“What was that all about?” Brenan asked as he and Calum walked toward their new classroom.
“Your guess is as good as mine. The box can’t be that valuable, can it?”
“Valuable enough that the clan guard was chasing a man to get it back.”
“Fair point. I’m starting to think I should have handed it over to them the moment I got it.”
“About that, can you tell me what happened now?”
Calum recounted his experience from earlier that morning, trying to recall the details as best he could.
“So you think the box gave you that dream?”
“Kind of. It felt too real to be a dream, though.”
“I’ve had dreams like that before. Sometimes they can feel so real I can’t differentiate between what was a memory and what was a dream.”
“This was different. I can’t explain how, but it just was.”
“If that’s the case, I think you’d better keep the box for now. Dominic sure seemed to recognize it, and I’m willing to bet he knows what it does as well.”
Calum nodded as they arrived at their new classroom. The space was nothing like their old one. Each wall held an assortment of gear, tools, and weapons, along with few straw practicing dummies hanging limply from iron chains. After poking around the room a bit, they found a hallway that led them into a separate room. The second room resembled a more traditional classroom, though it was still much nicer than what they were used to. Bookshelves lined the walls, five beautiful hand-crafted desks sat facing each other in the middle of the room, and the floors appeared freshly mopped. Every detail of the space worked together to create a purposeful, academic atmosphere.
“Where is everybody?” Calum asked.
“Well, this is awkward,” Brenan said.
Calum shrugged as he noticed a small envelope on one of the desks. As he approached it, he saw it was addressed to him and Brenan.
“Looks like they left this for us,” Calum said, opening the envelope.
“Placed in the drawer of this desk are two identical puzzle boxes,” Calum read aloud, “they are incredibly rare, and I’d greatly appreciate it if they were returned to me undamaged. The boxes are designed so that you’ll need no more force than a flick of your finger to open them. This test will help me understand how you think so I can place you in the correct event for the coming games. Because of this, please do your best to work on this problem alone. Upon successfully opening the box, you’ll find a small piece of paper with your next directions. Best of luck! - Head Educator Dominic.”
Calum set the letter down and pulled the drawer open. Inside sat two small wooden boxes, each covered in strange markings. Calum hesitated at first, then grabbed a box.
“What’s up with strange little boxes today?” Calum said.
“At least this one didn’t zap you.” Brenan grabbed the other box. “Hmm, didn’t zap me either. I think I like these boxes better. Shall we get started then?” Brenan said, taking a seat at one of the desks. “How much do you want to bet I can open it before you?”
“Yeah, right,” Calum said. “Watch and learn!”
The competition was on, and they began meticulously fidgeting with their boxes. Calum was turning his box over and over when an idea occurred to him. Though the carvings didn’t make much sense, they had a pattern. He stood up and began searching the bookshelves for something that might help. After flipping through several books, he heard Brenan let out a deep sigh.
“I’m starting to wonder if there really is a way to open this thing,” Brenan said. “I’ve looked over each side at least a dozen times, but there is no sign that this box can open. Is it possible that the real test is to see how quickly we figure out that these things are just wooden blocks?”
“I doubt it,” Calum said. “I don’t see any way to open it, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Maybe we’re just going about it wrong.” As he finished speaking, a particular book caught his attention. Pulling it from the shelf, he heard footsteps from the hallway and turned to see three people coming in.
“What do we have here?” said a large muscular boy. Standing over six feet tall, he looked as strong as a fully grown guardsman. His hair was dark and short, and he had a strong jawline. With dark brown eyes and an air of confidence, it was clear that there was more to him than his muscles. Everything about him was handsome, except for his slightly crooked nose. “You two must be our new recruits, eh?”
Calum took a cautious step backwards with uncertainty on his face.
“Glad to have you! We’ve been waiting for ages to find out who’d be joining us this year!”
Another group member pushed her way past the large boy. Eyes full of excitement, she ran up to Calum and stretched out her hand. This girl had shoulder-length blond hair and a bubbly face. She stood about as tall as Brenan, but she was much thinner.
“The name’s Lucky! And that there is Tomas,” Lucky said, shaking Calum’s hand. “I’m excited to have you two on the team!” She turned to shake Brenan’s hand. “Oh, and this is Saph.” She pointed to the third and final member of the group standing behind her.
