“We are in Sutow-Tolit,” Nalia told him when he mentioned it. “It is the last month of winter. Soon it will be Tid-Hud, the first month of spring. The weather will warm, but conditions may become dangerous. Thawing snow carries hazards too, as you well know.”
Sam did know, though only within the context of “civilization.” He’d never had to cross vast expanses of snow in the spring. Well, he would now.
The small party had only traveled for four or five hours before Sam settled into his normal meditating position and learned the area that would be their starting point the next day. Then he teleported them back to Whitehall in time for dinner.
“So,” Emerius said, “how’d it go?” Sam had found the man in the dining hall with Ix, Dr. Walt, the two Zouyim, Sam’s mother, and Bao Ling. Even the hapaki and Danaba Kemp were there.
“It was…boring,” Sam said. “We didn’t go very far. We were able to get closer to those mountains we’ve been seeing for the last week or so. They’re called the Rocky Mountains where I’m from. They run just about the entire length of the continent, so we have to cross them eventually. I guess ‘eventually’ is now.”
“We can easily go through them if you’d just let me teleport us,” Ix said. It was an old argument. “It’s dangerous trying to cross mountains like that, especially at this time of year.”
“I know,” Sam said. “We don’t have any choice, though. We can’t risk you running into another one of those traps. We might not be so lucky this time. Whoever set the trap may be there waiting, or find you before we do. It’s just too risky, Ix.”
The assassin huffed but dropped the subject. She knew he wouldn’t relent.
“How are you feeling, Em?” Sam asked. “Do you want to rest another day or two before tackling full days of travel?”
The hunter gave Sam a level look. “I’ve done much harder traveling with much worse injuries. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. I feel great. Whatever those brothers of the whatever did to me, I’m completely healed, not to mention better rested than I have been in a long while. I’m going.”
“Okay, okay.” Sam put his hands up as if warding off the verbal barrage.
“Sam,” Dr. Walt said after a few minutes of relative silence as everyone concentrated on eating their meal. “I’ve been thinking about our earlier conversation about the terrain through which you are traveling. Attempting to follow where roads have been built on Telani is a sound idea, but even with detailed maps of the passes the roadways take—which we don’t have, by the way—it is still rather dangerous to brave the mountains alone.”
“I know,” Sam said. “It worries me, too. I didn’t think we would have problems when we started because we could just teleport through the mountains, jumping over and around any obstacles. Worse comes to worst, we could teleport back here and then start over again. With this trap situation, things are more difficult, not to mention time-consuming.”
“Quite,” Dr. Walt agreed. “As I said, I was thinking about the issue and made some inquiries. I believe I have come up with at least a partial solution.”
“Really? That would be great. What have you got?”
Dr. Walt shifted his attention to another of the tables on the other side of the dining hall. Three men sat there, eating and chatting. When Dr. Walt waved in the direction of the men, one of them caught the motion and nodded. He said something to his fellows, causing them to look over at Sam’s table, and then he was up and striding toward them purposefully.
He was a big man, about the same size as Emerius and probably the same weight. They looked cut of the same mold, hard as granite and tough as oak roots. His black hair was pulled back into a long pony tail and tied with a thin leather thong, keeping it out of a face that was sun-darkened and rough, where the skin could be seen around his beard. The beard was neatly trimmed, though the rest of the man looked unkempt. His clothing, almost a match to Emerius’s, was dark green and functional, thick woolen material with bits of leather here and there. As he approached, he eyed Emerius and scanned him. Apparently, what he saw met his satisfaction, because he nodded to the hunter and got one in return.
“Ah, here we are,” Dr. Walt said. “Everyone, I would like to introduce you to Togo Cairn.” The scholar went around the table, introducing each person. The man’s eyes flicked every time he got a new name. Sam had no doubt he had memorized each one as it was said to him. He fairly exuded mental competence. Introductions complete, he sat down next to Dr. Walt.
“Togo here is a tracker and guide. He has spent his life in and around Shumashin. Sam, that is approximately the area between Spokane, Washington and Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. He has intimate knowledge of the area within a few hundred miles of that town. He knows the mountain passes through the Bongana Mountains—the Rocky Mountains on Telani. If there is anyone who can get you to the other side of them, it’s this man.”
Sam felt some of the weight on his heart lighten. “That’s great, Dr. Walt! Togo, it would be wonderful if you could guide us. None of us are really good in the wilderness. Well, other than Emerius, but he’s a thousand miles from the areas he knows.”
“It would be my pleasure to help lead you to where you need to go, Sam,” the tracker said. “I’m part of the new government’s army now, and General Kemp here—” he nodded to his commander “—says I can serve best by guiding you. I joined because I wanted to do my part in repaying what you did when you took on the Gray Man. I’m thrilled to be able to serve you personally.”
“Are you able to start immediately?” Rindu asked.
“I am,” Togo Cairn said. “Give me a few hours to get provisions, and we can start anytime you want.”
“Oh,” Sam said, “provisions won’t be necessary. We’ll return each night to sleep here at Whitehall.” The man looked at Sam as if he had lost his mind. “Here, let me explain.”
