34A/N: So very sorry for such a late update. And it's short too. Sorry, sorry. But thanks for your patience and kind words! Thanks for reading!
Chapter 8: Follow That Bug
"Grandma," Leif tapped the old woman's shoulder.
She spun around quickly. "Leif! I didn't hear you coming in!" She gathered the boy into a bear hug and squeezed. "How are you?" She planted a loud smooch on his cheek.
"Grandma don't!" Leif struggled free. "I'm not a kid anymore!" He wiped his wet cheek with the back of his hand.
"Sick? You're sick?" The old lady placed a hand on Leif's forehead. "No, you don't have a fever."
Leif rolled his eyes. He raised his voice, "Where are your ear cones?" He screamed on top of his lungs, "YOUR EAR CONES? WHY AREN'T YOU WEARING YOUR EAR CONES?"
Ear cones?
The Kraken-man...er, I mean the old man in the monster suit, quietly held out a small, open box. Grandma sighed and reached into the box, taking out a pair of something which she set on her ears. The top part of the ear cone was a curved triangle sitting on top of her ear, shielding it. The cones looked like short dog ears turning down because the dog was feeling sad. The "dog ear" had a tail which curved around the back of and ended inside her ear. Grandma didn't look too happy to do it. I didn't blame her. The ear cones looked rather silly.
"You know I'm only a little hard of hearing, not deaf. I don't need to wear them all the time," she grumbled.
"Er...excuse me," I started, "but could you please-"
"Shut up, thief!" the old lady glared. "Can't you see? I'm talking to my grandson, Leif The Terrible."
"Grandma, these are my friends. I told you about them, remember? They saved me."
"Your friends?" She frowned at us. "What do your friends want with my potato salad recipe?"
"We do not want your recipe," Bishop said, grinding his jaws. "We are here to discuss Britannica princess Geneva and her maid, Lyla."
"Lyla, the princess' maid, yes. A nice girl." With the aid of her cane, Grandma Terrible limped towards a straight-backed chair and sat down. "Why didn't you say so, young man? Hanz, some tea please."
"Aargh!" A muffled scream came from Rio, who was trembling in my pocket. "They're going to boil us in tea!"
The old man scurried around the kitchen, filling a kettle, pulling down tins and teacups.
"We would, madam, if you had given us the chance," Bishop said. "Now, would you please let us out?"
She reached into her suit pocket and withdrew a small key. She handed the key to Leif who quickly unlocked our cage.
Finally. The cage started to feel really cramped and Rio's obsession with death started to get on my nerves. His squirming around in my pocket didn't help either.
"Have a seat," the old lady gestured at the empty chairs around the kitchen table. Hanz laid out a teapot with tiny, pink rosebuds painted on it, delicate-looking teacups, a plate of tea biscuits and butter. He poured us tea without saying a word or spilling a drop. I sipped my tea gratefully. It was hot and very strong.
A silent butler wearing a monster suit who could make strong tea - I wanted one of those if I managed to amass a great wealth. My butler would be a little more elegant of course and would be dressed in a suit, little white gloves and a pair of reindeer antlers. I preferred antlers than tentacles. They were less scary. Instead of being slimy, the antlers would be covered in soft, velvet-like hair. He would be the best-looking butler in the neighbourhood. Everyone would be dying to come for tea in my house so they could eat delicate cucumber sandwiches, admire the butler's tea pouring skills and touch his antlers, saying, "Wow. They are so soft. They are like velvet. You're so clever, Mark! And handsome too! These sandwiches are delicious!"
"What are you thinking about?" Bishop said in a low voice. "You seem so smug."
"Oh, nothing. Nothing...uh, important that is." I took Rio out of my pocket and placed him on the table. He was shaking still, so I broke a little piece of biscuit and gave it to him. He stopped shivering as soon as he started eating.
