Oebalus Pugnax 6/7

They came into sight of the mansion. Above Celestia's head, Beetle and Rudi gasped in awe. The building was huge and overgrown with mold and vegetation. Its cathedral-shaped grey form contrasted deeply with the tangled woods surrounding it, and Beetle wondered how it had been built so far from civilization. He was about to mention it to Rudi, but she spoke first.

"That is my house. No way. It's just too perfect. I've got to have that house. Whoa..." She continued jabbering until they turned onto a small side lane. "Wait, I wanted to see the house..."

Beetle was alert enough to notice a new danger. "Rudi," he gasped, "can we fit under there?"

A low bridge loomed up in front of them. Moss and broken branches hung over the sides, creating a pointy, vicious-looking mess. If they stayed on top of the roof, they would be skewered. “All right,” Beetle said, attempting to keep calm. “Surely there is a safe way out of this situation -”

"Jump!" Rudi yelled, then in case he hadn't heard, she shoved Beetle roughly over the side. Seconds later, she followed him.

~ ❧ ~

Celestia was surprised when the inside of the carriage darkened suddenly. They had entered an add-on to the original mansion, one intended as a stable for horses. Since a newer, brighter stable had been completed since, this moldy compound was now used to keep prisoners.

O. helped Celestia down from the seat and led her to an old stall. It had been outfitted with iron bars and a straw mat in the corner.

"All right, Miss Westing," Cassandra began cheerfully, "don't be frightened. I promise that you will be fed and given enough water. There is a bucket over there for you to... do your business in." She looked delicately embarrassed at mentioning such a thing, then hastily changed the subject. "Look at that nice bed! I bet you'll like it better here than wherever you came from."

O. slid the grate open. It made a grinding sound that echoed off the close walls and made Celestia shiver anxiously. Still, she knew that resistance would be futile. She stepped into the tiny stall and listened to O. bolt the door. Neotoma unhitched his donkey from the carriage and led it to the stall next to Celestia's. Then the criminals left, and Celestia was alone. The only sounds were the dripping of the mossy walls, the whistle of a breeze through the open entryway, and occasional flatulence from the donkey. She sat down with a sigh on her straw pallet. After a few moments, she heard a voice.

"Hello?"

Celestia couldn't figure out who was speaking.

"I'm over here."

She walked to the bars and looked around, straining her vision, but saw no one. Confused, she sat back down.

To her surprise, something poked her arm. She turned to see a finger sticking out of the stone wall. At first, she thought it was an ancient, dead appendage and wiggled away distastefully. But on closer inspection, she decided it was alive and poking through a hole in the wall. It retracted, and she could see into the next cell.

"Hello," the voice repeated. Now Celestia could see a brown eye that seemed to match the voice. "I'm Utsuro Nanashi, your fellow prisoner. I am a poet and psychologist by trade. What is your name?"

Celestia only stared. It took her a while to warm up to strangers.

"Can you talk?"

Celestia nodded, but Nanashi couldn't see enough of her face to tell if the answer was affirmative or not.

"It's all right if you can't. I've been alone for so long that it's good to have a human to talk to. Not to slight the donkey. Her name is Anne, by the way. I think she's better company than that little girl who delivers food to us. A happy little face and a heart of stone." Nanashi's bitterness showed plainly in his voice.

They sat in silence for a while. Celestia tried to formulate something to say.

"Would you like to hear one of my poems?" Nanashi asked. When Celestia didn't answer, he recited it anyway.

"'Roads are not straight

Yes they are chaotic

And usually bumpy

From time to time, things become rough

You and I shall continue running anyway'

“It sounds better in the original language. What do you think?"

"Nice," Celestia answered.

"You can talk!"

"Yes."

"I'm delighted that you can talk," Nanashi said. "Now perhaps you can tell me your name?" Celestia didn't answer. Instead, she worked to widen the small hole between her and Nanashi's cells by scratching at the rotten mortar. She was able to make an opening a little bigger than her fist. From this vantage point, she studied Nanashi carefully.

He was a foreigner, but since Celestia had very little knowledge of the world, she couldn't guess where he was from. Nanashi had long, messy black hair, warm brown eyes, and a thin, smiling face.

