The Last Citadel

by Kevin Ashman

‘Okay,’ said Kenzo, and they made their way out of the gates and across the bridge to the city, Kenzo throwing Ufox an apologetic smile as he passed.

  ‘Enjoy yourselves,’ shouted Ufox sarcastically to their departing backs, ‘don’t worry about me, I’ll be right here if you need me.’

  The couple glanced guiltily at each other and disappeared into the back streets of Bastion, leaving the sarcastic taunts far behind.

  ----

  For the rest of the night and most of the next day, they sought out all the contacts that Kenzo had made throughout his short career, asking questions as to whether anyone had seen Amber. Once again he was unsuccessful so he turned his attention to the children. Kenzo spotted the sly looking boy who had helped him a few days earlier and approached him again.

  ‘Are you sure you don’t know anywhere she could have gone?’ he asked, ‘or anywhere she may have been recently. Please think, perhaps this will help.’ He held out a small coin in his hand, but closed it quickly when Flip tried to grab it. ‘Information first,’ said Kenzo.

  ‘Look, all I know is the night before was Moon-night, and she must have had a good hiding place, coz she hung a disgusting flag on our shop and when I catch her I’m gonna break her nose.’

  Kenzo smiled gently. Good old Amber, she hadn’t forgotten everything they had learned all those years ago. Between them, they had ruled Bastion on Moon-night, popping up from all sorts of hiding places.

  ‘That’s it,’ he said suddenly, ‘why didn’t I think of it before? Here,’ he said, giving the coin to Flip, ‘you’ve been a great help.’

  Flip frowned, not quite sure what he had done, but pleased he had got a coin out of it.

  ‘Come on,’ said Kenzo pulling Leona’s hand, ‘I think I know where she is,’ and dragged her down the road. Ten minutes later, the young soldier and his girlfriend stood at the bottom of a disused sewer pit, looking at the open end of the pipe used a few days earlier by Amber and Crispin.

  ‘I should have known,’ said Kenzo. ‘She went down there a few years ago and got lost. Luckily I found her, but I wouldn’t have thought she would go there again.’

  ‘It stinks,’ said Leona.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ he said. ‘It’s not used anymore; the smell is from live sewers further down.’

  ‘Still stinks,’ she said quietly.

  ‘Come on,’ said Kenzo crouching to enter the large pipe, ‘let’s go.’

  ‘You have got to be joking,’ she said. ‘Surely, you don’t intend going through there.’

  ‘We have to,’ he said, ‘we’re running out of time.’ He stood up. ‘Leona, what’s the matter?’ he asked seeing her shaking.

  ‘I’m sorry, Kenzo,’ she said, ‘it’s just that I’m afraid of small spaces, I don’t know why, but they terrify me, I can’t go down there. Please, don’t make me.’

  ‘Hey,’ he said embracing her, ‘no problem. You go back to the keep, I’ll do this alone.’

  ‘Are you sure?’ she asked.

  ‘Positive.’

  ‘Thank you,’ she said, ‘I’ll do that but promise me you’ll be careful.’

  ‘Careful is my middle name,’ he replied, ‘now, go and please hurry.’ He lifted her out of the sewer pit and watched as she dragged the grille back over the shaft entrance.

  ‘Be careful,’ she said again and blew him a kiss before disappearing from view.

  Kenzo wasted no more time and entered the sewer system to find his cousin.

  ----

  Amber lay curled on the floor in a dark tunnel totally lost. Her knees hurt from falling over more than once and she was soaked through after falling into a shallow pool in the middle of the floor, losing her knife in the process. Eventually, weak from exhaustion and hunger she had sat down to rest. The Catacombs under the city were a maze of tunnels; intertwined at all levels. She closed her eyes for a few moments, just to rest them from the constant strain of trying to see in the dark but before she knew it, Amber had fallen into a deep sleep.

  ----

  Not far away, Crispin was entering his own trance like state, though nothing like that of Amber’s. His back was aching more than ever and his clothes were irritating his skin. Using what strength he had left, he ripped off his clothing and threw them into the darkness, welcoming the relief the cool damp air brought to his burning skin.

