The Map Maker's Quest (11 page)

“Oh, yes,” Mr. Leads replied. “I worked with Ernie for years on Canal Park improvements and some other projects.”

“We believe he hid something here,” Jane explained as quickly as she could.

“Here in Duluth?”

“No . . . well, yes, but I mean right here in Glensheen Mansion,” Jackie interjected. “We found a clue hidden in Split Rock Lighthouse we think refers to the Glensheen.”

“Hmmm,” Mr. Leads hummed as he listened and waited for them to continue.

“It has to do with this ship in the harbor,” Jacob burst in when he could take it no longer. He wanted to just get to the point as fast as possible. “There is a book hidden in Duluth, and we have to find it.”

“What book?” Mr. Leads asked. He had been around the mansion for decades and had never seen any secret hiding places for books.

“Can we look around the mansion?” Jane asked. She glanced at Jacob and gave him that “shut up now” look. “Karen can stay with us to make sure we don't touch anything we shouldn't.”

The old man looked at them and sighed. “I guess it doesn't make a difference now,” Mr. Leads replied. “Half of the city's running away and whoever's causing trouble in the harbor isn't likely to come here. Anyway, I need to keep watch on the grounds as best I can.”

Jane realized Mr. Leads was holding an older side-by-side shotgun. As he turned to walk away, he was stuffing shells from a battered box into his coat pocket.

“So, what are you looking for?” Karen asked.

Once again Jane repeated the poem they had found.

 

The grandest of homes, built from iron,

Fire and stone, call it home,

Ghosts rise up and sadly watch,

Down the tunnel, a rod of iron

Take this shard, to light your path.

Four markers wait, to find the treasure.

 

“Well, this really is the grandest of all the houses in Duluth,” Karen replied with a tour guide smile and inclusive wave of her hand.

“Yes, and even though it's not built of iron,” Jackie said. “It was built with iron wealth so the first line fits nicely.” It had been a long time since she had been to the old mansion, and the beauty of it still took her breath away. Intricate wood working covered the trim and the grand stairs. Dozens of beautiful works of art hung from every wall and the decorations were opulent.

“What about the second line?” Jacob asked. “It seems to me that it could be anything to with fireplaces or lanterns.”

“What rooms have fireplaces in them?” Jane asked Karen.

“Fireplaces?” Karen said with a smile. “We have a ton of them. Most of the rooms have one.”

“What about the third line?” Jackie asked. “Should we start with the room where Elizabeth Congdon was murdered?”

“Seems like a logical spot,” Jane replied. She turned to Karen, “Can you take us to the room where Elizabeth was when she died?”

“Sure,” Karen turned and walked towards the grand stairs that led up into the massive thirty-eight room mansion.

They climbed one sets of stairs and reached the second floor of the structure. If anything the second floor seemed more amazing then the first floor. The furniture they saw was inlaid with a material that Jane didn't recognize and when she asked Karen about it she got a full, tour-guide description.

“It's an ebony inlaid motif repeated throughout the molding,” Karen said.

Jane was about to ask her another question when an explosion shook the building, and they all dove for cover. Jane and Jacob sprinted to a nearby window that faced south and looked out. Across the lawn and in a gap between the trees they saw a fresh plume of smoke and flames rising over the city.

“We better hurry,” Jane said. She could not see any black-robed Adherents yet, but she felt sure they would be searching for the small group. How Cain still seemed to know where they were heading was beyond her and troubling.

They entered the bedroom where Karen said Elizabeth Congdon had been killed and found a small fireplace built into the wall. Jane leaned over and looked around the stones inside the chimney while the others pushed and prodded and pried on every bit of brick they could find. The inside of the chimney had been scrubbed clean, and she could not believe that her great uncle would have hidden it inside the chimney.

“Anything in there?” Jackie asked. Her hand rested on the bricks as she ran through the poem in her mind again. “It says down the tunnel a rod of iron, I don't think a fire place is the key. The chimneys all go up not down.”

“What about a rod of iron?” Jacob asked. “Where would a rod of iron be hidden around here?”

Jane felt Bella shuffled around on her shoulder and suddenly the fairy whispered in her ear, “I checked up the chimney. It's empty.”

“What about a candle?” Karen asked. “And a candle snuffer?”

Jane stopped and stared at her.

“There's a closet in the basement where they used to store candles,” Karen explained. “Come, I'll show you.”

“That would fit,” Jackie replied. She hurried after Karen and followed her back to the steps leading back downstairs.

