Today's prompt would work rather well to continue yesterday's tale I think, but I shall return to Carcosa instead. It's warmer there :)
Reassurance Tomasz stiffened and Samual tensed, shifting his weight so that he was balanced; flexing his knees a little and loosening his shoulders ready for action. Lord Derby didn't bother turning round. "Grace," he said. "Lady Grace," she replied, her accent again making it sound like she was saying "Gratz". "Your Dignity's companion and treasured friend." "I don't think Dignity allowed herself any friends," said Lord Derby. He turned at all to face Lady Grace. Her face was flushed red and her hands were clenched into fists; her blonde hair was oddly askew, and after a moment he realised that she must be wearing a wig. Her clothes were pulled tight around her and she looked distinctly fatter than when they'd first met her. "As her companion, I should disagree with you." Her voice was almost metallic; harsh and controlled. "As someone who knew her from childhood, I would still call you a liar." Lady Grace took a step forward, her eyes bulging. "You stole my Byakhee." She jabbed a finger at him. "You lied to me about the zbornat and made me dirty my hands in a filthy corpse. You have invaded the Temple of the King, you pig, and you have stolen from him!" Her finger jabbed out again, stopping just short of Ernest's chest. "And you stand there, in your arrogant dis-splendour and call me, ME, a liar?" Her lips pulled back from her teeth in a snarl as she spat the last words out. "None of that is true," said Ernest calmly. His eyes met hers, though her tiny pupils and iris that seemed to be cracked in several places made him wonder about her sanity. Behind him Samual eased very slowly into a different posture, his hands dropping to his hips, where Lord Derby knew he had a firearm holstered. Tomasz seemed to be watching. "There," Lady Grace turned sharply to point at the Byakhee and little white drops of foamed spittle flew into the air and landed on the parched stone of Carcosa. "There is my Byakhee. Proof, incontrovertible proof of your theft!" "Call it to you." "What?" "Call it to you. If it is yours, it will acknowledge you. If it common property amongst the people who live here, it will not."
There was a moment of silence where Ernest fancied he could almost hear the rage building, and then, "Byakhee know no names, fool." "I never suggested you'd name it. Only that if it was yours you could call it and it would acknowledge you. Here, Birdie, birdie, birdie." Samual snorted with surprised laughter at Lord Derby sounding like he was trying to attract a stray cat. The Byakhee ignored him. "What makes you think it understands English?" "You speak to it in English," said Lord Derby. "Yet it's not your native tongue. If it understood nothing, you'd talk to it in Polish, or...." Lady Grace's eyes narrowed at the trailing off of his sentence. "You know nothing!" she said, her shoulders hunching. "You are a thief and a liar and you will never leave Carcosa." "I am no thief either," said Ernest. "You did not leave the Temple empty handed!" "The javelin? That was found outside the Temple." Everyone looked at the javelin, which Lord Derby had been holding like a walking stick the entire time. For a moment again there was silence, and then Lady Grace took a half-step back, as though recognising that Lord Derby was not entirely defenseless. "What do you mean, we will never leave Carcosa?" Tomasz looked worried, but still tense. "No-one will leave Carcosa until the time is right." Lady Grace took another step back. "I will take my Byakhee back now, thieves. And do not think we will not see each other again. I will be the very last thing you see, Derby."
She backed up to the bird-like creature and mounted it, never taking her eyes off Lord Derby, even though she practically ignored both Samual and Tomasz in doing so. The Byakhee lifted off into the air, and flew away. "Well," said Lord Derby. "If we needed reassurance that Grace means us no good, we have it in spades now." "Why do we talk to the Byakhee in English?" Tomasz was shaking now that the threat was fleeing. His words sounded as though he wanted people to think of something other than his reaction. "Everyone who came through, all the colonists -- they all speak some English." "I don't know," said Lord Derby. "And I don't much like the guesses I could make." "Where is she going?" said Samual. He'd been following Lady Grace's departure. "She's not going to the Temple, or the village I think. Is there somewhere else here with people?" Tomasz shook his head, and then sat down with the ungainliness of someone near to collapse. "Not any more," he said.
