told him. ‘It’s a matter of the density of the aether.’
‘Ah,’ said Jonathan, who was satisfied, actually, just to know that such a wonder existed.
In the distance a bank of clouds lay on the mountains, and it was toward those clouds, dark and billowing and rumbling with occasional thunder, that the airship soared. They seemed to be dropping toward the snowy slopes and were soon enveloped in the gray mist of the clouds. Snow swirled outside the windows and the airship rose and dipped suddenly on the wind before coming to rest on the slope of the mountains.
At first, nothing was visible outside the airship but the swirling snow. Then in occasional moments of calm, Jonathan could see the mottled deep gray black of the granite mountainside and the brilliant white of the snow lying against it. There in the wall of rock was what at first appeared to be the arched mouth of a cave. It was, however, too symmetrical, too clearly outlined to be a natural recess, and Jonathan realized that what they had settled in front of was a door – the eastern door, as Miles had called it, and that through that door lay the land of Balumnia.
Jonathan was struck with the fact that he had only a light jacket and sweater with him – hardly the things for traipsing about glaciers. It seemed a strange place to undertake a search for Squire Myrkle. He had learned, however, that as far as elf doings were concerned, it was best not to assume anything; so that’s what he did.
Miles rose and wrapped his cloak around himself as if the thin robes would protect him from the sailing wind and snow. With his hat smashed down over his forehead, he disappeared forward. A moment later, Jonathan watched him out in the snow, bent over, his robes flailing and whipping about him, the ivory head atop his hat whirling and glowing. Snow flew, obscuring the wizard entirely for the space of a long minute. Then he was visible again, hunched in a weird posture before the door, waving his right hand at it as if expostulating the necessity of its opening up.
Twickenham bustled back with Thrimp and told the rest of the company to ready themselves. The aisle turned into a confusion of knapsacks and jackets and caps and walking sticks, and the confusion was doubled by everyone’s wanting to watch the magician perform his gesticulations before the door. Gump put on Bufo’s jacket and Bufo got Gump’s hat. Then the two of them accused each other of idiocy and made a complicated and inexplicable trade of a variety of garments until they were finally satisfied, all the time rushing to the windows to check Miles’ progress.
The thin wizard stood before the door, arms akimbo, his dark robes sailing, the snow swirling about him. Slowly, the dark face of the door paled a bit and seemed to shimmer as if a slowly brightening light were being shined on it. Through the transparency that had been the iron door could be seen the blue of a summer sky and the green of vegetation. An amazed cow wandered by beyond the opening, looking back at the wizard with a face full of stupefaction.
‘It’s time,’ Twickenham called. ‘Hurry.’ And the four of them filed down the plank and onto the frozen hillside. ‘Good luck, lads,’ was the last thing Jonathan heard Twickenham say. His own goodbye was carried off by the wind which was sharp as an icicle. Jonathan’s cloth jacket might as well have been a fishnet for all the good it did. But in a matter of seconds the five of them hunched through the portal and clustered around the befuddled cow. Behind them the snow still blew, great flakes sailing through onto the grass of the meadow on which they stood. The opening faded as if the light that had shone on it was being slowly switched off. Twickenham’s airship was a long batwinged shadow against the snow, and as they watched, it rose slowly into the sky and disappeared. The wind ceased to howl, the snow ceased to blow, and Jonathan realized that he was standing before an iron
‘Ah,’ said Jonathan, who was satisfied, actually, just to know that such a wonder existed.
In the distance a bank of clouds lay on the mountains, and it was toward those clouds, dark and billowing and rumbling with occasional thunder, that the airship soared. They seemed to be dropping toward the snowy slopes and were soon enveloped in the gray mist of the clouds. Snow swirled outside the windows and the airship rose and dipped suddenly on the wind before coming to rest on the slope of the mountains.
At first, nothing was visible outside the airship but the swirling snow. Then in occasional moments of calm, Jonathan could see the mottled deep gray black of the granite mountainside and the brilliant white of the snow lying against it. There in the wall of rock was what at first appeared to be the arched mouth of a cave. It was, however, too symmetrical, too clearly outlined to be a natural recess, and Jonathan realized that what they had settled in front of was a door – the eastern door, as Miles had called it, and that through that door lay the land of Balumnia.
Jonathan was struck with the fact that he had only a light jacket and sweater with him – hardly the things for traipsing about glaciers. It seemed a strange place to undertake a search for Squire Myrkle. He had learned, however, that as far as elf doings were concerned, it was best not to assume anything; so that’s what he did.
Miles rose and wrapped his cloak around himself as if the thin robes would protect him from the sailing wind and snow. With his hat smashed down over his forehead, he disappeared forward. A moment later, Jonathan watched him out in the snow, bent over, his robes flailing and whipping about him, the ivory head atop his hat whirling and glowing. Snow flew, obscuring the wizard entirely for the space of a long minute. Then he was visible again, hunched in a weird posture before the door, waving his right hand at it as if expostulating the necessity of its opening up.
Twickenham bustled back with Thrimp and told the rest of the company to ready themselves. The aisle turned into a confusion of knapsacks and jackets and caps and walking sticks, and the confusion was doubled by everyone’s wanting to watch the magician perform his gesticulations before the door. Gump put on Bufo’s jacket and Bufo got Gump’s hat. Then the two of them accused each other of idiocy and made a complicated and inexplicable trade of a variety of garments until they were finally satisfied, all the time rushing to the windows to check Miles’ progress.
The thin wizard stood before the door, arms akimbo, his dark robes sailing, the snow swirling about him. Slowly, the dark face of the door paled a bit and seemed to shimmer as if a slowly brightening light were being shined on it. Through the transparency that had been the iron door could be seen the blue of a summer sky and the green of vegetation. An amazed cow wandered by beyond the opening, looking back at the wizard with a face full of stupefaction.
‘It’s time,’ Twickenham called. ‘Hurry.’ And the four of them filed down the plank and onto the frozen hillside. ‘Good luck, lads,’ was the last thing Jonathan heard Twickenham say. His own goodbye was carried off by the wind which was sharp as an icicle. Jonathan’s cloth jacket might as well have been a fishnet for all the good it did. But in a matter of seconds the five of them hunched through the portal and clustered around the befuddled cow. Behind them the snow still blew, great flakes sailing through onto the grass of the meadow on which they stood. The opening faded as if the light that had shone on it was being slowly switched off. Twickenham’s airship was a long batwinged shadow against the snow, and as they watched, it rose slowly into the sky and disappeared. The wind ceased to howl, the snow ceased to blow, and Jonathan realized that he was standing before an iron
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