Well, it's about time that plot lines start to interconnect--especially given that I have just under two weeks to finish Book I, and I plan to have all the plots connected by the end of it all! Anyways, Happy Saturday, all!
Part XXXI: Strangers Thrown Together
Date: Amanela 19th, 114 A.U.
Astrid groggily woke up to see her vision constantly focusing and refocusing as she tried to figure out where she was. The coldness of the room, the hardness of the rock, and the unfamiliar people around her was her first clue that she wasn’t in her bed at home. And then it hit her. Literally.
“Ow!” Astrid said.
“Sorry,” the dwarf said. “Didn’t see ya there. What are you doing on the ground anyways?”
“I was sleeping,” Astrid said, sitting up.
The dwarf looked at her floppy mattress nearby. “I kind of thought that was what that was for,” he said, gesturing to the mattress.
“Look, I move in my sleep, ok?” Astrid said. “And I just woke up here; I have no idea where I am or whatever.”
“Ah,” the dwarf said. “The name’s Jroldin. You’re in a nicely caged prison cell, courtesy of whoever kidnapped us here. Who are you?”
“Astrid,” Astrid replied. “I’m a nurse.”
“How’d you get to have your brother as a spy?” Jroldin asked.
Astrid’s eyes open wide, suddenly awake. “How did you know he was a spy?”
“The guards were talking about it,” Jroldin said, and he shrugged and then grinned. “That and I looted his pockets.” He flashed an FRI badge in her face. Astrid inwardly groaned.
“Anyways,” Jroldin said, “How’d you get the honor of being brought to this cell. The guards seemed pretty ticked at you. They said they were going to have to deal with you. What’d you do to offend them?”
“I’d rather not talk about it,” Astrid mumbled.
“Just try and make them really ticked at you,” Jroldin said. “And then the questioning goes easy.”
“But I don’t want to make them ticked at me,” Astrid protested.
“Well, not in that way,” Jroldin said. “But I mean-”
“You’re a nurse named Astrid?” Brother Tomas said, stepping up.
“Yeah,” Astrid said, wondering how a brown-robed priest got in here. “Why?”
“Yeah, why?” Jroldin asked.
Brother Tomas pushed his spectacles up his nose. “Remember Jroldin?” he asked. “The prophesy? A woman named Astrid? And a healer in the party? Doesn’t it seem a bit coincidental that you could meet up like that? Mayhaps the prophesy is calling you together!”
“What prophesy?” Astrid asked.
“Xavier’s prophesy!” Brother Tomas said. “About the team of seven who would save the world from destruction!”
Astrid stared at Brother Tomas. “You think I’m a member of the prophesy?”
“Well, maybe not,” Brother Tomas said. “But I would not automatically discount it. After all-”
“What’s up with the glowing crown?” a voice said from behind, and Monty entered into the flickering firelight.
“What crown?” Astrid asked.
“The crown on the dwarf’s head, of course,” Monty said. “The freaking thing glows! I can’t believe the guards didn’t confiscate it from him.”
“I don’t see any crown…” Astrid said, wondering what had happened to her brother.
“Long story,” Brother Tomas interjected. “Basically not everyone can see his crown. But, given that this cell is probably bugged-”
“They already know about the crown, remember?” Jroldin asked. “They bugged me.”
“Still-” Brother Tomas said. “It still isn’t wise to be giving them a continuous stream of information, and-”
“Ah, why, Brother Tomas!” Monty said, stepping forward to shake Brother Tomas’ hand. “It’s so nice to see you. I must say that I am a bit confused about why you are in a cell, but, I suppose it might be nice to see you all the same. Oh, and I’ll take that back,” he said, snagging his badge out of Jroldin’s hands. “I wonder why they didn’t take it when they searched me, though…”
“I dunno… the guards seem rather stupid if you ask me, as well as whoever is listening to the recording they are playing since they bugged the cell,” Jroldin said. “You know, they seem to lose their temper a lot, too. I was talking with one of their leaders, and boy, was he ever angry.”
“It doesn’t seem wise to be getting the leader angry…” Monty said, and he put a finger to his lips as he reached up the wall.”
“My dad taught me all my tricks about dealing with nasty gang leaders and such,” Jroldin said. “I suppose that also means I outrank you?”
“What?” Monty said, removing something from the wall. “I don’t get your… oh…”
“Yep,” Jroldin said. “Remove the ‘jr’ from my name, and I’m Oldin, leader of the FRI, and giving me a higher rank than you.”
“Very funny…” Monty said, and he looked around. “I wonder where we are.” Putting a finger to his lips, he pointed at an object in his hand—a bug. Monty crushed it.
“Fraid I can’t help you there,” Jroldin said. “I asked, but he got rather mad. Although that might have been because I included the timeshare comment…”
“There are better things to do than to make people who hold your life in their hands to be ticked at you,” Monty said.
“I suppose,” Jroldin said. “But-”
At that moment, there was a loud explosion up ahead. Running feet and gunshots soon fired. Monty instinctively ducked and reached for where his gun would have been if it hadn’t been confiscated. “What was that?”
“Oh that?” Jroldin asked, leaning relaxingly against the wall. “That’s probably my dad crashing in to break me out. See, when they searched me for my dad’s tracers, they didn’t search me terribly well to see if I had a second tracer, and so they didn’t find the one in my mouth. Oh well; I suppose there are worse things in life than the bad guys being thwarted in their evil plans. Have fun failing, Mr. Bad Guy bugging us! I’ll see you in the jail cell!”
