A Meeting of Wizards

by John Hosh

  The king’s attendant gave the fan to the king. While the king fanned himself, the attendant walked quickly to the dark doorway in the corner behind the king, at Jono’s left. The attendant went through the doorway.

  After a moment the attendant reappeared. He was carrying a square wood box with sides as long as Jono’s arm and as high as his palm. The attendant set the box on Jono’s lap. The attendant knelt beside Jono at Jono’s left.

  “We are here,” said the king. His right index finger pointed at the strategy-box.

  A fine sand covered the box’s interior bottom. The attendant put his right index finger into the sand. He made a small x about half way up that side of the box that was the closest to Jono’s right hand.

  “If one leaves here and goes down the slope to where the rock slope and the grassy slope meet,” said the king, “and if one then turns right and goes along the grassy slope, one comes to a wood walkway.” The attendant dragged his right index finger in an arc from his x almost to the corner that was nearest to Jono’s left hand. “A little ways up the slope from the walkway is a fort.” Midway up the box on the side at Jono’s left, the attendant drew a circle the size of an apple. “The fort is made of logs. It has one entrance that faces the sea and another entrance that faces the middle of this island. Both entrances have log-doors that the humans raise into place with ropes.

  “Kalista’s house sits in the middle of the fort. The other buildings are close to the fort’s walls. A few lamps burn throughout the night. A lamp hanging from a pole is always lit at night in front of Kalista’s house. One man is always on patrol between the front entrance and the rear entrance. I think there are as many humans within the fort as there are fingers on my hands. All the humans are men. They have spears with stone points. They have two dogs — big dogs.”

  The king held his fan toward the attendant. The attendant left the strategy-box and returned to his post near the king. The king gave the fan to the attendant. The attendant resumed his fanning.

  Jono stared at the strategy-box. He said, “What is beyond the fort?”

  “Beyond the fort is a valley. In that valley slaves dig for copper. The slaves have houses at the edge of the valley that is closest to the fort.”

  “What’s copper?”

  “Copper is hard and shiny. The pillars in this village are made of copper.”

  “I don’t see how I can rescue the princess. You need fighting-men.”

  “Our plan uses a tunnel. The tunnel comes up near Kalista’s house. We want you to bring Kalista to the tunnel.”

  “What will you do about the dogs and about the man who paces between the front entrance and the rear entrance?”

  “We will create a diversion. We will dig at the wall and make plenty of noise. The dogs will hear us. They will alert the humans. The dogs and the humans will either make for the front entrance, or they will gather at the wall. Either way, they will be far from our beloved Kalista. While we divert their attention, Our Love and Our Joy will have plenty of time to make her way to the tunnel. It’s a brilliant plan. Will you help us?”

  “I don’t see why you need me.”

  “We need someone who is strong enough to lift Kalista out of her house. You seem to be strong enough. Without you we would need to have a stairway. We would need to have several of us to put the stairway in place. We would have to put at risk spuds who have wives and children. We would need to have a diversion that kept the humans busy for a long time.”

  “Do you have any other ideas? Is there some other way I could help?”

  “We had one foolish fellow, Thumon, the sub-assistant associate to something or other, try to sneak past the humans. The instant before they closed the door one cloudless, bright evening, he dashed inside. We have heard nothing from him since. I have given him up for dead. If the humans capture you, they would probably not harm you since you are human.”

  “I need a cornelian cherry tree; so I guess I’ll have to do it.”

  “Good enough,” said the king. He beckoned with his right index finger to the spud who had shown Jono into the room. “This is Puknos,” the king said to Jono. “Puknos will show you out. Go down Main Street. Go up the ramp and wait in the vestibule. Puknos will meet you there. Do what Puknos tells you. Off you go!”

  Clasping his cloak, Jono scrambled to his feet. “This way,” Puknos said. He waddled ahead of Jono across the room and down the corridor that led to the front door. At the front door, Puknos parted the thatch and stepped past it. He held the thatch aside for Jono to pass. “I will not be long,” Puknos said. “Go to the vestibule. Keep your hands and everything else to yourself.” He ducked into the house.

