Author's note: Scuse the delay, had been advancing bit by bit and outlining my fanfiction and placing fanart of Elisheva (finished a character profiled) on my deviantART account. Also I've been adding extra scenes to my chapters some are character interactions. Now fair warning, the near end of the chapter contains fantasy violence reflecting the ongoing battle of good vs evil.
Finally Podo found the children in the forest thanks to Nugget. He'd been quite surprised to see his grandchildren atop the treetop bridges and far from happy to see Peet nearby.
He made it clear to the siblings that they were due for a long talk, disappearing from the house and worrying their mother half to death.
Meanwhile, the crow returned that very afternoon with General Khrak's message. Ferinia had closed up her shop for the day, she sensed something was up.
"All Fangs assemble!"
Ferinia hid behind her hidden corner, to watch a number of Fangs gathered before Commander Gnorm.
"We got a pack of dangerous criminals, has to be nabbed tonight!" He said, his hands on his hips.
"We going after that Florid Sword?" wondered one of the Fangs.
"No. We arrest the Igibys and that outsider girl they've been seen with!"
Ferinia gasped. The Igibys were to be arrested?! An outsider? That could only mean one person.
"Wait, how dangerous criminals is the lady who bakes maggot loaf and the old peg legger?" a big burly Fang questioned.
"And the little piggies! All of them!" Gnorm ordered pompously. "Same with that girl who keeps walking into town!"
"Aw-right then." Another fang agreed, this one sounded female. "Oughta be an easy snatch!"
"Come back empty clawed… And I'll fed you your own scaly tails!"
"Got it, Boss. Move out!" the burly Fang said.
Elisheva walked out of the forest, sensing that something was wrong. Maybe she was just nervous from having her tree hideout disturbed and having lost Zev's necklace. It's evening already, and there was still the dinner invitation from the Igibys. Janner told her how to find the family's cottage, and it's best to her way there there anyway. Maybe they can help her lay low until she hitches a ride to…
A plume of angry smoke billowed from the trees in the direction of the Igiby cottage.
"Oh no!" Elisheva gasped. Was there a fire, or worse?
She dashed up the hill to find the barn behind the Igiby cottage a swirling storm of fire. Through the gray air she saw a whole company of Glipwood Fangs slithering about, some with torches, others with swords drawn.
To her immense relief, she saw Podo up ahead holding Leeli with Janner and Tink on each side. Earlier, Janner found the nerve to ask Podo who was Esben Wingfeather. Podo was startled, but was able to tell the three that it was the name of their father but then the fire had gotten their attention.
"Oh, geloybt gat!" Elisheva cried. "I saw the fire and I thought…"
Right there, an out of breath Oskar arrived. Elisheva was also glad to see him too, he must've seen the fire and thought the same as she did a moment ago.
"Reteep." Podo turned to the bookshop owner.
But the words out of the old scholar's mouth froze Elisheva's insides.
"Gnorm gave orders to arrest you all!" Oskar gasped. "I have my wagon… up the road."
"Arrest us? The children too?" Podo was stunned.
Oskar's worried face then turned to Elisheva. He said, "Gnorm specifically named you, Miss Bennet. He knows."
Podo and the children were confused, but anxiously Elisheva understood what he meant. The Fangs must've figured out that she was the one who came from the other world through the portal and escaped the labor camp months ago.
Oskar continued, "You must flee Glipwood at once. The Fangs will be searching for you."
Then Podo said to Elisheva, "You're welcome to come with us, lass. We could use someone with your talents." He gave her a meaningful look, indicating he knew there was more to her story.
This was all so strange, but his grandchildren were clearly fond of the girl, who'd defended them once from a Fang. That made her alright in his books.
Elisheva nodded. "Thanks, appreciate it. Better chance if we stick together. The Fangs won't stop until they throw us all in the jailhouse."
Podo nodded, his face set in a determined expression. A woman's cries were heard from the cottage.
Leeli gasped. "Mama!" She cried, reaching out from over Podo's shoulder.
Elisheva turned and gasped. Nia was dragged out of the cottage, her wrists tied up from behind and forced to her knees. Podo watched, this righteous anger simmering, and he gently set Leeli down.
