“So-so what’s my curse?” asked Jacob, expecting the worst. “Are you going to disfigure me or something like that?”
“Disfigure you? Why you haven’t failed, nor have we finished,” replied Dr. Galeeky.
“I haven’t?” questioned Jacob, unconsciously making a sigh.
“For now all that I require of you is to carefully listen and watch. That doesn’t sound too difficult to do, right?”
“No,” replied Jacob, nodding with suspicion as he wondered, “What’s he going to do to me next?”
“Good than we shall continue. Many years ago there was a king and queen with three sons. Both the king and queen favored their oldest son above their other children, and so they sent their two youngest boys away to be raised by the sentinels. The oldest son remained with them and was granted everything his heart desired.”
Abruptly Dr. Galeeky snapped his fingers and a white table appeared between them with teacups, silver spoons, a teapot, and a bowl full of chocolate powder next to a full plate of sugar cookies.
“There is hot milk in the teapot, so help yourself to some cookies and hot chocolate,” offered Dr. Galeeky, gesturing with his hand before continuing on with his story. “The years passed and the boys grew to become handsome young men. The first-born son had grown up to be weak and prideful showing no compassion for others. He longed to be king and couldn’t wait for his father to grow old and die. The other two boys grew into brave young sentinels; extraordinary men of courage who were champions of justice for the oppressed.”
Attempting to ease his nerves Jacob leaned over and poured himself some hot milk, mixing in the chocolate powder with a spoon. He picked up the cup with a cookie, and then sat back in his chair.
“The prince recruited vile men, and following ancient practices he swore these men to secret allegiance. The small band of deadly assailants followed the prince’s orders and murdered his parents, the king and queen.”
Jacob took a sip of hot chocolate along with a nibble from his cookie. The cocoa had no savor at all and the cookie tasted like sawdust. He felt a strong urge to spit it out, but as it would appear rude he held it uncomfortably in his mouth. If he offended Dr. Galeeky now it could jeopardize his chances of passing the test.
“I hope you enjoy the snack,” said Dr. Galeeky, as he paused his story. “These are my favorite cookies.” Reluctantly Jacob nodded, while Dr. Galeeky took a cookie and bit into it, mixing himself some hot chocolate.
As Dr. Galeeky looked down to stir his cocoa Jacob saw his chance and put his hand to his mouth, spitting the tasteless mouthful into his palm. Secretly he slipped the chewed wet glob into his pants pocket, and instantly felt better. Now able to relax, he sat back ready to focus once again on the story.
“Where was I?” said Doctor Galeeky. He sat up with his drink in hand and continued. “Oh yes, the evil prince’s actions were soon discovered and he fled the country as a fugitive. The successor to the king was the second son who had become a famous sentinel. He took a wife and ruled the kingdom with wisdom and compassion that had never before been known in the realm. The new king and queen grew to be beloved by the people and were called the greatest rulers that the realm had ever known. But the exiled prince was not finished yet. He plotted to steal the throne, and over the years his evil influence grew stronger as he gathered more and more followers from all the realms into his depraved ranks. Each new member was forced to swear allegiance in ancient oaths, and ultimately the depraved army of cutthroats grew to be great in number, an infectious plague upon the world.” Dr. Galeeky took a break and nibbled some of his cookie, followed with a sip of cocoa to wash it down. He then placed his cup back on the table and continued, “Of the royal family of ‘Frost, the oldest son was named Lacsar, next was King Jacob followed by the youngest boy, Clair.”
A revolting shock hit Jacob like an abrupt slap, and he wrenched back in his seat, spilling his cocoa over his lap. “This is about my family! And I have another uncle?”
“Yes Jacob that is correct. Your eldest uncle Lacsar is known as the Dark King. He’s the one that uncovered the secrets of dark matter and used its powerful force, combined with the magic of a great one to overthrow the Enchanted Realm.”
Jacob glared at Dr. Galeeky as he suddenly lost control. “THE DARK KING IS MY UNCLE!” he exploded. “WHY DIDN’T ANYBODY TELL ME THIS BEFORE? EVERYBODY ELSE MUST KNOW ALL ABOUT THIS BUT ME!”
