Shadow Tree

by Jake Halpern

  “Go ahead, drink it.” said Kiril casually, “It’s the same thing I gave you before. I promise.” He smiled. “Your suspicion is comforting – it shows how much you and I have in common.”

  Bilblox studied him for a second, and then lifted the flask to his lips. He drank deeply.

  “You’re wrong,” said Bilblox, once he finished. “We ain’t got nothin’ in common.”

  “Listen...” persisted Kiril.

  “Naw,” said Bilblox with a violent shake of his head. “Spare me the whole bit where you tell me that we are both black sheep who been vilified, but really we’re a bunch of swell guys who gotta band together and we’re in this thing together. That’s not your way. You got no interest in helpin’ me or anyone else but yourself.”

  “Normally I would agree with you,” admitted Kiril. He shifted his body, trying to find a more comfortable position, as he leaned against the stone wall. “But not today.”

  “No?” said Bilblox doubtfully. “So why are you here?”

  “Unofficially,” said Kiril. “I’m here to ask you again – where is the Pen?”

  “I ain’t got a clue,” said Bilblox.

  “Don’t be a fool!” said Kiril. “Have you seen what that Tree is doing? It’s not too late for us to do something about it.”

  “Us?” said Bilblox with a snort.

  “Do you have it?” persisted Kiril.

  “I ain’t got it,” said Bilbox. “How many times do I have to tell you? You can question me and beat me all you like, but you won’t squeeze blood from this turnip.”

  The two men sat in silence for a long minute or so.

  “So,” said Bilblox finally, “Why are you here – officially?”

  “Nartam asked me to get you,” said Kiril.

  “That seems easy enough,” said Bilblox. “So why do you look so bent out of shape?”

  “He’s holding Naomi as a hostage,” replied Kiril flatly. “And I doubt he’ll return her until he has his Pen.”

  “As a hostage?” said Bilblox. “What the heck happened between you and Nartam anyway? You two used to be as thick as thieves, other than the occasional fight in which he’d cut your face with a knife. Is that what this is all about?”

  Kiril said nothing.

  A sudden look of understanding dawned on Bilblox’s face. “It’s the Shadow Tree ain’t it?” he asked. “Of course it is. That’s why ya wanted the Pen in the first place. Ironic ain’t it? You gave up two years of your life for that Tree and it’s given you nothing but grief. It almost makes me feel sorry for you. Almost.”

  Kiril made no reply.

  “So tell me why Nartam wants to see me?” asked Bilblox.

  “He says he wants you by his side,” replied Kiril.

  “By his side?” said Bilblox quizzically. “Ha, that’s a good one, but I don’t buy it. Tell me something else, Kiril, buddy – why is it that Nartam has taken such a keen interest in me lately. Why was he callin’ me his lucky rabbit’s foot before – what was all that about? That guy looks crazier than usual.”

  “You really want to know?”

  Bilblox nodded.

  “He thinks you’re going to save his life,” replied Kiril.

  Bilblox half-choked in a snort of laughter. “Why on earth would he think that?”

  “Because I told him so,” explained Kiril angrily. “I told him that I had a vision in which you save him. You see, I needed an excuse to keep you around, so you could...”

  “Be your pawn,” finished Bilblox.

  “No,” said Kiril, “I brought you here to help Naomi.”

  “I never took you for the sentimental sort,” replied Bilblox.

  “I’m not,” said Kiril.

  Kiril rose to his feet and walked over to where Bilblox was standing. He then reached into his pocket and took out a large brass ring that jangled with skeleton keys. Kiril searched until he found the key he wanted and then knelt down, and used the key to unlock the manacles on Bilblox’s feet. Kiril then walked back across the cell and used another key to open the door. “You’re free to go,” said Kiril. “I have to leave the handcuffs on until we reach Nartam’s quarters – as Nartam requested.”

  Kiril led the way out of the jail cell and walked down a long hallway and up a narrow set of stairs. The wooden floorboards creaked beneath their feet and, every minute or so, the entire ship shuddered as icy gusts of wind slammed against its sides. They continued onward until they came to the door leading into Nartam’s chambers.

