Cogling

by Jordan Elizabeth

  “What’s that?” an inmate called.

  “Hurry,” Edna whispered. Silver bit harder, and snapped the final part of the lock. The force swung the door outwards a few inches.

  She grabbed Silver off the bars and rained kisses over his smooth scales. “Odds bobs, you did it. We’re free!”

  “What’s happening?” the inmate asked again.

  “We gonna get the others out too?” Harrison asked.

  Silver could probably do it. He didn’t seem injured or sore, but she didn’t want to hurt him. She didn’t know how long they had to escape either. Plus, the other inmates might be real criminals too. “We’ll come back for them,” she lied. “Help me find a way out.”

  Harrison pointed to the left. “We came in this way.”

  “I could’ve sworn we came from the right.”

  “Yeah.” He paused. “Does the dragon know?”

  “Silver didn’t come from there. He was outside.” She gnawed her lower lip. “We can’t wait forever.”

  “We’ll ask someone.” Harrison headed toward another cell.

  “We can’t trust other people. We’ll go this way.” With Silver clasped to her bosom, she darted down the left hallway. Harrison followed a few steps behind. They splashed through shallow puddles and crunched over moldy straw. Prisoners rattled their bars and called for help, but Edna didn’t look. “We have to escape before the ruckus brings attention.” The hallway split into four different directions. She chose the right. The air grew colder as they ran. Their shoes pounded against the stone floor, footfalls echoing off the damp walls.

  “Are we going down?” Harrison panted.

  “This is fine.” A stitch formed in her side, but she kept going. Her lungs burned. She hadn’t eaten in so long. Her limbs were too weak. Her mind whirled, vision dancing, the evil surging.

  Rounding the corner, she crashed into a troll. Her body jolted, but the thick beast remained still. Fear became an acidic taste in her mouth. Edna screamed as a thick hand clamped around her shoulder. The troll shoved her against the wall and roared. Saliva struck her cheek.

  “Let her go!” Harrison punched the troll’s back.

  A surge of pride rushed to Edna’s head. “Harry-boy, run!” Edna tried to squirm free, but the troll only roared again. He lowered his mouth of needle teeth toward her throat. Terror darkened the corners of her vision.

  Silver ripped free from her grasp. The dragon flew at the troll’s face, ripping the large nose with his talons. Blood splattered across Edna, burning her skin. Droplets slithered down her face and neck, soaking into her dress. Harrison seized her arm and yanked. Her sleeve tore beneath the armpit as she fell free of the troll onto the floor, then she rolled away from the stomping beast.

  The troll swatted at Silver while the dragon beat his wings and bit off one of the troll’s grayish-green fingers. The troll roared, the sound making Edna’s ears ring, and stepped back against the wall, flailing his arms. With a piercing hiss, the dragon closed his mouth over the troll’s throat and ripped. Blood streamed onto Silver as the troll crumpled to the floor.

  Another roar reverberated from the side. Harrison yanked Edna to her feet and they both whirled to look at another troll. Two women and a man stood with the beast.

  The second troll charged the dragon, waving his meaty fists and roaring. Silver attacked in a fury of scales and wings. Talons tore through leathery flesh until the dragon managed to rip out the second troll’s throat as well.

  “I guess you don’t need saving after all,” one of the women said. If she wasn’t in a cell, she might be a warden or police officer.

  Edna pushed Harrison behind her and backed away from the fallen beasts. “What do you want?”

  The young man jumped over the body to catch Edna in his arms. “You got any idea how I thought I’d find you, all chained up in a cell?”

  “Ike?” Relief exploded within her bosom, shoving back the evil. It had stopped being timid around Harrison, but Ike could still keep it at bay. “Odds bobs, it’s you! What’re you doin’ down here? You snuck into jail for us. Oh no, were you arrested too?”

  “Saving you,” the other woman said.

  Edna frowned. “Rachel? You really came to save us?”

  Ike caught Edna’s chin and kissed her. She gasped, and his tongue touched hers. She knew she should push him away—they had to get out—but she slid her arms around his neck to pull him closer. Safety settled over her shoulders. “Ike,” she moaned against his lips.

