by Jamie Davis
"And that's all you need to know," Rodrigo said, echoing Cari's words. "Honestly, I'd tell you if I could."
"What's all the noise out here and why are you keeping that lovely blonde-haired beauty standing in the hallway? Invite the poor girl inside. I could use some company besides you two for a change."
A half-dressed Timron strolled into the main room of the apartment from the bedroom and crossed to the door.
Cari sighed and stepped aside.
"Merry, this is his Highness, Prince Timron. Highness, this is Merry, a loyal subject of your grandmother's. She arrived with a message from Rodrigo's uncle on what we're to do next."
"I hope it includes leaving this hellish place. I've tired of staring at these drab walls. I long for some excitement."
Merry stared wide-eyed at the prince then dropped into a deep curtsy.
Cari caught the prince's leer as Merry's curtsy caused her to lean forward and show a great deal of bosom.
"Oh, for God's sake," Cari gasped. "Get up and come inside Merry so we can close the door."
Merry stood and came inside the apartment. Rodrigo closed the door behind her. Prince Timron bent forward as the dumbstruck girl stepped into the room and lifted her hand to kiss it. Much to Cari's consternation, Merry let out a little giggle at the grand gesture.
"Don't encourage him, please." Cari turned to the prince. "We've got word the Duke is searching the city for you. He didn't buy the rumor you left the city which means we need to leave for real now."
"Wonderful, I have a country home a few days from here where we can settle down and enjoy some creature comforts for a change."
Cari shook her head.
"No, nowhere you are known to frequent and especially no properties you own. Our instructions are to take you to —"
Cari trailed off and glanced at Rodrigo. She'd forgotten the name of the town on the coast.
"It's called Morton Creek," Rodrigo said. “I know of it. It used to be a small seaport renowned for smuggling. That's all changed now and it's become mostly a town of fishermen and their families."
"I've never heard of it," Timron said.
"Good, maybe no one else has, either," Cari said. She tapped her chin in thought. "The question now is how do we get the prince out of town without anyone seeing him?"
"If we had a private carriage, we could drive him right through the gates with the curtains drawn," Rodrigo suggested. "We could go at night and slip the guards at the gates some coins to open them and let us drive through. They only care about keeping people out. Nobles do it all the time. That plus a disguise for Timron will serve to get us out to the countryside."
"Arno has a carriage he keeps in the stable at the inn," Merry suggested. "I bet he'd be happy to let us use it for such an important purpose."
"I don't want to let anyone else in on this plan than we have to," Cari said. "More people means more chances for the word to leak out."
Rodrigo shook his head.
"Merry's right. Arno's the perfect person to help us out. He's a huge supporter of the Empress and her family. He'll help us for sure."
"And I get to wear a disguise?" Timron said, smiling. "I love disguises. Who shall I be? A daring rogue or perhaps a pirate captain out on the town?"
"Actually, your Highness, I was thinking we'd disguise you as the carriage driver. No one pays attention to servants. All the interesting people ride inside carriages."
"Well, that's no fun at all. It's like I'm not wearing a disguise at all if I'm going as the driver."
"That's the point," Cari said. "Just play the part and we'll get you out of the city in one piece. This isn't a fancy costume ball where you get to dress up, it's a getaway."
"Oh, very well."
The prince's disappointment put a grin on Cari's face as she watched him sulk on his way back to the bedroom.
"Merry," Rodrigo said. "Time is of the essence if your message is right. Can you get back to Arno and arrange the carriage for tonight?"
"I think so. Where do you want me to have the driver meet you?"
"We'll come to you after dark," Rodrigo said, fleshing out the plan for them. “Have the horses harnessed and the carriage ready in the inn's rear stable yard. We will pick it up there after we secure the rest of our disguises."
Cari blinked and turned to her companion.
"What other disguises."
"You'll see."
* * *
Quest accepted - Help Timron escape the city
* * *
---
* * *
Cari pulled at her skirt, trying to arrange the fluffy petticoats underneath her dress. She couldn't decide which she hated more: the voluminous petticoats or the constricting corset. The former would trip her up if she had to run or fight and the latter's stays dug into her ribs and kept her from drawing anything approaching a full breath.
"This getup is ridiculous," Cari complained. "What if we get in a fight? I can't even wear my sword over this dress."
"You'll have to settle for keeping it close at hand in the back of the coach. Besides the whole point is to avoid a fight, right?"
Cari couldn't avoid the logic but she didn't have to like it. She hadn't worn a dress since she was twelve-years-old.
"Rodrigo, she's a lady. Always compliment her first before you tell her the bad news," Timron said. He turned to Cari and bowed. "Your driver is at your service and might I say you look positively ravishing this evening."
Cari couldn't decide if the prince was mocking her or if he was serious and starting to hit on her again. Letting out another groan of frustration, she picked up her skirts in one hand while she grabbed her sword and the pack holding her regular clothes and spun around to head down the stairs. They still had to walk across town in their new getups and pick up the carriage.
With any luck, she'd fall down the stairs and break her neck before she had to wear this dress out in public.