The steps led them back down to the main floor, and then Karen led them to where another set of stairs brought them to the basement. They hurried along the hallway at the bottom of the steps until they reached a small closet set in one of the outer walls. The door was locked, but Karen pulled a thick set of keys from her pocket. She fiddled with them for so long Jacob was about to take them away when she finally found one that fit the padlock and pulled it free. The cabinet was only a foot deep and about two feet wide but it stretched from floor to ceiling.

“It's empty!” Jane exclaimed in frustration. She felt Bella flutter free of her shoulder and so she wiggled inside the small door and looked around.

“Do you see anything?” Jane whispered lightly to the fairy.

“In the back corner,” Bella replied. “It looks like the paneling will move.” Jane lowered a hand to the bottom of the paneling and pushed on it. Sure enough a small section moved. Carefully she brought Bella back to her shoulder, trying to hide the movements so that the others did not see them.

Jane turned around carefully as Bella settled back on her shoulder and examined the oak paneling. It was all weathered the same and stained a deep rich mahogany .

“Do you see anything?” Jackie asked from outside the door. A moment later Jacob's face appeared in the opening and he glanced around before vanishing and being replaced by Jackie again.

“I'm not sure,” Jane replied. She ran her fingers up and down the back section of paneling that Bella had indicated looked different. At first she thought it looked the same . . . then she spotted it, a small marking where someone had pried the wood piece out at some point. It was only a small indentation where the hammer had rested against the wood but it was enough to focus her attention. There was a knot in the wood near the top of the wall, and Jane reached up and pressed hard against it.

Click

“What happened?”

Once again there was a scramble of faces in the door as Jacob, Karen, and Jackie all vied to get a look. The spot in the wood pressed in smoothly. A moment later the piece of oak paneling slipped loose of the trim and settled into her hands. Inside was a tunnel that led away from the house, and Jane was forced to remove two more panels in order to slip inside.

“I found a tunnel!” Jane exclaimed. The passage was damp but it was lined with stone and seemed sturdy enough so she stepped all the way inside and looked around. A few old candles lay scattered around the edge of the tunnel, and Jane picked up one of them. She saw a small indent in the wall. Sitting inside it was an ancient box of matches. Carefully Jane struck one of the remaining matches, and it flared briefly before immediately going out.

“Anyone have a lighter?” Jane called. When everyone said no she turned and struck another one of the matches. This time it stayed lit just long enough for her to hold it to the wick of the candle. Seconds later the candle flared to life and remained that way. “Come on, let's see where it leads.”

Jacob and Jackie worked their way into the tunnel and joined her in lighting a candle each. However Karen remained outside the closet in the hallway.

“Are you coming?” Jane asked her.

“I'm not climbing in there,” Karen replied.

“Be careful, Karen,” Jane warned. “The people who are down in the harbor may come searching for a book. They are not nice people. You should find a spot to hide and stay there.

“I will,” Karen said earnestly. “This is not the only hidden place in the mansion. I'll go find a good spot to hide.”

Jane hoped the seriousness of what was happening was sinking into her friend as she turned and hurried away from the closet opening.

“Pull the door shut and let's see where this tunnel leads,” Jane said when Karen was gone from view. She watched the artificial light from the mansion as it disappeared behind the door. When it was gone completely she held her candle high. Jacob and Jackie followed her down the tunnel. The thing that struck her was how rough the walls seemed. The passage generally moved lower in the ground but at times they were forced to scramble over ledges and climb steep slopes. After about two hundred yards, the passage split in two. One tunnel lead up towards the city and Jane heard the lapping of water against stone. Small trickles of lake water came over the top of the upper passage and ran down the lower passage where it vanished into the darkness.

“Can't be up,” Jane said. “It's got to be in the lower passage.”

“You're probably right,” Jackie responded. She held her candle up a bit higher and edged down into the darkness. Jane was right behind her and Jacob brought up the rear as he tried to juggle holding a candle, his shield, and sword.

The downward tunnel was slippery and Jane nearly fell twice before they reached the bottom. The second fall doused her candle and got the wick so wet that it refused to light again.

“Keep going,” Jane said.

“Here take mine,” Jacob said. “I'll stick close.” He grinned at her. “Besides I can't carry all three at the same time.”

Jane blushed.

With the two remaining candles, they finally found the bottom of the tunnel and a narrow chamber filled with water up to their knees.

“Brr,” Jane muttered. She had dipped her hand in the water and it was cold.

“If Uncle Ernie was still around I would give him a piece of my mind,” Jackie said when she entered the water. Goose bumps erupted up and down her legs, and she shivered as the cold lake water slowly rose the further they walked.

