Footwizard

by Terry Mancour

  “You haven’t, yet?” I asked, surprised.

  “I am having to re-write and edit a new control code. For some unknown reason, the original programming was corrupted and useless, preventing the use of the antenna. But I am making progress. With the help of a human acting as a technician, I might be able to establish control sooner.”

  “Gareth can help with that, too,” I agreed. “Now, if there aren’t any more prophecies of doom you want to burden me with, I want to go see Lilastien, and check on Lord Kanlan’s progress. She, at least, should have some good news for me.”

  Intermission

  Welcome to Your Gateway to Adventure!

  The Northwest Reserve Park and Recreation Area was designated a Colonial Park under Section Nineteen of the Callidore Colonial Charter on July 13th, CY 51. Since then, this unique region of the Colonial Zone has been explored, documented, and developed into a first-rate exotic destination where you can experience the natural beauty of one of Callidore’s most exotic environments!

  The Park is comprised of eighty-one square miles on the northwest edge of the Colonial Zone, at the edge of the pre-arctic tundra, within the caldera of one of Callidore’s four major super-volcanoes, and the only one within the Colonial Zone!

  As dangerous and exciting as that sounds, the Colonial Science Foundation’s Geophysical Studies Department maintains an advanced monitoring station on site. They have studied the caldera and assured us than any serious eruption from the largely dormant volcano is centuries away! Your safety is assured while you enjoy the breathtaking spectacle of geysers, thermal badlands, hot lakes, the decadent pleasures of a four-star resort complex, and the delightful pastoral countryside around smoldering Mount Hubbard!

  Your Volcano Adventure Starts Here!

  You’ll begin your adventure when you land at Callidore Disney Colonial Resort’s picturesque new Volcano Adventure Resort, a one hundred and eighteen room hotel and conference facility that is now accepting bookings for winter and summer seasons! Only five hours away from Perwyn and three hours away from the Merwyn Valley by Orvatas Air Excursions luxury stratoliner, you can take a nap after takeoff and wake up in an enchanting adventure at the edge of the world!

  Once you arrive, you’ll check into your suite in the stunning lobby of while experiencing the sublime beauty of the rugged scenery either on the patio or balcony, during Summer Season, or through the panoramic bay windows during ski season! That’s right – you can ski the exciting southern slopes of Mount Hubbard, where five challenging world-class slopes have been established by the colony’s most expert skiers! And that’s just the beginning!

  Once you arrive, your first stop will be the stunning lobby of the Fire Mountain Hotel & Convention Centre, home of the four star Fire Mountain Restaurant and Lounge, where you’ll check into your suite. From there, you may experience the sublime beauty of the rugged scenery either on the patio or balcony, during Summer Season, or through the panoramic bay windows during ski season! That’s right – you can ski the exciting southern slopes of Mount Hubbard, where five challenging world-class slopes have been established by the colony’s most expert skiers! And that’s just the beginning!

  Our Amenities Are Part of the Adventure!

  Whether you decide to stay in the Main Lodge of the three-thousand-acre Volcano Adventure Resort or want a little more privacy in one of the forty-three secluded bungalows and cabins – perfect for honeymoons, anniversaries or just a quiet holiday away from the kids – your comfort and security is our first priority! Enjoy the unique shopping opportunities of the shops and displays along the Grand Caldera Concourse! Art, jewelry, fashions, and traditional crafts from nearby Cultural Preservation Settlements provide a special shopping experience you’ll never forget!

  Feeling hungry? You’ll love the adorable bistros and coffee shops of the concourse, where more than twenty different culinary experiences can tantalize your tongue while you drink in the scenery of the beautiful caldera. You have a bounty of dining options, beyond the stately Fire Mountain Restaurant, during your holiday. The Grand Caldera Concourse is filled with them!

