“Ah, little Forscewnix,” she drawled, “just what have you been up to? I came as soon as I heard what the Mayor had done.” She presented the cake. “Look what I’ve made for you!” She handed the cake over to Nix and then looked at me in a meaningful way. “You know, Stephen,” she began, “I’ve read a lot of your human old-fashioned detective stories in my time. I quite enjoy them. All those chases and daring escapes!” She emphasised the last word, winked at me and then glanced at the cake.
With a sharp intake of breath, I suddenly divined what she endeavored to tell me. I nodded fractionally and winked back at her. She smiled at me and told the guards, “Okay, that’s enough for now. I don’t want to keep you too long because I know you go off shift in about ten minutes.” She turned to us and said, “Try to behave yourself, you lot! And don’t make too much noise. The guard’s room is just four doors down from here and you shouldn’t be disturbing them during their meal.” Then she stalked off, with the guard hurrying after her.
You amazingly devious old lady, I thought to myself, speechless with admiration at her cleverness. Chuckling to myself, I went over to where Nix was reverently holding the cake and took it from his protesting hands.
“What are you doing?” he wanted to know.
“I think your mother is an extraordinary woman,” I praised. “If I’m right, she has just given us the means to escape.”
“She has?” Thorn asked, in a puzzled voice. “With a cake?”
“I’ll know for certain in a minute,” I pronounced, digging into the cake with my fingers, generating an expression of affronted horror from Nix. I rummaged around for a few sticky seconds and then found exactly what I had hoped to find. Carefully, I drew out a large metal object from the cake’s innards.
“What the devil is that?” Nix gasped. “And what is it doing in my mother’s cake?”
“This, my dear Nix,” I explained, “is a file.”
“I can see that now,” he commented, “but why would she bake it into a cake?”
“Because she’s a very cunning goblin,” I stated. “We can use it to file through the bars. It’s a very old and trite method of escape in human stories. It wouldn’t have worked in my world because everybody knows the trick, but here …….. well, that’s a whole different story. Plus, she also informed us that one lot of guards is going home, and the second lot will be preoccupied with their meal, so that gives us a fair bit of leeway. Just don’t make too much noise because, thanks to your mother once again, we know the guard house is only four doors away.”
Using torn strips of cloth to muffle the sounds, we managed to saw through two of the cell door bars – enough for us all to squeeze through. We tiptoed along the corridor and sidled past the guard room.
“What now?” hissed Nix, as we exited the building.
“We have to find the Crystals,” I said, determinedly. “They’re probably stashed somewhere in the Mayor’s house. Someone as paranoid as he is wouldn’t trust them to anyone else.”
“Okay then,” Nix agreed, “let’s go.”
By creeping along darkened backstreets, we arrived at the Mayor’s residence without detection. Two guards were stationed at the door, so I led our little troop around to the rear of the building where I found a convenient window half open.
“This is our entrance,” I whispered.
“We’re using a window?” Thorn exclaimed, horrified at yet another breach of etiquette on my part.
“Unless you can think of some other way?” I asked her. “Thorn, the man had us thrown into jail! He’s one of the main protagonists in the theft of your Crystals. This is no time to be squeamish.”
“It just doesn’t feel right,” she protested, as she pulled herself through the window. “I feel dirty.”
“You can always have a bath later,” I quipped, facetiously.
“That’s not what I meant,” she complained.
“I know,” I informed her. “I was trying to lighten the mood with a little humor.”
“A swing and a definite miss,” Nix chortled.
“Well, you can’t win them all,” I conceded, listening for any activity in the building, but finding none. “This way,” I commanded, leading the way out of the room. I halted in the outside corridor and whispered to Nix, “Where do you suppose the Mayor’s bedroom would be? I think he’d want the Crystals as close to him as possible.”
“Most of our houses have the same design,” he whispered back, “so the bedroom should be on the second floor. Follow me.”
We grouped behind Nix as he made his careful way up the staircase to the second floor. He stopped beside a closed door and motioned us forward. “This is probably it,” he mouthed.
