The Master's Chair (The Chronicles of Terah) (33 page)

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Wednesday Blalick led the Tellurians north through the narrow valley to a small box canyon where the road seemed to come to a dead end. When Karl questioned Blalick about it, he just smiled and told Karl that the way would become clear in the morning. After dinner, Blalick once again settled down near the sleeping tarps to guard the campsite during the night.

Shortly after daybreak Thursday morning, Karl was wandering around checking on the horses when he saw what looked like a crevice in the rock wall on the western side of the canyon. He hadn’t noticed it the night before. When he returned to the campsite he mentioned it to Blalick and asked if they were going to go through it.

Blalick smiled and said, “Yes, our road does indeed go through the crevice.”

“I’m surprised that I didn’t notice it last night. I’m usually more observant than that.”

“You could not have seen it last night. The entrance was hidden by large boulders.”

“What happened to them?”

“I moved them after dark. I did not want to take the chance that anyone could observe the order in which I removed them. If one were to remove them in the wrong order, one would be crushed,” Blalick said quietly. “That crevice leads to a mountain pass, and from the pass, a trail leads directly into the valley where you will be staying. I really do not think that there is anyone following us, but I decided that it might be best to play it safe. Sorry if it seems that I have deceived you, but I felt it necessary.”

“Blalick, never, ever apologize for protecting our backs,” Karl said.

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As soon as all of the Tellurians had passed through the entrance to the crevice, Blalick replaced the boulders to once again hide the path. The climb through the rocky crevice to the rim of the gorge was difficult at best. There were several stretches where the wagons had only a couple of inches to spare, and the rocky terrain was so rough on the horses that they had to stop frequently to let them rest. They didn’t get to the rim until well after lunchtime. Once they reached the top, they could see back into the box canyon, which was now to their east, but a dense forest obstructed their view to the west.

Blalick headed into the forest and motioned for them to follow. Karl could not see any sign of a road or a pathway and he was a little concerned that the wagons might not make it through the woods, but Blalick seemed to know exactly how much clearance was needed. Around mid-afternoon, they emerged onto a ledge overlooking a lovely valley that led to the west.

The valley was a couple of miles long and about a half-mile wide, and was framed by steep mountainsides covered in thick forests. A winding stream tumbled over boulders as it ran through a meadow of grasses and wildflowers on the north side of the valley and then seemed to disappear into the mountain near the western end. In the forest on the southern side of the valley, apple trees bloomed among the hardy evergreens and aspens.

Before he led them down the path into the valley, Blalick turned to the Tellurians and said, “Welcome to Rainbow Valley. This will be your home for the next few months.”

Joan frowned. “I didn’t notice a valley by that name on our maps.”

“I do not know if anyone else calls it Rainbow Valley, but that is the name my mother used.”

“Is there any particular reason why she gave it that name?”

Blalick nodded. “There is a waterfall almost directly beneath us. When the late afternoon sun hits the spray just right, it casts a rainbow over the falls. I am sure that you will see it often while you are here.”

Then he turned back towards the forest and led them down the side of the mountain into the valley.

Chapter 28

Rainbow Valley

By the time the Tellurians reached the valley floor, the sun was beginning to sink behind the mountains. They rode slowly through the middle of the valley, between the fenced-in pasture and the woods. When they reached the other end of the valley, Blalick led them through a narrow strip of woods and into a large dark hole in the mountain.

The entrance was at least ten feet wide and probably twice as high. As soon as they entered the mouth of the cave, they lost the faint rays of sunlight that were lingering over the valley, and just as Karl reached the point where he could no longer see anything at all, he heard Blalick call out for all of them to stop where they were.

A couple of minutes later, Blalick appeared in front of the Tellurians in a ball of light, carrying some sticks that looked a lot like Lacrosse sticks. They had long handles and mesh pockets at the top, but instead of balls, the pockets held glowstones stored in black pouches. Blalick handed one to each of the Tellurians, and as they removed the glowstones from their pouches, the limestone inside the cave caught the light and reflected it, adding bits of color and dispelling the gloom.

