The Husband Poisoning Society, Chapter Forty-Seven: Loyal Subjects

I’d been here before. The walls still walls stood bare.  The bed and chamber pot remained. The privacy screen stood in the corner. The smell of wet stone permeated the room. The cold chilled me and raised goose flesh, though it was not as cold as I had felt on the run. The sheriff and the guards said nothing. Silence hung in the air, heavy like a layer of lead dust that coated everything. 

I stared at the bricks in the prison wall, counting the bricks to pass the time. Nobody spoke. I reflected that Hyperborean castles were historical anachronisms. Built in a crusader knight style, these castles hailed from the middle ages. The rest of Hyperborean architecture stood closer to the dark ages. But, of course, the world of Ossedei existed in a video game. And the game designers didn’t need to adhere to historical accuracy. 

Then a thought struck me. These castles had probably been built by Brenin Arzhur’s empire a thousand years ago. That could explain their presence here. But then they should have a design reminiscent of the Roman Empire, not crusader castles. It didn’t make sense either way. Video games. I shook my head. 

The sound of metal on wood caught my attention. I turned to see the changing of the guard. Two new guards, both male, entered and saluted the Sheriff. They wore leather armor under blue and white tabards. This again in a more European medieval style than the typical old Norse style of Hyperborea. I reflected that two guards and one sheriff would prove no match for Fiona if we could escape our cell. But that if was a major obstacle, and one I didn’t know how to bypass. 

I heard movement and looked back at the bed where Fiona sat. She had lifted her head and was peering at the guards. Her face had shifted from despondent to curious. I doubted most people could spot the change, but I noticed Amy watching as well. I felt confident Amy had spotted the change as well. 

I wanted to ask Fiona what had her attention. But I hesitated. I had never seen Fiona lose hope before. And I didn’t want to undercut her as she regained her confidence. I looked at Amy. Amy indicated Fiona with her eyes and then raised her eyebrows. I nodded and then spread my hands but not my arms to indicate a question. Amy tipped her head and nodded twice towards Fiona. I nodded. 

I stood up and walked to Fiona.

“Lover, may I join you?” 

Fiona looked up. Then she nodded. “Always.”

“How are you doing?” I asked.

“Our situation has not changed.”

I looked. The two guards were watching us. I looked back at Fiona.

“No?” I asked. 

Fiona shook her head. 

“So we’ve got nothing?” I asked.

“We have our gifts, don’t we?” Amy asked, moving to stand next to us. 

I nodded, “I’m not sure how forcing a vision will help us here. What about you two? Anything useful?”

Amy looked at the ceiling and began tapping her lip with her index finger. 

Fiona spoke. “The guards are not particularly bright men. But the one closest to the door has a mystic gift. Unless I am mistaken, he can object read.”

“Then he can confirm what the cure is and give it to Leon, can’t he?”

“Yes, but will he? That is the question.” Fiona said.

“We could ask,” I said. 

“But how would we convince them?” Fiona said.

“You two.” Amy snorted. “That’s the easy part. Fiona already proved that. The question is how do we get out of the cell?”

Fiona smiled. “The guards are both wearing keys. If either one of them can be brought closer, I can obtain the keys.”

“Really?” Amy said. 

“Amy, what do you have in mind?” I asked. 

“Mister guard. Mister guard, could you come here?” Amy called. 

The two guards looked at each other and then, as one, they approached the cell. They stopped well out of reach. Amy pointed at the guard that Fiona had indicated could object read. 

“Mister Guard? Could you do me a favor?” Amy asked, putting on her best cute face.

The guard snorted, “Not likely.”

Amy reached up and eased her bodice down, exposing more of her cleavage. “Then could you watch and listen?”

The guard snorted again. But he kept his eyes on her cleavage.

“You can object read, can’t you?”

He said nothing.

“Would you be a dear, and do an object reading on the vial the guards took from us? We need it to cure the duke here. You’ll be able to tell what it is, won’t you?”

“Why should I?”

“I’d be grateful.” Amy said. And then she made a show of licking her lips. “I’d be very grateful. I’d get down on my knees to show you my gratitude.”

The guard raised his eyebrows, “You love your duke, huh?”

She nodded and pulled her bodice lower.

The guard turned back to his comrade. “Bjorn. Take a walk.”

Bjorn snorted, “Waxing the flagpole are we?”

“Take a walk.”

“Fine. I’m going. Don’t be stupid.”

The second guard departed. the first guard stepped to the bars and began struggling with his belt and trousers. Amy pulled her bodice so low, I though she would tumble clean out of her top. I was struggling to focus on anything but Amy’s cleavage. And the guard seemed entranced. Then Amy let go of the bodice. She reached through the bars and grabbed the guard by his beard. She yanked, stepping back as she did so. The guard’s face clanged into the bars and the guard wavered. Fiona burst from the bed and launched herself to Amy’s side. Amy pulled again and the guard pounded into the bars a second time. This time the guard’s knees buckled and he collapsed in a heap at the floor. 

Fiona stood beside Amy. “Well done. I thought to help. But that was unnecessary.” 

Fiona swept Amy up in a kiss, and I waited while they enjoyed the moment. When they finished, we all looked at the downed guard.

“Did he really think I was going to get on my knees for him?” Amy said, rolling her eyes.

Fiona shrugged. “Men live in fantasy worlds in my experience.”

“They think everything is porn.” I gagged.

“What is that?” Amy asked

“Pornography. Explicit illustrations and books. Illicit tales of debauchery.”

“Oh, I’d never heard it called that before.”

“Okay,” I looked about. “Fiona, can you barricade the door. We’ll need time. Which means we need to stop the other guard from getting back in. Amy, can you get the cure? I’m not moving fast yet. Not after my visions.”

The women nodded and Fiona reached down to retrieve the key. She inserted the key into the lock and then we were free of a cell. 

“Amy,” Fiona said. “We must barricade the door. Ren search for the cure.”

We nodded and Amy and Fiona set to work pushing furniture in front of the door. I hobbled to sheriff's desk.  Finding the cure wasn’t hard. 

“I’ve got it.” I called to Fiona and Amy.

Fiona rushed over and took the key to Leon’s cell along with cure. She unlocked Leon’s cell and poured the liquid down his throat. He was awake enough to swallow the liquid. Although he wasn’t lucid. 

“Now what?” I asked Amy.

“We can’t escape.” Fiona said.

“But Leon should be okay, shouldn’t he?” Amy asked.

“Indeed. At least until our execution.” Fiona said. 

“Now we have to trust Lynn.”

The door shifted. A moment later somebody slammed against the door. Then somebody pounded on the door.

“Let us in! You’ve no escape.”

“This will not hold long.” Fiona announced.

Leon coughed and then opened his eyes, “What’s going on?”

“We’ve all been arrested.” I answered.

“Are we guilty?” Leon asked.

“Not for what they’re charging us with, no.”

“What do we do?”

“Your fiance has a plan. We have to trust her.”

“What’s the plan?”

“They didn’t tell us, in case we got tortured again.”

“Again?”

“Another time. When you’re lucid.”