“What if I enter into the agreement, but am unable to acquire the object you want?”
“Why, then you are out nothing, other than the ability to gain this wonderful pouch for your mirrors.”
“You mean, once I make a deal for an item, another deal for the same item cannot be agreed upon?”
“Oh, you are a most perceptive human. Yes. Once you agree to the terms, those terms must be met in order to acquire the item and no other terms are allowed to be substituted.”
“But, I could still get other items?”
Nodding, the Merchant said, “Absolutely. I am not as strict as some Providers. Loose, that’s me. Or would flexible be a better term? Your language has too many different words with the same meaning, or similar meanings. Either way, I am much better to deal with.”
Holk was surprised at the possibility of others. “How many are there like you in this place?”
“None. I am as unique to these environs as, well, actually, there is nothing more uniquer than myself to be found here.”
“Very well. I agree to your terms.”
“You do? Excellent, excellent.”
“I don’t suppose you can tell me where it is?”
The Merchant looked surprised as if the thought hadn’t even occurred to him. “Do you need…now what is the word…a hint?”
“At least point me in the right direction.”
Nodding, the being said, “You may be correct in that to find the item in question would prove difficult in the extreme without the knowledge as to where it is.” Turning about to face the wall, the Merchant raised its hands. An image appeared upon the wall, a tree-filled valley bordered by hills.
Holk immediately recognized it as the place wherein the things resided. “In there?”
“Yes. But more precisely…” the image focused upon an area near the center around a series of ruins. “…here.”
A building, barely perceptible through the canopy of trees, alternately flashed red and orange. What he could see of it showed the structure to be in an advanced state of collapse.
“You will find the item within.” Turning back toward Holk, the being smiled. “Easy. Simply go there, retrieve it, and return.”
Holk met the smile with a visage of stone. He definitely didn’t wish to return to that forest. While it was true, the carrier for the mirrors would prove beneficial, was acquiring it worth the risk? There was also the consideration of what he may yet have to do before making his way from this place. Should he encounter the Ti-Ocks, battle would ensue. He dared not risk having the mirrors remain loose. They afforded him a much needed escape route that he would be remiss to put in jeopardy. In the heat of battle, they could slip out of his shirt, be inadvertently left behind, or broken. He finally came to the conclusion that the carrier was in fact worth the risk.
“I don’t suppose you could tell me what those things are that inhabit the forest?”
“Things? What sort of things are you speaking of? There are many things within the forest. Is it an animal, vegetable, or mineral?”
“Uh, not sure entirely. Probably animal.” He then described the leathery, tapestry-like creature.
“Oh, yes. I know what you are talking about.”
Holk waited for further explanation, but none was forthcoming. “Well,” he said after a few moments, “what are they?”
“Do you expect me to give you something for free? Out of the goodness of my heart?” The being chuckled. “Of course, since I don’t have an actual heart as you know it, that phrase may be somewhat misleading. But I’m sure that if you take it in the spirit that it was intended, you will understand my meaning. What do you have to barter for the answer?”
“Barter?”
“Well, yes. I am, after all, set here to trade, wheel and deal you might say. Our discussion thus far has been one of minor inconsequence, a lying out of the rules so to speak. I am not allowed to simply give anything away, be it information or material items, at least not anything of any worth. And the information of which you inquired would be, I’m afraid, considered as having worth.”
Holk shook his head. “Could you at least tell me when it would be best to make the attempt? Night or day?”
The Merchant gazed at him as if considering the question for several moments. “I think telling you that would be stretching the rules a bit farther than I am allowed.” When Holk frowned, the being added, “However, if we should enter into an agreement that you would, say, bring three of those delectable red-capped mushrooms when next you stopped by for a visit, I think the broadest sense of my operating guidelines would be satisfied.”
“Three of the mushrooms?”
The being nodded.
“Done.”
Smiling, the Merchant clapped its hands. “Excellent. Those things as you call them are most active during the nocturnal hours.”
About to reply, Holk noticed the Merchant’s eyes flicked momentarily toward the room behind him. Turning around quickly, he caught sight of a light for only a split-second before it vanished.
“What was that?”
“You really must be more specific. ‘That’ is a rather vague word and could be referring to almost anything.”
Retuning his gaze to the being before him, Holk pointed to where the light had been. “There. I saw a light.”
“Oh, that. Yes, that was a light, I believe it came from a sunstone.”
“Sunstone?”
The being nodded. “A very rare type of mineral, sunstones possess the ability, when struck, of emitting light that will last for several hours.”
“But who was holding it?”
“Ah, that I cannot say. Bound by a previous agreement.”
“Was it Streyan?”
“Again, I can’t say.”
I bet it was. Had it been a Ti-Ock, it would have attacked. Or, could there yet be others entrapped as was he? That was a definite possibility.
“Do you have a sunstone for trade?”
A dozen lumps of rock, ranging from a pebble to the size of Holk’s head, appeared on the table before him. Veins of bright scarlet ran through the black, coal-like rock. He selected one that would fit comfortably in the palm of his hand. “How about a dozen of the red-capped mushrooms for this?”
