Land of Verne (6 page)

Grim looked around and noticed that more trouble flowed from the south — a horde of dark-robed gunslingers riding towards them. At their rear was a man in a black suit. He pulled out a matching cane and with the flick of a button it changed into an abnormally large sword.

Grim’s parents led the charge against the man and his minions. They engaged the men with a swift attack and rode through them as if they were nothing more than cardboard cutouts; all but the man with the sword. He stood his ground.

Grim spurred his horse closer for a better look.

Poppa’s sword clashed with the man’s. They parried back and forth, Poppa gaining ground on the man at times, losing at others. Dad battled with the other men, disarming them, sometimes two at a time. Grim rode closer, trying to get around the rest of the men and women until he was mere yards from where Poppa battled.

Pop slid from the saddle, where he parried with the dark-suited man again, his attacks fierce and pointed. They both shot off blasts, ducking and rolling as they fired.

Although he was considerably shorter, Pop held his own against the man who was beating at his sword with a thunderous clash. Then he slipped and the man with the black sword got the advantage, slicing into his arm. The gash was deep.

Pop pulled back and Grim rode forward at a lightning pace. Sam clung to the reins in front of him, whispering to the horse. Grim yanked a dagger from the belt of one of the men he rode past and flung it at the black-suited man before he had a chance to strike again. The blade whizzed through the air and hit him, burying itself deep into his arm. He hissed at Grim.

The man called a retreat to the few men that were left to him and they fled into the hills.

Poppa remounted his horse and rode back to the battle against the Mechs, ripping part of his shirt and bandaging his arm as he galloped towards the battle.

Dad approached. “Quickly, back amongst the others! You were lucky you weren’t killed.” He guided Grim and Sam back to an awaiting Rudy and then rode off after Poppa.

Rudy scowled at him.

“What?” Grim asked.

She said nothing, turning her back to him.

The Mechs continued to flood from the trees. They pressed hard against the Resistance.

Aunt Patrice was now isolated from the others. The Mechs slashed at her with pinching hands and sword-like arms. Her robes were in tatters. She looked tired and spent.

The old woman gathered her robes about her. She whipped out the bag she carried with the portal stones, grabbed the yellow one and inserted it into the end of her rod. She thrust it forward and lightning scattered the Mechs before her. The ground exploded about them and they flew into the trees. The Mechs now fled from Aunt Patrice’s wrath, retreating.

Then from the east, the only direction where no one had yet attacked, a gray-bearded man with a cane trampled down the hill — it was the man who had been at their front door back on Earth. Fifty feet behind him, barreling through the woods, were the cloaked men that had attacked Grim’s home.

The grey-bearded man faced the creatures behind him and from his blaster shot balls of flame, sending the creatures screaming back up into the mountains.

A raucous cheer went up among the Resistance. The ambush had failed.

Many clapped Grim on the shoulder for his bravery and the defeat of the black-suited man — a man called Marveleous Thingrom. Grim smiled quietly and accepted the congratulations with thanks.

Rudy continued to scowl.

Treena stepped between them.

“You’re very brave,” she said. “No one has ever harmed Marveleous Thingrom.”

Grim shrugged. “You were amazing! How did you do that with your dad’s sword?”

“It wasn’t me. It was this,” she said and opened the item in her hand. It was a simple mirror inside, but with the reflection of the flaming girl. “I got it from my grandmother.”

She folded it back up as the Resistance lamented their losses. Almost forty men and women were missing — dragged off in nets by the Mechs. And in the presence of the children, it was not mentioned what the Syndrone would do to those that had been taken. All Grim could make of the situation was that a choice few were selected to track the Mechs to the lair of the Syndrone and find a way to mount a rescue.

And then the remainder of the Resistance were on the move once more, eager to leave the valley behind.

Chapter 6

When they finally stopped for the night, Grim and the others ran about pushing levers and buttons to unlock the carriages and trailers to set up camp. It took only minutes.

After that, they helped where they could with the injured. Sam seemed quite apt at knowing what was ailing someone and helped out the apothecaries and physicians. Rudy quickly gravitated to wherever Sam was stationed, studying him.

Grim rolled his eyes.

Copycat.

He waited, wondering what he could do to help, when a young woman was asked to pick mushrooms and berries. Her sinth leg had taken damage and she was limping, so Treena quickly volunteered. Barny and Benny were eager to join. Grim thought it best to keep an eye on them so he followed the twins and Treena through the woods.

They wound through a deep maze of trees before finding a dimly lit patch where mushrooms grew in abundance. Grim could barely make out what appeared to be little faces etched into their sides. The twins ran about and picked small orange ones and placed them in a sack.

Grim reached out to pick one of the red ones, and hesitated when the mushroom began to writhe before him. It gave off heat and a foul odor and then he felt a sudden prick on his hand. He retracted his arm and put on his goggles. On top of the mushroom sat a small gnome-like creature. He was pointing a spear at him and shaking his little fist.

Treena rushed over, her sack dangled over her shoulder, heavy and full.

