Henricus brightened. “Mostly I’ve been on sentinel duty, on the lookout for people with powers, but every so often I get to go out on a mission. This last week, that’s exactly what I’ve been doing and Doctor Odaldi even allowed me to use the Járngreipr. I’m heading to the Tower to return them.”
He showed Chrymos the enchanted gauntlets. “I can’t tell you about the mission, of course, you know how it is.”
Chrymos nodded.
“And how about you?” Henricus continued. “What have you been doing with yourself since last I saw you?”
“Not much,” admitted Chrymos. “Helping out with meals and cleaning and so on. But it’s been very quiet—Cook hardly prepares any meals for the Alchemae these days. I gather that they’re all out on ‘mysterious missions’.”
It was Henricus’ turn to nod. “Yes, there’s a lot of that happening. I guess that’s normal, in the lead-up to a war.”
“How long have you been back?” Chrymos had a few more questions she wanted to ask Henricus, but there was no point if he had only just arrived.
“I arrived back just after lunch today.”
“So—have you seen Adric? Is he around? Does he know what his power is yet?”
Henricus shook his head. “He was one of your classmates, right? He’s still here, I’m told, though I haven’t seen him myself. I don’t think his powers have shown up yet.”
“And what about Ruben?”
“That’s right, he was in your class too. I’m not sure where he is. This afternoon I heard one of the teachers searching for him but no one seemed to know where he’d gone. That’s the trouble with secret missions—those who know about them can’t say anything.”
They both smiled.
Then Chrymos asked her most important question—although it wasn’t one to which she really wanted an answer. “Is Father Carracci back yet?”
Henricus sobered. “Yes, I believe he has just returned—I overheard the servants talking as I made my way here.” He looked down, saw the sparkle fade from Chrymos’ eyes and carefully considered his next words. He beckoned to Chrymos to stand up and move directly under the hatchway so that he could speak more softly.
“I understand that his first words were about you,” Henricus half-whispered. Chrymos had to strain to hear as he continued. “The servants were gossiping about it. Apparently, he said ‘by the time I’m finished with her, she’ll wish that the Blood Countess had strangled her at birth’.”
“Sorry,” he added, seeing the impact that the priest’s words had on Chrymos. “But I thought you’d better know—before you find out the hard way tomorrow.”
SEVENTY-THREE
A few moments later
Academy of Secrets, Naples, Kingdom of Naples, night, Monday, June 21 1610
After hearing that news, Chrymos couldn’t stand still—she paced around and around her small prison cell, thinking, desperately seeking a solution. Henricus looked down helplessly.
Finally, after a few minutes’ pacing, Chrymos stopped almost directly under the hatchway and stared into Henricus’ eyes. He stared back unhappily.
“Henricus,” she finally said, “I hate to ask you this—I don’t want to get you into trouble—but are you willing to get the ladder and lower it down so that I can escape from here?”
For a moment, Chrymos thought that she must have presumed too much. There was no reply from Henricus. She looked up and his face was gone.
Fortunately, before she could start to despair, Henricus reappeared.
“Sorry, Chrymos, I’ve inspected the ladder,” he replied. “It’s been locked down with heavy chains—and I suspect it’s protected with enchantments as well. That’s usually what happens around here.”
Chrymos slumped down on the straw of her basement floor and let out a heartfelt cry. She looked so miserable. Henricus looked down, pondered her plight, and then made a decision.
“Chrymos.” He called softly.
She looked up. Henricus held out the Járngreipr, indicating that she should catch them. As he released the gauntlets, he added, “You can use them to climb out of this place, they can grip through solid rock.”
Chrymos caught the two gauntlets, which were surprisingly heavy. She looked quizzically at Henricus, who shrugged.
“I’m supposed to return the gauntlets tonight,” he said, “but I’ll say that I forgot.”
“Won’t you get into trouble?”
“Probably. But once you escape from here,” Henricus added, “if you can leave the Járngreipr outside my room, I’ll return them in the morning instead.”
