Chapter 23: The Tunnel
General Quinn watched the two children he had grown to love leave the palace grounds. On the surface he appeared calm and ready for the task at hand. But deep inside he couldn’t help but think of those two kids leaving. How they had changed him, he would probably never tell. But he did not have to tell, some people saw the change as soon as they saw Mitchum. One man in particular could see the change very well. He was a guard who stood at the doors to the palace, and he had known Mitchum when he worked there years before. As soon as he saw old Gai he took notice to his posture straight away. Last time he had seen him, Gai Mitchum Quinn slumped from the lack of care for his own body. Now Gai walked upright with certain swag in every step. The old guard thought of speaking to Gai as he left the palace for his regiment that waited outside, but decided against it. He did not want anything to take away from Gai’s concentration. The old guard thought himself the lucky one now. Old guards were the only ones to stay behind in the palace and not fight.
The general stepped out into the midday light. Right in front of the general stood one hundred or so men and women, all looking up to him. They stood in no particular order and did not even wear the same uniform. Some wore the extra uniforms that the other regiment kept in reserve; others simply wore any old thing. Mitchum made a mental note of what he saw. It was a great sight, one day he may even reminisce with some of the people around him. Most of them that were there had made it out of their regions before they froze, while some had come that morning from the mountains, after sneaking past yellow clad watchmen. No matter how they got there or where they were from they would be treated the same. Mitchum wondered how he would speak to them; he wanted to make a good impression without being thought of as overbearing or negative. He cleared his throat and looked out into the crowd with an expression that he thought would belong to a leader. He looked from one person to another as he spoke.
“Welcome to the backup guard, we will begin our journey to the mountains in short. First, however, I would like to say a few words.” He took a step closer hoping it would give a look of wanting to be near them. “I know that most of you are not trained and have really no idea of what to do when we get to our destination. After this mess gets cleared up I promise that a more suitable militia will be organized in our great land. But for now . . . this is what we have to work with. I do not know your weaknesses and strengths; in fact I really do not even know mine yet.” Immediately he wished he had not said that last part. He did not want anything to make him seem weaker than he already appeared. His hands were sweating and his voice shook as he spoke. “We must hurry, the faster we get to Lwid the faster we can return home. The fight will be messy but do not lose faith in your own abilities. It is your want and need to return Parli to its former greatness that will help us win.”
Mitchum looked throughout the crowd hoping to see somebody connecting with his speech. To his horror most were not really even listening, or at least it appeared that way to him. Some were clearly not paying any attention as they were talking or turned the other way. He knew this was not an organized bunch, but he had no idea they were this disorganized. There was one person that the general kept looking back to that did not even appear to be awake. Feeling disgraced, Mitchum stepped from the stairs and led the small group that had been listening to the gates. The others took the hint and followed. A knot formed in the pit of his stomach, he worried greatly over the idea of what might happen over the next few hours. It would be no surprise to the general if over half of his group did not even make it to the mountains. The only thing he knew for certain was that these people who he had to lead had no idea what a battle was going to be like. The sad part, he thought, was that he really did not know what a battle would be like either. He imagined the real guard in the mountains fighting at this very moment. He then thought that when his group appeared the whole battle would be lost. With no real weapons, save for clubs and stones, they really did not stand a chance. There was a small part of Mitchum that wanted to go back into the palace and tell the king and queen that he was not the man for this surely arduous job. But he did not; he knew that they had chosen him for a reason, and he greatly respected that reason, whatever that might be.
It took time, but the group of misfit soldiers made their way out into the forest surrounding the palace. At first the general felt that he was leading a tour group. It annoyed him greatly, but he needed to keep his cool the best he could. He turned in the direction of a tree nearby when he heard a strange noise. It sounded as if the bark of the tree was literally moving in small waves to get to ground level. Mitchum nodded towards the tree’s bark face once it had moved down to him.
“Some group you have hear, Gai. The network has been talking of your promotion, congratulations.”
The network was the effect where each tree heard what was happening inside the palace grounds before most people did. It started from a potted plant inside of the king and queens bed chamber that would secretly relay messages to the trees inside the gates, who would then tell it to the trees outside the gates.
“I’m glad to hear that the network still works. Have you heard any news on Mith or Ludus?” Mitchum asked with a whisper, not wanting anybody else to see that he was speaking to a tree. Most people did not know that the trees could speak. Mitchum was one of the few alive who knew the trees’ secret.
“Oh yes, oh yes, much news to be told.” The tree sighed in its deep voice. “They are still in our woods as we speak. The girl seemed sad when she past beneath me, the boy seemed even worse off. And by the way, the boy seems to think that we trees can watch him.”
“They can be trusted, you can tell them if you like.” Mitchum started away from the tree while the group followed loosely behind.
