Shadow Tree

by Jake Halpern

  Kiril ignored the question. “Will you help me or not?”

  “Why should I?”

  “Come now,” said Kiril. “We both know why you’ll help her. You will help her because she is an innocent girl and because she is Resuza’s sister.”

  “Is that right?” said Bilblox. “And tell me, what’s gonna happen to you when you don’t bring me back to Nartam nice and quick like you promised you would?”

  “Let me worry about that,” replied Kiril.

  Bilblox looked at Kiril thoughtfully. “There’s something else you ain’t telling me about,” said Bilblox finally. “You’re a good liar, but ya ain’t that good – ya better come clean.”

  Kiril nodded and gestured for Bilblox to follow him. “Naomi,” said Kiril, “Stand guard here.”

  Naomi nodded.

  Kiril searched the deck of the ship carefully, as if studying the planks of wood, and eventually he found a small handle and yanked on it. A trapdoor sprang open, revealing a steep set of stairs. The two men descended the stairs and emerged into a large empty room, perhaps intended for storage, which was dimly lit with a few lanterns. Kiril walked over to the far corner of the room and, with his finger, pointed at a small hole in the wall. It was apparent that he wanted Bilblox to look through the hole and, somewhat reluctantly, Bilblox did so. At first, it was difficult for Bilblox to see anything, but slowly he was able to make out two figures sleeping on the floor. It took him a moment, but then he recognized them – one was Hill and the other was Resuza.

  Kiril tapped Bilblox on the shoulder and motioned for him to follow him silently. Kiril led the way back onto the deck above, where Naomi was waiting for them. Kiril walked over to Naomi and nodded.

  Bilblox stared at Naomi closely. She clearly was taking instructions from Kiril.

  “Hill and Resuza are perfectly fine,” explained Kiril. “I even left some food for them. They’re just sleeping now.”

  “What do you want from me?” asked Bilblox. The longshoreman was stony-faced; it would have been impossible for anyone to discern what he was thinking.

  “Hill and Resuza have something that I need – a Pen,” said Kiril finally.

  “So why don’t you just take it from them?” asked Bilblox.

  “Because they don’t have the Pen with them,” said Kiril.

  “How do you know?

  “The food I left put them to sleep – and I searched them,” explained Kiril. “There is no Pen, which doesn’t entirely surprise me. Hill isn’t a fool. He must have hidden it.”

  “And you want me to help you get that Pen?” asked Bilblox.

  Kiril nodded.

  “You want me to betray them,” said Bilblox angrily.

  “Come on,” said Kiril. “Look at yourself. You’ve taken the ash again, you followed me willingly all the way back to Dargora, and you’ve been staying with Nartam in his quarters. It’s a little late to be worrying about betrayal now, isn’t it?”

  Bilblox ignored this. “What’s so important about this Pen anyway?” asked Bilblox.

  Kiril made no immediate reply. He stood motionless, as if lost in thought, as if debating how much he ought to say. For a very brief moment, Kiril flicked his eyes off into the distance. Bilblox followed Kiril’s gaze and saw that was looking at – the Shadow Tree.

  “The Pen can cut down the tree – can’t it?” asked Bilblox.

  Kiril said nothing.

  Bilblox’s eyes widened suddenly as if he just realized something startling. “No don’t tell me,” said Bilblox. “You would actually...”

  “No,” said Kiril. “Not really – not right now at least. But there may come a time...”

  “But why?” demanded Bilblox. “After everything that you did to grow it?”

  “Because,” said Kiril. “We’ve gotten what we wanted. We already have enough ash to last us a century. And I suspect that once the Shadow Tree has been destroyed, the ash will be safe to take, but until then...

  “Come on – you’re telling me you’d really do it?” asked Bilblox. “I don’t believe it.”

  “I’m the only one who could,” said Kiril coolly. “Think about it – I’m the only one who could get close enough to do the job.”

  “You don’t have the guts,” said Bilblox. “Besides, what about Nartam? You’ve turned on him now? Is that what you’re tellin’ me? I ain’t fallin for that. I’ve heard you mutter his name – Daros – father.”

  “NO,” Kiril urgently replied. “Not at all. Believe it or not, I’m doing precisely what he told me to do.”