Chrymos was profusely grateful but Henricus waved her thanks away.
“No need, I know you would do the same for me. Oh, one more thing,” he added. “The guards patrol the main entrances. You’ll need to slip out through the mortality room.”
“There’s a way out through the back?”
“Yes, there’s a separate entrance. That’s how they bring in the poor to be treated. The guards are too afraid of catching any disease so they don’t go near that part of the Academy.”
Chrymos wasn’t surprised. Most of the guards are very superstitious. And with what goes on here in the Academy, they have every reason to be.
“We found the door several years ago,” Henricus continued, “and of course you know what some of the students here are like. When we were supposed to be studying at night, we would often slip out through that room and head to the city. We usually returned through the same back entrance, without anyone noticing.”
“Simpler times,” he added with a sigh. “I’ll just go and make sure there’s nobody still around in the kitchen or on this floor. Give me five minutes and then, unless you hear me whistle, you’ll know it’s safe to climb out and get away.”
Henricus looked down at Chrymos and blew her a kiss. “Safe travels, my dear. It has been a true pleasure.”
With that final endearment, Henricus walked out of sight.
SEVENTY-FOUR
Academy of Secrets, Naples, Kingdom of Naples, night, Monday, June 21 1610
Chrymos gathered her few possessions into her precious swete bagge, slipped an arm through its handle so that she could carry the bag over one shoulder and prepared for the climb ahead.
Even with the Járngreipr, it was not easy for her to escape from the basement prison. By trial and error, Chrymos discovered that by pushing hard with one of the gauntlets she could poke holes in the stone wall, creating footholds and handholds that enabled her to climb up to the wooden ceiling of her basement home. It was slow going, and the pace slowed even further once she reached the ceiling.
Yes, it was much easier to poke holes in wood than stone, but once she had left the wall behind, Chrymos had to hang on grimly with one hand whilst using the other to carve out her next handhold.
Twice, she simply could not maintain her grip long enough and dropped to the floor below. No broken bones, but more than enough scrapes and bruises. Thankfully, there was nothing breakable in the bag, which ended up under Chrymos’ body after her second plunge, winding her briefly.
On the third attempt, Chrymos was finally able to make enough progress to drag herself all the way across the ceiling to the hatch. With her right hand, she grabbed at the nearest edge of the hatchway then tried to swing her left hand across to reach the other edge.
For one eternally long moment, Chrymos feared that she would fail. Her heavy-gauntlet-clad hand, already weakened from supporting her weight through much of the ceiling-wide traverse, simply would not swing far enough across to make contact with the far edge.
Twice, three times, four times she tried to swing her left hand into position while her right hand trembled from the extended effort of holding her body in place. Then, finally, on the fifth attempt, she succeeded. Her left hand found the edge and she was finally able to use two hands to cling to the hatchway.
A few more moments to steady herself and then Chrymos was able to lift herself enough to slip her elbows abov
e the hatchway edges. Then it was a relatively easy task to leverage herself out of the hatchway, first crawling then kneeling and finally standing on the floor above.
A minute to catch her breath, a few seconds to remove the gauntlets and stow them in her beloved bag and then Chrymos began to walk towards the mortality room and freedom.
SEVENTY-FIVE
Academy of Secrets, Naples, Kingdom of Naples, night, Monday, June 21 1610
Henricus, who had been observing from a nearby alcove as Chrymos made her escape, smiled. He went to make his report to the waiting Contessa.
# # #
“—and then Chrymos headed towards the mortality room.”
“Good work, Henricus. I’m glad that we gave you the new potion this afternoon. You’ve been most helpful,” said the Contessa. “Now I have one more task for you tonight. Please take this to Doctor Odaldi.” She scribbled a quick note, folded the paper over, and handed it to Henricus. “Tomorrow, you’ll be free to resume your sentinel duties.”
“Thank you, mistress,” acknowledged Henricus, “I will take this to the doctor at once.”