Nanashi also studied Celestia. "You look so young! I can't believe that even these barbarians would imprison a little girl! How old are you?"

Celestia shrugged.

"You look old enough to read. What's your favorite book?"

"Rudi's book."

"I haven't heard of that one, but I haven't been to Europe in a while. What's it about?"

When Celestia didn't answer, Nanashi's face disappeared and she could hear him rustling through papers. In a moment, he was back. "Here," he told her, "I have three popular books in English. Would you like me to read to you?"

Celestia nodded emphatically.

"There is The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Flatland: a Romance of Many Dimensions, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court." He looked thoughtful. "All of those seem a bit beyond you. Let me go check my books again." Moments later, he returned to the hole, holding a thin pink book. "I do have a children's book," he reported happily. "A Little Princess. It has good reviews, but I haven't read it."

Nanashi opened the book and began to read. "'Once on a dark winter's day, when the yellow fog hung so thick and heavy on the streets of London that...'"

~ ❧ ~

Meanwhile, Rudi and Beetle were washing dishes.

The two spies had not escaped from the fall unscathed. Rudi, due to her quick reflexes and improbable luck, had pulled through with minor bruises and scratches, but Beetle had smashed his knee on a brick and had been bleeding profusely. It'd been difficult for him to walk.

"I'm going to get help," Rudi had told him, and then hurried away, ignoring his plan for staying hidden and scoping the place out. She had found a kitchen maid who bound up Beetle's knee and, after listening to Rudi's tearful narrative of being abandoned by their parents, had agreed to let them work for food in the kitchen. Beetle didn't approve of the plan, but since he was hungry and couldn't think of a better one, he sat on a chair and dried the dishes after Rudi washed them. "Feeding the enemy," he grumbled as Cassandra entered the kitchen, took two plates of food from the counter, and swished out again. "I'm a traitor."

"Hush," Rudi admonished, "or they'll get suspicious."

~ ❧ ~

"'It did not occur to her to feel cross at finding her pet chair occupied by the small, dingy figure. To tell the truth, she was quite glad to find it there. When the - '" Nanashi's lilting voice was interrupted when a door opened across from the cells. Cassandra stepped out lightly, an apron tied around her trademark blue dress.

"Dinner!" she cried, then saw the book in Nanashi's hands. "Why, Na-aan! Are you reading out loud? Let me listen!"

"As my enemy," Nanashi retorted coldly, "please call me by my surname. It's Utsuro. And no, I do not read to enemies."

"You sound just like my brother," Cassandra sighed. "Your name is such a trouble to remember - to say, even! Nan sound so much... fluffier!"

Nanashi didn't answer her, and Cassandra slid his plate of food under the door. “We've had this same discussion so many times, and it always ends the same way. You're too proud to associate with you captors, even if we're nice to you. What a silly man!”

Cassandra gave Celestia her supper next, then lingered near the door, hoping to talk.

Celestia squatted down and examined her food. It was a fried egg, one of her dislikes, and it was perched atop a mountain of roasted onions. Onions were especially cheap that year. She looked up at Cassandra.

"Well? What do you think?" Cassandra smiled graciously, preparing obliviously for a compliment.

"'Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass? or loweth the ox over his fodder? Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt? or is there any taste in the white of an egg? The things that my soul refused to touch are as my sorrowful meat.'" Celestia picked up a slice of onion with two fingers and flung it spitefully at Cassandra.

~ ❧ ~

That night, Beetle and Rudi stayed in unused guest rooms - two of over a dozen the five servants had to choose from. The house was meticulously ordered, so the rooms were spotless, but Rudi could feel a coldness in the room from lack of habitation. It was hard for her to go to sleep in the chilly, roomy bed, when she was used to a cramped couch and the rumble of other people snoring around her.

Beetle, on the other hand, was exhausted from the busy day and the stress of his injury and fell quickly into sleep.

Celestia lay on her straw mattress and listened to Nanashi's voice until long after dark, when, against her wishes, her eyelids closed and sleep enveloped her. He continued reading for several minutes until he heard her steady, tired breathing. Then he blew out his candle and went to bed.

