"But Arthur, what, what's good grief! Artemis!"
Arthur groaned. "I know, well I don't---What happened, I don't know. Why can't Suzy talk?"
Suzy flashed a glare at him.
Ed hesitated. "I found her soaked out of town, from head to toe, I thought she was a mermaid, I just met up with Leaf outside, her car broke down, she came back to check out er, um, Suzy with me"
"Wet?"
Suzy punched him hard on the arm.
"Oh," Arthur moaned. "The flood in the pit…" he trailed off. "And your voice?"
Suzy shook her head.
"Perhaps she lost it from cold" Ed offered.
"No, no, it got lost in the sea, didn't it?" Arthur furrowed his brows. "What am I going do to about this?" Too much was happening much faster than Arthur himself would like and…footsteps. Light, rushing footsteps. That was Leaf coming he was sure, rushing to find out what all the commotion was about, but he could not let her see him. It would slow him down. "Ed I haven't the time, literally" he hefted his much heavier son and flung him over his shoulder and grabbed Suzy by the hand. Concentrate. Arthur thought. See a stair where there is none.
"Ed? Ed? What's going on back here?"
Oh, Blast it, just run and hope not to hit wall. Arthur gripped Suzy's hand tightly and steeled himself for impact and started in a run, onto the bed his foot grazing the headboard and then the light came. Relief flooded over him, he was on the improbable stair though just before he landed he heard Leaf burst in and a racket of voices as Ed made sorry attempts at explaining what had happened. He was charging up the stairs, Artemis like a sack of potatoes and Suzy plodding along like a clumsy ox. She had always said she could never get her footing right on the stair. But too bad for her. He was practically flying, rushing up the steps with no idea in mind of where he was headed. I should find her voice, his mind trailed. But who knows how long it will take to find that with Artemis out cold? Why was nothing ever simple? Of course complexity was one of Arthur's charms, he had a way of drawing obstacles to him.
"Arthur!" he heard a voice cry.
Please, no, Arthur begged. Just no!
"Arthur! Where are you going!"
In spite of the fact that his judgment told him not to look back he turned his head lightly to glimpse the speaker. The cut was a bit off, and the coloring too but there was no mistaking the light blonde that peaked through.
"No" Leaf yelled. "Arthur! What's wrong with Artemis?" she demanded. "Where are you taking my son!" Her voice sounded far away in the rushing wind but he could still hear her crying. How did she even manage to get on the stair? He wondered. Leaf was an athlete when she wanted to be, evidently, she had decided to put that talent to use just then to catch him on the stair before it vanished. As if my load isn't enough to bear. Arthur was furious. Leaf's following me, Suzy can't talk, my son's, not well that's for sure and I'm charging up the Improbable stair that travels through time and place. Who wouldn't want to be me right now? He thought sarcastically. He wasn't even thinking anymore, his legs were on auto pilot, planting themselves solidly on each marble step before him. Suzy still stumbling along, if not dragging him backwards and still penetrating was Leaf's distress. "Arthur!" Arthur groaned just as the light blazed even whiter, he knew what the light meant, he was going faster and his legs weren't doing the speeding. They were coming to a Landing it was headed at them at full speed. He was headed towards it at full speed.
"Arthur!" Leaf was still yelling.
Arthur whipped his head around angrily. "Shut up!" he shrieked. He needed to focus now more than ever.
The hurt was obvious in Leaf's voice "how could you?"
Arthur braced himself and there he was with Suzy and the body over his shoulder. The Landing wasn't anywhere he'd been before but he headed straight for the line of turtles that lay ahead of him and leaped. Leaf didn't know about Landings, she didn't know what to do.
"Arthur! No, don't leave me! Arthur!" her wail echoed after him as he sped away.
He blinked back bitter tears and kept up the pace. Think Arthur think. Master of the Universe, you can sort this out.
"Don't worry Arthur I'm okay"
Arthur's legs would have collapsed with joy if it hadn't been for the probability of falling through the stair into space or something of the sort. Somehow Leaf had managed to get back on the stair after him.
"Slow down so I can reach you" Arthur's ears perked up, did her voice sound raspy because of the exhaustion of the running or….
He turned to look back and wished he hadn't Suzy did the same and he could tell by the shocked look on her face, she had wished she didn't look either.
