The Map Maker's Quest (8 page)

“So what now?” Eriunia asked.

“Your defenses here are solid,” Puck said. “Before I came to you, I opened two mushroom rings on the Palisade. You leave a strong force here to defend the positions you've built. It needs to be enough to hold out for a few days but not so strong that the Adherents call in more troops.”

“What do you have planned?” Eriunia asked. She looked down at the ripped map and realized how much this little bit of information explained,
if it is true
, she thought.

“After I landed I contacted every tribe I could find and called in every favor I have ever earned,” Puck said. “They will strike the Adherents from here.” Puck pointed at the ripped map and indicated a spot just north of Palisade Head. “The force he landed is almost two thousand strong, enough to trap you here and keep you fighting.”

“Small enough we think we can defeat them but strong enough to hold us here until Cain can finish finding the book. Then he can turn back and land the rest of his forces and wipe us out. Everyone who can stand after the fighting will be mining iron or locked in a cold iron cage somewhere,” Eriunia muttered. Her mind was grasping the situation quickly, and she began to understand what Puck was planning. “We trap them here and hold them, while your force from the north swings down and strike at the rear. Together we wipe out the forces he left here. Instead of him coming north to wipe us out, we march south and take Duluth.”

“Close,” Puck admitted. He smiled appreciatively at the elf princess. At another time he would have been tempted to tell her how he felt about her, but there was no chance of that happening. He knew much about the elf, knew she had been betrothed, knew her betrothed had recently been killed. When this war was done, she would go into mourning for Braun. If she ever emerged, it would be a long wait. “Cain has one other surprise up his sleeve. He is not landing his forces on our side of the Divide.”

“Impossible,” Eriunia gasped.

“Not so,” Puck disagreed. “Mounted to the front of his
Goliath
is a device with enough raw power to sunder a break in the Divide. He believes the book is hidden on the other side of the Divide, and he is going to cross over and land the rest of his force on the other side. While the locals are busy trying to figure out what's going on, he'll be free to search for the book.”

“But such an act would unite the councils against him and the Temple,” Eriunia insisted. “It would even force the Seely Council to finally break their silence and become involved.”

“I think the Temple has placed itself beyond that,” Puck muttered darkly. Deep inside he wondered if the more powerful races of the Seely Council had the strength any more to stand, personally he doubted it.

“Impossible,” Eriunia said.

“We will see,” Puck replied. “We will see.”

They sat up for another thirty minutes laying plans and Eriunia knew that sleep would be hard to come by tonight. She called in messengers and started shifting troops, she sent another to wake Carvin and together they began dividing up the veteran units and mixing them with the raw recruits.

 

Chapter Eight

Palisade Head

C
ain stood on the raised deck at the back of the
Goliath
and looked south to where the city of Duluth was waiting for him. Half way up the hill, the massive Temple of Adherency dominated the town below it. Delicate spires that had originally marked the center of learning and cultural beauty now flew his new flag—a black ensign with a red hammer and fist set atop a design he had created: two lines that resembled snakes and crossed each other in the middle, one standing vertical and one standing horizontal.

“Drop anchor!”

Cain listened as the massive chains ran out the open ports on the sides of the ship. Two huge chunks of cold iron dropped into the depths of the lake and buried themselves in the lake bed. Mounted to the deck before him was a control box with a series of switches and gauges that displayed the amount of energy the sundering device was pulling. Before coming on deck, he had checked the master map carved into an oak table in his chambers. Working the map into a table made of planks cut from the heart of a mighty crimson oak was a stroke of genius. The boards were so hard to make it had taken three years just to find enough wood to build the table.

It had taken workmen another four years to carve the intricate designs that marked the edges of Lake Superior and most of Lake Huron. He had killed four map makers of varying skill during the painting of the map. All that time and effort invested into something he didn't even know would work. As it was, he could catch glimpses and hear scattered bits of what was happening on maps around the marked area. Still, it allowed him to stay a step ahead of these so called rebels. He knew where they were gathering and generally what they planned, and it worked well with what he was doing thus far.

“Nothing so far,” Cain muttered. He looked over the map closely before coming on deck, but nothing had moved as far as he could tell. The rebels were still dug in at Palisade Head and his forces were moving slowly closer. “Time to make our appearance, Captain.”

The Adherent standing nearby nodded and turned the massive wooden wheel of the ship until the bow of the
Goliath
was pointing west. They steamed ahead at full power for almost an hour before the great rock cliffs of Palisade Head came into view.

Cain smiled as he watched the frantic activity atop the rock formations. Let them feel the destructive power of his fleet, even reduced as it was in number.

“One pass, Captain,” Cain instructed. “I want to be in Duluth tomorrow by mid-morning.”

