained in a small circular brick wall, it stood coiled into a fierce snarl ready to attack at any moment. Although I verified that it was non living, it didn’t stop my startling desire to creep away from the beast among shrubs.

A small orchard off to one side carried an intoxicating scent, which caused me to turn on the spot and sniff for a moment. I calmly strode to the stunning rows of blooming trees, pausing to glaze over the small shimmering fruits which hung like polished rubies.

“I’ve read about these!” I exclaimed to myself. “What I’m looking at here are rows and rows of cherry trees!” The wood of the trees was a common export. Easy to grow in the south, and cheap to distribute, however they couldn’t be grown in the cold kingdom of Zaphris. From what I understood though, the fruit they bore spoiled quickly, making them a delicacy in places far away from warmth.

I found it a wonder that the Grimlars were able grow them in these appalling conditions. Without hesitation, I plucked one from the branch before me and forced my teeth around the almond like pit in the centre. I wormed the fruit around in my mouth, frowning slightly. It was pleasantly soft, yet it had an empty bitter flavour similar to tastes of most unripe fruit. I plucked another one and tried this as well. It tasted exactly the same. I frowned and shrugged slightly. “Perhaps Preston will like them.” I thought to myself with some dissapointment, before removing another dozen or so berries and putting them in the satchel the elder Grimlars carry.