The Time Travelers' Club: Chapter 45 -- Learning the Important Incantation

No meant Sam could stay home and explore. His Mom would be gone to the Parent-Teacher conferences then off to work.  Mrs. Steers had given Sam the right to explore with the new unlocked door in the laundry room.  Sam entered Mrs. Steers' part of the house.  She was standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hello, Sam.  Why don't you come on down and we'll have some fun?”

Sam knew what kind of fun she was talking about and down the stairs he went.  

In the front parlor, Rose sat on the couch.

"Sam, it is good to see you again.  Come."  Rose waved him into the parlor.

"Hi."  Sam wasn't sure what to really say to her, since they had just met the other day.

"Even though we ran around the back alleys of London together, I am still a stranger to you.  Let's get acquainted.  To be honest with you, Mrs. Steers has told me much about you, but I am sure you know nothing of me."

Rose motioned for Sam to sit down across from her. He checked out her elaborately embroidered blouse and skirt.  He studied her bright orange silk turban.  In the center was a silver pin in the shape of an hourglass with wings.

"I was born in Romania.  I call it my home, even though my parents no longer live there.  My Mother is an opera singer who travels with a touring company all over Europe.  My Father is off somewhere in South America looking for who knows what.  He's like an explorer."

Mrs. Steers came in with a tray with a teapot, cups, and chocolate chip cookies.  "I hope you and Rose are getting to know each other.  She will be teaching you some of the incantations. She mastered several, including the orbs.  She's the number one orber in the world."

Rose blushed.  "Stop.  You are embarrassing me.  I learned from the best."

Sam wasn't sure what to think of her yet.   Her accent fascinated him.  In fact, everything about her fascinated him.  He didn't know her well, but he did know that he liked her.

"Can you teach me?" said Sam.

"Don't worry, I will soon," said Rose. "Lottie, do you remember the first time I dueled.  My opponent was a challenge. She played so dirty."

"I remember it well.  Dreda does have her ways."

"Dreda?  The Doctor?"  Sam wanted to know more about them.

Rose looked at Mrs. Steers.  "How much have you told him?"

"Enough to start.   He's going to have to know sometime."

Sam looked like he was watching a tennis match as his head moved from Rose to Mrs. Steers then back again.

Rose smiled.  "Well, Sam, we might as well start your education."

Sam was anxious to hear more.  "Mrs. Steers had mentioned the Doctor.  What's his deal again?"

Mrs. Steers sipped her hot tea, before speaking.  "Dr. Herkeimer is... or I should say was... a medical doctor.  He found an incomplete copy of Namvelt's book many years ago while he was a medical student.  We know a lot about him, except for one important point.  Why does he want to change the past?"

Sam eat a chocolate chip cookie then another while Mrs. Steers continued.

"Dr. Herkeimer is the son of a shopkeeper. His mother was a school teacher. His exact age is unknown, but we figure he is about the same age as I am, maybe younger.   He is of average weight and height.  He was born in a small coastal town in Oregon.  He had a brother and a sister.  He went to a local school, graduated, and completed medical school."

Rose chimed in. "Several years ago, he recruited people to join his group.  Their mission is to change the past for some unknown reason. But enough about him for now."

Rose got up and put on her coat.

"Well, I must go.  I am on my way to visit Papa, if I can find him." She shook her head and rolled her eyes. "The last I knew he was in Bolivia.  He's so hard to keep track of these days."

"Please give my regards to your Father.   Tell him to stop by sometime."

"I shall," said Rose, giving Mrs. Steers a hug.  She turned to Sam.

"Sam, soon I will be back to test your orb abilities.  I'm very interested in seeing what you can do."

"Great," said Sam.  "Do you think I will be able to make them?"

"We will see."  Rose smiled then left.

Mrs. Steers put her hand on Sam's shoulder and led him to the back parlor.

"Sam, first let me tell you this. Each member of the club have certain levels of using each of the incantations.  In other words, not everyone can time-travel, although it is pretty common and just about everyone knows how to do so, but they may not be able to master other ones.  For example, I can't veil anything.  I can't use that incantation at all.  Remember my story about Rupert Jameson, the book dealer.  That man can use veiling on anything like nobody's business, but he can't make orbs.  That one doesn't work for him at all. Rose is our champion orb maker."

