Dormia (22 page)

That morning, they purchased all of the goods and, by early afternoon, they were done. All the goods were loaded onto the donkey cart, including the dogs, who sat perched on every conceivable nook of open space.

As Resuza navigated them back toward the Prince Binder Hotel, they passed through a remote and especially dark section of the Trawpoy, where they came upon a hot spring that smelled of rotten eggs. Next to the spring was a large flat rock on which nearly a dozen men in tattered clothing were lounging about. All of them were lying on their backs and staring up at the ceiling. They didn't appear to be sleeping. In fact, a few of them were chatting quietly. The others simply seemed to be resting.

"This place smells awful," gasped Hill.

"The smell comes from the water," explained Resuza. "This is an especially sulfurous place—Loafer's Corner they call it."

"Why are these men here?"

"They are loafers," replied Resuza disgustedly. "They simply lie around all the day and
loaf.
They are the laziest men in all of Barsh-yin-Binder. No one bothers with them because they keep to this terrible-smelling corner of the cavern."

"Don't be too harsh on us," said one of the men in a quavering, tired-sounding voice. "I assure you: lying around all day and doing nothing can actually be quite difficult."

Suddenly Hill noticed a large coffin sitting on a pedestal in the middle of the group of loafers. He pointed and asked about it.

"That coffin belongs to the so-called Queen of the Loafers—a woman named Spack who sleeps in it all day long," explained Resuza. "They say she's awake for less than ten minutes each day. She does everything in her sleep—eats, walks, talks, even swims—"

"Stop the cart!" yelled Hill. He hopped off the cart and bounded through the steamy sulfur fumes toward the coffin. It was very large and made of well-polished wood. The following words were carved prominently onto the lid of the coffin: I WAKE FOR NO ONE!

"Don't ... bother," muttered a nearby loafer. He was so filthy with dirt and grime that Hill winced. "'Tis true—I am a
pitiful sight," said the man. A thick band of drool hung from his lower lip. "But I washed my clothes last year."

Hill attempted a half-smile. "What can you tell me about the woman in this coffin?" he asked.

"Our ... queen! The ... Lady Spack ... is the greatest loafer there ... ever ... was," said the man sluggishly. "Always telling the rest of us to work ... less, especially if you ... lift a finger ... to help someone ... else."

Hill inspected the coffin further and saw that it had two ivory handles, one at each end, so that it could be carried if need be. He leaned forward and heard a faint whimpering coming from inside the coffin. It was Spack.

"She's singing," Hill remarked.

"In ... deed," said the loafer. "That Spack is ... a great ... singer in her ... sleep."

Hill placed his ear directly against the coffin, just above three tiny breathing holes drilled into the wooden lid. He heard a voice singing a squeaky-sounding lullaby: The language was incomprehensible. The words, if you could even call them that, sounded like high-pitched yelps. Hill scrunched his chin thoughtfully. "That tune sounds familiar," he said. "Reminds me of a lullaby from long ago."

"All lullabies sound familiar," Resuza said.

"Maybe," replied Hill. He tried to open the coffin, but the lid wouldn't budge.

"You ... won't get in," said the nearby loafer. "Spack locks that coffin ... from the ... inside. She decides when ... to wake up."

Hill looked at Resuza. "This Spack character could be of use to us. Bring the donkey cart over here. We're taking the coffin.
It looks like it has a small set of wheels on the bottom here. We should be able to move it pretty easily."

"Why would you want to do that?" asked Resuza.

For a brief moment, Hill considered telling Resuza about Dormia—and why exactly he was interested in unusual sleepers like Spack—but he quickly decided against it.

"I have my reasons," said Hill. "Now help me with this coffin."

"What? Our ... queen," said the loafer. In a massive effort, he rose up on one elbow. "You ... can't..." The loafer's eyes fluttered, his elbow began to quiver, and he lay back down in mid-sentence, fast asleep.

A
S THEY RETURNED
from their day of shopping, Hill and Resuza bumped into Alfonso and Bilblox, who were also on their way back to the Prince Binder. They greeted each other happily. Hill showed off all the goods Resuza had helped him purchase, and afterward, Alfonso explained their discovery of the Estonian smuggler's map. Hill's eyes shone with excitement and he grabbed Alfonso in a playful bear hug.

