Excavations and Enlightenment (A sequel to "Caveats and Cliches")

Chapter 6: Going By The Book

Easton is now glowing in triumph.

"Pema's journal! It was hidden behind the drawer!"

Sarah's brow wrinkles, but she crowds the desk with the rest of, eager to have a look. The journal is a plain black volume, thick with well used pages and additions; held together with a strap sewed into it's length, as well as a tight rubber band. Easton handles it reverentially, carefully undoing the binding and removing the bands. The unlined pages are filled with lazy, sprawling sentences in delicate script. Rather than a record of personal experience and feelings, this journal is brimming with archeological information. Notes and observations on history, mythologies, stock photos as well as skilled drawings, and accounts of locations and findings on digs. Easton gently turns the pages, scanning the contents, but it seems obvious to me that we will have to read each entry carefully to find what we are looking for. That's why I'm completely caught off guard when Easton suddenly sucks in a breath and gasps,

"Look at this!"

He has turned to a place about two thirds of the way through the journal and is staring at a page with a very distinct looking staff drawn on it. The long cylindrical handle appears to be crafted out of gold, with graceful carvings adorning it. An even finer pedestal extends from the top to clasp a radiant crystalline gem. Fine spun spindles of gold stretch an encompassing web around the jewel, protecting it like a force field. The adjacent page gives a more specific account of what Pema told us at dinner that first night. It tells the tale of a ruler who had a twin brother. The brother was killed under awful circumstances and the emperor was obsessed with the idea of contacting the spirit realm to find out if his brother had lived on after his murder. A particularly enterprising alchemist had spun the story of a staff that could grant him his wish. The alchemist had crafted the staff, then waited to present it to the emperor when a storm was coming. He had an assembly called outside in the courtyard, then made a great show of offering the supposedly powerful object. When the emperor attempted to use the staff, the storm was near to breaking. Lightning lit the sky, thunder rumbled, and winds whipped against the audience so strongly that they had to retreat to the interior of the palace. The emperor took this as evidence that the staff worked. The alchemist was appointed as the emperor's advisor and lived out his days in luxury. Though the staff held no power, and any credence attributed to it was always carefully orchestrated by the alchemist; the emperor was never parted from the staff. It was believed to have been buried with him.

Easton slowly turns the page. The next two pages show a detailed, hand written map. It specifies a path leading through part of Bhutan and ending at an X marking the location of the dig. "Emperor's Tomb" is written next to it. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sarah straighten a little. The wrinkle between her brows smooths and she closes her eyes, leaning back.

"Pema's journal."

She mumbles to herself. Then the tiniest smile crosses her lips. A second later her features turn neutral and she opens her eyes, a look of complete innocence on her face.

Toby taps the map. "We have to go there!"

"What?" Easton looks dumbfounded.

"That's where the staff is! We just have to go and get it!"

Everyone turns their gaze toward Sarah.

"He's right, we have to go."

Having expected a defiant refusal, everyone is surprised at her reply. We stare in silent confusion, but Sarah just half shrugs.

"We have to keep following the clues."

She says it so purely, straight faced and without a trace of sarcasm. I'm immediately suspicious, but Toby and Easton are willing to take her at her word. They turn to each other, already discussing the best way to accomplish their new goal. Sarah just watches, perfectly content to let them hammer out the details. I run a hand idly through her hair.

"What are you up to?" I ask, conspiratorially.

She considers, still watching the boys, then says,

"You know, it's been awhile since you and I have been on an adventure together."

At that she saunters over to a shelf, under the pretense of inspecting some equipment.

The rest of the day we spend in preparation. I write down a list of things we need, Toby gathers available equipment from what's around us, Easton researches the area we are going to, and Sarah makes a trip to an outdoor sporting goods store for backpacking supplies.

By evening we are all exhausted and don't go any further than dinner in the restaurant of our hotel. We continue discussing our expedition. My list has gotten very long and we argue over what is absolutely essential and what is not. Sarah also insists that we must go back to the Underground before we proceed to the country possessing the staff. This confuses Easton and I, but Toby agrees. Apparently, there are some bizarre regulations about how people who share the same planet may move about within it. Said regulations prevent Easton and I from traveling from country to country, so we will have to go back to my kingdom and then open a doorway from there to the country where the dig is located. It seems ridiculous, but we are assured that it will be a much faster way of reaching our goal.

Then Sarah hits on an idea that seems both inspired and preposterous.

"We should bring the goblins with us!"

"What?"

She leans in, excitement glittering in her eyes.

"Think about it, when Pema told us the story about the staff, she said they were hoping to find it. And so far nothing we have seen in that journal has indicated that it has already been found. We may have to actually excavate it ourselves. I doubt that is something we can do in a timely fashion with just the four of us..."

Easton picks up her thought.

"But if we had a crew of goblins working with us, it would go much faster!" Easton is starting to get excited as well.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but my goblins are not qualified to go digging up ancient tombs!"

"Really?" Sarah asks. "Who dug the oubliette?"

"Built the Goblin City?" Easton quips.

"Maintains a moving Labyrinth?" Toby joins in.

They all look at me expectantly, their eyes dancing with humor. But I'm not defeated yet. I fold my arms deliberately across my chest.

"Yes, and who will maintain those things in our absence? My subjects are already without supervision. Do you know what they do when I'm away? I will be cleaning Ludo's hair from my throne for a week after we return! If we bring them all here, we will undoubtedly have much more to worry about when we get back."

"We won't bring them all..." Sarah drawls, "I'll have Hoggle ask for volunteers."

Hoggle.

"Yes," she says, seeing my discomfort. "A good opportunity to get the needed work done and connect with your subjects. They will enjoy working shoulder to shoulder with their esteemed king."

How does she manage to entwine sarcasm and flattery into the same statement?

I can tell the decision has been made with or without my consent. The goblins are coming with us.