by Adam Oster
“Must have been a pretty special woman,” I egg him on, hoping he’d tell me more about her.
“She was,” he agrees, again stepping off the chair and repeating the process.
“So,” I begin, giving up on learning about his master, “since you think this Wizard guy is a con man too, don’t you think he’d know enough about dungeons and be aware of the secret exit?”
“No. That guy’s obviously completely insane. Did you notice how confused he seemed about the whole Dorothy thing? I think the guy has somehow fooled himself into thinking that he’s really some great wizard dude and doesn’t even realize that he’s ripping off MGM. I’m actually starting to think he might just really be a kook who accidentally made good.”
“I’m still not entirely certain why you—“
“Yes!” Griff cuts me off. “I knew I’d find it!” And at that statement, he climbs up the wall, looking like Spiderman with how easily he scales it. In a matter of seconds, he’s at the ceiling and hitting at something above his head.
“You find the hatch?”
“Yeah,” Griff shouts down. “Of course I did. Thing is, it’s hella old and obviously rusted shut, not to mention probably has something on top of it to keep it from being visible.”
“What does that mean?”
“That means we need some way to apply a great deal of force against this thing to get it open.” He climbs back down and is out of breath when he reaches my side.
“Any ideas?”
“On how to apply a great deal of force against a hatch that’s fifteen feet above the ground?” Griff summarizes. “Well, I guess if you had some sort of cherry picker or something.”
“Sorry,” I give a sad smile at his joke, “fresh out.”
“Damn,” Griff mutters under his breath. “If only I could reverse the hinge, I could get the door to open the other way. Maybe we’d get lucky and whatever’s on top of it would just fall through.”
“Couldn’t you just remove the pins from the hinge?”
Griff looks at me like I had just said the stupidest thing in the world before a look of recognition comes across his face. “Actually, that’s not a bad idea.”
He climbs back up the wall and I hear him cursing at himself several times before he finally makes his way back down beside me.
“How small are your hands, kid?”
“I don’t know, normal amount of small, I guess.”
“The hinges are on the bottom side of the gate, meaning it opens inward like we want it to. The bolt that keeps it shut, which I had mistaken for the hinge, is on the other side. The only problem is that there’s almost no clearance between the gate and whatever’s on top of it. My ham hands are too fat to get in there and do anything worthwhile.”
“And you think mine might fit?”
“Maybe.”
“Okay, what do I do?”
“Climb on the chair there and feel the wall. You should notice some rather deep cuts in it.”
“Okay.” I get on the chair and feel at the wall. “Alright, yeah, I think I found them.”
“Alright, so, those work like a ladder all the way to the top.”
“Okay,” I say, feeling uncertain about this whole process. I pull myself up and find that the indents, although not as big as I’d like for this process, are actually a lot better than I had expected. Cautiously, I make my way toward the ceiling. My fingers ache because of how I have to arch them to pull myself upward. I’m not sure how Griff had done this so easily, it’s hard work.
I make it to the top and look above me. Although there’s a little bit of light shining through from above, it’s not enough to illuminate what I’m supposed to be working on. I look down at Griff.
“What now?”
“Do you see the grate above you?”
“No.”
“Okay, well, there’s a grate above you. You should be able to feel it.”
I reach my hand above my head and feel around. Directly above my head I feel a rusty grating. “Found it.”
“Perfect. Now, if you reach through the grating and feel toward the wall, you should find a pretty simple latch bolt.” I have already placed my hand through the grate and feel the bolt before he even mentions it. I pull on the bolt and begin to slide it open until Griff says abruptly, “but don’t open it yet!”
“Oh,” I say, startled. “Why?”
“Because, kid, it’s pretty obvious there’s something on top of that there grating. We don’t know if it’ll fall right down on that pretty head of yours when you open it.”
“Okay, so what do I do?”
“Outside of something crazy like trying to hang from the grate when it swings open, which I’m not even sure would be any better, I don’t think there’s anything to do except be quick. Keep yourself close to the wall, and pray for the best.”
“Okay.” I take a deep breath. I press my body against the wall, fingers in agony from the attempt. Trembling with fear, I put my right hand through the grate once again and finish sliding the latch through the bolt.
The grate gives way almost immediately, giving me no time to bring my free hand back to the wall before a series of bulky items start falling through. The weight against my arm causes me to lose my grip. The world blurs around me and I feel myself make contact, although much softer than I would have expected for such a fall. A loud clattering of noise happens all around.
I open my eyes and find myself face to face with Griff, who cringes in pain as he opens his. He had caught me!
“You alright, kid?”
“Yeah.” I stand and survey the damage behind us. It looks like the area directly above the grate was being used to store the stone busts of forgotten saints Dozens of broken marble faces look up at me through the dust cloud they had kicked up. “You?”
Griff grunts while pulling himself to his feet. “Nothing that won’t heal itself,” he answers with a forced grin. “Someone’s bound to have heard that. Let’s get out of here.” He gestures to the wall. “After you, kid.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” I say and follow his direction. I’m halfway up the wall before he even gets onto the chair.
