The Daykeeper's Grimoire (18 page)

Me? In a way I secretly want to be the person who could change the world. Seriously, how cool would that be? But realistically, it’s crazy.

“You will use your machine,” he says as he points to my desk.

“My computer?” I ask, finally happy to have some concrete instructions. If I can do anything well, it’s use a computer.

He nods. “We have created computers as helpers and companions—yours even helped you decode text, no? Now you will use your computer to help unite the youth.”

I’m trying to run through my mind how I could possibly do this, what I could possibly do with a computer to unite kids besides creating a game better than World of Warcraft.

“This is not a game,” Bolon says, looking me in the eyes to make sure I am paying attention.

“I know that. Believe me—Barend Schlacter drove that point home. And speaking of him, what do I do about my parents? Should I tell them about all of this?” I ask.

Bolon shrugs. “That is entirely up to you. Your parents are good people—they prepared you to be the smart, independent, capable girl you are. It is up to you to decide whether they would interfere, or whether they would support you in doing this yourself.”

I know that their worry would drive them to do something crazy, like home school me until I’m 38, and then I’d never see this thing through. But more important, if Barend Schlacter and the
Fraternitas
found out that I told them … well, I can’t even think about that.

“But enough of this for now. You need to rest.” At that he gets up and walks out the door.

“Wait, Bolon—” Too late, the door clicks shut. I don’t follow him out because I’m not sure what I would ask anyway. I just didn’t want him to go yet.

Seeing that it’s almost dinnertime, I head to the bathroom to clean up. I turn the hot water on full blast until the sink starts to steam, throw a washcloth under the spray of water. I lay it over my face, holding it down with my fingers. It feels good to have the hot pressure on my skin.

When I take it off and look in the mirror, I’m surprised at what I see. Maybe the heat of the towel has messed with my eyes, or maybe it’s something else, but it’s as if I have a bit of a glow—kind of like a halo, but instead of floating above my head it’s all the way around me.

I put my face over the sink and splash it with water that’s so cold it stops my breath. Looking up again, I see the glow is gone. This both disappoints and relieves me.

I gaze into my eyes and say, “Finish it. Finish what you started.” My voice comes out clearly though I have no idea who is pushing the words through my mouth.

I hear Mrs. Findlay announce dinner so I run as fast as I can downstairs; I’m still scared to be alone in the castle unless I’m in my room with the door bolted.

“So did you meet Bolon yet?” I ask Tenzo and Uncle Li at the bottom of the stairs.

They both look at me blankly. “Who is Bolon?” Uncle Li asks.

“That guy in a poncho …”

Tenzo and Uncle Li look at each other and shake their heads. Uncle Li says, “No, but I haven’t been out of my room since we left each other earlier.”

“Oh, I guess you’ll meet him later,” I say.

We go into the kitchen and see Mrs. Findlay. “Thought I’d serve you in the parlor tonight since it’s just the three of you.”

A game table in the parlor has been set for dinner.

“Now that all the spirals are decoded, I printed you each a copy of the whole poem,” I say, handing them each a sheet of paper.

With will and labor I built the great tower

To sit atop this place of power

Know this though, ’tis less for defense and more to
conceal

What once was lore until I found ’twas real

You know of the hares and their unity knot

Now find what the Flower of Life sits atop

These symbols hold wisdom from tribes of the Earth

Knowledge essential for new world rebirth

This birth may come like a storm or a dove

The outcome lies in how much we can love

Like gravity, love is a force of great might

True power comes when we connect and unite

Into arcane old knowledge you must delve

To find the secret to twenty-twelve

The oldest myths, the oldest sages

Point only upward to explain the ages

The butterfly will emerge in three different ways

At the source, at your core, and by way of the days

Called feathered serpent when spoken in code

Connected to all by the great white road

Remember this always, and above all other

The wise ones grasp the power of our great mother

The numbers, the stars, the cycles and days

Should all be counted, should all be praised

Know chi is in everything, through and between

Yet despite its great power it remains quite unseen

Its quality transforms as we tread backwards ’round

To the great year’s ores we are fastened and bound

Watch closely the Fraternitas and follow each lie

An animal is most dangerous when it knows it might die

Look who profits from war, who controls by fear

At the end of this age, their end too could be near

When the masses, by new bondage and slavery are torn

Eight Batz, the Last Daykeeper, shall then be born

This beginning of the end before the new beginning will arrive

The twelfth of November, nineteen hundred ninety-five

As is writ in the prescient fable

Told to me ’round a far Eastern table

’Tis me, Fergus who would begin the story

But one named Caitrina will usher in the glory

—In lak’ech F.G.M.

