Descent into the Depths of the Earth

the man had been stabbed, cut, burned, bashed, bitten, clawed, and gnawed upon, so this seemed comparatively mild torture. He stoically drank the tea and ate the food, consuming it slowly and carefully without batting an eye.

Escalla primped the roses again, looking about and hoping that everyone noticed the flowers. She then came whirring over to land at Jus’side. She looked at him with a wry fondness and then chucked him on the chin.

“Jus, about the rescue thing… that’s… that’s just sosweet. You never thanked me like that before.”

Jus frowned, wondering why women had to fix upon the most strange little things.

“I’ve thanked you before.”

“Yeah, but you never made it so obvious you meant it!” Thefaerie giggled then chucked him on the chin again. “Well you didn’t have to goto all that trouble.”

Jus bit his lip. All he’d said was thank you. He wondered howshe would act if he’d given it to her in writing. With a shrug, Jus turned backto his tea, managing to ignore the strange deposits floating on the top.

Escalla leaned forward and lowered her voice so that only he could hear. “Ah, Jus, I’m aware that I sometimes cause a few…difficulties, so I’m going to try and think a little more about how you feelfrom now on. I promise.” She crossed her sleek cleavage with a finger.“Partners?”

Jus looked at her, fond but puzzled. He held up his finger so that the faerie could clasp it in her hands. “Partners.”

She seemed relieved to be free of the burden of true confessions. Escalla slung her ice wand over her shoulder, dragged her collection of scrolls and spell lists over to Jus’ backpack and stuffed theminside. Her roses were carefully taken outside, where Polk helpfully installed the vase upright between the blanket bundles. Escalla tidied the blooms, clapped her hands and rubbed them together, and seemed eager for another challenging day.

“Right! So we’re off to look for locals. Should I goinvisible and take the point?”

“No need yet. Just stay close.” Jus intended to walk intotown in as non-threatening a manner as possible. “Enid, are you staying here?”

“I think I might. There are ever so many books to organize.”The sphinx padded over from her work tables with a little rolled papyrus in a tube. She dropped it into Escalla’s lap. “Here. Stun symbol. My last until weget more gems. Sorry that it smells of squirrel!”

Escalla blinked. “Squirrel?”

“She means rabbit.” Jus had already hidden all evidence oflast night’s feast. “Enid, be careful. Follow the road to catch up.”

“Have fun in town!” The sphinx waved goodbye as Polk’s wagonrumbled off down the trail. Enid’s freckles shone like stars as she smiled. “Imight find you a stirge for dinner!”

Three hours later, the Justicar lay against a tree trunkcarefully surveying a crumbling pile of stones. A fountain poured sweet water into a broken moss covered font. A chapel lay half crushed beneath the weight of a fallen tree. With Cinders on his back, Jus lay hidden in the shadows carefully testing the area for any hint of danger. The hell hound’s red eyes gleamed as hethoughtfully sniffed the air.

Magic. Very recent.

“Same scent as this morning?”

Same type. Fancy. Cinders sniffed the air. Gone now.

Leaves shifted as the Justicar came out of cover. Stealth had long served as his deadliest weapon. Moving to circle the fountain, he scanned carefully for tracks.

A tiny scuff marked the fountains moss. The moss oozed water. Jus touched it with his fingertips and thoughtfully sniffed before raising his hand up to Cinders’ nose.

The hell hound thoughtfully savored the air. Elfie-faerie-pixie smell.

A patch of empty space over the far side of the clearing shimmered as it dropped down through the trees.

“Hey, guys! You see anything?”

“Nothing.” Jus shrugged. “Yet.”

“Hoopy!” Escalla popped into view in midair.

At a loud summons from Jus, Polk’s wagon came rumbling down the road. Now mostly empty, Polk insisted on dragging the vehicle behind the party in the hope of filling it to the brim with jewels and gold. While the vehicle arrived, Jus spread out his maps at the rim of the fountain and rubbed at the harsh stubble on his chin.

“All right, according to the milestone, this is Agnes’Fountain. The map puts that just at the north end of the Dreadwood.” He foldedthe map away, then uncorked his drinking flask and took a swig of beer. “Thatsmoke we saw is about half a mile away. Escalla?”

Jus held out his beer flask and swirled it, expecting the girl to take her share. After a minute he frowned and looked at the flask.

No Escalla.

The faerie stood on the fountains edge with her hands clasped behind her back, her head tilted and her face in a knowing smile. She walked artlessly on tip toes, making a pair of prancing little steps towards the Justicar.

“Oh Ju-uus!” Escalla’s voice slyly sung. “Look what I justhappened to find over by the fountain!” The girl held out a small packageall tied up with ribbons and waved it in the air. “A box of sweets.”

Puzzled, the Justicar and Cinders recoiled. The hell hound sniffed suspiciously at the package, stiffened his ears, and wagged his tail.

Sweeties!

Escalla waggled the box slyly in mid air. “Aren’t I the luckyone? Let’s share them, shall we?”

Throwing his mule’s reins aside, Polk landed beside thefountain with a thump. “Sweets!” The man instantly took one from the packet.“Best Tegel toffee!”

The faerie shrugged gaily and said, “I just found them. Guesswe might as well share!”

Jus raised a brow as he inspected the package. “It was justlying there?”

“Of course it was! How strange it should be right there whereI could find it.” Escalla shot a sly, amused look at Jus. “I’m beginning to feela little spoiled. Or a little pampered.”

Jus took a morsel and let Cinders sample it. The hell hound smelled no poison or magic in the sweets or on the box. Walking aside to suck on one of the morsels and puzzle over events, Jus found himself pacing back and forth beside the ruined chapel.

“Cinders, did you see a box there when we arrived?”

No box! The hell hound grinned his manic grin. Maybefaerie keep as present. Give to friends for treat!

“Yeah.” Jus rubbed at his bristly scalp. Why was she being sofull of gifts and song today? If she’d bought treats all the way back at thelast town, why save them for this exact moment? Was she planning something? Had she screwed up again?

Jus paused.

Was she going to leave?

The thought caused an instant hollow pit in Jus’ stomach. Heturned, but there sat Escalla, laughing with Polk. Irritably jerking his usual grim persona back into place, Jus marched back to his companions and stood with them by the fountain.

“Right. We found sweets.”

Escalla tilted her head to look at him out of the corner of her eye. “Right.”

“So it’s just lucky.” Jus kept his eyes on the forest.“There’s no reason to read anything into it at all.”

The faerie steepled sticky fingertips. “Yep. Quite right.”She bit her bottom lip and peered across her shoulder at the Justicar. “Unlesssomeone wanted to say something special?”

Jus folded his arms. “No.”

“Fine!” Escalla twiddled her wings. “Fine. Guess there’snothing to say.”

“Nothing.”