Chapter 9: Claude's Path

Claude surveyed the situation he was about to get himself into. The house was huge. He saw the lights from windows from each wing. The south wing was closest to them and after that the main part. It went up as high as the maple trees, tulip trees, sycamore and chestnut trees that made up the forest. The buildings were all circular, but the colour was all brown with green roofs. But Claude only could see well enough to know the colour. These men had spent years building this place so far out of the way. Claude sighed.
"Question," Claude asked Samantha.
"Yes?" she answered.
"What if I can't find you?" he asked.
"I'll be in the middle wing," she said, "There are no ceilings. You can hide up there if you can find a way up there. Usually the halls empty when a new woman comes. Or an old favorite."
"How do you know all of this?" he asked.
"I have...friends in low places," she said, "Actually I just escaped."
"Escaped?" Claude asked.
"I might explain it after we do this," she said.
Claude just looked at her for a moment thinking she had to be a little off.
"You really want to save this little girl," Claude said, "Why didnt' you just supply the money?"
"Cause they can get more than their asking that's why. Remember?" she answered, "Are you going to do this or are you getting scared?"
Claude turned to face the mansion.
"You're the one who probably needs to be scared," Claude replied, "All I needed was to get here. I'm ready."
Samantha wondered at Claude for a second, but then shook her head and came out from her hidding place and began walking to the vinyard.
"This can't be a good plan," Claude said to himself, "But here we go."
Samantha walked up to the door of the vineyard. The vineyard was nothing more than a frame of the bottom floor of the huge mansion that was not finished. They allowed grape vines of all sorts to grow. Torches were lit all around inside the large vineyard, but many blind spots were available to hide in. That was good for Claude because he had no advantage anyway in this kind of lighting. When the men in vineyard saw Samantha through a window that they kept clean from vines, they immediately let her in. Claude could see clearly from the hundred or so yards he was hidden and waited untill they were all distracted. Then he immediately shot out from his place to the vine that went up the corner between the vineyard and the mainbuilding to the window way up on the third floor. He made it to the vines quickly and smoothly and didn't see any need to do anything special. The men never imagined that a stranger might know where they were, and Claude easily passed through the dark to his place.
"I hope you know what your doing," he said softly to himself, and he got to climbing. Smoothly and carefully, so as not to make noise, he went up in the shadows. He climbed easily, and he picked a few grapes on the way up to see if they tasted as good as the ones that grew in their forest. They weren't bad. He made his way up and up looking down every once in a while to see how far he was from the ground. He passed the second floor and then finally got near the window. He heard someone in there, and he waited about ten feet below hoping his arms wouldn't give out. He carefully searched for a place to put his feet but he couldn't find any, so he just held on. Claude then heard someone enter the room.
"Sir?"
"What? Why are you disturbing me?"
"We have someone for you."
Claude heard a shuffling and then one of the men mummbled something as the door shut. Claude, thankfull that worked out, carefully and slowly pulled himself up into the window seal and into the room. It was clean, with a desk next to the window and a bed on the middle left side of the room. The door was straight across from the window and a brown wooden dresser was beside it. Five sizable candles were lit around the room to illuminate it. Claude looked up and saw the beams that framed the roof. He decided it would be better to stay out of sight that way, just as Samantha suggested. He took one step, jumped and reached the eleven or so feet needed to grab the cross beam above him. He pulled himself up and began making his way quietly along the wood work. Very little light reached where he was, and so he was safe from visual. He crept along silently over the head man's room looking for clues as to where Samantha might be. When he walked over the wall that seperated the room from the hall he saw two men walk through a door at the end of a long hall. He figured that must be them, so he made his way through the jungle of wood as quickly as possible to keep up with them, knowing that stealth would be harder on the lower floors.
Claude could see well in the dark and had no trouble making his way around up top. The hall was fairly long and he could see a large dinning room to his right and a library to his left.
"An educated bunch huh?" Claude said to himself. He continued on untill he came to the door that they walked through. He went over it and looked down on a large room that had doors on each wall and stairs that went downwards. Where the men down there or did they go into the room? Claude decided it wouln't hurt to check down stairs for a brief time. If he was wrong, hopefully, Samantha could handle herself.
He slowly faded out as much as he could. The candles only provided so much light for him to work with, and so he could be seen a little. He looked like a walking shadow with facial features and clothes. He dropped down the eleven feet, silently landed on the floor and moved slowly down the stairs. He kept watch for places to move to and for people in the room who might be attentive to their surroundings. The second floor was well lit. The stairs widened as he went down and led into a large room. Men were scattered here and there talking and things of that sort, but many of them were looking over to the far left of the large room at the buisness that the head man was dealing with, namely Samantha. Claude saw a large stack of bags that ran along the wall to near where the ordeal was taking place. He quickly ran over to the stack and faded back into view now that he was out of sight and listened.
"Well, well," the man said, "Why in the land did you come back?"
"I didn't have anywhere to go," Samantha replied.
