Everville: The City of Worms (10 page)

Chapter 17:

Conspiracy

“How was your first day of classes since the storm?” Anika asked.

“It was pretty mellow,” Owen replied. Everyone got extensions for the next couple of assignments. It’s a good thing too, the party being tomorrow night and all that.”

“Same here. Speaking of the party, I was able to secure one of the large conference halls on campus. I guess that’s one lucky thing that came out of the storm. The rooms had been booked for the next few weeks, but after the storm, several of the events were cancelled. I just hope we can fill up the room. I made up these flyers at Campus Copy. You wanna help me put some of these up on the bulletin boards around campus?”

“Yeah. Sure, no problem. You think we should post the event online, too?” Owen asked.

“It’s already done.”

“Okay. Cool. You know, there was one other thing I’ve been thinking about.”

“What’s that?” Anika asked.

“Well, it’s Cleophas. I have hardly heard from him at all since the dinner, and he was supposed to be helping find the solution to the collector problem, which he never did. Then I just got his email about delaying the meeting at the Echo Club. You think we should give him a call?”

“I’m sure he’s fine. We can talk to him later at the meeting. Let’s just focus on getting this party set up. I’m really kinda looking forward to it now. Did you ask your new roommate Adamo if he wanted to come?”

“Yep. He said he wouldn’t miss it.”

“Great. Anyways, Owen, here are some flyers. Why don’t you hand some out by the dorms, and I’ll do this half of the campus.”

“Will do. I’ll catch you later,” Owen said.

“Thanks. I’ll text you later,” Anika replied as she walked off and approached a cluster of bulletin boards in the immediate vicinity.

Back at Zee’s place, Drusilla had just walked in the door and looked a little anxious.

“Zee, how have you been? Are you feeling any better?” she asked.

“As good as can be expected, I suppose.”

“Well, that’s good to hear. I’m not sure how I would be dealing with it if it were me, so I really commend you. By the way, have you heard anything about Jacob? I wasn’t sure if he was planning anything after we destroyed the beetle, and I was starting to get a little nervous.”

“No. I haven’t heard anything, but if I see him again he’s got a lot to answer for. I’m glad you guys didn’t get into any trouble. That was kind of a risky plan, but I’m grateful you and Owen pulled it off. I really wonder how much else he knows. He must know a lot. We should probably meet up with Owen and talk some more. We need to find out how Jacob fits in to this whole thing and what he’s got planned.”

“Well, I guess we can talk to him at the party tomorrow night.”

“What party?” Zee asked with a surprised look on his face.

“Oh, I thought you knew. Anika and Owen are hosting a party for Dante to celebrate his recovery. I saw the event posted online. It’s going to be at the main conference hall. I’ve already talked to a couple of people that said they were going. From what I’m hearing, it sounds like it’s going to be kinda big. Are you okay and everything? I know you’re still dealing with your dad and all, but do you think you might wanna come?”

Zee sighed. “I don’t know. I guess I’ll probably go. Let me think about it.”

Drusilla had good reason to be concerned. Jacob had not forgotten and was indeed planning something. Odious, to his misfortune, was discovering just exactly what that something was.

“Listen up, Odious. I’m sure you know who my new parents are. If you don’t tell me what I want to know, we will destroy you, everything you value, and everything you love. We will take away your job, your home, and anything that gives you the slightest amount of pleasure. More than that, we will make sure you never work anywhere near this place again, ever! Now tell me what I want to know or your life as you know it is over.”

“You little snot-nosed kid. You think because you have a new set of rich parents that I’m just going to do whatever you tell me. If you do, you have a hard dose of reality coming. I’m not going to let you, or anyone else for that matter, threaten me. If you want the location of that container, you’ll have to come pry it out of my brain by force because I’m not telling you or anyone else unless you have a court order.”

“Listen here, you fat old man. I’m giving you one last chance to tell me where that container is or I’m going to beat it out of you.”

“I’ve had enough of this and enough of you, Jacob.”

Odious turned away from Jacob and headed towards the door.

Jacob hurried to a nearby closet and pulled out another bo staff, one that he had made just after Owen had destroyed his other one. Odious had opened the door, but before he was able to walk through, Jacob used his bo to slam the door shut.

“Now you—”

Before Odious had a chance to finish, Jacob interrupted.

“No. You’re going to hear me, really
hear
me, baldy,” Jacob said as he wedged the bo underneath Odious’ chin.

“I’ll suffocate you right here and now if you don’t tell me what I want to know. Now tell me the location of that container!”

Odious had grabbed the bo on both sides in an attempt to keep it from bearing down any further on his throat. Jacob continued to apply pressure with all his strength. Odious’ face started to turn purple, and then he relented.

“Okay, okay. Just get that thing off my throat, I can’t breathe.”

Jacob relaxed the pressure a little bit, and then said, “Just as soon as you tell me what I want to know.”

“All right. All right. I dropped off the container with a few other boxes at Zee’s father’s estate. That’s all I know. What Zee’s done with it now is anybody’s guess.”

Jacob backed away from Odious, who then opened the front door and rushed to his car. Jacob didn’t bother to go after him. After Odious pulled out of the driveway, Jacob said to himself, “I guess it’s time to go visit Zee.”

Less than a minute after he had left, Odious called Zee.

“Can I speak with Zee, please?”

“Speaking.”