“We do not like.” The tree mouthed to Mitchum as its face retreated back up its thick trunk. The tree’s face then quickly came back down the trunk as if it forgot to tell Mitchum something very important, but Mitchum had already turned away. The tree told the next tree which told the next tree. Soon the message was obscured into oblivion and Mitchum never found out what was so important.
Zing was a great leader and secretly wished she had been promoted to general instead of Mitchum. It is not that she disliked Mitchum, who she secretly admired for his strength and courage, but she felt robbed. Instead of her dream job she was escorting two children to a cave. The thought never occurred to her that this job might be even more important than the one that Mitchum had been given. Occasionally she would look down to the two kids with a look of distaste. It was not meant to look nasty, though when Mith caught the look it appeared to her that it was nasty.
The three came to the end of the Royal Region within minutes and faced something Mith and Ludus had seen several times already on their journey, a boundary. Mountains could be seen and a sign read:
Now leaving the Royal Region, Mountain ahead
The three stopped in front of the sign and took a deep breath in unison.
Zing went first into the next region, followed by Mith and Ludus. The small group was standing in a clearing at the foot of a giant mountain to their left and another giant mountain to their right. Directly ahead was a narrow path between the two mountains that looked as if it was only wide enough to hold two or three people standing side by side. Small vegetation grew within the path. The mountains rose indefinitely into the sky. The tops were covered by a thick coat of clouds that stretched over most of the region at that moment. Snow was visible several thousand feet up on each mountain. Zing did not wait to let anybody take in the sights; she quickly started down the narrow path.
“Hurry up, quickly now there isn’t much time. We have a long way to go.” Zing called back after realizing she had walked several yards without anyone following.
Mith and Ludus had to almost jog to keep up. Zing walked very fast. There were multiple times that Mith or Ludus tried to ask a question but Zing did not let them. Every time one started to speak she
would cut them off.
“Hurry up . . . No time . . . Stop asking questions . . . Long way to go . . . Can you walk any faster?”
They followed the path for only a few minutes. Zing turned off onto a side path that was even narrower. This trail actually cut into a mountain, it slowly gained elevation. Sometimes they had to climb to get to the next tier of the trail. The rocky route lasted for about half of an hour before widening out. Once it did Mith had to catch her breath, not from the climbing but from the view. They stood several hundred feet in the air on the side of the mountain.
Without warning a dense fog settled around them as if it was called on by some unknown force. It got to the point where they could not see five inches in front of their faces. Zing had to continually call to them to make sure they were going in the right direction. They had never seen anything like it in the Bay Region; they did get fog on occasion, but never that dense. Mith and Ludus held onto each other to keep from getting separated. There were many times when one had to help the other one from falling after stepping on a loose rock. They wanted a break from all of the climbing but Zing kept them moving. She would not let them stop for any reason; the urgency in her voice was slightly frightening.
The higher they went the colder it got. The temperature dropped faster than it does at night in the Rough. Their breaths mixed in with the fog only moments later. Something appeared to be off with how things were happening. An ordinary fog never came in so quick, just as the temperature never really dropped so fast. Mith was just about to try and ask one more question when Zing answered it.
“Keep calm; this is the magic at work. Lwid took extra precautions when hiding the rose. When anybody gets within a certain distance strange things begin to happen. Just stay close and stay warm, we’ll get there before you know it.”
More walking followed, both Mith and Ludus tried hard to figure out where they were compared to what they saw before the fog settled. They deduced from the path they took, that they must be on a trail heading up and around the mountain. Three or four times they passed small caves in the rock. They could tell that they were caves when their footsteps echoed into a certain direction. For all they knew they could have been near the edge as well. Though the mountain was very broad and they were nowhere near the edge, but the fog kept them from knowing for sure. Each time a presumed cave was found Mith got tense and gasped.
The temperature continued to drop as they scaled the side of the mountain. Their muscles grew weak from the overuse. They were extremely tired now and wished for a break. The only reason they did not stop on their own was because they feared getting left behind by Zing. On the verge of passing out a voice came from slightly above them.
“Stop.” Zing suddenly announced. She held her hand out and Ludus ran into it. “We are here.” She slowly moved her hand from in front of Ludus to point to a small dark opening several feet away. “This is the cave where the rose sits.”
Ludus asked: “How are you sure?”
“Watch.”
Before their eyes the fog rose. Just as fast as it appeared it was gone. They did not realize right off but the temperature had risen back to its normal range, which was still fairly cold.
“What happened?” Ludus asked as he took in the new environment. They were now at least six hundred feet above the ground. Mountains rose up in all directions; he had no idea in which way the Royal Region was from that point. Noises could be heard far below to their right. Ludus wondered if that was the battle.
“You happened. There is more than one reason why the king and queen chose you two.” Zing said with a smile, happy to have found the right cave so quickly. “The rose’s cave will only freely show itself for the ones that the king and queen choose to get to it in times of hardship. Normally this cave cannot be seen. Only because you are here does it show itself. You can tell by the size of the entrance. All of the other caves that were created to confuse those looking for the rose are several feet across. This one is clearly bigger, much bigger. It is not just a cave but a tunnel. I realize how all of this may seem strange to you. I do not know how it works, really. But it is part of the magic of Parli and it’s alright with me. Everything else you have heard about it being small is to confuse those looking.”