~ ❧ ~

The next morning, Beetle and Rudi awoke to frenzied activity. They hurried downstairs and were sucked into a vortex of cooking, cleaning, and folding laundry. Grabbing bites of food where they could, the two learned that the master of the house was coming home that day and that he was easily irritated when things were not exactly the way he was used to. There was a mild uproar when it was discovered that his favorite orange lilies had wilted, making them unusable for the door wreath. Due to incredible fortune, however, there was some orange paper about, which a maid cut, folded, and painted in time to add it to the ornament.

"This guy is bugging me already," Rudi mumbled from her station folding dishcloths. "I hate picky people."

"Says the girl who threw a fit when her nasty, gross hat got lost," Beetle retorted from behind a mountain of silverware he was polishing.

"That's different! It was irreplaceable!"

O. Boots burst into the kitchen. "Servants, the master just telegraphed, and he is at the station! Oh, no -" he stared at Rudi.

Rudi, remembering their fight the day before, prepared to run. Fortunately, O. found it hard to distinguish children from one another. "That child is filthy!"

Rudi tried to run away, but the maids caught her and scrubbed her clean, then outfitted her in some of Cassandra's old clothing. When they had finished, she looked cute.

"Disgustingly cute," she complained to Beetle, who had moved on to rinsing the mounds of cleaning rags the servants were going through.

"You look nice," Beetle reassured her. His mind seemed to be elsewhere. "How are they using so many rags? They hardly even look dirty."

"Probably to clean up a room for the lady."

"Which lady?"

"According to the treacherous old ladies who scoured me of my comfortable protective layer," Rudi said sourly, "the master of the house has a lady guest. Since they only just found out from a telegraph he sent, the whole house is in an uproar preparing her room."

"They should just let her sleep in one of our rooms. I found mine to be quite nice," Beetle smiled.

"Absolutely dreadful."

"What?"

"Both the rooms and the present fuss. I hope they remembered to feed Westy in all this commotion." Nobody had remembered.

Just then, O. returned. "The master," he announced breathlessly, "is here."

All of the servants assembled on the stone porch and stood stiffly, watching the carriage advance up the drive. When it came to a gentle stop, the footman opened the passenger door and helped out a graceful, auburn-haired woman, then a stout, balding man in an expensive suit. His steely blue-grey eyes settled sternly on the servants, who bowed with one accord and recited, "Welcome home, Sir William!"

Sir William nodded imperiously. "Please also welcome my guest, Miss Irene Petrovski."

~ ❧ ~

Beetle caught the gist of the situation and bowed deeply and subserviently. When he glanced over to check on Rudi, however, he was alarmed to see her standing straight and staring at the new arrivals defiantly.

"Rudi!" Beetle hissed, "bow!"

"As if I would lower myself to the level of these cowardly scum," Rudi retorted. Prudently, she kept her voice low.

Ms. Petrovski noticed Rudi and turned to Sir William, smiling graciously. "I can see you take good care of your staff," she remarked. "What a darling little girl!"

Sir William frowned thoughtfully. "I don't recall hiring those two," he responded, scrutinizing Beetle and Rudi. "Oliver must have hired them without telling me. I must speak to him..." He turned his gaze back to Ms. Petrovski. "How discourteous of me. I can see you wish to change out of your traveling clothes and refresh yourself, yet here I am, thinking about the hired help. Please come in and make yourself at home."

The servants parted and followed the master and his guest into the house. Miss Petrovski was shown to her room and served tea and lemonade. The kitchen was in a hectic mess while they prepared brunch, which made it easy for Beetle and Rudi to escape undetected. They shadowed Cassandra, who had left the kitchen holding two bowls of gruel too plain for servants or nobles - obviously prisoner food.

They went down a hallway, then through a door and into the open air. Beetle could only manage a hobble, so they nearly lost sight of Cassandra, who, as always, had quite a spring in her step.

As they hurried out the door, Beetle stumbled and let out a gasp as his leg struck the door frame. Cassandra turned around.

"Are you all right? Why are you two out here?" She looked highly concerned.

"Uhm... actually," Rudi lied, "we saw you carrying two heavy-looking bowls and we were hoping to help you."

