The Fairy Diary Day 369 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

The meeting to discuss custody of the dragon egg was limited solely to Gilgorgon and Merlin. Although the wizard wrung a concession from the king of the dwarves to allow testimony from Dunfallon. 

Later when the pixie was called for, he was not nearby. I left the antechamber and retrieved him from the caverns below. He was playing a game of nine pins and really did not want to leave off, as he was winning. I convinced his opponent to suspend their game until later. He left Gabhe behind to keep an eye on things. 

After I delivered him, I was settling in for another wait when my pendant grew warm to the touch and it pulled me along through passageway after passageway- gallery after gallery until I was soon somewhere under the mountain unfamiliar to me. 

The air was much warmer down there. And I knew without asking that I had arrived in the area where the dragon egg was being kept. 

Or had been kept. 

The doors to the nesting chamber were wide open and the only evidence that a guard had been in place were the arms and armor scattered on the floor and the particles of ash swirling in the air about me.

I hurried back up to raise the alarm.

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Rebel Treasure forty eighth post

PASSAGE – DEEPER UNDER THE CAVERN
Riley flashes the miner’s light down the passageway, illuminating a series of side passages.

RILEY
Eeenie, meenie, minee…

A shout floats out of the smallest passage right next to him.

RILEY (CONT’D)
Uhn, uhn. It’s Ben’s turn to climb down the dirty rat hole.

There comes a BANGING of rock on metal and the sound of VOICES. Riley sighs and climbs up and into the tube-like tunnel.

STONE DUNGEON
Sadusky huddles with some of his men out of sight of the main door and the only light.

AGENT DAWES
There’s nothing in that direction but a long tunnel and a dead end.

SADUSKY
Damn! What’s keeping Howie and Stewart?

AGENT DAWES
Maybe it’s good news.

Agent Howie emerges out of the shadows and into their circle.

AGENT HOWIE
We found something.

DUNGEON OFFSHOOT
Sadusky and his men trail behind Agent Howie.

AGENT HOWIE
We were just at the point of turning back, then all of a sudden these lights turned on. So Stewart went on ahead and I came back for you.

The tunnel widens and forms a chamber with an exit of the tube tunnel at the other end.

RILEY
Agent Sadusky, am I glad to see you!

SADUSKY
How’d you get here? No, that’s not important. Can you get us out of here?

AGENT STEWART
(from around the corner)
We’ve almost got this grill loose.

SADUSKY
And I suppose Mr. Gates is with you?

RILEY
Sort of. I’ll take you to him.

FORT AREA
Guards hem Ben and Abigail together in the central area, while Rance and his soldiers fan out to check all the nooks and crannies of the fort.

Up on the tower above the guard house, one of two soldiers examines the Gatling gun.

SOLDIER ONE
Hey, this thing is loaded!

SOLDIER TWO
That’s not what we’re looking for.

SOLDIER ONE
What are we looking for?

SOLDIER TWO
Some kind of wheel or valve or something.

SOLDIER ONE
What’s it do?

Down below, a third soldier comes running from the other guard house.

SOLDIER THREE
I think I found it!

[next pt 49]

Rebel Treasure forty first post

INT THE UNLOADING AREA – PRESENT
The bluish white glare of halogen lamps on stands sets the whole area awash in a sea of light, all attention focused on the chute. Rance kneels beside it, peering down its throat with the aid of a flashlight. A SQUAD OF SOLDIERS in climbing gear stand at attention behind him.

Hard by its side, a tent has been pitched, with an honor guard of TWO NEO-NAZI SKINHEADS flanking the entrance.

Suddenly, Horatio emerges from the tent, bulling through the tent flap, not bothering to hold it for his brother. Morgan brushes the flap aside, struggling to hide his aggravation.

HORATIO
Do we have another volunteer?

Rance glances up and points to the FIRST SOLDIER in line. The others breathe a sigh of relief as their comrade obediently steps forward.

Morgan drags the cable from the SUV’s winch over to him and with Rance’s help secures the end to the soldier’s harness.

RANCE
(peering back down the chute)
Just look at all that gold!

MORGAN
Let’s try it real slow this time.

HORATIO
And head first.

The first soldier drops to all fours and crawls head first into the chute. The cable remains taut as it pays out slowly.

FIRST SOLDIER
I can see a catwalk at the bottom. And I count – four, five, six more silos–

His report is cut short by a blood curdling SCREAM, and the cable falls slack.

MORGAN
Bring him back up!

The cable reverses and comes whipping back up out of the chute. All that is attached is the harness, the front of which is cut to ribbons.

MORGAN (CONT’D)
That’s it. No more. I am not going to lose any more men down that trap.

HORATIO
(reluctantly)
OK. Seal it up, we’ll find another way in.

MORGAN
Are you sure there is one?

A warning HONK precedes the RUMBLE of a Hummer in low gear, emerging out of the darkness of the tunnel leading into the loading area. It parks by the SUV and two uniformed PARK RANGERS hop out and drag two women out of the back seats, Abigail and Mrs. Slidell, both bound and blind-folded.

PARK RANGER ONE
(to Horatio)
We found these two poking around on the lower level.

MRS. SLIDELL
How about taking these blinders off?

PARK RANGER TWO
The young one had some interesting documents. The older is just plain trouble.

He hands Horatio a packet.

HORATIO
Good work. I’ll talk to the old bag first.

ABIGAIL
(clutching Mrs. Slidell’s arm)
Don’t you hurt her. You’ll be sorry.

Morgan disengages her arm from his mother’s.

MORGAN
Shut up and sit down!
(to the rangers)
You two can return to patrol.

Horatio removes his mother’s blindfold and ushers her into the tent.

INSIDE THE TENT
Horatio holds up the documents.

HORATIO
Is this the key in, Mother dear?

MRS. SLIDELL
(in a low reproving voice)
Better keep up the “old bag” routine.
(in a loud voice)
I’m not telling you a thing until you tell me who you are.

HORATIO
(loud)
I’m asking the questions. What are you doing here?
(low voice)
Does she know how to get in?

MRS. SLIDELL
(low and accusing)
She seemed to know where she was going before your men stopped us.

HORATIO
(low and contrite)
I see. And now our best bet is for you to stay in her good graces.

MRS. SLIDELL
(loud while nodding)
I’m not speaking to you!

HORATIO
(loud)
So, either it’s torture
(soft)
to blackmail the goods out of her,
(loud)
or–

MRS. SLIDELL
(loud)
Or what?
(soft)
Allow us to escape and I’m sure she can get us in.

[next pt 42]