King of the Dark Mountain (19 page)

“We’ll give him a few more minutes to be with his wife, then we’ll see what he has to say.” Ted removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes.” I managed to get a little sleep, how about you?”

“I dozed a little. I checked on Ellie a few times, but I don’t think she ever woke up.”

“That’s good news. I think the more sleep she is able to get the better.”

“Do you think she’ll be able to fully recover?”

“Yes, slowly, over time. It’s not an easy thing to do what she did. I’m sure you know from your own experience with it.”

Hez shook his head, “I can’t describe what it was like. When I was on that platform, I could see Ellie really clearly in my mind’s eye, though it wasn’t like with my mind’s eye. I had this weird sensation like something expanding behind my eyes and then I could see her like she was standing right next to me. She was incredible the way she directed that light. I was so caught up in that vision of her that I didn’t even notice when they came up on the platform to stop me.”

“Seems like they would have tried to find a way to force you to get the energy over for them.”

“I think they figured out I didn’t want to help them.”

“What made you sure that you didn’t?”

“They’re bad news. The people running things at White Mountain may be petty bureaucrats, but those guys over there are on a whole different level of trouble.”

“I think that’s why we need to get moving as quickly as possible. Can you go get Richard and Samantha to come in so we can figure out a game plan?” Hez nodded, he was about to leave the room when Richard came in.

“I need to talk to the two of you about something,” he said. “I’ve told Samantha already, we have to go down and stop them. She told me what they are planning, but I know from my own experience that there’s more to their plan than simple reproduction.”

“We got that much figured out already, but is there something specific that you’re aware of?”

“They have a whole underground city built over there and it’s automated beyond anything I’ve ever seen. Melton showed me around a couple of times. Poor bastard probably thought he would get to play Albert to their boy wonders, but I doubt they’ll let some lowly mortal play that role.”

Hez stared at him, dumbfounded, “So they think their putrid offspring and robots are going to inherit the earth?”

“Apparently.”

I don’t think they were going to keep me around much longer. If you hadn’t negotiated for me …” his voice trailed off.

“We can talk about all this on the road, because we really ought to get moving,” Ted said.

“Samantha is willing to stay and take care of Ellie.”

“That will speed things along immensely. Alright, let me see here,” Ted began digging in his desk drawer and came out with a key. “I have a few weapons that we can take along.” He walked over and unlocked a cabinet. The other men came over. “If Aleister had listened to me, we might have gotten some military back up, but as it is we’ll just have to make do.” Inside the cabinet there were several double barreled shotguns and different types of pistols. “Gentlemen, choose your weapons.”

“I don’t know if going in with guns blazing will work, given the situation we’re facing,” Richard said.

Ted turned to him, “We have to prepare for all contingencies. Maybe these won’t be necessary or do us any good, but if we take them along, at least we’ll have the option of using them.”

Hez picked up a double barreled semi-automatic weapon and said grimly, “Edsell might just send a few low level clerks to play nursemaid to his spawn, if that’s the case, then we shouldn’t need these.”

Ted handed him the ammunition for the gun, “But if he sends armed guards, which I think is far more likely then we may have to use these.”

“I don’t like it, but you’re right, we have to go prepared for anything,” Richard sighed and picked up a Glock and stuck it in his pocket. Ted handed him the ammo.

“I don’t like it either, but from everything you’re telling me, and what I already suspected I think we’re dealing with a terribly dire situation.”

Samantha poked her head through the door, “Ellie’s asking for you Hez.” He left the two other men to pick out some more weapons. He put the shot gun down on the sofa and left the room.

Ellie was sitting up when he came into the room, much to his relief. She reached out both hands to him. “You’re going to go down and try to stop them, aren’t you?” He nodded and sat down on the bed and took her hands in his. He gave them a squeeze and smiled weakly. “I know there’s no other way, I’ve had terrible dreams of those creatures they’re trying to create. I don’t think the creation light will have much of an effect on them. It’s not the way it works, whatever they think, but they’re still going to be formidable. I can’t figure out why. I get the sense of them as having some other power, something put into them already,” she shook her head. “I don’t know what it is.”

“It doesn’t matter, we know we have to destroy them because once they’re fully developed, there’s no telling what they might do. You know they have control of that facility overseas, but now they have the one here in the White Mountains too. In both cases, there’s a vast underground network set up to be used by them.”

“So do you think they always intended to use the sites for more than bringing down the creation light?”

“I think it’s very possible that they intended all along to use them when they do whatever they plan to do to get rid of us. It’s probably something which will make life on the surface temporarily at least uninhabitable,” Hez said slowly.

“I don’t understand why they thought something as beautiful as the creation light could be used for such horrible purposes.”

