Apparition

by Tom Liberman

  Once the door opened enough she spotted a long rubber hose of some kind snaking across the room and around the corner. It was attached, on this side, to a small barrel and some sort of liquid was coursing through it with a back and forth movement. The light came from a lantern which hung from a hook right by the door. The rhythmic sound came from wherever the hose led.

  Rhia drew her sword and it made a slithering sound as it exited the scabbard. “Marianna?” she whispered. “Are you down here? What are they doing to you?”

  She received no reply and after a moment took a step forward toward where the hose disappeared. Another step and she looked slowly around the corner although all was dark beyond where the light of the lantern reached. She held forth the glow stone and her hand trembled noticeably. “Marianna?”

  She saw the girl’s feet first. She was lying on a filthy mattress the hose coiling beneath her. “What is this?” asked Rhia and looked around the room. The girl was naked and her skin was very pale and showed hundreds of little cuts and many small burn marks that were circular. The hose was somehow attached to her leg up near the thigh and the liquid filling it was clearly coming from the girl.

  Rhia moved forward and examined the hose, seeing it narrowed to a sharp little nozzle that pierced the girl’s skin. The rhythmic sound came from a pump-like device, apparently powered by some sort of magic. Rhia felt her stomach churn, she moved forward, and quickly pulled out the nozzle thing. There was a little ooze of blood but no more as the pale girl looked to be all but drained, certainly not far from death.

  Rhia scooped the girl up in her arms; she weighed no more than a child, and lifted her from the filthy rags. A small rat or mouse gave off a shrill squeak and scurried into the darkness. Rhia turned, headed out the way she came, and soon stood at the foot of the stairs. "Mike," she said in a loud whisper and waited. "Mike," she repeated. Just when she was ready to give up and leave with the girl in her arms, Mike's head appeared around the bend in the stairwell.

  "Be quiet," she said. "I can't find her up there."

  "She's down here," whispered Rhia. "I've got her. They've been doing something awful; I don't know what, draining her essence or something. Come on, let's get out of here."

  "Do you have proof?" whispered Mike back down as she emerged more fully around the top of the staircase.

  "Plenty," said Rhia looking at the naked girl in her arms. "Get me something to cover her, she's naked and cold," continued Rhia, realizing that the girl's body was very cold but there was still some heat left. "She'll be dead if we don't warm her up. We got here just in time."

  “Where did you find her?” said Mike taking the glow stone from Rhia and rummaging around in the cellar. She found a tattered tarp quickly enough and they wrapped the girl in it quickly. “She doesn’t look good.”

  Rhia nodded and picked the girl back up from the floor. “Open the cellar door; we’re getting out of here right now.”

  Mike moved quickly to the cellar door and seconds later they stood by the side of the building. “She needs a healer, which way?” asked Rhia.

  Mike looked up and down the street and paused before answering, “We should take her to Lofo, and he’ll know what to do.”

  “How far is that? Is there a healer closer? A priest?”

  Mike shook her head, “I don’t know. I don’t know the city that well. There are the Gray Druids, they know healing spells.”

  “Where is Lofo then?” asked Rhia trying to convey urgency.

  “This way,” said Mike leading the way up the alley and toward the street. “It’s not far. Do you need help carrying her?”

  Rhia shook her head and followed Mike, “No, she’s light, like a little kid. They must not have been feeding her properly.”

  Mike made a tut-tut sort of noise and continued to lead Rhia through the streets. The sun was now high in the sky and it looked as though people were beginning to stir from the all-night revelry of the previous evening. A few merchants were setting up their street wares at various corners and a gaggle of school children led by a teacher seemed to have a destination in mind as they passed the girls. The kids stared at Rhia and her bundle but no one stopped them or asked what they were doing.

  Within ten minutes they stood in front of a long, low building made of stone barred by a heavy wooden door.

  “Come on,” said Mike moving to the door and swinging it open with a pull on the handle. “He might be here. If not there will be someone who can find him.”