  Another woman coughed. “We must go.”

  Edna glanced at her, cheeks flaming. “Hilda?”

  “This way.” Hilda marched deeper into the tunnel. “There’s an entrance we’ll use to get out of here. Maybe later I’ll ask about the dragon, but right now we mustn’t dawdle. There will be other trolls afoot.”

  Harrison hung back against the wall, his head turning as he watched the hallway. Edna scooped up Silver to follow Hilda, but Ike clasped her hand. Harrison glaced at the joined hands and a flush crept over Edna’s cheeks.

  “How did Silver get here?” Ike asked.

  “He came through the window.” Harrison blinked, as though Silver’s deed was a casual occurrence.

  Her brother stepped back, as if wary of Ike. Edna gulped and rubbed her hand over her mouth. Having Ike around so much had to seem weird, especially with Edna relying on him. After everything was settled, she could help them develop a friendship.

  They hurried down more corridors, each longer than the last, until Hilda stopped in front of a metal circle on the floor. She fitted her fingers into it and lifted.

  “This leads to the sewer,” she said. “We’ll go through here ‘till we get to the river, then circle back into the city. It isn’t far.”

  “It smells.” Rachel wrinkled her nose. “Can’t we go back the way we came?”

  “Not with Edna and her brother.” Hilda chuckled. “Not to forget the dragon.”

  “I’ll go first.” Ike kissed Edna’s knuckles. “Is the drop far?”

  “Not really.” Hilda shrugged. After Ike dropped through the opening, she held out her hand to Edna. “Give him the dragon and then you go. He’ll want out. This stench down here is probably bothering his nose.”

  The scent of decaying fish and feces made Edna cringe, but if the sewer was the only way, then so be it. “Here I go.”

  You called me a liar when what I said was truth.

  ewage soaked through Edna’s shoes and stockings, and her skirts clung to her legs. She stumbled as the slick stones underfoot offered no purchase. Ike turned as she gasped, and caught her against him. Silver mewed from between them where he nestled in her arms.

  “If we get stuck somewhere, the dragon can rip through some bars. He was strong enough to break a lock. It took him a few minutes, so bars might take a little longer. He’s still a baby,” Edna added.

  “This is disgusting,” Rachel muttered for the twelfth time since they’d left the prison’s dungeon.

  “Shh,” Hilda hissed. “Excessive noise won’t help us.”

  The walls were coated in slime. Rats and soot demons scampered across pipes in the ceiling.

  “They ain’t gonna bite us, are they?” Harrison asked.

  A soot demon leapt off the ceiling to land on Rachel’s head. She screamed as it knocked off her hat and tangled in her chignon. Hilda snorted a laugh, but Ike rushed forward to yank it out.

  “Get it,” Rachel shrieked.

  Silver flew from Edna’s arms and grabbed the soot demon in his mouth. He tossed the squealing creature into the air and caught it before ripping off its head. Silver ate it, then flew back to Edna. She hesitated before holding out her wrist for him to perch on it. The dragon crawled up her arm to sit on her shoulder, talons digging through the material to prick her skin. She suppressed a shudder.

  “That was quick,” Harrison said, “and disgustin’.”

  Hilda chuckled. “At least we know we’re safe. Let’s keep goin’.”

&
nbsp; Harrison coughed, and Edna squeezed his arm. Concern for him pumped through her heart. “We’re almost out, Harry-boy.”

  “Then what?” He sloshed through the sewer water with a scowl, the muck reaching his shins. “We can’t go home.”

  Pain seared her heart and the evil crept out toward her arms. “Not yet, but we will. Once the hags are gone.”

  “Stopped,” Hilda ‘s voice echoed off the stone walls. “Once the hags are stopped.”

  They continued in silence. After an hour, Hilda pointed to one of the pipes in the ceiling, where a dirty crimson ribbon hung.

  “This is the spot.” Hilda steered them to the edge, where a rusty ladder led to a metal circle in the ceiling. She climbed up and used her power over air to move the circle aside before she disappeared into the world above. A beam of sunlight shot into the sewer.

  “You go on next.” Ike held out his arms for Silver. “I’ll send your brother up after, then Rachel, and I’ll go last.”

