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Chapter 63. A Brief Interlude
by Zula
"Zula, get away from that window!" Antonio hissed.
The young vixen scurried away and skulked behind the stoat's legs. Silence, laden heavily with dread, fell over the house; its inhabitants gathered in the front room, frozen in place, all eyes watching the door.
Another knock sounded. And then, a gravelly voice, muffled by the door, announced, "Vermin! We know this is your headquarters. Come out now and we may spare your lives."
"Oh, go 'n' boil yer arse," a ferret grumbled. Most unfortunately, he was within striking distance of Antonio, and he yelped as the stoat's paw gave him a firm whack to the snout.
"I see," the voice said.
Silence reigned for a few suspenseful moments, and then—
Boom!
The entire front wall of Pearl's home shook.
"Ooh, they've got a...a wotsit called...a batterin' ram!"
"Zula, I thought I had just told you to stay away from that window!"
The silence had evaporated into utter chaos. Beasts shouted and scurried about, pushing and shoving each other roughly as the Felldoh's Heirs continued to batter the door. Silisk wended her way amongst the stampeding footpaws, miraculously making it unscathed to a pair she recognized.
Zula squealed at the adder's unexpected presence. "Silly! Y' surprised me."
"Come," Silisk hissed in the vixen's overlarge ear when she had coiled herself about Zula's shoulders. "Let us be gone."
"Where?"
"I did perchance to hear in passing a strumpet of this dubious establishment announce the presence of a tunnel."
"Perch...Strum...Er...Tunnel! I know that one!" Zula said. "Where?"
"Out the back entrance. Come, Zula. Time is of the essence!"
Zula and Silisk hurried through the crowd of confused and terrified vermin, which by now seemed to have heard the same information as Silisk and were making their way en masse to the rear of the house. A cluster of fur and flailing limbs and tails buffeted them at every turn, and it was all Zula could do to keep on her footpaws.
"Mister Geri! Gericault! Antonio! Where are you?" Zula yelled.
"There is no time. They will make their own way," said Silisk.
Zula's eyes filled with tears. "But—"
"Move!" Silisk urged.
The crowd had threatened to shove them back the way they had come.
"Hsst!" Silisk finally exploded. "Back, scoundrels, or Silisk shall fill your veins with icy death!"
The sight of a full-grown adder with vicious fangs fully on display caused the crowd to part somewhat. Silisk's head darted this way and that, snapping at the surrounding vermin until she and Zula reached the back door and exited out into the alley behind the Oasis. Two squirrels that had been unfortunate enough to be sent to patrol the back had had their necks snapped before they could raise the alarm. Their bodies lay like broken dolls. Somebeast had already lifted the heavy sewer lid. Together with the horde of escaping beasts Zula and Silisk climbed down into the sewer, dropping into the refuse with a squelching splash.
Above them, they thought they may have heard the first sounds of a struggle, before somebeast hurriedly slid the sewer lid back into place. They were plunged into darkness. Perhaps the Felldoh's Heirs had broken through the front door, or had sent more beasts to check on the back of the house when the two squirrels didn't report back. Perhaps they would never know for sure.
This time, sadly, Zula did not have Rekkua's shoulders to ride atop. As soon as her vision adjusted to the darkness she slogged about in filth up to her waist. It was not as horrid as she feared it would be.
They hadn't gone a terribly long way when they noticed most of the vermin were climbing up a ladder that led back to the surface.
"Splendid," Silisk said. "This has been a dreadful pong."
Zula paused. "Y' know, Silly, since we're down here already, there's someone I think we ought t' pay a little visit to. Haven't seen 'im in ages. He might even be able t' help us!"
"Miss Higgins, you will kindly escort me to the surface. Immediately." Silisk's eyes narrowed to yellow slits.
Zula jutted her jaw out resolutely. "No."
"I beg your pardon?"
"I'm gonna go see Mr. Nevyeer, I am. Y' can either come with me, or crawl through that yerself." The vixen pointed a claw down at the muck.
The serpent had never looked more flustered. "How dare you! I...I shall...I shall bite you if you do not acquiesce!"
Zula giggled. "Oh, Silly. Y' wouldn't bite me."
"Oh, yes? And from whence does this divine knowledge spring?"
Zula patted her scaly head. "I'm not as daft as y' think I am. Not really. I think I might just know why y' don't ever actually bite anybeast."
The adder's eyes widened and she sniffed grandly. "Ahem! A queen must show mercy to her subjects every now and then, that is all!"
The fox winked at her. "It's all right, Silly. Yer secret's safe with me, 'tis."
"I have no idea what you are talking about," Silisk blustered.
"Whatever you say, Silly!"
Zula grinned, and the pair made their way deeper into the heart of the sewers.