Tamora Pierce owns the entire universe of this story, all the characters,
the world they live on and the very air they use to sustain life. Only the
vague plot and dialog I have attributed to TP's characters in this tale
belongs to me. I freely give my permission for Tamora Pierce to use any or
all of the plot/story/dialog/concept if she so desires in any way she
desires.
Blame all lousy spelling and grammar on the California Education System. Thank the Lord for spell checkers.
Chapter 23
"Tris, if you take them down can you put them back up?" asked Briar, "someone put them there for a reason."
"Yes, they are the standard spells for this type of thing."
Tris spoke the unlock spell and the spells of illusion and barrier shut down and moved into the magic runes on the wall.
Bud and Juleo held the torches up so all could see.
The spells had not hidden another smooth tunnel, instead the opening in the wall revealed a large cavern, filled with boxes and barrels and the light from the torches did not reach the end of it. Large shadowed shapes faded into the darkness.
Up on the wall were dark openings with stone steps carved into the wall leading up to them.
Tris shook her head, "More stairs, I hate stairs."
Bud and Juleo started into the cavern and were reading the markings stenciled on the boxes and barrels, "This is a case of the best vintage wine that Green Acres ever produced." Said Juleo.
Examining the nearby barrels Bud said, "Here's brandy, whiskey, and fruit wines in barrels, all of it the best vintages."
Tris had walked over to one side and found an iron bound trunk, on top of the trunk was a leather bound book and a rolled of parchment tied with ribbon.
Pushing the book to one side Tris sat on the trunk and untied the ribbon, unrolling the parchment she started to read.
"Briar, Daja, here is a letter from the people who did this. "
"What does it say?"
"Read it out loud." Briar said.
"To whom it may concern:"
"Since you are reading this, I can assume that Frantson is no longer in charge of Green Acres."
"In this letter I will explain why and how he was swindled, but not who. When Baron Frantson was disinherited, I think it drove him insane. I have no other explanation for what he started doing. He started neglecting the estate, raising taxes on the farms and mistreating the servant and retainers. It didn't take long before people started leaving. From what I was told, Frantson would sit in the library drinking and brooding for hours. Eventually he brought to the estate that blood mage Evilst Rawberry, at that point he started ordering everything of value sold. "
"I could not just throw away everything that I had built up with years of labor. I started moving the more valuable wines into the old caverns. What was sold was the standard vintage, even those brought in a great deal of money, those funds I divided and delivered half to the Baron and stored half away. What you see around you is the best of the best I have ever produced."
"All my friends are now gone, I gave them the wages the Baron had agreed to upon they were hired. These last weeks I have worked alone to prepare for you, now it is done. I have used the last of my magic to seal the entrance to the cave. I'm having pain in the chest and down the left arm. The stored funds are in the chest upon which you found this letter. I am going now to my favorite place in the world. On the left wall, the longest stairway leads to the door to my resting place, behind that door, in the Crystal Cave you will find me."
"It is signed Bordeaux" Tris finished.
Tris stood and turned to the chest, "It's locked." She said, looking at the large padlock.
"Got your picks?" asked Briar.
"Picks? You mean lock picks? What would I be doing with lock picks? No noble lady would have lock picks?"
Briar snorted, "Noble lady.."
Daja moved over to the chest, "Knock it off you two." Reaching down she grasped the padlock and sent her magic into it. The lock popped open.
The chest was full of gold and silver. There was gold, and silver Majas, Astrels, Nobles, and Creses.
"Goddess of the Moon!" whispered Tris.
Briar asked Gij Oe, "May I borrow a sword?"
Taking the sword handed to him Briar probed the chest of coins in several places, "Coin to the bottom, Tris there is enough here to build you a flat world."
Tris swatted at him as he returned the sword.
"Lets get some carts and take the chest and some of these barrels to the manor."
It took four men to load the chest onto a cart, "Baron, how many barrels should we load?" asked Gij.
"Each barrel has over forty gallons in it, lets take four, a brandy, whiskey, ale and peach wine." Answered Briar.