“Maybe it just enhanced the twisted fantasy they already harbored. They were used to getting what they wanted and seeing other people as means for their ends. It’s not such a reach for people like that if you really think about it.”

“But you saw it, Hez, how it was like something out of a dream. I think it could do all kinds of wonderful things for us, but those people will end it all before we get a chance to even begin to find out what it can make possible.”

“They definitely will if we don’t find a way to stop them.”

She nodded, “Just be careful and do well. I wish I could go with you.”

He gave her a long hug and got to his feet. “We’ll be back on the farm in time to plant the winter wheat,” he said and turned quickly away. Neither of them wanted to show the other the tears that were starting. Hez stumbled down the stairs and back to Ted’s study. He picked the gun up off the sofa and turned to leave. Samantha met him at the door.

“Don’t worry about your sister, I’ll take good care of her,” she said.

He gave her a grateful look and went outside. The other men were standing beside the truck “How’s Ellie?” Ted asked.

“Better I think. But I can’t help worrying about her.”

“She’ll be better after this is all over. We all will,” Ted said. “I’m going to lie down in the back seat and try to catch up on my sleep. I’m one of those lucky people who can sleep just about anywhere. Which of you wants the keys?”

“He does,” Hez said and headed for the passenger side.

“Yeah I’m good,” Richard said and took the keys. “I just hope I don’t get pulled over. How would we explain all these guns to a cop?”

“Just keep under the speed limit, and we won’t have to worry about it,” Hez said. He slumped down in the seat and tried to join Ted in getting some sleep. 

“Glad I’m feeling wide awake,” Richard said. “Probably reverse jet lag or something,” No one said anything in reply, as he headed out for the interstate. With any luck he thought we’ll make it by late afternoon. Despite everything he felt strangely joyful, almost giddy. He hadn’t taken a long road trip for a long time. Driving felt like a wonderful luxury after being off the road for so long. He was relieved to find that being behind the wheel felt natural, as though he hadn’t had any time away from it at all. Whatever might come at the end of this journey, he knew that they were doing what had to be done. No other course would do and so he began to hum softly under his breath. It was a song that meant something to him and Samantha; one they had long ago in their youth called their song, back when couples often had songs.

He laughed remembering that, and yet it made him a little sad too. It was just good to have managed to stay together with someone for so many years and to have such shared memories and the kids of course. What a gift it all was. He hoped Ted felt that way about Irena, and hoped Hez would find that kind of love one day. In the meantime, he was just glad for himself and hoped Samantha would not be too worried about him.

Back at Ted’s house, Samantha was sitting beside Ellie’s bed, watching her sleep. She looked peaceful, if somewhat pale. She felt comforted by being there, though her thoughts kept wandering off to the men gone off to do battle. She thought that women down through the years must have experienced the feeling she held in her heart. Part of it was fear, of course, but there was something else, a pride in knowing that her husband was willing to risk everything for the sake of his family and all the other good in the world. Part of her wanted to be fighting at his side, but the sleeping woman in front of her deserved to have someone watching over her.

She had already fought their enemy on one level, and so made it possible for the struggle to continue. So like a comrade in arms she could not be abandoned because of being wounded. In the future, no doubt they would all look back on this day as the time when all their courage had been tested in various ways. She felt that being here for Ellie and letting Richard go up against James Edsell and the rest of that crew took a certain kind of courage too. And so the two longest days of her life began with a sense of great calmness.

Chapter Eighteen

The afternoon light was dull and overcast, revealing a landscape as desolate as the moon. Ted and Richard were asleep, when Hez pulled suddenly upon the site. He had taken the wheel near Wind Gap and continued following the map that Ted had provided. It had led him up some mountain roads that cut through vast forests, through many hills and valleys which showed no signs of devastation or blight, and then he was suddenly in view of Harrow Mountain. From a distance it looked like a giant white rock. As he got closer he saw that this was due to the way all the trees and top soil had been stripped away, leaving the bedrock exposed. He had heard of such practices, but nothing prepared him for the breathtaking obscenity of what he was looking at. Richard woke up when he pulled over to the side of the road.

“Is it my turn to drive again?” he asked, groggily.

“Nope, we’re there. Can you believe that?” he asked, still mesmerized by the devastation he was looking at.

Richard followed his gaze out the window, “Oh man, what an obscene mess.”

Ted sat up in the back seat, “Have we made it?” he mumbled.

Richard and Hez got out of the truck to have a better look. “It’s quite a sight, isn’t it?”

“I’ve never seen anything like that, and they say they’ve done this to 500 mountains in the range,” Richard replied. Suddenly Hez froze; he blinked hard at something over Richard’s shoulder. He motioned to him to follow and they both got back into the truck.

“We need to turn around and get going right now,” Hez said. Richard did as he said, maneuvering the vehicle with great agility in a loop on the gravel. He drove quickly back along the way they had come.