“Twelve? Or are you referring to a baker’s dozen, which of course everyone knows would in truth make the count thirteen?”
“Twelve.”
“That would be satisfactory.”
Holk nodded, then turned back toward where he had seen the light.
“Are you leaving?”
Again, Holk nodded. When he glanced back to the being, it was gone. “But I’ll be back.”
Leaving the tableside, Holk walked over to where he had seen the light. Not finding any evidence of another’s presence, he took out the mirror lacking the red dot and returned to the Prison Room.
Chapter 8
Early the next morning, Holk stood at the mouth of the cave overlooking the forested valley. Having arrived just before the sky began to lighten, he now waited for the sun to crest the eastern hills. During the wait, he had sought, and believed to have found, the area to which the Merchant indicated he must go. From this distance, he couldn’t make out any trace of the building hidden within the trees. It should take only an hour or so to reach the place. If everything worked out well, he’d be out of there by noon. Once the first rays hit the treetops, he made his way down to the tree line.
He again acquired a staff since he didn’t wish his sword to be ruined should an encounter develop with another of the things. The image of what one had done to the stone remained very much on his mind.
Along with the staff, he collected half a dozen, fist-sized rocks and three smaller sticks, each roughly a foot in length. Those he stuffed in his belt. Between the stones, sticks, and staff, he hoped to keep any of the leathery, tapestry-like creatures at bay while recovering whatever it was the Merchant had sent him there for.
As he made his way bet
ween the forest’s outer fringe, he realized for the first time that the Merchant hadn’t stated what Holk was to recover. He would just have to bring back everything found at the location, just in case.
The presence of birdsong eased his anxiety, for if memory served, it hadn’t been until the sounds of the forest had stilled that the first of the things appeared. Considering the way they positioned themselves like spider webs, they more than likely snared anything that happened by.
Even though he felt their presence was unlikely, he kept constant vigil; eyes roving the ground before him, as well as the trees and bushes. During the first quarter hour, his progress remained steady, and he covered ground quickly. Soon, the sounds of the forest quieted and an ominous pall settled over him.
Not long after that he sighted the first thing. It had positioned itself between two young saplings several feet from the ground. Holk paused and scanned the area more thoroughly; from the ground all the way to the tops of the trees above. Upon seeing that the thing was alone, he made sure to give it a wide berth.
As he continued, others came into view. Some were situated between trees such as the first, while others lay prone upon the ground. There was even one that had wrapped itself about the trunk of a fallen tree. His pace slowed to a crawl as he wended his way among them.
Making his way between two that had taken position among limbs of neighboring trees, Holk couldn’t help but recall how the day before, when he had brought the tip of his staff close to one of the things, it had reacted. Now, would they react more strongly to a warm-blooded human than a dead piece of wood?
As he made his way past the pair, the leathery, tapestry-like bodies remained motionless. Not even a ripple did they make. Once past, he turned his attention once more to the forest before him, and paused.
They were everywhere. Easily two-score were stretched throughout the forest. All were relatively the same size and color, which struck Holk as odd. Were there no young? Didn’t they grow larger the longer they lived? Perhaps the Merchant could answer those questions, but doubted if he wanted to pay the price.
From this point on, he had to plan his route with much greater care. One misstep and he’d be in a world of hurt. Continuing on, he worked his way around entire trees that were virtually encased by the creatures. Swaths of the forest floor were covered with them, and it took some time for him to find a safe avenue through.
Was a carrier for the mirrors really worth this? He was beginning to seriously doubt whether or not he should continue when from up ahead, he saw a dilapidated structure all but overgrown with flora. It wasn’t the one he sought, but it indicated that he was close. Steeling his nerve, he scanned the area between where he stood and the structure, found a path, and made his way toward it.
The forest was absolutely silent at this point. He heard not so much as a frog croak, bird chirp, or even the rustle of leaves blown by the wind. The air was still and slightly stagnant, almost as if even the breeze feared to enter this thing-infested area.
One broken wall was all that remained of what had once been a small building. The rest lay in an overgrown crumbled heap with only intermittent sections lying exposed. Making his way around the structure, he had to step carefully as several of the things were laid out across the ground. Forced to make a wide detour in order to avoid having to leap across them, he finally reached the far side of the broken wall and continued on to where he saw three more edifices rising from the forest floor.
None were the one he sought. Each lay broken and shattered. Holk began to wonder if perhaps it had been something other than time that had brought these buildings down. Having recently come from a siege, he could very well imagine stone-hurling siege engines raining death upon the long ago inhabitants. Further speculation would have to wait, however. He needed to keep focused on the task at hand.
As he made his way toward the three structures, he caught sight of a thing adrift upon a non-existent breeze. Its body rippled as it floated along a parallel course some distance away. Holk gave it little heed since it wasn’t moving in his direction, and cast only periodic glances toward it as he continued on his way.
