"Where am I?" he murmured.
"In ma shop, and don't go poking around. You'll make 'em mad," she warned.
"Make 'em mad?" Fred repeated.
"Aye. My pets." The dwarf gestured to the wall opposite his bed, and Fred saw it was covered with stacked cages. Inside each cage was a crow, and their beady eyes watched him with unsettling interest. The mention of pets brought about a forgotten memory.
"My cantankus, where is he?" Fred asked her.
"Yer steed's out beside the shop." She turned to the entrance opposite the hearth, and Fred saw the beams on both sides of the doorway were bent outward. "He tried to fit inside, but his shoulders were no match for the doorway."
Fred nervously smiled. "Sorry about that."
She held out her hand. "Don't be sorry, be paying me for the trouble of getting that fixed," she demanded.
"B-but I don't have any money," Fred told her.
The dwarf sighed and dropped her hand. "Just me luck to be rescuing someone as poor as Ah am, and a human, to boot. What's yer name and business here, boy?"
"My name's Fred, and I'm not a boy. I'm a castor," he corrected her.
The woman looked him over and laughed. "Haven't heard that one in years, but be serious, boy. What are ya doing here?"
"I came with some friends to-well, to see the sights," he replied. He thought their mission too important to be telling the whole world about it.
"Then yer a little lost on the touring circuit. Dirth isn't exactly a place of beauty, though it has its pretty things." She walked over to the cages and cooed at the crows. "Such as these beauties here. None better in the world than my pets."
"I, um, I don't think I caught your name," Fred pointed out.
"I'm Shilo, and the owner of this murder shop," she told him. Shilo turned and watched Fred's face drain of its color. She laughed and shook her head. "A murder is a flock of crows, and my pets here are used to carry messages as far as the borders of Dirth."
"So they don't attack people or Stars?" Fred asked her.
Shilo frowned and took a few steps toward him. "No. They asked me if Ah could spare some for the patrols, but Ah wouldn't do it. Ah don't have any love for Helpers, but these beautiful birds are for beautiful messages, not for some stupid hunt."
"Why are they patrolling with crows?" he wondered.
"The crows aren't fond of Helpers, so they use 'em for hunting the loose ones at night," she explained to him. "Those Helpers cause nothing but trouble, but hunting 'em with crows just isn't right."
"I-I think I need to go," Fred told her. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and clutched onto the side when a dizzy spell struck him.
Shilo hurried over to him and blocked him from hopping down. "Ah don't think ya need to be going anywhere, at least not until my husband's had a look at ya again. He should be in from caring for yer cantankus," she insisted. At that moment the door opened and a dwarf man stepped inside.
"It's a beastly night out there, and not just because of that cantankus," the dwarf commented. He noticed Fred sitting up and nodded his head at the young man. "So yer awake. How are ya feeling?"
"He's not feeling fine at all and in his condition he's trying to leave," Shilo told her husband.
The man shook his head. "Ah wouldn't try going out, not with all those patrols. Danto's got extra guards looking for that missing stranger from Canto's party."
"Canto! Where is he? Can you take me to him?" Fred pleaded.
The couple glanced at each other with raised eyebrows, and then back at their guest. "What do ya know about Canto?" the man asked Fred.
Fred shrank back and shrugged. "O-oh, nothing. I just, um, just was kind of with him-"
"Are ya the missing man from his party? The one they're looking for in the city?" the dwarf questioned.
Fred quickly shook his head. "No, we separated before we got to the city, and Ned and I-" He realized he was saying too much and snapped his mouth shut, but the damage was done.
"Ned? Ned the Castor?" Shilo guessed. Fred cringed, but slowly nodded his head. Shilo whipped her head to her husband, who's eyes were wide in awe. "Thino, ya think Canto was telling the truth when he said the stone was dangerous? Why else would Ned be here except for trouble?"
Thino shook his head. "Ah don't know, but Canto's always one to be bringing trouble, and this sounds like the best trouble he's brought."
"So you saw him?" Fred asked the pair.
"Aye, but ya won't be seeing him for a while. Danto, the captain of the king's guard, took him away to the castle a few hours ago," Thino told him.
