The Princess Bride

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Ressurrection Of The Man In Black

At five O'clock, Merlin and Madam Mim were in the the basement sipping coffee. "You better get right to bed," Madam Mim said; "you look all troubled. You can't stay up all night as if you were a pup."

"I'm not tired," Merlin said. "But you're right about the other."

"Tell mama." Madam Mim crossed to him, stroked where his hair had been.

"It's just I been remembering, about the pill."

"It was a beautiful pill, honey. Feel proud."

"I think I messed up the amounts, though. Didn't they want an hour?  When I doubled the recipe, I didn't do enough. I don't think it will work over forty minutes."

Madam Mim Moved into his lap. "Let's be honest with each other; sure, you're a genius, but even a genius gets rusty. You were three years out of practice. Forty minutes'll be plenty."

"I suppose your right. Anyway, what can we do about it? Down is down ."

"The pressures you been under, if it works at all, it'll be a miracle."

Merlin had to agree with her.  "A phantasmagoria." He nodded.

*                       *                         *

The man in black was nearly stiff when North reached the wall.  It was almost five O'clock and North had been carrying the corpse the whole way from Merlin's, back street to back street, alleyway to alleyway, and it was one of the hardest things he had ever done. Not taxing.  He wasn't even minded.  But if the pill was just what it looked like, a chocolate lump, then he, North, was going to have a lifetime of bad dreams of bodies growing stiff between his fingers.

When he at last was in the wall shadow, he said to Aster, "What now?"

"We've go to see if it's still safe. There might be a trap waiting." It was the same part of the wall that led, shortly, to the Zoo of Death, in the farther corner of the castle grounds. But if the albino's body had been discovered, then who knew what was waiting for them?

"Should I go up then?" North asked.

"We'll bot do it," Aster replied. "Lean him against the wall and help me."  north tilted the man in black so he was in no danger of walling and waited while Aster jumped onto his shoulders. Then North did yah climbing.  Any crack in the wall was enough for his fingers; the least imperfection was all he needed.  He climbed quickly, familiar with it now, and after a moment, Aster was able to grab hold of the top and say, "All right; go on back down," so North returned to the man in black and waited. 

Aster crept along the wall top in dead silence. Far across he could see the castle entrance and the armed soldiers flanking it.  And closer at hand was the Zoo.  And off in the steepest brush in the farthest corner of the wall, he could make out the still body of the albino. Nothing had changed at all.  They were, at least so far, safe. He gestured down to North, who scissored the man in black between his legs, began the arm climb noiselessly.

When they were all together on the wall top, Aster stretched out the dead man and then hurried along until he could get a better view of the main gate.  The walk from the outer wall to the main castle gate was slanted slightly down, not much of an incline, but a steady one. There must be-Aster did a quick count-at least a hundred men standing at the ready.  And the time must be-he estimated closely-five after five now, perhaps close to ten.  Fifty minutes till the wedding. Aster turned then and hurried back to North. "I think we should give him the pill," he said. "It must be around forty-five minutes till the ceremony."