SEARCH FOR THE LOST SOUL (14 page)

“Why haven’t
we ever found a skeleton of one?”

“They
probably have. But, it would be without its head, as that would have been
removed at the animal’s death. Most likely they scientists would classify it as
some kind of horse.”

“What about
…”

“Enough,”
Dominic interrupted. “About the Dragon Sword, would you have a problem with
parting with such a valuable item?”

“Not as long
as I knew that it would be returned to me when you are finished with it.”

“I will
personally see that the sword is returned to you.”

Terrill
nodded. “I will see that it is delivered to you in the morning. I will also
have Johan give Chris instructions in the proper techniques for using the
sword.”

“I don’t
need it,” Chris protested. “How hard can it be?”

Both Terrill
and Dominic laughed. “It is obvious that you have never swung a sword,” said
Dominic in his superior tone. “If you do not do it correctly you could easily
injure yourself. I would have to leave you somewhere along the way because you
were injured.”

“Would you
really do that?”

“Certainly,”
replied Dominic mildly, folding his hands calmly in his lap. “The mission is
too important for us to be weighed down by a useless member. And, if you are
injured, you will be useless to me.” He glanced at Kelly, “And to her.”

Chris stared
at Dominic for several minutes, unable to believe his ears. How could the man
be so callous? But, he didn’t doubt that the apprentice meant every word he
said. “Fine,” he finally mumbled. “I’ll take the lessons.”

Terrill
hoisted himself out of the chair. “You must excuse me. I am expecting some
phone calls and must be in my study to take them.” He shuffled out of the room.

Almost as
soon as he was gone, Dominic also rose. “I shall also retire for the evening. I
would suggest that you do not remain long, Chris. Tomorrow will be a stressful
day for you.” He left the room, his boot heels making ringing noises as they
struck the floor.”

Chris glared
at Dominic’s retreating back until he was out of sight, then rose and began to
pace angrily.

Kelly watched
him for several minutes before speaking. “You really shouldn’t antagonize him
like that.”

Chris
stopped in front of her, frowning down at her. “What gives him the right to
treat people the way he does?”

Kelly
shrugged. “That’s just the way he is. If you would just accept that fact he
wouldn’t get under your skin so often.”

“And if he
did abandon me along the way, would you agree with him?”

“I'm sure
he’d stop to pick you up on the way back.”

Chris stared
at her. “That’s all you have to say about it?”

Kelly
shrugged. “What would you have me say? Not only is he the leader in this little
venture, but he’s also a sorcerer. He’s probably got powers that we know
nothing about. Even if I didn’t agree with him, I doubt that he would listen to
me.”

“But you’re
the reason for this journey. You’re the one who’s important. Surely, if you
protested, he’d listen to you.”

Kelly
shrugged again. “All I can say is, if I was you, I’d make sure that I didn’t
get hurt and run the risk of being cast aside.”

Chris stared
at her for a moment then turned abruptly and left the room. He stalked through
the ground floor and stomped up the stairs to his room. Sitting on the edge of
the bed in the darkness, he fumed at the lack of support Kelly had shown. He
couldn’t believe that she would just sit by and watch as Dominic abandoned him.

He wished
that there was a balcony attached to this room; he could definitely use some
fresh air. He considered going back downstairs but decided against it as he
realized that he would probably run into Kelly or some of the staff and he
wasn’t in the mood to exchange pleasantries with anyone.

Some time
later, he heard Kelly enter her room. For a moment he considered going over and
giving her a piece of his mind but decided against it; he didn’t want to say
anything he’d have to apologize for in the morning and if he talked to her
right now he probably would.

Instead, he
paced around the room, unable to release his anger. How could she be so
heartless, he asked himself over and over? Suddenly he stopped. No, not
heartless, soulless. He attempted to sit on the bed again but missed, landing
on the cold floor with a painful thump.

He climbed
to his feet, rubbing his buttocks. He felt miserable, but not because of the
pain. Kelly had reacted the way she had because she had no soul, and the reason
she had no soul was because of him. Now he was angry with himself for reacting
to her the way he had. She couldn’t help herself but he had no excuse. In the
morning, he would apologize as soon as he saw her.

His decision
made, he crawled between the cold sheets. He pulled his knees up to his chest
as he tried to conserve his body heat, cursing as he thought of Conrad and his
bed warmer. He would be very happy when this trip was over and he could return
to sunny Southern California.

The next
three days were torture for Chris. He was wakened early, given a light
breakfast, and then taken to the first level of the lower floors where Johan, a
middle aged man with broad shoulders and thick biceps, waited for him, drilling
him in the techniques of sword play. A twelve-year-old boy from the local
village, Bertus, was always present to translate between the two of them.

Johan drove
Chris endlessly and by the time he met Kelly for lunch, he was exhausted. As
soon as he gobbled his food, he would retreat upstairs for a quick nap before
the afternoon session began. He had never suspected that such a simple thing
could be so difficult; it looked so easy in the movies.

