The Map Maker's Choice

by Matthew J. Krengel

  Jackie laughed and waved her hand at him, allowing the light of a nearby torch to touch the ring on her hand. At that point, all pretenses of work stopped and soon the entire city was out in the street. The Temple building still dominated the center of the town, and it had been built with a massive square of paved street in front of it. A great ring of torches was arranged about the Temple courtyard, a half-dozen tables set up along the edges. Food and drink covered the wooden tables until they groaned under the weight, and people walked around talking, laughing, and eating.

  Jane, Jacob, and Mrs. Timbrill arrived as the party was starting, and everyone greeted them like old friends. The trio found Jackie and Carvin near the Temple. After everyone had hugged, they joined the dancing and singing.

  Many of the former rebels stopped by to congratulate the happy couple, and the party lasted until nearly four in the morning. One of the elves grabbed a batch of brightly colored fruits and started juggling them high into the air while a minotaur of impressive stature amazed the crowd by lifting two or three people at a time high above his head. The entire area took on a carnival feel, and children laughed while their parents and the other grown-ups acted like children.

  About two in the morning, Jane finally flopped down next to Jacob on the top steps of the Temple and tried to catch her breath. Her dark hair had been pulled back into a ponytail to keep it out of her face, and her blue eyes twinkled in the sparkles of magic the fairies tossed over the crowd.

  “Having fun?” Jacob asked with a laugh. He ran his hand through his shock of blond hair. He had let it grow over the last two months, and sometimes it got into his eyes now. He would have to cut it soon, because he didn’t like the feel of it hanging over his ears.

  “More then you, I think,” Jane retorted. She reached out to him, trying to get him to go dance with her again.

  “I think I ate too much,” Jacob groaned. “If I had to try to dance again, I think it’d get disgusting.”

  Jane shrugged and sat down beside him on the cool stone. Once sitting, she realized how tired she was and leaned against his shoulder with a great sigh of contentment. They sat watching as the diverse mix of races mingled across the courtyard. Minotaur warriors and merchants moved about the crowds carefully, doing their best not to crush toes of the smaller races. Fairies fluttered about the crowd, winging from shoulder to shoulder or floating above the crowds, sending sparkles of magic up almost constantly. They used their magic so much that it hung heavily in the air, and the twinkling lights fell to the ground like big raindrops. Puck had shown up with a few dozen of his goblins, and there was a constant run of practical jokes being played across the crowd. Eriunia and a score of her fellow elves and even a few traveling dwarf metal traders all joined in the celebration.

  “When are they getting married? Jacob asked above the noise. “I don’t think I heard a date.”

  “Mom wasn’t too happy, but Jackie says in four months,” Jane replied. “Jackie and Carvin want a fall wedding. They’re trying to plan it with the changing of the leaves. Imagine a wedding with the leaves all red, yellow, and purple across the hills.”

  “Well, they seem perfect for each other,” Jacob said happily. “Are they doing it on this side or on ours?” He wrapped his arm around Jane’s shoulder and hugged her close.

  “Over here,” Jane replied. “Most people on our side who Jackie knows still don’t know she’s alive. Well, except for Dad and a few others. She thinks it’ll be easier to do it here. I think they’re going to set up a house on this side, anyway. Once again, Mom’s not super happy about it.”

  “Will your grandparents make the trip?” Jacob asked. In the last two months, Jane’s grandmother had gotten much worse and had a hard time remembering anyone now.

  “No, she wouldn’t be able to handle the trip across, and Grandpa won’t leave her side,” Jane explained. “I think he knows it’s only a matter of time until she passes away. She only recognizes him now.” Moisture filled her eyes as she thought about losing her grandmother.

  “I’m sorry,” Jacob said. He put his other arm around her and hugged her close. They sat watching the party for the next hour, until Jackie and Carvin fell to the steps beside them.

  “Hey, you bums,” Jackie laughed. A layer of sweat covered her face and her smile seemed permanently stretched across her face. “Aren’t you supposed to be out there having fun?” She grabbed Jane and swung her around until they were both dizzy and fell back to the deck.

