Gilded Latten Bones

105

They picked me to step up to the Knodical door and ask for Prince Rupert. Strafa went along. The door opened. We went inside.

Other than the servants who admitted us there were no visible staff. The place was halfway a ruin. Maintenance had been neglected for years.

I went in all worked up to protect my best girl. A few minutes later I was thinking more rationally. I understood who would be protecting whom.

The servants led us to Prince Rupert. He was the absolute antithesis of happy. My message was brief. "The people outside want you to see something before this situation gets any uglier."

He had no choice. We had seen the inside of the Knodical. We would take that information back with us. And go we would because the Windwalker would make it happen.

"What?"

"You need to see it with a virgin mind."

Strafa said, "You have no choice, Rupert. See what you must see. Then we'll put this trial to bed."

He asked, "Is it still raining?"

Prince Rupert shared our coach. We reached the Landing. General Block had the army setting up a field hospital. Morley, Belinda, and Deal Relway were still on site and getting underfoot. The ratpeople were all gone. Nobody offered the Crown Prince a welcoming smile.

Rupert was fresh out of smiles himself. Life was a nightmare that was sure to get worse.

The rain picked up.

As we approached it three valiant red tops emerged from the nearest door with a liberated prisoner. The man was just barely alive. One of the Guards said, "This is the last live one, General. There's still a dozen corpses."

"Leave them. Your Highness, do you smell that?"

"I do." Making no pretence to misunderstand.

"It's worse inside. I won't force you to experience it. I don't want to give you any more reason to hate me. This was their headquarters. This was where they made themselves young. One level down is another laboratory like the one on the edge of Elf Town, a tailor shop, and a woodshop. Below that are the cellars where they kept their human resources."

Relway joined us. "I told Berry to break through the back wall so we can flood the cellars."

"That should help. Windwalker, Mr. Garrett, His Highness grasps the true enormity of the situation. You may return him to the Knodical."

I wasn't part of the in-group here. I was day labor. "Yes, sir."

Block and Relway eyed me with immense suspicion.

Block said, "Day after tomorrow we'll open this to the public."

Rupert said, "You don't want to do that."

"You're right. I don't. But I will. I remind you, it was Crown Prince Rupert who proclaimed a new Civil Guard and an era when no one would be above the law."

Rupert had nothing more to say. We returned him to the Knodical, at which point we had to give up the coach. The Windwalker flew us back to my house. In a downpour.

Though it was not yet late everyone but Penny had gone to bed. Penny helped slap together a half-assed supper. There were loose ends to the day but I didn't care. All I wanted was a full belly and a warm bed.

Strafa was more exhausted than I was. She had put in a heavy, hard day. I carried her upstairs. We collapsed on top of the covers in our wet clothes. Singe and Dean would raise hell in the morning.