Mark of the Fool

Chapter 732: Ever Moving

Three months.

Three months had passed since Alex, Bjorgrund and Birger had begun their search for Keldas sanctum. Three long months of cold, danger, frustration, and disappointment.

Time was running short.

Only a few weeks remained until Toraka was out of golems.

According to Claygon, her agitation was giving way to panic.

That feeling was no stranger to either Alex or the two giants lately.

It now felt like the church had become expert at tracking them. A night rarely passed without Birgers wards being breached, and hardly a day went by without the trio having to elude churchsentries lying in wait.

It felt like a noose was tightening around their necks.

Gradually, it would strangle the three of them.

Theyd grown increasingly desperate, resting less so they could search more.

The giants were staying awake longer and Alex was sleeping less, harvesting less, mindful of what a church ambush would mean while he was gathering his soul substance. The amount of time he could spend harvesting was limited, but hed been able to half fill the bottle ValRok had given him. Each day they teleported from location to location, combing through different areas obsessively. So far, theyd searched every circled spot on the map three times over, even while dodging dogged pursuers.

And still, theyd found nothing that could lead them to what they sought.

No sanctum.

No hidden doors.

Not even a single clue hinting at where it might be.

Even using Restful Slumber, the Fool of Thameland was having trouble sleeping for the two short hours he needed. His dreams were rarely peaceful, plagued by endless tundras, sinister forests with twisting trees as tall as mountains, and mountain ranges that seemed to warp and twist around him, confusing his every path.

And always, there was the church, hunting him, even in his dreams.

During every waking momentwhen he and his companions werent searchinghis thoughts were filled with a single problem.

Tonight was no different.

He and the two giants had camped in a makeshift snow cave dug in the side of a mountain pass. Bjorgrund and Birger were busy wolfing down a quick supper of dried salmon and porridge made from pilfered wheat cooked over a campfire, while Alex paced back-and-forth outside the burrow.

His hands were clasped behind his back as he muttered to himself, breath misting in the chill night air. What am I missing? What am I missing? What am I missing? What am I missing?

He repeated the question over and over as he had day in and day out.

Kelda wanted to hide her sanctum. She wanted to be sure that only she and whoever else she wanted, knew where no, that's not right. He shook his head. She wanted to make sure that she was the only one who could enter the sanctum. She never told anyone where it was. She wasnt even specific about its whereabouts with members of her own organisation. She only told them it was located in one of four places.

He chewed his lower lip. Did she bury it underground? Uhmthat's not likely. I had earth and ice elementals go deep into the earth, checking layers of stone, soil, frozen dirt, glaciers, everything below ground, and they found nothing, no matter how deep they went. Maybe they haven't looked deep enough yet? Or maybe I didn't send them to the right places? Ugh. Im sure the Guild must have sent earth elementals looking underground at some point. Why wouldnt they? If I had that idea, then somebody else mustve had the same idea in the last three hundred years.

The young wizard glanced around the mountain pass, remembering the church, his nerves twitching. Maybe I should go back inside so Im near Bjorgrund, Birger and our supplies if they show up suddenly.

But, he didnt go inside, he remained where he was, thinking. Just taking a few precious moments to be alone and think. To really think.

Maybe Birgers right? Maybe the Guild did lie to usor, hells, maybe theyre just plain wrong. Maybe they have no clue where her sanctum is, he wondered aloud. Okay stop, don't focus on that, focus on what you knowwhich isnt much. He thought about what Birger had said a week or so ago, about who Kelda trusted. Over time, those words had played in his mind over and over.

They were significant, he felt that in his bones, but he couldnt put together why.

Who Kelda trustedwho Kelda trusted he repeated. She was supposed to trust Birger and the Guild, but it seems not enough to share the location of her sanctum with them. So, I guess she couldn't have trusted them that much. Maybe there was someone else she trusted more, someone whod helped her. Hannah had mentioned people helping her sowait! Oh wait!

Alex thought back to the Cave of the Traveller and its lower chambers, particularly the one Drestra had found. The Sage had discovered a portal there. A portal thatwhen shed tried to go near ithad suddenly slammed shut, warning her away, blocking her from entering; a portal that didnt react wellto a Heros Mark.

When Drestra approached and it sensed her Mark, it had shut her out before she could get closer. But, from what Hannah had said, shed been able to use it to visit Kelda in her sanctum.

So she left a portal for Hannah, specifically for Hannah. Which means we know one thing for sure: the sanctum could be accessed by a portal under the Cave of the Traveller, he said. And it could be accessed using Hannahs power. That's the only way that I know someone entered the sanctum besides Kelda. Dammit, if the portal was still there, wed have a solution to getting inside without all of this endless, futile searching. We could've been in there months ago.

His eyes darted from side to side while he scratched his growing beard, deep in thought. She used the power to let Hannah in. Okay, fine. What if that's the only way anyone can get in? What if theres no physical door? What if theres no secret entrance or tunnel? What if there's a portal we need to find in order to get in? Exceptno, no no! If there had been a portal in any of the four locations, I would've sensed it like I sensed the portal the Guild used in Sorkovo. I'm still missing something. Let me see nowwhat would I do, if I wanted to hide a sanctum from prying eyes?

It was a question hed asked himself for weeks, one he had yet to answer.

Cursing, Alex crawled back inside the burrow, joining his companions.

Did you think of anything? Bjorgrund looked up from the remnants of his supper.

No, Alex said. I think No, never mind. I just keep beating my head against the same wall.

