Tales after Dusk 05

Lying on the ground is the man she knocked over. He doesn't move, he doesn't blink; he remains rigid, arms at his side, his legs apart as if he is walking into the air. Her heart thumps in her throat as she scoots beside him to take a closer look. He is in a green militia uniform, an older man with graying hair. Slowly she reaches out and pokes his face; he does not move. His skin is warm to the touch despite his being frozen in time.

The rest of her group tip toes over to examine the man, all of them just as unnerved as she is. After several moments Basil breaks the silence.

"Do—do you suppose we stand him back up?"

"That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard you say," Kane says snarkily.

Aiken weighs in, "I agree with Basil. I mean, eventually he will become unfrozen. Imagine how peculiar it would be to one moment be walking down the tunnel and the next moment to be on your back without any notion as to why."

"I suppose that makes sense," Jasper says, "Give me a hand, would you?"

As if they are lifting a statue, Aiken and Jasper right the guard. All of them stare at him for a moment longer, as if they expect him to start moving again—but he doesn't.

"All right, this is giving me the creeps," Aiken says quietly, "Let's get down the tunnel and set up camp for the night."

Making a wide skirt around the guard, the group eases on. As they near the turn to the tunnel, they see a light. Alecta hands over her reins and torch, electing to slip ahead of the group to make sure they aren't walking into anything unexpected.

She creeps along the wall, the tunnel getting brighter as she nears the turn. Once there, she pauses for a moment and listens but hears nothing. Then, slowly as possible, she tilts her head around the corner. Before her is the most peculiar sight she has ever seen in her life.

Almost the entire length of the tunnel is lit by torches every few feet, however the fire remains still as if it too is frozen in time. Dotted along the way are various guards; some walking alone, some in pairs as if in mid conversation. None of them move, all as still as stone, stuck in time. Taking a moment to let it soak in, she waves over the rest of her party.

Carefully they pick their way amongst the living statues, each walking with a chill down their spine. They walk three-quarters of the way until there is a sizeable break in frozen people, large enough to tie up their horses and set up camp.

While the horses aren't bothered by the statuesque people, none of them can tear their eyes away. Silently they roll out their blankets. Alecta passes around her satchel after pulling a sweet roll from it. Leaning against the wall, she watches a guard to her left, waiting for him to move.

"I'd rather sleep in a cemetery," Kane says, leaning back against his pack as he eats some salted pork.

"I second that," Jasper says in between chewing.

Alecta peels her eyes off of the guard, scanning the tunnel once more for any movement. She snags an apple from her bag, speaking softly while she cuts it in half, "I think we need to make some rules."

"Rules? We're thieves, what rules could we possibly have?" Basil replies exasperatedly. He has been completely on edge since they encountered the first guard. Normally he is the essence of calm but this town has him completely unnerved.

"You mean, aside from our agreement that we only steal from those that have more than enough?" Aiken says.

"Well, yes," Alecta continues, "just imagine, one day you are sitting down to breakfast. You blink and all of a sudden the silverware is missing. Rich or not, if we aren't careful we could potentially drive the entire population of this town insane." She lets her words sink in a moment before she continues, "I say we take from the rich but never anything within eyesight. If you steal from their pouches, don't empty them, simply take some—enough to make them think they dropped it or whatever."

"That sounds decent enough," Kane says, taking part of her apple when she sets it down on her lap. The others nod.

"And I also say that we don't...you know, mess with them," she adds.

"What do you mean?" Basil asks. He thankfully takes the bottle of rum that is handed to him, gulping down an extra long swig.

"Oh come off it, you whore. I mean no sleeping with frozen women, no rearranging people, no swapping out someone's cat for a dog, no exchanging babies in cribs, no stripping people in the street, stuff like that, that I know all of you would do for a laugh."

Aiken grins, "Ha, that would be funny." His smile fades when Alecta gives him a sharp look, "But yeah, I see what you're saying."

The others concur. Jasper says, "Now what is our plan? Assuming that we've set that woman and her servants back a full day, I can't imagine it would take more than a few hours for all of her men to cut through the thicket at the bridge."

