CaptainQuirk

Chapter Thirty One In Which Lucia Finally Meets Princess Evangeline As Lucia and Julian made their way back to the mansion, Lucia dared not look any of the townspeople in the eye.  She focused on the rhythmic crunching of the gravel beneath her feet and tried to match her cadence with Julian’s.  The prince walked at a pace that was a little slower than Lucia’s, although he seemed determined to stay just a little bit ahead of her.  In any case, Lucia was careful not to stray far, because she dared not risk that the townspeople might think she was out alone.  Too many people knew her face – and knew too little else.They crunched their way do...

Chapter Thirty In Which Lucia And Thomas Are Set Free From Prison The sound filled the dank air of the jail, flooding down the hallway and rushing into the cell.  Lucia was quite sure she heard two distinct sets of footprints.  William the jailer caused the same heavy footfalls as before.  Along with his steps came the sound of the metal keys, knocking together like ominous wind chimes.  However, when Lucia listened closely, she heard a second set of lighter footsteps following William an instant later.  They seemed to have the weight of a man yet the stealth of a cat.  The sounds’ echoing off the stone walls made it difficult to determine...

Chapter Twenty Nine In Which Lucia Learns Something Interesting From Thomas The cold, hard jail cell offered little but silence.  Through the iron bars, Lucia stared morosely at the wall opposite the cell.  The sun, which had previously been visible through the thin slits that stood in for windows, had since arched out of view.  As she guessed at the late hour, a knot formed in Lucia’s stomach.  Poor John might think she had run off for good.  Or, worse, Claudette might think she was lazing around idly somewhere, and would take it out on John and maybe even poor Margaret.  Margaret.  Was anyone tending to her?  If it was up to John to take...

Chapter Twenty Eight In Which Something Terrible Happens To Lucia And Thomas Lucia burst through the apothecary's front door so fast that the shop bell's ring sounded more like a high-pitched thud.  Breathless, she fell against the inside of the door and leaned against it with all her might.Looking briefly in Lucia's direction, the apothecary nodded, and then just soon returned to what he was doing.  He climbed up on the stool once more and began to rummage around in the upper shelves.  Scarcely looking, he extended one long arm out to where he had left his hat.  He grasped it between two fingers, brought it up to his head, and dropped it ...

Chapter Twenty Seven In Which Lucia Is Chased By An Angry Mob The man who had initially spotted her had very few teeth remaining, and those that still clung to his mouth were darkened by years of ale and tobacco.  His decaying grin contributed to the menacing look on his angry face, which, had he been in better health, would still be terribly frightening.  He raised one arm and pointed at Lucia as he marched towards her."You," he barked.  "I know who you are."Frozen on the spot, Lucia could only watch as the townspeople behind him fanned out, creating a half-circle around her.  Amidst the crowd, Lucia could scarcely pick out several differ...

Chapter Twenty Six In Which Lucia Sets Out To Do Something That She Meant To Do A Long Time Ago Lucia left the mansion in the early morning.  The sun had not yet risen, and along with her mother's cloak, the scarcity of light was enough to provide cover.  She silently shut the great wooden door at the front of the mansion and then paused for a moment, just to feel the wind in her hair.  And then, she set off.  Quietly, she crept further and further away from the towering stony walls that had so quickly become her prison.  Step after step, out into the coldness of morning, she ventured.  In all directions around her, purple clouds rolled al...

Chapter Twenty Five In Which Claudette And A Perturbed Prince Julian Make Life Quite Miserable For Lucia The next morning, after very little sleep, Lucia was awakened by a loud and persistent knocking at her door.  Groggily, she picked her head up and looked towards the door, which concealed the source of the noise.  She muttered a response incoherent to even herself, which garnered another loud series of raps at the door.  At long last, a gruff voice barked out at her the late hour.Lucia pulled herself up to a sitting position and rubbed the back of her neck.  She was in a great deal of pain and found her movement quite restricted.  In ad...