Ghastly Glass

by Joyce; Jim Lavene

  But I had something they didn’t know about: Chase’s two-way radio. I sighed at their ignorance (and my good fortune) and pressed the button to call Chase.

  There was no response.

  Surely he was back at the dungeon by then and had picked up another radio. I tried again.

  Still no response.

  What was the good of having a radio if I couldn’t use it? I screwed around with the settings, hoping to raise someone else, maybe Merlin. I couldn’t see anything with the blanket around me, but I hoped to find someone listening to one of the channels.

  No response.

  I put the radio away. It was best that the pirates didn’t know I had it. I had no idea what they planned to do with me. Probably put me somewhere on the smelly old ship until I begged Rafe to forgive me. It would be a celebration of the 1950s in Renaissance Village before that happened, especially since I had my secret weapon. Though it certainly wasn’t as reliable as I had expected it would be. Thank God Henry wasn’t trying to kill me. At least the pirates just wanted revenge.

  They walked with me hoisted above their shoulders for a long time. I felt sorry for them because I’m not exactly lightweight. I’m not Tiny Tina, world’s largest woman, or anything, but one of the fairies/wraiths would’ve been an easier load to carry. Of course, none of them would have a feud going on with the erstwhile Pirate King either.

  I decided to try the radio again. I was pretty sure they were taking me across the Village to the lake, and that would take a while with the day’s crowd. I adjusted the radio again and tried calling out. “Mayday, mayday. This is Jessie Morton of the Craft Guild. I’m being abducted by pirates. Can anyone hear me?”

  “Jessie? This is Mrs. Potts. Where are you, child?”

  Thank goodness! At least someone heard me. Who would’ve thought Mrs. Potts had a two-way? It made me wonder if I was the only one in the Village without one after all. Me and Fred the Red Dragon. “I’m being carried in a really smelly blanket by a group of ten pirates. Probably to the lake or the ship. Can you help me?”

  “You had to expect some retribution from them after trapping their king in a privy and having it hauled away to be repaired. What were you thinking?”

  “Rafe threw me overboard and I had to swim to shore. What was he thinking?”

  “You kids and your feuds.” She sighed. “I’ll see what I can do. You’re with the Craft Guild, right?”

  “Yes, but Chase will come for me. I just can’t get his frequency on the radio.”

  “That’s right. You two make a lovely couple. I was just saying to Daisy Reynolds the other day about how striking you are together.”

  “I appreciate that, Mrs. Potts. But if you know Chase’s frequency, please give him a call for me.” The pirates dropped me suddenly. We’d reached our destination, it seemed.

  I stopped talking and hid the radio again. I would still need it to call for help if my would-be rescuers couldn’t find me. I wasn’t terrified, exactly, because I knew the pirates wouldn’t really hurt me. But they were impeding my investigation into Roger’s beating. Henry could decide to leave the Village and then he might never be caught.

  I lay on the ground for a long time, so long that I fell asleep waiting for Rafe’s retribution. When I awoke, I could hear voices, but they were muffled, as were the sounds of footsteps, which seemed to come from every direction. It was dark, darker than it would’ve been if I were still outside, even on this cloudy day.

  I moved my arms and legs experimentally. Escape could certainly be an option. But I struck something hard on either side of me. Maybe the idea of being put in a wooden cask wasn’t too far off. This felt square like a box, though, rather than round like a barrel. It was barely long enough to hold me. I thought about the hiding places under the floor in the Lady of the Lake Tavern. That could explain the footsteps and muted voices above me.

  I kicked at the top, hoping it might move and surprise some visitor into exploring and finding me. No such luck. I supposed the pirates were waiting for dark to move me to the ship. They’d probably realized Chase was looking for me and didn’t dare continue their parade through the Village.

  It seemed like I was in there forever. I was hungry, hot, and getting a little irritated with the whole abduction scenario. I knew I had it coming, but so had Rafe for tossing me overboard like some extra cargo. I had thought we were even. I was wrong. Of course, this would mean further retribution from me once I got out of this situation. I focused my thoughts on all the awful things I could do to him once this was over.

