Cloak (YA Fantasy) (17 page)

“Very funny.” He hoped Rizz was kidding.

16

The Tour

“A
nd to your left, you’ll see the first habitat chamber constructed inside the mountain. It was known as the Hall of Schwarzwald, which is German for blaaack forest,” bleated Judy, the sheep-woman tour guide. She pointed toward a cavern full of dense pine that looked like something out of a dark fairytale. “If you look at the roof of the chamber, you can see some of the original paint the settlers used to create the illusion of sky. Today, St. Grimm’s chambers are capped with translucent crystal that allows sunlight to penetrate the mountain.”

A battery of flashes lit the ceiling as spinal-horned tourists snapped shots of the faded blue patch of paint. Will and Rizz stayed back to avoid being blinded by the cameras. So far the visiting group of gazelle enchants had taken pictures of everything; the entrance, the tour guide, the lobby, each other.

The constant strobe of flashes made little stars dance in front of Will’s eyes, but at least the focus wasn’t on his gerbil smell.

“You’ll notice that the first inhabitants of the mountain lived in rather modest accommodations. The room to your left was the size of a typical family dwelling.” Judy showed a sappy smile and walked backward down the corridor. “We’re walking. We’re walking.”

Bulbs flashed as Will and Rizz crouched to peer into the hole. Mannequins of ten squirrel enchants in historic clothing were packed shoulder to shoulder in the tiny domed room.

“Cozy,” smirked Rizz.

Judy led the tour into a broad circular corridor that stretched in either direction like an underground racetrack. From one direction, a scalding wave of heat hit the group. From the other side, a biting cold wind slammed into them. The guide stepped next to a large stone block full of holes and surrounded by shackles. The extreme temperatures on both sides of his body made Will want to spin so that he didn’t freeze one half and fry the other. Many in the group began to spin and become agitated.

“You have now entered the inner circle, a half mile ring that surrounds the core of the mountain. The settlers chose this location because of the mountain’s Yellowstone-like thermal anomalies. As you can see, the temperatures can be dramatically different. The spot where we now stand is known as the ‘Dizzy Zone,’ since there is a natural tendency to spin in order to keep an equal temperature.”

Judy rested her fuzzy hand on the stone block. “Early settlers called this the Justice Rock. It was used as punishment, holding a prisoner in place and letting the heat and cold attack from both sides. It would cause heatstroke and frostbite at the same time.” She flashed a smile. “A pretty good deterrent for petty crimes, don’t you think?”

A nervous laugh tittered through the group. Cameras flashed. The spindle-horned tourists posed with their heads through the holes in the Justice Rock.

“Moving on. The heat and humidity in the tropical chambers were all created naturally using geysers and hot vents, while the frigid environments use the mountain’s natural insulation to contain the cold of glaciers harvested each winter from the mountain’s peak. That’s what gives the Silent Sanctuary the ability to duplicate any environment on earth.” The guide walked backward, leading the group toward the warmer side of the circle.

“Excuse me?” Will poked his hand in the air.

“Yes, a question?”

“What’s the Silent Sanctuary?”

The entire group skidded to a halt and spun on Will like he had just asked why the world was flat. The tour guide’s smile faltered for a split second.

“He’s from out of town,” Rizz apologized.

Judy blinked twice and pasted a smile back on her face. “Well, as we
all
learned in school, Silent Sanctuary is the original name of St. Grimm’s before it became a hospital. Does anyone know why it was called the Silent Sanctuary?”

A plump little girl with pink ribbons tied around her donkey ears raised her hand. “Because no sound ever escapes the mountain.” She flashed a know-it-all smile at Will.

“That is a true fact, but it is also a common misconception about its name. Silent Sanctuary actually came from the way it was constructed, by thousands of ant enchants working in
total silence.
Even though their insect DNA gave the ant enchants incredible strength and savant-like mastery of engineering, it also robbed them of their ability to speak. Without a single word or sound, it only took a year for the mute workers to hollow out the mountain, dig the subterranean caverns, and engineer the dams and waterways that make up St. Grimm’s. They improved on the greatest architecture of the Nep and animal worlds. The result was the perfect balance—architectural harmony.” Judy motioned to the intricate columns and arches that lined the walls of the inner circle.