"You've done it, my boy!" he exclaimed. "You found what we needed most—a route to the watch's coordinates!"

"Why are you gents so keen on going to that exact place?" asked Resuza.

"We're going back to the little mountain town where I was born," explained Hill in a kindly manner. "That's all."

"Strange," replied Resuza. "I didn't know there were any towns in the high peaks of the Urals."

Alfonso tried to change the subject. "What are we doing with that coffin?" he asked.

"We're taking it with us," said Hill.

"We are?" asked Alfonso. "Why?"

Hill cast a sideways glance at Resuza. "I'll explain later," he said.

The four of them continued back toward the Prince Binder in silence. When they arrived at the hotel, Bilblox began unloading the supplies from the donkey cart.

"My vision is goin' again," said Bilblox in a resigned fashion. "But I can see well enough to move some large objects. I guess I'll start with the coffin."

As Bilblox unloaded the coffin from the donkey cart, Alfonso unfurled the Estonian smuggler's map and showed it to Hill. The two of them studied the map together. Soon, Alfonso glanced up to see how Bilblox was doing.

"Oh no!" he exclaimed.

"Holy mackerel!" gasped Hill.

Bilblox was stumbling toward the entrance of the Prince Binder with the coffin balancing on his shoulder. He was weaving back and forth in a manner that made it clear he couldn't see where he was going. He must have been almost completely blind, because he failed to notice the arrival of five Dragoonya soldiers who were standing directly in his path. The soldiers were dressed in the same fashion as the Dragoonya horsemen from the night before. They wore leather armor, lined with eagle feathers, and on their heads they wore shiny metal helmets with long pointy beaks and narrow slits for their eyes.
They all had swords. The soldiers had their backs to Bilblox and didn't see him coming.

"Uncle Hill!" said Alfonso. "Bilblox is headed straight for them. We've got to—"

Bam!
It was too late.

Bilblox walked right into one of the soldiers, smacking the back of the soldier's head with the front end of the coffin. The coffin clattered to the ground. Bilblox jumped backwards in fright. An instant later, the five soldiers surrounded Bilblox.

"You idiot!" hissed the largest of the soldiers. He was an enormously tall man with a black feather in his helmet. It appeared as if he was the captain of the group. "Do you realize you assaulted a Dragoonya man-at-arms!"

"He can't see a thing," said another soldier. "He's totally blind—look at his eyes ... they're white!"

"What happened to your eyes?" demanded the captain.

"None of your business," growled Bilblox.

"Oh, I see," said the captain calmly. "It's none of my business." The captain drew his sword, and in one smooth motion ran his blade across Bilblox's face. Blood gushed from Bilblox's right cheek. Bilblox let out a ferocious cry and struck out with his massive fist, but he merely swung through the air.

"Now," said the captain as calm as ever, "perhaps you would like to tell me how your eyes became totally white."

Bilblox said nothing. His shoulders and fists were coiled to strike, but being blind, he had no target.

"I see," said the captain. "Well in that case, perhaps I can persuade you to talk." The captain lifted his sword again and this time he ran it across Bilblox's chest. Bilblox let out another
cry. Blood began seeping through his shirt. "How do you like that, my blind friend?" asked the captain. "Enjoying yourself? Tell me, where shall I cut you next? How about I pluck out one of those eyes?"

A hundred feet away, by the donkey cart, Hill, Alfonso, and Resuza were watching in terror.

"We've got to do something," said Hill frantically.

Alfonso had come to the same conclusion, but he was already in the midst of taking action. He was focusing all of his attention on a lone snowflake that was fluttering its way through one of the holes in the cavern's ceiling. Alfonso concentrated on the hexagonal shape of the snowflake—studying all of its partially melted snow crystals—and watched as the delicate object swirled and sputtered in the drafts of the cavern. Alfonso felt as calm and relaxed as he had ever been. And, before he knew it, he was firmly in hypnogogia.

Alfonso knew he wouldn't be able to stay in this state for long—maybe five or six seconds at most. He had to act quickly. He picked up a sharp, flat stone from the ground and studied it carefully. He estimated the distance between himself and his target, took a deep breath, and then threw the stone with all his might. The stone hurtled through the air like a spinning blade and pierced the right eye-slit of the captain's helmet. Blood shot out of the captain's eye as he shrieked in pain. The other four soldiers pivoted and turned their attention toward Alfonso, whose hands were filled with more stones.