Basil nods, "I say we acquire a large carriage and fill it tomorrow, from places within the direct path to the castle. We take it to the very end of the military entrance, by the thicket, and leave it. Two of us, say Kane and Jasper, cut your way out through this tunnel with the horses and wait on the other side. After the woman and her entourage are through, you hook the horses up and pull the carriage out. Perhaps leave it somewhere in the deadlands. Kane should be able to find a suitable place and Jasper, you should be able to make sure he gets back here."

"And the other three?" Jasper queries.

Kane adds, "Well I think Alecta should remain as lookout—follow the lady's movement through town. Aiken and I could work on filling a second carriage, away from the castle. I imagine that her entourage will find a way to significantly slow the vine's progress. No merc would run the risk of being trapped in this town, so they'll probably leave the bulk of their men at the bridge and continue chopping away bits of the vine. Once we fill the carriage we can take it towards the gates, that way we can utilize the main bridge when she fails to wake the Prince and leaves."

"Sounds like a plan," Alecta says. The others nod in agreement. They finish eating in silence before each one rests back against their blankets and closes their eyes. Though they are all tired, sleep doesn't come easy to any of them, Alecta most of all.

Laying upon her back, she stares at a spider on the ceiling, frozen in time. Her stomach twists into knots as she tries to contemplate the finality of the feeling she has been getting. Though she has been telling herself for years now, she realizes that this is it: one last job, then she is done. No more stealing, no more pretending, no more running. This time she really means it. Taking a deep breath, she rolls over onto her side towards Jasper. With his eyes wide open, he has been watching her.

"What's on your mind?" he says.

She looks at his plain face, considering her own thoughts for a moment. "I'm thinking I'd like to stay here," she replies quietly.

He gives her an absolutely baffled look, "Why?"

She shrugs, "Well, where else do I have to go? What else do I have to look forward to in life? Here, I simply have to pick a home. I can eat whatever food I see. I would want for nothing. There is no one for me to impress, no one to catch me and throw me in prison. I can finally just be me. I'll help you men take your loot but I don't think I'm coming with when we're done."

He shakes his head at her, "Wouldn't you be lonely?"

Alecta rolls over onto her back again, this time she closes her eyes, "I've been alone all my life; how is it any different here?"

Jasper puts his arms behind his head, "You're a bizarre one, Alecta."

...

Alecta runs. The faster she tries to go, the slower she seems to move. She is looking for something, maybe someone but she doesn't know. She gets the feeling that the thing she is searching for is also the thing that she runs from.

The streets of Briartown are suddenly empty; there are no people, no animals, no nothing. She runs through houses, through the store fronts, through every building, searching for something, maybe someone but also running from something or someone. There is an eerie feeling at the back of her head, like she is being watched.

She moves faster, taking a sharp turn and crashing through an old, dried out oak door. There is a man sitting on a chair in an empty room, a handsome man with long black hair, a thick beard and bright, green eyes, eyes that seem to say he has waited too long for her. Tentatively, she steps towards him. She knows that she should turn and run but instead she reaches for him—he vanishes into a puff of smoke. The hair rises on the back of her neck as a hand clamps onto her shoulder.

"Alecta, wake up," Kane shakes her gently.

She sits up wildly, swatting his arm away before she realizes that it was all just a dream. She rubs her face, stifling a yawn as she tries to cover up her fright, "I'm up, leave me be."

Everyone seems to be irritable, none having had a good night's sleep. Hastily they pack up their stuff before leading the horses the remaining way down the tunnel. When they turn the corner and leave the military entrance, the sun still hasn't risen but casts enough light that they can see around them. It is a sight even more frightening and grand than they could have expected.

There are people everywhere, frozen in time, stuck in the middle of their chores or work as if they are caught in a realistic painting. The whole scene is so peculiar that the group spends the better part of an hour simply walking about and observing.

Finally, Kane starts leading the way towards a stable, "Right, well there should be a carriage in here I think."

