The Cypher Wheel (4 page)

She let her fingers trail over the different symbols.
“This is beautiful.”

She thought that with the amount of cypher wheels
they were handing out, they would just be plastic rubbish made in
China. But the craftsmanship that went into this was spectacular;
it must have taken someone umpteen hours to make.

“So what are these other alphabets?” Faedra asked the
cloaked lady.

“This one is Theban; we believe it was used to write
the
Liber Juratus
.” She trailed her finger over the swirly
symbols that were carved into the top of the large outer wheel.
“This one is Ogham, alphabet of the Druids.” Her finger moved to
the symbols depicting straight lines layered over each other that
were carved into the second, smaller wheel. Both of those wheels
also hosted the Latin alphabet. Her fingers then trailed to the
middle circle, “and this one is Enochian, it's angel script.”

“What? As in, real angels?” Faedra asked.

The woman nodded. “We believe so, yes.”

“Wow.”

“As you are our last participants to sign in, we can
go ahead and explain to everyone how to use it,” the woman said as
she picked up a cypher wheel from the table and held it up in front
of her.

Faedra's group took a couple of steps back and joined
the other participants huddled together in small groups around
tables in the pub.

“May I have everyone's attention please?” the woman
called across the pub as she tapped a glass with a spoon. She stood
at the top of the steps in the center of the pub so that everyone
in each of the pub's three small rooms could see her.

The room fell silent and all heads turned to the
organizers.

“Shortly, we will be handing all of you your first
clue, but I need to explain to those of you who have never used a
cypher wheel how it works. It's very simple really. The clue will
be written in one of the different alphabets on the wheel. Each
clue will also have its own number. You use this number to align
the wheels correctly, allowing you to decipher the clue. Any
questions?”

Several people raised their hands and the organizers
answered their questions. They then started handing out blood-red
envelopes, with a golden falcon stamped on them, to each group.
When every group had an envelope, the lady in the blue cloak
announced that the treasure hunt had begun.

“Good luck, everyone,” she called over the din that
erupted as envelopes around the room were torn open and their
contents ripped out.

CHAPTER FOUR

Etyran ripped open their envelope with an enthusiasm
that was palpable. He was like a kid at Christmas. Faedra could
feel everyone's excitement and her smile widened. He pulled out a
piece of gold colored card that was embossed with a paragraph of
swirling letters.

The four huddled together around their clue.

“This is written in Theban,” Jocelyn stated,
comparing the letters to those on the cypher wheel.

Faedra held out the device, moving the wheel around
as Etyran held up the card for her. She called out the letters, as
they were deciphered, to Jocelyn who was writing it all down on the
notepad they were given with the cypher wheel.

When Faedra finished with the last letter, all eyes
turned to Jocelyn.

“What does it say?” Faen asked.

Jocelyn gave an excited look around at her three
cohorts who were eagerly waiting.

“It says,” she looked down at the notepad, “yards of
cloth were made here, along with chocolates to delight.

But most famously, a horse held dear, a stallion as
black as the night.

Seek the machine where words abound, for that is
where the clue will be found.”

The four looked at each other with blank expressions
for a moment before a group of giggling girls distracted them as
they exited the pub. Their clue already deciphered. Faedra could
hear them squealing even after they shut the door behind them.

“It can't be too hard if
that
lot figured it
out,” Faedra said, trying hard to hide her disgruntled
feelings.

“Now, now,” Faen whispered, “Be nice.” He gave her a
smirk.

“Sorry. Okay, so what do we have to go on? It's going
to be a landmark so it's got to be historical or famous. What on
earth do cloth, chocolates, words and a horse have in common?”

“Well,” Faen chimed in. “Cloth and chocolates are
made; even words are made, especially if they are made into a
book.”

Faedra clapped both hands around Faen's cheeks and
gave him a kiss. “You, genius! Could it be that simple?”

Faen's eye's widened at his charge's exuberance.

