The Map Maker's Quest (17 page)

Jacob rolled his eyes and gritted his teeth. “Drag me out of the way if he hits my legs.” Jacob gave them a lopsided grin and then charged forward with his shield held before him. He felt the first charge slam into his shield, but Jane was right, the pistol was weak. He was half way across the room when he risked glancing over the shield. Suddenly his eyes widened. Cain pulled a second pistol from behind the metal console and pointed it at him.

“This is gonna hurt,” Jacob muttered. He ducked his head just the dwarf fired both shots. The rounds struck his shield with the force of a sledge hammer, and he stumbled to the ground right in front of the console.

Jane had charged behind Jacob and fired around his shield twice, but the shots went wild since she was sprinting. When Jacob collapsed in a heap in front of her, she was exposed. She raised the repeater and squeezed the trigger. Amazingly Cain dropped both of his pistols and slammed his fist down on the controls in front of him.

Immediately a blast of energy sent both Jane and Jacob tumbling away. Flying Cloud was crouched behind a pillar with Bella and they were shielded from the initial blast. Bella risked looking around the corner and noticed that Jane was weakly trying to rise to her feet but she seemed disorientated. The console around Cain glowed brilliantly and seemed to be shielding him from the energy now rolling out over the room.

Flying Cloud looked around the other side of the pillar and looked at the machine. It resembled a giant dish at least ten paces across. Energy cracked and arced across the surface, and she saw that it was black and inky. It seemed like the device was tearing at the fabric of the Divide, destroying it.

“You can't stop me now!” Cain screamed from where he stood. “The Divide will fall, and both worlds will come back together. Destruction and chaos will spread across the world, and I will forge a new nation. Stronger and better then the last.”

Flying Cloud ignored what he was saying. She examined the dish where the energy was rolling out. She reached down and flipped the setting of her gun from stun to kill and then picked up a weapon from one of the unconscious guards and did the same. There was one more gun within reach, and she fished it over and set it to kill also.

“Bella, can you pull the trigger on this if I lean it against the pillar and aim it for you,” Flying Cloud asked the fairy.

“Yes,” Bella replied. She walked to where the gun was sitting and reached her tiny arms around the trigger. She would have to hug the handle in order to fire the gun but she knew she could do it.

“Ready?” Flying Cloud asked.

“Ready,” Bella responded.

“Fire,” Flying Cloud said. At almost the same time all three guns went off, and a line of arcing bolts of energy cut across the room and struck the dish. The result was quick and catastrophic.

“What are you doing!” Cain screamed. He grabbed his pistols and emptied the charges from both at the pillar.

Flying Cloud ignored the blasts that struck the pillar and stubbornly held her repeaters trained on the device. Wafts of smoke and showers of sparks flew in all directions. One of the pistol shots glanced off the pillar and struck her leg. Flying Cloud stumbled to the ground but held her aim and continued pulling the trigger until the repeaters were empty. The dish-shaped device sputtered for a moment, and then a great ball of black energy rolled out of it and rocketed up into the air, blasting away the ceiling and vaporizing the debris before it could fall.

With a final great tearing sound, the metal dish tore in half and fell to the ground while a fire erupted from the main part of the housing and a high-pitched whine began to build. Suddenly Jane and Jacob were at her side. They each looped an arm around her. Jacob scooped up Bella from where she had fallen, and they all limped out of the room and hurried towards the outer door. Behind them Cain shouted something. When Jane glanced back she saw a rain of chunks of stone falling into the room. One of them struck Cain in the head. He vanished as a great billowing explosion of fire and shredded metal erupted from the machine.

“Duck!” Jane screamed. They lurched through the outer doors and dove off the side of the steps and into the shelter of the corner stone of the outer gates. The earth shook as a second explosion rattled the ground, and then a massive hand closed down around them and formed a protective cup. Jane was knocked unconscious as she was thrown against the stone giant's hard hand and the darkness closed in around her.

 

Chapter Seventeen

Aftermath

J
ane awoke with a start and looked around. There was a bustle of activity, and suddenly Jacob's smiling face looked down at her.
“She's awake,” Jacob called. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a great hug. “How are you feeling?”

