by Edward Aubry
There were about a dozen men in this first room, some looking purposeful, others just milling about. Harrison looked at his own people. It was when he looked at Louise and Jeannette that he noticed for the first time that the only women in the building were with him. That struck him as odd. The population of New Chicago was almost fifty-five percent female, and he assumed that a sample that large would be representative of the gender proportion for the entire population of survivors. It seemed unlikely that this group of scavengers, which numbered at least two dozen by his latest estimates, would consist entirely of men.
They were taken down a long hallway, which had the same approximate decor as the lobby. Harrison was struck by the lack of adornment on the walls. They needed tapestries, or paintings, or something to make this feel like what he thought a castle should look like. This whole experience was feeling like something designed by someone who had only ever heard vague and inaccurate descriptions of castles.
Their journey ended at the entrance to an enormous room that had a red carpet leading from the door to a raised platform all the way in the back. On the platform sat an enormous and ornate chair, and on the chair sat a man in a garish costume. This was a child's caricature of a throne room, and it was all Harrison could do to keep from snickering. It helped, of course, that this king had obvious guards who were standing along the walls, wearing armor, and carrying an abundance of weapons, from knives and swords to pikes and halberds. Although his New Chicago team was not outnumbered by these Lone Star brigands, they were soundly outgunned. He decided it behooved him to keep his trap shut. As they came closer to the platform and were able to get a better look at the sovereign and his royal guard, Harrison's desire to keep silent grew exponentially. Two of the armed men seemed not to be entirely human. One had the pointed ears of a wolf high on the sides of his head. His face was otherwise gruff, though it had approximately human features. The other had the head of an albino tiger, entirely feline, and he clutched his axe with wide, clawed pads.
"Kneel before His Majesty!" one of the men who had led them there commanded. They did so. As Harrison bowed his head, feeling ridiculous, he glanced up at the alleged king. He was wearing a sharkskin suit and a white fur coat, topped off with a crown that must have been pillaged from a Halloween shop. He cast an impression more like a pimp than royalty, and as Harrison congratulated himself for not commenting aloud, he had a strange déjà vu feeling that he had seen this king's face before. It nagged at him, but déjà vu always did that.
"Arise, travelers," the faux monarch bellowed. Harrison was immediately struck by his lack of a southern accent. He tried to determine if that might be significant. "Welcome," the king said, "to the Kingdom of Texas!"
Harrison stifled a groan. This was laying it on way too thick. He wondered why the others were smiling politely, but suddenly he remembered why, and he immediately became very self-conscious about his own behavior. The people of this kingdom thought he and his teammates were ensorceled, charmed into accepting the offer of protection. Alec's enchanted sword had protected him-and, by extension, the whole team-from the spell, but none of the Texans knew that. Harrison had completely forgotten that he was supposed to be pretending to be under their spell. He hoped no one had noticed, especially Alec, who was the most likely to give him shit about it.
From this perspective, the picture started to come into focus. This hokum with its nonsense, storybook king and castle, was intended for an enchanted audience. No doubt such audiences ate it up.
"You must surely be hungry and tired," continued the king. Harrison pretended to be stupid, and a tourist, and suddenly it all seemed like a game. Easy to follow. Again, he noticed the king's accent. His new, tourist perspective suggested that the king must be attempting a British accent, like a player at a renaissance fair.
Alec bowed. "Indeed we are, Your Majesty," he said. Harrison was pleasantly surprised to see that the spy's English accent was finally coming in handy. The king seemed less pleased, however, and his brows rose. Harrison wondered if he thought Alec was faking the accent to mock him.
Nevertheless, the king gave a regal nod. "I believe you will find our hospitality to your liking," he said to Alec. Now that Harrison had a true basis for comparison, he could tell the king was not using an English accent. He did have a cadence Harrison recognized, though. The déjà vu hit him again. "Widely known is the generosity of the Lord of the Lone Star," the king added.
He pronounced the word "star" with a dropped R and short A. Harrison finally placed his accent as eastern Massachusetts, possibly south Boston, more likely Worcester. Then the déjà vu picked him up by his collar and gave him a good shake. When it put him down, and he regained his bearings, he blurted out, "Scott?"
The king froze. He had barely noticed Harrison before, but now he locked his eyes on Harrison. "What?" he asked slowly, "what did you call me?"
Alec gave Harrison his best unfazed though curious look, but Harrison could read the menace behind it. Still, he saw no choice but to plow ahead.
"Begging Your Majesty's pardon," he said, and bowed his head. He hoped he would get away with it, but he knew he was pinned.
"Look at me," said the king. His voice was commanding, almost convincingly regal, and Harrison looked up. The king stared at him. After many long moments, without any change of expression, the king said, "Cody."
Harrison gulped. He didn't dare look at his companions for fear that he might somehow tip some other vital secret. "Yes, Your Majesty," he said obsequiously.
