Light in the Barren Lands: Travail of The Dark Mage Book One (21 page)

Chapter Twelve

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Flying down the road as fast as he dared, he knew where they had to go. The words of so long ago kept coming back.

…beacon in the night…

…focal point…

…love this place…

It might have been a long shot to hope that Igor, or one of his peers, if found at Disneyland, would be accommodating and sympathetic to their situation; but it was all they had to go on. A long shot was better than nothing at all.

“Igor once said that Disneyland was a focal point,” James explained for the third time. In his excitement, he kept going over it both in his mind, and verbally. “He said that the people here on Earth are constantly directing good thoughts toward it. I wonder if magic could somehow be directed toward it as well?” A moment of silence then… “It’s possible. Maybe the reason that I can’t do magic is because on Earth, magic is confined to certain areas?” Shaking his head he argued, “No, that’s stupid. There must be another explanation.”

“Didn’t you once tell me that Igor claimed that the Star of Morcyth and the Fire were focal points?” queried Jiron.

James nodded. “Yes, he did.”

“So that might mean that Disneyland could work the same as the Star or Fire.”

“I seriously doubt it,” countered James. “For one thing, the Star and Fire are focal points for gods. Kind of like Morcyth’s and Dmon-Li’s presence in the world.”

“Still,” continued Jiron, “he did use the same term for each.”

“More than likely that was out of convenience for my understanding than any serious corollary between them.”

The car raced along the old road, at times James had to swerve in order to avoid the many warpages in the pavement. Such discussions were getting them nowhere. All he knew was that there was a possibility a way could be found in southern California to get them home.

The old road eventually hooked up with another, better maintained one. After a short distance, they came to a crossroads that boasted a gas station and a fashionable restaurant known as
Eats
. As it turned out, the restaurant was closed and had been for some time.

With the fuel gauge hovering at just under half a tank, James pulled in and filled up. While there, he inquired about the best way to get to a main highway leading south. After the clerk gave the same convoluted directions for the third time, he opted to buy a Nevada roadmap. Once the clerk pinpointed their location, he was in business.

“We’re not far from 305,” James explained to Jiron after returning to the car. Starting the ignition, he opened the map. “Once on the 305, we follow it south.” Moving his finger he followed 305, then upon reaching Highway 50, jogged east a bit to the 376 where he started following it south until coming to Highway 95. From there, it was a straight shot all the way to Vegas. “After Vegas it’s just a hop, skip, and a jump to L.A.”

“It looks far,” commented Jiron.

James nodded. “Eight or ten hours I would guess,” he predicted. Then he gazed at the mountainous terrain they would be driving through. “Maybe longer.” Putting the car into gear, he pulled away from the station and headed east. A half hour later they came to the 305.

It was a winding, hilly couple hours before they reached the city limits of Austin, a small town on the crossroads of the 305 and Hwy 50. Fifteen minutes east of Austin they turned onto the 376 and continued south.

James was quite content to be taking this route. There wasn’t much traffic and small towns were spaced periodically along the way. At one that had once been an old mining town, a low fuel gauge prompted him to make another stop. Ten minutes and a short restroom break later, they were back on the road.

The afternoon slowly made its way to evening as they began leaving the more rugged terrain and entered an area of cactus and yucca plants. Sand became more prevalent as they passed through the Nevada Desert.

“Thank goodness it’s not summer,” James commented at one point. “My grandparents took me through here in August once. The heat about boiled my brains.”

“Worse than what we encountered down in the Empire?”

“It sure felt like it.”

“Uncle James,” Jira said from the back seat. “I’m tired of being in this car.”

“I know, Jira,” James replied. “But we still have a ways to go.”

Jiron glanced to his friend. “She never liked being cooped up in tight places.”

“I understand that,” agreed James. Glancing into the rearview mirror, he gave her a grin. “Nowhere to stop anyway.”

“I’m hungry,” she complained.

“Already? We ate a big meal not too long ago,” James said.