As Saph entered, Calum immediately noticed that she differed from the other two. Her navy-blue eyes were surrounded by a thick ring of shimmering gold. By instinct, Calum pulled out his journal and quickly scribbled the names he’d heard:
—
- Tomas, Saph, Lucky
—
He wanted to write more, but he noticed Saph staring at him with an annoyed look. Calum half expected her to chide him, but instead, she offered a half smile and a single nod. Calum blushed, snapped his journal shut, then looked back to Tomas.
“I’m Calum, and this is Brenan. I think I remember you three from last year’s games, you competed right?”
“Oh, that’s right!” Brenan said. “I thought I recognized you! Tomas, you’re the one that wrestled that wild hog last year, aren’t you?”
Tomas smiled. “Yup, that was me, I still have the scar to prove it.” He lifted his shirt and showed them a curved scar that ran across his side. “The beast got me with a tusk as I took him down.”
“And you two had to work together to collect gullen bird eggs! That was wild, can’t say I envy any of you.”
“Oh yeah! I remember,” Calum said. “Saph got chased by the gullen birds and Lucky had to climb them to safety without falling, remember how high up the contestants had to climb! That was crazy!”
“Don’t remind us,” Saph said. “I still have nightmares of those birds.”
“Wasn’t to bad for me,” Lucky said. “I’ve never been afraid of heights. I just wish we could have won it last year. Taking second felt so close!”
“This year is ours, I can feel it,” Tomas said. “As long as you two newbies work hard, I think we stand a pretty good chance.”
“Speaking of working hard,” Brenan said, “we’ve got to get these boxes open, any chance you can help us out?”
“Nice try.” Tomas laughed. “We all had to get through the box challenge. You won’t be getting a word out of us.”
“Besides,” Saph said, “getting help kind of ruins the experience. It’ll be worth it when you finally figure it out.”
“It was worth a shot,” Calum said with a shrug. “How long did it take you guys to figure it out?”
“It took Saph and me around two hours,” Lucky said proudly, “we both joined the team two years ago. It might seem impossible at first, but you’ll get it. We’re still not totally sure how long it took Tomas to open his; none of us were there to see it.”
“It took me thirty minutes,” Tomas said.
“Exactly,” Saph said. “No one could get it that quickly. If you’re going to make things up, at least make them believable.”
Thomas shook his head. “We’ve already been over this a thousand times, and I’m sticking to it. Anyways, back to you two.” He gestured toward Calum and Brenan. “The Head Educator says not to bother you until those are solved. We usually study at this time of day, but we’ve all agreed to do some exercise outside instead. Oh, and nice to meet you both. Welcome to the team.”
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The group exchanged goodbyes and left. While Brenan returned his attention to his box, Calum quickly produced his journal and added to his notes:
—
- Tomas: Big guy, but smart. Can’t be younger than 18? Likely his last year on the team.
- Saph: Soft Spoken, probably 17 years old. She and Lucky are on their second year on the team. Strange golden rings around her irises.
- Lucky: Full of energy, also likely 17 years-old, blond hair.
—
Finishing his entries, Calum returned his attention to the bookshelves. He found the book that’d previously caught his attention and held his puzzle box up to its spine. He smiled as he saw that the markings on his box looked remarkably similar to the ones on the book.
“Echo Island - A History and Guide,” he read, turning to the first page. “I’m going to head outside. Maybe some fresh air and better lighting will help,” he said, his attention still on the box.
“Suit yourself,” Brenan said as he tapped his box experimentally. “That’s probably for the best anyways,” he said with a teasing grin, “I don’t want you to be jealous when you see my box open before yours.”
Calum laughed as he left the room, opting not to reward the jest by responding with a counterargument. In truth, he didn’t really care if he was the first to open his box. The challenge had engulfed his thoughts, and he wanted nothing more than to figure out the secret.
After getting outdoors, Calum found a nearby stone bench and sat down. Once again, he tried comparing the symbols on his box to the ones on the book. With the clearer light, it was unmistakable; the symbols were connected. Now he just had to figure out what they meant.
Flipping through the pages, Calum skimmed past several topics. He read chapter headings such as “Native People and Artifacts,” “Culture of the Ancients,” “Ancient Technology,” and “Ethnobotany of the Natives.” He’d never heard of any ancient people, but he recalled hearing rumors of a small island nation from the Maritime Clan; perhaps that place was Echo Island? The thought clung to his mind as he continued turning through the pages of his book.