When the mountain was barely visible in the rear view mirror, he started to pull over. “No keep going, we have to get a good distance away.”

“What did you see, Hez?” Ted asked.

“I saw a couple of men, carrying guns. They were pretty far away but I don’t want them to catch sight of us. Surprise is probably the only advantage we’ve got.”

“I guess that tells us they’re not leaving the baby sitting to their accountants,” Richard said.

“I guess Ted was right about needing weapons,” Hez said. “It didn’t look like they’ve set up anything on this side. We ought to get a map of the mountain since it was mined so we can get a sense of what their lay out might be.”

“We passed a town a few miles back, maybe they have a library where we can get something like that printed up,” Richard said. “Ted can you check that geology site on your laptop?”

“I’ll try, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to pick up an internet signal out here.”

“Well, they ought to have that in town as well.” When they got to the town of Sweetwater, and Richard noted how ironic that name might be considering what lay a few miles up the road; they couldn’t find a library. Instead they found a café that advertised free internet. They took a booth in the back of the restaurant and Ted began searching for information about the mountain.

“What would you fellows like to drink?” the waitress asked and handed them some menus. She had great masses of bright reddish orange hair. It would have looked clownish on some people but it framed her cherubic features quite nicely.

“Coffee for everybody, and can we get breakfast? We’ve been on the road a long time” Richard asked, returning the smile. 

“Sure thing. We serve breakfast all day long,” she replied and returned with three mugs and a pot very quickly.

“We’re planning a documentary about Harrow Mountain. You have any suggestions about who we should talk to around here about that?” Richard said, helping pass the coffee round.

The waitress shook her head, “If you had come in here a day or two ago and said that I would have told you that your best bet would be to high tail it out of town as quickly as you came in.”

Ted nodded, “I guess the locals don’t take kindly to outsiders interfering with local business.”

“A few people around here made a killing when the Sherman Coal Company came in and bulldozed that mountain. They put the word out that it was in everybody’s best interests to keep quiet about it, no matter how bad the water got or anything else.”

“So what happened to change all that?” Richard asked.

“You’ll think I’m crazy if I tell you.”

“I doubt that. Did it have something to do with a light in the sky.”

“You know about that?” she asked in wonderment. Richard nodded. The waitress sat down in a chair at the next table and asked, “Do you know what caused it?”

“It’s something that happens every ten thousand years and some people say it can change it world.”

“I think they’re right. Things have changed around here. People act different. When we meet each other on the street, we smile. We feel like no matter what happens, everything will work out fine. But nothing is really different, so why do we feel that way? There’s an old lady in town who says that God’s hand came down and touched Harrow Mountain because man had defiled it. She’s getting people together so they can go out there find out for themselves.”

“Has anybody from the town been out there since the light came down?” Richard asked.

“I don’t know. I heard somebody in here last night talking about how they saw some vehicles over on the far side of it. They thought it looked like some kind of government vehicles, but he wasn’t sure.”

“It might not be a good time for people to be going out there,” Hez said quietly.

The waitress, whose name tag said Heather Rae, laughed. “Well you can try talking Mrs. Malone out of it, but she’s got everybody convinced that there’s something going on at the site that they need to see for themselves.”

“Does this town have a mayor or anything like that?”

“Yeh, my dad’s first cousin is mayor, but he don’t do nothing. He’s got an office at city hall across from the post office. It won’t do any good talking to him though. Mrs. Malone is the one everybody listens to.”

“Well where can we find her?” Ted asked.

Heather’s eyes narrowed, “Are you folks really making a movie?”

Hez leaned over and looked at her intently. “The same people who tore down that mountain are planning on doing something even worse. We’re here to stop them.”

“What could be worse? It looks like a damn atom bomb hit it and the water ain’t fit to drink for miles around it.”

“Heather, the Sherman Coal Company is owned by the Edsell family. They bought up a lot of mountains in different locations and did the same thing. If we don’t stop them, they’ll turn the whole world into Harrow Mountain.”

“Can they do that?”

“If they get to use the energy that came down the way they see fit, then yes, they will be able,” Hez replied.

“But it’s a good thing, how can they use it for something bad?”

“They just have a talent for turning good things bad, like Harrow Mountain,” Richard said.

Heather got to her feet, “While you finish your meal, I’ll go make a call and see if Mrs. Malone will come and talk to you.”

“Thank you, Heather,” Hez said. She nodded and left them to look over the menus. When she came back, they ordered big breakfasts, with eggs, gravy and biscuits. Even Hez who had been on a health kick for years decided to go for a hearty southern meal while they had the chance. Ted had been scrolling through texts looking for information about the mountain while they talked to the waitress.