"That will give us over one hundred and sixty gallons of booze, enough to get everyone drunk for several days."
"How many cases of the bottled wine?" asked Galow
"Three, one for the manor and two for the Duke."
"You won't need more for the manor?"
"Not really, you see when you work magic you quickly learn not to drink anything that can impair your thinking."
Loading the barrels on the wagons went quickly using a seesaw like lifter designed to lift the barrels just high enough to be placed on a wagon. Several of these lifters were found in the main tunnel each designed to raise barrels to different heights.
As the group left the cavern Briar asked Tris, "Will you put the barrier and illusion back in place?"
Walking back through the tunnel Briar spoke to Bud and Juleo, "I don't think there will much of a problem financing the repairs to the winery and brewery, just give us a list of what you require in the way of equipment, supplies and help. We will do what we can."
"Speaking of help is there anyone that you would like to bring in to help you or would you prefer to train your help from scratch."
Juleo said, "I have a brother, Ernst who is very good with the vines that I would like to have help, the rest can be taught as we go along. The first thing in the fields will be irrigation of the vines."
"I will need help cleaning, the brewing can be taught to youngsters." Answered Bud.
"Good we have a number of young workers who need careers."
"When we reach the manor write your brother a letter and we will get it to him."
When they reached the front of the winery they found Revird had the wagon parked in a loading area, using the equipment the chest, barrels and cases of wine were loaded into the wagon and after locking up the winery, they started back to the manor.
Daja and Tris had moved the cushions in the back of the wagon to the top of the money chest, Relaxing on the cushions Daja turned to Tris and asked: "Did you here about the soldier meeting a sailor in a bar, and they take turns telling each other their adventures. The soldier sees that the sailor has a peg leg, hook, and an eye patch. Curious, the soldier asks, "So, how did you end up with the peg-leg?" "The sailor replies, 'I was swept overboard into a school of sharks. Just as my men were pulling me out, a shark bit my leg off'". "Wow!" said the soldier. "What about the hook"?
"Well...", replied the sailor, "We were boarding an pirate ship and were battling with swords. One of the pirates cut my hand clean off."
"Incredible!" remarked the soldier. "How did you get the eye patch"?
"A seagull dropping fell into my eye", replied the sailor.
"You lost your eye to a seagull dropping?" the soldier asked.
"Well..." said the sailor, "That was my first day with the hook."
Tris groaned, "Somebody hold me back or I'll hurt her."
Arriving back at the manor the unloading started, "Juleo will you and Bud tap the barrels and see if the contents are what we think they are?" asked Briar.
"Check with cook to see where she wants to set up the serving for the party and put the wine there."
"Sergeant Oe, let us know when the chest is ready to be unloaded."
"Yes Baron."
Entering the manor, Daja, Tris and Briar headed toward the area where they had separate offices. Tris was carrying the book and parchment that had been found on the money chest."
"This book appears to be a inventory of what Bordeaux put in the cave." Tris opened the door to her office and saw the notes from her desk scattered around the room and in front of her desk was a small puddle.
Tris said, in a disgusted tone, "Pudge."
Briar looking in the doorway said, "When did you get a puppy?"
Daja came up and looked over his shoulder.
"I don't have a puppy."
"I don't think Bear or Chime made this mess."
"No, it was Pudge."
"Who or what is a Pudge."
"Come in and sit down, this will take some explaining."
Daja and Briar pulled up chairs and sat, "I asked for some lunch to be sent in." said Daja.
Tris sat at her desk and put her elbows on the desk and her head in her hands.
"You remember when we were, at Discipline and, learning about magic one of the lessons was that magic spells have a start, middle and end. No spell is left without an ending."
"Yes, so?"
"Did you notice that they never explained why."
"No I just thought it was logical, you start something, it runs and it ends." Briar commented.
"While I was at Lightsbridge, I was rummaging around in the library and I found out the real reason."
Daja looked puzzled, "And that is?"
"Pudge!"
"And what is a Pudge?"
"It's a weather sprite."
"What?"