  ****

  Empty-handed, Puknos raised his left hand and halted beside Jono at the top of the ramp next to the vestibule. In single file behind Puknos halted one score of man-spuds. All the spuds were wearing grass tunics. All were barefoot. Some were carrying wood hoes or spades. Some were carrying picks of wood and stone. Some were carrying big clay bowls.

  “Step into the column right behind me,” Puknos said to Jono. “Stay with me. Do not speak unless it is important. The dogs might hear you.”

  Puknos stepped forward, and Jono stepped into the column. The doorspud slid the vestibule’s door open. Without a word to the doorspud, Puknos walked through the opening.

  Drifting to his right, Puknos went down the slope. Easily keeping pace with Puknos, Jono put on his cloak over his water-skin. Ahead of Jono and his companions, Nyx’s jewels were twinkling in a sky that was becoming cloudy.

  Where the grassy slope met the rock slope, Puknos turned to his right. He led Jono and the spuds westward. Not much later, light from the fort was visible to Jono and his companions.

  From the fort, a path came down to the shore. A wood walkway wide enough for two people to walk side-by-side ran from the grassy slope into the water. Jono and his companions stepped silently past the walkway and continued on for a score of steps. At that point, out of sight of the fort, Puknos turned right and took a few steps up the slope. Using both hands, Puknos grabbed a dry shrub. He pulled on the shrub from right to left. “Wait here,” Puknos said softly over his right shoulder. He stepped into the slope.

  A few moments later, at the spot where Puknos had gone into the slope, was a glow that made visible a doorway shaped like the doorway to the spuds’ village. Holding a lit oil-lamp, Puknos stuck his head out of the doorway. He snapped, “Human, stand aside and stay put.” He wagged his right index finger to his right.

  “My name is Jono.” Jono stepped away from the doorway.

  To the spuds, Puknos said, “Let’s go.” He backed out of the doorway. The spuds filed into it.

  Jono gazed at Nyx’s twinkling jewels. Several fluffy white clouds in the shape of rams were charging and butting one another. Honking loudly, skeins of swans appeared directly above Jono. He pulled his hood hurriedly over his head. He gathered his cloak close to him and he sat.

  From time to time one spud or another would step out of the doorway. A few steps from Jono, the spud would dump dirt from a bowl. As soon as the bowl was empty, the spud would go back inside the slope.

  The sky was still dark when all the spuds stepped out of the slope. Holding their hoes, spades, picks or bowls, the spuds gathered on the side of the doorway that was farthest from Jono. The spuds who had bowls emptied them. The others scratched themselves or beat the dust out of their tunics.

  A dusty Puknos was the last to step out of the doorway’s glow. He directed, “Those who are making the diversion, go now. The rest of you fall in behind the human.” To Jono, Puknos said, “You, come.”

  Chapter 20 : Kalista

  Jono followed Puknos. Puknos led Jono into a tunnel that was wide enough for two spuds to walk side-by-side. Jono stooped slightly although the tunnel was higher than he was tall. Copper poles supported a ceiling of copper sheets. Lit oil-lamps in niches half way up the walls appeared every two paces either on one side of the tunnel
or on the other.

  Puknos came to a stop near the tunnel’s end. To his left and to his right were several short towers of stone bricks. Four bricks — two atop two — stood near the tunnel’s end.

  Puknos said, “We have pushed the handle of a hoe through the ceiling. We think we are precisely where we want to be. You have to dig away the last little bit of earth. Step onto those bricks. Use this spade. Make a hole that is big enough for you.”

  Puknos handed Jono a well-worn wood spade. Puknos stepped away from Jono. Puknos nodded toward the bricks that were beside Jono. “We are going to use those bricks to build a stairway so the princess can easily climb down. Don’t jump down without giving us some warning. Go ahead. Dig.”

  Jono stepped onto the block that the four bricks made. Using the spade’s blade, he poked at the earth above him. A fall of dust and soil drove Jono off the block. He dropped the spade. He went down on all fours. A cloud of dust filled the end of the tunnel. Jono coughed and gasped.