  Still it itched and burned and Crispin clawed frantically at his own flesh, tearing the skin with his uncut nails in a vain effort to gain relief. He started salivating, spitting out copious strings of saliva and mucus. His neck ached and muscles below his jaw started to contract and expand in involuntary spasms, as he produced more and more secretions from glands at the back of his mouth. Repeatedly, he spat out the gelatinous substance, struggling to keep up with this unwelcome production from within his own body.

  Gradually, he realized that where it fell on his skin, the relief was instant. He raised his hands to his mouth in the darkness, pulling out length after length of tacky excretions and pulled them down to stick to his burning skin. The quicker he pulled, the more he produced and his hands worked frantically as he stretched it out over his body, cooling the fiery skin and easing the pain with its anaesthetic properties. Where some of the more violently ejected secretions had hit the wall or ceiling, it stuck instantly and swelled in structure, absorbing the moisture from the damp air of the subterranean room. Soon huge sheets of gelatinous spittle hung from all the walls and ceiling and though the strands were relieving, Crispin finally realized the implications if he became stuck. He struggled frantically to escape its cloying grip, only succeeding in entangling himself even more in its all-enveloping embrace. Soon his body was shrouded with the strange wrappings and though his hands fell limp as he descended into unconsciousness, his mouth kept ejecting the sticky web like substance out onto the floor. His body jerked and convulsed within the cocoon and the covering grew in thickness as layer stuck to layer, building a thick wall encompassing his human flesh.

  Eventually the small room was silent as the thrashing stopped. The floor was covered in a thick layer and in places; it hung from the walls as if made by thousands of spiders over hundreds of years.

  The stillness of the room was disturbed by the slightest of movement coming from the otherwise still cocoon hanging from the walls. The rhythmic rise and fall betrayed the moving chest of the entrapped boy, as his lungs struggled vainly to draw in oxygen, but eventually they gave up the effort, but just before they stopped completely, a further miniscule flicker indicated the last spark of life.

  The one still visible eyelid fluttered open as his brain struggled to comprehend the enormity of the situation. Despite using the very last vestiges of will and strength, the scream of terror that emanated from the boys throat, was weak to the point of inaudibility and as the eyelid slowly closed for the last time, the room fell to an all-encompassing silence.

  The luminescence of the cocoon slowly died as if accompanying the boy on his final journey, and gradually, the sticky blanket thickened and hardened in the darkness until the room was totally filled with the rock hard excretion that entombed Crispin’s body.

  The lower Catacombs returned to the state of stillness that it had enjoyed for hundreds of years, but if it had listened carefully, every couple of minutes or so, it may have picked up the faintest of sounds as the entombed boy’s heart still beat, slowly, faintly, rhythmically, with purpose and intent!

  ----

  Chapter 18

  Amber licked her cracked lips with her swollen tongue, realizing she was thirsty and was surprised to feel cool water dabbed gently onto her mouth. Her tongue automatically sought out more of the liquid as she struggled to come around and she heard a faint unfamiliar female voice in the distance.

  ‘Not too much,’ said the voice, ‘a little bit at a time.’

  Suddenly her eyes flew open, and she gasped in pain at the sunlight streaming through the open shutters. She turned her head into the soft pillow to avoid the pain.

 
‘It’s okay,’ said the female quickly, ‘you’re safe now, Amber, take your time.’

  Amber opened her eyes slowly allowing them to become accustomed to the light.

  ‘Where am I?’ she asked.

  ‘You’re in the keep,’ said the female voice, ‘Kenzo brought you; he found you in the tunnels.’

  ‘Tunnels,’ said Amber slowly, yes there was something about the tunnels, something important. She turned onto her back and looked into the face of a pretty young woman.

  ‘Hello, Amber,’ said the woman ‘my name is Leona and I’ve been looking after you for the past few days.’

  ‘Can I have a drink?’ asked Amber hoarsely.

  ‘Of course you can,’ she said and poured a beaker of water from a jug before placing it on the bedside table. She helped the girl up to a sitting position and plumped the cushions behind her back. She passed Amber the drink and waited patiently as the girl drank the cool water quickly before asking for another. When she had drunk the second, Amber looked around the unfamiliar room. It was prettily decorated and it obviously belonged to a female.

  ‘Is this room yours?’ she asked.

