The Moons of Mirrodin

CHAPTER 5

Glissa started awake in a cold sweat. Was that a dream or a flare? she wondered. How could it have been a flare? The events she had dreamed had never happened to her, as far as she knew. Who was that robed figure? He had been in the Tangle the night her parents died. Was he the master of the levelers? Glissa sat up and looked down at her hands but saw no green energy surrounding them.

“You’re awake, huh?” said Slobad, who was sitting at the table, eating. “Good. Can you walk? We leave soon, but Slobad can’t carry you home. Too big. No good, huh?”

Glissa looked at her leg. The swelling was almost gone, but the ankle still ached. She untied the leather bandage and saw that the copper around the wounds looked odd. It was green, but that was just molder-the process that gave Tangle trees their green coloring. All copper looked that way if not polished regularly. No, the metal itself seemed to have bubbled up around the wounds. As Glissa removed the leather strap, some of the metal flaked off, and pus oozed from the wounds again.

The elf wiped her ankle clean, wincing at the pain, then replaced the bandage. She pushed herself up and tested the ankle. It held her weight, and she could endure the pain. “I can walk,” she said.

Slobad came over and poked at the bandage with his clawed hand.

“Ow! What did you do that for?”

“You can’t walk long on that leg,” said Slobad. “I saw, huh? The metal is corroding. Infection spreading. You’ll never make it to the Tangle, huh? Too far. You need healer soon. We go to leonin.”

“Leonin?” asked Glissa. “Who is that? Is he far away?”

“Stupid elf,” said Slobad. “Do you know nothing about the world outside Tangle? The leonin are your neighbors, huh? Their tribes live in the Glimmervoid. Not far. Slobad lives on edge of Glimmervoid. It’ll take two or three rotations to walk to leonin city. We find a healer there.”

The little goblin went to his workbench and began putting tools and some of the larger scraps of metal into his pouch. “We go soon. You eat, huh?”

“Two or three rotations?” asked Glissa as she hobbled over to the table. It looked as if it might fall to pieces at any moment, but it held her weight when she leaned against it. “You call that ‘not far’? And how do you know they’ll help me? We should just go back to the Tangle. How far can it be?”

Slobad shook his head. “Stupid, crazy elf,” he muttered. Tangle is twice that far, huh? Take at least six, maybe eight rotations to get you home from here, especially with that bad leg. We have to cut leg off after four rotations, at most. If that’s what you want, we’ll go to Tangle.”

“There’s no healer closer?” asked Glissa. On the table she saw the carcasses of two small animals. They each had four tiny legs, a wiry tail, and patches of gray fur mixed with metal plates on their backs. “What about the goblins? They must be close, right?”

Slobad was searching for something on the workbench. Glissa couldn’t tell what any of the tools were for. She sliced off some meat with Slobad’s knife and ate what she could while she waited for his response. The goblin didn’t seem to understand the art of conversation. He often answered his own questions without waiting for a response, and now he seemed to be ignoring her questions. The meat was pungent and stringy, but Glissa was famished. She cut off more meat and soon finished both animals.

“Goblins have no healers who can deal with that leg, huh?” said Slobad. The goblin had finished packing his bag and now tossed a fur over his shoulders and tied it around his neck with several strips of leather. “Elf magic only heals wounds. You said so yourself. Goblin magic hardly even do that. Elves and leonin only decent healers. You choose, huh?”

“Fine,” said Glissa. Once again she had no choice but to trust this creature who lived by himself within the den of the world’s most dangerous … constructs. Why was he helping her? How did he know so much about the world? It seemed that people who spent all their time in little rooms knew a lot more than she did about Mirrodin. Perhaps Slobad could be useful, but she needed to know more about him and his motives.

“We’ll go see the leonin healers.”

Slobad nodded. He tossed Glissa a sword sheath. “Here, take this. I found it in blades of leveler. Maybe you can use it better than its previous owner, huh?”

Glissa grabbed the sheath. There was no belt, so she took the goblin’s knife, cut a long strip of leather, and tied the sheath around her waist. Several more strips fastened her boot back onto her leg.

“Ready.”

* * * * *

Slobad revealed another secret opening in the wall and led Glissa through a square, metal tunnel. Slobad could walk, but the elf had to either crawl or hunch over inside the tunnel. It twisted back and forth, and they passed many side tunnels as they walked. It seemed to Glissa like she crawled for an eternity. Slobad often turned left or right at intersections but never slowed his pace. Glissa knew she could never find her way back to Slobad’s room. She had to keep following the goblin. Finally she saw light up ahead, and they emerged from the small tunnel into a larger cave.

“This way,” said Slobad as he moved toward the light streaming in through the cave entrance.

Glissa stepped outside and halted, amazed by the land around her. The ground gleamed. It was made of a silvery metal, not the moldered copper of the Tangle. The ground rolled up and down around her, making hills and valleys running as far as she could see. The cave behind her did not come from a hill, though. Rather, the structure was shaped like a mushroom. Rust-colored intertwined tubes ran up from the silver ground to a large, conical top. There were several of these outcroppings around them, and in the distance behind her, Glissa could see a large mountain with similar features jutting into the sky.