  Finally, I heard a squeaking noise and felt a rush of cooler air. Hands lifted me in the blanket again, and my abductors started walking.

  “This is way beyond funny, guys,” I yelled out. “Let me go. Or at least feed me and give me a privy break.”

  “Quiet!” I heard one of them yell back. “The king will decide what to do with you.”

  I was about to take out my two-way again when the pirates dropped me and decided to take off the blanket. Thank goodness! I didn’t know if I could stand that musty smell much longer. I was going to need a long shower to get it off of me.

  I looked around. The room was dark. I was fairly sure it was the pirate’s stash room under the tavern. I’d visited here once with Rafe before taking part in a raid on the tavern. They kept their ropes and other supplies down here.

  Someone scraped a match and lit a single lantern. I could see Rafe’s darkly handsome face in the dim light. This whole thing was getting a little weird, even for the Village.

  “We formally convene the pirate court to sentence Jessie Morton of the Craft Guild for her crimes.” Rafe’s voice echoed in the room that had been dug out in the hill under the tavern. “How do ye vote, my brethren?”

  Eighteen

  “Walk the plank!” someone yelled. “Tar and feather ’er! Argh!”

  “Hang her from the yardarm!”

  I was surprised no one yelled, “Draw and quarter.” That would’ve been my addition. Nothing like drawing out someone’s intestines, then cutting them into pieces. That really gets the rabble roused.

  I still wasn’t worried. I knew most of the pirates by name or face. We all worked here. Just that some of us got a little carried away with our jobs.

  It was nighttime already. I looked out of the open door from the basementlike hideaway and saw the lights from the castle shining across Mirror Lake. I could appreciate how pretty it was because I knew I wasn’t really going to die. I’d be uncomfortable for a while until Chase found me, but that was about it. With that in mind, I decided to rile the pirates even more.

  “What are the charges against me?” I yelled through the pirates shouting out what they should do with me. The last one was “Make her wear a pirate tattoo.” Kind of lame and silly when you thought about it.

  “The charges are assaulting and abducting the Pirate King,” Rafe yelled back at me. “You went too far, Jessie. I had to burn my clothes. Do you know what that vest cost me? And those boots were handmade.”

  “But you didn’t stop to wonder what would happen to my clothes and boots when you tossed me over the side of the Queen’s Revenge,” I baited him. “Where’s the jury to hear my side of what happened?”

  “There is no your side,” Rafe argued. “You disobeyed a command from me on the ship. You had to be punished. Every dog here understands that order must be maintained.”

  “What about you, King Rafe?”

  I recognized that last voice, although I hadn’t heard it for a while. Queen Crystal had been absent from the village since she’d had her baby sometime last year. The tall, cloaked woman stepped into the dim light and threw back her hood. Her hair was silver and she looked like the Elf Queen from The Lord of the Rings. She held a long bow instead of a sword and was flanked by two big men.

  “Queen Crystal!” Rafe was surprised to see her, too. His voice got all girly sounding when he realized who she was. “We thought you were gone. Like gone forever. You didn’t say you
were coming back.”

  She glanced slowly around the room. Only a handful of the Village’s twenty or so pirates were there. “I never said I wasn’t coming back. You’ve usurped my position by false words, Rafe. What’s the punishment for usurping the pirate crown?”

  “Hang him from the yardarm!” someone yelled. I think it was the same person who’d yelled it the first time. There’s no loyalty among pirates.

  “Tar and feather him!”

  “Make him walk the plank! Argh!”

  “I demand my right to challenge!” Rafe drew his sword from its scabbard.

  The pirates drew in their breath at his challenge. According to the pirate code, no one was supposed to challenge the king or queen. Rafe knew that meant combat between the two. Of course, he had a big sword. I wasn’t going to make odds on Crystal surviving with her long bow. Bad choice of weapons at close range.