“Sorry, I should have told you,” she said. “There’s a little poem my grandmother taught me to remember which ones to pick:

Mushrooms red ― a gnome’s delight, pick them not or they will fight,

Mushrooms blue ― do not harass, for they are full of poison gas,

Mushrooms green are covered in slime, step through them and you’ll lose time,

All the others are safe to eat, especially orange ― what a treat!”

“Poison gas?” he asked.

She nodded. “It will make you sleep for days.” Treena pointed towards one of the spotted kind that was light blue and dappled with darker spots.

Grim ventured to pick a few of the orange and then backed cautiously away from the entire patch.  The twins ran rampant through the lot, but somehow managed to avoid disturbing the blue ones.

They returned to the camp, where Grim licked his lips. It wasn’t long before dinner was served and Grim was filled to the brim with cooked boar. He passed on the mushrooms, even the orange ones, despite how everyone else raved about how they were the tastiest morsels they’d ever eaten.

No thanks
.

Naturally Rudy ate as many as she could.

Not long after that, it was time to retire for the evening. The sun had long set and they would be traveling as soon as it rose once more. Grim didn’t lie awake all night this time and fell asleep almost instantly, dreaming of flying air ships, ray guns, strange faerie creatures with goggles, and an orphanage filled with odd little mushrooms.

Grim rose to find their dads already waiting for them. They were preparing to depart and had a few last words for them as well as some things they wanted to impart to them.

The others plunked next to Grim as Poppa reached into a large satchel. To the twins he handed each a watch-like device that they wrapped about their wrists. It didn’t tell the time or date but there were numerous knobs and buttons to keep them occupied for hours. The most interesting thing the device did was project an image of its bearer twenty feet in front of them.

To Ellen he handed a doll that had a mechanical eye that extruded like a telescope. It had a hole in the back so she could see through the eye of the doll.

The head was removable.

Sam received something like an astrolabe. It showed the phases of the moons and planets and projected them into the air for him to study. He giggled with glee.

Rudy was handed a rod that, among other things, shot a blast of ice pellets depending on which lever you pulled. It also converted to a sword — a big one.

Grim couldn’t wait to see what he got.

Then Pop pulled out the last item in the bag…. a small figurine of a woman with an umbrella on a stand. It reminded him of Aunt Patrice.

And it played a little song.

Grim just looked at Poppa and said nothing. Rudy had a smirk as she played with her mechanical rod. The twins were rolling on the floor laughing.

Grim put the stupid thing on the ground in front of him.

What good was this?

Then Dad pulled out silver pocket watches. On each was engraved one word:
Harland
. This, at least, looked much more impressive than the figurine.

Grim thought maybe he could trade it in and buy something like Rudy’s rod.

Poppa gave Grim a quick wink before Dad continued. “We’ll miss you all, but we’ll see you again soon. Stay close to each other.” They rose. “We must leave now. We have to go after those that were taken by the Syndrone. We won’t leave them to a fate like that. Aunt Patrice and Master Galan will escort you from here.”

“Master Galan?” Grim asked.

Poppa pointed to the man that had arrived at their door. “He warned us that the attack was coming. We owe him our lives.”

The man noticed and took a deep bow, removing his hat.

Their Dad whispered to Grim. “Do try and stay out of trouble. Marveleous Thingrom is not a man to be taken lightly. He has a long memory. If he ever learns you’re in the City of Harkness, he will come for you.”

Grim nodded and swallowed down what felt like a lump of sawdust in his throat.

The twins and Ellen were teary eyed, but Sam sobbed and shook. The last time Grim had seen him cry like that he’d just lost his pet hamster. He gave both their dads a prolonged hug.

Sam then put his little hand in Grim’s and they stood together until their parents disappeared on the horizon. Then the six children wandered back into the tent to pack up their belongings.

Chapter 7

They departed the tent and when all was ready, the small group that remained began the trek. Treena eventually came over and walked with Rudy and Grim, yet conversation was at a minimum. Even Treena, talkative as she was, sensed that neither was in a mood to chat.

Grim only briefly struck up a conversation with her, trying to think about something other than losing his dads.

“Do you have that device?” he asked. “The one that summoned that fire girl, or whatever she was.”

Treena shook her head. “Father took it. He said I won’t need it where we’re going.”

“Bummer.” He was hoping to get a better look at it.

The time seemed to travel slowly, almost painfully as they marched through marsh and fog, forest and dale. When they finally came upon their destination, it was almost a relief.

The buildings were old and at the center of the city sat a blackened, decrepit manor. Sinth carriages silently hastened through the streets.

The city was dark, and dirty. They walked its cobbled streets, onlookers paying them no heed. They wound through the maze of streets until they finally came to a crooked structure. It had a sagging tower that appeared as if it was about to crumble and the grounds about the building seemed to have swallowed half of it. Ravens were perched all about the iron fences and a vulture sat atop the tower ― a twisted stone finger that beckoned them forward.

Aunt Patrice raised the heavy door knocker and let it drop.

After three attempts of loud thumping, a pale woman with a smooth, ageless face appeared at the door. Her lips seemed permanently pursed together in a slightly off-center position ― like she was trying to kiss her own ear. Her hairdo was so tall and intertwined it looked like a giant bird’s nest and she wore a long black-and-white dress that skirted along the floor behind her.