The Lodestone

by J. Philip Horne

  Fortuna came up next, carrying a lantern. As she stepped out of the shaft, the light revealed they were in a large, run-down room with storage shelves full of decrepit supplies, bunks, and a ladder up into another, much smaller hatch in the low ceiling with a door to the side just above the ceiling level. Derek and Gerlock followed closely behind Fortuna, and then the dwarves popped out one by one. Jack crowded with the others around the far side of the shaft to watch the others climb. Verdag came last of all. His axe was slung across his back, and he quickly ascended the root ladder.

  A massive beast shot into view below Verdag and slammed into the end of the tunnel to the crack of shattered wood. The corakus was even larger than Jack had imagined, and its crocodile-like head seemed to fill the space at the bottom of the shaft. Verdag climbed frantically, and for a moment Jack thought the beast wouldn’t be able to reach him, but it flexed its head directly up the shaft and started clawing its way forward around the corner and up the shaft. Derek whipped out his gun and maneuvered for a shot, but Gerlock cried out and whipped his hands together in a loud clap.

  Roots hammered in from either side of the shaft in a thick cage just below Verdag, and the corakus smashed into them and rebounded, jaws snapping ineffectively. It opened its mouth and howled in frustration, and the sound hit Jack with such force his knees went weak and he pitched forward toward the shaft. Derek, now on the other side of the shaft, dove across and tackled him, carrying Jack away from the edge. As Jack untangled himself from Derek and got to his feet, Verdag vaulted out of the shaft. He glanced around the room with a wild, panicked look in his eyes, and then ran for the ladder to the ceiling hatch.

  “To the forest!” he yelled, and slammed his shoulder into the door at the top of the ladder. It groaned but did not give. Verdag hit it again, and then again, and the door popped open. He was through it in a flash, and the others hustled after him. As Jack climbed the ladder, he heard the sound of roots being rent by the snapping, tearing jaws of the corakus, and then he was tumbling out of the doorway and rolling down a short embankment on the forest floor.

  Jack was surprised to see that it was still nighttime. Somehow, not having slept normally for several days and being underground since dawn, he had thought it would already be morning. He didn’t have much chance to think about his disorientation, because Sally banged into him, and they both scrambled out of the way of the others.

  “Let them come out and face us now,” Gerlock said, his arms spread wide and his face lifted up to the trees all around.

  “They won’t come aboveground,” Verdag said. “Their twisted wizard-born nature is for the dark confines of our dwarf-home.”

  Gerlock nodded and smiled at the dwarves clustered around Verdag. “It’s good to be in a forest again. But I believe we have trespassed well beyond courtesy and into friendship. I thank you for your steadfast service to us, and I am deeply sorry for your lost companions. We must fly to Fortress, so I would think we part ways here.”

  “Aye,” Verdag said, stepping forward and clasping Gerlock’s hand, “you part ways with most of us. My company has much to do about Kargrag’s treachery and murder, and will make haste west back into the Daggerfels. Yet, I would continue with you. Drakin returns from the pages of history, and events swirl around this boy, Jack. I would see it through, if you would have me.”

  Jack didn’t really like the sound of Verdag’s statement that history was swirling around him, but he was starting to like the dwarf, and was glad to have another person join their party.

  “I’m glad to have him,” Jack said quickly, before anyone could say no.

  “As we all are,” Gerlock said.

  Verdag and the other dwarves quickly split up the supplies. As they were saying farewell to the six who were heading back to the Daggerfels above ground, Jack shook hands with Gerd, Crar, and Regrik, and then said farewell to the other three as he realized he didn’t even know their names. They jogged off into the night before he had a chance to ask.

  “We head to Fortress now,” Gerlock said, “to solve the mystery of Edalwin’s disappearance. I would guess we are about a hundred seventy miles away, and we’ll want to exit the forest well west of our camp, or former camp, as it’s likely still being watched.”

  “I don’t think the children are up to running that far,” Derek said. “Not that I am either.”

  “No, there is another way,” Gerlock said, “though it will be exhausting for Fortuna and me, and I rather doubt any of you will enjoy it. Gather round tightly, all of you, and please stick together and do not panic.”