  “I accept your challenge,” Crystal agreed. “And as queen, I appoint my two champions to battle for my honor.”

  The two really big guys stepped out from behind her. They were not massive like Bart, but they were both well built and strong like Chase. Rafe was tall but kind of slender. They’d make mashed potatoes out of him.

  Rafe obviously made the same assessment and sheathed his blade. “That’s not fair. I don’t have two champions to fight for me.”

  Crystal smiled. “That’s why I’m queen.”

  “Your Majesty.” Rafe got down on one knee and bowed his head. “Please forgive me. I never intended to usurp your throne. It was the furthest thing from my mind. I was merely trying to keep the pirates going until your return. Now that you’re back, of course you’re still the queen.”

  There were loud “Huzzahs” from all the men. I was wondering if that would be it and we could all go home, but it wasn’t going to be that easy.

  “I forgive you, Rafe,” Crystal said. “But I must still punish you. This evening, as my ship plies the water, you will follow behind in a dingy, rowing until we reach our berth on the other side of the lake.”

  “Yes, my queen.” He accepted his punishment with humility. “But what about her?” He pointed at me.

  “Hang her from the yardarm!” someone yelled.

  “Okay, this was fun the first time around.” I stopped the litany of possible punishments. “I’ve been wrapped up in a smelly blanket most of the day. I’m tired, hungry, and I want to go home. I enjoy a good pirate rally as much as the next person—”

  “Argh!” one of the pirates agreed.

  “But this is it for me. Don’t worry. No one has to show me the way home. I can find it by myself.”

  But as I walked toward the door, all of them jumped in front of it. Crystal said, “I’m sorry, but you can’t just leave. You attacked one of our brethren and you must pay the price.”

  “I’ll jump overboard before I spend another night in a dingy with Rafe on the lake,” I assured her.

  She smiled. “Another night? I believe you and my usurper have been close, is that right?”

  “At one time,” I admitted with a glance at Rafe.

  “Then your punishment shall fit the crime.” She turned her head toward the door, the dim light shimmering on her long, silver hair. “I give you to the Village bailiff for punishment in the stocks or the dungeon as he sees fit. This is my judgment.”

  Chase, dressed in his blue cloak, stepped into the light where everyone could see him. I was relieved and happy he was here, although my finger had already been poised on the two-way for several minutes. “Let’s go,” he said in a rough voice reserved for evildoers in the Village. “You may face our fine justice tomorrow.”

  “That’s no justice,” Rafe disagreed. “That’s her boyfriend. Why is that justice?”

  Crystal glared at him. “Because you and Jessie were once close and I’m handing her over to whom she’s close to now. And because I say it’s justice. Do you have a problem with that, that you need to discuss with Sven and Bjorn?” The two bodyguards stepped forward, arms crossed over their large chests.

  “No. That’s okay. I’ll get her later.” Rafe hung his head.

  “No, you won’t,” Chase demanded. “The feud is over. You both did terrible things to each other. You’re even.”

  “That’s right,” Crystal agreed. “This is it.”

  “Fine,” Rafe said.

  “Okay,” I agreed.

  Crystal inclined her head toward Chase. “I give you thanks for your help this eventide, Sir Bailiff. Perhaps a latte in the morning to talk over old times?”

  Chase bowed handsomely. “It would give me great pleasure, Your Majesty. Seven at Sir Latte’s?”

  “I look forward to it.”

  Chase took my arm and ushered me out of the pirates’ lair. The harvest moon was coming up over the castle, a deep golden yellow with orange highlights. The werewolves were howling, and there was some kind of groaning going on in the streets. “It’s the zombies,” he told me before I asked. “I guess that’s why they were putting in the cemetery yesterday. They needed zombies.”

  “So what’s with you and Crystal?”

  “No Thanks for saving my butt, or Glad to see you after spending all day with the pirates?” He sighed. “This is getting to be a thankless job.”

  “No, I was really glad to see you.” I kissed him, then looked into his dark eyes. “Really, what’s with you and Crystal?”