"Use your magic sight and check out the flowers in the window box. You are looking for a small cloud about three inches across with blue eyes."
Briar and Daja peered at the flowers and then Briar said, "There it is, in the pansy's"
Briar started to stand, "No, leave it alone, if you disturb it there will be a bigger mess to clean up."
"Where did it come from?" asked Daja.
"The books say, that if you leave a magic spell running for years, it will eventually develop intelligence, and a personality. That's where the small mythical creatures originally came from, you know, sprites, pixies, fairies, brownies, nymphs and for all I know werewolf's, vampires and other weird creatures that the Slayer has been killing for years. Magic personified."
"I found Pudge in the kitchen when we got here, decades ago some mage put a small weather spell in there to circulate the air and keep it cooler. When it saw me it adopted me and has been following me around the manor. When left alone it gets into mischief."
Tris lifted her head and saw the grin on Briar's face, "What?"
"You and your pets, Little Bear, Shriek, and the other birds you have raised, Chime and now Pudge."
"What can it do?" asked Daja.
Pointing to the drying puddle Tris said, "Rain, small winds and small lightings."
There was a quiet knock at the door.
"We are ready to bring in the chest, where do you want us to put it?" asked Sergeant Oe.
Briar, Daja and Tris looked at each other, "The library, until the Duke sees it." Daja suggested.
In the library a circle of comfortable chairs surrounded a center table, each chair had a side table with a lamp for reading. Going to the center table Briar picked up one end and asked Daja to take the other end. "We'll put it in front of the fireplace for now."
Tris directed the guardsmen to put the chest where the table had been. Placing the chest where indicated they removed the ropes that had been used to suspend the chest between the two poles used to carry it. The guardsmen collected the rope and poles and started to leave.
After a quick mental conference Daja said, "Hold up a minute," going to the chest she used her magic to unlock the padlock and opening the chest she took six gold nobles from it, tossing a noble to each guard she said, "for services rendered."
"Baroness, you don't." Lifting a hand to stop him, Tris said, "You are guards, and today you have worked hard at helping us, not just guarding us, you have earned a bonus."
"Thank you Baroness."
Holding a finger in front of his mouth, Briar said, "We would like for the contents the chest to be unknown until we have it locked securely away somewhere."
"Understood, Baron."
After the guards left, Briar turned to Tris, "Will you put a illusion spell on the chest and make it appear to be a table? I'll get my mage kit and block the windows and the door." He left the room to go to his office.
When he returned the chest now looked like a table and one of the manor staff was unloading lunch from a serving cart onto the table in front of the fireplace.
After the retainer left, taking the empty cart, the trio filled plates and glasses, moving to the circle of chairs they sat and applied themselves to lunch.
Finishing her lunch Daja sat back in the chair and sipped her fruit juice. "What are we going to do with it."
"Wait for the Duke to see it tomorrow." Briar replied.
"Has anyone told Sandry about what we found?" asked Tris.
"Not yet, shall we tell her everything?"
"Let's allow the 'Treasure' to be a surprise."
The three conspirators grinned at each other.
"Does she know about Pudge?" asked Daja.
Tris shook her head, "No."
"Get the inventory book and we will contact her about the cavern contents."
Tris headed for her office. Briar and Daja could hear her steps going down the hall and then the door to her office open.
"PUDGE!!!" echoed through the manor.
&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#
A/N
First a certain reviewer (unnamed to protect me from evil curses) challenged me to put something from Lilo and Stitch into the story so in Chapter 22 I fit in the "I prefer Evil Genius" quote.
Then I was challenged to put Pudge in the story, I didn't remember who Pudge was, and had the section written before I found out that Pudge is the white and gold fish Lilo feeds peanut butter sandwiches to. I could have changed it so Pudge was a fish in a bowl but I like my Pudge.
I am thinking about having Tris take Pudge out to Briar's greenhouse, he would be a lot less trouble among the plants than in a library, and he would pester Briar with small rain showers and minor lighting strikes, in revenge for all the teasing that Tris had to put up with from Briar in the first book.