  “Jack,” Sally whispered to him, “I don’t like the sound of this. I just want a warm bed and a few hours of peace.”

  Jack smiled at her for a moment, but was startled to see the tree branches all around them reach down and wiggle underneath, lifting the whole group up into the canopy.

  “Friend Gerlock,” Verdag said, “a dwarf was meant to be below the ground. We are badgers, not squirrels!”

  “Please,” Fortuna said as Gerlock frowned in concentration, “lean back and hold your arms out. Do not fight it. Let the branches hold you.”

  Branches, vines, and leaves wove around Jack and the others, across their chests, legs and waists. Then they were lifted up toward one another as the branches knit together around and above them. The whole group was soon firmly secured in a large cocoon made of all sorts of vegetation.

  “This mode of transportation,” Derek said, “uh, what exactly should we expect?”

  “The unexpected, my other-worldly friend,” Fortuna said with a smile.

  With that, there was a rending sound and the whole cocoon tore free from the surrounding trees and sat among the branches. There was a moment of quiet, and then the branches lifted them upward and forward along the treetops. Jack screamed as they surged forward, and screamed again when they dipped lower passing over a shorter tree.

  The cocoon built up speed as the trees passed it along, and the ride got smoother as it got faster, aside from the violent drops and sudden hills of navigating the uneven forest canopy. After the initial terror, Jack calmed down and thought he could get used to this bizarre mode of transportation, until he realized the cocoon was slowly rotating as it went. He was soon hanging from the top of the cocoon looking down through a gap on the far wall of the cocoon, the forest flying by below at tremendous speed. Jack wasn’t sure, but he guessed they were going at least as fast as they drove a car around the neighborhood. If they maintained this speed, they could be there that night.

  Jack glanced at Verdag and felt a moment of pity. The dwarf hadn’t made a sound, but his face was contorted in agony and his eyes were wide with terror. Derek had a stoic look on his face as the cocoon continued to slowly rotate this way and that, and Gerlock and Fortuna both had looks of intense concentration. Jack watched the two of them for a few minutes, and realized they were taking turns. They both already looked weary, and Jack doubted they had gone five miles. Perhaps it would only take six or seven hours, but it was going to be a very long night for all of them.

  Chapter 16

  THE CELLAR

  THE COCOON LOWERED gently to the ground, held by surrounding trees. It split open at the top and flattened out into a mat. Jack’s arms and legs came free as it opened, but they felt like jelly. He looked over and saw Verdag roll to his knees, crawl off the remains of the cocoon, and kiss the ground. No one else moved for several minutes.

  Derek struggled to his feet and came over to Jack and Sally.

  “You two okay?” he said.

  “No,” Sally answered. “That felt like a seven hour roller coaster ride.”

  “It wasn’t very smooth, I’ll give you that,” Derek said with a smile. He nodded with his head back toward Gerlock and Fortuna. “They’re both wiped out.” He nudged the leafy mat with his foot. “This is pretty comfortable. I think we go ahead and finish the night here, though I’m guessing our friend dwarf will choose the ground over this.”

  “Derek,
” Jack said, “you seem fine with all this. Like, you accept it as normal.”

  “I do,” Derek said, “because it is. A day and a half ago I thought other worlds and wyverns and dwarves in mountains and traveling on the forest roof and mages were all imaginary. But yesterday, and the days before that, they were all real; I just didn’t know it yet. The faster you can take in new information, let it correct what you thought you knew about the world, the faster you can get on with living. I’m good at what I do at the FBI because I’m willing to flex more than most. Makes me good at seeing what the evidence actually says, rather than what I think it should say. Now, let’s get some sleep. Morning’s only a few hours away.”

  Jack didn’t need any more encouragement. His body and mind felt spent, and the remains of the cocoon really were springy and comfortable. Jack was asleep in minutes. The next morning he woke to sunlight streaming down through the branches above. He sat up and took a moment to enjoy all the quiet forest noises. Gerlock and Fortuna were up and working on breakfast. They both looked a bit unsteady to Jack. Sally sat up beside him and stretched.