"So you found the bug," Grandma said, studying Rio with keen interest, "and you saved my Leif. I suppose I could trust you." She fastened her hawk-like dark eyes at us.
"Yes, you could," I replied. "So tell us about the maid and the princess."
"Lyla was worried. She thought the Princess was infatuated with someone, a man who had been visiting her at nights." She dropped four sugar cubes into her tea and stirred.
"Grandma, you're supposed to wash your cigar," Leif said. Or I thought that was what he said. With a mouth-full of tea biscuit, it sounded more like, "Grandmaw, you sposedso washt yoh sgar."
"My brain can't work without sugar," she retorted. "All these young doctors, what do they know anyway? They're just in a way of progress." With a wave of her hand, she dismissed them. Then she said, "The princess wouldn't tell Lyla who her lover was but she kept saying how it would be nice if she wasn't a crown princess and she could run away and start a new life."
"Did Lyla mention anything about the Ink?"
"No, why would she? That useless poison!" Grandma harrumphed.
Interesting. And confusing. So the princess wasn't interested in the Ink? Did she run away with this secret lover of hers?
"There is someone in the King's court who thought it was Leif who stole the Ink," Bishop said.
"Who? It's that pompous Kraken priest, Thomsen, isn't it? My Leif wouldn't do such thing, right grandson?" She fixed her sharp gaze at the boy. Leif nodded and stuffed more biscuit into his mouth. He ate a lot for such a skinny kid.
"Help us find the Princess and the Ink," Bishop said. "It would clear Leif's name."
She sighed. "I don't know where the Ink is. But I think I may be able to help you find the Princess. Or precisely, this little bug may be able to help you find her."
"Huh?" Rio lifted his face from his biscuit. There were little flecks of white on his pincher, head and front legs. "What? I don't know where she is."
"No, but you'll point the way, little friend." The old lady held Rio up in the air with her right index finger and thumb. "It should be here somewhere..." She felt around Rio's underbelly with the tip of her left index finger.
"That tickles!" The bug squirmed. "Wait. What are you doing? No, don't!" He yelped. "Hey, watch where you poke me!"
Grandma set Rio back on the table. "Now spread your wings," she said.
Rio obeyed her. There was a tiny glowing, green dot on his back, flashing just underneath the exoskeleton.
"Lyla asked me to put a tracer in the Princess' locket. We implanted the receiver for that tracking signal in Rio's back. As long as the princess remains in this island, Rio will be able to show you where she is. Just follow this dot. See," she tapped Rio's head gently, "this is North. So this is East. The dot says you have to go North-East. And keep going North-East until the signal says otherwise."
"When...when did you put this thing in me?" Rio asked.
"When you were here with Lyla. We drugged you and put you to sleep. Then after I was done, Lyla changed you into your rock form."
Rio shuddered. "I feel so...so...violated..."
"Cheer up," I said. "You're helping your friend Lyla."
"You are so insensitive!" the bug screeched. "How do you like it if it's you who have things planted inside your body without your knowledge?"
"Uh...sorry."
"So when are we leaving?" Leif looked at me and Bishop expectantly.
"As soon as possible," I replied. "But you're not coming with us."
The boy gave us the same indignant glare that his grandma had given us earlier. "But I need to clear my name-"
"I have something else I want you to do," I said. "I would like you to find someone." I described Evans Derby. "Find out where he stays, what is he doing here, whom he talks to and so on." Leif listened to me with a scowl. "This is a very important task," I continued. "Don't let him out of your sight. He's a wanted criminal in Britannica. We need to talk to him when we got back, okay?"
The boy folded his arms in front of his skinny chest and pursed his lips. Finally he muttered, "Fine. I'll find out about him."
"By the way, don't confront him," I said. "He's a very dangerous man. Watch him but don't confront him, promise me?"
Leif looked away, still pouting. "Fine. Whatever."
"You're a man now," Bishop added. "You must keep your words. We entrust Evans Derby to you. Don't let us down."