My reviewer tells me to leave Briar alone, he is cool. (Think she has a crush on him?)
What is you opinion?
Results of the opinion poll will decide the fate of Pudge.
Blame all lousy spelling and grammar on the California Education System. Thank the Lord for spell checkers.
Chapter 23
"Tris, if you take them down can you put them back up?" asked Briar, "someone put them there for a reason."
"Yes, they are the standard spells for this type of thing."
Tris spoke the unlock spell and the spells of illusion and barrier shut down and moved into the magic runes on the wall.
Bud and Juleo held the torches up so all could see.
The spells had not hidden another smooth tunnel, instead the opening in the wall revealed a large cavern, filled with boxes and barrels and the light from the torches did not reach the end of it. Large shadowed shapes faded into the darkness.
Up on the wall were dark openings with stone steps carved into the wall leading up to them.
Tris shook her head, "More stairs, I hate stairs."
Bud and Juleo started into the cavern and were reading the markings stenciled on the boxes and barrels, "This is a case of the best vintage wine that Green Acres ever produced." Said Juleo.
Examining the nearby barrels Bud said, "Here's brandy, whiskey, and fruit wines in barrels, all of it the best vintages."
Tris had walked over to one side and found an iron bound trunk, on top of the trunk was a leather bound book and a rolled of parchment tied with ribbon.
Pushing the book to one side Tris sat on the trunk and untied the ribbon, unrolling the parchment she started to read.
"Briar, Daja, here is a letter from the people who did this. "
"What does it say?"
"Read it out loud." Briar said.
"To whom it may concern:"
"Since you are reading this, I can assume that Frantson is no longer in charge of Green Acres."
"In this letter I will explain why and how he was swindled, but not who. When Baron Frantson was disinherited, I think it drove him insane. I have no other explanation for what he started doing. He started neglecting the estate, raising taxes on the farms and mistreating the servant and retainers. It didn't take long before people started leaving. From what I was told, Frantson would sit in the library drinking and brooding for hours. Eventually he brought to the estate that blood mage Evilst Rawberry, at that point he started ordering everything of value sold. "
"I could not just throw away everything that I had built up with years of labor. I started moving the more valuable wines into the old caverns. What was sold was the standard vintage, even those brought in a great deal of money, those funds I divided and delivered half to the Baron and stored half away. What you see around you is the best of the best I have ever produced."
"All my friends are now gone, I gave them the wages the Baron had agreed to upon they were hired. These last weeks I have worked alone to prepare for you, now it is done. I have used the last of my magic to seal the entrance to the cave. I'm having pain in the chest and down the left arm. The stored funds are in the chest upon which you found this letter. I am going now to my favorite place in the world. On the left wall, the longest stairway leads to the door to my resting place, behind that door, in the Crystal Cave you will find me."
"It is signed Bordeaux" Tris finished.
Tris stood and turned to the chest, "It's locked." She said, looking at the large padlock.
"Got your picks?" asked Briar.
"Picks? You mean lock picks? What would I be doing with lock picks? No noble lady would have lock picks?"
Briar snorted, "Noble lady.."
Daja moved over to the chest, "Knock it off you two." Reaching down she grasped the padlock and sent her magic into it. The lock popped open.
The chest was full of gold and silver. There was gold, and silver Majas, Astrels, Nobles, and Creses.
"Goddess of the Moon!" whispered Tris.
Briar asked Gij Oe, "May I borrow a sword?"
Taking the sword handed to him Briar probed the chest of coins in several places, "Coin to the bottom, Tris there is enough here to build you a flat world."
Tris swatted at him as he returned the sword.
"Lets get some carts and take the chest and some of these barrels to the manor."
It took four men to load the chest onto a cart, "Baron, how many barrels should we load?" asked Gij.
"Each barrel has over forty gallons in it, lets take four, a brandy, whiskey, ale and peach wine." Answered Briar.
"That will give us over one hundred and sixty gallons of booze, enough to get everyone drunk for several days."
"How many cases of the bottled wine?" asked Galow
"Three, one for the manor and two for the Duke."