  Bilblox raised up his wrists, indicating that he wanted Kiril to unlock his handcuffs.

  “What’s your plan?” whispered Kiril.

  “It doesn’t concern you,” replied Bilblox.

  Kiril leaned in close to Bilblox’s ear.

  “Listen to me,” he said. “I’ll be blunt, because I know that’s the only way you’ll understand me. I am the only person that stands between you and a life of blind obedience to your new master Nartam...”

  “Spare me the whole song and dance,” interjected Bilblox. “I don’t want to hear it.”

  Kiril pushed Bilblox forward and while doing so, reached into his pocket for the key to unlock Bilblox’s handcuffs. The sleeve of his kimono got in the way and he roughly flung it back. At that moment, he felt a sharp bite on his wrist as if he has just been stung by a hornet. He looked down at his hand and saw it was covered in blood. Kiril quickly pulled back the sleeve and saw that something sharp and metallic – a tiny blade – was sticking out of the sleeve of the shirt. Kiril often stitched small knives and vials of poison into his clothing – so that if he were ever in dire circumstance he could kill his enemies. Apparently, when he had rolled up the sleeve, the blade had cut his wrist. It was a peculiar, crescent-shaped wound.

  Kiril froze.

  “What happened?’ hissed Bilblox.

  Kiril stared at the wound on his wrist. This was, without a doubt, the wound in his vision. It was his arm. And, apparently, it was his hand that would push Naomi into the abyss.

  Just then, the door to Nartam’s chamber swung open and there, standing in the doorway, was Nartam.

  Chapter 43: Reunion In Ice

  It took ten minutes until Alfonso’s feet touched the bottom of the trench. The area was deathly quiet, and he paused before turning around to look. He was afraid of what he might find.

  When he surveyed the scene, he saw them immediately – two figures, huddled together, cowering beneath a small ledge of ice. It was Hill and Resuza. They looked terrible, near death. Hill’s face was a clammy white and his beard was thickly matted with ice and dirt. Scratches ran across Resuza’s neck and hands. Their eyes were closed. Alfonso rushed over and shook them. He was terrified that they had frozen to death, but then they opened their eyes and Alfonso’s heart surged with joy. Hill began mumbling and Resuza threw her arms around him, refusing to let go. Alfonso could feel her terribly thin shoulders and arms and he had to conceal his horror. He knew he mustn’t show how shocked he was.

  “You saw the kite,” whispered Hill. “Thank heavens. I had a...a feeling you would be nearby. They forced us down a rope ladder, and they meant for us to die here.”

  Resuza stared close into Alfonso’s eyes.

  “It’s been so long,” she whispered.

  Alfonso nodded. “Since before Jasber, even before the razor hedges.”

  “So much has happened,” replied Resuza. “I don’t know where to begin.”

  “Not now,” replied Alfonso. “We have to leave this place.”

  Resuza nodded, and put her hands on Alfonso’s cheeks. She drew him close, and very deliberately, kissed him on the cheek.

  The slightest trace of a smile appeared on her face.

  “You’re a sight for cold eyes,” she said in that playful, teasing way that Alfonso fondly remembered.

  “So are you,” replied Alfonso. He stared back at her and wanted this moment to continue on and on, but he couldn’t ignore that Resuza’s body was trembling nonstop. They had t
o leave. Hill was now shivering violently and Alfonso took off his fur parka – the one he had taken from the airship – and placed it on Hill’s shoulders. Hill smiled gratefully. Now he had to get them out of here. Under other circumstances, he would have simply eased his way into hypnogogia, and particle-climbed out of the chasm – carrying Hill and Resuza with him. But he knew this wasn’t an option. He knew intuitively, deep in his core, that hypnogogia was done and to try was to court death.

  “I think I can get us out of here,” said Alfonso. “It’s a little unusual, so you mustn’t be too shocked.”

  “Okay,” said Resuza tentatively.

  Hill nodded.