“Is that where your people live?” she asked Slobad.

“I told you, huh?” said Slobad, who was already moving down the slope. “Slobad has no people. Slobad is his own people. Goblins live in mountains leonin live in Razor Fields. Mountains up there. Razor Fields down there. We go this way, huh?”

Glissa hobbled up beside the goblin and looked at him. His eyes were narrowed, and he looked straight at the ground. He might just have been concentrating on the path, but Glissa guessed she had hit on a touchy subject.

“Why do you live alone, Slobad?” she asked.

“Long story,” said Slobad.

It was an uncharacteristically short answer. “We have three days,” she replied. “Surely that will be enough time.”

“Leave me alone, crazy elf,” said Slobad in a gruff and final tone.

“You could have left me alone back there and been perfectly happy in your little room,” said Glissa. She poked him in the shoulder with the tip of her claws. This was getting fun. For some reason she was reminded of Kane.

“Come on,” she continued. “You brought this on yourself. You helped me and abandoned your home to take me to the leonin. You owe me.”

Slobad walked on in silence, apparently trying to wait her out.

“I’m not going to stop asking until we get to the leonin city,” she said, poking him again, “so you might as well just tell me now. Look, I never had many friends, either. There’s no shame in being alone. I find it more comforting. You don’t have to worry about anyone else and what they might do to you.”

“Elf talks too much,” grunted Slobad. Glissa thought he was going to fall silent again, but he continued after a few more steps. “You don’t know what you talk about, huh? You choose to be alone. Slobad outcast. Have no family, no friends. Slobad is cursed. That what you want to know, huh?”

“I’m sorry,” said Glissa. “Sometimes I think I’m cursed, too. I’ve always been different. I’m sort of an outcast as well. Maybe that’s why I like you, Slobad. Maybe that’s why I’m willing to trust you.”

For the rest of the day, the pair walked away from the mountains in silence, through the hills of the Glimmervoid. Glissa watched with awe as the yellow moon passed almost right over her. She could see the red, black, and blue moons as well. The red one stayed behind them all day while the blue passed off to their right. The black was farther away ahead of them, but it was still closer than she had ever seen it before.

That night, seated around a small fire, Slobad began to talk again.

“Slobad alone a long time,” he said as they chewed on some foul-smelling rodents the goblin had caught. “Too long, huh? That real curse-to live alone, apart from world.”

“Why?” asked Glissa. The meat was tough and stringy. She was glad the goblin had finally started his story. It gave her a reason to stop eating.

“I told, you, huh?” said Slobad. “Slobad cursed. Born under Eye of Doom-the blue sun. It ghost sun. The day Slobad born, Eye of Doom hover above Great Furnace. Sign of bad luck, huh? Mother should sacrifice Slobad to Furnace. That law of the goblins, huh? All born under Eye of Doom are cursed and must be returned to Furnace. Instead she drop me into air duct, right down in air duct. She couldn’t bother killing me herself. Better to die and have metal used for good, huh? At least life would have meaning.…”

Slobad’s voice trailed off. Glissa didn’t prod him this time but went back to eating her long-tailed rodent. She took a bite, then stuck her fingers in her mouth to pull a stringy piece of metal from between her teeth. Whisker. After a time, Slobad continued.

“Slobad found by goblin named Dwugget,” said Slobad. “He outcast, too. Leader of rogue cult, huh? Leader of Krark cult. Live in secret lair at end of ducts. Dwugget found Slobad on way home, huh? Took me in. Gave me home. I work for cult, listen to stories, huh? But Slobad never fit in. We all outcasts, but they choose to live apart, all for stupid story nobody believes.”

“What story was that?” asked Glissa.

“Not important,” said Slobad. “Goblin named Krark claim to find other world inside Mirrodin. All craziness. Slobad never fit in. They okay to me, but never get too close. They religious. Still believe in curse. One day, priests find cult and attack. Slobad decides to leave, huh? Leave family and wander world. Live near Tangle for a time, but elves don’t trust anyone. Slobad run from there and wander Glimmervoid.”

“That’s when you met the healers?” asked Glissa. She finished her meal and tossed the bones away from their camp.

Slobad nodded. “And Raksha, young leonin warrior, Kha. Slobad given to Raksha as toy, huh? Training dummy. We fight all the time. Raksha always win. Slobad always hurt. But healers fix me up, huh? So Raksha train again.”

“That sounds horrible,” said Glissa. “You really want to go back to these people?”

“Raksha good to Slobad. He always make sure I healed properly, huh? Then nim begin attacking more. Raksha sent into real battles. Fighting always follow Slobad, huh? Part of curse. Other leonin not so good to Slobad. Not welcome when Raksha out of city. I leave again before healers kick me out, huh? I find leveler cave and decide to live alone. Battles can’t come to me there. Nobody dare come close.”

Except me, thought Glissa. But I don’t believe in destiny, no matter what Chunth said. Bad things happen because people make them happen. To Slobad, she said, “You’ve lived alone ever since, eating these … what do you call them?”