“Ants built St. Grimm’s?” asked the little girl.

“Yes, ants,” replied the tour guide. “But you would know them by another name—the Builders.”

Everyone flinched and looked at the ceiling.

“Don’t worry. You won’t see any Builders here today. Their movements inside St. Grimm’s have been restricted for several years. They are not allowed to have any contact with enchants by decree of the Council of Wik. Trust me, you are perfectly safe.” The tour guide patted the donkey-girl’s hair.

Will raised his hand again. “So this whole mountain is like a giant anthill?”

This time the guide didn’t hide her annoyance. “No, it is most certainly not like an anthill. The Builders’ designs are ingenious. Interconnecting tunnels follow the grain of the mountain. They become lined with arched windows when the hallways get close to the surface. The workmanship is impeccable, and everything has its place.”

“Kind of like an anthill,” muttered Will.

The sheep enchant guide pretended not to have heard the comment and put on a smile that looked painful. “Moving on. We’re walking, we’re walking.”

The tour went on for another hour, taking the herd of tourists past fifteen more habitat chambers around the inner circle. There was a Serengeti chamber where a group of giraffe-women in sweat suits were jogging around a watering hole while a doctor monitored their heart rates. In the Mojave cavern, a bandaged jackrabbit enchant in shades and an IV bag was sunning himself on a rock. And in a Galapagos Island recreation spa, a family of iguana enchants were helping a nurse lower their son into a bubbling mud pot.

“As you can see, these chambers are still in use, but today they help heal patients in a more comfortable setting. Now if you’ll follow me to the Gathering Hall, we’ll see the largest dome ever carved from solid stone.” Judy stopped in front of a towering door made of weathered wood and held together by iron bands. It was like the door of an old Spanish mission, but much larger.

There was a faint sound of banging and sawing behind the door. Judy reached up and lifted the giant latch. As large as it was, the door moved at her touch. The noises behind it ceased.

“Welcome to the Gathering Hall.”

Cameras again went wild, capturing a colossal stone dome as it curved skyward. Immense columns held up rows of balconies that lined the inside of the dome like Saturn’s rings. In the center of the expanse, a circular platform rose from the floor. Above it, hundreds of glowing globes hung from the ceiling, lighting the dome.

“Three hundred and seventy-six thousand,” announced Judy, her voice echoing off the walls. “That’s how many enchants the Gathering Hall can hold. Give or take a few thousand.”

Will had never imagined so many seats in his life. It was like an ocean of red velvet sweeping upward until it disappeared under one balcony after another. Opera boxes had been carved in the stone columns. There was scaffolding above the highest balcony where another section of seats was being constructed.

“You’ll have to excuse the mess.” Judy motioned to the partially finished seats. “We are getting ready for the Bicentennial Sanctuary Day celebration in two weeks. May 6th will commemorate the 200
^th
anniversary of the first settlers arriving at the Silent Sanctuary. It should be quite the celebration. The entire mountain will be open to the public for two days. If you don’t have your Gathering Hall tickets already, I’m afraid it’s too late. As you can see, we’re expecting a record full-house. And now if you’ll kindly follow me, we’ll walk through the Hall to the museum.”

The group was guided down long sloping aisles and under balconies. They descended spiraling ramps, crossed a stone walkway, wound around the center platform, then hiked back up the other side of the Gathering Hall. Finally they made their way to a huge museum of historical displays tucked away behind a row of pillars.

Bizarre artifacts lined the glass cases. A Civil War uniform large enough for an elephant was displayed next to a set of silverware that could fit on Will’s thumb. There were old tools, weapons and furniture displayed everywhere.

Will moved to a giant model of St. Grimm’s mountain on a raised platform. “Cool.”

