Satisfied with his inspection, Morro turned and ran through the forest towards the secret door to Tarashin. Long before he reached it, the sands ran out and the fairy woke up. Sparky shoved his head out of the pocket and looked around before speaking.
“You should not do that to me,” the fairy complained. “One minute I was flying, and the next I am in total darkness in your pocket. It is very disturbing.”
“You would have fallen if I had not grabbed you,” chuckled the elf. “Quit complaining.”
“We should be quiet,” the fairy said softly. “Remember that sometimes the patrols cover this area.”
Morro nodded in agreement and slowed to a stealthy walk, but they did not run across anyone on the way to the dwarves’ secret door. Morro halted to one side of the door so that the dwarves would not see him if they were looking through the spy hole. He removed the hourglass and held it in the palm of his hand.
“We have come full circle,” Morro said to the fairy. “Now it is your turn. I want you to trigger the device and then go through the spy hole. Find Karicon, and only Karicon. Tell him to come to the secret door and open it for just a moment. I will sneak back in the same way I left.”
“That won’t work,” frowned the fairy. “Karicon will be frozen like everyone else.”
“Then wait for him to awaken.”
“Then you will also be awake,” warned the fairy, “as well as everyone else in this valley. You will be exposed.”
Morro nodded and looked around. There was an old sturdy tree not far from the secret door. He ran to the tree and climbed it. He found a solid limb on the mountain side of the tree and held the hourglass out again.
“I will trigger the device again when I see the door open. Make sure that you delay Karicon long enough for the sands to reset so I can use it again.”
Sparky nodded and pressed the trigger. He flew down from the tree and entered the spy hole. He was glad that no dwarf had his eye to the hole, as it would have made it difficult for him to get through. He entered Tarashin and sped through the tunnels. When he got to Karicon’s chamber, the door was closed. The fairy tried to squeeze under the door, but the dwarves were pretty exact with their measurements. He could not fit his head under the door. Sparky stared to get anxious, knowing that the sands were running out. He was just about to find another dwarf to open the door when Karicon entered the corridor. The fairy shot upward to the level of the dwarf’s eyes and hovered before the door. Karicon reached for the door. The dwarf’s eyes widened when he saw the fairy.
“What are you doing here?” the dwarf whispered. “Where is Morro?”
“He is outside the secret door,” answered the fairy. “He wants you to open it for just a moment.”
“I can’t do that,” retorted the dwarf. “If the king finds out that Morro was in the valley, he will be angry.”
“No one knows that we were gone?” asked the fairy. “We were gone over a week.”
“I have been covering for you two,” the dwarf explained, “and it gets harder to do every day. People are already beginning to ask too many questions.”
“You must open the door,” insisted the fairy. “Morro said that it must be you.”
“Wait a minute,” frowned the dwarf. “If you didn’t know that I was covering for you, why did he insist on sneaking back in?”
Sparky also frowned. “I don’t know. I agree that it makes no sense, but seeing as you have already covered for us, it does make sense for him to sneak back in. That way no one will ever know that we were gone. By the way, you need to drill a hole in your door so I can get in when I need to. You dwarves don’t leave any room under the doors.”
Karicon chuckled, but he immediately returned to a puzzled frown. “I don’t know if I can open the door to let him in. I have no reason to do so.”
“Well you better come up with one quick,” the fairy said worriedly. “The sands of the hourglass have run out, and he is sitting in a tree in the enemy’s valley. They will find him and torture him.”
“Sands? Hourglass? What are you talking about?”
The fairy turned bright green as he realized he had said too much. “It is just a fairy expression,” Sparky said with a shrug. “The important thing is that you have to hurry.”
“What is the hourglass?” Karicon asked stubbornly. “Is it something that Morro uses to gain his extra speed?”
“We need to hurry,” the fairy said impatiently.
“Answer my question.”
Sparky sighed nervously. “It does not affect his speed. That is his magical gift. The hourglass stops time. Only the person who triggers it can move. Everyone else is frozen until the sands run out.”
“So that is how he slipped out the door,” mused the dwarf. “I have spent sleepless nights wondering about that.”
“Do not say anything about this to anyone,” the fairy said sternly. “I should not have mentioned it, but I am afraid for Morro’s life. We must hurry.”
“On my shoulder,” ordered the dwarf with a pat of his hand. “I will think of something by the time we get there.”
Sparky dutifully landed on the dwarf’s shoulder. Karicon didn’t run through the corridors because that would draw attention, but he walked at a very swift pace. When he reached the end of the corridor, he stopped and looked around. Half a dozen dwarves sat in the chamber with the secret door. They looked up at him when he arrived.
“Isn’t that Morro’s fairy?” asked one of the dwarves.
“It is,” nodded Karicon. “I want him to look outside and see if anyone is around.”
“Why?” asked one of the dwarves.
“I heard some of the men talking over my meal,” lied Karicon. “There was some concern about the noise that might be made by opening the secret door. I thought we should check it, but not without knowing who is out there. I figured Morro’s fairy could check things out for us.”
