World's End

by Jake Halpern

  "Do you really think that Jasber still exists?" asked General Tadeusz incredulously. "That's nothing but a myth put forth by the unifiers, and we all know the honorable Josephus is a leader. Can he realistically provide neutral counsel?"

  "Until recently I would have been very skeptical," said the Grand Vizier. "But the news that Alfonso brings from the Seed Depot in Alexandria leads me to believe that the city does exist and that both Jasber and Alfonso's father—also a Great Sleeper—may be in considerable danger. Assuming Leif succeeded in delivering his Dormian bloom, where is he now? That's the question, isn't it? Josephus suspects that Leif is stranded in the maze of razor hedges that surrounds Jasber. It is also possible that the Dragoonya followed Leif on his journey to Jasber and now are very close to finding the city. This would put both Leif and Jasber in great danger. And this would explain why Alfonso was summoned."

  "Are you proposing that we send an expedition to find Jasber and Leif?" asked Hill.

  The Grand Vizier nodded. "This is precisely the issue we are here to discuss," she replied. "If there is a way to find Leif—and warn Jasber—I should very much like to do it. What's more, there's also the possibility of learning more about the Dragoonya plans. Josephus believes that he knows a route down into the old Fault Roads that leads to the Jasber Gate. And, as for the Jasber Gate, there may be a way to pass through it—but it would involve a considerable risk."

  "Considerable risk?" inquired General Tadeusz.

  "Yes," said the Grand Vizier. "Guards, bring him in!" she commanded.

  At that moment, a door at the far end of the office swung open and a tight formation of roughly a dozen Dormian knights marched in. They all appeared to be huddled around something or someone. Eventually, the knights fanned out and revealed a prisoner, who wore heavy, iron shackles around his wrists and ankles.

  It was Kiril.

  General Tadeusz rose to his feet and placed a hand on his sword. "Do you think this is wise, Madame?" asked the General. "Kiril is extremely dangerous even with shackles on."

  "There is no need for alarm," said Kiril calmly. "I haven't come to cause trouble—not tonight anyhow."

  "It's all right," said the Grand Vizier. "On this occasion, I happen to believe Kiril."

  "What's the meaning of this?" demanded Dr. Nostrite.

  "I have a deal to offer you," replied Kiril. As he said this, he stared directly at Alfonso, as if he planned to offer the deal to Alfonso and Alfonso alone. This deal, if it were to be accepted, would need the support of the Great Sleeper. Kiril knew this. Alfonso felt as if he were being manipulated, but what could he do? After all, his father's life quite possibly hung in the balance.

  "What kind of deal?" asked General Tadeusz angrily. "I can't imagine that you are in much of a position to negotiate."

  "How wrong you are," replied Kiril coolly. "A man like myself, who has lived for more than six hundred years, has learned a thing or two along the way. What I have is knowledge—knowledge that you desire. Knowledge that may help you get to Jasber. I know that Alfonso visited the ancient Seed Depot in Alexandria and retrieved one of the rare rosewood boxes it provides to Great Sleepers. It appears as if Jasber, my beloved birthplace, still exists. How touching."

  Alfonso and Hill exchanged quick glances, but said nothing.

  "Alfonso," continued Kiril. "I know you are keen on finding your father. I alone can help you. My family operated the Jasber Gate for many generations. The code for opening the Jasber Gate has long been hailed as the single most cryptic and impossible puzzle ever devised. I can assure you that, if you were left to your own devices, you would never open that gate. Fortunately, however, I can help."

  "You know the code?" asked Hill pointedly.

  "Yes," said Kiril.

  "Can you prove it?" asked the Grand Vizier.

  "Here is what I am ready to offer," said Kiril. "Take me down into the Fault Roads. Take me in shackles and under guard if you like. I will be your guide. I will open the Jasber Gate. In return, when I have made good on my promise, you will re-lease me into the mountains."

  "And what if you can't open the gate?" asked Hill.

  "Then return me to prison here in Somnos, where I shall live out the rest of my days," he declared.

  "Tell us," said the Grand Vizier. "From the Jasber Gate, how far a journey is it to Jasber?"

