Ultimus Thesaurus: The last Treasure (Era of Change Book 1)

Copyright © 2016 Maximilian Warden

Cover © 2016 Kensise Anders

All rights reserved.

When I started writing this book, I did it just for myself, but then I realized that it could be something more. All this was made out of curiosity and boredom and it soon became a dream that overwhelmed me. Alone I could dream, but because of you this book became a reality.

To my father, who would read every line regardless of how confusing it got and who helped me in word and deed.

To my mother, who always believes in me.

To my brother, who without word and deed, and a gaze of endless silence, showed me the way.

I am grateful to all those who spent their time reading this book, all those errors that I found and even those that are still hiding and to the people who never liked what I wrote and especially to those who loved it.

This book is only the beginning.

Thank you!

Since the dawn of humanity secrets concealed themselves within this world. Deep shadows, high mountains and wide fields hid the obvious truth. With our birth a journey begins. Its destination is the search for the treasures of the world. And so it came to be that every human being hid away their very own secret and their very own history. I won’t be able to tell how my own journey began, but it became clear, that it was more than a simple wish that started it.

My name is Jacob Ayrs, nickname Iago. Surely you have never even heard of me, but how could you, as this is my very first story to tell. It’s about wondrous beings, gruesome barbarians, brave pirates and lonesome souls all in search for that one legendary treasure. There was a time that I feared this world, and who could blame me? For there are horrible things happening every day, which no one should deem to control. That is probably why my hero wasn’t like me at all. He was brave, tall, strong and cunning – all in all a ‘me’ in great.

His name was Jasper Lawrence, also known as the world’s greatest adventurer. A title with meaning, as you better believe me. Even today I reverently envision the day we first met. 

He was magnificent, exceptional, courteous, and all these considered, he hated me on first sight. I was the best friend of his daughter, Lucia Lugh. A beautiful and tough young woman, who, as much as I admired her, wasn’t exactly sharing my sentiments. Her father and I, even though we did not get along well, shared a common vital relationship. He seldom stayed at home, which is why I took care of his daughter, just as much as she took care of me.

Lucia lost her mother when she was very young and since our first days in school she suffered from this loss. Because of this situation she had only very few friends and as we both shared a common bond, for I had never met my own mother, we came along just fine. We gave each other the comfort of being understood and it helped us to accept the life we shared. Lucia lived with her grandparents, the parents of her mother, who blamed Jasper for the death of their daughter.

Jasper had done everything he could and he ventured the world to find a cure for the mysterious illness his wife had suffered from. He heard tales about an ancient amulet capable of curing every known disease, but he never found it and when he finally returned his wife had already died.

There were many things Jasper regretted, but from this day onwards he never smiled again when he saw his daughter, because all he saw was the wife he failed. Emmerich Lugh, Lucia’s grandfather, was a strict man and for him it was a matter of utmost importance that his granddaughter would learn the skills of a true master and not a vagrant like her father. Emmerich himself had become the guild master of the carpenter’s guild in Jimosien, but now that the world began to change his own began to crumble.

With every year more wars were waged and with them inner conflict began to rise within the kingdoms, threatening the crown and forcing a paradigm change that could possibly lay waste to everything.

Lior Lugh, Emmerich’s wife, was a beautiful and prudent lady, only interested in one thing, her granddaughter’s happiness. She encouraged Lucia to run her own business and open a souvenir shop at the local harbour. There she displayed curious bric-à-brac and all the treasures send to her by her father. Jasper and Lucia had a ritual – every year he would send his daughter a package containing all sorts of things he found on his journeys. 

Oftentimes it all was nothing more but useless and worthless paraphernalia but there was always one thing Lucia cared for the most – the letter her father wrote to her.

As much as her father neglected her and as little time they shared, she still loved him with all her heart.

The story I am about to tell you is not an easy one for me to tell. It depicts the loss, tragic and disgrace I encountered in my life, but beyond these deep shadows, high mountains and wide fields lies a hidden truth – the love and bond between a father and his daughter and the irrevocable belief in the value of a human life. That is why this story is my most precious possession and I am about to share it with you.

I remember the beginning of this journey very well, as it was the last day of our education. For many years we had worked hard for this conclusion and even if I was never popular, I had reached this point as the best. For me this has always been of great value, which is why I had to tolerate many nicknames over this time. They ranged from mummy and ghosts face - right up to my favourite, 'The little White Knight'. As you may have already recognized, I was born with albinism, leading to a slight bleaching of my skin and hair. Not many tolerated my otherness, but I myself had the least problems with it. I needed a pair of glasses and was afraid of the sun and actually everything under the sun, but otherwise I was more than good.

My father was Duke Ayrs, mayor of Amnia and the surrounding villages. Since my birth I was not really the successor he had liked, and even if I was of above average intelligence, I still wasn’t more than a stopgap. His hope, as he called it, rested within the next generation, namely my children. He was of the opinion, that if I had not enough greatness in me to follow in his footsteps, I was still a time buffer that allowed him to leave this world with the dream that one day the name of his family could return to the true magnitude of the past. People of fragile mind or those who suffered social or intellectual anxiety would probably face a complete collapse, but I took it calmly.

