Tokus Numas (9 page)

A servant helped King Amerstall put on a wolfskin robe, making him look like he was a large beast himself. “Go on,” he said with his brow furrowed.

A servant brought another robe made of fur and draped it over Vetus Sepher’s shoulders. “Aye. King Offing was a trusted man and what we call a Keeper—those who hold and protect certain pieces of sacred items in the event something were to happen to the Numas themselves,” he said.

King Amerstall stood still. “Is that the real reason why he attacked King Offing? Hmm, come out with it, sir,” he said.

Vetus Sepher’s voice had a slight slur to it. “Aye, we suspect that the Father is after other Keepers, searching for more sacred information and objects. The High Order has decided to bring all these items back under the full protection of the Numas, and we fear the identities of our Keepers have been compromised. It’s why we’ve come for Petro.”

King Amerstall pursed his lips. “Well, this is interesting.” He moved to an area where there were four seats encircling a fire pit. King Amerstall sat and pushed a button, and the pit lit up. The flickering light drew long lines down King Amerstall’s face, making him look older and more menacing.

Vetus Sepher joined him. “Sometimes we don’t tell our Keepers what they are holding. Sometimes we do keep them in the dark, so they won’t reveal it to others, but this is done only in special circumstances,” Vetus Sepher said.

“You Numas are strange, talking in your riddles, hiding information when you think it benefits you. This tells me that there is another reason why the Father attacked King Offing. Why is this information so valued?” King Amerstall said.

Vetus Sepher raised his hand, palm facing outward. “In the event Keepers are overrun, they are to destroy the information they hold. Instead, King Offing wanted to trade it for his and his son’s lives. That information may now lead the Father here to Dugual and to Petro.”

His Majesty leaned forward, warming his hands against the flames. “Is it so? You have informants in the castle?”

Vetus Sepher moved closer to the fire. “We do.”

King Amerstall’s gaze fell to the ground, and then he looked up into the dark ceiling above and back to Vetus Sepher. “My army sits at the border, waiting for my word, yet King Offing is dead? He’s made a foolish decision.” King Amerstall’s face turned red, somewhat matching the color of his hair. His jaw tightened. “He refused our aid. Fool!”

King Amerstall was indeed a good man, yet he failed to realize the deceptive nature of the Father, Vetus Sepher thought.

“What does Petro have to do with all of this?” King Amerstall groaned.

Vetus Sepher gazed into the fire, and the flames danced in his eyes. “We believe Petro possesses unique abilities.” He tapped his fingers together. “These abilities are yet to be seen or understood. It takes time for us to understand what we see. I say that with caution, because we don’t yet know entirely. And still I caution more: the Father will find out about Petro, and he’ll come looking for him. It’s just a matter of time.”

King Amerstall’s face contorted. “Well, that wine must have loosened your lips a little, Numa. You sure you wanted me to hear that?”

Vetus Sepher thought to literally bite his tongue, but he decided against it; this was important for all. “I know it sounds strange to you, and I’m not trying to convince you that Petro has any supernatural abilities, but the Numas believe there is a possibility that Petro may be the one we call the Mittere Ergon mentioned in our prophetic text, and the Father will try and use it against us,” he said. “The time will come soon for all to choose sides.”
Vetus Sepher ran his hand over the soft fur robe.

Servants quietly went about cleaning up and gathering the king’s things.

“This is strange indeed. When are you going to tell Petro?” King Amerstall scoffed.

Vetus Sepher felt a bit woozy and pinched the bridge of his nose to help clear his head. “We won’t tell him. He needs to find out for himself, but while he’s in our care, we’ll watch for any signs that may show us he has unique abilities, and then we’ll work with him to discuss and uncover what those mean.”

“Well, he’s different, all right.” King Amerstall smiled and leaned back. “I can’t say I like this, after what you’ve said. If the Father is truly trying to collect this sacred information, then I suppose it doesn’t matter if it’s real or not. I can protect Petro, but I believe he should still go.”

