The grove thickened into a dense forest. Wide tree trunks filled the spaces between small, tall bamboo-like plants. Hazel explained to Cassie that the land was sacred to Mac and his people and that it contained some of the oldest living trees in his world. Cassie nodded and was careful to watch where she tread, for she did not want to damage such a relic. An hour passed and they met back up with the brook, now wider and a bit rockier. The altitude shifted and they started climbing up the side of the mountain. The sun cast small patches of light through the forest, giving the forest bugs a place to gather and warm themselves. For the most part, the bugs left the travelers alone. Two more hours passed. And then their heard the echo of steel hitting rock. A sharp, steady clanging sound rolling down to them.
“Do you hear that?” Stick said. “We must be getting close to Greycliff. Although I do not see any roads or smoke indicating that anyone lives near here.”
The little faerie was right, from where they were, the sound was the only thing telling them that a settlement was nearby. Cassie hoped that Greycliff was more like Stonehaven, although she did not mind a surprise.
Mac’s directions, while very descriptive, lead them off about five-hundred yards from the road Stick spoke of. Despite the miscalculation, they made their way back to the main road and headed for the town. Tall, two-story buildings made of square brick lined the sides of four cobblestone streets. Greycliff was not as big as Stonehaven but Cassie thought it seemed more modern. Beasts of burden pulled carts filled with stone and slate through the streets, their reins held by short, dwarven men with short, grey beards, wearing heavy boots and leather pants. As they passed by, many of them looked at Cassie, sizing her up.
Their lustful stares made Cassie uncomfortable so she walked close to Hazel. “Do you notice something strange about this town,” she whispered to Hazel and Stick, “Greycliff seems to be inhabited by mostly men.”
“You are absolutely right,” said Stick. “I did not see that at first. But now I do.”
They walked up to one of the dwarves. “Pardon me, sir,” Hazel said formally, “We traveled from Stonehaven and was wondering if you could point us in the direction of your town’s mayor and maybe a place of lodging?”
The dwarf scratched his head, “Well, now. You would be a wantin’ to see Nalut. His office is over yonder. And well, the only place fit enough for you and your companions may be The Sad Hobgoblin Inn, at the very edge of town. Of course, you sire may enjoy a night with the lovelies at The Virtuous Virgin Tavern.”
Hazel blushed at the last suggestion. He pushed Cassie ahead of him and hastily blurted Thanks to the dwarf.
“Did he just tell you, what I think he said?” Cassie giggled.
“Uh, yeah. Apparently Greycliff is a dwarven mining town. That is why there are no wives or classy women around. I say we find this Nalut and see how he can help us. I do not think I want to stay a night here.”
It shocked Cassie to see the amount of seedy taverns Greycliff had, Nalut’s office building was between two brothels. Large busty faerie women of all clans, wearing skimpy dresses and busties that exaggerated their woman-ness ganged up in front of their homes. Their hair done up in outrageous styles and their faces covered in thick layers of makeup. They cooed and whistled at Hazel and Cassie as they walked past them. “Hey baby, why don’t you come over here and rest for awhile. I have charms that can make your muscles all better.”
Cassie frowned at them, feeling a tinge of jealousy rise from her chest. She was tempted to hit the one who catcalled to Hazel. But she held back, focusing on their task instead.
Another woman stood in the doorway to Nalut’s office. She threw a cockeyed smile as she bent forward to open the door, displaying her goods to Hazel. He quickly thanked her and sidestepped into the office.
A deck sat opposite the door. Cluttered stacks of paper filled every corner. Two more piles, rose high on both sides of the table. Pieces of paper covered the walls like wallpaper. The script barely legible, displayed lists and times. Cassie ventured that they outlined the rules and regulations and schedules of Greycliff. Behind the desk was a chair, the back facing them was long, orange and tall.
“Excuse me,” Hazel said to the chair, “I am looking for Nalut.”
The chair wiggled a bit and then quickly spun around. A short chubby dwarf with a long silver beard and a pair of spectacles perched on his nose faced them. “That be me! What can Nalut do for ye. You folks lookin’ for work?”