  "As far as I can recall, you can make the trip in about four or five days," Kiril replied. "You follow the Jasber fault until you reach a place known as the Terminus, which is where the fault ends. There once was a tunnel connecting the Terminus to Jasber itself and, as far as I know, that should still be open."

  "Josephus," said the Grand Vizier, "is this in keeping with what you have read about the Fault Roads?"

  Josephus nodded.

  "Well, that's the offer," said the Grand Vizier. "Now we must discuss it in private."

  Kiril nodded respectfully. Knights closed in and led him out of the room.

  "This is foolhardy, to say the least," declared General Tadeusz. "We know virtually nothing of the Fault Roads. It is a wretched place and no one has been down there for hundreds of years. There were reasons we sealed all access tunnels shut. I don't need to remind any of you about the evil that lurks down there. If we open up the way into the Fault Roads we invite trouble into Somnos."

  "This is a historic opportunity," countered Josephus. "I must say, General Tadeusz, I am surprised that you are being so shortsighted about this. Aren't you the least bit curious to re-connect with Jasber, to begin the glorious task of unifying our people? I would have thought that you wouldn't be scared off so easily by a few darkened passageways."

  General Tadeusz's face flushed momentarily, but he quickly regained his composure. "I would be most eager to see Jasber," said the general stiffly. "But the risk is too great. I am against reopening the Fault Roads and I am against trusting our greatest enemy. This is the man who killed General Loxoc. Have you forgotten who we are talking about? That's the problem with unifiers and scholars like you, Josephus; you fall madly in love with your theories and you have no regard whatsoever for the risks that they involve. I am sure you would like to write a great big book about rediscovering Jasber. No doubt it would make you very famous and they would build a statue in your honor in the library's Great Hall. But I am responsible for men and women's lives. This is why decisions of great importance are best left to those accustomed to the burden of weighing life and death."

  "If we were to authorize this expedition," said Hill, ignoring General Tadeusz, "who would lead it?"

  "I am inclined to have Colonel Treeknot lead the expedition," replied the Grand Vizier. She looked around the room. "We will put it to a vote. Josephus is not a member of the cabinet, and therefore does not have a right to vote. We already know how General Tadeusz stands. What do you say, Dr. Nostrite?"

  "With all due respect," said Dr. Nostrite, "I think it is foolhardy to risk so much on the faint hope of saving one man and finding a city that in all likelihood does not exist. Perhaps in a few decades, after our tree is well established and our strength has returned..."

  "That's two votes against," said the Grand Vizier. "How about you, Hill?"

  "I think we ought to give it a try," said Hill. "It's a risk. It will be very dangerous, of course. But, in the end, sitting here and doing nothing may be even more dangerous."

  "What about you, Alfonso?" asked the Grand Vizier. "You're a Great Sleeper and our tradition entitles you to a vote. What do you think?"

  All eyes turned to Alfonso and he felt the intensity of the entire discussion swivel toward him. In truth, Alfonso didn't know what he thought. He certainly did not trust Kiril. It seemed quite obvious to Alfonso that Kiril had a plan of his own. And what did General Tadeusz mean when he described the "evil that lurks down there"? None of this was inviting. Under other circumstances, Alfonso would have voted against going, but his concern for his father tipped the scales. It was quite possible that his father was on the brink of death, a
nd when this possibility was factored into the equation, the choice was really not much of a choice at all.

  "I agree," said Alfonso softly. "I think we should give it a try."

  "Two in favor, two against," said the Grand Vizier. "I greatly appreciate everyone's counsel." She closed her eyes and instantly entered a sleeping trance. Seconds later, her eyes opened. The strain of making this decision was evident on her face.

  "All of our considerations must focus on one question: will it jeopardize the security of Somnos?" remarked the Grand Vizier. "Clearly, Kiril has his reasons for making this offer, and they are not simply his own freedom. This smells like a trap in which all of Somnos might be caught." She looked around with an air of finality. "I have made my decision. No one will enter the Fault Roads."

  "So we're just going to let my father die," said Alfonso angrily. He felt hot and flushed in the face. It was probably unwise to speak to the Grand Vizier in this manner, but he didn't care. This was his father's life they were talking about. "Both my dad and I risked our lives to save Dormia and this is the thanks that you show us?"

