The Ruens of Fairstone (Aeon of Light Book 2) (24 page)

“No!” Pard says, scowling.

Miles beams. “Yes!”

Pard glares at Miles. “No!”

Miles smiles back at Pard and gently pats Pard on his shoulder. “
Yes
, that would be perfect, Selby. We will meet you at 9:30 by the east gate next to the forest.
Right
,
Pard
?”

Pard grunts as Miles continues to pat Pard on the shoulder to sooth him.

“Good, it’s a plan, to the condor’s nest tomorrow morning it is.”

NASTY LOVE

Pard and Miles meet Selby the next morning and sneak her into Fairstone using one of the Marlow Tunnels.
 

“What is this entrance?” Selby says, stepping through the ivy-covered stone door. She enters the dark tunnel behind Miles and brushes aside a cobweb.

“It’s one of our little secrets,” Miles says, “can you keep a secret, Selby Barrow?”

“Of course I can.”

“Good, because otherwise I’d have to kill you.”

Selby gasps and glances at Pard.

Pard shakes his head and whispers, “He’s just joking.”
I hope.

In the rear, Pard clicks his light stick and pushes the stone door shut. It grinds and scrapes along the ground. He turns and points his light at Miles and Selby. “You want me to lead?”

“It’s all you, lead the way,” Miles says.

“That’s an interesting light you have,” Selby says. “Where did you buy it? I’ve never seen one of those.”

“Professor Videl gave it to me for my birthday a few days ago, and it’s come in handy lately.”

Selby nods. “I imagine.”

They enter Miles’s room and go over the plan. They stand in a circle in front of the fireplace under the watchful eyes of the bearinef as they all glance at each other waiting for someone to speak.

Pard can see the seriousness in Miles’s eyes. “What is it?”

“I know we have to do something, and soon,” Miles says, “but are you sure about this? Once we go down the road I have in mind, there’s no going back. I don’t know what will happen, but if we go with my plan, things will escalate fast, and it may not be good for any of us.”

Pard’s brow furrows. “If Yitch is responsible for my parents’ deaths, then I need to know.”

“Me too!” Selby says.

“All right, so here it goes. I’ve been working this out all last night and I don’t think there is any other way to catch Yitch off guard, but the risk is high, especially for you, Pard.”

“I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”

Miles frowns. “I don’t know if you’ll like it.”

“Spit it out.”

“All right, here it is, you go through the Marlow Tunnel to Yitch’s office alone and wait for my signal. I’ll go to Yitch and tell him I have something important to tell him.”

Pard shakes his head. “No way will he believe you after what you did in the cathedral. He’s not stupid.”

Miles purses his lips. “I’ll tell him you threatened to kill me if I didn’t testify for you.”

Pard’s jaw drops. “Oh.”

Selby interjects. “But why would he believe Pard would kill you, Miles? That makes no sense.”

Pard cringes and scratches the side of his head, both him and Miles still not explaining any of Pard’s seeros abilities or Nero or his trial.

“Never mind that now,” Miles says with a casual wave of his hand, “we’ll explain the particulars to you later on a need to know basis, but believe me when I say Yitch will go for it and have a one-track mind to get Pard back on trial.”

“
Trial
?” Selby says. “I thought you were exaggerating yesterday when you mentioned it.”

“Just trust us,” Miles says. “Pard is innocent, sort of, that’s all you need to know.”

“
All right
,” Selby says, not convinced.

“At this point, Yitch will have his mind off his office and on Pard and the trial. This is our chance. Selby, two minutes after I enter the office I need you to knock on the door. When Yitch answers, tell him you need to speak with him, it’s urgent, and then look at me and say it’s private. If Yitch asks you to enter, say you want to talk with him outside the castle, and say it will only take a few minutes. If he asks for me to leave or wait outside, which he won’t, I’ll say I’m fine and feel more comfortable waiting for him to return. Selby, lead him out the main front entrance below Yitch’s office. Once I see you both outside, I’ll signal for Pard to enter the office. Pard, I have something special for you.”

Pard’s eyes narrow as Miles steps away, opens the window, and retrieves something from the outside ledge.

“Oh hell no,” Pard says, “not again!”

“It will work this time.” Miles dangles a soiled paper bag in front of him.

Pard twists his face.

“What’s that?” Selby says, pointing.

