Icefall (Dane Maddock Adventures) (14 page)

“
What about the story of the Wise Men following the star? Any legends surrounding that, or is it taken at face value?
”
Dane was thinking about the compass-like stones.

“
The serious scholars have always tried to connect it to an astronomical event
–
a convergence of planets and stars. The legends have suggested that the star was actually a light the wise men carried that shone toward Bethlehem. Another story is that the star was a jewel that pointed the way.
”

“
Like a compass stone?
”
Angel asked.

“
Very much so.
”
Adler nodded.
“
You did ask for the most far-fetched stories. Those hold that the star was taken away from Bethlehem and hidden away. One story claims that the star is hidden in a cavern deep below the Arabian
Desert
and can be identified by the smoke that pours up from the ground. The local version, of course, places the star in a cavern in the mountains.
”

“
In my research, I uncovered a riddle that I believe is connected to the Cult of the
Magi
.
”
Jade looked uncertain, probably hoping he would not ask where she found the riddle. Dane wasn
’
t worried. Jade was good at thinking on her feet.
“
Can you think of any place this might be referring to? It would be a place connected with the three hares or the
Magi
. Probably both.
”
She recited a passage from their clue.
“
into the depths of the well. The kings point the way to the falling ice...
”

Adler stiffened.
“
Are you perhaps playing a joke on me?
”

“
Not at all.
”
Jade
’
s voice was soft and reassuring.
“
I take it this means something to you.
”

Adler
’
s eyes bored into hers and she looked him in the eye. He stared at her for the span of five heartbeats before appearing to make his mind up about something.

“
Forgive me. The words were unexpected.
”
He swiveled around and plucked a book off the shelf. Its cover was worn with age, but Dane could read the title stamped on the cover in faded gold letters.

Drekonhas
.

“
My home,
”
Adler explained.
“
Its coat of arms is a triskelion
–
  three connected legs. This was not always the case. Historically, the coat of arms was the three hares.
”
It was as if a veil of sadness was suddenly drawn across his face.
“
The Nazis changed that when they came to power. The swastika became the new symbol until after the war.
”

“
Why didn
’
t they go back to the three hares?
”
Bones asked.

Adler took a deep breath.
“
My village is deep in the mountains. Even today they are a superstitious lot and undercurrents of paganism run strong among its people. The leaders viewed a return to three hares symbol as a return to the backward ways of the old world. The current symbol is more... common.
”
He looked up at them and his face brightened.
“
I see a connection to your riddle for a few reasons. There is an ancient stone engraved with the three hares. It now stands beside the town hall but, prior to the rise of the Nazis, it was part of the old village well, and had been for centuries.
”
He leaned forward and his voice fell, as if what he was about to tell them was a secret.

“
As I told you earlier,
Magi
lore is strong in my village. The name, Drekonhas, contains parts of three words: Dreis, konig, hasen. The three king hares.
”
He swallowed hard.
“
Also, there is the eisbruch.
”

“
I
’
m sorry?
”
Jade frowned.

“
Icefall.
”
Adler explained.

“
An icefall is almost like a waterfall of ice,
”
Dane explained.
“
They don
’
t move like water, but they move faster than a glacier. They can be climbed, but they form crevasses and are filled with fractures, making them potentially deadly for climbers.
”

“
Exactly.
”
Adler nodded.
“
Drekonhas is nestled in the mountains near Sternspitze
–
one of the tallest peaks in Germany. Below and all around it is karst.
”
He looked up at the ceiling and tapped his cheek with his forefinger.
“
How would you say it? Soft stone... no...
”
He shook his head.
“
It is filled with caves. You know limestone caves?
”
They all nodded.
“
Legend tells us that a cave beneath Sternspitze is the final resting place of the
Magi
’
s secret, and the
path
that leads there
lies beneath the icefall.
”

“
Has anyone tried to find it?
”
Dane
’
s heart was pounding. The idea of climbing an icefall was as exciting as it was foolish. One look at Bones told him his friend was as eager to climb as Dane was.

“
A few. All have failed. Some have
lost their lives on the icefall. O
thers returned having found nothing remarkable. Others still have sought a way in through some of the caves in the karst, but that has proved deadlier.
”
He grimaced.
“
The caves go on forever, they say. They are like a warren, which is fitting, I suppose. In some places the way grows too narrow to pass. In others, the ceiling or floor is weak and will give way under pressure. So many have failed to return th
at few venture there at all any
more, and those who do restrict themselves to the outermost passages.
”
He lapsed into a brooding silence.

