by Kat Mandu
“Are you whispering to your coat?” Madison asked, giving him a strange look. Richard nearly jumped out of his skin at her sudden appearance.
“No, I am talking to myself; it helps me keep ma thoughts in order,” he replied casually, easily recovering from his fright.
“Well, it’s not the most unusual habit I’ve come across,” Madison admitted, resting her forehead on her hand.
“That’s food for thought; now then, what are you doing here?” Richard asked, clasping his hands behinds his head as they walked.
“I have what you needed taken care of. I called in some help but the – are you smiling?” she asked, a curious look on her face.
“I must be really easy to read. Let’s just say that things are going rather well,” he replied, taking a deep breath to calm himself down.
“Well, you’re not exactly a pro at hiding your emotions,” she admitted. Richard shrugged.
“No sense in denying that truth,” he replied, vaguely noticing that the movement had stopped. He felt his skin crawl; a dead fairy was not one that would normally grant wishes. He slipped his finger into the pocket where she was resting and felt a sharp prick. He pulled away and flicked his finger.
“You okay?” Madison asked, noticing his sudden spasm.
“Aye, just caught ma finger on ma coat is all,” Richard replied, not nearly as concerned for the fairy’s wellbeing as he had been.
“Who knows, my Lord Father is probably going to keep me in the castle for the rest of my life after this damn event,” she grunted, seeming to forget her earlier train of thought.
“You never did tell me about how or why Brendan captured you,” Richard prompted.
“You make the mistake of thinking Brendan was responsible, bah,” she rejected with a frown. “No, Brendan really needed a navigator and well, I was on hand. And that’s all you need to know,” she snapped before falling into a cold silence.
“Hit a sore spot,” Richard thought to himself, welcoming the silence. “Well, that’s your business. As soon as we get back, I have some lifting of my own. We will need to group back up and get ready for our final move if we are going to strike out against Brendan,” he suggested.
“Sounds good to me,” she replied in a cold tone. They quickly made their way back to base. Richard strode back into his new home and quickly rushed into the fort, ignoring everyone around him. He entered his tent, taking another deep breath before pushing against the make shift throne. It slid away and he lit a torch, heading down into the darkness.
“Now then, I think it’s time we had a nice little chat,” he said quietly, unbuttoning his coat and lightly poking the pocket. “You can come out now, Miss Spark.”
“That was most unpleasant,” she griped, practically leaping out of his pocket and into the air. Where are we?” she asked, motioning around at the dark cave they were now in.
“It’s the only place I have where we can talk privately and with no issues,” Richard replied, giving her a calm smile. “But we can talk and walk at the same time. I have something that I need to take care of, so,” he alluded. “What brings you to this part of the island?” The fairy simply stared at him while he watched her.
Chapter 19 From Good To Worse
Richard grunted, dropping a barrel to the ground and leaning against the wagon and caught his breath. Even with wheels, it was still a lot of hard work as he was making sure that he had a lot moved. “Well?”
“Yes?” Richard asked, setting barrel upright and looking up at the sky near the end of the escape tunnel.
“Are you going to make a wish or something?” Spark asked, watching him with concern.
“What?” he asked when the fairy continued to stare down at him. “Can I think about it before making one?”
“Well, um, nobody’s ever asked. Normally they just start shouting ‘I wish’,” she admitted.
“How many people have you actually met?” Richard asked, raising an eyebrow at her. She tapped a finger on her bottom lip, seeming to ponder the question.
“Um, two? Well, does the Gargoyle count?” she asked. Richard simply shrugged. “Hmm, he did ask for immortality, but that wish can only last for a thousand years tops,” she admitted, tapping at her lip again. “So, I guess he counts.”
“So, you were in that bubble for a thousand years?”
“More or less,” she admitted with a shrug.
“So you’re at least two thousand years old then,” Richard mused, watching her thoughtfully as she rested on one of the barrels. Her face scrunched up while she appeared to think on this statement.
“Of course not. The first wish doesn’t count since I couldn’t grant them at the time,” she admitted, smoothing out the skirt of her dress. “I get one after I come of age and then I can’t grant one until after a thousand years. And every one thousand years respectively,” she explained.
“You are overly trusting with this information,” Richard commented, leaning back against the wagon. He had a perplexed look on his face.
“By the time it becomes relevant, it will already have passed into legend at best,” she replied. Richard opened his mouth but quickly shut it again.
“I take it you’re what, one thousand and eight or something?” he asked.
“One thousand and twenty-three,” she admitted rather proudly. She quickly deflated when she remembered what he had recently freed her from. “But I am not sure if they count much since I spent most of that time in a glass orb,” she admitted, dejectedly running a finger in the air.
“Any reason you decided to come back with me?”
“You captured me,” she replied simply.
“Right, which is why you haven’t tried to make a mad dash for the wide open space,” Richard said in apparent disbelief.
“Um, because that would be rude,” she said, putting on her best smile and clasping her hands together.
“Uh-huh, so what can I wish for?” Richard asked instead, changing the subject.
“Not sure, I have only granted one and my elders never really got to talk about it,” she replied.
