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 27
Briar went to a bed and pulled a blanket off, he took it over and tossed it over the shoulders of the young man.
"I think we should all know who we are talking with," Briar told the two men, "This is Duke Vedris IV of Emelan, The Countess Lady Sandrilene fa Toren, Baroness Daja Kisubo, Baroness Trisana Chandler, Captain Patton of the Dukes guards," pointing to each in turn, "and I am Baron Briar Moss"
"Will you tell us your names?"
"I am Igor Quasimodo fa NotreDom and this is Moglee Chandler who I have raised since I found him at age four." The young man had gone out, accompanied by guards and came back dressed just as he was introduced.
"You are from the living circle temple NotreDom?" Asked the Duke.
"It's a long story." Igor said with a sigh.
"Then come, a long story is best told in comfortable chairs in front of a warm fire with refreshments, let us go up to the library." The Duke told him.
Captain Patton came to the Duke and said, "There is no one else in the cellar, Your Grace."
"Good, let's get the men out of here. Leave a few light sticks in the wall sconces so it's not completely dark down here." The Duke told him.
Each of the pillars had sconces on all four sides, Patton directed his men to leave a light stick on each pillar on the way back to the ladder.
When they reached the ladder, "Before we go up, is there an entrance to this cellar from outside the manor?" asked Briar
"Yes, there is a tunnel leading out to a cave in the hills."
"If you will show me where it is located I would like to ensure that no one can enter the manor while the Duke is here."
"Mog you go with the Duke and these ladies. If you will follow me Baron." Briar handed him a light stick and Igor led the way around the U shaped cellar to the northeast wall, "It is here." He reached up and pushed a stone of the wall at shoulder height.
The entrance to a tunnel large enough for two men to walk shoulder to shoulder opened in the wall.
"How is it closed?"
"It can be shut by hand and bolted or there is another stone down the tunnel that will open and close it."
"Please show me."
Igor, in the lead, showed Briar the way down the tunnel and pointed to a stone in the wall.
"Thank you Igor." Briar told him as he took what he needed from his mage kit and warded the tunnel so no one could get to the stone that opened the doorway.
Going back to the cellar Briar checked the door and found three large, strong, sliding bolts that could be used to lock the door from the tunnel side. "Smart," he remarked, "if you're running you can lock the path behind you."
Back in the cellar Igor pushed the latch stone and the door closed. Briar used his kit to ward the door and access to the latch stone. "That will take care of it for the night."
Walking back to the ladder Briar commented, "I see a bunch of fireplaces down here."
"They are not really used for fire, they are for ventilation, the shaft from each one leads up to a fireplace above and opens out of sight up in the flue, when a fire is burning in the fireplace the rising hot air creates an updraft and pulls air from the cellar. That is why there is no stale, musty odors down here, the air is being continually circulated."
"Where does the air come in?"
Igor raised the light and pointed to a narrow horizontal slit in the outside wall, "Those lead up to grilled openings in the manor exterior wall, air comes in though those."
"The air flow is why we dug out the old curtains and partitioned off a section to keep warm. That section is below the kitchen and there is a fire above almost all the time so our fire is not noticed."
"What's in all these boxes?" asked Briar.
"Mostly clothes, when summer arrives the owners would store the winter clothes, when winter arrives they buy new winter clothes and store the summer stuff, break a dish buy a whole new set instead of replacing the one dish, lose a fork, new silverware, outgrow a toy, store it for younger kids and never reuse it, library shelves overflow, store the surplus. The cycle has gone on for generations. We haven't opened many."
"There's not enough down here for generations."
"Every now and then some of the older boxes would be moved to the caverns at the winery."
"What did you open?"
"We got some dishes, pot and pans to cook with and some silverware and the clothing we are wearing. We also took food from the pantry upstairs as we needed it."
"I'm glad it is finally over." Igor said with a sigh.
When they reached the ladder there was just one guard left at the base.
"How on earth did they get all this stuff down here?"
Igor chuckled, "I'll show you." And lead the way to the southeast corner of the cellar.
"Each corner of the manor has a round tower with a spiral staircase to the top. If you open the door on the right wall you find stairs leading up. Open the left wall and you find a stair leading down."
Briar groaned, "Don't tell me, the ground floor has hidden doors on the left walls to stairs leading down here."
Reaching the corner Igor open a door on the right wall to a stair leading up.
Shaking his head Briar Waved Igor ahead of him up the stairs. When they reached the top of the steps Briar asked, "Is there any way to see what is going on in the room before we open the door?"
Igor pointed to a small, hinged, panel at eye level in the door.
"Hide the light." Briar told Igor.
