Chapter 38: The Jail
In the jail at Jannit Maartens boat-yard Simon Heap opend his eyes. He moaned, and wondered where he was. At first, he was close to panick; Simon was almost sure that he was in Dungeon Number One (where, if Odale would have deceided, he probably would've been). But then Simon realized that he wasn't there, Simon could see a little light coming out from a tiny window high above him. He sighed in relief. Dungeon Number One was sealed with darknesse, and though this jail smelled pretty bad, Dungeon Number One smelled a thousand times worse. Simon shudderd, and remembered the time when the Supreme Custodian (long story) had showed him the Dungeon. It was a nasty place. Simon rose up and moaned, how had he gotten there? He rubbed his forehead, and suddenly he remembered- a dragon, the annoying kids called apprentice's, and a thunder flash... Simon moaned again, he was a total failure. No wonder that no one wanted him as apprentice, he was an complete idiot. Wait... No, he wasn't. Everyone else was, but not he, Simon Heap. Simon begun to walk back and forht in the jail, and tried to find a way out. He pushed at the door, but nothing happend. Or well, someone out there whispered frightened;
"He's trying to get out!"
"What shall we do now?"
"Is he very dangerous?"
"Oh, don't be such a wimp, Brian!"
"Stop fighting! The Extra Ordiary Wizard will soon arrive, at least her apprentice said that she would fetch her."
"Pfft, I wouldn't believe too much in what she sais. Don't you know that she once was DomDaniel's apprentice?"
"Infact, I belive that she's helping him inside the jail. If you understand what I mean..."
"It's just a little girl, Brian!"
"Well...". Simon snorted, and stopped listen to the conversation. He knew exactley what to do...
The whole group of wizards, all the thirteen, stood at their guard around the jail when Marcia, followed by Odale, Cashmére, Silas and Sarah, walked towards the jail. Odale followed because she wanted to make sure that Marcia (as Odale said, don't blame me!) did everything right this time. Cashmére refused to leave her daughter alone with 'that woman', as Cashmére called Marcia, and to both Marcia's and Odale's big frustration, also Cashmére followed. Silas and Sarah wanted to see their oldest son, and this time he couldn't run away as all the other times. And Sarah refused to believe what Simon had done, though Silas was a little more convinced.
"Here it is, madam Marcia." Jannit said, "We left him in here. Though he probably has awakend a little now. He got hitted in the head badly when he attacked the dragon.".
"Oh dear," Sarah said anxiousley, "I really wish that he didn't do so stupid things.".
"I think we all wishes that." Marcia answerd sternly, "But now he has gone a little too far from the stupidity stage."
"A little? Now he's more at the evil-planning-stage." Odale folded in.
"Oh, Silas!" Sarah wailed, "What shall we do?".
"I am sure, mrs. Heap, that it's not your fault." Cashmére said, "He's an adult. And where I am from, the one who is taking care of the country is the one who has all the resbonsibilty for how some persons are acting.".
"Listen on now, mother-" Odale begun, but Marcia laid and hand at her shoulder.
"Odale." Marcia said, and Odale sighed.
"It's enough, now." Marcia continude, "Jannit, can you please open the door?". Jannit nodded, and opend the door.
"Simon!" Sarah yelled, and before anyone could stop her she ran inot the jail. But her son wasn't there. "Simon... Simon?".
"Did you know that?" Odale asked Jannit, when all of the stared at the hatch in the floor.
"No." Jannit, who didn't like how Odale talked to her, answerd. Sarah clutched onto Silas.
"What- what is that?" Sarah yelped.
"Nothing!" Marcia and Odale said with one mouth.
"At least nothing you needs to worry about." Marcia added, "And where's Alther?". Alther soared to Marcia.
"Yes?"
"I want all the hatches guarded until all the hatches are sealed." Marcia said.
"But the only ancient who aren't totally up in the blue are guarding the hatch to the Wizard Towe; and we can't leave that hatch un-guarded." Alther replied.
"But I can guard the hatch." Odale said.
"No, Odale, you can't. I can't let you do that, it's too dangerous." Marcia answerd.