  In a loud whisper, Puknos ordered, “Be quiet.” Swatting the dust, he cautioned, “Shush. The dogs will hear you.”

  Coughing, with his right hand over his nose and his mouth, Jono struggled to his feet. He stepped onto the block of bricks. His left hand reached upward. Jono stood tall. He turned round slowly. He squatted. He whispered loudly, “We are near the middle of the fort. There’s nobody close.”

  “Good,” replied Puknos. “Get Princess Kalista.”

  Jono struggled to leave the tunnel. Into the tunnel Jono called softly, “Give me a boost!” The spuds pushed Jono out of the tunnel.

  At the fort’s center was a one-story log-house that had a peaked thatch roof. Half a dozen paces long, the house was almost as wide. It sat one pace above the ground on a wood platform that lay atop thick posts. The platform was a little longer and a little wider than the house except in front. In front, the platform was longer than the house by more than one stride. Near the platform’s front, a lit oil-lamp was hanging from a pole. From the pole to the fort’s front gate was one-half a stone’s throw.

  Jono was a hop, a skip and a jump from the house’s right side. He was nearer the front of the house than the rear. He dashed to the house and crouched against a post at the platform’s front. From the fort’s rear gate, a man in a tunic was striding toward the front gate. Beside the man was a big, eager dog on a leash. Jono moved to keep the post between him and the dog. Jono gathered his cloak.

  From somewhere behind the house, a man shouted, “Go outside.”

  Jono peeked round the post. A man in a tunic was walking up to the man with the dog. Both men headed toward the front gate.

  Promptly thereafter several men followed the others toward the front gate. One of the latecomers was leading a big dog.

  Jono stood. He threw off his hood. He backed quickly along the platform.

  The house’s front door was in the middle of the front wall. Leather covered the doorway. A small square window was at the door’s side that was closest to Jono. Another window was at the door’s side that was farthest from Jono. The windows had wood shutters that slid in wood rails. The half-open shutters had no light coming through them.

  Jono’s left hand stretched across the platform toward the closest window. He rapped his knuckles hard on a log. He waited a few moments. He rapped again. He waited. He rapped again.

  The men who had gathered at the front gate were opening it. The men were releasing ropes that were tied to two posts. The posts were side-by-side between the platform and the fort’s wall. By releasing the ropes, the men were allowing the gate’s door to lie back inside the fort.

  The leather that served as the house’s door moved to one side. A fat spud in a leather tunic waddled onto the platform. He growled, “What is it?” He scratched his left thigh while he looked round the front of the platform. When he saw Jono, he barked, “Here, what do you want then?”

  Jono replied, “Who are you?”

  “I know who I am,” retorted the spud. “Who are you?”

  “I’m Jono.”

  “Here then, Jono, what do you mean by disturbing spuds at night? Can’t you see the darkness? It’s time to be asleep. Run along now. Let’s have no more of this foolishness. We can always talk in the morning.” The spud turned and went inside.

  Jono begged, “Wait,” but the spud was gone. Jono rapped on the wall again and again and again.

  The spud stepped out of the house. He growled, “What’s all this commotion then?” The spud scratched his left side while he watched the men who were lowering the gate’s door.

  Jono said solemnly, “Hello.”

  The spud turned toward Jono. The spud said, “What’s this then? Who are you?”

  “I told you.”

  “No, you didn’t.”

  “I did so.”

  “I think not.”

  “I told you I’m Jono.”

  “Who?”

  “Jono.”

  “I don’t know any Jono. You must be at the wrong house.” The spud turned toward the front gate. “I wonder what is causing the hubbub.”

  The men had the gate’s door halfway to the ground. The dogs were barking. A man shouted, “Watch it now.”

  Jono blurted, “I’m looking for the princess.”

  The spud turned toward Jono. The spud demanded, “The princess, is it? You want the princess?”

  “I’m here to rescue the princess.”

  “Who says the princess wants rescuing? Eh? Answer me that!”

  “The king and the queen sent me to rescue the princess.”

  “The king and the queen, eh? You’re telling me you dropped in on the king and the queen, and they said you should find a princess and rescue her. And you said: I have nothing better to do. I will rescue the princess and I will do it in the middle of the night when everyone is trying to sleep. And so here you are. Is that what you’re telling me?” The spud snorted.

