Benlunar - Episode 27
Lilian finds herself trapped in the attic residence.
The city, like a hive is teaming with life
People crawl over it like insects or parasites
It’s a place you can thrive or die in a ditch
Where you can step on the poor to get slightly more rich
When the mountains are flat and the seas are dry
The towers will stand stabbing the sky
As long as there is freedom and people in chains
Humanity dies, Freedos remains
Power never comes without a price. Mr Attorcop’s words flashed into Lilian’s mind. She could see his bearded face and black cloaked body framed against the Benlunar street where she first heard those words. She had trusted them then and she trusted them now more than ever. The hours of practise, the aches and pains of training, the miles of walking had all taught her this lesson a hundred times over. It was only recently that Lilian was able to even get a small sense of the power she was paying for. She thanked Mr Attorcop for that lesson, for insisting that she practise every day and for trusting her enough to be given power in the first place. Currently, that power was saving her life. She was standing, stock still in Mr Attorcop’s city lodgings, a large attic space in the Freedos quarter known as Ziedmont. Mr Attorcop was unfortunately not there right now, in his stead, a charlatan claiming to be him was using the attic as a base of operations from which to sell a dirty and dangerous potion known as Nightshade. Seconds ago he had re-entered the attic, closed the window and walked up to the back of the space, presumably to go back to sleep. Lilian had seen all of this, and yet the imposter had not seen her. She was staring in amazement at her own hands and how they seemed to shift and change in colour and texture as she moved them around. The closer she moved them towards the floorboards, the more grainy and wood-like they appeared. And if she touched the pile of discarded rags in front of her, her hands and arms would change until they practically disappeared into the material. Lilian didn’t seem to have control over the shift and she could only assume that the rest of her body was behaving in the same way, this included her clothes but she suspected that had she been wearing anything other than simple cotton the effect would have been less convincing. She grabbed a few strands of hair and pulled them in front of her eyes. All her life she had seen strands of bright red whenever she did this, but now Lilian was looking at a glassy, translucent material. It was an eerie feeling to have something so familiar suddenly be different. With the immediate danger of the imposter gone, Lilian watched her hair change back to its familiar dark red and her hands warped back to their original fleshy colour, albeit with some added grime from scaling the dirty wall and hiding on dusty rooftops. She snapped out of her fascination and could only hope that the power would return if she needed it. This hope was fading however, as with each minute that past she felt her senses dulling as they returned to normal. She had to assume that this strange ability, undoubtedly gained from absorbing light from Fritha’s hair would disappear with the rest of the effects of gloaming.
Power never comes without a price. The words echoed again. Lilian took stock of her situation and realised that she might have to pay a heavy price indeed if she did not accept the little victory her power had granted her. Time was running out. Lilian looked out of the window and saw that the stars were fading into the imminent sunrise. She took a step towards the window and noticed how heavy her legs were becoming. Would she be able to scale the building in this state? She became worried. Lilian turned to look at the back of the attic, her view was obstructed by a desk and the fact that this section was slightly raised, she saw no signs of movement and presumed that the imposter must be asleep. Lilian turned back and began making her way slowly towards the door. She tiptoed as quietly as she could but her slightly heightened hearing meant that each step tapped the wooden floor with loud thuds. A few seconds later and Lilian had her hand on the round and rusted handle. She was a twist and pull away from freedom but a thought was holding her back.
