Dormia (21 page)

"Really? Well, that's too bad. I'm quite busy at the moment," replied the doctor.

"Please," said Alfonso. "You have to help us—my friend is going blind."

"Blind?" inquired the doctor. This seemed to resonate with him and he nodded approvingly. "Well, I will never turn away a blind man," he said. "Why don't you come into my examining room? My name, by the way, is Dr. Van Bambleweep. Sorry to be so rude at the door, but these are bad times in Barsh-yin-Binder. Very bad times indeed."

The doctor led them through a room filled with rows of dusty bookshelves filled with books, maps, and hundreds of small glass jars containing various powders and elixirs. Alfonso was able to read the labels on some of the jars: Root of Mountain Lilac—found by Tatars; Ground Tusk of Black Rhino; Bile of Kazakh Green-Cheeked Parrot; Teeth of Blunt-Nosed Leopard (molars); and Skin of Male Copperbelly Snake. On the other end of the room was a small but clean office with a desk, a threadbare carpet, and a few rickety chairs.

"Please have a seat," said the doctor cordially. "So, your friend is going blind?"

Bilblox and Alfonso sat down, but neither of them spoke.

"You'll have to speak up," said the doctor. "I am very old and I don't hear well anymore."

Bilblox cleared his throat and declared, "I'm really not blind all of the time—just sometimes."

"Just sometimes?" inquired the doctor.

"Well it comes and goes," explained Bilblox awkwardly. "Fer instance, right now, I can see all right—even though it's pretty dark in here—but most of the time I can't see a lousy thing."

"How long has this been going on?" asked the doctor.

"About a week or two," replied Bilblox.

"I see," said Van Bambleweep. "And can you describe what your eyes look like? Under other circumstances I would give you an eye exam, but my own eyes are in rather poor shape, so I think it would do little good."

Alfonso glanced again at the doctor's strange green-tinted glasses. They were as dark as sunglasses and, in the dim light of the room, it seemed doubtful that he could see anything at all.

"I don't know what to tell ya," said Bilblox testily. "I haven't looked into a mirror in weeks."

"I can describe his eyes for you," interjected Alfonso.

"Good lad," said the doctor. "What do they look like?"

"Well it depends," said Alfonso. "If you look really closely, you can almost see the outline of where his pupils used to be—but, other than that, his eyes are entirely white."

"Entirely white?" asked the doctor. There was a sudden eagerness in his voice.

"Yes," said Alfonso. "Entirely white. Well, almost."

"Most intriguing indeed," said the doctor with a cluck of his tongue. "And before all this happened, how was your long-range vision? In other words, were you able to see things off in the distance just before you went blind?"

Bilblox said nothing.

"I can't hear you," said the doctor. "If you want help, you'll have to speak up!"

"Okay," said Bilblox. "I did have very good long-distance vision just before I went blind. I saw lots of things, but I don't see how that matters."

Van Bambleweep looked excited. "And then, just after that, did you get a quick moment of prescience?"

"Prescience?" inquired Bilblox.

"Yes," said the doctor. "Were you able to see into the future?"

"What kind of question is that?" growled Bilblox. "I thought ya were supposed to be a doctor. What kind of crazy hokum are ya peddlin'?"

"Just answer the question," Van Bambleweep said.

"No," said Bilblox. "That's the most preposterous thing I ever heard."

"Suit yourself," said the doctor. "But, based on what you are telling me, I'd say you're suffering from an acute case of Dragoonya dim-sightedness. It's very rare these days. It means your blindness is irreversible and it's only going to get worse." He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.

"Oh really,
doctor!
" said Bilblox with a forced laugh. "That's a heck of a diagnosis considerin' ya didn't even examine me. Dragoonya dim-sightedness! Who ever heard of such a thing? Alfonso, let's get outta here."

Bilblox stood up, but Alfonso remained seated in his chair.

"How can you be sure that his blindness is irreversible?" Alfonso asked.

"Oh ya can't be serious!" interjected Bilblox irritably.

"I want to hear what he has to say," said Alfonso. "You did kind of glimpse into the future when you saw those flying fish and the iceberg."

"Just as I suspected," said Van Bambleweep. "Let me ask you another question: did you rub anything into your eyes just before you had that long-range vision?"