“No sir, we are not.” Hazel pulled out the Stonehaven medallion that slipped under his shirt. We are on a quest, and were told that you might be able to give us some information.”
Nalut had to lean over the desk, his hands sending loose scraps of paper into the air and on the floor. He squinted and then opened his eyes wide. “Ah yes, the crest of the Stonehaven Obelisk. I know why you are here now.” He hopped off the chair and walked around the desk towards them. He shuck Hazel and Cassie’s hands with his thick, calloused hands. “It be a pleasure, for sure. Please come with me.”
He lead them into a room behind the office entry. Plush rugs and wall coverings hung everywhere. Two lavish armchairs sat next to a fireplace. He offered one to Cassie while taking the other for himself, leaving Hazel to stand or sit on the floor.
Cassie said, “There are stories, about a hermit that lives somewhere up on the mountain behind Greycliff. A deadly plague has reached these lands and we believe that if there is a hermit, that they may know of a cure. We came here in the hopes that you could tell us if the stories were true. And whether or not you know they way to where the hermit lives.”
The dwarf leaned back in his chair, stroking his beard as Cassie spoke. He reached behind him, removing a pipe from a table. Striking matchstick that appeared out his shirt’s breast pocket, he light the pipe. The strong odor of tobacco filled the room. Cassie patiently waited for the dwarf to answer her question.
He took a few more puffs off the pipe and then set his arm down on the chair’s armrest, pipe still in hand. “The stories are correct. For years, Greycliff has provided the hermit you speak of with food and supplies. In exchange for our services and silence, the hermit helped us find the best places on the mountain to mine stones from. We were told that there would come a day when three visitors, like yourselves, would appear here. On that day, we were to break our vow of silence and expose the truth about the hermit.”
Images from Cassie’s dream flicked in her mind as her eyes focused on the dwarf, “Is that all, or is there more?” she asked.
“Oh,” he said between puffs, “there is more. She was young when she came to us, seeking asylum, but by now I am sure she is either very, very old or dead. We have not been up to see her in a few weeks. Usually she sends a signal to us, when she is ready for a shipment of goods. For years we have kept to this system, sending the same packages every time we see the signal.”
“We feared the worst when we did not see anything appear in the sky. And we had all forgotten what she said about you three. Until today, when you arrived in my office.”
“So what now,” Hazel said.
Nalut took another puff from his pipe, “Now I make arrangements for your ascent into the mountains. It will take us the rest of the day for Thoring to prepare the gondola for winter travel. While it is early in the season, snow falls on the caps early. I also need time to draft up a map for you to follow to her cave. The path is covered with snow and if you do not have coordinates and a compass to guide you, you will get lost and starve to death.”
Cassie listened intensely. They had come so far and she was not about to get lost because she did not listen to what the dwarf said to them.
Hazel said, “I will help you with the map, then. That way I can best guide us up the mountain to the hermit.”
Nalut shrugged, “As you wish.” He turned to Cassie and Stick, “It may be best for you ladies to stay inside. The boys ain’t used to seeing flesh so young and tender. And without protection, sometimes their carnal desires override the smarts inside their mind. You can stay here, if you like. The shelves are filled with books, many with pictures. Or you can nap in the chairs. Whatever you like.”
Cassie turned to Stick, their eyes silently communicating agreement with the dwarf, “Thank you. We shall stay here. If we can help out in any way, please let us know.”
The dwarf hopped off the chair, “There will not be any need. The boys know their jobs.” And with that, he left the room Hazel trailing behind him.
Stick leaned against a floor-pillow and closed her eyes. Cassie grabbed a book off the shelf and started flipping through the pages. Even though she was not able to read the language it was written in, she made up her own stories to match the sketches. A small pile of books grew besides her chair marking the passage of time. Hazel appeared through the door later.