  “I met the king and the queen, and the king sent me here.”

  “I don’t believe you. Nobody can talk to the king or to the queen on a moment’s notice. One has to make an appointment. One has to talk to the associate assistant to the secretary of the second vice-chancellor to the . . . . I forget. Anyway, I don’t believe you. Anyway, there’s no princess here. Anyway, she doesn’t need rescuing; so be on your way. Go back from where you came.”

  The spud pushed his way through the leather. Jono stepped toward the back of the house. He put his left ear toward a window on the house’s side. The window was like the ones in front. Its shutter was more than half open.

  The spud shouted, “Some human. Said he was from the king and the queen. Tsk, tsk, tsk. I told him you weren’t here.”

  A woman-spud shouted, “Good.”

  The spud went on shouting, “I don’t know the reason for the commotion. The humans are lowering the gate’s door.”

  The woman-spud replied, “I hope they keep those dogs quiet.”

  Jono spoke to the window. He said loudly, “Princess Kalista, please. It’s me, Jono. The king sent me to rescue you. We have to go now. Hurry!”

  The princess pushed open the shutter of the window that was closest to Jono. She stuck her nose into the night. She roared, “How dare you! How dare you talk into a house in the middle of the night! Whoever heard of such a thing! You should be ashamed of yourself. You need to learn some good manners. Is this any way to treat a princess? You can’t talk to a princess whenever you please. You can’t wake a princess up in the middle of the night because you want to talk. This isn’t the time for talking. This is the time for sleeping. Spuds need sleep. Go away now, you hooligan! Anyway, there’s no princess here. I don’t know who it is you are referencing. Be off with you.”

  “Princess, please, we have to go now.”

  “Go? Go? Why should I want to go? Why should I go with you, hooligan? Be on your way!”

  “I’m not a hooligan. I’m a boy. The king and the queen, they sent me. They miss you. They want you
back.”

  “They want me back so they can control my life. Did they tell you they pushed me off a flying carpet? Did they tell you they dumped me here and left me to rot? Did they tell you that? I suppose they did not. I imagine they are as happy as clams that I’m gone.”

  “No, they miss you.”

  “Who are you anyway? Why did they send you? What hold do they have on you? What are you getting out of this? I bet you’re some kind of pirate; aren’t you? You probably want to lock me up somewhere to see if my parents will give you some copper. But I’m too smart for you. I’m not going anywhere with you. You made a big mistake this time, Mr. Pirate.”

  “I’m not a pirate. I told you. I’m a boy. I’m trying to help. We have to go. The men will be back soon and so will the dogs. We have to hurry.”

  “Why do you want to help? What do you get out of helping?”

  “Your father said he would show me to a cornelian cherry tree.”

  “Why would you want a cornelian cherry tree?”

  “It’s . . . for medicine.”

  “A likely story. There are no cornelian cherry trees on this island. There are no trees at all. The humans cut down all the trees long ago — as everybody knows. There’s nothing here but bushes and shrubs — and not many of those. So what’s your next story, liar?”

  “He said he would help me find a cornelian cherry tree if I brought you to him.”

  “I don’t know if you are telling the truth but I know this. I know I am not leaving my home and my husband. My dear Thumon and I are happy here. The humans treat us well. I love the fresh ether. I am tired of having mushrooms for breakfast, mushrooms for lunch, mushrooms for snacks, mushrooms for supper and mushrooms for dessert. I am not going to live again in a cave. Go away. Leave us alone, pirate.”

  “But,” said Jono, “but . . . .” He sighed. He pulled his hood tight and gathered his cloak round him. He ran to the hole over the tunnel. He threw himself to the ground, pulled the hood away from his head and lowered his head to the hole. Cupping his hands round his mouth, Jono complained, “She won’t come. She won’t come.”

  Chapter 21 : Abduction

  Puknos was standing beside a brick stairway that went up to the hole where Jono was. Puknos addressed Jono sternly, “Calm down. Tell me what the princess said. Be quick.”