by Adam Dreece
William was in the backyard and noticed them coming around the side of the house with the cart. “Hello, Nikolas,” he said. “What can I help you two with?”
Nikolas’ eyes twinkled. “Who wants to build some sail-carts?”
Captain Gabriel Archambault didn’t love his job. As he’d risen through the ranks over the years, he had dreamt of what he’d finally be able to do when he became the top boss. The closer he got to the top, however, the more he came to understand how and why the captain’s job was so tough.
It took an immense amount of energy to move the mountain that was the kingdom’s bureaucracy. Gabriel suspected his predecessor had laughed all the way home after retiring, free of the curse of the job.
Two things he hated about his job were dealing with money issues, and complaints. People always wanted or needed things he couldn’t afford to provide. The complaints were worse—if a kind soul said ‘bless you’ after someone sneezed, then a third person was at the ready to complain about it.
A knock came at his office door. Gabriel brightened instantly, standing up. “Ah! I am sorry—we’re going to have to deal with this later.” He looked at his staff—two men and a woman—all of whom were annoyed with him for kicking them out of his office at the smallest of excuses. They’d been hammering at him for two hours and he felt no guilt in showing them the door.
“Erin,” he said, stopping one of his staff before she left, “now that the Magistrate has returned, I need him to answer those questions about the budget we sent over last month. Could you please go over and ask when will we have our answers?”
“No problem, Captain,” she replied, and left.
With everyone having cleared out, Gabriel waved his next guest in and sat back down at his desk.
“So, doctor, how did it go?” asked Gabriel, rubbing his hands together.
The doctor seated himself. “You were right, Captain. LeLoup does have a horseman still out there.”
Pausing for a moment, the doctor looked around nervously. “We know one is dead and another we have locked up in jail, but there’s still one out there. LeLoup thinks that horseman came to see me.”
Gabriel smiled smugly. “He also thinks you’re a doctor, lieutenant. Your plan was a good one. Can I assume he suspects nothing?”
The lieutenant paused for another moment, thinking very carefully about what he was willing to say. “Nothing, Captain. We’re… way ahead of him.”
Gabriel felt that his lieutenant was hiding something, and almost called him out on it, but decided not to. “Tell me what happened. I want hear what the man is thinking.”
“Well,” started the lieutenant, “I think he mentally cracked.”
“We broke him? Already?” Gabriel appeared pleasantly surprised. “What makes you think that?”
“He hasn’t shaven, his eyes look crazed, and the way he talks… it’s different.”
“He’s probably so used to things going his way that one hiccup has torn his world apart. But this is just more of the same stuff you told me last time.”
Gabriel had been disappointed then too. The lieutenant’s first visit had been in the company of two guards, one of whom recognized the disguised lieutenant and had had a hard time playing along with the ruse. Before LeLoup could catch on, they’d left.
“What else?” asked Gabriel, leaning forward.
“Well,” said the lieutenant, trying to come up with something, “he knows that he’s going to see the Magistrate soon. He thinks someone will rescue him tomorrow afternoon.”
“Really? Hmm. Anything else?” said Gabriel, disappointed.
“No,” replied the lieutenant, looking at his feet.
“This is awesome!” yelled Tee, racing down the mountain road toward her home. Her father and grandfather watched with pride as she expertly zigzagged around the bumps and stones in the road.
William loved seeing his little girl enjoying something they’d built together. “Pull the stick by your right knee. That’s the brake!” he shouted.
As she pulled it, a wide piece of metal dug into the leafy dirt and brought her to a stop, right in front of them.
“This is better, yes?” asked Nikolas as he started to inspect the sail-cart.
Tee jumped out. “This is way better than the one Elly and I put together. I like that the sail and mast can quickly go up and down. Having a brake is good, too.”
Nikolas collapsed the telescoping mast and turned the sail-cart over. He checked the wheels and underside. “When you’re on a hill, like this, you don’t need the sail. Gravity will do all the work—unless for some reason you need to go very fast. With practice and a strong wind, you can even go up a reasonably inclined plane.”
