After Rufus explained their purpose, the teller handed them off to the manager who introduced them to the Vice President of Denver Bank & Trust. There was ten minutes of excruciating small talk and condolences, after which Rufus and Jack were taken to the vault. The manager unlocked the outer cage and politely offered them privacy.
"Box six-two-six," Rufus said.
"Six-two-six," Jack repeated, gripping the key in his hand and staring at the silver wall of postcard-sized doors, each with its own keyhole and engraved number. Six-two-six was right at eye level and identical to the hundreds of other boxes. He unlocked the tiny door and withdrew what was essentially a heavy metal shoebox. Something rolled around inside, clinking against the sides of the box, as Jack set it on the vault's counter.
"This is all very organized, for your father," Rufus said. "Whatever's in here, he must have really wanted you to have it."
Jack nodded, holding his breath, as he lifted the box's lid. Behind him, Rufus leaned forward. "Huh."
Reaching into the box, Jack lifted out a leather-bound notebook, several hundred pages thick and wrapped shut with a thin leather band that was connected at the spine. Small cracks and weathered lines showed the age and use of the brown leather and the pages had already begun to yellow and fray. Jack unwrapped the band and thumbed through the pages.
Rufus let out a high whistle.
The pages were full, margin to margin. Hand-written paragraphs, numbers, equations, glyphs, maps, diagrams...
Jack scanned the writing he could understand and caught some mentions of portals, magic, and the Ancients. But the rest was gibberish.
"It's an encyclopedia," Rufus said in awe. Jack passed the book to him. "It's everything Marcus knew about magic. Words, spells, theories, even history that dates back to the Ancients. I didn't even realize he knew this much."
As Rufus hungrily scanned the pages, Jack reached back into the box and withdrew the object that had been rolling around. As he held it up to the light, Rufus tore his eyes from the journal and gasped. "Is that–"
"The pen," Jack said, regarding the chrome fountain pen, its gold trim shimmering in the vault's harsh florescent light. "Dad hand wrote every book with this pen. Harriet had a secretary transcribe them on a computer to send to the publisher."
"It's not from Guildron," Rufus said.
"It was a gift from mom," Jack said, the words catching in this throat. "She gave it to him when the first book was published. Dad never really cared much about possessions but he loved this pen."
"And he wanted you to have it. His pen and his journal."
"He's telling me something," Jack said, running his finger along the pen's sharp nib. "He gave me his journal so I could learn about Guildron and the pen so I could write about it."
Looking at his father's two most prizes possessions, Jack suddenly saw the journal and the pen as keys to unlock his father's world. They were Marcus's way of giving his blessing to Jack to carry the story forward. They were a challenge to continue the family legacy.
"Dad wants me to write," Jack said, the words coming out as a decision. "I am going to write the next book." He looked at the journal in Rufus's hands. "And you're going to help."
Rufus blinked like he had missed part of the conversation. "Sorry?"
"Unless you're anxious to get back to the Ren Fair."
"I certainly wasn't cut out to be a tourist attraction. But neither was I cut out to be writer."
"Then you can be a consultant. I need someone who knows Guildron."
"Happy to," Rufus said. "But I haven't been there in thirty years."
"Perfect. My story starts about thirty years ago. People loved the books because dad turned Guildron into a living breathing world."
"And now you know why."
"Exactly, but I can't replicate that without you. You know the customs, the histories, the people. With your help, we can continue dad's vision and make sure that everyone reads about the real Guildron."
"Do you think I really care what people on Earth read about Guildron?" Rufus asked. "On the other hand, if you're willing to pay me to sit around here and tell stories, then I'm on board." He looked down at the journal. "I'll even work for room and board. Plus the chance to study this."
"What do you hope to find in there?"
"The book your father left you is a portal back to Guildron but it's one that Cera will no doubt be monitoring from now on," Rufus said, closing the journal and wrapping the band back around. "But in here, there might be another way home."