  Edna paused, wondering if Harrison should go first, but it would be better if she could keep a lookout above while he ascended. “Be careful.”

  Ike nodded. “The moon smile upon your strength.”

  She’d never heard that phrase before, but it made her muscles feel stronger. When she gripped the ladder, rust bit through her palms, and she gritted her teeth. Her soggy boots squished against the rungs as she ascended through the murky darkness. At the top, Hilda grabbed her under the arms and heaved her onto the cobblestones. Edna lay on her back for a minute, staring at the cloudy sky above, before the stones dug into her sore body. She sat up as Hilda lifted Harrison free. Her brother coughed, so she patted his back.

  Rachel followed him, glaring. “That was the filthiest thing I’ve ever done.” She glanced at Edna and the glare slipped away. “I’m glad you’re both safe, though.”

  “Thank you,” Edna whispered. Silver flew out and Hilda tossed her green shawl over him. “Gotta keep this fellow hidden before the police come after you.” She narrowed her eyes again.

  Once Ike emerged, she added, “We’ll retire to my apartment now. I’ll fix you up,” she said to Edna and Harrison, “while Ike steals some new clothes. Then we’ll head to the King.”

  The king of all the country. Edna nodded, breathless.

  After eating a meal of bread with honey, Edna and Harrison took turns bathing in Hilda’s porcelain tub, the water scented with lavender oil. Hilda gave them aloe ointment to rub on their cuts. When Edna gazed into the hag’s small, bathroom mirror, she smiled at the familiar face. She almost looked as she had before Harrison’s kidnapping, with bright hazel eyes and brown curls. Safety and cleanliness enfolded her as if the sensations were warm quilts.

  Someone knocked at the door and Rachel called, “May I enter?”

  “I’m decent.” Edna smoothed her hands across her new brown skirt. Wide, satin pantaloons stuck out from the slits up the side, and covered the tops of her ankle boots. The leather pinched her toes, but at least they weren’t wet or reeking.

  Rachel entered and shut the door, a wicker basket slung over her arm. Her eyes widened. “You look wonderful.”

  Edna blushed. “I’ve never worn clothes like this before. It makes me feel… noble, almost.” The lacey corset restricted her movements, but she felt grown-up. Over her arms, she wore a brown jacket that ended just below her bosom.

  “Turn around.” Rachel held up Hilda’s hairbrush. “I would have let the hags do whatever they wanted with me, but you brought me back, so thank you.”

  Edna glanced at the hairbrush. “You’re welcome, but—”

  “Silly goose, I’m going to do your hair. You must look nice if you’re going to speak with the King.”

  Edna pressed her hand to her lips. “I’ll also do your cosmetics.” Rachel shrugged. “I trudged through a sewer. Making you pretty is far easier.”

  Edna pinned her cameo to her collar. “Ah, now that sounds like you.”

  Rachel brushed Edna’s hair until it shone. She wove silk ribbons and strands of pearls through Edna’s kinky tresses, then coiled them atop her head into three buns. Edna returned the favor by helping Rachel fix a chignon, with loose curls framing her face. After they lined their eyes with kohl, applied rouge to their lips and cheeks, and powdered their necks, they left the bathroom.

  Hilda clapped. “Don’t you look noble.”

  Edna smiled at Ike. “Are we ready? Do I look beautiful without filth and terror?”

  He rose from the sofa to take her hands in his and twirl her around him. “We will win this.” His gaze never strayed from her lips.

  She leaned against him and closed her eyes, resting her head upon his shoulder. He held her for a second before stepping back with a cough. His absence left her skin cold, and the evil crept an inch from her heart. She yearned to pull him back, remind herself that she was free and safe.

  “I stole some extra money so we can rent a private train car,” he said. “We’ll also get a coach once we get to the King’s estate.”

  “Is the train safe?” Edna frowned. “Last time didn’t go too well with that.”

  “A private car is perfectly fine. No one will pay attention to us if we’re alone.” Hilda filled a leather satchel with vials in the kitchen.

  Harrison emerged from the bedroom. “Eddie, look at me! I look like I’m somebody.”

