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Chapter 29:- A SMALL DISCOVERY
That night, Fair lay on her mat with a feeling of heavy dread in her stomach.
She missed her parents more than ever and wished they were there to protect her, or that Lisper was close by so they could talk like they used to. Or that Sauveren didn’t have to stay at his post next to Pewgen Flype’s desk right then. She tried holding her breath, but she couldn’t concentrate enough to feel any sort of tingling in her finger.
Hale told her earlier that day just how many matternots were in the caves. He said, “You remember that ant hill we found once? And we took a stick and poked into it? . . . all those tunnels?”
She nodded and said, “There were as many ants as stars in the sky, almost.”
“That’s what it’s like down here, Fair,” Hale said, “Matternots that could fill the sky if they were stars.”
It was hard for her to imagine being in an ant tunnel, let alone a star in the company of countless other stars spreading across the sky. Her conversation came to an end when someone touched her. Fella Doon was at her side. He unlocked the bands around her ankles. Fair pulled her feet out of the bands and rubbed her legs.
He whispered, “The door is open. This is your chance. Call your dog to you. Don’t listen to anything I say. When your dog comes, run. Just run.”
“Can my brother come, too?”
“No. He’ll have to find his own way.”
Fair felt incredibly sad inside but knew he was right.
“When?” she asked.
Fella Doon looked over at Pewgen Flype who was unlocking the cage.
“Now.”
Fair whistled as quietly as she could.
Sauveren’s ears pricked and he looked at back at Pewgen Flype. He quietly walked over to Fair.
Fella Doon said, “Up with you, you filthy rat!”
Pewgen Flype looked over his shoulder at Fella Doon and Fair, then turned back to the lock and key.
Fella Doon pulled her up and pretended to roughly pull her towards the center of the room. Fair yanked her arm free and took off running. Sauveren was soon right beside her and she took a hold of his collar.
“Through the door, Sauveren,” she whispered, “Fast!” She kept hold of the collar, flung one leg over, and held on. She had grown much stronger from so much sunshine, food and building that wall. His bouncing hurt her eyes.
Sauveren ran towards the door with Fair as though he were flying. She heard shouts behind them of, “Worthless One is getting away!”
Pewgen Flype turned around and said, “What’s going on?”
Once in the hall, Sauveren zig-zagged through countless winding corridors, until he came upon two closed doors in a long hallway. A dead end. He turned around to run out, just as a painting slid aside on the wall nearby. A door slid open behind where the painting had been.
Harrold King lumbered out, leaning on his scepter.
His hair was wet.
He had been in the chamber of mirrors.
“You,” he said, looking at Fair. “How did you get here?”
“I don’t know where here is,” Fair answered. “Where am I?”
“Don’t you know how you got here?”
She shook her head. All she knew is that she needed to get away, and that she hoped they’d find a way out of Osden Shorn.
“Then you won’t know how you got back to your nice little bed . . . what were you doing? Running away?”
“Yes, your Royal Emminency. I was running away.”
“At least you’re an honest liar. Then how about we keep you right where I can make sure you don’t run away? You are going to squish my grapes from now on. All by yourself. I like to drink the juice from my vineyards. And you will make it,” he emphasized, “All by yourself. And I’m having a very big party next shobbasim—we’ll need more than ever. My, my, you have a lot of work to do.” He repeated himself again, “All by yourself. And you’ll have your very own special Protector to keep watch. I’ll be able to see you from the throne room any time I want to have a peek at how my drink is coming along . . . you’ll like that, won’t you?” He finished with a tone that indicated that she had better like it or not.
Fair didn’t answer.
Harrold King led Sauveren and Fair up and down hallways with a great deal of grunting, panting and waddling until she didn’t know where she was. Sauveren followed right behind.
“I didn’t know you could walk, your Majesty.”
“I take this one little walk every day,” he huffed. He took her back to the cave himself, and flung the door open with a smashing of wood.
“Pewgen Flype!” he yelled, clutching his chest, breathless with his great effort of the day.
