Dormia (40 page)

"He needs a quintuple split!" yelled one of the knights excitedly.

"What do you mean?"

"He needs to split five more hairs and earn five more points in order to tie Blodeuwedd's record and he has only one dagger left," explained another knight.

"A quintuple split—that's impossible!"

"It's never been done!"

"That's enough," said the general. "Let him give it a try."

Alfonso picked up the eighth and final dagger. He then began to creep around the floor of the Iron Pillow like a mongoose stalking its prey. He stepped ever so softly and always kept his head cocked up, looking for five separate hairs, and waiting for that moment when they would align themselves perfectly. His timing would have to be just right. He continued to creep along the floor and gradually the knights began to clap their hands in unison—
clap, clap, clap
—so that the whole room throbbed with a great pulsating beat.

In a dazzling burst of speed, Alfonso flung his dagger across the room. It shot through the air so quickly that not a single knight saw its flight. The only thing that anyone noticed was the sound that the dagger made
—twanggggg!
—as it stuck into the wall directly behind the general.

Immediately, the bartender rushed over, retrieved the dagger, and presented the weapon to General Loxoc, who inspected it. The evidence was there for him to see—ten incredibly small hairs pressed flat against the blade of the dagger.

"He's done it!" yelled the general as he thrust the dagger into the air. "He's made a quintuple split! All hail the Great Sleeper! All hail the leader of the Dormian knights!"

A chorus of knights sang back to him: "All hail the Great Sleeper! All hail the leader of the Dormian knights!"

The noise level in the Iron Pillow became deafeningly loud as the knights cheered and clanked their mugs of grog.

"Wait just a minute!" boomed the general. "Before we get carried away, everyone would do well to remember that even though Alfonso is the Great Sleeper, there are others who must question him before we can proceed to the planting of the bloom."

The room quickly fell silent.

"Later this afternoon the Royal Dormian Tribunal will convene and they will conduct their own investigation," said the general. "Until then, we should probably keep our celebrations under control."

With a great deal of grumbling, the knights quieted down and returned silently to their mugs of grog.

"General Loxoc," said Alfonso, "what
exactly
will the tribunal investigate?"

"Well, my boy," said the general with a kindly smile, "first let me say that I am sorry for any lack of courtesy that I have shown you or your traveling party thus far. I meant no offense. I was only following my solemn duty. But now I can say without any hesitation that you have my loyalty. I will gladly lay down my life to protect you—as will any of the knights in this room. And as for this tribunal, well ... they'll ask you a few questions, in order to make sure that you weren't followed, and then they'll inspect the plant. Just to make sure it's in good shape."

"Inspect the plant?" asked Alfonso nervously.

The general placed his arm around the boy's shoulder and whispered, "Yes, that is my concern as well. I noticed that it has been damaged and I suspect that it probably has something to do with the whiteness of your friend Bilblox's eyes. I myself am not a fanatic about such matters. I am not one to make absolute judgments about what the purple ash does to a man's heart or his soul. Such judgments are rash and foolhardy if you ask me. But others do not see it this way—others on the tribunal that is. We could have problems later tonight—serious problems that may place your friend Bilblox in an unfortunate predicament—but we will face these problems together. Come, my boy, let's find your uncle Hill and get you home. I'll tell you a bit more about the tribunal when we're in the chariot."

***

Later that afternoon, upon returning to their guesthouse, they met Bilblox and Spack, who were eager to hear what happened.
Alfonso related all of the events of the day, including the final bit of news that they would be summoned that evening to the Royal Dormian Tribunal.

"They're gonna question us and bully us some more?" asked Bilblox angrily. "What kind of homecomin' is this?"

"Now now," began Hill, but Bilblox cut him off.

"And what happens when they ask about the plant and its missin' leaves?" asked Bilblox.

"Maybe they won't notice," ventured Hill.

"Yeah, right," said Bilblox. "One look at me stumblin' around all over and my white eyes, and they'll put two and two together..."

"Look, old boy," said Spack, who up until now had been silent. "If they notice what
you
did, then you'll just have to face the consequences. That's all there is to it."

"No," said Alfonso. "We won't abandon Bilblox. If there is a problem, I'll handle it."