Once at the top, I peek through the open grating carefully. I can’t see much outside of the rest of the pile of discarded sculptures, but it doesn’t sound like anyone has decided to come this way yet. I pull myself out of the hole, accidentally kicking the head of some bearded man of marble down to the dungeon below.
“Sorry,” I whisper to Griff. He doesn’t answer, but his head appears through the hole shortly after. His hand reaches up, looking for assistance in getting out. I clear some space around the pit to give me space for a foothold and grab the hand. In one swift movement, he’s on solid ground behind me.
“Alright kid, we’ve gotta get out of here quickly and quietly. Capiche?”
I find myself drawn in by the extravagance of this new room. The circular hall we’ve entered seems to jut just off the main building. Above us is a beautiful vaulted ceiling, all covered in stained glass windows, just like the rest of the cathedral. The light entering the room through them makes it all that much more of a sight to behold.
Then I catch sight of another addition to the room. Hiding within all of the stone work, on columns, corners, and window sills, are some of the most disturbing renditions of faces I’ve ever seen. They stare back at me from their granite prisons, some laughing, some frightened, all creepy.
“Wake up already, kid. Let’s go!” Griff yells at me through a whisper from the only exit the room has.
I shake myself awake and follow behind him, “Sorry,” is all I say in response.
We head down a short hallway which breaks to the left. Griff stops at the corner and holds a hand up to stop me. I pause at his side and see the terror in his eyes. Then I hear footsteps.
“You incompetent fool!” I hear the voice of The Wizard angrily shouting. “How could you possibly have not heard that? I believe it came from the storage ro
om. Hurry!”
“You think he’s coming in here?” I ask, already certain of the answer and looking around for another exit, but coming up empty-handed.
Griff doesn’t even respond with a look. He runs back into the room we had just exited. I follow but see that it is useless. Even the windows in this room are too high for us to reach.
“I’ve got an idea, keep on me,” he yells quietly and quickly bolts back into the hallway. I’m hot on his heels. I hadn’t noticed the giant window treatments in the room, one of which Griff climbs behind, pulling me in with him.
The echoing footsteps enter the hallway and I find myself concerned that the fabric is still shuddering from us climbing behind it. The Wizard continues muttering insults at his elderly companion.
“If another one of your pets has managed to get within the cathedral and cause trouble I’ll—“ The Wizard cuts himself off while standing somewhere directly in front of us. A pause that seems to last forever hangs in the air until suddenly his voice screams out and he bolts toward the vaulted room. “What the hell has your dumb beast done now?”
Just as we hear him run away, Griff pulls my arm and we slip out from our hiding place, running in the opposite direction and reentering the cathedral.
“Haven’t I told you how priceless these artifacts are on countless occasions? How am I possibly supposed to gain a profit off them if--What is this hole?”
His voice fades off into the distance as we run quietly through the rest of the building, finding an exit directly opposite where we had entered. We are at the door before we hear The Wizard scream out in anger as he comes to understand what has happened. Griff pushes on the door and finds it unlocked. We exit into the street to a wide cobblestoned walkway completely devoid of people, although lined with what looks to be residential buildings.
Griff takes us left along the exterior of the cathedral, onto a shaded roadway crowded with people. Their attention turns to us as we push our way into the midst of them. We slow our speed as we near the center of activity, hoping that in doing so we will be able to blend in. I keep my eyes toward where we entered to ensure The Wizard doesn’t follow. I look to Griff who also has his eye in the same direction.
“I thought that might happen,” he says with a sigh of relief.
“What’s that?”
“From the looks of that fake beard and cheap poly-blend robe, I can’t imagine he wants too many of those peasants getting close to him. Would hurt his ruse.”
“So, he’s just going to let us go?”
“Doubtful,” Griff shrugs just as the cathedral’s bells start ringing.
The peasants around us all look simultaneously to the cathedral belfry in reverence. They drop what they’re holding and rush toward the church courtyard.
“What do we do?” I ask Griff in a panic.
“Well, if we stay out in the open, he’s sure to find us. That’s probably what he’s hoping for.”
“Okay, so we go with the crowd?”
“And be right in front of the cathedral where he can force us to come forward and be executed like everyone else? I don’t think so.”
“So?” I ask, the panic rising in my voice.
“Geoffrey’s?” Griff shrugs.
“That’s all the way on the other side of town. There’s no chance we’ll make it before the crowd gets to the church. If you’re right and he’s just looking to get us out here on our own, that’s hardly a good idea.”
“You’re right,” Griff agrees as he looks around through the rapidly clearing street. “Well, there’s definitely one thing we can’t keep doing.”
“What’s that?”
“Standing out here in the middle of the street. Come on.” Griff grabs my hand and we run in opposition to the people who are trying to make their way toward the church. Scowls and frightened looks pass us by as we push through them. Many of them work to make sure that our attempt to clear the horde is not easy.