“I never hid this from you Jacob,” replied Dr. Galeeky placidly, “and I will reveal more to you if you calm down and listen.”
“I’m sorry,” replied Jacob, suddenly realizing that he had messed up again.
He made his best effort to calm his anger as he woefully thought, “I must have failed the test with my foolish outburst. I’ll never again get another chance to be a true sentinel, if only I had been more forbearing.” Holding back his tears he began to grieve over his quick temper, but no matter how much he regretted his actions, it was already too late to take it back.
“I shouldn’t have yelled,” he said, hoping to smooth things over. “But I didn’t know, honest! I suppose I’ve failed the test for sure this time and will be getting cursed now.”
“Don’t be so eager to fail, we still have a ways to go,” responded Dr. Galeeky.
“No matter how terrible it all is, please tell me everything,” requested Jacob, curious and grateful to have another chance.
“Then you shall see with your own eyes, and I will not hold anything back. You will witness the unspeakable events of the past.”
Nodding his head in agreement, Jacob placed his tea cup and half cookie onto the table. Anxious over what was about to happen he looked up and saw Doctor Galeeky waving his hand in the air. The room faded away again, and just as quick as before there appeared in front of him a crystal blue lake. As his eyes came into focus he saw a huge dragon soaring overhead. The terrain around him seemed familiar but different, and immediately he recognized it as Dragons’ Lair. But unlike before the hills were now teaming with life, covered over with rich green waves of grass and wide pockets of colorful trees. Everything contrasted sharply with the barren wasteland that he had once visited before. The light blue lake glistened in the sunlight, and on its shore he spotted a man resting on a rock in front of a huge dragon. The man was wrapping a strip of white cloth around the dragon’s bloody claw. Wanting to see more, he walked toward the stranger, and as he drew closer he suddenly recognized the beardless man; it was Uncle Clair, just as he had seen him earlier in the castle’s portrait, young and handsome. He had never really imagined Uncle Clair like this before, and for that reason it still felt as if he were observing a stranger. From a nearby cave a beautiful woman exited and walked towards them. Her long brunette hair flowed over a white blouse and brown leather vest, stretching down to the apex of her black leather pants.
“Would you like some lunch?” she asked.
The dragon lowered its head snapping its massive jaw. Instantly she raised her hand in retort and out of her palm exploded a bright yellow light that buffeted against the crest of the dragon’s yellow underbelly. The monster flinched back angrily screeching.
At that moment Jacob caught a glimpse of a shinny wedding band on her raised hand.
“You,” she calmly said, lowering her hand, “behave yourself.”
“Yes, Rebecca I’m hungry,” answered Uncle Clair, as he looked up and smiled at her.
She raised her hand again and from the cave a plate full of sliced bread and cheese soared through the air, followed by a brown corked bottle. The items slowed and then floated downward to land lightly on a semi-flat rock next to Uncle Clair.
Uncle Clair stood up and grabbed her hand pulling her close, and then he kissed her on her on the lips.
“Yuck!” thought Jacob stunned. “Uncle Clair’s married! And I have an enchantress aunt named Rebecca! But golly, where is she now, and how come he never said anything about her?”
Unexpectedly Uncle Clair jerked to the side staring up at a nearby sloped rise that ran up the base of a mountain. Jacob turned his head following his uncle’s gaze. Mid way up the base Jacob could see the outline of a man wearing a purple robe.
“LACSAR!” shouted Uncle Clair, as he released Rebecca.
From Lacsar’s hands two black beams shot towards Uncle Clair, and before he could move Rebecca swiftly flew in front of him, taking the full blast of both lethal dark rays. Her face contorted in pain and then went lifeless. Instantly she folded over falling motionless onto the ground. The dragon reacted by leaping into the air and flying towards Lacsar, spurting out billowing streams of fire. Immediately Lacsar vanished and Jacob turned back to see Uncle Clair kneeling on the ground holding Rebecca’s withered body tight to his chest. “NO! NO! IT CAN’T BE!” he cried in a cracking voice, as tears streamed down his cheeks.
