‘Hope you didn’t hide in Jaycob’s wagon to sneak into Twendlemark.’ Robbie arched his back.
The little man stepped forward and pointed a reproving finger at him. ‘I’ll have you know I designed that wagon and it has saved many a traveller from falling into Morgran’s clutches over the years. It’s a wonderful invention!’
Robbie straightened. ‘Ah...sorry. Is that why you’re being hunted?’
‘Dolt! If they knew about it, then you wouldn’t be here, would you? No, I’m not hunted for that.’
‘Then who are you?’ Robbie asked.
‘My name is Lucian Miseland, but you can call me Mouse.’
His brother shot a glance at Dougray. ‘Ah, the Mouse! Elder Robairt was looking for him.’
There seemed nothing dangerous about the scrawny little man, not that Dougray could discern. He looked so frail he could snap like a twig in a storm. So why was he so important to Elder Robairt and Morgran? The pieces in the puzzle didn’t seem to fit. Nothing added up.
A sudden scraping noise made him jump and the secret door over the hold slid back to reveal long, slim legs descending. Fox appeared, looking none too happy. She carried a canvas bag over one shoulder and struggled with a tall, earthenware jug cradled against her other shoulder. Robbie hurried forward and relieved her of the jug. Mumbling thanks, she then ignored him and walked straight to Dougray, handing him the bag. Her eyes flickered as she noticed Mouse.
‘Oh, I see you’ve all met then. No need for me to do introductions.’ Indicating to the bag and jug, she sniffed. ‘Some food and pear ale from the kitchen.’
Dougray ignored her words. ‘What was all the shouting?’
She gave him a wry grin. ‘Oh, that sort of thing happens around here a lot. Nothing to worry about.’ She paused and looked thoughtful, as if she recalled something. ‘A nasty-looking stranger arrived from foreign parts. The High Guard was scurrying around like an ant trying to impress him.’
Her words troubled him. ‘The foreigner is Elder Robairt! He’s a Magic Man!’
Fox’s dark eyes filled with instant suspicion. ‘What do you mean? How do you know him? Who are you?’ She levelled a fierce look at him and then at the others. Without waiting for his reply, she pointed to Mouse. ‘We know Lucian and the good he does for the communities. But you—!’
Dougray could feel the temperature of his blood rising. He wanted to bend that pointing finger of hers back until it hurt. ‘Look! We came—!’
‘I don’t care why you came! Your presence here has endangered us all!’
Belle stepped forward. Her face was as dark as a thundercloud and matched the girl’s fiery temper. ‘Then tell your father we are more than happy to leave. We do not need your help. We do not want your help!’
Without another word, Fox spun on her heels and hurried up the steps. In moments, the lid of the hold was back in place with a sharp clang, like the lid of a coffin. A strained silence settled over the stuffy room. Dougray glanced about at the worried faces and imagined the ruckus that would ensue between father and daughter because of them.
‘She’s a feisty one, that Fox. Well known for her temper.’ Mouse looked at the bag Dougray was holding and licked his lips. ‘No sense in wasting that, is there?’
Belle glanced around. ‘We should sit on something other than the dirty floor to eat this. What about some of those chairs...and that table.’ She pointed to the muddle of furniture.
Dougray helped Robbie and Mouse untangle the rickety table and a nest of wobbly chairs. They stood them in the only available space in the room. Mouse gave everything a quick wipe with an old rag he had found before they sat down. Belle removed four chipped cups from the bag and placed them on the table, along with two loaves of freshly baked bread, a block of yellow cheese, some pickled onions and a tin plate of cold, sliced meat.
Dougray yawned and unbuckled his sword belt and leaned his sword against the wall. Belle copied him, something she did often. Robbie sniffed the contents of the jug as he poured it into the cups and passed them around.
‘Smells sweet.’
Questions arose in Dougray’s mind. The unfriendly nature of the girl was puzzling, especially if she and her father said they helped the Resistance.
Mouse wiped his mouth. ‘Very nice indeed! Must tell Cook when I see her.’
Ignoring him, Belle looked at Dougray and Robbie. ‘What are we going to do?’