A cross section had been removed. Will could see how the tunnels and chambers intersected. It
did
look just like an anthill. He leaned closer. Tiny models of enchants were posed in various positions. A group of them were shown burrowing a new tunnel. They had six legs and black thoraxes like an ant, but their upper bodies were human-like, except for their heads, which were bald with little mandibles and antennae.

“Hey, Rizz,” he called.

“What’s up, kid?”

“Those little enchants right there.” He pointed to the miniatures. “Are those Builders?”

Rizz glanced sideways at Will. “Yeah, why?”

“Do you think I’ll get to see any for real?”

“Hold on there, kid. Why would you ever want to see a Builder? They are deadly killers. Enchant parents tell their kids to eat their veggies or the Builders will get them. When she was little Margarit used to wake up screaming because she thought there was a Builder under her bed. Every enchant is terrified of them, and you want to meet one?”

“I was just curious, that’s all.” He shrugged.

“Well, don’t be. Builders are bad news—trust me. Besides, like the guide said, they’re not allowed to have contact with the rest of us.”

“Why not?”

“Never you mind.” Rizz became serious and laid a hand on Will’s shoulder. “Kid, Builders are the most dangerous enchants on earth. You can never get near one. Never. Promise?”

“Okay,” he nodded, more curious than ever. Were they like ants, attracted to sugar or food left on the floor? There had to be a way to see one up close.

Will wandered over to a giant stone wheel mounted on the wall, carved with ornate symbols. A triangle surrounded a circle that contained four animals—a ram, an ant, a rabbit, and a fish. A spiraling stairway with a star connected them. Three other animals were in the points of the triangle—a tiger, an eagle, and a snake, each watching over the circle.

“Bet you don’t know what that is either.” The snotty donkey-girl had broken away from her mother to stand at Will’s side.

“Sure I do,” he said.

“Oh yeah? Then what’s it called?”

Will blushed. He had no idea.

“I can’t believe you’ve never seen the Point of Sanctuary before,” she mocked. “It’s like the symbol of enchant freedom for the whole world.”

“I knew that,” Will lied.

“Whatever.” The little donkey enchant pursed her lips. “I learned all this in first grade.” She walked up to the symbol and pointed. “The triangle is St. Grimm’s or the
Silent Sanctuary.
The animals are the original seven enchant colonies. Those three,” she pointed at the tiger, eagle, and snake, “were the mountain’s Guardians. And the four inside were the Peace Keepers, Builders, Growers, and Traders. And the star in the middle was for Immunes. But they’re all dead now. The Point of Sanctuary symbolizes enchant unity.”

“Well, aren’t you a smart one.” Rizz bent down and looked the girl in the face.

“I am the smartest in my class.” The girl puffed out her chest.

“That’s real nice.” Rizz leaned closer. “But I’d be careful. I hear that smart little girls are a Builder’s favorite snack. And St. Grimm’s is
full
of Builders.”

The girl’s eyes filled with fear. “Mommy!” she cried and ran toward a heavy-set donkey enchant in a pink muu-muu.

“Thanks,” said Will.

“Don’t worry about it,” he cracked his knuckles as they walked to another exhibit. “I used to be a bratty kid, so I know how to handle them.”

Will stifled a laugh.

“Oh no. Angry mom at ten o’clock.” Rizz motioned to the moo-moo clad donkey enchant marching his direction with her crying daughter in tow. “You’d better get scarce. I’ll handle it.”

Will nodded and hurried away, finding a place to hide in a dark nook behind a large display case of armor. He watched the donkey-woman approach Rizz, wagging a finger in his face. Rizz feigned innocence.

Will bit his lip to keep from making any noise. A breeze fluttered the back of his shirt, sending a chill up his spine. It was coming from a gap between the wall and the case that had been covered by a dusty tarp. Curious, he moved the fabric to one side. A dimly-lit chamber was lined with neglected exhibits and soiled paintings. Glancing back at Rizz, Will stepped in. A blanket of dust had turned everything gray.