Aiken peels his eyes off of the living statues and follows him in side. After locating a rather large supply carriage, they hook up two of the horses to it before returning to the street.

Jasper nods at Alecta and Basil and begins to fill in the other two, "Here is what we were thinking: first, we hit the castle. We think that it will be necessary to steal wisely; preferably gold and silver coins, things that we can melt into bricks so that it will not be identifiable. Jewelry and precious gems are fine as well, as long as they don't take up a lot of space, understand?"

Aiken nods, "That makes sense, like don't steal a crown but a ring is fine?"

"Yes," Basil picks up from there, "obviously if there is something you absolutely want, take it but we think that things for our own personal use should be kept to a minimum, no bigger than a satchel full."

"Smart thinking," Kane says, "perhaps we should have a look out? Just in case?"

"I'll stay outside with the horses," Jasper volunteers, "and I will give three bird calls if there is trouble. Maybe we can set the wagon there, in the trees," he points towards the side of the castle, "just so it is out of sight."

Alecta hands out thick, canvas bags that she found at the forge next to the stable, "We grab as much as we can carry, then we come back out to the wagon to dump it. Jasper, you keep track of how often you see us, that way if one of us doesn't come back we know something is wrong."

Everyone agrees. They head towards the castle, finalizing their plans before helping Jasper to tuck the wagon away.

Aiken and Basil elect to head directly to where they suspect the coffers to be, leaving Kane and Alecta to wander the halls. They move in silence, stopping occasionally to lift some coins from the frozen aristocrats they cross. At the back of the main hall is a grand staircase winding up; guards are posted on either side. Just beyond, almost hidden underneath is a smaller less grand set of stairs that lead down towards the servants' quarters.

As Kane begins to ascend, Alecta finds herself frozen at the base. Something seems to draw her towards the servants' stairs; she finds it an odd feeling, much like the one she had in her dream, that she is looking for something or someone and whatever it is, it is down those stairs. When her body turns towards them, she is halted by Kane's voice.

"Alecta, come on," he says, catching her off guard. When she looks up at him, he grins, "Let's go see this Prince."

She puts on a fake smile and forces her body to follow Kane, "Planning on waking him, are you?"

He laughs, "Oh, I'll try if you do too."

The royal hallway is grand. Both of them find it very difficult to walk past all of the golden candle sticks, fine art and beautiful decorations without stealing a few but wanting to make haste they push on. It is obvious which room belongs to the Prince; at the end of the grand hall is a set of massive, golden doors. Fully armed guards stand at the ready on either side of it. Both can't help but double check to make sure the guards are frozen before pushing through the doors.

The room is located in a tower, overhanging the front of the castle so that the window in the middle looks out over Briartown below. The rising sun bursts through the glass, sending shimmering reflections off of almost every surface inside. Alecta finds herself immediately searching through a dresser and pocketing several beautifully crafted rings.

"Damn," Kane says. When Alecta looks up, she sees him standing next to the bed, staring down at the Prince, "It seems that the standards of beauty have changed a lot in the past hundred years."

She walks over, her eyes falling on the Prince for the first time. A smirk grows on her face, "Didn't that first nymph gift him with such handsomeness that even men would find him attractive?"

Kane frowns, "Well, like I said either the standards have changed or the story isn't entirely accurate...I dare say a blind man wouldn't find this Prince attractive."

Alecta looks over the sleeping man before her; his height barely reaches half the length of the bed. The fine silk clothes are stretched to the brim over his wide middle and a fat, boy-like face topped with dull brown hair rests on a pillow, beneath a crown. "Maybe it is like that other story, you know the one with the frog—kiss him, maybe he will turn into a handsome Prince."

Kane shakes his head, "Frog? More like an ogre. Besides, ladies first," he sweeps his hand out as if offering the Prince to her.

She laughs, turning to leave, "These stories are never as good as they sound."

It is barely mid afternoon by the time the carriage is full. Though they are all excited, they are all somewhat disappointed too—there is so much left to steal within the castle but not enough time to get it accomplished before the lady arrives at the bridge.

