The Map Maker's Quest

by Matthew J. Krengel

  “Hit them hard and keep moving,” Eriunia ordered. The word spread like wildfire, and slowly the gathered goblins pushed forward. She estimated the rebel force had grown to four thousand by time they were in place. Puck was exhausted from moving rebels through the mushroom rings, but he still stubbornly held to his feet. He wanted to prove to all he was not a traitor and he wanted this effort to count for something.

  Confused shouts came from the Adherents when a scattering of musket fire tore into their northern and western flanks. The blasts sent dozens of soldiers in the rear tumbling to the ground. The goblins all carried lengths of rope. Any merely wounded were quickly bound and dragged to a clearing where they could be watched. Muskets and weapons changed hands from Adherent to rebel and Eriunia’s forces pushed on armed now with dozens more muskets.

  Eriunia held her bow carefully. Her weapon was deadly and would kill, not just render unconscious. She didn’t want to kill someone they would want to question later. She would not condone the wholesale killing of the Adherents, not unless they refused to surrender. She knew many of the goblins disagreed with her,and the occasional scream suddenly cut short spoke to that. Goblins had a natural affinity with the ground, and she figured hundreds of Adherents were being swallowed into the earth never to be seen again.

  “Look out!”

  Eriunia turned to see a familiar form battling through her rebel allies. The assassin wove a deadly dance of destruction. This was what she had waited for and why she had avoided becoming involved in the battle. He was her target, and he would pay for what he had done to Braun. She felt the slightest twinge and she worked her way closer to the detriment of six more rebel soldiers. He had his back turned as she drew back her bow and sighted down the shaft.

  “This is for Braun,” Eriunia whispered. She released the arrow and drew another as it flashed through the air. To her amazement, Averill seemed to sense the danger and twisted his body. Instead of slamming straight into his back the arrow struck his shoulder and the force of the shot knocked him completely over.

  “Elf!” Averill growled. The arrow had punched through his shoulder completely and stuck out several inches. He reached up and grabbed the arrow with his left hand. The arrow came out slowly but he gritted his teeth and pulled until it slipped the rest of the way out and fell to the ground.

  “Time to die assassin,” Eriunia shouted. She raised her bow and released another bolt.

  Averill knew his shoulder was bleeding badly. Even worse, the arrow had broken bones and sheered through the flesh at a horrible angle. This was a fight he could not win without his right arm. Instead he pulled a glass globe from an inner pocket. He slammed it on the ground as the second arrow came at him. He could not stop the shot but he could escape to fight another day. He turned enough to take the second shot in his hip and then the glass ball hit the ground and a flash of blue smoke erupted. Immediately the power of the globe grabbed him and whisked him along the transport tunnels under the ground. Some used mushroom circles to access them but his organization had long ago arranged a way of harnessing the power of the mushroom circles for one way trips. He would return when his wounds had healed and hunt down the deadly elf.

  Eriunia cried out in rage as the assassin vanished into the blue smoke and she knew he was beyond her reach. She had wounded him badly but not enough to kill him. He would be back, and she would be waiting. Instead she turned and ran to where the rebels were engaged in a fierce battle with the now outnumbered Adherents. She became a fury of revenge and an avenging angel against the Adherents who had stolen so much from her. Less than an hour later the battle was finished.

  “Our work is far from done,” Eriunia cried to the gathered rebels. Carvin stood next to her nodding his agreement. “This battle was the first one we will fight tonight, we must arrive in Duluth as soon as possible. The battle there is our chance to stop Cain once and for all.”

  “But the Divide will keep us from helping them.” Someone shouted.

  “Leave that to me,” Eriunia replied. “We’ll have a passage through and a way back.”

  The gathering fell quiet as the thought circulated that they would be given a chance to deal with a majority of the Adherent forces once and for all. Preparations were hurried and immediately, weapons were gathered and a few supplies were split up among the rebels. They gathered with serious and grim faces, the images of lost loved ones filling their eyes.

  Eriunia led them south at a fast jog, they had a long distance to run and an interesting challenge to overcome when they arrived. She knew one way to pierce the Divide if she could convince the one she needed to help them.

  * * * * *

  “Be careful, Jacob,” Jane said again. They were standing next to the ledge, and she thought that the water was getting higher. She had found a clef in the wall and placed the two candles into the spot so she could hold onto the wall with both hands. Jackie found a spot in the wall big enough for a foot hold and Jacob was balancing precariously on the edge of it, reaching for the metal rod.

  “I plan on it,” Jacob replied. The rod was just out of his grasp and finally he settled back and looked around. There was just no way to reach the piece of metal easily. “Cross your fingers.”

  Jane heard him say the words, and suddenly her heart leapt in her chest and she nearly fainted. “Don’t . . . !” Jacob coiled his legs under him and leapt out into the air over the bottomless pit. He seemed to hang suspended in the air for eternity and then his hands slammed into the metal and his body swung back and forth in the air.

  “Jacob!” Jackie cried out. She watched as one hand slowly slipped free and he whipped his legs around to try to stop the swinging motion.

