The Devil's Dreams, Chapter Five

[ewancummins]

After the blessing and the kiss, Gauderic favors Everline with a faint smile.

''Thank you, Mademoiselle Vaughan. I pray we'll meet again, as you say, in a better place.''

With that, the young gentleman hurries off into the gloomy expanse of the caverns, and is lost to sight.

[Adam]

"Right, right," Benn says, moving to help Everline. "But let's hurry. Karim wouldn't want us wasting what time we have left on him instead of saving ourselves."

[Ail]

Eustace says a quick prayer for Karim, commending him to the sun above.

"An unfortunate death in a cruel place, but we are to follow if we don't hurry. Let's go, quickly."

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"So what's our game plan?" Everline asks as she helps to re-pack the one bladder of liquid death she took as well as to lash Karim's body to the boat. "I mean, we can't hardly hit ole Ferenc over the head an' just drag him down 'ere. People'd talk, for starters." Without waiting for a reply, Everline helps start the boat on its way to the exit.

[Ail]

"At the moment, I can hardly think of niceties and subtleties. Were I in my land, I'd charge him with witchcraft or heresy and start from there. Brute force and no reaction, fair trial given later."

[ewancummins]

"At the moment, I can hardly think of niceties and subtleties. Were I in my land, I'd charge him with witchcraft or heresy and start from there. Brute force and no reaction, fair trial given later."

The monk's voice is quavering, lacking in confidence. His face has turned the color of sour milk. He turns to flee downstream, towards the only exit of which the party is sure.

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

Dorgio's eyes go white as he sees friend Karim, his kindred in the Vistani blood, fall. He mutters a prayer that dies on his lips, but manages to make the sign of The Dawn over his dying friend.

He says nothing more as Gauderic steps toward his fate, but he manages to give the man a single, respectful nod.

As they discuss their game plan, Dorgio regards Everline's suggestion with a raised eyebrow. "I do not like this, trading one life for another..." Though even as he speaks the words he knows that trading lives for lives could be a fair summary of his career.

"Storming the manor would be fool's work, you're right," he tells her at last. "But if he is leaving tonight, he could be intercepted."

[RocEter]

Thom stands there in silent horror as he watches Karim die. "The life of a young hero often ends in tragedy.." He says.

He says nothing as he watches the young noble continue forward alone.

"We don't have to like it, we just have to do it." He says to Dorgio. "We will ambush him on the road then. He will probably be guarded, so we should expect a fight. We will have to leave now though we don't have much time to waste." He says.

Getting back into the tainted water Thom follows Eustace downstream towards the exit of the cave.

[Adam]

Helping the others leave, Benn adds "If we have time to wait for him to escape, that is. The voice in the dark was extraordinarily vague on that point."

"We need to get back to Theophile's notes. Something about this creature seems familiar."

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Everline waits until the group is safely outside the cave before she speaks again: "I need ta talk ta Prof Rotwang's "guest" again, quick. If'n we're lucky, it knows the devilhorn an' knows how ta neutralize its poisons. If not... Then not. But I thinks we got us a good chance a' gettin' past the sheriff; with that devilhorn festerin' under the 'ouse, it needs ta be evacuated. An' ole Ferenc has to explain who he ticked off bad enough ta do somethin' like this an' how. It's practic'ly the Law; citizens are in danger 'ere, not just us. No telling if'n those poisons'll run down the river an' into places with people livin' there."

[ewancummins]

The party makes good its escape from the caverns, moving downstream with alacrity. Karim's body is soaked in the escape, and another smoke pot is lost to the stream.


Outside, the heroes find that the warm autumn noontide has long since yielded to the advance of a dim, damp, evening. The sun rides low in the west, obscured by masses of purple clouds. A chill wind whips across the pastures and through the scattered woodlots of the Delapore estate. Fat drops of rain begin to fall.

Everline waits until the group is safely outside the cave before she speaks again: "I need ta talk ta Prof Rotwang's "guest" again, quick. If'n we're lucky, it knows the devilhorn an' knows how ta neutralize its poisons. If not... Then not. But I thinks we got us a good chance a' gettin' past the sheriff; with that devilhorn festerin' under the 'ouse, it needs ta be evacuated. An' ole Ferenc has to explain who he ticked off bad enough ta do somethin' like this an' how. It's practic'ly the Law; citizens are in danger 'ere, not just us. No telling if'n those poisons'll run down the river an' into places with people livin' there."

[Adam]

"Good thinking," Benn agrees, his appreciation for Eve's quick mind growing, "In the interest of time, I'm thinking I should go and find the sheriff, then retrieve Theophile's notebook and see what he knew about the horned fungus as well. And, of course, confront Ferenc if possible. I would appreciate having some back-up, as the sheriff and certainly Herr Delapore may not be amenable to allowing us reentry."

He looks around at the wet, bedraggled group. "We're stretched thin as it is, but summon what strength you have left. Our lives literally depend on what we do in the next few hours."

[Ail]

Eustace takes back the things he had left by the cave entrance. Then prepares to go with Benn.


"I'll profit to take my things back from the room, and my horse from the barn."

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

Dorgio nods at Benn and Eustace. "Yes, maybe we can be solving this peacefully. But if we cannot..." Dorgio furrows his brow and shakes his head to himself, a sour taste in his mouth and a cold knot in his gut. "If we cannot, then we must be taking him by force of arms, if need be."

As he thinks, an image enters his mind from earlier in the morning, of Benn choking on the spores. "Benn, earlier today, when you nearly died--are you thinking it was from the same spores that infect us now? If only we had more time, I could call on The Morninglord to save at least a few of us...but if we are not sane by morning, I am not knowing what I can do."

[RocEter]

"I don't think that is a good idea. Why don't you let me and Dorgio handle the Sheriff while you get the Theophile's notebook?" Thom says. " Though I suspect any useful information on the caverns and the fungus where contained within the pages inside the stolen lock box."