Ben the Dragonborn Read online

  “This is a bad idea,” Ben repeated as he climbed out from under the desk. “Very bad idea.”

  “Yeah, probably, but at least it’s not boring,” Denzel replied. Being bored seemed to be the one thing in life that Denzel was frightened of, perhaps the only thing, from what Ben could tell.

  “Nobody gets a chance to be bored around you,” Ben muttered. “A little boredom would be welcome now and then.”

  “Let’s go,” Denzel said. Ben did not need to ask where.

  Denzel pushed open the door with its “ENTRY FORBIDDEN WITHOUT SPECIAL PERMISSION” sign and Ben followed him in. They both knew it was a mistake as soon as they stepped through the door. There was a loud clang as the door bolted behind them and the lights went out. Since there were no windows in the forbidden section of the library it was very dark. Ben whirled around and felt for the door handle. It confirmed his suspicion that they were locked in.

  “O.K. What are we going to do now?” Ben asked in a squeaky voice.

  “Look around,” said Denzel, as he dug into his pocket and produced a small flashlight.

  In another part of the castle a bell was ringing. Three teachers, including Phil Tanner, sprinted back towards the library.

  Denzel swung the flashlight first this way and then that. The light rested briefly on a sign: Zargon. In the middle of the library were several small tables with books open on them. Denzel walked to the nearest table and ran his flashlight over the books. He picked up one whose cover read, “The Six Worlds: Their Similarities and Differences.” He turned to the table of contents. Listed in alphabetical order were six worlds: Earth, Farne, Lushaka, Mellish, Toregan and Zargon. Denzel turned his flashlight away from the book to the “Zargon” sign. He shone the flashlight around the room and found the other five signs. He turned back to the book and opened it to the section on Zargon. “The most important difference between Zargon and other worlds,” the book began, “is that dragon’s still live on Zargon, while they have disappeared from the other worlds where they once existed.”

  That was as far into the book as Denzel, with Ben looking over his shoulder, was able to read. They heard the library door open and close. Denzel turned off his flashlight and put it away seconds before Phil Tanner opened the door of the darkened room. Phil Tanner found them standing in the dark and was unaware of the flashlight in Denzel’s pocket.

  “Out! Now!” Phil Tanner thundered. He hustled the boys out and said, “I will see you tomorrow. And I would count on a very long detention if I were you.”

  Ben groaned. Detention meant working in the kitchen - peeling potatoes, loading the dishwasher and washing pots and pans.

  The boys were escorted to the stairs and ushered out of the building. They wisely left the castle and went back to their dorm room. The next day the two friends were called into Phil Tanner’s office and given two months detention starting that very day. They reported to the kitchen and worked for an hour before and after supper. As they peeled and scrubbed they talked quietly of what it might all mean. Why were there books in the library about imaginary worlds? The guess they both agreed on was the idea that it was an elaborate game, where those in the know were assigned to a world. They speculated that each person developed a character in a role playing game. They were determined to find out how one got included in this special group. The whole idea of a role playing game sounded like a lot of fun. They decided not to tell anyone about what they had seen, while trying to find out what secret society some students had been invited to join. They tried to talk to the students who were able to go into the special part of the library but were rebuffed. Allison went out of her way to avoid them after they asked several times why Allison could go into the library and they couldn't, why the bell rang for her and not for them.

  Three days later, Ben and Denzel finished their detention in the kitchen and were heading up the stairs to the library when the special bell rang again. They watched as students and teachers filed past them and went up the stairs to the meeting hall.

  “Come on,” Denzel said. “Let's see if Allison will talk to us.”

  “She won’t talk,” Ben said. “We’ve already tried several times.”

  “Allison, wait!” Denzel shouted.

  Allison moved in front of some grade twelve students and continued up the stairs to the third floor. Denzel tried to follow, but two older boys blocked their way, saying, “You’re not allowed on the third floor without an invitation.”

  “How do you get an invitation?” Denzel asked.

  “You’ll know when you do,” the older student stated.

  Denzel and Ben stood and watched teachers and students climb the stairs into the great hall. There were no other grade nines besides Allison included in the gathering.

  “Come on,” Denzel said, “We’re going to find out what’s going on up there.”

  “And how are we going to do that?” Ben asked.

  “We’re going to look through a window,” Denzel stated.

  “What window?”

  “I’ll show you.”

  Denzel led the way down the hallway. They passed Olivia Stewart, as she waited in her wheelchair for an ancient elevator to take her to the third floor. Denzel led Ben to the math classroom. He opened a window and started to climb through.

  “What are you doing?” Ben exclaimed.

  “Putting the rock climbing we’ve been learning into practice. Why do you think they teach us these things if we’re not supposed to use them? You comin’?”

  “No! Definitely not! I don’t want to break my neck.”

  “I’ve always wanted to do this,” Denzel said as he stood on the ledge and searched for a handhold.

  “Denzel! Don’t do it!” Ben spoke loudly. “Fall and you’ll be dead!”