“A black stallion. Of course, it has to be Black
Beauty, one of my favorite books growing up. One of Norwich's
claims to fame is that it was printed just around the corner at
Jarrold's printers. Jarrold's own St. James Mill which also used to
be a cloth factory before it was a printers. I'm guessing they made
chocolates there, too, at some point,” Faedra stated in an excited
whisper so as to not announce it to the whole pub. She looked
around and saw confused looks still on most of the participant’s
faces. “Come on, let's go.” Faedra grabbed Faen's hand and headed
for the door.

“And we're off,” Etyran said as he grabbed Jocelyn's
hand and followed after Faen and Faedra.

It only took them a few minutes to get around to St.
James Mill. The long oblong building towered over them at least six
stories high. Countless windows were nestled amongst its red brick
exterior. The building stood alongside the river that meandered
through the city and was lined with willows that swooshed in the
light breeze, their branches kissing the cold flowing water
below.

The four ran to the entrance doors only to find them
locked.

“What?” Faedra said, dismayed. “But this has to be
the place.”

“Down there,” Jocelyn pointed further down the
building to an open door. The group of giggling girls was exiting
the building. They had found the next clue and were on their way
again.

The four friends took off down the path, returning
the smiles from the group of girls as they passed.

“Maybe we should just follow them,” Faedra mused, as
she watched them run past her.

“Now where would the fun be in that?” Faen responded,
bringing Faedra's attention back to the task at hand.

When they reached the door it had a sign above it.
'Printing Museum'. They filed inside one-by-one. The large room was
filled with printing presses and all kinds of equipment used for
printing throughout different eras. A musty smell hit Faedra's
nostrils and she subconsciously screwed up her nose.

“Seek the machine where words abound,” Faedra read
from the notepad.

They all scanned the room. “That could be any of
these,” Etyran stated.

“Over there,” Faen said, pointing to a wall full of
typewriters, from vintage models to more modern day electric
models. They moved towards the typewriters. Sticking up out of a
typewriter that sat in the middle of the display was a golden piece
of paper. All four leaned in. They had found the next clue which
was neatly scribed in the Ogham alphabet this time.

Faedra pulled the cypher wheel out of its pouch. “Who
wants to do the honors this time?” she asked.

“You can do it,” Faen replied. “You seem to know what
you're doing with that thing. Jocelyn is still the note taker?”

Jocelyn held the pad and pencil up in
acknowledgment.

“What does this one say?” Etyran asked when Jocelyn
had finished scribbling the letters onto her notepad.

“Its title may be deceiving, for it's no longer
patients receiving.

But for those with privileged eyes, in the
Cathedral's shadow it lies.

Sit down and enjoy a cup of tea, in the ward where
eagles fly free,

for the pot used to make the brew, is an excellent
place to hide a clue.”

The group looked at each other.

“What the heck is that supposed to mean?” Faedra
asked, bewildered.

“Darned if I know,” Faen responded.

Faedra turned to Jocelyn. “Anything?”

Jocelyn shook her head.

“How about you?” Faedra asked the Lightbender.

“Not a sausage. To be honest Fae, we really don't
know that much about the city's landmarks.”

“What do you mean? You've been around a lot longer
than I have,” Faedra said.

“That is true.” Faen interjected. “But we had no need
to be here in this realm until you were made my charge. I had not
been to The World of Men before that time, so in essence, we know
not much about this city.”

“Well, a great lot of help you lot turned out to be,”
Faedra snorted and held her hand out for the clue. Jocelyn passed
her the notebook.

“No longer receiving patients. So it used to be a
hospital,” Faedra mumbled to herself. “The main hospital moved out
of the city a few years ago and they made apartments out of the old
one, but it can't be that one, it's not in the shadow of the
Cathedral. Privileged eyes? What does that mean? Hmm...” Faedra
looked around the group to see expectant eyes staring back at her,
the owners' breath bated in anticipation.

Just then another group of people burst into the
museum.