“How about some ice cream?” she asked hopefully.

“Hmmm, alright,” he replied, “if I see a place.” Her eyes lit up at the prospect of ice cream and she grew contented once more. James glanced sidelong at Jiron and winked.

As it turned out, not long afterward a sign promoting homemade ice cream ten miles ahead came into view. He didn’t need to say anything for two large ice cream cones were prominently displayed on either side of the billboard. He glanced in the rearview mirror at Jira and asked, “Alright?”

“Yes!”

The promised ice cream emporium was one of only a handful of buildings grouped together, each offering something for the traveler. There was even a motel, but after their last experience, James gave it little thought.

Not much more than a walk-up stand attached to the side of a larger café, the sliding window through which one placed an order held a sign saying they were “
OPEN”.
Two trees spread their boughs over three picnic tables in a small park less than twenty feet away. A good place for travelers weary of being cooped up in their cars to take their ease.

Buying Jira and himself each a double scoop chocolate cone, he went over to the nearest table and sat. Jiron decided to abstain and accompanied him while Jira made a circuit of the collection of yucca plants growing nearby.

“Don’t’ wander off too far,” cautioned her father.

Jira turned toward him and nodded. Already there was a smear of chocolate along her upper lip which would only grow as the ice cream was consumed.

“I’ve been thinking,” began James. “When Igor said Disneyland was a focal point, he must have been referring to positive, or good energy.”

“Like what one would get from a
‘good’
god?”

“Something like that,” agreed James. “If it had been a magical focal point, then all beings, not just those predisposed toward good, would be attracted to it.”

“So…you think this place will not be a great repository of magic on your world?”

James shook his head. “Not a great one, surely.” Then he grinned. “There
is
another name by which Disneyland is known.”

“Oh?”

“The Magic Kingdom.”

“Really?”

James nodded. “Though not as you would think of magic. It’s more along the lines of wonder and fun, an escape from the reality of planet, Earth.”

“Sounds interesting.” Keeping an eye on his daughter, Jiron saw that she stood motionless at the edge of the picnic area watching the antics of a wild jackrabbit moving from bush to bush. At times it would pause and stand erect, its ears twitching to and fro before continuing on.

“But that leads me to another dilemma,” James admitted. “Let’s assume for a moment that there is a being of power to be found in or around Disneyland. How would I recognize him? When Igor and I were there, no one thought him any different than any of the other workers there.” He let Jiron chew on that for a moment. “It isn’t like we could go up to people and ask if they are gods.”

Jiron chuckled. “No, that wouldn’t be advisable. Not even in my world.”

“I do still think that going there is the right course of action.”

“If you think it’s right,” replied Jiron, “then it probably is. Over the years I’ve grown to trust your judgment about such things.”

“Though what to do once we get there is still a mystery.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out in time.”

The jackrabbit had scampered off and Jira was returning to their table. Face now hardly recognizable beneath the coating of dried, and semi-dried, chocolate ice cream, she came over and proceeded to regale her father with the rabbit’s exploits.

James listened to her narrative and longed to once again hear his own son’s excited commentary about one thing or another. About to go down the road to depression and self-pity, he instead shook it off and announced that it was time to return to the car. As long as he stayed in motion and kept his mind busy with the task at hand, he could keep such destructive, and anti-productive thoughts at bay.

Once Jira’s face had been returned to normalcy and all were back in the car, they got underway. Another hour or so later they turned onto Hwy 95. From there it was a straight shot into Las Vegas.

Ah, Vegas. James had visited once before, but there was nothing like arriving by car after the sun went down. The glow seen from afar gradually revealed itself as a myriad of visual sights, each designed to entice and enthrall. Neon lights beckoned all to come and discover what this city in the desert had to offer.

Needless to say, Jiron and Jira were simply agog with what they saw. Nothing in their whole lives could have prepared them for what they encountered. At first, James had little trouble keeping his eyes on the road, but when he took them down the main drag, it was all he could do to keep his eyes on the road.