  Alfonso rose to his feet, strode across the Grand Vizier's study, and stormed out the door.

  CHAPTER 19

  PAPER TRAIL

  EARLY THE NEXT MORNING, Resuza woke up after a restless night of sleep and crept down into the kitchen to have a glass of placka nectar. Freshly prepared every morning by Hill's servants, it came from a tropical fruit with a nutlike exterior. Resuza loved to have a glass of it each morning as soon as she woke. Usually she was alone. However, that morning she found Hill sitting at the breakfast table with a worried look on his face. He was hunched over the table, studying an assortment of scraps of paper.

  "You're off to an early start," said Resuza. "How did the meeting go last night?"

  Hill looked at Resuza, and she knew at once that something was wrong.

  "A half-hour ago, I received some rather grim news," Hill replied wearily. "Here, have a look at this," he said, pointing to the table. The scraps of paper were laid out like the pieces of a puzzle. Some of the pieces appeared rough, as if torn, and others appeared blackened, as if burned.

  "What is it?" asked Resuza.

  "These are the last traces of Kiril," replied Hill.

  "What?"

  "Sometime last night, Kiril escaped from his jail cell," explained Hill. "It appears to have been an inside job."

  "But how?"

  Hill explained that the lock on Kiril's cell required two keys. One of these keys was held by the captain of the guard unit and the other key was kept in the Tree Palace. The captain despised Kiril because Kiril had gravely wounded two of his best men, one of whom was his cousin. It was highly unlikely that the captain had helped Kiril. This meant someone had made a copy of the captain's key without his knowledge. As for the second key, Hill speculated that someone of high rank—with access to the Tree Palace—had stolen it and given it to Kiril.

  "Is anyone looking for him?" asked Resuza.

  "Of course," replied Hill. "Apparently, Colonel Treeknot has set out with a group of her knights to hunt Kiril down."

  Hill went on to explain that the only clues they had as to Kiril's whereabouts were the scraps of paper on the kitchen table. Kiril had written in English, probably because he knew the guards would not be able to read it. He had written quite a bit in his cell; one of the guards even recalled him drawing maps and diagrams. Kiril had insisted that he was merely helping Josephus write his history of Jasber. In the end, however, Kiril managed to burn everything he had written—everything except this one, torn-up, and partially burnt page, which appeared to be a list of sorts.

  "Have you put the pieces together?" asked Resuza.

  "I'm still working on it," said Hill. "But I'm off to the library. I believe one of these scraps—the one with the numbers—is the reference code for a book. I know a librarian down there who is going to help me. After that, we can swing by Josephus's place and see what he makes of all this. Why don't you wake Alfonso and Bilblox? I'm sure they'll want to help."

  Resuza ran upstairs and returned several minutes later with Bilblox at her side.

  "Where's Alfonso?" asked Hill.

  "I don't know," said Resuza, with a tinge of worry in her voice. "He's gone."

  Hill looked worried as well, and remembered Alfonso's stormy outburst the night before. "I'm sure it's nothing," he said grimly.

  ***

  Alfonso was lying on his stomach, in the snow, watching a long procession of sleds make their way across the frozen tundra. The sleds were lashed together in the form of a long, single train. Each sled carried a large metal cage, and inside were human beings—captives—who were wrapped in blankets and huddled together for warmth. Alfonso found it impossible to move. He was paralyzed with fear. After a few seconds of struggle, he gave up and simply watched with silent dread.

  The ground soon began to shake with the sound of approaching hoofbeats. Six figures on horseback were galloping toward the train of sleds. The rider in front, who appeared to be the leader, was smaller than the others. In one hand he held the reins to his horse and in the other, he held a canister whose bronze surface gleamed brightly in the sun. The rider's face was smooth, tender, and almost fragile looking. He was a teenager, about the same age as Alfonso, with ash-gray hair and entirely white eyes. Alfonso knew at once that this had to be the boy Resuza had told him about—the one who was now leading the Dragoonya.