"Oskar, get these pups to you know where. The new lass too. I'll meet you up when I'm done." Podo said sternly, "Children, do as he says. That goes for you too, lass!" he said the last part to Elisheva.
And he goes to try and free his daughter.
"No, Papa! Run away!" Nia begged from where she was.
Podo did not listen and instead elbowed one Fang in the nose. Then he picked up another to throw it at the rest. He punched out two more, taking one of their torches.
Tink raised a stick, "I'm gonna fight them too!"
Oskar grabbed his arm to stop him just in time, "No, you'll come with me. Half the fight is picking the right time to do so. Now is not that time. I believe this also applies to you, Elisheva. Follow me!"
Leeli was picked up by Oskar. He and Elisheva then began to lead the children away from the burning cottage.
The youngest Igiby watched as the Fangs overpowered Podo, placing him in irons.
"Grandpa. Mama…" Leeli buried her head on Oskar's shoulder and began to cry. Elisheva could only gently soothe her, empathizing with the children's plight.
Oskar turned to Elisheva as they walked, Leeli still crying quietly in his arms. He said softly, "I'm sorry you've become caught up in this trouble. You've done no harm here."
Elisheva replied, "Yeah. I came to find my family's whereabouts, but I never meant to bring trouble on others."
Oskar nodded sympathetically. "I'm afraid there are powers at work here beyond your knowledge. Though I suspect you have a part yet to play." He glanced at Leeli and the boys. "For now, the children need you. Stay with them."
Elisheva said, "You know I will." She quickened her pace to walk alongside Janner and Tink, putting her arms around their shoulders.
As they made their way to Ferinia's store, Elisheva could see the fear and sadness in the Igiby children's eyes. She knew that they needed to stay strong and stick together if they were going to survive.
The flower store owner, Ferinia, greeted them graciously, hurrying them inside.
Once they were safely hidden in the back of the store, Elisheva tried to comfort Leeli and the boys as best she could. This whole situation hit very close to home for her. She knew all too well what it was like to be separated from family and stuck in a world where danger lurked around every corner. But the question was, how did Gnorm and the Glipwood Fangs find out she was from a whole other world?
For now all they could do was get some rest. Tomorrow they'll think of something.
The following morning, Nia and Podo awakened in the jailhouse cell. There were three barred cells, the floors strewn with hay and filth. Nia rested her head on her father's side, Podo's back was to the cell door.
"Bread for the nasty piggies!" One of the Fang guards taunted.
Nia picked up the bread in her tied up hands, and began to eat calmly. Podo only watched.
"What's wrong with the fat one? Did we scare him to death?" The guard mocked "Wakey, wakey!"
Podo grunted then reached for the Fang guard's ankles through the bars to trip him.
The doorway leading into the jailcells opened, revealing an unimpressed Commander Gnorm, who rolled his slit-pupiled eyes. "I have half a mind…"
"Don't flatter yourself, you got nowhere near that." Podo retorted.
Gnorm growled lowly. "Behave yourself old man," he said, inspecting his claws. "I could make this painful for both of you."
"Just having a bit of fun." Podo quipped.
The Fang guard got to his feet with a groan. "Go sleep it off." Gnorm told him, then addressed Nia with a grin. "You had me fooled woman. I thought you were just a pitiful soul, hoping to keep her brats out of the Black Carriage."
"That's exactly what I am." Nia responded. "If we need to adjust the maggot loaf arrangement-"
"Maggot loaf won't save you!" Gnorm answered, then revealed jewelry in his left hand, smiling like a crocodile. "Not when we know about the Jewels of Anniera."
Nia blinked in disbelief. "What? You really think my mother's old trinkets are the Jewels of Anniera?"
Gnorm scoffed. "Bah! You know more than you're telling. If we found these, we'll soon find the rest."
"That was all the jewelry I had." said Nia.
Gnorm leaned in, his eyes narrowing. "And what about the Key? We know you've been seen with that outlander girl. What do you know about her?"
Podo and Nia exchanged a confused glance. Why were the Fangs after Elisheva? Nia spoke up. "The Key is nothing but an old story."