  “Which is what exactly?”

  “Be the one man who always sees everything clearly,” said Kiril in a whisper, almost to himself.

  “So tell me,” said Bilblox. “What are ya gonna do for me, if I get it for you?”

  Kiril nodded his head, approvingly, as if he hoped Bilblox would ask – after all, the mere asking of such a question suggested that Bilblox was at least considering the deal.

  “If you get me the Pen,” said Kiril, “I’ll get you out of Dargora – along with Hill and Resuza.”

  Bilblox said nothing.

  “And,” said Kiril, “I’ll cure you – I’ll give you an herb potion I’ve used in the past to cure the withdrawal. Your headaches will disappear. You’ll even be able to see a little.”

  “One more thing,” said Kiril, “If you’re thinking about escaping on your own with the Pen, and double-crossing me, then forget it,” said Kiril, “I plan to have you followed and watched at every step of the way. I’ll have Konrad out there with some six hundred men. And don’t forget where you are – in the middle of nowhere. The only way out of here is with my help. Better men than you have tried to escape, and all have died in the wilderness. No one escapes here. Just remember that.”

  “What about Naomi?” asked Bilblox. “What happens to her?”

  “She goes with you,” replied Kiril. “She will be well protected.”

  Bilblox looked at Kiril and then at Naomi. She didn’t seem to need protection. More likely she was Kiril’s eyes and ears. Still, it was difficult to think of another way out. After a pause of several seconds, Bilblox looked again at Kiril and nodded. “I’m a fool to take your deal,” said Bilblox, “but I’ll do it. But look at me now. I’m weak and barely able to stand up. You need to give me that potion, so I can think clearly.”

  “I suspected as much,” replied Kiril. He handed a small vial from inside his jacket to Bilblox.

  “Drink it in one gulp. You’ll be fine for a while. And when our deal is complete, you’ll get as much as you want, as well as the instructions to make it on your own.”

  Bilblox nodded and took the vial. He had no doubt that he was following Kiril’s plans to the letter.

  Chapter 28: Imad’s Clue

  The flying ship departed the obelisk at dawn. All of the children gathered on the stone terrace at the top of the obelisk in order to wave goodbye – all of them except Kolo, who was in the ship, at the helm, standing alongside Nathalia. Nathalia had made it clear to him that, no matter what happened, he was never to leave her side. As for the ship, she told him that if and when they were done with it, which might not be for some time, then he could have it. “But I want you where I can see you,” she told him coldly. “And if you cross me, boy, I will hunt you down.” Kolo nodded and looked sufficiently scared. As the ship pulled away and began ascending upward, into the clouds, the aircraft rattled slightly.

  Marta, who was exhausted, lay dozing on one of the couches. Meanwhile, Leif and Alfonso sat in one of the leather-uphostered chairs, nestling their feet into the plush bearskin rugs. “Well,” said Leif with a shrug, “If you have to fly to Dargora, you might as well do it in style.” Ever since their argument back in the obelisk, Leif had been trying very hard to be as cheerful as possible. It was clear that Leif felt badly about what he’d said – or at least how he’d said it – but he hadn’t yet apologized. This really irked Alfonso and he had barely looked his father in the eyes since
then.

  Leif got up and began building a small fire in the ship’s potbelly stove. Once it had lit, he put a kettle of water on top it in order to brew some tea.

  “You want some tea?” asked Leif.

  Alfonso nodded his head absent-mindedly. His thoughts were still on the prophecy from Imad’s library. He didn’t usually put any faith in this kind of stuff. In fact, he had little patience for people who wasted their time fussing over tarot cards, palm reading, and Chinese fortune cookies. But this was different. These were the words of the Foreseeing Pen. And his dad was right. So far, the Pen had predicted their unlikely rendezvous at the obelisk with pinpoint accuracy. This meant either he or Nathalia would have to destroy the Shadow Tree. Alfonso looked up at Nathalia. She was navigating the ship expertly, but even from the way that she was sitting in the pilot’s chair – slumped against the back of it, almost like a limp doll – it was clear that she wasn’t in good health.

