Shadow Tree (20 page)

Chapter 34: Into the Fog Tunnel

“I don't hear anything,” said Alfonso finally.

“You usually can't hear the fog wolves,” replied Kolo, in a dry monotone.

“So how will we know when it's safe to go out?” asked Marta. “Or should we just send you outside?”

Kolo smiled sourly, the first sign of any expression or emotion that he'd shown since the crash. “You won't know when it's safe,” he said tightly.

“Tell us,” said Leif quietly. “A while back you told us there was something wrong with the trees in the Petrified Forest – that they were dead, but not quite dead. What did you mean by that?”

“They're dead because they're made of stone,” said Kolo, “But they're not completely dead, because you can
hear them.”

“Hear them how?” asked Leif.

Kolo grimaced. “I only entered once,” he explained. “It was when I first tried to follow the slavers. The fog was so thick, I couldn't see the trees, but I could hear them in my head, you know... talking to me.”

“What were they saying?” asked Nathalia skeptically.

“They kept saying, “
Don't touch us, boy, don't touch us
.”

No one spoke after this. Everyone seemed to be deep in thought, mulling over what Kolo had just said. Several more minutes passed until Korgu started to whine. She seemed nothing like the frightened wolf from before. Instead, she seemed ready to run around. She went up to Leif and licked his hand, as if she wanted to play.

“Korgu wouldn't behave this way if the fog wolves were still around,” said Leif.

“I'm going outside to look around,” said Nathalia. She walked to the rear exit, slid the bolt that unlocked the door, and stuck out her head. It was eerily silent. Korgu slid around her, and bounded out of the ship. She immediately ran toward the fog and disappeared within. She emerged a minute or two later and let out a sharp, playful growl.

“She wants us to get going,” said Leif.

“Then let's do it – we probably don't have much time before the fog wolves return, and if there's anyone I want on my side against them, it's Korgu,” said Nathalia. She jumped out of the airship and headed towards the fog bank. Everyone else followed quickly behind. Korgu took a winding route to enter the fog bank and once inside, it continued to veer in inexplicable ways. The fog was so thick that it was impossible to see more than a foot in any direction. Eventually they entered a tunnel that cut through the fog. The ground in this fog tunnel was well-beaten, revealing a path made by others – namely, the fog wolves. The animals apparently knew, either by instinct or by memory, the way through the snow, because the snow beneath the path was very firm and easy to tread upon.

The fog was cool and wispy to the touch but so opaque that it seemed strange it didn't have more substance. As they trudged quietly through the tunnel, Marta ran her fingers through the whiteness. It disappeared where she touched it. The tunnel was likely made by the very act of walking through the fog – nothing more than that.

They walked quickly – at times breaking into a run – for a long time. No one had any idea where they were, and all hoped Korgu knew what she was doing. It seemed foolish to suddenly pin their hopes of finding Dargora on a wolf, but she had come through for them in so many ways that it seemed strange
not
to do so.

Alfonso found himself in the back of the group, right behind Kolo. He wondered how that had happened – Kolo should not have been with them. But in the confusion of the crash and their sudden dive into the Petrified Forest, no one had stopped and ordered Kolo back. And for some reason, Kolo had decided to join them. Perhaps it was simply a matter of self-protection. He didn't want to be by himself in a badly broken airship. Alfonso hoped this was the case, and that Kolo did not have any other plans.

As he ran, Alfonso remembered the picture frame from Imad's library – the one that could be assembled into a stick – and he pulled out the piece of the stick which had the strange-looking compass embedded in its base. He glanced quickly to see where, exactly, the compass' hand was pointing. It was pointing straight ahead, down the tunnel. Then, as Alfonso continued to run, the hand of the compass turned to the right; moments later, the tunnel turned to the right. This happened again and again. It was as if the compass knew exactly which way the tunnel led and where they were supposed to go.

“What are you looking at?” asked Leif at one point, as he circled back to check on his son.