  May we suggest the Fire Lion Tavern, a traditional British Pub, for a hearty pint of the locally brewed Vulcan’s Best brown ale to wash down your fish and chips? How about Café La Montagne de Feu, featuring delicious seasonal daily specials for lunch and light dinner? Chef Paul Reymond’s award-winning French Provençal-inspired menu is a fusion of native varieties and traditional French recipes that will make your mouth water! Or delight in the hospitality of The Swiss Chalet for a delicious white wine and fondue nosh après ski! Try a couple of fruity signature cocktails at Volcanic Sam’s Tiki Lounge before you go swimming and take home a terrifically campy souvenir ceramic Tiki glass if you finish your volcano-shaped Virgin Sacrifice Daiquiri! Your holiday won’t be complete until you grab a bowl of spicy romazama from the Malagasy street vendors – and be certain to explore their delicious vegetarian dishes during your stay! Start your day with a plate of tasty mofo gasy and locally-sourced maple syrup at Michele’s Malagasy Bistro – and don’t forget the artisan roasted coffee! It’s as powerful as a volcanic eruption! Yum!

  Don’t think you’ll be bored between meals! There are nine different shows, amusements, and entertainment venues available along the Concourse, from the intimate Caldera Cabaret’s rotating line-up of solo performers and stand-up comedy shows to the family friendly Callidore Disney Volcano Adventure Revue at the beautiful Alpine Opera Auditorium! And don’t forget the breakfast and lunch character interaction opportunities, to keep the kiddies smiling! And on Sundays there is a special matinee performance of Legacy: Songs and Stories of Distant Earth, the award-winning patriotic musical documentary featuring the vocal talents of Ishi Naka! At the Cosmic Café you can enjoy the eerie, alien songs of the native Alka Alon trio Taganath Ior, singing excerpts from their famous epics while you enjoy a tasty giant burrito! Try your luck at the Gold Mine Penny Arcade, for a chance to hit the big time in a modern micro-casino or enjoy the number of outdoor entertainers the Volcano Adventure Resort provides along the Concourse, for free!

  After a hard day shopping, you’ll want to rest your tired bones in the Harmony Mountain Spa, where mud baths, massages, natural steam saunas, herbal treatments, and a full range of natural thermal springs will restore your skin, your body and your soul all at the same time! Stop in at the beauty shop to try a new hairstyle from one of our professional stylists or manis and peddies! Be sure to check out the unique array of custom compounded skin treatments in the boutique to take home a little magic from this enchanting land! Your skin will thank you later!

  And what are the kiddies up to as mom and dad hit the Concourse for lunch? Why, during the day they’re cooling off at the Misty River Waterpark, and at night they’re at the Cascadia Colonial Development Corporation’s Old Time Fun Park enjoying an old-fashioned carnival midway, rides, snacks, and other traditional wholesome entertainment! They’ll love the Nature Trail llama rides! But that’s just the beginning of the fun!

  What better way to enjoy your magical holiday at the Volcano Adventure Resort than with sun, sand, swimming, and sailing? Take the whole family up to the Baelor Lakeshore Marina and Beach Complex to enjoy the finest of watersports in this majestic volcanic lake! Enjoy our delightful black volcanic sand beach for a summer’s day of sunshine or rent one of the exciting sailboats or canoes for a day on the lake you’ll never forget! Fishing gear is available for rent at the Tackle Box, where you can grab a sandwich and a drink at the Beach Bum Bar and Grill! It’s across the road from the elegant clubhouse of Ironwood at the Mountain, the eighteen-hole Bob Sandoza signature golf course! Who wouldn’t want to brag that they’ve played eighteen holes on the edge of a live volcano? And be sure to tip the adorable aboriginal caddies! These fuzzy fellows are real troopers, and they have a real passion for the game, too!

  During the summer, enjoy fishing the exotic depths of Lake Baelor for a variety of Terran and native sea life! Or consider
a hunting expedition with staff hunting guide Stephan Moller, retired Colonial Exploration Corps captain! Captain Moller will show you the range of exotic native wildlife that has developed a unique biosphere in the caldera. Who knows – you may even be able to dine on your catch that night! The Fire Mountain Restaurant Staff are always happy to dress and prepare your kills!

  Volcanic Excursions Bring You to Adventure!

