The men were still laughing, making jokes to each other about her plight, as they left. For the first time in Lady Cassandra Alderman’s very long life, she found herself very alone, and very afraid of the future.
An aroma of roasting meat lulled Logan away from the dream he was enjoying. As a child, he was running through fields of golden grass, laughing while he playfully hid from his mother.
“Where did my little bean go? Hmmm… now where could he be?” She teased, knowing he could hear her, and also exactly where he had hidden. He bent over, trying to hold back his giggles with tiny hands. Stirring in the dirt, he still wore a smile, as the feel of it swirled on the edge of his thoughts.
The mouthwatering aroma of food stirred Logan from his slumber; something was roasting in the nearby crackling fire. “Mother must have dinner almost ready.” he thought. The feel of rope binding his wrists snapped him out of the fantasy, like a harsh slap in the face by grim reality. Logan’s mother was dead and he did not know where he was, or why he was tied up. Trying to remain as still as possible, he craned his neck to look around from where he had been laid down on the ground under a wool blanket.
A fire was crackling not too far from him, and something did smell wonderful as it cooked, at least that part was not a dream. He could make out that he was no longer in the tight tunnels, the cavern seemed to open high above again, feeling more familiar, like the area back home, except a little more devoid of plant life.
“I see you are awake.” A familiar voice noted. Firm hands shifted his bound body into a sitting position facing the fire and then his captor walked to the opposite side, turning the skewered meat over the flames as they danced across his face.
“Was it all a bad dream?” he asked, hoping the entire surreal experience was something his mind had conjured up.
“I’m afraid not, big brother, though I wish that were the case.” Corbin replied, with an unfamiliar edge of spite lacing his tone.
“I suppose it couldn’t be, if it were a dream, Elise would be here cooking for me.” Logan joked, still not sure what to make of the situation.
“I am here to bring you back home.” Corbin explained with a lack of emotion.
“That’s great for you, but I’m not going.” He casually replied, shifting his arms to try to get some blood circulating into his hands again.
“Well I could always put you back where I found you in the Morpheus Embrace.” Corbin offered the empty threat.
“Oh you’re a regular riot today… why am I tied up?” he countered, not taking his brother’s bluff seriously for one second.
“Sorry Logan, but I cannot risk you running off, there is too much at stake. Besides what were you thinking leaving the palace in the first place?” he exclaimed.
“What was I thinking? Oh, just that dying was not a position I would like to be in. Hmmm… or maybe, I was thinking I would not even be in this mess if my fool of a brother didn’t drag me to Fal in the first place. Oh Logan, we have to warn them. Why, so they could throw me over the wall?!” Logan snapped.
“What did you expect them to do, throw you a parade for stabbing that poor gnome to death?” Corbin yelled back, determined not to back down from him for once.
“You really are something, you know that? Always flapping your gums when you don’t have a clue what you are talking about!” Logan gritted his teeth, wishing he could snap the rope and give the little brat a once over.
“Oh yeah, it’s always everyone else’s fault but your own, same old nonsense. The world’s out to get my big brother, he neeever deserves it.” Corbin replied sarcastically, while turning the spit over the fire again.
“Well I never deserve getting caught, if that’s what you mean.” Logan mumbled under his breath.
“What did you say?” Corbin demanded.
“I said, you can take that spear of yours and stick it up your…” Logan began.
“They are going to excommunicate Riverbell from New Fal.” Corbin flatly cut him off, shutting his brother’s mouth.
“That’s just… that’s… insane… why would they?” Logan was at a loss for words as he tried to wrap his head around the idea, his typical bravado momentarily stemmed.
“The council is saying you killed that man as part of some plot from Riverbell to overthrow the government. Some are saying the attack on the capitol was actually riled up by our people, and if you do not go back, the kingdom may cut ties with Riverbell permanently.” He quickly explained.
“Those dirty bastards.” Logan growled.
“Yep, there you go again, blaming everyone else but yourself again.” Corbin shook his head, disgusted and annoyed at his brother’s indifference.