Pewgen Flype ran up and bowed with his palms on his thighs. “Supreme Lawgiver,” he groveled.
“What’s the meaning of letting these dogs get loose?” asked Harrold King.
“Sir, she . . .”
“You are removed from your post as of this moment. You shall keep watch in the courtyard of the wine press. You are now in charge of one matternot, and one matternot only. No more. No less. Or is this too much for you?”
“Oh, no sir, most respected king. Who is it?” He cast a glance at Fair.
Harrold King pushed Fair towards Pewgen and said, “Need you ask?”
A long, slow grin spread across Pewgen Flype’s face and he said, “I’ll do my best.” Fair sucked in a lungful of hope mixed with sadness. She wasn’t going to have to stay in the caves any longer. But as she looked around at the matternots she wished they didn’t have to stay behind. She looked for her brother and caught her eye. She mouthed, “Tell them the story.”
He looked more closely at her mouth and shrugged his shoulders, showing he hadn’t understood. Fair tried one more time, “Tell them . . .”
Harrold King looked at Fair and said, “Do you have something you’d like to tell all of us here?” She shook her head. He said, “No really. I’d like to hear it.”
“I was just saying, ‘Tell them the story.’ ”
“What story? You’re as crazy as the Woolly.” Fair hummed a few notes from the tune to her father’s music box. The tune she had put words to while working on the wall. She snuck glances at Hale, Gavden and Fidavine Belle. They looked at each other with knowing glances. Harrold King rolled his eyes at her humming and said, “Oh, and Pewgen . . .”
Pewgen looked at Harrold King. “She’ll sleep in the courtyard. She is not to associate with the other matternots. I hear she has a friend. You’re a failure to have allowed such fraternizing. You’ll report to me after the even meal where you can wash my feet, then return to the cave.” Fair breathed a sigh of relief.
“What about Worthless One?” Pewgen Flype indicated with his head.
“The night watch will be in charge of her until you return to your post every morning.”
Pewgen gritted his teeth and kicked his heels together, kak, kak. “Understood.”
Harrold King turned to leave, “Oh, and Pewgen, don’t let her rest until the juice is up to her thighs. Now get me out of here, Flype. I want you to tend to my feet. They are on fire.”
Pewgen Flype grabbed Fair by the wrist and looked around the cave. “Fella Doon! You’re in charge until I return!”
“Sir!” Fella Doon said with the sound of a hard-stomached Protector. He kicked his heels together, kak! kak! as Pewgen Flype disappeared out the door with Fair and Harrold King.
Fair knew Hale would be alright with Fella Doon in charge, but Hale feared for his sister, feeling helpless to know what to do.
As soon as Harrold King and Pewgen Flype were out the door with Fair in tow, Fella Doon turned to Hale and said, “Lisper, you’re in charge until I get back.”
“But where are you . . .”
Fella Doon ignored his young friend. He unlocked the door that led to the quarry and disappeared. Several hours passed and soon his head poked through the door. He had someone with him.
It was Avran Lamb. He pulled a cart-load of food, and jugs of milk from Lamb’s Tavern behind him.
The wee hoomin gave a loud shout, and Fella Doon immediately shushed them, “Not too loud, or we’ll be found out.”
Lisper said, “But what about all the other wee hoomin in the other chambers?”
“Not to worry my good fellow. Not to worry.”
At that, he turned and snapped his fingers at the door to the quarry tunnel, and in paraded all of Avran Lamb’s cooks and helpers with what seemed like an endless supply of food.
While the food was passed out and the wee hoomin were busy feasting and gorging, Avran Lamb filled a mug with fizzy milk and toasted, “Drinkwater bound!” The matternots smiled. Some of them remembered the long forgotten words, and echoed, “Drinkwater bound!”
He whispered to Fella Doon, “Let’s just sneak ‘em out, like. Hide em somewheres.”
“With so many, there’s no place to hide em without being found out. We wouldn’t want em to take a punishing when they got dragged back, now would we?”
Avran Lamb shook his head. By even meal, every last trace was gone that anything out of the ordinary had happened that afternoon.