  “It’s old stuff, Jessie. Like you and Rafe. We had something together for a while, but she met another guy and they got married. She was off having a baby when Rafe took over. Now she’s back with a baby daughter. I suppose she’ll groom the girl to say Argh at an early age.”

  “Okay. I can live with that.” I jumped on him and wrapped my legs around his waist. I started the difficult process of kissing every inch of his face when two zombies walked past. They were super yucky with great makeup and missing body parts. It was a little past closing time and they were chasing scared visitors toward the main gate. “You know, I don’t think the Village will ever be the same again after Halloween.”

  “Never mind them.” Chase shifted me in his arms and started walking toward the large Swan Swing usually reserved for children during the day. But sometimes, residents used it after hours for other things. “I was worried to death about you all day.”

  I glanced at the Swan Swing and smiled at him. “Didn’t you hurt your back the last time we tried this?”

  He kissed me again and laid me down in the bottom of the swing. “I’ve been working out. Let’s try it again.”

  We spent the rest of the night in the dungeon (after getting past the banshee). Of course, that was after getting past the zombies. This Halloween thing was too complicated. I like my Village time simple. All these zombies, witches, and ghosts sounded like a good idea, but in practice, having them wandering around was kind of like letting the guilds patrol the Village. Things tended to get out of hand.

  Anyway, we were both tired of sleeping somewhere other than together; me with Debby and Chase on her sofa. We watched the moon go down, talking about everything that had happened, before we finally fell asleep in each other’s arms. There were no late-night shrieks or mad bombers so we slept through the alarm going off and had to scurry to visit Roger.

  Before we left the Village, Chase used his master key to get into the Glass Gryphon so we could pick up a solid glass rod to bring with us. Detective Almond and the assistant medical examiner were meeting us at the hospital to decide if my idea had any merit.

  Chase told me he’d tried his best to find anyone else with a complaint against Marcus (in between looking for me) but had come up empty-handed. Short of irritating the Black Dwarf and trying to get him to hit someone, Chase wasn’t sure what else to do.

  The Village was quiet and sleeping for the most part when we left. A few shopkeepers were up and around (thankfully not Henry). One or two fools or madmen were already practicing their new routines for the day. Adventure Land had decreed that all fools, varl
ets, and madmen were to become zombies after five P.M. each day. I guessed they didn’t think zombies came out in the daylight. (Zombies aren’t vampires. They don’t have to wait until the sun goes down. Everyone knows that.)

  Detective Almond was waiting for us at the hospital. I handed the glass rod over to the assistant medical examiner. He examined it, then looked at the welts still plenty visible on Roger’s body. He held the rod against one or two of the welts, measured it, and mumbled something.

  In the meantime, Roger looked extremely uncomfortable. Who could blame him? “So you think Henry was the one who attacked me? I can’t believe he’d do it.”

  Detective Almond finished cleaning out under his fingernails, then put his pocketknife away. “Why not? Maybe the girl is right. Maybe it isn’t enough that you’re letting him take over the other shop.”

  “Jessie,” I added. There’s something about being called the girl that’s worse than being wrapped in a smelly blanket.

  “Yeah. Whatever.”

  “I can’t believe that little weasel would dare do such a thing,” Roger growled, visibly agitated. “And I’m not letting him take over the other shop. Just run it for me, that’s all. He’s flesh and blood, for God’s sake. When I tell his mother, she’s gonna have a heart attack.”

  “If you could hold off on that until we get some real proof, Mr. Trent.” Detective Almond gestured in my direction. “Maybe the girl can get back in and find the rod he used to beat you. Otherwise, it’s just conjecture unless he admits it. Frankly, I wouldn’t confess if I were him.”

  “Jessie,” I corrected again. “He probably already melted that rod. I don’t know what good I can do.”

  “I agree.” Chase stepped in. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to send her in to spy on him anyway. If he catches on, she could be in a lot of trouble.”