The sword he
was given was a battered thing with dull edges. Chris had frowned at it when it
was first handed to him before asking if this could possibly be the Dragon
Sword. Johan had laughed loudly at his question before replying that he
wouldn’t be given such a valuable weapon to learn with. He would not be given
the Dragon Sword until it was time to leave.

So, with the
sword in his right hand and a dented shield in his left, Chris listened as
Bertus translated Johan’s shouted instructions, most consisting of raise your
shield, and block that stroke. It was almost a relief when Johan led him to a
straw stuffed figure of a man for him to practice actually stabbing and
cutting.

By the time
Johan let him go, sweat would be running down his neck and chest and he would
be breathing heavily. It was a major effort to climb the stone stairs to his
room where Adolph would have a steaming bath in the metal tub in the center of
his room, waiting for him.

Adolph would
spend several minutes washing him, even though Chris protested loudly that he
could do it himself, before leaving him to soak in the water as he tried to
ease his abused muscles. He only emerged from the tub when the water became
cold enough to start shivers running up his spine.

After
dressing in clean jeans and sweatshirt, Chris would go back down to the first
floor to meet Kelly and Dominic for dinner. Except for the first night, Helmuth
didn’t join them, leaving them with only Dominic to translate to the staff for
them.

Dominic was
usually silent during these meals, never asking how the sword fighting lessons
were going, which irked Chris. By the time the meal was half over Chris would
be stabbing at his food with his fork, looking up only long enough to glare at
the apprentice for a few seconds before returning his attention to his plate.

Kelly,
sensing the tension between the two men, chattered about every topic she could
think of that might interest the two of them. But, they ignored her and she
would soon fall silent, eating glumly with a frown creasing her features. As
soon as the meal was finished, the three of them retreated to their separate
bedrooms, where they remained until the following morning.

As soon as
he entered his room after the evening meal, Chris changed his clothes and
climbed into the lumpy bed, falling asleep within moments of his head hitting
the pillow, not even taking the time to think his complaints about the cold
sheets.

As he lay
down on the night of the third day, he mused that he had never slept so much;
but then, he had never been forced to endure such physical exertion either. He
rolled over, dismissing the thoughts from his mind as he fell into deep sleep.

Chris had no
idea how long he had been asleep when he felt someone shaking his shoulder.
After opening his eyes enough to see that it was still dark, he tried to shove
the hand off him, mumbling for the person to go away. But the shaking
continued.

“Chris, wake
up.”

Chris came
fully awake; that was Kelly’s voice. As he sat up he guiltily remembered his
vow to apologize to her for his anger; she might not have been aware of his
thoughts but he felt bad about having them. He rubbed his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“Look at
this,” she hissed in a loud whisper, shoving something into his chest.

Chris
grunted as he reached up top turn on the light over the head of his bed.
Looking down, he saw a book with a red leather binding. He stared at the book
for a moment before looking at he. “You woke me up to show me a book?” he
demanded angrily. He shoved the book back at her and reached up to turn the
light off.

“Just look
at it,” Kelly pleaded before he had a chance to complete the act.

Chris glared
at her for a moment before lowering his arm and holding his hand out for the
book. He sighed deeply as he pushed his pillow against the wooden headboard and
leaned back against it. “This better be good,” he muttered.

The book was
so old that the bindings creaked as he opened the book. He frowned as he
gingerly turned the pages; the paper was so brittle he thought it would break
in his fingers. After a moment he looked up at Kelly. “There's nothing written
on these pages.”

“I know,
it’s weird.”

Chris felt
his anger returning. “You woke me to look at a book of empty pages? You know
what my life’s been like the last couple of days. I’m tired and I want to get
some sleep.” He shoved the book back at her, turned off the light and settled
back into bed, turning his back to her.

“Chris, I
wouldn’t have bothered you if I didn’t think it was important.”

Chris sighed
loudly again before turning over. “What makes you think a blank book is
important?”

“Because of
where I found it.”

He waited
almost a minute for her to continue before speaking. “Which was where?” He
winced as he realized that he’d spoken more sharply than he’d intended. He
immediately decided that he wasn’t going to apologize for it. She deserved it
for waking him at this hour.

“Chris,
please,” she sounded as if she was near tears.

Chris
groaned; she definitely knew how to push his buttons. He sat up but didn’t turn
on the light. “I’m sorry,” he said in a low voice. “Where did you find it?”

“In a wall
safe behind a picture.”

Chris
considered for a moment before reaching up to turn on the light so he could see
her face. “How did you find the safe?”

“I was in
the library looking for a book written in English. You’ve been so busy and
Dominic is always  so distant that I was looking for something to distract
myself . I’ve been spending a lot of time there the last few days. I haven’t
been able to find anything.

“I heard an
argument in the next room but didn’t look out until I heard footsteps leaving.
when I looked out, I saw Terrill and a man I don’t know arguing as they
walked down the hallway, disappearing in the direction of the dining room.”

“What were
they arguing about?” Chris interrupted her.

“I don’t
know. I think they were speaking in German, I think. Anyway, I’m not sure why I
did it, but I went into the room they had been in and the picture was hanging
off the wall and the safe was open. I walked over and looked inside, I wasn’t
planning to steal anything, I really wasn’t.”