  “You’ve always been somebody.” She hugged him. The haunted look clung to his features, but he was clean and wearing a crisp black suit, a miniature version of Ike’s.

  She smiled at Ike again, over her brother’s head, and Ike opened his coat to reveal a pistol strapped to his waist.

  Edna wished she had a weapon too.

  You look in my eyes and say you see the true me.

  ithin three hours, Ike paid for a private train car to take them to the capital. According to him, Rachel and Harrison were the children of a wealthy businessman. Edna was Rachel’s personal assistant and Ike was their advisor.

  She wished Silver could’ve come along too, but Ike and Hilda agreed he was safer locked in her apartment than scaring the King with an unlicensed dragon. Dragons belonged with the police force, not hags and average humans.

  The back of their train car contained bunk beds with brocade curtains. The front consisted of two nailed-down tables and two upholstered sofas. Harrison hopped from one to the other, and then threw a tasseled pillow at Edna. She batted it away, but couldn’t smile. The finery could be taken away in a heartbeat, replaced by the cold stone of a jail cell or the dirt of a grave.

  “You sure this is safe?” she asked Ike.

  He nodded, but didn’t meet her gaze. “Safest way. If we go by hired coach, we’ll be easier targets, since we’d be moving slower. Plus, most people don’t pay attention to businessmen. They don’t have noble blood, just money they made. Nobody will check our names.”

  “You ever ride in one of these before?” Harrison threw a pillow at Rachel, and she tossed it back.

  “It isn’t proper for ladies to ride in steam trains,” Rachel said.

  “Another reason why they won’t look for us here.” Ike carried Hilda’s two satchels to the bunks.

  “I never expected to ride in a train, but here I am, doin’ it twice.” Edna whistled. “I feel like somebody new now. Somebody I don’t know.”

  “You’re still Eddie,” Harrison said before Rachel hit him with another pillow.

  Ike returned from the bunk area to clasp Edna’s hand. “You are different. You saved your brother. All those children left the factories because of you. The Nix are helping them get to the nearest village so they can get home.”

  “You helped.” She brushed her fingertips over his chin. Stubble tickled her skin. If she told him about the evil, would he condemn her? Harrison couldn’t find out, but Ike had as much a troubled past as she had within herself.

  “I wouldn’t have known about what the hags were doing again if I hadn’t seen your watch.” He patted his torso, where the watch
hung around his neck.

  “You’ll have your job back after this.” Rachel poked Edna with a corner of a pillow.

  “I missed too much time.” Edna pushed the offending cloth aside. “Besides, I ‘kidnapped’ you, remember?”

  “But the King will make all that fine.” Rachel sat on the sofa with her pillow clutched to her chest.

  “Would you be happy with that?” Ike rested his hand on her shoulder. “Can you go back to being a maid?”

  “People will stare and whisper. We’ll stop the hags, but even the King can’t make everyone forget. I won’t be trusted. I’ll find something somewhere else. It might be enough so Harrison won’t have to work anymore.”

  “What have you always wanted to be?” Hilda sat on the sofa beside Rachel and crossed her ankles.

  “Being a maid was the best thing I could do. We don’t get a lot of options from our status. It’s either factory work or servitude.”

  “Or singing,” Harrison added, “like Mum.”

  “Right. Or other things.” She pictured the gin addicts begging on the streets. “Begging or whoring.”

  “You think I have a choice?” Rachel poked herself in the chest with her finger. “I marry and become a housewife. I’m a good mother and a good widow, or I die young and my husband remarries. That’s my only choice, unless I want to become a spinster and live off my family’s wealth.” She narrowed her eyes. “Like you, I could always become a trollop. If I don’t obey my family, that may be my only course of action.”

  “At least as a trollop, you know you’ll always have food.” Edna clenched her hands into fists. “Sometimes when we needed new clothes, we went to bed hungry.”

  “And you’d always get medicine,” Harrison added.

  “Only if I’m well behaved,” Rachel snapped. “Dishonor means the streets.”

  “You were never well behaved.” Edna waved her hand. “What about your snide remarks or the times you spilled something just to make a maid clean the mess?”