“Strange, sore, tired,” Jane blurted. She shrugged her shoulders and realized it hurt to move. “I feel like I'm one big bruise.”

“Same here,” Jacob admitted. “I actually went and jumped in Lake Superior to help take the soreness away.”

“Brr,” Jane laughed. “Got any Ibuprofen?”

“Hold on,” Jacob said. He walked to a small table and picked up a jar Tasker had given him. “This helped more than the swim in the lake.”

Jane took the jar from him and pulled the cap off. It stunk horribly, and she wrinkled her nose at the jar.

“Trust me,” Jacob said. “Rub it anywhere that hurts, and in ten minutes the pain goes away.” He turned and stepped out of the room. “I'll wait for you outside.”

Jane followed his instructions. To her wonder within ten minutes she was up and moving around. The horrible bruises on her arms and legs were fading to yellow already, and her muscles felt re-invigorated. When she had used most of the jar, she pulled her clothes back on and laced her shoes up. The room she was in was made of stone, and the walls were washed with white paint. When she emerged from the room, Jackie was standing by a window looking outside, and Carvin was standing next to her with his hand around her waist. Bella was perched on the edge of the window sill, and she squealed when Jane stepped from the door.

“Bella,” Jane said with a smile. She crossed to the fairy, picked her up, and gave her a great hug.

“My wing started to move today,” Bella exclaimed happily. “It's finally healing.”

“Awesome,” Jane said happily. “So how long was I out?”

“All night and about half of today,” Jacob said.

“What happened?” Jane pressed.

“I don't know,” Jacob said. “The castle collapsed on everything. Puck and Tasker are digging it out slowly with help from the dwarves and the stone giant. They'll have it opened up soon, and we will know if Cain managed to survive.”

“What about the city?” Jane asked.

“Half empty and half celebrating,” Jackie said happily. “Those people truly loyal to Cain are either gone or in hiding. The rest were so happy his rule's over they threw the rebels a party that's still going on.” As if on a cue a boisterous cheer rose from outside the window. Jane looked out to see dozens of people gathered around makeshift tables laden with food. There was singing, dancing, and a group of elves was playing a collection of instruments. Goblins were hauling in more food. She spotted the great scaled form of Yardarva sitting a street over and hoisting up children on her head and letting them slide down her tail as they laughed and screamed.

Jane stepped outside onto the porch and spotted Flying Cloud sitting in a chair that was reclined back. The other girl was enjoying the sun, and she smiled at Jane.

“How are you?” Jane asked.

“My leg still tingles now and then, but I'm much better,” Flying Cloud answered. “I was more worried about you. The blow to the head was pretty hard.”

Jane slipped into the chair beside and reclined into the backrest, “Oo, now this feels good.”

“I thought so,” Flying Cloud agreed. They were silent for a few minutes but when Jacob, Jackie, and Carvin walked out on the porch. Flying Cloud looked at them and asked, “So what will you all do now?”

“Go home,” Jane said immediately. She turned to Jacob.

“Go home,” Jacob agreed.

“Stay here,” Jackie said quietly.

“What!” Jane exclaimed. “But!” She nearly jumped out of her chair as her sister's words struck her.

“Jane, I can come home to visit whenever I want to, remember?” Jackie said. She laughed and continued, “Besides everyone already thinks I'm dead. Less to explain this way.”

Jane's face fell. She hated the idea of being separated from her sister again, despite knowing she could visit with the aid of her map.

“Well, I guess it won't be that bad,” Jane muttered finally. “You get to try and convince mom though.” They sat on the porch watching the celebration go on around them until Jane felt good enough to move around. The rest of the afternoon they walked the city streets and laughed and smiled as the populace celebrated the end of Cain's rule. That night everyone seemed to fall asleep as the sun went down and Jane's exhausted sleep lasted until the next morning.

“Jane,” Tasker whispered. He shook the girl's shoulder and waited while she sat up and rubbed her face.

“What is it?” Jane asked when she had gathered her wits.

