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Tranquil Waters: The Lead Crown Ch 8.3, Rude Awakenings

Gift-of-the-Earth was thrown into his brother as the entire structure jumped. While the Bear had often heard of loose-tied tents shuddering in a strong wind he had never expected one of the Stone Tribe's big rock buildings to have the same problem but then again the explosion had been more than a 'strong wind'. Kesst remained calm through the concussion, motioning to the door once everyone had picked themselves up off the floor. "That was the signal."

Errol helped the Princess up, turning to regard the Dragon. "Just what WAS the signal? How much damage to the city is--"

The Wolf quieted him. "We can worry about fallout later."

"Yes, your Highness."

Theo followed after the Bull and the Princess with his sister at his side; the little one was awake in her arms, which made sense since any creature with the ability to hear couldn't have missed the large, booming roar of Kesst's 'signal'. Despite the kit's fidgeting, Evelyn continued after the Dragon with little more than a soft "Shh, my sweet... it's alright."

Gift-of-the-Earth and Roaring-Flood were the last out of the room; the brown Bear had paused to make certain his brother was coming while the black Bear lingered in order to kick in one of the many wooden chests so he could pick up a huge piece of timber to use as a club. Realizing the intelligence of such an action the jeweler chose a thick wooden club from the broken container as well and the two made their way after everyone else.

Although Gift-of-the-Earth was nowhere near skilled at navigating the strange pathways and corridors of a Stone Tribe building the catacombs beneath the University were even worse. He and Roaring-Flood had caught up to the group and passed some three or four turns before he realized something. "We are going the wrong way... I thought that the path upward is back behind us."

Kesst called from the front of the group. "It is. There are soldiers up above us so we're going a different way."

Theo volunteered information that helped the explanation make more sense. "There are stories about the catacombs beneath the University having several different outlets to the city. Supposedly the work crew wanted escape tunnels in case of collapse and they also needed air vents."

The Dragon cleared his throat, a hint of unease coming to his words. He came to a stop over a metal grate and pointed down. "Yea... we're not using any of those... my help had a different idea."

The front of the group came to a halt and Theo's double-take was visible even from a distance. "The sewer?!?"

Kesst nodded, kneeling down beside the bars. "Right. Any of the other exits might be under watch by the Order of Blades."

The Princess was immediately taken aback. "The Order? I would have expected them to have disbursed after Marcelle's death."

A voice spoke up from beneath the grate. "Beggin' yer pardon, yer 'ighness... but there ain't no way th' Blades'd fold just cuz they lost a Commander..."

That voice was familiar; Gift-of-the-Earth thought back to when he had first met the group while imprisoned by the Stone Tribe warriors in the building with metal bars. He expressed the familiarity. "The Rat... from the prison."

Kesst waited until whatever the Rat was doing created a 'ka-click' from the bars and then proceeded to open the grate by rotating it along a metal hinge. "Grange knows my father is protecting someone dear to him."

Gift-of-the-Earth stood impassively. "I thought he meant you harm."

Grange shrugged. "Eh... that's all in th' past... 'e's okay if 'is old man is 'elpin' th' Faithful."

The Bear didn't know what to make of it but if Kesst was willing to trust his former attacker then the Dragon apparently knew something that Gift-of-the-Earth didn't; he would withhold his judgment until the Rat proved unworthy. "Fine."

Grange helped everyone down into a darker, wetter tunnel, guiding them onto a stone walkway perched against a tiled stone wall. As Gift-of-the-Earth came down he realized that choosing anywhere other than the walkway would have him landing in a river of waste. The Bear very nearly wretched as the sight and smell of the sewage assaulted his senses; it was unimaginably horrific to think that such a disgusting thing could exist in a place where the people prided themselves on cleanliness.

Roaring-Flood wasn't faring much better, covering his nose with a paw as he exclaimed in the People's Tongue. "Spirits alive! This place smells worse than the insides of a Muck Wallow Eel."

Gift-of-the-Earth tried not to think about that smell; he could still remember the first time he and his brother had caught one. They had been scarcely ten summers and hadn't known how to skin and dress it and so they'd made the mistake of cutting it open with a stone shard; the smell didn't come off of their paws for days. Frankly, however, Roaring-Flood was right: the Muck Wallow Eel still wasn't as bad. "Just follow them quickly. We will be out of here as soon as possible."

Thankfully the rest of the group seemed to be faring just as badly as the Bears. Theo tip-toed across the stone walkway, holding his tail close to his body and checking each step to make sure that the hem of his robe wasn't brushing the wall or the floor. His sister had a paw over her kit's muzzle with what looked like a piece of cloth in it; the little boy was fretting but the worst of the scent didn't seem to reach him thanks to his mother's care.

The Princess and her Bull servant each had similar cloth to cover their faces, though he could tell the Wolf had a pawful of flower petals tucked inside hers. She spoke through the face covering. "Where does the tunnel let out?"

Grange, who seemed to have no trouble whatsoever with the scent motioned overhead. "There's exits every few 'undred feet, yer Maj... no reason we couldn't get out anywhere, but we're gonna keep goin' til we've reached Old Town."

Princess Norriene nodded. "Old Town makes sense... That will be a good place to handle what comes next."

Kesst glanced back to the Wolf, his eyes glowing faintly in the blackness. Gift-of-the-Earth realized that the Dragon was likewise not having any trouble with the stench, and spoke without concern for the miasma. "Do you have a plan for what comes next?"

The Princess' smile was just visible around the edge of the cloth over her muzzle. "We were in that room for hours... I've had PLENTY of time to plan, my dear."

Theo sighed around his paw covering his nose. "Revenge... it has something to do with revenge, doesn't it?"

Princess Noriene glanced his way. "It is far more complicated than simply revenge, Professor. This is a long-time-coming, and it is the ultimate resolution to all of our problems... but it will require everyone's help."

The Wolf had made quite the promise in her presentation and Gift-of-the-Earth didn't rightly know if she was capable of solving ALL of their problems. He also knew that any 'complicated' plan would require multiple paws to complete. "What do you want from us?"

Roaring-Flood was quick to interject, using the Stone Tribe's tongue so he could take part in the conversation. "First, we get out of the sewer."

The Princess smiled. "I certainly could not find reason to argue with THAT logic."

Evelyn looked to the Wolf. "And then, your Highness?"

"We leave Newport."

That answer seemed to catch Theo by surprise. "We run?"

Princess Noriene came to a stop and turned to address the scholar. "No. We are leaving Newport so we can regroup and strengthen our opposition to Professor Milhoy."

Theo's sister moved to stand beside him. "You have always said that you consider Newport your seat of power, your Highness."

The Wolf's smile widened. "Yes... but at this point leaving is something Milhoy will not expect... besides, Lehsunia has another seat of power."

Theo raised an eyebrow, his tail flicking to the side. "Graddin? Why?"

The Princess pulled the cloth from her muzzle and refolded it, exposing more flowers before returning it to its prior place. "The Mechantists' plan is to control Thaddius... they've been working on it for some time and I believe they may be ready to make their move."

Roaring-Flood grunted. "What about man who put us down in room?"

Noriene's smile returned full force. "Oh... I haven't forgot about Milhoy... he'll be dealt with in our absence."

Theo looked from Roaring-Flood to the Princess, and then to Grange, who was still ahead of the group by several strides. "How is that, your Majesty?"

It was apparently an inquiry judging by the scholar's glance, and the Princess took it at such. "The Rat? Oh, heavens no. I happen to be aware of a powerful woman our good friend Professor Milhoy has wronged, and I plan on seeing to it that she receives a letter explaining everything. I anticipate returning to a very Milhoy-free Newport."