Dormia (23 page)

"So he'll be okay?" asked Alfonso.

"For now," said the doctor. "Of course, the problem is that you are trapped. After your attack on a Dragoonya officer, their entire army will be looking for you. Their blood code demands that all of you must die. Fools!"

"Doctor, what about the catacombs?" asked Resuza. Alfonso gave her a confused look. "It is a system of ancient underground tunnels beneath the city," she explained.

"Where do they lead?" Alfonso asked.

"Nowhere," snapped the doctor. "Or, more accurately, the tunnels usually lead to death—especially now that most of them are flooded. The last time I was down there, I ended up in one of the main tunnels and the blasted thing had become a raging river. Is that what you want? I nearly drowned several times. I mean, it is possible to go down there, but not unless you absolutely have to."

"You've been into the catacombs?" asked Resuza with a certain amount of awe. "How brave of you, Dr. Van Bambleweep! How did you find a way in?"

"Why that part is easy, my dear," said the doctor with a mischievous grin. "I have a small hidden stairway in this house that leads directly into the catacombs. You can get in, but leaving is a different story."

"But there must be a way out," persisted Resuza. "I've heard talk of a tunnel that leads from the Trawpoy out to the countryside."

"That's true," said the doctor. "There is such a tunnel, my grandfather spoke of using it when he was a boy, but no one has used it in ages—"

"What was that noise?" Alfonso suddenly asked.

"I didn't hear anything," said the doctor.

"Someone is at your door," said Alfonso.

Moments later, a terrible noise echoed throughout the house, as if someone were pounding on the front door with a sledgehammer.
Bang! Bang! Bang!

"My goodness," said the doctor nervously. A look of terror crept across his face. "They're here already!"

"Who?" asked Hill.

"Why the Dragoonya of course," said the doctor. His hands were shaking. "They usually leave me alone because of all the free medicines that I give them."

Bang! Bang! Bang!
The entire house shook with each bang.

"Wait here," whispered the doctor. "I think I can buy us some time."

Alfonso, Hill, Bilblox, and Resuza all sat and listened intently as the doctor walked down the length of his shop and cracked open his front door.

"What do you want?" asked the doctor curtly.

"Stand back, doctor," boomed a low harsh voice. "We're searching your house!"

"You'll do no such thing," replied Van Bambleweep in a slow but firm tone. "I am seeing a patient right now who is extremely ill. I can't have you barging in and wreaking havoc."

"But we're looking for criminals who have assaulted—"

"I don't care!" retorted the doctor. "I have a patient who is on the verge of death." He lowered his voice. "Please understand: my patient is a close
associate
of Nartam. I know you have little interest in upsetting your king. Give me a few minutes to attend to him, and then you can search all you'd like. Surround the house—no one will leave or enter."

Without waiting for a response, the doctor shut the door and locked it. For the next fifteen seconds there was no noise at all. Then came the sound of the doctor's shuffling footsteps. "I think I bought us a few minutes," said Van Bambleweep as he made his way to the back of the shop. "I'm afraid now there really is only one thing to do: you'll have to go into the catacombs."

"I thought ya said enterin' the catacombs would be certain death," said Bilblox.

"No," said the doctor. "Getting caught by the Dragoonya would be certain death—going into the catacombs is just
likely
death."

"But what about all of our supplies in the donkey cart?" asked Hill. "How will we get them out of the city?"

"I am too old for this," mumbled the doctor softly. "Way too old for this."

"What if we—" began Bilblox.

"Quiet!" said the doctor. He thought for a moment and then announced: "All right—I have an idea, but the idea and my assistance will cost you." He looked at Hill. "Two hundred gold coins. No less."

"That's almost all the money we have left!" protested Alfonso.

"That's the deal—take it or leave it," said the doctor.

Hill nodded.

"Good," replied the doctor. "There
is
a route through the catacombs. Though dangerous, it will get you out of the city. I
know the route, mostly, and I'll describe it for you. Alfonso and Bilblox will go that way—they are the ones the Dragoonya will be looking for because they are the ones who provoked the fight. Meanwhile, I'll escort Hill, Resuza, and the donkey cart through the city. I'll bandage Hill up so he isn't recognizable. When we are stopped by the soldiers, I will tell them Hill is a Dragoonya elder who has fallen deathly ill and needs treatment at the Abestine Monastery, which sits just outside the city. I actually take patients there fairly often so this shouldn't seem too far-fetched. Resuza will pass as Hill's devoted daughter. It will make the whole affair more believable. All right?"

