The Mapkeeper and the Rise of the Wardens (5 page)

“Well, another year, another Form of the Nation. Nothing new there. Let’s get ready for bed, everyone,” Peter said with a forced smile that did not reach his eyes. Lucy and her brothers complied.

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Drew said, waving to the Barnes family as he stretched and sauntered to the front door. Lucy hoped that he was right.

The siblings shared one bedroom. It was all their father could afford for the family, but Lucy didn’t mind. She had her own corner curtained-off, and Luke and Mack each had a bed on the opposite side of the room. It was all they knew, and they were content with what they had.

Lucy made it to the bathroom first, brushed her teeth, and hopped into bed. As she lay on her back with her eyes closed, she couldn’t stop visions of the map from flashing across her mind’s eye. She tossed and turned, unable to find a comfortable position despite her weariness. She threw the blanket off her body, but later ended up pulling it back over her legs, alternating between feeling too hot and too cold.

After an hour she gave up trying to fall asleep, pulled out her
City-Bright Commune Light
flashlight, and peeled the top book off her statuesque “to-read” stack, which towered up from the floor beside her bed. She made it through a hundred pages before sleep overtook her at last.

Lucy blinked awake to the sound of a robin chirping outside her window. Exhausted, she rubbed her eyes, sat up, and pulled back the bed curtain. Dawn’s first rays pierced the frosty panes of the bedroom window. Luke and Mack were both still asleep, balled up in thick messes of quilts and sheets. Mack’s mouth hung agape, soft snores escaping with each breath.

The map. Mr. Quincy.
Was yesterday real?

A glow caught her eye at the edge of her vision. She glanced at her bedside table and her stomach immediately knotted into a tight ball. The map was sitting on the corner of the table, pulsing with soft glows of light.

For a moment she stared at it, inexplicably relieved to see it again. As she reached out and picked it up, the wash of relief was replaced with a cold chill of fear.
How did it return to me?
she thought. Her heart began to race. Her eyes darted around the room, scanning for signs of Commune spies. Her breath quickened and the skin on her arms prickled with apprehension.

She eased out of bed, careful not to wake Mack and Luke. On tiptoes, she peered out the window to make sure no one was watching her. Her head spun.
This can’t be happening,
she thought.

She slipped back into bed and slid the curtain shut. Unfolding the map, she ran a quivering hand over its soft, ancient surface. A bright glow followed her hand across the paper and vivid color illuminated the black illustrations atop the pulsing light. Lucy let out a gasp as warmth stirred within her. She couldn’t believe her eyes!

Mesmerized, she examined the map’s details. In the lower right corner above her name was an intricate compass rose. It had an eight-point star at the center, with long arms budding out in the four cardinal directions and shorter arms in the ordinal directions. At the far right side of the map in the East was Doldrums Forest, a vast, dense thicket of evergreens. To the northwest of Doldrums Forest were rolling green foothills, and beyond those in the far north were steep, craggy mountains capped with snow. They were labeled Dour Mountains.

South of the mountains and foothills was a large body of water labeled Glacial Lake. Though there were numerous evergreen trees scattered throughout the countryside and around the lake, one tree stood out—a giant among its peers. It was a massive canopy tree with sprawling roots and a thick trunk. It grew on the southeastern shore of Glacial Lake and was labeled Tree of Virtue in elegant script
. Does this tree have special powers?
she couldn’t help but wonder. It seemed to exude radiance. Lucy was entranced as she explored the various features of the map.

A large castle labeled Tropos Castle dominated the center of the map atop a hill overlooking a quaint village. The winding dirt road leading up the hill from the village to the castle was labeled Royale Byway. The castle was guarded by a large wooden drawbridge and a moat. It was many stories tall and was dotted with tall, thin windows. There were half a dozen spires atop the castle, several of which were embellished with long red flags. The rooftop tiles were bright red as well.

To the west of Tropos Castle and at the base of the hill was a small, ramshackle wooden hut labeled Alchemist’s Cottage. It was connected to the village by a thin dirt path. The village occupied the bottom left corner of the map. It was charming—little cottages lined the streets along with trees, flowers, and cobbled roads. It was not a large village. Smaller than Algid, Lucy estimated.

In the northern part of town was Main Market Road, which was lined with small shops, stalls, and stands. In the south, just north of where the Royale Byway met the village was a wide road labeled Central Square Promenade. It was lined with homes and dead-ended at Central Square, a circular plaza encased by narrow buildings with sharp-slanted roofs. The tallest structure was a thin pointed clock tower at the easternmost edge of the circle. Lucy envisioned lots of activity in Central Square at the heart of the village.