  “Hey you two,” Derek said, stepping from the trees. “There’s a stream just that way a couple dozen yards where you can freshen up. Looks like breakfast is almost ready, so hurry back.”

  Jack and Sally quickly washed up and came back to the camp for a hearty breakfast of cheese, crusty bread, and bacon. Apparently, the dwarves had packed them both food and some basic camp cooking supplies. After cleaning up from breakfast, they packed their gear and set off for Fortress.

  “We’ve a decent trek in front of us,” Gerlock said as they walked. “We’re northwest of Fortress and stand in a small section of the forest that dips to the south. We’ll head south and east until we hit the edge of the wood, and then follow the forest south to its end. There’s a stream near there that cuts to the southeast. We’ll follow it, gaining cover from the fold of land in which it flows. That will take us right near a large farm, which is one of several designated safe houses for those of us mages not inclined to follow the Council any longer. It’s a good ten-mile walk, but we’ll be there for dinner, and they can help us get the rest of the way to Fortress.

  “We’ll also be able to get some decent clothes there,” Fortuna said, walking beside Derek, “for our off-world friend.”

  The walk was pleasant and uneventful through the forest, and Jack found himself gradually relaxing. He had meant to ask questions of Gerlock, Fortuna, and Verdag, but it was so peaceful he didn’t want to spoil the mood. After about an hour the forest rapidly thinned, and he could soon see down into a large river valley. In the distance near the river, he could see the city of Fortress. The group angled south along the edge of the forest for a couple hours until they came to a large stream winding its way to the southeast toward the river.

  They followed the stream as it twisted along in a slight crease in the land. Jack hadn’t thought the depression offered any cover, but once they were next to the stream he realized he couldn’t see very far in any direction. They stopped for a short time and had lunch, then set off again. By late afternoon Jack no longer found the walk pleasant but grueling. The stream wound about endlessly, and Jack no longer tried to catch glimpses of the city. He was convinced they could follow the stream forever and never get any closer.

  “Here we are,” Gerlock said. Jack saw nothing to signify this particular bend in the stream over any other. He started to head up the slope to get a better look.

  “Hold, Jack,” Gerlock said. “Wait down here. I need to scoot up and make sure they put out the evening signal before we show ourselves.”

  Jack stepped back to the group, while Gerlock scampered forward in a low crouch, and then got on his belly and scooted forward some more.

  “Fortuna, what’s he looking for,” Jack asked.

  “A candle in the farmhouse window facing us,” she said. “It’s put there on the hour to let us know the house remains safe.”

  They waited, and about fifteen minutes later Gerlock gave a low whistle and waved them forward. The group scampered ahead, and Jack saw the back of a barn rise into view, with part of the house visible off one end of it. A lone window in the house could be seen, with a dimly flickering candle. Gerlock waved them into the barn through a side door off the main barn doors. Once inside, he went to an empty horse stall and cleared away the old hay, exposing a trap door.

  “This leads to the cellar under the main house,” Gerlock said, pulling up the trap door and exposing cramped, steep stairs into a dark passage. “We’ll stay until we sort out transportation into the city.”

  Gerlock led the way, and Fortuna waited to enter last, closing the door behind them and sealing out all light. Verdag made a contented grunt at the sudden darkness, but Jack felt a moment of terror, memories of the previous night fresh in his mind.

  “Drag a hand along the side,” Gerlock said. “There should be light in just a moment.”

  Jack did as he was told, and reached the other hand in front of him to hold Sally’s shoulder. A short distance later she stopped, and Jack waited until a door swung open ahead of him, filling the tunnel with warm light. He followed Sally into the back of a cellar floored and walled with wood planks, with bunks built into the walls, and several chairs scattered about along with two tables. Jack saw two other rooms off this main one, and a staircase at the other end going to the house above.

  “Okay, then, be right back,” Gerlock said. “Hot food for all as soon as I greet our host.”

  “Sally,” Fortuna said, “I’ll show you to the bath while Gerlock gets the food.”