“I brought some lunch for you guys,” he said, pulling his pack from his shoulder. He pulled out two sandwiches wrapped in brown paper and handed one to Cassie and broke the other in half, offering the smaller portion to a sleepy-eyed Stick. “From what Nalut says, the hermit’s cave is not very far from the end of the gondola’s line. We may be able to get there by…”
Hazel was not able to finish his sentence. He coughed, his chest heaving.
“Hazel, what is wrong,” Cassie said her face growing pale. Stick stared at her companion.
“It’s nothing, just a small cough from all the smoke. Don’t worry, I am fine.”
After lunch, Nalut gathered them back into his office. An icepick, a tent, some rope, a bronze compass, and the map sat on his desk. “These are for you. You may not need all these things, but tis better to be safe than sorry.” He unrolled the map and describing the location of the hermit’s cave. As he described each area in detail, he pointed to their corresponding coordinates.
“Thoring says the gondola is ready for you now. That is, if you want to leave now. It makes no difference to me, as long as my boys stay on schedule. We have ore and stone to mind. Nothing personal, just business, you understand.”
They nodded. Nalut escorted them to the base of the gondola. A large cable, woven from metal, had been wrapped around trees and gears. The cable ran into a wooden house and out the other side. Cassie concluded that the house stored whatever powered the gondola up and down the cable. She looked up the mountain side, following the path of the cable. The gondola traveled high above many jagged cliffs and rocky outcroppings. Her eyes strained to see the end of the line, but it was obscured by clouds and altitude.
The gondola was also made of metal. It reminded Cassie of a Volkswagen bus without the wheels. It had been painted green but age wore flakes of paint off the side, exposing dull, grey metal underneath. Another dwarf, slightly taller than Nalut and younger, slid back the door to the gondola. He wore heavy boots and pants as well as a warm winter parka.
“Thoring, these are our guests,” Nalut said. “Please escort them safely to the top of the mountain.”
Thoring nodded, “After you, madam.” And then he helped Cassie into the gondola. Hazel followed her, Stick perched once again on his shoulder. Thoring closed the heavy door and slid a bolt into place behind him. He walked passed them and stood in front of a box that had a button and two knobs coming from it.
“Okay everyone,” Thoring announced, his voice gruff but friendly, “Hold on tight to one of those poles cos we’re taking off.”
He pushed the button and pushed one of the knobs forward. The gondola leapt to life with a jolt that pushed its passengers forward as the cable started to move. The ground gave way beneath them, they were airborne.
The view from the gondola was incredible. A metal bar ran around the whole inside just under the windows. Stick hopped and ran around the bar, amazed at the lushness of the world below her. She had never been this high off the ground before, having sat only various friend’s shoulders in trees.
“Lookie me! I am flying! I am really flying.” Everyone smiled at her excitement.
While Thoring stayed at the gondola’s helm, he spoke to them, acting as a tour guide for their journey. “It takes about 30 minutes for the gondola to traverse to the top of the peak. When they first installed it, they figured that the gondola takes us 4,000 feet vertically up from Greycliff. Basically it goes halfway up the side of this mountain.”
Pressing their heads against the glass windows, they thought it was hard to believe that in 30 minutes they could be halfway up the mountainside already. Jagged rocks and long pointy bits of mountain zigzagged beneath the gondola’s path. They saw the mountains freezing point, where green trees met the white crust of dry snow. Ahead of them, high above a plateau, they could see the timberline where trees did not grow anymore. Occasionally holes, blasted by the dwarves for entrances into mine shafts, could be seen. Thoring told them that the gondola did not travel that high, the snow and wind harsh to the cable and gear system.
“Those jagged rocks and cliffs made our early attempts at scaling this mountain treacherous. We thought that any hope of excavating minerals from this rich sound impossible. Which was unfortunate because the veins at the top of the peaks here yield the best crops,” Thoring said. “We got lucky when the hermit came to us with an offer we couldn’t refuse. The things she said she could help us build and do to increase productivity and sales were outta this world.”
