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‘You can’t stop me,’ Jasper insisted.
‘I’m not going to, but I thought you should know that winter here is apparently a lot colder than Terra - or so Greta says. She said something about brass monkeys but I can’t remember it.’
‘I didn’t see you following me,’ Jasper said, diverting the topic away from his escape while he considered the new information.
‘There are a lot of shadows in this place.’
Jasper nodded in agreement. It wouldn’t be too hard to follow someone. ‘I didn’t hear you either.’
‘You were distracted,’ Dekon added then sat on the stone step, grimacing at the coldness. ‘Well, are you going? I don’t blame you at all. I didn’t want to be here either when I arrived but I don’t think running off in the snow on your own when you don’t know anything about Elvale is really the best answer.’
Jasper sighed deeply and shut the door as another gust of wind showered him in snow. He knew the warf was right.
‘Let’s get you upstairs for a nice mug of hot chocolate,’ Dekon said going down the last two steps and making way for Jasper to precede him on the way up. The warf lifted the heavy beam as if it were a piece of straw and dropped it back into place.
‘We don’t want the local wildlife wandering in here,’ he said.
Jasper started up the stairs and wondered why he had given up so easily. Arthur would have been furious for a plan not to be carried out. Had the years of easy living as a celebrity made him soft? The promise of a hot chocolate seemed far more important than escaping right now.
Perhaps he would find a chance to get away when they were on the way to Bellfort tomorrow.
‘Oh, and by the way, I’ll need to return the stone as well.’
––––––––
THE MORNING DAWNED bright and clear and as Jasper stepped outside the tower for the first time he saw the land was completely covered in snow.
‘Big snow storm last night,’ Dekon commented. ‘I’d hate to have been caught out in it.’
Jasper ignored him. He was still trying to decide the best way to escape what awaited him. It was obvious that dashing off into the countryside wasn’t it but there had to be other options. If they were heading to a town then there had to be places to hide. He had been hiding in plain sight for months now so he could do it again here.
He had expected to exit the tower at the bottom but they were at least a dozen floors up from where he had intended escaping last night. There were still more floors above him and from here the roofline looked misshapen and odd. It didn’t look tall, just wide.
A black carriage and two black horses waited a dozen steps down the narrow road. The horses stamped their hooves to keep warm and great clouds of steam appeared as they snorted. For some reason Jasper had thought they would be walking. What with no electricity or normal-piped water he felt like he had gone back several hundred years.
‘Usually we walk, but the council sent a carriage to make sure you get safely to Bellfort,’ Vance said and grinned as he opened the carriage door.
Jasper was last to get into the carriage and he could tell that it wasn’t one that would be for general use. The seats and walls were covered in red leather and black dragon images were stitched into it in several places.
The carriage headed off smoothly which was strange considering how bumpy the road had looked and Jasper turned to look back at the tower. He was still intrigued at how it all fitted together.
He drew in a gasp of surprise as the road wound along the top of a tall cliff. Looking down he could see that it wasn’t a tower at all. It was a building in the shape of a dragon, leaning down a cliff.
Water poured from the dragon’s mouth and the only peaked roof he could see was at the very end of the tail, which towered above the rest of the building. That must be the room where they had been watching the tokens. No wonder it had a good view!
There didn’t appear to be any roads down the cliff and it would be a difficult trip to reach the lake at the bottom without going down through the tower.
‘The cliff separates the north from the south,’ Dekon told him. ‘It runs as far as the ocean in both directions and there are only a dozen paths along the entire length. The next one is a day’s ride away.’
‘Why is the cliff there? Is it natural or magical?’ Jasper asked, wondering if it was some sort of defensive wall from a previous or maybe even a current conflict.
Dekon shrugged, Greta ignored him and Vance looked deep in thought about other matters. All Jasper really cared about was the fact that it limited his options for which direction to go when he left.
‘I’ve never been south,’ Dekon continued as he stared out at the land beyond the cliff. ‘Lots of farms I hear.’
The road veered away from the cliff edge and they lost sight of the southern lands entirely. The carriage followed the dent in the snow that indicated where the road should be and there had obviously been no other carriages on this road recently. It was a fairly flat road but it was half an hour before the town came into sight. As Jasper had seen from a distance, all the rooftops were red and most were half-covered in snow.
There was a river crossing just before the town and a narrow bridge appeared to be the only way to cross. It was flanked by two large statues of robed men with arms raised in front of them and palms facing forward. It appeared to be the opposite gesture of the greeting shown to him by the kitchen lad. The snow softened the edges of the statues and obscured part of the faces but it was clearly a warning. Go away.
