AN: As much as it pains me, I have to go back into Darnoc mode again.
*Takes deep, shuddering breath* I am okay. Maybe, just maybe, this will
be interesting. I hope so. I must win back my readers! Okay, to the story
then.
Mrs. Conrad drove back from the airport in silence, emotions clashing through her like the swords she had used to play with when she was young. She sighed that had been many many years ago. Her hair had been naturally red then. But back to the emotions. She had her bass drum back, and this made her life easier and better. She also had Knat back. And that was worth almost three quarters of a bass drum to her. One thing saddened her though. True, she was very happy to have Knat back, but that meant that she would have to keep her newly discovered relationship with the balding blonde lady from the run down hotel very low key for awhile. But there was more good than bad in her disposition, so all in all, she was in a cheerful mood as she listened to Knat prattle about random subjects. She parked back at the hotel where the rest of the band was staying. The chaperones were taking the kids sightseeing, so Knat and Conrad had their entire afternoon to themselves.......
*Sad reminiscent Hobbit music starts playing*
Cassie and Ashley awoke automatically on the fourth day of their enslavement. This day could have been like the others, only it wasn't. Ashley awoke with an odd sense, and judging by the look on Cassie's face she felt it too. All the same, she smiled.
"What is it Guinievere? Has a shadow and a threat been growing in your mind?" Though still freaked out by the dream she had been having, Ashley rolled her eyes good naturedly and nodded.
"Yes, you could say that," she replied sleepily. Cassie pouted.
"Oh come on, reply Lord of the Rings style, it's more fun." Ashley then proceeded to speak a very long string of elvish, and Cassie couldn't even hope to keep up. "Okay, okay you win. We'd better get up in any case."
"Yeah, we wouldn't want to miss out on our work would we?" Cassie laughed and sprang from the bed. So far, they hadn't done any real work. It was mostly reading poetry aloud to Annod Yawnoc, and discussing various topics with him. He was just like a grandfather to them. He had even specifically said that he had bought them for the sole purpose of funding Tanks trip back to the US. If it hadn't been for the fact that he WAS in league with Darnoc and Tank, Annod would have been a very nice guy.
Cassie's joyous mood was quickly dissipated by the smell wafting steadily nearer. She groaned and clutched her stomach. If she had to eat Irish stew one more time, she would kill the innocent baby lambs in it herself. Long ago she had sworn never to eat an animal that hadn't reached its proper size. So far she had kept that promise, but she could only hold out without meat for so long. She had never eaten lamb in her life and she didn't intend to. She was very pleasantly surprised. Instead of their usual fare of stew, they got a lot of meat, a few vegetables and soda bread. Vellie said it was something called an Ulster fry. Cassie ate it with relish, reveling in the fact that she was eating dead pigs rather than dead baby sheep. She ignored the tomatoes and mushrooms, but both she and Ashley enjoyed the bread.
But while Ashley and Cassie were having their fun, something was stirring. It had been sleeping for close to a thousand years. And it was waking now. Soon the four captured band students would know of their destiny. But not yet. Not quite.
Sitting on a lawn chair in the blood red sunlight of Egarots Moor, Conrad was tanning in an orange string bikini and sipping a banana mama. Luke, her personal servant for a day had brought it to her while wearing nothing but cuffs, a bow tie, and tight fitting black pants. He looked miserable. Little did she know that Luke had a brain behind that sexy baby face of his, and he had a plan. Not a very original one, but still, it was something. She had more important things to think about at the moment. Like the fact that she felt her soul rip free from her body. She gasped and clutched her scantily clad chest. Knat came rushing over.
"What is it?" he asked concerned.
"It's gone!" she gasped clutching at air like she was hoping to grab her soul back or something.
"I think you've had quite enough sun for today my dear," Knat said kindly helping her to her feet. Conrad stared straight ahead. "I'll just lie you down, and I won't leave your side until you feel well again okay? Shall I get something cold for your head?" Conrad nodded without any emotion. Luke watched quietly. For no particular reason, he had a slight inkling of what was going on, and something told him that now was the right time for the beginnings of a rebellion. Help would be arriving shortly.