Bilblox said nothing.

"A certain type of powder, perhaps?" pressed the doctor.

"Maybe," mumbled Bilblox.

Alfonso felt his stomach tighten into a knot.

"I knew it!" the doctor exclaimed. "How in the name of Prince Binder did you get your hands on the purple ash? There hasn't been any of that stuff around this city for at least two hundred years."

"I-I don't know what yer talking about," stammered Bilblox.

"Oh come now, my friend," replied the doctor. "I've been a sage of medicine in this town for a good many years—as have my grandfathers and great-grandfathers before me—and there is only one thing that causes the pupils to disappear entirely: purple ash. One major side effect is whiteness of the eyes and blindness. Other, more desired effects are telescopic vision and a moment of clairvoyance in which you see into the future. Does any of this ring a bell? Yes, I suspect it does. The curious thing is how two travelers like you got your hands on purple ash. The only people who
ever
have purple ash are the Dragoonya. They use it and their eyesight suffers. Almost all who use it go entirely blind. Of course, there are reports of a very few who have managed to keep their eyesight, but I don't put much stock in those claims. In any case, it's almost always the Dragoonya who suffer from this. That's why we call the ailment Dragoonya dim-sightedness. Don't you see?"

"I guess so," said Alfonso. He paused. "And there's no cure?"

"No," replied the doctor matter-of-factly. "There's no cure. At least, I've never seen one. But I've never really treated anyone with this particular ailment. As I said, that purple ash disappeared over two hundred years ago."

"Why did it disappear?" asked Alfonso.

"Hard to say," said the doctor. "I'm not sure where the Dragoonya find the ash—there are all kinds of fantastical tales about where it comes from—but the source seems to have dried up. And, let me tell you, things have been going downhill for the Dragoonya ever since. Look around this city. It's a catastrophe! But two hundred years ago ... that was a different
story. Back then, the Dragoonya used the ash shrewdly to their advantage. For centuries, they attacked commercial ships and made small fortunes as pirates, thanks to the powers the ash gave them. You can understand why I'm curious how you two gentlemen managed to get some."

"Curiosity kills cats," said Bilblox menacingly.

"Suit yourself," grumbled the doctor. "But I wouldn't go walking around Barsh-yin-Binder with those white eyes of yours or you're bound to attract a lot of attention."

"We have another question for you," said Alfonso, who was only too eager to change the subject. "Your sign says you sell maps, and we need one."

"What kind of map?" asked the doctor.

"We need a map of the Ural Mountains," said Alfonso. "We're trying to get to a location near—" Alfonso stopped himself. Was it really wise to share the coordinates of their destination with this stranger?

"Where in the Urals?" asked the doctor. "You'll need to be more specific. It's a huge mountain range. I can't help you unless you tell me where, exactly, you're headed. I have hundreds of maps. I'm just trying to find out which one you need."

"We want to get to sixty-four degrees north latitude by sixty-two degrees east longitude," said Alfonso with a sigh. "Can you help us?"

"Hmm," said the doctor. "If I am not mistaken, those coordinates place you right in the high peaks of the Urals and, unfortunately, most of that area is terra incognita."

"What's that mean?" asked Bilblox.

"It's a Latin phrase," explained the doctor. "It means 'unknown land.' In other words, no one has taken the time to explore it. It's just too dangerous and too remote. Why are you interested in that area?"

Alfonso ignored Van Bambleweep's question. "Don't you have
any
maps of the high peaks?" he insisted. "Anything at all?"

"Well, I do have one," said the doctor. "It was made by a smuggler from Estonia. The map is incomplete, but it might help."

The doctor disappeared into the shadows of his shop and soon reemerged with a timeworn piece of rolled parchment, held together by a small chain and a silver clasp engraved with the following words:
õnne proovile panama.

"As you can see," explained the doctor, "the smuggler who made this map was named Õnne Proovile Panama."

The doctor then unfurled a map titled "Uralid." In the center of the map was a large blank section marked with these strange words:
End teiste asjusse mitte segama.

"This appears to be the map of a route leading directly through the high peaks of the Urals," explained the doctor. "You can see the word
Uralid
at the top. I think that must be referring to the Urals. There is also a marking for Straszydlo. This must refer to the legendary Straszydlo Forest, which sits on the northwestern edge of these mountains."