The floor of the cave was hard dry clay, and the footsteps of the horses echoed as they continued down the tunnel.  After about a hundred feet, a smaller passage veered off to the right.

Blalick turned to Kevin, and said, “I thought you might want to get the horses settled before we go on to the living quarters. We have fixed a temporary stable in a room at the end of this hall.”

“That passage looks sort of small. Will the wagons make it through?” Kevin asked.

Blalick pointed to a large opening in the wall opposite the small passage “We have cleared that room out for storing the wagons.” Then he turned towards Karl and said, “I will take you down to the stable area, and while you are taking care of your horses, I will return to help Theresa and Kevin get the wagons parked and their horses unhitched.” Blalick looked back at Kevin to see if the plan met with his approval. When Kevin nodded, Blalick led the others down the passage on the right.

The narrow corridor led to a large chamber with a ceiling at least fifty feet high. Black boxes were attached to the side walls at five foot intervals, and as Blalick opened a clasp on each of the boxes, the sides swung down exposing the glowstone housed inside. After all the boxes had been opened, the room appeared as light as a bright sunny day.

On the left-hand side of the chamber were two alcoves. Bales of hay and barrels of oats had been stacked in the larger one, and the smaller one had been made into a tack room. Along the back wall there were twelve large box stalls, each with its own gate, feed basket, and water trough. All of the water troughs were connected and were fed by a natural stream of fresh water that had been diverted so that it flowed through the troughs and then emptied back into the stream. There was a long hitching post in the middle of the chamber, with plenty of room on each side for horses.

As the Tellurians dismounted, Blalick opened the gates on the stalls and then he left to go help Theresa and Kevin store their wagons. While the others began unsaddling their horses, Karl tethered his and followed Blalick back to the main hall so that he could get the spare team that was tied behind Kevin’s wagon.

The wagon room was about twenty feet deep and extended several feet on each side of the opening. There were two black boxes mounted inside the room, one on each side of the wide doorway, and when Blalick unclasped the lids, the effect was the same as turning on two spotlights. Blalick guided Theresa as she backed her wagon into the room. Then he helped Kevin maneuver his wagon so that he could back it into the room beside Theresa’s. Once the two wagons were parked and the brakes were set, Blalick and Kevin unhitched the teams and the three of them led the wagon horses to the stable.

When all of the horses were settled for the night, Blalick fastened the black boxes back around the glowstones, but after he finished, the room was not quite dark. Glowstone boxes had been fastened near the top of the walls and on some of the stalactites, creating a soft glow that was about the same as a clear moonlit night.

After they left the stable area, Blalick led them down the main passageway, once again by torchlight. They snaked around limestone columns for about the length of a football field, and then the passageway opened into a huge chamber. Blalick hung his torch in one of the holders attached to the wall near the doorway, stored the glowstone back in its pouch, and motioned for the Tellurians to do the same. Directly in front of them, an entrance hall separated a large sitting room on the left from the dining room and kitchen on the right. Smells of homemade bread mingled with the smells of stew and fresh strawberries.

To their right was a large table with four chairs on each side and one at each end. Seven places had been set with plates, bowls, mugs, and flatware. There were two candlesticks on the table, but instead of candles, they held tiny glowstone cases. Above the center of the table, there was a stalactite which had glowstones attached to it, giving it the appearance of a chandelier. The rug covering the dining room floor looked like it had been woven with variegated yarn using deep, rich, earth tones.

Beyond the dining room, there was a “U” shaped kitchen. Along the left-hand wall, there was a stack of wood, a small opening that led into a pantry, a table, and a wood stove. Continuing around the “U”, along the back wall, there was a large sink. Water ran into the sink from a pipe anchored to the wall above it, and then drained into a pipe that went through the floor below it. Next to the sink, there was a second table, and two large metal buckets with lids. Beside the two buckets, coming up the right-hand wall, there was a third table, and a large cupboard with two sets of double doors.

