The Seventh Seal (The Chronicles of Daniel Stone Book 1) Read online

  Daniel pulled his hand out of his pocket and instinctively rubbed it on his trousers in a mock attempt to clean it, an inbuilt mark of respect for an elder that he didn’t realise he was doing.

  ‘Pleased to meet you, Albertus,’ said Daniel, now much calmer. He looked down at Geddy, then back at Albertus.

  ‘Can I ask… am I going mad or is the dog talking to me?’ Daniel said nervously, realising the oddity of the question.

  Albertus and I laughed. ‘You are not going mad, young man. We did wonder if Geddy would have the gift and it looks like Elias was right. Your father had a Theran Dalmatian named Rosie and Geddy here is her offspring. It’s rare to find such a dog, but it looks like you have made at least one new friend in your short time on Thera.’

  Daniel still looked bemused. ‘I think I need some time to think, but I’d like to have that chat soon, if we could?’

  ‘Of course, whenever you feel ready,’ replied Albertus.

  ‘Come on, Geddy,’ said Daniel and the two companions walked off.

  15th September 2012, Earth

  Paris and Lucius arrived without incident at the Earth Protectors’ HQ and were making their way down the stairs into the basement in the dark. The dark? Why was it dark? There was always light and the hum of the machines, but not today.

  ‘Lucius…?’

  ‘I know, Paris, there’s something wrong; be ready with your drows.’

  As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Lucius strained to view the scene inside. As his night vision improved and with light from Peter’s office escaping from the gap at the bottom of the door his strained expression turned to horror. He dropped his drows and turned to Paris.

  ‘We’re too late. Smee has already been.’ Lucius was ashen white. ‘He’s killed them all…’

  ‘What? Oh, no, he can’t have,’ she cried as she pushed past Lucius and flicked on the lights to see the bodies, the blood. The scene was a devastating one, but time was not their friend; they could not dwell on something that had passed, they had to look to what was coming.

  ‘Lucius… the Arcanum.’

  They raced to Peter’s office to see the wall safe open and its contents gone and once again felt the deflation of defeat envelop them.

  ‘Lucius, where is Peter?’ The gruesome scene in the data centre was evidence of one immediate fact. Peter and one operator were missing.

  ‘We must get back to Tolemak, Paris.’

  ‘What about these poor people? We can’t just leave them.’

  ‘We’ll have to for now. Albertus will know what to do, but we have bigger issues to deal with: Smee has the Arcanum and a seal.’

  15th September 2012, Tolemak

  When Paris and Lucius returned with the grave news from Earth, Albertus dropped his guard and his emotions boiled over.

  ‘How is Smee always one step ahead of us?’ He fumed momentarily before changing to a more self-critical, apologetic tone.

  ‘This is my fault; I must take the blame and be held to account. Our fears, Elias, about treachery within the Earth Protectors are real, I’m sorry to say.’

  ‘Albertus, Peter has turned on us,’ said Paris, both angry and disappointed in equal measure.

  ‘I’m afraid I must agree, given the circumstances. It was you, Paris, you and Jade who also felt that Peter was hiding something when you met him.’

  Albertus, now refocused, looked inquisitively at Lucius. ‘You said that two people were missing from the EP headquarters, if one is Peter, who is the other?’

  ‘We checked the entry logs and it’s a woman called Elizabeth Shurman.’

  Albertus played with his beard as he always did when in deep thought. ‘So we have two suspects; who is this Elizabeth Shurman? What do we know about her?’

  ‘At this point in time nothing,’ said Paris, shrugging her shoulders.

  ‘Well you two get back to Earth, trawl through what’s left of the EP records and find out all you can about Elizabeth Shurman.’

  ‘What about the… the… bodies, Albertus? We can’t leave them there,’ said Paris compassionately.

  ‘No, no, you are quite right, take the Professor with you; he will ensure they are returned to the regulus.’