“One day I will be a writer, you will see!” I said to my father, who visibly unimpressed buttoned up his expensive jacket and corrected his hairstyle with a bit of spit.

“You want to be a fighter? I do not believe that your talent is sufficient, but your appearance alone should probably be attraction enough. You should begin to hurry, because we will otherwise show up too late. 

Do not forget that this is perhaps the only day on which you could even come close to impress me,” he replied and showed me again, how much I meant to him.

I only took the most important things with me on this day, my notebook, my spectacles case and a small silver coin that Lucia had given me once. It was the most valuable coin in the world for me, because it was a special coinage of the year prior to the merger of the kingdoms Jimosien and Illis. And now, that Jimosien was soon to be history not only the ideal value could increase. 

Due to his position my father had the privilege to travel to any place with a carriage. I enjoyed the shadow and the rest as long as they existed, because in a few moments I would stand before all of my fellow graduates and deliver a speech. My father had personally asked for me to do it, because he believed that I had to overcome my fear of greatness.

“There is a solution for everything, because the problems of this world are all of mathematical nature. Therefore we follow the equations and formulas, which shape not only our path, but also show us the direction and the target at the same time. We can...” I muttered loudly and quickly wrote some words in my notebook which I used to write my first story.

“Stop the nonsense! Just sit back and put your head in your neck. With our head held high we go right up to this stage and I refuse to tolerate any failure on your side. Should you also manage to sabotage this moment for me, then I do not know what should become of your future,” said my raging father and took the book right out of my hands. “When you have finished your speech and have fulfilled my expectations I will return it to you. Until then, I will keep it with me. Fighting and writing, all humbug! If you are not careful, you will eventually end up like this regrettable drinker Lawrence.”

This name gave me hope. And even though my father doubted in the dreams which my heart hid away, I was pleased, the more I reached them. Many people hated Jasper Lawrence for his way of life, because they were jealous of his choice and his courage. 

Everyone was able to be mayor or carpenter and perhaps writer, but as an adventurer you had to be born. It was the courage that knew no bounds, the thirst for knowledge and for glory and the passion that takes a hold of you and imbues your soul for the rest of your life. Jasper may have been a slacker for most, but for me he was my role model.

We reached the place just a minute away from the school, on a big field which we normally only had visited for our physical education. They had built platforms; stands and festive decorations, and wherever you looked there were people. They all came from the surrounding villages and even the parents of the city children had come. Many went to school in our village, because an education in one of the guilds was expensive and without a diploma for most it would not even be possible to imagine. My gaze fell on Lucia right away, whose brilliant blond hair was moving in the wind just as if it could fly away with all this sorrow in my heart.

“Make it quick. As soon as I have finished my speech, you will be up! So hurry up, otherwise my hair will also turn white from all this stress,” roared my father while I left the carriage, which had not even stopped completely.

Many times he had made fun of me and said that my hair had turned white due to my fear of the world and oftentimes I asked myself whether he was right. Lucia was the only person for me, who made me want to be myself, because the other people only made me afraid.

“Iago, how are you? Where is your book?” she asked me immediately with a smile. She called me Iago and it was the only nickname that I proudly bore.

“My father has taken it, but I think that I can get it back soon. I only need to finish my speech. And if my hair wasn’t white already, it would probably turn white right about now.”

“How often have I told you, that you should no longer listen to your fathers hate speeches? Your father is a foolish old grouch and you should not care what he thinks of you. 

You are the best of all these people here today and you deserve to be proud of that.”

“You are probably right, but I do not know if I can. These are just numbers and letters on a paper. This kind of intelligence means nothing in the world, because there are moments in which I feel worthless. I would much rather be like you or your father...” I said and lowered my head, which my father of course immediately noticed.

“You should come with me now; it makes a better impression if we enter the stage together. And finally fix your attitude! You look like one of these ordinary children. And you Lucia should keep away from my son, for he will soon begin his higher education in the guild of Avaris and then the time for childish nonsense will have passed,” said my father and pulled my arm.

I looked back to Lucia, as I entered the stage and she gave me a wink to boost my confidence. Everything was quiet, when my father took the stage. They had prepared one of the new technological units, which served as a way to acoustically modulate or manipulate the voice of a person in an, to me, unknown way. These devices, which were created due to the suppression and near extinction of the mages guilds had been developed to compensate for the loss of their skills. Now it was technology and its development that ruled the world.

“Dear congregation, parents, pupils and colleagues. Today is a special day, because it is the beginning of a new life section for all of us. Today we witness the joy of those, who hold a diploma in their hands, those who will embark out into the world and join the guilds of their craft and only a few of us will remain and we will continue to assist our village. I well remember the day on which I received my diploma and my father held this speech. 

He said that every person only lives to achieve greatness and I now understand the meaning of what he said. We live in order to serve our community, our king and also this world. 

We live in a time of change, and even if we still do not know where it will lead us, it is nonetheless certain that it is us who will wait, no matter what happens. I therefore wish all of you the best and with all my heart I now leave the stage to my own son, Jacob Ayrs.