"I don't know," said Alfonso. "Can Bilblox really do this in his condition?"

"He doesn't have a choice," snapped the doctor.

For the next five minutes or so, the doctor went back over his plan in detail. He gave Alfonso and Bilblox directions on how to navigate their way through the catacombs. If all went well, they would emerge from the catacombs via a giant river that they would then follow downstream. Eventually, they would come upon a large rock formation known as the Three Fingers, which would serve as the rendezvous point. Meanwhile, Hill and Resuza would head for the Abestine Monastery with the doctor and then proceed on their own to the Three Fingers.

"How far is it from the Three Fingers to Straszydlo Forest?" asked Hill.

"It's just a few days' journey due south," said the doctor. "And once you get to the forest, you should be able to pick up the route on the Estonian smuggler's map."

Hill looked uncertain. "I don't like being split up," he said. "It doesn't sound right."

"It's your decision," the doctor replied curtly.

"All right," replied Hill. He looked sadly at Alfonso. Then he took off the top hat with the bloom nestled inside, placed it in a waterproof sealskin bag, and handed it to Alfonso. The plant had been growing a great deal lately, adding on more leaves and a few spindly branches. Consequently, the bag was quite heavy.

"You should take this," said Hill. "I have a feeling it will be safer with you."

"What about the coffin?" asked Alfonso.

"You should take that with you," interjected the doctor. "It will make an excellent raft."

"Raft?"

"You'll see," replied the doctor. "Now get going!"

A
LFONSO AND BILBLOX
followed the doctor down a long, darkened hallway at the back of his shop. The hallway ended at a wall covered with pots and pans hanging from hooks. The doctor pulled down on the uppermost pot and they all heard a click from inside the wall. Van Bambleweep pushed on the wall; it opened like a door and revealed a stairway that spiraled down into an even gloomier darkness.

"Go on!" said the doctor. "The catacombs begin at the bottom of the stairs." Suddenly, he paused and stared at Bilblox through his dark glasses. "What you have stolen is not the ash," he said. "Can I have it back, please?"

"What are ya talkin' about?" Bilblox protested.

"The powder that you took from my shelf just a few minutes ago—while you thought I wasn't looking—contains the ground-up root of a rare mountain mulberry. I use it to treat severe back pain and to help blood clot. If I had any of that purple ash, I certainly wouldn't keep it on an ordinary shelf. Now please, before I get upset, may I have the powder?"

Bilblox's face turned red. He leaned the coffin against the wall and took a vial containing a dark green powder from his pants pocket. "I took it by accident," he gruffly replied.

"Of course," said Van Bambleweep.

"Come on," said Bilblox. "Let's get goin'."

Alfonso was dumbfounded. He remembered Bilblox boasting that he was the only honest longshoreman in Fort Krasnik. And now Bilblox had stolen what he thought was the ash. Alfonso wondered if he should tell Hill, but there was no time. Moments later, he began creeping down the dark staircase, followed by Bilblox.

Both of them took the stairs cautiously. They were in complete darkness, and the wooden stairs creaked in protest. When they finally made it to the bottom, Alfonso was surprised to discover that his face was covered in sweat, despite the cool air.

"Bilblox, you there?" he whispered. "Can you see where you're going?"

"I can see okay," said Bilblox. "But it ain't gonna last."

A second later, Alfonso heard a thud, followed by a pain-filled groan. Bilblox, still weak from the Dragoonya attack, had put down the coffin that contained Spack the loafer. Bilblox had at first refused to take the coffin but reluctantly agreed when Van Bambleweep gave them two old paddles and insisted vehemently that they would need a raft in order to survive the catacombs.

"Are you sure it's not too heavy?" Alfonso asked.

"Nah," replied Bilblox. "The thing has got wheels. Besides, that Spack character don't weigh much. I just hope that yer uncle is right and that she ends up helpin' us. Otherwise I ain't gonna be happy. But don't worry about me. I'm okay—a bit scraped up, but okay. Ya just pay attention to the bloom." Alfonso carried the bloom and a few supplies in a wooden-frame backpack that Van Bambleweep had given them. For added protection, the whole backpack was tightly wrapped in waterproof sealskins.

