be plenty of maps of the nearby hills and that they would be relatively easy to come by. He was wrong.
Gentry had not been prepared for the old man behind the counter to look at him suspiciously and ask him why he needed the maps. Gentry’s old excuse of hunting white deer in the Taiga Forest would not do him any good here in Yukon, but he did not want to go into his business with Lady Dinah either. Afterwards it occurred to Gentry that he should have pretended to be looking for gold, but in the moment all he could think to say was, “That is none of your concern.”
The old man behind the counter did not appreciate Gentry’s response and replied crossly, “Then you shall find your own way without the benefit of my maps.”
Gentry found that most of the villagers were as suspicious and unfriendly to him as the old man behind the counter had been. This was particularly annoying as the slightest bit of information on Mt. Xavier would have been incredibly helpful, but Gentry figured it was probably just as well since one could not really trust people in a mining town anyway.
After a fruitless morning, Gentry headed back to the pub for a bite to eat. The bartender happened to be Otto, the owner of the establishment. He was an odd character with a short black beard and dark eyes, and upon his shoulder was a little grey bird that he called Max. They made some small talk about the weather before Otto started in with the question Gentry had been dreading.
“What brings you to Yukon, my son?”
Gentry frowned. He was reluctant to reveal his business, but he desperately needed more information. With great reluctance he replied, “I am headed for Mt. Xavier.”
Otto was a bit taken aback. He had been expecting the young man to say something about mining for riches like every other lost soul that wandered into the town. He knew the only reason anyone would venture to Mt. Xavier would be to see Lady Dinah, and that troubled him. “Is the Lady expecting you?”
Gentry shook his head. “I do not think so.”
“You know she does not take kindly to unwelcome guests,” warned Otto as he filled a second pint for Gentry.
Gentry did not acknowledge Otto’s comment and instead asked, “Do you know how one might find her castle?”
Otto rubbed his beard and looked at Gentry for a moment before responding. “I have never been there myself, but there is a main trail up the mountain from Pikes Road, the road just to the northeast of here. It is less than a day to the mountain. I have heard it takes about four days on foot to reach the castle.”
This was great news! Gentry would make even better time having Casper with him.
“You know you cannot bring a horse up that way,” Otto said, as if reading Gentry’s mind. “I am told there are several places where rockslides have blocked the path and you must climb over on foot.”
Gentry’s heart sank. He pondered the situation for a moment and then asked, “May I board my horse at your stable until I return?” He did not like the idea of leaving Casper behind, but he did not want to take the chance of stranding the horse on the side of the mountain either.
“If you have the money, I have the space,” shrugged Otto.
Now that he knew he would be making the journey on foot, Gentry set out to stock up on supplies. One of the heavy bags full of blankets and other gear that Casper had carried thus far would now need to be carried on Gentry’s back, so he spent some time editing the items down to the bare essentials. He also stocked up on some food and a few kindling sticks; Gentry was a bit concerned at the sparsity of trees on the mountain and hoped there would be enough wood to start a fire.
Up until now he had not been overly concerned about his safety; having Casper and a fire were the only weapons he needed to keep any dangerous animals at bay. But now he would be traveling alone in a place where trees (and therefore firewood) were scarce. He still had the knife that he
Gentry had not been prepared for the old man behind the counter to look at him suspiciously and ask him why he needed the maps. Gentry’s old excuse of hunting white deer in the Taiga Forest would not do him any good here in Yukon, but he did not want to go into his business with Lady Dinah either. Afterwards it occurred to Gentry that he should have pretended to be looking for gold, but in the moment all he could think to say was, “That is none of your concern.”
The old man behind the counter did not appreciate Gentry’s response and replied crossly, “Then you shall find your own way without the benefit of my maps.”
Gentry found that most of the villagers were as suspicious and unfriendly to him as the old man behind the counter had been. This was particularly annoying as the slightest bit of information on Mt. Xavier would have been incredibly helpful, but Gentry figured it was probably just as well since one could not really trust people in a mining town anyway.
After a fruitless morning, Gentry headed back to the pub for a bite to eat. The bartender happened to be Otto, the owner of the establishment. He was an odd character with a short black beard and dark eyes, and upon his shoulder was a little grey bird that he called Max. They made some small talk about the weather before Otto started in with the question Gentry had been dreading.
“What brings you to Yukon, my son?”
Gentry frowned. He was reluctant to reveal his business, but he desperately needed more information. With great reluctance he replied, “I am headed for Mt. Xavier.”
Otto was a bit taken aback. He had been expecting the young man to say something about mining for riches like every other lost soul that wandered into the town. He knew the only reason anyone would venture to Mt. Xavier would be to see Lady Dinah, and that troubled him. “Is the Lady expecting you?”
Gentry shook his head. “I do not think so.”
“You know she does not take kindly to unwelcome guests,” warned Otto as he filled a second pint for Gentry.
Gentry did not acknowledge Otto’s comment and instead asked, “Do you know how one might find her castle?”
Otto rubbed his beard and looked at Gentry for a moment before responding. “I have never been there myself, but there is a main trail up the mountain from Pikes Road, the road just to the northeast of here. It is less than a day to the mountain. I have heard it takes about four days on foot to reach the castle.”
This was great news! Gentry would make even better time having Casper with him.
“You know you cannot bring a horse up that way,” Otto said, as if reading Gentry’s mind. “I am told there are several places where rockslides have blocked the path and you must climb over on foot.”
Gentry’s heart sank. He pondered the situation for a moment and then asked, “May I board my horse at your stable until I return?” He did not like the idea of leaving Casper behind, but he did not want to take the chance of stranding the horse on the side of the mountain either.
“If you have the money, I have the space,” shrugged Otto.
Now that he knew he would be making the journey on foot, Gentry set out to stock up on supplies. One of the heavy bags full of blankets and other gear that Casper had carried thus far would now need to be carried on Gentry’s back, so he spent some time editing the items down to the bare essentials. He also stocked up on some food and a few kindling sticks; Gentry was a bit concerned at the sparsity of trees on the mountain and hoped there would be enough wood to start a fire.
Up until now he had not been overly concerned about his safety; having Casper and a fire were the only weapons he needed to keep any dangerous animals at bay. But now he would be traveling alone in a place where trees (and therefore firewood) were scarce. He still had the knife that he
Similar Books