He then recounted how the hermit had helped them, in exchange for dwarven supplies delivery. Thoring also told them how it was a small team of dwarves who cut deep into the side of a hill she selected to construct her cavern. The cave, he said, overlooked the valley towards the Obelisk and Stonehaven. Trees surrounded it but the land around it was flat and rich in soil so she could grow a small garden of crops. The cave, it seemed, never attracted predatory animals because no one saw any around the cave or any of their mining shafts.
Staring at Thoring, Cassie believed that the dwarves saw this hermit as their good luck charm. So long as they kept up their end of the deal, no harm could ever befall them. The windows started to fog with their warm breath as the temperature dropped. Hazel and Cassie opened their packs, pulled out the parkas and pulled them on.
“Cassie look,” Stick cried out. The faerie pointed to the window. Outside off to the left, was a long and wide cascade of frozen water. A waterfall, frozen in time, awaiting the warmth of the warm season to set it free. It glistened and sparkled as the sun’s rays bounced off it. They all agreed that it was the best thing they had seen all day. Even Thoring bowed his head in appreciation for the natural splendor.
Five minutes after seeing the waterfall, the gondola touched solid ground again. Thoring pressed the button on the console and the gondola’s mechanic heartbeat sputtered into silence. Cassie hugged the little man, thanking him for taking them up the mountainside. Hazel pulled out the map and hung the compass around his neck.
Thoring gave them one last piece of advice, “Keeping the sun amd moon to your back will always lead you North. You’d do well to remember this if find yourself lost.” He then showed them where the start of the path was and bid them farewell.
The gondola groaned to life behind them and moved backwards down the cable. They were alone.
Hazel coughed again deep from within his chest. He twisted the dial on his compass, “Well, are we ready?”
Cassie gulped in the cold air, hoping that it caused the cough within his chest, “I guess I am as ready as I can ever be. Do you want me to read the coordinates?”
Hazel handed her the map and they started hiking through the snow. Surprisingly, their boots held up well to the snow, keeping their feet both warm and dry. They slowly made their way up the side of the mountain, being careful to stay away from signs of soft snow and deep drifts. The wind, for now, stayed calm.
Cassie called out coordinates as they ticked off their progress on the map with a quill. Hazel thought they were making good progress and could be at the hermit’s cave before nightfall. This would have been true, if they had not stumbled across a bridge.
“Uh, that’s not on the map, Hazel,” Cassie said staring at a suspension bridge that crossed a wide divide. Years of snow and avalanches washed a deep trench in the side of the mountain and someone, probably the dwarves, had build the bridge to continue providing passage to the hermit’s place and any mining shafts nearby. Puzzled, they doubled checked the map and retracted their route. But the map only confirmed that they were, indeed, standing right where they were supposed to go. And the bridge was along that path.
“I guess we gotta cross it,” said Hazel. They stepped towards the wooden planks creating the floor of the bridge.
A puff of smoke greeted them, exposing a tall, slim shape.
“A troll,” gasped Stick.
“This is a troll?” Cassie thought. It looked nothing like the trolls the Brothers Grimm created in their stories. The troll appeared to be a cross between a reptile and a goat. His body was scaly on top, two grey horns growing from his head. Long, woolly hair covered his legs down to cloven feet. The troll’s nostrils flared open as it breathed.
“I suppose you want to cross,” it said plainly.
“Naw. We thought we’d build a summer home here,” Cassie retorted. “Of course we want to cross.”
“Don’t be snide to me girl. I could just eat you three right here, save you the trouble of freezing to death.”
Cassie clenched her teeth but kept her mouth closed. Hazel pushed her behind him and said, “So what is the toll? And I’ll bet that you do not care that we are on official business from the Obelisk?”
The troll nodded, “I know nothing of this Obelisk you speak of. The toll, is simple however. I’ll pose a riddle to you, and if you answer it, you may safely pass. If you are wrong, you become my dinner. Sound fair?”
Hazel knew it wasn’t a fair deal but they had no other choice. Cassie and Stick nodded for him to continue.
“Very well. Listen carefully for I will not repeat the words,” the troll said. “Here is your riddle:
I never was, am always to be,
No one ever saw me, nor ever will
And yet I am the confidence of all
To live and breathe on this terrestrial ball.