  “Shhhh. I’m not going to fall,” Denzel replied in a loud whisper as he began to climb.

  Ben waited, wondering how he would explain his presence in the math classroom if a teacher came in, although that seemed unlikely as they were all on the third floor.

  Denzel moved slowly up the rock wall, carefully searching for and finding handholds. When Denzel reached the third floor window, he pulled himself up over the ledge to look in. Denzel stared in amazement, until Mariah Templeton, the school principal leaned forward and looked directly at him. Their eyes met and Denzel ducked, and lost his hold. As his foot slipped he grabbed the window ledge with his right hand and dangled for a moment before finding a handhold to begin his climb down. Ben helped a shaken Denzel back in through the window.

  “Well?” Ben asked when Denzel was silent for an uncharacteristically long time.

  “She knew. Miss Templeton knew I was there. She looked right at me, and that’s when I just about fell.”

  “What were they doing?”

  “Just sitting around; but someone, I don’t know who, was dressed up as a mermaid. Great costume. Greenish skin, blond spiked hair with green tips. The eyes had no whites. The tail was amazing.”

  “Weird!” Ben said. “We might be right. It is a role playing game. I wonder what world is supposed to have mermaids. I wonder if they assign you a character or you choose it for yourself.

  “I don't care, I just want in. We need to find out what it takes to join,” Denzel stated.

  The two boys hung around the castle. When the meeting ended, they managed to catch Allison just before she entered the girls’ dormitory. “Allison,” Denzel said. “What were you all doing up there?” Allison stared at him for a moment, then shook her head, and ran up the stairs. Denzel started to follow, but Ben grabbed his arm. “You want to have detention till you graduate? Going into the girls’ dorm is one way to make that happen.”

  3 Time For Tea

  In the morning, Ben ate early and headed for the swimming pool for his extra lesson with Phil Tanner. The lessons were still not going well. This one was no exception. Ben did not feel comfortable in the pool even when his feet were able to touch bottom. Phil Tanner was waiting for Ben when he lef
t the dressing room.

  “I’ve called Miss Templeton, Ben. She wants to see you today after your last class. I told Miss Templeton there is little hope that you will learn to swim. I’m really sorry about that."

  "It's not your fault. I have always hated the water. I don't care if I ever learn to swim," Ben stated.

  "I care and your dad cares. He is going to be very disappointed,” Phil Tanner stated. He paused a moment and then continued, "Your dad and I were roommates. He has been my best friend for over twenty years. I don't know how to tell him that I couldn't teach his son to swim.”

  Later in the day, Ben walked slowly towards the castle and up the stairs to the reception area on the third floor. Mrs. Topp, the school secretary, sat near the stairs. On one side of her was the door to the great hall and on the other side was the door into Mariah Templeton’s office and residence. Ben had been on the third floor twice. The first time was when his father brought him to the school. They had climbed the stairs together and Mariah Templeton had come out of her office to welcome him. Then, a week into the school term there was a gathering for students and teachers in the great hall to which everyone was invited. Mariah Templeton spoke to the students. She spoke of the students as chosen ones who would bring light to dark worlds. Ben laughed at her words, until his father had glared at him. Later when he had tried to tell his father how strange Mariah Templeton was his father had been unwilling to listen.

  Ben’s father had come back to the school a month later. Andrew Taylor told Ben that he was going away on business, but expected to be back within six to eight weeks. Eight months had passed and his father had not yet returned. The end of the school year was coming and Ben wondered if his father would return in time to take him home.

  Andrew Taylor had often gone away on business when Ben was a boy. His grandmother used to take care of him until his father returned, but now his grandmother was dead. Ben wasn't sure where he would end up this summer, but more importantly he was worried about what had happened to his father.

  “Miss Templeton wants to see me,” Ben announced to Mrs. Topp.

  Mrs. Topp pushed a button and spoke into an intercom, “Ben Taylor to see you, Miss Templeton.”

  “Good! Send him right in,” Mariah Templeton replied.

  Ben had never been in Mariah Templeton’s office before. The first thing he noticed was that the high walls were covered in pictures. Some of the pictures had an otherworldly look to them, featuring creatures that only exist in the pages of storybooks. Others seemed to be moving. It seemed that when he looked a second time at a picture the scene had changed. They were the kind of pictures the head of a role playing society might be expected to have in her office. However, Mariah Templeton did not look like a woman who spent a lot of time playing games.

  Mariah Templeton was an elderly woman with gray hair pulled back in a tight bun. Wire rimmed glasses perched on her nose. She wore a dress that had not been in style for over fifty years. Around her neck was a very large pendant. The pendant was gold and covered in Celtic knots that had no beginning or end. The knots swirled in and around six rubies. Such an ornate pendant looked out of place on the plain-looking, elderly woman.