North of the town, past the Alchemist’s Cottage, the western end of Glacial Lake emerged from behind the castle hill. Beyond that were open grassy fields, and in the far northwest lay the Dark Sea.

It looks like the Northern Sea
, Lucy thought. The Dark Sea was drawn on the map with heavy churning swells crashing ashore at a rocky place called Pernicious Landing. She cringed—it looked like a mariner’s worst nightmare.

“Hmm…” One of her brothers made a waking noise.

Tearing herself away from the map, she folded it with care and slipped it into her pocket. Grabbing a set of clothes, she slipped out to use the bathroom before her brothers got up. She made sure to transfer the map from the pocket of the jeans she’d fallen asleep in yesterday to the front pocket of today’s pair. She washed her face and brushed her teeth, her mind absorbed with images of Praxis. In the living room, she was surprised to find her father hadn’t left for work yet.

“Morning, Dad.” He lifted his head from the book he was reading. It was a thick diesel engine mechanic’s manual.

“Morning, Luce. You get enough sleep?” He cracked a smile. Lucy loved the way his eyes wrinkled up when he smiled, and she was glad to see that he seemed at ease this morning.

She grinned, appreciative of his sarcastic joke. “Yes, I did, thank you very much!” She made her way to the kitchen. “You’re late getting to work this morning.”

“Yeah, I like to enjoy a bit of quiet at the shop before the day starts. That wouldn’t have happened this morning, so I stayed here where I knew I’d get some peace.” Peter closed his book, stood, and stretched. “You going to stay out of trouble today?” He frowned at his daughter.

“Of course!” Lucy smiled. “I’m always careful. And I promise I’ll keep my guard up.”

“I know you will. Come here.” He took a few steps toward her, arms open wide. Lucy rushed into her father’s arms, longing to tell him about the map. His fresh flannel button-up work shirt felt soft and clean against her cheek. She breathed in his scent, savoring the moment. Bar soap, coffee, and a trace of engine lubricating oil. Hot tears sprang into her eyes, unbidden. She didn’t want to be the Mapkeeper, but the map seemed to have other plans. She clung to her father, feeling safe in his arms—even if it was just for a moment.

Peter held her out at arm’s length. “Well, I’m off to the shop. Tell the boys to have a great day for me. I love you.” He pulled her in for one more quick squeeze, then grabbed his ratty old ball cap and strode out through the garage door.

“I will. I love you too Dad!” she called after him. She watched him leave and waited until she heard his snow mobile start and drone off down the road. It wouldn’t be long before the boys were up. She pulled the map out and sank into the couch. Mr. Quincy had said something about the Mapkeeper being able to manipulate the map.

Color and warmth spread through the map in a sparkling sheen when she rubbed it. She tucked some loose hair behind her ear and flipped the map upside down, puzzled. The back side was plain—no markings whatsoever. She flipped it back to the front side, inspecting each marking. She searched for hidden words or pictures. Finding none, she tried rubbing the map harder.

The map cooled as the colorful ink faded to plain black. Puzzled, she held it up to eye level. She had no idea how to harness the power of the map, but rather than allowing it to frustrate her, she told herself that she didn’t mind. It relieved her of having to worry about whatever responsibility came with being the Mapkeeper.

“Hey,” Luke grumbled as he lurched through the living room toward the kitchen in his zombie-worthy morning shuffle.

“Hey.” Lucy pocketed the map and followed him into the kitchen.

“Mack and I were talking last night,” Luke whispered, “and we think maybe we should go back into the forest and dig up the map.” He pulled two slices of bread from the bread box and stuffed them in the toaster.

Lucy’s eyes darted to the kitchen window. The curtains were shut.

Mack walked in, his hair a complete mess. “Yeah,” he chimed in.

“Too late. Look what showed up on my nightstand this morning.” She pulled the tip of the map out of her pocket to show them. They huddled together in the center of the kitchen. “It’s so strange. It glows, gets warm, and turns colorful when I rub it sometimes, but that’s it.”

“You said you felt a connection to the map, right?” Luke asked.

“Yeah. It’s weird. I don’t really know how to explain it.”

“Have you considered that maybe it reacts to more than just your touch? Maybe it responds to your state of mind, too,” Luke speculated. Lucy considered the idea. Mack just shrugged.

“I guess that could make sense… But this is all crazy. I’m not planning on using the map anyway.”

