Chapter 11: Messages
In which Nimrod gets a message and Hugo jumps to conclusions
Fred turned to face Hugo with a smile on his face. “I’m glad to hear you didn’t miss me till later,” he said, still smiling. “I tried so hard not to wake you up when I decided I couldn’t sleep any longer. A touch of excitement I think.”
Hugo continued to look at him, also smiling, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Have you heard about your brother at all?”
“No, I don’t know whether that barkeeper would send a message if he turned up. Do you think he would?” Fred asked, suddenly anxious that he hadn’t been worrying about George at all.
“Probably. He’s a reliable sort, that Victor,” said Hugo, and he turned to lean on the balcony beside Fred. “So, how early did you get here?”
“Oh not early at all,” said Fred, rapidly thinking of what time he might have left the inn if they hadn’t got to Buckmore that much before Hugo and Lupin had. “Well, I suppose we left well before sun-up but it was already broad daylight when we came out of the tunnel.” Well, past dawn, he thought to himself, so he wasn’t actually lying. He thought of saying something about Baden having to get back early, but decided that saying less was probably better, then he couldn’t be caught out as easily. “Did you sleep well?” he added.
“Like a log,” said Hugo and it was Fred’s turn to smile without it reaching his eyes, as he sure that Hugo’s sleep had been far from log-like. “You told me on our way to the inn that George was an uncommonly good engineer.”
“Yes, that’s right,” said Fred, a little puzzled.
“Has he got any specialism? Energy, for instance?”
“Um, I don’t know,” said Fred, thinking he’d better be cautious if Hugo wanted George’s skills for some particular purpose. “He’s very good at working out how to test my theories and most of his machines use energy, but I wouldn’t say he knows an awful lot about it.”
“I’ve not been to Castle Marsh,” said Hugo, apparently changing subject. “Do you do a lot of manufacturing?”
Fred thought for a bit. If Hugo wanted George to do something about his manufacturing, should he praise him or play his talents down? “Nothing on a large scale,” he said, deciding on a compromise. “We only make enough to satisfy the needs of the Castle and its immediate surrounds.” He had a vague feeling he’d said that before, but couldn’t remember when.
“And what about making energy?”
“Well, we have water-power of course. And the pulley systems. George is working on a couple more ideas though.” Why was he asking that, Fred thought, and then smiled to himself. “Why do you ask?”
“Oh, well... Seems to me, all the castles make at least some of their own energy. Maybe your energy drain is connected to your supply method somehow.”
He continued asking about Castle in the Marsh, how many people were there, what they did, the land around, how far it was from the next nearest castle. Fred responded honestly and in a friendly manner, but he tried not to reveal more than necessary. He had never thought he was much good at what they called ‘small talk’, but he thought he acquitted himself well, especially by turning the conversation to Castle Wash.
“Have you been there?” he asked Hugo.
“Well, yes, I may have been,” was the response.
“It’s a great place, right on the sea wall,” Fred continued, “with living areas and inns outside the castle walls themselves. What is the name of the inn there, now?” and he looked at Hugo, puzzled, as if trying to remember.
“Er, that is the Cheeky Parrot, I think,” Hugo replied with a smile, at first as if he thought he was being tested, and then it became a real smile, because he remembered he had good memories of it.
“What do you think of the place?” Fred asked with a smile, encouraging him to talk some more about it. He’d never been there, but had met a number of the messengers, so he had a vague idea of the place. By making up things and repeating what they’d told him over firelight tales at his own castle, he kept the conversation focused on Wash for a good few minutes.
He was relieved when Baden joined them. And interested at his relief; he had obviously decided deep down inside whom to trust. The conversation turned back to the meal, the gathering, the conversation, and Hugo’s witty stories.
“I’d love to be able to tell those sorts of tales the way you do,” said Baden, so naturally that it hardly sounded like flattery. “But you are skilled at working with people in your role anyway.” Hugo nodded. Baden continued: “Prince Lupin was wondering whether you would like to go for a run with him in the morning. He doesn’t often get willing company. I hate running!” and he laughed.
Hugo looked a bit cross. “Well, I would of course be flattered to accompany the Prince on a run at any time. What time do you think we should meet and where?”
“I would check with him when he comes over, he’s doing the rounds at present and will probably join us soon, but I imagine he’ll be ready around 7 a.m.”
Hugo continued to look less than pleased but then visibly made an effort. “It will be a pleasure. It looks like it’ll be a nice morning,” he added, looking out at the sky.
The arrival of Lady Nimrod and Prince Lupin saved them from making further small talk.
“It’s a lovely night,” said Lady Nimrod, “Did you enjoy your meal, young Fred?”
