Page 33 of The Misplaced Warrior

Gen nodded. “It reminds me of Sir Thomas Malory’s ‘Le Morte d’Arthur,’ although this is different.”

“You mean, the Arthurian legend?” he asked.

“Yes,” she replied. “And in it, similarly, he says, ‘Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil, is rightwise king born of all England.’”

“Good memory,” he commended. “So in this rendition, he’s stated that it’s in a castle and high on a hill.”

“So maybe the place we’re looking for the sword resembles this,” Gen added, her mind reeling with ideas.

“Yes, I think so,” Jack said in a rush. “We need more though.” He snapped excitedly at the bookworm. Then he smiled apologetically. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you. But can we get the next clue?”

“Indeed,” the bookworm replied. “It is, ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. In the age of wisdom, in the age of foolishness. The spring of hope, the winter of despair. The path to light, lies within the darkest lair.’”

Gen deflated after hearing this confusing message. “I don’t know that one.”

“No, you wouldn’t,” Jack replied. “It’s A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.”

“Well, what does it mean?” Gen asked and then added, “Especially in the context of finding this sword in a high, lone tower in this place?”

“I’m not a literature major, but I think that particular phrase was about duality,” Jack explained. “It highlights both hope and despair, knowledge and stupidity. Maybe he’s saying that we need to find a place that is distinct in the library like a castle high on a hill, but has a dual nature—like a dichotomy.”

“Okay, I think that works for now.” Gen glanced down at the wiggling bookworm that was as attentive as ever. “What’s the final clue?”

“Here it is, faithful seekers,” he sang. “In the pages of forgotten lore, amidst the bytes and digital core, a weapon of power, awaits the seeker, ready to decode.”

If Gen was slightly confused before, she was absolutely baffled now. “What does that mean?”

Jack tapped the sides of his head with his finger, like the drumming helped him think better. And by the look buzzing in his eyes, he was on the verge of a breakthrough. “Could it be…”

“Be what?” Gen asked, hoping to pull an answer out of him.

He continued drumming, his eyes shifting from his racing thoughts. “It’s just that… Well, could the ivory tower be like a place of great abundance, holding treasures. And then the duality in a library, well, it could mean old meets new. But there’s the last part. The decoding makes me think it’s…”

Jack leaned down low, staring intently at the bookworm. “Is there a computer room in this library?”

“Of course,” the little creature answered, nodding ahead to the long aisle. Through the corridor of books, sitting on the far wall, like it had been there all along, although Gen thought that was unlikely, there was a solitary door.

She stared at it for a moment and then shot her gaze to Jack. “You think that Akio’s sword is in a computer room?”

He pulled his gaze away from the lone door. “It makes sense. It’s separate, like a high castle, it’s a duality in this place of books and it would have things to decode, like computer programming.”

Gen nodded, thinking that she had to take his word for it. She held her hand out to him. “Well, then, I’ll follow your lead.”

He took off, then paused, looking over his shoulder. “And I’ll lead you to greatness, hoping that you’ll always follow.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

FROM ONE HERO TO ANOTHER

Library, House of Fourteen, Santa Monica, California, United States

Dutifully, Gen strode behind Jack, following him to the place he so confidently thought that the sword was located. He paused at the door, pressing his ear to the surface as he placed his fingers on the handle. Giving her a look of uncertainty, he shook his head. Then he blew out a breath and pushed the door open.

In the next room was what Gen would have expected to find in a computer room—rows and rows of computers. But there was something strange about the space when she entered, at Jack’s back. For one, it was absolutely freezing. Like her breath actually misted in the air and she felt something akin to ice crystals forming on her bare arms.

She glanced at Jack, a look on her face that said, “What’s wrong or is this normal?”

He narrowed his eyes, unnerved by this. Then he stepped forward and held up his hands as if in surrender. “My name is Jack Lane. I’m a first-generation dragonrider, from a no-name family of magicians. I seek the sword of a warrior from the very best so that I can fight on the side of justice. As a Rogue Rider, I only want to help to use the criminal world to keep the worst at bay. I seek Rakurai. If deemed worthy, would the one who possesses it please hand it over?”

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