Gnorm snarled. "Don't lie to me, woman. We have our sources. We know that street mouse, Elisheva Bennet is the Key, a stranger from another world. Where is she?"
Podo and Nia exchanged another glance, this time with a hint of fear in their eyes. They knew the stories about the Key, but they had never imagined that Elisheva could be that very person. It would certainly explain why the teenage girl mostly kept to herself and had spent her time buried in Oskar's books.
"We don't know where she is," Podo said firmly. "And even if we did, we wouldn't tell you."
Gnorm pretended to look thoughtful. "Ah, perhaps those wee brats of yours will have something more to squeal about when we catch them!"
Podo spoke up, "Those kids know nothing about Jewels any more than the tenderfoot lass does."
Scowling, Gnorm hit the bars. "Contradict while you can, the Black carriage comes for you tonight! Nothing will stop that! Tell me about the Jewels… or keep your little secret and the Black Carriage will be taking your piglets away as well."
Podo moved in front of his daughter. "Lay a hand on those children, and I'll skin you like a snake."
Gnorm ignored him and walked out. Once he was gone, Podo and Nia were able to talk.
"At least they haven't found any of them." Podo said.
"Thank the Maker for that." Nia said, leaning on her father.
"They'll have made it to Oskar's by now. Don't worry lass, he knows the plan."
Back of Ferinia's shop. Despite Oskar's objections, Elisheva decided to stay and help the Igiby. She couldn't let the kids lose their mother and grandfather the same way she lost sight of her father and brother.
"That's not the plan!" Oskar protested. "Fangs will be hunting for you. All of you!" he added. "I'm to keep you hid until I can smuggle you out."
"Ferinia said the Black carriage is coming tonight." Janner said. "After that…"
"We'll never see Mama and Grandpa again." Leeli finished sadly.
Ferinia watched sympathetically. "It's true, Oskar. If we have a move, we make it tonight."
"One can't just stroll into a Fang jail and spring the prisoners!" Oskar argued.
"We could lure the Fangs out." suggested Janner
"The cell is locked." Oskar replied then frowned in thought.
"We could steal the keys." said Tink.
"There aren't enough of us!"
"We could ask our friends." Leeli offered as she scratched Nugget's chin. "Right, Nugget?"
The children were brave and determined, and they had a loyalty that Elisheva admired. She felt a kinship with them and wanted to help them.
"If I just had a few more of the stuff here, maybe I can replicate a fire extinguisher, but…" Elisheva said, then sat back down in frustration.
"I'm afraid you're just gonna have to make do with what you got here." Ferinia said, shaking her head.
"Wait! What if we did something like in: The mildly unpleasant adventures of nearly Eleanor?" Tink piped up.
Elisheva frowned in confusion, "Er, come again?"
"What?! She lost three toes!" Oskar answered. "Four, if you count a thumb."
"Not that!" Tink then explained how the heroine's friend tossed fruits from the tower, making goblins scurry out of their hole and swarmed the tower while Eleanor entered the hole and stole back the object.
"I see your point, but I can't let you kids nor Elisheva set foot in that jail." Oskar said. "As Colonel Inkelboy said, No!"
The children's faces fell. Both Ferinia and Elisheva looked at Oskar.
"What I mean is I can't let you." Then he sighed. "I'll do it. If someone's sneaking into the jail, it should be me."
The children's faces lit up, Elisheva was a little concerned but knew they're gonna have to use their heads for what might come next.
Fifteen minutes later, Oskar furtively hurried to his bookshop. When he opened the door, he was momentarily startled. Zouzab was seated at Oskar's desk, eating apples from a bowl.
"Bombnubbles, you scared me, Zouzab." Oskar carefully shut the door.
"Fangs came calling on Mister Oskar today." The ridge runner commented rather casually.
"They what?" Oskar turned to look at him. "Well, that would explain the stench of rot and mildew. What did they want?"
"Little Igibys. And bonny Bennet." Zouzab replied brightly. "But Zouzab said he has not seen Tink nor Tink's berries for three days, so he thinks perhaps the children were eaten by dragons. Hadn't seen Elisheva's apple runs either."
"Very good I need to prepare the wagon for another shipment." Oskar said grimly.
"Eh, more books…?" Zouzab questioned, looking a little puzzled. "From Dugtown?"
