Chapter Five: Question
The room was cold. Sterile, to be precise. The fan, fixed to the ceiling, was continuously spinning around and around. Giving off cool air, made the room even more oppressive. The fan's noise was so jarring, that anyone forced to sit there for an extended time was sure to go insane.
Kenelm wondered how long he was going to have to wait there. It’d been an hour since one of the guards waltzed into the orphanage, asking for him. Kenelm was dragged to one of the guard towers, this tower being in the centre of town. The building wasn’t certainly the tallest building, nor the biggest, but its imposing fortress walls would certainly scare anyone.
Since his brother went missing, along with another orphan, there was plenty of reason for Kenelm to be questioned. He wondered if they’ll believe him. Kenelm had no idea why his brother disappeared, let alone where he went to. Finneas simply vanished without a trace, and without warning. His older brother never mentioned anything about leaving. Even if Finneas wanted to run away, surely, he would have told Kenelm, if allowed him to come along. Something felt amiss.
The door opened. An older boy, a few years older than Finneas, entered. He was wearing a cream-white cloak. It was the Sensor his friend Teller told him about. The person that’d visited the orphanage the evening before. The young Sensor closed the door before speaking.
“Kenelm Breydan, son of Mareth Brayden. Father… unknown, orphan,” the Sensor announced, reading off a file. “Rather interesting. Disobedient. Lacks discipline. Has known to question orders, claiming the tasks are… too hard. Potential rebel… Hmmm… surveillance suggested." The older boy placed the file on the table. He moved closer to Kenelm, staring the him straight in the eyes. Kenelm intensely stared back, looking into the Sensor’s greenish-hazel eyes, hoping to somehow throw the older boy off. This didn't work, however. "It's clear someone didn't do their job."
“Who are you… and why I’m being kept?” Kenelm decided to ask. It probably wasn’t the best decision. The Sensor grabbed Kenelm by his shirt’s collar, dragging him closer.
"You're in no position to ask questions… boy," the Sensor smirked as if enjoying this. "You better shut up and answer some of my questions. How about that?"
Any other boy would have been intimidated by this. However, Kenelm was used to these types of threats. He’d seen it all before. At most, he’d get a whack around the head, probably a few extra menial tasks, and a headache for the few hours. Kenelm knew quite well they could beat him, yet they’d never truly break him. He was rebellious, and nothing was going to change that.
“Like I’m going to tell you anything,” Kenelm laughed. “I wouldn’t rat out my brother, even if I could.”
Visibly, the Sensor refused to take this as an answer. The older boy tightened his grip on Kenelm. Whoever he was, the Sensor seemed quite powerful; both in political influence and in physical strength.
“I’m not one to be messed around, boy,” he said forcefully. “I know your kind. Free folk. I know how to break you, bend you to me will.”
Kenelm continued grinning, not even remotely phased by the threat.
“Maybe I’m ain’t like most free folk,” Kenelm smirked defiantly. “Maybe I don’t know anything.”
Kenelm noticed the Sensor sweating. Perhaps he had finally broken the older boy. Perhaps the Sensor was finally realising Kenelm truly knew nothing.
“You’re brother, and his friend, are missing,” the Sensor continued. “And I’m certain you know his whereabouts. Tell us where he is, and maybe I could…”
The Sensor was interrupted mid-sentence. There was a knock on the door. The Sensor turned to open it. Another Sensor entered, a few years older than the other. This one wore a white cloak, a signifier the young man was a full-fledged member of the Order. Kenelm wanted to groan. Great, he thought, now he had two Sensors to deal with.
“Maybe I can be of some assistance,” the older Sensor said, his speech so cold it could cut a room into silence. "You do not seem to be going anywhere, Sensor Lucian."
Kenelm could sense the younger Sensor felt uncomfortable as if he didn't like taking orders from others. Kenelm could somewhat understand. He too hated taking orders too.
“I don’t need help!” the younger Sensor snapped.
“Don’t bark at me boy!” the older Sensor said forcefully. Whatever was occurring, it made the younger Sensor back down.
“Sorry… just didn’t-”
"Don't do it again. At least not in front of… these free folk… I certainly don't want you questioning me in front of those Native savages."
“I… I won’t… I promise.”
“Good.”
