by Tom Hoffman
Bruno kneeled down next to Edmund the Explorer and cupped his paws together, a small gray swirling sphere appearing above them. Edmund recognized it immediately. It was a spectral doorway like the one he’d created to enter Nirriim. The familiar flashes of lightning appeared within the stormy sphere as it grew in size. When it had grown to almost four feet in diameter, Bruno took Edmund the Explorer’s paw and they vanished through the doorway. With a single clap of thunder the doorway was gone. Bruno Rabbit had taken Edmund the Explorer back to Earth.
The clearing around the Tree blurred briefly. Edmund looked down and saw he had his body again. He turned around, gazing at his four friends.
Oliver said, “Bruno brought him home, Edmund. He brought Edmund the Explorer home.”
Lightning blurted out, “Was that you lying on the ground, Edmund? What happened to you after the flying ball took you away?”
Edmund shrugged. “I don’t know. The next thing I remember was my first day in the Central Information Repository. It wasn’t until I read a book about Edmund the Explorer that I had any recollection of having met him. I had forgotten everything about our adventures together, and everything about Emma.”
They decided to rest for a day at the Tree of Eyes. Bartholomew shaped several large tents and all the usual creature comforts. Oliver kept busy preparing meals and baking his delightful pastries. Thunder and Lightning told him his éclairs were the best they’d ever had, but Oliver still wasn’t completely satisfied with them. “They’re good, but they’re not of the same calibre as Madame Beffy’s éclairs. Try as I might, I can’t seem to duplicate a certain flavor in hers. It’s quite maddening. Perhaps the next time I visit I will get down on my knees and beg her to tell me the secret ingredient.” He laughed loudly, imagining himself begging for her recipe.
It took Edmund a day to process what the Tree of Eyes had shown him. He knew how he’d gotten back to Earth, and he knew Bruno had taken Edmund the Explorer home. But where did he take him? And what had happened to him after he got there? Was he frozen in time forever?
Bartholomew took several long walks alone in the Timere Forest. He wished Clara was there with him to see the magnificent trees. She would love them. Maybe when this was over he would use the Seventh Key and surprise her with a trip to the Timere Forest. It would also be fun for Clara to become acquainted with the older and wiser Tree of Eyes. He gave a rueful smile. It was always a little embarrassing to think back on the days before he had found his Great Gem, back when he had been a silly and self-absorbed rabbit. He remembered his confrontation with the rabid wolf on his first adventuring trip. He had heard the wolf growling and thought it was his own stomach growling, telling him it was time for lunch. It seemed like a lifetime ago. Anything before Clara seemed like a lifetime ago.
Now he was a seasoned adventurer and wore the Eleventh Ring, a ring few shapers even knew existed. He thought about the new skill Ennzarr had taught him. The Traveling Eye skill was mind-boggling – he could travel anywhere in the universe instantly, flying through matter as though it wasn’t even there. An idea popped into his head, but he wasn’t certain if it came from the Cavern of Silence or his own mind. These two centers of awareness seemed to be slowly merging into one.
His new idea was quite simple. Once they reached the sand dunes he would use the Traveling Eye to explore the ant tunnels, uncovering what secrets he could regarding the queen ant and the mysterious Wyrme of Deth. He might even be able to locate the Queen’s Treasure Chamber. This would keep everyone safe for a while, but eventually someone would have to go down into the Queen’s Treasure Chamber to retrieve the Seventh Key and the time throttle. Whoever did that would have to face the Wyrme of Deth. This was a creature who had pulled a thirty foot long flying carriage beneath the sand in a few seconds. They didn’t even know what the beast looked like. He recalled his confrontation with the evil and powerful Zoran the Emerald Shaper. At the time it had seemed an unsurmountable obstacle, but he had emerged victorious. Hopefully this adventure would end as well as that one had. It had to end well. Edmund’s life depended on it. A wave of fear rolled through Bartholomew.