"You don't want to go back to your father?" he said.
"Father wouldn't have me back," she said.
"And so...?" the man said.
"I want to hang out here," she said trying to sound distraught.
"Ha!" he replied, "The great General Syrathis' daughter? Here? With us? That's rich!"
"Then you don't object." she said.
"No, I think it's funny," he said, "But my cousin might."
"Why would Alastor mind?" Samantha asked.
"Because he detests your father," the man said.
"I'm not my father," Samantha said. Claude slipped up and caught a quick view of the situation. The man was thinking now, walking back and forth. He stopped and gave Samantha a grim snide smile.
"I know one way to get me on your side," he said, "if you truly want to join us." Samantha fought hard not to gag, grimmace, or do anything that might give her away. Claude, however, did gag. Some of the men heard it and looked over that way, but he had quickly faded out and ducked down when he realized his mistake. But he couldn't help it. The leader was somewhat fat. He had a thick black beard and bushy eyebrows with a balding head. He wore a dark green over-coat, but at the present he had no undershirt on. He only had his pants made out of leather-like material. He had light, tan skin like all people in Calton.
"Take her to my room," the man said, "We don't let women into this organization, but if we are going to make an exception, it's going to be worth it."
Samantha could not help but slightly let the horror appear on her face. The head man laughed as he followed the men who came to lead her to his room. Claude was now trying to conceal his dry heaves. When he finally recovered, he faded as much as possible and dashed to the stairs. Two men happened to be looking at the stairs at that time, and they saw the slight discoloration that was Claude shoot up the stairs. One of the men squinted while the other remarked, "Did you just see that?"
"What the heck was it?" the other replied fearfully, "A ghost?"
"I don't know," the other said.
"You don't think the stories about the Forest Wisps are true do you?" the other remarked.
"Let's go," the other said, "I'm not going to find out right now."
Claude was already up the stairs and then back up in the roof before the men even got to the head man's door. He finessed himself, silently of course, through the frame so he could be ready to stop anything from happening to Samantha.
"She either had a plan for this, or she's willing to do anything to save that little girl," Claude thought to himself. He made his way until he was above the room right as the men entered with Samantha. The head man grabbed Samantha and threw her to the bed.
"Leave us," the man said. The men sighed with heavy protest, but they left the room regardless. Claude watched them walk down the hall and then proceed down the stairs. The man now grinned and Samantha could no longer conceal her disgust and she was beginning to gag. Claude chuckled to himself. "I'm glad I'm not the only one with a weak stomach," he thought.
"You're going to be incorporated our way," the man said approaching her. If you want to stay here with us, we have to be pleased with you.
"What if I don't really want to stay here with you," Samantha said standing her ground.
He wasn't phazed.
"You don't have a choice now," he said still approaching. When he walked close enough Samantha very quickly pulled a knife from the inside of one of her boots and sliced the fat man's throat before he knew what she was doing. He grabbed his throat looking at Samantha in suprise.
"That was for Trotes," she said before he lost conciousness and fell down dead. Claude could not believe his eyes. She began to go for the door when she looked up
"Oh yeah," Claude said jumping from his place in the roof. Samantha was startled and almost threw the daggar.
"So you did have a plan!" he said, "Impressive." Samantha looked at him and then at the roof.
"Have you been up there the whole time?" she said.
"No," Claude replied walking up to a belt the head man had laying on his desk, "I was down stairs when he gave the command to bring you up here."
"What?" she said.
"Don't worry," Claude said, "It's my little secret." He walked over and put the belt under the man's two arms and tightened it very tight and tied it.
"What are you doing?" Samantha asked.
"I don't feel right leaving him out in the open," Claude replied, "Call it instinct from my days of hunting and such. I learned that the best prey and predators hide their scent and their tracks."
"How are you going to hide that much prey?" she asked.
"Actually, he's predator," he replied, "We're prey. And I'm going to hide him there." He nodded to the vineyard that grew into the room as he drug the carcass to the window. Samantha watched Claude tie a rope that was in the room onto the belt. He jumped onto the vines and then climbed up. Soon the rope tightened and the carcass was pulled out of the window and then up. Moments later Claude came back down and immediately began to snatch the sheets off the bed and wipe the blood with them. Samantha just watched.
"There," Claude said, "Dropping the sheets right out the window. They won't find those or him untill daylight, if they ever find him."
"Not all of the blood is up," Samantha said. Claude was already walking to a rug that set in front of the door. He drug the multi-colored rug over the largest blood spot and looked up at the roof.
"You need to hide up there while I look for the girl," Claude said, "When we get her, we need to get out."
"I know," she said, "They'll be looking for us. And we can't take her back to her village." Claude nodded.
"That's right," he said, "That's the first place they'll go." "Alright," he said turning to her, "Let me toss you up there."
"Toss me?" she said. Claude walked behind her.