Sam explained teleporting to him and how they typically traveled. Togo looked incredulous until Sam nodded to Ix and she disappeared, appearing instantly at the end of the room. She spooned up a bowl of stew, then disappeared again, popping into existence right where she had been before, sitting next to Emerius. She handed the bowl to Togo and he stared at it for a moment, then at Ix, then settled his eyes on Sam.
“Okay, I believe you.”
“Coincidentally,” Sam told Togo Cairn, “we are just about to reach Shumashin. It will be a good place for us to start on the path you choose for us.”
“That will work out well,” the man responded. “No one knows those mountains better than me. I’ll get you through the Bonganas to where we can head north to your destination. Dr. Walt told me where you want to go, even showed me a crude map he had drawn.”
“Have you been that far north, Togo Cairn?” Nalia asked.
“No, I’m afraid not. It’s hundreds of miles away from the farthest I’ve traveled, but maybe we can find a local guide in one of the cities or towns.”
“Maybe,” Sam said, “but if not, it should be fairly easy. Once we’re on the other side of the big mountain range, we just have to follow its eastern edge north and we’ll get there.”
The tracker stared at Sam, his expression unreadable. “Uh, have you done much cross-country traveling, Sam?”
“Since I came to Gythe, yes. I have actually traveled quite a lot here.”
“On roads, paths, well-known forested areas?” Togo asked. “Things like that?”
Sam felt his face flushing. “Yeah, pretty much. Why?”
“Oh, it’s nothing,” the tracker said. “But I find that intelligent people who have seen maps believe that when a mountain range ends on a piece of paper, it ends as abruptly in the real world. The simple fact is that once we get to the other side of the Bonganas, there will still be plenty of mountains, foothills, and tricky crossings unless we want to go east a few hundred miles to get out of them and then work our way back west to get to your destination. I’ve been a tracker all my life, but I’m wary of traveling mountainous country I’ve
never been in.”
“Oh,” Sam said. “I guess I was probably simplifying it at that.”
Togo patted Sam’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. That’s what I’m here for, my experience. We’ll get there, Sam. Just don’t underestimate the danger nature can throw at us. That’s a good way to get caught by surprise. When nature surprises you, death can come quickly.”
Sam pondered what the man told him as they got ready to leave the next morning. Just when Sam thought he had gotten the hang of the whole questing thing, something always came up to show him he didn’t know as much as he thought he did. It was fine, though. He didn’t need to know everything. That’s what his friends were for.
Once they had teleported to the location they’d stopped at the night before, the party settled into loose ranks and started forward. Sam looked around at his friends. Emerius, on Oro, was chatting with Ix, who was riding her manu. Togo Cairn was in front, riding his own manu, a large brown and yellow bird that seemed more intelligent than other manu birds Sam had seen. When it looked at him with those big gray eyes, Sam could swear it was analyzing him. Nalia was next to Sam on Cleave, Rindu on his other side on Zumra—the wolf was humming softly to himself, as normal—and Skitter was on his carrier behind Sam.
Did you call me? the hapaki sent.
No, Sam responded. I was just thinking of you, considering the rest of our party.
Oh.
Can you afford the time to travel with us? Sam sent to him. Isn’t there a lot of work to do with the new government?
It’s fine, Skitter sent back. Max is attending the meetings for me. I need to get out into the open, travel with my friends like I used to.
You’ll probably be bored. At least, I hope so. I could use a little boring travel instead of being attacked every time we turn around.
Togo Cairn slipped back so he was next to Sam. “Travel today will be uneventful,” he said. “It’s pretty monotonous landscape until we reach Shumashin. We’re in a valley, and most of the land around the town is used for homesteads, fields, livestock, that kind of thing. The forest isn’t too heavy here, so that makes it easier.”
“When will we get into the mountains?” Sam asked.
“We should get up to the base of them within a couple of days.”
“That quickly?” Sam said. “Good. I want to get through them and out the other side as soon as possible. We need to get to that artifact.”
“I’ll get us there as quickly and safely as possible.”
The two were silent for a moment, Sam looking at the surroundings, trying to see it all, and Togo Cairn scanning them for danger. Then Sam spoke.
“So, you grew up around here? Was it a good place to live?”
“I did. I think it was a good place to live. Shumashin is not so small as some towns and villages, but not so large that it has big city problems. With mountains and flatter valley areas as far as you can see, I always had things to do as a child. Yes, a fine place to live.”
“How did you become a tracker and guide? Did your father do that kind of work?”
“No, not dear old dad,” the man said. Sam heard the bite in what he said. “My uncle Torin, my mother’s oldest brother.” Togo’s eyes flashed. “It was said that he was born out in the wild and only came to visit humans once in a while, even as a baby. I believe it. He has a special way with nature, almost like she is his lover and will do things for him she won’t do for anyone else.
“I first met him when I was four years old. I remember it clearly, though I don’t remember anything else from that age. He was dressed in animal skins. They dripped off him like it had rained the pelts and he got drenched. He was huge and had a wild look in his eyes, like he was some sort of wild animal himself. I got scared and started to cry.