Abruptly in a most unexpected flash, everything suddenly vanished, and into his view appeared another very familiar face. He was back in the Frosty Mug Tavern, and behind the counter he saw Mr. Oubladew serving two customers who comfortably sat on tall stools with their backs to him. As he drew closer he recognized them as a Mr. Pitts and Uncle Clair. He couldn’t help but feel terrible, the idea that Uncle Clair had lost his wife pained him deeply. All those years he had never recognized that Uncle Clair had been suffering. “No wonder he never talked about the past, he must have loved her very much,” he contemplated, feeling unbearably sympathetic for him.
“How did ye do last night?” asked Mr. Oubladew.
Mr. Pitts placed his mug on the counter and merrily replied, “You should have seen Clair work his magic. Everything was quiet and calm when suddenly an army of dark warriors appeared out of nowhere. To the front, to the right, to the left, and then behind us, all of the snarling warriors were quickly closing in. We were totally surrounded, trapped I tell you! I knew we were goners, but then Clair calmly stepped forward pitching a single netter. Smoothly the netter glided up and circled high over our heads as if studying our imbroglio. I thought, oh what a terrible throw; he completely missed them all by a mile. When all of the sudden the netter divided into two, then three, then four, and before I knew it hundreds of separate netters were buzzing around us like a swarm of bees. Each netter homed in on a dark warrior and in the blink of an eye they were all incapacitated. What a sight! Yes indeedee, you should have been there to see it! A hundred and twelve dark warriors captured in a single throw. As always you’re incredible Clair, and I have to say we’re really going to miss you. No one can enchant a netter like you!”
“Yer eh leavin’ us Clair?” asked Mr. Oubladew.
Uncle Clair looked up and placed his mug on the counter. “I do hate having to go, but I must join my brother and help him manage the affairs of the Enchanted Realm. We’ll be going up against Lacsar to put an end to this uprising. His dark matter magic is too strong for King Jacob alone to handle, but with both of us working together combining our strengths we’ll take Lacsar down and restore peace back to our realm.”
Mr. Oubladew shook his head. “Ye must be very careful, Lacsar tis eh dangerous enn’ eh cunning foe. No matter how confident booth ye enn’ King Jacob tar, what ye tar attemptin’ ta eh do tis dangerous enn’ uncertain.”
“Is the evacuation of the realm still going to continue on then?” asked Mr. Pitts.
“Yes, I’m afraid so, we have no choice,” responded Uncle Clair. “Too many people have already died and there will continue to be more loses until we clear the realm of this danger.”
With a sudden “CRACK,” a sentinel appeared in the middle of the room, clutching his orb. He glanced around sighting Uncle Clair at the counter and then quickly approached.
“I’d hoped you’d be here Clair,” he said hastily. “I’m so sorry, but you must come quickly! Lacsar and his legions have broken through the royal palace’s defenses and are over running the grounds!”
“My brother and his family are they safe?” questioned Uncle Clair, as he jumped to his feet and grabbed his sentinel’s pack.
The messenger remained silent for a moment, grimly starring downward. “The king is dead,” he finally muttered, “and the queen has disappeared along with the prince!”
Uncle Clair pulled out his orb from his pack and quickly vanished from the room with Mr. Pitts and the unknown sentinel following close behind. Jacob also disappeared from the Frosty Mug Tavern, again reappearing in another place and another moment in time. He glanced about to find himself surprisingly standing in a green grassy gully, knee-deep in a murky stream of water that he couldn’t feel. Looking up at the tall grass lining the banks of the ravine, he wondered why he had been sent here, when suddenly behind him there was a splash, and he turned to see an attractive woman staggering through the water with an infant in her arms. He could see her exhausted face and her eyes spread open in fear. She stumbled by his side and he felt an overpowering urge to reach out and touch her.
“THAT’S, THAT’S—MY MOTHER! AND THAT’S ME!” he unexpectedly cried, instantly comprehending who they were. His heart raced as he stared at his mother for the first time, longing to touch and talk to her. He started to run to keep to her side, and as she staggered onward he stared. “She’s beautiful,” he thought, gazing at her long brown hair, pale white skin, and hazel eyes. “She looks like everything I had ever imagined her to be.”
