Balestone

by Toby Neighbors

  She looked desperately around the city. There was movement, but none of it was close. There were shadows, some big, some small, slinking through the streets. Lexi realized that the city was not abandoned, it just wasn’t home to humans anymore.

  As Lexi opened her eyes, she blinked in the light of the fire, and then a man appeared in the street. He wore a long robe made from mismatched animal skins. Olyva’s hand tightened on Lexi’s arm. Neither girl breathed as they watched Tiberius step through the door. The fire separated the two men. The newcomer had a long beard, and although he was bald on top of his head, a ring of thin, greasy hair hung down from around his ears. His skin looked dark in the firelight, but Lexi guessed it was dark from dirt not exposure.

  “Guests, we have guests at last,” the man said in a strangely high-pitched voice.

  “Who are you?” Tiberius said.

  “Many names, I go by many names. I am King Gunderlyn, ruler of Devonyr.”

  The man waved his hands around at the ruined city.

  “I’m also the Keeper, Guardian of the Passes, and Pathfinder through the Barrier Mountains.”

  “We aren’t looking for trouble,” Tiberius said. “We just wanted to take shelter for the night.”

  “No trouble, no trouble,” Gunderlyn said. “I called off the dogs. They’re zealous defenders of my great kingdom. Come with me to the palace. I have food. It is much safer than here.”

  Tiberius looked back at Lexi and Rafe. No one wanted to go with the man, who seemed to be crazy, but they didn’t want to stay in the building where they might be attacked by who knew what creatures in the night.

  Lexi nodded, remembering the shadows she’d seen slinking around the city. Rafe went to Olyva and picked up the sturdiest looking board from the fire he could find. Olyva’s eyes were wide with fear, and Lexi didn’t blame her. Staying in the ruins of the abandoned city had been a mistake, but there was no way to change that now. Lexi went to the horses, who where shuffling nervously. Rafe and Olyva had already unsaddled and rubbed down the animals, but Lexi didn’t want to leave them behind. The dogs or worse creatures could attack them.

  “We won’t leave the horses,” Lexi said.

  “There is room,” Gunderlyn said excitedly. “Room for all, you will see. It is safe, come with me.”

  Lexi led the horses by the reins and followed Tiberius, who had also picked up a firebrand. Rafe and Olyva followed the horses. Gunderlyn babbled as they walked, and most of what he said made no sense. He led them down winding streets. The dark buildings and shady alleys on either side of them seemed ominous to Lexi. The horses seemed nervous, too. Eventually they came to a sturdy-looking stone tower. The structure was only two stories high, but the windows were all sealed with stones mixed in a crude mortar.

  “Here we are, here we are!” the man in the long robe said, kicking his feet up in a dance that revealed skinny, pale legs. “Welcome to the royal palace of Cobblestone.”

  “This is your home, Gunderlyn?” Tiberius asked.

  “Gunderlyn was my father,” the man said in a sneering tone. “Call me Waddlehat.”

  He flung open the door, which was large and heavy. The doorway was arched, and the door fit the opening perfectly. Lexi guessed the massive door had somehow survived the passage of time. Gunderlyn waved them in, then disappeared into the darkness.

  “I don’t like this,” Rafe said.

  “We don’t have much choice,” Tiberius said.

  “We can go back,” Rafe said. “We’ll saddle the horses and ride through the night. We can make proper torches from some of the wood hereabouts.”

  “I’m not even sure how to find our way back,” Tiberius said in a low voice.

  “Someone called the dogs off of us,” Olyva said. “Perhaps it really was this man.”

  “He’s insane,” Rafe said.

  “Things aren’t always what they seem,” Tiberius said. “He’s a wizard. I can feel the magic surrounding him.”

  “All the more reason to leave,” Rafe said.

  “Come in, come in. Bring your big dogs, too. There is room here,” the man called from inside the tower.

  “Let’s just see what’s inside,” Tiberius said.

  Rafe didn’t look happy, but he didn’t argue. Tiberius went in first, raising his firebrand over his head. The light from their burning planks was shaky at best, but just after Tiberius entered the tower, a steady, golden glow illuminated the structure.