“Pardon?” said Tee.
“He means a steep hill,” said her father.
“Oh,” said Tee.
William switched to his dad-is-telling-you-something-important voice. “Now, Tee, remember that if you’re going too fast and aren’t careful with that brake, you could flip over.”
“Dad, I had that figured out already,” replied Tee cheekily.
“Hey,” rebuked William.
Tee smiled apologetically. “Sorry—I got a bit carried away there.”
William nodded. He loved that his daughter had spunk, but he felt responsible to make sure she understood where the border with being rude was.
He turned to his father-in-law. “So, how did this sail-cart do? As well as the others?”
Nikolas finished his inspection of Tee’s sail-cart. “Hmm—I think I need to take this one back to my workshop. There’s a… a wobble—in one of the wheels. I have a special tool there to help me fix it. I’ll fix it and bring it back in a couple of days. You can take the others to your friends, Tee.”
“A wobble?” repeated William, subtly unconvinced.
Tee was a little disappointed, but understood.
“Okay,” said William. He knew Nikolas was up to something, but trusted him. “Now we’ve got to take a look at that old tree.”
LeLoup chuckled to himself in his cell as he scratched his thick black beard. He joked with his imaginary cellmates. “Do you believe that last guard? All he had to do was give me my lunch, but no, what does he do? He gave me the rest of the information I needed and allowed me to recommend changes to the guard schedule.”
“Oh, excuse me,” LeLoup said, pretending to talk to the now-departed guard, “can you remind me who the hero of the day was again? That was an incredible shot. I wish to offer my congratulations—from one professional to another.”
“Duh …” responded LeLoup in a silly voice for the guard, “that was the Captain’s girl! She’s new and her name is Egelina-Marie. She shot you really good.”
LeLoup nodded. “Oh, yes, she did shoot me well. You know, guards like her are special. Can she come here, so I can congratulate her tomorrow at noon?”
In the silly guard voice, LeLoup answered himself, “Duh, no. She’s going on a date with that Cochon brother, the one who pounded you. They’ll probably go for a walk up the mountain while his brothers stay home. They live over at …”
LeLoup sat down on his straw mattress, laughing. “My friends, common people are so weak-minded. They are easily mesmerized, easily enchanted by words. These sheep… they forget that I am the wolf.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Howling for Revenge
LeLoup woke to the sound of the heavy jail door opening. The morning sun through the barred windows partially lit the cellblock and started to warm up the crisp autumn air.
“Get up, LeLoup! It’s off to the Magistrate for you. You’ll be hanging by this afternoon.”
LeLoup craned his neck to see who it was. “Oh! Captain Archambault, thank you for the wakeup call. I do believe I overslept.”
The captain looked at the three guards who accompanied him and shook his head. “Can you believe him? Acting like we’re taking him out for breakfast with the Queen.” Two guards chuckled.
After an exaggera
tedly long stretch, LeLoup stood up and brushed the straw off his dirty clothes. “Next time, please remind me to ask for a firmer bed. This one’s too soft.”
“Firmer?” said the captain. “There isn’t anything firmer except the floor.”
“Well then—I’ll ask for some extra floor next time,” said LeLoup mockingly.
His behavior bothered the captain. “You think you’re so smart, don’t you, LeLoup?”
“Think or know?” LeLoup snapped back. His green eyes were large and intimidating.
Gabriel grunted dismissively. “It takes more than big eyes to scare me.” LeLoup was getting under his skin. “Open it up,” the captain said to the guards. Two guards unsheathed their swords while the third unlocked the cell door.
Gabriel smiled at the prisoner. “Well, LeLoup, I’ll have you know that we uncovered your plot with our pretend doctor. No one is coming to rescue you,” said the captain smugly.
