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Time marches on and flooding in Paris is serious ... and then Delacroix reappears. Serge shared his opinion of the man with us way back in chapter 2. (He is the 'thorn' in Athos' side and features heavily in two of my other stories, 'Renegade' and 'Retribution'.)
SERGE
25 DAYS EARLIER
I'm busy wipin' up some spilled soup when they come in; Aramis an' Porthos, that is. Drowned rats they are, shiverin' and caked in filth. I've given up worryin' about the state of the place as they are not the first to traipse in the mud all over the floor. I just wait for it to dry an' give the kitchen boy 'is orders an' he sweeps up the worst before swabbin' down the floor to shift the rest.
They're all exhausted, not just them two. The river done as we feared it would an' burst its banks early on in the deluge an' the rain don't seem to be lettin' up any time soon. Reckon we'd be better off buildin' an ark. The men are out there all hours, in the rain an' after sunset, though the storm clouds are so dark, even the daylight hours look like they're pretendin' to be nighttime as well. They're fillin' bags with anythin' they can shovel up now, tryin' to make some defences against the river, shoring up stretches of the riverbank that look like they're goin' to be washed away, an' hammerin' extra planks of wood into buildings along the waterfront to lend more support.
Then they're helpin' the young an' elderly to get clear to higher ground as the waters creep into the places they call 'ome. Right now, I'm wonderin' what if anythin' they'll 'ave to come 'ome to when the rain does finally stop and the river waters go down. I've listened to the men talkin' as they've come in 'ere to dry off a little in front of the fire an' to eat. They're wadin' through water that's up to their thighs as they 'elp people to safety an rescue those that were not so lucky an' got trapped by the risin' waters.
Can't recall when I last slept more'n three hours at a stretch. The Captain's orders are that there is to be warmin' drink such as spiced wine available at all times along with hot food an' the oven's been goin' non-stop with stews, porridge an' bakin' bread. What with that an' the fire in the hearth, it's warm in 'ere an' then there's the smell of dryin' leathers an' wool in the room. Stinks like someone 'as dragged in a pack of wet dogs!
Trouble is, I've almost exhausted my wood store an' 'ad to wait on a couple of men to chop some more, but what we 'ad round the back was wet an' I'm hopin' as how it'll dry out enough to be able to burn it. There's some piled in the infirmary that I may 'ave to call on, but the Captain insisted a fire be kept goin' in there in case any of the men got hurt or sick. It needs to be comfortable for them as soon as they arrive, rather than waitin' on it to warm up.
That's goin' to be the next problem, of course, All the sickness that follows on from conditions like these an' spendin' so much time in the freezin' river water. The chills an' the coughs an' the fever can strike a man down quickly.
Of course, all this means is that the search for our missin' boy has been called off for the time bein' an' it hurts like hell. I've asked the Almighty more'n once that Athos is nowhere near the river. I can't bear to think of him tied up somewhere an' the water level's risin' an' he can't get free an' …
Drownin'. I can't think of anythin' worse. Please, God, don't let that 'appen to the boy.
Porthos an' Aramis peel off their wet outer clothes an' drape 'em over chairs close to the fire. The steam starts risin' almost at once. They're beyond tired, the pair of 'em, an' I'm pleased they're the only ones in 'ere at the moment – apart from me an' the kitchen boy, that is.
Let the pair of 'em rest a while in some hush an' gather their thoughts together. I ladle out some hot soup into bowls an' lay half a fresh loaf on a platter an' take it over to 'em. They're not even talkin' to each other as they sink onto benches either side of a table.
"There, get that inside you. Plenty more where that came from. I'll get you some drinks an' butter," I say, tryin' to sound cheery an' with some authority at the same time.
Aramis nods his thanks an' Porthos picks up 'is spoon an' dips it into the bowl. He's always hungry an' showin' 'is appreciation for my food but now, all he does is stir it an' stare at it. This ain't natural!
"Somethin' wrong with my soup?" I ask, an' I know I sound more angry an' challengin' than I intend. Just another sign of the effect that the past week an' a bit is 'avin' on us all.
Porthos' expression changes, as if he's seein' the soup for the first time. He spoons up a mouthful.
"No, it's good," he says hurriedly, tearing off a chunk of bread. "Really good."
Aramis eyes me warily an' starts eatin' as well, murmurin' appreciatively.
They look so tired, the pair of them, an' I know it has nothin' to do with the rain an' floodin'. They're worried sick for Athos.
As if readin' my mind, Porthos grumbles. "Three days. That's what we've lost on account of this wretched rain. Three days when we could've been out there, lookin' for Athos. Goodness knows what might've happened to him in that time."