“Why don’t you at least try to see if you can make it do something?” Luke whispered.

She sighed and pulled out the map. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, trying to empty her mind and be at peace, but she couldn’t force frustrating thoughts of Mr. Quincy and the Commune from her mind. Sudden warmth from the map surprised her. Opening her eyes, she saw the vortex of color form at the center of the map and expand until the whole map was once again alive with color—and now motion!

“Whoa!” Luke exclaimed in a hushed voice.

“That is awesome.” Mack agreed, wide-eyed and alert despite having just woken up.

The map was alive. Leaves on trees stirred as if blown by a stiff breeze, the surface of the lake rippled, the castle turret flags whipped in the wind, and large swells exploded with fury against the rocks at Pernicious Landing in the northwest. Lucy’s arms and legs tingled with warmth.

“You were right, Luke!” Lucy exclaimed, unable to contain her delight.

Nervousness overcame her. What if the Commune really was listening in? Or worse—watching them? “I should put this away.” She folded the map and stuffed it in her pocket, heading to the cupboard for a box of cereal. Her brothers didn’t object.

“Lucy, I hope you know that if you go, we’re coming,” Mack asserted. His blue eyes were grave.

“You guys can’t… it’s too risky!” she protested. “Besides, Mr. Quincy said no one besides the Mapkeeper has ever gone to Praxis. I don’t think it’s possible.”

“We’re coming.” Luke stepped toward her, intent. His toast was burning. The three of them stood for a long moment facing one another. Lucy’s gaze swept from Luke to Mack and back. It seemed there was no dissuading them.

“I mean, if it’s possible, that would be great. But as of now I don’t think I’m even going,” she replied, shrugging. Remembering his breakfast, Luke whipped around to salvage what was left of his toast. Mack’s brow furrowed in concern. Protecting his sister was his main concern.

“I heard you talking to Dad this morning. He still doesn’t know about the map, right?” Mack asked.

“Right.”

“I’d better leave a note for him just in case,” Mack said with a grimace of guilt. “I feel bad…but he’d feel better to at least know we’re all together.” He pulled a pad of paper and a
Commune Ink, Inc.
pen out of a drawer and scrawled a note.

“That isn’t necessary, Mack,” Lucy insisted, annoyed. “We aren’t going anywhere.” She left the kitchen.

In silence, they gathered their belongings, donned boots and jackets, locked up the house, and set off for school. They hurried, trying once again to avoid contact with nosy neighbors. When they reached Mrs. Beadleback’s house, Lucy glanced up in time to see the curtains in her front window swish shut. The door popped open and the woman waddled out, overdressed as before.

“Hey kids! Going to school?” she called, toddling after them.

“Yes, Mrs. Beadleback, but we’re running a little late so we’ve got to hurry! Sorry there’s no time to chat!” Lucy called over her shoulder as they picked up the pace. Lucy peeked over her shoulder a few seconds later and saw a disappointed Mrs. Beadleback give up, realizing she wouldn’t be able to catch them. One of three scarves draped around her shoulders plopped onto the icy sidewalk. She bent at the waist to snatch it up, layers of puffy winter jackets ballooning around her. With a final frown of determination, the woman shuffled up the path toward her house.

“Maybe this afternoon then, Lucy!” she called. Lucy waved over her shoulder as the siblings rounded a corner. They hurried down the street toward a cul-de-sac that backed up to the woods. Trees would provide the cover they needed to get to school. Parting shin-deep snow, they cut between two houses and trekked into the woods without further incident.

“Let’s hurry. I don’t see anyone following us,” Mack urged in a hushed voice. They tramped deeper into the woods through thick drifts of untouched snow. The forest around them grew dense and dark. Glancing back, Lucy could see the white glow from the natural opening in the woods that led into town.

“Let’s turn here. I don’t want to lose my sense of direction. We need to head west and parallel the edge of the woods,” she said. Her brothers nodded in agreement and they shifted course, keeping the faint light of the forest’s edge in view.

“You’re not going to try ditch the map again, are you?” Luke asked, kicking a stick that was half-buried in a snow drift.

“I want to,” Lucy laughed, nervous. “But no, I guess I’ll hang onto it and see what happens.” The map warmed as they walked, becoming hotter and hotter. “Whoa, this thing feels like it’s going to burn a hole in my pocket!” She jerked the map out, holding it away from her body by a corner. It pulsed, emitting blinding light. Her heart rate skyrocketed and the woods began to fade, her vision blurring around the edges.