Under Gornstock

by Clive Mullis

  Rose turned her head and scrutinised the man standing there.

  ‘Three young female police officers all dressed up in the finest of elven thread, all ready to go to a soiree that would grace the highest in the land; alas, it’s just the dark dank dwarf chambers, but I suppose beggars can’t be choosers.’

  ‘Mr Hawk,’ said Cornwallis, sighing heavily. ‘So nice to see you… again.’

  ‘The pleasure is all mine, Mr Cornwallis.’ He inclined his head a fraction as he looked at Rose. ‘And a pleasure to meet you too, Miss Morant; let’s hope it’s not going to be our last.’

  Rose looked at Cornwallis for confirmation.

  ‘Mr Hawk invited me into his carriage yesterday. I think I mentioned it.’

  Rose had never met the Bagman before, though she had heard a lot about him. He looked a bit like an accountant until you saw his eyes, which were flint-hard and dangerous. ‘My pleasure, Mr Hawk,’ she returned, an icy edge to the words.

  The Bagman smiled; at least his mouth did.

  ‘I must say, I’m surprised to see you,’ said Cornwallis. ‘I thought you said you were going to send some men to the opening?’

  ‘No, I merely said that I would have some representation, I am part of that representation.’

  ‘Aren’t you worried after what you told me?’

  ‘Oh no, merely curious. Ah, I believe this is my train; I’m sure we’ll speak later, Mr Cornwallis.’ He doffed his little hat at Rose and swiftly moved off.

  Rose watched him as he boarded the train with a strange feeling running up her spine. It took her a moment to realise that Cornwallis’ hand nervously stroked her back.

  ‘You know, if I passed him in the street I wouldn’t give him a second glance, but now knowing he’s the Bagman, I just feel an icy chill running through me.’

  ‘Just as well Dewdrop and Felicity don’t know him, because they’ve just sat down next to him.’

  ‘Oh, gods.’

  Chapter 38

  Cornwallis and Rose stepped into the last train, leaving the station bereft of passengers. They watched through the window as the dwarfs straight away began to erect the barriers that would funnel the paying passengers towards the ticket office, where they could spend oodles of cash in order to traverse the city quickly and easily and in a certain degree of comfort.

  Anticipation built quickly as the train prepared to leave the station, the buzz in the conversations heightened through the sheer excitement of being amongst the first citizens to try this new mode of transport.

  The dwarf guard, resplendent in his uniform, slammed the door and then shoved his head out of the window. ‘All aboard,’ he yelled and then perched on the little ledge designed for just that purpose.

  The train moved off and the guard flashed a grin at Cornwallis and Rose as the contraption gathered momentum.

  Inside the carriage, the thrill continued and one or two people stood up and caught hold of the grab-handles dangling from the roof, swinging and lurching as the train negotiated a corner. Then darkness engulfed the train as light from the station behind disappeared, indicated by an increase in the volume of exciting chatter within the carriage.

  Rose gripped Cornwallis’ arm tighter as the lantern inside flickered as the carriage hit a join in the track. A few moments later, they emerged out of the tunnel and began to slow to walking pace as a bright station hove into view, giving them a fleeting glance of the new station from a different perspective, then the pace picked up and they entered another tunnel.

  People looked on in awe as they noticed the names of the stations, in big lettering, as they went through. It was so quick, so easy and so convenient to get to all those places so fast and without hindrance.

  Cornwallis watched their reactions with more than a passing interest. It was everything he hoped for and more. The Pipe was actually going to work.

  The last station disappeared in a slow wink and a few moments later the train slowed and finally stopped. It wasn’t a station, but an avenue of torches all leading down further into the depths of the dwarfs’ realm.

  The guard stood up. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, would all passengers care to alight and make your way down to the King’s reception. Help is at hand to guide you down.’

  Passengers milled about once they had stepped out of the carriage, uncertain and with a degree of trepidation as they were in, what amounted to, a foreign land: the land of the dwarfs, a land which few humans had ever visited. A low murmur buzzed as the train began to move off, leaving them isolated and above all lost. They hadn’t a clue where they were or how to get out.

  The dwarfs were polite which went against their nature and instinct as they began to lead the herd down, away from the temporary platform and through the avenue of fire.