The king grinned. "Harry Cody," he said warmly. "Now what are the odds of that?" King Scott surveyed his crop of newcomers with a new intensity, then snapped his fingers. A toady appeared, as if from nowhere. "Our guests require food and beds," said the king. He looked at the group, sizing them up individually. "Show the girl to the dormitory. The rest will stay in our finest quarters." Alec and Louise both glanced at Claudia, concerned by the distinction, but said nothing. She shrugged and smiled politely. King Scott took Harrison by the shoulders and sighed deeply. "Harry Cody." He smiled and shook his head. "It's good to see you again, Harry. I look forward to catching up with you. I'm afraid I have some royal duties which demand me at the moment, but we'll have lots of time. Eat. Rest. We'll talk tomorrow."
And with that, the eight members of the New Chicago team were led away.
* * *
Alec and Harrison were shown to the room they were to share. Apart from Claudia's being taken to what King Scott called the dormitory, they had no way of knowing where the others went. The room was a variation on the design they had seen as they were led through the castle. Carpeted, wired for electricity, bare stone walls, barred window. A glass light fixture hung from the ceiling. The furniture consisted of a set of bunk beds, a table with two chairs, and a dresser. The man who led them to the room showed them that the door to the side led to a privy, which Harrison was relieved to find was a real bathroom with running water, including a shower. They were soon brought a meal of cold meat and bread, which they ate politely. Harrison enjoyed it a great deal more than the sponge he had eaten for lunch, but felt guilty about it. The meal was served on metal trays, with no utensils, and they were given metal cups to fill from the bathroom sink. As soon as they began to eat, their escort left the room. Neither man was surprised to hear the click of a deadbolt sliding into place. The door didn't even have a handle on the inside.
"So," said Harrison around a mouthful of what he hoped was beef, "here I am again. But this time I get a window. And a roommate." He looked at Alec, who had gotten up from the table. He started to ask the spy how it felt for the shoe to be on the other foot, but stopped. Alec had one hand up, signaling for him to be quiet, and was closely examining the seam between the carpet and the wall. He went the whole way around the room doing this, then inspected all the furniture, including turning the mattresses and pulling the drawers all the way out of the dresser. He examined the light fixture, the bars on the window, and several places in the room th
at did not have any distinguishing features as far as Harrison could tell. The search took over half an hour, during which neither Alec nor Harrison spoke.
Once he had finished his sweep, Alec drew his short sword. Having forgotten about it and having no idea that Alec had worn it into the castle, Harrison suddenly felt very afraid of what would happen if anyone caught them with it. Alec held it over his head and pulled it around in three complete circles, as though drawing himself a wide halo. Then he slashed it through the air in front of him three times, describing a sideways figure eight. Harrison could hear it softly whooshing and grew edgy that someone outside might hear it as well. Finally, Alec held the sword out in front of him and looked the blade. Satisfied, he sheathed it.
"The room's clean," he said. "Start talking."
Harrison swallowed. This was going to have the flavor of an interrogation. "His name is Scott McCarthy," he began. "I knew him in high school. We weren't close, but we had a few classes together. History, I think, and chemistry."
"What was he like?"
Harrison had been thinking about his relationship with Scott the entire time Alec had been sweeping the room. He had no desire to admit that Scott had been one of the reasons Harrison had been glad to graduate and leave for college. "Like I said, I didn't know him well. He was a jock, I was a nerd. My impression of him was that he wasn't very nice, or very bright. I didn't imagine him ever really making anything of himself. I certainly never saw him as a world leader."
"Was he a bully?"
Harrison had forgotten Alec's perceptiveness. The man was a spy, after all. "Yes. Yes, he was."
Alec sat down. "You realize, of course, that you've jeopardized us all."
Harrison had not come to that conclusion. "What? Because I recognized him?"
Alec nodded. "Because you told him you recognized him. By now, he must be trying to determine if the persuasion spell has worn off. He was trying to impress us, and the fact that you already know him is just the sort of revelation that could shatter the effect."
Harrison wasn't quite following this, but he had a thought of his own. "In the plus column, we know these aren't the guys who were trying to kill me before."
"Yes, we do," said Alec. Both men understood that whoever had been spying on Harrison probably would not have bothered to put him in a locked room. Harrison was disappointed that he hadn't been the only one to see it, but relieved that Alec agreed with him. It made it seem less like wishful thinking. "Or, we don't," Alec continued. "They may be in collusion. And just not communicating properly. At the very least, we know that Scott himself probably isn't linked to the avatars that were following you. He knows you personally, but he didn't recognize you until you opened your fool mouth." Alec's eyes narrowed. "Interesting coincidence, don't you think? It seems odd that someone from your past has turned up. I don't believe anyone else has had that experience so far."
Harrison frowned. He hoped he wasn't being accused of something. "I have no idea," he said after a minute.
"You don't happen to know his birthday, by chance?" Alec asked.
Harrison shook his head. He didn't like these questions. He glanced out the window, hoping his chance for redemption would soon arrive. He changed the subject slightly. "What do you make of them? In general?" he asked. The question was deliberately vague. He was not sure what he wanted to know.
