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The trip back to Dragon Tower seemed much quicker than this morning and soon they were watching the carriage rumble off again into the darkness.
‘I’d say we’ve missed dinner but there are always leftovers down in the kitchen,’ Dekon said. He led the way into the tower and quickly down several flights. ‘There’s something we’ll need to take with us though so we’ll get food as we leave.’
‘We’re leaving tonight?’ Jasper queried. ‘Didn’t you say last night that I would freeze before morning if I left?’
Dekon grinned and looked a little sheepish. ‘Well, I wasn’t going to tell you how not to freeze and let you go at that point. Besides we can’t have you near too many people here even though there are a lot of bricks to absorb the drift. The further down the tower we go the safer it is so we’ll spend the night at the bottom. We’ll have to be gone well before dawn though otherwise we’ll be spotted by people at the tower.’
Jasper just nodded and followed. He had no control over events at the moment but he was keeping his eyes open for anything that might help later. Dekon led the way down to the familiar sloping corridor that led to the library and seemed pleased that it was empty.
‘I need to find a map,’ Dekon said as he shut the door and turned up the wick on several lamps. It was still quite dim so he lifted one down from its hook on the wall and carried it with him. ‘There’s no point wandering about totally lost out there.’
Jasper took the other lamp and picked up the nearest scroll then unravelled it a little. He may not know how to read elvish but he could recognise a map when he saw one. Dekon saw what he was doing and shook his head.
‘It’ll be easier to find by the casing around it. The map itself is a little different to maps in Warfdon and probably Terra as well. Look for a faded blue casing with a picture of a pair of eyes on it.’
Jasper ran his hand along the scrolls as he searched. If these were in any particular order it was very hard to see what it was. Even he could tell that they seemed randomly placed. Some had letters on the outside but none seemed similar to the ones next to it. After a dozen shelves he saw a small blue scroll tucked down the back of other scrolls and pulled it out. There were two small eyes scratched into the leather cover.
‘Is this it?’ Jasper asked and held it up.
‘Yes, bring it to the table,’ Dekon said and looked relieved.
Jasper unrolled it and Dekon picked up several stones from a basket under the table and used them to weight the edges down. Jasper frowned as it was completely blank.
‘Is it written in invisible ink or something?’ he asked.
‘What’s invisible ink?’ Dekon queried, then shook his head as if it was irrelevant. ‘The map shows what you ask to see.’
Jasper was still trying to work out how that would work when the warf spoke again.
‘Map. Show me the south,’ he said.
Nothing appeared on the map.
‘Perhaps it’s just a piece of parchment?’ Jasper suggested.
Dekon looked annoyed at the blank paper. ‘Map. South of the tower.’
Again it remained blank.
‘Is there another one we could try?’ Jasper asked.
‘No, it’s the only one here and if they knew we were taking it they’d be very upset.’
‘I have an idea,’ Jasper said and walked over to the blue stone. He picked it up and gently placed it at the top of the map. ‘Perhaps Arlo can help us read it.’
‘Good idea,’ Dekon said, and looked impressed at the suggestion.
The blue stone glowed slightly and the old blue-robed elf appeared just as he had yesterday.
‘Good evening,’ Jasper said politely. Even if he wasn’t real the elf had expected a greeting before.
Arlo looked surprised and nodded at Jasper. ‘Polite fellow. What can I help you with?’
‘It’s this map,’ Jasper replied. ‘We’re having trouble with it.’
‘Maps. Huh, difficult things at the best of times,’ the old man said with a shake of his head. ‘You just need to know how to talk to them. Where are you going?’
If someone had told Jasper two days ago that he would be talking to a little blue-robed elf about an invisible map he would have thought they were mad.
‘South,’ Dekon replied.
‘Too vague,’ Arlo said. ‘What town are you going to?’
Dekon shrugged. ‘We don’t know. Preferably none. We just want to see what’s down there.’
‘Tricky,’ Arlo said, sitting on one of the rocks that held down the map and rubbing his bearded chin thoughtfully. Then he stood up and walked into the middle of the blank map. ‘Map. Show Dragon Tower.’
Nothing happened and Arlo looked cross.
‘Map. Please show Dragon Tower.’
‘That’s better!’ a scratchy voice said. It sounded like a voice that hadn’t been used in a long time and was not used to speaking. ‘Dragon Tower. South of the Northern lands of Elvale.’
A detailed map of the tower appeared on the paper. It was so detailed it was hard to work out much.
‘Map. Zoom in,’ Arlo said as he touched a finger to one part of the image, and then after a pause he added, ‘please.’
The image zoomed in closer and they could see the exact room they were in. Jasper thought it was amazing but wasn’t sure how it would help them.
‘Map. Directions to Bellfort, please,’ Arlo said.
The map went blank for a second then a series of squiggles and blobs began to appear. Several other towns were shown north of Bellfort and some features of the land like trees and mountains. There was a tiny dotted line that led from a picture of a dragon towards the town.
‘Head west from the door and up to level ten.’
The map fell silent and Jasper realised it was waiting for them to follow its instructions.
