Ultimus Thesaurus: The last Treasure (Era of Change Book 1) Read online

  Edgar, our butler, made sure that I would not leave the room, even though I clearly wouldn’t dare to anger my father even more. My father loved to do destroy things rather than to understand them and as much as I wanted to make sense of this, I just couldn’t bring myself to it. I took off my glasses and put them on my bed. On the ceiling hung a game of stars, one of the last magic artefacts in our possession.

  It simulated our planetary system and was powered by the connection between the circular magnetic stone network and the magical energy maintained within it. I had no idea what that meant but it interested me since I was very young. I had very many books, but none taught magic.

  It was now almost extinct and many people believed that it never even existed. For me, who could survive in a technical world, it seemed not threatening, but it was still sad.

  Only one thrown stone at my window tore me from my almost meditative condition of frustration and forced me back on my legs. I put my glasses on because I did not want to run the risk of stumbling over things or even falling out of the window. Even if this fear was unfounded and I knew that I could never be so stupid, I still had to put all the possibilities in relation to one another. Lucia was still busy throwing stones up at my window, as she clearly knew, that I was just making her wait. When I finally managed to fixate my glasses, I opened the heavy window and a further stone hit me directly against my nose. My loud cry immediately aroused the curiosity of Edgar, who at once rushed into the room finding me standing in front of the open window with a bleeding nose.

  “Is everything in order, my lord? I have heard the noise and only wanted to make sure that you are well,” he inquired with his silver tongue. He sneaked slowly like a snake through the room and took a not quite unintentional look out of the window.

  Of course, Lucia had already hidden herself and therefore was hardly in danger - whereas the danger seemed to already have found me, despite my caution.

  “Everything is in order, Edgar. I was just careless when I opened the window. As you know, it is very difficult to open,” I said and held a cloth on my nose while I complimented Edgar out of the room.

  “Next time please call me if you need help, young Sir. I serve your house for so long now, that you should know that such lower task is a duty of mine.”

  “It was a long day, Edgar, and even though it is early afternoon, I long for a brief moment of silence and relaxation. I would be extremely grateful if you would refrain from rushing unannounced into my room. Good day.”

  I firmly closed the door and even before I completely turned around, I noticed Lucia already sat on my bed.

  “That was a very special speech. Your father has not promised too much,” she commented and looked at the game of stars.

  “You don’t know half of it. This bleeding nose is just the beginning of the end. Tomorrow I have a couple of hours and then he will personally accompany me into the city. It was the final mistake, he said. My book is also still in his possession.”

  “Tomorrow ... my birthday. But hopefully you come over, even if just shortly? I would be glad to see you at least one last time before it becomes uncertain what happens next.”

  “This is what I said when I spoke of the few hours’ time. It was the only reason I could bring up to convince him. He thinks that it would be a good idea if I witness your failed existence one last time before I transition into higher circles of society.

  Sometimes I think that this man is made of nonsense. You are at least as smart as I am. Even if it means nothing to you, you could achieve the same things I do.”

  “I shall become a scaredy-cat? Oh sorry I meant of course, diploma holding chicken-hearted honouree,” she said and made me laugh my anxious mind away.

  “What would I be without you?” I asked her and rummaged my room for a small box.

  “Probably the son of a proud father, who would praise you all day,” she said with a serious expression and looked at me.

  “I can already imagine the nightmare. ’Oh son, I finally have found a successor! Who besides you could lead this insane, misguided failure of a population if not my own arrogant and blinded offspring?' And then he would perhaps even gift me one of these expensive jackets.”

  “That would not be your style. Men with glasses and bleeding nose need something special. What is in the box?”

  I put the box on the bed and took my coin in hand.

  “This coin reminds me, that you will achieve your dream at some point. Maybe tomorrow finally is the day that your father returns. I would like to give this box to you, but you shouldn’t open it before you see your father again. As I will be away for an unforeseeable period of time, I thought that I give you something to accompany you while I am gone, as my last gift so to speak. My father is, as you know, impatient. I hope that I will see you tomorrow.”

  She took the box and stood up. And while she approached the window, my fear of never seeing her again grew with every step she took.

  “Do not fear. You are special,” she said and gave me one last wink before she opened the window and disappeared.

  I let myself fall back on the bed and put the bloody cloth and my glasses next to me. Nothing except laughter could escape me, because this day was different than any other day I knew. For this was the first time I did not fear my future. Although I did not get many hours of sleep, it was nevertheless enough to give me new strength. When Edgar entered the room at night and woke me up, the sun was already gone.