Fred agreed he enjoyed his meal and praised in particular the lavender sorbet, saying it was both delicious and stimulating. Lady Nimrod managed to get Hugo looking charming again and they talked some more about the other guests and things that had been said to them on their journey round the room after the meal. Eventually Prince Lupin offered Nimrod his arm and escorted her from the room, and the guests dispersed around the castle.
Baden walked with Hugo and Fred back to their rooms. “We will breakfast together at 10 a.m., although drinks are served in the morning room from 7 if you wish,” he explained. “I hope you enjoy your run, Hugo,” as he left him at his quarters, receiving just a civil “Good night” in response, and then Baden took Fred not back to the room he had been shown earlier as his quarters but to another apartment on the same level as Lady Nimrod’s.
Prince Lupin was waiting for him. “Sorry to keep you from your bed, Fred,” he said, “but Baden says you’ve had an idea which we should explore tonight rather than waiting.” He waved him to some comfortable-looking cushions and an attendant brought some strawberry juice as well as wine. Fred decided that as he had only sipped water at dinner he might as well try the wine. It was the best he’d ever tasted, he decided.
“So, what’s this idea you had over the lavender sorbet?” Prince Lupin prompted Fred.
“Well, let me take you back to how I met Hugo. I was walking along this tunnel, already hours from Castle in the Marsh. There was a double bend in it, and then I could see a glow ahead. It came from a side tunnel. The glow became a bright light, then Hugo stepped out of the tunnel from the light, into my tunnel, and the light faded to a glow. Hugo and I spoke and we walked up the tunnel towards the inn together. It took hours.”
“Hugo appeared from this light, which disappeared, you mean?” confirmed Lupin.
“Yes. The thing is, I thought of Hugo running down that tunnel and running back again. He was still in the room when I left with you,” he said, looking at Baden, “and he was running out of the tunnel when he met you at about seven.”
Lupin nodded, “that’s right.”
“Well, where did he go? There was nothing he could have run to down that tunnel. Did he just go down there for up to three hours, then turn round and come back? It doesn’t make sense.
“There was no reason for him to check out Castle in the Marsh, and even if he did, he couldn’t have reached there in seven hours, even running really fast. I took more than twenty-four hours without a break, and Hugo and I weren’t moving slowly.” He stopped and looked at th
e others, feeling a little silly about his idea.
“Go on,” said Prince Lupin, sipping his wine and looking at the colour of it, rather than at Fred. Somehow, that encouraged him.
“That light in the tunnel meant something. I think it was a machine or something that helped Hugo travel long distances. I think Hugo ran down the tunnel and got in his machine and went wherever he goes. Perhaps he wanted to find out something. Maybe, and I’m a bit worried about this, he wanted to see if George had used it by mistake, since he hasn’t come up the tunnel to the inn. He asked me about George just now. I’m sure he knows something about him.”
“I’m sorry, who’s George,” asked Baden.
“My brother. We left home together. He’s a brilliant engineer. I was singing his praises to Hugo when we first came up the tunnel to the inn. I think he fell asleep when we stopped for a rest. He didn’t catch us up, anyway.”
“Hugo’s machine. Where do you think it goes?” asked Lupin.
“I don’t know. I just wonder, if he uses it to bring Wozna to the realms here, it must use energy. What if every time he uses it, the energy drain happens? Maybe it uses too much energy?”
“But how could Hugo get to his machine and get back again in time to meet me?”
Fred took a deep breath to steady his nerves. “What if Hugo has a time machine, or possibly the tunnel is the machine? He could go back to his time, or rather forward since he must come from the future. Then come back again at the time he needs to be here in order to be back at the inn to leave with you. If he really has to,” Fred finished lamely. As mad as it seemed saying it aloud, his audience listened while he described the events.
“Why would he have to?” asked Baden.
“I don’t know. I think it has something to do with George, though. The more I think about this, the more worried I am about him.”
“Well, your hypothesis fits the facts,” said Prince Lupin approvingly, “but of course it is only a hypothesis. How could we possibly test it? I will think on it and discuss with Nimrod in the morning. Perhaps enlightenment will arrive during my early morning run.”
“Do you think Hugo will show up?” asked Baden.
“Surprisingly, yes I do,” said the Prince. “It is worth his while to do so: he knows his bluff is being called. Don’t worry too much about your brother. Hugo may be a rogue, but I’ve always known him as a kindly rogue.” With that, he dismissed them and they returned to their rooms for the night, Baden kindly escorting Fred so he didn’t get lost.
“I think you are safe here,” Baden said to Fred as they neared his door, “but I will take the liberty of sleeping in the adjoining room if you don’t mind. Call out if anything untoward happens.”
Fred wasn’t sure whether to feel slightly better or slightly worse at this announcement, but decided to take it at face value, and went straight to his bed. After a busy day that started early, he was asleep before he could have started counting.