by Chris Miller
“Hunter,” I answered, “and this is Rob and Trista.”
“Pleasure to meet you all,” he said with a wink of his good eye.
With that he turned on his heels and stomped away, shaking the entire building as he went. Rob whimpered at the sound of it. Even I began to wonder if it was a good idea to stay inside. After all, there was nothing beneath us but…well…nothing. Still, the rest of the patrons didn’t seem to mind the precarious sway of the inn’s foundations, so I figured it was safe enough for one night. We ate our fill of the hot bread and washed it down with the cider.
In less than an hour the Cliffhanger Inn had all but cleared out; the last of its guests were gathering their things and heading for the door.
“Thanks for dropping by folks,” Stoney called after them. “My door’s always open. Come back anytime!”
When at last the door shut behind them, he brought a chair over and sat down beside us.
“Whew! Never a dull moment in this place, I’ll tell you that. Keeps me hopping from dawn ’til dusk. But I don’t mind it none— keeps me honest. A hard workin’ man is an honest man; that much I know. But enough abouts me. What brings you to such a remote part of the world? Not many in the Resistance in these parts, you know.”
Stoney was clearly sympathetic to our cause, so I decided to share freely with him.
“We arrived just the day before last,” I answered, “from the Veil.”
“The Veil you say,” came Stoney’s reply. “Well, this is a treat; I haven’t had a visitor from the Veil in…well…ever! I’ll get the burum and we’ll drink to it…er…no, no…no! Look at me blabbering like the fool I once was. We don’t serve that here anymore. No, just some water for me and some shard-famous cider for you. Dangerous stuff that burum, fills you plenty but dulls the mind, and I needs to stay sharp these days…never know what might happen. There’s plenty of trouble afoot, so I’m told.”
We drank another round of cider with the man and continued the discussion.
“We’re on an important mission for the Resistance, and we’re in need of passage to Torpor. You know anyone who would be willing to take us?”
“Torpor, you say,” he said stroking his black mustache. “My that is a long way.”
“It’s an urgent matter, and we’re willing to pay.”
“How much?”
“This,” I answered, confidently showing the sparkling gemstone the Thordins had given us.
Stoney’s eyebrows shot up as he observed the impressive piece of blue quartz. “Well now, if you weren’t in such a hurry to leave today, this beaut’ would buy yer way to most anywhere a man might want to go, but I’m ’fraid to say it’s not goin’ to do ya much good right now.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“There hasn’t been no sky ships in these parts for nearly a month, least not the kind taking passengers. It’s all cargo ships up this way, taking loads of crystals from the mines to the other shards nearby. There’s a lot of money in them deliveries. Convincing any of them to fly off-course to Torpor would take a mite bit more than what you’ve got.”
“Oh,” I said with marked disappointment.
We had barely even begun this all-important mission and already it was threatening to run aground in failure.
“’Course, I’d take ya there meself if I could, but I’ve got me hands full with the inn as you can see. But don’t worry none, if it’s Torpor where the Author needs you to be, there ain’t nothing will stop you from getting there. Am I right?”
I nodded, encouraged by the man’s honest statement of faith.
“Well, I hate ta say it, but I’ve got a few errands to run before I can call it a night,” Stoney said at last, lifting himself slowly out of his chair to stand. “Come on now. I’ll show you to some rooms where you can stay the night, free of charge to me friends, mind you, and I won’t take no fer an answer! A good night’s rest’ll be good fer ya, and we’ll have plenty of time to talk more tomorrow, I thinks.” He led us upstairs and showed us our sleeping quarters.
“You’ll like this room,” Stoney boasted, “has a great bay window off the back. Quite the view!”
Rob winced at the thought, “Please no!”
“What’s the matter?” asked Stoney, confused.
“He’s afraid of heights,” Trista explained.
“Ahhhhh, I see. Well, in that case I’d better give you the servant’s quarters. ’Course, I haven’t had a servant in ages. It’s not much to look at, I’m afraid, but that’s better than the alternative in your case. I’ll put the lady in the larger room next door.”