What am I?”
Cassie repeated the riddle again silently to herself. The troll leaned against a support beam, anchoring one of the bridge’s ropes. He stared at his long claws, preening them. “Feel free to talk amongst yourselves. Oh, and take all the time you need, I’m not going anywhere.”
They walked away from the troll, where they could think free from his remarks. Standing face to face they tossed ideas back and forth.
“I do not think it is a physical object,” Stick suggested. “How can it be if it never had form in the first place.”
“Good point,” Cassie said.
“Could it be a word?” Hazel suggested.
“I don’t think so,” Cassie said. “People don’t live to speak or write. At least not where I come from. Of course, I am an exception to that rule.” She smiled.
Back and forth they went, tossing ideas out and rejecting them.
Stick solved the riddle, “I know what it is,” she said, “It’s tomorrow. Tomorrow never is and yet it is always there. We don’t see it cos it’s not happened yet.”
“And in my world,” Cassie added, “We all live for it.”
“So we’re agreed then,” Hazel said looking at each of them. They nodded and held their breathes.
The troll stood upright as they walked towards it again, “Have you decided then?”
Hazel said, “We believe we have the solution to your riddle troll.”
“Let’s hear it then. But remember, if you are wrong. You become my dinner.”
“The answer is tomorrow,” Hazel boldly said, crossing his arms over his chest. Another cough rose from his chest. Cassie started to worry.
The troll frowned and then let out a howl. “You bested me. You have answered correctly.” It bowed as it stepped aside, granting them safe passage. Hazel and Cassie stepped on the bridge and watched the troll disappear back to wherever it came from.
The bridge wobbled under their weight but held strong. Hazel reminded Cassie not to look down, and although she did once, she kept her mind and eyes busy by counting numbers. By the time she got to 29, they were safely on the other side.
“From what I can tell, we have about 2 more hours of sunlight left. That troll ate a good portion of our day. But I think if we keep moving we can still make it to the cave before it gets really cold,” Hazel said, watching where his shadow landed on the ground.
They pushed onward, following the compass’s needle. Every time Hazel coughed, Cassie added another tally in her head, they were coming harder and more frequently. If he did not get inside soon, he was going to get sicker. Sweat beaded his forehead and whenever Stick and Cassie asked him if he needed to rest, and have some water, he politely refused. He was determined to make it to the cave that night.
The afternoon passed and the sun descended lower to the horizon. Cassie looked at the map, “We’re almost there Hazel. You were right. We’ve got like one more length of my finger, however long that is in feet, to go.”
He smiled at her joke but didn’t laugh. Cassie knew at that moment that he was not well. He always laughed at her jokes, even the ones she thought were really gay.
She moved up next to him and allowed Stick to sit on her shoulder, hoping that the loss of some weight would help him. He had buttoned and tied his parka around his body tightly. It was cold out but not cold enough for that yet.
The sun set, tainting the sky in a bright array of reds and oranges and yellows. The sky cleared and the stars shone high above them. Cassie scanned the horizon for signs of a cave, or footprints. There were none. Doubts that they had been tricked and misled filled her head.
“How could you have been so naieve, and trusting,” she thought angrily to herself. “I mean to take the words of a story, some book, and get you and your best friends lost on some cold, snowy mountaintop was stupid. If you ever get off this rock, I hope you think twice before believing in such tales.” She paused. “But if I did not believe so strongly in the tales, I would have never thought to see faeries and gotten to know Hazel or Stick,” the logical side of her mind retorted.
Cassie swung her eyes from the ground level with the horizon. A faint light, cutting a path of white between the shadows, flickered. Firelight. It had to be. Just beyond the path a wall of white rose from the ground. They found it. Right where the map said it was.
“Hazel, do you see it,” she said, holding onto his hand. It felt warmer than normal, and was moist. He had a fever.
Hazel nodded, “Yeah. I see it. We did it. We” and then his body shuddered with more coughing.
Stick whispered, “I have some root and bark that I can make into a stew to ease his fever. But we gotta get him inside first.”