  The southern slopes of the volcano have miles of pristine hiking trails to enjoy. Or just arrange with the front desk at Volcano Adventure Resort and you can have a gourmet picnic lunch flown to you by remote delivery anywhere in the park! Need to get away from civilization? You can enjoy family or group camping through the Callidore Authority Scouting Association. The CASA has developed the stunning Camp Melleray High Adventure Centre since CY 31! In addition to the high-adventure scouting outpost, the center has ample space to enjoy the great outdoors in over thirty different primitive campsites open to resort guests and their families! A perfect way to enjoy your stay on a budget!

  Mad for Science!

  Your holiday doesn’t have to be all rest and relaxation, though! Science is King of the Caldera, and there are many exciting scientific expeditions and research projects underway here that you can experience in affordable paid excursions!

  Have a yen for subterranean adventure? Disney Colonial Resorts own expert spelunkers can guide you through three stunning cavern systems in the park, showing you the unusual animal life and mysterious fungus forests inside ancient lava tubes and long-dormant volcanic cones!

  Seeking a more cosmic adventure? Did you know that the super-volcano caldera was also the site of an ancient asteroid impact? The Sean Gulik Centre for Astrophysical Studies, in partnership with Disney Callidore, offers guided tours to the deep back country, where the two major impact sites can be explored and experienced for yourself! You’ll be enthralled by the two-day expedition, including a catered menu delivered fresh to you by remote at every meal! Cap it off with a two-hour presentation at the portable planetarium to learn the secret natural history of this cataclysmic event from ancient Callidore’s past! And don’t forget to visit the gift shop, before you leave, for a variety of whacky, out-of-this world souvenirs you’ll cherish forever!

  Want to enjoy an alien safari? Volcano Adventure Resort runs three extended expeditions into the caldera’s mysterious backcountry every week to see some of the strangest creatures in one of the most genetically diverse biospheres on Callidore! And, by special arrangement, brief tours of the Colonial Science Foundation’s Advanced Biodiversity Observation Laboratory, run by the Department of Xenobiology’s top scientists, will let you see their work on the native sauroids, reptoids, insectoids, and even stranger creatures in the park!

  Some of them aren’t even animals – they’re plants! Holy Photosynthesis! Trees that move? Vines that slither? Predatory shrubbery as vicious and bloodthirsty as a lion? See it all at Kenwick Station at the park’s Arboretum Reserve, featuring some of the craziest critters on Callidore! Some of these creatures may even possess intelligence close to human levels, scientific reports have suggested! (Note: Not all excursions are suggested for all age levels. If you have young children, please consult the Volcano Adventure Resort’s staff for the appropriate age for each individual excursion. Volcano Adventure Resort, its agents, contractors, and subsidiaries, are not liable for witnessing naturally occurring events which young children may find traumatic. Parents are encouraged to use discretion in choosing their excursions.)

  If Xenoarchaeology is your passion, take the Ancient World Of Callidore tour, and follow experts as they guide you through the ruins of several alien civilizations from our adopted world’s murky and mysterious past! Five different sites of alien ruins are on this high-adventure premium tour! The Alka Alon are but one mysterious race whose ancient civilization built – and abandoned – an outpost here in the caldera! Some have not even been identified! Explore the world beyond the mists of time with credentialed experts in this once-in-a-lifetime, hands-on opportunity!

  And finally, the premium excursion Vulcan’s Forge brings small groups through the magnificent, sophisticated geological history of the Northwestern Caldera, including tours of the active cone of Mount Hubbard! This three-day, action packed investigation into the mighty power of the super-volcano and its potential dangers to the colony is for the high-adventure lover, only!

  There’s never been a safer, more exciting way to enjoy the majestic beauty and raw power of nature while enjoying the comforts and luxuries of a first-class resort!

  You’ll enjoy every minute of your Volcano Adventure! Book your reservation today!