The door opens an' a group of seven Musketeers trail in, drippin' water over the floor and apologisin'.
"No matter," I tell 'em. "Sit yourselves down an' I'll get you somethin' hot."
I walk past 'em to my servin' area, the surprised expressions on their faces makin' me smile. They're expectin' me to shout at 'em for makin' a mess on the floor an' they certainly don't expect to be waited on by me. Usually they're linin' up at the table an' waitin', but these are exceptional circumstances an' it started before the rains. They're workin' hard so any little thing I can do to help improve things for 'em is good.
Besides, it stops me from thinkin' too much about Athos.
I get them their food an' spiced wine an' go back to rejoin Aramis an' Porthos, sittin' beside Aramis as he eats.
"You'll get back out there soon enough," I say, takin' up the conversation where Porthos left off, tryin' to offer 'em any encouragement I can. "From what the Captain tells me, the stuff for a body of men headin' out is all packed up an' stored, all of it ready to go. You'll be on the road as soon as the rain stops."
"As long as the Captain isn't expecting us to wait until it's dried out. Conditions are not going to be easy," Aramis adds. "I doubt he'll let the search resume until all danger to the people of Paris is past."
"Wait till then an' we'll never get goin'," Porthos says bleakly. "Three days we've lost," he repeats. "Athos could've died in that time."
"Stop it!" Aramis snaps loudly, his eyes blazing in anger as the other Musketeers fall silent to listen. "He is not dead. We've decided that. Bircann wants him kept alive for whatever reason. The Captain believes it too; you know that. We can't give up hope."
"Bircann is in the Chatelet. How can 'e really keep a hand on what is happenin' to Athos? He may want him alive, but we both know Athos was injured somehow when 'e was captured. We don't know how bad that was or what's 'appened since. He could've bled out, or it got infected an' there was a fever."
Porthos is soundin' angry now.
"Hold off, both of you," I warn, hands raised to still them, though there's nothing I could do to stop 'em if they let their tension get the better of 'em an' they go for each other. "What do you think you're doing tryin' to think of all the ways 'e might've died? What good is it to Athos if the pair of you go tearin' into each other? Think he'd be impressed by you arguin?" I glare at the two of them and expect an answer. "Well?"
They glance at each other, their awkwardness so strong I can almost feel it.
Aramis answers first, softly, meekly. "No, he'd have plenty to say to the pair of us and fix us with one of his stares."
I look at Porthos and raise an eyebrow so 'e knows I'm wantin' to hear from him too. He fidgets in 'is chair and studies a mark in the wooden surface of the table.
"I'd give anythin' to be on the receivin' end of one of 'is stares right now," he admits miserably.
Aramis reaches across the table and pats the big Musketeer on the arm. So would I, brother; so would I."
Argument successfully stopped before it had the chance to get goin'!
I'm feelin' pleased with myself when the door suddenly opens an' slams back on its hinges, caught by the wind. A group of Musketeers enter loudly, all talkin' at once an' laughin' an' jokin'.
Aramis and Porthos' heads snap up to see who the newcomers are an' even the men at the other table frown at them in disapproval. How can they be so disrespectful? Have they really no idea of the current mood of this place? I'm not sayin' there 'as to be a ban on men enjoyin' themselves especially as the work they're doin' at the moment is hard, both on the body an' on the mind', but people in the city are dyin' or made homeless an' then there's our own missin' man to worry about.
Laughin' doesn't seem natural right now, but then the leader of the group an' the first to enter the room is Delacroix. Duplicitous. That's 'im; that's the word I learned from Athos about Delacroix an' it suits 'im. He's cunnin', connivin', deceitful. Oh my, there are so many ways to describe 'im! 'Orrible man, he is, an' I see Porthos stiffen up again as he stares down into the soup bowl. Worst thing 'e can do is blow right 'ere an' now.
Another situation I try an' ease. I push myself to my feet; even that seems to get 'arder with each passin' day.
"'Ere, lads," I begin, but the group is still laughin' about somethin' and lookin' round the room to see who else is there. "Sit yourselves down an' I'll get you some 'ot food."
Delacroix then orders me to be quick about it as they're all cold, wet an' tired, an' ave spent the day so far pullin' bodies out of some properties down by the river side. I work as quickly as I can – there are eight of 'em – but it's not fast enough an' they start bangin' on the table, shoutin' at me to hurry up. One of em' makes a comment about me getting' too old for the job an' they all laugh again, enjoyin' their little joke at my expense.
Suddenly there is a crash and a bench goes over.
Porthos is on 'is feet an' he looks mean.