“Yes, sire,” the captain responded. “Prepare to fire!” There was a temporary rumble of hatches opening, and the deck shook as dozens of massive cannons were run out. “Prepare a single broadside!”

The men in the confined spaces below struggled to load the regular cannons while the men on deck checked the arming charges on the magical versions. It took the cannons longer to charge then it did the muskets. They could safely fire the odd shaped cannons about once every two minutes, in between those shots the great iron cannon balls filled with gunpowder would force an enemy to stay out of range.

When the preparations were complete, they waited as the ship steamed closer with agonizing slowness.

“Fire a ranging shot!” the captain shouted. Moments later a single cannon from below decks barked out, and the ship shuddered. A plume of fire lanced out of the ship. Immediately everyone in the area knew they were there and spoiling for a fight.

Cain watched with fascination as the single cannon ball arched out from the ship. There was a sudden burst of activity on the cliffs as the small figures of fighters threw themselves behind whatever cover they could find. Then the cannon ball struck the cliff low near the water line and a great fountain of water and stone erupted into the air.

“Bring it up five degrees,” the captain shouted. “Fire another ranging shot.”

Again the cannon below deck barked, and the ship trembled. This time the shot impacted the top of Palisade Head. The explosion sent a great billow of smoke and rock in all directions, and there was a cheer from the Adherents watching from the deck.

“Fire a full broadside!”

 

* * * * *

 

Eriunia and Carvin watched
as
the first cannon sent a lance of fire towards them. All around them the rebels dove for cover. Eriunia, however, stood calmly watching. The first shot was well short. The second one she would worry about. Generally the second shot went to high.

“Are we ready?” Carvin asked. There was a tremendous explosion from near the water line, and the ground trembled as the shock wave moved through it.

“Can you hold this place with the forces we prepared?” Eriunia asked. She turned and looked at the young human. Despite the fact that he had so recently turned to their cause, she felt good about the trust she was placing in him.

“We will hold,” Carvin replied. “As long as Puck carries through with his end of the bargain, the cliffs will remain ours. If he is lying to us, we'll be in chains by nightfall.”

“I know,” Eriunia said. “If that happens, I'll find a way to unleash the might of the elf race into this conflict. We have been neutral too long.” There was still an army in Tir Na Nog that could strike at the Adherents and stop them. Bringing it out of seclusion was the problem.

“Good luck with your mission,” Carvin said. He grasped her forearm and gave her a quick hug. “Now go. We'll take care of this.” He let go of his grip and scrambled back as they heard the next shot leave the ship. A moment later the cannon ball slammed into the stones at the top of the cliffs and sent a massive cloud of dust into the air. There was a chorus of shouts as the men near the explosion ran for more secure positions. They knew this possibility was coming and deep holes were already dug throughout the cliff top. Without goblins around, such holes would have been impossible, but goblins had a way with stone. It was impossible to describe.

Eriunia ran south following a small foot trail tucked under the lip of the rocks. It had been widened and carved out so that the rebels could move freely without being shot. When she arrived at the far end, she found Puck looking exhausted but still helping move rebels five at a time to a mushroom ring north of Duluth.

“How's it going?” Eriunia cried. The shelling was starting in earnest now and the explosions rumbled across the cliff top. She was not sure how long Cain would persist but she didn't think it would last. The leader of the Temple was more interested in his personal goals then stopping a rebellion he considered beneath him.

“Almost done,” Puck shouted back. He pushed his body back up determinedly and thrust out his chest, he had pushed his body to the limit and still he could not rest.

He vanished with another group of fighters and was gone for about thirty seconds, when he re-appeared he nearly fell to the ground.

“This is the last group,” Puck said. He looked at her and shrugged. “I can come back for you.”

“Don't bother,” Eriunia replied. “I'll follow you there. I know the under trails as well as you do.”

“Really?” Puck said. He raised an eyebrow and looked at her. “All right then, follow me.” Together then stepped into the circle and the light rose up in the air around them and surrounded them. Moments later they were flashing through the earth and following a trail that seemed shorter then it was.

 

* * * * *

 

Carvin watched from a sheltered
alcove as the
Goliath
slowly drifted south, peppering the cliff tops with both conventional cannon fire and gigantic blasts of energy that crackled out. All in all, Puck's warning had come at the perfect time. The rebels had pulled out of the forward positions overlooking the lake and the shore leading north and south and taken shelter in deep caves tunneled over the last few days. They would come through the bombardment with few losses.

“The ship is moving south, sir.”

Carvin nodded at the messenger, “Back to your positions, everyone. You know what we have to do, w. We hold until Puck's re-enforcements arrive.”

