Calum dropped his bag to the floor as he entered his house; the sound felt dull as it bounced around the space. Normally, he’d check in with his da and they’d talk about their days, but tonight his father was gone on business. With a sigh, he grabbed a cup from the kitchen, went to fill it, and found the water barrel empty. Kicking himself for not filling it earlier, he grabbed a bucket and took it out the front door.

No other people filled the dark street as he made his way to the well. A full moon lit his path, giving him just enough light to make his way without a lamp. When he made it to the well, he attached his bucket to an iron chain using a metal clasp, and lowered it down. As the bucket splashed Calum thought he heard noise behind him. He turned to investigate, but the town square appeared empty.

Deciding he’d been out long enough, he returned his attention to the well and rapidly started pulling his bucket up. Half-way up, he thought he heard a noise again, but ignored it. When the bucket reached the top, he moved to unhook it, but stopped when he heard the sound for a third time. Setting the bucket on the edge of the well, he flipped around, and saw his father’s face less than a foot away. The sight startled Calum, causing him to trip backwards and nearly fall into the well.

His father let out a loud laugh as he grabbed Calum’s arm to stabilize him, “Sorry,” he said. lowering his voice, “I just, I had to, you made it so easy!”

“Owls!” Calum groaned, “What are you doing here?! I thought you weren’t going to be back for another day!”

“Might want to keep you voice down, and that’s no way to greet your da.”

“Oh, and scaring someone half to death is a good greeting??”

His father held up a hand. “Fair enough, but then you shouldn’t be out here right now either. Come on, let’s get you home. Rumor has it you’ve got a thing or two to tell me.”

“Fine, but you’re holding the bucket.” Calum held the bucket out and his father gave him a disapproving look.

“When did you get to start telling your own da what to do?”

“Just now, when my da tried to scare me down a well.”

His father let out a short laugh and took the bucket.

“Who raised you? They didn’t do a very good job.”

The pair started walking home.

“Let me think,” Calum said, “if I remember right, you did.”

“Ah, that explains it then. I do deserve to carry the bucket then, don’t I. Raisin a boy like you. You’d think they’d keep me all locked up tight in a cell. I suppose I got off easy, didn’t I?”

Calum shook his head and lightly punched his fathers arm.

“Enough of this. Do you even know how late it is?”

“First the bucket, now this. I’m supposed to be asking these questions you know.”

“I’m only trying to say that I’m tired. Why are you already home anyway? I thought you weren’t supposed to be back for a few more days at earliest.”

“Funny thing about that, seems the other builders thought they’d start without me. I showed up to the fourth clan, sleeves rolled up and ready to work, when, to my astonishment, they’d nearly completed the job without me.”

“Did they at least do a good job this time?”

“Well enough. I had to fix a few things, but it didn’t take me long. Best part is they let me keep my full pay.”

The duo reached their destination and Calum’s father motioned for him to open the door. As Calum walked through, he held the door for his father and an idea occurred.

“Since you’re back early, does that mean you’ve got some free time?”

His father stepped through the door and stepped past him.

“Agh, unfortunately, no. Owls know there’s always something to be doing, and where there’s doing, there’s me.”

Calum shut the door with a little more force then normal and winced. He squeezed his eyes shut in hopes his father hadn’t noticed.

“I’m sorry son, I know that’s not what you want to hear.”

His father set the bucked down next to the water barrel.

“You really drank this dry, didn’t you? Not a splash left.”

“I’ve been busy.”

“Ah, like father like son. I’ll head back out once you’ve gone to bed and have it filled for you by morning.” He moved to the kitchen table and took a seat. “Till then, what’s all this about The Clan Games?”

Calum rubbed his eyes before answering. “How did you hear about that already?”

“I’ve got ears everywhere, you know that!”

Calum raised an eyebrow and stared at his father.

“Alright, fine, your head educator stopped by before I left. You didn’t think you could join without my permission, did you?”

“I dunno,” Calum shrugged, “I guess I didn’t really think about it, it’s been kind of a long day.” Calum yawned and his father let out a short laugh.

“Alright, I can take a hint. It’s not all that often I find you out and about this late. I have to admit that I was hoping you were though.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“So you could scare me? Cause it worked.”

“No, that was just a bonus, I just wanted to talk to you is all. Won’t have much time for another stretch, and, believe it or not, I’ve missed you.”

Calum looked thoughtful for moment. “I guess I’ve missed you too.”

“Ouch, you guess? What’s that’s supposed to mean?”

“You’re just not around much is all. I’ve just been living on my own, best I can.”

His father started to defend himself, but Calum stopped him.

“Don’t worry, I’m not upset with you, and I do miss you. I know you have to work and you’d probably rather be here than out building things so we can eat.”

“You got that right. You’re a clever little bugger for a fifteen-year old, you know that?”

“Folks say I get it from my father.” Calum smiled and took a seat across from his father. “I can stay up a little longer, talking sounds nice, just don’t get upset if I fall asleep while you’re talking.”

“Glad to hear it. Not every day your son gets asked to join a team for The Clan Games, is it?” His father held up his right hand and started twisting an iron ring around his finger.

“I wanted to give you this as a congratulation gift.”

He pulled off his ring and held it in his palm for Calum to see.

“Go on, have a look at it.”

Calum carefully grabbed the ring between two fingers and held it closer to his face. It was simple and covered in scratches, yet something about it appealed to him. Upon closer inspection, he noticed a rough engraving depicting the face of a simple fox. He’d seen the ring on his father’s hand before, but he’d never held it. Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t think of a time he’d even seen his father take it off.