What he had taken to be three, separate structures, turned out to be the remains of a single, enormous one. The things were in high concentration in and around the walls, forcing Holk to proceed in a wide arc. So numerous were they, that the actual stone of the building’s construction was all but covered. For a fleeting, gut-wrenching moment, he contemplated what he would do if they would, en masse, rise and float his way. He prayed to the gods that such an event would never come to be.
At a point several yards from the remains of the large building, the structure he searched for came into view. Surprisingly, it was not covered in things as the others had been. In fact, beginning six strides from its walls, it was encompassed by a thing-free area.
Pausing a moment to scrutinize this irregular occurrence, Holk realized that the six pace radius was fairly even around the structure. It was almost as if an invisible, circular line completely enclosing the building had been drawn in the dirt, one that the things were unable, or unwilling, to cross.
Moving closer, he threaded his way through the things spread out upon the ground. They were quite numerous and twice he was forced to step uncomfortably close to them. One rippled briefly, but otherwise remained still.
The structure was as dilapidated as he remembered from the look the Merchant had given him. About the size of a small house, it lacked one wall yet still retained a third of its roof. As he drew close to the “ring of safety” that seemed to protect the place, he had a fair view of the interior. All that was visible were bushes and trees in and around the rubble.
“This better not have been a wild goose chase,” he mumbled. Stepping carefully around the ground-hugging things, he passed the invisible line and breathed a sigh of relief. In the back of his mind, he feared that what kept the things out, might also react harshly to his incursion.
A glance back at the ground-huggers revealed them to be as inactive as before. Now, to locate what it was that the Merchant wanted. Moving quickly he approached the building and stepped through the crumbling remains of the wall. Inside, he glanced about and was met by a sight he hadn’t expected, but should have. A mirror.
Attached to the wall through which he had just passed, sat a mirror barely two feet by three. It had an ivory-like border that looked to have been made from femurs. Whether human or otherwise, Holk couldn’t tell.
Remembering the words of Kiernan, he stared into the mirror. At first, nothing happened, but then his reflection began to alter. His hair shriveled against his head and skin began to peel. A look grew in his eyes, one of unremitting horror. When tremors of fear began coursing through him, he turned away.
Sweat had broken out on his brow and it took some time before the mirror’s effects subsided. He definitely would not be seeing where this particular mirror led. To get his mind focused on something else, he turned his attention to hunting for the Merchant’s item.
If it had been conveyed to this spot by a human, and that person had died, then there should be evidence to that affect. It was a certainty that no wild animal had made its way in there and made off with the carcass. The things would have gotten to it long before it could have reached this point. So, where was the body?
He used his staff to poke through the underbrush and turn over some of the smaller pieces of rubble, all to no avail. He even got down on his hands and knees to sift through the dirt with his fingers. There was nothing. No bones, no coins, nothing one might expect to be left behind after someone had died. He had risked his life for nothing! Had it not been for the numerous hostile creatures surrounding this place, he would have vented his anger in a more vociferous manner.
His gaze returned to the mirror. If what he was supposed to retrieve lay on the far side of that mirror, it would forever remain so. The Merchant would just have to wait a bit longer. A second was all it took for the fear to once again rise within
him. Shaking his head, he looked away and the fear subsided. No, he wasn’t about to go through there.
Taking out the handheld mirror that led to the Prison Room, he unwrapped it and touched his finger to the reflective surface. Nothing happened. Placing his hand full against the mirror, he grew anxious when he failed to return to the Prison Room.
Why isn’t this working? His anger almost got the better of him. The Merchant! He must have done something to it! Trying his other handheld produced no better results. Neither would work. There was nothing for it, he would have to return through the thing-infested forest.
Casting his gaze outside the building, he found everything to be as quiet as it had been on his way in. The ground-huggers remained immobile and no floaters made their way through the ruins. Holk returned to the point where he had entered the circle of safety that surrounded the broken-down structure. Finding the path, he carefully threaded his way between a swath of creatures so thickly laid, that it looked like a brown carpet.
The path felt narrower than it had been before, and each step caused ripples to course through the neighboring things. Holk had never been so nervous in his life. With at times less than half a foot of clearance, he came perilously close to drawing unwanted attention.
Each step was placed with care. Staff held at the ready, he moved the end toward any of the things that reacted to his presence. So long as they were content to do nothing more than ripple, he would keep the staff away.
The narrow path began moving off in a direction other than the way he had come. He was certain that the cave resided at the southern end of the valley, yet he was moving in a more easterly direction. The ruins remained a constant companion, the ancient city stretched farther to the east than it had to the south.
Above, the sun still sat low in the eastern half of the sky, thus he had most of the day before him. Upon reaching an island of safety in this sea of leathery things, Holk paused to determine if a more southerly direction was possible. There were areas clear of the creatures, each roughly the size of stepping stones, that dotted the forest floor to the south. However, in order to move from one to the next, he would be forced to step over and perhaps even leap across many ground-huggers. One misstep and it might very well be the last step he ever took. No, he had to keep to the path, at least for as long as it lasted.
Portals Page 9