Next to the Mirage, Jira screamed in terror when the volcano went off. James had to quickly assure her that it was not a true volcano, that it was nothing more than a show put on for people’s amusement. Even Jiron had been taken aback by the sudden spouting of fire.

“This place is remarkable,” he said.

James nodded. “Some of this wasn’t even here the last time I came. Wonder what it will be like ten years from now?”

As awed as Jiron was of Vegas, there were still many elements that were familiar from cities of his world such as hawkers out spouting the virtues of their wares. Though he couldn’t understand the words spoken by men seeking to get people to visit the various casinos, he could recognize it for what it was. Such normality in this sea of unreality enabled him to relax.

Traffic along the Strip was incredibly slow, so after remaining in bumper to bumper traffic for three lights, James turned off onto a side street. He was wondering where they should go and how they would pay for it when they got there, when he saw a large sign in purple neon that gave him an idea.

“Do you have any coins on you?” he asked Jiron.

“A couple golds and a half dozen lesser.” Taking out his coin pouch, Jiron looked inside. “Two golds, six silver, four copper and five gems.”

“Gems?”

“Yes. We stopped off at the cave beneath Dragon’s Pass on the way to Cardri,” Jiron explained. “Figured since we were in the area…”

“Perfect,” James said, cutting him off.

James applied the brake and slowed the car down as he pulled into the parking lot before a building bearing the purple neon sign denoting “PAWN SHOP”. Beneath the sign was another, smaller one signifying they were open twenty-four hours.

Once he had the car parked and engine turned off, he held out his hand. “Give me the gems,” he said, then explained about what he planned to do.

“Sure,” Jiron replied as he handed over the gems. “Think we’ll get much?”

“Hope so.” Before he left the car he said, “Stay inside and keep the doors locked.” Then with that, he left the car and headed for the heavily barred entrance. A bell rang as the door swung open causing a man behind the counter to look up.

Shelves full of diverse electronic equipment, band instruments, and even a score of trophies lined the walls. Other, free standing shelves full of cd’s, dvd’s, and other such items made the shop feel cluttered.

James passed by one such free standing shelf that held a hundred or more cd’s on his way to the counter.

“Can I help you?” the man asked. Putting down the newspaper he had been reading, he gave James his full attention.

“Uh, yeah,” James replied. “Maybe you can.” Coming to the counter, he set one of the gems before the man. The rest were kept out of sight in his pocket where they would remain until needed. “What can I get for this?”

Gazing down at an uncut ruby the size of his thumb, the man asked, “Where did you get that?”

“Oh, a friend of mine dug it up,” James explained nonchalantly. “We’ve recently fallen on hard times and…”

“Lost everything at the casino did you?”

“Let’s just say that we don’t even have enough money to get a room.”

The man nodded knowingly. It seemed like people in such circumstances often found their way into his shop, sometimes two a day. The casinos were a great boon to his line of work. Picking up the ruby, he used an eyepiece to peer into its inner qualities. After a moment, he set the ruby back down.

“Two hundred.”

“That’s it?” James questioned. He recognized the beginnings of haggling when he saw it, and the man before him would hardly quote a reasonable price at the onset. “Surely it’s worth at least a thousand.”

The man shook his head. “First of all, it isn’t even cut. Second, a ruby of this size wouldn’t be riding around in someone’s pocket, it would be at a gem cutters being prepared to be set in a necklace or some such.” James didn’t respond to the unspoken thought hanging in the air that the gem might have been stolen, or acquired in some other nefarious way, and after a few seconds of silence the man said, “Three fifty.”

James hated haggling. Miko could probably get this guy to pay a whole lot more than he ever could. “Six.”

“Four twenty five.”

“Five?”

“Four sixty.”

Four hundred and sixty dollars would last them for a while. “Done.”

The man smiled. Taking out a key, he opened a locked box beneath the counter and proceeded to count out the money; four-one hundred dollar bills and three twenties. “There you go.”