The Blighted Fortress

by David E Dresner

  “Did it work OK?” asked Traveler.

  “It did, we have a plan. One request though.”

  “Sure, what is it?”

  “Do you have any breath mints?”

  The two began to laugh and Traveler said, “When you’re ready let’s get this diving show underway.” They both calmed their breathing, then repeatedly took deep breaths. Glenda reversed her direction and pointed down with Traveler following her lead.

  The trip down was a journey into blackness for Glenda. She paced herself with a hand-over-hand descent. She felt Traveler pushing down on her belt. She did not think about a saving breath. If Traveler could make it, so could she. She remembered she was an accomplished distance runner in Norwegian mountains. Her lungs were as capable as any person’s could be.

  She was progressing down as planned and felt in control when suddenly, somewhere on a new handhold, she had an overpowering urge to take in a breath. It came from nowhere. An intake breath would be her undoing. She froze.

  Traveler knew what was happening. He held her head from behind and pressed it between the bars then pressed his lips against hers. She exhaled by instinct through her nose then took a gulping intake of air through her mouth. Her body stabilized and Traveler gave her belt a final powerful downward thrust. He immediately reversed direction and surged toward the surface. His own empty lungs burned and he fought the overwhelming need to breathe.

  Emerging from the water he gasped and gasped as his heart was beating hundreds of times a minute. This was body stress well beyond his solo dive. He felt his lungs, heart, and mind were just beginning to stabilize when a body shot past him.

  Glenda was an orca whale at Sea Garden as she burst from the depths. She seemed to hang for a moment at the top of her ascent, then she came down smacking the surface and immediately bobbing up again. She pulled desperate breaths in and out before finally settling into the lake. A joyous Traveler bit his tongue to keep from announcing, “Thar she blows!”

  Now Glenda was all bright grins and smiles. “Well, let’s never do that again! I can’t believe we pulled it off. I never could have survived without your breath of life.”

  Traveler was calmly treading water beside her. “You were terrific. You kept your cool all the way. Something you don’t know but in school my jock buddies and I would practice holding our breath, we were your basic high school idiots. It’s an acquired skill and I was a record holder. I knew I was good for two minutes so I had a big leg up on you.”

  “Maybe so, but you were the cavalry and arrived just in time. When I felt the mud I was just about gone. Pausing she suddenly laughed, “It was so weird but as I passed under the bars pressed into the mud, all I could think of was how dirty I’d be. Female pride is right up there on the smart scale with boys holding their breath.”

  Chapter 60

  A Hidden Place

  As their eyes had now dilated to the dim interior, they began to observe their surroundings. They were at one end of a small lake. On the right side they saw a stone landing with a staircase. Docked beside the landing was a small crossing craft. On the left side was another landing that appeared to lead to an interior space. “Let’s go left,” said Glenda. “The staircase goes up to the castle and I need to rest and gather my wits, I’m sure I lost a lot of brain neurons down there.”

  The two swam forward toward a set of stone steps on the left landing. When they reached the steps, Traveler climbed up and offered his hand. As she accepted it she thought, Always the gentleman, and right now I’ve got zero female pride. I really need to rest.

  She grabbed Traveler’s hand and was quickly beside him on the landing.

  They saw an arched entryway leading somewhere and proceeded to it. Before going through they stopped and listened. The air was as still as the lake’s surface. They cautiously stepped through the arch and into a good-sized room. The room was a combination kitchen, dining room, and all-purpose space. Defining the kitchen was a massive stone fireplace with burned-out embers. Various sized pots hung from iron hooks that could be swung over the fire. Other pots hung down on the sides of the chimney.

  The dining table was built from heavy, thick, wooden planks and the chairs were built to match. The impression was a setting for very large, heavy men who had no use for fancy eating or cooking arrangements.

  The curved ceiling rose up almost eighteen feet. It had inlaid tile with hunting scenes and battle scenes. Hanging down from the center was an iron chandelier. The chandelier had two connected concentric circles that each held large thick candles. The candles were lit.