For a brief moment, the two Sensors had forgotten about Kenelm. The boy remained there, silently, hoping they would eventually let him go. Although he knew he wasn't the best-behaved child, prone to telling lies just to save his skin, Kenelm for once was telling the truth. He’d no idea where his brother had disappeared to. He’d just wished they believed him for once.
“Now tell us the truth, kid,” the older Sensors moved his attention back to Kenelm. “Where did your brother go?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
“Serious.”
With his palm open, the older Sensor placed his hand above Kenelm's forehead. The man close his eyes and began humming. Suddenly, there was a painful burning sensation grilling Kenelm’s mind. He started crying. Kenelm rarely cried.
“I don’t know. Please… just stop-”
"Not until you tell me where your brother is!" the older Sensor yelled.
“I don’t know!”
Kenelm’s mind was burning hot, the callous pain was making his blood boil. Sweat poured down his face. He was still crying. The pain was gruelling.
“Liar!”
“It’s the truth!”
“Liar!” the older Sensor said, this time even more demanding.
Kenelm was about to faint when the younger Sensor tapped his senior on the shoulder. The older Sensor stopped torturing Kenelm
“He doesn’t know…” Lucian stated. “We should have better luck searching the nearby forest. Any rebel Native could have taken them… perhaps… this isn’t leading us anywhere.”
“Maybe your right,” the older Sensor remarked.
For a brief moment, Kenelm thought the man was going to continue torturing him, in the vain hope Kenelm would confess. The younger Sensor, Lucian, seemed to sense Kenelm was telling the truth. Finally, he thought. Kenelm was glad to get a respite.
“Go!” the older Sensor directed Kenelm to leave. “And tell no one what occurred here.”
Kenelm left the room, still unsure. He was worried the two Sensor would change their mind. To his relief, they didn’t. Kenelm remained quiet throughout the day, not muttering a word to anyone. Perhaps it was fear, but Kenelm thought it best not to discuss the interrogation he’d just experienced. There was also a sense of curiosity – what had his brother gotten in involved with? This kept nagging his attention. Even though he was meant to be repairing old broken nets, Kenelm continued being distracted by his thoughts. After finishing his daily tasks – Kenelm had made a real mess of the fishing net, yet didn’t care – Kenelm decided to look for his friend.
Teller was deep into one of his books. Kenelm never understood his friend’s fascination for reading. He always found the text extremely longwinded and tedious to discern. It didn't help that the words would move around the page, never staying in one spot. Because of that, Kenelm never read much.
“Hey,” Kenelm announced, sitting beside his friend. “Can we talk?”
Suddenly realising someone was next to him, Teller nippily yet carefully closed his book, making sure to place a bookmark in the spot he’d reached.
“What’s it?” his friend asked.
“It’s about my brother and Kist.”
“You know I don’t know nothing about their where-a-bouts,” Teller explained, sounding rather defensively.
“Not that,” Kenelm clarified. “I think I know why they left.”
“How’s that?”
“You know I was missing this morning during breakfast…”
“I wondered whether you’d got to.”
“…well, some Sensors asked me a few questions. Was sent to a room.”
“What? More sensors?” Teller interjected. “Won’t they give us a break?”
"There were only two… I think."
“Two is too many.”
“Tell me about it,” Kenelm stated. "One of the Sensors did some trick to me. Tried to force whatever they thought I knew."
“You don’t know where you’re brother’s gone?”
Kenelm shook his head.
“What yah discussing?” Mollie spoke from behind. Her sudden introduction into the conversation caused the two boys to leap. Leaning over, she stared down at them disapprovingly.
“Nothing,” Kenelm quickly said.
Teller also shook his head.
“Is my brother, and my brother-from-another-mother lying?” she smirked.
“Course not,” Kenelm rebutted.
“Then why’re you playing with your buckles?” Mollie pointed out. “You only do that when you’re nervous.”
Kenelm didn’t realize he’d been fidgeting.
“Okay, okay,” he admitted dejectedly, “we discussed my brother.”
“Finn…?”
Mollie seemed taken back at the mentioning of that name. Everyone knew Mollie had a crush on Kenelm’s brother – including Finneas – but it was never really brought up much. She was also quite close to Kist, seeing him as an older brother of sorts. If anyone knew where they’d got to, Mollie surely would know.