“The door will make no noise,” scoffed one of the dwarves. “We’ve done these things before, and they never make noise.”
“What’s the harm in checking?” asked another dwarf. “If there is any doubt, let’s check it. We might not have the fairy around the next time we want to open it.”
The complaining dwarf shrugged in defeat. Karicon smiled inwardly and ordered Sparky to check out the valley. Sparky flew to the spy hole and crawled through. He flew up to Morro’s branch and told him the door would be opening soon. Morro thanked the fairy and told him that he would be in Karicon’s chamber. The fairy flew back to the hole and crawled through to Tarashin.
“It is clear outside,” announced the fairy as he landed on Karicon’s shoulder.
Karicon stepped forward to open the door, but another dwarf moved quicker. The speedy dwarf opened the door just a crack and then closed it.
“No noise,” he announced. “That settles that.”
Karicon stood staring at the door in dismay. The door had not opened far enough for anyone to get through. “Maybe it makes noise when it is opened wider.”
“Nonsense,” groused the speedy dwarf. “If it was to make a noise, it would do it when it first opens. Tell your friend not to worry about such things.”
Karicon was shattered. Morro was stuck in the mystery valley and the dwarf could not let him in without causing a gigantic furor. He knew the dwarves at the door could not be talked into opening it again. He would have to get the king’s permission for them to do so. He turned around and walked through the tunnels in despair.
“Morro said he would be in your chamber,” offered the fairy.
“The door was not opened enough for him to get in,” the dwarf replied sadly. “I will have to go to King Drakarik and explain what has happened. He will not be pleased.”
“So he gets mad,” shrugged the fairy. “At least Morro will be safe.”
“Aye,” replied the dwarf. “He will be safe, but not in Tarashin. The king will demand that he leave. I don’t imagine that Garth Shado will be too pleased either.”
>
“You might be wrong there,” brightened the fairy. “Morro and I have mapped the entire mystery valley.”
“That’s good,” the dwarf replied without excitement. “I will leave you in my chamber. Your presence will probably anger the king when I tell him where you two have been.”
Karicon turned the corner and opened the door to his chamber. His eyes grew large and a broad smile split his face when he saw the elf sitting on the low table. “How?”
“It wasn’t easy,” chuckled the elf. “That large dwarf didn’t open the door far enough. I had to force it open some more, and the dwarf almost toppled over. He was leaning on the door. Then I had to bring it closed again to where he was standing originally. We have to think of a better way to open the door the next time.”
“The next time?” balked the dwarf. “There will be no next time.”
“Two more times, actually,” grinned the elf.
“No,” declared the dwarf. “Never again. You are staying put in Tarashin, or I will report you to the king myself.”
“No one knows that we were gone, Morro,” interjected the fairy. “Karicon has been covering for us.”
“Close the door and look at my map,” Morro said to the dwarf. “Let me show you how much we learned out there.”
The dwarf sighed and closed the door. He walked over to the small table and sat on it. Morro handed him the map, and the dwarf studied it.
“What are these doors?” asked the dwarf.
“They are magical portals,” answered the elf. “The twenty-four Doors that are upright lead to Alcea.”
“Alcea?” questioned Karicon. “Do you mean you merely step through them to another land?”
“That is exactly what I mean. They have set the Doors up with three leagues between them to allow for huge armies to assemble before going through them. The only variation is in the middle of the valley. There is an additional stretch of three leagues where the army encampments are. On the west side of the valley they have about a thousand men. On the eastern side are the remaining nine thousand and the black-cloaks. They are clustered around the tunnel entrance.”
“What are these numbers here?” the dwarf asked as he pointed to Door number twenty-four.
“There were originally thirty pairs of Doors ordered. Those are the unused six pairs of Doors. They are just sitting in a pile.”
“We must send Sparky to Garth right away,” the dwarf said excitedly. “This is important.”
“Sparky is not leaving me,” Morro declared. “We are partners.”
“Then the king can send Pebble,” shrugged the dwarf. “It doesn’t really matter.”
“Pebble will do fine,” Morro smiled thinly, “but not just yet. I need you to do me a favor first.”
Karicon frowned with suspicion. “You are not going back into the valley,” he stated firmly.
“Only twice more,” smiled Morro.
“No.” the dwarf stamped his foot for effect. “I will not allow it.”
“Karicon,” pleaded the elf, “you would not let me go the last time, and look at the wealth of information we have gained because Sparky and I did go.”
“You are very fortunate to have returned alive,” retorted the dwarf. “Besides, we now know all there is to know about the mystery valley. There is no reason for you to go again.”
“There is a great reason for me to return there,” countered the elf. “I must go back, and I need your help to do it. Will you listen?”
“No.” The dwarf shook his head adamantly. “You are not going. You will die, and I will never see you again. I will not be a part of that.”
“I am going,” declared Morro. “If you help me, you will see me again. If you do not help me, I will be stuck in Alcea.”