  Alfonso sat on the ice-covered ground and closed his eyes. He concentrated, breathing in four seconds through his left nostril, then breathing out through his right nostril. This continued for another minute or so. Once again, he began searching his mind for memories. There seemed to be so few left. He saw the same image of himself in the snow, as a teenager, three or four times. There were almost no memories of him as an adult. Then, for a fraction of second, he caught a glimpse of himself chopping wood. He was a young man, in his early twenties perhaps.

  Gasps from Hill and Resuza told him he hit the mark. He opened his eyes and looked down at his hands. They were strong, calloused hands.

  “What in blazes is going on?” Hill approached him with a look of great concern.

  “Don’t worry,” smiled Alfonso. “This is something that happened to me in Jasber. I’ve become an ageling.”

  “Your eyes,” said Resuza. “They’re paler than I remember. Almost white.”

  “That’s one of the side effects,” said Alfonso. “Now watch.”

  Grabbing the other coil of rope, he began climbing the wall that Hill and Resuza had been forced to descend. It took him only ten minutes to get to the top of the chasm. Once he had made it to the top, he tied the end of the rope into a loop, which could serve as a harness. He then tossed the rope down into the crevasse below. “I’m going to pull you up – one at a time!” he yelled down. “Just sit in the harness!”

  It took Alfonso roughly thirty minutes to hoist Resuza up out of the trench. It was harder with Hill. Even in his emaciated state, Hill weighed a lot. Alfonso and Resuza worked furiously to pull Hill upward and, after nearly an hour of back-breaking work, they succeeded.

  “What now?” asked Resuza.

  “We need somewhere to rest for a bit,” said Hill. “And ideally we need some food as well.”

  Alfonso nodded his head thoughtfully.

  “What’s your plan?” asked Resuza.

  “I need to go to Dargora,” said Alfonso. “To the Shadow Tree.”

  “What?” said Resuza. “Why?”

  Alfonso hesitated. He was uncertain of how much to tell them. Best to keep it simple.

  “I know how to destroy it,” said Alfonso. Then he picked up his walking stick – the one with Imad’s compass embedded in it – and held it up so they could see. “This thing here will help me do the job,” said Alfonso. “I just need to get close enough to use it.”

  “Where did you get that stick?” asked Hill curiously.

  “Actually my dad gave it to me,” said Alfonso.

  “Leif!” exclaimed Hill. “He’s alive! Where is he?”

  “He’s coming... I mean I think he is,” stammered Alfonso. How much should he say? What could he say? Hill looked electrified with excitement. “We came here together to destroy the tree, but we had a bad time crossing the Petrified Forest. We were attacked by a pack of wolves and we got separated.”

  “Did you look for him?” asked Hill.

  “Kind of,” replied Alfonso uneasily. “But, the thing is, I think my best chance of meeting up with him is at the tree itself – that’s where he was headed – and knowing dad, he’ll find it.”

  “Hmm,” said Hill. He didn’t seem entirely satisfied.

  “It’s a very long story – and we don’t have much time,” said Alfonso. “Please, if you can, just show me how to get there – to the tree.”

  “It’s not so easy,” said Hill wearily. “It is a good distance from here and, besides, there will be Dragoonya soldiers everywhere.”

  Alfonso sighed.

  “I have an idea,” said Resuza. “In fact, I have the perfect solution.”

  “Huh?” said Hill. Then slowly a look of realization spread across his face. “Are you sure about that?” asked Hill.

  “Positive,” said Resuza.

  Chapter 44: Love and Lies

  Resuza led the way and, after several hours of walking, they came upon a giant rock that resembled an oversized egg. Resuza then began to search around frantically, until she found a small hole in the snow. She kicked at the hole and it opened up, forming the entrance to a tunnel or passageway of sorts. This was her escape tunnel – the one that she had made with the Pen. She quickly led them down into the long, dark passageway that wound its way all the way back to their storage depot and the slave quarters beyond. Compared to the frigid cold, the tunnel that Resuza had carved out during her experiments with the Foreseeing Pen was warm and cozy. As they walked, Hill peppered his nephew with questions. How had he become an ageling? What had happened to Marta? Where was Leif? Where had Leif found the walking stick with the compass – the one that he believed would destroy the Shadow Tree? Alfonso answered some of these questions – and he assured his uncle, repeatedly, that Leif was okay – but he refused to discuss anything about the Shadow Tree.

