Ring of Power

Chapter 24: The Next Seekers

     The next morning was dull and the rain fell steadily.  Emerald and Xavier donned their cloaks early that gloomy morning and walked out back to the garden.  Near the fountain was a pyre coated in a shining substance with a body laying on it.  As they walked closer Emerald saw Arigorn's face.
      His eyes were closed and he had an air of calm about him, like he was at peace with his death.  The lines on his face were traced as the rain droplets ran through them and dripped onto the wood underneath him.  Emerald watched the rain fall and felt warm tears rise to her eyes.
      The Duke stood between Arigorn's body and the fountain.  The silence dragging on. Finally, the duke spoke a few words:
      "Arigorn served as my personal court sorcerer and friend for many years now.  He has saved me from pain and heartache when it was needed most.  He was a good man who will be sorely missed and remembered by us all."
      He then lit a match and threw it against the wood beneath the body, causing it all to burst into flames.  The Duke nodded at the teens and walked back into the castle.
      Emerald and Xavier stood and watched as the flames began to engulf the body.  Emerald sobbed quietly as Xavier let a few streams of tears cross his cheeks.  He reached out and placed his arm around her shoulders and she placed her head on his. 
       Eventually they both turned and went back into the castle, cloaks dripping from the rain.  They walked through the halls and back toward their chambers.  They stopped in front of their doors and stood in silence for some time.  Then they reluctantly parted, Emerald still sobbing, and went into their separate rooms. 
     Emerald undressed and hung her cloths to dry.  She poured a bucket of hot water in a basin and stepped in.  She sank to her haunches and moved her fingers through the water. 
      The hot water felt wonderful on her skin after the cool rain.  Dried tears were left on her cheeks and her head throbbed from crying all morning.  She sank deeper into the water; her eyelids became heavy and soon sunk closed.

     She ran through the woods, laughing, looking back over her shoulders.  A harmless explosion went off next to her and she tripped, falling next to a small wooden box.  She looked at it, curious, and looked back again, connecting eyes with Arigorn.  The skin around his eyes crinkled as he smiled and she turned back to the box.  She reached out a trembling hand and opened it.
     As the lid lifted, a bright light came from within and she shielded her eyes with her arm.  She knew what it was: the secrets of the ancient magic.
     She turned once more, but Arigorn was gone.  She was a Seeker now.

      Emerald awoke with a start.  She looked down and realized she was still in the basin of water, which was now cold.  She looked out the window and saw the sun getting close to the horizon.
      She got out of the water and dried off, putting on a clean pair of tights and a loose shirt along with her boots.  She grabbed her weapons and reached into the pocket of her cloak.  She pulled out the small gold key with a dragon head on the top.
      She went to the edge of her bed and sat down, tracing the lines in the dragon head with her finger.  She looked at it and marveled at its beauty.  She wondered where Arigorn had found such a magnificent item. 
      She closed her hand around the key and left her chambers quietly, not wanting to draw attention to herself.  She walked across the throne room to a small wooden door on one of the four spire's of the castle.
      She carefully opened it and slipped inside, climbing the many steps until she finally reached the door at the top.  She pushed the door open and entered the small room beyond.
      Emerald remembered the first time she and Xavier had stepped through that door.  She looked around at all the books and bottles of liquids and sheets of paper laid out on a small desk in the corner of the room.  She saw the bed on the far end of the room with a wrinkled pillow and a thrown back blanket.  The room had a strange aroma that when she breathed deep, it reminded her of Arigorn. 
      She opened her hand and looked once more at the dragon-headed key that lay within.  She looked around the room, remembering what Arigorn had told her the night he died.  She looked for a box with a matching dragon on the desk when something caught her eye.
      She walked across the room to a shelf full of books and scrolls piled in an un-orderly fashion.  Wedged between the books and scrolls was a small red box.  She placed her hands on the books to keep them from falling as she pulled the box from between them. 
      The box was small, not much bigger than her hand.  The red was worn and there was a gold trim around the edges.  In the center of the lid was a golden dragon head, identical to the one atop the key. 
      Emerald went to the desk and gently put the box on it, lowering herself into the chair.  She slid the key into a small hole in the side of the box.  There was a small click as she turned it, feeling the lid give as the box unlocked.
      She reached out with a trembling hand and pushed the lid of the box open, revealing a dusty piece of parchment.  The parchment was old and torn and the writing was faded, but she could still make out the lines and words of what she presumed was the map Arigorn had told her of.
     She smiled a sad smile and went to place the map back in the box when she caught sight of a second piece of parchment and a small but beautiful ring.  She pulled out the ring and turned it between her fingers, admiring the blue oval stone in the centre of a plain yet stunning silver band.
      She laid the ring next to the box and pulled the parchment out of the bottom, hands trembling severely now, and unfolded it to reveal a note.  Unlike the map, the parchment had no tares or creases in it and the writing was fresh and legible.
It read:

​     My Dearest Emerald,
​​          I know that if you are reading this note I have already passed on to the afterlife and The Wraith is dead. Yes, I knew very well that once I followed you to the dark tower that I would not return. I want to tell you not to worry about me. By now I am with the love of my life, Anngella, and we are happy. I want you to know that the second I saw you I knew you were different. I fell in love with those glowing green eyes and that bright smile you have. I saw the way you and Xavier gazed at one another and fell in love once more. You two brought out a side of me I thought I lost many years ago and I thank you for that. You were both the children I never had and I could not be any more proud of how you turned out. I want you and Xavier to be the next Seekers, as if you were my children. Hide the secrets well and protect them always. Do not be afraid to move them as you yourselves move. Keep the key on you at all times and never give it away or tell anyone what it is for. Feel free to have anything in my chambers, there is no one else to claim my belongings. As for the ring, it was once for Anngella and I want Xavier to have it, he knows its story and can tell if he so pleases. I will miss the two of you dearly, but remember, I will always be with you, guiding you from afar.   
                                                                          Sincerely,
                                                                            Arigorn

     Emerald folded the parchment up once more and placed it carefully in her pocket.  She placed the map back in its box, closed the lid and pulled out the key, placing it in her pocket with the note.  She picked up the ring off the desk, wiped the tears from her cheeks, and silently left the small room.​​