In Which Tiberius Provides A Way Forward
Oscar Tiberius, as described before was a large man with a very impressively long white beard and distinctly emerald green eyes. His long flowing robes of a deep midnight blue were trailing on the floor as he watched out of his office window. He could see three small figures in the grounds below talking in a most animated way and then suddenly head towards the main building, which housed, among other rooms, his office. He smiled to himself as they made haste up the pathway and then entered the portcullis to the main building. In his mind he counted down from thirty two to zero…. And as he uttered the word zero, there was a sharp rap on his door.
"Come in you three!" He said in a warm yet booming voice.
"How the hell does he do that!" exclaimed George quietly as he pushed the massive door and they entered the beautifully furnished office.
Tiberius turned and looked at the three students who had just entered with a rich warm smile and a gesture for them to be seated. They sat on the large leather sofa and immediately they felt as though they we being sucked into the soft cushions.
"So what can I do for you?" Asked Tiberius as if he didn't already know.
George then began to explain how he had come to be in possession of his map and then how the other two had done the same.
"And do you have them with you?" asked Tiberius thoughtfully.
All three took out their respective maps and put them on the table in the middle of the room. Tiberius picked up each in turn as he listened to each of the students elaborate on their situation. As he inspected each of the maps, the look of gravity on his face became deeper and deeper until finally he looked up and with a wave of his hand, silenced them.
"In 1492, in the city of Constantinople, there was an immensely powerful sorcerer named Kobe. Now, Kobe was an essentially good man with a very well developed sense of justice and righteousness. During his reign over his estate, Kobe amassed a huge number of Gemstones of all types and varieties and was often approached by stone traders from all over the known world. One particular trader, however, was somewhat less scrupulous than any of the others and in the course of a transaction he defrauded Kobe out of much of his fortune. In order to get his fortune back he had to give up a particularly prized possession. It was a sort of a marauders map…. I believe you have some experience with marauders maps?"
The three students blushed, as they recalled an incident, which had earned them a three-month period of detention, as a result of their less than discreet use of a marauders map.
The headmaster had taken his golden eagle Parsifal and sat down with him. Their affection for each other was a very apparent phenomenon.
"This map was an enchanted map with the ability to read its owners emotions and intentions. With that information, the map would endeavour to protect its owner against all perils. However with the realisation that he would have to surrender the map, Kobe enchanted the map… not for evil purposes; that was not in his nature, but to protect the map from fraudulent usage. So it came to be that if any owner wanted to ensure the protection that the map would afford, they had to prove themselves, this could only be done by the successful completion of three tasks."
"I thought that the map passed on to another owner when the danger or peril had passed , sir?" asked Jessie.
" No, not quite my dear." Replied Tiberius with a kindly smile. " The fact is that there is no documented record of any recipient of the map ever having successfully completed three tasks. But then there is no recorded occasion of the map ever having three owners either!"
"So you see, you three will now have to complete the three tasks… if you can complete them you will be bound for eternity by the map as its co owners!"