The Hermit of Lammas Wood

by Nathan Lowell

  “Where are the rest, though?”

  Gertie sighed. “You gotta stop askin’ questions we can’t answer. Wastes time. They’re either down in the hole or out in the woods. Ain’t much difference which, as long as we can get to the platform and get down to the hole.”

  Tanyth shot Gertie a smile. “How do we get across the field?”

  “Shoulda put Richard in Arnold’s shirt. He could walk us in,” Gertie said.

  Tanyth eyed Richard’s gray beard and the white hair peeking from under his cap. “Yeah. That’d work. How many fifty-year-old men you think guard the hole?”

  “Ladies? Any chance we could have this conversation later?” Marong asked.

  “Yeah,” Gertie said. “Mousies say there’s nobody on the ends. Prob’ly be able to get around the line and then walk along the cliff top. Walk right by ’em.”

  “Won’t they see us when we walk by?” Marong asked.

  “Might,” Tanyth said. “Mos’ likely they’re gonna keep their eyes front and hope who ever’s walkin’ behind ’em ain’t the boss.”

  Marong chuckled softly. “Fair point.”

  Gertie led the way back along the familiar path, and they circled the open land just inside the tree line.

  Tanyth swallowed a yawn. The day was getting too long for the amount of sleep they’d gotten. One way or another, it would soon be over.

  A stray breeze whispered through the tree tops. Change is coming.

  In the lead, Gertie snorted, but kept going.

  It took them more than an hour to skirt the open grassland; the waning moon hung nearly overhead.

  “What do we say if they challenge us?” Richard asked, his voice a raspy whisper on the onshore breeze.

  “Say nothin’ and keep movin’,” Gertie said. “It’s not like they’re gonna chase us and leave their posts.”

  “You sound pretty certain.”

  “Three more pairs have crossed the field while we were workin’ our way around,” Gertie said. “They’re gittin’ while the gittin’s good, and I don’t blame ’em.”

  Marong took a deep breath and started to lead the way along the cliff.

  Tanyth planted her staff in front of him. “Unless you know the way, one of us should go first.”

  “She’s my daughter.”

  “So stop bein’ a hero, and keep yer head down.” With that Tanyth led the way. They soon found themselves striding along the bare soil path that ran behind the guard posts. Tanyth didn’t try to see which ones were manned. She just kept her eyes straight ahead and kept moving. In a matter of minutes they stepped down to the wooden platform on the side of the cliff.

  “I knew it was goin’ too easy,” Gertie said, staring at the hole where the moving platform should have been.

  Marong leaned over and looked down. The look on his face when he stepped back made Tanyth grin.

  “Has to be a way to bring it up again,” Tanyth said. “Some kinda lever or signal or something.”

  “This is prob’ly it,” Gertie said. She pointed to a handle at the side of the platform, a simple stick of wood with a dirt-smeared top.

  Marong reached for it and pulled, but nothing happened. The stick didn’t move. He pushed and it moved forward half a foot, then stopped with a loud ka-chunk that Tanyth felt through her boots.

  “You’re lucky that weren’t the trap door,” Gertie said and peeked over the edge. “It’s comin’ up.”

  “What’ll we find at the bottom?” Marong asked.

  “Falling water so loud you can’t hear yourself think,” Tanyth said. “Prob’ly a couple o’ guards.”

  “A couple of guards?”

  “Yeah. Big guys with swords and maces, if I remember right.”

  “What do we do about them?”

  “Dunno. We got a couple minutes yet to come up with somethin’ if you’re feeling adventurous,” Gertie said.

  The platform rose into place and stopped with shudder. Gertie and Tanyth stepped aboard and grabbed the railing. Marong eyed the contraption.

  “You comin’?” Gertie said.

  “Is it safe?”

  “Prob’ly safer goin’ down than gettin’ off at the bottom.” She grinned at him.

  He grinned back and stepped aboard.

  Gertie bumped the lever that she’d seen Morris pull, and the floor began to sink under them.

  “You trust two old ladies who listen to trees gossip and go harin’ off across the countryside in the dark of night, but quibble over this?” Tanyth asked, waving a hand at the machinery.