Chapter 12
The three of them made it across the city to the Empress's Rest without incident, though Cari swore under her breath most of the way there while she fought with her skirts as she walked. Nevertheless, they made it to the inn and now stood in the stable yard next to the waiting carriage.
Cari stowed her baggage inside on the bench seat opposite where she would sit facing forward. The bag sat there and she planned on changing back into her usual gear as soon as they got outside of the city. It would be good to get out of the dress and into pants again. She couldn’t change yet though. It was her part to play the wealthy noblewoman on a late-night excursion outside of the city to her estates in the surrounding countryside.
Timron played the part of her driver while Rodrigo acted as her footman. If they were stopped, she would take the delay in her travel plans out against the guards with indignant outrage suitable for a spoiled noblewoman. Cari didn't think she'd have trouble with the deception. Indignant outrage fit her current mood very well.
She had to admit, once the prince had accepted his role in the escape plan, he'd dug into playing the part with gusto. If she were to pass him on the street in his current outfit, she would have had to look at him closely to be sure it was him.
Timron wore a sort of fat suit created with cotton padding underneath an oversized shirt and overcoat. That coupled with some artfully applied dirt and grime completed the deception. He looked like a stable hand pressed into service to drive a lady around late at night.
"Remember," Cari said as she fidgeted with the corset, desperately trying to find a position that provided some kind of comfort. "We head straight for the city gates, bribe the guards to open the gate and let us out. As soon as we're outside of the city, I get to change back into my regular clothes."
Rodrigo laughed. "You sound like you're more interested in taking off that dress than you are in helping his Highness escape."
"The two goals are not mutually exclusive," she grumbled in response.
Timron bowed low at the waist and then extended a h
and to steady her as she started to climb into the back of the carriage. Cari batted his hand away, eliciting a chuckle from the prince as he climbed up onto the carriage’s driver’s seat. Once she was inside, Rodrigo shut the door and disappeared from view.
Cari hated the plan even more now that she was in the back of the carriage. The windows were narrow and small, affording her only a small view of the surrounding area. She was almost completely at the mercy of anyone who came at her from outside of the vehicle if it came to a fight. She decided she'd be sure to get out of the carriage before any fighting started so she didn't get caught inside by an enemy and cornered.
With a lurch they started forward, leaving the gates of the fenced-in stable yard at the inn. The carriage transitioned to the rougher cobblestones of the Crystal City's paved streets.
The carriage wasn't very comfortable considering it was supposed to be a luxury mode of travel reserved for the wealthy. The padding on the seats in the back was meager and the thick leather straps suspending the carriage’s boxy cabin from the wheeled body of the vehicle didn't provide much in the way of shock absorption.
The drive through the nighttime streets moved them faster than expected. The route was almost deserted and they made good time on their way to the western gates. It wasn’t long before the carriage pulled to a stop as they reached their destination on the western edge of the Crystal City.
Cari heard the gate guards call out for them to halt. It was time for her to play her part. Grabbing the small pouch of coins Timron had given her, Cari slid forward, making sure her sword lay close at hand next to the carriage door in case she needed to reach for it when she was outside the carriage.
Cari opened the door and leaned out. They were stopped in front of a pair of double gates. She could see a portcullis raised just inside the closed gates. It had a ratcheting pulley and crank mechanism holding it suspended by way of a thick hemp rope wound around the huge spindle meant to raise and lower the secondary barrier.
"Rod, what is the problem? I told you I was in a hurry to reach the country house."
"I'm sorry, ma'am. I tried to tell you the gates would be closed at this hour. The guards wish to speak with you."
As Rodrigo spoke, a uniformed guard, carrying a musket with a fixed bayonet and wearing the uniform of the city watch walked back to stand beside the carriage. He spotted Cari and dipped in a small bow before he spoke.
"Pardon me, milady. We've been ordered to search all vehicles leaving the city for a person of interest to the members of the privy council."
Cari tried adopting an air of annoyed indifference.
"I don't know what they'd want with little old me." She waved a hand in the air in a gesture she'd seen Timron use on more than one occasion to display his annoyance. "I merely wish to retire back to my country estate outside the city. Surely I'm not the person you're looking for?"
"Uh, no ma'am. We're looking for a nobleman in his late twenties." The guard came closer, trying to look past her into the interior of the carriage. "There's no one else in there with you, is there?"
Cari settled back on the opposite seat so he could lean into the carriage and inspect the interior. As she sat, she lifted the edge of her skirts to cover her sword and pack on the seat next her. It wouldn't do to have him asking questions why she was armed.
The guard leaned into the carriage and glanced around before standing up, giving Cari a brief salute.
"Sorry, ma'am. We had to check." He stood just outside the carriage with a hand outstretched.
Cari remembered the pouch and opened it to spill a few silver pieces into her hand. Reaching out through the open doorway, she dropped the bribe into the guard's outstretched hand. With a smile, he nodded at her once more and turned towards the gate.
"Open the gates. These folks have business outside the city."
Cari leaned out to thank the guard and saw two other guards pushing the gates open in front of the carriage. Just as they were about to pull through the gates, the sound of galloping horses came from behind them.