When they break for lunch, it is Alecta who discovers the castle's kitchen. Much to their surprise, though the food has also been frozen in time for over a century, it all remains hot and fresh. They sit at the large wooden work table in the center of the kitchen eating some of the stew that was cooking over the fire. Various servants are stuck in the midst of tasks around them and though it is still the damnedest sight any of them have seen, they are beginning to get used to it.

After their meal, Kane and Jasper take the wagon through the military tunnel; Aiken accompanies them, as it takes quite a while—they have to move people out of the way to get by, then move the people back to their original place. Alecta and Basil wander through the town together, scouting the most profitable places to hit in the following day. As they make their way through, they check out the buildings, trying to select one to sleep in for the night. They decide that the Inn, just west of the bridge, provides the best accommodations. Not only does the large suite look out over the river but there is a stable behind it and ample amounts of libations and food within. Plus it provides a quick exit to the military tunnel if necessary.

With their horses tucked safely away in the back of the stable, they trudge through the lower part of the Inn, grabbing bowls of food and mugs of drinks before climbing to the suite at the end of the upper hallway. They set down their bags and begin eating just as Aiken returns.

"They're here," he says, taking a bowl that Alecta offers.

Looking out the window, she can see a torch in the distance. Over the next hour, the entourage sets up a camp with a blazing fire, providing enough light in the darkness to distinguish the figures below. In the still air, their voices carry across the canyon.

"Three doors down there is a large, steaming bathtub. We'll give you first go, Alecta, if you want," Basil says as he finishes up a piece of bread.

She nods, "Yes, I would like that."

"Just, well, don't worry. There was a naked man climbing into it," Aiken says, "I took him out and moved him across the room. Covered up his bits, you know. I'll put him back once we're done."

Alecta shakes her head, kicking off her boots and grabbing a clean shift that she stole earlier in the day, "I'm not sure what to think about that."

As she eases herself into the hot water, Alecta is thankful that Aiken had the forethought to turn the naked man away from her, so that it doesn't seem like he is watching. She sinks back, letting the silence wash over her just as the water does. At first, she thought she would be lonely if she remained in Briartown after the others left but now she thinks that it will work just fine for her. There are people everywhere and better yet she doesn't have to bother talking to anyone. After spending the past several years in the company of her companions, it will be difficult being without them; but she suspects that they will come back to visit her often.

Making haste, she quickly washes up and dries off. Slipping the fresh shift on, she returns to their room. Aiken leaves to bathe next.

"I say get some sleep while we can," Basil says, "We will definitely be able to hear them when they decide to start cutting."

Alecta slowly nods, "I second that idea." She climbs into the bed furthest from the door. Rolling over onto her side, she says softly, "Let's hope this plan works."

Basil, who still remains staring out the window, replies, "It will. Goodnight."

...

They start cutting through the thicket early, before the sun begins to rise. It is a quick scramble for the other three; Aiken and Basil get dressed hastily, bidding Alecta farewell before departing. They grab their two horses and hook up to another wagon. Though the sound of the wheels creaking across the pavers seems loud, it is easily drowned out by the constant whacking of the axes on the thick branches across the way.

It doesn't take long for Alecta to get dressed. She stands in the window, watching the action across the river while fixing her hair. She can barely see the outline of their first wagon, lead by Kane and Jasper, disappearing away from the town.

It takes the better part of an hour before they break through the thicket. As suspected, only the lady and two of her guards come through; the remaining cluster of her group remains behind, continuously cutting away trunks in alternating teams.

Alecta packs up her bag and leaves it with her horse in the stable. She manages to safely get inside of a shop before the lady appears at the mouth of the bridge, just beyond the large fountain in the center of the square. Clearly she and her two men are frightened by the frozen townsfolk; they carry their crossbows at the ready.

They make slow progress, so much so that it is rather boring for Alecta. She lurks in the shadows of the buildings, only having to remain still twice when one of them turns around. She has the forethought to realize a potential problem with entering the castle, so she manages to make her way ahead of them by throwing a rock off into the distance. The noise startles them so much that the three remain almost as still as the rest of the town for several minutes.