Only my fastest update ever!


Abe was scolded, assigned a few extra chores by guards who would never see if he cared them out, and sent back to his parents. Jacob was thrown into a tiny barred room in the cellar. When up came the question of who had long ago built a tiny barred room in the cellar the answer was most certainly His Madness the Duke, terrified of his enemies. Prince Matthias had fed the Duke some story of Jacob's attempted escape—never mentioning that the secret herb had in fact been found. And so in that tiny barred room in the cellar Jacob would remain until it came time to chop off his head.

It was absolutely the silliest thing Mimi had ever heard.

She had never felt more invisible. There she was, the "pet" goose to be saved for some special dinner. And now the cook in charge of that was to be executed. No one seemed to notice her. Her presence about the manor had been long ago accepted and no one was going to yet give a second thought on her fate.

Mimi and Blake did not dare move until late at night, after everyone had gone to bed. The cellar was easy enough to get into once Blake figured out how to twist open the bar that held it closed. No one guarded it, amazingly enough. Then again, it did seem odd to have guards before a cellar door, never mind that an attempted escapee was kept inside. But the tiny barred room was all but a cage, perfect cell bars closing off one corner of the cellar with an equally perfect lock. So the little cellar, full of boxes of grains and stored vegetables and the like, was a dungeon.

They found Jacob sitting on the cold stone ground, leaning against the wall, expression unreadable. He did not seem to notice as Mimi and Blake approached, but when they had reach the bars he said "Don't say it,"

"Don't say what?" asked Blake.

"That I'm an idiot," he clarified. "That I had the chance to leave and I didn't take it. Though in my defense the stop to find that herb would have only slowed them down a few minutes. Therefore I think my idiocy was in thinking I could escape."

"Well, you had to try something!" said Blake. He had already scrambled up the bars to investigate the lock. "You couldn't just sit around and wait for them to kill you!"

Jacob sighed and folded his arms tightly over his chest. "Awhile ago Mimi asked why I didn't just leave when I knew the Duke was a lunatic who killed people."

"That did cross my mind," she admitted. But that was not being helpful. "Oh, but there has to be something we can do! We can't just leave you to die here."

"Well, you should. I'm not going to be any use to you dead, so you might as well figure out what you are going to do about Lavender. Go back, make her turn you back into a human, a permanent human. Then Blake can come back here, save the day, marry Lucy. It will be wonderful."

"But you'll be dead."

"I think that is now clear to everyone, Miss Goose."

She wanted to scream, scream a goosey scream that would echo through the dark little cellar. "Jacob, I can't leave you here to be killed."

"Why not? You can't stop them. Why did you two even come back here? Just because I was captured didn't mean you couldn't get out. They didn't even look at a goose and a squirrel."

"How cowardly would that have been?" Blake said. Then he sighed. "It's no use. This lock is going to require an actual key."

"It's your place," Jacob said sullenly. "Don't you have a key?"

"Like anyone in my family would bother with a prison cell."

"See? It's useless."

"I could look for the key."

"Yes, but you're a rodent. Would you be able to turn the key in the lock?"

Jacob was right. It was useless. But she could not just leave. If she left, she would never forgive herself.

"Mimi," he said after a long time. "There is something I probably should have told you before—"

"No," she said quickly, flapping her wings. "No, I don't want any of your death secrets. I have the herb. I grabbed it after Abe dropped it."

His eyes widened and his face lit into a smile. "I can't believe I forgot about that herb. In all the excitement of being arrested, I forgot you had it. Where is it?"

"Outside. I hid it just outside the kitchen."

"No one would have grabbed it," said Blake. "No one would have noticed it. We'll get it, and when they come back for you, you can show it to them. Unless they forget you're down here, of course."

"You have to get it," Jacob said urgently. "Just go get it. Now."

Mimi flew up the stairs. Literally, she flew. Even the quick stretch of her wings was enough to thrill her. She squeezed through the still-open door into the hall, the same one of the kitchen. The room was dark, only lit by the glowing embers of the fire.

"No one here," Blake observed as he appeared behind her. "Good. I wouldn't cook at all if I were them."

Mimi nodded. "But how do we open the door?"

The answer came a minute later when a servant opened it herself. Lucy. Her black hair was pulled back with a handkerchief. She was pretty, Mimi realized. No wonder Blake loved her. She couldn't resist a sly grin at Blake, who was frozen behind the stove.

Before the door could swing closed Mimi was through it, blocking it with her body. It was night now, and the air was chill. Blake scampered over her into the grass just outside the door. In a moment he had the herb, the shadow's breath, a bundle of now-drooping purple flowers . The smell was strong and slightly bitter.

"All this chaos for these," Blake said. "Let's go."

They ran into the hallway and stopped. Lucy was still there, talking and laughing with another servant who looked to be guard. Mimi had to wonder why she would be laughing when Jacob was to be killed. But Lucy seemed to be having a good time and so did the guard. In fact, during a moment of particular hilarity she squeezed herself up against him in a hug. Mimi did not dare to look at Blake.

"I must go now," Lucy said when she finally pulled away. "I really should get to bed. Maybe we could meet up later…"

The poor guard, red-faced, nodded, and stumbled away.

