Grizelda

by Margaret Taylor

  There were a few shreds of paper hanging next to the back door where some posters had been torn down and ground into the slush below. She stopped, bent and peeled one of them back.

  “Remember Gendarme Phillips,” it read. “Massacred in the line of duty defending the Republic from Auks and sorcery.”

  She moved on.

  Grizelda descended the stairs to the door carefully, not wanting to slip on the ice. She hesitated a moment before knocking on the corroded metal door. What if they didn’t want her? What if they found out she was a witch, like the government had, and threw her out? Well, they weren’t about to find out, that was all. She knocked.

  The noise of the reverberations made her heart skip a beat. For a few panicky seconds she waited for somebody on the street to hear it and come take her, but nothing happened. She knocked again, more softly.

  All at once the door flung open and a dark-haired youth grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her inside. He pinned her against the wall of a landing, jamming his elbow into her neck.

  “What do you want?”

  Gasping, she cast about with her eyes over the boy’s shoulder, looking for Kricker. He had the pointed end of his lantern stick aimed at the boy’s ankles, tensed and waiting for Grizelda’s cue.

  “I said, what do you want?” He ground his elbow deeper.

  “I’m a friend. I promise, I’m a friend. Toby sent me.”

  He looked down at her, and Grizelda thought he was studiously avoiding betraying anything with his expression.

  “Maybe,” he said.

  “I’m a friend of Toby’s. Please.”

  He turned his head. “Bourgeois!” he called down the stairs. “Come up here!”

  There was a clatter, then Toby crested the top of the stairs, limbs flailing.

  “Grizelda!”

  They stared at each other.

  “I came to tell you I’m in,” she said.

  The dark-haired one relaxed his grip, let her step away from the wall. “You know her, then?”

  “That’s Grizelda. She’s the one I was talking about.”

  A little gruffly, the boy held out his hand. “Me name’s Mitchell.”

  Rubbing her neck, she accepted the handshake. Kricker, she noticed, had wisely disappeared.

  “I’m so sorry, Griz,” Toby said. “We’ve all been– We’ve just all been kind of paranoid since yesterday. It’s almost midnight, so we were about to break up, but that’s okay. They’ll all be wanting to see you.”

  Almost midnight? she thought, as Toby led her down the stairs, Mitchell bringing up the rear. But the work shift had only just ended when she left the goblin city. It should have been early evening. She’d been underground so long she’d lost track of day and night.

  Toby opened the door at the base of the stairs to a basement room where a handful of young people sat around in a circle on upturned crates of tinned fruit. They looked up at her suspiciously as she came in. Most of them were about Grizelda’s age, but they ranged from children to those like Mitchell who were almost adults. Except for Toby, they all had the scruffy look of Lonnes’s working poor: a few unstitched hems here, a smudge on the neck there.

  When Toby announced that she was Grizelda of the sewer episode, they all started to spring up and greet her.

  “Pleased to meet you, Grizelda.”

  “Toby’s told us all about you!”

  “We really appreciate what you did for him. Really.”

  She hung back, a little stunned, but Toby dragged her forward into the center of a barrage of handshakes and names and faces, so many that Grizelda was sure she’d never be able to match them together.

  “Long live the Republic, eh, Grizelda?”

  “Glad to have another girl on board. My name’s Solander. I work for the hall upstairs.”

  As soon as she managed to squeeze a word in edgewise, she apologized for being late.

  “You’re one of the ones who has to sneak around to get here, then?”

  One of the older boys stepped forward. He might have been about seventeen. There was such a confidence in his bearing, though, that Grizelda would have guessed as high as twenty-five.

  “Katarin’s parents don’t like us, and Toby’s parents didn’t.” There was something left unsaid in the way he said didn’t. “At any rate, it’s quite all right. My name’s Jamin. I’m marginally in charge here.” He shook her hand.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Grizelda said. “I’m– I’m honored.”

  “He’s the founder,” Solander cut in.

  Jamin shrugged it off. “Welcome to the Lonnes Underground. We all thank you for rescuing Toby.”

  Grizelda felt herself flush. “Er– what’s he going to do now? Is he in hiding?”

  “Yeah. He’s keeping low at my place until the gendarmes get off his tail.”

  “Toby’s parents realized which way the wind was blowing and decided to leave the country,” said Stevry, a dark-skinned boy leaning at ease against a crate. “One at a time, so the cops wouldn’t notice. His mom and dad got over the border okay, but he and his grandpa were still here when they raided the house. So now Toby’s waiting here until we can figure out how to get him to Salinaca.”

  “I’m not leaving, all right?” Toby said. He crossed his arms like someone who had been through this argument many times before.

  “Yes, you are, Bourgeois,” said Jamin. “I promised Mr. Dunnag I wouldn’t let you come to danger.”

  The Underground kids looked down.

  “He got caught, didn’t he?” said Grizelda.

  Toby nodded. He swallowed, raked the hair out of his eyes. “I swear, I’m not leaving this place until the Committees are overthrown!”

  Solander gave him a quick, pitying look. Toby didn’t notice.