The room Rob and I shared was practically a closet—strictly functional. It fit little more than a wooden bunk bed, the hard kind you expect to sleep in on a traveling quest or college dormitory. But what the mattresses themselves lacked in comfort, the downy quilts that accompanied them more than made up for in warmth. Rob chose the lower of the two bunks and nervously buried himself between the folds of the thick quilt.
“Wake me up when it’s time to leave this shack,” he mumbled from beneath the safety of the quilt’s wrapping. I dropped my backpack down on the floor and a faint yelp emerged, causing both Rob and me to turn our attention to the bag. I opened the top flap to discover Boojum hiding inside.
“Hey, I thought you left us! What are you doing in there?” I asked.
“Boojum back!” he answered simply. “Hungry!”
Rob flopped back down on his bed. “You know, I had a cousin like him once,” he pointed out. “Always showed up when he wanted something to eat. Now, I know he’s nothing but trouble.”
Boojum cocked his head with curiosity at Rob’s comment.
“Boojum trouble?” he asked.
“Nah, he’s just giving you a hard time,” I whispered to the little creature. “Probably jealous that you’re mine, right Rob?”
“Oh yeah, that’s it,” Rob said mid-yawn. “How do you think he knew where to find us?”
“Maybe he never really left, just disappeared,” I figured.
“That’s so weird,” Rob stated. “You know, I bet there’s got to be something about him in the Author’s Writ somewhere. I’ll have to look for it later…. I’m too tired tonight.”
“Hungry,” Boojum reminded me.
“That’s why I don’t have pets,” Rob laughed, rolling over to get some sleep, leaving me to deal with Boojum alone.
“Hungry, eh? I think I have a little something left over from the fair. It’s not much but it might work for tonight.”
Rummaging through my backpack, all I could find was a half-eaten snack bar, which Boojum happily accepted. It was enough to keep him occupied for a few minutes while I got ready for bed.
I stared into a small mirror that was hung on the wall. Pulling the medallion off of my chest, I examined it carefully. A faint glow seemed to emanate from within, warming my heart in a way I never imagined possible. The full importance of the Flame still eluded me. All I really knew was that it was mine to carry and protect, and that without it the Resistance would fail. So, protect it I would.
“Carrying the Flame is an important mission, you know. No mistakes this time. The Resistance is counting on me…. I’m going to show everyone how trustworthy I can be.”
Boojum finished the snack bar and looked at me with giant bewildered eyes as I handled the medallion. I clutched it tightly in my hands before pulling it back over my neck. Then, I climbed the ladder into my bed.
“Goodnight, Boojum!” I said aloud.
“Nite-nite mine,” Boojum whispered back as my eyelids shut.
Chapter 13
Signs of Trouble
A soft winter’s snow drifted down on the ruins where the Thordin brothers slept. Petrov alone was awake in the dark, troubled by a vision. He was pouring over his Author’s Writ and whispering a silent prayer to the
Author.
“Please, not Hunter! Don’t let him lose hope,” Petrov said under his breath.
There was a short growl outside the door from one of the dogs, but it went deathly silent just as quickly.
Petrov moved for his sword, grabbing it quickly but feeling the ache in his side. The poison was still moving; it wouldn’t be long before he’d be joining the Author in another story. This much was certain.
The door flew open but nobody was there. Petrov struggled to his feet, holding his sword with honor in front of him.
“You’re too late, Xaul,” Petrov said despite the fact he couldn’t see anyone yet. “You won’t find what you’re looking for here.”
The raspy half-voice that replied seemed to come from nowhere in particular. “Where is it? Where is the Spark!”
“It’s gone, I gave it away,” Petrov said boldly.
“Where…is…it!” said Xaul, seething as he spoke.
“Safe” was Petrov’s reply. “With the Resistance.”
