Secret Of the Sighing Mountains (The Quest Trilogy) (3 page)

The cake was unnaturally hard to cut. When Sierra picked up the slice of cake intending to shove the whole thing in his mouth, he discovered why. Before he could bring it halfway to his lips the whole thing simply crumpled in his hand, leaving only the limp icing behind. Sierra stared in disbelief; first at the shell of icing in his hand, and then at the lump of what looked like sawdust fallen near his feet. Diego gave a snort of amusement, thoroughly enjoying Sierra’s predicament.

Stal walked into the living room then, casually wiping his hands on a towel as he seated himself opposite the two of them.

“Something amiss, son?” he inquired innocently.

“Nothing that you didn’t intend to be amiss.” said Sierra, irritation coloring his voice.

Stal nodded towards the cake, “When you saw the cake there, did you know that it was filled with sawdust?”

“Obviously not, or I would have let Diego taste it first.” said Sierra. He threw a sneaky look at Diego, who scowled back at him.

Stal’s face suddenly grew very serious as he looked at both of his sons.

“The point I am trying to make is; you would never have known what was inside that cake unless you bothered to cut it. Similarly, you need to discover what lies inside of you. What you are made of. Maybe you’ll discover that you’re just beautiful on the outside and worthless on the inside, like this cake here. Or maybe,” he paused, as he reached under the table and brought out another tray with a cake twice as big and twice as delicious-looking as the previous one, and laid it on the table continuing, “you will discover that you are like this one here.  Good on the outside and even better on the inside. Filled with substance, you know?”

Sierra lunged forward to cut out a slice from this new cake but was stopped mid-lunge by Stal’s hand.

“Patience, Sierra. I have something I want to say first.”

Diego gave another snort of amusement in Sierra’s direction. This time, Sierra quietly crushed Diego’s toes under his heel. A string of soft curses flew out of Diego’s mouth while Sierra stared straight ahead, feigning ignorance.

Stal sighed. “I am an old man now, so please have some consideration. You know what I am talking about. I’m talking about The Quest.”

“The Quest.” Both said in unison. Then they looked at each other, grinned and punched their fists, nodding, “Yeah!”

Over the years Stal had mentioned the Quest to them many times, telling them what a wonderful adventure it was and extolling the many virtues of going. But he never went into too much detail, always skimming around the many advantages of going. They had also noticed that their father was not just another ordinary guy. For instance, he was fast, real fast. In the time it took them to run one round around the house, Stal usually managed four. He was also extraordinarily strong. Every once in a while, Stal liked going to the neighborhood arena and taking part in friendly wrestling matches. Some of his opponents were large, burly men who looked like they could pound the walls to a pulp. These men never even managed to injure their dad, let alone make him lose. Also, he always seemed to be full of life and energy and never seemed to get tired. Even if he saw them off to school early in the morning, then slogged all day at the factory where he worked as a supervisor, came home and prepared all the meals and then spent quality time with them, helping them with homework and projects, he still looked fresh as a daisy at the end of the day. If they ever mentioned or pointed out these anomalies to Stal, he would wink and tell them that it was because he had gone for his Quest and that one day, he would explain more to them. “When!?” they would wail, and he would say, “When you turn eighteen.” And they would sulk away, knowing they would get no more out of him then. Both of them had known that Stal would bring the topic of the Quest up tonight, on their eighteenth birthday, and they intended to milk this opportunity to get him to talk to the fullest. They waited for him to go on.

Stal looked at their faces.

“My sons, you have both turned eighteen today. As you already know, this is the age when those who wish to do so, leave for the Sighing Mountains in order to discover and complete their Quests.”

“The Sighing Mountains…” repeated Diego, “that’s the creepiest place I’ve ever been to.”

“Yeah,” Sierra agreed, “totally gives me the creeps, too. I’ve only been there once, though. When did you go?”

Stal interrupted their discussion.

“I want to know if you have decided to go. You can only set out to seek your Quest once - when you turn eighteen. You know how it works. Every year, those who wish to go gather at the base of the Sighing Mountains from the twenty fifth of November to the twenty fifth of December. Within these thirty days is the one day when the mountains begin to sigh and the location of the Seekers Pass is revealed, and your journey begins.”

“Is that what’s known as the secret of the Sighing Mountains?” asked Sierra.

