Eilinland- Through the Wall

by Bailey Davenport

  They explored hallways and stairways and even went up to the ground floor for a little bit before deciding that the upstairs would only take up more of their time and wasn’t really being used for anything. Outside, Rove did a thorough investigation of the building and grounds. It was midafternoon by the time they reconvened with Bierno and Aenin to recount their findings.

  “There’s people trapped down there in these places,” said Jess, pointing to certain spots on the map she’d drawn in the dirt. “We found some writing tools and got most of their names. One guy volunteered his address so you could maybe let his family know where he is, so then we started asking for everyone else’s. Here.”

  She handed Bierno the list. He was relieved to see the name Keillis Morlan was included along with a few other missing people they were aware of. At a glance, he estimated there were an additional fifteen names they’d never seen before.

  “They also have a bunch of wild animals in this area,” Jess continued, indicating a row of rooms off of one of the hallways.

  “What species of animals?” asked Bierno.

  “We saw a few lions and tigers, a small dragon, and a bull,” said Jess.

  “And in this room,” added Kenn, pointing to a room on the dirt map, “There’s a big mound of black fur sleeping in the corner, and we don’t know what it is.”

  “If you need to know, we can go back and wake it up,” said Jess earnestly.

  “No, that’s alright,” said Bierno smiling at her eagerness. He had a pretty good picture now of what was going on. He studied the dirt maps closely.

  “And what did you find from outside?” he asked Rove.

  Rove described the huge courtyard and a few trees that were close to the building which would be good for climbing to windows if need be. He described all of the bushes, all of the hiding places, the fountain, and most importantly, four doors that led directly to the network of hallways underground.

  “There are two each on the east and west sides of the building,” he said. “They aren’t too hard to find if you’re looking for them. There’s stairs going down to them, and they open up to what I’m assuming is the upper level of the basement.”

  “I’m pretty sure they lead to these places,” said Jess, circling four spots on her map. “We opened one and saw that it led outside. After that, we just assumed the others did because they were in similar locations and were the only doors without windows.”

  Aenin and Bierno nodded.

  “This is fantastic,” Aenin said. Being so used to understanding how things were laid out from this sort of view, he was able to memorize the map quite well before they stood and brushed it out.

  “Anything else you need?” asked Rove.

  “No, unless you want to come back to this spot tonight to help us free all of the people you saw trapped,” said Bierno.

  “Can we have the money now?” asked Rove.

  Bierno smiled. “Right after we’ve returned your horses to the stable we borrowed them from.”

  The horses were successfully returned, and the payment was given. When the three of them had left, Aenin and Bierno got back on their own horses and rode down the street, Bierno leading.

  “What are we doing now?” asked Aenin.

  “I’ve been thinking everything through, and I think I have a plan,” Bierno replied.

  **********

  Several hours later, Bierno and Aenin rode up a familiar road and stopped at a little house with a little yard and a short white picket fence. They tied their horses to the nearest hitching post and walked up the path to the front porch. As they neared the house, they saw a small face disappear from the window. Moments later, the door opened before they even knocked.

  “Hello, please come in!” said a woman they knew to be Clarice, the mother of Keillis. A tiny form clutched at her leg, hidden behind her skirts.

  As they walked through the door, Clarice motioned to the living room to their left.

  “Please, have a seat. Would you like some tea?” She was already walking into the kitchen.

  “That sounds wonderful,” said Bierno. He turned to the little boy who was now just standing there staring at them. “Hello again,” he said.

  The boy stared.

  “Do you mind if we go sit down?”

  The boy stared.

  They went and sat down: Aenin on the couch, Bierno on the floor. Bierno started stacking some blocks which were scattered around the room, and the boy was there in a second, helping him. At one point, Bierno was apparently going to put one in the wrong place because the boy grabbed it from him and put it back on the floor. A few minutes later, Clarice walked into the room with the tea, and they all sat on couches except for the little boy who ran around handing blocks to everyone.

  “I’ll cut straight to why we’re here,” said Bierno. “I know it’s been a few days since we’ve had any news which can be discouraging, but we now know where Keillis is.”

  Clarice teared up at the sound of her daughter’s name.

  “Oh?” was all she was able to say.

  “I was hoping to talk to both you and Clif about helping to break in late tonight.”

  “Clif is out working right now,” Clarice said. “I will definitely give him the information, and I’m sure he will be there and probably bring friends with him. I would come, too, but I have to stay with him,” she nodded to the boy who was still running around the room handing out blocks.

  “Of course,” said Bierno. He handed her a slip of paper. “Here’s a map of where we’ll be meeting. We won’t be there until after dark, and it’s important that Clif and any others go to that spot and stay hidden until they see Aenin and me. That part is very important.”

  “Okay, I will be sure to tell him.”

  “Thank you very much,” said Bierno.

  “Is she… is she alright?” asked Clarice hesitantly as if she was afraid of what the answer might be.

  “I’m not sure what state she’s in,” said Bierno. “We weren’t able to do the investigation ourselves, but she was alive and well enough to give her name and address to our spies earlier today. I would take that as a good sign. I’m sorry I don’t know any more.”