LeLoup wore an evil smile from ear to ear. “Really? A secret plot involving the doctor? And my third horseman? Whatever do you mean?” LeLoup stepped back and examined each of the guards closely.
“Out of my way!” commanded the captain to the guard who had unlocked the door. The captain stepped into the cell, quickly followed by the same guard. “The doctor was one of my men. We also made sure your friend who we have in the jail across the street has extra guards today. You are going to hang, LeLoup.”
LeLoup shook his head mockingly and sneered, “Someday, maybe, but not today. You missed two things, dear Captain.” His smile now looked even more sinister. “Who do you think convinced your good lieutenant to come out of retirement? Isn’t it odd that he would volunteer such a plan? That he would be willing to come here to try and gather information?”
The captain was caught off guard. “Very funny,” he said, uncertain. “Wait… I never said he was—”
“You never said he was a lieutenant, that he was retired, and that he came up with the brilliant idea? Oops, my mistake! This might be why I’m so bad at playing cards—I can’t keep a good hand to myself. Would you like to go back to when you thought you had the upper hand?” asked LeLoup sarcastically.
“We’re leaving!” yelled the captain to his men. “The Magistrate can come here for judgment!” He turned to leave, but the two guards, swords drawn, stopped his exit.
“You know, I actually had five horsemen. There’s the dead one—tsk, a pity I had to kill him—then, the one you arrested, and the other one mysteriously close by. The other two? I ordered them to come here, some weeks ago, to join your guard corps. So, please, allow me to introduce my men,” LeLoup said, gesturing to the guards holding the swords. “A small precaution, of course, in case I was ever arrested.”
The captain stared at the men in disbelief. “No… it can’t—” He looked to the guard who had unlocked the door. He was smiling coldly.
“And him? He’s not a guard, either. I did tell you my third horseman was nearby. Probably closer than you were expecting.” LeLoup licked his lips. “I do so love this game we play!”
Tee was the last one to come up the mountain pulleys. To her surprise, Richy and Elly were just standing there looking at the treehouse, some twenty yards away.
“What are you two looking at?” Tee asked.
Elly pointed toward the treehouse ramp. “At first I thought Richy was being silly, but he’s right. Someone’s definitely been here. No doubt about it.”
Richy started walking toward the treehouse. “I’ll show you what those magic elves have been up to. Look—a door, with some kind of lock,” he said, gesturing dramatically.
Where the ramp to the treehouse’s lower level had been, there was now a door. The door had a wooden puzzle embedded into it as a lock.
The three walked around the treehouse to see if there was any other way in. Circling back to the puzzle door, they confirmed that whomever had put it there had made sure they would need to solve it.
At first, the puzzle seemed impossible as some pieces could slide and others could turn, but gradually a pattern emerged. After ten minutes, they heard a clunking sound and were finally able to open the door. They didn’t recognize the picture formed by the completed puzzle, or the meaning behind it, but they would, in time.
“Tee, I think your grandfather is the one who built this place and keeps giving us new stuff,” said Richy as they started searching around.
Elly added, “I thought so too at first, but I don’t think that anymore.” She proceeded to open the cabinets and search their secret panels. “Hey! Come look at this.”
Behind one secret panel were three new yellow cloaks. Another secret panel revealed six new shock-sticks and some other items.
“There’s no way your grandfather could have made all this stuff!” said Elly.
Tee and Richy each took one of the new cloaks, marveling at their quality.
“This is so light, but it seems dense at the same time,” said Richy. “I mean—the fabric feels strong like it should be heavy, but it isn’t.” He held it up to the morning sunlight. “That’s weird! The sun doesn’t even come through it.”
Tee examined the inside. “Check out all the pockets! I can put my slingshot here, and I guess the sticks go at the bottom edge of the cloak… maybe to give it more weight?”
“Or they could go in the special pockets right behind your back! Check them out,” said Elly, pointing out the additional pockets she’d found.
Richy put his cloak on and asked Elly, “You really don’t think Monsieur Klaus made all of this?”