She was in. She was undetected. She had a chance to expose this pretender, or at least hurt him or his business in some way. Would she find herself sitting in her lonely room later wishing she had done something? Her heart was beating hard and fast in her chest. Slowly, she turned her head to look back across the room. She had not had the chance to examine it properly, what with the panic of being caught and the tunnel-visioned goal of getting access to the fake wall. She briefly considered going back and trying again but knew that it might take hours to break into it silently. She cast her eyes over the rest of the room. She saw the pile of discarded rags, their chemical smell still wafting off them. She looked at the desk she had snagged her shirt on and saw that it was littered with papers. Perhaps they were important? She could easily grab a handful before heading out. To the left of the desk were the six or seven steps to the rest of the attic. Going up was too much of a risk, she decided. If she was going to do something, it would have to be in this lower part. To her left she saw a tall wardrobe and next to that a chest of draws. They were both painted blue but the paint was faded and cracked. Lilian could see faint yellow flowers detailing the edges. The rest of the attic was in a similar state. Lilian had always assumed Mr Attorcop to be a man of meticulous care but she reminded herself that she had only ever known him to live in a large and well furnished house, filled with expertly crafted furniture. This place began to feel like it matched Mr Attorcop’s character a lot more. He was a man of study and science and it was clear that he spent a lot more time researching than looking after fading furniture. Lilian had to make a decision quickly or else let inaction decide for her. She quietly opened the wardrobe but found it to be mostly empty save a few hanging coats and cloaks, all of them dark. She clicked the doors shut and turned back to the entrance to the attic. What was she doing? She thought to herself, feeling slightly ashamed. She had been consumed with exhilaration but in truth she was still as powerless as she had been when she was staying away from this place. The sun was rising and the imposter could be awake at any moment. The memory of the explosives beneath her feet shocked her into realising that not only was she powerless but she was in danger just by being here. She took in a quiet breath through her nose and could smell the manure beneath the floorboards, although with each passing minute her sense of smell was getting back to normal and an overwhelming tiredness was consuming her muscles and mind. She turned back to the door and dejectedly put her hand on the handle. She’d have nothing to show for her dangerous escapade and she had put herself at risk for nothing more than a thrill. She could hear her Mother’s voice, she could see Katherine’s disappointed look and Mr Attorcop’s condescending manner. But at least she was unharmed and she had learned one valuable thing, do not trust Alexi Genaro.
Lilian twisted the handle slowly and quietly and stepped through it to the staircase. She was still thinking about what Mr Attorcop would have said when she took her first step down. Her plan had been to turn around on the staircase and shut the door carefully behind her, leaving no trace of her intrusion. But as soon as her foot pressed down on the top step she heard a strange whizzing, whirring sound. She had felt the step give a little and distinctly click. She had assumed it to be just the sound of old wood but now the whirring was getting louder and somehow travelling up the wall beside her. Lilian began to feel nervous and considered rushing down the staircase when the sound of a loud metallic bell rang out through the building.
It came from somewhere in the attic but would have surely woken everyone on the street. Lilian brought her hands quickly up to her ears, cursing her enhanced hearing. The sound of the bell stopped but Lilian could still hear a high pitched ringing in both ears. It disorientated and distracted her, so much so that it took her a few seconds longer than it should have to realise that she had just set off an alarm and that the imposter would be out of bed and looking for her right this instant. She had to think quickly, she could either run downstairs risking capture and injury, or head back through the door and into the wardrobe, leaving the door open for Attorcop’s imposter to believe someone had tried to sneak in but had been put off by the alarm and run back downstairs. Considering the steepness and length of the staircase Lilian chose the latter option and ducked back into the apartment. She quickly checked for signs of the imposter and seeing none, opened the wardrobe and climbed in before shutting its door quickly and quietly behind her. All sound was suddenly close and muffled. The wardrobe smelt of dust and old wood. Lilian had to push several cloaks aside but found enough space to comfortably hide. She had considered trying to replicate her little invisibility trick from earlier, but remembering how little control she’d have over it, decided it was best not to trust that particular part of gloaming right now. Besides, her senses were almost back to normal and Lilian guessed that shifting shape and colour had burned a large reserve of energy.
Lilian held her breath and listened. She could make out the sound of movement from the back of the attic, a shuffling of feet and a succession of hurried bangs and slamming sounds. After the imposter had taken care to hide whatever it was he was hiding from the supposed intruder (or in this case, actual intruder) Lilian heard his footsteps coming down the small set of steps that separated the two parts of the large attic. The sound echoed off the tall ceiling and made its way into her wardrobe. The steps were quiet and slow, not rushed and panicked as the previous sounds had been. Lilian held her breath and tried to think of what she would do if he opened the wardrobe doors and found her sitting there. Her thoughts of kicks and screams were interrupted by a low and menacing voice.