“Right,” I breathed, as I carefully, and oh, so slowly, opened the door.
The room had the appearance of being richly furnished – a major contrast to Nix’s house – and in the middle of it all stood a huge bed, topped by the obese bulk of the Mayor who occupied his time by snoring like a sawmill. Fanning out, we began to search for the Crystals but, after some little time, we came up empty-handed.
“Maybe they aren’t here,” Thorn whispered as we regrouped.
“Maybe,” I said, a crushing sense of disappointment sitting on my shoulders.
“There’s one place we have searched yet,” Nix told us.
“Where’s that?” I asked.
“I remember you saying that he’d keep the crystals close to him,” Nix murmured, “and what closer place could there be but under the bed?”
“Go to the top of the class, that man!” I praised in an undertone. “Thorn, have a look, will you? You’re the slimmest of us all.”
Thorn tiptoed across the room, crouched down, and slid under the bed. A few seconds later she merged, shedding dust, but dragging a small parcel behind her. She grinned up at us in triumph as Nix hauled her to her feet.
“Is it the Crystals?” Nix excitedly asked.
“We can’t tell yet,” I said, eyeing the locks that festooned the box. “It certainly seems to be the same box as your friend described. We can examine it later. Let’s get out of here first.”
Chapter 24
We beat a hasty retreat from the Mayor’s house and made our way out of town. We didn’t stop until we were well away from any signs of civilisation. Panting, we stopped for a breather.
“Do we check for the Crystals now?” Thorn asked.
“We’d better,” I agreed. “It’d be rather ironic, wouldn’t it, if after everything we’ve been through, these weren’t the Crystals after all.”
“Don’t even think that!” Thorn decreed. “I don’t want to have to go through all that again!”
“Well, let’s see,” I said, turning the box over in my hands. The locks didn’t appear to be very sophisticated, which wasn’t all that surprising in a society built on trust. I sighed inwardly as I began to pick the locks with a dagger that Nix had given to me. I’m probably teaching these two unquestioning individuals all sorts of disreputable and wicked ways, I thought, sadly. Would they ever go back to being the innocent and credulous members of society they were before they met me? I very much doubted it. But, on the brighter side, hopefully they wouldn’t be as gullible as they used to be, either. A healthy helping of cynicism isn’t a bad thing. It helps you to see the world as it really is. Anyway, that was my theory and I was sticking to it.
Finally, with all the locks unlocked, I carefully opened the lid. Thorn and Nix looked eagerly over my shoulder as my eyes beheld a scintillating rainbow of colors emanating from the box’s interior. “Is that them?” I asked, turning my head to look at Thorn.
“Oh yes,” she breathed, ecstatically. “That’s the Crystals sure enough. Aren’t they beautiful?”
“They surely are,” I murmured.
“Agreed,” Nix confirmed, his eyes wide with astonishment. “They’re fantastic! I think I’ll steal them for myself.” I looked up at Thorn’s horrified expression.
“That was a joke,”
Nix muttered, sheepishly.
“A swing and the Mother of all Misses,” I gleefully proclaimed.
I resealed the box and we continued on our way back to the settlement. We were nearly there when a platoon of guards, headed by the corpulent Fink, intercepted us.
“Well, well,” Fink sneered, “and what have we here? I think I see two criminals and a stinking borgulessa.” He strutted up and down self-importantly in front of his contingent of guards. “And what else do I see?” he asked, rhetorically. “I think I see a box of Crystals, stolen from this very settlement.” He stared belligerently at us. “Would you care to explain how you came to be in possession of the said Crystals?”
“How could you possibly know we have the Crystals?” I snapped, searchingly. “Only four people knew that – myself, my two friends here and the goblin Mayor.” I stared at him accusingly. “So tell me, Fink, how do you happen to know?”
He stared at me, mouth open. “Well I ……… that is to say ……. I guessed it,” he eventually offered, lamely.