“It was destiny.” Ludus whispered.
Zing nodded. “Exactly, that’s the way to see it. Now I need to tell you what to do. It’s pretty easy from here on out. All you have to do is go in there and get the rose. It is hidden at the end of this tunnel, deep inside the mountain.” A gust of wind blew and Zing had to wait to speak until it went. Once it passed she continued. “There are no paths to choose from, there is only one. The trouble comes in getting past several key hurdles. Lwid was considered a genius, so do not expect getting to his rose to be easy. Oh and one more thing, take this.” Zing took a pouch on a string from her pocket and put it around Ludus’s neck.
“But if the king and queen wanted us to get it shouldn’t that stop the hurdles?” Ludus asked, feeling the large pouch made from animal hide.
“No, the things that will happen to you in this tunnel will happen regardless. It is just in case the king and queen chose someone that is not strong enough to be worthy of the rose.”
Zing looked off into the distance in the direction where the noises were. Screams could be heard, some closer than others. “I need to leave now. The rest is up to you. While you are finding the rose I need to go and tell Mitchum and the others to get to the boundary. I am not sure how a battle will work from both sides of the boundaries since we cannot see on the other side, but that is how we were instructed.” Zing turned to Mith and Ludus. “I am sure that you will find the rose. You were chosen for the strength that the king and queen saw in you. Do not let them down.”
Zing slowly started away from them before she disappeared into the fog that came down around her. Mith and Ludus were now standing alone in a pocket surrounded by fog. The entrance to the tunnel loomed in front of them. Ludus took a deep breath and started towards it. He noticed something strange and turned around. Mith was standing in the exact same spot as she had when the fog cleared. Her face showed fear unlike Ludus had ever seen on it. Her eyes were wide and he could clearly see that her breathing was quick and shallow.
“What’s wrong? Come on.”
She made a slight whimper and moved away from the entrance. She then put her hands around her head and looked away.
“What is it, why won’t you –” Ludus suddenly realized what was wrong. He remembered that Mith’s mother had died in a cave-in only six months earlier. Ludus had never really known Mith’s mother. But from what he heard he knew she was really something. He had seen Loria a number of times and each time everyone around her had a huge smile on their face. When the news broke in town of her death Ludus was shaken up just as everyone was. He knew perfectly well that he had never experienced anything like Mith had with her mother. He also had no idea what it was she felt now, but he had to get her into the tunnel. Slowly he neared her, thinking quickly on what to say.
“Mith, we need to go.” Ludus whispered, soothingly. He touched her shoulder and felt her shake. “Mith, we have to go.” He insisted.
“No.” Her response was barely audible.
“It’s going to be hard, there’s no reason why it won’t be. But you need to come with me.”
Mith shook her head. She moved away into the fog. Ludus could no longer see her, but he knew where she was. He slowly followed her. The cave entrance shrank into nothing when they were away from it.
“Mith, we need to hurry. I don’t know what you’re going through, and I know I can’t even try to imagine. Let me help you through this, I cannot leave you here.” Intensity was heard in his words.
Ludus could hear her moving around in the fog nearby. Finally she spoke.
“I should have known it was going to be like this. I’m so sorry, but I just can’t do it.”
“You have to, we both have to. There is
no turning back now. This is what the king and queen needed us to do. I know you want to help stop Oldo, this will help.” Ludus closed his eyes; he thought it would help him channel his emotions so he could say what he needed to. “This will help save our home, our friends, our families. Right now they are . . . frozen. If you come with me we can get the rose and get one step closer to saving them.”
“This is only the first step, what about all the other ones we still have to complete? And what if we can’t do it?”
“Don’t say that, now you sound like me.”
“We don’t really need to do this do we? Zing said herself that Oldo will never find the cave. He does not have permission from the king and queen.”
Ludus opened his eyes. “Mith, listen closely, what do you hear?”
Mith listened. She heard several shouts coming from the base of the mountain. After the shouts came some other noises that she could not quite identify. “I hear people.”
“Exactly, that’s the battle being waged right now. If Oldo wins that battle he can go into the Royal Region and walk right into the palace. All of the soldiers available right now on the entire island are in that fight. If they lose because we did not get the rose and freeze the escaped inmates, who knows what will happen.”
Mith moved slowly toward the cave. Ludus’s pep talk made her feel better. Not for the fact that it was a good talk, but that it was Ludus who was trying to help her. The fog cleared away and the tunnel entrance appeared once more. Ludus saw this and joined her at the entrance.
Mith looked sadly at Ludus. “You are right. I hate to admit it but we do need to get going.” She looked away. “My parents would want me to do this.”
Side by side they entered the tunnel