  “Don’t be sorry!” said Clarice. “This is the first news we’ve heard of her since she went missing, and things could be much, much worse.”

  “Indeed,” said Bierno solemnly.

  There was a moment of silence as no one knew what to say, and then Bierno announced that they needed to continue on their way. They still had a few places left to stop before meeting up with their comrades at the inn. They all stood and said their goodbyes, and the little boy started to cry when he realized they were leaving.

  “He didn’t nap for very long this afternoon,” said Clarice over the noise as she lifted him onto her hip. “Maybe he’ll take another now.”

  She proceeded to try and console her son as Aenin and Bierno waved and saw themselves out.

  “I can’t believe it has been six years since Ricky was that age,” said Bierno as he mounted his horse.

  Aenin smiled over at him.

  “Sometimes I feel like I’m missing out on seeing him and Trent grow up,” Bierno continued in a strained voice as they started riding towards their next stop.

  “I can’t say I understand completely,” said Aenin. “I have kindred and events I am missing back home as well, but things don’t come and go as briefly where I come from. I don’t know what the right answer is for you, but I do know that we just spoke with a woman who might have missed out on the rest of her daughter’s life if not for the work you are doing here.”

  Bierno nodded thoughtfully.

  When they made it back to the inn that evening, everyone was already there: Gillio, Jekka, Rheen, and Davick, and they were eager to hear the plan for the night. They revealed very little of it because of Davick’s presence. Aenin had kept track of Davick’s whereabouts throughout the day and had seen him go to and from the Norville Estate. Bierno and Aenin had
determined that there was a small chance Davick had gone with good intentions (perhaps just getting a head start on the investigation), but that it wouldn’t be wise to trust him. He was more likely in league with whatever force they were up against.

  After the meeting, they rode out to the Norville Estate and watched Davick and Rheen disappear around the corner.

  “I have a bad feeling about this,” said Gillio.

  “We’re just going to stand around here and wait?” asked Jekka skeptically. “It took you all day to plan that?”

  “Not to mention that we’re sending our two most inexperienced team members in there,” added Gillio.

  “And how did Davick know where Rheen was the other night?” added Aenin with an amused smile.

  “Right!” said Gillio, a little confused.

  “And why has he been so eager to help us and so closed about his life?” added Bierno. “And didn’t it seem a little odd he was encouraging us to spend more time looking into the jail and fort when they ended up being a waste of time?”

  “Yeah!” said Gillio, furrowing his brow.

  “Alright, what’s going on?” asked Jekka impatiently.

  “Wait,” said Gillio. “What if Davick is in league with…”

  “They already figured that out, genius,” said Jekka, “and they probably have some elaborate plan they haven’t told us.”

  “We were going to tell you, but Davick was already at the inn when we got back,” said Aenin. “We haven’t had the chance until now.”

  “I can only go over things briefly,” said Bierno, “because you’re going to have to go in soon, Jekka. We hired some help to investigate the building today. All of the operations are going on in the underground levels of the building. There are a lot of people trapped in the two wings. There are also several cages of animals, and in the big center room right below the main doors, there is a huge room and an arena. Hundreds of people flock to the place every night to watch the fights that take place in that arena.

  “We hopefully have a good number of people meeting us tonight: friends and family of the captives. We spent the second part of the day spreading the word amongst them to meet us here. They will be going in through the doors on the ends of the wings and freeing all of the captives. Our only job is to create a diversion that will draw all of our enemies out of the wings so that no one gets caught before everyone is out.”

  “You said I needed to leave soon,” said Jekka excitedly. “Where does that come in?”

  “Like I said, there are cages of wild animals,” Bierno said. “Jekka, if you happen to ‘supply’ one and get into a fight, you could drag it out for a while to buy us some time. To be honest, I don’t know how this is all going to play out or how we are going to get out when it is done. We’ll just have to figure things out as we go.”

  “Won’t they sense I’m there?” asked Jekka.

  “Rheen just went in a moment ago,” said Bierno. “We’re hoping that if you enter just after her and blend into the crowd until the right time, the sniws will assume they are sensing her, not you. If Davick really is in league with them, it is likely they know he’s bringing her and won’t attack.”

  “And if we’re wrong about Davick?” asked Jekka.

  “You bring everyone down on yourself by entering,” said Bierno. “Either way, it is the distraction we need.”

  “Consider them all distracted, then,” said Jekka.

  “If we are correct about Davick,” said Gillio, “what does he plan on doing with Rheen?”

  “I’m not entirely sure what his plan is, but I imagine he’s going to try using her to bait the rest of us somehow.”

  Jekka’s eyes grew wide in astonishment.

  “He’s repeating history!” she exclaimed, nearly bouncing up and down. “Rheen is his Conley! Is there anything else I need to know before I go in? The window of opportunity is closing.”

  “It is,” said Bierno. “That’s everything. Hurry. And whatever you do, make it spectacular.”

  Jekka took off across the wide open road and leapt up onto the wall. She jumped down to the other side and disappeared from sight.

  “Who is Conley?” asked Gillio.

  “I’m guessing it’s something to do with the Norville Mansion history,” answered Bierno. “Honestly, it’s been years since I went through training and I don’t remember the story.”

