At first glance, Peggy Powler had believed the T-shaped derrick to be a version of the gallows she'd seen in the village centre.
But nearing the assumed gibbet, she noticed a metal ring bolted into the cross-bar and a long pole sticking out of the side of
the main beam. This puzzlement became lost as the slightly-hypnotised Albert Hobson reached down into a tussock of grass
and pulled on a similar ring to the one dangling from the gallows.
It was certainly an astounding sight and for a moment, the awestruck theurgist wondered how such a vast clandestine scheme
could be implemented by a supposed pious group of people. On one side of the excavation, oil-fed lanterns glowed softly along
the smoothed-out wall and opposite, an abundance of oak barrels had been stacked in neat rows. The floor had a wide wooden
walkway and a fashioned wheelbarrow waited by the stairs the pair had just descended.
Looking back at the hatchway, the little woman in the grubby poncho wondered how the casks were being taken out, but recalling
the gallows above, she put two-and-two together. "Whey, yer' bugger" she muttered to herself and stepped over to where the young
lad waited next to the wooden steps. This certainly wasn't a Hyder's hideout and Peggy grimaced inwardly as she realised that more
intrigue lay ahead of her. "Who did this?" she asked up at the dirgeful-faced twenty year-old and hoped she hadn't cast her spell a
little-too heavy.
Albert's half-closed eyes panned the cryptic underground warehouse and then slowly answered that it was a decision that came from
Brenna after Alaric had gone missing. The bantam sorceress gazed up at the lethargic young man and mused on whether to release
him from his semi-stupor, he was a good lad and it seemed unfair to keep him like this. A couple of special words later, he was staring
about the cave with shock.
"Yer' were sayin' that Alaric had gone missin'..." Peggy said with an easy tone, as if they'd been gossiping on a street corner and she
witnessed poor Albert gulping and attempting to get his bearings of where he was at and what he had done. "Miss... Miss Powler, we
shouldn't b-be down here" he huskily stuttered and went to turn his back on the woman standing before him. "Divna' do that, Albert"
she said sternly and to her mild-surprise, he belayed his action.
"This is a secret place" he whispered -more to himself than his companion.
"Aye, it might be. But you know about it and now, so do ..." Peggy replied, "...now tell me what yer' know about this cavern and about
Alaric goin' missin'". Musing on the assumption that -with the young man being only a Blue-smock, what had he been told regarding
Alaric's disappearance would presumably jibe with what Brenna had said had happened to the previous leader.
How open were the Meeting Hall discussions between the Red-Smock-wearers and their subordinates?
Seeing Albert was still struggling with the dilemma he'd found himself, Peggy took his hand and began to lead him further into the cavern.
"Howay wiv' me and we'll take a look at what else is kept down here..." she said gently, "...Yer' said there may be a leak and Ah'm sure yer'
fella-Pookers would thank yer' for findin' it" the guileful guest of Pook Hill added.
...................................................
After few minutes, the remains of the barrel that had alerted the Last Witch of Underhill to a variable that had changed her investigation,
was seen laid on the wooden walkway. Its contents had soaked into the boardwalk and with a quick glance, Peggy guessed the damage
had been done by someone or something powerful and with deliberate intent. "That's what must have caused the smell" Albert offered
and felt a note of pride from his deduction.
Peggy crouched down and examined the splintered hole in the yeasty-scented hogshead. "Aye..." she said absently as she felt the jagged
edges of the wound, "...Yer' make a fine bloodhound". The barrel had been struck with a sharp object, not from the impact and that meant
a possible altercation. A connection to Alaric's kidnapping...?
Due to the lack of answers from the whole of the cloistered sect -blue-tunic or higher, the little Witch didn't know when the old leader had
been snatched by a brute strong enough to barge through walls. She didn't even have any tangential information of a possible lead-up to
the attack, awareness by the church that such a creature was on their land and if they antagonised the already shaky situation.
The beer had been spilt not too long ago and by the dark stains still on the decking, Peggy estimated no longer than a week. "Ah'll ask
thee again, when did Alaric go missin', Albert?" she breathed softly and looked over to where the lad was standing beneath the pulsing
flush of one of the lanterns.
Albert wasn't looking back at the originator of the query or the clues that lay within the barrel's debris, his saucer-wide eyes were staring
elsewhere and following his gaze, Peggy saw what had caused the young novice's lack of reply. The Hyder standing in the shadows was
sharing his own contemplation of the newcomers to the cavern between the terrified male and the hat-wearing midget crouched beside
the broken keg. "Fee-Fye" the grinning giant whispered and Albert hit the floor in a dead faint.