“Against ma better judgment: why is that?” he asked, feeling a kind of sob story coming.
“Because I went out with my boyfriend,” she said in a low hiss. “He asked for his wish and left me,” she said, blowing her hair out of her face and crossing her arms. “He was not a very friendly when he realized I didn’t have one yet. He’s the one that sold me to that stupid Gargoyle. He asked for immortality and has kept me locked up since then. Until you arrived, of course.”
“That’s horrible. That’s a long time to be imprisoned,” Richard commented, pulling a face.
“A mild inconvenience,” she said, brushing it off with a wave of her hand. “Indeed, it was a long wait to get out, that’s for sure. I am more ticked that my family hasn’t found me,” she huffed, adjusting her position and crossing her arms more firmly.
“If you say so,” Richard replied.
“Richard! Richard, are you down here?” someone shouted, tearing them from their conversation. Madison rushed down the tunnel, skidding to a halt and staring between Richard and Spark with a slack jaw. “We’ve got an emergency!” she shouted after recovering for a second. “Don’t want to know; we have a few confirmed kills and some scouts have returned. But they aren’t in the best shape.”
“I have a feeling the world just got interesting. Are you coming?” Richard asked Spark and she nodded while they raced back down the tunnel. Richard pulled himself back up into the tent and then rushed out to the camp.
“Where the hell have you been?” James all but demanded. Jill growled at his tone but everyone else ignored the dog keeping to Richard’s side. Sam trailed behind them, glancing around and keeping out from underfoot.
“What is going on?!” Richard replied, ignoring the question.
“We have had recent activity in the forest and not the normal kind either. Two scouting groups ran into opposition,” Tray replied while receiving a gla
re from James.
“Any losses?” Richard asked.
“We have a few injured but so far, that’s all up in the air. Is that the fairy from the castle?” he asked, spotting Spark floating behind them.
“Yes, her name is Spark. Spark, Tray and James,” Richard introduced. She waved at them while they merely stared at her in wonder. “Okay, so where are they? I want to at least get an idea of what is going on. And Madison, this is not as bad as you made it out to be,” he added, heading around to the only wooden building in the walled off area.
“I need to speak with one of the scouts,” Richard demanded. Laurella stood up, hands on hips and glared at him.
“They are in no fit state. Let them sleep; I have done all I can and I don’t need you causing more issues,” she quipped, crossing her arms and standing in front of the door.
“Alright, who was with them and where were they?” he asked instead, glancing at Madison.
“I found one of the groups I helped back in the south. They were looking the area over and keeping tabs on Brendan’s ship. There were three of them: Mark, Brandon and John Smith. The other three were marching to the island’s southwest; they got back not long after me. I believe London was in charge, but I couldn’t tell you who was with him,” Boss interrupted, striding over to them.
“What he said,” Madison replied calmly. Richard was glancing at Boss when they heard a voice shout from near the wall.
“Three unknown at the gate!” the voice cried.
“Shit, that means I have one more. Or would each scout count as just one?” Richard mused, sighing as he took off towards the gate. The other three remained near the building while Boss finally noticed the fairy.
“The fuck?” he asked, looking at the others around him. Laurella merely shrugged.
“I gave up caring a while ago,” she admitted, watching Richard race to the front gate. About that moment, an explosion erupted. Richard flinched while the cannon ball rocketed into the fort.
“Open the gate!” a familiar voice cried in panic. Richard noted that everyone was beginning to panic as well. He put a hand on a pistol, needed to regain order over the situation and fast. He climbed up the ladder and quickly glanced around to see three familiar figures near the gate. He lifted the pistol the air, letting off a shot to gain everyone’s attention.
“You two, open the damn gates! We have company!” Richard shouted and they immediately complied.
“Do you have a doctor?” the crocodile man asked.
“Yes.” The gates opened and he was hastily led in with the other Benedicta bestia. Another cannon ball shot out from the distance, arching above the camp. It was finally beginning to calm down a bit.
“Shit, we don’t have a cannon or anything long range,” Boss pointed out.
“You want to push a cannon all the way here? Be my guest,” Richard replied. “You, get the extra wood to create a barracks and stop staring. Someone get the newcomers to Laurella or get Laurella to them!” Richard shouted. “And somebody patch up that hole.” He watched the gate close before dropping to the ground.
“Do a total recall – I want everyone back here. We need all hands and we need them before things get hairy,” he ordered while Stefano saluted. “Take some back up with you. Tin wouldn’t be a bad choice along with anyone else who is willing to keep their feet moving,” he added.
“Tin? He’s a little, well, husky. Why ask him?”
“Because he hasn’t stopped working and he’s making everyone else look bad,” he replied. Those near looked at him with concern.
“Oh, wow, you’re actually paying attention,” the Dame knight commented. Richard rolled his eyes.
“Eagle Eye, keep your head down and let me know when we start getting more company. Madison is going to hunt down our scouts.” He nodded and leapt up to where Richard was standing. “Alright everyone, I have a plan so start packing up. Leave some things behind; we don’t want it to look like this was planned. Now get to it!” Richard ordered.
Jill barked and everyone began to race around.
