Anvar lit his pipe and walked over to the rail. “Many years ago, Dirk was building his
business. Items of great rarity were of
particular interest to the blossoming middle class of Fraylic. In his travels and dealings, he came into the
ownership of the staff I hold before you.
Though quite ordinary in appearance, it had some sort of life within
it. He said the staff was, In fact, a
living being! In some way, it
communicated with your father. It
claimed to be part of a puzzle which would lead the one who solved it to find
the Red Sapphire.”
“Please tell me you are not referring to the all-powerful
magic gem of father’s bedtime stories?” Linvin asked in disbelief.
Anvar was indignant.
“You said you would listen. Do
you want to hear this or not?” Linvin
held out the palm of his hand in a apologetic gesture and inclined his head as
he waited for the story to continue.
Anvar stared angrily at his nephew for a moment before
drawing on his pipe and picking up his story.
“The staff told Dirk that there were other parts to the puzzle. More importantly, it told him that the Red
Sapphire had chosen whom it wanted to use its power next. It chose Dirk’s son, Linvin Grithinshield.
“To have the gem would give you unimaginable power. That power was to be used to fight the spread
of the evil that infests our world. The
problem Dirk saw was that you were still a boy.
Any education he could give you would only help you run a business, not
safeguard the world.
“You needed to be prepared, trained and hardened. The best place to train you was in Valia with
Sedemihcra. He alone possessed the
volume of wisdom needed to one day handle the power destined for you.
“Jelena could not have been more opposed to the plan. She had her own aspirations for you, as you
know. Sending you away, to the other
side of the continent, seemed ludicrous to her.
In spite of her acute displeasure, your father did what he thought had
to be done and sent you away.
“While you were gone, he continued the search for the other
parts of the puzzle. Dirk thought that
he could find the Red Sapphire and then send for you to return home. After several years, he traded for this
key.” Anvar took a gold chain from
around his neck. Dangling at its bottom
was a brilliant golden skeleton key. He
handed it to Linvin and continued to speak.
“There was one final piece he said he needed before calling
for your return. During his inquiries
about it, Dirk came to suspect that he was not the only party looking for the
pieces he had and sought. The other
mysterious bidder was believed to be very powerful and possessed limitless
resources. It became a great concern to
your father, but even that concern was not enough to ebb his obsession with his
goal. After many years, he told me that
he had found what he sought in Ravensburg.
It was his intention to travel there and return within six months.
“I cautioned him about setting out alone to make the
trip. Your father, however, would not
hear of letting anyone in on his plans.
His instructions to me were to guard the key and staff while he was gone
and look after your mother. Should he
not return, I would be her only protection.
He left on his journey and was never heard from again.
“When your mother and I determined that he was not coming
back, we began to suspect foul play.
There was a break-in at the store in which nothing was taken, but the office
was obviously searched. Besides that, my
movements and those of your mother were watched by dark figures in the
shadows. Dirk’s trip looked to have been
a trap. Someone wanted the staff and
key.
“Jelena thought I was wrong about my conclusions and decided
to bring you home to run the business. I
let her know I had great concerns about doing that. If Dirk had indeed been killed for the staff
and key, the murderer would next target his family. By bringing you back into the fold, I felt that
the wrongdoer would be spurred to action.
The close confines of all the possible targets meant the time would be
ripe to strike and find what they sought.
Jelena, as it turned out, was just as stubborn as Dirk. She forbade me from speaking of the topic
with you. In her mind, the whole foolish
quest had died with your father, and if the danger was gone, there was no
reason for her son to stay away any longer.
“As you now are aware, the threat was not gone. Jelena was targeted by someone very professional
and slowly given poison in some form. We
only discovered that the illness was inflicted intentionally at the very end.
“Realizing her errors in judgment, she sent for me. We decided that the killer could not be
allowed to gain the staff and key your mother still concealed. You and I would be their next targets. The only choice was for me to bring you these
items and both of us set out in search of the Red Sapphire.
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