Bilblox sighed again, and began to rummage around in a sealskin-covered bag slung around his shoulders. After a minute or two of fumbling, he found the waterproof flashlight he had brought from Fort Krasnik and handed it to Alfonso. "It should work," said Bilblox. "I put in new batteries before we left Fort Krasnik." Alfonso clicked it on, and panned the light around them.

They were standing in a tiny cave that looked to be centuries old. The floor, walls, and ceiling were made of stone and packed gray-brown dirt. In front of them was a tunnel about five feet tall by three feet wide. Clearly it had been dug by hand. Alfonso could see indentations in the wall made by pickaxes. Every few feet, old wooden posts lined the walls from floor to ceiling. Most of the posts were cracked and a few had snapped in two. The air here smelled musty and metallic. Thousands of dust particles swirled in the beam of his flashlight. Alfonso shone his flashlight on the ground. He saw a pile of bones with a skull stacked on top.

"Is everythin' okay?" asked Bilblox. "How do my bandages look?"

"They look fine," said Alfonso. "No blood or anything. How do you feel?"

"I've been better," said Bilblox with a grunt. "Come on—let's get goin'."

As they walked into the tight-fitting tunnel, Alfonso recalled Dr. Van Bambleweep's words:

Over the centuries, many have entered looking for treasure, but all return empty-handed, if they return at all. In the catacombs, the careless explorer is easily tricked. Above all, follow the sound of trickling water until you reach an underground river. If in doubt, put your ear to the ground and listen.

For a long time, they heard only the sound of their footsteps and the squeak of the coffin's wheels echoing against the stone walls. Once in a while, they'd stop and listen for water, but heard nothing. Thankfully, there was only one passageway, and so they dutifully followed it. As they wandered through the darkness, Alfonso had time to think—too much time—and he soon found himself wondering what would happen if he and Bilblox got lost in these tunnels. They might die. If this happened, the plant wouldn't reach its destination and a great many people in Somnos would ultimately die as well. Alfonso recalled his uncle's description of the families who had frozen in giant blocks of ice. He shivered. It was a ghoulish thought, but it remained firmly lodged in Alfonso's mind.

They had been walking for more than an hour when Alfonso saw the first trace of water. Running down the tunnel wall was a glistening trail that looked like sweat running down a forehead. Alfonso placed Bilblox's hand on the rock. The burly longshoreman drew a finger across the trail and brought it to his mouth.

"It's water," he announced with a pained smile. "Maybe the river is nearby."

"Maybe," replied Alfonso.

They pressed onward and soon noticed that the tunnel began to slant down. The ground underfoot grew slick with moss and it took great concentration not to slip. Even with the flashlight, Alfonso almost tripped. Bilblox was not as lucky. He crept forward but didn't see a pile of shiny rocks just in front of him. When he stepped onto them, they shot out from under his feet and Bilblox fell down hard.

Alfonso rushed to his side. "Are you okay?" he asked. Bilblox groaned. "My legs are skinned pretty good," he said as he struggled to his feet. When finally standing, he leaned heavily against the wall and buried his face in his hands.

"Bilblox?" asked Alfonso.

"Just a small leaf?" said Bilblox in a low voice. He paused. "Nah, I shouldn't say anythin'."

"What are you talking about?"

"The bloom—I mean, it's in pretty good shape, right?" Bilblox asked. His voice sounded strange. "Well, d-do ya think we could burn just a small leaf? Just enough for me to get out of this underground mess? I can't see
anythin'.
It's so dark—I-I don't know if I can handle it. I'm no help to you like this."

Alfonso felt cold. Suddenly he was very aware of the backpack he was carrying, and of the little sapling nestled inside. "Sorry, Bilblox," replied Alfonso, his voice cracking. "We can't burn anymore."

Bilblox nodded dumbly, as if he had been hit. Suddenly, his clenched right fist smacked into the wall. He was so strong that the wall cracked and a large piece fell away. The whole tunnel
seemed to shake. Bilblox howled in pain. "Just a small leaf," he pleaded. "
Ah, fer criminy's sake, I'm blind. Do ya know what that's like!
"