The Tribes of Marot Story III: Search for Light

Paelin sailed for a few more days before coming to a stop at the large island of Marin.

The sun burned hot over his head, and he had taken shelter in the shadow of the sail. As he approached the island, he circled it, looking for a place to land his boat. Finding a small and isolated cave, Paelin moored his craft to a large stone. He then continued on dry land up and out of the cave.

Paelin found a trace in the lush forest ground, most likely made by animals of some sort, and he followed them off into the deep tropical foliage. He passed the ruins of an ancient temple, and continued along the path until he could hear the sounds of voices, and the smells of burning leaves. As he stepped out of the underbrush, he was surrounded by an amazing sight. Buildings stood several levels high, made of stone and delicately carved wood that glittered brightly in the early-afternoon sunlight.

The city of Marin was bustling with activity. Salesmen lined the streets, calling out their wares and services in different languages, hoping to attract customers. Groups of small children ran across the street in games, and off in the distance was a great building, which towered over the rest. There was a magnificent glittering spire at the center of this building, shining brightly in the sunlight. It shot up towards the sky, perfectly symmetrical and elegantly carved to glitter like a prism when the light hit it.

He found a young man walking down the street and tapped him on the shoulder. The young man stopped and turned around.

“Yes?” he asked.

“I’m sorry to bother you - I’ve just arrived here. Tell me - what is that building over there?” Paelin was quite anxious.

“Oh, that? That’s the Great Library, and the spire of The Light.”

“Thank you.”

“So you just got here?” asked the young man.

“Um . . . Yes, I have.”

“My name’s Gep. If you ever need help, I live in one of the houses that sits behind the Great Library. Feel free.”

“I’m Paelin, and thank you very much for your consideration.”

“No Problem.”

Paelin watched the man named Gep walk away, and then he continued towards the building called the ‘Great Library’. He was still carrying his book, and he figured that he might be able to get his book translated. It seemed strange - it predicted the future, as far as he could tell, and it had been blank before. Now writings and illustrations were appearing on it, and Paelin didn’t know why.

It was almost like magic.

Paelin headed towards the Great Library. As he approached it, he was awed, both by its size, as well as its structure. It had been hewn out of pure marble, standing several stories high, with delicate carvings ornamenting almost every surface. As Paelin stepped into the plaza before the building, he noticed that there was a great map, constructed out of intricate tile, showing all of Marot. Paelin saw his island of Taric as a small spot on the southwest corner of the map. He could see that he was on one of the smaller islands now, which actually had seemed to be very large when one stood on it. The most amazing sight , however, was not the map. When Paelin entered the library itself, he was dumbstruck after stepping through the gigantic door.

He was surrounded by wonder. All around him, shelves stood at amazing heights, filled with rows upon rows of scrolls and books of which were accessed by an array of ladders and platforms as far as the eye could see. Paelin had never seen a library before, but he knew by only seeing this one that it was worthy of a name such as ‘The Great Library’.

Paelin walked along the rows, awed at their size and what they held. Eventually, he bumped into a small desk on one side of the enormous room.

An old man sat behind the desk. He had a wizened face and had small silver spectacles that sat on the end of his crooked nose. His dress was almost as white as his hair, which seemed to shimmer in the sunlight that emanated from large windows on the walls of the gigantic chamber.

“May I help you?” asked the man, looking up from a book of which he had been looking at with very deep thought.

“Excuse me . . .” started Paelin, pulling out the book that he had obtained on his island.

The old man’s eyes widened as he saw the cover of the book when it was pulled out. He looked first at the book, and then up at Paelin, and next down at the book again. He appeared to be struck silent.

“I have this book, but I cannot read it,” continued Paelin, “I was hoping I could get some help here.”

“Oh . . . yes. Yes, my boy. Of course. Will . . .” The man looked at the book he had been reading, shut it quickly, and placed it on a far shelf, hurrying quickly. “Will you please follow me?” He continued, gesturing for Paelin to follow him closely. Paelin accepted the order easily and without question. He had no idea why, he simply trusted the old man. It was strange, and he had never felt that way before, but he simply did. The old man led him to a door set in one wall, leading down a dark candle-lit corridor. He waited for Paelin to pass and then shut the door silently behind him.

The old man led Paelin down into a dark room hidden somewhere inside of the immense building of the Great Library. I the middle of the room stood a pedestal, and on top of it was a sheaf of papers, along with several quills and a vial of ink.

“So,” said Paelin, “Can you help me with this book?”

“The book?” asked the old man, “Oh - yes, yes! The book! Yes, my boy, the book!” He pointed towards the book that Paelin was carrying. “Could I please have it?” Asked the old man. Paelin handed it over, and the man inspected it with great detail and thoroughness.

“The book?” asked Paelin.

“Yes,” said the man, “I . . . I haven’t seen this book in, well, I haven’t seen this book in a very long time.”

“You - you’ve seen this book before?”