Fred slid off the bed and nearly tumbled when shaking legs buckled. He gripped the bed and Thino jumped forward to catch him under one arm. "Easy there, boy. Yer not fit to do more riding on yer cantankus, and ya won't help yer friends by collapsing in a street somewhere between here and the castle."
"But I have to see if they're all right," Fred insisted.
"Ah'll go see if Ah can find anything about 'em. Ah know some of the serving wenches in the kitchen, and they can tell me something," Thino offered.
"You'll do no such thing, Thino," Shilo protested. "There's trouble brewing in the streets, there's that stone sitting up there with nary a scratch on it even after all yer hammering, and the king's all-fired suspicious and having the crows fly patrols looking for someone like you sneaking around the streets."
"Stone? You know where the stone is?" Fred spoke up. This pair was a veritable gold mine of information.
"Aye, but we're not taking ya there, either, so jist get up on that bed and rest a while," Shilo ordered him.
Their conversation was interrupted by the screech of dozens of crows and the shouting of many voices. Thino tossed Fred onto the bed and hurried to the door while Shilo held Fred to the bed. The dwarven man cracked open the entrance and peeked his head out. He just as quickly shut the door and whipped his head over to the pair. His face was ashen and his hands trembled on the door and frame. "They've got Ned," he told them.
"What!" Fred fought off Shilo's hands and stumbled to the door. Thino pulled him aside and pushed him against the wall between the entrance and a window. He shoved his face into Fred's and lowered his voice to a whisper.
"Yer wanting to get yerself stuck with him?" he hissed.
"I have to do something!" Fred protested.
Thino grabbed the young man's collar and pulled him to the window. He brushed aside the curtain of heavy cloth and Fred glimpsed the street. A block down a contingency of armored dwarves surrounded Ned, who stood passively by his horse with staff in hand and a smile on his lips. They were too far for the conversation to be overheard, but Ned's calm demeanor contrasted sharply with the dwarves who had the points of their axes pointed at him. One of them gestured to the left while another grabbed the reins of his horse. They took his staff and led him off down a street out of sight, but before he disappeared Ned cast a glance down the road at the little shop. Inside the shop Fred's hand tightly gripped the window frame and what little color remained in his face drained out.
"Damn it," he cursed.
"Ya can't do anything for him now, not by yerself at least," Thino told him.
"I can't just let them take him away," Fred argued.
"That's Danto's men. Ya won't get anywhere with talking to 'em, and less with fightin' 'em," Thino countered. "Besides, ya haven't even got a sword on ya."
Fred still had his stick stuck in his waist. "I don't need a sword, but I need help saving him. I don't know my way around here, or where they took him," the young man agreed. He turned from the window and looked to the pair. "You said something about one of the other group escaped. Do you know who it is?"
Shilo shook her head. "Yer friends wouldn't tell Danto when he caught them."
"Can you show me the best road to the castle?" he pleaded.
"Not to get ya killed," Shilo refused.
"Quiet!" Thino hissed. He ducked away from the window as three shadows passed by the curtain. In a
moment there was a knock on the door.
"Yes?" Thino asked the visitor.
"Shilo? Are you in there?" a female voice whispered.
Fred's eyes widened, and he jumped to the door and swung it open. Pat, Percy, and Sins stood on the other side, and the first two were glad to see Fred. Sins was indifferent. "Fred!" Pat exclaimed. She barreled into him and sent him reeling a few feet backward before he dug his feet into the floor. Fred blushed until Pat sniffed the air and pushed him away from her into the wall. She plugged her nose and glared at him. "What in the world have you been doing?" she exclaimed.
"Playing in the marshes, by the smells of it, and losing," Percy teased as he patted Fred on the shoulder. "So you made it out of the swamp, but where's Ned?" he asked the other young man.
"Danto has him," Thino spoke up.
Pat whipped her head between the young man and the dwarves in shock. "What? How? When?"
"A few minutes ago, and I don't know how," Fred replied. "They just took his horse and led him away."
"Did he have his staff?" Percy wondered.
"Yes, but he didn't use it," Fred told him.