  ‘Yes,’ smiled Leona. ‘It’s not much, but it’s clean and I thought you would be better off here than in those male dominated rooms you share with Kenzo and your uncle.’

  ‘It’s pretty,’ said Amber forcing a smile. ‘How long have I been here?’

  ‘Two days and one night,’ answered Leona. ‘We thought you were dead when Kenzo brought you out and you’ve been asleep ever since. Oh look at me, I am completely forgetting my manners, you must be starving. Do you want something to eat?’

  Amber nodded and watched Leona ladle a bowl of soup from a pot on the hearth.

  ‘It’s only Narwl broth,’ she said returning to the bed, ‘but it is quite nice. I made it myself.’ She spooned some of the juice gently between Amber’s swollen lips and as the young girl’s taste buds came back to life, she leaned forward in anticipation.

  ‘Slowly,’ said Leona. ‘You haven’t eaten for heaven knows how long and your stomach may not take it. We wouldn’t want you to be sick now, would we?’

  ‘Where’s Kenzo?’ asked Amber.

  ‘He had to go and see someone. He won’t be long.’

  Amber suddenly grabbed Leona’s wrist, stopping the next broth laden spoon from reaching her mouth.

  ‘What about Crispin?’ she asked, her eyes open wide with fear.

  Leona’s brow furrowed.

  ‘Crispin?’ she said, ‘I’m sorry, I don’t understand.’

  ‘Crispin, the boy in the tunnels with me, where is he?’

  ‘Oh Amber,’ said Leona with concern, ‘Kenzo only brought you out. There was no one else.’

  ‘But he is there,’ cried Amber, ‘he is hurt and I promised I would bring help, we have to go back.’ She tried to get out of bed, but was held down by Leona.

  ‘Amber!’ she said, ‘Amber wait, listen to me.’

  Amber stopped struggling for a second, looking earnestly into Leona’s eyes.

  ‘When Kenzo found you,’ she said, ‘you were unconscious in a corridor that led away from a sea-filled chamber.’

  ‘Yes,’ said Amber, ‘that’s where Crispin is, in a side room down that tunnel. We have to go and help him.’

  ‘Amber,’ said Leona, ‘we can’t, the tunnels are full of seawater.’

  ‘What do you mean full of water? I walked through it, there was no water.’

  ‘The sea levels have risen again, Amber,’ said Leona, ‘it would seem that you were only able to walk through them because the sea was low at the time. I don’t know how, but now it has risen again, and they have filled with water. When Kenzo found you, it was only feet away from where you lay. A few hours later, and you would have been trapped down there, or worse.’

  ‘But, Crispin,’ interrupted Amber.

  ‘There’s nothing we can do for him,’ said Leona quietly, ‘it is too late. If he is still there, then …’ She left the sentence unfinished as Amber burst into tears, holding her tightly as she sobbed into her shoulder.

  ‘Oh, Amber,’ said Leona, ‘I am so, so sorry’

  ----

  Back in the keep, Pelosus and the clerk sat quietly listening to Kenzo as he told them about Amber.

  ‘So, you found your cousin,’ said the clerk, ‘what about the boy?’

  ‘There was no sign of the boy,’ said Kenzo, ‘she was unconscious in one of the sewers. It would seem she had just got lost on one of her stupid adventures.’ He didn’t expand on the details of the flooded tunnels as he still hoped that he could find the boy’s body when the waters next receded. There was still the reward to claim after all and De-gill had said, dead or alive.

  ‘Okay,’ said Pelosus, ‘I’m glad your cousin is safe. As soon as she is well enough, bring her to us. I would like to meet her, she sounds like a colourful character. Thank you, Kenzo, you are excused of duties to nurse your cousin and as a thank you for your help, you will return to duty on Moon-day next.’

  ‘Thank you, Sir,’ said Kenzo and left the room. ‘Another two weeks off,’ he thought, ‘Fatman would be really pissed off.’

  ----

  After Kenzo had left, Pelosus turned to Petit.

  ‘Do you believe him?’ he asked.

  ‘Not at all,’ he replied, ‘you?’

  ‘No, he is hiding something, but it is pointless putting him under pressure. I think our best chance to find what this Sark business is all about is to nurture our relationship with the girl. I’m not sure where this is leading, but there are far too many loose ends here. In the meantime, we still have the silk to decipher.’ They sat for a while, drinking wine, taking it in turns to examine the handkerchief.

