SkyEarth Book 2: The Ethaerium Keys

Chapter 3: The Acolyte and Familiar

Chapter 3

The Acolyte and Familiar

"So this is the place?" asked Esme.

"Yup. This is where we're gonna stay." answered Oliver rather cheerfully.

The group stood in front of a derelict-looking three-story house in the outskirts of town which sat precariously on the edge of the canyon, supported by a not-so-stable looking platform held together by rusted metal pipes and old rotting wood. The building itself was a towering hodge-podge of smaller buildings, all stacked on top of one another like children's blocks. The base of the building is entirely made of brick, the second floor stone, and the topmost floor wood paneling and sheet metal, with steel gable roofing. The windows on the walls were not the same, with one window at one side of the front door having a wooden shutter and on the other side circular and no shutter at all. Smoke escaped from the tall metal chimney, suggesting someone's living inside. Oliver approached the front door, something his friends were too anxious to do, and rang the doorbell. Instead of the traditional ding dong sound conventional doorbells make, there was only a series of metallic clicking sounds that may have come from the inside of the walls. And then came the sound of something crashing inside and an old man's screaming.

"You darn kids!" screamed the old man's voice inside the house. "I'm gonna get yous this time!" Shaun and the group took a cautionary step backward while Oliver remained steadfastly in front of the door, determined to meet the owner of this house.

The front door opened with a slam. An old man, probably in his late 80s or early 90s, appeared in the doorway and took a good look at Oliver and his friends. He had unruly greying hair and appeared to wear a grease-stained light grey cotton shirt over brown overalls, old and worn work boots, bandages that covered his forearms and hands except for the fingers, and an eyepatch over his right eye. The old man didn't look very much pleased to see a group of young teenagers in his property, but he had taken a keen interest in Oliver.

"Who are yous?" asked the old man. "I've never seen any of yous around here. Are you all in some kind of goblin horde come to torment me?"

"What?" Oliver started, a look of utter surprise etched on his face. "Look, we-"

"Wait! That ruffled mop of clay pot colored hair, bright bronze eyes, the mouth corners itching to turn up into a manic smile?" the old man asked, taking in all of Oliver's features, his eyes squinted so hard as if trying to recognize him. "Is that my grand-phew standing on my doorstep?!" the old man yelled, wild-eyed and mouth agape.

"It's good to finally meet you, Unk Gruffin." Oliver said the old man's name with a hint of northern Granazian accent before they exchange a heartfelt hug. "It's okay, guys. Unk Gruffin's harmless." he said to his friends.

Shaun and the others felt relief course through in their systems. They know now that this old man's Oliver's great uncle Patrick.

"Uh grand-phew?" Esme said. Oliver turned to her and realized something. "Oh I almost forgot!" he announced to everyone. "Unk Gruffin, meet my friends Shaun, Esme, Manny, Mason, and Christine. Friends, meet my great uncle Griffin MacDuff, or as he prefers himself to be Unk Gruffin."

Unk Gruffin approached the group, his beady left eye examining each individual closely. When he laid eyes on Shaun, he leaned closer towards the boy, unnerving him. "Oliver, why didn't you tell me you've been friends with an Auraeon?"

Oliver and the group looked utterly surprised, Shaun and Christine especially so. "Uh what do you mean by that, Unk?" asked Oliver, trying to change the subject.

"That mark on your hand," the old man said to Shaun as he grabbed the fourteen year old's right hand and taking off the fingerless glove, exposing the mark. "That ain't no ordinary tattoo I've ever seen. And with the Stratos here-"