  “Oh, we were, but I’m wiped out, and Jacob ate a lot of food,” Jane groaned. The four of them sat watching the festivities for yet another hour before giving up. All had rooms in Tasker’s new house, located just behind the Temple building. It was a grand affair and Tasker refused to use it for almost a month before finally agreeing to move in.

  “I don’t want to be the leader here,” Tasker repeatedly told the people of Duluth. No one listened. He finally consented only when the townsfolk agreed to elect a council to handle most of the business of running the town. The only decisions he agreed to make were those regarding the course the rebels would take in fighting the remaining pockets of Adherents.

  2: Kidnapped

  Early August

  Jackie was in a frenzy of planning with the wedding only four weeks off. She still had so many things to do. The ceremony was taking place on Carvin’s side of the Divide, and things she couldn’t get there had to be ferried over from her side.

  “Come on, Jacob. One more trip,” Jackie pleaded. They were sitting in her grandparents’ house and Jacob was slumped on the couch, looking thoroughly exhausted. He looked up at her with a tired look and sighed. His muscles felt as if they were ready to fall off his arms.

  “I went back and forth six times already,” he groaned. “Do you realize how much harder it is when you’re carrying a lot of extra baggage?” Jacob tried to reason with her. “It’s like pushing through a thousand layers of plastic wrap. One at a time is easy, but put fifteen around you and then try to escape.”

  Jane glanced at him and giggled, “Is that what happened at the last football practice?”

  “I’m just going to say in my defense that Bill and Carl from the offensive line are jerks. Leave it at that,” Jacob huffed with his arms crossed. Jacob dared to look up at Jackie. She was staring at him with a puppy-dog look in her eyes, and finally he could take no more. “One more trip and I’m done for today.” he conceded. “I’m supposed to tour the college tomorrow, and I don’t want to sleep through the entire day.”

  Jackie squealed happily and pointed to a stack of items on the living room floor. The pile was four feet wide and stacked against the wall almost as high. “That stack still needs to go,” Jackie explained. “I know it’ll be a little at a time, but every little bit helps.”

  Jacob groaned as he picked up a heavy box. This trip was going to be like doing a mile at a dead sprint.

  “We’re all going to meet at Tasker’s house for the night,” Jane told Jacob. She picked up a smaller box. “So I think we can all help.” Jane’s map was on the kitchen table. She walked over to it. Their anchors had been placed on Tasker’s house for the last couple months, and she felt no need to move them. She rolled up the map and slid it into the inner pocket on her light windbreaker. She probably didn’t need the jacket but it made carrying the map easier, and one never knew when a storm would pop up in Duluth. Thankfully, she had convinced her mom to let her transfer to Duluth for her last year of school. That had made Jacob very happy.

  An hour later, they all arrived and sat down on the front porch of the grand dwelling. A pair of granite pillars supported the roof and a few chairs were pulled up for those who wanted to sit and watch the flow of people. Scores of beings walked by and waved to them as they hurried about their business. Duluth on this side was a city fully on its way to recovery.

  “So where’s Tasker?” Jacob aske
d Bella. The fairy was finally able to fly on her injured wing, and she was fluttering about the porch from shoulder to shoulder, a smile on her face as she displayed the healed wing for all of them.

  “He went down to help place the pieces of the new docks,” Bella explained in a rush. She bounced over to Jacob’s shoulder and held her wing out for him to see. “Look, I only have a tiny scar.” She ran her miniature hands along the silky covering of her wings and preened.

  Jacob smiled at her as he examined her wing, which was directly in front of his face, making focus a bit difficult. The wing reminded him of mother of pearl, shimmering as it moved.

  “Flying Cloud finally convinced her grandfather to look at it. He came up with a remedy that fixed it,” Bella exclaimed as she clapped her hands excitedly.