Miles extends the bag toward Pard. “Take it.”

Pard cringes and reluctantly takes the bag.

Selby turns up her nose. “What’s that smell? What’s in there? It stinks, I think I may gag.”

“Scraps from the kitchen,” Miles says, “to distract Maximus the nasty yippy nippy. So once I let Pard in, Pard, you toss the scraps in the opposite corner, and I’ll keep the ferocious creature occupied while you inspect the locket. Once we know for sure, I’ll snatch the bag of scraps, and Pard, you get back in the tunnel and go to your room and wait. Selby, head to the side gate where we met you just now and I’ll give you an update.”

“And what am I waiting in my room for?” Pard says.

“For whoever is going to retrieve you of course. I imagine Yitch will arrange a special session to resume the trial, like within an hour or two after I leave the office. That’s how long it will take to gather everybody into the Fairstone cathedral.”

Pard glances out the window as he contemplates the plan. “So basically you tell him you’ll denounce me in front of everyone, but really once we get everyone in the cathedral, we present the evidence and denounce Yitch.”

Miles nods in agreement. “That’s the plan.”

Pard sighs. “Risky, a lot can go wrong. Like what if the locket isn’t my mother’s?”

“I told you you weren’t going to like it. And it is your mother’s locket, I’m sure of it. So you still in or not?”

Pard shrugs. “It’s as good a plan as any, what do I have to lose? I’m in!”

Miles looks at Selby. “How about you?”

“I’m in too.”

Miles winks at Pard. “Good, let’s zap the bird.”

Pard makes his way through the tunnel with businesslike focus, the path to Yitch’s office is so clear to him he doesn’t even need his light stick to show him the way. Pard is nervous, though he can’t help feeling excitement, knowing he may finally reveal those responsible for his parents’ death; and for Miles, someone with so much to lose and so little to gain, if it doesn’t work out, he might be expelled from the school as well. Then it hits Pard, Miles is really the first friend he’s ever had, and for that he vows to always be there for him no matter what.

Pard reaches Yitch’s office and peeks through a pinprick in the stone.

Yitch sits in his throne, drinking Elexar Number 5 between rubbing his temples.

Maximus sits at his feet and licks Yitch’s ankle.

Yitch groans. “What to do, Maximus, what to do? This damned Wenerly has me in a bind. I can only hold off Alexa and Eeva for so long. I even had to agree to hand over the boy for no gold. What a mess this is becoming. And no reparation for your poor brother’s murder, and the gold, the damned gold.” Yitch and Maximus growl in unison. “
Wenerly
.”

Miles knocks on Yitch’s door.

Yitch’s gaze snaps up. “Who can that be, Maximus? I have no appointments for another three hours.” Yitch gets out of his throne and strides across the office and opens the door. “Lord Marlow, this is a surprise, what can I do for you?”

“Headmaster, I have something urgent to speak with you about. May I come in?”

“Can it wait, I’m in the middle of something?”

“It’s about the murderer Pard Wenerly.”

“
Wenerly
? Murderer, you say?”

“Yes, sir, please, may I come in? You’ll want to hear this right away.”

“Fine, fine, enter and have a seat.”

Yitch’s office door clicks shut.

Pard takes a shallow breath.
He’s in.

Miles gives Pard a thumbs up as he purposely steps on Yitch’s lineage rug. “Thank you, headmaster.”

“So you say murderer? But you testified you were with him the night of the incident.”

Miles sighs. “I didn’t want to testify for Wenerly. But he threatened to kill me if I didn’t. You know he can kill things with electricity, it’s scary as hell, I’ve seen it. So I spoke up at his trial. But the thought of poor Nero keeps weighing on my heavy conscience, and I can’t let the evil Wenerly get away with it.”

Pard’s eyes narrow, not liking the words coming out of Miles’s mouth.
Laying it on thick there, buddy, evil?

“Indeed, indeed,” Yitch says, “Wenerly is a dangerous menace that must be dealt with. You’re very brave to come forward. I will—”

Knock knock—
 

The knock on the office door interrupts Yitch.

Selby
. Pard eyes Yitch with focus.

“Who is it
now
?” Yitch says in a drawn-out annoyance. “Please wait here, Lord Marlow.” Yitch gets up from his throne and glides across the office and opens the door. “
Selby
?”

“Headmaster. Good morning.”