  “I’m not sure how much Toby told you about us,” she said. “Probably not much, it isn’t safe. There’s just not much we can do. We talk politics. Sometimes we paint on a building or two.”

  “We wrote those pamphlets, remember?” said a younger one. “Mitchell’s got his own typewriter.”

  Something thumped overhead. All conversation cut off, and they waited, heads turned to the cellar door. A few long seconds later, the normal creak of the floorboards as people walked overhead resumed.

  Solander sighed. “The thing is,” she said, “I hope you weren’t expecting to do very much. We can’t even get everybody to come to meetings. Especially not now.”

  Grizelda looked at her, confused. Everybody else seemed to know what Solander was talking about. In fact, they were starting to give her funny looks.

  “Haven’t you heard?” Solander said. “A gendarme killed a child in the Liberty District. They’re saying that the mob killed him with shoemaker’s tools. At least, that’s what the government’s saying. The Committees of Public Safety are really cracking down now.”

  For the first time, Grizelda sat down. She felt like all the blood had drained out of her head. It was getting worse. How much had she missed, insulated from all the news down in Goblin Town?

  “We’ve got to do something,” Toby said. “It’s getting worse and worse. The Committees are taking over the Republic and turning it into a police state. They’re not just targeting sorcerers now, but honest people, too.” Grizelda looked at the floor. “When are we not going to take it anymore?”

  Some of the kids shifted noncommittally; Stevry rolled his eyes.

  Slowly it dawned on her. People like her had done something terrible; they’d helped the Auks eat people in exchange for not getting eaten themselves. But it hadn’t been her. It had all ended when she was only three years old. She looked at all those kids sitting around on crates in a basement. They weren’t organized, but they could do something. Maybe if she, a witch, did something good for Corvain, maybe she could make it okay.

  “Let’s free all the prisoners in Promontory,” Grizelda said quietly.

  For a minute, her statement didn’t even sink in. Then they were all starin
g at her like she was crazy. She wasn’t entirely sure she wasn’t crazy either. It felt like she’d been taken under by a spell, one that made her brave. Or maybe it was reckless. But she couldn’t stop talking now.

  “Toby, your grandpa’s in there, right? Maybe he’s still alive. And how many of you know someone who’s been arrested?”

  Four or five hands rose up.

  “Maybe it’s time to take them back.”

  “Girl, nobody escapes from Promontory,” said Mitchell.

  “I did.” And then pulled off her headscarf, letting her gray hair fall out. She couldn’t tell the truth, not quite, but she could tell them something near to it.

  “I got framed as a witch because of this–” She jabbed a finger at it. “I got sent to Promontory, but I escaped. Even they think nobody escapes. But there’s holes in Promontory. I’ve seen them.”

  Jamin started pushing together a couple of crates to make a makeshift table. “Have you got any details you can tell us, Grizelda?”

  Chapter 18

  “What was that?”

  Kricker was furious with Grizelda on the way home. He kept driving his rat in front of her and tripping her up, demanding answers. Over and over she gave him the same replies to the same questions, and each time she was finding it harder to keep calm.

  “I have to do this, Kricker. It’s really important.”

  “You promised Geddy you wouldn’t go up there again!”

  “I know. It’s just … I have to do this.”

  She looked ahead, where the lights of the goblin city center were still just a faint glimmer in the distance. There was still a long trudge to come through the dead, shut-down part of the city before she could fall into her bed and pass out for a few hours.

  Kricker stormed behind her. “You’re going to get hurt.”

  But Grizelda wasn’t listening anymore.

  “Did you see that?” she said.

  She froze, head stretched out, peering into the alley dimness ahead of her. She could have sworn she saw something move there a moment ago. For several seconds, everything was still. She had just enough time to start to panic. Not here, not now, when there were no other goblins to be witnesses… Then a pair of hands grabbed her at the waist from behind.

  She screamed, twisting around, beating pointlessly at the shape that was behind her. Then it yelled in pain and let go.

  She stumbled back to the far wall and came face-to-face with a goblin, clutching his ankle and cursing. The spy. Kricker was nowhere to be seen, but she knew he must be nearby.

  “Who are you?” she said shakily.

  “Who I am is my own business.” He rubbed his ankle, then gingerly he set his foot down.

  Grizelda knew she should run away – now. She took a few steps backwards to the mouth of the alley. Her feet seemed leaden, unwilling to take her. She stopped and looked at him.

  “What is it you want? Why are you following me?”

  “What I want is for you to know we’re keeping tabs on you,” he said.

  “Are you with Miner Nelin?”

  “No. Not that I mind his policies, but…” The goblin waved it away and gave her a crocodile grin. Then his look darkened. “You put in a mysterious order for ‘pretty paper.’ You sneak out of town in the evening and don’t come back until the middle of the night. You’d better watch out, or else we’ll think you’re breaking the law.”

  Grizelda took a few more steps backwards. She took a deep breath, preparing herself.

  “Breaking the law? I broke the law a long time ago.”

  Then she reached out to the shadows and let them envelop her. The goblin blinked, looked up and down the alley. He called out, as if she would answer. Then there was a flash of Kricker’s orange hair and he seized his other ankle with a cry.