“You guessed it?” I snorted, scornfully. “You?” I laughed in his face at the absurdity of his statement. “Come on, Fink, you can invent a better lie than that, can’t you? Do you seriously expect us to believe that you, with the brains of a dung beetle, worked it out? What do you take us for? You’re lucky to be able to even dress yourself in the morning.”
Fink, by this time, was practically frothing at the mouth. His guards began giving him curious and thoughtful looks. I decided on a direct approach.
“Let me guess,” I said, sweetly. “The Mayor ordered you out here, didn’t he? He sent for you and he said, ‘Fink, take some guards and stand at the settlement entrance. There’ll be two fairies and a goblin coming along soon and they’ll be carrying our missing Crystals. I want them arrested and the Crystals brought to me.’ Come on, Fink, be honest, that’s what he said, wasn’t it?”
The Chief Security Officer stared at me, eyes bulging in disbelief. “How did you know …….?” he spluttered, slamming his hand over his mouth before he could complete the sentence.
“…. what he said?” I smiled, finishing Fink’s sentence for him. “I know because the Mayor of the settlement and the goblin Mayor are the ones who planned the whole thing in the first place. There’s a certain crystal seller in the settlement who could probably tell you more.”
“What!” Fink yelled. “Don’t be ridiculous! The One would never have anything to do with the borgulessa! It’s unthinkable!”
“Oh, I don’t think it’s as unthinkable as all that,” I asserted. “Thorn, Nix and I all heard the goblin Mayor say that he had a certain ……. ‘arrangement’ with your Mayor.” Thorn and Nix nodded their heads in agreement at my statement.
“Shut your filthy mouth!” Fink screamed in fury. “The Mayor would never consort with the borgulessa!”
“Are you calling me a liar?” Thorn immediately blazed, her hand on her sword. “The word of a One is beyond reproach! I’d advise you to think very carefully, Fringapellumna, before you say anything else. I was there! I heard the borgulessa Mayor say exactly that! There is a connection between the two of them.”
Fink was speechless with rage and doubt. I could see he had trouble with the concept of the Mayor being a traitor. Undoubtedly, such a notion would never have crossed his mind before. His guards looked at each other in confusion, and milled around uncertainly. I began to relax a little. Having planted the seeds of suspicion, all we had to do was to sit back and watch them grow.
“Even if what you say is true,” Fink finally manage to splutter, indicating Nix, “what’s the meaning of this disgusting borgulessa? Why are you consorting with the enemy?”
“First of all,” Nix replied calmly, “I’m not your enemy. Oh, I used to think that all fairies were parasites. I hated the way you pranced around as if you were the Lords of Creation, but I know better now, thanks to Arugohumna. She taught me that, underneath it all, we’re not all that different from each other. I have a mother who loves me and who put herself into considerable danger to rescue me from the Mayor’s dungeon. I have three sisters I care for more than life itself. And I know evil when I come across it, and this plan of both our Mayors to cause trouble between our races, is evil. I’m not your enemy. We can be friends if you let me.”
“Friends?” Fink shrieked. “Are you out of your mind? You borgulessa killed my parents, and you want me to be your friend?!”
“And you fairies killed my father,” Nix replied in a frigid voice, “just because he happened to be in the same area at the time, so spare me your hypocritical ranting. We’ve both lost loved ones in stupid, wasteful vendettas. Let’s just start again. I don’t want to see my sisters, or my mother, killed in the same way.”
Fink was mentally struggling. I could see perspiration beading on his face as he regurgitated and chewed over our life-changing ideas. His guards, too, were in total disarray. I knew that most of them realised the futility of what they were doing, but were undecided about what to do next.
“Do you really have the Crystals?” Fink finally managed to articulate.
“Yes, we do,” I confirmed.
“And did you really take them from the borgulessa Mayor?” he further enquired.
“Yes, we did,” I said.
“And did the Mayor really say what you told me,” Fink anguished.