"You won't need more for the manor?"
"Not really, you see when you work magic you quickly learn not to drink anything that can impair your thinking."
Loading the barrels on the wagons went quickly using a seesaw like lifter designed to lift the barrels just high enough to be placed on a wagon. Several of these lifters were found in the main tunnel each designed to raise barrels to different heights.
As the group left the cavern Briar asked Tris, "Will you put the barrier and illusion back in place?"
Walking back through the tunnel Briar spoke to Bud and Juleo, "I don't think there will much of a problem financing the repairs to the winery and brewery, just give us a list of what you require in the way of equipment, supplies and help. We will do what we can."
"Speaking of help is there anyone that you would like to bring in to help you or would you prefer to train your help from scratch."
Juleo said, "I have a brother, Ernst who is very good with the vines that I would like to have help, the rest can be taught as we go along. The first thing in the fields will be irrigation of the vines."
"I will need help cleaning, the brewing can be taught to youngsters." Answered Bud.
"Good we have a number of young workers who need careers."
"When we reach the manor write your brother a letter and we will get it to him."
When they reached the front of the winery they found Revird had the wagon parked in a loading area, using the equipment the chest, barrels and cases of wine were loaded into the wagon and after locking up the winery, they started back to the manor.
Daja and Tris had moved the cushions in the back of the wagon to the top of the money chest, Relaxing on the cushions Daja turned to Tris and asked: "Did you here about the soldier meeting a sailor in a bar, and they take turns telling each other their adventures. The soldier sees that the sailor has a peg leg, hook, and an eye patch. Curious, the soldier asks, "So, how did you end up with the peg-leg?" "The sailor replies, 'I was swept overboard into a school of sharks. Just as my men were pulling me out, a shark bit my leg off'". "Wow!" said the soldier. "What about the hook"?
"Well...", replied the sailor, "We were boarding an pirate ship and were battling with swords. One of the pirates cut my hand clean off."
"Incredible!" remarked the soldier. "How did you get the eye patch"?
"A seagull dropping fell into my eye", replied the sailor.
"You lost your eye to a seagull dropping?" the soldier asked.
"Well..." said the sailor, "That was my first day with the hook."
Tris groaned, "Somebody hold me back or I'll hurt her."
Arriving back at the manor the unloading started, "Juleo will you and Bud tap the barrels and see if the contents are what we think they are?" asked Briar.
"Check with cook to see where she wants to set up the serving for the party and put the wine there."
"Sergeant Oe, let us know when the chest is ready to be unloaded."
"Yes Baron."
Entering the manor, Daja, Tris and Briar headed toward the area where they had separate offices. Tris was carrying the book and parchment that had been found on the money chest."
"This book appears to be a inventory of what Bordeaux put in the cave." Tris opened the door to her office and saw the notes from her desk scattered around the room and in front of her desk was a small puddle.
Tris said, in a disgusted tone, "Pudge."
Briar looking in the doorway said, "When did you get a puppy?"
Daja came up and looked over his shoulder.
"I don't have a puppy."
"I don't think Bear or Chime made this mess."
"No, it was Pudge."
"Who or what is a Pudge."
"Come in and sit down, this will take some explaining."
Daja and Briar pulled up chairs and sat, "I asked for some lunch to be sent in." said Daja.
Tris sat at her desk and put her elbows on the desk and her head in her hands.
"You remember when we were, at Discipline and, learning about magic one of the lessons was that magic spells have a start, middle and end. No spell is left without an ending."
"Yes, so?"
"Did you notice that they never explained why."
"No I just thought it was logical, you start something, it runs and it ends." Briar commented.
"While I was at Lightsbridge, I was rummaging around in the library and I found out the real reason."
Daja looked puzzled, "And that is?"
"Pudge!"
"And what is a Pudge?"
"It's a weather sprite."
"What?"
"Use your magic sight and check out the flowers in the window box. You are looking for a small cloud about three inches across with blue eyes."