  Given the size of the candles it appeared they would they could burn for at least a week. Each candle rested inside a vertical cylinder to catch wax as it melted.

  The candlelight gave the room a welcoming glow. As the light reflected off the tile ceiling, it made the various scenes appear to have movement. As Glenda and Traveler looked more closely at the detailed scenes, they saw goat-footed Pan chasing woodland nymphs. In the center were giants looking down with swords, spears, and hammers at the ready. “That ceiling fresco is an amazing work of both Greek and Roman art,” said Traveler.

  Glenda was studying the rest of the room and saw another arched doorway. “I think this is a safe complex for the fortress. It’s a fortress hidden within a fortress. That’s why it has cooking and lighting set ups. I bet it was a secret hiding place for the nobility and their families if the fortress fell. Let’s check out the rest of this place.”

  They proceeded out of the dining room into a short hallway. There was a door to the left and they slowly eased it open. Inside was a large pantry with a full inventory of hanging meats, barrels of apples, and covered storage pots filled with various roots and potatoes. Stacked against a wall were wooden casks of ale, wine, and cider. The contents were identified with simple pictographs. In a far corner was a tarp covering sacks of flour and ground cornmeal.

  “The lion eats tonight,” quipped Traveler.

  “I’d say there’s enough to feed a pride of lions for a month.”

  They shut the pantry door and went to the door at the end of the hall. Standing outside they heard the pleasing sound of rushing water. They opened the door to find a cascading stream of water falling down from an overhanging rock ledge. The water was flowing into a grated opening in the floor.

  Behind the waterfall and tucked into the rock was a wooden bench. On the bench were long-handled scrub brushes and a large jar of the ubiquitous soap. Later they would be pleased to discover this odorless soap was a big step up from the lye soap used to scrub pans.

  “Well this sure seems familiar,” said Traveler. “Let’s test how cold it is.”

  He stuck his hand into the falling stream and pronounced, “Better than our freezing river, but not nearly as hot as I like.”

  Glenda was studying the sides of the interior water cave and said, “There’s an iron lever on each side of the bench. See what happens if you can pull one down.”

  Traveler extended a hand through the opening, stretched out and used his fingers to move the lever down. Instantly a new flow of water came down a rock channel to join the existing stream. This water was steaming as it joined the original cooler flow. Traveler cautiously reached into the waterfall, grinned and said, “Our ship has come in. Those Romans knew how to build heated showers.”

  Glenda immediately said, “Dibs! Finally, I can bathe properly. I so need a hot shower.”

  Traveler saw stacks of heavy, wool blankets on top of a stone pedestal. He picked one up and began to open it. It seemed the stack only contained two blankets. He immediately laughed, “I think this will handle your drying needs. This is either for an elephant or a boy scout troop’s tent. It should be enough to dry you three times over.”

  Finally they saw the nearby indoor plumbing throne. The throne was oversized and Traveler decided to skip his funny comments. He doubted Glenda would appreciate middle school humor right now.

  They shut the bathroom door and walked to t
he last door. Again they opened it slowly and peeked inside. This was a bedroom with a bed of epic proportions. Above the bed a vaulted ceiling displayed the same inlaid tile mosaics. Any person lying in bed could construct various story lines by linking various scenes together.

  “Wow!” exclaimed Glenda. “This must be the bed for the whole family. It’s got to be every bit of twelve feet square. We can safely say families were large back then. There’s plenty of room for husband, wife, and a dozen kids. These blankets would cover a small circus, they’re even bigger than the shower towels.”

  While Glenda was studying the bed, Traveler was looking up at the overhead scenes. As he studied them he felt movement happening among the mosaic scenes. He was becoming dizzy. He remembered his dad telling him how doctors looking intently at slides had to lift their eyes away periodically to retain their balance as well as their focus. His own eyes returned to the bed and then Glenda.