“Well… I may’ve overheard them talking,” she finally revealed.
“Overheard?”
“Well, I confronted them,” Mollie explained. “Before they left.”
“Why’d you not stop them?”
“I tried…” Mollie sounded regretful. “They seemed eager to go.”
“Know where they went?”
“Riverlands… I think.”
“The Riverlands?” Kenelm pondered aloud.
Kenelm barely grasped geography – he was never interested in maps, or learning about other places – but he once remembered a sailor mentioning the Riverlands. Wasn’t it on the Northern Continent? Why would his brother be going there? There were too many questions. Before Kenelm could spurt any of them out, Mollie continued explaining.
“Said he was a seer, or the Seer… not sure what he meant…” Mollie explained. “Something about a portal… it was late… and they were in such a rush.”
“The Seer?” Teller spoke, although rather softly. “I think I’ve heard about that. Remember reading it in a book.”
“Where?” Mollie began to grill her twin brother. “Can you show us?”
“It’s… it’s in the library,” he explains. “But before you ask, we can’t just go waltzing in there… well… you two can’t, at least.”
“Then borrow the book out, or so?” Kenelm suggested.
“Not possible,” Teller stated. “The librarian’s quite strict.”
“Strict?” Mollie asked. “I thought they let you borrow books out all the time?”
“Yeah,” her brother said nervously.
“You’ve been returning books late, haven’t you?”
Teller nodded.
“Well… steal it?” Kenelm decided to suggest.
As some sort of punishment for even suggesting that; Mollie punched him in the shoulder. Although it kind of hurt, he knew he deserved it. Stealing was harshly frowned upon. While kids usually got off lightly when it came to punishment, an adult thief could expect to lose their hand… or worse. Maybe stealing wasn’t a great idea. But they needed to read that book.
“Can you at least sneak us in?” Kenelm asked. “We promise not to break anything.”
“S’pose I can.”
The three decided to hurry to the library; there were still a few hours of sunlight left. Despite Anglean being a rather big city, with a considerable population, the city’s library was quite small and underwhelming. As a result, the library would have glaring gaps in its collection – something Teller would often grumble about. The two-storey building was crammed between a shop devoted to fishhooks and a butcher. Suffice to say, the neighbouring buildings gave off an awful odourful smell; a mixture of fish and beef.
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Even though the library’s entrance was on the main street, Teller instructed his two friends to wander down a small alley, leading to a backroad. Finding their way behind the library, Mollie and Kenelm leant against the wall waiting for Teller. One of the window shafts opened, with his friend’s head popping out. Carefully, the two kids below climbed their way up, using a water pipe as a grip. Kenelm’s brother was a better climber, but he’d learnt a thing or two from Finneas. It didn’t take too long to reach the top.
Sliding through the window, Kenelm fell to the floor causing a loud thump. Still feeling sore, he stood up. The room was full of books. Kenelm always hated the musky smell of tomes. Because no one bothered ever reading the books, let alone take care of them, a half-inch of dusk covered each book. Standing near them made him want to sneeze.
“The quicker we find the book, the quicker we leave,” Kenelm commented, placing his hand over his mouth just in case he sneezed.
Mollie had managed to squeeze through the window, also falling onto the floor. She was able to get back on her feet far more graceful than Kenelm. Mollie looked around.
“Damn, it sinks.”
Teller abruptly hushed.
“Molls, you do the back shelves,” Teller instructed. “Kenelm, you do the middle shelves. I’ll do the ones here.”
“I thought you knew where the book is?” Kenelm asked.
“It’s been years,” Teller defended. “You can’t expect me to remember where all the books are.”
“You’re the bookworm. You probably the only guy that reads any of these things.”
Teller ignored Kenelm’s comment. Kenelm thought it best not to tease him. It wasn't worth the hassle anyway. His friend wasn't the type of person to bite anyway.
Making his way to the middle section, passing about three or four aisles of bookshelves, Kenelm proceeded to check each book. He opened each one to their front page – annoyingly none of the books had their title on the cover - reading the book titles aloud. Although it made his head hurt, the he tried his best. The topics covered in the tomes covered a vast range; whether how to cook the best omelette, to the military history of the Sanland Empire. None of them was on the Seer. A few books repeated the same topic. Why would anyone want to know about the architect of the early Republic? Then there was a book on magic, a topic which bored Kenelm. He knew it was important – it was what kept the world running. But he neither showed much interest. The book dealt with the origins of magic, and how one man gave the world an eternal blessing. Boring stuff.