“Tray, James, start using the extra wood to put barricades at the front gate and scatter them about. Use anyone who isn’t helping to pack up supplies,” Richard said and the two brothers nodded. “Okay Sam, start packing up my stuff. And reload this as well,” he said, handing the pistol to Sam who took it and raced away like only a child with a purpose could.
“Can I help?” Spark asked. Richard glanced up at her in surprise, having forgotten that she was there as well.
“Be my eyes and ears. If you can, see if you can find Brendan; he wears a yellow coat. Don’t get close and come back as soon as you spot him. I need to know exactly how big of a group I will be dealing with,” he told her. After she flew off, her hurried over to Laurella with Boss walking behind him.
“We need to start moving the injured or they are going to get left behind,” she said.
“Agreed. There is a passage under the chair in my tent. I left a wagon down on the right hand side; wheel it down and back under the tunnel. But keep this quiet – I don’t need anyone slipping out before I say so. Once this is done, I want you to start moving the injured to the wagon. If anyone asks, we are moving them to the center of camp and away from the wall,” Richard informed them in a hushed tone.
“I take it you are heading there as well?” Boss asked.
“Aye, I have to talk with the three that just walked in – I never did get their names. Plus, I have no idea what to expect at this point and that is very dangerous. Stay close, if you will,” he confided. Boss nodded, left hand settling on one of his weapons. Together they approached the hut whose frame was now damaged. Likely due to the crocodile man probably standing inside it. Richard gave a courtesy knock before opening the door and stepping over a large green tail.
“Today has just been a busy day. What do you want?” Laurella all but snapped. Richard glanced up, spotting the moth woman with a splinted and bandaged leg watching him with her head hunched forward. The other female was lying down while their third member was trying to be as small as possible in a corner with his head lowered between his shoulder blades.
“What happened?” Richard asked, concerned while he looked up at the big being.
“We were attacked,” he croaked out. “I didn’t know what to do; it just happened so fast.” He began to sob, large tears falling from his face.
“Easy big, easy,” Richard said, trying to ease him down and he swallowed. “Look, I don’t think I ever got your name. Can I have it?”
“Goliam,” he said, holding back his breath and offering his hand nervously. Richard took it and shook.
“Good to see you. Now then, Laurella here is a good woman – a bit harsh but nice. She’s going to help your friends out and then we have a nice way to get you out of here,” he said, offering a weak smile.
“Really?” he asked.
“Yes, really. Your friends are fine, Miss….” Laurella said, glancing at the moth woman.
“Morsina and the other one is Arken,” she offered, nodding towards the otter woman.
“Good to know. They are both going to be fine but running away is a bit out of the question,” Laurella said, glaring sideways at Richard.
“I’ve got a plan, Boss. I think we will be fine.”
“Got it,” Boss said, watching Goliam with a critical eye before walking away.
“Plan? What plan?” Laurella asked.
“The plan that I have for just such an emergency,” Richard replied casually. “We are going to start scrambling, just in case. We are going to get you some breathing room. So, stay here and keep the good doctor safe and she’ll take care of your, okay?” Richard asked. Goliam nodded in agreement.
Laurella gave Richard a hard look but he nodded at the door, stepping out and shut the door behind him. He kept his ear to the door, watching everyone run around. The sun had moved along the sky and he closed his eyes, waiting for everyone to make it back while the sun finally began to
set in the distance.
“Open the gate!” a voice cried out causing Richard to perk up.
“Now what?” James asked, approaching Richard. “Everyone is back here.” Spark flickered up to Richard’s shoulder before he could reply.
“He’s on his way and he has a colossal group moving with him,” she reported and Richard smirked.
“Good to know. Everything is exactly where I need it to be,” he said, more to himself but James still watched him with concern.
“How is that good?” he asked while Boss walked up.
“All of the injured have been moved down the tunnel and the area is secure. We have a few watchers ready to move but not everyone knows why or were,” he informed and Richard nodded.
“Well, make sure that Laurella and the three newcomers get out. Shit, grab a shovel – the hole isn’t going to be big enough for Goliam,” he realized, mentally kicking himself.
“Hello, anyone home?” a familiar voice cried out.
“He’s here, get digging,” Richard urged, rushing up to the front gate. He felt his stomach jump a bit when he glanced back and saw a few people still there. When he got to the gate, he saw a man standing in a long yellow coat with a sly grin on his face.
“Ah, Richard, was it? I have to admit, you were the last person I would have expected to see popping their head over that fence,” Brendan said, smile fading into a glare.
“I guess with everyone wanting to put a knife in your back, those who have a healthy survival instinct know when to leave,” Richard replied, resting his arm along the fence and getting comfortable.
“Fair point. But loyalty is, after all, a treasure that’s hard to find these days. I mean, not even sheets of paper are safe anymore,” he said, giving a cold stare and smile to Richard.
“Oh my, such a shame. But to be honest, you seem to be doing rather well. I saw your handiwork not too long ago,” he replied, being as casually as he could.
“So you are paying attention for a change. Maybe those lashings are actually starting to work,” Brendan thought. Richard felt his anger flare up and let it out with a heavy sigh through his nose.