“First,” said Elly, “while it’s been a couple of weeks since the LeLoup stuff, he’s been preoccupied with something big. I’ve seen him in town twice, and he looked like a zombie. You know—the look he has when he won’t stop until he’s finished whatever he’s working on. Tee, do you know what he’s been up to?”
Tee smiled knowingly, but she wasn’t going to answer. Her friends weren’t surprised. They knew her grandfather often asked her to keep things secret until he was ready to share them. Yet, she liked how Elly deductively broke things down.
Elly continued. “Well—look at all of this stuff. The new sticks, for example. The design is a little bit different now. Do you think he really had the time to do that?” She played with the sticks in her hands, noticing that the balance was better and they were slightly thicker.
Tee thought about it. “Grandpapa likes to invent new things. These things aren’t new. They’re probably better than what we had, but they aren’t new.”
Richy made one last attempt to connect Nikolas to everything. “Maybe Monsieur Klaus has someone who works for him?”
Tee shook her head. She wasn’t aware of anybody who had ever worked for her grandfather.
“Hmm,” said Richy. “Well, right now, it’s like we have little magic elves coming and making stuff for us. I’m okay with that.”
Elly frowned. A troubling thought occurred to her. “This stuff means that someone knows who we are and that we come here.”
Tee waved off Elly’s concern. “I’m sure this is tied to my grandfather somehow, but it’s not a mystery we’re going to solve today. Until we see something worth worrying about, let’s just assume it’s someone who is trying to help us.”
“Or someones,” Richy added.
“That’s not a word!” snapped Elly, rolling her eyes.
Bakon paced nervously. It was almost time to leave. He turned to his brothers and asked again, “Are you guys sure you’ll be okay without me?”
Squeals looked at Bore. “Oh, I don’t know,” he said sarcastically. “Bore, do you think we might touch the stove and burn ourselves while he’s out on a second date?”
Bore laughed. “Maybe we try to go outside and run into trees!” The two laughed for a bit.
Squeals turned to his older brother. “I think you’re afraid she’ll stop liking you because you’re a low-life. She is too good for you.”
Bakon hated the term low-life, and Squeals knew
it. “We’re poor, yes, but we make our own way. We always have,” he retorted defensively.
He got up from their wobbly kitchen table and looked at the shack around them, now ten years old. They had been just teenagers when they’d built it, using skills learned from Monsieur Klaus.
During their time living with the Klaus family, they’d refused to live in the main house, except on the worst of days. At first, the brothers had insisted on staying in the large shed. Nikolas had fixed it up and insulated it. Isabella had come around to the idea since it forced Nikolas to deal with the mountain of stuff he’d been keeping in it.
The brothers had discussed the idea of their own home for months. When they’d finally decided to build it, they settled on a location about a mile away from the Klaus home. They’d still go over to have evening meals with the family every day, but afterward, they would head back to their own place. Unbeknownst to them, every night either Nikolas or Isabella would sneak over and check in on them before turning in for the night.
When they built their house, Nikolas had offered to help with more than just materials, but even Bore refused to allow him to do anything except watch, advise, and help steady the occasional beam. When the brothers were done, they immediately moved their few belongings in.
The house was very modest, but every leak and repair felt like a badge of honor. They were standing on their own and were proud of it.
Bakon bowed his head. “I just don’t like the idea of leaving you guys.” He felt like he was stealing something from his brothers in order to spend time with Egelina-Marie.
Bore shook his head in his exaggerated way and stood up quickly. He nearly hit the ceiling, as usual. “No,” he said gently. “You scared of girl. Girl won’t break up family. Maybe girl become family?”
Squeals and Bakon looked at Bore in surprise.
“Bang on, Bore! Eg and Bakon—sounds like a natural match to me!” teased Squeals.
With a quick glare from Bakon, Squeals quieted down. Bakon walked over to his youngest brother and looked up at him.