Thunder and Lightning kept themselves busy writing in their new journals. Bartholomew had shaped each of them a leather bound journal and a gold pen and pencil set. They were having great fun writing and sketching everything they had seen on the trip. They were also learning from Edmund the art of embellishing their tales of adventure. One of the drawings Bartholomew saw was of Lightning riding on the back of a gigantic ant. Besides his own stories, Lightning was also recording the tales he heard from Edmund about Edmund the Explorer. In the evenings Lightning would read them aloud to Edmund, making certain he had not missed anything. Thunder and Lightning told Edmund they hoped they would see even half the things Edmund the Explorer had seen during his lifetime.
Chapter 33
Lightning’s Lesson
“Let’s move out.” Bartholomew swung his pack onto his shoulder, grinning at the party of adventurers. “I think we might need a duplonium wagon to carry us all. What do you think, Oliver?”
Oliver laughed loudly. “A duplonium powered steam locomotive might be more suitable for this crowd. If I remember correctly the duplonium wagon was rather confining, especially when we were hiding under the crates from the pterosaurs.”
After saying their farewells to the Tree of Eyes they headed back out into the Timere Forest. Edmund flicked on a transparent screen in front of him and swiped through the pages until he found a map of the area. They would walk north for five days, then head directly east for another three days until they reached the sand dunes.
Bartholomew pointed to a small yellow area on Edmund’s map. “According to Lightning’s map, the Queen’s Treasure Chamber should be about here. We arrived through the doorway almost fifty miles away from the Chamber. This Wyrme creature covers a lot of territory, and there could be more than one of them. They must have tunnels running for hundreds of miles beneath the sand dunes.”
Oliver’s ears perked up at the mention of the Wyrme of Deth. “What do you suppose it is? A creature that large would have to consume an enormous amount of food simply to survive. What would it eat? I didn’t see any large creatures in the desert. Rather strange. I suppose there could be other creatures living beneath the sand we aren’t aware of. Oh dear, I wish I hadn’t thought of that. The Wyrme is frightening enough by itself.”
Lighting snorted. “Relax, Oliver. Bartholomew and Edmund can handle the Wyrme, no problem. Edmund can just punch the big dimmer in the nose and Bartholomew can shape it into pieces, and then you can cook it up into a big juicy worm stew.”
Thunder made a gagging noise. “Urrrghhhh. Worm stew! Creekers! I just ate!”
Edmund smiled as he listened to Thunder and Lighting. It reminded him of Edmund the Explorer’s joking before an especially risky undertaking. Underneath his humor, however, lay a realistic appreciation for the dangers involved. Edmund the Explorer had not been one to underestimate an adversary. Edmund didn’t think Thunder and Lightning were capable of such forethought yet. He would have to keep a watchful eye on them to make certain they didn’t do anything foolish and hurt themselves.
The walk through the forest was an enjoyable time for the adventurers. Thunder and Lightning dashed around, scouring the edge of the trail for lost treasure. “Oliver! Are these Nirriimian white crystals?”
“Those are quartz crystals. They’re more transparent than the white crystals. Keep looking though. Many times you’ll find white crystals near deposits of quartz.”
Oliver found the local flora and fauna to be most intriguing, making sketches of the various plants and animals he spotted along the way. Nirriim was a strange world, in many ways quite different from Earth. There were times when Oliver was uncertain whether a certain life form was plant or animal. On more than one occasion they ran into what appeared to be a sunlit patch of lovely purple wildflowers, only to have them make squeaking noises and run off into the forest.
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“You know, Bartholomew, I remember when I thought I knew all there was to know about the world of science. It’s quite astonishing how little we really do know. I could study the life in this one forest for ten lifetimes, and this is one forest on one planet in a universe filled with more planets than there are grains of sand on the beach. I have spent most of my life studying science, but there are moments when I feel like a bunny who can barely count his toes.”
Bartholomew smiled. “Only the very wisest rabbits know they don’t really know anything.”
Their days in the forest rolled on as they headed north. Bartholomew shaped tents and food for them in the evenings, although Oliver always insisted on preparing the meals. On the morning of the sixth day they reached the northern edge of the forest and turned east.
Early that afternoon Thunder and Lightning were cavorting about at the edge of the forest trail when Lightning spotted a large vine covered mound between two magnificent trees, each with a trunk at least fifty feet across. “I’m king of the hill!” Lightning clambered up the side of the mound and stood on top waving his arms at Thunder. “I’m king of the hill, knock me off if you dare!”