“EEEEEEEAYAK!” A shrill shriek echoed from around the bend.
Surprised, he glanced back and saw dark warriors mounted on shinny black horses splashing through the narrow stream towards them. Despite the fact that he knew it was only an image of the past, his emotions spurred him to panic. He came to an abrupt halt and fearlessly threw himself in their path. Raising his arms he crossed them over his face and tried to undertake the heavy burden of fudazzlement. But despite his best efforts the power within rejected his call, and undaunted the warriors continued their onslaught. Courageously, and with no other way to defend his mother, he held his ground. The first rider crashed in upon him, passing through his body like an apparition, and in complete terror he spun around and cried, “MOTHER,” as a second warrior lunged through his body. His mother had come to a stop and was holding the baby over her head. For a brief moment it seemed as if she heard him, when out of nowhere a great phoenix swooped down from the sky snatching up the infant in its wide talons.
“BEHIND YOU MOTHER!” screamed Jacob with all his might.
The dark warrior brutally rode her down trampling over her frail body and crushing her under the weight of his mount. The second warrior followed next, mashing her remains as Jacob stood frozen, staring in terror at her lifeless body floating on the surface of the bloody stream. Gradually the scene grew darker, and he found himself sitting in the white chair facing Doctor Galeeky.
Tears were streaming down his cheeks as he trembled and cried, “I didn’t know! I didn’t know!”
Doctor Galeeky handed Jacob a white hanky and then waited quietly for Jacob to wipe his eyes and compose himself.
“My mother gave her life to save me! I wouldn’t be here without her,” sobbed Jacob, still wiping tears off his face. “When others honor me as the prince, I have known in my heart that I did nothing to merit it. Those honors are for my parents who gave their lives so that I and others could continue to live on in this world.”
“That is right,” said Doctor Galeeky with a kind nod, “It is because of others love and their sacrifice and efforts that we receive the good in life. For this test you will be judged by how you use that knowledge revealed to you today. The test then is not now but it is in your future. How will you treat others from now on, after you have seen your true self? And seeing the ultimate sacrifices of loved ones, how will you now help others in need? Love, courage, and unselfishness are the marks of real heroes and make up the true characteristics that we so cherish in our sentinels. Without theses qualities you cannot become a sentinel’s apprentice. You will visit with me again in the near future Jacob, and I will then judge you to determine what you have done with this knowledge.”
The room faded from Jacob’s sight and Doctor Galeeky was instantly gone. He found himself sitting back on his bed wiping away the tears from his eyes with Dr. Galeeky’s hanky still in his hand, while the phoenix perched on the headboard curiously gazed down at him.
“Were you well tested?” questioned the phoenix.
“Yes,” replied Jacob, as he stared at the floor. “I did very poorly and I have lots to think over.”
“That is as it should be,” conveyed the phoenix.
“I saw myself from another’s eyes and I didn’t like what I saw. I completely ignored the Lynex and I didn’t even make an effort to acknowledge him. I’ve been too proud. And then I was shown Uncle Clair’s wife and my mother sacrificing their lives for us. I was told that the test will be what I will do with this knowledge.”
“You will need to completely discard your pride if you are to pass these tests,” advised the phoenix. “Sentinels must work as a team, and you’ll be tested on this. And you’ll also be tested on your courage, putting aside self-interests to help and protect others. If you fail any one of these attributes in the future, you will fail the seals’ tests.”
Jacob nodded, now understanding what he now had to do. The test was much harder than he had ever imagined.
“Phoenix, will you keep the seal safe for me,” he asked, removing the seal from his orb and tossing it onto the bed.
The phoenix hopped down onto the mattress and picked up the smooth gray seal in his talon. With a few strokes of his powerful wings the bird disappeared out of the window to secure the stone safe from the world. As Jacob sat on his bed, he mulled over his experience, wondering if he had also treated Emalynn badly. His plan to triumph over her by winning the bet was foolishly motivated by his pride and selfishness. He knew that in his current condition he would flunk the tests, and that he had no choice now but to change his ways. “Golly this is gonna be tougher than I ever expected,” he worried.