"Get that boy!" shouted the captain. "And slit his throat!"

The four soldiers immediately began to close in on Alfonso. Alfonso leaned up against the donkey cart, exhausted from the
effort of entering hypnogogia. Resuza picked up a stone and prepared for battle. Instinctively, Hill reached for his Colt .45, but he didn't have it on him. It was in his bomber jacket, which was buried at the bottom of the donkey cart. The four soldiers closed in rapidly, and they were mere feet away from Alfonso when a chilling and familiar voice called out.

"Don't even think about it," said the raspy, cold voice.

It was Kiril. He was standing next to Bilblox and it seemed as if he had appeared out of thin air. He wore the same fur cloak he had worn when Alfonso had first met him in the Forest of the Obitteroos. His eyes shone ghostly white and he held a sword in each hand.

Upon hearing Kiril's voice, the soldiers abruptly stopped.

"Who in damnation are you?" demanded one of the Dragoonya soldiers.

"I'm the man who is going to kill all four of you in the next five minutes," replied Kiril calmly.

The four Dragoonya soldiers needed no further provocations. All four of them immediately rushed toward Kiril with their swords drawn.

Kiril shot a parting glance at Alfonso. "Run, you half-wits!" yelled Kiril. "The trap is closing around you!"

"He's right—run for it!" gasped Bilblox, who lay in a pool of his own blood. "Leave me!"

"No," said Alfonso. "We've got to help him."

Hill nodded vigorously.

And so, as Kiril fought for his life—wielding his two swords masterfully and keeping his opponents at bay—Alfonso, Hill, and Resuza rushed toward Bilblox, who was gasping for breath. Blood dripped from his chest and face.

"Quickly now," said Hill. "We have to lift him onto the coffin—it has wheels. We can use it like a stretcher."

"He needs a doctor!" gasped Alfonso.

"There is only one," replied Resuza.

"Let's move!" yelled Hill.

L
ESS THAN TEN
minutes later, Alfonso, Hill, Resuza, and Bilblox were in front of Dr. Van Bambleweep's door. Alfonso banged furiously on it. Half a minute passed and there was no answer. In the distance, Alfonso could still hear Kiril's swords clanging against the armor of his adversaries.

"Doctor!" Alfonso shouted. "It's me—Alfonso! We need your help!" A few seconds later, the door creaked open and the doctor peered out.

"What's going ... Good GOD!" exclaimed the doctor as he looked down upon Bilblox, who was draped across the loafer's coffin. "What happened to your blind friend?"

"He got into a fight with Dragoonya," said Alfonso. "We need your help. Please!"

The doctor looked them over quickly. Then he glanced at the donkey cart behind them, piled high with their supplies. The sled dogs whimpered nearby.

"Wheel the coffin and this wounded man into my shop!" ordered the doctor. "Then bring your donkey cart down the street! There's a small cavern there, where you can hide it. Go on!"

They followed the doctor's orders in haste. They wheeled Bilblox into Dr. Van Bambleweep's shop and then led the donkey cart, which contained all of their supplies, into an abandoned-looking cavern at the far end of the street. Once everything was hidden, they hustled back to the doctor's office. Van Bambleweep let them in and they gathered in the small sitting area at the rear of the shop.

"This is very upsetting," Van Bambleweep said to Alfonso. "Who in tarnation are all these people?"

Hill and Resuza quickly introduced themselves.

"Idiots!" said the doctor irritably. "Now tell me—what happened?"

Alfonso recounted their confrontation with the Dragoonya as quickly as he could.

"I told you to avoid the Dragoonya," mumbled the doctor. "Now you see what has happened. Here—help me take off his shirt!"

The doctor spent the next thirty minutes attending to Bilblox's wounds. He washed away the blood with pieces of cloth that he had sterilized in boiling water. He then applied generous amounts of a viscous white gel from a bottle labeled "Wheatgrass Wound and Scar-Healing Ointment." Finally, the doctor sewed up Bilblox's wounds with a needle and thread and then bandaged them with a great deal of gauze and cloth.

"I'm feelin' a bit better," said Bilblox weakly as he sat up and looked around the room.

"Your friend is lucky," concluded the doctor. "The cuts he received missed his major blood vessels."