Land of Verne (15 page)

The foursome spent the next three days avoiding Valeria Bellow. Word was out that she had an argument not only with Eevenellin, but also Ninnipence, and even Dorian. And all three times she almost went Banshee. It forced Grim to check the halls before he left his room. The last thing he needed was to run into Valeria on a bad day.

Fortunately, this particular day Valeria seemed in a rather pleasant mood. It was a city holiday, even for the orphans. And they all decided to make a joint trip to the local emporium.

Good cheer ran rampant through the city streets as most of the city dwellers also made their way to the lower side of the city. And it was a chance for the orphans to finally spend some hard-earned money. Grim couldn’t wait to see what he could buy with the money he collected from his chores. Although goods were quite expensive and orphan labor was cheap.

He examined the few coins in his hand.

Very cheap.

Grim fingered the silver pocket watch and wondered how much he might get if he hocked it. There was a wondrous-looking walking stick with a green stone that drew his attention. According to the merchant it was once used by a Mystic, but what it could do was unknown. Grim went to take the pocket watch out, but noticed Rudy giving him a sidelong glance. And he knew what his Aunt would say if she found out.

Tucking it back into his vest pocket, he walked away, grumbling to himself that he’d have to save up ten years’ worth of wages if he wanted to buy one.

At the emporium was a traveling sideshow called Circus Quirkus. It was filled with entertainers and acrobats, jugglers, costumed men and women on stilts, and fire eaters. The first thing Grim thought of was a carnival. There were grand tents arrayed in vibrant colors, some of which reached staggering heights. Eerie music echoed through the square, as if played on some off-key, mechanical orchestra. It was a little macabre, Grim thought.

Parts of it seemed almost like a traveling freak show. Around the tents moved sinth-based creations, most of which seemed to have no particular form or purpose. They were a menacing mishmash of parts, yet Grim was fascinated nonetheless.

The four of them strode through the vast array of baked goods, preserves, sinth gadgets, toys, and weapons of every kind. Grim wasn’t sure where to begin, but followed the others.

He finally splurged on a device from the Southlands that acted like an umbrella. After the days of rain, he thought it would be appropriate. It folded up small enough to easily slip into his pocket, and it also transformed into a grappling hook with the flick of a switch. That was the extent of what his paltry wages could get him.

The evening brought a fantastical show of exploding fireworks that floated to the ground as candy. Afterwards, they watched a musical performance with characters masked as Darksworn and Jinns that were defeated by men and women wielding the coolest sinth contraptions Grim could imagine.

The Circus wrapped up with a final show of the Unseen who performed incredible feats of strength and flexibility, accompanied by haunting music. All of it was narrated by a short, rotund man named Sir Gummanel T. Falsus, but everyone called him Ol’ Gummy because he lacked most of his teeth. He dressed in furs and a feathered hat and walked with a knobby stick. He was the jolliest person Grim had ever seen, his face grinning with a huge toothless smile.

“Good evening, younglings,” he said to the four of them with a bow and a sweep of his arm. They all returned the greeting, Treena offering the most graceful of curtsies. Rudy attempted the same, but it was rather awkward and she nearly fell over in the attempt. She settled for a half-bow, half-curtsy. Grim stifled the snicker that inched its way up his throat.

Sir Gummanel was flanked by two peculiar creatures, both with stark white skin that appeared as if they wore thick makeup. One had a single black line running down the middle of his face. The other had two lines running across hers, one over her eyes and the other over her mouth. They were both dressed in puffy white pants and frilly shirts, their heads crowned by a pointed white hat with spiraled black markings. They reminded Grim of clowns. Sir Gummanel introduced them as Boboo and Sissimal, respectively.

Boboo, who spoke only in rhyme, offered Rudy a single rose.

“A rose for a maiden, so good and so fair,

All pales to your beauty, so true and so rare,

I offer this flower, but beware its sharp thorns,

It will prick you as surely, as a dragon has horns.”

“Thank you,” she said and attempted to pet the two white ferrets he carried upon his shoulder. When one of them tried to bite her, she quickly withdrew her hand.

Sissimal, who was a mute, waved her arms in front of Grim, showing him there was nothing in her white-gloved hands. She then pulled a gold coin from behind Grim’s ear and handed it to him.

He smiled and thanked her. Yet he did not even have a moment to consider how to spend it; its shiny appearance melted into a dull, tarnished lump of metal the instant Sissimal turned around.

As three large dirigibles flew by and landed outside the city, Ol’ Gummy turned to depart. “Well, I am afraid the night has drawn to an end. Good evening.” He took another bow and left them.

As they ambled about the streets, Grim heard a faint humming that rose and fell on the air.

“Do you hear that?” Grim asked.

Treena tilted her head to listen. “Hear what?”

“Yeah, hear what?” Rudy asked in her thunderous voice.

They rounded the corner into an alley where strange glass bulbs were inserted into the ground. The Gargoyles were dancing and howling between them. With wings extended they would turn the bulbs into the ground at various intervals, like a light show. It reminded Grim of the light bulb that used to hang in Poppa’s workshop.

Quinn and Treena appeared ill at ease.

“What’s wrong?” Grim asked.

“Gargoyles,” Quinn replied. “They fiddle with dark powers.”

Sam and Ellen sat, watching as the twins inserted the bulbs into the dirt. Dorian and Valeria stood off to the side, keeping watch.

“You go ahead without me,” Grim said. “I want to check this out.”

“Me too,” Rudy said.

“Fine by me,” Quinn said, and he and Treena hurried back to Madam Malkim’s.