‘Map. Directions to... Terra, please,’ Jasper tried. It was a very slim hope but he was willing to try most anything. The map went blank again.
‘No route found. Please choose another destination.’ The map sounded bored.
‘What’s the nearest town south of here, Arlo?’ Jasper asked the little blue-robed man. He had the feeling that there was far more to this reader of scrolls than anyone had said.
‘Well, that would be Riverdale,’ Arlo said with a nod as if confirming his own information. ‘Why do you want to go there? Tiny little town.’
‘We don’t,’ Dekon replied. ‘We want to avoid towns so we need to know where they are.’
Arlo looked confused.
Dekon appeared to be uncomfortable having a conversation with a one-foot elf and Jasper took over the explanation.
‘I need to stay away from people. I have a genie curse.’
‘Ah, I knew there was something odd about you!’ he said with a triumphant grin then frowned. ‘Yes, I can see why they want you gone. They wouldn’t want Melani to get her hands on you.’
Jasper hadn’t been impressed to be thought of as the land’s saviour but it felt even worse for everyone, even a small elf that didn’t really exist, to want him gone as fast as possible.
‘Maybe you should ask the well how to get rid of the curse,’ Arlo suggested. ‘I haven’t heard of a case of that in a very long time.’
‘What well?’ Dekon asked curiously.
‘Map. Please show the Well of Wizdom,’ Arlo said firmly.
The map stayed blank. ‘That location is classified. Please choose another destination.’
‘Classified!’ Arlo shouted. ‘Who do you think I am? Show the Well of Wizdom. NOW!’
Jasper exchanged a look with Dekon. This was definitely not just a scroll-reading charm in the form of a tiny elf.
The map did not respond but an image slowly began to materialise on the paper. It showed a person standing next to a large hole. Trees or bushes were marked all around it and wavy lines showed next to the trees.
‘It looks like it’s in the middle of a swamp,’ Dekon muttered, not looking impressed.
‘The Well of Wizdom can answer any question,’ Arlo said, walking over the image and peering at it closely. Then he snapped loudly. ‘Directions!’
The well faded away and a very long dotted line began to appear. The scale of the map was so small that town names were impossible to read but there were quite a few of them.
‘Exit the tower on Level 1. Head south.’
‘That’s a long way,’ Dekon said. ‘Maybe I could wish us there.’
Arlo looked at Dekon. ‘You think you can pop there, get an answer and pop back?’
Dekon shrugged. It had sounded like a good idea to Jasper too.
‘The well demands that you earn the right to an answer and the journey is part of that,’ Arlo told him in the tone of a father telling a young child off. ‘Good luck with the quest then. Let me know how it goes.’
The elf used the same automated-sounding phrase as last time and vanished.
Jasper picked up all the stones, including the blue one and the map rolled up with a snap. Dekon tied it closed while Jasper threw the stones in the basket under the table. He pocketed the blue stone and put a plain stone on the shelf where the blue stone should go. Luckily the shelf was in the shadows and the colour of the stone wasn’t obvious.
‘Let’s get some food and get moving,’ Dekon said as he shoved the map into his pocket.
The corridors were empty and quiet. It seemed everyone had gone to bed already and when they reached the kitchen it was also in darkness. Jasper guessed that they had spent more time in the library than it had seemed. There was someone sleeping by the fire and Jasper recognised it as Tomas from yesterday at the lake.
‘Who’s there?’ Tomas called sleepily as he saw them walking around the large wooden worktable.
‘Jasper,’ Jasper replied quietly. ‘We missed dinner and wanted to get something to eat.’
It wasn’t a real lie, but it wasn’t the truth either and Jasper realised with a sigh of relief that the honesty charm had worn off.
‘Help yourself,’ Tomas said, putting his head down again and nodding off immediately.
Dekon opened the pantry door and they helped themselves to pieces of cold meat pie and bread, then washed it down with milk from a stone jug.
‘Shouldn’t we take extra for tomorrow?’ Jasper asked as Dekon made to leave the kitchen.
‘Good idea,’ Dekon said and grabbed a bag then filled it then handed it to Jasper
Jasper looked at the small bag and wondered how long it would last considering the warf’s big appetite. He followed the warf down corridors and waited while he knocked on a door and spoke to someone inside. Several minutes later Rhet joined them in the corridor. He handed them large white jackets with fur-lined hoods and they headed back to the stairs.
‘I had to hide the pig,’ Rhet said with a grin. ‘I don’t want cook to see it and think it is for dinner.’
Jasper had no idea how to respond to that so he just nodded. Did a magical pig really exist as a pig? Would it fade away in time?
They went down flight after flight of steps and when they started to narrow he called down to Dekon.
‘Couldn’t we sleep inside tonight? Perhaps the storeroom? It will be warmer than out there surely?’ Jasper suggested.
‘That’s not a bad idea,’ Rhet agreed. ‘It’s pretty cold out there.’
‘We’ll be fine,’ Dekon assured them both and at the next bend they reached the door. They both put on the white coats and Jasper immediately felt like he was wrapped in a dozen blankets. Dekon removed the beam and opened the door. A gust of freezing wind threw snow into their faces but still Dekon didn’t hesitate. ‘Lock the door behind us. Maybe we’ll see you again soon.’
