moving. How long had he been there?
The same man, who not so long ago was forced to hold a scorpion in his mouth, drifted smoothly across the room like the trained killer he was. He stopped before Eric, his face covered with cuts and bruises. Eric held the man’s hateful gaze, unblinking. Neither made a move for their blades, neither looked away. Everyone watched in silent awe, not knowing what to do.
The man lurched forward , making everyone jump at once. Eric didn’t blink, just continued to observe as he lurched again, his cheeks puffing, chest pushed out. This time, a line of spittle flowed from his mouth. The man brought his hand to his lips. One final heave regurgitated something he now held in his palm. He looked up at Eric, wiping his mouth with the back of his other hand. He touched his forehead, then his heart, giving a slight nod before tossing the shiny object on the rug. By the time it bounced once, he was gone. The strings of beads barely swung back and forth.
Alt hough the man was long gone, Eric mimicked the hand motion, touching his forehead then his heart. He picked up the silver coin, then held it up for all to see.
Chapter 6
Eric rotated the coin between his thumb and index finger, ignoring its sticky saliva coating. The first side was engraved with a tree. The colorless tree was bland and lacked detail. It had no leaves and could have easily been mistaken for some sort of common bush. But the second side was engraved with a highly intricate crown. A shiny gold, it rose into five separate peaks, each topped with a colorless jewel. The crown itself was engraved with black markings, each one too small to properly make out. Other jewels looked to be embedded along the crown’s base, still colorless, yet surprisingly detailed. One could only wonder what such an extravagant piece might be worth.
“So what does it mean?” asked Jade, not sure she even wanted to know. “Does that coin mean anything to either of you?” She looked at Wara, then to Kelus. Neither answered right away. They just kept staring at the coin while Eric rolled it from side to side.
The coin disappeared into Eric’s hand when he suddenly clenched his fist around it. Both Kelus and Wara flinched at the movement, as if it broke them from a trance. “You’ve looked at it long enough,” said Eric, his voice impatient, yet commanding. “Jade asked you both a question, and I would like to hear the answer.” An uneasy silence followed.
“You’ve made a powerful enemy , my boy,” Kelus responded reluctantly.
“How did she even know he was here?” Wara asked. The old woman’s voice broke with each word. Eric wasn’t particularly fond of the Circle, but had at least found them to be competent, and nearly unshakable. He had never seen Wara this uneasy. Wara looked at Kelus, her green eyes bulging in a shocked expression bordering on panic. “He can no longer stay here. You know that as well as I.”
Kelus sighed. Yes, the stress was definitely getting to him. The poor man was really beginning to look old. “My boy, I’m afraid we’ve run out of time.”
“What do you mean , we’ve run out of time?” Jade interrupted. “Out of time for wh—”
Eric raised his hand , urging her to calm down.
“We can wait no longer,” said Wara, her calm, confident demeanor returning once more. With her head held high and back straight as a board, her powerful words filled the room. “Let the Trials of Ashbarn begin.”
* * *
Jacob and Nima sat alone in the empty room, waiting for the others to return. It was so quiet that they could almost hear each other breathing. The faint clicking of dry leaves blowing around just outside the door offered a temporary relief from the awkward silence. Slumped down on a stool with a white towel draped down over his face, Jacob didn’t seem to care about, or even notice, Nima. She glanced at him from time to time, not sure how to ease his pain.
“Are you alright?” Nima asked softly, no
The same man, who not so long ago was forced to hold a scorpion in his mouth, drifted smoothly across the room like the trained killer he was. He stopped before Eric, his face covered with cuts and bruises. Eric held the man’s hateful gaze, unblinking. Neither made a move for their blades, neither looked away. Everyone watched in silent awe, not knowing what to do.
The man lurched forward , making everyone jump at once. Eric didn’t blink, just continued to observe as he lurched again, his cheeks puffing, chest pushed out. This time, a line of spittle flowed from his mouth. The man brought his hand to his lips. One final heave regurgitated something he now held in his palm. He looked up at Eric, wiping his mouth with the back of his other hand. He touched his forehead, then his heart, giving a slight nod before tossing the shiny object on the rug. By the time it bounced once, he was gone. The strings of beads barely swung back and forth.
Alt hough the man was long gone, Eric mimicked the hand motion, touching his forehead then his heart. He picked up the silver coin, then held it up for all to see.
Chapter 6
Eric rotated the coin between his thumb and index finger, ignoring its sticky saliva coating. The first side was engraved with a tree. The colorless tree was bland and lacked detail. It had no leaves and could have easily been mistaken for some sort of common bush. But the second side was engraved with a highly intricate crown. A shiny gold, it rose into five separate peaks, each topped with a colorless jewel. The crown itself was engraved with black markings, each one too small to properly make out. Other jewels looked to be embedded along the crown’s base, still colorless, yet surprisingly detailed. One could only wonder what such an extravagant piece might be worth.
“So what does it mean?” asked Jade, not sure she even wanted to know. “Does that coin mean anything to either of you?” She looked at Wara, then to Kelus. Neither answered right away. They just kept staring at the coin while Eric rolled it from side to side.
The coin disappeared into Eric’s hand when he suddenly clenched his fist around it. Both Kelus and Wara flinched at the movement, as if it broke them from a trance. “You’ve looked at it long enough,” said Eric, his voice impatient, yet commanding. “Jade asked you both a question, and I would like to hear the answer.” An uneasy silence followed.
“You’ve made a powerful enemy , my boy,” Kelus responded reluctantly.
“How did she even know he was here?” Wara asked. The old woman’s voice broke with each word. Eric wasn’t particularly fond of the Circle, but had at least found them to be competent, and nearly unshakable. He had never seen Wara this uneasy. Wara looked at Kelus, her green eyes bulging in a shocked expression bordering on panic. “He can no longer stay here. You know that as well as I.”
Kelus sighed. Yes, the stress was definitely getting to him. The poor man was really beginning to look old. “My boy, I’m afraid we’ve run out of time.”
“What do you mean , we’ve run out of time?” Jade interrupted. “Out of time for wh—”
Eric raised his hand , urging her to calm down.
“We can wait no longer,” said Wara, her calm, confident demeanor returning once more. With her head held high and back straight as a board, her powerful words filled the room. “Let the Trials of Ashbarn begin.”
* * *
Jacob and Nima sat alone in the empty room, waiting for the others to return. It was so quiet that they could almost hear each other breathing. The faint clicking of dry leaves blowing around just outside the door offered a temporary relief from the awkward silence. Slumped down on a stool with a white towel draped down over his face, Jacob didn’t seem to care about, or even notice, Nima. She glanced at him from time to time, not sure how to ease his pain.
“Are you alright?” Nima asked softly, no
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