Leif whipped his head up. His eyes grew bigger. He had stopped sulking. "That's right, I'm a man. You can trust me, Bishop. I won't let you down."
"Don't call me so brazenly by my first name," Bishop frowned at the boy. "You shall address me as Mr. Knight or Magister Knight."
"Why not? Why can Marcus call you Bishop and I can't?"
"Because Seamus is my partner," Bishop snapped. "And don't call him by his first name either, you impudent boy. He's much older than you. You shall call him Seamus, Mr. Seamus or Novitius Seamus."
"Oh, so now I'm a boy?" Leif sprung to his feet. "You said a few seconds ago that I was a man!"
"Then mind your manners!"
While Leif argued with Bishop, I leaned towards Grandma Terrible and said, "These ear cones. Do they really help you hear better? Where did you get them?"
"Yup, they do. They are my latest invention." Her eyes seemed to twinkle. "Brilliant, aren't they? Mind you, they are useless if you're completely deaf. They would only help if you're hard of hearing. Now if only I could figure out how to make them smaller and not so obvious..."
"Yes, they're brilliant. Do you think you could give me a pair? I'll pay of course."
"I'll give you a pair for free," she said generously. "You saved my grandson once. It's only fair. And by the way," she brought her mouth closer to my ear. "The secret ingredient in my potato salad is spring onions. Oh, and a dash of nutmeg. Don't tell anyone. I just told you because you are nice to my Leif."
"Thank you but we're not here for your recipe. Really," I said.
She ignored me. "Next time you come here," she whispered. "Maybe I'll share my secret lemon cake recipe. Just don't ring the door bell."
But then again, perhaps I should ask for her lemon cake recipe. So my guests would come for tea to admire my butler, his tea-pouring skills and his antlers and say, "This is the best cake I've ever tasted. How did you come across such a good recipe, you handsome and resourceful man..."
#
"Why do you need those ear cones?" Bishop asked as we said goodbye to Leif, his grandma and Hanz, the silent butler.
"For Helgi. These would definitely help him. Come on, let's visit his barrack."
"If you wish," Bishop remarked stiffly.
It took us twenty minutes to find the Navy's men barrack. We gave our names to the young man sitting behind a large desk in the lobby. The man rang a little bell and a young boy, younger than Leif, came running. "Find Lieutenant Helgi," the young man barked. "Tell him there are two gentlemen looking for him." He handed the boy a piece of paper with our names written on it.
The lobby was spartan, without any furniture other than the receptionist's desk and chair. It smelled strong, like disinfectant or some sort. A few seamen stood around in one corner, pretending not to stare at us.
Moments later, Helgi rushed into the room. "Mark, Mr. Knight, what a pleasant surprise." He seemed very happy. "Come to my room. This way. I've asked our servant boy to bring us some wine."
Helgi led us upstairs and along a corridor full of rowdy naval officers. Unlike the lobby, the corridor smelled like cheap perfume, alcohol and unwashed socks. Some of the men were drunk and loud and greeted us with cat calls.
"Don't mind them," Helgi said. "Today is their day off. They are gearing up to go into the town and blow their weekly wages." He barked at some of them, "Sod off you mangy dogs! These are my guests, stop sniffing around them!"
We managed to reach Helgi's room unmolested. His quarter wasn't much bigger than the room we stayed in the ship. There was a wine decanter full of red wine and three goblets on the only table in the room. "Have a seat." He poured some wine into the goblets.
I took Rio out of my pocket and placed him on the table. "This is Rio. He's a talking bug."
"Hello Rio." Helgi seemed unfazed. "Would you like some wine as well?" He dipped the tip of his finger into his wine goblet and let a few drops of the red liquid fall on the table.
"Yes, please. I'm quite thirsty."
"I have something for you." I gave him the ear cones wrapped in my handkerchief.