“Yes. The location of the Seekers Pass is different every year and it is a secret held closely by the mountains, until the time comes to reveal it. Once you begin the journey, however, you cannot leave unless you complete your Quest. It is risky, but then what in life isn’t? If it has its detriments, it also has a whole lot of merits. I want you to go because this is a once-in-a-life time opportunity and an amazing adventure. Your mother and I both wanted this; for you to grow up into capable young men and set out to complete your Quests.”

Stal’s gaze searched the faces of his sons.

“But what about our education? Don’t you want us to complete that?” asked Diego.

“My sons, if you wish to do so, you can always complete your studies once you come back. But remember, there is no teacher greater than this life. You will learn a hundred times more by going out there, facing you destiny and by fulfilling your Quest than you ever will inside a closed institution.”

Diego’s face was impassive but Sierra’s was a mask of excitement and indecision. Stal decided to press the advantage that he had gained.

“Both, your mother and I, went to seek our Quests and that is how we met. You too will meet your soulmate only if you set out to fulfill your Quest.”

“That’s it?  We’re supposed to give up everything we know and that’s familiar to us, leave home, forget our friends, put everything on the line and shut ourselves from the world just to seek out
one
person?” Diego spoke this time. “Give me three billion more good reasons why I should go.” he said.

Stal sighed and took a moment to think before replying.

“The first billion good reasons are that your forefathers have all gone on this journey. They have all had the courage to take up the trial and face the challenge. Therefore, simply to continue the family tradition, you too must go. The Quest is more of a secret, passed down from generation to generation. Not everybody knows of it, and not everybody goes for it. The second billion good reasons? I will give you each a … rare, magical item to aid you in your journey. Something you will only get from me if you two agree to go.”

“What magical item?” interrupted Sierra, but Stal gave a resolute shake of his head.

“The items and their significance will be revealed to you later. Once we are at the Sighing Mountains. Now, the third billion good reasons…” Stal leaned forward and lowered his voice, lending an import and gravity to his next words in doing so. “When you seek your Quest, you will discover your Core Names. Your Core Name is the essence of your entire being encapsulated in a single word. Upon its discovery, you will unlock powers that you previously thought only super heroes in comics could possess. It could be anything. Maybe you will get the ability to fly. Maybe you will get X-ray vision. The possibilities are endless and it all depends on who you really are. It will give you immense power over -and understanding of- yourselves. You will achieve goals you thought impossible. It is the most unique feeling in the world; that of having complete knowledge of yourself and being at peace with it. Your Core name is knowledge. To have that knowledge is to have power. And once you find your soulmate, she will help you unlock the hidden meaning behind your core names, and make you complete. Surely you want all that?”

After several moments, Sierra spoke.

“Are you serious, dad? Will we really get to wield superpowers?”

“I am not pulling your leg.”

“Was mother’s core name Rayva?”

Stal’s features softened into a gentle smile as he remembered his wife.

“Ah, yes. Rayva.” He let the words fall lovingly from his lips. “Rayva’s core name was Ray. When we completed our Quests and joined the real world again, she decided to call herself Rayva, keeping her core name and adding a bit to it.”

As he spoke his eyes grew distant, as though trying to sift through some long-forgotten memories. He continued on;

“When I met your mother, I was going through a terrible phase, filled with hopelessness and despair. I had given up on ever completing my Quest. But she stood by me like a rock. Giving me hope where there was none, seeing potential in me that didn’t exist before she came along. As we journeyed together in our endeavor to complete our Quests, she regularly helped other people along the way, too. She was like an angel of mercy. That was how I discovered the hidden meaning behind her core name. Her name was Ray because she was like a ray of sunshine on a dark cloudy day, a ray of hope. Nobody ever felt depressed or hopeless around her, and that is a tremendous thing to have. In my darkest moments, she would always tell me ‘When you find an obstacle impossible to overcome, just find someone you love enough to do it for.’” Stal smiled at the memory. “It always worked. ‘Have faith in yourself,’ She would say, ‘I do. I always have, always will …’” Stal’s eyes grew moist.

Diego saw Sierra wiping his eyes with the back of his hands and groaned audibly, “Aw man! Are you crying, too?”

“It’s just the onions.” sniffed Sierra.

“What onions?” asked Diego.

“The ones,” Sierra gritted through clenched teeth, “in the kitchen.” He glared at Diego in a silent warning to drop the subject if he wanted all his teeth to remain intact.

Stal cleared his throat, louder this time and both Diego and Sierra reluctantly turned to face him.

