The Husband Poisoning Society, Chapter 20

I stared at the monsters in their cages. Three barghests lay sleeping, horse sized black dogs which could turn invisible. Across the room a manticore watched us from its cell. The monster was a rhino sized lion with bat wings and a human-like head sporting rows of shark teeth. We didn’t move for a minute. I waited as Fiona and Vincent surveyed the situation. 

“All the cells are locked. And I see no guards or keepers. We should be able to slip through unnoticed.”

A roar echoed from a wide tunnel ahead of us. I flinched. It sounded almost, but not quite, human.

“Maybe we should hurry?” Amy said. 

“Indeed. Laila, which way?” Fiona asked. 

Laila pointed to the wide tunnel that the roar had come from. “That leads straight outside. Any other route is much longer.”

“Much longer will have to do.” Vincent said. “I know that roar. That’s a giant. I don’t want to fight a giant.”

A moment later the giant stepped out of the shadows of the tunnel. It lumbered into the patchwork torchlight in the menagerie. The giant stood three times my height, and was as wide as it was tall. Muscled legs stood wide apart as it strained against the two dozen guards that held it with chains. Its long lean arms were trapped in a wooden set of stocks. Its face looked like a neanderthal, but wider. It snarled and roared and pulled on its chains. 

“Can they see us?” Amy asked.

“We are in the shadows. But we are not invisible.” Fiona said. 

“Can we backtrack?” Amy asked. 

I turned back and saw bobbing lights from torches.

“No.” I answered 

“Can you fight a giant?” Vincent asked, looking at Fiona.

Fiona nodded a slow nod. “I believe so. With your help it should be possible. But can we fight a giant and two dozen guards while protecting three non-combatants?”

Vincent shook his head.

“We can sneak past them in the shadows.” I said.

“Perhaps.” Fiona said.

“I’ve got no better plans.” Vincent said. 

We pressed ourselves against the wall. We shimmied through the darkness. The cages and the wall sat on our right. The guards had their hands full with the giant and didn’t glance in our direction. We approached the cages. The first cage held a sleeping barghest. And we slipped past it. The second cage held another barghest, also asleep. And the third as well. The fourth was empty. We were tiptoeing past it when something massive slammed into the bars of the cage and roared. The once invisible barghest reappeared and snapped at us through the bars. I stumbled and caught myself with my cane. Amy and Laila jolted away from the bars. Vincent and Fiona spun to face the barghest, weapons drawn. 

The guards now looked towards us. They peered into the darkness. I watched as recognition and then alarm registered on their faces. 

“Now we run again.” Vincent said. 

Fiona stepped to me. “Beloved, I apologize. But you will need assistance to flee.”

And with that, she grabbed me and hoisted me into her arms, bridal carry style. 

I stifled a shriek and whispered, “Warn me next time.”

The guards began to wrestle with the stocks holding the giant’s arms. I gasped.

“They’re going to send the giant after us.” I said.

“Let us hope it attacks them instead.” Fiona answered.

“I don’t think we get that lucky,” Vincent said as we fled through a side tunnel. “Laila, which way?”

“Left. Now straight. Now left again.”

We ran through the corridors. But as we did, I heard the baying of hounds. The guards had released the barghests. Invisible hunting dogs the size of stallions. The barghests sounded like jangling chains when they were invisible. I don’t know why. 

We ran on, Fiona still carrying me. As we ran I began to hear the sound of rattling chains behind us. Growls and baying grew loud behind us. They were gaining. Suddenly Vincent stopped and spun to face the tunnel behind us. He whipped a torch from the wall and jammed it into something unseen in front of him. A dog howled in pain. The barghest materialized, its eye burned and bloody. 

“Down Beloved. I must fight.” Fiona set me down and I struggled to right myself. 

My cane slipped on the wet cobbles and I was about to crash to the floor when Amy grabbed my hips and steadied me. 

Fiona drew her sword and cut a sweeping gash into another invisible barghest. The barghest materialized, a huge cut visible on its flank. In the distance I saw a flash of red bat wings.

“The manticore is coming.” I yelled. 

And then I began to lose my balance again. I swayed and grew dizzy. I recognized the symptoms. I was about to have a spontaneous vision. Not good.

“Amy.” I said, “Incoming vision.”

“Now? Oh dear.” Amy answered. 

And then her voice vanished in the swirling blackness of the vision. 

I was back in the council chamber where I had proclaimed my guilt in my last vision. I could see this time that Amy, Fiona, and Leon were standing beside me. I gathered that we must all be on trial. 

Leon took a step past me.  “No. She is covering for me. I killed the duke.”

Fiona stepped forward, “I killed his grace. I acted alone.”

Amy squared her shoulders, “There is no need to protect me. I killed the duke. I alone.”

Duke Xander rose. “Just execute the lot of them then.”

The judge pounded his gavel. When the room was silent once more, he spoke. “Now then. They can’t all be telling the truth, now can they?”

The scene went dark. And in the darkness I heard the snarling of dogs. I opened my eyes. I found myself, Amy, and Laila huddled in a shadow filled nook in the wall. Amy and Laila were holding a board in place over the opening as a barghest tried to push its head into the alcove. 

“Our situation hasn’t improved.” I noted.