Kenelm was about to put the book back where he’d found it when he noticed a word: Seer. He wasn’t the best reader, but he was certain he’d found the right book. Eagerly, he searched for his friends. He made sure not to make too much noise, just in case the librarians downstairs heard the kids making a ruckus. He found Teller knee-deep into a book, flipping from page to page.
“Is this it?” Kenelm asked, opening the book to the front page. "It says the Seer, doesn’t it.”
His friend at first stared at the book before grabbing it from his hand. Quickly browsing the book, Teller scanned it. Kenelm was worried for a moment he'd found the wrong book. He wasn't keen on having to go back to searching. Reading so much made his head hurt.
“We better find Molls,” his friend finally announced. “I think she’ll want to hear this too.”
Having found a table – and Mollie as well – the three kids stared at pages.
“Of all the phenomena to occur in this world, magic has to be most peculiar,” Teller began to read. "Besides the life of the Seer, no other topic will strike greater debate than Magic. It seems everyone has an opinion on it, whether positive, negative or cynically."
“Dammit,” Kenelm commented. "This book has nothing to do with the Seer.”
“Shush,” Mollie said. “He’s just started reading.”
"The origin of magic could be called the biggest mystery. Tradition states the Seer brought magic to our world after opening a portal to Ever-Growing Magic. Although it is agreed the majority of known magic entered the world during the time of the Seer, there are unverified stories-"
“Does it mention anything else about the Seer, or is it just this?”
“Tradition state the Seer worked with the elusive Goblins to build the portals that ushered in the Age of Magic,” Teller skipped a few sentences. “With the Seer's strange ability to see the language of the Goblins, the portals were used to open up a rift to Ever-Growing Magic."
“Finn mentioned something about opening a portal,” Mollie pointed out.
“There are only two portals known to exist; one in the Imperial City, and another in Rivetia City.”
“So that’s why Finn’s going to the Riverlands…”
"There is, however, a prophecy that the Seer would return and reopen the portal to Ever-Growing Magic. A prophecy states the reborn Seer will have the ability to see the Goblin language, using this ability to read the hidden codes supposedly scattered around the world."
“I remember Finn muttering about a cave,” Kenelm recounted. “Said there were symbols… you don’t think…”
“He’s the Seer… or whatever this is…” Mollie replied.
“We have to find him,” Kenelm announced. “Him and Kistoph. Who knows, they might need our help.”
“You think that’s wise?” Mollie asked.
“You want to live in this dump forever?”
“No… it’s just… too dangerous?”
“You saying it’s dangerous?” Kenelm said, although rather loudly. He'd forgotten they were in a library – a library they'd secretly sneaked into. "You’re the girl who climbed the Bell Tree. You put a wind blaster under Matron's chair. I thought you weren't scared of anything?"
“Well… well this is different!” Mollie's voice boomed.
“Guys!” Teller quickly tried to hush the two kids but failed.
“Well I’m going, even if alone! No one’s stopping me!”
“Not if I stop you!”
Before Kenelm could respond, the sound of the door creaking open could be heard. Footsteps. Rather loud footsteps. Kenelm turned around to face the librarian. She stared at him through her misty spectacles – Kenelm was surprised she could see through them. Compared to the three kids, the woman seemed like a giant. She stood at least seven feet. Her shoulders were broad, hutching downwards towards the kids.
"What we've here?" the librarian's voice boomed. The women spoke incredibly deep. "Neither of you two has permission to go up here?" she pointed towards Mollie and Kenelm. “And Teller… I thought you better than that.”
“Um… I can explain.” It was obvious Teller was thinking off the top of his head. His excuse didn’t make much sense. Kenelm wondered if he could've done a better job at lying. "Just ask our instructor," Teller continued. "He told us we needed a manual… something which explains how to fix… eh… the machinery. Fix it, I think."
“You expect me to believe that?” she said, somewhat sarcastically. Her tone was becoming sterner. Kenelm knew for a fact they were in big trouble. “So where’s your slip?”
“Slip?”
"The piece of paper which gives you permission to go up here," she explained. "I assume you three have one… each."