"So he what? Let himself get captured?" Pat asked them.
"That's exactly right," a voice spoke up. The group turned to the open door and watched Hywel flutter in. Fred hurried forward and caught the Star in his clasped hands before his weak wings pulled him to the ground. "Ned wanted to be captured. Said it would keep the boy safe and give him a chance to speak with the king of the dwarves. Much good I'm sure that will do when it didn't work with Cadwaladr."
CHAPTER 19
Pat walked over and looked down at the Star in awe. This was her first chance at a good view of one. "Who are you?" she asked him.
Hywel straightened his round, glowing body and stretched out his wings. "Hywel, a captain of the Stars." The crows in their cage greeted his introduction with a round of caws and pecking at their cages. Shilo rushed to calm them while Thino stepped forward.
"What is a captain of the Helpers doing in Dirth?" Thino questioned the Helper.
"Helping save both our cities, and with little thanks from either side," Hywel replied.
"He helped Ned and me get the treasure to destroy the stone," Fred explained to the group. He paused and looked down at Hywel. "Where is the treasure?"
Hywel stiffened, and his glow changed to a lighter white. "Um, I think Ned might have forgotten to give it to me before we parted."
Pat stepped into the center of the group and held up her hands. "Wait a moment. Ned has the treasure, and is being escorted to the castle where Canto and Ruth are still held captive?"
Fred's eyes widened. "They are?" he asked her.
"He does," Hywel answered her.
"So now we need to rescue all three of them?" Percy guessed.
"We're not leaving them there," Pat shot back.
"But how are we going to get in? The guards were lax before, but Danto won't allow them to be again," he pointed out.
"Ah might be able to help there," Shilo spoke up. All eyes turned to her, including Thino's.
"What are ya saying? This isn't any of our business," Thino protested.
Shilo crossed her arms and scowled at him. "It is if it means our city is in danger," she countered.
"What's your plan?" Pat asked her.
Shilo ignored Thino's pleading look and gestured to the rows of cages. "Ma pets are trained to follow whatever orders Ah give. They can distract the guards in the castle long enough for you to get to the cells and get yer friends out."
"But Ned wanted to see the king. He might not be in the dungeons," Hywel reminded them.
"Then I'll go after him," Fred offered.
"And you're not going alone," Pat chimed in. "I'll go with you."
"And I'll come with you, too," Percy added, but Pat shook her head.
"It will be more difficult to get Ruth and Canto from the cell block, so Sins will need all the help he can get," she insisted. "Besides, we also need our weapons retrieved."
A bitter smile slipped onto Percy's face. "So I'm relegated to a squire assigned to retrieve the weapons of the knights?" Pat opened her mouth, but he held up his hand and shrugged. "Even squires have their uses, and I'll accept mine without further complaint."
"I'll go with you, Fred," Hywel offered.
"We might need your light for the passages," Pat agreed. "The Stars aren't lighting the torches and it's very dark in the castle."
"And Ah'll go with the group springing Canto from the cells," Shilo spoke up. A sly smile slipped onto her face. "It'll be great to see the look on that dwarf's face when he sees Ah've saved him from his stupidity."
"This is madness," Thino protested. "We'll be caught by the guards and tossed into the cell with yer friends."
"Not with ma pets giving those guards a taste of their own abuse," Shilo argued.
"But how are we even going to get 'em there without 'em being seen? They're still watching the skies for Helpers," he pointed out.
"What about Fluffy?" Percy spoke up. All eyes turned to him, and he shrugged. "We can strap the cages to Fluffy's back so if we run into guards we can make the excuse that we're traders."
"Fluffy?" Shilo repeated.
"The cantankus in the alley," Pat told her. She raised her eyebrow, and Pat shrugged. "It's a long story."
"Traders," Thino scoffed as he glanced around the group. "With this strange group we'll have a hard time convincing 'em that we're not spies."
"Do ya have a better idea?" Shilo growled.
"I might," Fred spoke up. Everyone turned to him and he opened his large coat. "These pockets can fit all of them."