As Igor put the light stick under his coat as Briar unlatched and opened the spy slit and examined the room beyond.
He could see that everyone in the library was either seated in the chairs or standing by the open passageway and they were all, except Moglee, watching the opening, waiting for Briar and Igor.
Moglee was sitting facing Tris and glaring at her. Tris, sitting with her back to the hidden door was glaring at Moglee.
Closing the slit Briar reached for the latch of the hidden door, "I home the door doesn't squeak."
"I keep all the hinges oiled." Igor told him.
"That's right, you're the ghost of Green Acres." Briar said smiling.
The door opened without a sound, Briar put his hand over his mouth and indicated to Moglee to be quiet.
Briar and Igor entered the room and closed the door. Walking quietly over to the table with the fruit juice Briar handed a glass to Igor.
Daja asked the guards inside the passageway, "What's taking the so long?"
Briar asked Igor, "So Igor are you ready to tell your story now?"
Everyone spun and stared at the two of them standing by the table.
Tris demanded, "How did you get in here?"
Briar sipped his juice and smirked at her.
Tris stood and approached him with sparks running up and down the braids hanging on both sides of her head.
Briar held up both hands, "Take it easy copper curls, I'll show you."
As the Duke, Sandry and Daja came over to them Briar picked up the light stick that Igor had put on the table and walked over to the hidden door.
Pointing to the door on the right wall he asked Tris, "Door to the second floor, right?"
"Right."
Reaching into the bookshelves on the left wall Briar tripped the hidden latch and pulled the concealed door open. "Door to the cellar."
Tris walked over and looked down the stairway, "More stairs."
She turned on Briar with an angry glare, "And you made me climb down, and back up, that damn ladder."
Stepping quickly back Briar made soothing gestures, "I didn't know about the stairs then Tris. Igor tells me that there is a hidden door to the cellar in each corner of the manor, that is how all those boxes got down there."
"Settle down everyone," the Duke told them, "close the flagstone and the passageway," he told his guards, "then you can stand down."
They did as directed, "Captain Patton, take your men back to the barracks, leave Oama, Kwaben and Rambow."
They all went back to the chairs and settled down, Tris and Moglee went back to trading glares.
"And now," said the Duke, "it's time for us to hear your long story."
Blame all lousy spelling and grammar on the California Education System. Thank the Lord for spell checkers.
Chapter 27
Briar went to a bed and pulled a blanket off, he took it over and tossed it over the shoulders of the young man.
"I think we should all know who we are talking with," Briar told the two men, "This is Duke Vedris IV of Emelan, The Countess Lady Sandrilene fa Toren, Baroness Daja Kisubo, Baroness Trisana Chandler, Captain Patton of the Dukes guards," pointing to each in turn, "and I am Baron Briar Moss"
"Will you tell us your names?"
"I am Igor Quasimodo fa NotreDom and this is Moglee Chandler who I have raised since I found him at age four." The young man had gone out, accompanied by guards and came back dressed just as he was introduced.
"You are from the living circle temple NotreDom?" Asked the Duke.
"It's a long story." Igor said with a sigh.
"Then come, a long story is best told in comfortable chairs in front of a warm fire with refreshments, let us go up to the library." The Duke told him.
Captain Patton came to the Duke and said, "There is no one else in the cellar, Your Grace."
"Good, let's get the men out of here. Leave a few light sticks in the wall sconces so it's not completely dark down here." The Duke told him.
Each of the pillars had sconces on all four sides, Patton directed his men to leave a light stick on each pillar on the way back to the ladder.
When they reached the ladder, "Before we go up, is there an entrance to this cellar from outside the manor?" asked Briar
"Yes, there is a tunnel leading out to a cave in the hills."
"If you will show me where it is located I would like to ensure that no one can enter the manor while the Duke is here."
"Mog you go with the Duke and these ladies. If you will follow me Baron." Briar handed him a light stick and Igor led the way around the U shaped cellar to the northeast wall, "It is here." He reached up and pushed a stone of the wall at shoulder height.
The entrance to a tunnel large enough for two men to walk shoulder to shoulder opened in the wall.
"How is it closed?"
"It can be shut by hand and bolted or there is another stone down the tunnel that will open and close it."
"Please show me."
Igor, in the lead, showed Briar the way down the tunnel and pointed to a stone in the wall.
"Thank you Igor." Briar told him as he took what he needed from his mage kit and warded the tunnel so no one could get to the stone that opened the doorway.
Going back to the cellar Briar checked the door and found three large, strong, sliding bolts that could be used to lock the door from the tunnel side. "Smart," he remarked, "if you're running you can lock the path behind you."