  “Come on,” Tiberius said. “It’s okay.”

  Lexi led the horses forward, feeling strange bringing the beasts into another person’s home, but once she stepped through the doorway she realized why the man had offered. The tower was a large circular structure, but it had no roof. The man in the mismatched robes had lit an oil lamp, which was giving a steady light to the entire building.

  “Leave your torches,” he cried in a loud voice. “The horses may stay here safely through the night. Just close up the outer door and set the beam.”

  Lexi tied the horses’ reins to a metal ring that was set in the stone wall. She tied each rein with a simple slip knot that would pull free easily if they needed to flee the tower. Tiberius tossed their torches out onto the dirt-covered street, then Rafe closed the door and lifted a heavy wooden beam that fit snuggly into the bracket on the back of the door to lock the tower’s only entrance.

  Dancer spiraled out of the inky black sky and landed on the stone wall. Lexi could just see the furry little animal in the light from Gunderlyn’s lamp. She raised her hand to the animal, but Dancer refused to come down to Lexi. She waved her hand, but the little animal trilled angrily.

  “Hope your pet doesn’t know something we don’t,” Rafe whispered.

  Lexi swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. In the light of the lamp, she could see their host’s ragged garment. It was made from the skins of many small animals, and strings of sinew and fat hung from the poorly tanned hides. The man wore no shoes or even sandals, carried no weapons that anyone could see, and yet had passed through the dark city without the aid of any light.

  “Now, we shall go down,” Gunderlyn said in a sing-song voice.

  “Down where?” Tiberius asked.

  The man didn’t answer but pulled on a heavy trap door that revealed a stone staircase that disappeared under the tower. A horrible stench wafted up and made Lexi want to gag, but she forced herself not to show her revulsion.

  “This way — come with me, my lovies,” Gunderlyn cried as he hopped down the steps.

  The tower grew dark as their host carried the lamp down into the lower levels of the tower.

  “I’m staying here,” Olyva said. “I can’t go down there.”

  “I’ll stay with her,” Rafe said.

  “Lexi?” Tiberius said.

  “I’m coming,” she replied, hoping he didn’t hear the terror in her voice.

  “I’m sure it will be fine,” Tiberius said. “We’ll be back no later than morning.”

  “Don’t make me come down there to find you,” Rafe groused. “It smells like something died down there.”

  “Nice,” Lexi said, as she followed Tiberius down the stairs.

  The tower disappeared in darkness over their heads, and Lexi had to breathe through her mouth to keep from retching at the smell. The stairs spiraled down, and the light below her grew brighter. Finally they came down into a large chamber. What Lexi saw took her breath away. There were treasures everywhere. Gold, so much that it reflected the lamp’s light and made the whole room as bright as day. There were coins, some in chests, others in sacks, and still more in piles on the floor. There were gilded frames, gold candelabras, goblets, and trays. Silver and gold jewelry hung haphazardly from the other treasures, and weapons of every type, most made with incredible precision and painstaking forging methods, were scattered around the room. Some of the weapons even had gemstones inlaid in their handles or sheaths. There were religious articles and musical instruments, even bolts of shimmering cloth that look
ed almost like spun gold or silver.

  “Forgive the mess,” Gunderlyn said. “I’m not a housekeeper after all.”

  He laughed at his own joke, cackling like a raven. Tiberius looked at Lexi, who could only shrug her shoulders. In Avondale not even the earl had such a horde of treasure. She realized she would have to rob the entire city to find so much plunder and guessed that Gunderlyn had done just that, scouring the abandoned city for treasures.

  The large treasure room led to a smaller set of rooms. The first was a kitchen of some kind. There was a large hearth, with a cast iron kettle hanging over the cold embers. A long table that was stained with blood stood against the opposite wall. Pegs were set in the stone walls, and small animal hides hung from the pegs in various stages of decomposition. The smell was overpowering, but Gunderlyn didn’t seem to notice.

