Brave Story - Miyuki Miyabe [265]
Toni Fanlon was as emaciated as Elza. His long days of incarceration had left him pale as a ghost, and the bones of his cheek jutted out from his face. Even his long black hair, bound into a ponytail, seemed thinner than when they had met before. But his eyes were open, and when he saw Wataru, they gleamed with a lively light. “You’re the Highlander from Gasara.” Toni grabbed the bars of his cage with both hands. “Did you come here alone? Do you have friends?”
“Sorry, it’s just me,” Wataru said, grabbing the bars himself to stay on his feet. “I meant to sneak in, but things kind of got out of hand. We can’t go back up there. I’m afraid that by now, Branch Chief Pam and his men and the Knights of Stengel are out there surrounding the cathedral.”
Another chorus of cries, this time cursing him, went up from the beastkin and waterkin in the cages. Only Toni was smiling. “So then, you haven’t come to save us. You come to join us.”
“I’m afraid so. Sorry.”
“What did you plan to do?”
“Is there another way out of here, besides that ladder?”
“Of course not,” Toni said, laughing out loud, then he turned to the beastkin and waterkin sharing his cell. Together, they howled with laughter. “Of course there isn’t, which is why we made one. In secret, of course.”
The man applauded, then began removing simple boards from a section of the floor, revealing a large hole beneath.
“This tunnel goes all the way outside the village!” the beastkin next to Toni roared, brandishing his long, pointed claws with pride. “We could have left anytime we wanted—but we were worried about the men in the other cells. You came at just the right time, my little Highlander! Now get to opening those cages!”
Wataru was so stunned he almost collapsed on the spot. Toni reached through the bars in the nick of time and caught him by the arm, holding him up. “Stay with us. You look hurt. If you’re going to pass out, do it later. We need to get to safety first.”
“Right.”
Toni grabbed his hand holding the keys and pulled him toward the bars. His black eyes were wide. “That’s my toolbox!”
Wataru looked down at the belt around his waist. Miraculously, the box hadn’t come loose in the struggle upstairs.
“You’ve seen Elza?”
“Yes. She’s fine. She’s worried about you, but unharmed.”
“That is good news,” Toni said quietly.
“She gave me this for you. I want you to make me a wyrmflute. That’s why I came to Lyris, to find you.”
Toni’s haggard face filled with raw determination. “Understood. I don’t know exactly what you’re talking about, but whatever it is, I’ll make it. For now, let’s just get out of here!”
Chapter 37
Jozo’s Wings
Once they were through the long tunnel and into the mountains outside Lyris, the escapees parted ways.
“Tell the branches in other towns. When they hear of the situation in Lyris, they’re sure to come to our aid.”
Wataru looked at the crowd of mostly women and children and worried about their future. But despite the situation, the former residents of Bricklayer Street seemed to be euphoric.
“We know the lay of the land around here,” one beastkin who looked like a rabbit assured him. “They won’t catch us. You can be sure of that.”
Toni Fanlon at his side, Wataru made his way through the forest, crossing over a hill, toward the Great Marker Tree. Kee Keema’s darbaba cart, its wheels caked with mud from the long journey, was waiting for them as promised. Meena had climbed onto one of the branches of the tree, so she was the first to spot Wataru and Toni approaching. She nearly fell to the ground when she saw Wataru’s bedraggled condition.
“I guess even acrobats slip sometimes,” laughed Wataru. “I know it looks bad, but it’s just a lot of scrapes. Nothing too serious.”
“You lie. You look terrible. What happened?”
There would be time enough for talk later. The party piled onto the darbaba cart.
“We need to get out from under the eyes of the Lyris branch first, find some place where Toni can work on the flute. It’s a bit of a rocky ride, but hang in there. Taclou’s a bit farther up in the