  Cornwallis and Rose hung back, watchful of the pack, suspecting that at least one amongst them was one of Brooksturner’s cronies, one of those anticipating the end of The Pipe and possibly, the end of the dwarfs and everybody else currently below ground. The thought sobered him and then it suddenly dawned on Cornwallis that Frankie had been with the first train which meant that he would be first to the barrel of beer, which meant that by now he could be well on his way to getting pissed. He voiced his concern to Rose.

  ‘Oh, don’t worry about him,’ she replied cheerily. ‘He promised to be a good boy.’

  ‘I hope you’re right; you know what it’s like when there’s temptation like that. A free bar, I mean, who wouldn’t?’

  ‘Sometimes, Jack, I think you underestimate him.’

  Cornwallis shook his head. ‘No, not where beer is concerned. Anyway, why are you so bloody cheerful when we have impending doom ahead of us?’

  ‘Well, we only live once so we may as well enjoy ourselves whilst we’re here; besides, we have you and Jethro and Cecil and the girls and we have your father, all of us seeking to find out what’s meant to happen, and anyway, the Bagman is here. If he’s here, then you can be as certain as the nose on your face that nothing is going to happen to him.’

  ‘It’s not him I’m worried about.’

  ‘Then think of Brooksturner, he’s down here too: now, you know nothing’s going to happen to him.’

  ‘Yet,’ said Cornwallis. ‘I can assure you that something will definitely happen to him.’

  They passed the last of the torches and entered the upper reaches of the vast chamber. A blaze of light from thousands of candles and torches illuminated it all. They looked down at the crowd below and saw that if they weren’t quick, all the food and drink would be gone.

  The last passengers from the last train had already reached the chamber and were already getting their noses stuck in to the free food and drink, leaving Cornwallis and Rose the last to descend the steps, which they did slowly, in order for Rose not to trip over the hem of her dress; but it took on the appearance of a regal descent.

  It wasn’t difficult to notice Rose, at anytime, in any circumstance, but now, wearing an elven dress, made with elven woven thread, stitched together by elves with all their ethereal abilities, it was impossible not to stare, and the crowd, one by one, began to stop talking and turned to watch.

  Oblivious to the attention, Rose concentrated solely on not falling flat on her face. She looked up as she neared the bottom of the steps, amazed to see every eye focused upon her.

  The Warden, quick to spot an opportunity for further enhancing his reputation, hurried forward with a big beaming smile and offered her his arm.

  Cornwallis looked on with a bemused expression on his face as the Warden whisked her away towards his little circle. Rose looked demurely over her shoulder and gave a little wink.

  The noise rose as if someone had turned a control knob, as the Warden and Rose got lost in the crowd.

  MacGillicudy sauntered over to Cornwallis and handed him a pint. ‘Thought you might need this, Jack.’

  ‘Thanks, Jethro, I do.’

  ‘Nice entrance.’

  Cornwallis rolled his eyes. ‘I
n truth, it wasn’t intentional. It sort of just happened.’

  MacGillicudy grinned. ‘If they didn’t know Rose before, then they certainly do now,’ he chuckled. ‘The whole government were standing there, salivating.’

  ‘Great. Thanks.’

  ‘No worries, old son.’

  ‘Anyway, where is everybody?’

  ‘Your father is with the Warden’s crowd, so now Rose is there too.’

  ‘Yes, okay, don’t rub it in.’

  ‘And Frankie is over by the buffet trying to sound intelligent.’

  ‘Talking to?’

  ‘Anyone who’ll listen, I think.’

  Cornwallis shook his head slowly. ‘And the rest?’

  ‘We’re over there,’ he said, pointing. ‘I got collared by several ministers wanting to discuss various ideas they have for policing the city, none of whom have the faintest idea of the problems involved. Dewdrop and the girls are eavesdropping as much as they can, but the girls are only getting slightly less attention than Rose did. I think it might have to do with the elven dresses. They’re a sort of firecracker to the senses, you know.’

  Cornwallis held up a hand. ‘Yes, I worked that out a while ago. I suppose we’re so used to them now that we don’t see them how others see them.’

  ‘Maybe you do, I don’t think I’m that narrow.’