Vetus Sepher drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “We will protect him. He’ll be taken to Tokus Numas. There he’ll undergo observations. We should be able to tell if he has any unique abilities or if he’s an ordinary young man,” Vetus Sepher said.

King Amerstall rose and pressed his hands onto his lower back, arching his body. “Well, Numa, it is late. You’ve given me much to ponder, and I am saddled, I suppose, with telling my queen.”

Vetus Sepher nodded.

King Amerstall did not seem overly pleased. “I thought so. If the Father shows himself here, we’ll be sure to deal with him accordingly. You will be sure to watch over Petro,” he said. “Good night.” King Amerstall patted him on the shoulder; then he left the room.

The stars, the sun, and the moon were all set in perfect balance around Spearca, giving her life. And what is life? Does life extend to far reaches of the galaxy, or does it only exist on Spearca? What of the White Sea? Is there life on the other side, past the storms, past the wall of falling bolts of lightning? For all we know, Spearca is nothing more than a fraction of an atom, and what exists outside her is a vast spatial plane filled with matter—and eternity.

—From
The Book of Origins of Spearca
, by the scientific community of the Free City

P
etro found himself alone outside in the gardens, where the moon shone bright overhead. He’d made his way to the far end of the garden, away from any paths where people might walk, so he could be alone. He squeezed through the brush and into the center where it was open, yet hidden from site. The dirt felt cool to the touch, his fingers pinching it, letting it drop, and then grabbing a fistful and letting it sift through his hands. There must be a reason for his going to Tokus Numas. King Amerstall had told him that going would be an adventure, and he’d learn things that were different as well as things that were the same, and it would give him perspective. And there was Queen Lilith, who said it would do Petro good to learn what the Numas did across the lands of Spearca and how they served those in need. Those were reasons, but they weren’t very good reasons for Petro. He needed something more—something meaningful before he decided to go to Tokus Numas.

An air current passed through the leaves. Winter would soon be here. There would certainly be snow in the mountains where he was going. The journey was several weeks by horse and wagon but less time taking a train. He knew there was reason not to take the royal air transport—those days were behind him for now. He was to travel with the Numas and the other recruits. Taking the oath tomorrow would limit his benefits of being a ward to King Amerstall. It wasn’t that he flew all that much, only a few times; it was more the thought of having to let it go. That did not add favor to going to Tokus Numas.
What else is there?
he thought. He’d only be allowed to visit at the end of each year, and he might be granted a vidocom, but he wasn’t sure if they’d allow it. It sounded like the Numas dissuaded their students from reaching back too often. There were letters—he could write to Dia and Silda if he liked, which was fine with him. Most of these reasons seemed be more negative.

He wished he had more information, but his tablet he’d lost—so he’d need to go on what he knew. It was known that the Numas gathered intelligence across the kingdoms; he’d heard that from King Amerstall, and Vetus Sepher mentioned it earlier today.
Now, that could come in handy
, he thought. He might be able to learn a lot about the Father, what he was doing, and if he were a threat to Dugual. This was a plus, so he tossed dirt into a pile and mentally labeled it “pro”; and then made another quick pile and labeled it “con.” The con pile had already grown to the size of his fist.

The moon shone like pearls in his eyes as he measured each of the piles again to be certain he had the count correct. He let out his breath slowly and deliberately. It would be hard for him to leave behind all he knew. Everything he knew had come from Dugual; he had been brought here by the Numas when he was a babe. Queen Lilith had told him, but not until he was eight or nine years of age. He never thought about it, about asking where he came from; he’d known for several years he was a ward. No one had ever told him about his real mother or his real father. He’d asked Queen Lilith once before when he was twelve years old. King Amerstall, Prince Sid, Princess Dia, and Silda were gone—they’d headed off to a festival in Cardell to celebrate the harvest. The kingdom of Cardell produced extremely high-quality food, and that was their primary export. While Petro and Queen Lilith sat together, having dinner, he had decided to ask her a question.