Gaining on them, fast, was a misshapen version of Leaf. A Nithling not unlike the variety that had copied Suzy in the Pit. "Slow down" the voice the creature emitted now came clearly through as a hiss.
Suzy was tugging at him frantically, as she was trailing behind him; the Nithling was closest to her. "Hold on is all don't let go. Just give me time to figure out where I'm going" just then the step began to sag, sensing his doubt. He lurched forward and nearly fell face down if Suzy didn't propel him forward, still panicking about the Leaf nithling behind them. Taking a moment to regain his balance and ensure that Artemis was still secure over his shoulder he corrected his earlier statement. "I know where I'm going, I know where I'm going, no doubt about it" The stair solidified with his new confidence. Though Arthur wasn't at all sure it would last. Let's recount shall we? Arthur bit his bottom lip. My wife is lost on the stair, Suzy can't tell me anything that could help, Artemis has put on a lot of weight. He grunted and hefted his son, and the nithling has copied itself off of Leaf, which means he either dissolved her or just managed to nip some hair, he paused "or toe nail or skin" Suzy's voice popped into his head. Or toe nail or skin. What a cheery thought that was. With some relief Arthur found that nithling wasn't as close as before, though still trailing them. Oh and it's dangerous for nithlings to get on the stair, who knows where they'll end up! He cursed like a drunken sailor and then that familiar acceleration came back.
"Incoming Landing" Arthur chimed cheerily and let the inevitable happen. He came tripping out on the landing, Suzy flying over his head and skidding with her face in the dirt. He lay Artemis down and then turned to face where the Leaf nithling should come bursting through at any moment. There it was scaly and patch worked with her hair cut and body frame, but covered in scales and patches of skin.
"Come Arthur, it's me, Leaf" it cooed. His stomach rolled over on itself once before he raised his gauntleted hands.
"Don't do that honey" it rasped again.
Suzy who had managed to get back to her feet was spinning in circles like a top searching for something proper to knock it out with. Arthur was about to use the keys to disintegrate it when Suzy went flying past him into the nithling. "Suzy no!" Arthur cried, covering his eyes and turning away, he didn't want to see what had just happened to his dear friend. There was an agony filled cry and then he dared to open one eye. There was Suzy, grinning and dusting off her hands. "Suzy, how?" he grasped her arms to make sure she was even real. In response Suzy looked down at her clothing. Arthur was puzzled. "What about your…." His voice broke off and he chuckled in thankful delight. Suzy was still wearing the bright coat and immaterial boots. She had run at the nithling and then given it a swift kick, smashing it into little nothing droplets. "oh Suzy" he hugged her again and then tore himself away, brushing creases out of his robe. "Okay this should've been obvious before but it wasn't so bare with me, hold on" his eyes skimmed over their surroundings as he looked for anything representing steps. There was a corkscrewing vine dangling from a tree, which he imagined was a spiral staircase. He took a moment and flung Artemis over his opposite shoulder because the other was sore, gripped Suzy's hand, and ran for the vine. To his surprise it worked, though he did wish he hadn't thought of a spiral staircase, he was speeding up circles in a stomach churning way. "So, okay" he gasped. "We'll head to Upper House and See if" he broke to take breath. "If Dame Primus can help with your voice, and Artemis" . He glanced over his shoulder to see Suzy nodding in agreement. "To Upper House!" he yelled and took off, expecting a long trek but instead found him self sprawled in the courtyard with Dame Primus fluttering to and fro.
"What what? Arthur? Suzy? And…" Dame came in a bit closer to peer at the slack face of the person draped over his shoulder.
Arthur heaved, "That---is my son----Artemis" he spluttered before falling to his knees.
Noon came striding out to greet them, at the sight of the body he bowed his head "My lord I am so sorry"
"Don't start that we're not sure if he'd dead" Dame Primus reprimanded. "Hmm" a smirk came across her face as she peered down her nose at Suzy. "What happened to her, usually she'd be spouting that awful grammar of hers to rattle off everything. Not that I don't approve of her new situation" Suzy lunged at her but only caught at the hem of Dame's dress and Dame darted up and away to hover over head. "Her voice got washed out. In the border sea, when it hit the Pit in the Far Reaches."
"So it's lost is it?" Dame teased. "Would you like a cream puff Suzy? Hmm? What's that you say? No, oh well" a tray of pastries appeared in Dame's hand she plucked on and then began to nibble at it. Suzy lunged again, for the platter this time but still missed. "oh but Suzy you didn't say please" She laughed as mocked her.