3 comments:
Today's prompt would work rather well to continue yesterday's tale I think, but I shall return to Carcosa instead. It's warmer there :)
Reassurance
Tomasz stiffened and Samual tensed, shifting his weight so that he was balanced; flexing his knees a little and loosening his shoulders ready for action. Lord Derby didn't bother turning round.
"Grace," he said.
"Lady Grace," she replied, her accent again making it sound like she was saying "Gratz". "Your Dignity's companion and treasured friend."
"I don't think Dignity allowed herself any friends," said Lord Derby. He turned at all to face Lady Grace. Her face was flushed red and her hands were clenched into fists; her blonde hair was oddly askew, and after a moment he realised that she must be wearing a wig. Her clothes were pulled tight around her and she looked distinctly fatter than when they'd first met her.
"As her companion, I should disagree with you." Her voice was almost metallic; harsh and controlled.
"As someone who knew her from childhood, I would still call you a liar."
Lady Grace took a step forward, her eyes bulging.
"You stole my Byakhee." She jabbed a finger at him. "You lied to me about the zbornat and made me dirty my hands in a filthy corpse. You have invaded the Temple of the King, you pig, and you have stolen from him!" Her finger jabbed out again, stopping just short of Ernest's chest. "And you stand there, in your arrogant dis-splendour and call me, ME, a liar?" Her lips pulled back from her teeth in a snarl as she spat the last words out.
"None of that is true," said Ernest calmly. His eyes met hers, though her tiny pupils and iris that seemed to be cracked in several places made him wonder about her sanity. Behind him Samual eased very slowly into a different posture, his hands dropping to his hips, where Lord Derby knew he had a firearm holstered. Tomasz seemed to be watching.
"There," Lady Grace turned sharply to point at the Byakhee and little white drops of foamed spittle flew into the air and landed on the parched stone of Carcosa. "There is my Byakhee. Proof, incontrovertible proof of your theft!"
"Call it to you."
"What?"
"Call it to you. If it is yours, it will acknowledge you. If it common property amongst the people who live here, it will not."
There was a moment of silence where Ernest fancied he could almost hear the rage building, and then,
"Byakhee know no names, fool."
"I never suggested you'd name it. Only that if it was yours you could call it and it would acknowledge you. Here, Birdie, birdie, birdie."
Samual snorted with surprised laughter at Lord Derby sounding like he was trying to attract a stray cat. The Byakhee ignored him.
"What makes you think it understands English?"
"You speak to it in English," said Lord Derby. "Yet it's not your native tongue. If it understood nothing, you'd talk to it in Polish, or...."
Lady Grace's eyes narrowed at the trailing off of his sentence.
"You know nothing!" she said, her shoulders hunching. "You are a thief and a liar and you will never leave Carcosa."
"I am no thief either," said Ernest.
"You did not leave the Temple empty handed!"
"The javelin? That was found outside the Temple."
Everyone looked at the javelin, which Lord Derby had been holding like a walking stick the entire time. For a moment again there was silence, and then Lady Grace took a half-step back, as though recognising that Lord Derby was not entirely defenseless.
"What do you mean, we will never leave Carcosa?"
Tomasz looked worried, but still tense.
"No-one will leave Carcosa until the time is right." Lady Grace took another step back. "I will take my Byakhee back now, thieves. And do not think we will not see each other again. I will be the very last thing you see, Derby."
She backed up to the bird-like creature and mounted it, never taking her eyes off Lord Derby, even though she practically ignored both Samual and Tomasz in doing so. The Byakhee lifted off into the air, and flew away.
"Well," said Lord Derby. "If we needed reassurance that Grace means us no good, we have it in spades now."
"Why do we talk to the Byakhee in English?" Tomasz was shaking now that the threat was fleeing. His words sounded as though he wanted people to think of something other than his reaction. "Everyone who came through, all the colonists -- they all speak some English."
"I don't know," said Lord Derby. "And I don't much like the guesses I could make."
"Where is she going?" said Samual. He'd been following Lady Grace's departure. "She's not going to the Temple, or the village I think. Is there somewhere else here with people?"
Tomasz shook his head, and then sat down with the ungainliness of someone near to collapse.
"Not any more," he said.
Greg - ooh, this was delightfully tense. Really enjoyed what you did with Grace here. And Derby was masterful :)
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