“Wait!” Jane shouted suddenly. She grabbed Jackie and pulled back on her. The tunnel came to a suddenly halt, and they had been so distracted by the cold that they failed to see the flow of the water suddenly increase. It was no wonder the cave did not flood completely, a step in from of them a round drop off opened up and the water fell over the edge and vanished. There was no sound of it landing anywhere close by and Jane wondered exactly how deep a drop was before them.

“How in the world,” Jacob muttered. He looked out across the opening and across the water from them was a ledge carved into the wall. Set inside the ledge was what looked like an iron rod, the end of the staff flared out, and he was certain that the shard of glass from Split Rock Lighthouse would fit inside it.

“How did he get that over there?” Jane agreed. The water tugged at her legs just enough to keep her free hand firmly attached to a rough spot in the wall. Jane knew if she lost her grip who knows how far she would fall.

“I know how he did it,” Jackie replied. Her eyes had searched the place and been drawn to the only passage across or around the obstacle.

“How?” Jacob said. He leaned forward and looked down again. Despite the falling water there was no thunder of a waterfall, it simply vanished into the ground. He had seen these round holes in the ground before, hiking many of the local rivers. The almost perfectly round holes could be found in many places, some were places where the water swirled but others simply just seemed to be there. This one though was deeper than anything he had ever seen before.

“Look up,” Jackie said. She held her candle higher and pointed with her free hand before returning it to its place on the wall.

Jane looked up and there was a thick iron rod that ran ten feet from side to side. Her great uncle had somehow hung four pinions in the ceiling and slid the rod into place. Then he had crossed over holding the staff and placed it in the hollowed out ledge.

 

Chapter Eleven

The Riddle Comes Together

E
riunia and her force slipped south through the trees quietly as only elves and goblins could move, without the slightest of sounds. It was late afternoon and the sun would be in the Adherents' eyes. She could hear the shouts and cries of the battle down the hill before them and she motioned to the goblins around her to push forward.

“Hit them hard and keep moving,” Eriunia ordered. The word spread like wildfire, and slowly the gathered goblins pushed forward. She estimated the rebel force had grown to four thousand by time they were in place. Puck was exhausted from moving rebels through the mushroom rings, but he still stubbornly held to his feet. He wanted to prove to all he was not a traitor and he wanted this effort to count for something.

Confused shouts came from the Adherents when a scattering of musket fire tore into their northern and western flanks. The blasts sent dozens of soldiers in the rear tumbling to the ground. The goblins all carried lengths of rope. Any merely wounded were quickly bound and dragged to a clearing where they could be watched. Muskets and weapons changed hands from Adherent to rebel and Eriunia's forces pushed on armed now with dozens more muskets.

Eriunia held her bow carefully. Her weapon was deadly and would kill, not just render unconscious. She didn't want to kill someone they would want to question later. She would not condone the wholesale killing of the Adherents, not unless they refused to surrender. She knew many of the goblins disagreed with her,and the occasional scream suddenly cut short spoke to that. Goblins had a natural affinity with the ground, and she figured hundreds of Adherents were being swallowed into the earth never to be seen again.

“Look out!”

Eriunia turned to see a familiar form battling through her rebel allies. The assassin wove a deadly dance of destruction. This was what she had waited for and why she had avoided becoming involved in the battle. He was her target, and he would pay for what he had done to Braun. She felt the slightest twinge and she worked her way closer to the detriment of six more rebel soldiers. He had his back turned as she drew back her bow and sighted down the shaft.

“This is for Braun,” Eriunia whispered. She released the arrow and drew another as it flashed through the air. To her amazement, Averill seemed to sense the danger and twisted his body. Instead of slamming straight into his back the arrow struck his shoulder and the force of the shot knocked him completely over.

“Elf!” Averill growled. The arrow had punched through his shoulder completely and stuck out several inches. He reached up and grabbed the arrow with his left hand. The arrow came out slowly but he gritted his teeth and pulled until it slipped the rest of the way out and fell to the ground.

“Time to die assassin,” Eriunia shouted. She raised her bow and released another bolt.

Averill knew his shoulder was bleeding badly. Even worse, the arrow had broken bones and sheered through the flesh at a horrible angle. This was a fight he could not win without his right arm. Instead he pulled a glass globe from an inner pocket. He slammed it on the ground as the second arrow came at him. He could not stop the shot but he could escape to fight another day. He turned enough to take the second shot in his hip and then the glass ball hit the ground and a flash of blue smoke erupted. Immediately the power of the globe grabbed him and whisked him along the transport tunnels under the ground. Some used mushroom circles to access them but his organization had long ago arranged a way of harnessing the power of the mushroom circles for one way trips. He would return when his wounds had healed and hunt down the deadly elf.