With a long raspy laugh, Xaul stepped out from the shadows, revealing himself at last—first his gleaming eyes then the rest of his form.
“Your Resistance is over,” he said at last. “You and your friends have seen the end of your days. Face it, Aviad is dead and with him the lies you tried to spread to the people—my people.”
“What is it you are afraid of then, Xaul? Why do you hunt us down if you believe it is all a lie?”
“Some lies should never be tolerated,” he hissed. “The fire belongs with us and us alone.”
“You are wrong,” said Petrov. “The fire belongs to all people, to any the Author will choose.”
The last statement angered Xaul most of all.
“Never!” he yelled, igniting the darkened Veritas Sword in his hand. The glow around his blackened sword burned with anger as he lunged at Petrov.
The Commander of the Resistance held his sword firm and closed his eyes, unwilling to fight. With one stroke of Xaul’s sword, Petrov’s story was finished.
The Thordin brothers heard the commotion and ran into the room, only to find it empty. A black X was carved into the rock wall beside the limp body of Petrov, still clinging to his sword.
Without reason, Petrov’s body suddenly burst into flames and disappeared in the blaze.
I woke with a jolt from the terrifying dream, to an anxious knock at the door.
“Hunter, get up,” an urgent voice called. I stumbled to the door and unlocked the bolt, opening it to find Stoney shifting nervously in the hallway.
“What is it?” I asked, staggering slightly.
“Gather yer things. There’s a ship waiting out back. I’ve decided to take you to Torpor meself, but we’ve got to leave tonight.”
“Tonight? Why tonight?” I asked.
“Because you’re being followed.”
“How do you…?”
“I went into town to get some supplies, and I saw a man out of the corner of my eye, lurking in the shadows. He was not from around here, and he kept watching me from under his hood. I don’t think he knows I saw him, but he followed me back here to the inn. He’s watching from across the way, waiting for something.”
“Did he have a belt with a red X on it?” I asked, fearing the worse.
“Yes,” Stoney shot me a look of surprise, “you know him?”
My heart started to pound. Stoney’s response could mean only one thing. My dream was real. Petrov was gone and now Xaul had found us. Stoney was right, we had to get out of here… and fast.
“I’ll get the others; there’s no time to waste,” I said.
Stoney could sense the urgency in my voice and followed the plan without hesitation. In no time at all, Rob, Trista and I slipped out the back door, carrying our only possessions—weapons, the gemstone and the Author’s Writ. We followed Stoney down the staircase and out the back door onto another long wooden walkway.
Looming before us at the end of the platform was a large wooden structure covered in snow and ice. The doors on the front had already been flung open, revealing what was stored inside—a massive sky ship floating midair beneath the rafters of the shed, protected from the elements. It looked for the most part like a small sailing ship—only in place of the sails a large cloth-sewn balloon floated high over the deck. We quickly boarded the vessel and set down our things.
As Stoney readied the ship for departure, I looked back at the inn with the unnerving feeling I had forgotten something.
“Wait,” I whispered, rifling through my backpack. “Where’s Boojum?”
“I dunno,” Rob replied. “I thought he was with you.”
“Wait a minute,” Trista said, trying to catch up with the rest of us. “Boojum came back?”
“Yeah, right before we went to sleep, but he wasn’t in our room this morning,” I explained.
“I thought you said he came back,” Rob replied.
“No…I mean he was…but he’s not there now. He’s…gone…I’ll have to go back and look for him.”
Stoney seemed nervous, “You think that’s wise?”
“No,” I answered, “but we can’t leave him behind. Get the ship ready for launch. I’ll be back in five minutes.”
“Be careful,” Trista warned.
I lifted my Veritas Sword in response and started back for the inn, making my way carefully toward the main dining room. Even in the darkness I could sense there was someone else there.
Something clattered behind the counter.
“Boojum,” I whispered, “is that you?”
There was no response.