“Come on, let's think about this outside,” Faedra
said to her group. Deep in thought, pencil to her lips, she
followed Faen out of the door to the fresh breeze outside. The
willows seemed to whisper to her as the four of them stood under
their weeping boughs. After a moment, Faedra broke the silence. “I
have an idea. I'm not sure if it's right, but it's the only thing I
can think of at the moment. Just around the corner is The Great
Hospital. It's really old but it's not a hospital anymore; it's a
care home for the elderly.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Etyran said.

“Well, the only one we have, anyway,” Faen continued
with a sly curve to his lips.

“This way, then.” Faedra directed her friends. They
took off at a steady clip out of St. James Mill and back around the
corner past the pub they just left a little while ago.

A few moments later, they were standing in front of
the open iron gates at the entrance to The Great Hospital. They
stared at the rambling buildings that sprawled out in front of
them. Faedra's shoulders sank.

“Even if this is the place, how the heck are we going
to find a teapot in that lot?” She opened her arms wide to
encompass the many beautiful buildings that were now home to some
very lucky elderly residents. Faedra turned to look up at the
ancient church tower that rose up to the right of her, for
inspiration. The original hospital had been housed in the church
itself. Apparently, it was the only church in the country to have
chimneys. They had to build fireplaces to keep the patients
warm.

“This might help,” Jocelyn said a little off to their
right, tearing Faedra from her thoughts.

Faedra, Faen and Etyran turned to see the young fairy
staring at the wall to the right of the wrought iron fencing.
Intrigued they wandered over to join her. On the wall was a large
information board telling the history of the buildings with
pictures to go with it. Jocelyn was pointing to one picture in
particular.

“I think we have found where 'the eagles fly free',”
she said.

“Oh, well done, Sister,” Faen said giving his sister
a rub on the shoulders.

Jocelyn turned to her friends with a very satisfied
grin on her face.

Faedra leaned in to get a better look at the picture
Jocelyn had pointed out. The entire vaulted wooden ceiling was
painted with dozens upon dozens of black eagles.

The Eagle Ward was in the oldest part of the
buildings and it didn't take much to decipher which one that was.
They ran through a passageway and into a tiny set of cloisters,
their footfalls echoing off the walls. Even through their
excitement of getting close to the next clue, the cloisters threw
off a tremendous feeling of peace. Faedra fell instantly in love
with the building and its surroundings and thought to herself how
lucky the residents were to live in such a place. There were a
couple of doors they had passed but attempts to open them proved
fruitless, they were all locked. A few more strides and they came
to a door that was left open.

“This must be it if all the others were locked,”
Jocelyn stated.

Just as Faedra was about to follow the others through
the door, she sensed an energy that wasn't there a second before.
She turned to look through the cloister arches. Her eyebrows
scrunched. Was someone there? She leaned to one side, opening up
her view across the garden square in the middle of the
cloisters.

“Come on, you.” Etyran grabbed her by the arm. “We
haven't got all day you know.” He gave her a playful tug though the
door.

Maybe it was just a shadow
. Faedra thought as
she got pulled through the doorway.

A staircase of foot worn wooden steps led upwards as
soon as they stepped through the door. The handrails, worn by
centuries of palms, felt as smooth as marble to the touch. The
steps groaned under the weight of the four friends as they made
their way up the staircase, making their disapproval known. When
they got through the heavy wooden door at the top, Faedra gasped.
The picture on the board outside was pretty impressive but it did
little to compare to the real thing. The ceiling towered above
them, once part of the church. Black eagles were painted uniformly
across the entire expanse. There must have been at least two
hundred, but she didn't have time to count.

The room was partitioned into cubicles along both
walls. A quick peek inside and she could see beds and old furniture
set up into makeshift living quarters. It was left just as it had
been many years ago. A piece of living history frozen in time.

Her friends were busying themselves looking in each
of the cubicles down the long room. Although, she could tell, even
in their exuberance, they were taking care not to damage any of the
items on display.