Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
As I lie awake in bed, no longer comforted by my satin covers, I stare at the ceiling fan spinning above me and wonder if the others are as restless and troubled as I am. How could anyone sleep after they’ve been told they’re in grave danger and that the whole world wants what only you can wield?
No one would, I hope.
I roll onto my side and glance at the clock on the nightstand—it’s past midnight.
My mind is far too awake, trapped in endless scenarios and weighed down by pent-up emotions, for sleep to even be a possibility.
I close my eyes, rub my tense face, and sigh in defeat, knowing this will be another sleepless night.
But this time, I decide to make good use of the extra hours I now have.
Throwing off the covers, I get dressed and head back to the library, hoping to find answers to the plethora of questions I have, and if I’m lucky, a way to break my connection to the artifacts.
When I turn on the library lights, I already know the chest and artifacts won’t be waiting for me. Grandad took on the responsibility of safeguarding them, locking them away in the hidden safe concealed within his armoire.
I collect the books I believe contain helpful information and start reading through the materials at the table. I’m not certain how much time passes by, but after reading twelve books—and barely any details on the Eudaemon legend—I know I’ve reached a stopping point.
With tired and blurry vision, I finally raise my head, stretching my stiff neck, and look out the window to see that morning sunlight is starting to peek from over the horizon and through the library window.
Defeated, I close the book splayed open in front of me and go below deck to the kitchen, make myself a cup of tea, and grab a fresh apricot while the crew prepares breakfast.
When I reach back to the library, I find there are already two people inside.
Amina and Henry are sitting at the table, looking through books and scrolls.
Amina is feverishly writing down something in her notebook, while Henry is reading aloud a passage about Pandora’s box—a story in Greek mythology about Zeus gifting Pandora a box, which, when she opens it, unleashes the true evils of sickness and disaster to mankind.
I stand under the library threshold and watch them work together, trying to find any detail that can help us figure out how to get me out of this bind.
Gratitude starts to burn inside me at the sight of two people who I now consider friends helping me without being asked to.
After I had my moment, I announce myself to them.
“Morning,” I say, managing a small smile as I step farther inside and take a seat beside Amina. “What are we looking for?”
“Anything about the Olympians or other gifts they’ve gifted to humans,” Henry says, peering up from his book. Concern briefly creases his brow before he smooths it away. “Dr. Baccar suggested we read through the older myths to see if there are any helpful pieces of information for us.”
“The Olympians never learn from their actions,” Amina says. “I have a theory that they created other powerful artifacts the same way they made the Eudaemon artifacts. If that’s true, it could help to understand how they work and how to set you free from them.”
That’s not a bad idea.
I try not to let hope take root as we delve deeper into the research, as we could still end up empty-handed. I gesture to the ancient Greek running along the base of the chest. “Were you able to translate what this means?”
Amina nods and flips back a few pages in her notebook. “It translates to: A gift to those who never ceased their devotion. Chosen wisely, our gift is not given freely, for the power of one is the power of all.”
“That certainly confirms these are the Eudaemon artifacts,” I say. “But it unfortunately doesn’t tell us how one can break free from them.”
“That it does not,” Henry agrees. “It seems we may need to rely on any historical recollections of the artifacts, and if those don’t exist, we may need to start testing out theories of our own, similarly to how we applied them into practice yesterday.”
“I do want to ask your input on something,” Amina says, sliding the three artifacts closer to me.
She lifts the amulet and turns it over, pointing to two small engravings along the edge—a lyre and a sword, barely visible unless viewed up close.
“Do you know what these may represent? I don’t have a well-versed knowledge of the Olympians. ”
I suppress the rush of giddiness at being treated as the expert, especially among the academics I’m surrounded by. And this, I do know. “These look to be signatures. The lyre is a common symbol of Apollo, while the sword is a symbol of Ares.”
“Why would Apollo and Ares leave their signatures on all the artifacts?” Henry asks.
I shrug. “I’m not quite sure, but it seems they’re more deeply connected than we realized.”
I reach for one of the books on Greek mythology and join them in the search.
As I’m reading about the abduction of Persephone, my mind keeps going back to a myth Henry was reading out loud earlier, Pandora’s Box.
Taking my eyes off the book page, I glance between him and Amina.
“From what we know about these myths, the Olympians always have some sort of ulterior motive. As an example, Zeus created Pandora’s Box out of revenge when Prometheus stole fire for humanity. ”
Henry tilts the book in his hands down to look at me. “You’re wondering what reason they created the Eudaemon artifacts for.”
I nod. “Especially since the legend says the deities gifted them in good faith to humans.” My eyes trail warily back to the artifacts. “I’m not so certain that is truly the case.”
Amina sighs. “I agree. We can’t assume that there aren’t nefarious reasons for why these exist, which is why we should proceed carefully with them.”
The library doors open, with Grandad and Dr. Alarie joining the rest of us in the library. Grandad and I look at each other. He silently asks me if I’m alright. Knowing there is no use lying to him, I shake my head curtly.