He bowed and left the Contessa’s offices.
# # #
Henricus couldn’t resist. He waited until he was in a servant corridor where he would be unobserved and then peeked at the message he carried. It was a single sentence. “Doctor, please leave the potion cupboard key on the bench.” The Contessa had signed it with her usual flamboyant ‘S’.
That’s hardly worth disturbing the doctor about at this time of night, especially if he gives me a bollocking about the Járngreipr. Henricus was sorely tempted to leave the delivery until morning.
SEVENTY-SIX
Academy of Secrets, Naples, Kingdom of Naples, night, Monday, June 21 1610
Chrymos quietly pushed open the door to the mortality room. Great, nobody here.
She tiptoed through the room, barefoot, her sandals safely stowed within her bag. A number of doors led off from the main chamber to unknown destinations. Henricus said that the entrance door is right at the back.
Chrymos walked quietly to the far end of the chamber, found the back entrance and slipped outside. At last!
She wasn’t quite free yet. Although it was a moonless night, a flaming torch lit the entranceway and Chrymos could still be seen if anyone happened to gaze down from the windows above. So she quickly began to walk down the stone stairs that led away from the door and into the gardens.
She had managed about a dozen steps when she heard a loud whisper behind her.
“Chrymos?”
Chrymos spun round. There, staring back at her from one of the windows, was Olivia. Chrymos rushed over.
The window was locked, and crisscrossed with iron rods, but there was a small gap for ventilation and the two were able to talk through that gap.
“Olivia,” said Chrymos, “what are you doing here? Where have you been? Have you seen the others?”
Olivia stared at her accusingly. “Are you telling me you didn’t know?”
“Know what?”
“They came for the three of us, a few hours after you abandoned us. They said that you had sent them.”
Chrymos was dumbfounded. “No! Olivia, I swear to you, I knew nothing of this. I searched for you everywhere, for months.”
“You didn’t need to look very far. We’ve been down here the whole time, all three of us, locked in these rooms with just the poor and wretched for company.”
Chrymos felt sick to her stomach. “Oh Olivia, if only I’d known. I’m so sorry.” She gazed miserably at the young girl.
Chrymos’ grief was clearly visible to Olivia, who grudgingly admitted, “I suppose it hasn’t been too bad. They’ve treated us well and fed us every day. Better than the stale bread you used to give us, anyway.”
Chrymos managed a bleak smile and then ventured a question. “Did anyone explain why you were here?”
“No,” said Olivia. “All they would tell us was that you would come and see us after you’d finished your studies. That wasn’t very comforting, especially when you had told us the training would take years. So far, it’s been, what, five or six months?”
“Well, it’s all over now,” said Chrymos, “I’m finished. I—failed. I wouldn’t do what they wanted.”
Olivia looked quizzical, but Chrymos waved aside any questions. “I’ll tell you the whole story later, but right now that’s not important. What matters is getting the three of you out of here.”
Chrymos tugged at the window trying to open it but it wouldn’t move—the lock was too strong.
Before Chrymos could try a different approach, Olivia interrupted. “Chrymos, I’m worried. Over the last few weeks, some of the other patients here have gone missing—usually those with broken bones or other minor illnesses. Then, a day or so later, they return—and they are all, without exception, suffering from the plague. Of course, they all soon die.
“Tonight, Sirus vanished as well.”
SEVENTY-SEVEN
Academy of Secrets, Naples, Kingdom of Naples, night, Monday, June 21 1610
The news shocked Chrymos, but she quickly rallied. “Don’t worry,” she told Olivia, “I’ll find him. Can you get to Madalena and warn her to get ready to leave?”
Olivia nodded. “Yes, there’s a crack in our wall through which we can talk to each other.”
“Good. I’ll go back inside and try to track down Sirus.” Chrymos returned to the door through which she had just exited. To her dismay, it had latched behind her, preventing her re-entry. She tried turning the door handle up and down, but to no avail.