“You don’t understand, Corbin. This has got to be that sneaky snake Fafnir’s doing, we need to...” Logan tried to tell his brother all he had witnessed, but again was sharply cut off by Corbin’s indignant attitude.
“We? There is no we anymore, there is just me. Me and my people of Riverbell. All my life you have never once had a single nice thing to say about our goodly village, it was always juvenile dreams of making a name for yourself in the capitol…for a “real life”. In just two days you sat at the center of two murders, that’s one for one. So tell me something big brother, how is the real life treating you?” Corbin’s words stung like thorns, and Logan could see the look of hatred in his eyes.
“Corbin, if you just listen to me, I can explain...” Logan softly began.
“No, I’m done listening to your false words. I’ve been listening to them all my life. It’s nothing but a pack of lies, all of it… just excuses to justify why you are so selfish. Are you going to sit there and blame goodly Magistrate Fafnir for all of your problems? An honorable lord, probably the next to sit with the Twelve, is somehow the reason you stabbed that gnome to death? Fafnir who has been nothing but kind to our people in this time of need, bringing gifts, and encouragement to Elise and I, this is where you dare to lay blame?” Logan had never seen Corbin like this before, something had changed, he was normally a calm, reserved man but now he was really getting worked up and sounded like an entirely different person altogether.
“Listen to reason, man.” He tried to calm Corbin.
“Just shut your mouth, in the morning I’m bringing you back to New Fal, and just in time too, with only eight days to spare.” He said.
“So that’s it then, just going to toss your brother to the wolves? My life is that insignificant to you, eh little brother?” Logan somberly replied, seeing even now, reuniting with his brother out here in the wild lands, he was still truly going to be alone for the rest of his life.
“Oh please… when we get there you will be seen in front of the entire council. Arch Councilor Zacharia has promised to see the truth and Riverbell will be freed from suspicion.” Corbin waved away the notion of somehow abandoning his brother by bringing him to justice.
“You will excuse me if I do not share your blind faith in the system.” He snorted derisively at his brother’s naivety.
“Well either way you are going back.” Corbin flatly stated, biting off a hunk of the cooked meat.
“Yeah, probably not…” Logan mischievously replied.
“Didn’t I just tell you to shut your mouth?” Corbin snapped back, just as the tiny frying pan let out a gong, batting across the back of his skull. Corbin spit his food out into the fire, eye’s bulging from their sockets as his body slumped sideways.
Bipp hopped up, down and side to side, doing a happy dance, turning to shake his rump, which to Corbin looked like six gnome rumps waggling at him as the cavern spun around in circles.
“Geez, did you have to hit him so hard?” Logan asked, concerned even though he could not help laughing.
“That’s a strange thing to be worried about when you’re being rescued, ain’t it?” Bipp asked his friend, curious to understand the ways of humans.
“He’s my brother.” Logan explained, turning about so th
e gnome could untie his hands.
“Oh… strange family customs your people have.” Bipp scratched his head pulling the tight knots loose.
“It’s a long story. Grab my pack; we have to get out of here quickly.” Logan urged, rubbing the sore burning skin around his wrists.
Bipp ran back around the fire, hopping over Corbin’s prone groaning body. Snatching the pack, he gave the man another loud thwack on the head for good measure.
“Would ya stop that already?!” Logan scolded, not wanting to see his brother hurt.
“Yeah, yeah, geez, that’s some gratitude yer given me.” Bipp whined, handing him the pack.
“I am eternally grateful to you Bipp, I guess now we are even, eh?” He replied, and then turned to his brother. “Go home Corbin, forget about me. Tell the council I died in a rockslide or something.” Logan nodded his farewell as the companions headed away from the campfire. “How in the blazes did you find me anyhow?” he asked Bipp.
“Well that’s a long story, you see…” the gnome began recounting his tale.
Corbin tried to watch in a daze, as the two moved off into the distance, bickering with each other like an old married couple. “I guess the gnome can be sneaky after all…” he muttered to himself, just before losing consciousness.