Briar and Daja peered at the flowers and then Briar said, "There it is, in the pansy's"
Briar started to stand, "No, leave it alone, if you disturb it there will be a bigger mess to clean up."
"Where did it come from?" asked Daja.
"The books say, that if you leave a magic spell running for years, it will eventually develop intelligence, and a personality. That's where the small mythical creatures originally came from, you know, sprites, pixies, fairies, brownies, nymphs and for all I know werewolf's, vampires and other weird creatures that the Slayer has been killing for years. Magic personified."
"I found Pudge in the kitchen when we got here, decades ago some mage put a small weather spell in there to circulate the air and keep it cooler. When it saw me it adopted me and has been following me around the manor. When left alone it gets into mischief."
Tris lifted her head and saw the grin on Briar's face, "What?"
"You and your pets, Little Bear, Shriek, and the other birds you have raised, Chime and now Pudge."
"What can it do?" asked Daja.
Pointing to the drying puddle Tris said, "Rain, small winds and small lightings."
There was a quiet knock at the door.
"We are ready to bring in the chest, where do you want us to put it?" asked Sergeant Oe.
Briar, Daja and Tris looked at each other, "The library, until the Duke sees it." Daja suggested.
In the library a circle of comfortable chairs surrounded a center table, each chair had a side table with a lamp for reading. Going to the center table Briar picked up one end and asked Daja to take the other end. "We'll put it in front of the fireplace for now."
Tris directed the guardsmen to put the chest where the table had been. Placing the chest where indicated they removed the ropes that had been used to suspend the chest between the two poles used to carry it. The guardsmen collected the rope and poles and started to leave.
After a quick mental conference Daja said, "Hold up a minute," going to the chest she used her magic to unlock the padlock and opening the chest she took six gold nobles from it, tossing a noble to each guard she said, "for services rendered."
"Baroness, you don't." Lifting a hand to stop him, Tris said, "You are guards, and today you have worked hard at helping us, not just guarding us, you have earned a bonus."
"Thank you Baroness."
Holding a finger in front of his mouth, Briar said, "We would like for the contents the chest to be unknown until we have it locked securely away somewhere."
"Understood, Baron."
After the guards left, Briar turned to Tris, "Will you put a illusion spell on the chest and make it appear to be a table? I'll get my mage kit and block the windows and the door." He left the room to go to his office.
When he returned the chest now looked like a table and one of the manor staff was unloading lunch from a serving cart onto the table in front of the fireplace.
After the retainer left, taking the empty cart, the trio filled plates and glasses, moving to the circle of chairs they sat and applied themselves to lunch.
Finishing her lunch Daja sat back in the chair and sipped her fruit juice. "What are we going to do with it."
"Wait for the Duke to see it tomorrow." Briar replied.
"Has anyone told Sandry about what we found?" asked Tris.
"Not yet, shall we tell her everything?"
"Let's allow the 'Treasure' to be a surprise."
The three conspirators grinned at each other.
"Does she know about Pudge?" asked Daja.
Tris shook her head, "No."
"Get the inventory book and we will contact her about the cavern contents."
Tris headed for her office. Briar and Daja could hear her steps going down the hall and then the door to her office open.
"PUDGE!!!" echoed through the manor.
&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#&#
A/N
First a certain reviewer (unnamed to protect me from evil curses) challenged me to put something from Lilo and Stitch into the story so in Chapter 22 I fit in the "I prefer Evil Genius" quote.
Then I was challenged to put Pudge in the story, I didn't remember who Pudge was, and had the section written before I found out that Pudge is the white and gold fish Lilo feeds peanut butter sandwiches to. I could have changed it so Pudge was a fish in a bowl but I like my Pudge.
I am thinking about having Tris take Pudge out to Briar's greenhouse, he would be a lot less trouble among the plants than in a library, and he would pester Briar with small rain showers and minor lighting strikes, in revenge for all the teasing that Tris had to put up with from Briar in the first book.
My reviewer tells me to leave Briar alone, he is cool. (Think she has a crush on him?)
What is you opinion?
Results of the opinion poll will decide the fate of Pudge.