Larix didn’t look at all like Adam had expected. He was slim in build, average in height, and wasn’t as scrawny as the picture Adam had in his mind. Larix’s hair was long and blonde, but the most interesting thing about him was his face. Even Adam had to agree – Larix was handsome.
Adam took the last few steps up the stairs and turned to face the group. Elianora and Mary were clearly under the influence of the sleeping gas, and now it looked like Kevin was also. His eyes were glassy and he swayed back and forth just like all the others. Adam was sure that at any moment he would hear a gunshot and he too would be in dreamland. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.
“You certainly are a resourceful young fellow,” said Larix with a laugh. “You made it difficult for us to find you.”
“Not difficult enough,” said Adam.
Larix smiled. “My dear friend here tells me you have the Keystone,” he gestured to Elianora. “You are probably wondering how it works. I can help you with that, if you let me.” He reached out a hand toward Adam, sounding sincere.
Adam felt the influence of Larix, but it didn’t sway him.
“Why should I?” he asked. “You’re just going to make me a zombie like them and put me in the tunnels to die with everyone else.”
Larix was still smiling, but Adam saw the evil in his eyes. His voice was so smooth and relaxing.
“Well, if I was going to do that, it would be done already, no?”
Adam thought about it, and Larix wasn’t lying. He would have shot Adam full of chemical as soon as he poked his head out of the stairwell.
“Why didn’t you then?”
“According to my friend, I need you.”
Adam was confused. “What could you possibly need me for?” he asked.
“Bring me the Keystone and I’ll tell you.”
Adam pulled the bag out of his pocket. He opened the mouth of the bag and drew out the piece of gravel he had placed inside earlier.
“Is this what you want?” asked Adam.
Larix made a lazy gesture that Adam should bring it to him.
“Too bad,” said Adam. He turned and threw the pebble as hard as he could toward the rocky field, where it would be nearly impossible to find.
Larix immediately punched Mary across the face. She fell to the ground whimpering, still in her dreamy state.
“No!” cried Adam.
Larix smiled, but it was a cruel smile. Somehow he managed to look kindly an instant later.
“Now, let’s try this again. Bring me the Keystone from your pocket.”
Adam couldn’t believe what he heard. Larix knew that the pebble Adam had thrown wasn’t really the Keystone, but he still punched Mary in the face without a moment of hesitation.
There was nothing else Adam could do, so he pulled the Keystone from his pocket and handed it to Larix.
“Ahh, an Impression Stone. Rare and unique. There are only a handful that have ever been found. You’ve outdone yourself this time Elianora,” said Larix.
“How does that work as a key?” asked Adam, still full of anger but also curious, “and how come you need me?”
“I didn’t expect your common mind to figure this out, no matter how easy it is,” Larix commented, smoothness in his voice. “You’ve learned that boring game they call Kurling, right?”
Adam nodded.
“You see, some of us and the odd Common have the ability to connect with rocks much deeper than others. Most connections are associated with a feeling of happiness but some are much stronger. Skilled individuals will see themselves falling into the middle of the stone. Someone as skilled as Elianora here can actually place things in that stone, like instructions. That’s why this is the Keystone – it should have instructions on how to get to my prize.”
“I should have just dropped it then,” said Adam.
Larix breathed as if he were frustrated, like explaining the movements of the solar system to a 4 year old. “That wouldn’t work, boy. If you put a message in a regular stone and it hits the ground, the message is lost - the same way that a Kurling rock loses connection when it touches the ground. An Impression Stone won’t ever lose the message and the connection remains until you connect with another stone.”
“Why do you need me then? Just take Elianora. She can lead you through them,” said Adam.
“The Heartstone will sense her and expend itself. Elianora assures me that it is buried deep enough that if it does explode it will be buried forever.”
Adam thought that was a pretty good reason.
“But how am I supposed to help? Just read the stone yourself.”
Larix’s smile faltered, and his accent became unrecognizable. “I can’t,” he stated simply with a clenched jaw. “and neither can anyone else in this wretched flatland…but Elianora thinks you may be able to read the Impression Stone.”
Adam remembered his connections in the Kurling game where he had seen himself falling to the center of each stone.
“Why would she think that?”
“Because your father was able to read them,” said Larix, his British accent returning.
Adam thought about his father for a moment. He remembered Karl saying that Edward made strong connections with the Kurling rocks, so Larix’s story sounded possible.
“So, then, let us make a deal. If you lead me to my prize, I will promise to leave this town without hurting anyone else - If not,” he looked down at Mary, sitting on the ground with blood streaming from her nose.
Adam understood fully what would happen. He also didn’t believe that Larix would keep his end of the bargain.
“My guards will have found your other two friends already, so you are out of options. Do we have a deal?”
Adam’s heart sank at the news of Mark and Jimmy.
“Deal,” he said.
Larix handed the Keystone back to Adam. “Get on with it.”
Adam cupped the stone in his hands and held it to his forehead. Being angry and scared, it took him a few moments to start a connection with the stone. When he did, his mind felt that the stone was deep. He travelled much further to the center than the other rocks he had connected with in the past.
At the center, it felt as if he was floating, but he had no body that he could see. He tried to wave his hands in front of his face, but nothing appeared. It was an odd feeling.
Something appeared in the distance, getting closer. It looked like a book. It floated closer and closer until it stopped in perfect view. The pages opened and revealed some pictures, giving instruction how to proceed. After playing once, it slammed shut and disappeared. The moment it disappeared, he snapped back to reality.
Adam was confused. The images he saw didn’t make sense, and drifted out of his mind. He tried to focus on any of them, but it felt like trying to grab a cloud. He had a strong feeling that the images would only come into focus once he was down the stairway.
“Are you ready to proceed?” asked Larix
“I…I…think so,” said Adam, unsure. Images were still coming and going in his mind. He placed the Keystone back in his pocket and headed toward the stairway.
Larix pointed to two of his men. “You and you, come with us.” He pointed to the other two men. “You two, guard our ‘friends’. If he comes out without me,” he pointed to Adam, “shoot him then shoot the others.”
The guards loaded the guns they held. Those guns weren’t filled with tranquilizer darts.
The other two guards made their way behind Adam, and Larix fell in line last.
At the entrance to the stairwell, one of the guards clicked on a flashlight and pointed it into the darkness. The light disappeared as if it were pointed into a bottomless pit where there was nothing to reflect it back.
“Your flashlights won’t work here,” said Adam, surprised that somehow he knew. “We need to feel the stairs with our feet and stop at the landing about a hundred steps down.”
He started down the stairs and disappeared into the darkness.
&n
bsp; CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT