Chapter 8

Andy walked back to his room holding the box in front of him. Once back in his room, he sat down at his desk and studied the box. Rectangular, it was over a foot long, nearly ten inches wide and eight inches tall. It seemed to be built from multiple pieces of highly polished wood glued together in a block. Small stubs at the four corners of one side seemed to indicate the bottom, so Andy placed that side down on the desk. With a viewing lens he studied the wood more closely. Although most pieces were tightly glued together, there were a few spots that had the slightest gaps between. He shook the box gently and heard only the slightest movement from inside. The sound from tapping on the box gave the impression that it was not completely solid.

Fortunately, nothing in the box tapped back at him.

Andy considered his options. Burning the box might destroy anything that was inside. Likewise, trying to chop away a portion of the box with an axe might destroy or damage its contents. This was a puzzle box. Puzzles were designed to be solved, no matter how difficult the problem might be. Obviously, he thought, it must be something that isn't obvious. Closing his eyes and using only his fingers, he felt along the sides of the box. On one end he felt a slight depression in the wood so subtle that he had to go back to make sure he had felt it. Finding the spot again with his finger, he pushed and was immediately rewarded by the piece underneath sliding in about an inch, so that there was now a rectangular hole on one end and a small block sticking out of the other. The piece would move out no further but could be pushed back into place. He congratulated himself on his first breakthrough.

Andy looked up and was surprised to see that time had flown by and the outside light was beginning to dim as the sun was beginning to set. No matter, now that he knew the technique it was just a matter of trial and error until the box would give up its solution. Andy stretched, lit several candles on the desk for illumination and forced himself to eat a light snack while he stared at the box. He was feeling particularly worn out, but he gathered his strength and resolve, and sat down again to do battle with the box. He would not give up until the victory was his.

The next morning Andy awoke from a night of fitful slumber. Somehow he had made it to his bed before collapsing asleep. On the floor beside the bed was the prize for his long night with the puzzle box. Through trial and error he had determined the twelve separate steps required until the final inner chamber was revealed, and inside was a note. It read:

Florin:
By now you know we have King Humperdinck. He will be
treated well and is safe for now. Solarus is a country
that is in need of resources to expand our influence. These
needs include one dozen good horses and cattle for breeding
stock and a ship to sail them to our country. In addition
we demand a payment of 1,000 in gold for the safe return
of your king. We have a man that will visit the king of
Guilder in one week in the guise of a trader from the
south wearing a hat with a blue feather. Please give your
response to this man or leave it with the court and we
shall arrange the exchange and exact terms. Any attempt
to harm the contact will result in unfortunate circumstances
for your leader.

Shaking the cobwebs from his head, Andy splashed some water on his face and made his way to the throne room. It was much like it always was, except for its lack of a monarch sitting in the center on the throne. He wasn't even sure if he had ever been in the room very long by himself before; usually it was because he had been summoned or had something to report to the king. Andy walked over and sat on the throne. While deep in thought he reached over and grabbed a few dates and ate them. He looked at the main entrance to the throne room. Above the door was mounted a kite-shaped shield that displayed the crest of Humperdinck's family, a crest that had existed for more than 200 of the country's 500 year history. Alternating black and white diagonal stripes formed the background on the crest. Two cats, one black and one white adorned the upper left. A large question mark dominated the lower right. Andy knew from his reading that the crest symbolized the two natures of the rulers of the Katz family line. There had been good and bad leaders in the kingdom's history, probably much like other kingdoms the world over; it was more surprising that the crest advertised the fact rather than it occurred at all.

But this King had no children, and he lost his only sibling while he was young. There might be a family branch to follow further back up the family tree, but it would take some research from the court's historian, a man as dusty and dry as the tomes he managed. While he contemplated the shield he heard footsteps approaching. The door opened and in strode Tu. He paused and looked at Andy sitting on the throne with his hand resting in the date tray.

"Making ourselves at home are we?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. Tu probably would have smiled if his face was capable of the expression, but it was set in its ways and was not willing to try anything new.

"No, just thinking. Any news of the King?"

"Nothing new. Our lookouts report nothing. The city seems to be operating as normal, although vague rumors are starting to spread that something has happened. However, people so rarely see the King they probably won't miss him for a bit. Did you manage to get any clues from that box?"

"Not just clues, an answer of sorts." He handed the paper to Tu, who waved it off. "I can't read" he explained.

Andy read the note to Tu, who afterward stood without talking as he considered the consequences. When Tu failed to make any comments after a minute or two, Andy spoke. "Whatever we choose to do, we had better decide and act quickly and decisively for the good of the country."

"Yes," replied Tu with a stern look on his face "I believe you're right." That's why I've already made plans, he thought to himself.

"Don't worry Grandpa, they sit down" said the Grandson.

"Who sits down?" asked the Grandfather, a little confused.

"Humperdinck's guards on the ship. They get to sit down in chairs while the ship was on its way. I thought you might have been concerned about them."

"I wasn't; I forgot about them actually. If a character doesn't have a name they can't be too important."

"ALL the time?" asked the Grandson.

"MOST of the time" answered the Grandfather.