The Elderine Stone (11 page)

Jason gulped as he scanned the crowd for any suspicious looking people.

“Maybe you’re right” he said “We should probably find out more about the Order of Elderine and the stone from somewhere else, and while we are at it keep a low profile.”

“
Exactly my idea” Emily said “We’ll head to the Great Library. We are sure to be able to find something there. We can search the books
and
the scrolls - many were written by scholars who lived during the times when the Order of the Elderine were large in numbers, and I am more than sure some of their members wrote historical facts, or even prophecies. We’re bound to find something of use. I would be most surprised if we couldn’t.”

The City Gates of Haspar were now in sight. Two huge wooden doors, fastened to the stone walls by huge black hinges, two on either side. The walls surrounded the entire city. Every now and then a guard would walk along the upper walkway, and then would stop to look out into the nearby farmland and beyond. Even though as Emily had said the people of the land felt safe with the King and Queen on the throne there was still the apparent need to have a tight and strong watch on the city’s perimeter. Naturally the city looked very well protected. Emily had told Jason about the city while they had been walking. It was the largest city in the lands, and not only was it the home for the royal family and the Great Library, it also accommodated a large dock, where vast numbers of ships would sail to trade goods, even more so now that the pirates were vanquished from the east. Trade grew, and as a result so did the city. Haspar became a thriving centre of commerce, and today of course was no exception, it was market day. The streets were certain to be riddled with wooden stalls covered in fancy linen fabrics, with strange looking vendors selling even stranger looking items.

Jason couldn’t contain his excitement but he knew just like the other two did that they weren’t here to look around at all the strange and mysterious items that were on offer, but to find out about the Elderine Stone and the Dark Lady. Perhaps another day, when things were a little more tranquil and the evil had been once again diminished, then Jason could spend the day exploring this great city and do all the shopping and admiration of peculiar objects as he wished.

Finally, the crowd thinned, and Jason was able to see the city gates. Just like in every fantasy novel he had ever read, the gates were huge and wooden, set deep into the imposing stone wall. In the light of the sun, the rich red tones in the wood glowed warmly, and Jason realised he was looking at the same wood that was used in the red door of that strange hut, back home. The memory seemed strange, and caused an odd lurch in his stomach, like déjà vu. On either side of the archway two guards stood proudly each holding a long wooden spear with gleaming metal. Jason thought of the royal guards in London that he had once saw on a school trip and how different they looked from these guards who were nearly clad head to toe in strong metal armour.

As Emily and Sherbit caught up with Jason the guards peered down at them, Emily stepped forward and said.

“We’d like to go into the city, please?” with as much authority as she could muster.

The guards didn’t reply but within seconds there was a creak, and the sound of grinding metal could be heard, as the large chains attached to the door were pulled to open it. Jason finally had his first glimpse of the insides of Haspar, the great city of Hasparia, the home of the King and Queen and the beginning of their quest of knowledge. Jason stood in awe as the doors opened further.

Emily and Sherbit walked past him through the still widening doorway.

“
Aren’t you coming Jason?” Emily asked as she raised one eyebrow quizzically.

“
Yes sure
. It’s just, I’ve…” he trailed off, not knowing how to explain that this city, this
world
, was more than his mind could take in at times. He just needed a moment to process it all. He looked at her, helplessly, as she stared back at him expectantly. He gave up. “Never mind.” he said with a sigh, and stepped through the gates.

Inside the city, Jason looked around, trying to drink in the atmosphere as much as he could. From the street he was on he could see shop after shop, each with a bundle of eager shoppers standing outside, but this wasn’t like any street Jason was used too. The road was cobbled much like in the olden days back home. The buildings looked old too. Many of them were white with black or brown beams across them, much like the Tudor style buildings he had seen back in his world. These buildings seemed to lean slightly at the sides, and really didn’t look secure at all. The sight was breathtaking to Jason, and he watched as the shoppers went from one side of the street to the other, carrying baskets filled with strange looking fruits and vegetables. The sounds of the bustling market filled the air, and the sweet fruits and flowers on sale masked the underlying scents of human habitation, making the breeze fresh, and fragrant.

In the distance passed some buildings, Jason could make out other larger structures. One of which Jason assumed must have been a church as it had a pointed tower. However, he couldn’t be sure, after all Emily had said that the New Order was the religion here, did the people of Hasparia worship in churches like they did back home? There was a large brilliant blue dome in the south which was nestled near the centre of the city. Jason could just about make out the top of what looked like a grand palace to the west of the city.

Jason realised that he had been preoccupied looking at his surroundings, forgetting to keep an eye on Sherbit and Emily. He had no idea where they were. There were few things worse than being lost in an unknown city in an unknown world. Having been told that there could be people (or things) watching him, he didn’t want to be alone for too long.

He spun around, fighting panic. He frantically looked at all the shops and trying to find the whereabouts of his friends. This wasn’t happening to him already. People who had seemed friendly and innocent only a moment ago now seemed dangerous and sinister. Anyone of them could be an agent of the Dark Lady. Anyone of them could kill him in a thousand ways, and he had no one to protect him. Suddenly, he felt a light tap on his shoulder, and he stopped, frozen in time and space. At the thought of what might be behind him he started to shake, and soon he felt very light headed. Slowly turning around, he felt a cold flush engulf him. He was anxious to see who or what had touched him. He was hoping upon hope to see one of the townsfolk looking genuinely concerned, a guard, or someone that didn’t resemble the mental image he had drawn of these watchers. Fortunately for Jason, the tap didn’t come from anyone with any suspicious motives, but from a girl with a large grin on her face. Emily.

