The Hammer - Cor Series Book I

Chapter 38

Madam Toreg reeled and Garek barely managed to catch her before she hit the floor. The woman brushed Garek back, stepped forward and extended an open hand, her eyes locked on the hammer.

Corvan reluctantly released it into her grasp. He wanted to tell her that it belonged to his grandfather but decided that might only cause more problems.

Cradling the hammer in her hands, Madam Toreg examined it carefully, the glow highlighting the excitement on her face. "So, the old stories were true," she said in a hushed tone. "The hammer exists, it's not just a concept." Lifting it overhead, she pointed the handle at the ceiling, throwing its light onto the paintings. As she rotated the projected symbols into position, Corvan could see the same marks running between two golden bands that surrounded the faces above them.

"The words above were painted from memory long after the hammer was lost to us," Madam Toreg said. "I often wondered if they were correct."

Corvan stared up at the ceiling. "What do they say?"

"Three words flow between the circles: Truth, Mercy and Justice. Those are the attributes that a true Cor-Van must possess to lead the Cor back to the light." She looked at him from under thick eyebrows. "The legends also say they are the qualities of the one who will return the hammer to us."

Corvan avoided her eyes and blurted out. "I don't understand how it works. At times it heals me and other times it hurts me. Sometimes it does what I want and then it does nothing at all."

Madam Toreg directed the blue glow onto Corvan's chest but the blue words were fully absorbed into the gray cloth of his cloak. She frowned, then shone the words onto the floor between them. "The hammer only has power when held by those who have integrity, those who stand against injustice. It helps people know what is right and supports them as they seek to find the truth, and to speak the truth, but it cannot be used as a weapon."

"Yet the Chief Watcher seeks it," Jorad said.

"The Chief Watcher knows the hammer is here in Kadir?" Madam Toreg asked, turning quickly to Jorad.

"I cannot say for certain. Rayu was the one to report it and now he has gone missing. The Chief of the Watchers is an ancient creature and is no doubt aware of the stories of how the hammer was taken from the Cor. I believe that is why he took the portal key from Tarran. He intends to go looking for it." Jorad glanced over at Corvan then pointed at the blue words on the ground. "Why would he even want the hammer if it judges truth. That creature is the epitome of lies and lying."

Madam Toreg sighed heavily. "When people are in dire circumstances, they want to believe someone is telling them the truth and will help things improve. If the Chief Watcher can convince the people of Kadir he possesses the truth, he can easily manipulate them to follow his new religion and give him whatever he asks."

Corvan's head swam. There were too many bits of information being tossed about that couldn't fit together. If the hammer was truth, what was the medallion? Earlier, he'd thought it was compassion, and that something like to mercy, but where did the justice part fit in? "How could the Chief Watcher even hold the hammer?" he asked. "I have experienced first-hand how it punishes those who lie."

Jorad raised his eyebrows at Corvan's confession but said nothing.

Madam Toreg gave Corvan a look that reminded him of Mrs. Thompson repeating a basic math problem he couldn't grasp. "If an evil person shields himself from the truth in some manner, he will appear to others as if he's touching it, but that is just another deception. You must examine people closely to see if the hammer is freely held in their hands. Deceivers never let others get that close to them."