As he neared the last few chapters, he was beginning to think he wouldn’t find anything related to the box. Then he read the title of the second to last chapter.
“Mystic Language of the Ancient Peoples,” he read in awe. Underneath the chapter heading were symbols that matched the ones on his box!
He tried to focus but failed as he returned to the book’s introduction. The book had sparked too many questions, and his curiosity overshadowed his desire to solve the puzzle box. Who were these ancient people? People different from those of the Ten Clans? If so, they must have lived on Echo Island. Where was this place? He desperately wanted to know, so he started to read the introduction:
—
Many within the Clans believe our home to be little more than two great forests surrounded by ocean. The Burly Wood, found to the West, is a beautiful but hostile environment full of countless plants, animals, landscapes, and more, all of which defy description. And in the East, The Green Forest, is a much more familiar and forgiving place. The Ten Clans are built along the border of these two great forests. One massive thick wall to protect the West and lighter individual walls to protect us from the lesser threats of The Green Forest.
According to The Ten Clans, we are the first and only people to live in the world. However, that idea was rejected long ago after a secret organization called ‘The Fox Clan’ sent expedition ships into the open ocean. They were gone for over two years, and most thought they would never return. Fortunately, they did return, and they made several discoveries, the biggest of which were that the land we inhabit is actually a massive island and that there is a small civilization of humans on a smaller island to the South.
The explorers didn’t have much time and could not communicate with the people because they spoke an entirely different language. Little is known about the smaller island nation, but their discovery opened a floodgate of questions. The Fox Clan has since begun its own investigations into the possibility of other peoples and nations. Our investigations have revealed that while there are no known people near The Ten Clans, there certainly used to be.
If you’ve found this book, know it was not by mistake. The cover was made using some of the knowledge of the ancients. Later chapters will explain how, but know that only one with a curious mind can find this book. We’ve learned much, but The Ten Clans refuse to accept the existence of other peoples, cultures, and languages in our lands.
In our studies, we’ve discovered that the land we live on is more diverse and amazing than we could have imagined. So far, we’ve found written evidence of two past nations, each referring to the world around us as Echo Island. Therefore, this book is a guide to the world and reveals much about its forgotten history. Use the utmost discretion when sharing the contents of this book with others. Most will tell you this is a work of fiction, but it is truth. By the great owls, we swear this.
— Sir Arlo Finch, Lady Luna Lampert, and Sir Dominic Belmont.
—
Calum snapped back to reality as he realized he knew the last name written in the book. His interest was piqued, and he desperately wanted to learn more. However, the thought of Brenan beating him in the race to open their boxes crept into his mind.
Realizing he’d gotten off track, he opened his book to the chapter on ancient language. After flipping through a few pages, he couldn’t believe his luck. In the bottom right corner of one of the pages was a neatly drawn image of a puzzle box, underneath was a footnote that read:
—
The ancient people appear to have understood plant life unlike anything known to the Clans. They created many surreal artifacts using a special tree bark and carving specific symbols. One such artifact is a type of trick box, as drawn above. We don’t know exactly how it works, but after days of examination, we learned that the symbols loosely translate to something like ‘Confidence is Key.’ Soon after, we discovered that by simply believing we could open the box, we could. For that reason, we now call these boxes Confidence Boxes.
—
Calum shook his head. The book practically admitted that the boxes used magic to conceal their opening method. Yet, some small part of Calum still wondered whether it could be real. Deciding to give it a shot, he shut the book, set it down, and picked up the box. After closing his eyes, he mentally imagined the box opening. Quietly enough that no one would hear, he gave himself a pep-talk to convince himself he could do it.
Finally, he opened his eyes and immediately knew what to do. He didn’t know how he knew, but his confidence inexplicably grew, and he couldn’t help but feel like he’d figured it out. Grabbing both sides of the box, he twisted. A slight clicking noise came from the box, and the two halves smoothly gave way.
It wasn’t until after he set the two halves down that amazement set in. He couldn’t believe how simple it had been, yet it had felt natural, like he’d known how to open the box his whole life. He picked the two halves back up and looked into the space within. Glued to the back of one of the pieces was a small note that read:
—
Great job solving the box! Please return it to me to finish your assignment. — Head Educator Dominic
—
Calum quickly gathered his belongings and started toward the Head Educator’s office. As he went, questions buzzed through his mind. If there were people before The Ten Clans, why had he never heard about them? Was magic real? How did the confidence box work? All these questions and many more were left unanswered for now, but perhaps the Head Educator could answer some of them. The thought put an extra kick in his step, and he picked up his pace.
