Chapter 34: Into the Fog Tunnel

“I don’t hear anything,” said Alfonso finally.

“You usually can’t hear the fog wolves,” replied Kolo, in a dry monotone.

“So how will we know when it’s safe to go out?” asked Marta. “Or should we just send you outside?”

Kolo smiled sourly, the first sign of any expression or emotion that he’d shown since the crash. “You won’t know when it’s safe,” he said tightly.

“Tell us,” said Leif quietly. “A while back you told us there was something wrong with the trees in the Petrified Forest – that they were dead, but not quite dead. What did you mean by that?”

“They’re dead because they’re made of stone,” said Kolo, “But they’re not completely dead, because you can hear them.”

“Hear them how?” asked Leif.

Kolo grimaced. “I only entered once,” he explained. “It was when I first tried to follow the slavers. The fog was so thick, I couldn’t see the trees, but I could hear them in my head, you know... talking to me.”

“What were they saying?” asked Nathalia skeptically.

“They kept saying, “Don’t touch us, boy, don’t touch us.”

No one spoke after this. Everyone seemed to be deep in thought, mulling over what Kolo had just said. Several more minutes passed until Korgu started to whine. She seemed nothing like the frightened wolf from before. Instead, she seemed ready to run around. She went up to Leif and licked his hand, as if she wanted to play.

“Korgu wouldn’t behave this way if the fog wolves were still around,” said Leif.

“I’m going outside to look around,” said Nathalia. She walked to the rear exit, slid the bolt that unlocked the door, and stuck out her head. It was eerily silent. Korgu slid around her, and bounded out of the ship. She immediately ran toward the fog and disappeared within. She emerged a minute or two later and let out a sharp, playful growl.

“She wants us to get going,” said Leif.

“Then let’s do it – we probably don’t have much time before the fog wolves return, and if there’s anyone I want on my side against them, it’s Korgu,” said Nathalia. She jumped out of the airship and headed towards the fog bank. Everyone else followed quickly behind. Korgu took a winding route to enter the fog bank and once inside, it continued to veer in inexplicable ways. The fog was so thick that it was impossible to see more than a foot in any direction. Eventually they entered a tunnel that cut through the fog. The ground in this fog tunnel was well-beaten, revealing a path made by others – namely, the fog wolves. The animals apparently knew, either by instinct or by memory, the way through the snow, because the snow beneath the path was very firm and easy to tread upon.

The fog was cool and wispy to the touch but so opaque that it seemed strange it didn’t have more substance. As they trudged quietly through the tunnel, Marta ran her fingers through the whiteness. It disappeared where she touched it. The tunnel was likely made by the very act of walking through the fog – nothing more than that.

They walked quickly – at times breaking into a run – for a long time. No one had any idea where they were, and all hoped Korgu knew what she was doing. It seemed foolish to suddenly pin their hopes of finding Dargora on a wolf, but she had come through for them in so many ways that it seemed strange not to do so.

Alfonso found himself in the back of the group, right behind Kolo. He wondered how that had happened – Kolo should not have been with them. But in the confusion of the crash and their sudden dive into the Petrified Forest, no one had stopped and ordered Kolo back. And for some reason, Kolo had decided to join them. Perhaps it was simply a matter of self-protection. He didn’t want to be by himself in a badly broken airship. Alfonso hoped this was the case, and that Kolo did not have any other plans.

As he ran, Alfonso remembered the picture frame from Imad’s library – the one that could be assembled into a stick – and he pulled out the piece of the stick which had the strange-looking compass embedded in its base. He glanced quickly to see where, exactly, the compass’ hand was pointing. It was pointing straight ahead, down the tunnel. Then, as Alfonso continued to run, the hand of the compass turned to the right; moments later, the tunnel turned to the right. This happened again and again. It was as if the compass knew exactly which way the tunnel led and where they were supposed to go.

“What are you looking at?” asked Leif at one point, as he circled back to check on his son.

“The compass,” said Alfonso. “It’s like it knows exactly where I’m supposed to go.”

“You mean where Nathalia is supposed to go,” said Leif. “You better give it to her soon. She’s the one going to Dargora.”

“I will,” said Alfonso, but he simply continued on his way with the device in hand.

They continued running for as long as they could, following the fog tunnel as it wound its way through the forest. There was no way to judge how far they had gone or see which way they were going because the fog surrounded them on all sides. Occasionally, they came upon pieces of bones lying across the path, all of which were meticulously picked clean.

Alfonso thought back to his conversation with the prisoner in the Dragoonya fort who told him that the wolves entered the forest for meat; presumably, these bones were the remnants of whatever meat the wolves had eaten. Alfonso wondered where the meat came from. Was it possible that the wolves traveled all the way to Dargora to get it? No way to know. It seemed possible, however, because despite the twists and turns that they had taken, they appeared to be headed steadily north.

They kept going for what seemed like hours. The path itself was very narrow and, in places, slippery. On one occasion, Marta slipped and actually toppled over through the wall of the fog tunnel. Instantly, and with great speed, she began to sink into a powdery drift of snow. By the time that Leif reached out and clasped her hand, which was just a matter of seconds later, Marta’s head was submerged. Leif hauled her back onto the path. Marta appeared more dazed than frightened, too exhausted to betray much emotion. They all stopped for a second and caught their breath.

“Where is that dog leading us?” asked Kolo.

No one answered. Korgu had circled back when she realized they had stopped. She sat patiently a few feet away, her tongue out and her sides heaving with exertion.

“How long do we have before the wolves come?” Marta asked.

“Probably not very long,” said Kolo, “They move very quickly – much quicker than us.”

“Can they climb?” asked Alfonso.

Kolo shrugged.

At that moment, Korgu sprang to her feet and looked intently up the tunnel. She advanced a few feet, and then retreated. She growled quietly, and then louder. Within seconds, the growls had become defeaning. She began to run back and forth in front of them, as if trying to protect them on as many sides as possible.

They were all thinking the same thing, but only Marta spoke.

“They’re coming,” she whispered.