“Yes, yes. I have. Many, many years ago. Possibly before you were born. You see,” the man set the book on the pedestal, “This book is ancient. Very old. It was lost to us many years ago, after the first darkness came.”

Paelin stepped towards the pedestal. It looked somehow farmiiliar to him.

“The book,” said the man, “just disappeared into thin air. I suppose it was for its own protection, but none of us knew why.”

“Couldn’t you have told me that out there?” asked Paelin confused, “I don’t see the point in going to some deep and secluded room to talk about a lost book. What is this room for, anyway?”

“This room, my son, is where that book was written!”

Paelin stood.

The man watched him.

“You mean . . .” asked Paelin, looking at the pedestal.

“Yes, young man. Those are part of the materials the book was made from.”

“Then - what is it about?”

“It is called the ‘Book of Forethought’. It tells, or it told of what was to happen or what a specific person was to do with their destiny. No one knows how it was made. There is simply the fact that the book starts out blank, and over the course of time, it fills in with the story of a person - what they are to do, or what they have done, or what they are doing. It does not matter. It all works out the same in the end. Hopefully the person follows their destiny and restores the right.” The man was looking at him intently, with a slightly odd expression.

“So,” said Paelin, “That would mean that the book - this book, tells prophecies?”

“Yes, my boy, it does.”

“Can you tell me what it is saying, then?”

“Wh . . . It says things?!” stammered the old man. He had been so caught up in the arrival of the book that he had completely forgotten to look at its pages. He moved the book gently on the pedestal, and with delicate fingers, opened the book and peeled open the leaves of parchment. There were more words now. The old man looked at these words, and began to read quietly. His hand trembled as he held the page, and a wavering voice could be heard.

“ . . . And he shall meed his nemesis, but it shall be unknown to either. The powers of darkness grow greater as he takes upon himself an act of kindness to one he does not know. The two nemesis shall part, and he will come to the Origin. There will he learn the destiny of those who have gone, and then will he be called upon for one of the greatest challenges of all - the challenge to find the light!”

The man looked at Paelin with a creased brow and then looked down at the page and continued to read. “Then a darkness shall befall all the land, and no one will be safe. He must be swift in order to achieve his destiny - he must be swift to find the light!”

That was the end of the writing. There was simply no more at this time. Nothing! Not a single clue to help him unlock this mystery! The man slammed the book shut and handed it back to Paelin without question. He quietly led Paelin back into the library.

“You must find your destiny, boy, and quick. Darkness has already started to fall upon us.”

“Where can I go?” asked Paelin, “I have nowhere to stay at this time.”

“You may stay with my grandson, Gep. He runs an inn behind this, the Great Library. You will be welcome there.”

“Gep?”

“You know him?”

“Yes, I do. I met him before I came here.”

“That is better than expected. Now hurry - there isn’t any time to lose!”

Paelin went back outside the Great Library. It took him several minutes to travel around the building. It was massive! No one could guess the size of the surrounding gardens unless they had been there themselves.

After several minutes, Paelin exited the other side of the gardens. The air was different here - there was less bustle even though it was a slightly crowded neighborhood. Paelin quickly found the inn that he had been told was run by Gep, and he placed his hand on the door handle.

The door creaked open, and Paelin stepped quietly inside. He could see that same young man sitting behind the desk, obviously writing something down. “Yes?” said the young man, and then he looked up. “Oh! It’s you! Welcome to my inn, Paelin. You must be tired. Was your visit to the Library resourceful?”

“Yes. I met an old man there - he said he was your grandfather.”

“Oh - yes, he is. On my mother’s side. Good man. Wise.”

“What are you working on?”

“Oh - it is my list of expenses for the week - nothing very interesting, although I have had a lot of business lately.” Gep looked at the paper and grimaced.

“What’s wrong?”

“The last group that came in - a rough one, didn’t pay in full. They’re gone now.”

“What were their names?”

“Well, they were going under the name of a man named ‘Sark’.”

At this Paelin’s jaw dropped, and he couldn’t say a thing.

“Is there anything wrong?” asked Gep, eyeing him, “It looks as if you know them.”

“I do.”

“You DO?!”

“Yes. On the last island I was at. They were refusing to pay for, but were demanding goods from a local man. I bought his stock before they could steal it. They looked as if they were up to no good.”

“Well then, it’s a good thing that they’re gone now, isn’t it, or they might have driven business away from here.”

“That depends.”

“On what?”

“Oh what they’re planning to do.”

Gep showed Paelin to a small side room, “Free of Charge!” he exclaimed, and Paelin thanked him for his generosity. After a small noon meal, he lay on his bed and took a short afternoon nap.
***

The light was gone, and to the horror of all, darkness crept over the place of sanctuary, and smothered it in a heavy thickness that enveloped all.

***

Paelin awoke to the sounds of much screaming and yelling in horror. He went to the window and looked out. That’s strange, he thought, It’s too early to be this dark out.

And it was.