  Chapter Twenty-One

  A Grim Warning

  I’ve taken thorough inventory of the Unger Station facility, and while small, there is much here that will be of use in the future. But the most fascinating thing I found is of little real consequence, but of much historical interest. I discovered a promotional brochure for the resort the colony built here, before the Inundation, and reading the pamphlet gave me a welcome wave of nostalgia about the optimism the Terran colonists had about their lives and future. It was both tragic and poignant to see how the colonists viewed this dangerous place before they abandoned it. In many ways that mirrors the fate of the entire colony. The Terrans came to Callidore to build a new life, and instead were battered by their own misconceptions and the deceptions of the Alka Alon. It makes me angry, bitter, and frustrated to think that their vision and effort were washed into the sea in just a few brief years. I think I’m going to get drunk, tonight, now that Lord Kanlan is well into his recovery and does not need my sober oversight anymore. And perhaps watch an old movie. In celebrating the sad legacy left to the ignorant Terrans, that seems an appropriate response.

  from the Expedition Book of Anghysbel,

  Recorded by Dr. Lilastien

  I found Lilastien sitting in the Infirmary lab room, a small alcove next to the patient area, staring at a screen full of unusual shapes. She wore her long white coat and had some medical instrument draped across her neck. She barely registered my arrival, as she studied the . . . actually, I had no idea what she was looking at.

  “How is our patient?” I asked.

  “Lord Kanlan is my patient, not our patient, and he’s doing well,” she said, tapping the screen. “It’s been six centuries since I used a robotic surgery suite, but it all came back to me. The surgery went fine,” she reported, with a hint of professional pride. “It helped that it was relatively simple. Two hours, and I was closing the incision. He’s been recovering nicely, since. My latest scan shows that his internal wounds are healing well, no sign of infection – a miracle, considering I can’t sing up an anti-infection spell. The primitive antibiotics I was able to produce here are working, apparently. Thank goodness for moldy bread.”

  “Moldy bread?” I asked, confused.

  “Common bread mold contains a potent antibiotic, a useful substance against infections in humans,” she told me, finally turning around. “It’s actually not that complicated to do once you know how. One of the many, many secrets your people lost, when they decivilized. Most of the medicines they had at the height of the colonial period were synthetic, of course, and then afterwards they used magic to combat infection. But if they had retained that knowledge, hundreds of thousands of lives would have been saved over the centuries. That’s one of the things I’m hoping to restore at the new hospital.”

  “Bread mold is medicine,” I said, shaking my head. “I wish my dad had known that. He could have made a fortune.”

  “The extraction process requires a simple laboratory, and a small percentage of humans are allergic to the stuff, but in general it keeps most infections at bay. In Lord Kanlan’s case, there’s none – white blood cell count is normal, and there’s not even much inflammation.”

  “But will he walk?” I asked.

  “I believe so,” she agreed, turning back to the screen. “I removed two small bone fragments
and repositioned four others away from the nerves. It should allow him to move with much less pain . . . but that’s the theory we’re about to test now that you’re here. I figured you’d want to be around to take the credit, for political reasons.”

  “Or take the blame, if it didn’t work,” I pointed out.

  “Of course,” she smiled.

  “Well, I hope it does work. I’m going to need his help, apparently. I need to evacuate all of Anghysbel,” I announced.

  “I know. Forseti told me,” she sighed. “A pall of super-heated poisonous gas. In the next two years. A pity. I quite like this place.”

  “The people who live here like it even more. They are going to be reluctant to leave. Well, except for the Kilnusk,” I admitted. “They’re quite eager. But the Tal, the Kasari, and the folk of Anferny are not going to be happy about relocating.”

  “Oh, it’s just for a few years,” she dismissed. “It will be good for them. They can come back afterwards.”

  “If they even believe me,” I pointed out. “That’s why I’ll need Lord Kanlan’s help. I have to convince him if I’m going to convince his people. His gratitude for being healed would certainly help that argument.”

  “He won’t be healed, exactly,” Lilastien objected. “He still has some severe limitations to movement. I can’t restore those without a long course of treatment and physical therapy. He won’t be able to ride a horse, for instance. But the pain will be reduced. That was the point of the surgery. Let’s go see if he’s awake enough to judge his pain level,” she said, rising.

  I followed her to the infirmary room, which was well-lit, for an underground chamber. There were four beds, one of which was occupied by the Lord of Anferny, who was laying on his side and sipping water through a reed.