That night, Fair lay on her mat with a feeling of heavy dread in her stomach.
She missed her parents more than ever and wished they were there to protect her, or that Lisper was close by so they could talk like they used to. Or that Sauveren didn’t have to stay at his post next to Pewgen Flype’s desk right then. She tried holding her breath, but she couldn’t concentrate enough to feel any sort of tingling in her finger.
Hale told her earlier that day just how many matternots were in the caves. He said, “You remember that ant hill we found once? And we took a stick and poked into it? . . . all those tunnels?”
She nodded and said, “There were as many ants as stars in the sky, almost.”
“That’s what it’s like down here, Fair,” Hale said, “Matternots that could fill the sky if they were stars.”
It was hard for her to imagine being in an ant tunnel, let alone a star in the company of countless other stars spreading across the sky. Her conversation came to an end when someone touched her. Fella Doon was at her side. He unlocked the bands around her ankles. Fair pulled her feet out of the bands and rubbed her legs.
He whispered, “The door is open. This is your chance. Call your dog to you. Don’t listen to anything I say. When your dog comes, run. Just run.”
“Can my brother come, too?”
“No. He’ll have to find his own way.”
Fair felt incredibly sad inside but knew he was right.
“When?” she asked.
Fella Doon looked over at Pewgen Flype who was unlocking the cage.
“Now.”
Fair whistled as quietly as she could.
Sauveren’s ears pricked and he looked at back at Pewgen Flype. He quietly walked over to Fair.
Fella Doon said, “Up with you, you filthy rat!”
Pewgen Flype looked over his shoulder at Fella Doon and Fair, then turned back to the lock and key.
Fella Doon pulled her up and pretended to roughly pull her towards the center of the room. Fair yanked her arm free and took off running. Sauveren was soon right beside her and she took a hold of his collar.
“Through the door, Sauveren,” she whispered, “Fast!” She kept hold of the collar, flung one leg over, and held on. She had grown much stronger from so much sunshine, food and building that wall. His bouncing hurt her eyes.
Sauveren ran towards the door with Fair as though he were flying. She heard shouts behind them of, “Worthless One is getting away!”
Pewgen Flype turned around and said, “What’s going on?”
Once in the hall, Sauveren zig-zagged through countless winding corridors, until he came upon two closed doors in a long hallway. A dead end. He turned around to run out, just as a painting slid aside on the wall nearby. A door slid open behind where the painting had been.
Harrold King lumbered out, leaning on his scepter.
His hair was wet.
He had been in the chamber of mirrors.
“You,” he said, looking at Fair. “How did you get here?”
“I don’t know where here is,” Fair answered. “Where am I?”
“Don’t you know how you got here?”
She shook her head. All she knew is that she needed to get away, and that she hoped they’d find a way out of Osden Shorn.
“Then you won’t know how you got back to your nice little bed . . . what were you doing? Running away?”
“Yes, your Royal Emminency. I was running away.”
“At least you’re an honest liar. Then how about we keep you right where I can make sure you don’t run away? You are going to squish my grapes from now on. All by yourself. I like to drink the juice from my vineyards. And you will make it,” he emphasized, “All by yourself. And I’m having a very big party next shobbasim—we’ll need more than ever. My, my, you have a lot of work to do.” He repeated himself again, “All by yourself. And you’ll have your very own special Protector to keep watch. I’ll be able to see you from the throne room any time I want to have a peek at how my drink is coming along . . . you’ll like that, won’t you?” He finished with a tone that indicated that she had better like it or not.
Fair didn’t answer.
Harrold King led Sauveren and Fair up and down hallways with a great deal of grunting, panting and waddling until she didn’t know where she was. Sauveren followed right behind.
“I didn’t know you could walk, your Majesty.”
“I take this one little walk every day,” he huffed. He took her back to the cave himself, and flung the door open with a smashing of wood.
“Pewgen Flype!” he yelled, clutching his chest, breathless with his great effort of the day.