Chrymos looked back at the window. Olivia had already gone to speak to Madalena. And even if she hadn’t, the young girl was locked in her room and there wasn’t anything she could do to help Chrymos.
With Sirus in danger, getting back inside was suddenly urgent. But how? This entrance door is locked and all the other doors are closely guarded. Think, Chrymos, think—there must be another way.
Very briefly, Chrymos considered going into the city to get help. A moment’s thinking ruled out that possibility. Master Della Porta is a respected citizen while I’m a nobody, a lazzarone. Who would listen to me?
At that moment, Chrymos remembered. The Járngreipr!
She reached into her swete bagge and dug out the gauntlets, which in her haste to escape she had brought with her. Sorry Henricus, looks like I need these more than you do.
Donning the gauntlets, Chrymos set to work.
Like most of the Academy’s exterior entrances, this door was a sturdy wooden arch construction that opened inwards, housed within a solid stone frame. The edges of the door were covered by the overlapping stone casing, a security precaution to prevent enemies slipping a lever between door and frame.
However, something more than simple structural design protected this door. Even with the Járngreipr, Chrymos found it nearly impossible to gain any sort of purchase on the wooden surface. And something—probably one of those enchantments that the Academy loves so much—prevented the gauntlets from digging into either the stonework or the wood.
No matter how much she prodded and pushed, the door wouldn’t budge.
SEVENTY-EIGHT
Academy of Secrets, Naples, Kingdom of Naples, night, Monday, June 21 1610
I can’t fail the children again! That guilt-laden thought kept pounding away at Chrymos as she stood staring at the door, which had become an impenetrable barrier. There has to be another way to get inside.
She crossed back to the window and attempted to use the ventilation gap to gain a handhold. Yet again, the powerful spells protecting the Academy were more than enough to resist the efforts of the Járngreipr.
Chrymos tried picking away at the mullions, the metal strips that crisscrossed the window, to no avail.
Finally, she hammered away at the window itself with the heavy gauntlets, trying to break the glass. Again, her efforts ended in failure.
In the end, she simply stood there
, waiting for Olivia to return. I gave her fresh hope. Now I’m about to rip it away again.
It was a devastating thought—too much for Chrymos to bear. She began to sob.
As her eyes filled with tears, Chrymos’ vision blurred. And that small, insignificant moment triggered a months-old memory.
The sunlight that I couldn’t see. In the Tower. Odaldi’s laboratory. There may still be one unguarded entry into the building after all—if that hole in the Tower still hasn’t been fixed, perhaps I can get in through there.
Chrymos didn’t waste another moment. She seized the flaming torch from the entranceway and then dashed along the path that led through the Academy’s extensive gardens.
SEVENTY-NINE
The Gardens, Academy of Secrets, Naples, Kingdom of Naples, night, Monday, June 21 1610
The Della Porta estate was situated at the very top of the Capodimonte hill, with the main building’s upper floors offering spectacular views of the city of Naples that stretched out far below. The Academy’s gardens, which provided a luxuriant perimeter of at least half a mile around almost all of the estate’s buildings, were as richly indulgent as the mansion’s interiors. Exotic plants and trees acquired from all over the known world shared their space with elegant statuary featuring the luminaries of the once-mighty Roman Empire.
The path that Chrymos was following was specifically designed to take visitors past the finest features of this garden showplace, which included such attractive novelties as vibrant red tomatoes and bright yellow papaya imported from the Americas. The Academy’s students were ushered through the gardens only once—and even then begrudgingly—at the beginning of their time at the Academy, but were otherwise not allowed into that part of the grounds lest they damage the prized decorations.
Because of those restrictions, Chrymos was unfamiliar with the general layout of the gardens and, with no moon, needed the fiery torch to find her way through. In particular, Chrymos was keen to ensure that she did not stumble into the large man-made lake that formed the centerpiece of the gardens on this side of the property.
Academy of Secrets: From the Outcast Angels Christian Fantasy & Science Fiction series Page 21
