The Dragon and Rose

by Gerhard Gehrke

  Digger made a survey of the room and moved towards the kitchen. “No fish seller is up at this hour and those things aren’t waiting. Where did the stable girl put her stuff?”

  “It’s in the bottom cabinet behind the bar.”

  For a quick moment he considered bringing the body in to dump down in the cellar. But not with Monty and Sofia there to see. He made a detour into the kitchen. The trash was full of eggshells and trimmed bits of meat along with the dumped-out remains of a platter of broiled tomatoes. He picked the garbage bin up and brought it out to the bar. The serving trays still had the picked-over remains of the spread Monty had prepared. He began dumping all the trays into the bin. Then he went behind the bar and found Vinca’s pack.

  It reeked of fish emulsion. The troll treats were inside.

  Monty watched, shaking his head, as Digger found a plate of leftovers at the far end of the bar and added it to his bin.

  “You can’t go down there.”

  Digger shouldered the bag and set the bin down next to the trapdoor. “Don’t worry, little brother. These trolls won’t mind getting their food all mixed up. I’m sure their palates are about to be expanded.”

  Isabel had her hand on the trapdoor’s latch. The floor bumped. One of the trolls was mewling just beneath them, but then the door pressed upward and the wood began to crack.

  He gave her a nod and she pulled it open. Troll fingers clamped down on the lip of the door. A massive green face appeared and pressed upward.

  “Hey!” he said. “Here’s dinner.”

  He dumped half of the trash down on top of the troll. Meat scraps, eggshells, and a few canapés landed on the creature. It flinched and dropped away from the hatchway. Its thick, dark tongue began to suck up the bits of food. The second troll started to grumble.

  “There’s enough for both you.”

  He dumped the rest down the trapdoor. The first troll dropped out of sight as Digger emptied the bin. The troll beneath him was eating, but it wasn’t much for such a large creature and it wasn’t letting its fellow troll near the spilled leftovers.

  “What other food you got?”

  “That’s it,” Monty said. “I need to go shopping for tomorrow.”

  The other troll was whining as the first lapped the last of the food up. But as Digger moved to open the bag with the troll treats, a giant green hand latched on to his ankle and yanked him down.

  He landed hard on the floor of the cellar, the wind knocked from his lungs. The two trolls were right above him. But when the one who had pulled him down went for the bag, the darker green of the two shoved it aside, causing it to collide with a post.

  The entire bar shook as if it might come down on top of them.

  Digger scrambled away from the wrestling giants. He had banged his head and he fought to inhale. He felt dizzy. He looked for the bag of treats but didn’t see it in the darkness.

  Behind him the creatures continued to tussle, slapping and kicking and clawing at each other like brawling children. Both were whining and screaming. Finally the dark-green one subdued the troll with mossy skin, its teeth clamped on the other’s neck.

  The second troll wailed.

  The dark-green monster finally released its fellow. It made a cursory search as if looking for the bag before finding the rubbish bin. Digger needed to find the bag to control them but didn’t dare call for a lantern. There was no telling what two spooked trolls might do when confronted by a flame while stuck in an enclosed space.

  He could smell fish. But why weren’t the trolls going after the missing bag? Then he realized the same rank odor was everywhere from the trolls’ previous meals.

  He began to feel around. A few empty sacks that might have once held fish parts were covered in thick saliva. Enough light was coming down that Digger found a far corner away from the fray near stacks of empty beer kegs. He felt around on the floor until he thought he found a bag. But it wasn’t the one he had before falling into the cellar. This one was torn open and empty.

  The cellar was too large and too dark and he didn’t have long.

  The dark-green troll was finished with the bin and was now licking the dusty floor clean as the other hovered near it as if waiting for a handout. The ladder was the only way up. Without the sticks he’d be next on the menu and there was no time to search the cellar.

  Stepping quietly, Digger approached the trolls and was about to jump for the ladder when they both looked up at him. The darker-green troll began to sniff the air and lurched towards Digger.

  He held his hands out to ward off the monster as he backed away. “I’m not fish. I can get you a freshly killed pureblood, if you want. How does that sound? Yummy, right?”

  The troll’s throat rumbled and it licked its cheeks and lips as it came closer.

  “Or I can get you fish if you can wait.”

  The monster wasn’t waiting. Digger bumped against a post, sidled edgeways, and then backed against the wall.

  “Mudo? Is that you?” he asked. When the troll didn’t react, he racked his brain. What had the girl called the other troll?

  The troll slapped a hand on the ground before Digger and leaned in close. Hot stinking breath billowed over him. He had seen in the catacombs this particular troll murder more than one man with one bite. He shrank down and prepared to do what he could with his fists but knew it would be futile.

  Monty was calling his name from above but there was little he or anyone else could do except close the cellar back up and get out of the bar.

  Then Digger remembered. “Tonto?”

  There was the briefest flicker of something in the creature’s face.

  “You’re Tonto, right? Go back. It’s not eating time. Back!”

  The troll stiffened and looked confused. It moved its tongue around its teeth as if working something free. Its leathery skin was dry and cracked and a pungent odor wafted from its mouth. But for the moment it was keeping its distance.