  “Conley was a southerner and a warrior,” said Aenin. “He was a good man, but his downfall was his pride. The enemy used that against him and coaxed him into betraying his comrades during the Norville mission. Although the people of the commune were saved, it was not without a great many losses caused by his betrayal.”

  “It’s good one of us knew about him,” said Gillio.

  “I knew him personally,” said Aenin.

  Gillio’s expression switched to one of surprise.

  “We should get going,” Bierno said. “We hopefully have a group of friends waiting for us up the street.”

  Bierno, Aenin, and Gillio walked north and watched for the people who said they’d be meeting with them. When they neared the gate on the north end of the wall, shapes started emerging from the shadows. At first they came in pairs or three at a time, and then they came in groups by the dozen. Almost every captive was represented by a group of family and friends. There was also a small group that wasn’t representing anyone.

  “Rove wasn’t going to come,” Jess told Aenin, “but then we left him behind and he followed us.”

  By the time everyone had gathered, there were close to a hundred of them. There were businessmen and beggars and farmers and milkmaids. Some were armored, some had swords, and some carried pitchforks and spits from their fireplaces.

  “I can’t thank you enough for coming,” Bierno said, addressing the crowd. “If all goes well, you will be in and out without too much trouble, but I’m sure you are all aware there is a huge risk of danger. We’re outnumbered, and if you are detected before you’re finished, it is likely none of us will make it out alive. Move quickly, move quietly, and don’t wait for us when you’re finished. Go back to your homes and stay alert for the remainder of the night.

  “We have two comrades inside already. They are going to create a diversion that will hopefully draw all of our enemies out of the hallways and into the main room. These three,” he said, motioning to Jess, Kenn, and Rove, “went in earlier today and know the whole place inside and out. I’m putting them in charge because Aenin, Gillio, and I are going to be busy elsewhere. I want half of you to go with Jess and Rove around to the other side of the building, and the other half to go to the near side with Kenn. They can direct you to where the keys are kept and where all of the prisoners are. The last person to leave a wing of the building is to grab a torch off of the wall and light a lamppost out here on the street. Light one on the east side of this street for the east wing and the corresponding lamppost for the west. Any questions?”

  Jess raised her hand. “We don’t normally put Kenn in charge of things. He has a tendency to mess things up.”

  “I think he can handle it,” said Bierno. Kenn stood a little taller.

  Just then, Davick came running from the mansion and through the gate nearby.

  “Rheen’s in trouble,” Davick said. He was breathless and looked terrified. When he noticed the crowd standing around, he also looked confused.

  “Is she actually in trouble?” asked Gillio. He meant it as a confrontation, but he couldn’t hide his concern.

  Everyone standing around them wondered if this was part of the plan.

  “It’s fine,” Bierno said, noticing their worried glances.

  “It’s not fine,” said Davick, “she’s about to get torn apart by a wild beast.”

  “Is it a white tiger?” asked Bierno quickly.

  Davick looked even more confused and nodded.

  “Well that’s an interesting development,” said Aenin.

  Davick looked back at him in bewilderment as he tried to
piece things together. He looked from Bierno to Gillio to the crowd standing around them and realized he’d been outsmarted. He made a dash for the closest horse, leapt onto Qisk’s back, and thundered off into the night.

  “I’m glad it was your horse and not mine,” said Bierno.

  Aenin laughed. “Are we going in, then?”

  “Yes, I would say now is the time,” said Bierno. He turned and addressed the crowd one last time. “Listen to the leader of your group, remember to go as quickly and quietly as you can, and light the lamp on your way out. I hope to see you again soon.”

  Then he, Aenin, and Gillio ran around the corner and quickly found the window Jess had told them about. They looked in and took in the scene below them.

  Jekka was playing her part marvelously. She was pacing near the door and spooking or lashing out at any movement. She hadn’t even acknowledged Rheen yet. Rheen was standing stock still near the door she’d been thrown through.

  “Are you sure they threw the right tiger in there?” asked Gillio jokingly.

  “She’s stalling quite well,” said Bierno. “I was not anticipating that her ‘fight’ would be against Rheen though. I would have made more of an effort to tell Rheen more of the plan ahead of time.”

  “It can’t be changed now,” said Aenin. “We’ll just have to trust Jekka to handle the situation, and hopefully she’ll find a way to let Rheen know she’s not in any danger as soon as she can.”

  Bierno nodded. “Let’s try to get through one of the upstairs windows so that we can get down to the basement from the staircase inside. It will make us far less vulnerable than climbing down a ladder.”

  “Or we could try the front doors,” said Gillio.

  “They’re locked,” said Aenin.

  Chapter 15

  Jekka felt the sand of the arena getting into all of the cracks between her claws and the pads on the bottom of her feet. She sat down and started licking them clean. The crowd was getting impatient, and a lot of people started shouting angrily. A few of them even threw empty bottles and food scraps into the arena at her which she shied away from, growling. Then she licked the places that the items had come into contact with her immaculate fur. When she felt she couldn’t stall any longer without raising suspicion, she finally looked over at Rheen who still stood motionless at the other end of the arena.