"Oh, thank you so much!" Cassandra handed Rudi a bowl and they entered a low tunnel.

"So who is this for?" Beetle asked casually.

"There are these two... well... guests we are keeping during the winter months. They were vagrants and we are keeping them nice and warm! It's charitable, really." If Rudi hadn't known otherwise, Cassandra's words and the smile accompanying them would have seemed honest and sincere. Since she knew otherwise, the lie sent a chill up her back.

"Well, here we are!" Cassandra flourished her free arm at the two occupied cells. She skipped lightly to the first one and deposited the bowl, then attempted to talk to Celestia.

Celestia, however, had heard Rudi's voice and was listening hard, hoping to catch it again. Cassandra only received a glare for her efforts at communication.

Meanwhile, Rudi was holding a whispered council of war with Beetle. "Do you see anything heavy?" she asked. "We need to knock her out, then free Westy and get out of here!"

"But -" Beetle began to protest when Cassandra interrupted him.

"Come here! Maybe she'll talk to you." Cassandra took the other plate to Nanashi while Beetle and Rudi crouched in front of the bars.

"Westy?" Rudi whispered. Celestia shuffled over and stared confusedly at Rudi, who was wearing unusual clothes. "Westy, we're going to break you out of here," Rudi hissed. Beetle picked up a piece of debris and began advancing silently towards Cassandra. Just then, more voices sounded in the corridor. Beetle hid the rock behind his back just as two figures strode through the entrance. As they drew nearer, he realized they were Neotoma and O.

"Nanabashi Somthingrather and Cesspool Westing, you are cordially invited to dine with Sir William. I hope you accept this invitation, as you will have to go anyways if you resist." O. swept past the three standing outside the cells and opened the doors with a grating squeal. He pulled Nanashi roughly to his feet and motioned for Neotoma to bring Celestia. Then as he turned back, he looked at Rudi for the first time. "And I was supposed to find a 'darling little thing in mauve' also, though what is darling about you I can't imagine. Come along."

Beetle and Rudi exchanged shattered looks as their plan was foiled, then Neotoma gave them a shove, and they hurried forward into even greater danger.

Celestia felt cross, as she hadn't had a chance to eat brunch.

~ ❧ ~

O. motioned for Neotoma to stay in the hall, then ushered Nanashi, Celestia, and Rudi into a small, bright sitting-room. Beetle hadn't been invited, so after a minute of awkwardly standing in the hallway, he made his way back to the kitchen.

The little group was greeted by a table laden with cookies, cupcakes, and tiny cups of tea. Sir William sat at the head. Ms. Irene, also present, motioned for Celestia and Rudi to sit on either side of her. Nanashi took the seat at the far end of the table and glared intently at Sir William. O. sat on the other side of Sir William and waited for him to speak, a testament to the man's power in the household.

"I'm glad all of you decided to accept my invitation," Sir William said finally. "Please help yourselves to some food."

Celestia was the only one relaxed enough to eat. She promptly grabbed as many cupcakes and cookies as she could reach and devoured them savagely.

"Now," Sir William continued, "some of you seem to have been under the misconception that you are prisoners when, in fact, you are only non-consensual guests. I want to clear that up as soon as possible."

Nanashi's jaw clenched with barely-controlled anger.

"Secondly, I would like to thank the servants that prepared our lovely brunch. You will have to pass it on for me," he said, glancing at O. "Dr. Nanash - "

"Actually," Nanashi broke in, "in my homeland it is customary to say the surname first, so I'd prefer it if - "

"Dr. Nanashi," Sir William answered coldly, "you came to our country to fill a teaching position at one of our schools. Unfortunately for you, my organization feels that the position is already filled by two highly capable persons."

"But what am I to - "

"I suggest you either return to your archaic little hermit country, or, if you'd rather stay here, you could start a nice little opium den by the wharves. Many of your race have started successful establishments of that sort."

"But I'm a child psychologist, for crying - "

Sir William turned his attention to Rudi. "Miss, I'm afraid I didn't catch your name," he remarked.

"It's... uhm... Ruby," Rudi lied. "Ruby Scarlet."

"Do you enjoy working here?"

"Yeah..."

"Do you know any other servants that really love their jobs?"