“Well, I just kind of removed the bug..." Monty muttered. "So he ain't going to hear that."
"Awww..."
Part XXXI: Strangers Thrown Together
Date: Amanela 19th, 114 A.U.
Astrid groggily woke up to see her vision constantly focusing and refocusing as she tried to figure out where she was. The coldness of the room, the hardness of the rock, and the unfamiliar people around her was her first clue that she wasn’t in her bed at home. And then it hit her. Literally.
“Ow!” Astrid said.
“Sorry,” the dwarf said. “Didn’t see ya there. What are you doing on the ground anyways?”
“I was sleeping,” Astrid said, sitting up.
The dwarf looked at her floppy mattress nearby. “I kind of thought that was what that was for,” he said, gesturing to the mattress.
“Look, I move in my sleep, ok?” Astrid said. “And I just woke up here; I have no idea where I am or whatever.”
“Ah,” the dwarf said. “The name’s Jroldin. You’re in a nicely caged prison cell, courtesy of whoever kidnapped us here. Who are you?”
“Astrid,” Astrid replied. “I’m a nurse.”
“How’d you get to have your brother as a spy?” Jroldin asked.
Astrid’s eyes open wide, suddenly awake. “How did you know he was a spy?”
“The guards were talking about it,” Jroldin said, and he shrugged and then grinned. “That and I looted his pockets.” He flashed an FRI badge in her face. Astrid inwardly groaned.
“Anyways,” Jroldin said, “How’d you get the honor of being brought to this cell. The guards seemed pretty ticked at you. They said they were going to have to deal with you. What’d you do to offend them?”
“I’d rather not talk about it,” Astrid mumbled.
“Just try and make them really ticked at you,” Jroldin said. “And then the questioning goes easy.”
“But I don’t want to make them ticked at me,” Astrid protested.
“Well, not in that way,” Jroldin said. “But I mean-”
“You’re a nurse named Astrid?” Brother Tomas said, stepping up.
“Yeah,” Astrid said, wondering how a brown-robed priest got in here. “Why?”
“Yeah, why?” Jroldin asked.
Brother Tomas pushed his spectacles up his nose. “Remember Jroldin?” he asked. “The prophesy? A woman named Astrid? And a healer in the party? Doesn’t it seem a bit coincidental that you could meet up like that? Mayhaps the prophesy is calling you together!”
“What prophesy?” Astrid asked.
“Xavier’s prophesy!” Brother Tomas said. “About the team of seven who would save the world from destruction!”
Astrid stared at Brother Tomas. “You think I’m a member of the prophesy?”
“Well, maybe not,” Brother Tomas said. “But I would not automatically discount it. After all-”
“What’s up with the glowing crown?” a voice said from behind, and Monty entered into the flickering firelight.
“What crown?” Astrid asked.
“The crown on the dwarf’s head, of course,” Monty said. “The freaking thing glows! I can’t believe the guards didn’t confiscate it from him.”
“I don’t see any crown…” Astrid said, wondering what had happened to her brother.
“Long story,” Brother Tomas interjected. “Basically not everyone can see his crown. But, given that this cell is probably bugged-”
“They already know about the crown, remember?” Jroldin asked. “They bugged me.”
“Still-” Brother Tomas said. “It still isn’t wise to be giving them a continuous stream of information, and-”
“Ah, why, Brother Tomas!” Monty said, stepping forward to shake Brother Tomas’ hand. “It’s so nice to see you. I must say that I am a bit confused about why you are in a cell, but, I suppose it might be nice to see you all the same. Oh, and I’ll take that back,” he said, snagging his badge out of Jroldin’s hands. “I wonder why they didn’t take it when they searched me, though…”
“I dunno… the guards seem rather stupid if you ask me, as well as whoever is listening to the recording they are playing since they bugged the cell,” Jroldin said. “You know, they seem to lose their temper a lot, too. I was talking with one of their leaders, and boy, was he ever angry.”
“It doesn’t seem wise to be getting the leader angry…” Monty said, and he put a finger to his lips as he reached up the wall.”
“My dad taught me all my tricks about dealing with nasty gang leaders and such,” Jroldin said. “I suppose that also means I outrank you?”
“What?” Monty said, removing something from the wall. “I don’t get your… oh…”
“Yep,” Jroldin said. “Remove the ‘jr’ from my name, and I’m Oldin, leader of the FRI, and giving me a higher rank than you.”
“Very funny…” Monty said, and he looked around. “I wonder where we are.” Putting a finger to his lips, he pointed at an object in his hand—a bug. Monty crushed it.
“Fraid I can’t help you there,” Jroldin said. “I asked, but he got rather mad. Although that might have been because I included the timeshare comment…”
“There are better things to do than to make people who hold your life in their hands to be ticked at you,” Monty said.
“I suppose,” Jroldin said. “But-”
At that moment, there was a loud explosion up ahead. Running feet and gunshots soon fired. Monty instinctively ducked and reached for where his gun would have been if it hadn’t been confiscated. “What was that?”
“Oh that?” Jroldin asked, leaning relaxingly against the wall. “That’s probably my dad crashing in to break me out. See, when they searched me for my dad’s tracers, they didn’t search me terribly well to see if I had a second tracer, and so they didn’t find the one in my mouth. Oh well; I suppose there are worse things in life than the bad guys being thwarted in their evil plans. Have fun failing, Mr. Bad Guy bugging us! I’ll see you in the jail cell!”
“Well, I just kind of removed the bug..." Monty muttered. "So he ain't going to hear that."
"Awww..."
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