Robbie swallowed a mouthful of the pear ale. ‘There’s not a whole lot we can do down here. If there was only another way out.’
‘There’s not!’ Mouse’s eyes gleamed in the dull light. ‘I’ve examined all the walls and they’re solid stone. The only way in or out is up those stairs.’ He indicated toward the steps with a nod of his head.
Belle sighed and sat back in her chair. ‘Then we must wait for either her or her father to return.’
Robbie slumped forward. ‘Well, someone had better come soon. It’s stuffy down here. We’re like prisoners!’
Dougray looked at Mouse. ‘How long have you known Kreon and his daughter?’
‘A few years. I came to Twendlemark after I discovered that Morgran wanted to arrest me. I’m an inventor, which unfortunately caught his attention.’
Belle looked puzzled. ‘You invent wagons with secret compartments?’
He laughed. ‘No, no! Jaycob’s wagon was just a minor invention to help a few people out—or in, you could say.’ He paused. ‘My most important invention is developing life seeds.’
Chapter 16
Change of Plans
Robbie frowned. ‘Life seeds?’
‘Yes, as opposed to death seeds brought on by the rot.’ Mouse sat forward in his chair. Excitement glimmered in his eyes. Robbie could tell he enjoyed talking about his inventions. ‘Life seeds aren’t ordinary seeds. I’ve been studying the effects of the rot on plants all my life, from a very early age. In all that time, I’ve discovered something remarkable.’
His pause prompted Belle. ‘Well, are you going to tell us, or do we have to read your mind?’
Mouse giggled again. ‘Let me explain it to you as simply as I can. As soon as Morgran invades a kingdom, its soil becomes corrupted by the untaming magic and the rot soon appears. The rot soaks into normal seeds, right to their innermost core. To the heart of the seed, you could say. Now because the soil is also full of rot, the small shoots breaking free of the seeds in the ground must travel through corrupted soil. They are ruined before they have a chance to push up into the air. As a result, they grow into stunted, bad crops. The continuous rain and storms also enhances the rot inside the plants and soil, producing a cycle of death.
‘It’s Morgran’s way of culling the population in a place and making the rest dependent upon him. If people can’t produce food for themselves and their families, they become reliant on his handouts, which they can only receive if they’ve sworn fealty to him. It’s a vicious cycle that breeds helplessness everywhere.
‘Many people don’t want to do half the things they’re being forced to do once they’ve sworn fealty to him, but because they’re ensnared by the words of their mouth, they find themselves even killing each other for him. There’s no pretence either because he knows what they’re thinking before they think it.’
‘But how does he do that?’
Mouse’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Belle. ‘I have my theories. I believe it occurs when they swear loyalty to him. Somehow, he implants magic into their minds, like hypnosis, which forces them to do his will. Very nasty spell.’
Dougray looked away, but Robbie found the little man’s theories fascinating. ‘What are these life seeds you spoke of? How do they work?’
Mouse clasped his hands together on the table and smiled. ‘I’ve created a polishing paste made from a certain rock and water. When you mix the two together, it forms an oil that repels the rot. It’s as simple as that.’
Robbie sat forward and stared at him. If what he said was true and he’d made such a discover
y, then Morgran would be searching high and low for him—to destroy him and his life seeds!
Mouse rubbed his eyes with his knuckles. ‘You see, life seeds are just ordinary seeds that are placed in a vat of my oil overnight. The oil coating them protects them from the rot. You then plant the seeds and the little shoots grow healthily in the soil because the oil coats them as they leave the seed. The oil gives the new plants protection from the corrupt soil’s harmful effects too.’ He paused. ‘At the bottom of Jaycob’s pear and apple barrels are the good fruit grown from my life seeds. He picks the rotten ones and sits them on top. They are thrown away once he arrives at Twendlemark. None of the soldiers are the wiser.’
‘Elder Robairt might be.’ Robbie looked at Mouse, blank-faced as he said it.
Belle frowned. ‘But where do you get good seeds to start with? All the seeds are bad.’
‘Yes they are. So, you must begin with the bad and wait until you get some good ones. It is a slow process because not many good seeds are produced any more. But it is not impossible. More of them seem to be appearing because of my oil.’
