The Lodestone

by J. Philip Horne

  Chapter 20

  RECOVER

  “OH, NO,” SALLY said as she ran toward Edalwin and Verdag. The wizard and the guards were all down, and Gerlock stood over them looking grim. Fortuna and Derek had a head start and got to Verdag well before Sally.

  “Grab a lantern, Sally” Derek said as she came up to them. She ran back to Gerlock, who handed her one of the lanterns the guards had carried. As she grabbed it from him, she made the mistake of glancing down at the men on the floor. There was a lot of blood, no one was moving, and there was a bad smell. Sally ran back to Derek and handed him the lantern, then staggered over to the open cell off the hall and dropped to her knees to throw up.

  Sally’s stomach calmed down after a minute, and she took a small swig from the water skin she was carrying to clean out her mouth. Feeling a little better, she stood and turned to check on Edalwin and Verdag. An ugly-looking crossbow bolt smeared with blood was lying on the floor nearby, and Derek was holding a large strip of folded up cloth to the side of Verdag’s head. Fortuna sat with Edalwin’s head on her lap.

  “Is he alive?” Sally asked.

  Derek nodded. “The bolt ricocheted off the wall and actually stuck in that giant head of his. I don’t think it got through his skull. Lots of blood, as you can see, but I think that’s the worst of it. We won’t know for sure until he wakes, though.”

  “And Miss Edn…. Edalwin?” Sally said.

  “We don’t really know,” Fortuna said. “I don’t know how she was being held, or what she did to escape, but she clearly went beyond her body’s strength. She’s alive, but we need to move somewhere safe and get food, preferably a broth of some type, and blankets.”

  “Look,” Gerlock said as he walked toward them and nodded his head toward the open guardroom door at the end of the hall. Three cats came running down the hall to Edalwin, and then two more appeared and ran over. They swarmed around Edalwin, and then anxiously ran from person to person.

  “There will be a change of guard at some point,” Gerlock said. “I don’t know what we should do, but we can’t stay here.”

  Derek carefully stood, and as he lowered Edalwin’s head to the ground, one of the cats scooted underneath to pillow it. Sally had a momentary flashback to Miss Edna’s kitchen, when she had waken from a faint to find a cat offering itself as a pillow for her.

  “There’s no hope of cleaning this mess up to delay the response,” Derek said, “so we need to head back into that labyrinth fast to hide while they recover, and somehow get supplies.”

  “I do not think we will have any trouble getting lost in these tunnels,” Gerlock said, looking frustrated and flustered, “but how do you propose we find the larder to steal supplies? We are lost down here without Verdag. He is the only one who knows the way out.”

  “No he’s not,” Sally said, a sudden thought popping into her mind. They all looked at her, so she rushed on. “Well, who led us here to begin with? Who led Verdag? The cats. They’ll help us find what we need to help Edalwin, I know they will.”

  Gerlock opened his mouth to answer, and then snapped it shut and furrowed his brow in thought.

  “You know, she’s right,” Derek said. “Maybe they can get us to the larder. Okay, let’s relocate first. We head back out the guardroom and head into the maze. Set up there, then send a couple of us out with, uh, some cats to lead us to supplies.”

  “It’s the best we can do,” Gerlock said. “I’ll carry Edalwin. Derek, carry Verdag so Fortuna can maintain pressure on the wound.”

  “And me?” Sally asked.

  “Mind the cats for us, dear,” Fortuna said.

  They headed back up the hall toward the guardroom. Sally trailed a hand along the wall so she could walk by the bodies while looking up at the ceiling. Once past, they hurried through the guardroom and took a left into the passageway where the cats had originally brought them. They soon came to the left turn that Verdag had taken and quickly wound through a maze of not quite right angles and oddly curved halls until they were thoroughly lost, then opened the first door that was unlocked and found a barren room like the one in which they had previously hidden. They situated Edalwin sprawled out on the floor with one of her cats once again acting as a pillow. Fortuna remained with Verdag, keeping the cloth on his wounded head to staunch the bleeding.

  “Okay, Sally,” Gerlock said, “I’m ready to get supplies. I don’t suppose you know how to tell the cats to help.”