Rounding the corner of the street behind them came a quartet of mounted guards in the livery of the Duke of Charon.
"Stop that carriage. Stop them in the name of the Duke of Charon!"
The city guard's confusion quickly turned to realization something was wrong. His reaction was a second too late. Cari lifted her skirt swung the door of the carriage open and planted a booted foot in the center of the guard's chest. Her move caught him by surprise and he toppled over backwards.
"Rodrigo, Timron. Go!"
The carriage lurched forward and Cari, teetering in the doorway, lost her balance and fell out to the street beside the stunned guard. Her hands tried to grab the door frame to stop her fall, but all she managed to grab was her sword belt, pulling it and her pack of clothes out with it as the carriage pulled away while she fell to the ground.
The galloping horses were getting closer and Cari realized they'd quickly overtake the carriage, stopping the Prince's escape unless she managed to stop them.
Cari climbed to her feet, ripping the hem of her dress in the process and nearly tripping her all over again. Her eyes fell on the portcullis capstan which wound to raise and lower the barrier. She only had a few seconds.
Darting to the mechanism, Cari studied it in the little time she had, thanking the stars above she’d inherited some of her mother’s engineering skills. It was a simple device and it didn’t take her long to figure out how it worked. Beside the winding mechanism was a long lever with a brake release trigger atop it.
Hoping she guessed correctly, Cari squeezed the trigger's long paddle, so it flattened to the handle, unlocking the lever from its locked position. Grabbing it with two hands, she yanked as hard as she could, pulling the long metal bar back.
The sudden release of tension unwound the thick rope wrapped around the capstan and the portcullis came crashing down just as the carriage passed underneath it, missing the back of the vehicle by inches.
Rodrigo shouted for Timron to stop as he realized Cari wasn't with them. Cari shook her head.
"No! Go, get out of here. I'll catch up with you later. Go."
Rodrigo seemed torn based on his expression but Timron nodded and slapped the reins down on the horses' backs and they picked up speed again, racing off into the night, disappearing into the darkness outside the gates.
* * *
Quest completed - Help Timron escape the city
1,200 experience awarded
Level Up!
* * *
Cari ran to where her pack and sword lay on the cobble stones and reached out to draw her blade just as the four guardsmen rode up. The city watchman stood up and retrieved his musket from the ground.
She tried to pick a direction in which to flee but realized she would never outrun the guards on horseback, especially in the confinement of the dress. As the quartet of green-clad soldiers dismounted, Cari realized she had nowhere to go.
The city guardsman leveled his musket at her. “Drop the sword and put your hands up.”
Knowing she couldn’t outrun the guards in her current outfit, let alone a bullet, Cari stood upright, dropped her sword to clatter on the cobblestones, and raised her hands over her head in surrender.
She tried to hide the slight tremble in her hands betraying the fear of being captured and what might follow it. Cari was a strong-willed person and wasn’t scared of much, but what would happen if they decided to torture her? She prayed there'd be an opportunity to escape and vowed to keep her eyes open for the chance, no matter how slight.
Steadying herself and firming her resolve, Cari focused her mind instead on how she'd eventually catch up to Rodrigo, the Prince, and the three Dragoons in Morton Creek. Then everything would be back to normal.
One of the Duke's men dismounted and crossed over to her.
"You shouldn't have done that. The Duke don't take kindly to people who get in his way."
"He should get used to it," Car
i snapped in reply. “I suspect it's going to keep happening."
The guard growled and grabbed her by the arm, pushing her towards the watchman.
"Detain her and put her in irons. We'll pick her up on our return from chasing down the others."
He turned to his three companions.
"Don't just sit there. Get over there and wind up the portcullis. We still have to try to catch that carriage. If our informant is correct, that's the one seen leaving Empress's Rest earlier this evening."
The watchman, clutched at Cari's arm while another of the gate guards collected her belongings from the ground at her feet. Her hands were pulled forward and heavy iron bands joined by a thick chain were locked over each of her wrists.
The Duke's men still struggled with the portcullis mechanism as the watchman led her away to the gatehouse. Cari smiled. At least she'd managed to help the others escape. Now it was time to see what fate had in store for her.
Chapter 13
Cari sat in her small cell. It wasn’t much, really just an alcove in the stone wall on the ground floor of the gatehouse. The space was barely six feet across and four feet deep. Bars made from straps of black iron, riveted together into a grid, blocked off the alcove’s opening. There was a small, narrow door hinged into one section of the bars. She had to duck and turn sideways when they pushed her through and into the cell.
Having nothing better to do than wait for the Duke's guards to return and collect her, Cari took the opportunity to review her character stats in the game menu. She was convinced Fantasma was a real place but there was also a mystical nature to it. That was the only way she could explain her ability to treat some aspects of her interactions here as if it were a game.
She had leveled up again upon ensuring Timron's escape from the city. She decided she needed some luck to get out of the current situation and placed her two attribute points into her luck. She had scorned the idea of relying on luck when she had first arrived in Fantasma. Now, it seemed that she was in desperate need of something a lot like luck to turn the current situation in her favor. She couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened tonight if she’d invested some of her points in luck earlier on.