“I want to tell you something privately,” Tasker said. He motioned for her to follow him. Together they walked out the door. The city around them was filled with dim light as the sun slowly rose over the distant trees. Sparkling gems covered the water as the sun struck the waves and reflected brilliantly.

Tasker led her to where the remains of the castle were located. They climbed the outer wall above the gate. He sat down on the edge of the stone ledge and motioned for her to sit next to him.

“So what's so important you needed to wake me up this early?” Jane asked finally. She fought back a yawn and rubbed her eyes until the sleep left them.

“I had a visitor last night,” Tasker said slowly. He face was sad as he rubbed his face.

Jane looked at him and wondered what was troubling him, he had obviously not slept all night, and she wondered why.

“A representative of the Seele Court showed up,” Tasker said finally. “He said the court has been watching what we've done. They've decided to act against the Temple. I guess the thought of what would happen if the worlds were brought back together was so great they could not ignore it anymore.”

“What are they doing?” Jane asked.

The powers that control the court have decided to mount an expedition to the center of the world. If they make it there, they're going to try and make the Divide impenetrable. They want to block all attempts to travel between the worlds,” Tasker blurted out finally. “Forever.”

“What!” Jane exclaimed. Her mind started whirling. If they succeeded in turning up the power of the Divide she would once again be cut off from her sister forever. “Can we convince them to stop?”

“The good news is that this expedition will take years to accomplish,” Tasker said. He looked at her and smiled. “We have plenty of time to try and convince them to change their minds.”

“I'll fight them if I have to,” Jane finally growled.

“You can't fight the court, Jane,” Tasker said with a shake of his head. “We're talking about those with the power to gather the warriors of every major race in the old world and under the oceans. I don't think even the Temple can stand against the Court for long if the court's united. The thing is the court's never united, at least until now.”

They sat on the wall staring at the ruins for a long time as the sun came up and slowly tracked down the nearby tower towards them. A rustle behind them, and Jane turned to see Bella hop and flutter up the steps towards them. Slowly the fairy approached them and sat down on Jane's knee.

“I heard what you're saying,” Bella said slowly. She waited while they both looked at her, and then made up her mind. “If the Seele Court really does carry through with their plans there's a way to stop them.”

Bella smiled coyly at the two bigger beings as they stared at her in surprise.

“Jane,” Bella said to the girl. “Before I left your world I hid the Golden Book of Knowledge in your grandfather's house. Inside the book is a map that'll guide you to where the machine that powers the Divide is located. If it comes to it, you can go there and reset the machine.”

“But how, if I can't pass through the Divide,” Jane said bitterly.

“Well, that's not entirely true,” Tasker said finally. “My grand­father was present when the Divide was put in place. In order for the device to work it had to in a place present in both worlds. There are some places yet the Divide doesn't touch, and they are present in both places at once. All you need to do is find them.”

 

Epilogue

J
ane leaned back into her bed at her grandfather's house. It had been almost two weeks since she and Jacob had returned to their side. Her mom had stayed for a week and helped Grandpa Able put the house beck together. Duluth was slowly returning to normal, but rumors still swirled. Everyone wondered where the mysterious ships had gone. The Coast Guard and the governor's office took to the TV and radio stations and blamed it on terrorists. Divers searched every part of the harbor looking for the remains of the
Goliath
but found nothing. The lake floor was empty, and they finally gave up in frustration. There were signs of a great explosion on the lake bed but no remnants of any ships.

Fragments of cannon balls were found scattered about the old part of the city, and the damage to some buildings was heavy but estimates said within a year everything would be repaired.

Jane finally got up and took a long shower. It felt wonderful. She and Jacob were going out for lunch, and they were both looking forward to having a quiet day together. When she was done getting ready, she looked around her room again but nothing different stood out to her.

Bella had said the book was here somewhere, but Jane was stumped. During a visit to her sister on the other side of the Divide, she had asked the little fairy, but Bella refused to answer. Instead she smiled and said, “If you really need it, I believe you and your sister can find it.”

Finally Jane shrugged and walked to the stairs leading to the main floor. Outside the windows was a beautiful day, and she was going to enjoy every moment of it.

 

 

 

The End