  “I don’t,” Sally said, “but I think they’ll know. Peppers, we need supplies. Food. Drink. Blankets. Bandages. Anything.” She tried to pantomime each item with Edalwin as she spoke, and the cats all stared at her intently. “Show Gerlock. Go very secretly.”

  The cats all sat perfectly still for a moment, and then Peppers and one other stood and ran to the door. Gerlock opened the door for them, and they shot out. He grabbed one of the lanterns and followed them out.

  “Wish me luck,” he said, and was gone.

  Derek paced the room for a moment and took a few rapid swings with his stick. “I’ll feel better if we keep watch. I’m going to step out. Let me know if either of them wakes up.”

  Sally sat down by Fortuna and waited. She tried to figure out how to keep track of the time, but couldn’t think of anything. Verdag stirred at one point, but quieted back down. In the quiet solitude of her mind, Sally was slowly consumed with worry for Jack, and eventually a tear slid down her cheek, and then another.

  “You two have survived a lot this past week, haven’t you?” Fortuna asked her.

  Sally nodded.

  “He’ll keep surviving, just as you have. He’ll survive, and we’ll find him.”

  Hours later, or so it seemed to Sally, Derek, Gerlock, and the cats stepped back into the room. Gerlock was loaded down with bags of supplies and blankets.

  “You were right, Sally,” Gerlock said smiling broadly, “and there’s more where this came from, so long as I don’t get caught. These cats led me unerringly by every quiet hallway and turn straight to the food. I’m pretty sure I saw the other three scouting for these two.”

  “How are our patients?” Derek asked.

  “No change,” Fortuna said, “though Verdag stirred for a time, and I think the bleeding has stopped.”

  As if in response to the question, Sally saw Edalwin’s eyes flutter open.

  “Miss Edalwin!” Sally said as she scooted over to her. For the first time in days, Sally felt hope surge within her.

  Edalwin slowly sat up as her cats swarmed around her. She looked old and exhausted.

  “Is there water?” Edalwin said in a trembling voice.

  Gerlock unfolded a bundled up blanket he had brought back and picked up a water skin from among the supplies within. He squatted beside her and supported it for her as she took a drink. Edalwin smiled briefly in thanks, and looked around.

  “I fear I must sleep for a few more hours, or I’ll be of no use. Are we safe?”

  “For the moment, yes,” Gerlock said.

  “Edalwin,” Fortuna said, “I, I do not wish to burden you, but Verdag lost a lot of blood. Can you safeguard his life?”

  “Please, Miss Edalwin,” Sally said. “He’s been a true friend.”

  “The dwarf,” she said with a wry smile. “Almost blasted him to nothing. I suppose I owe him what little I can do in this state. Is there food?”

  Gerlock hurried over to his stolen supplies and quickly came back with a large leather skin.

  “This is broth from a meaty stew,” he said. “I chanced upon an unattended cook pot in the kitchens.”

  “Perfect,” Edalwin said, taking it from him and sipping it.

  Sally’s stomach growled. While Edalwin sipped the broth, Sally rummaged through the pile of supplies Gerlock had stolen and picked out a large loaf of bread. She broke off a chunk, and passed the loaf around to the others.

  “Edna,” Derek said as he munched on the bread, “I’m Derek Harland, a director with the FBI. Can I ask you a couple qu
estions while you eat?”

  “Wonders never cease,” Edalwin said. “The FBI now has offices in Artaeris?”

  He smiled. “No, nothing like that. I’ve been piecing together what happened, but I want to hear this from your own mouth. You were protecting Jack and Sally, weren’t you, not kidnapping them?”

  “I should have known this would happen,” Edalwin said. “Trouble now follows me on two worlds. No, I wasn’t kidnapping them. I did what I thought best to save them, though none of it’s gone well. We obviously have much to discuss, and I want to hear the details of how exactly you ended up here with Sally, two mages, and a dwarf. Now, however, I must use what strength I have for the dwarf. Can you bring him here?”