  Marong blinked several times and cocked his head sideways. “It does seem odd.”

  “How d’you know we’re not takin’ ya down to be slaves ourselves?” Gertie asked.

  “I don’t,” he said. “If you’re who you say and if what you say has happened, my daughter needs me. If not, then I’ll probably die knowing I would have been there had she needed me.”

  Tanyth patted his arm. “Hold that thought.”

  “What? Die knowing I would have been there?”

  “No, the one about your daughter needin’ ya.” Tanyth had to shout over the sound of the water falling from above.

  The platform bumped against the stone landing and stopped. The big door leading into the tunnels stood open, the pair of burly guards nowhere in sight. With a shrug, Gertie led the way up the wet stone steps into the tunnel.

  The stench of wood smoke and something less appealing assaulted them immediately. They stopped just inside the door. Half the torches were missing, and the few that remained guttered and threatened to go out. Odd bits of charred material littered the floor.

  Tanyth stepped over to Gertie to speak directly into her ear. “Mice?”

  Gertie nodded once and led the way into the tunnels. Her steps halted now and again, and she trailed a hand along the wall as if keeping her balance. In spite of their slow pace, only minutes passed before they were in Malloy’s office once more. The smoke still lingered in a blue-gray haze. The cot lay in smoldering ruin, the frame kicked aside and the mattress tossed against the wall. Malloy’s desk had survived more or less intact, with a large scorch mark in the center and wisps of smoke rising from the back side.

  “Father?” The weak voice drew their eyes to the manacles on the wall. “Tanyth!”

  “Rebecca!” Marong rushed to his daughter’s side, pulling at the chain to no good effect. “Are you hurt?”

  The young woman grimaced and shook her manacles, rattling the chains. “These aren’t exactly silver bracelets and I can’t remember the last time I ate, but otherwise still whole.”

  “Where’s Malloy?” Tanyth asked.

  Rebecca shook her head. “He stopped long enough to chain me up here, kick the cot apart, and get a couple of his guards to drag that box out. They’re supposed to put it on the ship.”

  “Then what?”

  “He pulled out the drawers in the desk, fumbled around inside, and cursed a lot. He went through there”–Rebecca jerked her chin at the hidden door–“and came out almost immediately. He didn’t look pleased.”

  “I dare say he wasn’t,” Marong said. “We’ve come to get you out of here.”

  “What, you didn’t just stop by for a visit?” Rebecca’s eyes sparkled in the light of the ruined torches.

  “Mr. Marong? If you’d get out of the way, we’ll get her off the wall,” Gertie said.

  Marong stepped aside just as Tanyth swung her staff, iron end foremost, at the eye bolt. The bolt jumped, and in a few moments they pulled it out of the rock, just like before.

  Marong’s surprised look made Gertie laugh. “Practice pays off,” she said. “He locked us in here the same way yesterday.”

  “Too bad we left that hammer with Arnold,” Tanyth said. “We’ll have to find another way to break those locks.”

  “Drape the chain over your shoulders for now, dearie,” Gertie said. “We’ll deal with them once we’re out of here.”

  “What? Leaving so soon?” Malloy’s
voice made them spin. He lounged in the door with two archers backing him up. “You’ll miss the fireworks.”

  Marong’s hand went to the hilt of his sword.

  Malloy raised a hand and one of the archers drew down on Rebecca. “Tut, tut, Richard. Let’s not be hasty.”

  “I scarely believed it when they said it was you behind all this, Charles.”

  “We all have our secrets, don’t we? Even you.” Malloy’s smile made Tanyth’s stomach roil. “I confess I never expected that you’d actually make it in here. The garrison troops were supposed to keep you busy elsewhere.”

  “They did a good job of it,” Marong said. “They had me running hither and yon through the back country for weeks. How much did you pay them?”

  “Not much at all,” Malloy said. “A gold or two here and there, a large tab paid at the tavern. It was easy to buy myself the loyalty of a whole squad for the price of a decent sword.”

  “You didn’t bribe the commandant, then?” Tanyth asked.