  He went through the kitchen and into another room that was filled with books. Lexi saw Tiberius stiffen as he saw the leather-bound volumes. Gunderlyn dropped into a heavily padded chair and propped his feet on a decorated footstool. He hiked up his robe, and Lexi had to look away to keep from seeing down his filthy thighs. He snatched up a thick pipe that looked as if it was made of bone. He grabbed a pinch of dark green leaves and stuffed them into the pipe. Then he used a long sliver of wood that he lit on one end in his lamp to light the pipe.

  He toked the pipe several times before leaning back in his chair and drew a great draught of smoke into his lungs. He looked at Tiberius queerly for a moment, then spoke in a much lower voice.

  “What is your business before the king?”

  “My business?” Tiberius said. “I’m not sure I have any business.”

  “Come, man, don’t make me drag it out of you. I’ve dungeons for people who waste the king’s time.”

  “I sorry, but you invited us here.”

  “You need lodging,” he said, nodding and drawing on his pipe again. “More beggars,” he chuckled. “And do you have something to trade for your room and board, peasant?”

  “Well, no,” Tiberius said. “We have no wish to impose upon you. We were just passing through and looking to shelter in the city ruins for the night.”

  “Well you may stay,” he said, his voice taking on the high pitch and insane inflections once more, “of course you may. I have plenty of room, plenty of room.”

  “What happened to this city?” Tiberius asked.

  “What happens to all cities eventually,” Gunderlyn said. “It has faded. The great stone works return to the dust from which they came.”

  “What of the people?” Tiberius prodded.

  “There are no people here. No, no, no,” he said with a chuckle. “My subjects would never allow people in the Kingdom of Devonyr.”

  “We are people,” Lexi said quietly.

  “Quite right, and so you are, for now at any rate. But that is a discussion for another time. People are so full of questions. Tell me, what is it like on the tall peaks? You are from one of the nine cities, are you not?”

  “You know about the nine cities?” Tiberius asked.

  “Of course I know of them. I am the Emperor of Valana after all.”

  Lexi wanted to knock the man over the head and search all the rooms of his underground sanctum. She thought he needed help if he thought he was a ruler of anything but dust and lost treasures. Still, there was no denying the riches in the outer room. A handful of the gold there would keep Lexi warm, safe, and well fed for a year in Avondale. She guessed if they looted that one room and carried it as a gift to Tiberius’ father, they would be welcomed into Avondale like heroes. Not that she wanted that. What she really wanted was to get out of the smelly hole in the ground and breathe fresh air again.

  Chapter 13

  Tiberius

  “You’re an emperor?” Ti asked, trying to sound respectful.

  Gunderlyn looked at Tiberius as if he didn’t understand.

  “You said you rule all of Valana,” Tiberius explained. “How did that happen?”

  “You ask the strangest questions,” Gunderlyn said seriously, then broke into hysterical laughter.

  Tiberius looked at Lexi, who seemed worried about their host. Tiberius badly wanted a chance to explore the man’s library of books. He could see the titles of many of the large volumes, but the entire room was lined with shelves, and each shelf was packed with books. He could spend hours just exploring the titles in Gunderlyn’s library.

  “Which of the cities do you hail from?” Gunderlyn asked once he regained what little self-composure he possessed.

  “Avondale,” Tiberius said.

  “Ah, Avondale, the most beautiful of the nine cities.”

  “You’ve been to Avondale?” Tiberius asked.

  “I’ve seen all the cities,” Gunderlyn said, his voice grim. “But I don’t go up, no, never up. Above the mists the world is cold and full of hate. I prefer things here.”

  “Don’t you miss being around other people?” Lexi asked.

  “People are so full of themselves,” Gunderlyn said. “Is not your little pet more true? The wind glider, or helter smy, as they were once known. In days gone by, they were called King’s Eyes. They’re exceedingly rare. I’ve only read about them in my books.”

  “You mean Dancer?” Lexi asked.

  “Ah, an apt name. They do seem to dance on the wind, don’t they?” Gunderlyn said. “Does he speak to you?”

  “She,” Lexi said, “shows me things sometimes.”