Eriunia cried out in rage as the assassin vanished into the blue smoke and she knew he was beyond her reach. She had wounded him badly but not enough to kill him. He would be back, and she would be waiting. Instead she turned and ran to where the rebels were engaged in a fierce battle with the now outnumbered Adherents. She became a fury of revenge and an avenging angel against the Adherents who had stolen so much from her. Less than an hour later the battle was finished.

“Our work is far from done,” Eriunia cried to the gathered rebels. Carvin stood next to her nodding his agreement. “This battle was the first one we will fight tonight, we must arrive in Duluth as soon as possible. The battle there is our chance to stop Cain once and for all.”

“But the Divide will keep us from helping them.” Someone shouted.

“Leave that to me,” Eriunia replied. “We'll have a passage through and a way back.”

The gathering fell quiet as the thought circulated that they would be given a chance to deal with a majority of the Adherent forces once and for all. Preparations were hurried and immediately, weapons were gathered and a few supplies were split up among the rebels. They gathered with serious and grim faces, the images of lost loved ones filling their eyes.

Eriunia led them south at a fast jog, they had a long distance to run and an interesting challenge to overcome when they arrived. She knew one way to pierce the Divide if she could convince the one she needed to help them.

 

* * * * *

 

“Be careful, Jacob,” Jane said
again. They were standing next to the ledge, and she thought that the water was getting higher. She had found a clef in the wall and placed the two candles into the spot so she could hold onto the wall with both hands. Jackie found a spot in the wall big enough for a foot hold and Jacob was balancing precariously on the edge of it, reaching for the metal rod.

“I plan on it,” Jacob replied. The rod was just out of his grasp and finally he settled back and looked around. There was just no way to reach the piece of metal easily. “Cross your fingers.”

Jane heard him say the words, and suddenly her heart leapt in her chest and she nearly fainted. “Don't . . . !” Jacob coiled his legs under him and leapt out into the air over the bottomless pit. He seemed to hang suspended in the air for eternity and then his hands slammed into the metal and his body swung back and forth in the air.

“Jacob!” Jackie cried out. She watched as one hand slowly slipped free and he whipped his legs around to try to stop the swinging motion.

“I got it!” Jacob shouted. He managed to stop his legs from swinging after a minute and then he pulled himself up and got his left hand back onto the rod.

“What are you thinking?” Jane nearly screamed. Her heart slowed a bit when she saw that he regained his grip and was hanging easily from the rod.

“Seemed like the only way to get my hands onto it,” Jacob called back. “Don't worry, I did fifty pull ups at the end of the school year.”

Jane watched him move hand over hand across the hanging rod until he reached the far side. There must have been a foothold close on the side because he swung his legs over and stood as he shook out his arms one at a time.

“How are you going to carry it back?” Jane called across the black opening.

“One thing at a time,” Jacob said with a sheepish grin. He looked around and then shrugged. “Honestly, I don't know.” He reached over and pulled the staff from its resting place. It was not really that heavy and was sure he could easily toss it over to the girls. “What if I throw it to you?”

“What if we miss catching?” Jane replied. She tried to keep the sarcasm from her voice but failed miserably.

“I think you can do it,” Jacob called back.

“We can catch it, Jane,” Jackie said. “How long did the two of us spend playing softball?”

“This isn't a ball. It's a five-foot piece of iron,” Jane said back to her.

“We can do it,” Jackie insisted.

Jacob flexed his fingers one more time, the iron rod was slippery and he wondered if he could cross over with the rod and come out at the right spot.

“Don't even think about it, Jacob,” Jane said to him. “Cain is to close, and his map is probably way better than mine. What if he is watching and does something to the cave?”

“You're right,” Jacob said.

“Throw it,” Jackie called. “Hold my jacket, Jane.”

Jane grabbed the back of her jacket in her left hand and kept her right fastened to the edge of the stone. The rock was slippery but she held tightly to it as Jackie edged closer to the pit. Across the pit Jacob took the staff in his right hand and pushed his left out across the iron rod as far as he could.

“Ready?” Jacob called.

“Ready,” Jackie responded.

“Ready,” Jane said through gritted teeth.