"Odds and ends, Zouzab. Odds and ends." replied Oskar.
Zouzab watched him go, his beady lime-green eyes narrowing in malicious calculation.
That night. The streets were empty. A hot wind blew and licked up dust and leaves. Where Commander Gnorm usually lazed on the front steps of the jail, there was now an empty rocker, creaking ominously in the wind.
Together with Ferinia and a few other allies, the Igiby siblings and Elisheva formed a plan to infiltrate the Fangs' headquarters and rescue the prisoners. It was risky, but they knew that they had to act quickly before it was too late.
Since the Fangs would be looking for three children – this was carried off with three shorter strangers in dark cloaks leading away the Fang guards up front. While they're distracted, Ferinia stole the keys, handing it to another ally then finally they're tossed to Nugget. The Igiby family pet then brought the keys to an old barn where the Igiby children and Elisheva were waiting.
"Good boy!" Leeli petted him.
Elisheva was looking left and right. There was someone missing, and any minute now those Fangs will figure out it's not the Igiby children.
"Where's Oskar?" Tink hissed to Janner. "He was supposed to hide the wagon and be back here by now!"
"He must've seen something." Janner looked around. "A Fang patrol or signal from Ferinia. He'll be along soon."
In effect, the two Fang guards soon noticed the ruse and were headed back.
"Look, I'll go and spring 'em!" Elisheva told the children, getting to her feet. "You guys stay here and wait for Oskar. I'm a fast runner."
"He'll be too late, we'll be too late!" Tink whispered back and took the keys.
"Tink!" Janner and Leeli reluctantly followed.
"Guys, no!" Elisheva tried to urge them to hide, but groaned and followed after the siblings. She's not staying there alone, and she wasn't about to let them go alone either.
They scurried into the street, there didn't seem to be anyone or anything about, then they hurried up into the jailhouse.
"This is crazy! What's wrong with analyzing the situation for five minutes?" Elisheva whispered.
"She's right. We shouldn't be in here!" Janner protested.
"Well, neither should Mom or Grandpa!" Tink retorted. "Can you help?" He referred to the wooden beam that held the large door leading to the jail cells.
The four lifted the beam, then opened the doors to where the Igiby children's mother and grandfather were located.
Of course, Podo and Nia were shocked to see them. "Have you lost your-?!" Podo hissed.
Tink held up the keys with a sneaky grin.
"We're here to bust you out!" Elisheva murmured. "I wasn't about to let these three go here alone!"
"Get out of here, go!" Nia urged her children. "I love you, but go!"
"We will, once you're out!" Tink beamed.
"Where in the world is Oskar?" Podo demanded as they untied his hands.
Elisheva replied, her stomach feeling heavy with worry. "I dunno, he was supposed to… but something musta happened."
"Can we talk about this after we escape?" Janner pointed out.
The Igibys and Elisheva started to come out. Leeli held a whimpering Nugget in her left arm. "Hush, puppy." she whispered.
Elisheva did the same as Podo, looking left and right. This was just almost too easy. It was.
Once Nia left the few jail stoop steps, several Fangs slithered out of the shadows above the ceiling beams and there in the mist, a large Fang in red, Brak, emerged with a chuckling Commander Gnorm.
"Many thanks, Igibys-Piggibys, you saved me so much trouble!" the portly Fang guffawed.
The children and Nia were shell-shocked, Podo tensed up and Elisheva froze in place.
"Now you're all here together, ready to take a midnight carriage ride." Gnorm laughed heartily. "And that slippery vagrant girl who's been dodging me for so long." He fixed Elisheva with a wicked grin. " Thought you could hide forever? Slipping in and out of town without anyone noticing, didn't you girl? But these trinkets of yours gave you away."
Zev's necklace! Elisheva's eyes widened once it dawned on her, but she didn't say anything yet. Podo grumbled, striding forward to fight, only to be stopped by a spear blocking his path.
Janner stammered. "How did you know?"
"I have eyes and ears all around this town." Gnorm grinned, pulling out a fruit from his pockets. "It's surprising what you can get for a piece of nasty fruit."