‘Sure,’ Rhet said and nodded a farewell as if he knew that was the last he would see of them. ‘Take care out in the south.’
The door slammed behind them and Jasper heard the beam slip loudly into place. The wind whipped at them and whistled through the trees on the far side of the lake. The thundering of the water falling from the dragon’s mouth was almost drowned out by the wind.
Dekon stamped off through the snow and Jasper had no option but to follow as the warf had the only lamp. He could just make out the edges of the lake as the moon popped out from behind a cloud. The warf was heading back towards the cliff.
‘Where are we going?’ Jasper called out and heard his own words blown away on the wind.
Dekon didn’t reply and a minute later he vanished from sight. Jasper felt panic rise as the light from the lamp went with the warf. Where had he gone? Had he fallen in the lake?
‘Jasper! Over here,’ Dekon called and a small pool of light spilled out next to the cliff.
He headed towards it and suddenly found himself out of the wind and snow. He was in a small nook right beside the lake. The water from above cascaded down only two steps to the right but ahead of him he could see Dekon striding into a very dry cave. After a dozen steps the temperature warmed up considerably.
The cave went back a fair way and Jasper was surprised to see a ring of stones loaded with wood ready for a fire. Dekon leaned closer and struck a tinder stick to light the wood. It caught easily and within a minute it was giving off a decent amount of heat. Jasper moved closer, but not too close, and held out his cold hands to warm them.
‘How did you know this was here?’ Jasper asked.
‘You’re not the only one who wanted to leave remember. They didn’t want a warf wandering the lands telling elves that I had come through a magical portal that shouldn’t even exist. By the time they stopped keeping an eye on me I realised that life here wasn’t so bad and I stayed.’
Jasper sat by the fire. He wasn’t too cold but it still seemed mad. ‘But why tonight? Tomorrow morning would have been just as good.’
‘I wish my horse and cart were here.’
Jasper looked suspiciously at the warf then around the cave. There was no sign of a horse or cart.
‘I wish I had a hot cup of chocolate,’ Dekon tried again.
Again nothing happened. The warf glared at Jasper as if he had somehow stopped the wishes working.
‘Perhaps the curse has gone,’ Jasper suggested hopefully. Living in the wilderness didn’t bother him since he’d been raised as a gypsy but they had lived in comfortable caravans, not out in the open.
‘Unlikely,’ Dekon muttered. ‘Probably just all used up for a while. It’ll be back in a day or so.’
‘Sorry.’ Jasper wasn’t sure if he was apologising for having no magic to make the wagon appear or the fact that his magic would come back.
‘We could’ve slept upstairs for a while after all,’ Dekon grumbled as he tried to make himself comfortable by the fire. ‘I’ll wake you when it’s time to leave.’
Jasper lay down on the rocky ground, snug and mostly warm in his huge snow jacket, and slowly dozed off.
It was still dark when Jasper was woken by the grumpy warf. The fire had burned down a lot though so he must have had a few hours sleep at least.
‘Are we going now?’ Jasper asked, rubbing sleep from his eyes and staring out at the snow.
‘I had planned on having a wagon,’ Dekon said. ‘We’ll need to go to one of the nearest towns to get one.’
Dekon sat down by the fire, took out the map and unrolled it. Jasper stood up slowly, feeling the ache of muscles not used to such a hard bed. He sat next to the warf so that he could see the map as well. It still had the dotted line showing the directions to the Well of Wizdom.
‘Map. Zoom please.’ Dekon said putting his finger on the nearest town name that was far too small to read. The dotted line was nowhere near it. In fact, it was in the opposite direction to the well.
The map said nothing but zoomed as requested. The town name grew larger and a scattering of buildings showed near a crossroads of three small lines.
‘Riverdale, just like the little elf said,’ Dekon confirmed, and pointed to the word for Jasper. ‘I can teach you to read better if you want.’
‘How far is it?’ he asked, ignoring the offer even though he could tell the warf was not making fun of him.
‘I don’t know. Map. Distance and directions to Riverdale, please.’
‘Are you sure you want to cancel your current destination?’ the map snapped at them.
‘Yes,’ Dekon replied.
The map went blank then another dotted line appeared. It went from a picture of a dragon to a small house and it squiggled alongside the river then veered off.
‘On foot or wagon?’ the map asked in a monotone voice.
‘On foot,’ Dekon said sadly. ‘But what if we had a wagon?’
‘Distance to Riverdale by wagon is two days and one hour...’
Jasper’s heart sank and he saw Dekon’s shoulders slump. How long would it take to walk that far?
‘... Distance to Riverdale on foot is seven hours and thirty minutes.’
The squiggly line blurred and another very straight line appeared. The dots were more like long dashes and were pale grey for most of it, then changed to small dots again.
‘Seven hours?’ Dekon queried out loud in surprise.
‘And thirty minutes,’ the map added. ‘Exit south and head for administration building, area 12.’