  “Uncle Hill, I know this is very hard to accept,” said Alfonso, “But there are some things that I just can’t explain right now. I love you, and I am so happy to see you, but you just have to believe me when I say, I know what I’m doing — and I have to do it on my own terms. Okay?”

  Hill frowned, but said nothing.

  “There’s something you’re not telling me about your father,” said Hill. He seemed angrier than Alfonso had ever seen him. “And it’s wrong. Leif is my brother. I deserve to know the truth!”

  Alfonso nodded. He knew that his uncle was right.

  “Are you going to level with me or not?” demanded Hill.

  “There was a prophecy,” said Alfonso finally. “It’s a long story, but dad found it in Imad’s library – and this prophecy, it said that I had to destroy the Shadow Tree. Dad didn’t want me doing that because he was worried about what would happen to me. We had a fight and I... I ran away...” Alfonso sighed. He felt better. It wasn’t the whole truth, but it was most of it.

  “I see,” said Hill. “And you believe this prophecy?”

  “Yes,” said Alfonso. “Everything it said, including how I would meet you guys – it all came true.”

  No one spoke for a while. Resuza led them all the way to the storage depot and, as she did, she tried to break the tension by chatting – recalling how she used the Pen to create the tunnel. When they reached the depot, they were all overjoyed to see all the supplies were still there. They feasted on biscuits and cider in silence. Afterwards, Hill said that he was in dire need of some rest and that he wanted to take a cat nap. “Wake me up if I start doing anything funny in my sleep,” he told them. They promised him that they would. “And don’t you dare try to sneak off,” added Hill. Alfonso nodded. Hill fell asleep almost immediately and, meanwhile, Alfonso and Resuza tried to make themselves comfortable.

  Alfonso wished there was more light so that he could see Resuza’s face properly. He could feel the charged atmosphere and he wanted nothing more than to see her smile. He had known her for a long time, but since they last met their interactions now were somehow different. Perhaps it was because of the memories that he had seen – the one from the future, where Resuza was playing with the children on the dock at the edge of the lake. Their children. Their children who would never be. Alfonso couldn’t help but shiver.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Resuza. “You look like you just saw a ghost.”

  “Nothing,” said Alfonso.

  “Why have you b
ecome so secretive?”

  Alfonso shrugged.

  “What aren’t you telling us?”

  Suddenly he had an overwhelming desire to tell her absolutely everything – about his father believing that he had died, the prophecy, the tree, and his visions of the future. He needed to get this off his chest. He needed to tell her.

  “Resuza...” he said seriously.

  “Yes?”

  “Do you remember that room in the lighthouse?” he asked. “That was an awfully nice place. In fact, I think that’s just about the last good memory that I have.”

  “You were going to tell me something else,” she said.

  He nodded.

  “Something bad?” she asked.

  He nodded.

  “Something bad that’s going to happen?”

  He paused and nodded again.

  “To you?”

  He shivered.

  “Can we talk about something else?” he asked, almost pleadingly. “Please.”

  To his great relief, she asked no more questions. Instead, she leaned over and gave Alfonso a kiss on the lips. It was long and lingering, and Alfonso felt as if he was floating. Eventually she stopped and leaned back to look at him through the murky light.

  “Don’t get any ideas,” she said with a smile. “That was just to say thank you for saving us.”

  Alfonso could imagine a more collected version of himself saying something meaningful yet lighthearted, but that would take more energy and experience than he had. Instead, he just smiled at her. It felt like the happiest moment in his life. Alfonso knew that he ought to get going – he had a job to do, one last job – but he couldn’t make himself go. Not just yet.

  After the kiss, they both relaxed, as if something had been resolved between them. They each talked about what had happened to them since that fateful parting just outside the razor hedges, though neither one was completely truthful. Resuza skated quickly over her last encounter with Naomi. It was just too painful to imagine that she had found her sister only to discover that Naomi had betrayed them. And Alfonso discussed Leif, but never mentioned the terrible moment just outside the Petrified Forest, when Leif thought he had come upon the frozen body of his son.