Shilo walked up and rubbed the material. "Aye, this is magical material. They'll fit pretty well, but Ah don't know how Ah'll convince ma crows to get inside there. They don't mind the cages, but they hate bags."
"I have food in them. Would that help?" Fred asked her.
"You can't be considering giving your cloak to her," Pat spoke up.
Fred shrugged. "I don't need it right now, and they do."
"But Ned gave that for you to wear," she insisted.
"It'll only be for a while, and Ned won't mind since we're using it to get him and the others out," Fred pointed out. He turned back to Shilo. "Will the food help get them in the pockets?"
Shilo chuckled. "Aye, it'll help quite a bit, but are ya willing to give it to me for a bit? It's a nice coat."
Fred slipped it off and held it out to her. "We don't have a choice. Fluffy can't carry the birds because he needs to get Pat, Ned and me out of there fast," he pointed out. Shilo smiled, took the coat, and slipped her arms into it. The bottom two feet dragged the ground and the sleeves were too long, but she wasn't fashion-conscious. Fred's eyes widened, and he quickly knelt and dug around in the pockets.
"What are ya doing?" Shilo shrieked.
Fred pulled out the training pamphlet Ned had given him. "Just in case I need its wisdom," he explained to the group, and stuffed the pamphlet in his pocket.
"If yer done fondling me then we'll see if this'll work." Shilo hurried over to the cages and opened the doors. The crows flew out and the humans expected a chaotic scene, but the birds merely flew in a circle over her head. She opened the sides of the coat and whistled. The birds flew down in a column of wings and beaks, and dropped into the many pockets. In a moment they were all inside and there was a vague sound of snapping beaks as they tore into Fred's food supply. Shilo let down the sides and smiled. "This'll be doing fine for us."
"Good, now let's break into our two groups," Pat advised. "Fred, the Star-"
"Hywel," he told her.
"Fred, Hywel, Fluffy, and I will go to the front of the castle while you others go to the open cell on the side of the castle. I'm sure they won't be expecting anyone to come in that way, and you can release the crows directly into the cell block. During the commotion we'll sneak in and make our way to the dining hall. I think that's also the throne room."
"
It is," Shilo confirmed.
"We'll snatch Ned with Fred's magic while you can get Ruth, Canto, and our weapons back," she finished.
Thino's face fell and the corners of his mouth twitched. "Ah think that's the craziest plan Ah ever heard."
Shilo scowled at her man. "So ya won't come then?" she asked him.
"Ah didn't say that. Ah just said it was crazy," he replied.
A wide smile slipped onto his face and she pecked a kiss onto his cheek. "That's the dwarf Ah fell in love with."
Pat looked around the group with pursed lips and unblinking eyes. "Then it's settled. Let's go save our friends."
In the cover of darkness a large group of dwarves, humans, and one Star snuck out of the Murder Shop. They kept to the front of the building and turned a hard left into a nearby dark alley. Fred was near the lead, and he rolled his eyes when he noticed Fluffy. The cantankus huddled beneath a crate that barely covered his hips, much less his entire body. Fluffy saw his master, sprang from the confines of the crate, and jumped on his boy. Fred went down in a mess of slobber and muscle.
"Ya can't ask for a better friend than a cantankus that's fond of ya," Thino commented.
"How about one that would get off me?" Fred croaked beneath the weight of the dog-beast. He pushed Fluffy off, stood, and patted the beast on the shoulder. "Nice to see you, too."
"That's all fine and dandy, but let's get a move on," Shilo ordered them.
The two groups split up. Pat and Fred snuck toward the drawbridge while the other five went around the side of the large rock and moat to the Keep. Fluffy whimpered, but followed along with Thino at his side. Shilo glanced around and stopped. "Where'd the dark man go?" she asked them.
Percy smiled and shrugged. "He comes and goes when he pleases, but he'll reappear when he's needed," he assured her.
She frowned. "An assassin or a spy?" she guessed.
"Both and neither, depending on who is the highest bidder," Percy told her.
"What a mess we're in," Thino grumbled. He rubbed the back of Fluffy's neck, and the cantankus purred and pushed against his hand.
The Unwilling Ambassador (Book 3) Page 12