Commander Gnorm then tossed the fruit over their heads, they saw a figure on the roof of a nearby building. It was Zouzab, Oskar's ridge runner shop assistant, who had betrayed them.
"Zouzab!" Tink gaped in disbelief.
"Grrr!" Elisheva's temper flared. She knew that weasel couldn't be trusted, and what just happened proved her intuition was right.
"Why you beady eyed scoundrel!" Podo snarled.
As Podo shouted up threats to the smug ridge runner, Elisheva furiously picked up a rock and hurled it at Zouzab.
Thanks to her skills as an athlete, the rock hit the little creep right in the face, breaking his nose and causing him to fall off the roof. Zouzab touched his bleeding nose and looked back at Elisheva with unease.
The nineteen year old girl gave him a death glare as if to tell him (without actually saying so) "Don't underestimate me."
"Lock them up." Gnorm ordered. His gaze then fell on Elisheva. "And you, little ragged mouse," he said with a sneer. "No one enters this place without my knowledge. No one."
The Fangs moved in, grasping the Igibys roughly. But having seen Elisheva throw the rock with such force, Gnorm pointed to her. "Better chain that one's hands. I want her secured tightly! She's proven herself a threat already."
Aw man! Elisheva thought when two Fangs stepped forward and roughly grabbed her arms, pulling them behind her back and clamping the cold metal of the manacles around her wrists. Her impulsive actions have made things worse. She winced as the metal dug into her skin, but refused to cry out. She met Gnorm's gaze defiantly, refusing to show fear.
The Commander then noticed Elisheva's necklace, he approached and lifted it in his palm with a critical gaze. This necklace had the exact same three symbols on the azurite token he'd sent to General Khrak, except this one had a ruby for the eye of the fish symbol. "I could have you whipped for even possessing this!" Gnorm snapped at Elisheva, before pulling it from her neck.
"Mom gifted that necklace to me before she died in a car crash, you jerk!" Elisheva growled, only to have her hair yanked back. "Hey!"
"Elisheva!" Leeli cried.
Podo's face contorted with rage as he saw Elisheva being treated so roughly. Nia was concerned as she watched the teenager being mistreated.
Tink clenched his fists, his face reddening with anger. "Let her go, you big bully!" he shouted at Gnorm. Janner was more subdued, but his eyes burned with a fierce determination to rescue Elisheva and his family from the Fangs' clutches. However they were all bound and being forced into the jailhouse.
Commander Gnorm sneered at Elisheva's indignant response to his threat. "Oh, how touching," he mocked, holding up the necklace. "But sentimentality won't save you from the punishment you deserve. All I care about is finding the rest of the pieces to my puzzle. And you, little mouse, have just made yourself an even more interesting piece."
Elisheva angrily glared back. "Of what? Some Master plan from that Nameless psycho Boss of yours to take over the universe? Tell me something I don't know."
Gnorm replied. "Keep running that mouth, girl. You'll soon learn the price for your insolence. My methods of breaking defiance are most... persuasive."
Crud, she was a prisoner again.
Elisheva is tied to a chair in a lamp-lit room and past a desk littered with fish bones. On the wall right behind her, a crude circular target had been painted and a score of daggers were jutting out of the wall. Whoever had thrown them was disturbingly accurate. Gnorm and several Fangs loom over her, threateningly.
Gnorm unsheathed his long dagger and toyed with it while he spoke. "I could overlook the fact that you had hidden a couple of shinies when you first arrived in Town. But I just received a very interesting message from General Khrak in Torrboro the other day. Turns out those three symbols on both trinkets were a dead giveaway to your status as an outsider."
"So you actually know what they mean? Looks like you guys do know how to read after all." Elisheva snarked.
"Our spies tell us all we need to know about outsiders like you." Brak, the big Fang in red garments responded.
Some of the Fangs had started smelling her again (seriously?). This aggravates Elisheva even more, what was it with these things sniffing her every time she passed by them or visited the town?
"Will you knock it off?!" she snapped, pulling away. "What're we dating?"
"You're the one who smells like something the blat dragged in." one of the Fangs with a screechy voice retorted.