  Rhia followed Mike into the building which was largely deserted. A long hallway stretched apparently the length of the building, and Mike took them to the right and to a wooden door painted dark green which stood slightly open. She pushed it fully open and walked inside, “Lofo,” she said to the dark-skinned orc behind the desk. He had a thick head of black hair brushed tidily and parted on the left side. He looked up from a piece of parchment he was reading and raised his eyebrows.

  “Hello, Mike. I’m a little busy right now …,” he started to say but then Rhia came into the room carrying Marianna and he stopped in mid-sentence.

  “We found her like this,” said Mike.

  Lofo swept aside the papers on his desk with a brisk motion, “Lay her down here.” He stood up and walked to doorway and bellowed down the hall. “I need a healer in here immediately!” and then turned back to where Rhia was laying Marianna gently on the table.

  “What happened and who are you?” asked Lofo the last directed at Rhia.

  “They were doing something to her,” said Rhia looking down at the unfortunate girl. “They had some sort of thing sucking her blood out. I’m not sure. It was magic. I found her in the cellar like this. Oh, and I’m Rhia Buffalorider. I came to Tanelorn with the circus about six months ago.”

  Lofo nodded his head and examined her with intense black eyes, “You’ve done well here, Mike, you also Rhia. Things are a bit hectic around here right now but we’ll get her taken care of.”

  “What was that … that … ghost thing at the ceremony,” said Mike suddenly realizing why things might be so hectic. “Did Pillswar use it to distract everyone? Was it magic? It wasn’t really the Girl in Glass, was it?”

  Lofo shook his massive head and bared his sharp canines, “We’re not sure. That’s one of the things we’re trying to find out.”

  “How can we help?” asked Rhia immediately as she stepped forward.

  “You’ve done plenty already, you two,” said Lofo shaking his head. “This is a dangerous business.”

  Rhia gave a sidelong glance to Mike.

  “I’m not afraid of danger,” said Mike with her hands on her hips. “If we can help we’ll do it. Rhia stood up to your brother Adusko.”

  Lofo looked up sharply and looked carefully at Rhia again, “Is that what happened to your nose?”

  Rhia nodded her head, “He surprised me, but next time it will be different. Is he really your brother?”

  “He’s my cousin, and if you’re smart there won’t be a next time. I see there is no deterring you, Mike. Let’s use your energy productively.”

  Mike smoldered, her eyes narrowing and seemed to grow a darker shade of green, but she said nothing.

  At that moment a man wearing long gray robes emblazoned with mistletoe patterns at the collar, hem, and sleeves appeared at the doorway, “What is it you …,” he started but then spotted Marianna lying on the desk. “I see,” he finished and immediately began to attend to the girl.

  Lofo used this interruption to turn to Mike, “We can try to figure out what Pillswar is up to and that will be of use. You’ve been watching that pie shop for a while now, right, Mike?”

  Mike nodded her head and grinned. “I know everything he does. Why don’t we just go and arrest him? You see what he did to Marianna.”

  “That’s not the way it works,” said Lofo although his gaze did linger on the little scars and burns that covered the girl’s skin. “We’d have to prove he was the one who actually tortured Marianna and to do t
hat we’d need her mother to testify. None of that is going to happen. It’s obvious the mother allowed this to happen in her home. That’s not the way to get Pillswar.”

  “Arrest him for something else then,” suggested Rhia looking at the broad-shouldered orc. It was easy to believe them related for they shared a build, but Lofo was more compact. “When I was in Doria the Merchant Executors could arrest you for anything, although I guess it used to be even worse before they lost the war to the Cawl Islanders.”

  “That’s not how we do things in Tanelorn,” said Lofo shaking his head and glancing over his shoulder at the druid attending to Marianna. “Is she going to be all right?”

  The druid turned and nodded his head, “It’s mainly dehydration and blood loss. It doesn’t look like any permanent physical harm has been done. She’ll be physically steady in a week or so I’d guess. It doesn’t look like it but she’s got some muscle under here, she just hasn’t been eating properly.”

