Ring of Eluned

My name is Max, I’m what you can call a procurer of rare and hard to come by items. I deal in most circles but the one I’ve found the most lucrative is also the most dangerous. Now, I know what you’re thinking, art collecting and dealing, but you would be wrong. It’s the collection and trade of magical items, and not those fake hocus pocus ones you see those dime a dozen fortune tellers using on the main boulevards. You know those ones that suck in tourists, lost souls, hopefuls or even those doing it for a fun time. I’m talking about real magical items, the ones that can affect people and change the environment. I never know what intent the users have for these objects because I never ask any more for two reasons; the first is that asking questions can, and have, led to hostile situations, and two, somewhere down this road I just stopped caring. I suppose the second reason came before the first, but the first reason was the most unpleasant, after all I’m just trying to live in this world as low key as I can these days. Human lives are so short, and I just can’t get involved anymore. When you have lived since the 13^th century, you find it hard to stay attached to anyone. They have a tendency to die on me. No, I’m not a vampire or anything like that, although the vampire fad seems to be rather popular now. I’m just some poor bastard that got into a bad situation with a job, and it resulted in my body being cursed. Sometimes this curse turned to my favour, especially in my line of work. It’s not always pretty, and I deal with some rough people, but I also deal with some good people, and some who don’t exactly know what they’re getting into; like this kid I’m meeting tonight. His name is Julian, he’s only around twenty-two and usually doesn’t have items worth my time. A friend put him in contact with me, but we have only used text and have never met face to face. The other day he sends me a text and picture about a magical ring that makes people invisible. Only a handful of these rings truly exist, most are fabrications, but business has been slow, and I’m interested enough. The image of the ring was grainy but there was something about it that caught my curiosity. This one might just be worth me taking a further look at it.

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               It was late at night, around eleven, by the time Max left his downtown apartment in Montreal. He was going to meet Julian at a small park just across from the Science Centre in the Old Port. It was just off the promenade and discreet enough without anything looking too suspicious. Max preferred the Old Port, it still held jewels from the past that he sometimes missed. He had first come to Canada when it was just starting to be settled, and he could still remember when Montreal was just a small fur trading settlement. He did not often stay for long periods in those days, but he would visit it as often as he could for pleasure. Most of his business travels took him across the continents of Asia and Europe and by this point he had seen most everything. As the ages passed on and what was to be known as Canada was further settled, he found himself being able to stay longer. He discovered customers, usually investors in land and trade, that had need of his services. Eventually Max found himself properly settled here, and though he had homes in various locations, he would stay in Montreal most often. It held the old-world charm of his past that he missed, one that he found difficult to find anywhere else.

               He walked through the cobblestone streets and breathed in the night air. It was crisp tonight; the feeling of autumn was present, but he could see that some people refused to accept it; a man walking by in sandals, a group of women in skirts or shorts. Max thought that perhaps he would return to British Columbia for this winter, he had some possible business he could do there. He weaved through a pack of revelers as he made it to De la Commune and turned towards the Science Centre. He could do without all these crowds, sometimes they were just too noisy and ruined the atmosphere for him.

               Walking across the street he made his way to the half-lit park and took a seat on a bench that was off the beaten path. Only a few people were around here, and he did not see Julian yet. Max preferred getting to a meeting first, that way he could play the observer, an approach he had learned to be useful over his long life. He could see a couple of young love birds taking in the night, there was a young man listening to, and a few strollers on the promenade. Max let out a noise that sounded like a mix of surprise and a chuckle as he watched a jogger go by, bedecked with orange blinkers on his arms and reflectors on his back. None of these strangers were Julian, and even though they had never met face to face before, Max knew what he would look like; he always did his research on people.

               It was another ten minutes before Max saw Julian enter the park. He observed Julian for a few minutes, his brown hair was a slight mess and he carried his school bag close to him over one shoulder, his hand clutching the straps tightly. He looked like he was trying to play calm, but Max could see the anxiety in the young man’s eyes. Julian exuded unease and Max decided that he had to get his attention before anyone began to get curious.

               When Julian noticed Max, he strode over to him. “Are you Max?” His voice held a twinge of excitement.

               “I am. It is good to meet you Julian, and not over text.” Max held out his hand for Julian to shake and when he did Max gripped the young man’s hand and held tight. “I do hope that you have something interesting.” He released Julian’s hand and sat down calmly.

               “I hope so…” Julian was slower to sit and to take the bag off his shoulder. He started to unzip it, “I got this from a woman during my trip in Ireland. She said that it was a magical artifact passed from generation to generation. It came from England. She says it was created somewhere in the 300’s.”

               “And why would she sell it to you?” Max had his legs and arms crossed, his own personal excitement melting away. Whenever Julian had contacted him in the past it had always led to disappointment, why should this time be any different.

               “Money. Times are tough for everyone again, like it was for my grandparents. I had the money to buy it off of her and I paid her a very good price for this.” Julian pulled out a small but ornate wooden box. Its age was visible but still the box looked as if it had been taken care of over the years. Julian hesitated in handing it over, “I tested it out myself. It’s the real thing.”

