Chapter 102: Chain Gang

Chapter 102: Chain Gang

Come, said Gullen. Follow me.

Where are we going? I asked.

Prison, said Gullen.

There were six of us and only one of him, plus a small girl and two dogs. It was more than enough. We walked up the stairs with Gullen leading the way and the dogs bringing up the rear.

The dogs didnt make any sounds or threaten to bite anyone, but still managed to be terrifying. No one wanted to be at the back near them. No one wanted to be at the front near Gullen either. It was a very tightly packed middle.

The Sheaf felt deserted. We were the only people on the staircase and the hallways were empty. Even the reception desk was unmanned.

Biadet seemed to have developed a fascination with Dudley and kept staring at him all the way up the eight flights of stairs, which he understandably found unnerving. He would smile politely, and then manoeuvre himself to the other side of Flossie to get some distance between them. Before he even had a chance to settle into his stride, Biadet would appear next to him.

I thought if I watched closely Id see how she did it, but it always happened the second I looked away. I know what youre thinking. If I just focused theres no way she could avoid revealing her secret, but it was impossible. My attention slid off her like someone had my head on a string and gave it a pull just at the right moment.

What I needed to do was arrange two or three of us to observe her from different angles, but as soon as we exited the Sheaf, she disappeared into the crowd. Then the crowd saw Gullen, and they disappeared.

I felt a tug on my sleeve and turned to find Dudley next to me. The concern on his face was hard to miss.

The young girl he muttered in a low voice.

You mean Biadet? I looked around but there was no sign of her. Which meant absolutely nothing. What about her?

She passed me a note. Dudley had a small piece of paper held between two fingers which he was insistently thrusting at me.

I took it from him. Do you think she wanted you to give it to me?

I cant say for certain, but by God I hope so.

Before I could ask him anything else he dropped back level with Flossie and grabbed her hand. She seemed pleased by this sign of affection, although I dont think you need to hold on quite so tight just to say I love you.

The note had three words written on it:

Gargantua

penis

attack

It was in their alphabet so I had to read it a couple of times to make sure I had it right, but it still didnt make sense. Gargantua wasnt even a word. Did she mean gargantuan? If she did, did I want to know why? Probably not.

Was it a warning? A threat? What she wanted for her birthday? I felt like throwing it away but I could just imagine someone picking it up and assuming I wrote it. I put it in my pocket and hoped nobody would find it before I could dispose of it.

We stopped outside an unassuming building nestled between a small restaurant and a shoe shop. The dogs sat down either side of the unremarkable door without being told.

The building was little more than the entrance to a set of stairs which led down and down and down. At the bottom were a number of guards and more dogs. Beyond a series of metal bars there was an enclosure containing six men.

They were dressed in the uniform of the Dargot army. Two of them I recognised. They were the men who had stabbed Mandy.

One of the guards unlocked the gate and opened it for us to go through.

Ill leave you here to think over my offer, said Gullen.

He didnt wait for me to say anything, he turned around and walked out. That left four dogs and eight guards on one side of the bars, and the six of us on this side with what I guessed were six trolls.

Everyone in my group huddled together in one corner. The one furthest from the trolls.

Why dont they turn back into trolls and escape? Maurice asked me in hushed tones. Weve seen what theyre like in their true form. They could just punch a hole in the wall and leave, couldnt they?

He was right. The trolls we had encountered could dig tunnels with their bare hands. I dont know. Maybe when they go deep undercover, they go real deep.

Maurice nodded. Method acting. They dont want to break character.

The trolls were all sitting on one side of the room, not talking and hardly moving. They hadnt reacted when we were brought in and didnt look like they had the slightest interest in why wed been put in here with them.

Are you sure you know what youre doing? asked Claire. I was pretty sure she already knew the answer.

Of course Im not sure, I confirmed for her.

Ahm hungry, said Flossie. The others grumbled along the same lines.

Im not sure what you expect me to do about that. I think theres some lichen growing on the walls. You could try licking it.

Why?

The person who was able to detect our presence is worth further investigation, wouldnt you say? Time to go. He turned and grabbed the two soldiers who had stabbed Mandy and who had become rather panicky since I had pointed it out.

Keezy, no, please.

You will stay behind and cover our retreat.

With hardly any effort, he picked them up by the neck, one hand holding each, and pushed them against the wall. And then into it. They seemed to merge with the wall like it was made of jelly.

The guards realised something was up and one of them grabbed a rope and pulled it. Nothing happened, but perhaps an alarm bell rang somewhere. They didnt open the cell door, they just watched. The dogs stuck their snouts through the bars and growled.

The troll called Keezy pulled the two others out of the wall and tossed them to the ground like dolls, leaving behind an indentation. He nodded at the other trolls who ran forward, changing into their troll forms. They stuck out their hands and pushed the walls aside, opening up the gap into a larger hole. They moved forward, creating a tunnel. It was incredibly fast, and surprisingly noiseless.

Go. Keezy pushed the two trolls who had got to their feet. They turned around, transforming into trolls, and walked through the bars.

Their bodies squeezed between the bars like Play-doh and reformed on the other side.

Terminator 2, whispered Maurice with gleaming eyes.

Fighting broke out. The guards attacked with swords to little effect. The dogs snapped and clawed but couldnt get any purchase on the impenetrable troll hide. They were all swiftly put down. Whether they were dead or just knocked out, I couldnt tell. Or maybe I didnt want to know.

If you guys are this strong, I said, couldnt you take the city with just a few more trolls? Or do you have some weakness that stops you?

Keezy was staring at me, and not in a loving way. I really should learn to keep my mouth shut.

In. He was pointing at the tunnel that had appeared.

Jenny stood up. If he goes, so do we.

The one good part of being taken by the trolls was that it would just be me. Good for the others to be left out of it. Good for me to have the others left out of it. Jenny had other ideas.

We dont need you, said Keezy. Stay here and enjoy living.

You do need us, said Jenny. Youll find it a lot easier to get information out of him if you threaten those he cares about. I am his lover.

All this time I had a lover and didnt know it. If only someone had told me!

Keezy seemed unsure. What she said did make a certain kind of sense, if it was true. Maybe he was finding it hard to believe Id managed to score with such a good-looking bird.

Then you come too, he said.

I am also his lover, said Claire.

And me, said Flossie.

And me, said Maurice.

We are also intimate, said Dudley.

It was like the scene in Spartacus where everyone says I am Spartacus, only more gay. Well, slightly.

Do not be foolish, said Keezy. Which of you is his real lover?

I think its the big one at the back, said one of the trolls, pointing at Dudley.

What? Why do you think its him? Obviously its one of the girls.

The troll shrugged.

We dont have time for this, said Keezy. Well take all of them and sort it out later.

They all filed into the tunnel with big smiles on their faces like forcing their way onto my subway ride to doom was some kind of accomplishment. Idiots.

Did they really think they would be safer with me? I had a good mind to deliberately get them all killed, just to teach them a lesson. Not that I needed to try, it would happen soon enough.

The tunnel was already very long and we stumbled after the trolls digging us an escape route.

I stopped and looked back. The two other trolls were standing in the opening. They didnt follow us. They changed into the wall and closed off the opening, plunging the tunnel into darkness.

Was that what being left behind meant? Being a wall for who knows how long?

There were sounds of my party bumping into each other. I created a ball of light and illuminated a troll face inches away from mine.

Yes, said Keezy, definitely worth further investigation.