S A S: Session 5 -- Prologue

There’s occasionally a moment when hubris and understatement can be used simultaneously and in equal measure. The Manager had just elected to make the last moment such an occurrence.


“I’ll repeat myself as you’re both just sitting there looking at me. I said, ‘...I trust you found the events of the last month of interest’?”


The two individuals seated across from the manager’s simple desk stopped looking at him and glanced at each other. There was more than hesitation in play. Kiln and Sybermane weren't sure what to say, as the past month had culminated just yesterday in their making a covenant with what was once a god.


The Manager pushed his chin-length hair back behind his left ear as he looked at a small page of notepad paper on his desk. There was only one word on the page. The word was scribbled as if the writer had long acquaintance with pen and ink. On Axildusk that was an unusual way to write these days. Even fountain pens, while still common, were being replaced by the more convenient scrawlshady imaging, that was being adopted by most citizens. The manager reminded himself to look into the inventor of the new ‘Shad-i ’ pen. The manager didn’t use one. Too many questions about its security still swirled around the invention. The manager picked up the notepaper and said,


“Gentlemen. I have often thought that the name of Axildusk currency is likely the most appropriately named medium of exchange I’ve ever come across. An Eclipse... I imagine that despite your strange backgrounds, neither of you believes that an astronomical eclipse is a common thing? No, I thought as much. So it is with the money of this world. Each coined eclipse is a rare thing and holding more than one in your hand is noteworthy.


Speaking of which, here is something of a note. One that, while only a single word long, the writer thought noteworthy enough to leave unadorned by adjective, verb or punctuation. A strange message to send to me. What word could be so well written, that it might evoke in the reader, a strong reaction? Perhaps you cannot think of such a message? We three are clearly not the author that this fellow must be. For here is such a work of writing.”


The manager snapped the fingers of his hand that held the small piece of paper. It made a sharp crack of sound and where the paper had been creased to leave it neatly in half, seemed to be somewhat less creased. The manager offered the paper to Sybermane, “Pass it to Kiln when you’ve done. It should only be a small bite, though the import might take a bit longer to digest. I’ll be curious to see what you make of it, seeing as you both of are the previous Realm.”


Sybermane read the single word on the paper and without much of a pause handed it to Kiln.

Kiln had watched to see a reaction from either; Sybermane on reading it — no help there as the equine features of his companion’s face were not yet Kiln’s to know — or the manager’s, as he sat looking at Sybermane. The manager's features were sharpened, like a speeding predator seems to lengthen and blur into a narrow-focused beam, with the speed of an attack. Kiln could not decide how to take this before taking the notepaper from Sybermane.

The note took three readings to complete. No more than five seconds of time. The first was to read it. The second reading was to be certain the word had been read correctly, as it was written in longhand and the word might have been misread. The third was to re-read the single word note again, with the knowledge that it had been read correctly the first time. The note read,


Benedict


"I need to know what this name means, gentlemen. I mean to find out where this Benedict is, whether it is he who names himself or if the sender is another.

I spoke of rare eclipses earlier. You will receive fifty thousand such, should you locate the writer of this note or the subject of it.

That will be all for today."