“I have this…” Teller mumbled as he searched his dungaree’s chest pocket. He took out a worn paper sheet. He handed it to the librarian. “Looks as if you’ve permission,” she spoke. “But for the other two?”
Realising the two had sneaked in, the librarian grabbed Kenelm and Mollie. Rather roughly, the women toiled the kids down the stairway before throwing them outside. Kenelm wobbled for a bit, in an attempt to regain his footing.
“You two are hereby banned,” the librarian announced. “I’ll inform your matron.” She turned towards Teller, who was staring downwards to avoid eye contact. “Because you’ve helped sort our books before, I will give you off on a warning. But mark my word; try that again, and you’ll never set foot in here ever again.”
She slammed the door shut, leaving the three kids outside. The wind was beginning to pick up. Kenelm could feel it. Rain was about to arrive. Hurriedly, Kenelm and his friends returned to the orphanage.
“Not like I’ll go back there,” Kenelm muttered under his breath. “Books are lame, anyway.”
As he spoke, Kenelm bumped into someone. It was Thorm, a friend of Finneas. Kenelm was distracted and wasn’t looking where he was going. Luckily it was a person he knew. And Thorm was pretty relaxed. The older boy would let them hang out in his father’s butcher store. Occasionally, Thorm’s father would show pity on the kids, giving them fresh meat. It was an improvement over eating fish.
“Hey, Kenelm," Thorm remarked, "how're things going? Heard about your brother. Feel bad for you."
“It’s nothing,” Kenelm replied.
“Look, it mightn’t be much, but you can still hang out with me and Charly. It’s not like we’re scared of little kids, or anything.”
“Thanks.”
“Well… good to see you’re coping.”
Kenelm wasn't. But he pretended to keep up the facade. Kids can smell the slightest weakness. The moment any boy revealed how truly insecure he truly was, the bullying and torment would begin. He wasn't like his brother. If someone tried to punch Kenelm, he would insist on punching back. And stuff like that would get him in bigger trouble.
They carried on walking back to the orphanage. It was beginning to get dark, so unless they wanted to miss out on one of Nance’s delicious stews, the group of friends decided it was best to walk with more haste. Neither kid bothered talking. Not that Kenelm wanted to do anyway. He was still deep in thought. He kept thinking of his brother. If Finneas was some saviour figure, perhaps he needed their help. Although he could barely grasp how far the Riverland was, let alone the direction towards it, Kenelm knew he had to find a way there. He pondered how he was going to leave. Alone, or with his friends? Kenelm couldn't make his mind up.
Reaching the orphanage, the Matron was already waiting in the front room. Observing her stern face, the woman was aware of the commotion Kenelm and his friends caused at the library. News moved quite quickly.
“I ain’t surprised,” she said, staring at the kids with her cold eyes. “I ain’t surprised one bit.”
“I can ex-”
Before Kenelm could finish his sentence, the Matron clapped her hands. One loud strike signified Kenelm to stop talking.
“You’ll be the death of me, Kenelm,” she remarked. “You’re rebellious nature will surely lead you to the noose. And for you two, Mollie and Teller… why do you keep following him into trouble.”
“We tried-”
The Matron clapped her hands again, this time silencing Mollie in midsentence.
“I didn’t ask you to speak,” the woman snapped. She turned around, staring at the wall. She didn’t say anything for a good minute or so, making Kenelm nervous. Nothing good happens when she does that. Finally, the Matron turned around again. “You’ll be doing the dishes… only you three… for the next fortnight. I think that’ll suffice.”
That evening, the three began their long and tedious task. Kenelm was in charge of washing the many bowls, using a scrub and boiling water to remove the remaining specks of food. Kenelm was aware the Matron was going to check the bowls later, so he made sure even the most blinded person could see their reflection. Mollie was responsible for drying the bowls, using a towel. Teller was tasked with putting them back in the cupboard – Kenelm’s friend was quite good at organising things. Kenelm wondered if he'd been given the more difficult task. He was somewhat annoyed but decided not to complain. Both of his friends were suffering just as much as he – the three kids were pretty much missing out on most of the evening. The thought of doing this for another fortnight…
Kenelm and Teller returned to their dorm. The room felt empty, now Finneas and Kistoph had disappeared. Although there were rumblings of moving other kids into the bedroom, it was decided until the missing kids were found they weren't going to do anything. They also shared the room with a pair of twins, a few years younger than them. The two friends had very little to do with the kids, so they were practically alone. From his chest pocket, Kenelm took out a scrap of paper.