Rudi thought quickly. It would probably be best for her and Beetle to stay here, as it didn't sound like Celestia was about to be set free. So she said, "Yeah! There's a guy named, uhm... B... Beatrice who really has a great work ethic."

"Excellent. Finally, Miss Westing," he said, turning to Celestia, "what are your thoughts on the coming trial?"

Celestia looked up when she heard her name, then, when nothing interesting happened, she turned back to her food.

Sir William was taken aback. Would it undermine his supreme authority more to repeat himself, or to sit in tense silence? After a few quiet moments, he turned his attention to O. "Mr. Boots, I would like you to take care of the estate for several weeks. Ms. Irene and I will be abroad for a time, gathering certain witnesses and... persuading others to stay silent. I want you to fire the servants that I specify, then oversee the remaining servants as they tend the grounds, the mansion, and my hogs. Also, try not to forget the prisoners."

Nanashi suddenly spoke. "Sir William, English may not be my first language, but I believe it is grammatically incorrect to say 'servants that'. It should be 'servants who'. How anyone could retain noble status without learning such elementary English is -"

"Dr. Nanashi," Sir William interrupted with a smile, "I commend you for noticing that. It is not a lack of education, but a personal quirk of mine. You see, I feel that servants, prisoners, and other peasants only merit recognition as inanimate objects, and I will continue to address them as such. Now," he said, rising, "I should pack new clothes. Please, everyone, return to your quarters."

O. escorted them out, and minutes later, Celestia and Nanashi were back in their cells. Both of them felt discomfited from the brunch. Nanashi realized just how far freedom was from his grasp, while Celestia discovered that a huge amount of rich food did horrible things to her stomach.

~ ❧ ~

Soon after the disgruntling brunch, Sir William dismissed most of the servants, leaving the house to Beetle, Rudi, and two maids. O. was technically supposed to oversee them, but he regained his boldness after Sir William left, and now spent most of the time sprawled in Sir William's king-sized feather bed, demanding food and playing solitaire.

Cassandra and Neotoma stayed, and the pair foiled Beetle and Rudi's escape attempts constantly. Cassandra had the keys to Nanashi and Celestia's cells around her neck, and though they had tried stealing them in her sleep, Beetle and Rudi were unable to get at them since she slept on her stomach. Rudi thought this meant they should use more violent measures, but Beetle forbade her from hitting Cassandra on the head and knocking her out. "After all," he said every time she mentioned it, "Cassandra is only a young child. It would be immoral to hit her."

"She's more annoying than a full-grown man," Rudi would answer.

“We have to keep our standards,” Beetle would say sagely, “for without them, how are we better than these criminals?”

Rudi usually finished the conversation by throwing a dish towel at his head, so the escape attempts never amounted to much.

While this went on inside the house, Nanashi and Celestia sat in the dungeon. Though Nanashi would read to her for hours at a time, Celestia became bored and listless after a week. She needed exercise badly, as Rudi constantly informed Cassandra, but the girl had orders not to let the prisoners out under any circumstances. Nanashi paced up and down the short space to improve circulation. He tried to convince Celestia to do the same, but she was not very enthusiastic.

Things may have stayed like this until the day of the trial, but Cassandra made one mistake. She tried to teach Rudi to bake.

Rudi was technically a very competent cook. She could dress and roast a rabbit, fry freshly-caught fish, and cook an excellent pheasant over a fire she had started with flint and steel. But Rudi had very little experience baking things, and since she had the materials and loved pies, bread, and cake when she could get them, she wanted to learn to prepare them.

Cassandra loved baking and was excited to initiate a new baker. They decided to make apple pie, one of Rudi's favorites.

Beetle sat in a chair nearby, whittling a piece of wood. Since there were fewer people to take care of, he had a lot less work lately and was enjoying the break. His leg was nearly healed.

Unfortunately for the baking endeavor, Rudi was easily annoyed and Cassandra was easily annoying.

As Rudi painstakingly wove the crust for the top of the pie, Cassandra began to sing. “I have a castle on a cloouuud... I-”

"Stooop, I can't concentrate," Rudi whined after a few lines. Cassandra stopped immediately, but after a few minutes she began humming the same tune.

