The Cinders of Dezu

21st: Caddock (4)

"He's the king," Jennivah said with a chuckle over a plate she was scrubbing.

"Right," said Caddock, "but also he feels an obligation. He wants to protect the people like he promised Erasmus he would do, and he can't do that if he goes home. Humans have caused a lot of strife in the kingdom over the years. Immediate power like that can really change people. He feels it's better if they go home rather than stay. That's why all the crossover sanctuaries are over every portal from Earth to here. He even had a plan to teach us all how to send humans home when he's gone. He's told me many times that he hopes to be the last human to stay in Dezu. Certainly the last to rule."

Prince ran squeaking into the room. The twins followed like a tornado into the kitchen, falling over each other and calling out to him. Prince ran up Raina's leg under the table until he got to her shoulder.

"What did you boys do to that poor thing?!"

Jennivah said, turning from the sink.

"It's okay," Raina said, stroking the back of her agitated shoulder passenger, "I need to get him food before he figures out that I lied to him. I left some in my room and I'd better go to sleep anyway. I have to figure out that ball thing in the morning."

Caddock smiled and nodded as he got up to retrieve the root ball from the living room. He handed it to her after she shook Jennivah's hand and thanked her again for dinner. Raina said her goodbyes to the boys.

"Don't be overly concerned about tomorrow," Caddock said as she was heading out the door, "The king will get better and until then, you and I will work on solving that little puzzle he gave you."

Raina lifted the root ball to her face and closed one eye to look inside it.

"On Earth, puzzles do not look like this."

Caddock chuckled.

"They don't usually in Dezu either. Just come find me when you wake up. I'll be tending to things as always. Ask any of the servants if you can't find me. I am their boss after all."

Raina thanked him and walked out of the open door. She looked around and saw a couple servants finishing up their nightly duties. Prince scurried down her arm and found a hole on the floor near a corner wall before the hallway. The walls were stone but the floor here was wood paneling. Floors like this were often where you could find entrances and exits to the hidden pathways through the castle that no one except the rats seemed to know about.

Misshapen and seemingly coincidental holes formed from indentations in the wood were usually a code for someone in the know that they could put their finger in and lift to reveal a trapdoor. Usually she would have followed Prince, but as she still wasn't sure how taboo her little secret was, she didn't want to reveal to the servants her classified pathways.

She made a high pitched chirp to him. Prince stopped circling the spot on the floor and looked at her. He protested a bit and she ignored him and began walking down the hall. Prince considered going into the hole but he often scurried alone in the walls and he tended to enjoy Raina's company more.

Before he could decide, his little nose caught a strange scent. A black root seeped out of the hole. It was followed by several more, growing and moving in strange convulsions as they protruded from the floor, overtaking the small opening. As they snaked outside of it and lapped at the edges to find tiny holds in the wooden slats, Prince took off in Raina's direction. He decided that his decision to follow her had been made for him.