  “Young lord, the dinner is served. The master will be waiting for your arrival in five minutes.”

  I had no intention to join my father, but I also did not want to let the 'Master' wait. No matter what the future would bring, it would free me from him. Edgar and the rest of the servants had prepared the great hall, probably as a last gesture of goodwill of my father. Even if he did not like to say it I was nevertheless part of his inheritance.

  “Sit down! You are late for dinner. Were you sleeping again? Your weak spirit can probably not endure an entire day. If I look back at this day, it is not surprising. To destroy the life of a human being must be exhausting.”

  As always he tried to make my life a beautiful and wonderful journey and so I wanted him to share this path with me, even if only for a night. My mere presence already triggered cramps in his face which I enjoyed to the fullest while course after course was served.

  “What do you expect from your future? Your wish, what was it? Being some kind of circus fighter? What plans does a person like that have? I contemplated all day about it.”

  I put the fork and knife aside, since I started to think of ways to use them, of which most seemed wrong and gruesome at first, but with every word my father uttered, changed to such a reasonable state, that I couldn’t trust myself anymore.

  “I do not expect that you understand me. It is clear to me, that if one searches for the treasures of this world and writes the stories of his life, he won’t ever be someone you could respect. But in the end it makes no difference. No one who has seen me ever thought of me as the person you want, and as long as I cannot live the way I want, I will be afraid of the world. Your plans stir my anger and let this fear grow. I accepted the fact that perhaps I will never find happiness, but no matter what you try to make of me, I will always remain your son.”

  “Don’t be too sure of that. The technology is advancing rapidly,” he replied and continued to eat.

  With a slight cough I dappled my mouth with the napkin and stood up.

  “Please excuse me, father. Tomorrow is an important day for me and therefore I will take my leave now.”

  With a smile he took a sip from his glass and said: “Sleep tight, perhaps after all this sleep, a son I can be proud of, will finally awake.”

  And so I removed myself from the dinner table and walked through the lonely hallways of this palace along the dark corridors down to the empty rooms, up to my room and lay on my bed and whispered: “If this man ever awakes, I will kill him myself.”

&nb
sp; Chapter 3: Until Death do Us Part

  I woke up from a dream that I couldn’t remember, but the fear that I felt reminded me, that it was a nightmare. I checked my breathing, grabbed my glasses and rubbed my hand through my face, before I stood up. The sun could already be seen on the horizon and I realized that this would be the day on which my future was to be set in motion. Of course I wasn’t keeping all options in mind. In a certain way it was ironic, that even if I thought about all these different possibilities every time, I never thought of what really was about to happen. I rummaged my room for some blank paper sheets and an old quill which I deposited here, knowing that my father would take away my book. It was to be a letter to Lucia that I could either give to here now or wait and send it with the mail, depending on what would happen on this day.

  Dear Lucia,

  For many years I have asked myself whether I really deserve to have such a friend. Again and again you stood by my side, no matter how times have treated you. You saw my anxiety and instead of pitying me, you tried to understand my problems. It was your strength that bolstered me and I hope that I will eventually be able to return what you gave me. No matter what the world will do to you, never change.

  Eternally yours

  Iago

  I folded the letter and put it in the envelope. A short time later the door opened and Edgar intended to wake me up.

  “Good morning, young sir. The breakfast is served in a few minutes. The master excuses himself and he asks for your presence at twelve o'clock. I should also convey to you that a further attempt to disappoint him will not so easily be forgiven.”

  For a good start into the day I needed nothing more than a rich breakfast and the warm words of this loving family.

  How could a person be happy to leave this place? So I took the letter and skipped the breakfast, as it would only steal precious time. The souvenir shop was not very far away and was located at the harbour. There were not many seafarers in Amnia, but Lucia never wanted to sell anything anyway. She always said that the things her father sent meant to much to her to give them away. The shop was actually much more some kind of oversized occult shrine. Even though not much thought was given regarding the hidden aspect of it.

  “Good morning! Buy something! The Lugh Curiositorium has what you are looking for!” she cried at me when I walked into the store.

  “It’s just me. Did you ever have a customer at such a time of day? No normal person would be getting up early to buy souvenirs,” I said and checked if the envelope was hidden deep enough in my pocket, in fear that Lucia might see it, even though she had no reason to expect it at all.

  “It’s just you,” she said looking down while typing in a bored fashion on the checkout keyboard. “I had hoped that it would be the postman at least. It takes forever again.”

  As always she could hardly wait for the package from her father and forgot all about what time it actually was.