“The ring of the fox,” his father said, “given to me by my father when I turned eighteen and got admitted to the builders’ school. When I asked him where he got it, he said his father gave it to him when he was seventeen for his first successful hunt. I can’t remember how far back it goes, but this ring has been in our family for at least a hundred years. It’s the symbol that you’re changing into a man now.” His father pulled out a long piece of twine, took the ring back and slid it onto the twine. “It’s yours now, but it won’t fit you yet, so you can wear it on the twine until it does.” Tying the twine into a necklace, he handed the ring back to Calum. “When times get tough, hold the ring in your hand and remember those of us that came before. If we made it through, so can you.”

Calum stifled a yawn as he noticed the emotion behind his fathers words.

“Thank you, da. I’m sure I’ll need it.” He slipped the twine over his head, then fingered the ring as it hung against his chest.

“I mean it, I’m sorry I’m not here more, but maybe this will help you feel like I am, however small a part.”

“I appreciate it.” Calum replied, squeezing the ring in his fist and eliciting a smile from his father.

“Congratulations, son, I’m proud of you, now come give your da hug, will you?” They both stood and embraced each other. When they pulled apart Calum’s father looked him in the eyes. “Owls, you do look exhausted. Maybe you should head up to bed. Just tell me, are you well? Anything I can do for you?”

Calum’s thoughts turned to the flower box in his bag. “I’m doing well enough, but there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about.” Moving to the door, he crouched down, picked up his pack, reached in, and carefully pulled out the cloth wrapped flower box.

“What’s this? A gift?”

“Not exactly.” Calum handed the box over and motioned for his father to unwrap it.

His father unfolded the cloth and his eyes went wide.

“Calum?” His father looked up with a serious face. “I don’t know how you got this, but we’ll have to talk about this later.”

“What do you mean? Aren’t you going to be busy for the—”

“I— I can’t right now.” His father said as his eyes started to tear up. He took a deep breath. “Calum, please, just trust me. We’ll talk about this soon, but not right now.”

“I don’t understand, why can’t we—”

“I said, not right now. I’m not ready, and this isn’t the time or place for such a conversation. Do you understand me?” What had previously looked like sorrow, turned to rage in his father’s eyes.

“I think it’s best you go to bed.” He set the box down, moved to the front door, opened it, and took deep breath. “Soon. I promise. Till then, keep it safe.”

Calum nodded.

“I’m going to go fetch us some more water. Good night.” He stepped outside and shut the door, leaving Calum feeling more alone then he’d felt before he knew his father was back.

Calum carefully wrapped the box back up, put it in his bag, then took it upstairs to his room. As quietly as he could manage, he crept out onto the balcony and scanned the road for his father. It took him a few seconds to spot him, but when he did, he felt a pang in his heart. His father was only a few houses away, and even in the dim light, Calum could see the mans shoulders shaking as he sobbed. The sight felt uncomfortable to Calum, but he knew his da well enough to leave him alone. He’d always been this way. Strong and joking when others were around but allowing himself to break apart for a spell when alone. It didn’t happen often, so seeing this worried Calum. What about this box could have such a strong effect on his father? He desperately wanted answers, but he knew he’d have to wait.

Slipping back into his bedroom, he opened his bag and pulled out Dominic’s book “Echo Island.” As tired as he was, he wanted answers. If he couldn’t have any about the box, he figured he could at least glean something from the book.

—

Echo Island - Our Lands

Contrary to the teachings of The Ten Clans, our home is full of strange and beautiful diversity. We’ve been taught falsehoods about what lies beyond our borders. Indeed, we’ve been told that the vast ocean to the south holds no secrets. We’ve been taught that the Majestic Mountains of the North are impassible, and the Green Wood and Burly Forest are ancient and endless expanses to the East and West. All these points are simply not true.

For most of our history, citizens of The Ten Clans happily accepted these truths. However, a day of questioning was born through a single great discovery. Though we have yet to learn much about the event, we know that it occurred roughly around the year 185 when Second Clan sailors decided to venture out further than ever before. They sailed for three days, over two times farther than any vessel had traveled previously.

Just as the crew was about to turn back, they spotted something unbelievable. Off in the distance was a strange ship. It is said that they chased it down and met other people aboard, but, unfortunately, we know little more concerning this event. When the crew returned home, they excitedly told their story to anyone who would listen. Within twenty-four hours of arriving back on land, every sailor that had been on the trip was taken into custody by The Clan Guard. A few days later, they were branded liars and traitors of the nation. After a short, unfair trial, the entire crew was banished into the Burly Wood and never heard or seen again.

Fortunately, however, their story was not forgotten. Rumors of their discovery spread across the clans and inspired many to begin asking questions. For that first year, several more people started doing quiet research into diverse topics. It wasn’t long before the most curious minds discovered that our government had been actively preventing the exploration of our world.

Many people attempted to make this known to the public, but all who dared try were quickly given the same treatment as the sailors who first started the movement. Before long, those revolutionaries stumbled across a secret organization dedicated to truth. Over time the two groups have become one, united in purpose. Though we dare not say more within this book, lest if fall into the wrong hands. Those seeking the truth may easily find it by asking the right questions.

—

Calum squinted at a small illustration on the corner of the page, then pulled out the ring his father gave him. Holding the marking of the fox next to the page, the similarities were unmistakable. Both the illustration and the ring had the same symbol of the fox. Calum desperately wanted to read more, but his eyes felt heavy, and he started having trouble focusing. Pulling himself from the book, he shut it, put it away and crashed into bed. Within seconds, he felt his world vanish as a new one formed around him.