“Thank you for your support milady.” Jayne bowed respectfully to Elder Esther Bran.
“You tell Lady Cassandra I’ll be bringing the others by on the ‘morrow, Fafnir will not get his way this time!” Elder Esther vowed with indignation, as her butler opened the door to let the young woman out of the estate.
Following another bow, Jayne stepped out into the cool night air. Shivering, she pulled her trench coat tighter around her waist. Her boots clapped loudly against the cobblestone, ringing in the empty night streets and spreading the swirling low hung fog away from her.
It had only been six hours since Lady Cassandra sent the telepathic command. Yet in that time Jayne had raced around the city, already speaking with three other council members, who were still loyal to the memory of Alan, bless his soul. Madame Esther marked the fourth and that should be enough support to help sway the council’s decision, freeing Cassandra from the awful dungeon cell. On top of that, it had only taken the slightest suggestion from her to have the labor leaders from three of the lower levels rouse up a mob. She imagined right now, on the other side of the city, they were causing quite a fuss, demanding the Lady Cassandra’s release in protest outside of section six.
A water pail rolled loudly into the street from the back of a waste cart Jayne had just walked past, startling her from the reverie. Peering into the empty night, she could see no one was about. Every doorway seemed vacant, and she reasoned that no one would be out for a stroll at this time of night. Flicking her wrist to uncoiling the metal nightstick she carried to protect herself, Jayne slowly crept toward the large bin of trash. Edging in she leaned forward, twisting to see just beyond the low squat container, nervously expecting to have to avoid letting the stalker get a jump on her. Jayne let out a yelp as a small, mangy cat hissed and ran between her legs, frightening her more than if a person had actually been there. She silently cursed herself for letting the stray animal frighten her, and put the weapon away, hoping no one saw the embarrassing exchange through a window.
At least the boost of adrenaline warmed her, giving the extra pep needed to hurry back to Cassandra’s house. The place was so empty and cold without her mentor, and when the lawmen came to take her, they had left such a mess. The house staff was busy getting things back in order, when Jayne found Cassandra’s handmaid, Rosa, on the rooftop garden, weeping over the flowers her master had grown with so much love.
“First Master Alan, now the Lady… what are we to do?” Rosa had sobbed. Jayne comforted her, telling the woman that everything would be fine, and intending to make that a reality, after everything Cassandra had done for her, taking her in off the streets, educating her, giving her a life of meaning, there was no way Jayne would sit by while the corrupt Fafnir...
Her thoughts were cut off, and this time she was sure it was no cat behind her. Something had been shuffling softly against the stone and when she stopped short, it went just a second longer. Jayne started walking again, her boots clicking loudly on the cobblestone and once more, the soft shuffling began. She realized without a doubt that someone was following her! Jayne walked a little faster then stopped with a spin to catch the stalker. As she did so, a shadow slithered into the corner of a nearby building.
Somehow she knew this was not something to face alone, not that she was one to frighten easily, after all she had seen on the streets what more there was to fear really, but she could feel the raw danger permeating off this person, setting off alarms in her head. Jayne could almost smell it in the air like a burning casket had just paraded by. As if in answer to her thoughts, the stalker maliciously grinned at her with gleaming teeth that cut the shadows like a blade.
All her energy was thrown into a pure flight of terror, moving almost in hysteria to escape the pursuer. Jayne raced down the street, fearing to look back, fearing what was in those shadows watching her. Her legs pumped harder and harder, furiously pushing through the night. Jayne was terrified that if she slowed, even in the slightest, the shadow would be there to take her.
Her heart surged with hope, rounding the corner into the alleyway behind Cassandra’s house, when just up ahead the ladder came into view, singing to her of sanctuary. Jayne let out a shrill scream of sheer horror as arms came out from the side of the alleyway and wrapped around her.