  Albertus turned to me. ‘Elias, I don’t think Smee will attack Tolemak, but we must be prepared; increase the guards on the gates, but do it discreetly. With Smee in possession of the Arcanum and a seal, we are exposed,’ he said despondently.

  Albertus looked lost. ‘My old friend, we have never lived in fear within the walls of Tolemak, but we have reached a new low. I have failed everyone.’

  ‘Don’t be so hard on yourself, Albertus, you have nothing to apologise for; you have presided over Thera with wisdom and you will do so for many years to come and we will defeat Smee.’ I paused momentarily before continuing as my next words were in direct contradiction of what I had just said.

  ‘But do you still think it wise… to continue with the celebrations?’

  Albertus was emphatic.

  ‘Elias, we must continue with them. We need to build some trust with Daniel and recover the Seventh Seal; we have few advantages left, we have to use them.’

  15th September 2012, Earth

  At the Earth Protectors’ HQ the mood was sombre.

  ‘Paris, Lucius… stay outside the house while I deal with the… the… anyway just stay here will you, until I call you.’

  The Professor made his way downstairs and was met with the same sickening sight as the one the two Keepers had witnessed earlier. He removed his bag from his shoulder and pulled out his brown leather notebook and several jars. He scattered the contents of one jar labelled ‘Alkahest’ over the bodies and blood and opened his book, quickly flicking to the page he required, and then read out loud some strangely written rhyme.

  ~

  They’n tymme has cast ye no more breath

  tis tymme will teck thee down to reste

  no fate no more to wend its way

  thyne blood ryd soul a water vail

  wash this face, send them backe

  to the universe, round a nother tracke.

  ~

  He kept repeating until the bodies and the blood turned to water, coalescing into a contained mass and like the strangest river it flowed up the staircase and out. Paris and Lucius stood in amazement as a column of water exited the doorway from the secret underground room and rose upwards. Just as it reached the highest point of the surrounding tree canopy it stopped and then instantly blew apart, vaporising into the finest mist and was gone. Just as this happened there was a sound from the house.

  ‘You can come down now,’ the Professor shouted.

  The two Keepers entered the now empty data room.

  ‘That was very touching, Professor,’ remarked Lucius.

  ‘Well they are on a new path now… but we are still on ours so let’s get on,’ he said.

  They made for Peter’s office to see what records, if any, were left. Peter’s desk was an old-fashioned solid oak pedestal desk. Paris knelt down and fished around underneath the desk top until she found the hidden lever she was looking for. She pulled the lever toward her and the front of the pedestal opened up to reveal a hidden compartment.

  ‘Jackpot,’ shouted Paris as the contents of files and a small black box, which stores information for the computer machines, was revealed to them.

  For security, all staff were carefully selected; normally only those with distant or no relatives were chosen, to avoid the questions of what they did and where they did it. Peter then maintained files on the employees, regularly updating the records and keeping paper copies as well as in the computer machines.

  The immediate revelation was that Elizabeth Shurman had a son. The mystery deepened and they had more questions than answers.

  ‘What do we do now?’ asked the Professor.

  ‘Well we don’t know if Peter or Elizabeth or both of them have betrayed us so I suggest we start with her house,’ said Paris.

 
; ‘I agree, let’s go,’ said Lucius impatiently.

  *

  They arrived in Richmond Park and made the rest of the short journey on foot. Elizabeth Shurman’s ground-floor apartment was within a modest reddish-brown brick building directly accessed from street level. They stood some way back from the entrance while they mulled over what to do.

  ‘You two, wait here. Let me go alone, if she’s in there she may be frightened,’ said Paris.

  ‘Paris, be careful, we don’t want to attract attention,’ said Lucius.

  Paris knocked on the door… nothing. She knocked again and put her ear to the door and then felt a hand on her shoulder. She spun around immediately, getting ready to draw her drows, and with a shocked face was now staring at a suited man holding out a police identification card.

  ‘Can I help you, madam?’

  ‘I’m just calling on a friend… is there a problem… Detective Jones?’ she said leaning over to read the man’s identity card on his chest.