“Are you going to stand around all day? Or can we make our way to the library, so we can at least find something out about the stone and what we are supposed to do.”

Jason grinned and managed a nervous laugh.

“
Yeah, I guess we should try and find the library.” he said, trying to keep the tremor from his voice as his heart rate found its normal rhythm. “Do you have any ideas where to look?”

“
Nope not yet. But I intend to ask that guard over there” Emily pointed to a guard standing on the corner of a street. “I’m sure he will help.”

Without Jason being able to get in a word, Emily spun round and ran over to the guard. Jason shrugged, and followed.

“
Sir, excuse me” Emily said sounding meek and very polite “Would you happen to know, where the Great Library is?”

The guard looked down at Emily
. The helmet he was wearing was a few sizes too big for him. Every time he tipped his head the helmet slid forward causing the visor to crash down over the eye slot. He fixed it self consciously, and Jason smiled. It was quite reassuring to see that even in a perfect city a guard could have a helmet that was too big.

The friends just looked at the guard realising they may have made a mistake in choosing this particular person for help.

“Ah it looks like we have three very studious young folk” the guard said smugly, concealing his grin beneath the metal of his helmet.

If Jason wasn’t mistaken the guard appeared to be one half less a shilling, perhaps there was a reason for him being on watch in the city rather than on the city wall or battlements. Though as the guard continued, (after he had regained his composure) he actually did seem more with it than was expected.

“
Well” he said “i
f you just look over there, see that big blue dome? That’s our Great Library. Just head towards that and you can’t go wrong. Just remember to keep heading towards it no matter what.” He smiled again and stood to attention, his helmet doing a little wobbly dance as he straightened up.

“
Thanks!” Emily replied as she gave the guard a rather large smile and turned to Jason and Sherbit who were standing starring at her in astonishment.

“Emily I didn’t know you had it in you… you know, being polite” Jason said jokingly.

“
Oh, ha-
ha.
” Emily replied scathingly. “At least we know where the library is, and that’s no thanks to you two.” With that she walked off, leaving Jason and Sherbit with their mouths hanging open.

“
Touchy, isn’t she?” Jason said to Sherbit, who giggled, then ran off to catch up with her. Jason matched the little creature’s pace.

They soon caught up with Emily, who was moving at a brisk pace down the road toward the blue dome of the Great Library. Jason felt a bit awkward, and thought that Emily may have been angry with him. He considered that having Emily angry with him may actually be worse than facing the Dark Lady. He had meant the whole thing as a joke, but maybe humour was different here.

“Emily, you know I was only joking back there, don’t you? I’m sorry if I hurt you or annoyed you.”

She smiled prettily.

“
It’s ok Jason, I knew you were only joking, I was just playing along. Besides I wouldn’t have let you walk all over me like that, you should know me better, by now.”

Emily grinned.

“
You’re right. Anyways, I’m still sorry, and I’m glad we’re still friends.”

Emily gave him a look which he couldn’t quite interpret, and he felt his face start to grow warm.

“Well! Let’s get going… We’re heading to that big blue dome over there, then?” he said, trying to cover his embarrassment by changing the subject.

“
Yes,” she replied, looking away. “It shouldn’t take us too long to get there. Soon we should know a bit more about the Order of Elderine, and their stone.”

Once again the three set off down the cobbled road, heading towards the blue dome. As they walked, they passed more strange looking buildings, homes, shops and craft workshops each looking as dangerously close to collapsing as the next, but each very surprisingly constructed securely. They soon reached the end of the road which then split.

“Which way is it now?” Jason asked

“I’m not too sure” Emily looked left and right, each direction looking completely the same “lets try this way” Emily pointed as she started to walk along the road to the right, closely followed by boy and imp.

The direction of the road, and the shops on either side, meant that they couldn’t see the blue dome at all, and so they weren’t actually too sure if they were heading the right way or not. By the time they had walked half way along it, they were quite sure they
weren’t
heading in the right direction at all.

Finally, after walking a little further, with a few more comments from Emily about this road not looking right, and a few more encouragements from Sherbit that “maybe there was a turn between those shops, right ahead”, they decided to turn back and try the other way.

They returned to the fork and went left, happily reassuring each other that it couldn’t be too far now, and trying to take a bearing on where the dome was before losing sight of it again. Whilst walking however, they soon felt they were getting further and further from the blue dome. Once again, Emily started to mention that the road ‘looked wrong.’ A few grumbles later, Sherbit bounced off.

“I wonder what he’s up to” Emily said.

“
I don’t know, but we shouldn’t let him get too far” Jason replied as he watched Sherbit run round the side of a house and out of their line of sight.

Emily and Jason walked over to the building that Sherbit had disappeared behind to find a small dark looking alley. Thinking that all the other roads seemed to lead away from the library they decided to take their chance and see where the alley led. It couldn’t be much worse than walking what seemed like an endless road that led to no where in particular. Sherbit was sitting waiting for them.

“Maybe the library is this way” Sherbit said as he pointed down the alley, His large grin showing as he pointed.

“It’s worth a try” Jason said, though he grimaced at some of the smells that were drifting out towards them.