T
HE ROYAL
Dormian Tribunal assembled at a place known as the Tree Palace, in the heart of the Trunk District. The palace, made of gleaming white marble, was a large, circular complex built around the base of the Founding Tree. In fact, it was impossible to touch the bark of the Founding Tree without first passing through the palace gates. In this way, the palace had two purposes: it was a place for important Dormians to meet and it also served as a giant fence that kept people away from the tree itself.

Most of the palace was roofless, since the Founding Tree's leaves shielded the entire complex from the open sky. The central gathering place at the palace was a large outdoor arena, or amphitheater, with several hundred seats and a small stage. It
was here that Alfonso, Hill, Bilblox, and Spack were summoned to meet the Royal Dormian Tribunal. The group was escorted from the guesthouse to the palace by a dozen or so Dormian knights dressed in silver ceremonial armor. They were then paraded down the center aisle of the amphitheater and given seats together in the front row. Every seat in the amphitheater, and almost every available inch of standing room, was occupied by Dormians who had packed in to catch their first glimpse of the Great Sleeper. The crowd was noisy, excited, and nervous. Alfonso could tell that Somnos was on edge. Archers patrolled the walls of the Tree Palace, and quite a few Dormians appeared to be wrapped in heavy blankets to keep them warm from the frigid temperature, which seemed to be dropping steadily. Many had drawn, strained faces that clearly showed how little they had recently eaten.

Up on stage sat three figures all dressed in green robes. On the far left was the general. Above his chair hung a wooden sign engraved both with Dormian hieroglyphs and English lettering. The first sign read:
GENERAL GILLIAD LOXOC, SUPREME COMMANDER OF THE DORMIAN ARMY OF SOMNOS
. Next to the general sat an elderly woman with chestnut-colored skin, a long prominent nose, and elegantly braided hair. Above her, a sign read:
HONORABLE SOFIA PERZEPOL, GRAND VIZIER OF DORMIA
. And on the far right was a short pudgy man with bright red cheeks, a sweaty forehead, and a pug nose. Above him, a sign read:
DR. NORD NOSTRITE, CHIEF SCIENTIST & KEEPER OF THE FOUNDING TREE.

Fortunately for Alfonso, earlier that same day the general had given him a quick rundown on how the tribunal would operate. To begin with, the general would introduce Alfonso
and announce that he had proven himself at the Iron Pillow, confirming that he was in fact the Great Sleeper. At this point, Grand Vizier Perzepol would take over. The general said that she was the most important Dormian alive. Historically, the grand vizier of Dormia ruled over all eleven cities of Dormia. In the old days, it was the job of the grand vizier to oversee the entire kingdom of Dormia by traveling through a system of underground passageways—known as the fault roads—which burrowed beneath the mountains and connected the eleven cities. Over the years, as the cities of Dormia were sacked, the fault roads were deliberately destroyed, and the grand vizier was left with just one city to govern: Somnos. According to the general, the grand vizier was a tough but very fair woman. She would try to determine whether Alfonso and his party had been followed. "She won't try to trick you or make you look bad," the general had said. "She just wants to make sure that the city is safe." Unfortunately, said the general, the same could not be said for Dr. Nostrite. Technically, his job was simply to make sure that the plant was healthy and to nurse it back to health if it were in poor condition. But, apparently, he saw his role as much more than this. "Be wary of him," the general had warned. "He likes to make trouble, if given the chance. He fancies himself the true protector of the Dormian bloom and he may consider you a threat."

Alfonso and the others sat uncomfortably in their seats, knowing full well that hundreds of people were staring at them. They glanced at one another and at the three members of the tribunal. Finally, General Loxoc rose slowly to his feet. Alfonso's heart raced.

"I hereby call this session of the Royal Dormian Tribunal to
order," announced the general. "As a courtesy to our visitors, I will speak in Wanderer, as will the other presiding officials. I am happy to report that yesterday I greeted a party of travelers at the Mountain Gate of our kingdom. The party included a young man named Alfonso Perplexon who was carrying a Dormian bloom. This young man has since proven himself at the Iron Pillow by tying Aldwyn Blodeuwedd's record. I can vouch for the fact that he is, without a doubt, the
Great Sleeper.
" A huge cheer rose from the people in the amphitheater and, for a very brief moment, the general allowed himself to smile. "And so, in accordance with ancient Dormian tradition, I now hand this ceremony over to the grand vizier." The general then took his seat. Moments later the grand vizier rose.