  “OK, I guess that’s the tour. You have dibs on the bathroom so go first and take your time. There are lots of great foods in the pantry I’ll see what I can scrape together for dinner.”

  Glenda nodded as she was already moving toward the sound of the running water. “This girl is shower-bound. I’ll leave the water hot so you can move right in.”

  Traveler answered, “While you get shower-hot, I’ll make us a cold meal. I don’t want anybody to know we were here. The cold fireplace should signal all’s well if anyone shows up, and I can’t imagine who would.”

  Traveler headed to the pantry and selected samplings of ham, yellow-red roots, and cider. Finally, he sliced an apple into sections and sprinkled sugar on it. He took a piece of the thick ham and proceeded to test it. Outstanding! We have a feast.

  After setting out their meal he studied the fireplace. Since nobody’s coming, why not heat this place up? Everything will be burned down when we leave, so why suffer dampness tonight? With that conclusion he removed the few ashes into a large iron bucket, stacked fresh wood, and shortly was rewarded with a blazing fire. Princess will love this. Just like a dinner in one of her Chicago taverns.

  With the dinner preparation completed he went back to the dock. He walked to the end and found another skiff moored to a vertical pillar. Now we have an easy way to reach that staircase, no more freezing swims for us. He then looked a second time at the skiff and noticed how high the gunnels were above the water. High sides so they can carry heavy loads without water coming on board. Very smart these old-timers were.

  When he entered the dining room he stopped and started to laugh. Glenda was standing by the fire with a circus tent wrapped around her. “Where’s the rest of the circus? I think the elephant is missing its overcoat.”

  Looking at Traveler she sweetly answered, “Well, the clowns have already arrived and I see they have done a super job with the fire and the dinner. Well done, ringmaster.”

  Smiling she lifted her arms, “This is the world’s biggest bathrobe. I think it’s built as an all-purpose covering. It’s a multiple-wraparound robe for freezing nights. I had to pull it up from the floor over three feet before belting it. Even the arms had to be rolled up so much I look like Popeye.”

  Traveler was laughing. “Correction princess, you are Olive Oyl and I’m Popeye. Right now this sailor man needs his water. Lots of hot water. Did you leave any for me?”

  “Judge for yourself, but I recommend sticking a hand in first. I backed off the hot water intake but trust me there is more than you need.” Wrinkling her nose she added, “And you certainly need a lot, don’t spare the soap. By the way I think it’s close to real soap. No perfume in it but much milder than the Babylonian pot cleaner we’ve been using.”

  When Traveler got to the bathing room, he stuck his hand in and instantly confirmed Glenda was correct, it was not quite scalding but too hot for immediate entry. He dialed back the hot intake, found just the right amount of acceptable hotness and was quickly under the falling water.

  This is just like my bathroom in the Sanctuary. Only difference is, I need to move levers instead of saying what I want. I’m just going to sit here a while and let the hot water do its job. This is just heaven.

  After an extended soak he realized he was close to falling asleep. He took one of the large scrub brushes, and proceeded to work on his entire body. Never do one scrubbing when two are better.

  When he did his first scrubbing, he confirmed Glenda’s take on the soap. He soaped his hair and vigorously rubbed it in. This soap made his scalp tingle but in a good way. The cascading water carried some soap down into his eye and he yelped but not the scream associated with the pot-cleaner soap.

  Rinsing and rubbing at the same time he wondered, What is this stuff made of? It’s not my mother’s baby shampoo but I can live with it. Finally he dialed back the hot water and got out just as he felt the temperature falling. I don’t need a polar bear wake-up. Right now it’s time to eat, then sleep.

  He lifted the remaining heavy bathrobe and found it fit him no better than Glenda. Even though he was taller than Glenda his added height made no difference. It took him five minutes to fold until he had manageable heights off the floor and up his arms.

  Entering the dining room, he saw the small feast laid out on the table. Glenda had added cheese, a dark bread, and honey to his setting. “How did you find this other stuff? I looked.”