"In the midst of the word he was trying to say in the midst of his laughter and glee, he was softly and silently vanished away for the Snark was a Boojum you see," Cassie finished reading the poem and a slight shiver ran down her spine. That poem had been a key part in one of her most favorite books, The Forbidden Game. Annod took a small sip of brandy before responding.
"Yes yes, The Hunting of the Snark. Possibly one of my favorite poems."
"The guy who wrote it had some serious issues," Ashley said from her chair in a corner. Cassie smiled. She couldn't agree more. Come on, the guy wrote about mushrooms for heaven's sake! Annod frowned thoughtfully.
"Maybe he did Ashley. Maybe he did. But do we really know if he was mad, or if he had really been there himself?" Silence was his answer. "Okay, that's enough for now I think. How about some music?" Ashley and Cassie got up from their chairs and hurried from the dim study.
"I think our dear Yawnoc has some serious issues as well," Ashley muttered as they began their long trek to their tower bedroom. Cassie nodded in agreement. It took five minutes to finally reach the staircase that led to the tower and oldest part of the castle still standing.
And then came a wind so sudden and fierce that the two friends were knocked forward onto the sharp, stone stairs. It came suddenly, it stopped suddenly. They scrambled to their feet and looked at one another. Cassie tasted blood in her mouth from her tounge which she must have accidentally bitten, and Ashley had a lump forming on her forehead. She touched it and winced.
"Okay, what was that?" Cassie said worriedly. Ashley shook her head.
"No clue, but we should go get our instruments. Yawnoc will wonder what's become of us. Then we can ask him." Without answering, Cassie continued up the stairs with Ashley following. About halfway up, Ashley noticed something on the wall that definitely hadn't been there before. It was a tapestry. A large tapestry map. She leaned in to examine it more closely. In gold embroidery on one side said in fancy lettering Ecitcarp Moor. A circle was below this and it was labeled in smaller writing as Yawnoc Castle. The other side was graced by silver embroidery. The name of the land was Egarots Moor, and another circle was there. This was labeled as Darnoc Castle. Ashley frowned and pointed it out to Cassie.
"I wonder why it was never there before," Ashley said. "I mean, I don't think it was ever there....Cassie.....Why are you wearing that?" Ashley's eyes had gone big and round. Something was very, very wrong here.
Mrs. Conrad drove back from the airport in silence, emotions clashing through her like the swords she had used to play with when she was young. She sighed that had been many many years ago. Her hair had been naturally red then. But back to the emotions. She had her bass drum back, and this made her life easier and better. She also had Knat back. And that was worth almost three quarters of a bass drum to her. One thing saddened her though. True, she was very happy to have Knat back, but that meant that she would have to keep her newly discovered relationship with the balding blonde lady from the run down hotel very low key for awhile. But there was more good than bad in her disposition, so all in all, she was in a cheerful mood as she listened to Knat prattle about random subjects. She parked back at the hotel where the rest of the band was staying. The chaperones were taking the kids sightseeing, so Knat and Conrad had their entire afternoon to themselves.......
*Sad reminiscent Hobbit music starts playing*
Cassie and Ashley awoke automatically on the fourth day of their enslavement. This day could have been like the others, only it wasn't. Ashley awoke with an odd sense, and judging by the look on Cassie's face she felt it too. All the same, she smiled.
"What is it Guinievere? Has a shadow and a threat been growing in your mind?" Though still freaked out by the dream she had been having, Ashley rolled her eyes good naturedly and nodded.
"Yes, you could say that," she replied sleepily. Cassie pouted.
"Oh come on, reply Lord of the Rings style, it's more fun." Ashley then proceeded to speak a very long string of elvish, and Cassie couldn't even hope to keep up. "Okay, okay you win. We'd better get up in any case."
"Yeah, we wouldn't want to miss out on our work would we?" Cassie laughed and sprang from the bed. So far, they hadn't done any real work. It was mostly reading poetry aloud to Annod Yawnoc, and discussing various topics with him. He was just like a grandfather to them. He had even specifically said that he had bought them for the sole purpose of funding Tanks trip back to the US. If it hadn't been for the fact that he WAS in league with Darnoc and Tank, Annod would have been a very nice guy.
