A House of Cards by Douglas Bornemann

Author:Douglas Bornemann [Bornemann, Douglas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sorcelerity
Published: 2019-07-05T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

Exeunt

Alexi reached out to Dona as the dust cleared. “What happened?”

Dona shot the Bursar a significant look. “Mr. Brent must have awakened disoriented and wandered through the arch. When I went after him, that wall appeared out of nowhere.”

Brent scooped up the lantern. “I didn’t have any idea where I was. I guess I panicked.”

The Monsignor crossed his arms. “How fortunate you still had the presence of mind to take the Morgatuan with you.”

“Yes, it was.”

Dona nudged Brent’s arm.

“Oh, here you go,” Brent said, handing over the scepter.

“The Monsignor eyed him dubiously. “That’s most gracious of you.”

“Well, then,” Dona said, “let’s get out of here, shall we? I’m freezing.”

Alexi pulled her in close. “Now that’s something I can help with. I’m sorry for getting mad before.”

Dona ogled him in surprise. “Alexi Reysa, are you apologizing?”

Alexi shrugged. “I thought I’d lost you and that it was my fault. I crossed the line—the surest way to lose a free spirit is to cage it, even if it is for its own good.”

Dona smiled up at him. “That’s pretty sophisticated thinking for a man. Maybe that’s why I’m so inordinately fond of you.”

“You mean, it’s not my raw animal attraction?”

She caught hold of a bright floral stretch of harness. “Ah yes, a trait rivaled only by your unerring sense of style.”

“This old thing? I can’t take credit—it was a gift from someone I care about.”

“You must love her very much.”

Brent tapped his toe. “How about we get out of this funerarium before we age enough to need it?”

“All right,” Alexi said. “We had to cut the the harness to get it off the rope.”

“I saw how Helena sewed it,” Dona said. “I should be able to fix that.”

Despite its makeshift appearance, Helena’s harness made the process of crossing the gorge relatively straightforward. Alexi crossed first, while Dona stayed behind to help the Monsignor and the Bursar. With both Alphonse and Alexi to pull them across, they all stood on the far side in short order.

“What’s next?” the Monsignor asked.

Dona pointed “There’s a contraption around the bend ahead that lifts a platform to a place where we can get into my dormitory It’s pretty rickety, but it got me up there and Helena and me back, along with everything we were carrying.”

Brent raised an eyebrow. “The Scales of Ossary, I’ll wager.”

“You already knew about it?”

Brent felt his pockets. “There’s a reference—”

The Monsignor held out the journal. “Looking for this?”

“Yes, thank you.” Brent flipped through its pages. “Ah, here it is.”

Translating on the fly, Brent read a passage:

The Vismort held forth the Morgatuan, and the funerarium was suddenly revealed. At last, Mazaharian saw fit to share his designs: Once assured of the safety of his charges, he would return to this place and, by means of the Scales of Ossary, re-enter the fortress. On this, he was adamant over even the ardent pleas of the Mistress, whom he had ever been loath to deny. And when she declared her intention to accompany him, he

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