  “Where is she, anyway?” Jacob asked. He had not seen the Ojibwa girl since the battle that had killed Cain, and he wondered how she was doing. Still, it’s probably safer for me not to see her, Jacob thought. His fascination with her had nearly ended his relationship with Jane, and he still couldn’t believe how close he had come to losing her.

  “She’s home with her grandparents,” Bella replied. “They seem to be slowly warming to the idea of moving back to the surface, at least now that Cain’s dead and the Adherents have retreated to Isle Royale.” She had spent the last month flitting back and forth between several tribes and Tasker’s base of operations as they tried to convince Flying Cloud’s people to return. They would be a welcome addition to the forces allied with the free peoples of Duluth.

  “What’s Tasker going to do about that?” Jane asked curiously. “I can’t see the forces there leaving us alone, and I can’t imagine Tasker wanting an enemy force that close to Duluth.” She knew that was a question no one really wanted to ask, but it would have to be dealt with soon.

  “I don’t know yet, but so far they seem to be busy rebuilding the damage Yardarva did when we broke out,” Bella replied.

  Everyone looked at her, wondering how she knew so much about what was going on to the north.

  She shrugged. “Tasker has had some friends of mine keeping an eye on the island. From shore,” she hastened to add, “so the danger has been minimal.”

  They sat on the porch talking for another half hour. Jane was beginning to wonder when Tasker would return. She got up and walked to the edge of the porch and looked out across the city. The area around them was fairly flat and she could see the docks. When she looked up the hill, the stone tower kept a watchful eye over the city. She had just turned back and leaned on the railing surrounding the porch when she heard a loud explosion and saw great ball of fire erupt into the air. The blast shook the earth and sent all of them tumbling to the ground.

  “What in the world?” Jane exclaimed. She picked herself up, and they all looked around in shock. The ground shook several more times as the tremors of the explosion died down, and they all looked to each other for an explanation.

  “I don’t know, but I’m heading to the docks,” Jacob shouted. They heard scattered shouts from other people, and Jacob sprinted into the house to where his shield and sword leaned against the wall. He grabbed them, and then took two of the Adherent repeaters off the wall and ran back to the porch.

  “Here!” Jacob shouted. He tossed a rifle to Jane and started to throw one to Carvin, but the man waved it off. He had a pistol strapped to his side. He motioned to Jackie.

  “Give it to Jackie. She might need it,” Carvin shouted. Moments later, they were sprinting down the street in the direction of the docks, joining the throng of people and warriors headed there. By the time they reached the docks, at least four hundred grim-faced warriors led the charge, and an equal number of people followed at a safer distance.

  Jane stopped when the dock came into view and gasped. The new pier was in shambles, and a large warehouse building was burning out of control. Flames were eating into the dry timbers with a ravenous appetite and smoke rolled off the roof, staining the sky. Everyone stared in shock except for Carvin, who turned to the silent mob and began barking orders.

  “Get a water line started before the fire spreads,” Carvin shouted. He grabbed a couple of the warriors next to him and pointed to the water’s edge. “Find as many buckets as you can.”

  After a couple of minutes the water brigade was in place, and buckets of water were being poured along the sides and back of the building. A team of dockhands struggled to load a hand pump onto a cart to haul into the range of the fire.

  “What happened?” Jane asked. She grabbed the arm of a nearby minotaur named Actur and tried to get his attention. His fur was slightly singed, and he had a dazed look on his face.

  “What?” Actur rumbled. His great head swung to look at her.

  “What happened?” Jane asked again.

  Actur’s distant look wasn’t hopeful, but Jane hoped he might remember something.

  Actur pointed. “Tasker was standing on the end of the dock. We had just finished placing the last of the planking,” he mumbled. He shook his head, trying to make sense out of what he had seen. “Suddenly a human dressed in an Adherent robe stood next to him. That’s when the entire dock exploded.”

  “To the north!”