  “I got it!” Jacob shouted. He managed to stop his legs from swinging after a minute and then he pulled himself up and got his left hand back onto the rod.

  “What are you thinking?” Jane nearly screamed. Her heart slowed a bit when she saw that he regained his grip and was hanging easily from the rod.

  “Seemed like the only way to get my hands onto it,” Jacob called back. “Don’t worry, I did fifty pull ups at the end of the school year.”

  Jane watched him move hand over hand across the hanging rod until he reached the far side. There must have been a foothold close on the side because he swung his legs over and stood as he shook out his arms one at a time.

  “How are you going to carry it back?” Jane called across the black opening.

  “One thing at a time,” Jacob said with a sheepish grin. He looked around and then shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know.” He reached over and pulled the staff from its resting place. It was not really that heavy and was sure he could easily toss it over to the girls. “What if I throw it to you?”

  “What if we miss catching?” Jane replied. She tried to keep the sarcasm from her voice but failed miserably.

  “I think you can do it,” Jacob called back.

  “We can catch it, Jane,” Jackie said. “How long did the two of us spend playing softball?”

  “This isn’t a ball. It’s a five-foot piece of iron,” Jane said back to her.

  “We can do it,” Jackie insisted.

  Jacob flexed his fingers one more time, the iron rod was slippery and he wondered if he could cross over with the rod and come out at the right spot.

  “Don’t even think about it, Jacob,” Jane said to him. “Cain is to close, and his map is probably way better than mine. What if he is watching and does something to the cave?”

  “You’re right,” Jacob said.

  “Throw it,” Jackie called. “Hold my jacket, Jane.”

  Jane grabbed the back of her jacket in her left hand and kept her right fastened to the edge of the stone. The rock was slippery but she held tightly to it as Jackie edged closer to the pit. Across the pit Jacob took the staff in his right hand and pushed his left out across the
iron rod as far as he could.

  “Ready?” Jacob called.

  “Ready,” Jackie responded.

  “Ready,” Jane said through gritted teeth.

  Jacob pushed off with his legs again and swung out as far as he could without risking his precarious grip. The staff came close to Jackie’s outstretched hand the first swing but she missed it and he swung back. His grip loosened slightly as he swung back and then as he swung towards them again he tossed the staff, trying to keep it straight up and down.

  Jackie saw the staff leave his hand and she leaned towards it as far as she could, she felt Jane’s grip begin to loosen on her jacket. Then the staff was within reach and she wrapped her fingers around it.

  “I got it,” Jackie shouted. “Pull hard, Jane!”

  Jane grunted and pulled with all her might. Just as it seemed she was going to lose her grip on her sister, the memories of the last year flooded back to her. She would not be responsible for Jackie’s death after rescuing her from Cain. Desperately she pulled and finally Jackie came stumbling back into the shallow water and they both collapsed against the wall. Still, the force of the water pulled at them and they were forced to grab on to the stones to keep themselves from slipping back.

  “I’m coming,” Jacob said. He came across the rod quickly and then swung his body and legs until he thought he had enough momentum to make the distance. With a shout and a jerk of every muscle in his body he released his grip and sailed through the air. He had so much force, that he stumbled into Jane and Jackie and fell on his face in the water.

  “Grab him!” Jane shouted. She plunged one hand into the water and grabbed Jacob’s shirt. She could feel him scrambling with his arms and legs for something to hold onto. Then his backwards slide stopped and he pushed himself out of the water.

  “Can we get out of here now?” Jacob asked when he stopped coughing. He was freezing cold and shivering violently as water dripped off him.

  “Please,” Jackie agreed. “I’m so cold my toes are going numb.” The three of them wrapped their arms around each other and struggled through the water. The water was flowing even faster down the slope towards them and they were forced to pull themselves up against the torrent. By time they reached the passage back to Glensheen, they were wet from head to toe, and Jane could feel Bella shivering violently on her shoulder.

  “Up?” Jackie asked. “Or back to the mansion?” Suddenly a violent explosion shook the ground around them and down the tunnel they had traveled from the mansion. There was a rumble and suddenly a massive cave in came crashing down as the tunnel collapsed under the strain. “Up!”

  “Up!” Jane shouted and all thoughts of how tired they were flew from their minds. They scrambled up the slope for almost thirty feet before arriving at a big storm drain lined with concrete. The tunnel came out near the middle of the drain. Nearby was a metal ladder that led to the street.

  Jacob vaulted up to the top of the ladder and did his best to peek out of the grate; when it looked clear he pushed with all his might. Slowly and grudgingly the iron grate gave way and finally he was able to slide it away from the opening. Dirt and bits of rock tumbled down and rained down on Jane and Jackie.

  “Come on. It’s clear,” Jacob whispered back down to them. He crawled out of the drain and looked around, they were at Twenty-sixth and Jefferson. He helped Jackie and Jane out of the drain, and they ran for cover behind a house on the lake side of the street.

  “What does the staff say?” Jacob asked excitedly. Now that they were free of the icy grip of the water the mid afternoon sun was starting to warm him. While he waited, he slipped his shirt off and rung it out as best he could. His hands were scrapped and sore from the climbing stunt he had pulled, but the rest of his body felt good.