Thunder grabbed what looked like an overly ripe tomato from a large leafy plant and hurled it at Lightning, who danced wildly out of the way, in the process slipping on a patch of wet leaves. As he careened down the side of the mound he grabbed a pawful of vines to slow his descent, landing safely on the ground. Thunder stopped laughing and looked at the mound with a puzzled expression.
“What is that?”
Everyone looked. Beneath the dense covering of vines that Lightning had pulled away lay a gleaming blue metallic surface.
Bartholomew shot up a defensive sphere around everyone as a precaution. He had no idea what was inside the mound. “Everyone stand still!”
They waited for several minutes, and when nothing happened Bartholomew dropped the defensive sphere. He moved closer to the mound, motioning for everyone to stay where they were. A wide green beam shot out from his paw and scanned the mound. “There’s no life inside it.” A second beam then appeared, this one bright orange. He held the beam above the mound, then slowly moved it downward. The dense vines and branches covering the mound vanished instantly when the beam touched them. The object had been revealed.
Edmund let out a gasp. “It’s a blinker! It’s a blinker just like the one I flew in with Edmund the Explorer!” He strode over to the front of the blinker and put his hand on the smooth cool surface. A distant look appeared in his eyes. “I never thought I’d touch one of these again.”
Oliver said, “Are you sure you should touch it? It must be hundreds of years old. It’s power source could be very unstable.”
Edmund shrugged, saying, “Everyone move back. I’m going to open the hatch.” He tapped four nearly invisible tabs on the front of the craft. With a slight whirring noise the hatch flipped down. Edmund peered inside. “It’s empty. Whoever was flying it must have survived the crash.” He entered the blinker, studying the control panels. There were still a few small lights flashing on one side of the main panel. He tapped a triangular red tab but nothing happened. “The main power core is gone. They must have taken it with them. It won’t fly without it.” He glanced around the cabin but found nothing of any interest. The crew had stripped the craft of any usable technology.
Thunder and Lightning were peering into the blinker. “Can we look? Is there any treasure in there?”
Edmund hesitated, then said, “You can look. Don’t touch anything. The power core is gone but there are still plenty of ways to hurt yourself in there.”
Edmund stepped out of the craft as Thunder and Lightning dashed into it.
“Holy creekers, this is amazing!”
Edmund stepped over to Oliver and Bartholomew. “This makes real all my memories of flying with Edmund the Explorer. There really were blinkers, and I really did fly in them. I don’t know why I can’t seem to let go of this. I still miss Edmund the Explorer and Emma. I remember the first time Emma said–”
“Treasure!! We found treasure! Look at this, Edmund! This has to be worth at least a million credits!” Lightning came bounding out of the ship waving a transparent glass tube four inches in diameter and three feet long. “We’re rich!”
Before anyone could even blink Edmund had leaped over to Lightning and ripped the glass tube from his paws. Edmund roared, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING? Are you trying to kill someone? What is wrong with you??”
Lightning shrunk away from Edmund, a terrified look on his face. “I... I just thought it was...”
Thunder stood in the doorway of the ship gaping at Edmund.
Bartholomew thought Lightning was going to burst into tears. He knew beneath all the bravado Lightning was not much more than a mouseling wearing a treasure hunter’s costume. Edmund’s behavior was startling, another symptom of his mysterious transition. When they had first met him there was an air of bunnylike innocence about him, but that had changed. Bartholomew wasn’t altogether sure he liked this change. He was even more determined than ever now to find the Seventh Key.
Edmund lowered the glass tube. The only sound was the birds chirping in the forest canopy high overhead. “I’m sorry I scared you, Lightning, but I had to stop you. You could have killed any one of us, including yourself or Thunder.”
“But I was just...”
“It’s called a vape gun. They used them during the Anarkkian wars. Vape is short for vaporizing. It vaporizes matter.” Edmund raised the glass tube to his shoulder, aiming it at one of the trees. He pressed the green tab at the base of the gun. There was a brief hum and an eight inch wide hole appeared in the tree, a hole that traveled deep into the trunk. “That could have been one of us if you had accidentally pushed the firing tab.”