  Digger sidestepped around the creature. But the paler-green troll was blocking his path to the ladder.

  “Mudo! Back up!”

  The troll didn’t budge. Digger waved his hands but when he took another step, the troll snarled and snapped at him. Digger scrambled away, knocking over a keg as he raced to escape towards the far side of the cellar. Tonto started moving towards him again and now both trolls had him cornered.

  “Mudo, Tonto, back!” a shrill voice cried. The stable girl, Vinca, appeared from the shadows. “Back, I say.”

  Both trolls stopped. Then slowly they slunk away from Digger and retreated to the opposite side of the cellar. Vinca followed them. She had a sack over one shoulder and she set it down and produced a fish. She threw it. Tonto caught it in his mouth. She threw another to Mudo before turning to look at Digger.

  “Don’t be afraid. They won’t hurt you as long as I’m here.”

  “They wouldn’t listen to me. I dropped your stick treats down here somewhere.”

  “Tonto will listen just fine. It’s Mudo who’s a little hard of hearing.”

  “Is he now? And where were you hiding when I first came down here?”

  She set the sack down and inspected the trash bin. “I just climbed in through the cellar window. What were you feeding them?”

  “Scraps.”

  “You can’t do that. They’ll get sick.”

  “Listen, little girl—”

  “Vinca.”

  “Listen, Vinca, those things were about to break out of the cellar. I had to do something.”

  She recovered the bag of troll treats from beneath a broken wall shelf. “I was coming back as fast as I could.”

  “Yeah, well, thank you. So where are you and Hellard going to take them? It can’t be healthy for your trolls down here.”

  “They like the water. They like the ocean. But they’ve been ’mesticated.”

  “You mean the queen’s had them too long?”

  She nodded.

  “That’s a problem. But if people
find them here, they’re going to hurt them.”

  “I know. Mr. Sprat was going to take us out of here, but now he’s gone to the theater and hasn’t come out. He said he was going to help put on a show.”

  “What theater?”

  Digger couldn’t keep his jaw from tightening as she told him.

  Chapter Fifteen

  JAMIE PORED OVER THE city map.

  With the noise of the kitchen finally quieting after preparing supper and the neighboring dining room clean, the day staff had retired, leaving the castle quiet.

  Claudia checked her watch. She’d have to reschedule the time she had promised herself in designing the new game rooms. So many ideas filled her head and if she didn’t get them down on paper, she feared they’d evaporate like a light fog on a warm morning.

  But there was no hurry up with her nephew.

  Jamie had said he was eager to help her with solving the problem of the north shore park. This was proving true, as he appeared curious and sharp-eyed and asked questions about the land available at the end of each street that terminated at an edge of the island. But Claudia patiently told him that each and every spot of land on the island was spoken for. The city had grown to its limits, and all the properties along the coast of the island were either owned or undevelopable because of a crumbling shoreline.

  As she watched him ponder she realized while there was nothing available along the shore, there were a few failed or burned-out businesses where the owners had walked away from the properties. These were mostly in the Temperance District. She made a mental note to make inquiries, as the prospect of snapping up real estate on the cheap always pleased her. She hadn’t become the queen of her island by ignoring opportunities.

  Jamie circled the table as if to get a fresh perspective. “So besides the north shore park, there is no parkland for the fel, is there?”

  “I’m afraid not.”

  “We could buy some. You could buy some.”

  “Yes, eventually. While I have some money, much of it is already earmarked for my project.”

  He was running his fingers along a few of the streets. She knew their names by heart and could tell him who the property owners were. But she kept quiet.

  His forehead creased. “If you go through with your plan, they’ll have no place but the streets for their recreation.”

  “And I do wish to see them happy. They work so hard.”

  “Are all the factories operating?”

  “No, not all. My textile mills are going strong. The brass works has been closed while the owner, Demetra, is considering retooling some of her machines. There’s a few others that have been dormant for a variety of reasons. Not every place is prospering like we are.”

  “It’s not ideal but we could inquire into some of these idle factories, perhaps offer to lease parts of them, especially the ones who don’t appear ready to come back online. They have enough outdoor space. The grounds could be cleaned. Trees could be planted. And a playground built for the children.”

  “I’ll have Rochus make a list of candidates.”

  It was so good to see him engaged. So earnest. And not a peep from any of his chamber servants about anything sneaky. A bit disappointing, actually. She had something in mind to spice things up, but that would wait. He’d been silent about his love for Isabel, the fel girl who had walked away with so many prizes. He’d share in time, of that she was certain. And their bond of affection was too plump an apple to not pluck when the time was right.

  “Aunt Claudia?” he asked.

  “I’m thinking.”

  She mentally dismissed the notion of renting a factory. It would be too costly. Her mind drifted to a meeting the next morning with one of her engineers. He was worried about the east castle wall and how much digging could be done beneath it.

  Of course she wanted things to be safe in her new catacombs.

  Jamie planted a finger on the castle grounds. “What about this?”

