Chapter 5
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We arrived at the shop in la rue des Fossoyeurs. It was a small shop and not really taken care of. Aramis and Athos entered first and I followed them. Monsieur Turpin was a rounded man. Small, and almost bald, he was sat behind his desk. He was looking at us with a smile—one of the smile that said "You idiot, I'm going to take every single sous you own."
"What can I do for you, gentlemen?" He asked the two musketeers and ignoring me.
"We would like to see your account book." Aramis asked politely.
"Why would I do that?" He asked
"It's important. It's a matter of life or death" Athos added for good measure.
"I'm afraid I can't help you." He excused himself not the least sorry at all.
"The King's life is at stake here. We need to see your account book." Aramis insisted
"You could be accused with treason. You know what the sentence is for this crime?" Athos tried to reason him.
"I know and I can't help you." He smugly said. My patience was growing thin.
"Alright, there is two ways of doing this." I finally said. "The easy way or the hard way. Which one do you want us to use?"
"Let me guess, you are the easy way and they are the hard way?" He scoffed
"No, that's where you are wrong. They are the easy way and I'm the hard way." I darkly stated taking my dagger out.
"Hard way, it is then." Aramis said playing along with me.
"Indeed" Athos added. I suddenly took Turpin's hand and put it on his desk.
"First can they see your precious little book?" He nodded and pointed one of his drawers. Aramis went there and retrieved the book. He was reading it. "Now, do you know Monsieur de Beauvallon?" He nodded. "Do you know where he is?" He didn't say a word. He refused to answer. "You know I grew up in the court of Miracles. There was a game I used to play when I was a child. You have to take one of your friends' hand and put it on a table like this. You make sure every fingers is separated from the others like this" I separated his fingers making sure that there was enough space between them. "And then we would use a dagger like this one and stabbed the space between the fingers. It happened that we missed. You see I had this friend I did that on him. I missed and he lost a finger." I started to stab the space slowly and then I started to accelerate the action. "I'm going to ask again. Do you know where he is?"
"You can go to hell, crazy woman." He replied. His voice was shaking
"Wrong answer. You now what the funniest part of this game were. People will challenge you to do it faster or slower or something else." I explained again. The truth is I never played this game. Such game in the court of Miracles might exist but I never played it.
"Oh! Can you do it with your eyes closed?" Aramis asked. He was still reading the book, he was playing along. He quite enjoyed this game. "What do you think Athos? Do you think she can do it?"
"I think she can't do it with her eyes closed." Athos was smirking.
"Is that a challenge musketeer?" I smiled
"I think it is." Aramis answered for him.
"Alright, eyes closed." I closed my eyes I raised the dagger next to my face. I was about to strike the dagger on Turpin's hand when he yelled that he will tell us where de Beauvallon is.
"Alright, alright. De Beauvallon is staying in a tavern in la rue du Vieux Colombier." He said "No one is supposed to know he is there. He has guards everywhere. You have to talk to his right-hand man first."
"What's the name of his right-hand man?" Athos asked.
"He called himself Lazarus."
We were back at the garrison and in the Captain's office. We explained him every single information we found. Aramis showed Tréville the page he tore from Turpin's account book. The job where ordered by this same Lazarus. Apparently he was doing all the dirty jobs for de Beauvallon. The hardest part was to find the tavern in la rue du Vieux Colombier. According to Porthos there were at least three of those. Captain decided that we will start the research the day after. That evening I ate with the musketeers and D'Artagnan. Aramis told them what happened in Turpin's shop. They were impressed and they were laughing at his expense.
"Did you really play that game when you were a child?" D'Artagnan asked.
"No, it was lie." I smiled
"A good lie." D'Artagnan agreed.
"How a girl that can read and write ended up growing up in the court of miracles?" Porthos asked.
"It wasn't by choice. My parents were hiding from my mother's family." I started to explain. "It is a long story but to make it short. My mother; Madeline de Sauvignon, is from a noble family and my father, Gabriel, was a slave seeking for freedom. They met and she taught him how to read and write. She used to say that knowledge is power and if my father wanted to be a free man, he should know how to read. The more time they spent together, the more they were in love with each other."
"And her parents didn't see it that way?" Porthos questioned.
"Indeed, they didn't. My father was ready to run away and let my mother behind. But my mother was a headstrong woman and she didn't let him get away. They eloped and build a home in the court of miracles. And few years later they brought me to the world." I finished my story.
"What a beautiful story!" The most romantic of the musketeers exclaimed.
The rest of the night was really agreeable. I discovered that Porthos was also from the court of miracles. I discovered how D'Artagnan became a part of the musketeers. He wanted to kill Athos—all I did was stealing the musketeer. Anyway it was a good night. We all went to bed and waited for the day after.
We went to the taverns in la rue du Vieux Colombier. There were more than three. And every time we mentioned Lazarus or Beauvallon they just shut their mouth. We were divided into two groups Porthos and Aramis were together and Athos, D'Artagnan and I together. We were luckier than Porthos and Aramis. The last tavern we visited was crowded—way too much. We talked to the bartender and asked him about Lazarus. We said that we had job to offer. Lazarus wasn't there—he told us to come back later. We gathered with the other two and planned to go back that night. So we waited near by.
We went back later that night. Athos and D'Artagnan decided to go back without me. I waited outside with Porthos and Aramis. Several minutes had passed and we heard a commotion inside. We rushed there taking our swords out. Athos and D'Artagnan were outnumbered. We jumped head first into the battle. They kept coming at me and I was able to fight back. But that stupid dress was slowing my movements. Soon enough we were surrounded by all of Beauvallon' s men. They brought us to Lazarus. He was there standing in front us with a cold smile.
"René! But that's impossible." I exclaimed seeing who Lazarus really was
"Bonjour, mademoiselle de Sauvignon, happy to see that you are alive." He replied
