'I hope you're not afraid of being underground,' said the rider, pushing the grille aside. The cavity behind was large enough for two men to walk abreast without stooping. Without waiting for a reply, she grasped her horse's reins and led it into the darkness beyond.
It took us several minutes to coax Ralph and Ruby into following the rider's horse. The soft thud of her footfalls and the clip of her horse's hoofs sounded faint and distant before Ralph and Ruby had crossed the threshold and took to the stairs beyond. These were cut from stone, evenly spaced and wide enough for a horse to climb with ease. I counted over fifty steps before they came to an end. There, the rider stood before us holding a torch, the light of which fell upon her face. I was startled to see that she appeared to be barely out of girlhood; no older than eighteen years, I thought.
The place we had arrived at appeared to be some sort of catacomb, with arched tunnels plunging into darkness to the left, right and straight ahead. The chamber in which we stood was empty except for a shallow alcove in one wall into which was set a simple brass cross.
'This way,' said the girl, leading us down the tunnel to the right.
The roof was markedly lower and the walls closer than in the chamber. I felt a sense of rising panic surge in the pit of my stomach with each step I took. Now and then a drop of moisture, suspended from the ceiling, would fall and trickle down my face or the back or my neck, or my hand would brush against a clump of moss growing from the walls. Behind me, I heard Eliza gasp with disgust as her feet splashed in a puddle of some unknown slime.
Just when I felt I couldn't stand it any longer, a draught of cool air swept past my face and the tunnel came to an abrupt end. Ahead of us, the light of many torches illuminated a large, vaulted chamber with three more arches leading to yet more tunnels. Its high ceiling and richly decorated walls were hung with curtains of silk, but the rows of stone sarcophagi, overlooked by statues of saints and angels betrayed the fact that it was, nonetheless, a tomb. In spite of this, some attempt had been made to create a home-like feel: exquisitely woven rugs from the Orient created a lavish carpet upon which was laid a pile of soft pillows for sitting or sleeping, and strewn across the floor and piled up in corners were jewels, coins, ivory ornaments, and every item of luxury one could possibly imagine.
In the centre of the chamber, a broken stone sarcophagus substituted a table. Across it a swathe of intricately embroidered cloth had been nonchalantly draped in place of a table cloth, and upon it a selection of exotic-looking pots and table wares had been laid out. In the far corner two upturned stone caskets had been filled with hay and water to create makeshift mangers for the horse. Beside them a large grey dog with a shaggy coat was curled up asleep.
Eliza and I looked about in amazement at this den of luxury.
'Is this where you live?' asked Eliza in awe.
'Yes, this is my home,' replied the girl, taking off her hat and shaking out the ropes of flame-red hair that she had confined beneath it. 'Be seated. There is hay and water for the horses over there in Colonel’s manger. Don't worry about rats- my dog, Bandit, keeps them at bay.'
She then busied herself unsaddling Colonel and appeared to take no further notice of me and Eliza until she was done.
'Who are you?' asked Eliza, plucking up the courage to ask the question that had previously earned her a near miss with a bullet.
'I am an associate of George Prye,' replied the girl. 'My name is Tabatha.'
'I am Eliza, and this is Tom,' said Eliza.
'I know who you are,' replied Tabatha sharply. 'I know all about you. I have been gathering news for George. He asked me to find you and keep you safe until we learn more of the King's position.'
'Are you one of George's spies?' I asked.
'No, I don't spy for anyone. I simply sell on the information I obtain from the people I accost on the roads.'
'You're a thief?' I asked.
'A petty thief by day and a highway woman by night,' Tabatha clarified. 'I have all I need here. These tunnels lead right into the heart of London and the cellars of its most wealthy citizens, so I am never short of food. Time was when I would rob for money and goods, but as you can see I quickly acquired everything I could possibly want or need. It is much more lucrative- and interesting - stealing information and selling it on to those that want it. Of course, if I am approached to target a particular person, I will make special efforts to locate and rob them. I aim to please.’
'Why hasn't George spoken of you before?' I asked.
'Because I intercepted his last note to Prince Rupert and you were almost killed by Cromwell's thugs,' replied Tabatha bluntly. 'He is careful what he commits to paper now.'
