The letter was written in a scrawling hand that slanted steeply across the page.

I must return tonight, so I will miss your birthday.

I don’t know how I missed it, but it is clear to me now. The Cor-Van must be from both sides; it is the only way we will defeat him. I know he will never be content until he conquers everything.

When I complete my task, I will return both to you. You are the Cor-Van, and they must come back to your hand.

I am looking forward to the time we will have together as you grow. I will do a much better job of explaining this in person, and I can hardly wait to begin your training.

Keep them close by at all times. Learn their differences and remember that all three must be used together.

Three? Corvan looked down at the hammer on the floor. That had to be one of them, but what about the other two? One might be the book, but he couldn’t read it. Was the third one in the long black box? How could he keep them close if he didn’t even know what they were? He looked back to the letter.

Do not trust the dark-eyed ones, and, whatever you do, never mention the hammer to anyone, not even those you think are with us. Do not use your title until all is ready. Use only the name your mother calls you.

You will be in constant danger, so make sure that you also take along …

The letter ended with an inch of space left, and the back side was blank. Yet his grandfather had taken the time to fold the letter up inside the piece of newspaper.

A sense of helplessness overwhelmed him. Something was about to happen to him, and he was entirely unprepared. His grandfather’s letter was unclear, and it didn’t sound like his father would be much help. The hammer was obviously the key to everything, but beyond that, the letter was nonsense. He folded it back inside the newspaper and tucked it back in the book. Maybe something else in the chest would provide a clue. He pressed the book into its niche, and the clips pivoted and snapped into place.

He turned his attention to the coil of rope. His suspicion that it was the same one from his reoccurring nightmare was confirmed when he pinched it and the thin strand squished flat between his fingertips.

His head came up quickly, and he stared at his bed. A clear memory of playing with this rope on what was then his grandfather’s bed came to mind, and in it he was laughing hysterically. Why would he think a rope was funny? Picking up the hammer ,he released the clips holding the coils in place, but before he could lift it out, the squeak of the landing stair outside his room threw him into a panic. He yanked the lid of the secret compartment down into place, jammed the hammer into his back pocket, and shoved the chisels under his bed.

His mother stepped inside the door and shut it behind her. “Kate is downstairs, and she’s not happy,” she whispered. “Did you promise to help pick berries this morning?”

Corvan shrugged, and she shook her head at him.

“Because you didn’t show up, she did it herself, but she wants to know if you will help clean them.”

Corvan’s face flushed. He had told Kate he would help her with that chore, but that was before she quit talking to him. How was he supposed to know she still expected him to show up? As he was getting to his feet ,the gray cloth fell into a pile at his feet. He tried nonchalantly pushing it under the bed with his toe.

“You need to get downstairs and make things right with Kate.” She turned to leave and looked back at him. “By the way, kicking that quilt under your bed does not constitute cleaning your room. Fold it and put it back into the chest.”

He nodded.

“Do it now, so I know it’s been taken care of.”

As Corvan collected the cloth, his mother stared at him with a frown on her face.

“It took me hours to sew those quilt pieces together. I don’t like to see it tossed on your dirty floor.”

Corvan looked from her face to the cloth. Was she joking? How could his mother mistake the gray cloth for his brightly colored winter quilt?

“Fold it neatly. And don’t make Kate wait any longer, or you’ll get an earful.” With that she left the room. The door clicked shut behind her.

Corvan waited until he heard the squeak of the landing step before he pulled the hammer from his back pocket and unlocked the secret compartment. Spreading the gray cloth back over the inside of the lid, he buttoned it down, made sure the lid was locked, and then hurried downstairs.

He found Kate sitting at the kitchen table, where she was finishing off a piece of bread with raspberry jelly. Two full pails of berries sat on the table, and, judging from the twigs and leaves stuck in her tangled red hair, Kate must have worked hard to pick them so quickly. As Corvan entered, she gave him a withering look from behind her bangs.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“Sorry, Kate, I was … ”

Kate waved him off. “Oh, don’t give me any of your excuses. I know how much you hate picking berries. Trust me, it’s not my favorite chore either, but my mom needs these and all the pastry ready when she gets home tonight.”

Kate’s mother baked the best Saskatoon berry pies for miles around and made extra money selling them to the café where she worked. Unfortunately, she often lost it all playing bingo.

“I’ll help you, Kate,” Corvan’s mother said while giving him a disapproving look. “I’ll mix up the pastry for you to take home.”

Kate’s face brightened. “Thanks. I’m sure my mom will appreciate it.”

“How many pies is she going to make, dear?”

“She said only six. They aren’t selling as many now that summer vacation is over.”

“I’ll fix the pastry while you two clean the berries.” She smiled at Kate as she passed her a clean pail.