“Alcea?” frowned Karicon. “What are you talking about?”
“I am going through one of the Doors,” stated the elf.
“You can’t be serious,” gasped Karicon. “That is foolish. Why would you do such a thing?”
“All access to Alcea has been shut off,” explained the elf. “The fairies used to hide on the Federation ships and carry messages back and forth, but no ships are sailing for Alcea any more. They only way to get there is through a Door. Alcea needs to know what is happening here, Karicon, and they need to know about the mystery valley. I need your help in coming back to Tarashin.”
“How can you come back?” asked the dwarf.
“I plan to steal two of their Doors,” grinned the elven thief. “I want you to keep one here in your chamber. The other one I am taking through Door number twenty-four to Mya, a city in Alcea. I am planning on opening a portal from Alcea right into this room, Karicon. I need your help.”
Karicon sat and stared at the map for a few moments. He sighed deeply and shook his head, but Morro did not interrupt.
“We need to tell King Drakarik about this,” declared the dwarf. “He will know what to do.”
“King Drakarik will do two things,” stated the elf. “He will prohibit me from going, and he will send Pebble to Garth Shado, who will prohibit me from going.”
“Perhaps they are right. Maybe you should not go. It is too dangerous, and they will both see that.”
“They do not know of my capabilities,” Morro said vaguely.
“You mean the hourglass?” asked Karicon.
Morro’s eyes narrowed. He saw the dwarf glance at Sparky and the elf followed his gaze. Sparky was bright green and he avoided the elf’s gaze.
“Can I trust no one?” sighed the elf.
“I didn’t mean to tell him,” apologized the fairy. “I was worried about you in the valley, and it just slipped out. I am really sorry.”
Morro returned his gaze to the dwarf. “You must promise that you will tell no one about the hourglass. Promise.”
“I promise,” the dwarf vowed. “Why is it such a secret?”
“I do not know if it can be counteracted with magic,” answered the elf. “I only revealed it to Sparky because I had to. Now you know. Word of such marvels travel all too quickly for my taste. I need to be able to depend on it working flawlessly. That means keeping it a secret.”
“So you will not tell the king or Garth Shado? Surely, you trust them?”
“I do trust them,” conceded the elf, “but who will they inadvertently tell it to? I will not take those chances. I can leave Tarashin through the secret door any time I want, Karicon. It is getting in that requires your help. Taking a Door to Alcea does no good if there is not a matching Door here in a safe place. To get a Door in here, I need your help. Will you help me?”
“I do not think I can get my fellow dwarves to open the door again,” replied Karicon. “Not even once. Never mind three times.”
“You only have to do it once,” replied the elf. “As I said, I can get myself out. Are you in?”
“He is going to do it with or without your help, Karicon,” said Sparky. “Why not let him do it right?”
The dwarf looked at the fairy and then at the elf. He shook his head. “You are both crazy. What excuse can I use to get the secret door open?”
“I could create an image of something to distract the other dwarves,” offered the fairy.
“The secret door is soundless,” mused the dwarf. “Could you create an image of the closed door if I really had it open?”
“I could create the image,” frowned the fairy, “but the light would shine right through it. There are torches right near the door, and daylight would shine through when the door was opened. It would not be believable.”
“What if it was nighttime?” asked Morro.
“And the torches near the door were extinguished?” questioned Karicon.
“I don’t know,” answered the fairy. “It might work, but it is rather risky. It would be much easier to project an image of you being there than one that removes you. That would be easy and believable.”
“Would they allow the king to open the door?” asked Morro.
“No!
” gasped the dwarf. “I mean, yes, they would, but you can’t be serious? The king would find out, and we would all be kicked out of Tarashin. Or worse. I don’t even want to think about it.”
“Well,” smiled Morro, “you have time to think about it. I will nap until sunset and then go get the Door.”
“Oh, no,” the dwarf shook his head vigorously.
“I am going to leave this map of the valley with you. Sparky has already memorized it to show the Alceans. If I do not come back, see that Garth Shado gets it.” Karicon opened his mouth to protest the statement about not coming back, but the elf raised his hand to forestall the protest. “We will also need a code for the Door. I think three knocks followed by two knocks followed by three knocks again.”
“What are you talking about?” asked the dwarf. “You have lost me.”
“The Doors have keys,” explained the elf. “You can lock it so no one on the other side can open it. The series of knocks are to tell you that it is me wanting to come through. You will need to unlock the Door to permit me to open it.”
“What if I am not here when you want to come through?”
“You are here every night,” replied the elf. “You will be here.”
Chapter 22
Door Twenty-Five
Karicon carried the keg of ale to the northernmost part of the mine. Broad dwarven grins noted his arrival.
“I found another stray keg,” grinned Karicon. “Does anyone have a use for it?”
Howls of laughter ripped through the dozen dwarves gathered in the large chamber near the secret door.
“There is only one use for a keg of ale,” quipped one of the dwarves.
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