"They're overconfident, certainly," said Alec. "And despite appearances, I think they may be pretty small scale. I counted a total of thirty-one individuals, including the werewolf and weretiger. There are likely more, but I would have expected more activity if there were many inhabitants of this castle. The towers were unmanned, for one thing, which suggests they're understaffed. We should be able to use that to our advantage when the time comes." He sat down next to Harrison and scowled at him. "You do understand, now, that escape is imperative? The longer we dally here, the more pieces of the puzzle they'll be able to find." His tone was definitely accusatory.
Harrison looked out the window again. This time, the merest curve of a smile crept up his face. "Then I suppose it's time for me to earn my keep."
Alec shook his head in disgust. "Cody," he said, "you're our ace in the hole. You can't go running around, letting everyone out until we have some sort of viable plan."
Harrison grinned. "I'm our ace showing," he said. "We have pocket aces, too."
Alec stared at him like he was a dim child. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Harrison's grin morphed into a quizzical sneer. "Do you play poker?" he asked. Alec kept staring. "Oh, never mind. What the hell I'm talking about is that we have way more than one secret trick, and I may already have some sort of viable plan."
"Really," said Alec. "Got a plan, have you?" He leaned back in his chair, his face a mixture of mock fear and mock awe. "Tell me, how are we to get out of this one?"
Harrison looked to the window again. "Hey, Rocky," he said. "Watch me pull a rabbit out of a hat."
Chapter Twenty-Two
Presto
"That trick never works," Glimmer said. She was standing in the window. She wore a black turtleneck and black pants, and her hair was tucked completely under a black knit cap. No shoes.
"Where have you been?" Alec asked her.
"Keep your shirt on," she said. "I've been skulking." She made a show of looking furtively over each shoulder, then glided into the room.
"Did you find Claudia?" Harrison asked.
"Yeah," she said. "From the outside, but I'm pretty sure I can get you there from here. You'll have to be quiet when you get there because there are a bunch of people asleep in the same room."
Alec gave an impatient grunt. "Where have you been?"
"Claudia had a plan," Harrison told him. "She told Glimmer that if the team ever got in trouble, Glimmer should take off and hide. She's able to sneak around in ways none of us can. She was supposed to wait for Claudia's signal, which I'm guessing you got not too long ago?" The last question was directed at Glimmer, who nodded.
"I followed you guys out here, then I flew in circles around the castle until I heard Claudia's voice. That thing she does is pretty focused, so once I heard her, it was easy to find her window. Finding you was trickier. She wants you guys to get her out as soon as possible. She seems pretty scared. Poor kid."
Somehow, this was not fully tracking for Harrison. He had never seen Claudia frightened of anything, and he couldn't help but wonder why she had been put in a room full of people when they had been isolated. "Did you find anyone else?" he asked.
"The professor and the army guys are next door," she said. "I couldn't find the other two."
"Can you check the halls for guards?" Alec asked.
"Already did," she said. "There aren't any."
"That's weird," said Harrison.
"Not at all," Alec replied. "There aren't that many people here. They'd be spreading themselves pretty thin if they had too many night watchmen. Besides, they may not think we pose any risk. We should take advantage of it while they have their guard down." He went to the door, and put his ear to it. "Nothing," he said. He waved Harrison over. "Come on."
Harrison walked to the door and casually laid one hand on it. They heard the bolt pop back. The door swung slightly away from the room. Alec pushed it open. The lock on the room next door was identical. They freed Anderson, Smith, and Tucker, and then they followed the pixie.
* * *
Glimmer led the five men through the castle to the place Scott had called the dormitory. They encountered no one on the way, which should have made Harrison feel relieved, but instead made him nervous.
The door looked almost exactly like the doors to the rooms where they had been held. A simple handle and a keyhole. No latch, but a deadbolt that locked the door from the outside only. There was enough space between the door and the frame to see the deadbolt, even from a distance. "Are you sure this is it?" asked Alec.
"Yes," Glimmer said.
Harrison put his hand on the
handle, and the deadbolt inside pulled back with an audible click. He pulled the door open, and light from the hall spilled into the room. It was much larger than the one he had shared with Alec, but of the same basic design. He heard someone stifle a gasp, and someone else choked off a fearful moan.
"What the hell?" he asked no one in particular.
"Harrison!" Claudia ran to the door. "Thank Christ! Is Alec with you?"
"Yes." Harrison's eyes were becoming accustomed to the dimness, and he could make out dozens of bunk beds arranged in rows. It looked like a barracks. Many of the bunks were occupied. Several girls he guessed to be about Claudia's age were sitting up in bed, none of them speaking. Alec pulled the door open wider, letting more light in, and pushed his way past Harrison into the room. As he did so, several of the girls flinched, and one started to whimper. Claudia put her hand flat on Alec's chest and pushed him back a step.
"Don't come in here," she said firmly. "These girls are all very spooked right now."