  “Here,” said Leif. “Have a look at this.” Leif tossed something into his son’s lap. Alfonso saw that it was a blank canvas, with the frame made of tree limbs. “This is the thing that Imad asked me to take from his library.” Alfonso studied it for several minutes, staring at it contemplatively. “What do you make of it?” asked Leif. “You’ve always been good with puzzles – better than me anyhow.”

  “Not sure,” said Alfonso, who was grateful for the distraction. “What did Imad say about this thing?”

  “Not much,” said Leif. “Just that I shouldn’t worry about it because I wasn’t in the proper frame of mind – or something like that.”

  “Frame of mind,” repeated Alfonso.

  “Yeah,” said Leif. “What do you make of the thing?”

  “I think I ought to rip it apart,” said Alfonso thoughtfully. He then proceeded to tear it apart, pulling off each of the wooden pieces that made up the frame.

  “What are you doing?” asked Leif uneasily.

  “Not sure,” said Alfonso. He quickly broke the wooden frame down into four separate pieces, one from each side, and then he began to play with them – placing the various ends together – as if he were somehow trying to reconnect them. Leif was shaking his head, getting ready to reprimand his son, when he heard a very audible click. Alfonso had succeeded in connecting two of the pieces so that they formed a single, vertical shaft. Moments later there was a second click – and then a third. Alfonso soon connected all four pieces so that they formed a single column or shaft. At the top of the shaft, there was a small round hole, perhaps half-an-inch in diameter. The other end of the shaft was wider around the base and, when Alfonso placed this end on the floor, the entire shaft stood up on its own.

  Alfonso picked the stick up again and studied the base of it. “Whoa, what’s this?” he exclaimed. He began using his fingers to twist the base of it, as if he were trying to unscrew a lid. “It looks like there’s a small cap here that twists off,” said Alfonso, his face strained with effort. “Yup... it’s moving.”

  “Careful,” cautioned Leif.

  “There!” said Alfonso triumphantly, as he pulled off the small cap and held it triumphantly in the air. “It came off.” Alfonso studied the stick again. “Hey check this out.” He and Leif took a close look. Built into the base of the stick, beneath where the cap had once been, was a strange-looking compass of sorts. There were no markings for directions, just a hand which – for the time being – was pointing north. The hand looked as if it were made of small roots from a tree. It looked like this:

  “Where do you suppose it’s pointing?” asked Alfonso.

  “Not sure,” said Leif.

  Alfonso placed the stick down, so that its wide base was on the floor, allowing the stick to stand up, on its own, vertically.

  “Looks like a walking stick,” said Leif.

  “Or a tree trunk,” said Alfonso.

  Leif took a second look. There was no doubt about it now. The stick looked just like the trunk of a tree. In the middle of the trunk there was a small knot in the wood and, just above this, was a gash that looked a bit like a claw mark.

  “My goodness,” said Leif. “That gash – just above the knot – that must be where we’re meant to...”

  “Cut the thing down,” said Alfonso. “Strange, huh? I never would have thought to cut the tree in the middle of the trunk like that.”

  For a brief moment, Alfonso and Leif smiled at each other.

  “Me neither,” said Leif. “I better show this to Nathalia so she knows what to do when...”

  “Dad,” said Alfonso.

  “What?”

  “Do you really think she’s the one to do it?” asked Alfonso.

  Leif sighed heavily and then pursed his lips, as if he were considering carefully how to answer this question. “I don’t honestly know Alfonso,” he replied. “But she has to try.”

  “Fine, but what if she fails?” said Alfonso. “Then what?”

  “Then we’ll figure something out,” said Leif.

  “That’s not an answer,” said Alfonso.

  “What do you want me to say?” asked Leif, a flash of anger in his voice. “You want me to say, ‘Yes, by all means, go ahead – destroy the tree and kill yourself.’ Is that want you want? Because I’m not going to say that.”

  Alfonso took a deep breath and kept his calm. His father had been under so much strain these last few years. Alfonso had to go easy on him; and yet, in the same instant, Alfonso recalled his dream in which the roots from the Shadow Tree had destroyed World’s End. And he remembered his father’s words at the end of the dream: I thought we’d be safe here... I should have known – it was all written out so clearly.