Chris patted
her hand. “I know. You’re not a thief. Go on.”

She sniffed
before continuing. “There was only a bunch of papers and things inside the safe
and this one book. It looked out of place, that’s why I reached for it. When I
opened it I saw that it was blank and I couldn’t help asking myself why they
would lock a blank book inside a safe.”

Chris rubbed
at his eyes, then looked down at the book again. “I have no idea. It must have
something to do with magic. That’s all I can think of. Maybe you should ask
Dominic.”

She shook
her head. “I thought about that before I came to you but I don’t think he’d
tell me anything and I’m dying to know.”

Chris sighed
deeply again before taking the book and leafing through the pages again. “I
really don’t have the slightest idea,” he said when he reached the last page
and closed the book. “Why don’t you hide it somewhere and we’ll think about it
for a few days.”

Kelly sighed
as she rose. “Alright. I’m sorry I bothered you.”

Chris was
waiting for her to leave so he could turn the light off when he had a sudden
thought. “Kelly,” he called to stop her from leaving. “Come back here.” He
waited for her to approach the bed before continuing. “If they discover the
book is gone they’ll probably be able to find it no matter where you hide it.”

“Can they do
that?”

“According
to the magic book I read they can. So, you better not hide it in your room.
Hide it someplace where everyone has access.”

Kelly
nodded. “Can they tell who touched it?”

“I have no
idea. I wish I’d had time to finish that book. There was a lot of basic magic
information in there and I have a feeling that we might need it before this
journey is over.”

Kelly nodded
and headed for the door. I’m sorry to wake you.”

“That’s
alright. Just go so I can get some sleep.”

Kelly smiled
as she left the room, closing the door silently behind her. As soon as she was
gone he reached up, turned the light off, and settled back into bed. But,
despite his great desire to do so, he was unable to fall asleep. Thoughts of
the blank book and the magic book he had read back at Loren’s castle kept
intruding. He had the feeling that he had forgotten something important but, no
matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t bring the memory to the forefront.

Despite
several attempts at clearing his mind, Chris finally realized that there was no
way he was going to fall asleep again until he discovered what he was trying to
remember. He rose and dressed in the dark before heading down the hall to the
stairs.

When he
reached the ground floor he turned in the direction of the small courtyard, the
only place inside the castle he had found where one could get fresh air. He
shivered as he stepped outside, cursing under his breath for forgetting his
cloak.

He briefly
considered returning for the cloak but quickly abandoned the idea; it was bad
enough moving around this dismal castle during the daytime, but it was a
hundred times worse at night. He walked to one of the stone benches and seated
himself gingerly, wishing he had something to place between himself and the
cold stone.

Chris looked
up at the sky. Only a small portion of the sky was visible, the high walls of
the castle prevented a full view. The moon, if it was up, wasn't visible. Chris
sighed and looked around the courtyard. With nothing to light the courtyard
with, deep shadows hung over the entire place, it was easy to imagine that an
ogre or a giant could leap out at any moment to attack you.

Chris
shuddered again, but this time not from the temperature. He wondered how long
it would take Terrill to obtain the Angel Charm, whatever that was. He was
anxious to leave this place. After naively thinking that all castles were as
pleasant as Loren’s, this visit had shown him that they could be as different
as every other abode known to man.

He pushed
these thoughts from his mind and tried to focus on the magic book. What had he
read that he should be remembering? Several minutes later he rose and began to
pace around the courtyard. Every time he thought he was getting close to the
answer, it seemed to slip away from him.

He
eventually came to a small algae-laden pool. He knelt next to the water,
wishing for more light so he could see the fish he knew inhabited the pool. As
he trailed his fingers through the water, the answer he was seeking suddenly
hit him.

He leapt to
his feet, racing back inside, shaking the water from his fingers as he went. He
proceeded directly to Kelly’s room, where he entered without knocking. He
paused for a moment to allow his eyes to adjust to the dim light, even less
than in his own room, before moving to the bed and gently shaking Kelly’s
shoulder.

She mumbled
in her sleep and attempted to roll over but he grasped her shoulder so she
couldn’t. Chris shook her shoulder until she came fully awake. “Chris,” she
said as she sat up, pulling the covers up to her chin. “What are you doing
here?”

“I need to
see that book. Where did you hide it?”

“I’ll have
to show you. Please leave while I dress.”

“I’ll be in
my room.”

Chris waited
impatiently for her to come to him, pacing restlessly. What was taking her so
long? He shook his head. Women. They couldn’t just pull on a pair of jeans and
a sweatshirt. No, they had to primp themselves up. He had to bite the side of
his mouth to keep from berating her when she finally slipped into his room.

“There’s a
loose stone in the fireplace in the library,” she whispered as she led the way
down the stairs.

“How’d you
find that?”

“I built a
fire the other night. I couldn’t get warm and Helmuth kept saying that he would
get to it. I got tired of waiting so I finally built the thing myself. As I was
doing so, I leaned against the stones for support and I discovered the loose
stone. Naturally, I looked to see what was behind it. There was a space big
enough to put a suitcase into.”