Gnorm gestured for his subordinates to move away, then he pulled out his dagger, examining it. "We already know that you're not from around here," he said, his voice laced with a thinly veiled threat. "And we know that you're hiding something. Something that could be very valuable. Now you'll tell me everything about that doorway of yours, whether you want to or not. Your choice."
Elisheva glared at him. If he thought she was gonna tell him how find that portal to her home after those other Fangs hid it, he was tripping. "Whatever, man, just don't breathe in my face." she said, her voice steady despite the danger she was in.
Gnorm chuckled darkly, and without warning, he hurled his dagger towards Elisheva. The blade whistled through the air, narrowly missing her ear and embedding itself in the wall behind her.
Elisheva yelped at the sound of the knife hitting the wall, making the other Fangs jeer. "You'll have to do better than that," she said, even though her heart was pounding like a drum.
Gnorm's eyes narrowed as he picked up another knife and threw it with deadly accuracy, this time slicing off one of Elisheva's boho braids. "I don't have to do anything," he growled. "But you do. You're going to tell me everything you know about the Jewels of Anniera and the portal. And if you don't, well, let's just say I have plenty of knives."
Meanwhile, in a separate cell, the Igiby family members huddled together, listening to the sounds of the interrogation. They can't see what's happening to Elisheva, but the tension and fear in the air was palpable. They knew that their friend was in very grave danger.
"Is it in the Warren downs? Or the Linnard Woodlands?" Two more knifes hit the wall behind Elisheva, making her flinch.
Elisheva's mind raced. So the Fangs and Gnag think she can control the portal?
But… she remembered the night she and her family were dragged through it into Aerwiar hours before they were separated. "Close the wall," had been the order regarding the portal. "No one must ever get through the portal again till Gnag gives new commands."
"I keep telling you, your Fang buddies closed the wall on your boss' orders!" she insisted. "I don't have any control over it."
"Don't play coy with me. You entered here through a secret door." Gnorm threw another knife, nearly grazing Elisheva's cheek. She winced but did not cry out. "You have no such perception of what you now wield, girl."
"Dude. If I could make new portals, you'd think me and my new friends would just be sitting around watching you guys kidnap more people?" Elisheva frowned.
Gnorm's face contorted with anger at her words. He picked up another knife and threw it at Elisheva with even greater force, narrowly missing her ear this time. "You're testing my patience, girl," he growled. "I suggest you start telling me what I want to know before I lose my temper."
Gnorm threw another knife, narrowly missing Elisheva's head.
Elisheva gritted her teeth as the knife whistled past her other ear. She had to keep her wits about her if she was going to survive this interrogation. "I'm not lying," she said, her voice firm. "I don't know anything about controlling the portal. And even if I did, I wouldn't help you. "You can torture me all you want, but you're not going to get what you want." She knew that telling Gnorm and the Fangs anything would only put her family and friends in even greater danger.
As Gnorm reached for another knife, Elisheva braced herself for what was to come. Only to hear another question.
"The portal is just one secret. You see, there is a treasure that the Nameless One has sought all these years, a treasure beyond imagination. Now I've been wondering to myself, 'Why would that Igiby woman lie to me when she knows I could catch all three of her scrawny children?' Hmm? Why would you do that?" Gnorm leaned over, he held Elisheva's face in a scaly hand. With his snout just inches from her willful gaze, he hissed, "'Where are the Jewelsss of Anniera?"
Elisheva fired back with a Yiddish curse. "Lign in drerd un bakn beygl!"
Translation: "May you lie in the ground and bake bagels." To explain, this curse means that you should burn in hell for all eternity and bake bagels that you may never eat.
Finally, Gnorm sees Elisheva will not break. He sneered at her, "No matter. You'll be relocated to Dang or Fort Lamendron soon enough, in the Black Carriage with your little friends. See how long your stubbornness lasts then."
Elisheva's face remains stoic, but inside she feels despair at the threat of being taken to a Fang fortress.
Gnorm chuckled menacingly as he saw the despair in Elisheva's eyes. "Don't worry, my dear," he said mockingly. "You'll have plenty of time to think about your stubbornness in your new home."
In the cell where the Igibys sat, bound and waiting, Nugget was tied to the cell bars by a tight rope. The dog whined fretfully, trying to get loose without much luck. Janner rebuked Tink for barreling in without thinking, thus getting them caught.