'It was you?' gasped Eliza. 'So who are you working for?'
Chapter 60
'I told you: I do not work for anyone,' Tabatha snapped. 'I pass on the information I steal to the highest bidder. On that occasion it happened to be William Devere, but when George wrote to me and offered to pay three times what Devere was paying if I gathered information for him alone it made sense to accept the offer.'
'Well, how do we know that you're not still selling to Devere on the side?' demanded Eliza, no longer cowed by the older girl's brusqueness.
'You don't,' Tabatha growled, 'but I have since learned that Devere is in league with that fiend, Cromwell, and as I have particular reason to detest the man I am prepared to forego the profit to be made by double dealing on this occasion.'
'I wouldn't have had you marked as a Royalist,' said Eliza, somewhat satisfied by Tabatha's explanation but not yet willing to let the matter slide.
'I'm not,' replied Tabatha. The haughtiness in her voice had diminished somewhat. 'But my father was among those slaughtered by Cromwell at the Battle of Gainsborough. I am damned if I don't do all I can to scupper his plans.'
'How did you find us?' I asked, deciding a change of subject may be best to diffuse the tension between the two girls.
'With difficulty,' replied Tabatha. 'Bandit is better than the King's own hounds at following a scent, but he couldn't catch even a sniff of you. It was most peculiar. I was all prepared to send word to George that you must be lost in the wild somewhere when his thrush came to me and told me you were on the road outside Richmond.'
'I cannot understand why our scent couldn't be picked up,' I said.
'This is why,' said Tabatha, reaching down for the hem of my cloak and ripping open the seam. She held it up for me and Eliza to examine. Woven into the fabric were tiny segments of crushed garlic cloves and a fine russet-coloured powder of some unknown substance.
'It's a very common magical deterrent,' Tabatha continued. 'The garlic is prepared with crushed gems to scupper the scent and send the dogs' sense of smell awry. Of course, they can still track your horses but not you. I'm surprised you couldn't smell the garlic yourselves!'
'We had no idea,' said Eliza, 'but that must be why the Venatorian only took Rupert when his hounds ambushed us. The dogs only picked up Rupert's scent, so the Venatorian must have thought he was alone. Oh, but it's my fault! Rupert gave me his cloak to wear because I was cold!'
'Prince Rupert has been captured?' asked Tabatha.
'Yes,' I replied. 'Three days into our journey from Treadway Castle. We were ambushed by the Venatorian's hounds. Eliza and I escaped and continued on to Carisbrooke Castle in order to get the dragonskin to the King, but George's last note told us to head for London. He said that the King had been moved but no one yet knows where.'
'Yes, that is true, and I'm afraid we are still none the wiser,' said Tabatha. 'I have been staking out the roads day and night to discover where he has been moved to, but no one knows. I know when someone is lying to me, and believe me, no one lies to me when I really want the truth.' Her green eyes blazed in the torchlight, and I could well imagine that she could be quite terrifying when vexed.
'So what are we to do?' asked Eliza. 'We cannot just wait here until someone decides to reveal where the King is being held.'
'That is exactly what we shall do,' replied Tabatha. 'London is swarming with Roundheads. You would not last a day before you were caught and handed over. George has asked that you lie low here until I am able to ascertain the King's exact whereabouts.'
'But this is a crypt!' cried Eliza.
'It was a crypt,' Tabatha corrected her. 'It is now my home, and it is the perfect hide out. Unless you would prefer to take your chances dodging Cromwell's men and Devere's spies alone. Do you want my help or not?
'Yes, thank you! 'Tis greatly appreciated,' I said before Eliza could answer. Her face made it quite plain that she didn't agree.
'Good. Make yourselves comfortable while I see to supper. I shan't be long,' said Tabatha. With that, she called Bandit to heel and disappeared down the central tunnel.
Chapter 61
'What are we to do now?' groaned Eliza. 'I don't trust her one bit, and how will Bill get messages to us underground?'
'George will think of something,' I replied. 'It appears we have little choice. She said that London is crawling with enemies.'