Lightning stared at the tree, then down at his feet. Edmund’s face softened. “Everyone makes mistakes, Lightning. No one was hurt and next time you’ll be careful. The Elders had technology far beyond anything you can imagine. There’s a lot of it even I don’t understand. If you’re going to be a treasure hunter you have to know about the treasures you’re hunting and the creatures you may encounter. I will teach you and Thunder as much as I know about the Elders’ technology and about some of the beasts who inhabit the other worlds.”
Lightning didn’t say anything for several moments. Finally he looked up and said, “I’m sorry, Edmund. I won’t do anything dumb again.”
Edmund placed his hand gently on Lightning’s shoulder. “We all do foolish things. Learning is never easy, and believe me, I’ve learned plenty of things the hard way.”
The next morning Bartholomew covered the blinker with shaped leaves and vines so it would not be disturbed. Oliver wanted to have it brought back to the Fortress to study its technology. Edmund knew a little about their function, but not nearly enough for Oliver to fabricate one. Oliver already had plans to integrate the ship’s technology into his next generation of flying carriages.
Chapter 34
The Beast from Below
“Strap and roll, rabs – and you too, treasure hunters!” Edmund slung the vape gun onto his shoulder and turned east, followed by Bartholomew, Oliver, Lightning, and Thunder. In three days they would arrive at the sand dunes.
As they trekked eastward through the forest the trees diminished in size while the distance between them increased. The adventurers’ conversations were not as animated as they had been. They were, each in their own way, thinking about their inevitable confrontation with the Wyrme of Deth. They knew there was a realistic possibility that one or more of them would not survive the encounter.
Bartholomew revealed his plan as they strolled along through the forest. “Once we arrive at the dunes we’ll set up camp on the desert’s edge, well out of the Wyrme of Deth’s reach. When we’re settled in I’ll use the Traveling Eye to explore the tunnels beneath the desert, hopefully locating the Queen’s Treasure Chamber. It’s unclear to me why the ants roamed the Timere Forest
, and yet their queen’s treasure chamber is located deep in the desert. I also don’t know what role the Wyrme of Deth plays, whether it was friend or foe to the ants. But, as I always say, if we knew what was going to happen, it wouldn’t be an adventure.”
Edmund nodded, then gave a laugh. “You know, all this talk about sand dunes reminds me of the time I was trapped beneath the Quintarian Red Desert by a gigantic sand spider. I was wrapped inside a silk cocoon, being dragged through a pitch dark tunnel by two ferocious...”
Bartholomew was getting an uncomfortable feeling about Edmund’s story. He was telling an Edmund the Explorer story as though it was his own adventure, as though he was the one who had experienced it.
Bartholomew wished Clara was there with him. “Clara could make sense of it. She can feel why rabbits do the things they do, even without reading their thoughts. She always tells me rabbits do everything for a reason. If a rabbit’s behavior seems irrational, it’s only because we don’t understand the hidden logic that drives the behavior. What could Edmund gain from telling these stories? “Maybe he’s taking on Edmund the Explorer’s personality as a way of holding on to him, a way of keeping him alive. All I know is I don’t want Edmund trying to be Edmund the Explorer. I like Edmund just the way he is. Or... the way he was.” Bartholomew watched as Lightning scribbled madly in his journal, trying to get every word of Edmund’s story. Nobody else questioned why Edmund was telling the story as though it was his own.
Three days later they crested a steep hill and Lightning shouted out, “Desert! I see the desert! Creekers, it’s a whopper!”
Bartholomew stepped to the top of the hill and scanned the horizon. Lightning was right, it was huge. An endless sea of sand dunes stretching out as far as he could see – and all of it possibly inhabited by deadly life forms. Bartholomew also knew they might have more than one Nirriimian sand worm to contend with. The universe never creates only one of any creature, and that rule certainly applied to the Wyrme of Deth. Bartholomew gave a long sigh. This was a painfully familiar feeling. He had felt it the day he faced Zoran the Emerald Shaper in the Fortress of Elders. The odds were stacked heavily against him and the clock was ticking. “What have I gotten myself into this time?” He turned around and looked at Oliver, who had a remarkably grave expression on his face.