  Moments later, the boy had galloped beyond view to the front of the procession. Alfonso returned to looking at the sleds. The occupants of one particular sled caught his eye. They were an older man and a young woman, and they looked very familiar. Suddenly, he knew who they were. There was no mistaking Hill and Resuza. Alfonso screamed for them. The snow and procession of sleds disappeared, and Alfonso blinked his eyes.

  It was early morning, and as Alfonso woke up from his dream he realized he was on an empty cobblestone street in Somnos. Alfonso rubbed his face and looked around. Rats scurried over the cobblestones and errant scraps of paper tumbled in the wind. On one side of the street there was a rundown warehouse and a sprawling graveyard. On the other side of the street was an old stone mansion surrounded by an imposing wrought-iron fence.

  Alfonso was quickly distracted by the sound of screaming. Two women, one young and the other middle-aged, were milling about at the far end of the street. The younger woman was sobbing hysterically and the older one was screaming, "Leave me alone, leave me alone, leave me alone!" Alfonso glanced about to see who else was lurking nearby. Was someone chasing these women? It didn't appear so. There was only one other person in sight—a man wandering in the cemetery, whimpering and then muttering to himself, "I'm sorry, my son. Forgive me for what I have done. I beseech you, my dear boy, forgive me!" They all appeared to be fast asleep and in the firm grip of nightmares.

  Slowly it dawned on Alfonso: he was in the Delirium Quarter. Why was he here? As if in response to this question, Alfonso heard a faint flapping sound above. The noise came from the leaves of the Founding Tree. Of course, thought Alfonso, the tree has drawn me here. But why?

  Moments later, the younger woman—the one who had been sobbing—woke up and began to look about in a disoriented fashion. "Excuse me!" she yelled in a quavering voice. She was talking to Alfonso. "Which way is it to the Dreamer's Quarter?"

  "I don't know," called Alfonso. "I just woke up myself." He smiled in a friendly manner, but the woman responded with a frown. She pointed to a sign posted along the wall of the cemetery. It read:

  * * *

  WARNING:

  YOU HAVE ENTERED THE

  DELIRIUM QUARTER.

  NO ONE IS ALLOWED HERE DUNNG WAKING HOURS

  WITHOUT SPECIAL AUTHORIZATION.

  IF YOU HAVE JUST WOKEN UP,

  LEAVE NOW!

  DO NOT WAKE ANYONE UP AROUND YOU.

  IINDIVIDUALS WOKEN FROM SUCH STATES

  ARE PRONE TO SUDDEN ACTS OF

  VIOLENCE AND DEP
RAVITY

  IN THE SECONDS BEFORE THEY REACH

  CONSCIOUSNESS.

  * * *

  "Don't stick around here," warned the young woman. "Bad things happen in this quarter." With that, she spun around and took off at a brisk pace.

  Alfonso was about to follow her when something caught his eye. It was a placard on the front gate of the mansion across the street. The placard read: RESIDENCE OF THE ROYAL SCRIBE OF SOMNOS. It was Josephus's house.

  Alfonso walked across the street and passed through the wrought-iron front gate. The mansion, made of gray stone, was four stories high and quite imposing. Its windows were long and narrow, almost like the arrow slits on a castle, and the roof was adorned with an enormous brass weathervane that creaked as it swiveled in the wind. The overall effect was quite somber, the complete opposite of Josephus's office in the library.

  The mansion was surrounded by an elaborate rock garden of large geodes, cracked open so that the blue-gray crystals inside of them sparkled in the early morning light. The geodes were surrounded by an expanse of fine black sand that had been neatly raked. Perched on the geodes were a number of emperor butterflies. These butterflies, like so many of the other living things in Somnos, were abnormally large. Some had a wingspan as long as a man's arm.

  As he approached the front door, Alfonso was surprised to discover that it was slightly ajar. He stood at the entrance and called Josephus's name several times. His cries echoed throughout the four-story house. After a minute or so of calling, Alfonso began looking around.

  Not surprisingly, the house was filled with books—novels, encyclopedias, atlases, almanacs, historical accounts, scientific studies, and quite a few picture books as well—all of which were bound in leather and smelled of mildew and stale pipe tobacco. The floors were covered with thick, ornately woven carpets. The air was speckled with dust and virtually every corner of the house boasted a vast array of cobwebs.