“The compass,” said Alfonso. “It's like it knows exactly where I'm supposed to go.”

“You mean where
Nathalia
is supposed to go,” said Leif. “You better give it to her soon. She's the one going to Dargora.”

“I will,” said Alfonso, but he simply continued on his way with the device in hand.

They continued running for as long as they could, following the fog tunnel as it wound its way through the forest. There was no way to judge how far they had gone or see which way they were going because the fog surrounded them on all sides. Occasionally, they came upon pieces of bones lying across the path, all of which were meticulously picked clean.

Alfonso thought back to his conversation with the prisoner in the Dragoonya fort who told him that the wolves entered the forest for meat; presumably, these bones were the remnants of whatever meat the wolves had eaten. Alfonso wondered where the meat came from.
Was it possible that the wolves traveled all the way to Dargora to get it?
No way to know. It seemed possible, however, because despite the twists and turns that they had taken, they appeared to be headed steadily north.

They kept going for what seemed like hours. The path itself was very narrow and, in places, slippery. On one occasion, Marta slipped and actually toppled over through the wall of the fog tunnel. Instantly, and with great speed, she began to sink into a powdery drift of snow. By the time that Leif reached out and clasped her hand, which was just a matter of seconds later, Marta's head was submerged. Leif hauled her back onto the path. Marta appeared more dazed than frightened, too exhausted to betray much emotion. They all stopped for a second and caught their breath.

“Where is that dog leading us?” asked Kolo.

No one answered. Korgu had circled back when she realized they had stopped. She sat patiently a few feet away, her tongue out and her sides heaving with exertion.

“How long do we have before the wolves come?” Marta asked.

“Probably not very long,” said Kolo, “They move very quickly – much quicker than us.”

“Can they climb?” asked Alfonso.

Kolo shrugged.

At that moment, Korgu sprang to her feet and looked intently up the tunnel. She advanced a few feet, and then retreated. She growled quietly, and then louder. Within seconds, the growls had become defeaning. She began to run back and forth in front of them, as if trying to protect them on as many sides as possible.

They were all thinking the same thing, but only Marta spoke.

“They're coming,” she whispered.

Chapter 35: One Last Thing

Hill tried in vain to stand up but his body wouldn't respond to orders from his brain; and then his vision began to dim – as if night were falling. He was suddenly very cold and he felt snow pressing down on him at every angle.
I am buried,
he thought to himself. Hill stopped struggling and focused only on one goal: keep breathing. He lay motionless for what seemed like a long time, and only when he felt ready, did he start moving his fingers and toes. They worked. He began trying to move his arms when, all of a sudden, he felt someone or something grab hold of his legs and pull him upward. Snow cascaded off his body.

“There you are!” boomed a loud voice.

It was Bilblox.

“We didn't know what happened to ya!” Bilblox bent down and grabbed Hill's outstretched hands. With one easy movement, he lifted Hill to a standing position. Hill stood there motionless, amazed that he was standing on firm ground. And most importantly, nothing appeared to be broken. Hill glanced around quickly, but all he could see were snowdrifts and, in the distance, the pillars of Dargora.

“Where is everyone?” Hill asked wearily. Clumps of snow still clung to his eyebrows, cheeks and beard. Bilblox shrugged his head over to his left. Standing huddled together were Naomi and Resuza. Hill walked over to them.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

“I guess,” said Naomi. She was clearly still shocked by their hard landing.

“I told ya!” said Bilblox. “I told ya it'd be fine. I knew if we took the other elevator-boat we'd land smack in the middle of downtown Dargora – and what a mess that'd be!”

“You were right,” said Resuza. “But where are we?”

“Beyond the edge of Dargora,” replied Naomi. “Not far from the Petrified Forest.” As she said this, she turned and pointed at a curtain of massive trees, all made entirely of stone, about a mile away. The stone branches glistened with ice. The woods were both surreal and eerie. It looked as if someone had taken a primeval forest, turned it into stone, and then sprayed it with liquid ice. Cyclones of snow swirled in-between the tree trunks. Long shadows darkened the forest floor. The whole place was deathly still because, even when the wind howled fiercely, not even the smallest branch on the smallest tree moved by so much as an inch.

