“Boarding? Are we taking the coach?”
“Yes. Why not? We’ll travel on to Llandyport in style.” He glanced back over his shoulder at Kyrian as he headed toward the station, “Some of us will anyhow.”
The lad brushed dust from the sleeves of his coat heatedly. “So you did spend some money on me?”
“Of course, lad. Do you think me so heartless as to leave you behind in Plunyport?”
“Yes.”
Several patrons were waiting on the other side of the street, dressed in their traveling clothes. Two young ladies stood talking with a young man, all of them dressed in fine clothes. Opal watched them in interest as he passed. He could almost feel Kyrian at his heels.
One of the young women, tired of listening to the gentleman, turned to look at him.
As Kyrian rushed across the road, all three of them looked at him. He blushed and blundered on, nearly running into Opal.
The dandy rolled his eye, “Lad, do be more careful.”
The girls giggled.
Kyrian glanced over at them nervously.
“Is he your servant?”
Black Opal turned to face the young woman, smiling. “Yes, that’s right. He’s a bit of a clumsy boy, too.”
The other man laughed at Kyrian, but the girls smiled at him.
“He’s cute.”
“Yes, so bashful.”
“And filthy,” the gentleman sneered.
“Don’t be cruel, Derbec, I think he’s positively charming.” She turned around and smiled at Kyrian, “I’m Lorelei Vanvinck, and this is my sister Claire.”
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Kyrian MacRoom.”
“Kyrian is such a pretty name,” Claire said, cocking her head to one side.
“This is Derbec Belfour. He’s related to the royal family.”
The dark-haired young man pretended that he didn’t know he was being talked about.
“Are you?” Opal said, perusing the wanted posters on the sign behind them. “Out walking the streets of Plunyport without an entourage or guard?”
“Perhaps
I
don’t need a guard to protect myself.”
Opal smiled at his lofty tone. “Perhaps not.”
“Yes, well....” Derbec turned his attention back to Claire, “Where is that blasted coach?”
“They’re never on time around here,” she muttered.
“Are you a prince?” Kyrian asked.
The dark-haired man glanced up, annoyed, “No, I’m not a prince.”
Lorelei hid her smile behind a fan. “It’s a bit more distant than that,” she whispered.
“Oh...no wonder I’ve never heard of him.”
Derbec bristled.
A well-dressed older couple walked over to join the crowd, and as they did, the coach finally arrived.
“Oh, this is my mother and dad,” Lorelei informed Kyrian.
Opal glanced over at the lad in his dirty clothes, then smoothed the lapels of his beautiful new jacket.
Kyrian met Opal’s good eye, glanced at Lorelei, then at his own sullied outfit, and raised an eyebrow.
The dandy stuck his nose in the air. The poster next to him was actually a wanted poster for
Black Opal
, and no one seemed to take the slightest interest in it.
“All aboard!” One of the coachmen jumped down to gather up the suitcases, then turned toward Opal, “Get your luggage for you sir?”
“No need,” Opal smiled and boarded the coach. Kyrian followed.
Opal ended up with a window seat, Kyrian was stuck with the dreaded middle seat, and Mr. Vanvinck had the seat beside the door. On the opposing side, Lorelei, Claire, Mrs. Vanvinck, and Derbec were positively crammed in.
“Doesn’t exactly seat seven comfortably,” Mr. Vanvinck commented.
“Certainly not,” Opal agreed.
The coach jerked forward suddenly, and Kyrian nearly fell out of his seat. He grabbed onto Opal’s arm for support.
“First trip in a coach, lad?” Opal said rolling his eye.
“Yes.”
“Oh, really?” Lorelei perked up, “What sort of work do you do?”
“I’m an acolyte.”
“Really?” Mr. Vanvinck seemed fascinated. “A noble profession for the lower class.”
“Oh, so you mean you’re going to be a priest someday?” Lorelei’s tone sounded somewhat less interested than it had.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“He’s a very devout boy,” the dandy said helpfully.
Kyrian shot him a look of pure hatred.
“Well, you are.”
“Um, what do you do for a living, Mr. Vanvinck?” Kyrian asked.
Lorelei giggled, “He’s a gentleman.”
Kyrian seemed baffled.
“He’s of no profession, you buffoon,” Derbec sneered.
Opal looked out the window at the town disappearing into the distance.
“Oh.”