“When my mother picked me up, laughing, she held me out to the monster. My mouth seized up, not even able to cry anymore. I thought my mom was feeding me to him. Instead, the man took me from my mother’s arms and hugged me to himself. He sang a snatch of something—I can’t remember what it was—and I remember my surprise. The song sounded of the wind blowing through the trees, of a stream burbling by as a deer chewed on wild grass. It made me see the stars through a hole in the canopy of trees, brighter than anything I’d ever seen in the night. It calmed me and made me feel secure.
“I remember looking into those blue eyes of his and knowing we would be good friends, that I would learn many secrets from him. I smiled at him, then, and he smiled back.
“The next day he took me out into the forest for the first time to show me things I’d never seen. That’s how it started. He trained me for years, our family rolling their eyes whenever I was mentioned, much as they did when he was brought up in conversation. He’s the one who made me the tracker and guide I am today, and he’s the one who made me the man I am today.”
“That sounds fantastic,” Sam said. “I’d like to meet him someday.”
“Yeah, well, that can’t happen,” Togo Cairn said. “He’s dead now.”
Sam felt his heart drop. “Oh, I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. He was killed by some of the Gray Man’s Collectors over some stupid misunderstanding that no one even understands. What a waste.” The tracker sighed, but then rolled his shoulders and straightened. “That’s why I joined the new government. I don’t ever want bloodthirsty men to be allowed to roam freely and do what they want with official sanction from those in power. I want to do my part.”
“I understand,” Sam said. “That’s what I want, too. That’s what we’re all fighting for.”
“But enough of the sorrowful tales,” Togo said. “We’ll be in Shumashin in a couple of hours, but in the meantime let’s enjoy the countryside and the easy travel.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Chapter 18
Shumashin was a small town, not unlike many of those Sam had passed through on his travels. The buildings were clustered in small groups, with tracks, not quite streets, weaving between them. The structures were sturdy wooden erections with shallowly-pitched roofs, making Sam recall that this area on Telani got less than half the annual rainfall as Whitehall. It must not get very much snow either.
They didn’t actually enter the town. They already had the provisions they needed, and Sam did not want to waste any traveling time. Instead, they skirted the bulk of the community and headed east toward the mountains.
“The path remains fairly easy until we get to Teacher’s Valley,” Togo said with one last glance at his home town behind them. “After that, we’ll get into the mountains proper. That will be tomorrow’s travel, though.”
“Teacher’s Valley?” Ix said. “That’s a strange name.”
“I was going to say the same thing,” Sam said. “Why is it called that?” It was the kind of question he usually asked of Dr. Walt when they were traveling. The scholar knew surprising things about this world, had knowledge that even most of the native people didn’t know.
Togo Cairn smiled. “As it turns out, I actually know the story. Many centuries ago, long before the Great War or the scientific era that spawned the war, this was a wild, unforgiving land. Unlike now.” He winked at Ix.
“Believe it or not, even the valley here was more heavily wooded, a great gnarled forest as far as could be seen from the local mountains. There were always indigenous peoples here, as there were everywhere. And, as it usually goes with ancient peoples, they were more in harmony with the land and nature as a whole. Compared to technologically advanced people, that is.
“There is a story of a man—his name has been lost in history—who came to this area searching for the meaning of life. When he got here, he believed it was the place he was looking for. The strange phenomenon of the rain shadow effect and the protection of the mountains made the climate more moderate than surrounding areas, and the man took this as a sign. He was a clever survivalist and so began to build a home from local materials, eking out a small space where he could live and grow his own food.
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“The indigenous peoples, the Kechaala, became curious and observed the man and all his activities. This was before other strangers had come and exploited them, so they were not biased or afraid, just curious. They watched him for weeks, careful not to be seen.
“The man, for his part, was not so blind as they thought him to be. He began leaving things for his silent watchers, food or trinkets he had made. He set them well away from his home, in the surrounding forest. The members of the local tribe did not know what to make of it.
“Finally, a young man, cocksure in the way only the very young can be, walked boldly into camp, his long knife thrust through his belt and his bow slung over his back. He bellowed for the man to come out and speak with him.
“When the man did so, the young tribesman almost lost his nerve, but he remained, though visibly shaking. The man’s face was kindly, and that calmed the younger man’s nerves, but when they tried to speak to each other, they found that they could not understand. They were speaking different languages.
“The other natives watched from the trees as the man drew pictures on the ground, made gestures, and tried his best to communicate. The young tribesman did likewise. At times, it was humorous to realize the miscommunication that had occurred, and at times anger flared in one or the other because of some perceived insult. The two kept at it. No other native showed his or her face to the man in all that time.
“After several weeks, the man and the local had forged a kind of friendship. They had learned enough of each other’s languages to communicate more effectively. Soon, the man was fluent in the native tongue, and members of the tribe started to come and visit him.
“They started to call the man by a title, an honorific: Teacher. He taught them many things from his world, but the most important was the knowledge that is universal, the ability to look within oneself and, regardless of spiritual or religious beliefs, find the goodness and balance there. He was a sort of philosopher and his teachings not only made the local tribe happier, but allowed them to think creatively and grow their society until they were the most powerful tribe for hundreds of miles.
Resonance: Harmonic Magic Book 3 Page 15
