The Wizard's Misery The Chronicles of the Midlands Book One

Chapter Nine

The older man headed towards the stairs which were at the back of the room and the others followed. Even though dinner time was almost past, the room was still very full and they had to make their way through the maze of crowded tables to reach their destination. The stair way was narrow and they made their way up single file with Celine following after Brandon and Robin brought up the rear.

When they reached the top of the stairs, Haverty headed down the hall and then turned right and led them down another hall way. Celine noticed that there was another staircase at the end of this hallway which went back downstairs. Haverty stopped in front of a door and took a key out of his pocket and unlocked it.

Inside was a small bed with three cots placed neatly in the center of the room. A small fire burned in the fireplace on one of the inside walls and there was a small window which looked out over the stable yard. It was already dark outside and a small lamp sat on a table under the window.

Haverty walked over to the lamp and lit it, filling the room with more light as Brandon held the door open to allow Celine to pass through. She looked around the room and was happy to see that her pack was lying on the bed and the men's saddle bags were placed in a corner. She made her way into the crowded room and sat down on the bed. Brandon came in and sat on the cot closest to Celine and Robin looked a little miffed as he shut the door and took the cot beside Brandon's. Haverty went over to the fire and started poking at it with a poker, rearranging the wood to make it burn brighter and then satisfied, he turned and sat down on the remaining cot.

"So, you're a part of the resistance network," Brandon said succinctly to Robin.

"That's right," he answered laconically.

"Who do you report to?" Brandon asked crisply. He was in no mood to mince words and wanted to get right down to business.

"Who do you report to?" Robin countered, giving Brandon a hard look. "You know I can't tell you that. There are traitors all over the place and we don't divulge who the leaders are," he explained.

"That's exactly right," Brandon agreed. "I just wanted to see how much you would willingly reveal knowing that I am friendly with the contacts in this place." He looked over to Celine who was still sitting on the bed with her eyes half closed. "Why was she sent instead of a man?"

"We sent her because we thought she could get through unnoticed. She's also very adept with a sword and dagger and can handle herself in a crisis," Robin explained.

"Well she almost got caught by soldiers and then she reacted badly and swallowed the item that she was supposed to deliver to me and now she's sick! You should've sent a man!" he said angrily. He rifled his hand through his dark curls as he glared at Robin.

"I'm feeling a little better now, thank you! I'm just exhausted!"Celine said in self defense, glaring at him.

"Look, this is getting us nowhere. She didn't get caught and the gem is safely hidden," Robin rationalized. "Why were you at the Midway? That is the real question," he proposed.

Celine sighed and took off her cloak and folded it neatly and set it down beside her. "That's what I want to know, too," she said.

"As I already explained to Celine," Brandon said nodding his head towards her, "the forest was closed and Conjurer's swamp was no longer safe so Haverty and I both had to travel to the Midway to meet her."

"Who were you supposed to give the gem to?" Robin asked curiously.

"No one. I'm the one supposed to use it," he explained with a smile on his face.

"Do you think I'm a fool? You're no magician and that is no magic charm that can be used by just anyone," Robin contradicted angrily.

It seemed to Celine that the two men were locked in a battle of wills and she was just too tired to want to play along with them so she quietly pulled off her boots and laid down as another yawn escaped her. She was getting a headache and still felt occasional dizziness but most of all she was just plain exhausted. She closed her eyes and listened to the two men speaking.