Before the Sky Fell

[ 20 ] The Sleep Temple

-20-

The Sleep Temple

Eight years earlier, Sebolt

Whik sat on the stone platform with his tiny legs dangling just above the floor. They had travelled north a day ago to visit Geoffrey Marg, who was about to become their steward, whatever that meant. Frankford had moved into this temple for his stay. It had stone walls and carvings in the walls that Whik could look at for hours.

Eckrondale was different than anything he'd ever seen. Whik had never been before. It was a labyrinth of new places, where musicians played in courtyards, where blacksmiths swung their hammers all day.

Frankford told him that the city was built over the scar of a once-active volcano. He said the lava fields lay to the north, beyond the walls. He told Whik of a time when the lava was alive and ate away at anything in its path. Whik thought the lava didn't want to hurt anyone, but just wanted to get to the sea, where it could be free. Frankford said when the lava reached the ocean, it instantly turned to black stone. Frankford said it was a slave to the island, that it was chained and could never leave.

Whik asked Frankford they could visit that place, but Frankford insisted they start another session right away.Whik swung his legs through the air as he waited. "Will it hurt? Last time, nothing happened."

Frankford Millstone closed his journal and placed his quill on the desk. "It won't hurt at all. All you have to do is relax. You haven't told anyone, have you, about our meetings?"

"No," Whik said.

"Good. They wouldn't understand."

He really hadn't told anyone, but Frankford still asked him every time. Frankford said that this was their secret. He said Whik could never tell anyone, especially Geoffrey Marg and Charlotte. If he did, they might cast him off the island and Whik would be an orphan again. Whik didn't want that.

He looked at the ceiling. The intense rays of morning light entered through a hole in the top of the stone sanctuary. When the clouds rolled past the sun, the temple put on a show of flickering shadows.

"What will I see?"

"I'm not sure. Nothing, perhaps. Or maybe you'll see your imaginary friend again."

Whik batted his eyelashes and said, "What if it doesn't work?"  

"If it doesn't work, we can try again later. Are you ready?"

Whik nodded and outstretched his small arms. Millstone lifted the stone bowl and brought it close to Whik's face. The boy cupped his hands and splashed some of the metallic liquid into his mouth, squinting as he drank. The stuff was foul the first time he'd drank from it. It tasted of sour stone, or bitter earth, if such a taste existed. After a dozen sessions with Frankford, Whik had grown used to it. Whik saw different things each time. Sometimes he saw nothing at all. But when he did, the visions made him queasy. He'd see the walls of Eckrondale crumbling to pieces, or a little infant crying in a locked room, or his phantom friend telling him that things happened differently where he lived. He didn't understand it all. He couldn't.

"That's it, a little bit more," Frankford said, tilting the bowl."I know the taste is harsh, but it will join your body with the magnets. It will help the process." Whik took one last sip and wiped his hands on his pants. "Now lay back and focus on the sunlight. Focus on my words."

Whik rested his head on a bundle of cloth. Goosebumps crept across his body. The stone slab was cold against his back. Frankford placed the bowl on the ground and walked to the entrance of the temple. Five pillars lined the edges of the sanctuary, images of ivy and flower petals carved into the stone. A pentagon was engraved into the floor and in the middle was Whik, who was now illuminated by the ray of light that pierced through the ceiling.