  “Robert Bloody Oakhurst? You obviously don’t know the man,” Marong said and spat on the stone. “There was no need to, at any rate. I only needed to buy enough of his troopers to keep Richard here chasing his shadow through Lammas Wood.”

  “How did you know I was coming?”

  “Ah, that would be telling, wouldn’t it? I don’t think so.” He shook his head, a playful smile on his lips.

  “You’ll never get away with this, Charles.”

  Malloy’s face lost its smile. “I already have, Marong. Oh, yes, this little enterprise is about to close its doors, but I’ve enough gold stashed on the ship to buy the kingdom twice over. That’s more than enough to set myself up in business elsewhere—say, the Eastern Islands?”

  “What did you mean, fireworks?” Gertie asked.

  “Oh? Did I say fireworks?”

  A series of sharp reports shook the air and dust filtered down from the rocks over head. The distant roaring from the waterfall changed pitch and disappeared.

  The two archers shared a glance with each other but a sharp look from Malloy steadied them.

  “Well, I think that wraps up my business here,” Malloy said.

  “What was that?” Marong asked.

  “That, dear Richard, was the door closing on my little enterprise here, as I said before.”

  “You collapsed the mine,” Gertie said, her eyes narrowing and her voice a harsh rasp.

  “Oh, don’t be melodramatic, dear girl. I did no such thing.”

  “He collapsed the shelf,” Tanyth said. “He blocked the entrance.”

  “Ah, a woman who understands!” Malloy’s oily approval did nothing for Tanyth’s feeling of dread.

  Marong looked around at the faces. “Blocked the entrance?”

  “Yeah. And I bet all those slaves are still inside, aren’t they,” Gertie said.

  “Well, of course. Extra mouths to feed and all that. An overhead I couldn’t afford, you see.” Malloy’s cheerful mein shifted to dark anger, and he scowled at Gertie and Tanyth. “It’s your fault. If you busybodies hadn’t come snooping around, we’d still be in business and those men would still be alive.”

  “What about all your guards?” Tanyth asked, her eyes on the archers behind Malloy. “Did they all get out first?”

  Malloy opened his mouth to speak but a quick glance in the archers’ direction made him close it.

  “They didn’t, did they?” Tanyth said.

  “Yes, of course they did. What few are left.”

  “Left? Did you kill them all already?” Tanyth asked.

  “Don’t be ridiculous. They’re out chasing down deserters.” Malloy spit the words out casually. “Another thing I have you two to thank for.”

  “How many of them will go with you?” Tanyth asked.

  He scowled at her. “That’s none of your business. It’s time for me to go, anyway.” He turned to the archers. “Give me ten minutes to get aboard the ship. Then kill them.” He grinned at them, but his expression contained no humor. “Oh, and those miners you’re so concerned about? They’ll outlive you by at least an hour, maybe two.” He raised a hand and fluttered his fingers in their direction. “Good-bye. Sorry to be an ungracious host and run out, but the tide’s with me and I need to be off.” He pushed away from the door frame and disappeared down the tunnel.

  “He’s gonna kill you, you know,” Tanyth said to the archers.

  They glanced at each other but kept their bows at the ready.

  “What did he mean by saying the miners will outlive us?” Rebecca asked.

  Tanyth kept her gaze on the archers. “He collapsed the entrance. All the miners and their guards were well back from the entrance, I bet.”

  Gertie nodded, her gaze far away. “There’s mice in there. There’s a lot of confusion, but so far nobody’s been hurt.”

  “You boys know the back way into the mine?” Tanyth asked. “Arnold took us out that way earlier. It might still be open.”

  Gertie nodded. “I haven’t found a mouse there yet, but don’t mean there ain’t any.”

  “What you wanna bet he blows this tunnel, too?” Tanyth asked Gertie, looking away from the archers.

  “Naw,” Gertie said, shaking her head. “He’s prob’ly already sailing down the bay. No need to blow the tunnel, there’s nothing left here that matters.” Gertie turned her face toward the archers. “One of you wanna go take a peek? See for yourselves?”

  “What?” one of the archers said.

  “I said he’s prob’ly already sailing down the bay. If you run, you might still catch him.”