Stooping under the countertop, I spotted a trace of movement at the opposite end. Sure enough, Boojum was huddled beside a toppled garbage bin, a leathery strip of dried meat protruding from his mouth. His glowing eyes examined me suspiciously as he munched on the table scrap he had apparently discovered. He was fingering something metal in his hands.
“What are you doing? What do you have there?” I asked as I approached my furry friend.
“Mine,” Boojum said disagreeably, holding the metal object out. As he did, a small gold chain hung down from his hands and I recognized it at once—Hope’s medallion.
“Hey, how did you…?” I asked, reaching for my neck in grim realization that the Flame was no longer safely with me. “That’s my medallion. Give it back, right now!”
I ducked behind the counter to retrieve the medallion from Boojum just as the front door of the inn burst open. A frigid breeze blew through the room before the door shut once more. Huddled on the floor, I knew without looking that we were not alone. Xaul had entered.
The floorboards creaked softly under the light footsteps of the Xin warrior. I caught a sudden lump in my throat at the thought of it and ducked even lower, pressing my chin nearly to the floor. All I could do now was hope the deadly assassin had not seen or heard me when he entered.
Clutching the sword tightly in my fist, I couldn’t help but wonder if I would remember how to use the weapon in battle. Not that it mattered now. Even if I did, the likelihood that I would be able to match swords with a skilled Xin warrior was highly unlikely. Besides, the last thing I needed was to get in a sword fight. What I needed was to find a way out of here with Boojum and the medallion—but how?
Before I could come up with a plan, Boojum started to rummage for another piece of food, making far too much noise to stay hidden. Xaul didn’t miss it.
The Xin warrior flipped through the air over the counter and landed ten feet from where I lay, his sword raised and ready for battle. The weapon pulsed with an indigo blaze, outlining the darkened blade with an eerie glow. In my dream the man was frightening; in person he was positively terrifying. His silvery eyes hovered in the empty space beneath his hood, freezing the blood in my veins. I felt heavy—unable to move or think.
“What
have we here?” he said, spotting the Veritas Sword in my hand. “A code-brat, eh?” His voice was cold as death itself. Xaul stepped forward with a swagger, bringing the tip of his Veritas Sword ever closer.
Boojum dropped his food and darted behind me in fright. I half expected the critter to vanish at the sight of Xaul’s sword. Then again, the blade wasn’t giving off nearly as bright a light as a pure Veritas did. Still, it was every bit as deadly.
“Stand back…or I’ll…” I started.
“You’ll what? I could kill you before you even raised your sword, boy. I have no time for games. Now, tell me who has the Flame.”
I was running out of options. If I ignited the sword to defend myself, Boojum would likely disappear, taking the medallion with him to who knows where. However, without my sword, I was as good as dead anyway so it hardly mattered.
Suddenly, a thought came to mind. If Boojum could transport things with him when he disappeared, then perhaps…just maybe…he could carry a person as well. It was a long shot and I knew it, but under the circumstances I couldn’t think of anything better. Sitting up, I reached behind me and caught a loose hold of Boojum’s tail.
“I will never tell you,” I said nervously, pointing the hilt of my Veritas Sword toward him.
“Suit yourself,” Xaul sneered. “One less Codebearer to deal with.”
He surged forward, swinging his blade down in a fit of rage.
“For the Way of Truth and Life,” I shouted in defense, igniting my sword at the last possible moment. Our blades collided, blocking his first attack and erupting in a powerful explosion of brilliant light. The moment of truth had come. I shut my eyes, hung tight to Boojum’s tail and hoped beyond reason that my plan would work.
With a sudden jolt and an ear piercing scream of pain, everything went hazy and my vision blurred. Boojum had dissipated, pulling me into his altered state of airborne mist. All at once I was being hurled through the air like a rag doll, clinging with desperation to what I perceived to be Boojum’s tail. I caught only momentary glimpses of the room whenever my invisible guide shifted directions. The disorienting sensation was unlike any I had ever felt before. The absence of a body left me feeling transparent, thin and ghost-like.