“Zee. This is Odious. Listen carefully. I was just called over to Jacob’s place. After I arrived, he threatened and attacked me. I did my best not to tell him, but I had no choice. He knows you have the container from your father. I think he’s going to try to get it from you. I’m really sorry about this, Zee.”

“Thanks for letting me know, Odious. I’ll take care of it.”

“Who was that, Zee?” Drusilla asked.

“That was Odious. Jacob knows about the container with the liquid. He’ll probably be coming for it,” Zee replied.

“You know what? I have an idea. I’m going to call Owen.”

“What do you have in mind, Drusilla?”

“We should let Owen hold on to it for a while. He can give it to Cleophas, who can hide it someplace. I don’t know if Jacob can sense its location. With how he figured out where it was in the first place, my guess is not. Just in case, though, I think Cleophas might know a way to keep it hidden from Jacob’s mind as well.”

“That sounds like a good idea, Drusilla. Maybe we should let Cleophas store some of the other objects too, until we figure out what to do with Jacob.”

“Yeah. You’re probably right. I’ll give Owen a call right now.

Chapter 18:

Familiar Settings

“How are you, Owen? Come on in.”

“I’m good. It’s nice to see you again, Cleophas. I was getting a little concerned,” Owen said as he walked into the main entrance of the Echo Club.

“Well, Owen, there’s been a lot going on and we have a lot of things to discuss,” Cleophas replied as they opened the double doors of the second inner room of the club and walked in.

It had only been a few weeks since Owen had seen the inner room of the Echo Club, but it felt like much longer. He looked around at the tall bookcases and the objects and statues that rested atop various ornate tables. He felt as if he had more of a connection, more of an understanding of the objects and the meanings behind them.

Owen handed Cleophas the container of Professor Samil’s that Zee had given him. Cleophas pushed one of the books on the bookshelf to reveal a hidden compartment, one of many in the room. He set the container down and returned the books back to their usual position.

Owen had of course attempted to see with the container after Zee had handed it over, but the container must have been protected somehow, or so Owen thought, and he had no intention of tasting the liquid.

Owen walked over and picked up the handkerchief that Cleophas had used to help train him prior to the Fron battle. He held in his hand and let his memories take him back, just like before.

He could see Professor Samil’s thoughts traveling back and forth between Everville and Earth, but there was something else. There was purpose to what Professor Samil had done, and in spite of what he knew and what Zee had told him, that purpose didn’t seem completely evil. Owen could sense it, but he still wasn’t quite to the point where he understood everything. Still, this was something Owen was sure that Zee would be happy to hear, and something Owen needed to explore further.

He sat the handkerchief back down and said, “Whoa. I just saw something else! Something about Professor Samil.”

“Yes, Owen,” said Cleophas. “Indeed, it was Professor Samil who attempted to stop an earlier breach. He ultimately failed. He attempted to have The First Pillar help, but he was unsuccessful. There were people that assisted him twenty years ago. He told far more people than should have known, and they ultimately paid the price. My love, Dala, was one of them.

“Professor Samil’s arrogance is why The First Pillar was unwilling to help. He had made far more mistakes in his attempt than you, foolish mistakes. He was injured severely in his visit to The Valley of Darkness. His friends and those who knew about the attempt gave him far too much of their energy. As a result, they lost twenty years of their lives in a state of unconsciousness. My love Dala lost her life completely.”

“Well, I did see before that it was Professor Samil, but I saw something else this time. What I saw when I was helping the Fron in their battle, and how Zee explained he saw regarding Professor Samil’s intentions and collusion with Them, wasn’t the complete picture. I’m not sure what it means or what the whole story is, but I think we should look in to it,” Owen said with conviction.

“Owen, I’ve been doing more research, and based on what both of you have told me and what I have found, the makeshift collector and the beetles used to transfer the element had a far more insidious purpose. There may be a connection, but you are right. We should find out what Professor Samil’s full intentions were and what the other purpose of the makeshift collector was. Perhaps it’s something you can only find out by finding The Second Pillar of Truth. For that, you will need to visit The Keeper, because there is no more direction that I can give.

“There is something else that I need to tell you. It’s about why The Keeper has called upon you to stop the breach. First of all, the whole multiverse is connected through time and space. Everville is connected to Earth and all other realms, as well. I’m sure by now you have discovered that the symbols you have seen and the symbols on the bo staves are unique to each owner. Each owner has a connection and knowledge either through themselves or their parents.

“The number of people with that connection on Earth is very small, less than a hundred. Of those people, The Keeper has sensed that you are the only person that might possess enough of the wisdom and character to understand all of the seven pillars, and that’s still a big if. All others have failed, and The Keeper has been looking since the beginning of the breach. There is no one in Everville who is able to understand all the Pillars of Truth. The most any Keeper has ever known is three. It’s up to you, Owen, not because you are special, but because you are the only one left that hasn’t been so corrupted as to be blinded to the truth.”

“Wow. I didn’t realize the situation was that bad. Am I really the only one that hasn’t been completely corrupted? What about Anika and Dante? They’ve been my friends forever and they have a lot of character, and I’m certainly not perfect by any stretch of the imagination.”

“Your friends do possess a lot of character, and that’s why you are attracted to them. But each of them has some flaw that precludes them from seeing the truth of all the pillars. Together, though, they have enough character to support you in your quest. It’s up to you to recognize their flaws and not be corrupted by them, and not just in them, but everyone else, as well. It’s true that you are not perfect, Owen, but you have an understanding of what perfect should be, and at the moment, that is all we need.”