               Max raised an eyebrow as he took the presented box. The moment he held the box he could feel a vibration of energy coming off it. He examined the box a bit further, noticing that the hinges on the back must be fairly new, but the carving showed its age. The designs were from the early fourth century and were dominated by what would be considered pagan images. The lacquer on the wood made it smooth and it looked like it had been recently polished. He opened the top and saw a small ring nestled in a bed of velvet. Max schooled his features into one of indifference. He had found this to be very useful in his line of work and had learned it early on. Inside however he was full of awe and disbelief. The ring was a simple band of silver, but sitting within it was a black stone, a piece of carefully smoothed obsidian. Max took it out to confirm his thought, the etchings along the inside of the band was written in script from a long dead language. Even Max found it difficult to understand all of it, it was a language dead before he was even born. To anyone else this would look like a common ring, but if Max was right then what he had in his possession was a very ancient ring. A ring from legends that he enjoyed hearing and reading about but left them as just that, legends.

Looking around them he made sure that no one was paying them any mind and found that in fact many of the people had dispersed. “Wear it and cover the stone with your hand.” It was an order. Max needed to make sure this was what he thought it was or else he would not buy it.

Julian took the ring from Max and did as instructed. The moment that Julian covered the stone he became invisible. He became visible again when he uncovered the stone before slipping the ring off. “So, what do you think? It’s the real deal, like I said.”

Max took the ring and gave it another once over before placing it back into its box. He kept the box in his grasp, still in disbelief that something like this should emerge from the vestiges of legend and into his reality. He had witnessed many magical artifacts, but he had never come across ones that even he thought were just pure myth. Yet here, in his hand, in an old unassuming wooden box, was the Ring of Eluned; a ring of invisibility. A ring that was said to have been worn by great sorcerers, even by Merlin himself.

“How much?”

“17,000.”

Max was silent, he knew that Julian was underpricing his item substantially simply from a lack of experience. Max figured this would be a learning experience for him and counted his lucky stars. “Done.” Julian could have asked him for half a million and Max would have still paid for it.

“Alright.” Julian’s surprise almost made Max laugh. He guessed that Julian truly was not expecting Max to agree so easily. Usually their encounters over text or email ended in a verbal rebuff from him. Generally Max preferred to conduct business physically, it was how it had always been done, but when dealing with the newer generations he had learned how to adapt to their ways. When Julian sent him a message saying he had a magical ring that could make him invisible, Max figured it was most likely an everyday ring enchanted with a short-lived spell but figured it was interesting enough for a face to face meeting. He never imagined that Julian would be carrying around the Ring of Eluned and he doubted the young man even knew what the ring’s origin was and how very precious it was to many circles of interest. “So…what happens now? How do you pay me?”

Max smirked a bit as he turned the box around in his hand. “You can either receive one lump sum in your bank account or by installments. Although I would suggest installments of small amounts. This way the bank is not alerted to any suspicious activity. Or we can do one exchange of seventeen thousand by cash and you can take care of depositing it as you will.”

Julian nodded slowly. “Yeah.” Max stared at the young man while he mulled it over. He already knew that Julian was going to go the cash route, which was fine by him. He doubted Julian trusted to be paid in full through small installments, this was something that required trust. Besides doing it in cash was less of a hassle in the future for Max too. “Yeah, I think I’ll go with cash. I kind of need it.”

“Very well.” Max handed the box back to Julian. “I’ll meet you here again tomorrow night, same time. Bring the box with the ring and I will have the cash waiting for you.”

Julian put the box back into his bag very carefully before making his departure. Max watched Julian leave before going back to his apartment and making the necessary arrangements for tomorrow. He pulled out cash reserves he kept in the apartment, he never fully trusted the banks, a reasonable opinion in his mind. Tomorrow he would have a fabled ring, a priceless piece of myth and history.

The next day was filled with withdrawals from various bank accounts and in the end, Max was ready for his meeting with Julian. He made sure that evening he was the first one again to the meeting point and he waited for the young man. The night was warmer, and it brought more people out with it, something that Max did not like very much. He saw Julian peel away from the crowd and enter the park, making a beeline straight for Max. He carried a nondescript bag that held the wooden box.

Julian sat beside Max on the bench and handed the bag over to him. Max took it and pulled out the wooden box, inspecting it and then taking the ring out. He could not test the ring again, there were too many people around this time, but he doubted Julian could pull off a switch. He would test it out later and if it was a switch then he knew where to find the young man. The etchings looked the same, the ring and obsidian piece were the same shape. This would make a very nice piece for his personal collection indeed.

“Your reward.” Max slid over a zip bag. Julian opened a part of it and saw the bills inside, and his eyes widened. Max doubted the kid ever saw what he might consider to be a lot of cash at his disposal all at once. “It is all there. Our business is completed. Thank you, Julian.” Max shook Julian’s hand before standing up and departing.

Max slid the box into the inside pocket of his jacket. A feeling of inspiration and glee washed over him, a rare combination he hardly felt anymore. He had been in this business for a very long time and had come across plenty of amazing artifacts, but never anything like this, an item that even filled him with disbelief. He knew he now held something extremely valuable and priceless and if artifacts like this existed then what other legendary artifacts existed that he had banished to the shrouds of myth. He had to find out, and perhaps this was a new project he could investigate further.