Fishwhacked: Reign of the Walrus Witch

Chapter 5

They slunk through the hallways of the castle, not encountering anyone until they neared the Milliners' Tower. The building could be seen through the tiny windows lining the hall, its stack of great marble hats casting a distinctive shadow over the castle grounds.

"Is the Head Milliner a just man?" Yawp asked in a whisper, which, for a man of his size, sounded like a normal human talking regularly.

"Easily the smartest person in Drownvale. He doesn't wear four hats for nothing." Paistra held up her hand when they saw the door to the tower flip open.

The Head Milliner was coming through the door holding the Omnifish, accompanied by two lesser Milliners, one with three hats and the other with a mere two. His apprentices turned and ran when they saw Paistra and her crew, the sight of the giant barbarian being especially motivational to do so. The Head Milliner watched them run and then faced Paistra. She opened her fingers a bit and her bread canteen began to rattle.

The Milliner smiled. "You're alright. Thank the gods." He held up Omno. "Ebb, I believe this belongs to you."

"Um, no, I told Paistra she can have him. He can help her way more than he can help me," Ebb said.

"Ebb, I thought we had something special!" Omno declared.

Paistra gasped.

"Yes, he talks," the Milliner said. "We don't have time, my underlings will alert the guards soon enough. We all know the Walrus Witch is treacherous. You'd have to be an idiot not to see it. Which is why Lieutenant Commander Wharf is happily obeying her orders. But I'm on your side. I went through my books and old scrolls, and because I'm organized, found some answers rather quickly. This is not the Omnifish's first visit to the world. But this is the first time he has appeared without remembering anything. He is impervious to harm, as you may have seen earlier, Ebb. He told me how his hide shattered the bandits' weapons. Before I could find anything more, the Walrus Witch demanded I take him to her. The messenger said she seemed antsy.

"Take the secret passage in the lobby of the Milliner's Tower, just pull out the book 'Preventing A Succession Crisis' and the shelf will slide away. Your escape will not be unnoticed for long. So the story is that you beat me up and took the fish. I will prolong telling her of your escape for as long as I can."

"I can't thank you enough," Paistra said.

"I just want to see you survive. Flee the city, and when I uncover enough to get the Walrus Witch off the throne, I will send a messenger rooster for you." The Milliner looked at Yawp. "My story needs to be believable. Mr. the Barbarian, if you could lightly tap me in the face to give me the appearance of having been struck..."

"Now that's something I can do," Yawp replied. He punched the Head Milliner in the face. The man flew backwards and into the Milliners' Tower lobby, his hats toppling onto the cobblestone next to him. His entire face was bruised, making it look like he had choked to death. He lay unconscious amongst his hats. "Whoops."

"It'll look more plausible," Ebb said.

"Bless you, Milliner," Paistra muttered. She picked up Omno. "Let's go."

They ran into the base of the Milliner's Tower, a round lobby with a spiral staircase going up. The bookshelf was on the far end. As they scanned it for the right book, they heard a shout from down the long corridor. Lieutenant Commander Wharf and a handful of guards had spotted them.

"Crap!" Ebb exclaimed. She skimmed the bookshelf faster. "Got it!" Yawp said. He waited for Squirm to shut and bar the door, and then gently pulled on the book with his thumb and forefinger. The bookshelf creaked and slowly began sliding aside.