"What we had to do something!" Tink replied.
"Boys!" Nia scolded them for arguing.
"Why didn't you three stay hid like you were told?" Podo questioned his grandchildren.
"Ferinia and Oskar helped us make a plan. And it almost worked." Tink answered.
Janner grumbled. "Except for the part where Tink walked right into Gnorms' trap then we and Elisheva followed him."
"How is that my fault?!" Tink protested, inadvertently pulling his hands free.
This development surprised everyone.
"Tink, how are you untied?" Nia frowned.
Tink looked as though he'd just remembered something. "Oh." And he held up a dagger.
"So you picked up a trinket while in Anklejelly did ya?" Podo smirked.
But they had to fall silent at that moment, one of the Fang guards dragged Elisheva inside. He lifted a ring of keys from the wall, opened the barred door, and shoved Elisheva into the same cell as the Igibys. With a look of great satisfaction, he locked the door, replaced the keys, and left.
Elisheva stumbled into the cell, her face bruised and cut from the interrogation. The Igiby family rushed to her side, helping her sit down on the cold stone floor.
"What did they do to you?" Janner asked, his voice filled with concern.
Elisheva shook her head, wincing as she touched the cut on her cheek. "They wanted to know about the Jewels of Anniera and the portal," she said, her voice low and strained. "But I didn't tell them anything."
Nia put a hand on Elisheva's shoulder, her eyes filled with sympathy. "You were very brave," she said softly.
Podo grunted in agreement. "Stalwart lass," he said, a hint of admiration in his voice.
"We heard the noise and thought – what happened to your hair?" Leeli asked, her eyes wide. She'd noticed Elisheva was missing a few braids and curls.
Elisheva tried to smooth down the uneven strands. "Some of Gnorm's knives got a little too close," she said, trying to make light of the situation. "I guess one side of my hairstyle might look kinda lopsided now."
The younger Igibys winced at the thought of their friend being subjected to such violence. But they were also relieved to see that she was still defiant, still refusing to give in to the Fangs' demands.
Tink was still holding the dagger he had used to cut himself free, and he looked at it with a new sense of respect. "This little thing might come in handy," he said, a hint of excitement in his voice.
As Tink untied the family, Janner explained they went to Anklejelly to get help for Sarah, thinking the Florid sword was there.
"We'll take about this later." said Nia
"Can we also talk about why I had to pick up a dusty sword to find out my father's name was Esben Wingfeather?" Janner added.
"Mind your tone boy. Tink, see what you can do about those manacles." Podo said.
"Why are we called Igiby?" Janner questioned.
"Because our name is Igiby." Nia replied. "Your grandpa's family were Igibys, they lived around Glipwood for generations. After your father died in the war, I took up the name Igiby."
"Why?" Janner asked.
"I didn't want to draw any attention."
"But…"
"Oi!"
The group had to pretend to look subdued as one of the Fang guards came up to check on them. "You'll have plenty time for a chat in the Black Carriage." The Fang laughed then walked away.
Once the Fang left, Elisheva took a deep breath and tried to collect herself. "Listen, I promise I'll tell you guys everything," she says to the Igibys. "But not here, not now. We need to get out of here first."
Nia looked at Elisheva with a mixture of concern and admiration. "You're a strong girl," she said, placing a hand on Elisheva's shoulder. "We'll figure this out together."
Elisheva nodded, grateful for the woman's words of encouragement. "Thank you," she says, her voice shaking slightly.
Podo looked at the group with a determined expression. "Once they have us in the carriage it'll be too late. Enough spilling of family secrets. Right now we need a plan."
"We're still going to escape?" Tink asked excitedly.
"If we don't it won't be for lack of trying."
As Tink worked on their binds, Elisheva and the Igiby family were forced to wait for the black carriage to arrive. During this time, they grew closer, sharing stories and secrets with each other. Elisheva could sense that the Igibys had their own secrets, but she didn't question them about it.
When the black carriage arrived, they were prepared for battle.
To be continued…
AN: And that's chapter 7 for now, chapter 8 is being revised and edited. Don't forget review please, it helps my morale.
