Belford's Heart

Chapter 11: The Cartographer

"You will not have her!" Belford held his ax before him, tightening his grip and holding the blade directly toward the man at the desk. The man held out his hands, pleading for him to be calm. "Evelyn, leave now and I will be right behind you."

"Belford," Evelyn said softly as she held a hand as close to his shoulder as she could reach. Her eyes glowed less faintly than before as she tried to calm him. "Slow your breathing. I do not feel danger from him."

"But he is-"

"Terribly sorry for the actions of my kin," the man said, standing as Belford's ax slowly lowered and he accepted Evelyn's embrace. "It appears that Bernard had not prepared you for what you would find in this tower."

Bernard's eyes had never looked away from Belford since his ax was drawn. He was nervous to speak, but as the goliath appeared to be calm his tension was eased enough to do so. "I am so very sorry. I was not aware of your feelings towards men like Vathan."

Belford shook his head, huffing a long breath out from his mouth and strapping his ax behind him. "It is I who must be sorry. Many have treated me with the same ignorance and I am not better than them."

"It seems that you may have had good reason," the man approached them slowly. "I can assure you that I mean no harm. In fact our meeting may have been foretold to me, albeit by unconventional means. Allow us to start from the beginning once more. It is good to meet you." The man bowed his head, his features softening as he and Belford met eyes more directly. "My name is Vathan. Cartographer and scholar, and, as you have already seen, a man of Thelos."

"Belford," Belford said. "My name is Belford."

"And you?" He motioned for Evelyn to stand before him.

"Evelyn," she said, nodding her head in return. "It is truly a pleasure to meet you. The malice of the others spoke itself to me plainly, but I do not sense that from you."

"That is because I am not one of the others," Vathan said. "A Child of Thelos as though they act in the ways of our creator. Time is most cruel, at times. Especially when many contort and bend ancient writings to fit whatever it is they want to do. That glow in your eyes, Evelyn, Could I ask you about this?"

Evelyn's eyes widened, "Oh, that. I suppose I can tell you all that I know, and I apologize for it not being enough. I felt this energy when I was placed in Belford's protection. It seems to be connected to my emotions, but I am only able to control it to a small degree. It allows me to connect with people."

"And in moments of stress, or perhaps bursts of adrenaline, does this glow become stronger, your connection to other people strengthen?" Vathan questioned.

Evelyn nodded. "Have you heard of my...situation before?"

"Certainly not," Vathan said, raising his hand to grab his pointed chin. "But there are writings that tell of your coming. Bernard, please allow me some alone time with our new friends. It seems we have much more to talk about than expected."

Bernard made his way from the tower as Vathan prepared two chairs for himself and Evelyn at the table cluttered with his tools and documents. Belford chose to remain standing as there were no chairs suitable for him. That and he was still uneasy at the thought of him being so close to Evelyn. He was frustrated that he could not rid himself of the suspicion, but it would still be best to remain within reach of his ax.

Vathan compiled a series of pages filled with notes and illustrations. After placing them in a specific order, he pulled a leatherbound book from beneath his desk. He sifted through the pages quickly before landing on a page filled with symbols neither Belford or Eveyln could recognize. He moved two candles close to them, lighting each quickly and placing them at the far corners of the pages he had collected.