“Glimmer rats,” said Slobad through a full mouth. He hadn’t eaten during his story and seemed to be trying to catch up now.

Glissa watched Slobad stuff another rat into his mouth and chomp down. She could hear the creature’s bones breaking as he chewed. The goblin didn’t even bother to spit out the metal bits. Were his eating habits the result of living alone? Or perhaps all goblins ate that way.

“I’m sorry I’ve upset your life, Slobad, but I appreciate all you’ve done for me. Maybe you can go back to the leveler cave after my leg is healed.”

“Maybe,” said Slobad, his mouth still full. After he swallowed, he continued, “Nothing there for me, huh? Just place to be. Not home. No one to talk to. Slobad start talking to himself. Very bad. Long time since I go to Taj Nar, huh?”

“Taj Nar?” asked Glissa.

Slobad offered her the last rat, but Glissa waved it off. He stuck the rat’s head into his mouth and bit it off. “Taj Nar is great leonin city. Where Raksha rule. He is leader now, huh? Kha.”

“Are you sure he’ll help me?” asked Glissa.

Slobad nodded, chewing the rest of the rat. “Raksha owe Slobad. Most leonin not like outsiders much, huh? A lot like elves that way. Raksha different. He like Slobad. Slobad work for him many times. Fix city walls. Make sacred torch. Raksha owe Slobad. He will help.”

“Well, I’m not like other elves,” said Glissa with a smile, the first smile she had given since the trolls kidnapped her. “And I like you, too, Slobad.”

“I know,” said Slobad. “That why I help you. Slobad not have many friends but always helps the ones he finds.”

Glissa began to wonder if maybe there was something to Chunth’s speech after all. How else could she explain finding Slobad-the one person in the world lonelier than she-just when she needed him? The leonin were the first stop. If she was going to find the person who killed her family, she would need a guide in this strange world outside the Tangle.

* * * * *

The next two rotations were a blur to Glissa. She and Slobad trudged through the Glimmervoid. Slobad pointed out mounds to her that he said were leonin homes, but Glissa couldn’t tell the difference between them and the rest of the landscape. Never once did they see any leonin, but Glissa thought she saw movement each night as they camped. Once, she was sure she saw the robed figure from the Tangle, but it might have been a dream or even a flare.

“Leonin don’t like strangers,” said Slobad again the second night, when Glissa asked why they hadn’t seen any of the elusive race yet. “They know we here, huh? We don’t bother them; they don’t bother us. Keep to themselves, huh?”

Glissa sat and worked her healing magic to keep the decay on her leg from spreading too far. Her wound looked worse each rotation. The green energy kept the pain tolerable but couldn’t stop the infection. It had almost spread past her calf already. More metal flaked off every day from her lower leg, and the pus continued to ooze from the cuts on her ankle.

Several times during their trip, Slobad led them around patches of tall plants. They were slender and bright silver. They waved in the wind, creating an eerie whistling that hung in the air around the patches. On the third day, Glissa saw a glimmer rat run into a patch of the silvery reeds ahead of them. It was being chased by a predator with strong legs and pointed, metal ears. Glissa drew her sword and waited.

The rat emerged from the other side of the patch, but a gust of wind set the reeds swinging and singing. The thin plants sliced back and forth, and a howl of pain joined the chorus. The elf ran forward to the edge of the patch. The predator lay in the middle of the reeds, its blood pooling around what remained of the body. She could also see blood and gore on the bladed reeds around the body. Glissa reached out to touch one of the plants and cut her finger on its edge.

“What are those?” she cried as she moved back from the patch, afraid another gust of wind might catch her too close.

“Razor grass,” said Slobad. “They cut right through you. Deadly in the wind, huh? Best to go around.”

Shortly after they passed the waving reeds, Glissa looked up at the yellow moon, which Slobad called the Bringer. It was now very low in the sky. The other three had already set. Without the competing light from the other moons, Slobad cast a long shadow that reached almost all the way back to the razor field. Glissa was about to say they should find a spot to camp soon, when she bumped into the goblin, who had stopped at the top of a rise.

“What is it?” she said.

“We here,” said Slobad, who was pointing down the hill. “Taj Nar, great city of leonin. May be problem, huh?”

Glissa looked where Slobad pointed. They were above a great valley surrounded by hills. In the middle of the valley a huge tower seemed to erupt from a large hill. Columns of metal stretched up and out, buttressing several conical levels high up in the air. Metal spikes grew from the tops of the columns all around the city, like a clawed hand holding Taj Nar in its palm.

As Glissa’s gaze fell to the base of the tower, she saw a mass of dark shapes moving slowly around the hill from both sides. For a moment she thought they were levelers, but the shapes were too small and too slow. It looked as if they were trying to encircle the city. She and Slobad might just beat the army if they ran, but she had no idea how to get inside the city once they arrived at the tower. Her sore leg had been throbbing since the first moon set, and she wasn’t sure how far she could run.

A horn blared from within the city.