"Oh? What's this?" He unwrapped the kerchief. "What exactly are these?" He prodded them, turned one of them around in his hand, held it up against the light.
"They are ear cones," I said. "They'll help you hear better. Just put them on your ear, with the end of the tail inside your ear. Try it."
He looked at me nervously, and then at the cones. Finally he decided to trust me I guess, and put them on.
I took a few steps away from him and then with a normal voice, I said, "Can you hear me?"
"Yes," he replied.
"Normally you wouldn't be able to hear me with this distance and this volume," I pointed out. "Usually I have to raise my voice in order for you to hear me."
"Really?"
"Yup, just take them out before you sleep and put them in clean water. In the morning, you should wash them with soap before you use them. And uh, you look a little weird but-"
He moved so quickly. He closed the gap between us, wrapped his arm around my waist and lifted me up. "Thank you!" He twirled me around the room. "Haha! I can hear, I can hear!"
He looked like a big dog with those ear cones. If he had a tail, it would probably be wagging furiously. "What are you doing, you big puppy?" I slapped his shoulder, trying hard not to smile. "Put me down. You're embarrassing."
He did. Still looking so happy, he grabbed both of my hands and said, "Thank you! Thank you!"
My face warmed up. I had never been thanked so heartily before. I recalled how he dreamed of a farmland in the country, how he had to fight his way in the world ever since he was a child by joining the Navy. What I did was nothing and perhaps, wouldn't help him in attaining his dream or making his life easier but at least I could make him smile. I was glad that I could make him happy. For now.
I said, coolly, because I was the epitome of a smooth, not-easily-ruffled gentleman, "You're welcome squid-head."
Helgi's thought and feelings were splashed all over his face. If only, I glanced at Bishop's impassive, closed face, at his cold blue eyes. If only his feelings and thought were as straight-forward and easy to read like Helgi's.
#
The next day we were ready to travel to find the Princess and hopefully, Lyla. The King had let us borrowed Alf, the mammoth, a wagon and provided us with provisions. We took Eve the bird with us too. We had a cage for her but she refused to stay in it. She would rather fly alongside us, she said. She was a free bird and nobody's pet.
"Mark, Mr. Knight!" Helgi jogged towards us, carrying a huge pack on his back.
I said, "What are you doing here man?"
"His Majesty, the King, asked me to come with you, to protect you." Helgi threw his pack into the wagon.
"We are grateful for His Majesty's concern but we would be fine. We don't need protection," Bishop said.
At this point, another mammoth guided by three men, pulling a covered wagon, approached us. Beau walked in front of them, looking rather upset. "Lord Freyr requested me to accompany you," he said brusquely. "I have a guide and two servants. Let's make this trip short and quick, shall we?"
"Do we really need the servants?" I asked.
Beau threw daggers with his eyes at me. "You may not need them. But I do. It's bad enough that I have to accompany you to Kraken knows where! I refuse to be uncomfortable!"
Right. So there we were, starting on our journey to find the princess with two mammoths, two servants, one guide, one beautiful courtesan, one dog-eared soldier, one grumpy lover, one cheerful but devious bird and one bug who relished every opportunity to tell us how we were going to meet our ends.
The day was rather cool, even with the sun shining brightly. It was almost autumn. At nights, as we slept under the stars, we would be able to see the magical Northern Lights.
I wonder if I would be able to see the trees changing colours? It would be lovely.
I drew my cloak closer to me and pulled my hood over my head as I sat beside Bishop in the wagon. Our arms were touching and I was thankful of his warmth. I liked to think that Bishop's body heat was an indication of his tender heart, even when his face and his eyes were cool and aloof. Helgi sat across from us, his face tilted towards the sun and his eyes closed. Beau sat beside him, turning his head aside, watching the passing scenery.
I thought about the people and the beasts around us and how this could turn out to be quite an adventure. As long as he is here, I thought as I slouched slightly against Bishop's arm, I'll be okay.