  “He’s behind that attack this morning,” said Mike returning to the subject of Pillswar. “You know and I know it. Just arrest him and find the evidence later. He’s always talking about how awful the Gray Lord is as a ruler. How we would be better off with someone else. He says terrible things about Jane too and Valary.”

  Lofo shook his head. “In Tanelorn a man is free to disagree with the government all he wants.”

  “Even if he tells people to overthrow it?” said Mike putting her hands on her hips and her green eyes blazing yet again. “I’ve heard him tell people a hundred times how much we need a new leader. He lets other people do his work for him but he’s the one who starts all the trouble.”

  Lofo again shook his head, “He’s well within his rights to disagree with the Gray Lord or anyone else. Just as the Gray Lord can disagree with Pillswar. As long as he doesn’t hurt anyone then he can say whatever he wants.”

  “That’s just asking for trouble,” said Mike shaking her head. “If you let him talk like that, other people will start talking like that as well. Soon enough you’ll have a revolution on your hands.”

  “That can only happen if people are dissatisfied with the current regime. If we try to oppress those who are unhappy then the revolution would come that much more quickly and violently.”

  Mike shook her head but said nothing.

  “That’s why we let Adusko live free. He’s the most dangerous man in all of Tanelorn but if we tried to arrest and imprison him we’d just make him and his followers more dangerous.”

  “You mean Pillswar,” said Mike.

  “As you say,” replied Lofo in a toneless voice.

  “I’m going to take her to my house,” said the Gray Druid interrupting the conversation. He wrapped the girl back up in the tarp, picked her up, and carried her out the door. “I’ll tell you when she’s feeling better.”

  “Now, as to you two,” said Lofo looking over Mike and Rhia. “We think Pillswar is using other children to do his work for him. He has houses scattered here and there in Tanelorn, the Five Nations, Grelm, and other places as well. We haven’t been able to find out much about them to be honest, but seeing what he’s done to Marianna I’m concerned about the other kids as well. See if you can find out anything about any homes he might frequent.”

  Mike’s eyes suddenly blazed, “I followed Adusko one day to a house out on the outskirts of town. There were a dozen little kids playing in the yard. He was delivering food and stuff. I didn’t think much about it back then but I bet that’s part of the plan!”

  Lofo nodded his head, “It could be. Just be careful. I don’t have to tell you what Adusko is capable of doing.”

  Rhia shook her head, “You don’t have to tell me. But I’ll be ready the next time; he won’t catch me by surprise.”

  Lofo’s face remained unexpressive as he looked into Rhia’s eyes for a moment. “Just be careful. I don’t want to have to bury the two of you. That being said, your lives are your own to lead.”

  Rhia nodded her head, “Come on, Mike. Let’s see what that rat Adusko is up to!”

  Chapter 5

  The little house sat up on a hill about a mile from Tanelorn and it was almost exactly as Mike had described it to be. There were children at play in the front yard. Their games were boisterous as both boys and girls participated. There were children of various ages and races present including humans, gnolls, orcs, and even what appeared to be a young elf girl with long blonde hair beautifully braided into a ponytail.

  The immaculate house had a pretty garden along one side that the children carefully avoided in their games. Almost every window had an earthen shelf where dozens of bright flowers and herbs grew robustly. The walkway to the front door was made of carefully laid bricks and a number of well-tended bushes lined it.

  “There’s no way those kids are being treated the way Marianna was,” said Rhia shaking her head as they looked over the scene below. “This is not Pillswar’s doing.”

  “It has to be,” said Mike pursing her full lips. “Why else would Adusko be coming out here? He can’t have a fondness for children. He’s a monster; you’ve seen what he’s like.”

  “I don’t know,” said Rhia looking at the children who were clearly enjoying themselves, they were both well-fed and clearly quite robust. “Those kids are healthy and happy. It’s nothing like what we saw with Marianna.”

  “It’s something else then,” said Mike shaking her head. “He’s up to no good, that’s absolutely certain. Pillswar is planning to use those kids for something awful. We just have to find out what.”