  Fortuna, Gerlock, and Derek carefully moved Verdag over to Edalwin. She reached out and placed a hand over his wound and bowed her head for a time, then looked up and nodded.

  “It’s like trying to heal a rock wall,” Edalwin said. “I knit up the wound a bit and invigorated his blood. He’ll survive.”

  Sally felt relief sweep through her at Edalwin’s words. She got up and retrieved one of the blankets and laid it beside Edalwin, folded over once lengthwise to make a thin pallet. Edalwin gave her a quick smile and scooted over onto it. As she lay down, the cats all squirmed in next to her, with Peppers lying down beneath her head.

  Derek stood. “I’ll take another watch.”

  “Let me join you,” Gerlock said.

  The two men slipped out the door, and Fortuna and Sally sat watching over Edalwin and Verdag in the dim lantern light. Sally eventually grabbed another blanket and bundled it up to make a pillow. She lay down on her back and stared up at the ceiling, her mind wandering. She had given up on pretending everything was normal. That had worked to keep her calm the first few hours on Artaeris, but she didn’t want to consider it normal to have people constantly trying to kill her. Her eyes grew heavy as she lay there thinking, and soon she drifted off to sleep.

  She woke to the sounds of quiet conversation. She kept her eyes closed, content to listen. Derek was retelling their escape from the wyvern, adventures beneath the Daggerfels, and travels to Fortress. A gruff voice suddenly broke in.

  “I hardly think being tossed along among the treetops like a piece of cotton fluff should be described as an interesting mode of transportation.”

  Sally’s eyes popped open and she jumped up. “Verdag!” she said, running over to him and giving him a big hug as he struggled to sit up.

  “Yes, I’m alive,” Verdag said. “We dwarves are durable.”

  He tenderly felt his head and raised his eyebrows in surprise. He looked over toward Edalwin where she sat with her back to a wall eating a large chunk of bread.

  “Durable, but we don’t heal quite this fast,” he said. “I believe I owe you thanks.”

  Edalwin waved it off. “Not at all. I was the one being rescued.”

  Sally looked around. “Where’s Fortuna?”

  “Keeping watch,” Gerlock said.

  “So do we escape now?” she asked.

  “I think escaping’s the right thing to do,” Edalwin said, “but I need a bit more time to puzzle out Jack’s location.”

  “What do you mean,” said Derek.

  “I gave Jack an amulet to hide him. Were he still wearing it, I’d know exactly where he was. He’s not wearing it. But Jack has some, ah, unique properties,” Edalwin said. “With effort, I can generally get a sense of where he is. I’ve been questing for him, but he’s not on Artaeris.”

  “Wait, that means he’s back on Earth, right?” Sally said.

  Edalwin nodded. “Yes, but it’s much harder to get a sense of his specific location, as the spatial relationship between the two worlds is not straightforward.”

  “I have no idea what that means,” Sally said.

  “I can’t find him,” Edalwin said. “I can sense him somewhere out there, and I can tell he’s not particularly close to any of the Lodestones, but I don’t know where he is.”

  Gerlock stepped to the door and waved Fortuna into the room.

  “Look,” Gerlock said, “we need a plan. Wherever Jack is, we need to get out of here to help him.”

  “Fair enough,” Edalwin said, rising to her feet and stretching. Sally thought she looked much stronger now. Edalwin opened her mouth to speak again, but suddenly staggered backward into the wall. She stood back up and put a hand to her brow, holding the other hand up to stop their questions. A moment later she looked up, her eyes full of wonder and fear.

  “He’s here,” Edalwin said.

  “Who?” Gerlock said.

  “Verdag, what time is it?” Edalwin asked, opening her eyes and stepping toward the dwarf.

  “It’s, uh, about an hour till sunset.”

  “That’s not possible,” Edalwin said.

  “What is not possible?” Gerlock said. “Who is here?”

  “Jack. He just shifted from Earth to Artaeris. He’s in the Fortress of Arameth. It’s not possible, but he’s here. We must go to him. Follow me!”

