The Dead Tree scrolls

Chapter 3

The older gentleman lay down his book and rubbed his weary eyes. He rested his tired back again the hard chair he was sitting in and took in a deep breath of air from the candlelit room he occupied. It was early morning…….very early! The new days sunrays were not even close to showing themselves upon the spiral peaks of the Bathgate Abbey’s towering temples.

Shepherd Derrial Book had been at the monastery for years now, but it was only within the past few days that he’d become aware of a feeling of his stay coming to an end. There came a light knock at the door to the Shepherd’s quarters.

“ Enter please.” His attention going to the only entrance into the small room. “ Ah….Bishop Michaels, what keeps you up so late and brings you here at such an hour? Not that the visit isn’t welcome, just unexpected.”

“ Well my dear Book,” The holy man went to answer his question. “It isn’t late, but early. I have taken my rest for hours and am only now waking to welcome in a new and blessed day. You my friend, on the other hand, have been the one who’s remained up all night. Just as you’ve done for many nights in a row. Is there something bothering you? I’m hear to listen if you’re willing to say.”

“ Nothing to speak of padre really. Just a feeling that I will be starting a journey soon. One that will take me way from the Abbey……..my friends…….and my garden.” He smiled.

The older man also grinned.

“ I guess that time would be tomorrow.” The Bishop’s words caught the Shepherd by surprise.

“ I must be honest with you my brother. Some years ago, during the great conflict I received correspondence from a fellow monk that told of a brother soon to come to the Abbey. A military man the message said. That this brother had a journey, a duty to perform. A special plan written in the scrolls. I was to instruct and teach this man in the ways of the temple, and that, at some appointed time in the future he would be pressed with the notion of beginning a journey……out there,” The padre made a wave of his hand demonstrating as if his meaning were beyond the Abbey walls.

He continued, “That journey would begin this year, this month, and now I see that it has come down to this day. I do not know what the heavens may hold in store for you my friend, but it is something bigger than we can even speculate. Something bigger than these temple walls. I have this for you and was going to give it to you on the morrow, at daybreak. But being that your light was on I decided to make it sooner.”

With this the padre reached into his rode and pulled out an envelop. Unmarked and unposted the package was in a plain brown wrapper and sealed with old military bonding tape. The same kind of tape that was used by the special forces of the Alliance in the construction of spot demolition. Book and his comrades of old has used tape like that many times. He considered the package must be from one of them.

With this the Bishop excused himself and Shepherd Book rushed to reveal the secret contained within the package. He retrieved a letter, it read.

“ My brother, I hope that you will receive this notice at the appropriate time. Your second, and more important journey is to begin soon. You are to leave the Abbey and set out among the stars. There is a soul that is in need of your protection, and others that need your guidance. Seek them out. Enclose is a picture of a person who’s acquaintance you will soon make. This person provides the first step and will see to it that without much trouble, you will obtain passage for your journey.”

With this the shepherd removed a printed image that was contained within the package. A girl, with a beautiful smile. There was no name and no identification, just the image. She seemed to be of the working class. Her cloths a bit dirty and grease soiled. Shepherd slipped the image into his pocket, then read on.

“ You can find this person at the Persephone landing docks. It not today, then soon. I am in contact with people that know she is coming, I can not tell you much more than that, or any more about your mission. Only that it is very important. Now, with almost unbearable regret I must tell you, Bishop Josh Henley has been killed……”

Shepherd Book nearly dropped to his knees at the news.

“……….. yes, it was a cruel death and I will not go into details, only suffice to say that he was captured and tortured. He did not divulge any information, but before the tragedy he alerted me to position of his portion of the Sacred Scrolls. There are now two in my possession with you only knowing about the third. Take cake my good friend and be safe…………… Your devoted brother in faith RCD.

PS: The girl at the landing docks loves strawberries!”

Shepherd Book folded the letter and inserted it into his pocket along with the image of the girl.

“ Reverend Case Dempsey,” He whispered, “ Good to hear from you my friend. I will gather my things and begin as soon as possible.”

Blain Darwin Serling, aka Shepherd Darrel Book thought about his brother in arms for a period of time. Harlin Jacob Buck had been a brother who’s friendship had been forged in fire. A bond created when people stare death in the face together. Is there a stronger one? It must be unknown to the Shepherd. The Preacher recounted years ago when three men made a commitment to one another on a hilltop. A loyalty to death. Now one had honored that commitment. The Shepherd felt he could do no less, and he knew that Dempsey would do the same. They had changed their identities and become holy men, all of them. Just as the monk had foreseen on that hill so long ago. They had taken their initials and reversed them. Creating a whole new persona. Blain Darwin Serling had become Shepherd Derrial Book. Dewayne Cole Rogers….Reverend Case Dempsey, and Harlin Jacob Buck….Bishop Josh Henley. They had set a task of deciphering the scrolls. Some headway had been made but there was more left unlearned.

Book gather himself and looked for a small container he could bring with him. A container that he would bring to his garden and store strawberries in. Then he would return to his room and seek a few moments of rest before rising in the sunlit day and heading out for Persephone’s landing docks.

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Morning time at Persephone’s landing docks:

A darkly dressed older gentleman walks among the hustle and bustle of a busy marketplace. A place filled with the rich, the down trodden, the masters, the slaves, the old and the young. His eyes bounced from here to there. Alert, yet at ease at the same time

“ Looking for a ride grandpa?” A man had approached him, “ We’re hitting the outer rings and Brutus here, best ship in the verse. Whats say grandpa you need a ri…..?”

“ I never married.”

“ What?”

“ I’m not a grandpa.”

The gentleman moved on. He wasn’t exactly sure what he was looking for, but he did have a pretty clear notion of what he wasn’t.

A few steps more and he heard the call of a cheery voice.

“ You’re gonna come with us…..”

He looked over to see a young woman sitting, twirling an umbrella. Could this be the girl? The one in the picture? He approach her slowly with a deceptive innocence.

“ Pardon?”

“ You like ships. You don’t seem to care about the destinations. What you care about are ships, and mine‘s the nicest!”

“ She don’t look like much.”

“ Well, she’ll fool ya. Why don’t you care where you’re goin?“

“ Because getting there is the worthier part.”

“Ever sail on a Firefly?”

“ Long before you were born. Didn’t have the extenders though, tended to shake.”

“ Well I’m Kaylee and this here’s Serenity and she’s the smoothest ride this side of Boros for of them that can pay. You can pay can‘t you?”

The holy man paused. A Shepherd’s life, though spiritual, was not for any soul that wished to one day reside on Bellerophon. he didn’t have a wealth of money but he did have a trump card. The Shepherd smile and reached into his bag.

“ Well, I do have a little cash and……….”

End part 3