'Yes, she said,' huffed Eliza. 'Why should we believe her? We already know that she intercepted George's note to Rupert and sold it to Devere!'
'I don't think she would have told us that if she was still in league with Devere,' I replied.
'You only say so because you like her!' retorted Eliza.
'I do not!' I cried, but I could feel the colour rising in my cheeks. 'I just think we haven't much choice but to trust her. I wish Rupert was here.'
Eliza slumped to the floor and sat in obstinate silence with her knees drawn up to her chest. I went over to the horses and busied myself unsaddling Ralph and Ruby. It was pointless trying to reason with Eliza when she was in such a mood.
We said nothing more to each other for another hour. The horses’ soft chomping was the only sound to be heard, interrupted now and then by the sound of rats scurrying in the tunnels beyond. I settled myself in a corner and occupied myself with looking through some of the intriguing items that Tabatha had acquired. For the most part, they were jewels and items of gold and silverware, but scattered amongst them were other curious objects: statuettes cast in bronze or carved in ivory, richly decorated capes, gloves and hats, and even a ceramic ewer with a handle fashioned into the likeness of a dragon.
Amongst this trove of glittering and precious treasures, the ordinariness of a plain wooden box stood out in stark contrast. It had no lock or catch, so I lifted the lid without a second thought. Inside, a leather-bound manuscript had been wrapped in cloth to preserve it as though it were a great treasure. I lifted it from the box and set it on my knee to leaf through it. The first few pages contained only illustrations of plants, birds and animals and strange symbols, but as I turned over page after page, text written in a coded script was interspersed between them. I frowned and thought of where I had seen such a book before.
'Eliza, look here.'
Eliza half-turned towards me, for a moment unsure whether or not to set aside her sulk for the sake of curiosity.
'That is one of Emerson's books,' I said. 'I recognise his code.'
'Is there anything else in the box?' asked Eliza, getting up and peering over my shoulder.
'Aye, this,' I replied holding up an oval pendant. Upon it, a miniature portrait of Emerson had been painted in exquisite detail.
'Why would Tabatha have a portrait of Emerson?'
'My belongings are private and none of your concern!'
I swung round to see Tabatha standing in the entrance of the tunnel. She held a basket covered in a cloth which trembled in her grip. In a few strides she had cleared the floor and snatched the manuscript and pendant from me.
'I... I’m sorry. I didn't know....' I stammered.
'You had no right,' she cried, her voice cracked with emotion.
Throwing down the basket, she called Bandit to heel and fled down the tunnel towards the entrance to the crypt. Eliza and I looked at one another perplexed.
'Do you think she will return?' said Eliza at last.
'I cannot say,' I replied. 'She seemed mighty upset. I feel wretched. I wish I hadn't opened the box.'
'You weren't to know,' replied Eliza. 'Besides, 'tis better we learn of her true allegiances now than when it is too late.'
'Do you really think she is in league with Devere?' I asked
'She has some connection to Emerson, that much is plain,' Eliza replied.
'Maybe they are no more than stolen goods,' I said.
'No, why would she be so dismayed if they were nothing more than booty?' said Eliza. 'We ought to leave at once. Like as not she is on her way to find Devere now.'
'She left Colonel. I don't believe she has gone to find Devere,' I replied. For my part, I did not share Eliza's misgivings. 'She must return eventually. Let us wait and speak with her then.'
'She could be on her way to summon Devere and every Roundhead in London!' cried Eliza.
I shook my head. 'I think if her intention was to betray us, she would have done so immediately. There is nothing to be gained in keeping us here. You go if you wish, but I will stay. There is more to this than it seems, I'm sure.'
Eliza sighed and flung herself on the floor beside me. 'I won't go without you,' she said quietly. 'You didn't abandon me. We shall wait, but I only hope your intuition has not gone awry.'
Chapter 62
Hours passed while we waited for Tabatha to return. Hunger had quickly overcome Eliza's unease, and we helped ourselves to the contents of the basket that Tabatha had left behind- bread, salted meat, ripe cheese and a bottle of Burgundy wine, no less. In the world above, night was waning, but in the crypt the candles burned low and darkness gathered. Now and then we would catch the unnerving sound of distant moans and wails echoing down the tunnels. ''Tis probably the draught,' I thought to myself, but the sound sent shudders down my spine nonetheless, and I longed to block the tunnels somehow. At last, exhausted as we were, we could stay awake no longer. We spread our cloaks upon the floor and were asleep within moments.
