Chapter 44: Laverick’s Discovery
“Laverick!” he heard his mother’s voice snap as he bordered on unconsciousness. “Do not fall asleep!” Laverick slowly opened his eyes. Gradually rolling over, he observed his surroundings. Most of the beds were now occupied, and it appeared that he had at last found an appropriate time to proceed with his hunt for the disk fragment.
“Do you think I should go now?” he whispered as quietly as possible.
“Yes,” she responded. “Try to remain undetected. It would probably be best to avoid any conversations after your little display earlier.”
Slowly, Laverick got out of bed and tiptoed into the hallway. As he exited the barracks, he took a moment to check the passage, ensuring its vacancy. Okie doke. Guess I should see what’s in that meeting room now. Walking softly, he carefully made his way down the hall and into the meeting room.
As he entered, Laverick scanned the surrounding area. The room had a large table with many chairs, all solid black with bright white outlines. He also noticed a bookshelf equipped with cabinets and drawers. Ah ha! He grinned, cautiously approaching the discovery.
Opening the first cabinet, he searched its contents. Not here. He closed it and rummaged through the second cabinet. Not here either. Shutting it gently, he continued through the rest of the drawers. Again, he was unable to find the fragment.
After removing various books from the shelf to ensure the disk wasn’t hidden there, he walked around the perimeter of the room, hoping something would strike his eye. Still, he found nothing. Poking his head under the table before exiting the room, he left empty handed.
It’s not in here... where should I look next? Let’s see, I’ve been in the kitchen already... Walking farther down the hallway, he noticed a room he had yet to explore. Here we go. He peered inside to see a large, muscular man with a bald head and a bushy red beard. He was standing perfectly still, holding a battle-axe.
He looked at Laverick. “Zoe?”
Laverick was caught off guard, and responded with a simple, “Hi.”
“Are you having trouble sleeping?” the man asked.
Laverick nodded. “Yeah. I just wanted to see if anyone else was awake.”
“Oh, I hate when that happens,” the man said with a warm smile. “You know what always does the trick for me? A nice midnight snack and a glass of water.”
“Uh-huh,” Laverick replied, making his best effort to subtly browse the room. Its contents didn’t appear to be relevant to his search. There was an old shovel leaning against the wall next to a small chair. A red cloak hung on the wall, with an impressive looking sword mounted nearby. An unused set of armor rested across from the chair. Just a bunch of junk.
“So,” the man went on, “are you feeling... back to normal?”
Laverick snapped his attention back to the conversation. “Oh, yes. I just have a lot on my mind. Guess I kind of went overboard.”
“It’s understandable,” the man responded. “I’ve lost buddies since I joined too. It’s a terrible thing to go through. But hey, who knows? Roshan might have already busted himself out.”
At that moment, Laverick noticed that the man was standing directly in front of a large chest, held shut with a rather sizeable chained lock.
“Has Alex made it back yet?” the man asked as Laverick quickly took his eyes off of the enticing trunk.
“Not yet,” Laverick answered.
The man looked disheartened by the news. “I hope he’s alright. It was very noble of him to accompany you on such a dangerous mission. His father and I were good friends, you know.”
“Really?” Laverick said, half paying attention, still entranced by the chest’s presence.
The man gave a nod. “Mark Beauford. He was one of the first Spades; recruited by Tarren himself. Loved his family. He hated that he only got to see them every so often, but he was totally dedicated to the organization. Then he started getting sick... had to go back home to Leath. Said he’d be back as soon as he recovered. To be honest, some of us thought he was just faking it so he could go home and see his wife and kids a bit. Next thing we know, his son Alex shows up to Eugene’s smith shop and tells him Mark passed away. Said he wanted to join in his place. Wanted to make his father proud.” He paused. “You know, Alex took a real liking to you after you showed up. He was always asking, ‘Anyone talk to that new girl yet?’” The man smiled. “I thought he was gonna piss his pants when we told him who you were.”
“Ask what’s in the bloody chest!!” Veronica suddenly screamed in Laverick’s mind, causing him to jump.
“You alright?” the man inquired.
“Oh yeah... yes, I’m fine.” Laverick quickly answered. “So... what’s in the box?”
Befuddled by the question, the man replied, “You know...”
“Actually, I don’t,” said Laverick. “I guess they didn’t tell you, but I got hit pretty hard on the head. My memory is a bit messed up. I’m still trying to remember everything.”
The man raised his eyebrows. “Sorry to hear that. I had no idea.”
“I remember some stuff,” Laverick added, “but the rest is kind of fuzzy.” The room was silent. “So, what’s in the chest?” he inquired a second time.
“The disk fragment,” the man responded.
Laverick was overwhelmed with excitement, but tried his best not to display his joy externally. In his mind, however, he was screaming, Yes, yes, yes!!!
“I’m on guard duty right now,” the man continued. “No one’s getting in here on my watch. Heck, I can’t even get in there if I wanted to.”
“Oh! Right, of course,” Laverick spat out, trying his best to sound embarrassed for ‘forgetting.’ The man chuckled to himself, apparently buying into the ruse.
Echoing Laverick’s own joy, Veronica exclaimed, “Splendid discovery, darling! Now it’s just a matter of locating the key to that lock and getting by this buffoon.”
* * * *
Veronica turned to Lord Quinn. “He’s found it.”
Smiling, he softly said, “At last.”
“It’s confined in a large chest,” she explained. “The chest is locked shut, however, and a rather sizeable man equipped with a battle-axe is guarding it. We’ve already determined that he does not hold the key himself, which means all Laverick must do now is find it and come up with a way to get to the chest.”
“Is your son capable of conjuring?” Lord Quinn queried.
“Sadly, no,” Veronica answered. “I’ve tried to teach him a few times, but he’s simply uninterested.”
Lord Quinn was visibly frustrated by the news. “Then I certainly hope that he is either highly skilled in physical combat or is some sort of tactical genius. The likelihood that this chest will be without a guard for even a second is nearly nonexistent.”
“No need to fret,” Veronica assured him. “We will find a way.”
* * * *
Laverick was back out in the hallway, unable to hold his conversation with the man any longer, when Veronica’s voice unexpectedly exploded into his mind. “What are you doing back out here?!”
Startled at first, Laverick darted his head around before quietly answering, “I ran outta things to say!”
“That’s no excuse, Son!” she barked. “We know the fragment is in that chest. You must find some way to get inside of it!”
“But how, Ma?” Laverick whispered. “It’s locked and the guy guarding it is all big and scary looking!”
Veronica was irritated by his lack of innovation. “Then go find the key, hit him over his head with that shovel you saw, and get the fragment!!”
“But what if I don’t knock him out?!” he responded. “He’s gonna beat me up extra bad in this girl body!”
“Stop making excuses and do it!!” she angrily shouted.
“Yes, Mommy!” Laverick answered submissively. “Please don’t get mad. I’ll try real hard to find it.”
“Good boy,” said Veronica. “I’ll be watching you. Make us rich, darling!”
Laverick stared down the passage. Aw, man. I got all excited and now I gotta search more. That key could be anywhere!