Pewgen Flype ran up and bowed with his palms on his thighs. “Supreme Lawgiver,” he groveled.
“What’s the meaning of letting these dogs get loose?” asked Harrold King.
“Sir, she . . .”
“You are removed from your post as of this moment. You shall keep watch in the courtyard of the wine press. You are now in charge of one matternot, and one matternot only. No more. No less. Or is this too much for you?”
“Oh, no sir, most respected king. Who is it?” He cast a glance at Fair.
Harrold King pushed Fair towards Pewgen and said, “Need you ask?”
A long, slow grin spread across Pewgen Flype’s face and he said, “I’ll do my best.” Fair sucked in a lungful of hope mixed with sadness. She wasn’t going to have to stay in the caves any longer. But as she looked around at the matternots she wished they didn’t have to stay behind. She looked for her brother and caught her eye. She mouthed, “Tell them the story.”
He looked more closely at her mouth and shrugged his shoulders, showing he hadn’t understood. Fair tried one more time, “Tell them . . .”
Harrold King looked at Fair and said, “Do you have something you’d like to tell all of us here?” She shook her head. He said, “No really. I’d like to hear it.”
“I was just saying, ‘Tell them the story.’ ”
“What story? You’re as crazy as the Woolly.” Fair hummed a few notes from the tune to her father’s music box. The tune she had put words to while working on the wall. She snuck glances at Hale, Gavden and Fidavine Belle. They looked at each other with knowing glances. Harrold King rolled his eyes at her humming and said, “Oh, and Pewgen . . .”
Pewgen looked at Harrold King. “She’ll sleep in the courtyard. She is not to associate with the other matternots. I hear she has a friend. You’re a failure to have allowed such fraternizing. You’ll report to me after the even meal where you can wash my feet, then return to the cave.” Fair breathed a sigh of relief.
“What about Worthless One?” Pewgen Flype indicated with his head.
“The night watch will be in charge of her until you return to your post every morning.”
Pewgen gritted his teeth and kicked his heels together, kak, kak. “Understood.”
Harrold King turned to leave, “Oh, and Pewgen, don’t let her rest until the juice is up to her thighs. Now get me out of here, Flype. I want you to tend to my feet. They are on fire.”
Pewgen Flype grabbed Fair by the wrist and looked around the cave. “Fella Doon! You’re in charge until I return!”
“Sir!” Fella Doon said with the sound of a hard-stomached Protector. He kicked his heels together, kak! kak! as Pewgen Flype disappeared out the door with Fair and Harrold King.
Fair knew Hale would be alright with Fella Doon in charge, but Hale feared for his sister, feeling helpless to know what to do.
As soon as Harrold King and Pewgen Flype were out the door with Fair in tow, Fella Doon turned to Hale and said, “Lisper, you’re in charge until I get back.”
“But where are you . . .”
Fella Doon ignored his young friend. He unlocked the door that led to the quarry and disappeared. Several hours passed and soon his head poked through the door. He had someone with him.
It was Avran Lamb. He pulled a cart-load of food, and jugs of milk from Lamb’s Tavern behind him.
The wee hoomin gave a loud shout, and Fella Doon immediately shushed them, “Not too loud, or we’ll be found out.”
Lisper said, “But what about all the other wee hoomin in the other chambers?”
“Not to worry my good fellow. Not to worry.”
At that, he turned and snapped his fingers at the door to the quarry tunnel, and in paraded all of Avran Lamb’s cooks and helpers with what seemed like an endless supply of food.
While the food was passed out and the wee hoomin were busy feasting and gorging, Avran Lamb filled a mug with fizzy milk and toasted, “Drinkwater bound!” The matternots smiled. Some of them remembered the long forgotten words, and echoed, “Drinkwater bound!”
He whispered to Fella Doon, “Let’s just sneak ‘em out, like. Hide em somewheres.”
“With so many, there’s no place to hide em without being found out. We wouldn’t want em to take a punishing when they got dragged back, now would we?”
Avran Lamb shook his head. By even meal, every last trace was gone that anything out of the ordinary had happened that afternoon.