  Jane looked up as the shout was taken up north of where she was standing. Suddenly a cannon barked. Everyone scrambled for cover except for Carvin and Jacob, who sprinted for the small fort constructed to cover the harbor. Jane shook her head and grumbled as she followed them. The last thing she wanted to do was to get caught in an exchange of cannon fire. Then she realized their cannon had been the one fired, and it missed by a long shot. The cannonball cut a trail through the sky in a long, arcing line, then fell into the water with a huge splash.

  “There, see it?” Jacob growled. He pointed out across the water to where a single Ironship was steaming north as fast as it could. “How did they get close enough for our scouts to miss them?”

  “I don’t know,” Jane replied fiercely. “But I know where they’re heading.” In her mind she could see the squat lines of houses and factories on Isle Royale.

  “I think it’s time we did something about Isle Royale,” Jackie added.

  “They have Tasker,” Carvin cried out suddenly. He was holding a spyglass to his face and could just make out the familiar figure before he was hauled belowdecks.

  “Can you jump out there?” Jane asked. She looked at Jacob and knew the answer almost immediately by the grim, determined look on his face. His eyes were closed. She knew her map was close enough for him to use, and she hoped he would be able to provide them with a distraction. Already two of their captured ships were starting to give chase, but she knew unless the other ship was slowed down, it was pointless.

  “Way ahead of you,” Jacob said as he stepped into the Divide. He spotted the ship immediately and dove toward it on the map. Suddenly he was snapped to a halt, and he heard a voice say, “Not this time, boy.” Then he was thrown backwards with tremendous force.

  Jane was gripping her weapon and waiting for Jacob to report. His image wavered for a moment like he was entering the Divide, but then he was thrown backwards. She watched in horror as he slammed into the wall behind them, seemed to hang there for a moment, and then slid to the ground, where he didn’t move. A slight groan drifted from him as he leaned on the wall.

  “What in the world?” Carvin shouted. Out across the water, the rebel Ironships Reliant and Ironsides struggled to close the gap on the fleeing Adherent ship. Both of them fired their forward cannon a couple of times, but the guns fell silent as they slowly lost ground.

  “Seems the Adherents have found a way to get some more speed out of their ships,” rumbled Actur. The massive bullman leaned over Jacob and looked at him with concern. Jacob’s eyes were partially rolled back into his head. Jane had gotten to Jacob before Actur and sat on the ground, cradling Jacob’s he
ad gently as she called his name.

  “Can you pick him up and carry him over there?” Jane pointed to a clean spot on the ground away from the fire. “It also seems the Adherents have found a way to stop runners from entering their ships.”

  * * * * *

  The fight against the warehouse fire lasted well into the early morning hours. By the time the sun rose the next day, the building was a complete loss. Only smoldering remnants of crates and piles of ash were left. Everything was soaked but somehow continued smoking. The weary workers and soldiers stood in groups, ready with even more water in case the hot spots flared up once more. Fire and cities built mainly of timber did not go well together, and they needed this fire to be completely put out.

  “Post a watch on it and everyone else go get some sleep,” Carvin finally ordered. “We have some planning to do. I think we’ve ignored the forces on Isle Royale for too long, and it cost us.” He turned away from the smoking ruins and took Jackie’s hand. They were all exhausted and bone tired. Above all, they were angry and ready to exact vengeance for this attack.

  “It’s time to root them out of their island once and for all,” Jane agreed. Her eyes narrowed. She was next to Jacob, who was still a bit wobbly on his feet. He had a big bruise over half of his shoulder and a cut that was still oozing blood on the back of his head.

  “Send someone who knows the mushroom paths to go find Eriunia,” Jane said to Bella as they trudged back to Tasker’s house. The thought had struck Jane that the elf princess might want to know what was happening. “I think she’s going to want to help finish this business.”

  “I’ll do it myself,” Bella replied. “I know where she is right now. We’ll be back by morning.” The fairy turned and flitted away toward the edge of town.

  The nearest mushroom circle was outside the city in a stand of trees overlooking the lake, and she made it there in record time. Taking a deep breath, she released the tiny bit of fairy magic needed to activate the power of the circle. Once the portal was stable, she stepped into the glowing spot and vanished in a flash of light.