“I’m not having much luck. It’s like there’s a news blackout about it.” he said in exasperation, closing the laptop and taking a sip of his now lukewarm coffee.

“That’s not surprising. They have done a great job of doing these operations on the fast and sly. By the time, word gets out the deed is done and they go on to the next victim,” Richard said. “Samantha got me to give a donation to an organization that tries to put some light on them and others like them, a few years back. I gave money, but I never understood what it was all about until we drove out there. I’m sorry to say.”

Hez nodded, “I know what you mean. It never dawned on me how much damage they’ve done. It’s just background noise, you know mountain top mining what a shame, but when you get up close to it, you understand what a crime it truly is.”

“If we can’t get a good map of the mountain, we may just have to go over there and scout it out for ourselves,” Ted said.

“I saw just a few men, but they could have dozens more. They’ve probably got the latest military hardware, good body armor, the whole bit,” Hez said.

Heather brought them their food. After she had put it on the table and poured them more coffee, she said, “Mrs. Malone said she’d be glad to meet with you as soon as she can get over here.”

“That’s great, Heather, thank you so much,” Richard said with a smile.

“You all enjoy your meal,” she said and left them. It all tasted wonderful. In fact, they all thought it was the best food they’d eaten in ages. Even Ted who was used to Irena’s excellent cooking was impressed by the fare.

“I haven’t had homemade biscuits since my grandmother passed away,” Hez remarked .

“I never had any biscuits that tasted this good,” Richard said. “Sam’s a great mother, but not much for home cooking.” He looked at them both bewildered, “Please never tell her I said that.” The other men laughed. 

“Irena is an excellent cook, but she’s taken lessons from some of the best chefs in the world, and of course we can afford the finest ingredients. All of that makes a difference, but I must agree these biscuits are amazing.” Ted said.

Richard became serious. “If this was a last meal, and maybe it’s bad luck to even say such a thing, but if it was, it wouldn’t be a bad one, would it?” They all exchanged a look.

Hez smiled and shook his head. “It’s like what young Heather said, it’s hard not to feel that everything will turn out fine, even though there’s no reason to think that it will. Is that an effect of the creation light, Professor or something else?”

“I think it’s the effect of good companions,” Ted said softly.

“You the fellows looking to go up to Harrow Mountain,” a voice interrupted their conversation. A tall woman stood in front of them. She had dark skin and very white hair pulled back in a braid. Richard thought she looked like an Indian, though from her name he had expected someone more Irish. 

“You must be Mrs. Malone,” Ted said, getting up from the table.

She stuck out her hand, “Kate Malone.”

“I’m Ted Griffin, this is Richard Ewing and Hezekiah McCane,” he added, as the other men got to their feet as well.

“I didn’t realize Sweetwater was having a literary convention,” she said with a twinkle in her very dark eyes. She pulled up a chair and they sat back down.

“We’re not really here in a literary capacity,” Ted replied with a little smile.

“So what capacity would you be here in, Mr. Griffin? By the way, I’ve read many of your books, my husband was a proud Irishman and you’re quite the rage in his homeland.”

“Thank you for saying so, Mrs. Malone. It may be hard to describe what brings us to your picturesque little town.”

“It’s not as picturesque as it once was, quite the opposite if you’ve seen what they’ve done to Harrow Mountain.”

“We saw,” Hez said quietly.

“Then you know why we might be a little leery of strangers, after an obscenity like that got committed by people not exactly from around here.”

No one said anything for several moments, finally Ted said, “Heather said you plan to lead a brigade to the site.”

“A brigade? No just a few of my fellow townsfolk. I saw when that light came down how it went straight into what is left of Harrow. I think that means something, and I think we need to go see for ourselves.”

“The men who destroyed that mountain, the very same are camped out there. They’ve got armed security. I don’t think it would be safe for anyone to go out there now.”

“Why would they be out there now?” she asked, “They’ve already plundered all the coal they could haul off in those over-sized dump trucks. What more do they want with it?”

“They want what you want.”

“Can they destroy that too?” she asked.

“You can imagine what men like that would do with any good thing.”

She thought about this for a moment. “I’ve called a gathering for early tomorrow morning. We’re going to go out there and find out what this thing really means.”

“What if we could tell you what it means, would that make any difference to you?”

She smiled, “I’ve read a few of your books too Mr. Ewing. I’m afraid I might think anything you tell me might be mixed up with the kind of fiction that you write.”

“I’d say Richard’s books are less fantastical than Ted’s,” Hez said with a smile.

“My books are well researched and scarcely fictional at all,” Ted said indignantly.

“Regardless, anyhow, the point is we know a little about what happened to the mountain, or what used to be a mountain,” Hez said.`

“Does it have something to do with pyramid power?” Heather asked and began to pour them fresh coffee.

“Why do you ask a question like that, honey?” Kate asked