When he was gone, Lucy opened her hand. There lay a key.

"That's Lucy," Blake whispered happily.

Sure enough, Lucy went straight to the door to the cellar. She finally noticed Mimi and smiled. "You're a smart goose. Not going to rat on me, are you?"

Of course not, Mimi thought.

They slipped in behind Lucy and waited at the top of the stairs as Lucy crept through the dark cellar.

"Jacob!" she hissed. "It's me! Lucy!"

"Lucy?" Jacob muttered from his cell. He climbed to his feet and went to the bars. "What are you doing here?"

"Rescuing you. Everyone and I mean everyone has been trying to get the key. Finally, with a little feminine ingenuity, I have succeeded." She slipped him the key through the bars. "Wait a few hours until everyone is asleep. Then go. And go quickly. We'll—"

The cellar door opened again. Blake was so surprised he dropped the herb.

It was the guard Lucy had pick-pocketed. And he no longer seemed so charmed.

"You took something from me, Lucy," he said, chest heaving.

Mimi took a moment to get a good look at him. He was youngish and thin, but very much a guard just the same. A musket hung at his side, and Mimi was sure that was a dagger at his belt.

"I…" began Lucy.

"Go," he said sharply.

Lucy stared hard. "Isaac, you know this is wrong. I can't believe you actually agree with this! It's murder! If you're afraid of getting in trouble I'll take all the blame. But I can't stand back and allow one of my friends to—"

"I don't care," Isaac said flatly. "I take my orders from the Prince now. Now go. I'll turn you in myself later."

Lucy didn't move.

"Bring me the key!" Isaac demanded. His voice shook as he did. He wasn't nearly as brave as he pretended to be.

Lucy, face furious, climbed the stairs until she was face-to-face with Isaac. "I don't have it."

For a moment Mimi was sure Isaac would strike her. But the young guard did not dare. "Get out of here," he said.

Lucy left.

Isaac turned his attention to Jacob. "She gave it to you, didn't she? Well, give it back!"

"Maybe you lost it," Jacob said. "Maybe I don't have it."

"She gave it to you!"

"Maybe she did. Why would I return it to you?"

"I was to hold the key!" he said. "I was to guard you!"

No wonder there had been no guard. Maybe if Isaac hadn't been chasing women.

"Well, you did a pretty poor job of that."

Isaac took a step down the stairs. Mimi dove in front of his legs. With a scream he tumbled forward, hitting his knees on the steps and rolling down a few more.

Jacob was already twisting the key into. By the time Mimi was to the cell he was out. "Where is that herb?"

"Over there somewhere. Everyone keeps dropping it. Why do you care so much about it? Let's go!"

"Mimi, I need that herb! You don't understand."

"You're not going to cook anything right now."

"Mimi!" Jacob hissed.

Through the dim light Mimi could make out Isaac the guard, on his knees and rubbing his head. He was bleeding. Blake was at the door, already slipping through. Mimi flew over the guard to the top of the steps.

But Jacob was not ready to go. He ran to the floor beneath the stairs and knelt, still looking for that herb.

"My leg," Isaac muttered. He climbed to his feet, but one leg gave away. "I'll wring that goose's neck."

Oh, no, he wouldn't. "Jacob!" she screamed. "Let's go!"

Jacob finally stood up, purple herb in his hand, smiling like a maniac. "I got it!"

Isaac, groaning, eyes half-closed, lifted his musket.

But Jacob, for some very odd reason, popped an herb into his mouth.

Isaac aimed.

Mimi screamed. She even heard the honking noise of a goose it made.

Isaac fired. The fall must have been enough to daze him, or perhaps he was naturally a bad shot at a close range, but the blast still hit Jacob's shoulder. He fell back against the wall. Isaac stumbled up the stairs and, before Mimi could do anything, kicked her hard off of the stairs. Very hard.

She struck boxes, half-empty of grain. They collapsed in on her, an avalanche of wood burying her. Her wing bent beneath her, and the cold stone of the floor chilled her. She pushed up against the boxes, but it was no use.

The cellar door creaked as it closed, and the makeshift dungeon was silent.

Mimi didn't know how much time passed. She could breathe, but her wing was crushed beneath her. She repeatedly called for Jacob, but he didn't answer. Of course he didn't answer. She didn't hear Blake. When would he figure out that no one was following him? One was buried under boxes, the other had been… shot.

She couldn't think of that. It was the shoulder, just the shoulder. Jacob couldn't be… she couldn't think about that.

Finally, two o'clock must have arrived. Her body twisted into human form. Her arm still hurt, but at least she could move it. "Jacob!" she called again as she pushed the boxes away from her. As she did, her fingers slipped over a piece of rough tarp. It was big enough to wrap around her, though a part of her was furious for thinking of modesty when her friend had been shot.

The candle from Jacob's cell was a short stub by then, and Mimi could hardly see as she made her way to where Jacob had fallen. All for a stupid herb.

A figure lay on the floor, eyes closed, breathing shallow.

Mimi froze. What…?

The figure, blood still oozing from his shoulder, was a man. Brown hair, slightly curly, hung around a face that could not be over twenty-five. Clothes, somewhat torn, stretched over the unconscious body.

Jacob's clothes. But this was not Jacob.