A woman who was a couple of feet shorter than Blalick was bending over the stove, stirring the stew. Although everything in the kitchen was full-size for humans, the picture she made standing there was comparable to an adult in a child’s play kitchen. She had on a light brown dress similar to those worn by Indian maidens in western movies, and her thick black hair fell in one long braid down the middle of her back. The sash at her waist highlighted her slim figure and was just like the one Blalick wore, but instead of a sword, she wore a long dagger at her side. She was as dark as her husband, but she was willowy where he was sturdy. Her features were soft and friendly, and her light green eyes sparkled when she smiled.

Blalick moved to his wife’s side and put his arm around her possessively. “I would like for all of you to meet my wife, Ashni,” he said with a deep smile.

Ashni welcomed them to Rainbow Valley and asked them if they would like to have a mug of scog in the sitting room while she put the finishing touches on dinner. Joan and Theresa opted to stay in the kitchen to help with dinner, but the men headed for the sitting room with mugs and a large pitcher of scog.

The sitting room was set up in three main areas. In the center of the room, two couches faced each other with a coffee table in between. A dark green rug covered the floor between the couches, and there was a vase of fresh flowers on the table. Small tables with glowstone lamps had been placed at each end of both couches.

A second area consisted of three large armchairs that sat in a semi-circle on one side of the couches. A brown rug covered the floor between them, and there was a small lamp table beside each of the chairs.

On the other side of the couches, there was a table about the size and shape of a card table with four chairs pulled up to it, one on each side. The table top was clear but there were a couple of glowstones attached to the stalactite hanging over the center of the table.

After the men sat down, Blalick said, “I am going to leave you in Ashni’s hands now, but I will return after dinner to lead you to the rooms which have been prepared for you. Is there anything you need before I go?”

The men looked at each other, but no one said anything, so Kevin answered, “No, we don’t need anything else, but you are going to join us for dinner, aren’t you?”

“Thank you, sir, but no. Ashni and I will eat later with our children. Now, if you do not mind, I do need to check on a few things outside.”

“Of course, and thanks for everything, Blalick,” Kevin said.

The men settled back in the comfortable furniture drinking scog and talking quietly amongst themselves while soft conversation and laughter drifted from the kitchen. About half an hour later, Joan called from the dining room. “Okay guys. Dinner’s on the table. Come on before it all gets cold.”

As soon as the Tellurians were settled around the table, Ashni quietly left.

During dinner, they could hear a melody that sounded like a flute, accompanied by occasional “baraaack” sounds in the distance. The sounds didn’t grow any louder, but they didn’t fade away either. When Blalick and Ashni returned, Theresa asked them if they had any idea where the music was coming from.

“That was Sari playing her flute,” Ashni said with a smile. “She was up in Luci’s room.”

“I know that Sari’s your daughter,” Joan said. “Blalick told us about her and Macin, but he didn’t mention Luci. Is she a permanent resident, or a guest like us?”

Ashni laughed and shook her head. “Luci is a giant condor. She has a perch in one of the caves near the top of the mountain, but she has been here so long that she seems like a member of the family. She often sings along when Sari plays her flute.”

“A giant condor?” Steve said wistfully. “I’d love to see her. Maybe Sari will let me go with her sometime and watch from a distance.”

“I feel sure that that could be arranged after you have been here for a while,” Blalick answered. “Luci flies over the valley several times a day. She will get used to seeing all of you around before long.”

Since everyone had finished eating, Joan started gathering the dishes. “I want to thank you for our dinner, Ashni. It was delicious.”

“I am pleased that you enjoyed it,” Ashni said with a shy smile as she picked up the dishes that Joan had stacked. “I am sure you are anxious to see your rooms, so I will clear the table while Blalick shows you around. I felt sure that you would be too tired to bother with unpacking this evening, so I took the liberty of placing a nightshirt on everyone’s bed for tonight. They are old ones that Sari and Macin have outgrown and I know they will probably be quite big on you, but if you like them, feel free to keep them.”