  Cornwallis raised his eyebrows. ‘Rose wouldn’t let me take her for granted; I’d be history if I did. I mean there’s no mystery for us, we know them too well.’

  ‘All women like to keep something back, something mysterious, and I for one appreciate that.’

  Cornwallis scratched his head; the commander hadn’t spoken about the girls like that before. He changed the subject. ‘What about Brooksturner and Phimp?’

  ‘They’re hovering around the Wardens group, but as far as I could tell, everyone seems to be ignoring them.’

  ‘Clarence?’

  ‘I saw him a few minutes ago, just staring at the tunnels.’

  Dewdrop hurried up to them. ‘Mr Cornwallis, Commander, sir. I think I know what they’re planning.’

  ‘You what?’

  ‘Yes, me and Flick, I mean, Felicity, heard some people talking.’

  ‘Who?’

  ‘Them over there,’ and he surreptitiously pointed at a little group.

  Cornwallis shook his head. ‘Don’t know them but they look like guildsmen; what did they say?’

  ‘Erm, they said something about making sure they get wet inside before it starts to get wet outside.’

  ‘Wet?’

  ‘Yes, then one of them laughs and says that he hopes they’re out of here before then, that he doesn’t fancy eating the Sterkle. Then we starts thinking, me and Flick, and we reckon they’re going to use short-arse’s ship to drill, because that’s what Frankie said it does, into the dwarf tunnel that runs under the river. The ship is right above that tunnel.’

  ‘Oh shit!’ exclaimed Cornwallis. ‘I think you’re right.’

  Tiffany and Felicity came over.

  ‘Mr Cornwallis,’ said Tiffany. ‘I just saw the cat.’

  ‘Cat?’ said Cornwallis, his mind now spinning.

  ‘Yes, Fluffy. We both just saw him running after that little man, Clarence, who has just disappeared into one of the tunnels.’

  ‘Oh bugger.’

  ‘And Frankie’s gone after them both.’

  Chapter 39

  Cornwallis paced, he looked up and then paced some more, finger tapping his chin; suddenly he snapped his head around, coming to a decision. ‘Right, look, here’s what we’ll do; Jethro, you take Cecil, Felicity and Tiffany and get to that ship and stop them doing whatever it is they’re doing; as quick as you can.’

  ‘Of course, Jack.’

  ‘You’d better hurry.’

  ‘But Mr Cornwallis,’ said Tiffany. ‘We need to get out of these dresses.’

  ‘No time,’ said Cornwallis as he stopped a passing dwarf. ‘Do you know my warehouse?’ he asked; he’d seen him around but couldn’t remember his name.

  ‘Yes, of course I knows it.’

  ‘Good, could you guide these people there, I mean now, urgently? They’ll explain on the way.’

  ‘Yeah, all right.’ He had hold of a tray which he now handed to Cornwallis, which proved a bit awkward as the detective still had hold of his pint.

  ‘Not so fast,’ said Tiffany as they rushed away. ‘We need to pick up some bits from Goodhalgan’s chamber first.’

  ‘Ah, good thinking,’ said Felicity.

  The dwarf slowed down, shrugged his shoulders and then aimed for the tunnel that led to Goodhalgan’s chamber.

  ‘Let’s be quick,’ said Tiffany when they arrived. ‘I’m not going on the river dressed like this.’

  They barged into the chamber and then skidded to a stop. Inside were Treacle, the chief dwarf engineer, two ministers and three guildsmen going over the plans for The Pipe.

  A couple of minutes later the two girls left the chamber.

  ‘Well,’ said the senior minister, wiping a hand across his forehead. ‘I must say I didn’t expect that.’

  The guildsmen nodded their agreement as the junior minister staggered to a chair and sat down clutching his chest.

  ‘You all right?’ asked the senior minister to the junior. ‘Not too much for you?’

  ‘No, no, I’ll be fine. Just need to sit down for a moment.’

  ‘Oh, good. I mean, it’s not everyday you see something like that.’

  ‘Do you think we’ll see it again?’

  ‘Unlikely; however, we can but hope.’

  ‘They were in the nuddy!’ exclaimed one of the guildsmen.

  The senior minister nodded his agreement at the observation. ‘Yes, oh yes indeed; two of them!’

  ‘Do you think we should have done that?’ asked Felicity as they ran up the tunnel.

