The Elixir Girls - Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - Amelia

It was getting dark, at the age of thirteen both Cassandra and I are allowed out with the gang for long periods of time, but mama would get angry if we didn’t make home before the darkness set, she got angry for lots of things. Cassandra is sick in bed so I am on my own today and this time I have to get home in time or Susan will stop letting us go out with the gang. Only two more streets to go and then I’d be…, I froze.

Just ahead of me in an entrance way to an ally, but something or someone is in there because I noticed a small movement. Any other ordinary person wouldn’t have even picked it up, but my senses were trained to be on alert all the time. I listen. Very slowly, the sound of the night comes to me, and along with that comes hushed breathing and even the light scuffle of feet. I relax, I know that breathing.

"Hey Jack, who you hiding from now?"

"Billy Oakens and his gang" comes the reply from amongst the shadows and a hooded figure emerges from the dark.

"He reckons it was me who tipped you off bout the plan to hide by your place and do you un Cassie in when you least spect it, only problem is that unlike the times before, he didn’t buy me story and beat me up instead." And with that he pulls off his hood to reveal the cuts and bruises that adorn his face.

"Oh Jack," I sigh, "Looks like you gonna have to come and properly join the gang. You can’t stay with Billy anymore or he gonna kill you. Come and stay with me tonight, ma won’t mind and you need some seeing to."

As I was speaking I let my eyes explore his face and neck, still trying to take in all the pain that he must be in right now. His once pale blue eyes were almost completely shut due to the swelling and the freckles that sprinkle his face were totally hidden by the bruises and lacerations. Even with Susan’s cures, he would probably still have a noticeable scaring on his face and (if my suspicions were correct) on the rest of his body as well.

Back at the house, Susan was getting worried but as soon as she saw poor Jack she quickly forgave me for being late. She fussed over him as if he was her own son, who was very nearly true as, being only one year older than myself Cassandra we had all grown up together and, like Cassandra’s, his mother had died in childbirth. His father was almost always drunk and abusive so he had stayed at our home and shortly became family.

As she tenderly cleaned and bandaged Jack’s cuts, I went upstairs to check on Cassandra who was still recovering from a fever brought on by a festered cut on her left hand. As far as the neighbors and even Susan are concerned, she tripped and cut it on a piece of sharp rock, but the truth is far from that.

Only the gang and us know the real truth, - no wait I lie, there was someone else but he is…, um, how shall I put it…, currently incapacitated in other words dead. Last week rumor in the market was that a certain man belonging to the King’s circle of twelve had just declared the eviction of fifty or so farming families on his land and was threatening a massacre unless they paid him twenty silver pounds each (a price that no farmer would see within ten years of hard labor)

Peter got his contacts to investigate and we found out that these rumors were true (see, gossip does come in handy). The man was Lord Gravo. Peter sent Cass and me to take care of things. Now sending two thirteen year old girls to sort out an infamous Lord may seem ridiculous, but that is the point. Who in their right mind is going to notice two more servant girls running around the castle? We did not kill him but only gave him a warning.

****************************Flashback**************************

The moonlight flits in and out of the ivy clad pillars as Cassie and I dart along the open hallway towards main chambers. We smoothly glide to a halt just before the last pillar and strip off our servant’s guise of a woolen sack dress to reveal our preferred attire, leather pants and cotton shirt, both dyed black. WE hide our hair under our black caps and tie a black ribbon with slits cut for eyes around our faces. Then we turn to the pillar and start climbing the ivy. Once at the top we swing onto the roof and swiftly travel along it until we reach the main chambers balcony. With the practiced art of a master thief, Cassie picks the lock and we sweep into the chambers of the sleeping Lord.

First thing is first, we need prizes, and we each silently search the room for desired objects. My eyes are caught by and set of twin gold and silver bracelets one inlaid with emeralds and the other with sapphires. I quickly pocket them and turn to find Cassie at his desk already carrying out phase two. Still being as silent as the shadows she picks open his top draw to reveal four purses of coins, she takes them and puts them into her pockets which are specially muffled in order not to let the coins clink.

Seeing that she was almost finished, I turn to the reason of our visit that was currently still snoring in his canopy bed at the center of the room. Even though he has a wife, he sleeps alone as a he puts it, he needs his rest -the truth being that he is afraid that she may kill him while he sleeps. Being ever so gent as not to wake him up, I tie his hands and legs to each of the bed’s posts making him lie spread eagled. To top it off I stuff his moth with a cloth which wakes him up.

For a second he just lies there his eyes blearily trying to take in the situation, then he starts thrashing around and a faint noise manages to get past the clothe but not enough.
I take out my dagger and hold it to his neck instantly freezing him up. His eyes dart around frantically between me and Cassie who is kneeling on the bed next to him.
"We see everything," she hisses, "and we are here for you. Lucifer wants your soul for your sins and we are just the beginning of hell. We are they ones who takes up the fate of those unworthy. Continue your way and we will leave with more than just your blood on our daggers but your soul in chains. We are the elixir of life and death.

REPENT!!"

With that I lean to the side and pinch a nerve in his neck instantly knocking him unconscious.

Cassie jumps down from the bed and gives a quick cough. The hissing always hurts our throats but it serves valuable uses. Who would believe what she said if it was spoken in the voice of a girl. That and people would realize that the ‘Elixirs’ as we have been dubbed, are only children. We untie the Lord and exit the same way as our entry making sure to lock behind us. The only things we leave as proofs that this is reality are the empty spaces where treasures were and the rope burn marks upon his skin.

Everything went according to plan but as we were hurrying down the hallways attired in our maid’s disguises, we were stopped by a lone soldier who grabbed hold of Cassie's dress.

"Well isn’t this my luck. Here I am all alone and who is to run into my arms but a maiden ripe for the plucking." He leers at Cassie, but expression turns to horror as he feels her dagger slip between his ribs. Before she can do anything else though, she is attacked by another coughing fit and the soldier grabs his knife and tries to stab her. Fortunately he misses her neck and just hits her left hand. All this has happened as I have slid to a stop and raced back to Cassie. I grab my dagger and plunge it deep into his skull careful not to get any blood on my hands.
The rest of the journey back was silent punctured by Cassie’s cursing of herself under her breathe.

We made it home and managed to hide the wound from Susan, but unfortunately it turned septic. When she saw it she was furious that she only fond out about it then, but it was nearly too late as Cassie had a fever. Luckily Susan managed to bring her back, but she is still much more watchful now.