“I know you’re there…” Lilian thought her heart had stopped. How could he know? She had hidden long before he had even got out of bed. She took a slow, deep breath and thought through the situation, just like Mr Attorcop had taught her to. As the footsteps edged ever closer to the thin wooden doors separating them, she realised that he simply did not have enough information for that statement to be true. Therefore he must be lying. But why lie? Lilian realised how tense her hands were, her grubby nails were digging into her palms. She was scared. And that’s why he’d lied. To induce fear. Nothing forces mistakes like fear and panic. This realisation relaxed her enough to think more clearly and prepare her body for any violence that might suddenly spring through the wardrobe doors. Her hunch was quickly confirmed when she heard the footsteps walk slowly past her doors and towards the attic entrance. There was a silence. Lilian considered peeking through the thin line of light where the doors met, but didn’t want to risk her hair or eyes catching in the dawn sun. There were footsteps on the staircase. He must be checking to see if whoever had triggered the alarm was lurking in the stairwell, she thought. Moments later he was back and shutting the attic door behind him. Lilian could hear him moving around but couldn’t discern exactly what he was doing. She considered closing her eyes and going into her state of focus, but she knew that if she closed her eyes now she would risk falling asleep. Her legs and arms were getting heavier by the minute, as not only had she ran across half the city’s rooftops, she had done so while skipping a night’s rest and in a state that burned energy faster than twigs in a bonfire.
The imposter seemed to be searching for something and Lilian’s heart sank when she heard the unmistakable jangle of keys followed shortly by the terrible thunk of a turning lock. She was now locked inside the attic apartment. Lilian held her breath again as she heard the man walk back past the wardrobe. For once she was grateful for her small size, a grown man would have found it impossible to conceal himself inside this small wardrobe. It was a tight squeeze even for her. The fake Attorcop must have assumed the intruder to be such a man as he failed to even bother checking inside the wardrobe. Lilian thanked several Gods that most criminals and thieves were taller and older than she. Lilian was safe for now, but the fact remained that she was trapped inside the attic apartment with little hope of freedom in the near future. Feeling helpless, Lilian decided to quietly sit down inside the wardrobe. It took some time but she had little else to do and standing crouched against the wooden top would have quickly become unbearable. Her knees came up to her chest when she was fully seated and Lilian found she could rest her head against one of the softer, winter cloaks. In this semi-comfortable position sleep became impossible to fight. At first she tried to remind herself that she would be vulnerable if asleep, but for every argument her brain could conjure, her body would counter it with a simple fact: sleep was inevitable. And so Lilian resigned herself and fell into a dream.
She awoke with a start to the sound of loud knocking a while later, uncertain at how much time had passed. The wardrobe was distinctly warmer than when she’d first entered it, a likely combination of the morning sun and her own body heat. Lilian felt large patches of sweat under her arms and down the back of her neck. Another knock echoed throughout the building and Lilian regained her sense enough to remember just how dangerous her situation was. She heard the hurried steps of the imposter coming down the stairs and crossing over to the attic door. A jangle of keys, the slide of a lock and Lilian realised that she might have an opportunity to escape. Her senses were back to normal but she could still hear the sound of each foot landing step by step as the imposter descended the stairwell to check who was at the door. Lilian gently pushed the wardrobe open and shielded her eyes from the glaring sun streaming through the large, street-facing window. If she did not escape soon, she thought, she would be late for work. It was a small worry considering her current situation, but it was there nonetheless.
She knew that she could not go straight downstairs, there was only one stairwell and she hadn’t seen any signs of entrances to other apartments so there would be nowhere to hide. If she managed to reach the bottom of the stairs without being caught she would have to push past the imposter and whoever was at the door and risk being grabbed. Her only hope was the window and so Lilian walked straight over to it and began working the latch. It swung open easily and Lilian gripped the edges, ready to hoist herself into the sunlight. But she paused. Without the added strength from gloaming, the window seemed a lot higher up than it had last night. The cobbled street loomed and twisted beneath her causing her empty stomach to turn. Lilian felt her balance falter. She took a deep breath of the fresh morning air and readied herself for the climb.