  Jane turned the staff over slowly and examined the surface. “Here it is!” She exclaimed. There was a single line of words that led from the bottom of the staff to the top and she read them out loud for the others to hear:

  “Wheels without a road,

  Fire without wood,

  Cars with no passengers,

  Find me in the darkness,

  Hidden from sight,

  The oldest light, shows the way,

  To what you desire.”

  Jacob scratched his head, this one made the least amount of sense to him and he didn’t know what to say.

  “Read it again,” Jacob asked. He closed his eyes and focused on the words.

  “Hmm,” Jackie hummed as Jane read the words one more time. “What has wheels but doesn’t travel on a road? Bikes? Toy car?”

  “What about dirt bikes?” Jacob asked. “Or four wheelers?”

  “I don’t think so,” Jane replied. She sat down on a stack of rocks and looked around, she could see the lake in the distance and somewhere a train whistle sounded. Someone was moving a train despite what was going on in the city, and then it struck her. Trains had wheels but didn’t travel on roads. “I think it’s a train.”

  “Hmm, that would make sense,” Jackie responded. “If Uncle Ernie had wanted to make sure the place he hid the clues were always around then the Depot is a perfect spot.”

  “So we have to get all the way across town and into the Depot in the middle of what is a war zone,” Jacob said with a sigh. He rubbed his face with his right hand. This was exciting but almost too exciting for him.

  “It’s a couple of miles to the Depot by road,” Jane said. “I think we should try my map. We can jump out right outside the Depot doors and be inside before anyone sees us.”

  “What if Cain sees our markers,” Jackie asked.

  “We don’t even know if he can see us,” Jane replied. “Besides, I will be watching. I can counter anything he tries to do to us.” Jane unrolled her map and looked at it. The area where the Depot sat was not filled in very well, so she quickly sketched in the building. It was crude but she hoped it was good enough, she added a few more markers like the bridge and the piers where the Coast Guard cutter was docked and the area where the old ore ship the Irvin waited for long lines of tourists to walk its decks.

  “I think we’re ready,” Jane said finally. She looked at the map critically and then glanced at Jacob. He was twisting the iron ring on his finger nervously.

  “Are you sure about this?” Jacob asked.

  “It’s the fastest way,” Jane replied. She tried to sound brave but suddenly she doubted the wisdom of this move. Still a second later Jacob vanished into her map and ten seconds later his marker appeared just outside the little image of the Depot on her map. “Let’s do this.” She reached her hand out to Jackie and together then vanished into the Divide. Jane held tightly to her sister as they pushed into the Darkness and swooped in close to her map. They were about to emerge at the spot she had marked when she got the sense that a dark presence was nearby. She looked up and immediately spotted the dark form hovering over them looking down. There was a sense of triumph as she pulled Jackie back out of the Divide next to Jacob.

  “He spotted us,” Jane said breathlessly. The concrete sidewalk around them was eerily quiet and she looked around. A few fires burned in some of the wooden buildings, but many of the shots fired by the Adherents seemed to focus on areas were they would not damage the buildings. “Quick let’s get inside.” In the back of her mind she thought it was almost like Cain was trying to cause panic but not damage the buildings too badly. “He’s searching for the book too.” She muttered under her breath.

  They hurried over to the Depot building and stepped through a smashed out window. Jacob whistled when they started down the wide hallway, it looked like the building had been ransacked. Papers fluttered in the wind that slipped in through the broken windows, glass display cases were all smashed and the contents pulled out and strewn across the floor.

  “It seems the Adherents were here already,” Jacob wh
ispered. “What are we looking for?”

  “Well the riddle says the oldest light shows the way,” Jane muttered. “We need to find the oldest locomotive in the building and search it.”

  “So we should head for the indoor tracks in the lower level,” Jackie replied. She had been to the Depot many times and the layout returned to her quickly. There was a museum on the upper level filled with displays and historical artifacts. Through the maze of hallways and rooms sat the lower level, an area of the building as big as most football stadiums. Inside were dozens of locomotives and railroad cars from ages ago. Among those great iron beasts they would find the light that they needed.

  Jacob knew the Depot hallways perfectly, and he guided them along the passages until they reached the stairs leading down to the display area. The lights in this part of the building were out. Except for the light of the sun in the distance, the area was filled with gloomy darkness.

  “It’s like the darkness that exists on the other side of the Divide has followed Cain here,” Jane muttered quietly.

  Jackie just nodded.

  Slowly they descended into the great hall and started walking among the steam-power giants. They walked the entire length of the first two rows, Jacob found a pen and a scrap of paper on the ground and wrote the years that the locomotives had been built on it. He also noted their location so that they could come back to the one they needed later.

  “Wait a minute!” Jacob said suddenly. They were in the middle of the third row of railroad cars and engines when something struck him. “Read the poem again.”

  “Wheels without a road,

  Fire without wood,

  Cars with no passengers,

  Find me in the darkness,

  Hidden from sight,

  The oldest light, shows the way,