  “Congratulations! Before I forget it, I wish you all the best. May your dreams come true,” I replied and hugged her, but backed off as soon as I feared that she could find the envelope.

  “Is everything ok? You are extremely precautious again today. You still mad at me because I threw that stone at your face, right? Are you afraid that I disfigured your face for all eternity? Perhaps it stops the circulation of blood in your face and then you will be even whiter than you already are.”

  As expected she made fun of my fears, but this time I tried to absorb this atmosphere, as long as it still existed for me.

  “Good morning,” it echoed loudly from outside, just before a stout little man entered the shop with a package.

  “Finally! Where were you so long? This took forever again. I have been waiting for seven hours,” said Lucia and signed off the papers hastily.

  “It is just eight o'clock in the morning. If you are sitting here at night waiting for your packages to arrive, I cannot help you. Have a nice day,” the man answered and left the shop, but Lucia did not even hear what he said as she was already crazily rattling the package around.

  “Stop that. Give it to me; I’ll open it for you.”

  I took the package and opened it carefully. In it were a small stone figure, a compass, a map, a kind of papyrus roll, an old wrinkled apple and a thick small rod.

  “Congratulations, he probably sent you his old school stuff, including break time snack,” I said jokingly, but I had of course overlooked the most valuable piece of them all.

  Lucia’s hand rushed at the letter that was lying under all the things and opened it as fast as she could.

  My dearest daughter,

  I pray that this letter reaches you in the best of health. And although I’d wish to stand here with you today, it all seems to be even more impossible than ever before. They called me a liar, a charlatan and thief, but the days that will follow are even too difficult for me to understand. You were always everything I had left. Every day I have been looking for a new treasure in the hope that it could bring back my wife and that I could finally find peace at your side. But without your help I am no longer able to claim this treasure. You know me better than I know you, but if I am not mistaken you’d be more than capable of seeing the truth within the things I send you. Please help me find this last treasure and then we can finally be together again.

  In Love

  Jasper Lawrence

  “A treasure? And what does he mean with bringing back his wife? Doesn’t he understand that she is gone?”`, I asked, while Lucia slowly put the letter aside, and began to laugh.

  “All these years I kept waiting for him to understand why I am waiting. And now he is sending me these things and expects me to follow him? How could I wait so long for this?”

  “I understand that you are disappointed, but perhaps what we have here is a hidden message.”

  “Yes, there is a hidden message, namely 'you alright? I need your help!'. You also believed in him, did you not? What would you do? You know the situation in the kingdom.”

  I took the letter and scanned it several times, but I saw nothing that pointed to an encrypted message.

  “It would be almost impossible to leave the village. The revolts against the kings get more and more severe. Maybe the kingdoms will soon be no more and who knows where that leads. It is a shame that we do not have more time.”

  “It is hard to even think of leaving everything behind. I have always wanted to do it but I wanted to leave this place with him.”

  She took the papyrus roll in her hand and examined it, but the words that were written on it seemed to be of an absolutely unknown language. It also seemed to be just a part of a much larger text, but the rest was missing.

  “Maybe you should just stop waiting for him. It is never the last treasure. I am sorry, but I have to leave now. Just write me if you know more about this. He will write you again,” I said, and went out.

  I thought about giving here the letter again and again, but with every second my fear grew.

  “Wait for me; I accompany you for a while. I can use the fresh air,” Lucia shouted and gave me some more time to make my final decision.

  We walked the streets as more and more people filled them and without words we thought about all the moments we shared here. On the village square, in front of the city hall, we stopped and I wanted to say goodbye. But before I had time to do it, my father rushed out of the building and joined us.

  “We need to reschedule our journey unfortunately. A message just reached me that there was a revolt in the city. Several rebels were killed, including some mercenaries and a man whose name the two of you should be well acquainted with. Jasper Lawrence is dead. The king personally had him executed on the public square. He is said to have led the revolution. The death of this mendacious man logically means, that all his alleged treasure finds will now be denied. Now you will see what happens with such a man. A man who lives in shame dies in shame.”

  My father knew no bounds except those he made himself and so it was no
wonder that he conveyed such a message as cold and harsh as possible. He put his hand on my shoulder and wanted me to follow him, but intuitively I slapped it away.

  For the first time in my life I felt real anger, born from the deepest fear. The man whose dreams I followed and who had always been my role model was dead. But he wasn’t just any man; he was the father of Lucia, who now had no family left except her grandparents.

  “Come, Lucia, I bring you home. You should rest. My departure is delayed for an indefinite period of time,” I said and ignored the emotions of my father.