  ‘Ms Shurman has disappeared,’ he replied and now pulled out a notebook.

  ‘And you are?’

  ‘A friend…’ replied Paris nervously.

  ‘I see…’ said the officer, writing feverishly in his little book.

  ‘And what has become of Calum?’ asked Paris with a concerned voice.

  ‘He’s safe, when was the last ti—’

  The detective didn’t have time to finish his sentence as the Professor crept up behind and without touching him, squeezed the air just behind the back of his head, manipulating the regulus field around the policeman’s body, sending him temporarily to sleep. The officer fell backwards into his arms and he laid him gently on the floor.

  ‘Let’s get out of here before we find ourselves arrested,’ said the Professor.

  *

  At New Scotland Yard, the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police in London, Earth Detective Jones was sitting in front of Detective Chief Inspector Tom Cranford.

  ‘What happened to you, Jones?’

  ‘I don’t know. One minute I’m talking to this lady about Ms Shurman and the next, lights out. I wasn’t hit, I didn’t feel anything,’ said Jones, throwing his hands up in the air to emphasise the mystery of his experience.

  ‘She was nervous I know that and…’

  ‘And what, Jones?’ said Cranford impatiently.

  ‘She was wearing odd clothes,’ said Jones.

  Cranford looked at Jones disappointedly. ‘It’s London, Jones, the city is full of people with an odd taste in clothes; you can’t arrest someone for bad clothes. Was she alone?’ said Cranford, getting serious again.

  ‘As far as I can tell, I didn’t see anyone else, but… there must have been. She didn’t touch me and although I don’t remember being hit I must have been, from behind. My head was thumping when I came around.’

  Cranford sighed with frustration. ‘Well there’s something very strange going on, that’s for sure. A fifteen-year-old boy makes his way into a police station, tells them his mother’s disappeared and presents them with a pile of documents on all manner of things that no normal mother should have access to. His mother looks like the female version of James Bond. Our Ms Shurman is one hell of a mystery. Jones, get a female officer to have another chat with the boy, see if we can get anything more from him. Keep digging for something on the mother; there must be some records for her.’

  ‘Yes, sir,’ replied Jones.

  ‘Oh and, Jones, keep up the surveillance on the Shurman house… we may get lucky.’

  ‘Yes, sir,’ he repeated and left.

  15th September 2012, Earth

  At the Earth Protectors’ HQ, Paris paced around nervously.

  ‘What do we do now, Professor? The police are bound to find out the truth.’

  ‘We must stay focused. Do not forget, my friends that we are known to certain branches of the authorities on Earth and Arthe; whoever is running this investigation will get so far and then they will be stopped.’

  The Professor looked anxious as he finished speaking.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ said Lucius.

  ‘The Earth authorities will not be happy cleaning up our mess, Lucius; we must do all in our power to resolve this ourselves.’

  ‘So what’s our next move?’ asked Paris.

  Lucius piped up. ‘I think we should stick around, follow the police and see what they can dig up.’

  ‘I agree. We need to know what Elizabeth Shurman and Peter are up to. Lucius, head back to the Shurman apartment; keep a tail on the police. Paris, let’s see if we can find anything more here,’ said the Professor.

  *

  The unmarked car that sat outside the Shurman apartment had two officers inside and once Lucius, from a safe distance, had identified the police vehicle by a process of elimination, he set himself up in position in a nearby coffee shop and waited. Lucius was a patient man and the wait didn’t bother him at all. He sat and enjoyed nature and the balance of life he helped to maintain and calmed himself, slowing his breathing right down by running through a game of the Keeper’s Challenge in his mind. This calm state made his senses more alert and when the balance of the scene he was watching changed, when his peripheral vision picked up two different characters in the play of life he was watching, he reacted inside. His heart rate increased and he shuffled slightly on his seat, instinctively placing a hand on his drows under his min-ed cloak.