‘Friendly looking place,’ Jasper muttered to nobody in particular but his voice was much louder than intended. He was pleased that the honesty charm only lasted a day or this could get embarrassing. The houses that had seemed huddled together from a distance were not quite so cramped but still the town had the look of being packed into a defined space. It was bordered on three sides by the river, which split just north of the town, and a large wall on the land side.
‘Elvale history tells of many land disputes and magical battles,’ Dekon said quietly. ‘And they look down on us warves for fighting amongst ourselves! At least we don’t hurl fireballs at each other.’
The snow had begun to melt as the sun rose and Jasper could see the main road headed north alongside the river. He had assumed it was little more than a mud track given some of the other basic aspects of this land but he could see decorative paving showing here and there where wheels had pushed aside the snow.
The bridge, narrow and long, arched in the middle and the carriage wheels rattled noisily over the wooden boards. It was not yet mid-morning as they passed by the empty guard tower and rolled into the main road of town.
The roads were roughly cobbled and had been worn smooth over many years, with slightly deeper ruts where carts and carriages had travelled. Townsfolk were out and about their daily routines and took no notice of the black and red coach. It stopped several streets into town and Vance opened the door and got out.
‘Jasper can stay with you, Dekon, until the council meet,’ Vance said as he held the door open for Greta.
Dekon shrugged as if he really didn’t care. ‘As long as he doesn’t get in my way. I’m way behind on orders.’
‘Keep an eye out for any sign of his magic,’ Vance instructed.
Jasper was a little annoyed about being discussed as if he wasn’t even there. The door swung shut and the carriage started off again as Vance and Greta walked off down a narrow side-street.
‘I can stay at a hotel or whatever passes for traveller accommodation around here,’ Jasper offered as he thought how that would make it easier to slip away. ‘I don’t want to be a bother.’
‘It’s no bother,’ Dekon said and one eyebrow rose as he looked at Jasper. ‘Remember I was in your position ten years ago. I know what you’re thinking and Vance would flay me if I lost you.’
Jasper didn’t argue. He assumed Dekon was exaggerating but with the warf’s straight-faced response he couldn’t be totally sure. The carriage continued on through the town’s narrow streets at a slow pace. People walked across the roads as if the traffic had no right being there and the driver had to crawl along to avoid running into any of them.
Most of the town’s inhabitants were elves as far as Jasper could see. It was hard to stare at people long enough to get a good look at their ears as that appeared to be the key difference between the two races. Brightly-coloured hair seemed much more common here and it was Jasper who would stand out instead of Greta or Vance.
The carriage came to a stop again and Dekon pushed open the door and motioned for Jasper to precede him. Jasper stepped down to the street and noticed there were no sidewalks at all. Children were running about playing with balls and generally just chasing each other. He dodged a horse and cart coming the other way then followed Dekon to the far side of the road where a large barn-like house stood. It had a red roof like all the others but it was shorter and wider than those around it.
A sign hung on the front of a large red door that was as tall as the house.
‘Closed - Leave in basket’
The basket was about the size of a bathtub and it was overflowing. Metal items of all descriptions were jammed inside and small tags were tied to each item. Dekon took a large frying pan out and looked at the hole burned in it then checked the tag.
‘How does Eva manage to do this so often? Here, Jasper, pick up the other side of this and we’ll take it inside.’
Jasper looked doubtfully at the large basket and the metal items it contained. It was likely to be extremely heavy. ‘Really?’ he asked.
‘I always forget how weak you terrans are,’ Dekon muttered and picked up the entire thing himself and gave the large red door a shove with his foot. ‘I don’t know how I’m supposed to get this lot done as well as the jobs I already have.’
Jasper followed him inside and immediately it all made sense. It was a blacksmith forge. He had never seen one in real life before but it looked like ones on old-time movies he had watched in hotel rooms in recent years. It seemed a little stereotypical for a warf to be a blacksmith but who was he to argue. The fire to the side of the room was stacked high and burning slowly so someone must have been in recently to get it going.
Dekon dumped the basket of items to be repaired in the middle of the workshop then led Jasper through a door at the side. A comfy, but cold, living room looked out on a small garden.
‘I should’ve got the lad to restart both fires,’ Dekon muttered grumpily as he bent to stack the fireplace and light it.
An hour later Dekon had cooked up a feed big enough for half a dozen and Jasper ate until he could eat no more then sat back feeling sleepy and relaxed.
‘I’m heading out to get on with my work,’ Dekon said, and pointed up the stairs. ‘There’s a bed up there if you feel like resting.’
Jasper could have slept right where he was. The fire was blazing and his stomach was full. A few seconds later though he sat bolt upright as Dekon began work. The ring of metal on metal vibrated through the air and Jasper was sure he could feel it in his teeth! How did his neighbours cope with such noise? He abandoned any idea of sleeping and wondered if he could sneak out of town while the warf was busy.