Maybe we should go find one of those Guild members. Maybe they're the ones whose heads need beating against a wall to get us some proper answers, Birger suggested, as he had many times over the past month.

At this point I'm almost ready to give anything a try, Alex said. Have either of you thought of anything we might've missed. Anything that could help us?

If we had, I would've told you already. Birger stirred the embers in the fire as smoke rose, drifting through a hole in the ceiling. But I do have a suggestion.

Whats that? Alex asked.

You can teleport us whenever you want, right? he said, bags prominent under his eyes. I think maybe we should make camp in several places.

What do you mean? Alex asked.

We can camp in one place at the beginning of the night. He paused, fighting a yawn. Then, every hour or so, you teleport us somewhere else. It'd be a way of throwing off the ones chasing us, at least for a time.

That's not a bad idea, Alex said.

It was my sons, Birger pointed.

Bjorgrund shrugged. We spent a lot of years in the forest, hiding in one place. But eventually, the runemarked found us anyway; the church finds us much faster, it only takes them hours to catch up to us. The only thing that's been keeping them from actually grabbing us is because we keep moving. So what if we moved even more?

Good thinking, Bjorgrund. I like that idea, Alex said, reaching up and tapping the giants shoulder. You're right, if it takes them an hour or two to find us, then if we keep moving every hour or so, they'll have a harder time trapping us. But, what about your sleep? Itll be constantly interrupted.

Our sleeps already interrupted, Birger pointed out. Weve got to adapt; at least this way it'll be interrupted because youre moving us, not because were under attack.

Yeah, I suppose its the lesser of two evils, Alex said. If we just keep moving, it'll make it a lot easier to keep them from finding u

Alex's words died on his lips.

Wait, wait, wait he said, transfixed by an idea. Hold on a minute, something just hit me.

What is it? Bjorgrund gnawed on a thick slab of smoked fish.

Alex leapt to his feet.

Weve been hiding from the church by leaving. We keep moving because the longer we stay in one place, the easier it is for them to find us. And how do we keep moving? We use the Travellers power. His eyes grew wide. This could be a longshotbut if I'm right

Right about what? Birger asked, frowning.

Bjorgrund said it; your family hid in the forest and you stayed in the same place for a long time. But once the runemarked found you, they always knew where to look. He pointed around their campsite. But how have we been keeping from getting caught by the church? Weve been moving. We never stay in one place for too long! And how have we been moving? By using the same power that Kelda had. The very samepower!

He was growing more excited. And that power can last for a really long time. I mean, I have to touch you both in order to teleport the three of us, but there's so much more the power can do without being that limited.

What do you mean? Bjorgrund asked.

Think about it! The thieves travel to their Guild house through a portal, a portal Kelda set up, whathundreds of years ago? Longer? he said. There was also the portal in Hannahs cave;that one was around until recently! If she could do that, what else could she do with that power?

He bent down, poking four holes in the snow with his index finger. Keldas sanctum is supposed to be in one of four places, right? Yet weand who knows how many other people over the centuries have been looking for ithave never found it.

So, are you thinking it's not in any of those four places? Bjorgrund asked.

No! Quite the opposite, I think it's in all of those places! Alex shouted. What if the sanctum moves?

The giants looked at each other.

Like a wagon? Birgers eyes narrowed.

No, not like a wagon. What if it moves like we move? What if it moves by teleporting from place to place? One time it's in the forest He pointed to the first indentation. His finger shifted to another. the next, it's in the mountains, then on the tundra, and then it's on the island! It could move to another place every time someone's getting too close to it, or maybe it just moves constantly!

Like a bird in flight, avoiding the eyes of the falcon, Bjorgrund murmured.

Well said, son, well said Birger ran his fingers through his beard. Like an albatross does, spending most of its life on the move. Or all of its life on the move! But if what you say is right, then how do we find it?

I can sense anything that uses the Travellers power, if its near, Alex said. But I didnt sense anything when we were searching the four spots on the map, individually.

Maybe we were just unlucky, and it wasn't there when we were. Or maybe it felt us and moved, Bjorgrund suggested.

Or maybe it's moving so constantly, that I just couldn't feel it It's harder to see something thats moving really fast, right? And with the Travellers power, you can be gone in an instant. In a heartbeat, it could be in a different place in any one of those locations.

How will you find it, then? Bjorgrund asked.

Ill have to reach for it.

Alex sat cross legged on the snow, his eyes closed. By feeling the four locations at once.

He reached into himself, touching Hannah's power, reaching across distances, spreading the power like the fingers of a hand. He teleportedfocusing on where he was and where he wanted to be. Alex focused on all four locations.

His proficiency with Hannah's power had grown; what would have been impossible three months ago, was easy now. He spread the power over the forest, feeling nothing. At the same time, he spread it over the island, still feeling nothing. Then, over the tundra, lastly, over the southern mountains, and

Alex gasped.

Touching the four spots on the map simultaneously, something reached back, moving so rapidly it felt as though it was in each location at onceand yet in none of them.

Whatever was there was immenseblazing with the Travellers power. Hed never felt it so strongly before.

I got it! he screamed.

What? Birger cried.

Grab the gear then touch me! Alex cried. I found it!

The giants scrambled to break camp, gathering everything theyd unpacked, throwing it all back in their bags. Shouldering the packs, they nodded to each other and touched Alex's broad shoulders.

The young wizard took a deep breath, slowly exhaling.

He vanished.

The cold faded.

The wind died.

His eyes flicked open.

Two pairs of burning red eyes watched him.