“Now,” Stal coughed self consciously, “I suppose you want to know about my Core Name?” Stal looked towards them expectantly. When neither challenged his statement, he decided to continue.

“My Core Name was Stallion. I didn’t change it on completing my Quest because Rayva preferred it this way. I was the boy who was always looking out for everybody. I was friendly, staunchly loyal and honest. Rayva said the qualities I possessed were very noble. Her ‘noble steed’ she called me. And that was it. My true trait was nobility, for horses are noble animals. With the revelation of the full meaning of my Core Name came many new discoveries. I acquired speed like no other. I could run as fast as a train and for hours without tiring. I became strong and sure of myself, dealing with problems and situations alike with a confidence and decisiveness I never knew I possessed. Even though I’ve slowed down considerably with age, I can still outrun the two of you put together any day, and you know it.” said Stal.

Diego and Sierra quickly averted their gazes. They
had
raced. On numerous occasions. And they had lost. Every time.

“That was all?” snorted Sierra, feeling embarrassed and wanting to make it sound like it was no big deal. “You got the ability to run very fast? Doesn’t sound like any superpower to me.”

“Maybe not to you young boys, but experience has taught me that speed is the most basic of needs for survival when danger comes knocking unexpectedly at your door. And courage, strength and endurance are the biggest super powers when faced with impossible odds.” said Stal.

Sierra and Diego looked at each other, something silent passing between their gazes.

Stal smiled knowingly and began to rise from the sofa. He had them exactly where he wanted them; they were curious and excited, whether they would admit it to him or not. Now was the time to throw his ace.

“I hope I’ve cleared your doubts and convinced you to go. If you miss this opportunity, it will never come again. Remember, you only get one chance. By the way, your birthday gifts.”

Stal pulled out two envelopes from his pocket and kept them on the table before the boys.

“What’s that?” asked Diego, leaning forward and reading their names written in a neat but unfamiliar, slanting handwriting, on the cover. The paper was old. The envelope was brown and faded with time.

“A letter for each of you, written by your mother just days after your birth.” said Stal. He avoided saying ‘before she died.’ It would lend a gloomy color to the whole gesture.

Both Sierra and Diego gasped in open shock and gingerly picked up the letters, hardly believing their eyes and afraid the fragile thing might crumble to dust in their hands. Deciding to leave them to peruse the words written by their mother in peace and privacy, Stal stretched and straightened out the cricks in his bones and then headed out the front door.

“I’m going out for a puff of the ol’ pipe, you boys help yourselves to the cake. Make sure you leave me some.” he called over his shoulder.

Diego and Sierra sat in silence for a while, each immersed in his own thoughts. Diego was the first to open his letter and read it.

My dearest son,

I have decided to name you, my elder son, Diego. I haven’t yet told your father. He is fussing over me tremendously and I am selfishly enjoying the love and attention for now. But I intend to tell him soon.

If all goes well, you will be eighteen when you open this letter. Even as I write these words, I hope that I will be able to tear this letter and throw it away, that I won't need it to convey all that I want to. Because I sincerely hope to get well soon. But my condition is deteriorating with every passing day and I fear that  this letter will be the only opportunity I will ever have. But how can one letter bear all that a mother would tell her sons in a lifetime? A thousand letters and more would be less. But it’s just as well, because I don’t really have the strength to write that much!
Diego, I wish I could be there to see you take your first steps, to hear you speak your first word, to watch your teeth grow, then comfort you when they fall and new, stronger ones take their place.
I wish I could be there to comfort you every time you have a nightmare. I wish I could clean your soiled nappies, or wipe your tender, runny nose. I wish I could tend to your injuries, see you through sicknesses and bad days. I would teach you how to fight bullies and stand up for what you believe, and in case you were unable to do that, I would sock it right to the nasty boys who would dare to touch my boy. I also want to be there to worry when you go on your first date, and then to wonder if you've had your first kiss yet. Oh, how many memories and moments I wish for!
There are so many things I probably won’t be able to do for you … with you. But I can do one thing ... I can tell you now, how much I love you. How you will never be bad in my eyes. Yes, I know that is a broad statement and you are thinking; that I wouldn't be saying that if I knew what all you'd done but, my dear son, doubt not a mother’s heart, for it knows. If you understand that there are some things that you have done wrong, then it means that you are repenting. So forgive yourself, because I always would. And because there is nothing you could do in this world to make me not love you. Absolutely nothing.
Remember that always.