The chamber under the dome was most often empty, but every day for the past week it had seen a flurry of activity. Again, this morning, the frail robed figure stood in the archway, leaning on an ornate wooden staff. Every day his brow seemed to become more deeply creased, and the dark, sagging circles beneath his eyes grew larger.

Behind the aged man, his companions filtered into the chamber. Half the seats that circled the large oval table before them still stood vacant, but even so, angry voices filled the room.

"What are you thinking!?" bellowed a voice, "It's obviously been put through some kind of decryption!"

"That's ENcryption, you dolt!" came the reply in a shrill voice. "And no, it hasn't."

"Five, six, two!" the first voice argued, "translates, obviously, to meridian…"

"Really? Well if everything is so obvious, then what, praytell, is the solution?"

The man in the archway sighed and closed his eyes. More men, all at least as frail as he and nearly as aged, poured into the room.

"The white crow only flies on Tuesdays", a short bald man stated. "We know that much at least, let's carry on from there."

"No, no, no," another interrupted, "The secret is in the number! It must be!" He pointed to one of many scraps of parchment spread unevenly across the table. "If this number represents any information it should be of use to us."

"Where did this number come from?" asked a pale shell of a man in a blue robe. "Was it with the other items or off by itself somewhere?"

"No way of knowing," came the answer from across the room. "Jeric won't even so much as hint at where he and his mob of miscreants found any of this. Probably some elaborate hoax, I'm guessing." The speaker scowled and grumbled, "Were it not for his influence with the crown we wouldn't be sequestered in our own tower chasing this ridiculous riddle." Several of the men nodded in agreement.

"But allow me to point something out here," the man continued, "Most of the pieces that were intact are misshapen, all but this one." The man reached out with a slender, but solid-looking staff and pointed across the table at a perfectly square piece of parchment.

"Truly, my effect on this forum cannot go unnoticed now!" interrupted the man who had first spoken. "After all, I translated the first sequence… and for what it's worth, I agree the square-ness is very likely to be significant."

The shrill voice piped up again. "Nonsense! You've translated nothing! The fragment seems too cryptic and long for that drivel you call an interpretation. Your numeric enigmas are nothing more than wild speculation... Are you going to tell us where you came up with this? I suspect it's some half-baked crackpot scheme that wouldn't reveal my mother's recipe for soup!"

Behind them, the last of the participants entered the room and the doors swung closed. The figure in the archway opened his eyes and forced a determined expression. He took a deep breath, turned, and strode into the room. As he reached the head of the table he forcefully rapped his staff on the polished stone floor.

"Enough!" he belted in a tone much more commanding than his little frame seemed capable of.

"Perhaps some of you are not fully aware of our present situation, though I couldn't imagine how the facts might escape you. Allow me to refresh what is left of your memories." What had begun as a loud proclamation now descended into a seething whisper, barely audible to those across the room. He placed his hands on the table and leaned far forward.

"We, the most enlightened in the land, have not made a single significant discovery in nearly a decade!" His drawn face was reddening as he continued, "This man Jeric, and his followers, have been recovering artifacts for years now - things we cannot even understand, let alone recreate. I had hoped that his spirit of adventure would have gotten him killed by now, but he continues make us look foolish and incompetent."

He paused and scanned the room, looking each of his companions in the eye. "They're making a mockery of us! And if this continues, we will be dismissed. We'll be sent to continue our studies from the stables on the outskirts of town! Our library, our very sanctum, will be handed over to the priests, or worse, turned into some auction-house for the common dregs."

No one spoke for a moment. The man straightened and slowly began to pace around the table behind his seated companions. "Do not squander this opportunity by bickering with one another. If we do not succeed here we may not be given another chance to…"

A knock at one of the doors interrupted him. "Enter!" he commanded.

A young fellow dressed in tower livery entered the room and approached him. He pulled his hand from inside his tunic and stretched it forth, offering a piece of parchment.

"My lord, this was recovered from inside one of the scabbards." He said, bowing his head slightly. "The captain told me to inform you that everything has been thoroughly searched now. There is nothing more."

The robed man gently received the parchment and looked to the courier. "Be gone," he said sharply.

As the newest parchment was laid out next to the others, the discourse began anew. Most of what was said was drowned out by the drone of several simultaneous discussions, with only a few remarks rising above the din.

"The other combinations made even less sense... So guess it's not related to the words"

...

"If that is just coincidence, that is amazing!"

...

"I don't think the original number corresponds to words in the text. After counting I tried matching them up using various combinations..."

...

"I never said it meant anything, only that it's very interesting"

...

"I also have a feeling that if it did translate into words, it would be more of a statement"

The muttering and conjecturing went on for what seemed to be hours and then slowly died down as each of the men sat back and pondered the cryptic, seemingly unrelated information that lay before them. After another hour of raising eyebrows and stroking beards, one of them broke the silence.

"Shouldn't our lunch be here by now?" he asked.

Before anyone could respond, the main doors of the chamber blew open revealing a tall man. Scale mail armor of finer craftsmanship than any man of this age possessed covered his chest, leaving his muscular arms bare. A weathered cloak draped from his shoulders, nearly touching the ground behind him. Startled looks accompanied the jolts and twitches of the room's occupants as the newcomer walked deliberately towards the elderly figure at the head of the table.

The old man just managed to stand before the intruder reached him. "What an unexpected surprise," he said, bowing his head. "Sir Jeri-"

"Just Jeric will do fine," the tall man interrupted. "I have come to hear the interpretation of the parchments my men and I were able to recover. Without doubt the distinguished academy has completed their task, having been given a full week. I simply couldn't bear to wait for a formal response."

There was no immediate reply as the loremaster collected himself.

A faint smile touched the corners of Jeric's mouth as the sages squirmed uncomfortably in their seats.

"You have completed the task, haven't you Bormin?" Jeric asked.

"Not entirely…," Bormin stammered, "I believe the work is nearly through… just a few - "

"Really?" Jeric asked, feigning surprise. "Then by all means, show me what you can."

The loremaster was clearly uncomfortable, "There are still numerous theories, Sir-"

"Theories?" Jeric exclaimed. "You have only theories? We did not endure unspeakable horrors and incredible hardship to listen to your theories… loremaster!"

Bormin began to form a response, but not in time. Jeric continued as he unrolled a scroll of leather and began placing the scraps of parchment on top of it.

"You and your band of withered old crows sit safely in your lofty perch, while those who have courage risk their lives for our people."

Bormin wasn't even trying to speak now. When Jeric had placed the last of the scraps on the leather, he carefully rolled it back up and placed it in a fold in his cloak. As he stormed out of the chamber, he shot a last remark at the stifled occupants.

"I'll find the answer myself, and I'll have it before the new moon."