“Where’d you get that?” his friend remarked.
"Where'd you think?"
“You didn’t steal it?” Teller gasped.
“Borrowed it,” Kenelm explain. “I plan on giving it back.”
“You better. The librarian will-”
“Trust me, everything’ll be fine.”
“I hate when you say that,” his friend remarked under his breath. “Nothing good happens… especially when stealing. You know how much-”
“Just relax,” Kenelm attempted to calm his friend.
Opening the folded paper, Kenelm placed what appeared to be a map. Although he struggled to read, Kenelm could recognise a few place names. He pointed towards the upper section of the map, a peninsula curving like a hook.
“That’s where I’m going,” he explained to his friend. “Then we board a boat to the Riverlands. We’ll meet up with my brother there.”
“You’re not planning on leaving, are you?”
“Yes… and…?”
“Isn’t just, you know, dangerous,” Teller said. “Maybe your brother and friend will return. They mightn’t get far.”
“My brother mightn’t be hot-headed like me,” he explained, “but he’s persistent. If he has help, which it sounds like, I’m sure he’ll reach the Riverlands.”
“That still doesn’t ex-”
“What do we have here?” Kenelm quickly interjected. "Nothing, I say. A fortnight of cleaning. I'm sure the matron will find a way to extend that. I have no future here. But in the Riverlands, I might have a chance… a chance to do something. Anything’s better than this chaff of a town.”
“I s’pose you're right," his friend finally admitted. "But how do you plan to get out of the city? It's not like we can waltz up to the front gate. The guard definitely won't let us outside the city wall."
“My brother found a way,” Kenelm remarked. “There’s always that crack in the wall; up eastside. I can make my way north.”
“We can make our way north,” Teller suddenly corrected.
“You’re coming too?” Kenelm was rather surprised. Teller wasn't the adventurous type. His friend seemed more interested in reading about the outside world than experiencing it.
“Why not? As you mentioned, we’ve nothing here, right?”
“Then we leave tonight?”
His friend nodded. Kenelm didn't expect to convince his friend that fast. There was no point convincing him to stay. Kenelm wasn't all too keen on making himself appear as a hypocrite.
Making sure not to alert anyone, especially the Matron, the two boys packed their satchels quietly. By now the twins had fallen asleep; practically everyone was asleep. It didn't take too long to fill their bags with clothes – a few spare tee-shirts and a jumper or two. Kenelm found an old compass. He knew the device pointed north. If they ever got lost, he was sure the compass would come in handy. Having finished packing their clothes, the two boys proceeded to tiptoe downstairs.
Their first visit was going to be to the pantry. Nancy, the orphanage’s cook, kept most of the food there. Kenelm was well aware she kept a large supply of bread. Although the bread was occasionally mouldy – the Matron rarely allowed the cook to restock – the kids learnt to cut the rotting section off. Kenelm packed a few loaves of bread into his satchel. No one ever took stock of what was in the pantry. No one was going to miss a few pieces of bread. Kenelm also picked up a few tins of sardine. Although he wasn't all too keen on the fish-based food, it was the only stuff he could find that was in a tin. Knowing he’d gathered enough to keep them fed for a few days, Kenelm gently closed the pantry door.
“What you doing, numskull?”
Kenelm leapt out of his skin. At first, he thought he'd been caught. Turning around, he faced Mollie. The girl was scowling.
“It’s not what you think.”
“And what that be?” his friend asked, disapprovingly. “You not leaving, are you?”
“No… why?”
“You’ve packed your bag.”
“Okay… so I’m lying.”
“Does Teller know?”
“He’s coming with me.”
“You roped him too?” her tone now sterner. “The night your brother ran away… I wanted to go with him.”
“Why didn’t you?”
"Perhaps I'm scared… I don't want to stay here anymore," Mollie explained. "I hate the menial task they make us do? Sewing patches onto dresses… sweeping the dirt from the streets… there must be more to life than that."
“Come with us!” Kenelm remarked.