When he’s finished reading, Tenzo asks, “Is November 12, 1995, your birthday?”

Every hair on my arm stands up and I nod.

“Let’s just get this all out right now,” I say to Tenzo. “Can you please just tell us everything you know about this place and what’s going on here?”

“I brought something,” Tenzo says as he reaches into his inside jacket pocket and removes an old envelope. Inside is a letter written on thin paper that has yellowed with age.

“This is a letter from my father, Shan-Tung. He had given it to your great grandfather Robert to send back to me in China when he passed away, which happened when I was very young.”

He pushes his glasses up with his finger and begins.

“Dearest son, If you are receiving this letter it means that I have left this physical realm, but know that I am always with you. Just as the stars shine brightly even though they cannot be seen in the daytime, so I shine for you. Even at your tender age you already show a keen interest in ancient history, and this will serve you well, for at some point in your future you will be given the opportunity to continue what I have been doing. I cannot tell you where I am; the location will be revealed to you at the proper time. You will know you are in the right place when you see my good friend and companion, the origami monkey. I am sorry I cannot tell you more than this, but it is for the good of all that the prophecy reveals itself when it is time. In lak’ech, Father.”

“Well, I guess you’re in the right place,” I say quietly, scratching Mr. Papers’ head.

Tenzo nods as he puts the letter back in its envelope. “As soon as Dr. Middleford showed me the rubbing of the spiral with Drocane script, I sensed it was all beginning. I booked my trip not knowing what I would find once I got here. Things have just fallen into place so far.”

“So your mother didn’t tell you anything?” Uncle Li asks.

“Just what I’ve told you. She encouraged me to study the Maya and their calendars and she showed me the Drocane script, but even on her deathbed she would not give up the location of this castle. The only thing she told me about the mysterious place where my father went was that it was the pineal gland of Mother Earth.”

“Pineal gland? What is that?” As I say it out loud it sounds kind of nasty and I hope that it’s not some guy thing.

Uncle Li taps a finger between his eyebrows and says, “It’s the seat of the third eye.”

Mrs. Findlay rolls in a huge cart of sandwiches, salads, and soup along with a pitcher of iced tea. “Would you like me to serve you or would you prefer to do it yourself?” she asks.

“We’ve got it,” I say. After she’s gone I ask, “So what does the pineal gland do? Like what’s its purpose?”

“It’s a gland the size of a pea that lives in a little cave in the geometric center of your brain,” Tenzo says as he pours himself some iced tea. “Because of its location in the body, I was prepared to look for this place in Egypt, by the pyramids.”

“Why? Is it shaped like a pyramid?” I ask.

“No, because the Great Pyramid at Giza is in the exact center of gravity of the continents,” Tenzo replies. “See, if you pushed all the continents together you’d find that the Great Pyramid divides all of our land mass into four equal quarters.”

“I didn’t know that,” says Uncle Li. “It’s rather extraordinary, isn’t it?”

“I think we’ll discover that ancient civilizations were far more advanced than we gave them credit for,” Tenzo replies.

“But what does this gland
do
?” I ask.

“It’s the timekeeper of the body,” Tenzo replies. “It regulates day and night cycles.”

“So that’s why Fergus and your ancestor came from the Dunhuang Caves to the Isle of Huracan? Because it was some special place on the planet?” I ask.

“That’s what my mother told me. She said that when Fergus got to the caves, Xu Bao Cheng described a mythical place to him and Fergus knew exactly where it was. He stayed on with Bao Cheng for several years, learning what he could about the prophecy and his role in it, and then the two of them set off for this place. And that’s where my mother stopped—she wouldn’t tell me about Breidablik or the Isle of Huracan. Like I said, I had originally guessed it was in Egypt. But I still don’t know what to make of it all, especially your part in all this, Caity.”

“Well, one thing Bolon told me is that what I’m going to be doing will involve the computer,” I offer.