"Oh Dame do stop" Arthur pleaded. It was sickening to see someone of such self professed status be such a child. "On top of her voice issue, well my son is only a boy, something happened back home"
Noon cut in "I now what happened there Arthur" his tone became sad. "I was speaking to Time when you left, and when she told me she wanted to see about your son" While Noon explained Dame called two servants to move Artemis inside to the infirmary to have him looked after. "And she said 'if age is what concerns everyone so, about the boy, that can be fixed.'" To Arthur's surprise tears began streaming down his face. " And she plucked your son's hourglass off the shelf and said 'that can be changed right now' and she turned it over Lord Arthur she turned it over and that's why he's aged, I told her to bring him here first, so that he would be alright but she wouldn't listen to reason." He stalled before finishing.
"What is it Noon" Arthur pressed.
"Than I heard a glass shatter, and I was sure it was his," he gestured to the servants carting away Artemis "but it was Time's. She collapsed and told me she also needed an heir to survive, that she only had half the power and would perish, and everything would be ruined, then she said a spell to freeze herself. She lies at her manor like a stone statue" he choked. "An artifact, in her own home" Suzy and Arthur gaped at him and then turned to each other. Dame cleared her throat. "Well it's been enough for the day,"
"Leaf is lost on the stair" Arthur whispered. The problems just kept piling up. He couldn't believe his last words to her were shut up.
"who?" Dame inquired.
Arthur shook his head biting his lip, squinting back burning tears. "My wife, I was taking Suzy and Artemis and then she came in and she got on, and the landing came and I couldn't stop and she didn't know how and I couldn't grab her and I was stressed and told her to shut up and she got left behind" he rambled.
Dame's expression softened. "Oh dear" he voice tender and soft like a mothers. "Come, come on" she held out her hand and Arthur took it, clung to it like a child to a safety blanket. Slowly she led Arthur back towards Upper House, she called over her shoulder. "Noon, see that Suzy sees the nurse and call up the Songstress" she turned back to Arthur "now you go upstairs and rest"
"but, but, what about Mistress Time, and Leaf oh and my son!" he groaned.
"Shh" Dame soothed. Wrapping her significantly smaller arm around Arthur's shoulders she curved his path to the direction of the stairs and sent him up. "I'll have Ichabod lay out you night robe, just rest."
Arthur fumbled his way up and sure enough Ichabod was there in his room waiting, and with an array of clothes.
"What choice of robe, nightcap, slippers, blanket….." Arthur rolled his eyes and threw himself face down on the bed. Ichabod stroked his chin and raised and eyebrow. "oh, dear, my lord," he smiled. "why he's all tuckered out"
ShardsFisherman at Port Wednesday were Startled by the shark like shape that came rocketing out of the water at them, sprawling on the port. It was Wednesday's Dawn, she was writing on the deck, clutching her chest. "Idiots!" she screamed at the Denizens. "Chief Servant wounded you fools! Find help!" she continued to drag herself along until she came to a tavern. She managed to stagger to her feet and yanked the door open. Watkingle stood at the counter, wagging his tail as he gulped cranberry juice. Dawn sprang toward the counter, catching at his collar as she went sliding back down to the floor.
"Leave off leave off, your strangling me!" Watkingle choked, his eye's goggling.
"Rat" She hissed. "You owe me a favor for rescuing one of yours in a flood" she coughed. "I am injured"Watkingle pulled away.
"Get out! I'm not going to get pinned with the wounding of a Chief Servant, they'll lop me tail off!" he squeaked. "out!"
"Rat!" She hissed again more fiercely. She reached down towards a long glass shard embedded in her chest, she pulled at it, but it made an unpleasant suctioning sound so she didn't bother. "I need an elevator and a simultaneous bottle"
"For whom?" Watkingle scurried for the materials.
"To Lord Arthur, Immediately." She gasped and then went unconscious.
"There are about seventeen other bottles going that way now, the tube's clogged Wednesday's Dawn" he turned to find Dawn lying on the floor. He ran from behind the counter. "Dawn! Dawn! Oh I'm a drowned rat for this." He ran out of his tavern screeching. "Help! Anybody! Help! Someone get and emergency shaft to Upper House now!"