Robbie looked up as the lid of the hold scraped across the stone. They clambered to their feet as Kreon and Jaycob hastened down the steps. The lid slid back into place. Robbie imagined Fox repositioning it.
Jaycob was arguing with the publican. ‘As I told you, I was following the Morning Star’s directions—’
Kreon’s hand went up. ‘Jaycob, I’m not interested in that stuff. We’re friends and we’ve been friends for many years, so just leave it at that.’
Jaycob shrugged. ‘One day, Kreon, you will see it my way. When that day comes, I’ll be there for you.’
The publican sighed and with a grim look, faced his cargo. ‘I’ve told you before, while you’re under my roof, I’ve promised you protection. But things have changed, so it’s time to talk.’ He took a deep breath and set his mouth in a firm line. ‘It’s terribly risky what we do, but we’ve only ever had to fool the likes of that lieutenant who patrols the roads here at Twendlemark. This new person—what did you call him?’
‘Elder Robairt,’ Robbie answered.
Kreon nodded. ‘And a Magic Man at that! He’s a different block of cheese altogether.’
‘But when he stopped Jaycob on the road, he said he was after Mouse! He wasn’t looking for us!’ Anger spiked Dougray’s voice.
Jaycob agreed with a nod and turned to look at his friend. ‘That’s right, Kreon. I even asked him if he was looking for the three the lieutenant spoke about and he said no. He said he was after the Mouse and that they were of no importance.’
Kreon rubbed his forehead with his fingertips. ‘All right, Jaycob!’ He focused his attention on Robbie. ‘How do you know this Magic Man?’ His voice sounded strained.
Robbie glanced at his brother and Belle. Should they share their past with the publican? As if reading his mind, his brother gave him a slight nod. Robbie let out a sigh when Dougray began to recount a brief history of their lives in Wyfrenvale where Elder Robairt had been stationed for several years.
Many personal details he omitted. Instead, he concentrated on the terror Robairt wielded in the community and how the townsfolk had been frightened of him. Kreon and Jaycob listened without interrupting. Mouse, too, was attentive, his bright eyes shiny as glass. A half hour later, Dougray stopped with the account of Jaycob discovering them on the side of the road and their secret arrival into Twendlemark.
Dougray stared at Kreon. ‘Your daughter mentioned that the Mouse has done much good. We also helped liberate three of the kingdoms from Morgran’s curse.’
Jaycob exhaled sharply. ‘Here in Twendlemark we’ve heard rumours of them. But we’ve often not been quick to believe everything we hear because nothing here ever changes. If anything, it grows worse daily.’
Kreon stared at them. ‘Why, then, are you not more important to this Magic Man than the Mouse? If you’re telling the truth and were responsible for frustrating Morgran’s plans, then surely that makes you more dangerous than some inventor who makes secret wagons and rot-resistant seeds.’
The Mouse grunted. Kreon’s hand stroked his chin in thought. His grim gaze passed over each in turn.
Jaycob licked his lips. ‘He did say they’ll be dealt with soon.’ He’s trying to convince the publican that he should help us, thought Robbie.
Kreon shook his head, his face drawn and unrelenting. ‘That’s it, you’re going—tonight! All four of you!’
Jaycob grasped his arm as he turned to leave. ‘But you can’t send them away, not with that Magic Man about and those extra patrols out on the streets. They won’t make it past the tavern! You must—’
‘No, Jaycob.’ Kreon shot him a fierce look and brushed the old trader’s hand away. Jaycob had the sense to shut his mouth. ‘I’ve made up my mind! Fox is right. We’re endangering ourselves by bringing them here. They have to go!’
Robbie could tell he was holding his anger in check. Dougray cleared his voice. ‘You’re right! Our presence here will only endanger your life. Robairt can sense things...so the sooner we’re gone, the better it will be for all of you.’
He turned and reached for his sword belt. With a heavy sigh, Robbie grabbed his bag, disappointment adding to his exhaustion; it dragged his shoulders down like an anchor. He’d hoped for a warm bed, bath and a hot meal, not this. Belle alone stood resolute and keen to leave. That fierce green flame flared in her eyes as she glared at the two men. She began to strap her sword around her waist as Kreon spoke again.