“You can go in there,” she said ominously, “But the trees will see you.”

“See us?” said Resuza.

“Yes,” replied Naomi, “And so will the Fog Wolves.”

No one spoke for a moment.

“So what's the plan?” asked Hill uneasily.

“Ask him,” said Naomi, gesturing toward Bilblox.

Bilblox seemed lost in thought, as if he were struggling with a difficult choice and couldn't quite make up his mind.

“We cross the forest,” said Bilblox finally. “We've made it through worse places than this. We've got plenty of supplies. We'll make it.”

“What about the trench?” asked Naomi.

“The trench?” inquired Resuza.

“Yes,” said Naomi. “There's a giant trench that surrounds the city. It's impossible to cross, except at one heavily guarded bridge. You can't see it until you've nearly fallen in, but it's between us and the forest.”

“Delightful,” said Hill wearily.

“I've got rope and a grappling hook,” said Bilblox confidently. “We'll be fine. Let's go.” He turned in the direction of the forest.

“Not yet,” said Hill.

“What is it?” asked Bilblox. He seemed annoyed.

“I've got to go back for something,” said Hill. “One last thing.”

“It's too late for that,” said Bilblox, “Come on, we gotta go.”

“No,” said Hill stubbornly, “Impossible.”

“Are you sure you remember where it is?” asked Resuza.

Hill nodded.

“What is it?” demanded Bilblox.

“Something we've had for a long time,” said Hill cryptically. “I'm not leaving without it.”

“Fine,” said Bilblox with a heavy sigh, “But let's be quick about this.”

“There's no
us
,” said Hill resolutely. “I'm going alone.” He refused to make any eye contact, and instead stared into the distance.

“How long will you need?” asked Bilblox.

“Give me two hours,” said Hill. “If I am not back after that – go on without me.”

Hill walked for a half-hour, which then dragged into a full hour. His pace gradually slowed. The impact from the hard landing had caught up to him and his body protested with every step. The cold settled into his bones and he soon lost feeling in his toes and fingers. Still he trudged onward. At last he stopped in an area of rock, snow and ice. The snow gathered in little eddies behind rocks, and the ice was blue and treacherous underfoot. In the near distance, he could see a door down to the slave quarters. It boggled his mind that he would ever, purposefully come back here, but here he was.

Hill approached a large boulder, about twenty feet in height. Aside from two pillars in the distance, this boulder was the only landmark of note in the area. Once he reached the boulder, Hill bent over and began to examine the ground. He did this for several minutes, shivering as he worked, until suddenly he saw what he was looking for – a gleaming, silver fork. Hill dropped to his hands and knees and began pawing at the snow. He dug downward through the snow until he hit a chunk of ice about the size of a soccer ball.

“Need help moving that?”

Hill looked up.

It was Bilblox.

“I thought I told you to stay put,” said Hill.

“I never was good at taking orders,” said Bilblox with a smile.

Hill frowned.

“Watchya diggin' for?” asked Bilblox.

“None of your business,” said Hill.

“That's where you're wrong,” said Bilblox. “All of our crummy lives are wrapped up in
that Pen
.”

Hill looked stunned.

“W-w-w-what makes you so sure it's a Pen under there?” stammered Hill.

Bilblox reached down with one hand and picked up the hunk of ice; then, with the other hand, fished out a shiny silver Pen. He studied the Pen carefully turning it back and forth in his giant hands.

“You knew all along didn't you?” asked Hill. “You knew I'd hidden it and I wouldn't leave Dargora without it. But
how
?”

“Kiril,” replied Bilblox.

“He knows we have it?”

Bilblox nodded.

“For crying out loud!” said Hill angrily. “Enough playing games! Why didn't you come clean with me?”