“Whoa… calm down, Jaynee!” John announced, quickly pulling back with palms outstretched. He had never seen Jayne react like that in all the times he had snuck up on her over the years. He calmly showed her his palms again, eyeing the nightstick she had flicked open to its full length.
“John Gates, by the Crystal, you scared me half to death.” She reprimanded him. John was a pain in the arse, charming enough at times, but always mooning after her. He would have been the last person she wanted to see even an hour ago, as she obviously did not have time for silly flirtatious games tonight, but at this moment in time he was nothing short of a godsend. Jayne hugged him in relief, using the maneuver to look over his shoulder down the lane.
“Someone was chasing me.” Jayne whispered, not wanting the pursuer to know what she was saying.
John spun around, looking down the narrow path with no tact at all. “I don’t see anyone…”
“Right, well let’s not stay out her like sitting ducks.” She beckoned him to follow her up the ladder.
“Is that one of those strange surface dweller expressions you picked up from Lady C?” John asked, happily getting an eyeful of her perfectly rounded behind.
“Yes it is, now get inside and stop checking me out.” She giggled, shoving him inside the house. Once the door was secured, firmly clicking back in place, she slipped off her trench coat. “What were you doing out there at this time of night, anyhow?” she asked suspiciously.
“Rosa said you went out, and I figured I’d wait until you came back.” He explained, which was normal for the man, he had been trying to court her for some time.
“John, I really do not have time for silly flights of fancy right now, things are dire, and I have to be...”
“I heard all about Lady C and I needed to talk to you right away.” John cut her off before she could finish. She could see he was acting with uncharacteristic seriousness; normally life was a joke to the rich boy.
“I’ve been out gathering support for her all day and night. Tomorrow we are all going to section six to hash out the broader details with Lady Cassandra. Fafnir won’t know what hit him by the time we get through.” Jayne informed, excited by all the backing she had mustered.
“Good, that’s exactly what I wanted to talk to you about. You see, I have a plan, and it’s going to be the icing on the cake.” John was eager to tell her his idea. Jayne smiled at th
e young man, he could be a pompous arrogant spoiled aristocrat, but at this moment she saw him in a whole new light, one she could actually relate to, and instantly decided she liked him better this way.
Listening to his plan, Jayne smiled confidently, it was a good one, and tomorrow it was going to knock the socks off Lady Cassandra.
Chapter 17
Over the hill, nestled in a deep valley ahead, the town of Dudje came into view. It was a wondrous sight to behold, gnome craftsmanship being what it is. Logan gauged that there had to be hundreds of homes nestled in the town and according to Bipp, each household contained dozens of family members living together. Nearby to the west, water foamed high up the face of a wall where a majestic waterfall roared, forming the green serpent river at its base, which cut directly through the valley before snaking northeast. The gnomes had carved a massive face around the deep hole from which the water flowed, giving the illusion of a mighty crowned gnome roaring water from his lips. The waterfall was some way distance from Dudje, but from this vantage point, it could be seen clearly, and at its base, there was a large wooden water wheel slowly spinning in the flowing river.
Bipp explained that his people actually captured energy from the moving water, which they then funneled along the town in lines that were attached to various buildings. This is what gave the place such an amazing presence in the underworld, with lights that were sparkling all along the winding streets. Up and down the river, barges made their way in and out of the trade port, transporting goods to a network of other gnome settlements.
Once the hill dropped into a steep decline, the ground turned into carved steps. This was safer than the shale, which was slick from the spray of the waterfall, which made the air misty, smelling like sea foam and sandalwood, yet still tricky for a big-footed human to manage steps carved for gnomish-sized travelers. The path came right down to the edge of the riverbank, before it cut sharply right, away from the water and into a wide hand carved tunnel sloping under the next hill. Dudje could only be accessed from the south by this route, which they had carefully built to protect their settlement. At the end of the burrow, the ceiling opened back up to the cavern and the walls widened out slightly to the sides. Logan was alarmed to see that overhead sat four armored soldiers, spears pointed down at the pair. From the top of the town wall in front of them, a blue-bearded guard shouted down.
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