Blue in the Face by Gerry Swallow

Author:Gerry Swallow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2016-09-25T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

Creeping down the long, dark passageway and arriving at the door to the dungeon, they soon realized that it, too, was locked and would require the talents of Earl and Gene.

The mouse and the stick quickly went to work on the last lock, which was not the final obstacle that stood between the captives and the outside world. Once they’d gotten beyond the confines of the dungeon there were still guards posted throughout the castle, for a man with as many enemies as Krool can never have too much security.

As it turned out, Gene soon proved quite useful for something other than picking locks. His slightly curved shape made him the perfect tool for peering around corners.

“Well?” asked Elspeth as she pulled him back in.

“It’s clear,” said Gene.

The group, based on Georgie’s knowledge of the castle layout, made a left turn and crept quietly along the corridor until they came to the entryway of a large room. Again, Elspeth carefully extended Gene so he might have a look, both left and right. When she retrieved him once more, Gene whispered so quietly that Elspeth had to bring him very close to her ear.

“Two guards,” he said. “One on either side.”

“What now?” Elspeth whispered to Georgie.

“It’s Thursday,” he replied. “That means Weldon and Morgenstern are on duty at this post.”

“And how does that bit of knowledge help us now?” asked Elspeth.

“Not sure,” Georgie whispered. “But I do know that the two can’t stand each other. They’ve been feuding since grade school.”

Elspeth, who knew a fair bit about grade school feuds, thought a moment about how such a thing might be exploited to their benefit. An idea popped into her head surprisingly quickly, and she whispered it to Gene, who considered it briefly.

“I suppose it’d be all right,” he whispered back. “As long as I’m only the cause of the violence and not involved in it directly.”

Earl and his crew also figured into Elspeth’s plan, and she knelt down and whispered instructions like an NFL quarterback calling a play. “I like it,” Earl replied with a devilish nod.

Elspeth rose up and inched her face forward until she could see the two guards, both staring straight ahead, their backs to the wall. Their rigidness and silence may have been due to protocol or to a shared hatred, strong enough that they would neither talk to nor even look at one another.

Elspeth slowly moved Gene toward the guard at the left of the doorway, the one known as Morgenstern. With the stick she smacked him sharply on the ear.

“Hey,” he cried, as Elspeth ducked quickly back into the hallway. The guard turned to the fellow known as Weldon. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“What are you on about?” said Weldon.

“Don’t play dumb,” snapped Morgenstern. “You flicked my ear and you know it.”

“I did no such thing,” Weldon argued.

“Do it again and it’ll be the last time,” threatened Morgenstern.

The argument ended, not abruptly, but slowly, tapering off and dissolving into mumbles. Once the guards

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