"Um, didn't I just say...?" Rudi began.

"But it's not singing, it's humming!" Cassandra gave Rudi a blank, guileless stare. "If it bothers you, I'll stop." She started whistling.

"Ooooh... you are the most annoying person ever," Rudi moaned. Cassandra flounced out of the room. "Wait, what do I do next?!"

Cassandra turned around, tears streaming from her sad blue eyes. "Put it in the oven for forty-five minutes," she sniffled, then whirled away. Rudi hastily slid the pie inside, then ran after Cassandra.

"I'm sorry," Rudi told her once she had caught up to Cassandra in the hall. "Sometimes you just really bother me."

"I know. I bother everyone and I can't help it. Usually I take a walk when something like this happens. Or have a tea party with my dolls."

"I'll come with you and we can do both," Rudi told Cassandra. She was feeling really guilty now. "Come on Beetle,” Rudi shouted behind her, “it'll be good for you to exercise your leg."

So the three went on an extensive exploration of the grounds, entirely forgetting the pie in the oven.

~ ❧ ~

Celestia had just finished her Nanashi-mandated afternoon 'walk' when she smelled smoke.

The day had been uneventful up until then. Nanashi had read some of Flatland to Celestia, but she had poor abstract thinking skills, so the book, which would have delighted a brighter nine-year-old, only confused her. After that, Nanashi had read her some of his poems, which brightened the morning considerably. Then she had taken a nap while Nanashi wrote in his journal. He was keeping a meticulously detailed account of the physical, psychological, and spiritual inhumanities he suffered every day at the hands of Sir William, real and imagined. Someday, he had told Celestia, someone would read his journal and even if the two of the died here, at least they would be remembered.

Now Celestia sniffed the smoke. It had a nice, cinnamonny smell. Since it was so cold and clammy in the cells, Celestia welcomed its warm, cheerful presence. Then she heard people approaching from the entrance.

"Hey, Westy," Rudi called. She visited often, though Cassandra always accompanied her. This time, Beetle had also come.

Celestia smiled and waved, then pushed her hand expectantly through the bars. Rudi gave her a cookie, then tried to give one to Nanashi, who stubbornly refused to take yummy gifts from perceived enemies. Rudi ate the cookie herself.

"Smells good," Celestia commented.

"They taste good too," Rudi agreed.

"No, the air."

Rudi smiled and nodded. She could usually understand what Celestia was trying to say, but when she couldn't, she did her best to pretend she had. She didn't want to discourage Celestia from talking.

Nanashi, however, had talked to Celestia more often than Rudi. Now he said quietly, "I think she's talking about the cooking odor. It is unusually strong today.

Beetle took a deep breath. "It almost smells like something is burning."

Rudi and Beetle realized what was going on at the same instant and rushed away without an explanation. Cassandra stood in shock. "What are they... Oh, no! The apple pie!"

In the kitchen, Rudi pulled the pie out of the oven with a dish towel. As soon as it hit the fresh air, flames spurted out of the pan and several pieces of charred apple hit Rudi's arm. "Ow!"

"Are you okay?!" Beetle asked, looking for something to protect Rudi's arms.

Just then, O. Boots strode in disapprovingly. "I think I smell -" he began, then froze at the sight of Rudi holding an incendiary pie.

"Oven mitts!" Beetle cried, grabbing a pair from the counter. "Rudi, put these on!" Rudi set the pie down on the cold marble counter, where the glass shattered, sending embers flying across the kitchen. Several fell into a bag of flour, while a large chunk ended up on the windowsill and ignited the curtains.

"It's all right, it's all RIGHT!" Beetle yelled, trying to calm Rudi and O., who were screaming like little girls. "We can still get this under control -"

Cassandra hobbled in, struggling to carry a small keg of rum. "Here," she said. "Rudi, dump this on it!"

"Don't, you numbskull! It's alcohol!" Beetle admonished, but Rudi didn't hear him over the crackling fire and her own panic. She splashed the rum onto the flame-engulfed curtain, which exploded in a huge fireball. The wooden beams supporting the window caught, and the heat became nearly unbearable.

"Run!" O. decided, and the three children obeyed.

~ ❧ ~