The Search for the Red Dragon - James A. Owen [32]
“’At’s cause y’r still a young race,” Tummeler commented over his shoulder. “Give it time, an’ y’ might yet turn out t’ be an interestin’ people.”
“I can’t imagine that Aven agreed to come here,” Jack said, glancing around at the steep stone walls to either side of the road. “It would take more persuasion than I’m capable of to get her to move this far from the sea.”
Tummeler began to reply, but a raised eyebrow and slight shake of the head from Bert silenced him. Swallowing hard, the little animal increased his speed, and in short order they arrived at their destination.
“Well, Master Scowlers,” Tummeler announced, beaming as if he’d built the place himself. “Here we be. Th’ Great Whatsit.”
Before them, carved deep into the granite walls of a junction in the canyon, were several towers of stone, accented and buttressed by wooden beams and golden embellishments. The structures were carved along the strata of the rock, and so the entire edifice resembled nothing so much as a great, glittering mica pipe organ.
“Great Whatsit?” Jack asked.
“Oh, that’s just th’ nickname we animals give it,” said Tummeler. “On account of th’ king can never decide what it is. Is it a library? Or an archive? Or a city? Or just a pile of rock? Or all o’ that at once? So we just began t’ call it th’ Great Whatsit, an’ th’ name stuck.
“But don’t tell th’ king I told y’ that,” Tummeler said to Charles. “Decorum, an’ all.”
“Won’t breathe a word of it,” Charles assured him, as the companions said their farewells to the little mammal, thanking him again for the copies of the Geographica.
“It’s nothing,” he said, doing the badger equivalent of a blush and shuffle. “I wuz happy t’ do it. And glad t’ give y’ a ride—but I needs t’ attend my shop. Commerce never sleeps, y’ know!”
“We do,” said Jack. “Where to now, Bert?”
“This way.” Bert gestured. “We just need to follow the smell of decaying parchment, and we’ll find the High King.”
Unlike the palace at Paralon, which was structurally ordered with geometric precision, the old city of Artigel was built according to geologic rules. As flowed the stone, so flowed the rooms. John had the fleeting thought that it resembled a labyrinth, and for a moment had a chill of premonition. But the thought vanished when they entered a spacious chamber distinguished both by its lack of decoration, save for the immense mess of documents scattered throughout, and its primary occupant.
Sprawled on the floor, Artus was deep in concentration, pausing only to scribble a note on a sheet of parchment or mutter an irritated “Yes, yes,” when asked a direct question by one of his advisers hovering nearby.
And so it was that they were nearly standing on top of him before he even noticed the companions’ presence.
“What is it, what is it?” said Artus without glancing up. “I am issuing edicts as fast as I am able, as you can plainly see.”
“Take your time,” replied John. “We’ve only come from the Summer Country, but I suppose we can wait for the king.”
At the sound of John’s voice, Artus jumped to his feet, scattering parchment everywhere. “What is this? What is this?” he exclaimed excitedly. “My dear friends! You’ve come at last!”
Whatever else they may have been expecting, this reaction—from the king, no less—took the companions completely off guard.
The slightly gawky youth they had known as Bug had grown into a barrel-chested man, who was taller and broader than any of them; and his reception of them was so unabashedly giddy that they couldn’t help but respond in kind. Each of them in turn gave Artus a hug, and he slapped them on the back so repeatedly that they thought their teeth might fall out.
The deference the officials and ministers gave to Artus underscored the fact that he was indeed king—but underneath, he was the same friend they remembered.
“So happy to see you,” Artus said. “You made great time—we dispatched Bert only yesterday.”
“We had an advance warning,” said John. “There’s a lot we need to tell you, ah, Bug.”
“Better make it ‘Artus’ or ‘Your Majesty’ inside the, ah, archive—library,