  The two shared a look, and the taller one nodded. The shorter one released the tension on his bowstring and trotted off down the tunnel, his boots clattering in the quiet . Moments later a distant shout echoed down the corridor, and the bowman came clattering back. “She’s right. He’s already casting off.”

  A sharp bang nearby interrupted them, and dust fell from the ceiling once more. A heavy cloud of it billowed down the tunnel, leaving the archers blinking against its sting and waving it away from their faces, their bows forgotten.

  “Looks like I was wrong about collapsin’ the tunnel,” Gertie said.

  Chapter Forty-two:

  Trapped

  Marong looked at the guards. “Well, we’re all in the same boat now. You can kill us, or you can help us get out.”

  The archers threw down their bows and ran off down the tunnel, stripping off their quivers and dropping them with rattly clatters as they ran.

  “They’re prob’ly goin’ to see if the cave mouth is blocked,” Tanyth said. “That’s a big hole, and all the labor is that way.”

  “If we can get out of here before Malloy gets too far, I can stop him,” Rebecca said.

  All eyes turned to her.

  “How?” Marong asked.

  “Fire arrow.” She pointed to the bow. “A few rags wrapped around the head of one of their arrows should make a mess of their canvas.”

  “Gertie? Any mice that can see?” Tanyth asked.

  Gertie’s eyes focused on the middle distance for a moment, and she shook her head. “Too much noise and runnin’ about. They’re all tucked in holes.”

  “So are we,” Marong said, his mouth twisted in a grin. “But we need to get out.”

  “So do they,” Gertie said. “They just don’t know it.”

  Tanyth picked up her staff and pointed at the ruined bedding. “Rebecca, see if there’s enough rag there to make a couple of fire arrows. There’s a jug of oil in the next room you can soak them in.”

  Rebecca set to work while Tanyth led the rest of them back toward the tunnel mouth.

  “Why this way?” Marong asked.

  “He was surprised to come back and find us gone. He wouldn’t have brought Rebecca back to use as leverage otherwise. Blowin’ up the mine? He prob’ly had that planned. Blowin’ up his bolt-hole? I’m hopin’ that was a rush job,” Tanyth said as they turned the corner and shuffled through the fall
en rock and dust to where the tunnel entrance had been.

  A fall of black rock blocked the opening, cascading into a rubble field in the tunnel.

  “So much for that,” Marong said and turned to walk away.

  “Maybe not,” Gertie said. “It’s dark out there and lighter in here. Hard to see any light shining through, but there might be a way out. We just gotta find it.” Nimble as one of her goats, Gertie clambered up the rock fall and started pushing and pulling rocks. She looked over the shoulder at Marong. “You comin’? Or you just gonna supervise?”

  With a shrug and a glance at Tanyth, Marong followed Gertie up the rubble. Between them they rolled a couple of the topmost rocks down to grind onto the stone flooring.

  “This looks hopeless,” Marong said after the third block fell.

  Gertie sat back on her haunches and chewed the corner of her lip. “You might be right. This rock is old and brittle. It’s why we could pull the eye bolts out. The blast musta shattered rock halfway up the cliff face.”

  Running steps echoed down the tunnel, and Rebecca skidded to a halt a few feet from the turn. She clutched three arrows in one fist. The smell of machine oil overwhelmed the stench of black powder and rock dust.

  “Malloy musta gotten underway by now,” Marong said.

  “We need to get out of here fast,” Tanyth said. “If we don’t, he’ll disappear into the east and we’ll never make him pay for what he’s done.”

  Gertie tilted her head down and Tanyth saw one of the mice looking in her direction. The old woman had a playful expression on her face. “You’re the one with the strength to do it, if anybody can, dearie. Feelin’ up to the challenge?”

  “What are you thinkin’?”

  “A little shake on this pile might spread it out enough Rebecca can put an arrow or two in the air.”

  “A little shake?” Marong asked.

  “Yeah,” Rebecca said. “You could say one of your prayers, mum. Smack that pile and watch it collapse.”

  Tanyth looked from face to face: Rebecca’s filled with hope and confidence, Marong’s clouded with confusion. Gertie’s made her pause.

  “What’s the problem, Gertie?” she asked.