“How about
you
?” asked Bilblox. “You're the one who said you'd just be gone two hours and that, if you weren't back, we should go on without you. What was that all about? We both know you had no intention of comin' back, did ya? Ain't that right, buddy?”

“That tree,” said Hill shakily. “We have to cut it down.”

“Hill, listen to me, I have a plan,” said Bilblox. There was urgency and a trace of desperation in his voice. “You've got to trust me!”

“You keep saying that,” fumed Hill, “But you've given me no reason to do so!”

“Man, oh man,” said Bilblox with a rather sad smile, “You've known me all these years Hill old boy and you still don't really know me at all – do ya? Remember during the trip to Somnos, when the avalanche almost killed us? You were ready to drop me like a hot potato. Only Alfonso trusted me. And that turned out pretty well, didn't it?”

Hill frowned.

“OK,” he said. “I'll trust you. What's this plan of yours?”

“It's still a bit of a work in progress,” admitted Bilblox.

“Go on,” said Hill.

“Well, it starts with you lettin' me keep the Pen.”

“Forget it,” said Hill.

“What are you thinkin'?” asked Bilblox. “You're just gonna stroll towards the Shadow Tree all by your lonesome and destroy it? Have you seen all those people guardin' it? If not, I'll clue you in. The whole Dragoonya army is crazy with that stuff, and the Shadow Tree is doin' somethin' to them, controllin' them. You'll die way before you get close to it.”

Hill said nothing but held out his hand. “Give me the Pen back.”

Bilblox looked down at the Pen, which was still nestled in his beefy palm.

“What happens when you press the emerald button?” he asked.

“Try for yourself,” replied Hill with a shrug. “Hold it down for a few seconds.”

Bilblox pressed the button and held it down. Seconds later, a green light shone from the tip of the Pen and the three dimensional image of the skeleton's hand appeared.

“Holy smokes!” said Bilblox. “That's quite a trick.”

“I've been trying to figure out what it means,” said Hill.

“Ain't ya ever done studied magic tricks?” asked Bilblox with a laugh. “I thought you were into that kinda stuff.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Hill.

“Have a look,” said Bilblox, as he tilted the Pen so Hill could have a better look at the glowing three-dimensional image of the hand. Once again, Hill studied the skeletal hand with the numbers etched on and in-between the fingers.

“It's the old coin spinning trick,” said Bilblox.

“Huh?”

“It must be the oldest trick in the book,” said Bilblox. “That and Three Card Monty is the bread and butter of any decent swindler. As a kid, on the docks of Fort Krasnik, you know how many suckers gave me coins that twirled between my fingers before
disappearin'?”

“I don't follow,” said Hill.

“The fingers and the slots between the fingers are all numbered,” explained Bilblox. “Like the slot in-between the middle finger and the ring finger – we call that slot ‘twenty-three' for short, ‘cause it's in-between fingers two and three. You follow? That's the slot where most coin tricks start. The numbers are how you keep track of the moves you need to make in a given trick when you're spinnin' coins.”

“Spinning coins?” said Hill quizzically.

“Or Pens,” said Bilblox. Hill nodded his head slowly. “I'm not exactly sure what the circle is about,” added Bilblox, “Probably a variation in a particular trick – like the coin has to end up there or somethin'.”

“I'll take the Pen now,” said Hill.

“Sure,” replied Bilblox. He pressed the emerald button again and the glowing three-dimensional image disappeared. Then, in one amazingly fluid motion, he rolled the Pen onto his fingers and made it dance across his fingertips in a blur of motion. For a brief moment the Pen disappeared – Hill gasped – and then the Pen reappeared. As soon as it did, Hill snatched it away and stuffed it back into the coat of his pocket.

Bilblox smiled, looked upward at the sky, and studied the moon thoughtfully. It was almost full.

“Hill old boy,” said Bilblox.

“Yes?”

“At some point, I do believe I'm gonna need that Pen back.”

“Why?”

“You'll see,” replied Bilblox.