  “The tree must be destroyed,” said Alfonso. His voice was eerily calm. “You see that don’t you?”

  “Yes,” said his father, “I do.”

  “Someone has to do it,” pressed Alfonso. “We can’t just walk away from this.”

  “Yes, yes, of course,” said Leif. “And we won’t.”

  Alfonso frowned.

  “What?”

  “I don’t believe you,” said Alfonso.

  Chapter 29: A Bad Omen

  The airship flew steadily north and, as it did, the weather worsened. The wind grew in strength and the turbulence was so severe that Nathalia had to keep them hovering just one hundred feet or so off the ground – in case they had to make an emergency landing. The air also grew steadily colder but, fortunately, Marta found a stash of fur coats tucked away in a storage compartment at the back of the ship. There were seven or eight coats, all made of soft fur, and everyone was soon wearing them and happily so. The weather remained surprisingly good; visibility was excellent; and, true to his word, played the role of the navigator, helping Nathalia steer a course northward deep into the Yamalia Peninsula. Using a map, a compass, and a pair of binoculars from the ship, Kolo routed them along a series of rivers, which is the same way he claimed to have gone when he followed the slavers who captured his brothers.

  The only real drama occurred when Alfonso took a brief nap. The cabin in the ship was quite cozy – with the couches, the rugs, and the fire crackling in the potbelly stove – and Alfonso couldn’t help but doze off for a few minutes. He awoke to the sound of screaming. Alfonso opened his eyes and found himself lying on top of Kolo with a knife to the boy’s throat. There was blood on the knife. Kolo’s eyes were bulging in terror. Marta was screaming; Nathalia was shouting; and Leif was talking sternly to his son. “Drop the knife Alfonso!” ordered Leif. “Drop it right now, son.”

  Alfonso dropped the knife and sprang to his feet. His hands were shaking violently. He stared at Kolo in horror. For a terrifying moment, he wondered whether he had cut the boy’s throat. But he hadn’t. It was just a superficial cut. Kolo, however, was nearly hysterical.

  “He cut me!” screamed Kolo. “He cut me!”

  “Everything is okay,” said Nathalia calmly. “It’s just a nick. Alfonso was in some kind of sleeping trance. He is not trying to kill you.”
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  “I’ll kill him if he comes near me again!” screamed Kolo. “I mean it – I’ll kill him!”

  “No you won’t,” said Nathalia firmly. “Now come to the front of the ship and stand next to me. I’ll make sure nothing bad happens to you. I promise. Come on now.” Kolo rubbed his neck, assuring himself that it was just a scrape, and then scurried to the front of the ship and stood so close to Nathalia that he appeared to be standing on her toes.

  Alfonso was still shaking.

  “Are you all right?” asked Leif.

  Alfonso nodded.

  “What the devil was that about?” asked Leif.

  “I have no idea,” said Alfonso hoarsely. “I was asleep when I did it.”

  “I know why,” said Marta.

  Both Leif and Alfonso looked at her.

  “Great Sleepers always do things in their sleep for a reason,” she said.

  “But I was trying to kill him,” said Alfonso, his face still ashen.

  “And you would have,” said Marta, “If we hadn’t woken you up.”

  “What are you saying?” asked Alfonso hotly. He was obviously badly shaken. “Are you saying that I should have killed him?”

  “I’m saying you should have listened to me,” said Marta. “We never should have taken him along.”

  “That’s enough!” shouted Nathalia. “We made a decision and now we have to live with it. Now everyone is going to sit down and be quiet. Understand?”

  Everyone nodded and returned to their seats. The rest of the journey, to everyone’s relief, was uneventful. Kolo stayed close to Nathalia, though he was constantly looking over his shoulder to see where Alfonso was situated. Alfonso drank tea and resolved not to sleep under any circumstances. By sundown they could all see a place, far in the distance, where three rivers converged. Just beyond that, there appeared to be a field of boulders, but it was impossible to see farther with any clarity. Nathalia used the ship’s binoculars and saw that the boulders were all tall, slender and identical in shape. This was promising. She brought the ship as close to the ground as she could, just above the treetops of a vast pine forest, in which every single tree was dead.