  Meanwhile, Grizelda was sliding around behind him to the alley mouth, treading lightly. As soon as she got clear she broke into a run, her footsteps loud in the surrounding darkness.

  When Mant and Mr. Paxon shook hands, the inspector’s grip was quite firm – a little more firm than was considered friendly. Mant tried to smile politely and invited the inspector from the Committees of Public Safety into his office. As soon as Paxon had let go, he surreptitiously wrung out his hand.

  “Thank you for the guided tour of Promontory,” said Paxon as he sat down. “It was quite thorough and informative.”

  “Well, I only hope it will make a positive impression with the Republic.” Mant laughed nervously.

  “One question,” said Paxon, steepling his fingers the same way Lieutenant Calding did whenever he was pleased about something. “I wonder how Promontory is going to deal with the organizational issues it’s been having.”

  “We plan to do a complete redesign of the records room, sir,” said Mant.

  His answer seemed to be satisfactory to the inspector. He nodded, then leaned forward conspiratorially.

  “One of your lieutenants has approached me – on condition of anonymity, mind you – he has told me something that would be disastrous for the prison if true. That one of your prisoners has simply … disappeared.”

  Mant felt himself going pale. Who could have done it? Anderson? No, he’d just said it was a lieutenant. Could it be – no, he must be going paranoid.

  The inspector seemed to be expecting an answer. When he didn’t get one, he pressed forward.

  “Is this true?”

  “No,” Mant managed.

  Paxon made a hmm that Mant had difficulty interpreting. “If it were, it would be something quite unprecedented in the history of the prison. The cells were built underground. That was the whole point. I’d hate to see you be the first to lose track of a prisoner, Warden.”

  “Of course,” said Mant.

  “That said, we would like you to keep a good eye on security. We’ll be needing it after the killing and all.”

  They got up and parted with a handshake, but Mant felt sick to his stomach.

  Chapter 19

  “Hello?”

  Grizelda stood on the floor of the ratrider cave, her arms loaded with miniature clothes. It was just after the end of the workday. As soon as the bell had rung, she had practically flown out of the laundry room, causing Crome to give her a sharp look. She didn’t care. She’d retraced the steps of her ratrider guide carefully and managed to arrive at their grotto without making any wrong turns. And now there was nobody here.

  The lights to the ratrider’s homes were all dimmed and there wasn’t a single one of the pixies to be seen. She was beginning to wonder if she had gotten the time wrong when Geddy appeared, standing on one of the rope bridges at her eye level.

  “Hey, there, Grizelda. What brings you here?”

  She looked down. “Geddy, I know you’re going to be really mad at me. But last night, I went up to the surface again.”

  “You shouldn’t have done that!”

  “They’re revolutionaries, Geddy,” she pleaded with him. “Revolutionaries. You read the books, you know what it’s like up there. Something’s gone wrong with the Republic and now people are disappearing in the middle of the night. This is really important.”

  As she spoke, the lights on the ratrider houses were blinking on. The ratriders were coming out of their homes to listen to her. First Kricker, then Tunya, then the others, until the web of bridges was crowded with their colorful forms.

  Grizelda realized they were there with a start. She hurried to set the bundle of clothes down in front of her. “I brought these for you,” she said. “They’re all stitched up tight now, see?”

  She backed away, allowing the ratriders to come down and inspect her work. They passed them around between them, making sounds of approval.

  “These three ratriders, Kricker, Tunya, and Geddy, they saved my life,” she said. “But the other people in Promontory aren’t so lucky. They rot to death in that dungeon or they get taken up to the firing squad. Some friends and I want to set them all free.”

  Kricker gave her a sh
arp look. He knew what she was talking about. She only hoped to Heaven he wouldn’t tell until she’d had the chance to tell the story her own way.

  “Grizelda, do you realize what you’re doing?” said Geddy.

  “Yes, I do,” she said. “I know it’ll be dangerous. But it’s worth it.” She turned to the others. “So will you help us?”

  One ratrider raised his hand. “I will.” Some of the others followed suit and volunteered, but others hung back and didn’t say anything. Kricker was one of the ones who volunteered. Tunya was not.

  “Please, Tunya,” she said.

  She snuck a look at Kricker, then huffed. “Oh, all right.”

  “I really don’t think this is wise,” Geddy said. “But if you’re going to do it, I’ll come, too. To keep an eye on you.”

  “Thank you.” She looked up at all of the ratriders assembled on their rope bridges, watching her. “Thank you, all of you. I need you to show me to the secret exit out of Lonnes. And you can act as lookouts and spread the alarm. You can move fast if you’re on the bats–”

  “You never said anything about bats!” Kricker said.

  “I haven’t actually gone to Laricia yet,” she said. “I’m going to right now. I’m sure she’ll say yes.”

  Geddy shook his head. “You’ll never get Laricia to cooperate with you.”

  Kricker had gone white. He looked from Grizelda to Geddy. “Geddy, you’re right. Grizzy, that lady’s crazy! Out of her mind. A few screws loose, don’t you understand?”

  Tunya looked at him oddly. “Why is this a problem? You afraid of heights or something?”

  “Because it’s a really stupid idea!”

  “Then it ought to be right up your alley.”