At first, I slept dreamlessly, unconscious of the sense of dread that crept out of the tunnels and invaded my sleep, but gradually my mind returned from the wanderings of the deepest sleep. I realised that my body slept, unconscious and paralysed, and yet my mind was awake. I saw the three tunnels as though I stood before them, and I knew that I dreamed. The darkness they receded into seemed almost alive: a malignant entity drawing all things towards it to be consumed. I wanted to move, but I couldn't. I glanced behind me and saw that Eliza slept. I looked back to the tunnels and realised with horror that something was moving in the darkness of the central tunnel. The light within the chamber was too dim to illuminate so far, yet my instincts warned me that whatever was approaching had no love for things that belong to the world above. My body tingled, desperate to run, but my muscles were frozen, unable to even raise my hand to the pocket knife tucked into my belt. I could do nothing more than wait for the darkness to give up its horror.
Minutes passed until a vision of hell emerged from out of the blackness. Its shape was that of a man, naked and clothed only in its own vile hide, but it ambled forward on all fours, and from its back featherless wings, like those of a bat, were unfolded. It hissed as it moved towards me, and a fresh wave of terror seemed to emanate from it. I couldn't run, I couldn't even shut my eyes. I stood helpless, my mind trying desperately to rouse itself from this dream which seemed too real to be nothing more. As I strove with my own mind, Tabatha's voice rang out from across the chamber.
'Begone!' she commanded as a flash of light illuminated the chamber for a moment
At the sound of her voice, I woke with a jolt and saw her standing before the tunnels, her back to us, as a black shadow filled the chamber. In her right hand she held a wand of polished wood which she raised above her head, drawing a circle in the air before pointing it towards the tunnels. Another blaze of light flashed for a moment and the shadow seemed to draw back, wreathing itse
lf around her. Once more Tabatha waved her wand, and a final flare sent the shadow retreating down the tunnels where it melted into the darkness.
For a few moments she stood perfectly still with her back to us, the candles sending her shadow flickering over the chamber walls. Bandit sat at her feet and snarled at the mouth of the tunnels.
'What was that?' I murmured when I finally summoned the courage to speak.
'It has no name. It belongs to the underworld,' replied Tabatha without turning around. 'The dragonskin has drawn it hither. Magic attracts magic, be it good or evil.'
'We should leave,' I replied, standing up.
'The danger is greater still above ground,' replied Tabatha. 'Cromwell's men are on the roads, and Devere's spies are out in force. You would not get beyond a mile of the churchyard before you were caught.'
Eliza and I looked at one another uncomfortably. Tabatha turned and proceeded to clear the piles of precious objects to make space, gathering pillows, rugs and soft woollen blankets to make up more permanent beds for us. The air seemed to tingle, none of us willing to be the one to speak of that which each of us was thinking.
'How do you know Emerson?' I asked at last when I could stand the tension no longer.
Tabatha paused but did not look up. 'I met George through Emerson. After my father died, I took up with a travelling magician and became his assistant. Of course, he wasn't a real magician. He was a trickster and a petty thief, but he taught me my trade. We eked out our living moving between villages and towns and performing at fairs and markets, but when we fell upon hard times, my mentor was not averse to plain robbery. He accosted a rider upon the London Road one night. That rider was Emerson. Needless to say, my mentor did not come away unscathed. 'Twas the first sight I had of real magic, and in that moment, I chose to leave my old life behind and ride to London with Emerson. I was but a girl then, but I'd a sense that my life was to change forever.
'Emerson placed me in the care of a wealthy family, but the enchantment of real magic had me enthralled. I was ill at ease living a life of bland domesticity, so when I discovered the network of tunnels that runs beneath London from the cellar of the house, I abandoned my surrogate family to strike out on my own. I travelled across London, asking of Emerson wherever I went until I found him.'
A Skin of a Dragon (The Guild of Gatekeepers Book 1) Page 21