“
I get the feeling there
’
s more to the story,
”
Jade said.

“
Only more foolishness.
”
Adler barked a laugh and turned to stare out the window.
“
It is said the caves are guarded by Krampus.
”

“
The Christmas guy?
”
Jade laughed. She saw the puzzled expressions on the others
’
faces.
“
According to Alpine tradition, Krampus is a partner to Saint Nicholas. Saint Nick rewards the good children while Krampus warns or punishes the bad.
”

“
The Anti-Santa?
”
Angel laughed.
“
What is he? A fat dude in black suit? Deliverer of coal and fruitcake?
”

“
No, he
’
s a hairy, horned man...
”
Jade fell silent, her face ashen.

“
Are you all right?
”
Adler reached out and took her hand.
“
It must be the heat in here. Open a window, young man.
”
He nodded at Bones and inclined his head toward the window.

Dane felt poleaxed. None of the earlier revelations had been much of a surprise, but having seen the horned skulls with his own eyes, he knew Adler
’
s story hel
d a kernel of truth.

“
Do you believe in, like, the Yeti and stuff?
”
Bones asked,  h
is awkward question an attempt to jump-start the stalled conversation.

“
I do not know.
”
Adler shrugged.
“
But, though I would not admit it to most people, I believe in Krampus for one very good reason.
”

“
What is that?
”
Dane
’
s heart was hammering his ribs like a blacksmith at the forge.

“
I saw him.
”
Adler paused as if waiting for them to scoff. When they remained silent, he went on.
“
When I was a young man, young enough to believe in the impossible, but old enough to be a skeptic, I ventured deep into the caves below Sternspitze.
The way was perilous. With every step you are in danger of the very rock falling out from under you, or the ceiling coming down on your head.
I could have died, but something made me turn back.
”
He paled and his voice grew suddenly hoarse.
“
Something peered around a corner and looked at me just as I am looking at you. A hairy man with horns.
”

“
Could you have been mistaken?
”
Angel asked. She seemed to be searching for a reason not to believe the skulls came f
rom actual, living
creatures.
“
A shadow on an oddly-shaped rock or something?
”

“
Does a rock have glowing eyes that reflect a flashlight beam? I know what I saw, and I have never gone back.
”
Adler
’
s gaze turned flinty, and his countenance grew cold.
“
I fear that is all I can tell you. I hope you will exercise caution if you investigate the subject any further.
”

They thanked him for his help, and he assured them it was no problem. He spared a minute to print out a copy of his paper on the
Magi
cult and then saw them out.

Dane could not stop thinking about the mountain, the icefall, and the mysterious caves below.
“
Professor Adler, does Sternspitze have a meaning?
”

Adler gave him a wry smile.
“
As a matter of fact it does. It means Starspike.
”

Ubel Karsch heard footsteps on the other side of the door. He hurried across the hall, slipped inside his office, and peered out through the small window set in his door. He watched as Adler saw his visitors out, and what a group they were: two men, one of them the biggest American Indian he had ever seen, the other a blond man whose serene face stood at odds with the danger he exuded with every step. Both of them had a military bearing about them, though the big Indian tried to hide it with his ridiculous motorcycle jacket and juvenile t-shirt. The women were unusual too
–
one American Indian and one Asian.

It was not the strange visitors he cared about, though. It was the story Adler had told them. In the seven years they had worked together, Ubel had probed him on many occasions
for storie
s about the
Magi
, and the old fool had never told him the legends surrounding his own home town.

He grimace
d
.
How would his news be received?
Would he be praised for finally ferreting out this new information, or would he be treated as a failure for having taken so long to uncover it? It made no difference. There was nothing he could do now except make the call and hope for the best.

He looked up and down the hallway, making certain no one was about. He turned on the radio and turned it toward the door.
“
We Three Kings
”
wafted from the speakers. Fitting.

Heart pounding and throat tight, he punched up the number. When someone picked up on the other end, he spoke the two words that would gain him immediate access to his Elder.

“
Heilig
Her
r
schaft
.
”

Drek
on
h
as
was the epitome of the classic Alpine village. Nestled amongst the snow-capped mountains, the place made Dane feel like he
’
d been sent back in time. The morning sun set everything aglow. Except for the occasional vehicle they passed, the scene was like something out of a
picture book
.