Sam anxiously listened to every word, waiting for the most important part.  Finally, Mrs. Steers said what he really wanted to hear.

"Now, it is time you learn the time-traveling incantation."  Mrs. Steers sat in her favorite chair in her back parlor.   "First, the words are Latin."

"Will I get to read a copy of the book?"  Sam really wanted to see it.

"Eventually, but for now, you will learn the basics from me.  This teaching method is very traditional among the club members.  The incantations were handed down from member to member long before the book was ever printed."

Mrs. Steers never risked getting out a copy not even for other club members. She was the only one who knew their secret hiding places.

"So, the words are…" said Mrs. Steers, handing Sam a piece of paper with the words written on it.  Sam concentrated on each word on the paper as she said them aloud.

"Latebras ab… historia de clara specks… o temporis Jeannot mitte… mecum obsecro meo… voluit in tempore…  Now repeat after me.   Latebras ab…"

"Late... bras... ab…," said Sam.

Mrs. Steers shook her head.  "No…  Latebras… It’s one word."

"Latebras…"

"Latebras ab..."

Sam mimicked her.

"Good.  Latebras ab... historia de clara specks…"  Sam repeated the phrase perfectly.

Mrs. Steers continued the spell with Sam aping her every word.

"Good job, Sam.  Now repeat it again."  

Sam practiced five more times.

"Good.  Now, once you have mastered the words, you will need to think about where you want to go.  This is the hard part.  Don’t expect too much at first.  Albert used to get upset with me when I couldn’t do it perfectly at first.  Of course, I would remind him of how long it took him to master the darned thing."

"Mrs. Steers, what language is this again?"

"Latin.  One of the older languages of the world."

Sam glanced down at the paper.  "So, how do these words make you time travel?"

"That's a good question. I read somewhere in the archives that it's not so much the words, but a person's ability to use them. Deep inside your body either in your soul or your mind, you have the power to combine that ability and the words to make it work."  Mrs. Steers paused. Sam still read the words over and over.

"You know," said Mrs. Steers, testing to see if he was really paying attention to her.  "There are only a few who can use the incantations."

She gently leaned forward a little, evaluating him.  "And only a few select have ever been able to use all of them."  She stopped and eyed him.

Sam glanced up to see her looking at him.  "I'm sorry, Mrs. Steers, were you talking to me?  I was trying to memorize this."

She grinned widely.  "That's alright.  It's not important."

Sam reread the incantations.

"Sam, let me give you two other incantations."  Mrs. Steers gave him two more pieces of paper.  "The first is tolle mihi videre and the other is domum me.  These should sound familiar.  The first one takes you to see something or someone during your trip.  The other brings you back home.  We used both on our trip to London.

"I still have it.  I hid it so no one would ever find it."  Sam didn't even tell Mrs. Steers where he had hidden it.   He had achieved a new level of secret-keeping.

"Very good.  Now, Sam, I want you to promise me that you will not use any of these unless you are with me."  Mrs. Steers was stern with her statement and her body language.  She pointed at him. "You must promise me."

Sam stared right into her eyes, and humbly replied.  "I promise."

Mrs. Steers relaxed.  "There's no need to rush into this.  You are a student who is learning.  Just like I did."   She also didn't want him to get caught by the Doctor or any of his minons.  Xavier had accidently revealed that they had recruited a new member into their club.  She couldn't deny that Vincent had already told the Doctor.

"So, when can we..."

Mrs. Steers cut him off.  "Soon.  An opportunity will arise.  Don't worry.  There'll be other homework assignments, right?"

Although disappointed, Sam nodded. "Sure."

"Now, as soon as you feel you have learned these three incantations, I want to tear up the papers and throw them away.  There's no need in having your Mom find them.  She'll just ask questions and I don't want you to lie about them."

The first session was over.   Sam still hoped that they might go somewhere right now, but he kept it to himself.  He knew there would be another adventure soon.