As he approached Dominic’s office, he was surprised to find a calm-looking Dominic sitting on the top of his now clean desk, legs folded together. Eyes closed, Dominic appeared to be doing some form of meditation. Unsure whether or not to enter, Calum stood at the entrance awkwardly and coughed into his fist.
Dominic opened one eye, stared at Calum for a few seconds, opened his other eye, hopped off his desk, and walked toward Calum with a hint of suspicion in his eyes.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Calum said. “I’ve opened the confidence box, and it said I should return it to you.” He held out the two halves of the box.
“Interesting,” Dominic said, “tell me who helped you open that box? There is almost no chance you were able to open it that quickly. Was it Tomas? He’s the only one that ever came close to opening it so fast. That boy.” Dominic shook his head. “He promised me he’d never tell. I’ll need to have a chat with–”
“He didn’t tell me anything,” Calum said. “I could only solve it because I found your book.” He lifted the book from his side and showed it to Dominic.
Dominic’s suspicion turned to amazement as he noticed the item for the first time. He took a half step back. “You…” he said, “you found my book and did it yourself?”
“Yes, sir, it was on one of the bookshelves in the team room. I noticed the markings on the spine matched up with those on the box, and well…”
“You are full of surprises today,” Dominic said. “Give me a moment, I need to clear my schedule, and then we can talk.” He called for his assistant and asked him to cancel his appointments for the next hour.
“Calum, come with me. I’m sure you have questions, but please refrain from speaking until we reach our destination.”
Calum looked at Dominic and nodded.
“Good lad,” Dominic said, “now, if you wouldn’t mind, please shut my office doors, and follow me.”
As Calum moved to shut the doors, he thought he heard a sound from out in the hall and stuck his head out the door to investigate. He looked in both directions, spotted Brenan hiding behind a large pot, then shut the doors as though he hadn’t seen anything. Turning to the office, he saw Dominic standing beside a towering bookshelf in the back corner. Reaching out, Dominic placed his hand on the side of the bookshelf and swiped downward. To Calum’s astonishment, the bookshelf moved forward an inch, clicked, and swung open with a satisfying whoosh. Calum was just about to ask how the contraption worked when Dominic turned around and placed one finger on his lips.
Behind the bookshelf, Calum followed Dominic into a small room, lit only by a tiny hole cut into the ceiling. Turning back around, Dominic grabbed a handle on the back of the bookshelf and slid it shut. Gesturing for Calum to follow him once more, the pair began walking down a steep spiral staircase. As they walked, the staircase got darker until Calum could barely make out the stairs in front of him.
For a second time, Dominic proceeded to astonish Calum. Looking up, Dominic reached his hand out and lightly tapped the ceiling. The ceiling responded to his touch by glowing a light shade of blue. Calum couldn’t help but gasp as he watched the wave of light extend downward. Darkness still filled the stairwell, but the light let Calum faintly see the next few steps.
Calum couldn’t believe how deep they were going. He knew of many buildings with basements, but this one extended far below any basement he’d ever been in. As he stepped forward, he could feel the temperature dropping and the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. He started wondering if following the Head Educator into a deep dark hole was a poor life decision, when they arrived at a small wooden door. Dominic gave the door a soft nudge and bright warm light flooded the bottom of the staircase.
They stepped through, and Calum was relieved to find the room was well-lit and considerably warmer. Beautiful tapestries covered the walls, and each corner was filled with beautiful flowers and plants. Wondering where the light came from, he looked up and had to cover his eyes. Hanging from the center of the ceiling was a fuzzy orb that glowed brighter than any torch he’d ever seen. He turned back toward Dominic, finally unable to restrain himself from speaking.
“What is this place!? It’s amazing! How did you light up the staircase like that? And what was with that bookshelf? I’ve never seen anything like it! And—”
“All your questions will be answered in due time,” Dominic said, placing a hand on Calum’s shoulder and cutting off the onslaught of questions. He looked Calum in the eye and grinned. “Calum, I honestly never thought the day would come. Welcome to the secret laboratory. Have a seat. We have much to discuss.”