  Ben entered the office and stood before the desk where Miss Templeton sat. Across from the principal were two chairs. One of the chairs was a normal, stuffed leather chair with wooden arms. The other was an elaborate golden chair, with a high back. Every inch of the metal chair was covered in etchings and Celtic knots with no beginning or end. In six places there were groupings of precious stones. The chair looked like it belonged in a throne room rather than the office of a school principal. Ben put his gym bag on the floor beside the leather chair and waited for Principal Templeton to invite him to sit.

  “Tea, Mr. Taylor?” Mariah Templeton asked in an accent that Ben could not place.

  “Um, okay. I mean, yes please.”

  “Would you like cream or sugar?”

  “Yes, please…both,” Ben replied.

  Mariah Templeton poured tea for him, adding cream and sugar. She pushed the cup across the desk towards the elaborate golden chair and said, “Please be seated.” Ben reached for the cup and started to move it towards the leather chair, but Mariah Templeton stopped him. “Not that one. You must sit on my special chair.”

  Ben moved to the metal chair and sat down. It was cold against his back. He felt very uncomfortable in this strange chair. It was too tall and his legs dangled. Mariah Templeton poured herself some tea and then sat staring at Ben. The unruly hair Ben had inherited from his father, but the green eyes must have come from his mother. The eyes troubled the principal. She did not remember ever seeing another human with such brilliant green eyes.

  "I don't recall ever meeting your mother, Ben, which I find strange. I make a point of getting to know the families of all my students. Do you look like your mother?"

  "Dad says I have her eyes."

  Mariah Templeton was not reassured by those words.

  “Your father and I met for the first time when he was about your age. He was an outstanding student and has been a friend of the school ever since.”

  “Have you heard from my father?” Ben asked.

  “No, I haven’t.” Mariah Templeton frowned and her lips tightened, a worried look appearing momentarily.

  “He said he’d be back in one month, two at the most, and now it’s been almost eight months.”

  “Things sometimes take longer than expected, but I’m sure he’s fine. Your father has handled many challenging situations over the years. He knows what he is doing and he will be back as soon as possible. Now please tell me about your mother.”

  “She died when I was young.”

  “That might explain it then. But tell me what you remember about her.”

  “I remember very little that makes sense,” Ben replied, thinking of his recent dreams.

  “What has your father told you?”

  “My father doesn’t talk about my mother much, but I know he misses her.”

  “What was your mother’s name?”

  “Zinder.”

  At the name Zinder, Mariah Templeton gave a small gasp and sat up straighter. She looked to the right at a picture on the wall. Ben followed the glance and saw a dragon looking into a mirror. In the mirror was a woman with red hair and brilliant green eyes.

  Ben stared at the picture as he said, “That’s a strange name isn’t it? Dad says she was smart and beautiful, and very brave, and that the only thing I seem to have inherited from her is my eyes.”

  “How did your mother die?” Mariah Templeton asked, still looking at the picture.

  “Uhhh…” Ben hesitated; he could not remember his father actually saying anything about his mother’s death. It was his grandmother that had told him she had died. “I think … a car accident,” Ben finally said, with no real idea as to why he said it.

  The principal took a long slow drink of tea. “So am I to

  understand that your father raised you by himself?”

  “Yes, but my grandmother lived with us until she died two years ago.”

  “Ah yes, your grandmother was also an outstanding student. She was the first of your family to come to Fairhaven, and now you might be the last. From what I understand you’re afraid of water.”

  “Lots of people are,” Ben said defiantly. “It’s not a big deal.”

  “It is here. Our students are asked to take journeys that begin and end with water. The journeys are the whole reason that we have a school here at Fairhaven.”

  “Guess I won’t be going anywhere then,” Ben said decisively.

  Mariah Templeton ignored him and said, “Our students undergo a test. It is usually given at the end of grade nine, but some take it earlier and others later, depending on when they appear to be ready. There are generally four or five, sometimes more, from every class who fail. I am going to give you that test now. If you pass, you WILL learn to swim. If you fail, we will discuss your future at this school
when your father returns.”

  Principal Templeton’s words disturbed Ben. He liked Fairhaven. He did not want to leave, but all he said was, “W…w…w..what kind of test?”

  “A simple one. But let’s finish our tea first.”

  Mariah Templeton asked Ben questions as they finished their tea: “How do you like Fairhaven? What is your favorite subject? How do you and Denzel get along? Who are your friends? Does the food agree with you? Do you have any idea where your bad dreams come from?” The last question surprised Ben and he wondered how the principal knew. Denzel was the only one who knew about Ben’s dreams. Ben was sure that his friend would not tell anyone.

  When they finished their tea Mariah Templeton walked around her desk and came to stand beside Ben. She took Ben’s hand and laid her pendant on his open palm. As Ben watched in amazement, the front of the pendant began to move. The front opened up as flowers do to the sun. Inside were three circles: One for the days of the month, another for the months of the year, and the third with the years in a century. An arrow in each of the circles pointed to today’s day, month and year. Ben did not know what this test was meant to prove, but nothing happened. The arrows did not move.

  Mariah Templeton took the pendant out of Ben’s hand and put it back over her neck and returned to her chair.