Chapter 19

Grim was dragged by hands that gripped him firmly, deeper into the black corridor. He struggled to free himself, but the arms enclosed around him. He kicked his feet and tried to yell, but heard a faint whisper in his ear.

“Shh.”

He stopped struggling and the hands released him. Another voice whispered in the dark.

“Just wait,” it said.

Grim and the owners of the voices waited as the sound of Eevenellin’s snorting moved closer. Then he caught sight of something down at the end of the corridor. It looked like Barny and Benny.

They tapped on the walls and waved at the Grundel who whipped around.

“Hey, you!” she called and ran through the tunnel after them.

Then they turned tail and ran.

Grim exhaled.

“Whew,” sighed the voice behind him. It was Benny.

Grim watched the blackness, waiting to see if Eevenellin would return. When he was convinced it was safe, he turned around. A soft green light surrounded his rescuers. They held out the watches their dads had given them. They pushed a button to turn off the projected images of themselves.

“What are you doing down here?”

“Sam said we were needed here,” Benny said.

Grim’s heart still pounded in his chest. “You know he’s sick?”

They nodded.

“We have to go back,” Grim said. “Do you know the way?”

Barny nodded. “We come down here all the time to get away from Madam Malkim. Chores stink.”

Grim laughed. Clever. It was no wonder he hadn’t seen much of the twins.

They traveled back up the corridor and hung a right. They sped through two more sets of long, dank tunnels, the twins leading the way. They stopped, and gestured for Grim to approach. Ben pointed inside a cavern where a flickering sinth torch cast barely enough light to see.

Sleeping on a stone bench was Veerasin. Her legs twitched while she dreamt and her ankles were still a little swollen. Without her hair to cover her face, he could see the other half more clearly. She was scarred horribly.

The twins crept out of the cave. Grim followed.

“What’s wrong with her? What is she doing down here?”

“Not sure,” they whispered. “We followed her down here.”

“Is this under Madam Malkim’s?” he asked.

Benny shook his head. He weaved his hands back and forth. “These go all under the city.”

Grim was distracted by muffled moans and tapping noises echoing through the cavern.

“There’s some weird things living down here,” Barny said. “We better go.”

“Do you know how to get out of here?”

They nodded. “These tunnels are easy. It’s the deeper ones that are harder.”

Down the corridors they traveled, the twins guiding him through the dark once more. Their footsteps hurried when moaning and a mad laughter echoed behind them. Benny kept muttering about Ogrim and Mechs in the darkness until they finally reached the final staircase. Barny waved his glowing watch in front of the two glass circles. The painting slid open and the three of them spilled out into Madam Malkim’s. They all exhaled a sigh of relief as it slid closed once more with a loud click.

“Thanks,” Grim said. “Good thing you were down there. Not sure I would have made it back up. Let’s find the others.”

When they reached the top of the stairs, Eevenellin stood outside of Rudy’s doorway. She looked suspiciously at Grim and the twins.

“I will come back and check on you later to see if you have the same signs of illness. Ellen is with Madam Zelna for now.” She took one last look at the three of them before heading down the corridor to her own room.

Inside they found Rudy, Quinn, and Treena, all looking worried.

“What’s going on?” Grim asked.

The three spoke up in unison. “Ellen’s sick.”

“I know. What happened to her?”

Treena shrugged. “She collapsed while assisting Madam Phoebe. She has brown splotches all over her.”

“Just like Sam?”

Rudy nodded.

Grim mentioned what he found in the catacombs.

“So we were wrong about Dorian,” Treena said.

“And Rudy was right about Eevenellin,” Grim added, looking at his sister.

She nodded. “They must have turned Valeria to stone and started this sickness. But what is it, and why?”

Grim shook his head, wondering the same thing himself. But he was determined to find out.

Later that evening, Grim strode into the kitchens rather late and found Orlanda Kennelworth waiting. She tapped her fat foot on the floor and her face was puckered.

“Where’s Veerasin?” Grim asked, surprised to see the Madam of the Kitchens. At this hour, she usually took a nap. And at this hour the grumpy old woman, with the bags under her eyes, looked like she needed it.

“Humph,” she muttered. “She didn’ show up. I’ll be speakin’ to Madam Malkim about dis.” She poked her head out the door as if expecting Veerasin at any moment. Grim didn’t mention that the frail woman might be sleeping somewhere under the city.

“Here ya go,” said the Madam of the Kitchens, and handed him a brush. “Back in a bit.”

After spending two hours elbow-deep in suds, Grim stepped out into the moonlight, almost full and round, for a breath of fresh air and made his way back to his room. He found Quinn waiting for him, swilling the last of his green elixir. Yet before he could mutter a word, Helia dropped by their room to inform them of bad news.

What now?

“Treena has taken ill,” screeched the Pixie in her airy little voice. “She’s in the Infirmary with the others. Madam Malkim is calling a meeting right now. The orphanage has been infected with some form of plague.”

“Plague?”

Helia gave a swift shake of her head, from which faint particles of dust sprinkled the ground. “The Infirmary is now off limits. You might get infected.” Grim said nothing and let the Pixie keep squealing. “The orphanage and even the Academy is sealed shut. No one is allowed to leave. We are quarantined, and the Anniversary has been cancelled.”

Grim’s heart dropped to the cold floor. He would not see his dads now. And he would not be able to get out of this blasted, tilted, good-for-nothing, heat-forsaken orphanage any time soon. He was stuck. He wanted to scream.

Helia left them and Grim slammed the door closed.

What else could possibly go wrong?

“Convenient that Festrel left when he did,” muttered Quinn. “Just in time, it would seem.”

Grim nodded, and rubbed his hands together for warmth. He paced, wondering if the boy had any connection to Eevenellin or Dorian. Although he had been an alleged witness to Dorian’s attack on Valeria.

Did Festrel actually tell the truth?

Something was not right about any of this, and it sat in Grim’s stomach like bad octopus.

He headed to the kitchens with Quinn in tow. They parked themselves at a table with Rudy and the twins. Hushed voices and murmurs filled the space and the students looked completely unsettled. Gorkin and Jackmeister blubbered in the corner. They all glared at the orphans as if it was their fault that this was happening. And Grim quickly learned that two of the students were sick ― Halriette and Oslo.

Typical, the nice ones.

Madam Malkim waited for the onlookers to settle.

“Things have taken a grave turn,” she said. She spoke through a silk scarf that was wrapped about her entire face. “A plague has afflicted a number of our servants, err … I mean orphans and a few of our students. So far, we do not know the cause. What we do know is that it is contagious, and we are taking precautions to ensure that it does not spread. The City of Harkness does not want anyone slipping out and infecting the residents of the city. They have ordered that you must now be confined to the Library where we can keep an eye on all of you. That includes the serv — … err, orphans.”

All of the students screamed and protested. They accused the orphans of starting the plague, that they were all of bad blood and lower birth, and that it could only be commoners who could have started this.

Gorkin stood up and shouted. “At least keep the orphans separate!”

Madam Malkim waved down the crowd with her gloved hands. “The conditions of the …err… orphanage are such that one might slip out too easily. It is being sealed as we speak.”

There were further complaints.

Again, she waved them down. “The City Magistrates have made their decision to seal the Academy until this passes. Food, clothing and bedding will be made available for all. Further instructions will come as required. That is all.”

She departed the Dining Hall, nearly running out as some of the students chased after her, insisting they be kept in separate quarters. Grim shuffled back to his own room, but found the corridors had already been sealed.

They then made their way through the halls of the Academy towards the Library as curses and insults were spat at them.