Alfonso looked at Bilblox. "Straszydlo Forest!" he exclaimed. "That's where the vice admiral found my father and Uncle Hill."

Bilblox nodded, but the doctor ignored them.

"You see," he continued, "the intersection of the two coordinates you gave me is in the center of that white space. I'm afraid this map is of no use to you."

Bilblox squinted at the map. Apparently, his short window of being able to see was not yet over.

"It's Estonian," Bilblox said. "I know 'cuz my family is Estonian. We immigrated to Fort Krasnik when times got hard for longshoremen back in the old country. My first name, Paks, actually means 'thick' in Estonian. That's why I go by Bilblox—sounds tougher."

"You speak Estonian?" asked Alfonso.

"
Jah, absoluutselt,
" replied Bilblox in a very proud manner. "That means, 'yes, absolutely,' in Estonian."

"So what does the map say?" asked Alfonso.

"Well the text written over the blank space says: 'Mind your own business!'"

"You don't say!" cackled the doctor. "I guess this Panama chap didn't want anyone using his smuggling route."

"That's another thing," said Bilblox. "
Õnne proovile panama
ain't the guy's name. It's a sayin' in Estonian that means: 'Press your luck.'"

"How curious," said the doctor. "What on earth do you suppose that means?"

"Maybe it means that if you enter the blank area you're pressing your luck," guessed Alfonso.

"Maybe," said Bilblox. "Or maybe I oughta just press my thumb down on the spot where it says press your luck. Here, gimme that thing." The doctor handed the clasp to Bilblox and he used his large, calloused thumb to press down gently on the silver clasp. Nothing happened. He pressed down again with considerable effort. This time there was a soft clicking, barely audible, and the clasp yawned open. It revealed a small space
with enough room for a carefully folded piece of tissue paper. Bilblox took out the paper and smoothed it out. It was the exact shape of the missing space on the map.

Dr. Van Bambleweep gasped.

Bilblox took the tissue paper and placed it over the blank spot, thereby completing the map. Sure enough, it showed a clear route through the mountains. The doctor, who was now brimming with excitement, rushed over to a nearby bookcase and began consulting a number of atlases.

"What are you doing?" asked Alfonso.

"Some calculations," replied the doctor distractedly. "I'm trying to determine the exact location of sixty-four degrees north latitude by sixty-two degrees east longitude on that map."

Several minutes later, he returned to the Estonian smuggler's map and marked a large
X
on the exact spot where he believed those coordinates to be. It lay directly on the path of the Estonian smuggler's route.

Alfonso and Bilblox looked at each other. Alfonso didn't say anything, but his smile said it all. They had found it. Somnos, the capital of Dormia.

"How much do you want for this map?" Alfonso asked Van Bambleweep.

"This is a very old map," said the doctor, who suddenly seemed quite attached to it. "I would have to charge at least twenty gold pieces."

"We'll take it," replied Alfonso.

M
EANWHILE, IN THE
commercial district of the Trawpoy, Hill and Resuza were busy buying supplies for their journey. Resuza did all the legwork. She took Hill to the shops, advised him on what to buy, and then haggled furiously over the prices with the shopkeepers. Once a purchase was made, they loaded it onto the back of a donkey cart they had rented and drove on to the next shop. Their list was as follows:

40 pounds of salted meat
30 pounds of coal
2 heavyweight sleds (insist on well-sharpened runners)
Bullets for a Colt .45 pistol—if they can be found
2 short swords
¼ keg of gunpowder
½ gallon whiskey
10 huskies (8 followers, 2 leaders)
4 hats (look for newly shorn wool, and make sure they have earflaps)
8 gloves (thin, so that two pairs can be worn at the same time)
2 pots (1 medium and 1 large)
2 sturdy tents
6 lanterns
Cooking utensils
Sharpening steel
Medium-size roll of raw cotton
8 full-length blankets
Large bottle of iodine
Whistle (as piercing as possible—for wolves)
8 waterproof sealskin bags
4 snow goggles
Dried medicinal herbs
2 pounds of Turkish coffee
Tea