6 min read
The First Step
May 15, 2020
The past few weeks at the Rothmore estate had been tense. Ever since Ryder had stumbled upon the mysterious note in the gazebo, his mind had been a whirlwind of questions and possibilities. He read the note repeatedly, hoping to decipher its message despite the water-damage. The words were cryptic, and the gaps where the ink had run only deepened the mystery. He had enough of unanswered questions; it was time to speak directly to Reuben. Awkwardness be damned — he needed answers.
Floating out to the Mystic Herb, Ryder knew he would find Reuben busy with the shop. Entering through the back door, he noticed Giselle sitting at her desk in the office.
“Hey, Ryder,” Giselle greeted with a smile, spinning around in her chair to face him. “It’s been a while! Where’ve you been hiding?”
“Greetings, Giselle,” Ryder replied with a polite nod and a faint smile. “Just around the house,” he said quickly, avoiding further questions. “Is Reuben in?”
Giselle nodded and gestured toward the shop. “He’s with a customer right now, but it looks like they’re wrapping up.”
“Perfect timing,” Ryder said, his smile widening slightly as he floated into the main shop.
The Mystic Herb looked freshly stocked, with shelves full of herbal remedies, trinkets, and magical items. As Ryder entered, the soft toll of the entrance bell signaled the customer’s departure.
“Oh, Ryder,” Reuben called out, turning to see him. “Hey! What brings you here? Everything alright?”
“Yes, everything is fine,” Ryder began, hesitating for a moment. The lingering embarrassment between them after the earlier incident still weighed on his mind, but he pushed through it. “Actually, I wanted to ask you about something. A couple of weeks ago, Renard and I were practicing magic near the gazebo, and a stray water bolt ricocheted off my ward, cutting through the ceiling. While inspecting the damage, I found this note that had been dislodged,” Ryder pulled out the damaged letter, carefully unwrapping it. “The note was damaged by the water bolt, and I haven’t been able to make sense of it. Do you know anything about this?”
Reuben’s initial tension melted into relief — it wasn’t the conversation he had feared. Taking the note, he examined it closely, frowning at the washed-out words. After a moment, his eyes widened. “This was in the gazebo?” he exclaimed, rushing into the office with Ryder following close behind.
“Yes,” Ryder confirmed, “tucked away in the roof. Do you recognize it?”
Reuben began rifling through his desk, mumbling under his breath as Giselle looked up from her work. “Everything okay?” she asked, concerned.
“Yep, just trying to find…aha!” Reuben held up an envelope triumphantly. Turning to Ryder, he handed it over. “This letter was left on the old counter in the shop when I first moved in. I never could make sense of it, so I kept it in case it ever meant something. Honestly, I forgot about it until now.”
Ryder’s curiosity deepened as he carefully unwrapped the envelope and pulled out the letter. There was a clear letter “R” written on the folded page. The writing was clear and intact, unlike the one he’d found in the gazebo. Reading through it, he quickly realized the first and final parts matched the previous note; but the middle segment held entirely new information.
Floating out to the Mystic Herb, Ryder knew he would find Reuben busy with the shop. Entering through the back door, he noticed Giselle sitting at her desk in the office.
“Hey, Ryder,” Giselle greeted with a smile, spinning around in her chair to face him. “It’s been a while! Where’ve you been hiding?”
“Greetings, Giselle,” Ryder replied with a polite nod and a faint smile. “Just around the house,” he said quickly, avoiding further questions. “Is Reuben in?”
Giselle nodded and gestured toward the shop. “He’s with a customer right now, but it looks like they’re wrapping up.”
“Perfect timing,” Ryder said, his smile widening slightly as he floated into the main shop.
The Mystic Herb looked freshly stocked, with shelves full of herbal remedies, trinkets, and magical items. As Ryder entered, the soft toll of the entrance bell signaled the customer’s departure.
“Oh, Ryder,” Reuben called out, turning to see him. “Hey! What brings you here? Everything alright?”
“Yes, everything is fine,” Ryder began, hesitating for a moment. The lingering embarrassment between them after the earlier incident still weighed on his mind, but he pushed through it. “Actually, I wanted to ask you about something. A couple of weeks ago, Renard and I were practicing magic near the gazebo, and a stray water bolt ricocheted off my ward, cutting through the ceiling. While inspecting the damage, I found this note that had been dislodged,” Ryder pulled out the damaged letter, carefully unwrapping it. “The note was damaged by the water bolt, and I haven’t been able to make sense of it. Do you know anything about this?”