"But I've already been down there once, and I have memorized-"
"You have done what?" Marcia gasped.
"Long ago." Odale muttered, "But I remember the map-".
"I don't care if you so has lived in the tunnels your entire life, you won't go down there." Marcia said, "And that's it.". Odale muttered something, and left. Cashmére tried to follow, but Marcia stopped her.
"No, Cashmére, let her go." Marcia told Cashmére.
"A dagerous man who wants to hurt my dughter is walking around, and you are letting her go alone? You're more insane than I thought at first!" Cashmére exclaimed.
"Cashmére, I can asure you that Odale can defend herself-"
"And you can't let her guard a tunnel? Marcia, that doesn't makes sense!" Cashmére snapped.
"Let me finish! I can't let Odale guard the tunnles because she would probably search for Simon on her own, and I don't want her to do that. If Simon would attack Odale, I am sure that Odale could defend herself." Marcia said. Cashmére pursed her lips, she was speechless. Which didn't happend often. Marcia was close to smile to herself, but she understood that it was the wrong time to do that.
Odale had went to meet Jenna, who was next to the Dragon Boat and whispered calming words in the Dragon Boats ear.
"Hi, Jenna." Odale said, and Jenna jumped about four feet in the air.
"Gosh, Odale, you scared me to death!" Jenna exclaimed. Odale snickered.
"You seems to be a bit nervy, Jenna."
"Well, it's-"
"Everything that has happend, yeah. Guess it has to be a bit frightening."
"Guess? You were there." Jenna replied.
"Maybe, but I'm used to stuff like that. Or, I were used to stuff like that." Odale said. Jenna shuddered as she remembered who she talked to.
"You're right." she answerd. They went silent.
"How's your mother?" Jenna asked after a while. Odale snorted and kicked a pebble.
"I hate her." Odale said. Jenna nodded slowly, though she didn't really understand.
"It's just how she's treating- ugh, never mind." Odale continude. Once again they went silent, as they stared out over the boat yard. It was a quite unusual day at the boat yard. Not enough with that repaired a half dragon, half dragon; also the ExtraOrdinary Wizard herself visited. It wasn't often that happend, not at all. Jenna watched as Jannit helped a boat to moore. To Jenna's horror she saw that darke stranger from the Port, and she gasped.
"O-Odale..." Jenna stammered.
"What?" Odale, who hadn't seen what- or who- Jenna was looking at.
"The man from the Port- he's here!" Jenna whispered.
"It's okay Jenna, both me and Marcia are here. Just go straight to Marcia and tell her everything." Odale replied, and looked for the man. Then she saw him; he was at the boat, and just about to jump of. His hair was held in place by a sliver-circlet (?), and his red tunic was soiled from the journey to Jannit's boat yard.
"Excuse me, ma'am, but I've heard that the princess is somewhere here. Is that true?" the man asked.
"And who are you?" Jannit answerd sucpiciously. Odale noticed that the stranger answerd very avoiding.
"Just someone who searches for the princess." the stranger said, who suddenly noticed the resurrection around the jail. But Odale had stopped to listen.
"Jenna!" Odale hissed, "Go and hide somewhere, okay? I'm going to talk to Marcia about this.". Jenna, who had begun to understand that if Odale commanded her to do something it would often be better if she listened, nodded and dissapeard before anyone could stop her. Odale hurried away to Marcia, but if she would have stayed she would've heard the rest of the converation;
"Is that possibly the ExtraOrdinary Wizard, ma'am?" the stranger asked Jannit, who was busy with a knot.
"It's possible." Jannit answerd shortly.
"Excuse me, but I got to talk to him." the stranger said, and headed against Marcia.
"Her." Jannit corrected, though the stranger didn't hear her. A few yards away, Odale grabbed Marcia's arm.
"Marcia!" she hissed, "There's someone who want to know where Jenna is, and I-"
"What?" Marcia exclaimed.
"A darke stranger, he's-"
"I got to talk to the ExtraOrdinary Wizard!" someone shouted, and Odale noticed that it was the stranger. Odale cursed silently, and Marcia turned around. The stranger looked confused. He stopped, and searched for something in his pocket.