  ‘’We didn’t have time to ask them to leave,’ replied Tiffany, being practical.

  ‘Ask who?’ said Dewdrop.

  ‘Er, there were some men in there,’ explained Felicity. ‘But don’t worry, they were old men.’

  ‘You mean… you mean you…?’

  ‘Yes,’ answered Tiffany. ‘They looked a bit surprised.’

  Cornwallis slammed the tray down on a table and took a last swig of his pint before it too joined the tray. He looked for Rose and eventually spotted her talking to his father and Maud.

  ‘It’s starting,’ he said as he walked up to them. He had a quick look around to make sure no one could hear. ‘We think they’re going to try and flood the place by drilling through from the river. Jethro, Dewdrop and the girls have gone to stop it.’

  ‘What about Brooksturner?’

  ‘He’s still here, I think, but that Clarence has disappeared and Frankie and Fluffy, yes Fluffy, have gone after him.’

  ‘Oh shit!’

  ‘That’s what I said. Hurry up and get changed, and I mean quickly.’

  Cornwallis turned to his father when Rose rushed away. ‘Have you seen Goodhalgan? We’re going to need his help.’

  ‘Yes, he’s over there,’ he said, pointing. ‘Oh, at least he was over there,’ he added limply.

  The earl pointed to a little gap, which, not long before, had been filled by the king of the dwarfs.

  ‘Oh, bollocks. Why is it that everyone disappears when I want to talk to them? Trugral,’ he yelled as he spotted his friend.

  Trugral trotted over with a smile on his face. ‘Going well, this. It seems you’re wrong about some people wanting to do for it.’

  ‘Unfortunately, I’m right about some people wanting to do for it, because right now they’re doing it.’

  ‘Uh?’

  Cornwallis quickly explained and the smile disappeared from the dwarf’s face.

  ‘Shit,’ said Trugral. ‘I’d better get some lads over there quick, but I don’t know what we can do if the whole of the river drops in?’

  Cornwallis patted him on the shoulder. �
�You’ll think of something.’

  ‘Gonna need a bit more than a bloody shovel an’ a bucket!’

  As Trugral ran off, the earl turned to his son. ‘What do you want us to do?’

  Cornwallis took a deep breath. ‘I think we need to get everyone out. The Bagman wanted it all to run its course, but it’s time now to stop playing his game.’

  ‘To him, it is a game,’ replied the earl seriously. ‘Therein lies the dilemma. He never plays unless he knows he has all the trump cards; we are his pawns and he’s moving us around the table for a purpose.’

  ‘You’re mixing your metaphors.’

  ‘I am, and I don’t give a toss; the end result’s the same: the Bagman will win.’

  ‘In some respects, I hope you’re right but I intend to move some pieces around the board myself, starting with getting this lot out of here.’

  Rose raced over to Goodhalgan’s chamber, and as she turned the corner, she could see MacGillicudy’s back disappearing down the tunnel towards the warehouse. She slammed open the door and rushed in, pulling her dress over her head as she ran to the corner. She kicked off her shoes and then bent down, rummaging in the bag next to Tiffany’s and Felicity’s, and pulled out her working clothes. She balled up the dress and stuffed it inside along with the shoes. Hurriedly, she began to dress and then noticed something out of the corner of her eye. She stopped and turned. Five refined gentlemen and a dwarf had their mouths open with eyes bigger than saucers. She hesitated for only a second and then carried on dressing.

  As she fastened up the last button on her shirt, she smiled at them. ‘Sorry to disturb you,’ she said sweetly and then dashed out.

  Five men and a dwarf stared at the door.

  ‘Er…’ said the senior minister to Treacle. ‘This seems to happen a lot; what have you got that we haven’t?’ he asked, hoping he could use the answer.

  The junior minister fainted.

  Chapter 40

  He noticed Clarence Fogg edge himself closer towards the tunnel, looking around surreptitiously, until finally, darting in. It seemed as if he knew where the tunnel led, which Frankie knew couldn’t be possible; and then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a ginger blur, small and imperfectly formed and he wondered briefly what the cat was doing there. He caught a look from Tiffany who nudged Felicity and then he dropped his steak sandwich, destined for enjoyable mastication, and legged it into the tunnel.