  As he turned his head to focus on the three people approaching, he had to hide his shock. Simean James, a lady he assumed to be Elizabeth Shurman and Sam Summerhill, the innkeeper from the Dragon’s Breath Inn were all making their way up the road. The officers in the police car were not so attentive and it was not until Elizabeth — now confirmed as she opened her door with a key — entered the property that they reacted. Lucius could see them shuffling around in the car in mild panic, getting themselves organised for a confrontation. Lucius remained patient and watched.

  The two officers leapt from the car and crouched, like a pair of sheep dogs creeping up on their flock, constantly scanning left and right. They made their way furtively across the road. They slammed themselves into the wall either side of the front door and drew small handguns from body holsters. They nodded to each other as the one on the left reached over and slowly turned the door knob and pushed softly. Like a spring being pulled back and under tension, the two officers’ delicate and controlled manner was now converted into a fast energy burst as they flew into the Shurman property. Lucius heard shouts.

  ‘Police… Get down on the floor.’

  There was a few moments’ silence followed by two gunshots in rapid succession. Shortly after, Simean, Elizabeth and Sam came running out from the property and headed down the street. Lucius waited for a moment; the two policemen didn’t follow and he feared the worst, but he couldn’t help them. He ran across the road and began chasing the three fugitives, keeping sufficient distance between him and them, using the crowds to hide his pursuit. He had to locate where they were hiding out.

  16th September 2012, Tolemak

  News of the impending celebrations for the safe return of the future Seal Keeper spread quickly and the streets were alive with energy as people exchanged all manner of goods for material on Threadneedle Street in order for milliners and mantua makers— better known to you as dressmakers— to convert them into wonderful celebration hats and gowns, courtesy of the artisans on Keepers Road.

  I smiled and acknowledged various individuals as I discreetly advised the guards on additional duties at each of the gates. They were to step-up street patrols due to the increased activity and I left it at that.

  Our worries were palpable; with a seal and the Arcanum, Smee had power beyond our comprehension. Our only glimmer of hope was his own vanity; that he would prefer a plan with more finesse. Smee was a schemer who thrived on terrorism and fear; so we took precautions but remained hopeful they were just that.

  Tolemak started to return to its normal ebb and flow as the fin
al touches were made to the newly decorated streets in readiness for the celebrations. Flags bearing emblems of the Keepers as well as a colourful array of bunting lifted the whole mood in the castle and even Daniel was starting to come around. It was morning when I happened upon him heading to the tower.

  ‘Good morning, Daniel, off to see Albertus?’

  ‘Hi, Elias, yes, I am… it’s time I learnt the truth… whatever it is,’ he said, his tone now a little lighter than our previous encounters.

  ‘How are things with your mother?’ I asked a little cautiously.

  ‘Okay, we’ll be alright, she’s my mum. Looking around at all of this, I probably would have thought she was nuts if she’d tried to tell me the truth anyway,’ he said with a light laugh.

  I was relieved. I had carried around the burden of much of his anger ever since we had met and I could now feel that burden lifting as Daniel made his first tentative steps to following in his father’s footsteps.

  ‘Let me walk with you to see Albertus.’ As I spoke I could hear that there was a joy in my words again; there was much to be happy about despite the threat we faced.

  ‘Come in, Daniel.’ With outstretched arms and a beaming smile, Albertus too was feeling as I was.

  ‘Good morning to you too, Elias, you may as well join us as we begin teaching young Daniel here the ways of a Keeper. Before we begin, my boy, we need to get you looking the part and for that you will need a suit of min-ed,’ said Albertus excitedly.

  ‘Min what?’ said Daniel with a scrunched up and confused face.

  ‘Min-ed, it is the most prized material and only reserved for the Keepers; it will allow you to stay cool in summer and warm in winter and there is only one place on Thera where you can get the garments made; we must head to Fuggle’s and Golding’s on Keepers Road.’

  *

  Fuggle’s and Golding’s were the only makers of min-ed clothes and they were master craftsmen. Still run by the latest generation of the families, Fred Fuggle and Gertrude Golding were proud to be serving the new Keeper and as we entered this grand old shop they smiled with joy.