Jasper wandered into the workshop as if he was just looking around. When Dekon went to reheat the metal in the fire Jasper hurried to the main door and pushed.
‘I locked it,’ Dekon said, watching from the other side of the room. He picked up a heavy apron and tossed it to Jasper. ‘I could do with a hand to get the heat up in the fire.’
Jasper sighed and went to work the bellows for the warf and before he knew it most of the day had gone.
‘We’ve done enough for now,’ Dekon said, ramping down the fire. ‘The council will meet soon and you need to clean up.’
Jasper washed up and had barely sat down to rest before there was a loud knocking and Dekon opened a side door that led straight onto the street. Jasper was cross with himself for not checking all possible exits before going out to the workshop. He could have been gone for hours!
‘The council are ready,’ Greta said, looking around the warf and nodded when she saw Jasper. ‘I’m pleased you didn’t lose him. Vance seems convinced he’s the one. Any sign of magic?’
‘Nothing,’ Dekon said with a shake of his head.
‘Just as well or we’d have the guards heading for Bellfort.’ Greta stepped back off the porch. ‘Do you want me to wait?’
‘I’ll bring him along in a minute,’ Dekon assured her.
Jasper watched Greta leave and saw half a dozen children running up to her and following her as if they adored her. They were showing her toys, sharing bags of sweets and one even held up a puppy for her to pat.
‘The children love her,’ Dekon said with a smile. ‘She helps out at the school.’
Jasper was having a hard time matching up the sour and grumpy Greta with the one that these children clearly adored.
‘We should go,’ Dekon said, indicating the still open door.
‘What if I’m not the one they want?’ Jasper asked.
‘What? Like me?’ Dekon said with a wry smile. ‘My skills of turning anything into silver or gold turned out to be not so useful at dethroning corrupt wizards and more suited to making dinner sets.’
‘And they just left you to get on with life?’ Jasper prompted. Perhaps there was some hope that they would just let him wander off and find a nice place to live.
‘Not exactly. I have magic. If anyone found out I would have to live at Ice City with all the others with magic. The black queen would control what I could and could not do. As long as I stay unnoticed I’m free to do what I want but I had to join the watchers.’
Jasper could imagine worse lives and he shrugged. All he had to do was show them that whatever magic they thought he had was no use to them.
‘Well, let’s get going then,’ Jasper said and followed Dekon out into the street. The children were still playing and most of them ignored Dekon and Jasper but a couple of the youngest ones stared openly. Dekon smiled at them and they burst into tears and ran off.
‘Like I said, no other warves around here,’ Dekon muttered as he attempted to look unbothered by the children’s reaction but failed.
Dekon led him further into the centre of town where the buildings got taller and seemed crammed even closer together. The roads were no longer wide enough for wagons or carriages and soon after that they became steep little paths.
‘The town is built on a hill,’ Dekon said as he strode up the steepest street yet. ‘It seems it started out as just one building sitting on the top of the hill. Some sort of a lookout for the border between north and south. Here we are.’
The warf stopped next to a tall narrow tower that looked more like a lighthouse to Jasper. There were no windows except at the top but it was square, not round. They went in a small door at the base of the tower but instead of going up the stairs that were there, Dekon shut the main door and waited. There was nobody around in the small foyer and it was lit by a dozen lamps on the walls. They waited another minute then Dekon pressed a small stone in the corner of the floor with his foot. Part of the wall slid back and revealed a sloping path going down. Another secret passage? Jasper wondered if it was really as secret as Dekon’s actions suggested. Half the town probably knew of its existence.
‘Apparently they used to hide the women and children down here if there was an attack,’ Dekon continued his history lesson as they went down and Jasper heard the wall slide back into place. The passage was well lit and did indeed look very old. Spiders had found homes in many places and remnants of their webs hung partly across the passage. Jasper assumed this wasn’t used often and someone had been down here recently and disturbed them all.
The brick-lined passage continued down in a wide circle for another five minutes then they reached a very solid wooden door. It was braced with metal and even if someone managed to break all the wood there was enough metal to stop anyone getting past. Jasper guessed that they were now well below the river level but it wasn’t damp at all and it was actually warmer down here than it was outside.
Dekon knocked twice on the door and it opened immediately. Beyond the door was a large room that looked like an upside down pudding basin. It was made entirely of brick, including the floor and the roof was only just tall enough for standing. Jasper knew that this would not have been a pleasant place to wait out any sort of feud especially if there were a lot of people.
He had expected the council to be made up of a dozen or more people but only five were waiting for them, and that included Vance and Greta.
The three unknown men stepped forward and looked at Jasper with serious expressions.
‘Step forward and we will see if you can save our world.’