It was then that she noticed the man on the street who had knocked at the door. He had long wavy hair and a dirty white shirt. It was Genaro, Lilian was sure of it, he was back and he was talking with the imposter. Lilian narrowed her eyes and reminded herself to give Genaro a proper telling off next time she saw him. Suddenly, a cold fear crept over her as she watched the imposter reenter the stairwell whilst gesturing for Genaro to follow him. Had this been Genaro’s plan all along? To infiltrate the beast’s lair rather than just attack him in the street? Lilian briefly thought that she might owe Genaro an apology. If that was indeed the case, Lilian wanted to be there in case Genaro needed help. One last look at the rickety window ledge and the cobbles below convinced her that she would stay and help him. At least with Genaro present she would have an ally in the room and with two against one, the odds of victory were vastly improved. And so Lilian closed the window and tiptoed back to the wardrobe and shut the door just in time to hear the sounds of feet and voices climbing the stairs. She’d had a little time before sleep and upon waking to give proper thought to her plan. She knew that this imposter posing as her friend had to be brought to some kind of justice, but she was not exactly sure what that would look like. A dark part of her wanted to inflict some sort of pain or suffering, but Lilian didn’t think she was quite ready to dish out that particular brand of justice. She also knew that the authorities would be no use as they were already complicit. Lilian resolved to take some kind of proof, probably a few bottles of Nightshade, to whoever led the Sons of Taymar and see what kind of justice they could provide her.
“Just wait here, and don’t touch anything.” The imposter’s voice drifted into the wardrobe like an unpleasant smell. She heard him disappear into the back of the attic and she decided to risk looking through the crack in the doors. The worst that would happen would be that Genaro would spot her, this might even give him some comfort, she thought. Bringing her eye close to the sliver of light, Lilian could just make out the form of Alexi Genaro, framed against the light of the window. He was fiddling with his shirt and occasionally brushing his long hair out of his face. Was he nervous? Thought Lilian. Possibly. She recalled her own nerves upon entering this place, they had subsided somewhat since then, but she couldn’t blame Genaro for feeling nervous when he was in the beast’s lair. Lilian couldn’t see a knife or any kind of weapon and wondered if he had one concealed somewhere. She began to feel excited to witness what was about to happen. She had visions of jumping out of her hiding place after Genaro delivered the knockout blow and shouting ‘Ha!’ at the imposter. Genaro would claim a victory and Lilian could start clearing Mr Attorcop’s good name. She heard the sounds of footsteps and readied herself for action.
“I’m afraid the price has gone up.” said the imposter.
“Since last month?” replied Genaro, his voice filled with anger and surprise.
“Since today. If what you say is true then this is one of the last spots you can buy. I don’t want the extra heat without the extra warmth.” There was a pause, Lilian couldn’t see enough to read the mood effectively. After a few seconds, the imposter spoke again.
“You tried some didn’t you?” Another pause. “Impressive isn’t it?” Again, Genaro chose not to reply. This made the imposter laugh, “Fine fine, you don’t have to tell me. I’ve never tried it myself but I’ve seen its effects. It’s no wonder they keep coming back for more.”
“It’s vile slop. No one should have that much strength.”
“And yet here we are.” There was the sound of glass clinking and four taps of weighty objects on a wooden surface.
“How many was it? Two bottles? Three?” This was it, thought Lilian, this was the moment Genaro would strike.
“Three.”
“Three bottles. Very well. That will be six crowns.”
“Six!? That’s extortion. How can anyone… What’s stopping me from beating you to a pulp right now and taking them for myself? Hm?” Lilian readied her fists for action.
“Oh nothing… Nothing at all. Save for when these are all drunk and I’m not here to make more. Then you’ll be ready to pay double. I can lower the price if you like, in return for a favour of course.” Genaro spat.
“I can barely stand being in your presence, I can’t imagine what it would be like to be in your pocket.” The imposter laughed a sickly, rasping cackle.
“Hahaha… A poet! I admire that. Very well, have it your way.” Lilian saw a grubby hand stretch out into her thin field of vision, palm open expectantly. Genaro pulled a small purse out from his belt and opened it.
“I’ll take two bottles for four.” He said and placed a small pile of coins on the palm. Lilian saw them briefly reflect the light of the sun before the imposter’s thin fingers curled around them and whipped them out of her sight. She was confused. Had that not been the perfect time to strike?
Genaro suddenly disappeared from view and Lilian was forced to listen intently to the few sounds that gave away what was happening. She heard glass bottles clink together, footsteps and the occasional sigh or breath. Finally Genaro passed back across Lilian’s view and seemed to walk towards the door. Was he leaving? Lilian started to worry.