"Thank you, General Loxoc," she said. Her voice was loud and yet very calm and even soothing. She turned to look at Alfonso and the others. "And our most heartfelt thanks to the Great Sleeper and his traveling party." She paused and sighed deeply. "Our Founding Tree, which has sheltered and protected us for so many years, is nearly dead. It began to die yesterday morning, and it will be completely withered and desiccated within two days' time. However, before we can proceed with the planting ceremony of the new bloom, two final inquiries must be made. I realize that it must seem like little thanks for us to question you so thoroughly after your long journey, but we have no choice. The safety of our world demands that we do this. It is no coincidence that our kingdom has survived through the millennia. We have survived by following our ancient customs and safeguards. So please, we ask you kindly, give us your patience."

This short introduction was followed by a period of silence.
Hill then rose to his feet and declared, "My name is Hill Persplexy, a Dormian by birth, and uncle to the Great Sleeper. All of us are pleased to answer your questions, whatever they may be."

"Thank you kindly, Mr. Persplexy," said the grand vizier with a smile. "And welcome home."

For the next four hours, the grand vizier questioned every single member of the group and went over all the details of their journey. She was especially interested in all the people whom they had met along the way, including Dusty Magrewski, Vice Admiral Purcheezie, Hellen, Shamus, Lars, Dr. Van Bambleweep, Resuza—including her likely death in Straszydlo Forest—Kiril, and the two sisters Masha and Rosalina. The grand vizier asked dozens of questions about how they looked and acted. She focused on Kiril, and had Alfonso describe, in great detail, his encounters with him in Minnesota, Fort Krasnik, Barsh-yin-Binder, and on the journey to Straszydlo Forest.

"This is most worrying," she announced. "If Kiril has white eyes but can still see, then he is a Dormian who has taken the powder." She looked steadily at Alfonso. "If his story is true, and he is a Gahno, then his is a very sad tale indeed. As you may know, originally the Gahnos were a group of Dormians who accidentally got ash into their eyes during the Battle of Noctos. Let me be the first to admit, the Gahnos were treated shamefully by our ancestors and words cannot remove that stain from our history. They should
never
have been cast out into the snow to die. If this was the fate of Kiril's family, then I grieve for him, and feel no small measure of shame. However, it must be said, if Kiril did indeed fight in the Battle of Noctos—which happened over six hundred years ago—then it
confirms that he is alive only because he still uses the ash on a regular basis. After all, the immortality conferred by the ash is one of its greatest lures and, in order for it to work, it must be taken once every few years ... If Kiril has done this, then there is no question that he is now in league with the Dragoonya. They are the only ones who have the stuff.

"What's more, Nartam knows about the Gahnos. In fact, we know from our historians that Nartam personally rescued several Gahno children from the freezing snow outside Noctos. It seems clear to me that when Kiril speaks of his 'father,' he is referring to Nartam. The sad truth, however, is that Nartam has used these tragic people as his pawns, caring for them and nurturing them so long as they remain absolutely loyal, and depriving them of the ash—effectively killing them or ending their immortality—as soon as they step out of line." She sighed deeply, and it was clear that she was gravely worried.

The grand vizier looked at General Loxoc. "I'm afraid I have some more disturbing news involving Kiril," she continued. "The dagger that Kiril gave to the Great Sleeper in Barsh-yin-Binder has been traced." She paused and her stern features softened. "You see, each Wanderer is given a unique hand-forged dagger for close combat. These daggers are always inscribed with special markers so that we can identify to whom they belong. Wanderers prize these weapons greatly. They would never part with one unless ... unless they were killed. Over the years, the Dragoonya have targeted Wanderers in order to track Great Sleepers and to learn more about Dormia. We believe that Kiril must have killed the owner of this dagger—an esteemed Wanderer named Johno Loxoc, who was the younger brother of General Loxoc. We will mourn his loss."