“Morning. I hope everyone was able to get some ounce of sleep last night,” Grandad says as he pours himself a cup of tea from the cart a maid wheeled in moments earlier.
“I’d be surprised if any of us could have,” Henry replies without looking up from his book.
“What should we do?” Dr. Alarie asks, settling into a chair across from Amina and me. His fingers tap against the tabletop. “We must get Clara unbonded from the artifacts as quickly as possible. Do we know how we can do that?” His gaze moves between the three of us.
“We were not able to find anything yet,” Amina says. She hesitates, then continues more carefully. “There is a chance…we don’t have access to the information we need.”
“Meaning, we will need to look outside of the S.S Charlotte to find a solution,” Henry concludes.
“I came to the same conclusion last night,” Grandad says, taking a seat on the settee and lifting his teacup.
He leans his elbow against the armrest, chin resting in his hand.
“There are three things we know with certainty as of right now. One, our expedition is now suspended indefinitely. No questions. Two, Clara needs to get back on land and into safety as soon as possible. And three, as Dr. Alarie said, we need to find a way to ensure Clara is no longer the Eudaemon.”
“How can we get her to safety when we need to go searching for answers? And where can she go if not here on this ship with us?” Dr. Alarie asks.
“I wondered about that too,” Grandad says.
He sets his teacup on the small table beside him and leans forward, elbows resting on his knees.
When he looks at me, there’s an apology in his eyes.
“I’ll reach out to Major General Fairfax—Clara’s father—to see if he can take her in at one of his bases back in England.
If he agrees, Henry, I’ll entrust you to accompany Clara and get her there safely.
Meanwhile, Dr. Alarie, Dr. Baccar, and I will spread out and travel to the major universities nearby.
If anyone were to have a record on how the Eudaemon artifacts operate, our safest bet is to dig through the archives. ”
I fight to keep my reaction from showing. There is no way I’m going to run to my father for help.
Why on earth would Grandad think this is a good idea?
I feel Henry’s gaze settle on me. He’s the only other person who knows of my history with my father and what my true feelings are.
“Do we think sending Clara into the hands of the military is a good idea?” Dr. Alarie asks.
Internally, I thank Dr. Alarie for trying to persuade Grandad to see reason. If anyone can change his mind, it’s either him or Amina.
“If our suspicions are correct,” Grandad says, “we all know how dangerous our adversaries are. All of you here are the only people I trust, and none of us can protect her from what’s out there.
The British Army is the best option we have, and we don’t have the luxury of being selective.
” His eyes lock on mine at the last sentence.
“Besides,” he continues, “they won’t be debriefed on the truth.
Only that Clara is in trouble and needs protection. We’ll come up with a cover story.”
“This may all be true,” I say, “but that does not mean we can rely on him. He may not even agree to help us. I’d be astonished if he answers to Grandad and accepts this request. There has to be another option.”
I look into Grandad’s eyes, silently pleading with him to see reason. He must be terrified if he feels this is our only option, as I know this is not something he would resort to unless we absolutely had to.
“My say isn’t the only way. If anyone has any better ideas, please feel free to speak up,” Grandad offers. But no one says a word. We’re all equally clueless about suggesting improvements to Grandad’s plan. “Are we all unanimous, then?”
Amina looks at me with soft eyes and says a quiet, “Yes.”
Henry nods.
Grandad lets out a heavy sigh and looks directly at me. “I’m sorry, dear, but this seems to be our best option.”
Knowing there is nothing else I can say, I reluctantly accept his plan with sunken shoulders. “Very well then.”
Henry clears his throat, breaking the slight unease in the room. “How much time do we have until word spreads we found the Eudaemon artifacts? Do we need to make haste right away?”
Grandad rises from the settee and joins Henry at the table. “We still don’t know who on the crew sent out that telegram, or to whom. We need to take advantage of the time we have to stay ahead by getting Clara to safety and finding a solution.”
“If we all are in agreement about this, I’ll speak with the Captain to determine where on the continent we can make these preparations.” Grandad leaves the library, and the others follow shortly after.
As I place the books neatly back into the shelves, pride warms my chest, knowing I did what others couldn’t have for thousands of years.
I, Clara Fairfax, have discovered powerful ancient Greek artifacts believed only to be a myth.
Thus, finding proof that the Olympians are real, that the goddess I’ve worshipped since I was five is real.
I discovered the impossible, the unimaginable. Me. A woman, nonetheless.
Being unable to widely announce this great discovery breaks my code of being a historian, but I must fight against what I’ve sworn to be, as there are dangerous consequences for doing so.
It’ll be a long and arduous journey until we can share this miraculous discovery, but it is a journey I’m prepared to go on—and thankfully not alone.
Relief washes through me as I remind myself of the team supporting me through this endeavor. As I finish tidying up the library, I feel less fearful of the uncertainty ahead.
For a woman who lived her whole life within the walls of a library on the outskirts of London, I am getting the adventure I’ve always dreamt of. If only I knew there was an actual deity out there listening to me, I would have been a bit more precise in what kind of adventure I was envisioning.
But I digress.
In the end, I did get what I asked for, didn’t I?