  ‘It is quite beautiful,’ said Petit, turning it over and over in his hands.

  ‘Unlike anything I have ever seen before,’ agreed Pelosus, ‘and though it is an exciting thought to think it came from somewhere else, the concept is quite hard to grasp.’

  ‘Pelosus,’ said the clerk slowly, ‘I think we have got too close to this and need to take a step back.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ asked the Stargazer.

  ‘We are getting nowhere with this silk, and I think that we need to start afresh. Re-examine the facts to see if we have missed something.’

  Pelosus stared at him, waiting for the explanation that would surely follow.

  ‘Look,’ he continued, ‘we have no idea where this silk leads, but we do know where it came from.’

  ‘Do we?’ asked Pelosus.

  ‘From Petra, I think that she may have more knowledge about this than she’s letting on.’

  ‘Perhaps she does, but there’s not much we can do about it. We can hardly ask her what else is she hiding and besides, she’s not here.’

  The clerk stared at him, his brows rising as a thought came to him.

  ’But she was,’ he said slowly, ‘she was here, in this very room talking to you.’

  ‘So what?’ asked Pelosus.

  ‘Think back’ said the clerk, ‘when she left, I was outside in the hall with your supper. I had to knock on the door because I had forgotten my keys.’ He looked at the Stargazer’s blank face. ‘For Saint’s sake, Pelosus,’ he said, ‘think about it. You were on your own in your chambers and yet suddenly she was behind you. What is she, some kind of spirit?’

  ‘Don’t be disrespectful,’ warned Pelosus, ‘she is as human as you and me.’

  ‘You think so?’ asked the clerk, ‘the door was locked, Pelosus, and I know of no human that can walk through a locked door!’

  ----

  Pelosus stared at him, his eyes wide with understanding.

  ‘You’re right,’ he said eventually, ‘I had locked the door when I took my bath and I didn’t bother unlocking it as I knew you had your own keys.’

  ‘And you are certain she was nowhere inside.’

  ‘Absolutely, my chambers were empty.’

  ‘And there is no other doo
r?’

  ‘I’ve lived in these chambers since my predecessor died over twenty years ago,’ responded Pelosus, ‘there is no other door.’

  ‘There has to be,’ said the clerk, ‘unless the Governess can walk through stone, somewhere in these rooms there is another entrance and we are going to find it.’

  ‘Why?’ asked Pelosus. ‘What good will it do, even if there is another door and any of the council chose to use it, who am I to argue? The council do as they please.’

  ‘Think about it, Pelosus, didn’t the Governess hint there may be other scrolls? You are as high as you can get short of being a council member and yet even you are denied sight of them. Imagine what they could contain, histories that we can only guess at, blueprints of the Citadel since it was built, artwork, poetry, who knows? There may even be the answer to your problem.’

  ‘I doubt it,’ said Pelosus, ‘why involve me if they already have the answers?’

  ‘They may be the ruling classes, Pelosus,’ said the Clerk, ‘but that doesn’t make them any more intelligent than any of us. The Governess had the handkerchief for heaven knows how long without discovering the message, yet you found it in a matter of hours. They have had a life of pampering and luxury and the only time they exercise their brain is when choosing what to have for their evening meal. No, the Governess needs you and if she has access to more information, then you should be able to see it. For Saint’s sake, Pelosus, you have been tasked with saving the city. Surely, that overrides any misguided loyalty.’

  ‘You don’t understand,’ said Pelosus, ‘Petra and I, we go back a long way and if I keep to my side of the bargain, there may be a chance that we can get together again.’

  ‘She is a Courtesan, Pelosus,’ snapped the clerk, ‘she says that sort of thing to dozens of people every day. It’s her job.’

  ‘But she remembered me after all this time; she recalled the time we spent together.’

  ‘Wake up, Pelosus!’ said the clerk his voice rising, ‘she probably didn’t remember you at all. All she had to do is check her records. The Pleasure-tower keeps meticulous accounts recording the customers, just like all the others. She already knew your name and it’s a safe bet that at one time or another, most men in the city have visited the Pleasure-tower. All she had to do is check the accounts and there would be a record there.’