But nearing the assumed gibbet, she noticed a metal ring bolted into the cross-bar and a long pole sticking out of the side of
the main beam. This puzzlement became lost as the slightly-hypnotised Albert Hobson reached down into a tussock of grass
and pulled on a similar ring to the one dangling from the gallows.
It was certainly an astounding sight and for a moment, the awestruck theurgist wondered how such a vast clandestine scheme
could be implemented by a supposed pious group of people. On one side of the excavation, oil-fed lanterns glowed softly along
the smoothed-out wall and opposite, an abundance of oak barrels had been stacked in neat rows. The floor had a wide wooden
walkway and a fashioned wheelbarrow waited by the stairs the pair had just descended.
Looking back at the hatchway, the little woman in the grubby poncho wondered how the casks were being taken out, but recalling
the gallows above, she put two-and-two together. "Whey, yer' bugger" she muttered to herself and stepped over to where the young
lad waited next to the wooden steps. This certainly wasn't a Hyder's hideout and Peggy grimaced inwardly as she realised that more
intrigue lay ahead of her. "Who did this?" she asked up at the dirgeful-faced twenty year-old and hoped she hadn't cast her spell a
little-too heavy.
Albert's half-closed eyes panned the cryptic underground warehouse and then slowly answered that it was a decision that came from
Brenna after Alaric had gone missing. The bantam sorceress gazed up at the lethargic young man and mused on whether to release
him from his semi-stupor, he was a good lad and it seemed unfair to keep him like this. A couple of special words later, he was staring
about the cave with shock.
"Yer' were sayin' that Alaric had gone missin'..." Peggy said with an easy tone, as if they'd been gossiping on a street corner and she
witnessed poor Albert gulping and attempting to get his bearings of where he was at and what he had done. "Miss... Miss Powler, we
shouldn't b-be down here" he huskily stuttered and went to turn his back on the woman standing before him. "Divna' do that, Albert"
she said sternly and to her mild-surprise, he belayed his action.
"This is a secret place" he whispered -more to himself than his companion.
"Aye, it might be. But you know about it and now, so do ..." Peggy replied, "...now tell me what yer' know about this cavern and about
Alaric goin' missin'". Musing on the assumption that -with the young man being only a Blue-smock, what had he been told regarding
Alaric's disappearance would presumably jibe with what Brenna had said had happened to the previous leader.
How open were the Meeting Hall discussions between the Red-Smock-wearers and their subordinates?
Seeing Albert was still struggling with the dilemma he'd found himself, Peggy took his hand and began to lead him further into the cavern.
"Howay wiv' me and we'll take a look at what else is kept down here..." she said gently, "...Yer' said there may be a leak and Ah'm sure yer'
fella-Pookers would thank yer' for findin' it" the guileful guest of Pook Hill added.
...................................................
After few minutes, the remains of the barrel that had alerted the Last Witch of Underhill to a variable that had changed her investigation,
was seen laid on the wooden walkway. Its contents had soaked into the boardwalk and with a quick glance, Peggy guessed the damage
had been done by someone or something powerful and with deliberate intent. "That's what must have caused the smell" Albert offered
and felt a note of pride from his deduction.
Peggy crouched down and examined the splintered hole in the yeasty-scented hogshead. "Aye..." she said absently as she felt the jagged
edges of the wound, "...Yer' make a fine bloodhound". The barrel had been struck with a sharp object, not from the impact and that meant
a possible altercation. A connection to Alaric's kidnapping...?
Due to the lack of answers from the whole of the cloistered sect -blue-tunic or higher, the little Witch didn't know when the old leader had
been snatched by a brute strong enough to barge through walls. She didn't even have any tangential information of a possible lead-up to
the attack, awareness by the church that such a creature was on their land and if they antagonised the already shaky situation.
The beer had been spilt not too long ago and by the dark stains still on the decking, Peggy estimated no longer than a week. "Ah'll ask
thee again, when did Alaric go missin', Albert?" she breathed softly and looked over to where the lad was standing beneath the pulsing
flush of one of the lanterns.
Albert wasn't looking back at the originator of the query or the clues that lay within the barrel's debris, his saucer-wide eyes were staring
elsewhere and following his gaze, Peggy saw what had caused the young novice's lack of reply. The Hyder standing in the shadows was
sharing his own contemplation of the newcomers to the cavern between the terrified male and the hat-wearing midget crouched beside
the broken keg. "Fee-Fye" the grinning giant whispered and Albert hit the floor in a dead faint.
Edith Head Gives Good Wardrobe.