A scattered round of shouts, and then the rebels erupted from their hiding places and raced back to the defensive positions facing inland. Carvin sprinted back to where he had arranged a lookout post to gaze down on the northern lake shore. Immediately he spotted the black-robed figures slipping through the trees towards where his men were leaping into their dugout positions. The battle would be coming soon, but now he needed his men to wait.

“Hold your fire,” Carvin muttered. He wanted the first volley to be effective, and his fighters needed to wait for the command. As the last of his fighters leapt into their shelters, he nodded to the goblin standing nearby. The goblin he picked as his messenger was heavy set and had wide shoulders and strong arms. He held a big rawhide drum and a pair of heavy sticks. Together they waited and watched. Slowly the Adherents slipped through the trees, until a group of several hundred were gathered on the edge of the forest. As their forces swelled, the Adherent officers decided they were ready and ordered the advance. Carvin watched as the black robes made their way closer with agonizing slowness. Finally, when he deemed the time right, he turned to the goblin and motioned to the drum.

“Now, sound the signal!” Carvin said to him. The Adherents were half way to the first positions and two hundred were ranged out in the open while more hesitated near the trees. He could see several officers shouting at the lead units to pull back, but he wanted those men out of the fight.

Boom Boom

The thunder of the goblin war drum echoed out over Palisade Head, and Carvin's first line of defense raised their weapons and unleashed a volley at the Adherents. Immediately the afternoon was filled with shouts and eruptions. Miraculously the rebels unleashed their volley with perfect timing, and nearly two hundred and fifty bluish blasts of energy tore into the Adherents. The Adherents on the beach had no chance, and were knocked backwards almost to a man. Carvin had ordered his men to set their weapons to a heavy stun. He wanted the Adherents disabled and others trying to pull their fellows out of harm's way. What better way to bring an army to disarray, then to leave them worrying about their fellows.

“Why aren't we killing them?” the goblin asked again.

“Because they just lost a fourth of their force and those men will be down for hours,” Carvin said. “I have a plan for them that I worked out with Puck last night.” He waited another couple minutes while the chaos settled. The Adherents immediately sought cover and began returning fire, and the rebels slipped back into their cover and waited. “Play the signal again.”

The goblin grunted but picked up his heavy mallets and started pounding on the big drum, sending the rhythmic sound across the battlefield. Carvin watched as the newest members of Pucks forces started to work their skills across the bodies strewn between the opposing forces. At first the movement was slight and even Carvin was hard pressed to see what was happening.

Suddenly there was a chorus of shouts and musket blasts began to ring out in the trees where the Adherents were arranging their siege lines. Then he saw them sliding slowly from hidden spaces in the rocks. Vines and tree roots slithered out from the forest and from the trees on Palisade Head, each time the roots reached an Adherent, they grew around the unconscious men, trapping them. Spread out among his forward line was a dozen tree spirits and beings that could call on the very nature of the forest. They stayed hidden among the rocks and reached out to the trees and encouraged them to send their roots wide and shallow.

“I think that'll keep the Adherents busy for a while,” Carvin said with a laugh.

The goblin grinned and picked up his drum, ready to follow the young human commander and send his messages echoing across the massive mountain of stone.

The afternoon passed slowly, and the Adherents made several probing attacks at the rebels. Carvin was happy they didn't decide to press the attack immediately. So far he had hidden the true number of defenders. If the Adherents decided to press the attack heavily, they would soon realize they were facing a much smaller force than what they had been told. If that happened, the defense would fall apart much more quickly then they wanted.

 

* * * * *

 

Cain watched the coast slip
by as the
Goliath
came up to full steam and surged south. He had sent the rest of the fleet south and ordered them to hold position a half a mile from Duluth. The
Goliath
was running half as fast as any other Ironship could move and he knew he would catch them at about the right time.

The evening passed uneventfully, and the next day they rejoined the fleet by midday. Cain spent the early part of the morning staring at his grand map, but the table was silent on what was happening at Palisade Head. This was not unusual if no maps were close by. The area would then remain dark. He finally gave up on finding out any more information on the events there and made his way out onto the upper deck. The
Goliath
and the rest of the fleet were arranged in a tight group just out from the harbors at Duluth. Here the harbor stretched several hundred yards into the lake, grand piles of granite piled into the water to create a break and make a shelter for the ore ships as they unloaded.

“Is everyone in place?” Cain asked. He glanced at the captain as he waited for the reply.

“Yes, sir,” the captain replied. “All the other commanders and ship captains reported in early this morning. We await your orders.”

“Get everyone on deck,” Cain ordered. “We will steam through the Divide the moment the Sunderer has done its work.” Carefully he pulled the covering off the controls to the strange device and carefully folded it off to the side.