  “They eventually learn to communicate with their companions,” Gunderlyn said, as if the whole conversation was dull. “You’ll find your furry little pet more loyal than any person.”

  “How long have you lived here?” Tiberius asked.

  “So many questions. There will be time for answers later,” Gunderlyn said, suddenly jumping to his feet. “But first we must eat. Stay here — I will prepare our supper. Then all your questions will be answered.”

  He swept out of the room, his filthy robe brushing Tiberius as he hurried past. Tiberius thought he was growing used to the smell, but Gunderlyn’s unwashed body made Tiberius’ eyes water.

  As soon as Gunderlyn was out of the room, Tiberius began looking at the books. Lexi moved up behind Tiberius. She was as silent as a shadow for a few moments.

  “We need to get out of here,” she said.

  “I know, but we can’t leave yet,” Tiberius said.

  “We’re better off taking out chances on the prairie,” Lexi argued.

  “I agree. Gunderlyn is out of his mind. But look at these books, Lexi. There could be books on magic here. There was no purge in the blighted lands.”

  “No,” Lexi said. “Just a cataclysm that drove everyone into the highlands. Tiberius, it isn’t safe here. There’s no telling what this mad man is planning to do.”

  “I doubt he’s strong enough to subdue all four of us.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Lexi said.

  Tiberius knew that Lexi was scared, but he couldn’t force himself to leave. In his own mind, a warning was trying to get his attention, but Tiberius seriously doubted that Gunderlyn could pose much of a threat, and the possibility of finding another book on magic — perhaps even several books — was simply too enticing to pass up. Had he paid more attention to his instincts, he might have noticed that his fatigue wasn’t natural.

  Lexi yawned.

  “You see, you’re too tired to do anything more tonight,” Tiberius said.

  “What is your fascination with these books?” she asked.

  “Don’t you realize what these are?” Tiberius explained. “Every one of these books is from before the purge. The amount of magical knowledge in these books is priceless.”

  “They’re all about magic?”

  “No, at least I haven’t found books that are solely about magic,” he said, stifling his own yawn. “But even if they just describe what is possible to do with magic, they would be well worth reading.”

  “Books make me sleepy,” Lexi said.r />
  “We’ve been through a lot today,” Tiberius said.

  He picked one of the books up and began turning the ancient pages. The books had been written on thick paper, the words copied in a flowing script that was elegant but precise. There were illustrations, as well. It was a book of ceremony, perhaps outlining the rites of some forgotten religion.

  Lexi sat down on the stone tiled floor of the library. There were no rushes, only more dirt that Gunderlyn had tracked in. Tiberius yawned again, his eyelids heavy, and he felt a warmth, almost like a thick blanket being wrapped around his body. He looked down at Lexi, who was asleep, and finally he realized what was happening. He had cast the sleep spell often enough, but he’d never been the recipient of that particular charm. He looked for Gunderlyn, but the rank old man was not in the library. Tiberius stumbled toward the door that led to the kitchen, but his legs refused to hold him up, and he collapsed onto the floor.

  He resisted sleep for a brief moment, but his resistance was useless. The last thought to pass through his mind before he fell into the pit of unconsciousness was where the old man had learned the spell. Tiberius wanted to see that book.

  When Tiberius woke up, he was alone. The room he was in was bare, just a small room with stone walls. His hands were chained to a metal ring that was bolted into the stone above his head.

  “What’s going on?” he said, struggling to his feet.

  He felt groggy, and his muscles seemed as if they had been drained of strength.

  “Lexi!” he shouted. “Lexi!”

  His voice echoed back at him from the confining stone walls. Fear gripped his heart so tightly that he could barely breathe. He pulled at the chains in a futile effort to break free. The chains were stout, and the ring they were attached to would not budge. He tried to pull his hands free of the shackles but only succeeded in chafing the skin on his wrists.

  “Lexi!” Tiberius shouted again, but there was no answer.

  He sank to his knees and let the tears fall from his eyes as he tried desperately to think of what he could do. He went over every spell he knew, but none seemed effective for freeing him or helping his friends.