"Actually, it will be more of a lift. Jump and I'll get you the rest of the way," he said, "One...two...three!" Samantha jumped and found a grip on a beam. She began to pull herself up with much difficulty while Claude simply jumped back up and then helped her up the rest of the way.
"You can't be over this room," Claude said, "Once they figure out something happened then they'll be looking everywhere. Where is that girl located?"
"She's in the south wing," Samantha replied, "But I'm coming with you."
"That's alright," he said, "I've got it from here." Samantha's countenance dropped somewhat, but Claude reassured her.
"It's not that you can't do it," he said, "But I know I can do this with very little risk to all of us." Samantha reluctantly agreed.
"Wait somewhere in a corner where they can't see you and I'll be back," Claude said, "Do you have an escape plan?" Samantha nodded. Claude dropped down and walked to the window.
"Hey," she called in a loud wisper, "Her room has no light in it." Claude nodded and climbed up the vine to the roof. Samantha crawled over the hall to another room across from the former head man's room. There was no light in that room and she was completely hidden in the roof frame.
Claude carefully climbed past where he had hung the fat man and climbed on top of the roof. He looked up at the bright moon that was now a little past directly above. It lit everything up, and Claude could see almost as well now as in daylight. He was slightly annoyed that the moon should be so bright on this night of all nights. After looking at the moon he determinded from that which way was south and then chose the wing that was closest to that direction.
"Of course," he thought, "the vineyard is on the south side."
He carelfully walked toward that wing. Connecting the south wing to the main building was a covered walkway, since rain was regular in that forest. He approached the walkway and looked down at the three story fall that would ensue if he lost his balance. Each story was about eleven feet.
"Phew," he thought, "I climbed pretty high." He looked around to see that the building was just a little lower than the tops of the trees. He could see the blue tint of the green tops spread out in front of him. The stars domed over the scene tinging their white lights on the view. Claude shook his head to remember that he was here to save someone. He tested the cover of the walkway. It was not sturdy enough. Now he had to find another way. He looked at it from the side and saw that two support beams went out from the main building to the south wing underneath the walkway.
"There," he thought. He stooped down while looking down at the four or so men with tourches that were far below him. They were running around for something, but they looked more like over-sized fireflys than men. He looked at the walkway and jumped without hesitation from his angled spot and caught the rail with his hands and the deck boards with his feet. He made a slight sound when he landed that sounded like something between a tap and a scrape. He looked left and right. He decided to just walk along there unless someone opened a door. No sense going underneath if no one was coming. He edged along and came to the point where he needed to get back up. Here, he just grabbed a beam that held the walkway to the roof, and he climbed back on and sat down for a quick break, not because he was tired, but because he had to figure out what he was going to do when he got the girl.
"She's just going to have to hang on to me," he thought, "She's blind. She's just going to have to trust me in blind faith."
He got up and walked the paremeter of the roof, which was not that steep. He dipped his head down to look for windows. The south wing was large and circlular, and windows were not that many, and all of them had no lights. So Claude found a window and slipped off the roof hanging on by his strong fingers and then swung into the room. He looked around the room. It obviously wasn't used very much. It had weapons and junk covered with dust and most of it was piled in the corners. He just happened to look out side and see someone coming from the main building, since the window he entered through was facing the main building. He looked up and saw that the roof here was a similar build and so he jumped straight up into it again. He then made his way over the entrance and watched. The men walked in and walked straight down the hall past four or five rooms to a room far in the back. Claude moved through the roof to see what they were doing. He could here them talk before he even got there.
"What are we going to do with her?"
"Alastor is still going to use her."
"Is she really a prophet of doom?"
"Who knows? It's not going to be our doom."
"What are we going to get for her?"
"If Elestor and Alastor play their games right, we could all be rich."
"Alastor's got something up his sleeve. He's been gaining deserters from both armies and putting them all over."
"Oh yeah. Whatever he's got, it's big." Claude continued to move closer to see.
"I over heard the cousins talking. General Syrathis and the former General are going to be their biggest obstacles. But with General Syrathis's daughter, we might can get him out of the picture."
"And Trotes?"
"Alastor or his cousin Osis is supposed to be taking care of him."
"Eh? He may actually make this work?" Claude was now looking down on them. He could see in the dark that the girl was sitting in there with them, and she looked very afraid. She sat next to the window in the room, lit by the moon light with tears coming down her face. The men were across the room by the door talking about the grand plans of the mercenary, Alastor. Claude waited. He did not want to frighten the girl any more than she was already. So he just listened to them. They were just dressed in brown garb, not ready for any kind of action. Then Claude and the men down below him heard someone enter the South wing. He came into the room.
"Have you seen Elestor?" he asked.
"He's supposed to be with the General's daughter?"
"He's not in his room. There's someone here to see him, and there's blood on his floor. I think we're going to be in trouble."
The men looked at each other and then hurried out with the man and out of the South wing. Claude watched them untill they exited.
"Samantha, make sure you stay out of sight," Claude said to himself. Then he looked at the frightned girl who only looked straight ahead.