  Fortuna marched her off to one of the rooms and closed the door. A short time later Fortuna came out of the other room and closed that door as well. Just then Gerlock returned with a platter piled high with food, set it at one of the tables, and left to get more. Jack set to the food with a hunger he had rarely known in his life. Roast venison, steaming hot rolls, fresh beans, ears of corn slathered in butter, and several other treats were crammed onto the platter and quickly consumed by the group. As Gerlock came down the stairs with a second platter, Fortuna grabbed Jack and took him to the bathing room.

  There was a large tub in the middle of the room that had a drain of sorts at the bottom leading to a pipe that went into the floor. Another pipe came out of the ceiling above the tub and hung there with a large lever on it parallel to the ground. Fortuna grabbed the lever and pushed it vertical. Hot water gushed out of the pipe and quickly filled the tub. Fortuna pulled the lever back down and the water shut off.

  “Okay, Jack,” she said, “towels behind you on that shelf, soap right here beside the tub. Get clean, and throw your clothes in that hamper in the corner. Keep your boots, and you’ll find new clothes in the dressing room through that door. I’ll set some out for you. Call me when you are done so we can send someone else in, and pull the plug to drain the water.”

  “But, how does all this work?” Jack said. “I feel like I’m back on Earth.”

  “Our host, whom you will not meet while we are here, as he is a very private person, is a Gray Wizard who likes to experiment with gadgets. They usually even work.”

  Once Fortuna left, Jack tore through the bath, and was shocked at how dirty the water was when he got out. He pulled the drain plug, grabbed a towel, and yelled that he was done. In the next room, he found shelves floor to ceiling on one wall with clothes of all sorts and even some armor. A pile of clothes was laid out for him on a table in the middle of the room. The baggy gray trousers and a worn red shirt were both made from a very rough weave that made him itch all over. They didn’t look very clean, either, but fit well enough, and Jack quickly dressed and headed back to the main room.

  Sally was now wearing a rough dress of dull yellow and gray, and she kept scratching herself as she ate. Jack felt a little better knowing he wasn’t the only one having to wear lousy clothes. He was also glad to see there was plenty of food left. As he ate, each of the others bathed and dressed. Ger
lock came out of the room wearing a leather vest covered with rivets.

  “What’s that?” Jack asked.

  “A brigandine,” Gerlock answered. “Light armor. I am presenting myself as a merchant guard tomorrow along with Fortuna, with Derek playing the part of merchant.”

  “What about me?”

  “You’re dressed as a city urchin. You’ll be a stowaway on the trip in.”

  Jack had no idea what an urchin was, but apparently they wore very poor clothing that itched a lot. Fortuna was the last to head into the bathing room, and she dimmed the four lanterns in the room before taking her leave. In the low light, Jack found himself in one of the beds without knowing when he had climbed in, and was soon asleep.

  Chapter 17

  PEPPERS

  JACK FELT CLAUSTROPHOBIC. He was wedged between Sally and Verdag under a false bottom in a wagon. The boards that closed them in were four inches above his nose, and weighed down with kegs of beer. Derek, Gerlock, and Fortuna were somewhere out in the open, out of this stifling, choking hole, acting the part of merchants and guards. Jack took a deep breath and tried to calm his mind before he panicked. Their trip had started only a few minutes ago in the safe-house barn, and Gerlock had said it would be about an hour to the city. They were on their way to the Inn of the Singing Boar, where they would be tucked away in a cellar while they plotted their next move to find Edalwin.

  “I don’t like this,” Sally whispered.

  “Me neither,” Jack said.

  “Well, the two of you have nothing to complain about,” said Verdag, whose large head barely fit in the space. “My nose is getting rubbed raw by a board.”

  Jack never saw the front of the inn. When the boards were finally lifted off the wagon bed and he climbed out with the others, they were in a rear courtyard between the inn and its stables. A cellar door with wide loading stairs was open at the base of the inn, and Jack, Sally and Verdag were hustled out of sight while the others unloaded the beer and brought it below. In the back of the cellar behind kegs and casks, shelves, and hams hanging from hooks, sleeping pallets were laid out in the cramped aisles. A lone lantern hung from the low ceiling and gave scant light to the large room. Another staircase went up to a closed door that Jack supposed was the kitchen. Once the beer was unloaded, they gathered around the light to talk, using kegs as stools.