  “How?” asked Rhia again looking at the house and the surrounding terrain. “There’s no way we can learn anything from way back here and there’s no chance we can get close to the house without people noticing. There are kids everywhere and dogs too.”

  “I don’t know,” said Mike, biting her lip. “We could wait for dark and sneak in?”

  Rhia shook her head, “Not a chance in the world with dogs and that many kids. We’d be spotted before we got a step into the place if not before. What we would find anyway? The only adult I’ve seen is that old gnoll woman who came out and fed them cookies and milk about an hour ago.”

  Mike stood with her hands on her hips and shook her head, “We could just go up and talk to her,” she suggested.

  “What would we say?” asked Rhia.

  Mike shrugged her narrow shoulders and raised her palms flat, “We could say we wanted to check on the children to make sure they’re doing all right. I don’t know. At least we could get inside and see the place. If they are plotting something we might be able to figure it out.”

  Rhia shook her head again, “There’s no way she’d let us in if they are up to no good. She’d tell us to mind our business and be done with it.”

  Mike snapped her fingers, “Wait a second. Adusko came with all those packages! We could say that Pillswar sent us. We could buy some food and whatnot, kids toys, whatever, then pretend Pillswar sent us with them. She wouldn’t know any different.”

  Rhia pursed her lips, “That might work, I guess.”

  “It’s better than just sitting out here watching. What if there are more children, maybe being treated like Marianna, but kept inside. Every day we wait to check they might die.”

  Rhia nodded her head. “I don’t see why it’s not worth a try. I mean even if she doesn’t let us in we’re no worse off than we were before.”

  “Good,” said Mike.

  “I don’t have much money to buy food and things,” said Rhia her hand feeling in her pockets for her quickly diminishing supply of money. The circus paid her for her long hours of work and they had been more than generous, but the last six months had seen that money slowly vanish.

  “I’ve got plenty,” said Mike without a thought.

  Rhia started to say something but seeing the grin on Mike’s face choked down her thoughts. “Good, why don’t you get some supplies and I’ll watch the place?”

  Mike shook her head, “No. You
can carry a lot more than me. Here, take some silver,” with that she pulled out a pouch that made a healthy sounding chink and tossed it to Rhia. “That should be plenty. Get things like flour, stuff you need to bake food.”

  Rhia took the bag, which weighed quite a bit for its size, and turned to leave but immediately spun back around again, “Why don’t a rent a mule for the afternoon? That way it will look better than just the two of us showing up. More professional.”

  “Yeah,” said Mike nodding her head and grinning. “Adusko rode a horse and had saddlebags full of stuff. I should have thought of that. Good job. We make a good team! Brawn and brains!”

  Rhia squinted for a moment and thought about telling Mike based on previous conversations that one of the two was both the brawn and the brains but again decided that there was no point in riling up the easily angered girl. “Great,” she finally managed to say although it was hardly with any enthusiasm. If Mike noted the lack therein she gave no notice and turned back to watching the apparently happy scene up on the hill.

  Rhia tossed the little pouch up and down in her hand and set off at a trot toward town. It was only about a mile and she covered the distance in a few minutes. The city walls were a marvel filled with the flags of so many nations. Every time she passed through one of the gates she remembered first seeing them with the circus and thinking how useless they were as a defensive emplacement. An invading army would pour over them like water from the banks of a river filled with spring runoff. The Gray Lord was a strange man she thought to herself and not for the last time. According to what she heard he rarely made public appearance anymore and largely left the running of Tanelorn up to his daughter and her friends.

  She quickly found a merchant who sold her the day’s use of a mule and then began to load it up with various foodstuffs. She had never purchased in bulk quantities like this before but, as she fretted over the various purchases, she realized it mattered little if she got the right amounts or not as it was merely an excuse to gain entrance to the house. “Still,” she said to herself out loud remembering the lessons taught to her as a child, “If you’re going to do something, you might as well do it right.”