Both look at me “Sorry, what did you say?” Uncle Li asks.

“Bolon, the Mayan guy. He said I’ll be using my computer as this thing unfolds.”

“What else did this ‘Bolon’ say?” Tenzo asks.

“He was just telling me that the Elders think I’m doing a great job so far, and then he explained the Galactic Center thing.”

“Caity, I’m worried about this stranger being in your room with you,” Tenzo says. “I’m going to ask Mrs. Findlay what she knows about our new guest.”

I try to protest but he just walks out. I turn to Uncle Li and say, “I know it seems weird, but wait until he explains it to you, you’ll totally get it.”

“I’d love to meet him,” Uncle Li says. It seems weird that he doesn’t seem concerned at all, while Tenzo is freaking out.

Tenzo walks back into the room with a stern look on his face, and says, “Caity, Mrs. Findlay knows nothing of a new guest. She said that your parents never mentioned there would be anyone checking in while they were away.”

“What, you think I made him up? Like an imaginary friend or something?” I ask.

“I
wish
he were an imaginary friend. No, I worry that he’s real. He could be the one who locked you in the tower.”

“There’s no way. You shouldn’t even worry about him; he’s the nicest, most gentle old guy I’ve ever met.”

“And you’re certain you weren’t dreaming?” Tenzo asks as gently as he can.

“Maybe I was,” I say just to get them off my back. My brain hurts. I’m tired of talking to these guys, I wish I could talk to someone my own age. I wish Alex were still speaking to me.

“Are you all done with dinner?” I ask. “I’ll help Mrs. Findlay clean up before bed.”

I pile the plates on the rolling cart and Mr. Papers runs over and crawls on the lower rack for a ride. When I get to the kitchen, I’m happy to see Mrs. Findlay sitting at the table playing solitaire.

“Hello dear,” she says.

Papers jumps from the lower rack to the table and Mrs. Findlay nearly has a heart attack.

“Up to your cubby you scoundrel!” she says to him.

“Hi.” I plop down next to her and put my head on her shoulder. “Would you mind if I slept in one of the twin beds in your room tonight?”

“Course not,” she says. “It’s your castle; you can sleep wherever you please.”

It’s so nice to be near someone comforting that I decide to confide in her, but only halfway. “Mrs. Findlay, if I tell you something will you promise not to tell my parents?”

She looks at me to see if I’m joking around or serious. “S’pose I would,” she replies.

“Really, you have to swear you won’t tell.”

“Right then, I swear,” she says. “What is it dear?”

I decide to tell her a modified version of the story. “Well, earlier today Uncle Li and I were in the shed, um, looking for something for Mr. Papers, and someone slipped a couple of books in and then locked the door.”

She looks at me as if she doesn’t believe me.

“I’m serious! Someone locked us in with a note that said to translate the books, then we’d be let out.”

“And what were the books?”

“Some old Sanskrit books. Uncle Li said he can read them. Anyway, we managed to get out, but we think Thomas might have locked us in.”

Mrs. Findlay takes a deep breath. She picks up her cards, even though her game is not over, and neatly stacks them, shaking her head slowly the whole time.

“What?” I ask.

“Well, I reckon we’ll have to have an agreement that goes both ways—if I tell you something then you must promise not to tell your parents. They’ll probably find out sooner of later, but I’d like it to come from Thomas, not me.”

“What is it?” I ask.

She puts the cards back in their box and then sets her hands on them before she begins.

“Thomas has a twin brother named Donald. They’re identical—even their parents had trouble telling them apart.”

“Really? Thomas has a twin?” For some reason I associate twins with young kids. I never think of old people as being part of a twin set.

“Yes. They were quite the pair growing up, thick as thieves. But one day at the age of about sixteen, they had a falling out. It was as if on that day Thomas became the golden child and Donald became the bad seed, always getting into trouble. Then one day, not long after I started working here,
poof
! He up and disappeared. Hamish’s father, Robert, had always taken a likin’ to the twins and they were allowed to roam freely in and around the castle, which was a rare treat for anyone outside the family. Aye, but after the falling out, Donald only came back here once—to steal two rare old books from Robert. Robert, Hamish, and Thomas looked all over for that boy and those books but no one could ever find him, nor the books.”