Cassie's joyous mood was quickly dissipated by the smell wafting steadily nearer. She groaned and clutched her stomach. If she had to eat Irish stew one more time, she would kill the innocent baby lambs in it herself. Long ago she had sworn never to eat an animal that hadn't reached its proper size. So far she had kept that promise, but she could only hold out without meat for so long. She had never eaten lamb in her life and she didn't intend to. She was very pleasantly surprised. Instead of their usual fare of stew, they got a lot of meat, a few vegetables and soda bread. Vellie said it was something called an Ulster fry. Cassie ate it with relish, reveling in the fact that she was eating dead pigs rather than dead baby sheep. She ignored the tomatoes and mushrooms, but both she and Ashley enjoyed the bread.
But while Ashley and Cassie were having their fun, something was stirring. It had been sleeping for close to a thousand years. And it was waking now. Soon the four captured band students would know of their destiny. But not yet. Not quite.
Sitting on a lawn chair in the blood red sunlight of Egarots Moor, Conrad was tanning in an orange string bikini and sipping a banana mama. Luke, her personal servant for a day had brought it to her while wearing nothing but cuffs, a bow tie, and tight fitting black pants. He looked miserable. Little did she know that Luke had a brain behind that sexy baby face of his, and he had a plan. Not a very original one, but still, it was something. She had more important things to think about at the moment. Like the fact that she felt her soul rip free from her body. She gasped and clutched her scantily clad chest. Knat came rushing over.
"What is it?" he asked concerned.
"It's gone!" she gasped clutching at air like she was hoping to grab her soul back or something.
"I think you've had quite enough sun for today my dear," Knat said kindly helping her to her feet. Conrad stared straight ahead. "I'll just lie you down, and I won't leave your side until you feel well again okay? Shall I get something cold for your head?" Conrad nodded without any emotion. Luke watched quietly. For no particular reason, he had a slight inkling of what was going on, and something told him that now was the right time for the beginnings of a rebellion. Help would be arriving shortly.
"In the midst of the word he was trying to say in the midst of his laughter and glee, he was softly and silently vanished away for the Snark was a Boojum you see," Cassie finished reading the poem and a slight shiver ran down her spine. That poem had been a key part in one of her most favorite books, The Forbidden Game. Annod took a small sip of brandy before responding.
"Yes yes, The Hunting of the Snark. Possibly one of my favorite poems."
"The guy who wrote it had some serious issues," Ashley said from her chair in a corner. Cassie smiled. She couldn't agree more. Come on, the guy wrote about mushrooms for heaven's sake! Annod frowned thoughtfully.
"Maybe he did Ashley. Maybe he did. But do we really know if he was mad, or if he had really been there himself?" Silence was his answer. "Okay, that's enough for now I think. How about some music?" Ashley and Cassie got up from their chairs and hurried from the dim study.
"I think our dear Yawnoc has some serious issues as well," Ashley muttered as they began their long trek to their tower bedroom. Cassie nodded in agreement. It took five minutes to finally reach the staircase that led to the tower and oldest part of the castle still standing.
And then came a wind so sudden and fierce that the two friends were knocked forward onto the sharp, stone stairs. It came suddenly, it stopped suddenly. They scrambled to their feet and looked at one another. Cassie tasted blood in her mouth from her tounge which she must have accidentally bitten, and Ashley had a lump forming on her forehead. She touched it and winced.
"Okay, what was that?" Cassie said worriedly. Ashley shook her head.
"No clue, but we should go get our instruments. Yawnoc will wonder what's become of us. Then we can ask him." Without answering, Cassie continued up the stairs with Ashley following. About halfway up, Ashley noticed something on the wall that definitely hadn't been there before. It was a tapestry. A large tapestry map. She leaned in to examine it more closely. In gold embroidery on one side said in fancy lettering Ecitcarp Moor. A circle was below this and it was labeled in smaller writing as Yawnoc Castle. The other side was graced by silver embroidery. The name of the land was Egarots Moor, and another circle was there. This was labeled as Darnoc Castle. Ashley frowned and pointed it out to Cassie.
"I wonder why it was never there before," Ashley said. "I mean, I don't think it was ever there....Cassie.....Why are you wearing that?" Ashley's eyes had gone big and round. Something was very, very wrong here.