As usual, Rufus Leightstone stood stiff and formal in front of the fireplace in Mrs. Steers’ front parlor. Reading over his notes, he prepared for his presentation.
Mrs. Steers came in with a tray with wine glasses and
a bottle of grape juice for toasting later and placed it on a side table. She then sat down next to council member, Margery
Price of Leeds, England. Across from her
sat the member from Peru, Mr. Zeferino Mirado, and the one from Eastern India,
Mr. Ameretat Wani. Standing stately
behind them was the member from Ethiopia, Mrs. Sitota Tiruneh Henoke. They all wore the traditional costume of
their countries to show world-wide unity.
Eyeing everyone in the room, Sam sat in a dining chair
directly across from Leightstone, waiting for the ceremony to begin. Rose, Ari, and Xavier sat in the kitchen.
“As head of the International Council of the Tempos
Servos, I, Rufus Leightstone, am glad to welcome the council members to this induction
of a new member to our ranks. It is a
rare occasion that we have such a young member with abilities not seen by any
other member of our recent membership.”
Sam waited patiently as Leightstone went on about the
importance of the ceremony, the various projects of the International Council,
and the need to protect its secrets from the general public. Leightstone
finally ended his long-winded speech.
“Now, Mrs. Steers, I believe it is your turn.” Leightstone sat down and Mrs. Steers took over
his place in front of the fireplace.
“I am very excited about our newest member of the
Club, Master Samuel Henry. He is bright,
intelligent, and can use the incantations better that anyone else I know. Rose Reulen has reported that his orb skills
are unmatched by any other orbers known to us.”
Mrs. Steers rattled on. Sam’s mind wondered for a moment and before
he knew it was being summoned by Mrs. Steers, who motioned for him.
“Um, Sam, would you please come here.” Mrs. Steers motioned to him to join her. When he stood next to her, Leightstone got up
to speak again.
“Master Samuel Henry, we, the International Council,
are pleased, after studying your credentials, to welcome you as a member of the
East Coast Chapter of the Tempos Servos, or as it is usually referred to, The
Time Travelers Club.”
Leightstone handed Sam a business card. Sam read it.
“With this membership comes great responsibility. You are an important part of the Club that
keeps history safe. One of our primary missions
is to keep people from changing history to suit their personal needs or gains. It is also our responsibility to maintain
order within the organization. Do you
accept this responsibility, Master Henry?”
Sam still couldn’t get past being called “Master Henry,”
but was able to answer. “Yes, sir, I
do.”
“Excellent.
Welcome to the Club, Master Henry.
We look forward to meeting and working with you.” Leightstone shook Sam's hand.
After a brief round of applause, Mrs. Steers poured
grape juice into the wine glasses. Sam
felt very grown-up, pretending to drink wine.
Everyone toasted him and each council member welcomed him. The ceremony was over, and the Council
members left.
Mrs. Steers gave Sam a hug. “Congratulations, Sam. You should be very proud to be the youngest
member in the Club. The rules are
specific that you must be eighteen years old to be admitted. Make sure you sign it and keep it safe.”
“Really? Then
why am I in?” Sam helped her clean up by
picking up the wine glasses.
“You are a special exception to the rule,” said Mrs.
Steers. “You have demonstrated an unusual talent in the usage of incantations
better.”
Smiling and sighing deeply, Sam paused. His mind raced back to his orbs lessons, thinking
incantations instead of speaking them out loud, turning stone to gold, and being
able to view the legendary the duel. “I
have learned a lot. And I still have
more to learn.”
“We want to give you extra training so you could
protect yourself.” Mrs. Steers picked up
the tray of wine glasses and headed to the kitchen. Sam followed with the half-full bottle of
grape juice. “We’re concerned about your
safety.”
“It’s Dr. Herkeimer, isn’t it?” Sam had not mentioned the Doctor’s name since
he had been kidnapped. It was also a
subject he had not yet talked about with Mrs. Steers. Somehow,
he couldn’t bring himself to think about it.
Mrs. Steers put the glasses into the sink and then
turned to Sam. Rose, Ari, and Xavier ate
their lunches, but took an interest in the conversation.
“Sam, I’m so sorry that they got you. Your Mom wasn’t
really there. They tricked you into
believing she was. I can’t image what he
did to you. We don’t even know Dr.
Herkeimer’s motivation.” Mrs. Steers
hugged him again. He didn’t mind.
“He needs to be arrested and sent to prison,” said
Sam.
“The Club takes care of these problems. We never involve anyone outside of the Club.”
“What’s going to happen to him?” Sam sat down next to Ari.
“I’m not sure.
He may just disappear for a time, but I suspect that will not be the
case this time. The rules are very
clear. He will be punished. In the book, there is an incantation that
will remove a person’s power to use them.
I’m not going to lie to you, Sam.
It is a horrible and painful incantation. It has been used only three times.”
Ari handed Sam a chocolate chip cookie. Between bites,
Sam continued questioning. “So, you can really take away someone’s power to use
them? How painful is it?”
Mrs. Steers stopped and pondered for a moment. “I’m not sure I should tell you, but now that
I’ve said that, your curiosity will just get in the way. The incantation kills part of your
soul. You become very weak and barely
alive. It takes months to recover. If you ever do…”
With just a few
more bites, Sam finished his cookie. “I
think I should go upstairs now. I want
to do some more reading about the Club’s history.” With that, Sam left.
“I wonder if I said was too much,” said Mrs. Steers,
wringing her hands. “I just hope he can
handle all of what is about to happen.”
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