If You Trust Me - An Onward Fan-Novel

◊ Chapter 6 ◊

Previously on Onward...

As Ian contemplates the opportunity he has stepped into with Mr. Vance, the new teacher approaches the teenage elf and asks him to keep their study of the medallion a secret. After agreeing to let Barley in on the inspection and bonding over Guinevere the Second, the student and teacher pair officially form a deal. 

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◊ The Medallion Report ◊

In a matter of time, the Lightfoot brothers got home, where they planned to report their findings on what they were each able to acquire on the talisman.

Before heading down to the basement to join his brother, Ian first rushed upstairs to his own bedroom to grab the S.S. Medallion from his desk drawer. He opened it, and there it was—just as he'd left it. Gripping the pendant into the palm of his hand, Ian thought it felt cool to actually hold the talisman this time now knowing what it was officially called—and it was all thanks to Mr. Vance. Ian was sure that if he and his brother went to his new teacher for assistance, they would certainly get further along in figuring out its purpose. He just hoped that Barley would agree, not that he had any doubts. He knew his brother would be up for just about anything!

With the medallion in hand, Ian left his bedroom and climbed down the main stairwell. Then he turned down the main hall, and entered his brother's room.

As promised, he saw Barley was there waiting for him. The older elf sat cross-legged on the floor looking through one of his many books. He held it up close, right in front of his face as if looking for something miniscule. Then he turned it side to side like a steering wheel.

Ian then glanced around Barley's underground room and became surprised. His brother's once-packed bookshelf was now completely empty! Every single guide, tome, and novel from there was scattered about the older Lightfoot's room. Most of them laid open to a random set of pages and were either face down, right side up, or in some other odd position.

As the younger elf got further down the basement stairs, Barley finally glanced up, and was happy to see his brother and the talisman in his hands.

"Ah, dear brother! I see thou hath the talisman!" he said.

"Yep, I do," Ian said with a grin. "I thought we could use it."

"But of course, young mage."

The younger Lightfoot sat down on the floor next to his older brother, and placed the medallion between them—just as he did last night. Then he asked, "so, did you find anything from your books?"

Barley sighed heavily. "Alas, my young sorcerer, I have not."

"Oh," Ian said. He peered downward for a moment. That was not the answer he was expecting.

"I've searched everywhere and not a single one of my books has anything on this talisman!"

A frustrated Barley then closed the book he was just looking at and tossed it right in front of him. It did a couple arbitrary flips before it landed far in a wacky position like the rest of his books.

Ian figured his brother had been doing that all day with each book that failed to follow through with the information that they wanted.

Barley sighed once more. "It seriously must be one-of-a-kind," he said, then turning to face his brother, the older elf asked, "I don't suppose you had any luck finding anything, did you?"