Lost Language

It had been a terrible mistake to come here.

Todd sat on a log next to the trail and surveyed the forest. It had taken hours to reach the northern Allegheny Forest of Pennsylvania from Washington D.C. He should have used this time to work on diplomatic relations, with the whole world on the brink of war.

“Regrets?” Samantha said next to him.

“Not yet,” he replied. “But the day is young.”

The leafy canopy created a blanket of mottled shadows on the dense green floor of the forest. The air was fresh and fragrant—a far cry from the stuffy offices of the senate building. It was a setting for a perfect hike. But it also smelled like a trap. 

This had started because of a photograph of what looked like a stone tablet with ancient writing. It came through private courier to his home. If anyone else had seen it they would have guessed it was Egyptian hieroglyphs. Todd had a passion for archaeology, and he recognized the writing. The language that no one could translate. 

There were maybe a thousand people who knew about it and possibly twenty people who had studied it. 

“Security is in position.” Samantha said quietly. 

They sat in silence for a few long moments.

“I'm looking forward to seeing it in person.” Todd stated.

“Did this guy give you a good reason for this clandestine meeting? You could have met in your office.”

Todd pursed his lips and nodded. It would have made a lot more sense for him to have them come to his office where he was surrounded by police and security. But, he'd been asked not to tell anyone. Why? Because this person inferred they were made from pure gold. The metal itself was worth millions, but if they really were ancient records, they'd be worth more than that. A lot more.

He couldn't count the number of groups that would kill for something like that. Working in politics had taught him that much. Truth was, he'd taken this trip as a distraction from the stress of politics.

The forest had fallen silent at their arrival, but the birds were slowly resuming chirping and whistling.

Despite the secrecy and location of the meeting, Samantha had demonstrated nerves of steel. Todd was glad he'd hired her.

An elk appeared from behind a massive pine tree and dipped its head to pull up some grass.  

Todd was wishing he could sit and watch it all day it when Samatha gave a little gasp and swore.

The elk jerked its head towards possible danger. Following its gaze, Todd saw three men had appeared, thirty feet away, sitting on another log. 

They looked young, mid to late twenties, which immediately concerned him. He was expecting an older gentleman—someone who had spent their life researching languages. They wore blue L.L. Bean jackets, wool slacks, and the one in the middle wore a gray beanie that rose off his head like a top hat. The others had white beanies. They had their hands clasped on their laps and regarded him with piercing blues eyes. 

Stephanie began muttering something to the team and Todd grabbed her arm. 

“We're fine.” He stated

“They slipped past our security detail!” She hissed.

The man with the gray beanie lifted a thin leather satchel off his lap and gestured with it to him.

Todd rose from the log and began walking towards them. 

“Senator, we need our team with us!” Stephanie insisted.

“If they wanted me dead, I'd already be face down in the dirt.” 

The three men rose as he walked up to them, with Stephanie in tow. 

“Senator. I greet you and commend you for trusting me. I'm Meieli.”

“Definitely German, that accent.” Stephanie whispered.

Meieli gave a quick smile. 

“I'm sorry, my English is not so good. But we're not here for that. You wanted to see these.”

He extended his arms out, offering the bag. Todd took it from him and nearly dropped them from the weight.

Holding it firmly, and recovering from his embarrassment, he looked at the bag. He knew the gold tablets were inside and twisted the clasp open. He slid one out and handed the bag to Samantha, who was holding her breath. 

His hands trembled as he gripped the tablet and scanned the symbols. He brushed his fingers over them, feeling the edges of the carved letters. He took out a jeweler's loupe and examined them closely. He found the edges of each letter, with clean carve lines. He eyed them carefully. They had all the signs of being hand carved—not cut by a Dremel or cast from a mold. 

Not wanting to believe he was holding something authentic, he examined the other two, scrutinizing every detail. 

“I...I'm at a loss for words.” Todd began. “Where did you find them?”

“They are thousands of years old, senator. What further proof do you need?”

“People are going to ask questions. Where did you get them?”

Meieli regarded him coldly for a moment, hands clasped in front of him.

“It gives a prophesy.”

“Wait. You're telling me you can read this?”

“Yes,” Meieli stated. “I should be able to read Elvish.”

Concern swept over Todd, followed by disbelief. He'd been tricked.

“I see in your face you don't believe—”

“Samantha, let's go,” Todd hastily returned the plates.

Meieli seized his left arm with a steely grip.

Todd saw the intensity in his eyes. 

“Security! Mayday!” Samantha cried.

“Senator, please.” Meieli's tone was determined. “We're here to help.”

“You're insane. Cosplay lunatic—let me go!”

Meieli removed his gray beanie. Atop his head was a small glowing woman with wings. 

She drifted down to land on Todd's hand. He felt the weight of her small form and the brush of fabric from her dress. 

Todd glanced up at Meieli and did a double take. 

Long, blonde hair fell past his shoulders, and pointed ears stuck out to the side. 

“Tiera is a fairy.” Meieli said. “Your government's potential world war will wipe out all life. That is why we came out of hiding.”