Corvan picked up the other pail of berries and followed Kate out to the back steps. As he sat down next to her, the sweet aroma of lilacs rose about him. The lilac bush in the yard bristled with seed pods, however, and its flowers had long faded and blown away. Kate tossed her head and a fresh wave passed.

He leaned closer and sniffed. “You’re not wearing perfume, are you?”

Kate bent over her pail of berries, and a pink blush touching her freckled cheeks. “My dad sent it for my birthday.”

Shoot. He had forgotten her birthday. He caught another whiff of her perfume. It reminded him of their recent spring nights on the front porch swing looking at the stars together. “I lick likelacs. I mean, I lake laclicks.” He stopped and took a deep breath. “It smells nice.”

She looked sideways at him from the berries with a smile tugging at her lips. “Thanks, I like lilacs too.”

Corvan face was getting warm. “I found something out at the rock,” he blurted out. He was desperate to change the subject.

Kate rolled her eyes. “Don’t tell me you were trying to catch your imaginary lizard.”

“I have to prove—”

“The kids will laugh you out of town if you don’t drop that story. I couldn’t believe you used it for your oral report. That was your tallest tale yet. My mom even heard about it at the café.”

Corvan focused on sorting the berries. He had expected Kate to be more supportive.

“So, what was it?” Kate looked at him.

“What was what?”

“The thing you found that you couldn’t tear yourself away from to meet me on time.”

His grandfather’s letter came to mind. Whatever you do, never mention the hammer to anyone, not even those you think are with us. “Nothing.” Corvan shrugged. “It’s no big deal.”

“Fine, keep it to yourself. It’s better that way.”

They cleaned quietly for a while. “These are nice berries,” Corvan said. “Where did you find them?”

A sly smile stole over Kate’s face. “Fry’s pond.”

Corvan almost spilled his pail of berries. “You’re not supposed to go on his property! Remember those two boys that tried fishing on that pond? He shot over their heads with his shotgun to scare them off.”

Kate’s smile vanished. “The bushes aren’t even on his land. His property stops at the edge of the pond.”

“Sure, but his shotgun doesn’t stop at the edge of the pond. It’s not very smart to go there.”

“Yeah, well, if someone showed like they promised, I wouldn’t have to take such ‘stupid’ chances.”

Flustered, Corvan looked out across the yard, and then he stood to shake the twigs from his lap. He hated it when Kate was annoyed with him.

There was a sharp tug on the back of his jeans. When he turned around, he found Kate holding the hammer with a puzzled expression on her face.

“Give me that,” Corvan whispered. “It might hurt you.” He held out his hand, but Kate pulled the hammer close to her chest and stared vacantly past him. Corvan knelt on the bottom step. “That’s what I found. It was buried near our fort. It belonged to my grandfather.”

Kate blinked, and her eyes focused his face. She nodded slowly and looked down at the hammer. “Your grandfather must have been a great man.”

“My dad said he was descended from a mighty warrior.”

“It feels like something a king would own.”

She slowly released the hammer into his opened hand, and Corvan slipped it back into his pocket.

“I’m sorry I walked to school without you.” Kate said, wiping a sleeve over her eyes. “I get so mad when Billy Fry starts picking on you. I’m not afraid of him, but my mom said if I were in one more fight, she’d make us move away.” She blinked back tears. “I don’t want to move again, but I don’t know how to help you.”

“I don’t know either,” Corvan said, sitting back down. “I hate being so short.”

“At least you’re a boy—your dad won’t mind if you got in a fight once in a while.”

“Maybe if your dad was around, he wouldn’t mind you fighting either.”

She turned away, and Corvan chided himself for bringing up her father’s absence.

“What happened when you held the hammer?” Corvan asked.

She looked across at him. “It’s a bit silly, but I felt better about myself … like it’s okay that I get mad at the bullies. But it was scary too, like I was the one in charge of making things right, like a judge or a … a queen.”

Corvan nodded. The way she put it made sense. He had felt something similar.

Corvan’s mother came out the screen door. She was holding a cloth-covered bowl in her hands. “Here’s the pastry, dear. You’d better get it home and put it in the fridge right away.” She shot an accusatory glance at her son. “Corvan will carry it for you.”

As he stood to take the bowl, his mother shook her head in disappointment. “Did you have to smear berries all over your pants? As soon as you get back, throw them into the washing machine. Let’s hope they aren’t permanently stained.”

Kate kept busy pouring the cleaned berries back into her pails, all the while hiding an amused grin.

Corvan turned away to the side of the house to hide his own smile.

It felt great to be back with Kate and to share the secret of the hammer with her. Together they would figure out the mystery of the lizard and the Castle Rock.