“Well, I think the lad’s just too busy studying for priesthood to be involving himself in business and money,” Mrs. Vanvinck said reassuringly.
Kyrian gave her a thankful look.
“Positively fascinated with the countryside aren’t you, sir?”
Opal turned to find Lorelei addressing him now. She was a young woman, maybe a little older than Kyrian. She looked soft and playful. “It’s lovely country, don’t you think?”
“Yes, I suppose.”
“Boring when you travel all the time, as I do,” Derbec interjected.
“Hmm.... I daresay you are more acquainted with Plunyport than I,” Opal said.
“Certainly not. I merely meant that I travel a great deal.”
“Oh, is that what you meant? I guess I didn’t understand your meaning.” He glanced at Lorelei as he said it, smiling sarcastically.
She glanced at the floor, then back up into his hazel eye.
“What was your name again, sir? I don’t think I heard it mentioned,” Mr. Vanvinck said.
The dandy looked around Kyrian at Mr. Vanvinck. “I’m Francois Black.”
“Mr. Black, pleased to make your acquaintance.”
“As am I yours,” Opal said.
“And this lad is your son?”
“Oh, no, certainly not. He’s my ward.”
Kyrian nearly protested.
“Yes, my ward,” Opal said flashing Kyrian a look of warning. “His mother asked me to take him in for a little while, as she’s fallen on hard times.”
“Oh, that’s so sad,” Claire said, catching his eyes.
“That’s so noble of you, Mr. Black.”
Derbec grimaced.
“How long does it usually take to get to Llandyport?” Kyrian inquired.
“Not long, lad,” Mr. Vanvinck said helpfully. “An hour, maybe a little more.”
“Only an hour,” Claire whined.
“Just when did you become such a fan of long coach rides?” Derbec scoffed.
She smiled serenely at Kyrian.
“Well, we don’t usually have such amicable company,” Lorelei said.
* * * * *
“Can you slow down a little?” Bel gasped as he raced to get within earshot of the assassin.
She glanced around and realized that they had just passed the Mermaid Inn. It was looking dark and wet, like everything else on the wooded road.
“Sorry. Want something to eat?”
He glanced at the inn, shocked that she would suggest going in there after killing the owner.
Cameo raised an eyebrow and handed him a bag of produce. “I did buy more than just shovels yesterday, as lovely as these particular shovels are, of course.”
He took the goods from her and was happy to discover a brown bread and fresh cheese.
“Oh, my dear, at this moment I love you.”
She took the second shovel from him. “Hungry, hmm?”
“Starved. Aren’t you?”
“I would like some—”
“Brains?”
“Coffee.”
“Ah yes,
coffee
is what I meant to say.”
She ran her fingers through her hair to see if her bald spot was sufficiently covered. The dampness was pulling all of her hair straight and tight to her head. Hiding that one scar was going to prove difficult today. “It would be good to get to the shrine when it’s still a bit light.”
Bel looked around at the gloom surrounding them.
“Relative light anyhow.”
He shook out his newly acquired jacket. “It’s about as muddy as the old one was.”
“Same roads.”
He glanced to his right at the same road that the group had followed from the Temple of the Moon until they got to the Mermaid Inn. “That’s quite depressing, actually.”
“Hmm....”
“What is it that you have to do for your master anyhow?”
With that she picked up the shovels, turned around and started walking in the direction of Lockenwood once again. “Rob a grave.”
“You aren’t serious?” He was only a step behind her.
“Do I sound like I am?”
“No, not really. Whose grave?”
“He wants me to dig up my sister,” she said.
Lockenwood forest spread out before them, and they hiked into it. For a moment all he could hear was the sound of two shovels scraping the ground as she dragged them through the wood and over occasional rocks. The very sound, of the spade against rock, was a chilling foreshadowing of just what they would be doing later.
The world all around them got quite a bit darker as soon as they entered the forest, and much harder to traverse.
Bellamy put away the food and took back one of the shovels. “Why?”
“I don’t know,” her voice was heavier, perhaps burdened by the idea.
“Is this why he showed up in Kings Basin? This is the task you didn’t do for him before?” Bel asked.
“Yes. But now I know there is no avoiding the things I don’t want to do. If I want to live....”
“And you want us to live?”
“Yes, that’s right Bel. I believe your lives are all forfeit anyway. Unfortunately, you three became my friends, and as I know very well, my Master doesn’t like that.”