"Alther? Is it you?" the stranger asked, but Marcia didn't answer. She was pale, and Odale understood that she probably knew the stranger somehow. But how?
"Milo..." Cashmére, who hadn't talked a lot when Odale had talked to Marcia, asked.
"Cashmére?" the man, called Milo, answerd, "Ah, here they are!". The man picked out a pair of glasses putted them on. Then he stared shocked at Marcia.
"Marcia Overstrand?" Milo said, "ExtraOrdinary Wizard? Who knew!". Cashmére snorted.
"Yeah, who knew." she said.
"And Cashmére Tanner! Why are you here? Shouldn't you be in the Far Countries?" Milo continude and looked at Cashmére.
"Cashmére Overstrand." Cashmére corrected, "No, unfortunatley I'm not in the Far Countries with... never mind."
"And who's this..." Milo turned to Odale, "Wait, I remember you from somwhere... Ah, the Port!". Cashmére answerd that question.
"This is Odale, my daughter." Cashmére said proudly and glanced at Marcia. Milo blinked.
"Your daughter?" he asked, "Wait a little... Aha! Your and Joseph's daughter, right?"
"Yes." Cashmére replied.
"And about Joseph; where's he?" Milo asked. Cashmére and Marcia glanced at eachothers.
"Well..." Marcia begun, but Cashmére cut her of.
"Joseph is... well, he's dead." Cashmére said, as Marcia crossed her arms. She was pretty tired of that Cashmére always cut her of. Milo widened his eyes.
"No! How..? When?" Milo didn't seem to want to know that Joseph was dead. Marcia glanced at Cashmére.
"I'm afraid that only Cashmére can answer that question." Marcia replied, and Cashmére blushed easily. She gazed at Odale.
"Well." Cashmére sighed, "Maybe we could take it... ah, somewhere else.".
"Why, because you don't want to tell me?" Odale snapped.
"No... Or, yes. Honey, listen to me-" Cashmére begun, but Odale cut her of.
"I am so tired of you!" Odale shouted, "At first you to me and offends Marcia, who took care of me when nobody else did! And the you insists- no, demands- that you shall followe me everywhere! You know what?! I wish you were dead!". The whole boat yard seemed to went quiet.
"Odale..." Marcia said slowly, "That was-"
"Unrespectfull! You have no idéa of what I've been through!" Cashmére howled.
"No, you have no idéa of what I've been through! And all that was, and is your fault!" Odale yelled.
"You little-" Cashmére begun.
"Stop it!" Marcia shouted, "Stop it at once! Can't you see what you're doing? You are tearing eachother apart!"
"Everything isn't about you, Marcia Overstrand!" Cashmére snapped, "Just because you're ExtraOrdinary Wizard doesn't mean that you can strut around and command everyone to do what you want them to do!". And with that Cashmére ran away.
"Great! Hope I'll never see you again!" Odale yelled.
"Odale, no..." Marcia sighed, "She's your mother."
"And I don't care." Odale replied coldly.
"Is this something that happends often?" Milo asked.
"Well, no. Odale got a bad day, I think." Marcia replied feeble, "But we all do. Oh, we thought you were dead!". Marcia hugged the stranger. Odale blinked shocked. Marcia did rarely ever hug anyone. Another who was shocked over that was Jenna, who hided in the shadows and watched horrified. She ran away, and was of to find Septimus.
"Eh, Marcia... That's the darke stranger..." Odale said. Marcia laughed.
"No, no! This is Milo Banda, Jenna's father." she replied.
"Jenna's what?" Odale exclaimed, and gazed at Milo. Sure he had some features that also Jenna had.
"But... Oh no! I got to tell Jenna!" Odale continude, and also she ran away. Milo and Marcia glanced after her, but none of them tried to stop her.
"She's a little bit... hm, special, aren't she?" Milo asked. Marcia smiled a little.
"Well, yes. Odale is very nice, but sometimes she is a little strange." Marcia answerd, and sighed. "But I couldn't have expected anything else.".