  Claudia leaned in and squinted. It was the old gardens. They lay to the northwest side of the castle and down a terraced slope. “This was once quite splendid. My roses had a hard time growing in the chill and the water fountains kept breaking down. And then I got distracted by my catacomb project.”

  “It’s already yours,” Jamie said. “I sense your reluctance to spend too much on this, but it won’t take much to spruce the gardens up. When I went down there I saw it was overgrown with weeds but otherwise it’s perfect.”

  “When did you go down to the gardens?”

  “Yesterday. I hadn’t known of your plans for the park. But it seems perfect, now that I think about it.”

  “Fixing it up won’t be as cheap as you imagine.”

  “It will barely cost you anything. You don’t have to plant roses and the fountains can be kept dry. Just the space alone is what’s important, isn’t it? And imagine how your people will feel seeing how you’re willing to give them a part of your own castle for their enjoyment.”

  She couldn’t tell if his tone was meant to be flattering. He was almost sounding like his brother Angel.

  He continued. “All you need to do is to have the lower garden gates opened. Dawn to dusk is reasonable.”

  “I’d have to post guards.”

  “A simple fence would keep the park separate from the castle grounds. You have guards on the wall already. Just extend their patrol so they can see the lower terrace. The fel already keep up the north-side park for free. They’ll do the same here. And you get the north shore for your expansion without any hard feelings.”

  Jamie gave her a dimpled smile.

  Claudia circled the table. “They’ll have to cross the city to come here. It will entrench in their minds the idea that Diregloom will remain open to them after dark as they return home.”

  “Your lifting the curfew has made your people happy, surely. Were you intending to reinstate it?”

  “I haven’t decided. But Jamie, you don’t know the fel or my city. This park will bring more of them out of the slums and I’ll hear of it from the shop owners who maintain strictly pureblood clientele.”

  “You keep fel staff. Your fel steward Rochus carries out high-level responsibilities unheard of in any of the mainland courts. If my idea doesn’t work, then fine. This isn’t the only solution. I’m sure other things might make themselves apparent if I’m allowed to inquire of property owners and you tell me what your budget is for this. But opening the gardens would allow you to move forward without delay.”

  She tried not to smile. “Appealing to my heart, my dear. Perhaps our blood is one. Very well. I’ll grant permission for the project with the stipulation that the lower gardens will be a temporary park provided for fel and pureblood use. I’ll place you in charge to supervise. My people need their distractions from their toil. But a map only tells so much of the story. You’ll want to go out in the city and see some of these properties for yourself. Perhaps other opportunities will be revealed for parks more convenient for those on the east side.”

  “Of course. I’m happy to be of service, Aunt Claudia.”

  “You’d like a place here with me?”

  The question appeared to confuse him.

  She snapped her fingers to focus his attention. “I loved your brother and I love you. But I only want you here if your heart’s in it. My city always balances on the precipice of failure. Too many houses on the mainland would thrill to see me fail, not the least being your Uncle Tito. They let me rule my nothing island and I turned it into what it is without any help from them. But I’m not so desperate for allies that I’ll be a nursemaid to you or any other of my many nieces and nephews.”

  “I’m not a child. I want to help.”

  “Oh, goody! That’s what I wanted to hear. Perhaps tonight you could even write your father and mother. Let them know you have an official role in my court.”

  “You don’t hold court here.”

  “Not yet, anyway. But perhaps as Loom Island’s prominence grows, th
e highest of nobles will visit to take audience with me and not just come for the city’s pleasures. But we’ll have to assign you an appropriate title. How about chamberlain? We’ll call the park a trial run for your future duties.”

  He was sweating and gave an awkward bow of his head. “But my father...”

  “Will undoubtedly object. How will you handle this, I wonder? Pen your letter. He’ll need to know you’re on a better track for social mobility than anything a count who presides over grape fields has to offer. Let me read it when you’re through. I know a thing or two about writing words to family for maximum effect.”

  “You’d like me to do that now?”

  “Yes, yes. Off with you. If you write quickly and well, I propose a reward. What do you say we plan a night out to celebrate?”

  Chapter Sixteen

  AS DIGGER EMERGED FROM the cellar he had Isabel, Sofia, and Monty waiting for him. Sofia wielded a butcher knife while Monty had a mop ready to swing. Isabel held up a lamp and peered past him.

  “Don’t scare them,” Digger said. “The girl’s back. The trolls are fed and happy.”

  Lady Sofia looked like she wanted to stab someone. “For how long?”

  “Until they next need some fish, I guess.”

  “They’re going to tear this place down.”

  “Not this minute they’re not. As long as they get their fish and Vinca stays put, the trolls won’t be a problem.”

  “But they are a problem. Where’s the ogre?”

  “I don’t know. Vinca says he wanted to take a look at some theater and hasn’t returned. I need to go and find him. I want those trolls out of here too, Sofia. Let me see if I can find Hellard.”

  Isabel looked alarmed. “Wait a minute. What about your ‘package’ you left on my property? You can’t leave that there. The city watch was already by once. It’ll be a miracle if no one called them after the racket those monsters made.”

  “What’s she talking about? What package?” Monty asked.