“What do you mean?”
She turned to look at him, “He wants me to be unhappy. I was a bit selfish when you and Opal stumbled into my life, you see. I knew I was putting you two in peril.” Cameo turned back around and walked on, “Don’t bother going back to Terrence. You are my associate now, Bel, as far as Haffef is concerned. Distance can’t save you three, I’m afraid.”
“That sounds a bit like a death sentence.”
“Perhaps you should have considered a life as a lawyer. Instead you strayed down this rather dark path, and now look where it’s got you. You’re the friend of an assassin and, not only that, an undead. But look at it this way, Bel, the pay is far better for robbing coaches than that tedious studying that you would have had to do for two years with some tacky gentleman who practiced the law.”
“Could you rub it in a bit more?”
* * * * *
Opal reached out the window and knocked on the side of the carriage. “Afraid this is our stop.”
“What? Here in the middle of nowhere?” Kyrian said.
“Yes, lad,” Opal grinned and pulled out his pistol.
Kyrian went pale.
“Now, ladies and gentlemen, we’ll be relieving you of your coin and any pretty baubles you have on,” Opal smiled.
“I’m not a party to this!”
“Oh no, Kyrian isn’t in on this robbery with me. As you all know he’s an honest lad working his way up into the priesthood.” He turned the pistol on Kyrian, “Now, get their jewelry.”
“You’re a bastard,” the lad said as he collected what Lorelei held in her hands.
“The youth of this country are simply spinning out of control,” Opal said.
“Indeed,” agreed Mr. Vanvinck. “Such language.”
Opal turned to Derbec with a somber look on his rather fanciful visage, “Get out.”
The dark-haired Belfour glanced protectively at Claire and Lorelei, then angrily opened the door and stepped out.
“You, as well,” he waved the pistol at Mr. Vanvinck, and then at the remaining ladies.
“What now?” Kyrian asked.
The two of them looked at a fistful of baubles, once they were alone in the coach.
“That name earlier...did you honestly give them your
real
name?” Opal said.
“Yes, MacRoom is my last name.”
“So stupid ....”
“Well, but—I didn’t think we were going to rob these people!”
“Get down, you little fool!” He pushed Kyrian to the floor as the door swung open and one of the drivers pushed the barrel of a musket inside.
The highwayman grabbed the barrel, pulled the man off balance into the carriage, and ran him through with his rapier in one fluid motion.
The group outside released a cry of shock and horror as the driver fell back, bloodied.
Now Opal had a musket to add to his growing collection.
“Who is that inside?”
“If I were a betting man,” said the voice of the second driver, “I’d say that’s that man who killed the Prince.”
“No,” Mr. Vanvinck said in disbelief, ignoring the dead body nearby. “That’s so disappointing, seemed such an agreeable chap.”
“Agreeable?!” Derbec fumed.
“Black Opal,” Claire whispered into her sister’s ear. “Held up by
that
highwayman.”
“Oh yes?” Lorelei brightened, “Such a scoundrel.”
“He just killed a man!” Derbec growled. “Give me a pistol.”
“Don’t, Lord Belfour, you’ll get yourself killed.”
“A voice of reason,” Opal said as he stepped out of the carriage, pistol in one hand, rapier in the other. “Kyrian, take the reins.”
“Me?”
“You can drive this vehicle, I take it from your days on the farm?”
Kyrian’s face flushed in anger. “Yes.”
“Do it, then. Your
mother
is waiting.”
“You’re just going to leave us all behind, here...in the mud?” Lorelei shook her ruined clothes to emphasize the muddiness.
Opal smiled at her. “You my dear, I would never leave you behind—”
“You cad!” Derbec said.
The dandy trained his pistol on the younger man but spoke to Lorelei. “You and your sister are welcome to come along.”
Claire blushed as she met Lorelei’s expression.
“How dare you?” Derbec took a step forward.
Opal turned to him, “I don’t want to kill you.”
“You killed my kin- the prince!”
“Well, no I didn’t, but what does that matter to you anyhow? How indirectly related could you really be, dear boy?”
“Not as indirectly as you think.”
“Don’t do it, sir, Black Opal isn’t anyone to trifle with,” the driver said from the back of the group.
“You should’ve protected us like your friend did,” Derbec said, never taking his eyes off Opal.