On the left I spy an alleyway and pull Griff into it with me. The corridor is narrow, with walls on both sides of us. If that Wizard is going to send people out searching for us, this is probably not where we want to be. The alley curves to the left at the end, which I quickly realize is directing us right back toward the cathedral.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Griff asks me angrily as he spins on his heel and pulls me back out of the alley.
Two imposing men holding hatchets appear at the alley’s exit. We skid to a stop and spin on our heels, returning in the way we had just decided was not a feasible option. As soon as we reach the bend in the alley, we see the other exit has been covered by similarly large men holding similarly frightening instruments of injury.
Behind us is a building with a large, closed, wooden gate. Griff and I notice it at the same time and without a word, he’s beside it, holding his hands to boost me up into the small gap between it and stone archway above. Within seconds I squeeze into the open area on the other side and frantically search for a way to open it to save Griff.
A heavy bar is placed across the doors, locking them shut. Griff shouts at me from the opposite side as I attempt to lift the wooden lock. I place my shoulder underneath it and push with as much power as I can muster. It doesn’t budge. Again I press against it. This time it gives way almost as if it wasn’t there. I’m pulled backward as the doors fly open and suddenly realize that I’m being assisted by yet another large beast of a man as Griff enters the courtyard and closes the doors behind him.
Chapter 13
Effortlessly, the new savior in my life replaces the wooden bar within its proper location on the back side of the gates and smiles as the doors shudder with impacts from the men on the other side.
“Thanks!” I say as Griff eyes the man up suspiciously.
The rotund, bald, and smiley man nods silently.
“We’ve gotta get out of here,” Griff says in agitation. “I can’t imagine they’re going to let us just sit around here for too long.”
The man nods again and walks away from us rather speedily. I look at Griff with a raised eyebrow before deciding to follow.
“What is this place?” I ask as I look around at the beautifully manicured garden we’ve just entered.
The man continues on in silence.
I look at Griff again in question.
“Maybe he can’t hear you. Could be deaf, you know.”
The man reaches a doorway on the other end of the open area and gestures for us to enter. We oblige gratefully and the man closes the door behind us. I feel odd knowing that he stayed outside.
As our eyes adjust to the darkened interior, we see there are several men seated around a table within the room we’ve just entered. It is absolutely silent in here, save the sound of breathing. The men seem to be oblivious to our entrance, pouring over books quietly.
“This is pretty screwy,” Griff says, breaking the silence.
Instantly, the men at the table turn their newly widened eyes upon us, a sense of relief crossing them quickly thereafter.
“Hey,” Griff says as he approaches the table, “anyone here have any ideas on what we can do to get to safety?”
The men return their attention to their books without comment.
“What the hell?” Griff says, his voice rising in anger. “Can anyone give me any ideas on what we can do to get away from the men that are out there trying to kill us?”
“Language, please,” a voice says from further within the building. We are soon joined by yet another man, wearing a brown robe and a bald head. He frowns at us as he enters. “These men made their vows of silence to keep from hearing such blasphemy in addition to keep from speaking it. The least you could do is try to oblige them in their wishes.”
“Finally,” Griff sighs, “someone around here who will talk to us.”
“Vow of silence?” I ask.
“Of course, are you not here to see the monks of York?”
“No, sorry, we don’t really know where we a
re, we were just in a spot of danger and—“
“Say no more,” the man says. “Although this may not be a church, this is indeed a place of sanctuary. My name is Father Addy, I am the head rector of York. Or, rather, I was the head rector of York. I believe that man who has taken up residence within our chapel has taken that title upon himself now.”
“What?” Griff asked, still sounding pretty angry.
“He’s the minister around here,” I translate. “Or at least he used to be before The Wizard took over.” Addy nods in agreement with my paraphrasing. “Is this the rectory then?” I ask him.
“Yes, darling, although I’m not entirely certain how appropriate that title would be anymore,” he answers sadly. “My brothers here have taken their vow of silence in the hopes that the Lord will hear our prayer and bring us salvation from the tyranny that has oppressed our town.”
“Speaking of tyranny,” Griff changes the subject. “Your fake-bearded friend has got a few folks hot on our tails. Is there any place we could hide for when they finally break through your doors?”
“Ah, ye need not worry about that, my son,” Addy answers. “The Wizard’s minions would not dare break into the rectory grounds. For all the fear they have regarding the mystical man, they fear treading on this hallowed ground even more.”
“That’s what you meant by this serving as a sanctuary then?” I ask.
“Yes, you’re safe here.”
“Great,” Griff grunts. “Now we just spend out the rest of our lives living with a bunch of monks from the Dark Ages. I guess that’s what I get for a life playing the game.”
“Would the two of you care for something to eat?” Addy asks. “I have just finished a batch of gruel, if you’re interested.”
Griff’s eyes light up as a groan unintentionally escapes my lips.
“Gruel, you say?” Griff answers.
Chapter 14
We are seated at a table down the hall from where we entered. Addy brings two bowls of gruel as well as a warm loaf of bread and sets them down in front of us. Griff immediately digs his spoon into the contents of his bowl as I reach for the bread and break off a piece.