“Good morning, Selby, what in heavens are you doing here?” Yitch sticks out his goose-like neck and peeks in both directions down the corridor, expecting the mayor to be with her.

“I’m here alone on my own accord, headmaster.”

“All right, what can I do for you?”

“I need to talk to you about my father—it’s very important.”

Yitch glances back into his office and at Miles.

Selby does the same. “I don’t feel comfortable talking around your students or in the castle, can we go outside and speak?”

Conflicted, Yitch glances back and forth between Miles and Selby. “I don’t know if this is the best time, Selby, some important matters—”

“It will only take a few minutes, please, headmaster, I beg you.”

Miles stands up and faces Yitch. “It’s all right, headmaster, if you need to go for a few minutes, I can wait right here until you return.”

Yitch’s nervous eyes dance as he ponders the thought. “I guess so, all right, Selby.” Yitch nods at Miles. “I’ll be back in a few moments, Lord Marlow, make yourself comfortable.” Yitch steps out of his office and closes the door behind him. “So what do you need to talk about?”

“Once we get out of the castle, headmaster, I’ll feel more comfortable.”

“Okay, okay.”

Selby’s and Yitch’s shoes clap the wooden floors as they move away from the office.

Pard stares at Miles in anticipation, like a runner about to take off for a race when given the signal. His head bobs like a metronome to the beat of his internal cadence.

Miles strolls to the window and peers out the frosty glass.

Below, Selby and Yitch stand at the base of the stairs next to the driveway.

Miles gives Pard the thumbs up. “You in there, professor? Because I think we’re a go.”

Pard flings open the fake stone door.

Maximus twitches at the intrusion. The dog springs to his feet in a fury and growls, then scurries across the office, barreling straight toward Pard with pointy teeth exposed.

Miles spins around and points at the giant rat-like creature charging Pard. “The bag, the bag!”

Grrrr
—

Pard fumbles the bag in his hands and tosses it to Miles running toward the Marlow Tunnel.

Maximus slides to a halt as it’s smashed face follows the soiled, stinky bag over its head.

Miles catches the bag and dangles it in front of Maximus’s face.

Maximus’s nose twitches, and he calms and licks his thin purple lips.

“That’s right you gross little nip-yip. It smells good and nasty, just like you.”

Maximus’s body pulses forward, and he noses the bag.

Miles grins and yanks the scraps away. He creeps to the center of the office, luring the dog away from Pard and the display case with the locket inside. Miles tosses the bag to the far corner, and Maximus’s nails slip and slide on the varnished wooden floor as his legs move faster than his feet can grip the slick surface. The dog scurries away from Miles and attacks the bag with an orgasmic frenzy.

“Not bad,” Pard says with a nod, watching Maximus tear into the bag with a fervor, scraps of pork and fat and sinew and fish heads and rotten potato peels and wet paper fly in the air. Pard makes his way straight for the display case with his mother’s locket inside. He bends over and peers at the gold necklace through the glass, the Ruen symbol of the Ida tree is calling him. His eyes reflect, and for a second, it almost seems as if he sees his mother’s image. Pard inches away, taken aback.

Miles slides in close next to Pard and bumps Pard to the side. Miles pats the side of the silver and mahogany case. “We have to hurry—how do we open this darn thing?”

Pard snaps out of his moment, and he bends over to inspect the case, and on the inside, a small metal mechanism is barely visible. Pard pats under the case where the mechanism is situated. A small, smooth, metal nub rolls over his finger. He presses it.

Click
—

The top of the case pops open an inch.

Miles slaps Pard on the back. “Nice one, professor, it would’ve taken me forever to figure that out.”

Pard’s eyes widen as he grips the lip of the case. He slowly lifts the glass and stares at the locket perched on the flat, white marble block. The necklace speaks to Pard without words to release it from its unnatural prison. But all Pard can muster is staring at it in awe and beauty, remembering the locket around his mother’s neck.

“Grab it,” Miles says, losing his patience and glancing at the window and then the office door. “I have faith in your girlfriend to hold Yitch for a few minutes, but the quicker we get the locket and you out of here, the better. I’m sure the only thing Yitch is thinking about right now is the murderous Pard Wenerly and getting back here to talk to me, so hurry and let’s get this over with.”

“Right.” Pard slowly lowers his hand. Pard’s fingers graze the gold and trace the Ida tree.