Back in the cellar Igor pushed the latch stone and the door closed. Briar used his kit to ward the door and access to the latch stone. "That will take care of it for the night."
Walking back to the ladder Briar commented, "I see a bunch of fireplaces down here."
"They are not really used for fire, they are for ventilation, the shaft from each one leads up to a fireplace above and opens out of sight up in the flue, when a fire is burning in the fireplace the rising hot air creates an updraft and pulls air from the cellar. That is why there is no stale, musty odors down here, the air is being continually circulated."
"Where does the air come in?"
Igor raised the light and pointed to a narrow horizontal slit in the outside wall, "Those lead up to grilled openings in the manor exterior wall, air comes in though those."
"The air flow is why we dug out the old curtains and partitioned off a section to keep warm. That section is below the kitchen and there is a fire above almost all the time so our fire is not noticed."
"What's in all these boxes?" asked Briar.
"Mostly clothes, when summer arrives the owners would store the winter clothes, when winter arrives they buy new winter clothes and store the summer stuff, break a dish buy a whole new set instead of replacing the one dish, lose a fork, new silverware, outgrow a toy, store it for younger kids and never reuse it, library shelves overflow, store the surplus. The cycle has gone on for generations. We haven't opened many."
"There's not enough down here for generations."
"Every now and then some of the older boxes would be moved to the caverns at the winery."
"What did you open?"
"We got some dishes, pot and pans to cook with and some silverware and the clothing we are wearing. We also took food from the pantry upstairs as we needed it."
"I'm glad it is finally over." Igor said with a sigh.
When they reached the ladder there was just one guard left at the base.
"How on earth did they get all this stuff down here?"
Igor chuckled, "I'll show you." And lead the way to the southeast corner of the cellar.
"Each corner of the manor has a round tower with a spiral staircase to the top. If you open the door on the right wall you find stairs leading up. Open the left wall and you find a stair leading down."
Briar groaned, "Don't tell me, the ground floor has hidden doors on the left walls to stairs leading down here."
Reaching the corner Igor open a door on the right wall to a stair leading up.
Shaking his head Briar Waved Igor ahead of him up the stairs. When they reached the top of the steps Briar asked, "Is there any way to see what is going on in the room before we open the door?"
Igor pointed to a small, hinged, panel at eye level in the door.
"Hide the light." Briar told Igor.
As Igor put the light stick under his coat as Briar unlatched and opened the spy slit and examined the room beyond.
He could see that everyone in the library was either seated in the chairs or standing by the open passageway and they were all, except Moglee, watching the opening, waiting for Briar and Igor.
Moglee was sitting facing Tris and glaring at her. Tris, sitting with her back to the hidden door was glaring at Moglee.
Closing the slit Briar reached for the latch of the hidden door, "I home the door doesn't squeak."
"I keep all the hinges oiled." Igor told him.
"That's right, you're the ghost of Green Acres." Briar said smiling.
The door opened without a sound, Briar put his hand over his mouth and indicated to Moglee to be quiet.
Briar and Igor entered the room and closed the door. Walking quietly over to the table with the fruit juice Briar handed a glass to Igor.
Daja asked the guards inside the passageway, "What's taking the so long?"
Briar asked Igor, "So Igor are you ready to tell your story now?"
Everyone spun and stared at the two of them standing by the table.
Tris demanded, "How did you get in here?"
Briar sipped his juice and smirked at her.
Tris stood and approached him with sparks running up and down the braids hanging on both sides of her head.
Briar held up both hands, "Take it easy copper curls, I'll show you."
As the Duke, Sandry and Daja came over to them Briar picked up the light stick that Igor had put on the table and walked over to the hidden door.
Pointing to the door on the right wall he asked Tris, "Door to the second floor, right?"
"Right."
Reaching into the bookshelves on the left wall Briar tripped the hidden latch and pulled the concealed door open. "Door to the cellar."
Tris walked over and looked down the stairway, "More stairs."
She turned on Briar with an angry glare, "And you made me climb down, and back up, that damn ladder."
Stepping quickly back Briar made soothing gestures, "I didn't know about the stairs then Tris. Igor tells me that there is a hidden door to the cellar in each corner of the manor, that is how all those boxes got down there."
"Settle down everyone," the Duke told them, "close the flagstone and the passageway," he told his guards, "then you can stand down."
They did as directed, "Captain Patton, take your men back to the barracks, leave Oama, Kwaben and Rambow."
They all went back to the chairs and settled down, Tris and Moglee went back to trading glares.
"And now," said the Duke, "it's time for us to hear your long story."