“Queen Lilith, can you tell me who my mother and father are?” he’d said.

She had cleared her throat, dabbed her mouth with a napkin, and took a drink. “I do not know who your parents were. The Numas gave us little information.” Her hands shook visibly.

Petro’s brow furrowed as she worked to steady her hands.

“You know this is not the kind of dinner conversation we approve of, but I must tell you something about your parents,” she went on in a low tone.

Petro felt as though something horrible were about to occur, and then she said, “Your parents have passed on—we believe shortly after your birth. We do not know the reason for it, and we do not have any additional details. We only know what the Numas told us,” she said.

He’d gotten a sharp pain in his temple. When he went to go rub it, it disappeared, and then he heard her voice again. “You know this is not the kind of dinner conversation we approve of, but I must tell you something about your parents.”

Petro blurted out, “My parents are dead.”

Her hand shook so hard she nearly spilled her drink. A servant came to her aid, and Queen Lilith motioned to the servant to leave. “Where did you learn that from?” She said with a cool stare. It was unlike her, but whatever he’d just done, she was not amused.

“I overheard it; I’m not sure from where. I was walking down the hall. Probably one of the servants,” Petro said.

Queen Lilith motioned, and a servant came to her side, and then he helped her with her chair. She got up. “Petro, please finish your meal. I think we should continue this discussion when King Amerstall returns.” She left the room.

It was a long time ago, but he remembered it vividly, as though he’d lived it just yesterday. Were the Numas hiding information about his parents? If so, why? When King Amerstall did return, they never did continue their conversation about the topic, and Petro never brought it back up. He knew he was a ward, but he also felt a loyalty to both King Amerstall and Queen Lilith.

Pro
, he thought and dumped a hand full of dirt into the left pile for his parents.

He was excited about going but also not interested in leaving. Two polar opposite feelings pulled him into two different directions. If he did not go to Tokus Numas, he believed both King Amerstall and Queen Lilith would be disappointed in him. Their feelings would pass, but it was King Amerstall who he felt would be the most disappointed, and it bothered him to think it. Dia would be disappointed, too. She seemed to admire those who served both God and man; there was a sparkle in her eye when she spoke of the Numas, as though they were special. Petro didn’t think they were any different than anyone else—no, he felt they were just like regular folks, going about life in a different manner. Serving people did appeal to him, like the time he helped a woman find her purse. She’d left it at the market, and he’d heard her going on about it as he passed by her and some men who were listening to her complaint. He had felt the need to assist, so he approached her. “Where did you last see it?” he’d asked, looking straight into her eyes.

“Umm…I was over by the fruit stand, looking over the apples, pears, and peaches. I set my purse down a moment to smell the fruit to see which ones were ripe. When I found a few apples I liked, I took a bag and put them in it. I did the same with the pears and peaches. When I realized that I left my purse on the table, it was gone. I searched the entire area, and still I can’t find it,” she said with a bleak stare.

“OK. Let me ask you one more question. Did you have any food in your purse?”

Her eyes went up, and she took her time before responding. “I did have a piece of crumb cake I rolled up in a napkin,” she said. “Why do you…” Before she could finish, Petro had dashed over to the fruit stand. He searched the entire area, running his hands over the fruit and table and keeping his eyes on where he touched. It was a technique he’d learned in order to see what was in front of him by using his sense of touch, because sometimes we miss things just with our eyes. He finished his search, and it didn’t take him long to find a few crumbs that had slipped out onto the ground. He continued to follow the trail until he came to an alley, and there, next to the corner of a building, was her purse. He picked it up and returned.

“How did you know where to find it?” she said.

Petro handed her the purse. “I think maybe a dog found your purse, ate the cake, and left the purse in the alley.”

She smiled and patted him on the head.

It felt good to help someone, and maybe, because the Numas were about helping people, he could see himself as one. Maybe he could help keep Dugual safe. He picked up more dirt and placed into the left pile, which was now taller than the right pile.