Reuben’s initial tension melted into relief — it wasn’t the conversation he had feared. Taking the note, he examined it closely, frowning at the washed-out words. After a moment, his eyes widened. “This was in the gazebo?” he exclaimed, rushing into the office with Ryder following close behind.
“Yes,” Ryder confirmed, “tucked away in the roof. Do you recognize it?”
Reuben began rifling through his desk, mumbling under his breath as Giselle looked up from her work. “Everything okay?” she asked, concerned.
“Yep, just trying to find…aha!” Reuben held up an envelope triumphantly. Turning to Ryder, he handed it over. “This letter was left on the old counter in the shop when I first moved in. I never could make sense of it, so I kept it in case it ever meant something. Honestly, I forgot about it until now.”
Ryder’s curiosity deepened as he carefully unwrapped the envelope and pulled out the letter. There was a clear letter “R” written on the folded page. The writing was clear and intact, unlike the one he’d found in the gazebo. Reading through it, he quickly realized the first and final parts matched the previous note; but the middle segment held entirely new information.
Follow these instructions and you won’t regret,
The prize at the end is not one to forget.
A treasure of power, veiled in disguise,
Hidden in shadows, the truth therein lies.
The first step awaits where sunlight streams,
Through the roof of a shelter, shaped from dreams.
Beneath its beams, where whispers are sworn,
A magical parchment lies hidden, its edges worn.
Each clue is a thread in this mystical weave,
Follow the whispers, let yourself believe.
The path won’t be easy, the veil won’t relent,
But the arcana revealed is worth the descent.
“What do you know about the previous owner?” Ryder asked, looking up at Reuben.
Reuben leaned back against the desk, arms crossed as he thought. “Not much, unfortunately. She was an older woman who lived here alone and used this building as her workshop. That’s what inspired me to turn it into the Mystic Herb. The place was in bad shape when I moved in — overgrown and outdated — but I saw potential. I do remember she was…eccentric. She once told me this land would yield many benefits and that I was meant to find it. At the time, I thought she was just being cryptic. But now…” He trailed off, glancing at the letters. “I wonder what this treasure is.”
Ryder reread both letters, his focus on the damaged lines. “I wonder too,” he murmured, trying to decipher the smudged words. The middle section of the gazebo note clearly contained the next clue, but the missing letters made it nearly impossible to read.
Intrigued, Giselle spoke up. “May I take a look?” Ryder handed her both letters, and she studied them intently, her brows furrowed in concentration. “It’s a riddle, isn’t it?” she asked, her voice tinged with excitement. “The first line says something like ‘hidden in plain sight, my secrets stay’ or…maybe it’s ‘slay.’ That’s cryptic.”
Ryder nodded. “The first line makes sense, but the rest is puzzling. The last word of the second line seems to be ‘day,’ and the third line ends with ‘unknown’; but that is all I have managed to decipher.”
Giselle shrugged, handing the letters back. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out. You’re good at this kind of thing.”
As the shop bell rang again, Reuben excused himself to greet a customer. Ryder floated back to the estate, both letters tucked safely in his satchel. He had more research to do — and perhaps the start of a treasure hunt to unravel.
Reuben leaned back against the desk, arms crossed as he thought. “Not much, unfortunately. She was an older woman who lived here alone and used this building as her workshop. That’s what inspired me to turn it into the Mystic Herb. The place was in bad shape when I moved in — overgrown and outdated — but I saw potential. I do remember she was…eccentric. She once told me this land would yield many benefits and that I was meant to find it. At the time, I thought she was just being cryptic. But now…” He trailed off, glancing at the letters. “I wonder what this treasure is.”
Ryder reread both letters, his focus on the damaged lines. “I wonder too,” he murmured, trying to decipher the smudged words. The middle section of the gazebo note clearly contained the next clue, but the missing letters made it nearly impossible to read.
Intrigued, Giselle spoke up. “May I take a look?” Ryder handed her both letters, and she studied them intently, her brows furrowed in concentration. “It’s a riddle, isn’t it?” she asked, her voice tinged with excitement. “The first line says something like ‘hidden in plain sight, my secrets stay’ or…maybe it’s ‘slay.’ That’s cryptic.”
Ryder nodded. “The first line makes sense, but the rest is puzzling. The last word of the second line seems to be ‘day,’ and the third line ends with ‘unknown’; but that is all I have managed to decipher.”
Giselle shrugged, handing the letters back. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out. You’re good at this kind of thing.”
As the shop bell rang again, Reuben excused himself to greet a customer. Ryder floated back to the estate, both letters tucked safely in his satchel. He had more research to do — and perhaps the start of a treasure hunt to unravel.