‘Although I’ve pledged to help the Resistance, in this instance I believe that moving you on will be safer—for you, me and the Resistance. With a Magic Man snooping about, there’s no telling what he’ll find. He can do much damage in Twendlemark. I’ll provide horses to bear you away while it’s still dark.’
‘You realise we’ll need a diversion in order to get away safely.’ Mouse’s words made everyone face him. ‘If a Magic Man is present in Twendlemark, he’ll sense something. But if there’s a diversion, it’ll distract him and put him off our scent while we make our getaway.’
Kreon stared at him as if he’d gone mad. It was plain that the publican hadn’t considered any such thing.
‘Well what in blazes do you suggest? Tell us, man!’
Mouse’s eyes gleamed with mischief, as if he’d just discovered freshly baked cookies in the pantry.
‘Well...I have one invention that I think might work rather well. Let me tell you about the diversion I’ve been developing and how my invention will set it off just nicely.’
Chapter 17
The Diversion
Within the hour, Mouse had concocted the foulest-smelling cylindrical object Dougray had ever encountered. From the farthest space in the room, he sat and stared at the little man pouring all his efforts and concentration into his creation. It was a dung-coloured rod mixed with horsehair, dried manure and some secret ingredients that Mouse wouldn’t divulge.
He patted it for the final time and looked at them with a mischievous glint in his eyes. ‘I’m calling it my smoke stick. When Kreon lights it, it’ll smoke the stables out, but it will produce a very cool fire so that nothing will catch alight—not for long anyway.’
Dougray grimaced as he peered at the object. ‘Does it have to smell so foul? And are you sure it won’t burn down Kreon’s stable? That’ll really send him over the edge.’
Mouse peered at him over the top of what he called ‘his little helpers’, two round pieces of glass perched on the bridge of his small nose. Attached to stiff twine, they were then looped around his ears to hold them in place. The strange glassware made his eyes look enormous, as if they belonged to an owl.
‘This will only burn some of the straw and then die down quickly. It’s designed to create smoke more than fire. That’ll give us enough time to sneak out the back with our horses. Kreon and Fox will pretend to be helpless as the rest of the horses stampede. The soldiers will come running from the tavern bec
ause most of the horses are theirs anyway. They’ll all run that way—’ he pointed towards the stable doors, ‘not suspecting us hiding among the trees at the back till Fox can join us.’ He gave a little chuckle as the thought tickled some inner, fiendish fancy of his.
‘She’ll be accompanying us as far as the mountain pass, where we’ll go on by foot. She’ll hide the saddles there, and Jaycob will later retrieve them in his wagon. Then Fox will head back with the horses. The soldiers will merely think she’s found some of the lost animals that stampeded. Easy!’
‘You think it’ll work?’
He gave him a thoughtful smile. ‘Nothing is certain. But it’s worth a try. The soldiers won’t suspect that Kreon, a loyal supporter of the crown these many years, would be involved in treasonous activities behind Morgran’s back. Especially if it’s to his ruin with the burning of his stable.’
‘Let’s hope you’re right—’
The lid of the hold scraping back cut Dougray off. He glanced up as Kreon appeared on the steps and gestured with a wave of his hand. They clambered up into the stable with their trappings and the secret room was sealed and covered again. Owning nothing except the clothes he was wearing, Mouse followed, carrying his smoke stick in both hands.
True to Kreon’s word, four horses stood saddled and ready for their covert dawn ride. In a few hours, the sun would rise and departure would be out of the question. Ready to collapse from exhaustion, his brother leaned against one of the rails. Belle joined him, yawning. Fox and Jaycob were present, too. The old trader’s eyes looked puffy from weariness and he seemed glum. He’d been on the road for some time before giving them a lift to the tavern. Perhaps he was also feeling responsible for what had happened since their arrival.
Standing beside a tall brown gelding was Fox, wearing long pants and a short black coat. Her long, plaited red hair hung down her back. Scowling, she looked away when she spotted Dougray staring at her. He grinned teasingly. Having to accompany them, instead of retiring to her warm bed for the night must have really put her in a bad mood.
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