The Blade

Chapter 16

"Danus!"

"Yes, Laya?"

"What did you just do?"

"Huh?"

"What—did—you—just—DO?"

"Erm.  Let me think.  I breathed.  Thought about chicken.  I mighta done some blinking.  Um..."

"OK, forget that.  Tell me this—is your nose itchy?"

"Uh, let's see.  No, not really.  Not anymore."

"And why do you think that might be?"

"Um.  Er.  Ooh, ooh, I know—it's 'cause I just scratched it."

"You scratched it?"

"Yep."

"With your hand?"

"Yep."

"Specifically, your hand that is for some reason no longer chained to the wall?"

"I think so.  I probably couldn't reach with the one that's still chained to the wall."

"Danus, please pay very close attention to the question I'm about to ask.  Are you paying attention?"

"I always pay attention to you, Laya."

"Good, I'm pleased to hear it.  Now, the question I'm going to ask is this—WHY THE HELL ISN'T YOUR HAND CHAINED TO THE WALL ANYMORE?"

"It's cause I had an itchy nose, Laya.  Don't you remember?  I couldna scratched it, if my hand was still chained to the wall."

"OK, yes, good, fine—I get that.  What I want to know is, how did you get it unchained?"

"While you were having a doze, I broke a spiky bit off one of them torture things, with my foot, and then I picked it up in my toes and passed it to my hand.  I can do that kind of stuff, 'cause I'm real bendy.  Momma says I'm flexabubble.  Anyway, then I used the spiky thing to pick the lock.  I did it real quiet, so I wouldn't wake you up.  You seemed real tired."

"You can pick locks?"

"Oh, yeah.  My brother showed me.  He taught me all kinds of stuff, before them guards came and took him away.  He was real smart."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't think you'd be interested.  I mean, he's clever and all that, but his head looks a bit like the wrong end of a potato."

"Not about your brother!  Also, I don't think potatoes really have ends.  But why didn't you tell me that you could pick locks?"

"You didn't ask."

"But...but...didn't you think it might have been relevant?"

"Oh, yeah.  Soon as I got that itchy nose, it was real relevant."

"Not about your bloody nose!  I mean relevant to getting the hell out of here!"

"Oh, that?  Nah.  I had a good look at the lock on the door, when they dragged us in here.  I can't pick that sort."

"But you can pick the ones chaining us to the wall?"

"Oh, yeah.  I just didn't think there was much point.  Not 'til I got an itchy nose, anyway."

"Danus?"

"Hmm?"

"Pick the lock on your other hand, and then get over here and pick the ones on mine as well."

"Okay—if you say so, Laya.  But what are we gonna do then?"

"Well, first I'm going to punch you as hard as I can.  And then we're going to find a way out of here."