“Yes, he really did,” I told him, sympathetically. I stepped over to Fink’s side and put an understanding hand on his shoulder. “I know this is hard for you,” I told him. “I think you’re a person who believes in Authority, but now you have to face the fact that Authority has been using you for its own ends. I’m sorry, Fink, but that’s how it is. What you do next is up to you. Do you do what you know is right, or do you simply take cowardly refuge in what you used to believe?”
Fink looked at me with tortured eyes. “I hate you!” he croaked. “You’ve turned my life upside down! What am I supposed to do now? You’ve destroyed everything I believed in!”
“Start a new life,” I advised, compassionately. “Believe new things. You can do it. Despite everything, you have a hidden strength.”
Fink jerked away from me. “Why would the Mayor do this?” he shouted in anguish. “What possible motive could he have?”
I shrugged. “The lure of power, I suppose,” I said. “With an emergency declaration in place, his rule would be absolute.”
“Yes, it would,” Fink agreed. “Damn it to hell!” He stayed silent for a few moments, then he straightened up and sighed. “Very well, it’s all or nothing.” He turned to the guards who were scattered around in ragged groups, arguing with each other. “Listen up, you lot!” he yelled. “Get back into formation! We’re going to see the Mayor and clear this whole mess up once and for all.”
Chapter 25
The Mayor prevaricated and blustered under our questioning, but was so obviously guilty that even Thorn could see it. He finally admitted to ordering the fourth crystal seller to leave the goblin belt at the scene of the crime, thus clearing up that little mystery. Fink marched the Mayor off to jail while Thorn, Nix and I presented the Crystals to the Elders and received their heartfelt thanks. They promoted me to an honorary One and assured me of a welcome any time I visited. Nix was offered any reward he cared to name but astounded everyone by saying that all he wanted was peace between the two races. The Elders promised to establish a working relationship between the two communities and we left, basking in a glow of respect and admiration from all and sundry.
“Well, what now?” Nix asked.
“Now we celebrate,” Thorn replied, “but first, I have to see my sister and tell her that I’m still in one piece.”
We congregated in Thorn’s house and Tracey, all smiles and blushes, fluttered down to meet us. She looked as gorgeous as ever and I could see that even Nix was taken with her. She sat us down around a tray of refreshments and insisted on hearing the whole story. We took it in turns to relate what had happened, with Tr
acey gasping in fright on several occasions during the tale. Finally, we finished telling our story and Tracey went over to Nix, kissed him chastely on the cheek and thanked him for his role in saving her sister. Nix, I noticed with amusement, began flushing from Tracey’s display of gratitude. After some more desultory small talk, Nix insisted that he had to go.
“I have a feeling that I’ll be needed as a negotiator back home,” he told us. “Now that our two races are more friendly, there’ll be more opportunities for misunderstandings, so I’d better be there to straighten them out.” He shook hands with me, and hugged Thorn. He winked at Tracey and left, but not before saying to Thorn that she’d better visit him soon, or else! Thorn laughed, and promised to visit at the first available opportunity. We stood outside on the street and waved at him until he disappeared around a corner.
Back in the house, Tracey gave me a melting look. “I haven’t thanked you yet, Stephen,” she purred.
“Oh, no you don’t!” Thorn declared, pushing herself between us. “Traculimna, please behave yourself.”
“I am behaving myself,” Tracey declared, unsuccessfully trying to dodge around Thorn.
“No, you’re not,” Thorn disagreed, effectively blocking Tracey’s sidestep. “Leave Stephen alone!”
“I don’t mind,” I protested.
“Yes, you do,” Thorn snapped.
“No, he doesn’t,” Tracey contradicted, trying to evade Thorn from the other side.
“I don’t, really,” I inveigled.
“Stay out of this!” Thorn demanded.
“Stop being such a selfish pig, Arugohumna,” Tracey commanded. “I only want to thank him for everything he’s done.”
“I know what your ‘thank you’ entails all too well, Traculimna,” Thorn disputed, “and I won’t have you giving it to Stephen.”
Crystal Thief (1) (The Underground Kingdom) Page 9