People were screaming in terror, staring at one place - the spire atop the Great Library. Except for one thing - the spire didn’t glow majestically or give you a feeling of warmth and protection when you were near it - instead it was dark and cold, and horror was creeping into the hearts of all those who watched.

The pinnacle’s light was gone.

Paelin felt something strange. He quickly packed everything up and headed through the panic as he attempted to reach the front of the Great Library. It was a complete mob. People were running every which way, tripping, trampling, and stumbling away. They looked blind. As if someone had just switched off the light in their minds, darkening their thoughts to the point at which one could not think for themself. Panic.

It was several minutes of dodging and evading the terrorized people, when Paelin arrived at the large doors. The area was deserted.

Paelin entered.

The inside of the Great Library was dark. It just didn’t feel right.

Paelin knew that he hadn’t much time to lose. He headed down the pathways between gigantic shelves, and continued along until he came upon the desk of the old man. There was a note lying there.

Boy -

I knew you’d come. Just head along the left wall to the back of the chamber. There will be a small model of this library set on a table. Touch it. I will take care of the rest.

Paelin was surprised - this man must have had excellent foresight. Or, Paelin thought again, after thinking of the title of the book, he had understood exactly what the book had said. He didn’t know how, but there was some sort of connection between the book, the library, and the spire.

Paelin followed the directions, and as stated , there was a small model of the library on a large stone table. Paelin could see that someone had made an effort to see that every detail was followed, down to a tiny miniature map in the plaza.

Paelin reached towards the pinnacle, and touched the top of the spire, only to watch it disappear, sliding down a hole in the center of the table. There was a grating sound behind him, and he turned around and observed as a staircase receded into the floor where none had been before. Paelin felt urged to walk down into it.

It was darker down in the narrow passage than it ever seemed to be on the blackest of nights. Paelin continued on further. He could hear as the staircase slid back up into place behind him, forcing him to move on even deeper.

The torches sprang to life.

Palin was startled at this sudden illumination, but continued on down the corridor. It was getting very deep. He could see the dampness coating the walls, and lichens grew and flourished in the cold dampness of this deep crevice. Paelin moved on.

After some time, he emerged into a chamber, several feet high, and twice that wide. In the center sat a pedestal with what looked like a crystal rod situated in its center. The rod looked dark and clouded, and surrounding it were five holes, about half the diameter of the rod. Paelin heard footsteps.

“Pitiful sight, isn’t it?” asked the old man. He had been standing about twenty feet behind Paelin, situated a ways away from the door.

“What is it?”

“Haven’t you seen what is going on outside the library?” asked the old man, “Are you blind? The light is gone!”

Paelin was still confused. He had come here to ask his own questions, not to be ridiculed. “I can see clearly,” he stated, “I’m not blind. I simply don’t understand what is happening.”

“You will - trust me - you definitely will understand everything put towards you when the time is right.”

“Fine. What do you mean by ‘The light is gone’?”

“What I mean is - started the man, but there was a slight tremor in the ground, which quickly subsided. He looked surprised, but not entirely shaken. “That rod there,” he gestured towards the dark crystal rod,” is the focus. There are supposed to be five other rods around it, much smaller, they are the energy.”

“So the smaller rods are missing?” asked Paelin, looking intently at the old man.

“Yes. They have been taken. Taken right out from under our protection! The old man slammed his foot on the ground in frustration, and then he collected himself again, and started to speak. “Yes, they have been taken. The light of the spire has been extinguished. Do you understand? The darkness is returning, even more powerful than before!”

“What am I supposed to do about that?” asked Paelin.

“I’m not sure about that,” started the old man, “but do you remember what the book said?”

“Not entirely. Don’t you remember?”

“My boy! How can I be expected to remember when it is talking about you and even you cannot remember.”

Well then, what do you propose?”

“Give me the book.”

“What?”

“I said ‘GIVE ME THE BOOK!’ Is that hard enough to understand?! The world is in peril, and you sit there in a stupor?!”

Paelin handed the old man the book. The old man looked as if he were about to panic, just like everyone else outside. He was trembling, and opened the pages of the book with a shaking hand.

“ . . . He will come to the Origin. There will he learn the destiny of those who have gone, and then will he be called upon for one of the greatest challenges of all - the challenge to find the light!” The old man paused, and then went on, “To five places have they split, and to these places he must go. Far apart and times away, to these he must go, for it is his desiny, and to save all those dear to him, he must find the light!”

Paelin listened to these words intently, and with a new born understanding. Yes, he understood. The book was talking about him. It had predicted he would come here, and had told him that the light would be stolen, and that his destiny was written in this book. “I must go soon,” he stated.

“Y - yes.” The old man was breaking down. “Go through that other corridor! “ He pointed to the far side of the chamber, shadowed and almost invisible.

Paelin followed it for what seemed like hours. It was more of a tunnel. It kept going up. He emerged in the cavern next to his boat. Except that there was another one next to it, and they were both lashed together. Gep was sitting in the second boat.

“What are you doing here?” asked Paelin.

“I’m going with you,” replied Gep.

The adventure had started.