The Tale Of The Seekers
It was still early morning when Bartimaeus woke from a rather restless sleep. His dreams were rarely pleasant, but the previous night had brought an unusually strong fit of terrors. Slinging his feet over the edge of the bed, he stretched his old shoulders before standing and dressed in clothes he produced from an old oak wardrobe. The room was rather small, only ten feet by eight, and its walls were a white plaster with chips and cracks all along its uneven surface. The room also possessed a muffled smell, not altogether unpleasant, like many old rooms do. It was quite far from the best room in the castle, and Bartimaeus could claim any one of them on just a whim, but it came with a nice view of the ocean through a decent sized window that let in great volumes of sunlight during the summer months that made working from the small wooden desk rather enjoyable. He couldn't explain why he liked it so much even if he was asked for the reason; it was simply his.
After checking his appearance in a square mirror on the wall, Bartimaeus left his chamber and turned left to ascend a twisting staircase that took him to the main hall. The entire estate was kept immaculate at all times for the non-existent Duke of Errion. The story that the locals in Brineholde were told was the Duke was in his twilight years, and in failing health. As such, he was never in good enough condition to make the trip to enjoy his summer home, but the servants kept it presentable under orders of the Duchess. It was comfortable living, but the Wardens rarely chose things out of comfort, opting for utility instead. The Castle had thick stone walls and was designed like a fortress built along the steep cliffs of a small peninsula. Bartimaeus had called the Hall home for nearly fifty years, but the only ones who knew this were the Warden's themselves, and the Castle's only maid, a one Ms. Mary Marigold. Ms. Marigold had been tending to the Seekers since before Bartimaeus had joined, yet she didn't look a day over 40. Ms. Marigold was a short, plump woman with a beaming personality and a will of steel. Many a green seeker quickly learned not to tread on her freshly cleaned floors less they fall in the scope of her wrath only to be coddled with a baked treat and milk after nearly being beaten to within an inch of their lives.
Crossing the marble floor of the main hall, Bartimaeus stepped into the dining hall to find a hearty breakfast waiting at his preferred seat at the head of the long table. He sat and began to eat, pulling the Codex from the special pocket he had sewn into all of his jackets and coats, he sat the leatherbound volume on the table, and began to read, turning the pages in between bites of food. The pages shimmed and glowed as the ethereal letters and magical projections shifted and danced on the pages. The colors changed and shifted from blues to greens to nearly all the other colors of the spectrum. To anyone reading over Bartimaeus' shoulder, it would have looked like a jumble of colorful symbols and designs, but to the chosen reader, it made perfect sense. The book wasn't written in any singular language, but an infinite arrangement of indecipherable tongues and glyphs. The book had chosen Bartimaeus, selected him to tell its secrets to.
"Oh, John! I wish you would get your nose out of that damned book and help me get things in order." Ms. Marigold's voice suddenly boomed from behind Bartimaeus as if she had appeared from thin air, which was not too far from the truth. She was hastily darting around the room, dusting inconsequential places no normal person would go looking for dust in.
"What is there to do, Ms. Marigold?" Bartimaeus asked with a bemused smile looking at her without raising his head from the book. "You have cleaned the entire Castle from top to bottom three times just this week in preparation for their arrival!"
"That was but one cleaning that took me three days to finish properly, and it would have gone much faster if you had lent a hand." Bartimaeus smiled a little more.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Marigold. What should I do to help get ready?"
"Don't be daft, there's nothing for you, dear. I'm almost done as it is; all that's left is some pie in the oven, but I will be dead before I let you anywhere near my kitchen." In her hurry, Ms. Marigold scooped up the unfinished plate of food and began to make her way to the kitchen leaving a still rather hungry Bartimaeus to attempt to suppress a smile at her antics.
"And don't forget!" She called as she pushed open the door to the kitchen, "They will be here in less than two hours, so don't go and get yourself wrapped up in any projects."
"I wouldn't dream of it, Ms. Marigold." He called to a closed door. He chuckled once more, and picked up the Codex, electing to relocate to the drawing room as it was a more suitable place for reading. Bartimaeus had been the Hall's only occupant aside for Ms. Marigold for what seemed to him to be a near eternity. While he looked forward to having some fresh faces around, he was still unsure how to feel about the Wardens assigning him four new Seekers without his opinion or approval. He had worked with partners and trainees in the past, but a Seeker's work is often of the dangerous variety, and the fear of losing someone he would undoubtedly become attached to was a nervous prospect.
Two hours later and a horse-drawn carriage carrying the four new Seekers wound its way up the twisting path that led to the Castle's gate. Bartimaeus and Ms. Marigold were waiting on the steps of the entry hall, Bartimaeus with his hands clasp behind his back, and the maid fussing over her apron, smoothing it constantly. The Carriage had taken them around the bay, giving them a good view of Brineholde, and the surrounding countryside; mostly cultivated farmland with some woods sparsely scattered. The road up the Castle was lined with elm trees that would otherwise leave the path fully exposed to the sunlight. The whole area had the pleasant smell of the ocean, as well as the gentle sound of the waves breaking on the rocks at the bottom of the cliffs.
The Carriage pulled up to the entry hall, and the driver stepped down to open the door which gave the four occupants a first look at their new boss.