Jacob pushed off with his legs again and swung out as far as he could without risking his precarious grip. The staff came close to Jackie's outstretched hand the first swing but she missed it and he swung back. His grip loosened slightly as he swung back and then as he swung towards them again he tossed the staff, trying to keep it straight up and down.

Jackie saw the staff leave his hand and she leaned towards it as far as she could, she felt Jane's grip begin to loosen on her jacket. Then the staff was within reach and she wrapped her fingers around it.

“I got it,” Jackie shouted. “Pull hard, Jane!”

Jane grunted and pulled with all her might. Just as it seemed she was going to lose her grip on her sister, the memories of the last year flooded back to her. She would not be responsible for Jackie's death after rescuing her from Cain. Desperately she pulled and finally Jackie came stumbling back into the shallow water and they both collapsed against the wall. Still, the force of the water pulled at them and they were forced to grab on to the stones to keep themselves from slipping back.

“I'm coming,” Jacob said. He came across the rod quickly and then swung his body and legs until he thought he had enough momentum to make the distance. With a shout and a jerk of every muscle in his body he released his grip and sailed through the air. He had so much force, that he stumbled into Jane and Jackie and fell on his face in the water.

“Grab him!” Jane shouted. She plunged one hand into the water and grabbed Jacob's shirt. She could feel him scrambling with his arms and legs for something to hold onto. Then his backwards slide stopped and he pushed himself out of the water.

“Can we get out of here now?” Jacob asked when he stopped coughing. He was freezing cold and shivering violently as water dripped off him.

“Please,” Jackie agreed. “I'm so cold my toes are going numb.” The three of them wrapped their arms around each other and struggled through the water. The water was flowing even faster down the slope towards them and they were forced to pull themselves up against the torrent. By time they reached the passage back to Glensheen, they were wet from head to toe, and Jane could feel Bella shivering violently on her shoulder.

“Up?” Jackie asked. “Or back to the mansion?” Suddenly a violent explosion shook the ground around them and down the tunnel they had traveled from the mansion. There was a rumble and suddenly a massive cave in came crashing down as the tunnel collapsed under the strain. “Up!”

“Up!” Jane shouted and all thoughts of how tired they were flew from their minds. They scrambled up the slope for almost thirty feet before arriving at a big storm drain lined with concrete. The tunnel came out near the middle of the drain. Nearby was a metal ladder that led to the street.

Jacob vaulted up to the top of the ladder and did his best to peek out of the grate; when it looked clear he pushed with all his might. Slowly and grudgingly the iron grate gave way and finally he was able to slide it away from the opening. Dirt and bits of rock tumbled down and rained down on Jane and Jackie.

“Come on. It's clear,” Jacob whispered back down to them. He crawled out of the drain and looked around, they were at Twenty-sixth and Jefferson. He helped Jackie and Jane out of the drain, and they ran for cover behind a house on the lake side of the street.

“What does the staff say?” Jacob asked excitedly. Now that they were free of the icy grip of the water the mid afternoon sun was starting to warm him. While he waited, he slipped his shirt off and rung it out as best he could. His hands were scrapped and sore from the climbing stunt he had pulled, but the rest of his body felt good.

Jane turned the staff over slowly and examined the surface. “Here it is!” She exclaimed. There was a single line of words that led from the bottom of the staff to the top and she read them out loud for the others to hear:

 

“Wheels without a road,

Fire without wood,

Cars with no passengers,

Find me in the darkness,

Hidden from sight,

The oldest light, shows the way,

To what you desire.”

 

Jacob scratched his head, this one made the least amount of sense to him and he didn't know what to say.

“Read it again,” Jacob asked. He closed his eyes and focused on the words.

“Hmm,” Jackie hummed as Jane read the words one more time. “What has wheels but doesn't travel on a road? Bikes? Toy car?”

“What about dirt bikes?” Jacob asked. “Or four wheelers?”

“I don't think so,” Jane replied. She sat down on a stack of rocks and looked around, she could see the lake in the distance and somewhere a train whistle sounded. Someone was moving a train despite what was going on in the city, and then it struck her. Trains had wheels but didn't travel on roads. “I think it's a train.”

“Hmm, that would make sense,” Jackie responded. “If Uncle Ernie had wanted to make sure the place he hid the clues were always around then the Depot is a perfect spot.”

“So we have to get all the way across town and into the Depot in the middle of what is a war zone,” Jacob said with a sigh. He rubbed his face with his right hand. This was exciting but almost too exciting for him.

“It's a couple of miles to the Depot by road,” Jane said. “I think we should try my map. We can jump out right outside the Depot doors and be inside before anyone sees us.”