“I said, I’m scared… I’m not brave like you… or your brother…” she confessed
“Not if me and Teller are with you. We’ll protect you. Together, we don’t have to be scared. We can be brave together.”
Mollie didn’t respond. For a moment, Kenelm thought she was going to back out – tell the Matron what they were up to. Instead, she leapt forward, embracing him with a big hug.
“I’m coming,” she said. “I can’t let you hog the spotlight…”
Teller had appeared from around the corner. For a moment, it seemed he was going to dash away. He was probably scared they’d just been caught. Moving his arm upwards, Kenelm signalled everything was alright.
“She’s coming… too.”
“A girl?” Kenelm’s friend asked. “I know Mollie’s pretty touch and all, but-”
“I can handle myself, you doofus,” Mollie snapped. “It’ll be me fighting off the critters… you’ll likely hide and cry.”
“I’m not a baby,” Teller complained.
"You sure sound like one-"
“Okay!” Kenelm decided to interject. “We better get going, before the Matron overhears us. We already made a ruckus, as is.”
Mollie quickly returned to her room. She returned with a backpack in hand. She'd changed clothes, now a pair of dungarees similar to Kenelm and Teller. It was weird seeing the girl wearing anything that wasn’t a dress. Having packed their satchel, the three tiptoed towards the door. Kenelm tried to open the door, but quickly found it was locked. The front door was rarely locked. Finneas and Kistoph leave must have provoked the Matron into keeping the door locked tight.
“Wait here,” Kenelm instructed his friends. “I be back soon.”
Although a hunch, Kenelm knew where the key was kept. It was risky, for sure, but Kenelm knew this was their only chance at escaping.
Kenelm carefully creaked the door open. He could hear loud snoring coming from inside. The Matron was certainly slumbering. She was a light sleeper, however, so Kenelm had to be careful. Creeping across the room, he stealthily made his way to a cupboard. He remembered some of the older boys talking about this. The Matron was said to keep all her prised possessions hidden safely away in the drawer. Sliding the drawer open caused the cupboard to shrill somewhat. Even though Kenelm had tried his hardest to be quiet, he'd pulled the drawer probably a tad bit too fast. For a moment, he thought the Matron had awoken. The snoring had ceased. He turned to inspect the middle-aged woman. To his luck, she was still in slumber.
“The goblin knows…” the matron mumbled in her sleep. “The light… blinds…”
Kenelm ignored what the woman said. None of it made sense anyway. Confused ramblings by a wicked old hag, Kenelm had decided. He began rummaging through the Matron's cupboard, making sure to keep the noise to the minimum. Kenelm found a small book, which listed all the kids in the orphanage along with a list of each kid's bad behaviour. Kenelm found his list was rather long; stubbornness, undisciplined, rebellious. He wasn’t surprised at this.
However, the book wasn’t what he was looking for. He continued searching. There was a small box of jewellery; golden bracelets and rings. Kenelm was surprised the Matron kept that stuff hanging about. Surely a thief could steal it and get a good price from a pawnbroker. Kenelm was many things, but he wasn't a thief. Well, he pondered, not that type of thief. He was, after all, searching through someone’s wardrobe. But he wasn’t going to take things if he didn’t need to. Placing the box back where he’d found it, Kenelm kept searching. He eventually found what he was looking for. An old rusty key.
“Truth… goblin… truth…” the women continued muttering.
Again, Kenelm ignored the woman. He picked up the golden key. Despite the nearby lamp giving off a dim light, the key glittered brightly. Whatever it was made off, it wasn’t gold. Kenelm felt some presence coming from the key. Placing it in his pocket, Kenelm turned to face the Matron, who was still asleep.
"You won't be needing this," he remarked with a smile.
The Matron seemed to mumble something, but Kenelm wasn’t able to understand it. He silently left the room. He decided to keep the door open; he didn’t want to risk it. Quickly, he made his way back to his friends. He presented the key to Mollie and Teller. The girl didn’t look too impressed.
“Don’t give me that grin,” she complained. “It’s not like you fought a dragon or something.”
"Well, it felt like it,” Kenelm countered. “We better get going.”
The three left the orphanage. They weren’t sure whether they were going to see the building again. Kenelm wasn't too bothered. He was glad to see the last of the place. Hurriedly, they made their way outside the city, making sure they left before sunrise.