  Chapter 21

  THE LODESTONE

  JACK’S HEAD FELT like it was about to split in half. The pain started just behind his right ear, and radiated outward all the way down to his toes. He tried to lift his hand up to feel his head, but couldn’t. He struggled for a moment, and realized his wrists were tied together behind his back. He opened his eyes to see where he was, but that didn’t work either.

  Panic and fear almost choked him, but he fought to think, to get his brain working. He was lying on his side on a hard surface. His breath felt stuffy and warm. Apparently, he had some sort of bag over his head. Then he realized he was sensing the Lodestones. His amulet was gone. He heard voices approaching and he tried to lay still, ignoring the raging pain to concentrate on the voices.

  “Well, it’s all very unusual.” The voice had an irritating whine to it. “I much prefer to deal indirectly through our normal system of notes.”

  “Leave.” The voice was cold and scornful.

  “Leave? You order me out of my apartments?” the whiner asked. Jack didn’t think he sounded happy. There was no response.

  “Well, yes, then, I wouldn’t want to see what you plan to do anyway.”

  That didn’t sound good. Jack feared they were talking about him. He heard footfalls move away, and a door shut. Another set of steps came quickly to him, and strong hands lifted him up. For a moment, he considered faking he was still unconscious, but as he was lifted, the pain flared into deep nausea and he gasped. For a moment he was overcome by vertigo, and the hands were the only things supporting him. In the back of his mind, Jack thought things couldn’t get more wretched. Then he threw up.

  The hands forced him forward as he gagged, the bag over his head trapping much of his vomit around his neck. They stopped for a moment, and Jack heard the cold voice whisper words that radiated power. Then they stepped forward and the world shifted. All the Lodestones floating on the edge of his awareness were changed in a moment. He couldn’t make sense of it. His head burned, and he couldn’t collect his thoughts.

  “Take him and clean him up,” the cold voice said. “You can unbind him. Beat him if he tries anything, but don’t damage him. Then bring him back here when you are done.”

  New hands, a pair on each side, grasped his arms and all but carried him as he was propelled forward. They walked for a time, took corners now and then, and descended a flight of stairs. Jack’s feet were unable to keep up. He was suddenly pulled to a stop, and he heard a door opening in front of him, followed by a rush of warm, moist air hitting him. They urged him forward again. The ropes binding his wrists were cut loose and the hood jerked from his head as the hands released his arms.

  Jack staggered forward and turned to view his captors. Two large men stood side by side wearing only kilts and sandals, and covered in a variety of weapons. Jack’s heart sank. It couldn’t be a coincidence that they looked like the warrior he’d seen in Hillacre. He’d been captured by Dr
akin.

  “Bathe,” the man on the right said.

  Jack glanced over his shoulder and saw a recessed pool full of steaming water, with soaps and towels laid out on the edge.

  “What about my clothes?” Jack said. “They probably stink as much as I do.”

  “Leave them. There are clean garments on the shelves to the right. All other exits are locked. You have ten minutes to bathe before we beat you for insolence.”

  With that, the two men turned and strode from the room, closing the door behind them. Jack glanced around in the dim light. A single door stood in the middle of each of the four walls, with the large bath in the middle of the room, and shelves around each of the walls. Jack didn’t doubt the doors were locked, and he didn’t doubt their threat to beat him, so he quickly stripped out of his clothes and got into the pool.

  The water was soothing, and the pain slowly leaked out of his body. His mind still felt sluggish, but he tried to piece together what had happened. He remembered following Peppers, and making it into some sub-level of the palace. Then he had gotten whacked, and woken up without his amulet. He reached a hand up as he bathed and felt a large lump near the base of his skull behind his right ear. The pain was unbearable when he touched it.

  The words spoken right before his location had shifted had been words of power, so he’d been brought here, wherever here was, by a wizard. Jack was sure it hadn’t been Drakin, though, and he hadn’t felt a Lodestone-like shift between worlds. So a Black Robe wizard had taken him through a portal of some sort to another place.

  Jack finished bathing as he worked through his situation and climbed out of the pool. Once dry, he hunted through the shelves for something to wear. All the clothing was uniformly black. He found a tunic and pants that fit him, and slipped his boots on. As if summoned, the two guards walked back into the room and signaled him to come with them.