Free Shadow Tree by Jake Halpern Page B

it,” said Imad.
    â€œIn the tree?”
    Leif heard more snarling and he struggled to keep his hand from shaking.
    â€œYes,” Imad replied. “You will soon see. Now listen carefully because we are running out of time. Once you get inside, you’ll need to retrieve something I’ve hidden there. It’s what the boy was looking for. Go to my study and take the artwork. Do not leave without it.”
    â€œThe artwork,” repeated Leif, hesitantly. “What do I do with it?”
    â€œDon’t worry about that now,” said Imad. “It will come to you at an appropriate time. You’re not in the proper frame of mind.”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œYou heard me,” said Imad resolutely. “And one more thing. There is a parcel that you will find nearby – you need to burn it right away. There is a fireplace near my desk. Take the parcel and burn it there. Don’t open it or... or I promise you – you’ll regret it. Can you remember all that?”
    â€œYes,” said Leif.
    â€œGood,” said Imad. “Now slowly put down the mirror and whistle.”
    â€œWhistle?”
    â€œYes,” said Imad. “Whistle as loud as you can.”
    Leif put down the mirror and whistled as loudly as he could; then, in the distance, he heard something tearing through the underbrush, growling as it went. It was a ferocious growl, the kind that begins at the pit of an animal’s throat and stays there, biding its time until the inevitable attack. At first, Leif thought this was yet another Straszydlo; but it was moving too quickly and too low to the ground. There was a great commotion directly behind him – it sounded as if the Straszydlo were fleeing – and then the growling newcomer emerged. It was an enormous wolf, fangs bared, the very picture of stark aggression. When the wolf saw Leif, it leaned forward, whimpered once and licked his hand. It was Korgu. Leif held up the mirror again. Imad was gone, but Leif heard him speak one last time, uttering three final words: “
Run, you fool!
”
    Leif broke into a run. He headed to his left, until he found the animal’s trail, and he followed it for a quarter of a mile or so. The whole time, he could hear a stampede of footsteps behind him. Finally, he saw it up ahead – a massive tree with deeply grooved bark and a thick trunk that shot upwards into the night sky as if it were propping up the heavens all by itself. This had to be it. Built into the base of the tree was a small, round door made of solid steel. It appeared bolted shut. Leif knew there would be no time to try to unlock it. The creatures were almost upon him. There was only one thing to do. He had only tried doing this once before – back when he was in the maze of razor hedges – but he had to give it a go.
    Leif sprinted for the door and, as he did, he forced himself into hypnogogia – the narrow space between sleeping and waking that is the hallmark of Dormian Great Sleepers. He leaned forward and dove at the door. His head paused for a split-second when it hit the door and then his entire body transvaporated – passing through the steel barrier as if it were made of air. The rest of his body followed and he was conscious of falling through cold and damp air. When he finally hit the ground, his head was thrown back sharply. In the last seconds before he passed out, he was dimly aware of Korgu howling somewhere far above him.

Chapter 10: The Journey to Dargora
    After several days of traveling together, Kiril and Bilblox emerged from a forest of towering pine trees and reached a river cutting through a vast ice field. Both men paused to catch their breath. Bilblox blinked his eyes in the glare of the sun and drank in the sights around him – the pristine snow, the pale blue ice, and the crystal-clear water. The other thing that Bilblox eyed was the leather pouch on Kiril’s belt – the pouch where