“Remember to drink the whole bottle, or it won’t work. Until next time.” She heard the imposter say. Genaro gave no reply and simply opened the door and clicked it shut behind him. Lilian’s heart fell deeper with every fading step she could hear. She was alone, betrayed and abandoned. Genaro had not wanted the information for some righteous cause, he’d wanted it so that he could buy more Nightshade. Lilian felt used and angry. A tear was forming in her right eye. She suddenly missed Fritha terribly. She would be worried about Lilian being gone for so long. She wished she was hiding there with her, she missed Mr Attorcop too. He wouldn’t have stood for any of this nonsense. Lilian briefly entertained the idea of bursting forth from the wardrobe and attacking the imposter. The element of surprise would surely give her the upper hand? She could get in a few good hits before running down the stairs after Genaro. No. That would be foolish. Lilian felt like bashing her fist against the wall. How could she have been so stupid? Time after time she’d had the chance to turn back, or even to escape. But she failed to listen to her own reason, called back again and again by greed. Now she was trapped and she had no one to blame but herself. She felt her cheeks redden in shame.
Suddenly, Lilian could sense movement nearby. She pushed her thoughts of embarrassment and failure to one side. Had the imposter not gone back up the stairs? She had been so distracted by Genaro’s betrayal that she had failed to keep track of exactly what he was doing. But she could hear him now. He was… stepping closer. He was so close Lilian could hear him breathing. What was he doing? She wondered. He clearly wasn’t walking anywhere with any particular purpose, his steps were too slow and soft for that. Hang on. Was he…? Lilian cursed her luck and life as she realised, he was creeping towards the wardrobe. What could she do? She looked about trying and failing to find some sort of weapon, a disguise, an excuse, anything! But she found none. There was a silence… Then the wardrobe doors flew open.
The bright light shocked her at first and Lilian had to squint to avoid hurting her eyes. She instinctively raised her hands to her face, but the imposter had the element of surprise as well as the light behind him. Lilian felt a tight grip on her wrist, she screamed in high pitched panic, as she felt her body being forcefully yanked out of the wardrobe. There was a sharp pain in her right knee as she collided with the wooden floorboards. The throw had been so strong that Lilian skidded a short distance after hitting the floor.
“Just as I thought. A little sneak thief, cowering in a cupboard.” Lilian could see the imposter clearly now, he wore an old stained shirt with the sleeves rolled up past his elbow. Around his waist was an apron with two large pockets sewn into it. Lilian couldn’t get a proper look at the tools sticking out of the pockets, but they seemed heavy and possibly sharp. Lilian knew from her training that she should stand up as quickly as possible. She got a good look at the imposter’s face as she did. His eyes had hard dark rings under them, and she could see when he spoke that his teeth were stained brown. He was not much taller than her, but judging by the throw and the lingering pain on her wrist, he was stronger than he looked. Lilian glanced at the door.
“Ah ah, not so fast.” he said, putting himself between her and the attic’s only entrance. Lilian then looked at the window, the sky seemed to be filling with dark menacing clouds. A storm was on its way. Knowing the window to be a far too dangerous and slow means of escape, Lilian resigned herself to facing the imposter. She tested her weight on her bruised knee and found that she could still stand quite comfortably. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her heart and head.
“Who are you? Hm? And who sent you? Hang on…” He took a couple of steps closer, Lilian curled her hands into tight fists.
“You’re a child... What in the fiery depths are you doing here?? Well? Speak up. You’re here to steal from me aren’t you?”
“No.” Lilian replied through gritted teeth.
“So you can talk. You must be a real fool to think I wouldn’t see you moving about in there.” He gestured behind him to the wardrobe and for the first time Lilian saw how old and unstable it was. One of the legs even appeared to be a little shorter than the rest.
“Now listen closely. You’re going to tell me why you’re here young lady, you can either do this of your own volition, or I shall persuade you.” It’s true that Lilian was young, but she wasn’t so naive to think that he wanted to ply her with tea and cakes until she spilled the latest gossip. She had to keep him occupied, perhaps distract him enough to get him away from the door. Lilian began to wish she’d brought Kissandra’s snake blade along with her.
“Now, let’s start again shall we? I assure you I am a reasonable man. You give me the answers I want and I shall let you walk out of here in one piece. Deal?” And there it was. Something about his phrasing gave Lilian a way to distract him. All she had to do was give him the answers he wanted, this didn’t mean they had to be truthful. She nodded, ready to begin.