“Now, if you do not mind, I would like to show you to your rooms,” Blalick said.

“Blalick, I hate to hold you up, but I’m afraid that I’m going to insist on helping Ashni with the dishes,” Joan said as she gathered more dishes to take to the kitchen.

“It really won’t take a moment with all of us helping,” Karl said as he began collecting mugs. “Just give us a few minutes, Blalick, and we’ll be right with you.”

“Certainly, if that is your wish,” Blalick said with a slight nod of his head. Then he turned to Kevin and said, “May I speak with you for just a moment?”

Kevin nodded. “I’ll be right with you. Just let me take these into the kitchen,” he said as he picked up several mugs and a handful of flatware.

Blalick nodded and headed towards the sitting room. 

Kevin carried the mugs and flatware out to the kitchen where Ashni was pouring hot water into a bucket for washing the dishes. As he set them down on the table, he said, “I want to thank you for all that you and your family have done for us. You didn’t have to go to so much trouble, and we really do appreciate it.”

A slight tinge of color crept up her cheeks as Ashni turned towards him. “We are honored to help you in any way we can, Myron. Your parents were wonderful people.”

Kevin nodded and then walked towards the sitting area with a lot of questions floating around in his head. When he reached the sitting room, Blalick was standing near the far end, next to an arched opening that led to a second passageway.

“Sir, have you chosen your assistant yet?” Blalick asked quietly.

“Well, yes. Chris has agreed to be my assistant. Why?”

“We have bedrooms set up for all of you, but the rooms are in pairs. I wanted to know whom we should put in the room next to yours.”

“You mean we will all have our own bedroom? Great,” Kevin said with a sigh. “I figured we would be in some type of barracks.”

“Barracks? What is a barracks?” Blalick asked.

“It’s one big room with a long row of beds, and no, I do not want to stay in a barracks. It’s just what I was expecting. Thank you for preparing individual rooms,” Kevin said quickly before Blalick decided to rearrange things.

“Of course, sir,” Blalick said. Then he got the torches from the holders beside the main passageway and began removing the glowstones from their pouches. Kevin helped him, and by the time they finished, the dishes were done, and everyone was ready to continue exploring their new living quarters.

Blalick led the Tellurians through the arch and out of the sitting room. After they had walked about forty feet down a twisting walkway, a smaller hall led off to the left. Blalick turned into that hall and continued walking until they came to a fork. Blalick led them down the left fork to a heavy wooden door that completely blocked the passageway. “Joan, Karl, this is your room,” Blalick said as he swung the door open.

Joan led everyone through the door and then stopped dead in her tracks. Her jaw dropped as her gaze wandered over her new living quarters. The room consisted of two distinct areas. The main area was the bedroom and was larger than her whole apartment back in Omaha. The other area was an alcove to the immediate right of the door that had been made into a sitting area. There were two large easy chairs angled towards each other with a table between them and an ottoman in front of them. The table had a couple of shelves under it, and a glowstone lamp and serving tray on top. A deep yellow circular rug covered most of the floor in the alcove.

Along the wall to the left of the doorway was a large double bed covered with a quilted bedspread with a design of interlocking circles. A pale yellow blanket was folded across the foot of the bed, and two nightshirts were folded on the pillows. On each side of the bed, there was a night table with a glowstone lamp, and an oval rug made of the same deep yellow material as the one in the alcove. The end wall had pegs for cloaks and there was a shelf about a foot off the floor for boots. In the corner was a small table with a wash basin on top and a pot with a lid underneath. Two large chests of drawers stood against the wall directly opposite the bed, and next to the chests there was a large wooden desk with a straight back chair. On top of the desk, an inkbottle and quill stood ready for use beside a small stack of notepaper. A glowstone lamp was attached to the wall directly above the center of the desk.