“Hi,” Grim said as they approached. Ellen and Sam made room for them to sit. Toby climbed onto Grim’s lap.

“I have something to tell you,” Grim said. He needed to relay Aunt Patrice’s last message to them about Festrel. He’d forgotten to tell them.

Ellen took his hand and Sam took Rudy’s. “We know,” they said.

“You know what I was going to tell you?” Grim asked.

They both nodded. “About Festrel. We know.”

Rudy looked at Grim, but said nothing.

Sam giggled, pointing to where the twins had just turned on one of the bulbs and were pretending like they had wings.

“I want to be a Gargoyle too,” Ellen said.

And without anything further said, they watched the bulbs flicker on and off well into the dark of the night.

Chapter 16

Grim groaned the next morning. It was back to the sewers again. Not exactly the sweetest prospect after eating scorched porridge, but such was his schedule.

The students were outdoors making a paltry effort to get physical activity although Madam Adelaide barely had them lifting a ball let alone catching it. He passed by Festrel and caught his whispering to the others.

 “And you know…,” he said in a hushed tone. He was discretely showing them something in his outstretched palm. “There is a band of rebels starting to rise up against my father. If you join us I will ensure that each one is given one of these.”

Overjoyed looks passed through the throng of hopefuls that surrounded him, except for Sam and Ellen who were busy cleaning off the boots of the nobles. And they had a hard time with it. Sam’s rag was so dirty he kept making Festrel’s boots even muddier.

Festrel yanked his foot back as he pocketed whatever was in his hand.

“Can’t you do anything right!” he scolded. “What sort of vermin are they letting into this place?”

“You’re mean,” Sam said.

Ellen nodded in agreement, her little eyebrows furrowed.

Festrel poked Sam in the chest with his bony, white finger. “You had better learn your place, dog. You’re not worth the dirt on my boots.”

The others that crowded around him snickered, and Grim instinctively huffed himself up. His face flushed red and he marched forward, either bravely or foolishly, knowing full well that his Aunt would kill him for this when she got wind of it.

He grabbed Festrel by his vest and yanked him away. “Get your hands off him.”

His grin was like slime. “Well, I can’t seem to avoid you, can I, Grim of House Doyle. I don’t know much about you, but I can tell you this. The moment you step out of Madam Malkim’s, I suggest you run back to your precious Southlands because I will see to it that you will find nothing but misery.”

Grim turned to Sam and Ellen. “Go!”

The two scurried through the crowd and Grim shoved Festrel up against the wall.

“That sounds like a threat.”

“It’s not a threat, it’s a promise.” He leaned in to hiss in Grim’s ear, “…cousin.”

Grim sucked in his breath and let Festrel go. He tried to slip through the onlookers, but a hand grabbed him by the shoulder. It was Master Galan.

“Is this young man disturbing you?” he whispered.

Festrel glared at him.

“Not anymore,” Grim said.

Master Galan nodded as if in understanding. “Perhaps young Lord Festrel and I need to have a little chat. At Madam Malkim’s, the students treat our serv…err, orphans with respect.”

“He’s no orphan!” yelled Festrel. “He’s just trash that’s hiding here!”

“Please come with me,” Master Galan said and escorted Festrel away from the others. Grim weaved through the crowd, his anger boiling over and ready to burst. Treena had just come from the sewers. Her boots were still covered in slop.

She scraped her boot on the ground and looked quizzically at Grim.

“Are you all right?”

He marched towards the Academy, leaving Treena to shuffle after him, still scraping her boot.

“Where are we going?” she asked, hobbling to keep pace.

“To the Library,” said Grim. “I want to see that book Festrel had.”

“On Jinns or Changelings?”

“No. The other one. I just thought of it. There was one called Talismans. I need to know what’s in it.”

“What do you mean?”

He whispered so the others wouldn’t hear. “He called me cousin. He knows who I am.”

Treena tottered behind him, struggling to keep up. The two headed into the Library and scoured the rows. Finally on a pristinely dusted shelf they found the book Grim was looking for:
Talismans
. They headed towards the counter, but Grim tripped and fell at someone’s outstretched foot. It belonged to Ninnipence. Naturally she was not alone. Her brother Jackmeister was right beside her, sharing the same sickening grin. And behind them stood none other than Gorkin of the flaming red hair.

“In a rush, are we?” Gorkin asked.

Grim picked himself up from the ground.

“None of your business,” he muttered.

“I think it is my business. You see, I need my boots shined,” he said and waved them in front of Grim. They reeked of bad cheese.

Grim horked up the biggest ball of snot he could manage and was about to let it go on Gorkin’s boot when Madam Tyne strode up behind them.

“Why are you congregating in my Library? I will not have any funny business in my Library!”

Grim swallowed the ball of snot.

Gorkin gave Madam Tyne a look of feigned innocence. “Well, I need my shoes shined and these orphans are not seeing to my needs.”

Madam Tyne scowled. “Well get on with it then. Shine, boy! Shine! And then get out of my Library! And you,” she said pointing at Treena, “extra chores for you! Just look at my fine floors, sullied by your disgusting feet. Now both of you, shine!”

Grim and Treena knelt down and polished not only Gorkin’s boots, but the others as well, and that included Madam Tyne. When they finished, hyena-like laughter echoed through the Library as the three nobles departed. Then the two had to clean the floor of Treena’s prints before they were permitted to sign out the book.

They left as quickly as they could before finding further trouble or chores, eager to learn what Festrel had been looking for.

Chapter 17