The Sleeping Army Awakes

Part 39 Rescuing Basil

Up on the hillside, the Count heard the same explosions as everyone down in the mine had. The blasts seemed to be coming from further on down the hill. He was just placing a charge down the hole that he had just drilled. He hoped that the blast particles wouldn't set off any of the explosive. Ruthers hadn't informed him that there would be anyone else using explosives on the same hillside. It made the job far more dangerous.

"Mein Gott in Himmel!" The count swore loudly. He stopped what he had been doing and connected to Ruthers via his Dudat. Ruthers' face appeared on screen.

"You did not tellingk me of any ozher blasting in zhe area!" The count complained angrily.

"With due deference we have no control, as to the methodology of our competitors on adjacent sites." Ruthers countered, "If I had known that you were afraid of few little bangs, then I would have employed some one with a little more backbone."

This incensed the count so much that he was lost for words and gasping for breath. Worst of all, if anything Ruthers, being Ruthers, seemed to be quite amused by the predicament. The count determined that he would end Ruthers' miserable existence at the earliest opportunity and it wouldn't be by a simple snap of the neck. He would remove the manservant's whole backbone, vertebrae by vertebrae.

"And you don't get paid unless you complete the task!" Ruthers added, "Please feel free to inform me when you have finished... at your earliest conenvience. Sir Gilbert grows impatient to push the button." There was an underlying menace to Ruthers' tone of voice that belied the mild words he used.

Ruthers broke the connection before the almost unending series of Germanic expletives erupted. As Count Mikula had lost his audience, he vented his anger on his errant apprentice, who was not present to hear them.

"Ant vhen I fint you Basil. Ich vill bekommen tearingk you limp vrom limp!" The count shouted in no particular direction. His voice echoed against the dense rock.

Although Basil could hear the threats, or at least their echoes, he was less worried about them than he usually might have been. He was currently half way up rather a puny but gnarled apple tree, which was currently completely surrounded by wolves. The moss covered branch, which was now bearing his weight, was creaking in an eerie and menacing manner. 

Even though the wolves were not currently jumping at the tree, for Basil they represented his nemesis. Basil's only knowledge of wolves, was fairly limited. It was basically only what he had heard in fairy stories, where wily wolves had consumed people whole. As far as Basil could remember, they seemed to prefer grandmothers and Basil thanked the stars that he was not one. Incidentally his own grandmother had luckily escaped that particular fate.

Despite Basil's phobia of the wolves, they were merely playing a waiting game, but every time Basil caught a glimpse of the size of the teeth in their drooling mouths, he got the distinct impression that they were more than a just little peckish that afternoon.

"Come down from the tree before you fall down." Samuel's voice resounded in his head. "I can't allow you to damage all the trees in the forest. You're far too heavy for that branch."

"But the wolves will eat me." Basil whimpered, looking around to try and work out where Samuel's voice was coming from and he wondered whether in fact that was that the wolves were speaking to him.

"No they won't. They have already eaten today and I have their word that they will not harm you in any way." Samuel said. "They just want you to follow them to safety. Their quarrel is with the count not you!"

"Nice wolfies!" Basil said hopefully and then a thought occurred to him. "Hold on. If you aren't scared of the wolves then why can't I see you? Why are you hiding?"