“Good. Now. Who sent you?” Lilian said the first name that came into her head. A name she knew he would know.
“Bried.” Lilian watched his face fall.
Outside, it had started to rain. Large droplets of water began hitting the window and sliding down the glass panes like little beads of nervous sweat. Lilian looked at them quickly, leaving via the window was now definitely out of the question. The sill and roof would be far too slippery. The man seemed taken aback by her answer.
“Bried?? Why? What does she want?” Lilian thought she could detect a hint of panic in his voice.
“She wanted to know how much you’re selling the Nightshade for, and how many customers you’re getting every day.” Lilian was particularly proud of the angle she had chosen. The imposter dropped all pretence of wanting to hurt her and instead cursed and turned to look out of the window. Lilian saw the door reveal itself as he moved.
“I pay my share on time every week and still she sends her spies.” He turned back to look at Lilian. His eyes were narrowed in suspicion.
“Aren’t you a little young to be working for Bried?” Lilian had to think fast.
“I’m no younger than she was when she started.” This seemed to satisfy his suspicion. Lilian thought it stood to reason that a criminal would have no qualms in hiring someone as young as she was to do their dirty work. Besides, she’d seen children younger than her in the Freedos markets picking the pockets of rich looking nobles.
The rain was falling fast and hard by now. A flash quickly illuminated the imposter's grim features and seconds later a rumble of thunder rolled over the attic. He was more relaxed now. He even walked past her towards the desk.
“You tell Bried the rate is still the same and that business is fine. Understand?” Lilian nodded. Her path to the door was clear now, but she seemed to be getting away with the lie. The man was writing something down and so had his back to her. Still, she took a couple of cautious steps towards the door.
“Here. You show her this and tell her you stole it, understand? Come back later when it's done and I’ll give you a silver bit.” He turned and held up a sheet of parchment that seemed to be covered in dates and numbers, Lilian couldn’t make out the details from this distance.
“Four silver bits.” Lilian played up to her role of a penny pinching street urchin.
“Two. And you don’t get a slap from the back of my hand.” The imposter’s eyes were lit by another flash of lightning. They were angry and tired. Lilian nodded and held her hand out to accept the sheet. He walked over and placed one end in her hand. Lilian pulled on the paper but he did not let go. The thunder cracked over head, the silence between the flash and sound was shorter than before. The two stood still, staring at each other as the echo rumbled across the city.
“I know you…” said the imposter. As much to himself as to Lilian. Lilian feigned ignorance, curling her eyebrows and cocking her head in mock confusion. “Yes. You were here the other day. You were looking for Mr Attorcop but you ran away when you saw me.” Lilian felt anger bubble up inside her again. She knew she had been found out, and so she did the only thing her brain could think of. Curling her free hand into a tight ball, she put all her weight behind it and rammed it into the imposter's stomach.
She had aimed for the solar plexus and was happy to hear a loud, guttural grunt when her knuckles connected with his body. Taking advantage of the brief moment of weakness Lilian turned and ran for the door. Her hand felt the cold metal of the handle and she was even turning it when she felt two heavy arms wrap themselves around her waist. Her whole body was lifted off the ground and unceremoniously thrown back towards the desk. It felt similar to being hoisted out of the wardrobe, only now her time in the air was longer and she felt the impact of the landing through her whole body, not just her knee. She felt it most in her right shoulder and temporarily lost all feeling in her right arm. She regained her composure just in time to see the imposter bearing down on her. Lilian scrambled backwards, jolts of pain shooting up and down her arms and back.
“Who are you? Why were you asking for me that day?” Lilian could no longer contain her wrath.
“I wasn’t asking for you! I was asking for Cromwell Attorcop.” The penny seemed to drop behind the imposter’s eyes.
“How do you know that I’m not Cromwell Attorcop?” A flash of lightning exploded from across the street and the entire attic was bathed in white light for less than a second. In that time the loudest bang Lilian had ever heard erupted nearby. Lilian briefly thought that the lightning had struck the inside of the attic, because at the same time the door shattered and splintered into a thousand pieces. Lilian saw a dark figure step across the threshold and in the fading echo of the explosion she heard it speak.
“Because I’m Cromwell Attorcop.”