  “Life in an orphanage with hungry kids, you learn where to look.”

  They settled down to the pleasant task at hand. Food and drink went in and bellies applauded. Glenda noted that Traveler was taking it in at a more relaxed pace. Maybe he wolfs it down when he’s under stress, a male survival trait.

  Glenda finally looked up from her empty plate and said, “I think it’s nighttime, and for a change I’m collapsing in a real bed.”

  Traveler nodded, “Me too.”

  They got to the bedroom and Glenda chose the far side. Traveler waited until she was settled, jumped in, then said, “We need to leave the door open. If there’s a visitor, we need to be ready.” Another thought came to him as he found himself drifting off, “Be careful looking up at the ceiling scenes, they’re hypnotic, I swear they move.” His warning was already too late for Glenda.

  With that final comment, Travel pulled his blanket over his head and was with Morpheus in seconds.

  Chapter 61

  Into the Fortress

  They awoke with the energy that only comes from long, deep, uninterrupted sleep. Glenda took her dry clothes and went into the bathroom. A short time later she reappeared dressed as a village peasant. Traveler followed suit. Coming back he saw Glenda had placed a breakfast fare out. Despite the intake the night before, they discovered they were again starving.

  With rested bodies and happy stomachs, they were eager to explore. “I found another skiff at the end of the dock. We can row across.”

  They walked down the dock. Traveler held the boat steady while Glenda climbed in and then he joined her. Glenda was studying the high gunnels. “Do all rowboats have sides this high?”

  “Not usually. I think the boat probably carries a lot of heavy supplies across. There must be a ton of food stored in the pantry. If the survivors need to hide out, they’ll need a lot of food.”

  “Makes sense.”

  “You want to sit at the back center to balance and direct us. You can look ahead and see the torch at the base of the staircase. Since my back is to the landing use your hands to direct me.”

  “Aye, aye, captain. You row and I’ll direct, sounds like a good division of labor to me.”

  Traveler gripped the oars that were resting beside the oar guides. Lifting the oars into the water, he pushed away using the dock side oar. He then pulled on the dock oar while keeping the left oar steady in the water. The small boat pivoted, then he pulled both oars at once.

  Glenda used the bow of the boat as her pointer. Using both hands she gave directions for their crossing. The lake was small but still of sufficient size that Traveler settled into a rowing
rhythm. His boy scout training came back, he turned the oars parallel to the water as he pushed them forward, then rotated them ninety degrees for the returning power stroke back to his chest.

  Glenda watched him closely, “You’ve done this before. Skimming the oars forward on the surface looks tricky.”

  Traveler grunted and said, “It’s called ‘feathering the oars’ and just takes practice. If you accidentally dig into the water going forward, the oars jump out of your hand and the boat will spin around. Not really hard, but practice builds muscle memory, rather like riding a bike.”

  After several more minutes of rowing Glenda said, “Better slow down now and check the distance. A couple of hard pulls and we’ll be on top of the landing with a missing bow.”

  Traveler stopped rowing and looked over his shoulder. “Good call. Watch this.”

  He made a final hard pull, then dropped the left oar as a pivot point and the boat turned parallel to the landing. Their forward momentum had the boat rest against the dock. “Hop out and keep the boat steady.”

  Glenda semi-leaped out and caught the skiff’s rope when Traveler threw it to her. Traveler took a big step out and was beside her. “Let’s tie this at the end of the dock and keep it hidden.”

  Chapter 62

  Inside the Walls

  With their craft secure they walked to the ascending stone staircase. Sconce torches provided enough light to guide them up. Passing by them Traveler said, “The caretaker must replenish these torches when bringing down fresh supplies. Let’s hope we don’t meet him on the way.”

  The incline case was six feet wide with the risers going up over a foot. As they began to walk up, they quickly found the riser height was difficult on their thigh muscles and their balance.