NaNoWriMo 2022
Celebrations
American Kingdom Day 53
Previous chapter:
I tried to get some sleep, honest. The last thing I remember was laying my happy head down on the pillow and wondering if the Palace observed the morning and evening quiet times.
The next thing in my memory was an incredibly loud alert siren noise and the sound of someone pounding on the door.
For a minute I had not the foggiest notion of where I was. Were we under attack? What city was I in? Did I have an early flight?
I somehow jumped out of bed, landed on my feet, ran to the door and opened it.
The alarm noises were ear-splitting out here. Two guys in gas masks looked at me.
“Do it now?” one said.
“Get dressed, Sergeant,” the other one said. “Robe and sandals in the closet there. Now!”
I looked at them. What the hell was going on?
The first one pushed past me, returned with bathrobe and light sandals, held the robe open for me to insert my arms. I complied.
“Molly?” Hazel called out above the din. “What’s happening?”
“Fire alarm, Sergeant! Get dressed, follow us down to the lobby and across the road.”
The two of them tugged at me and guided me along the corridor. Already people were emerging, hands covering their ears, an interesting variety of clothing being pulled on.
In the elevator lobby, one door stood open, held by a third stormtrooper in black battle gear. I was ushered inside, the doors closed, and we were descending. This wasn’t right.
“We should take the fire stairs,” I said. “If there’s a fire.”
“Special dispensation of the Lord Provost,” one said. “Fire’s in the service wing.”
I looked at them. I couldn’t see any features behind the breathing apparatus. Right. Tall, Medium, Short. Medium was the one who had mentioned the Lord Provost — whoever he was — and Tall was the one who had held the elevator for us.
Medium spoke in an accent that screamed rural South. Arkansas, Mississippi, something like that.
We arrived at a basement or service level, judging by the bare cement walls and industrial flooring. I was ushered out, through a door and down another set of stairs. Air raid shelter? Some subterranean secret exit? This was all very confusing.
This level didn’t even bother with flooring. Gray cement and fluorescent lights ruled here.
I was led to an empty room. Door closed behind us. Nothing but a set of blinding lights and a camera. Oh, this must be the interview I had been told to expect.
“Stand there,” Medium directed. “Face the camera, lose the robe.”
Or maybe not the cosy interview I’d imagined. This didn’t sound good.
I stood there, unmoving.
“Look,” he went on. “There are three of us and one of you. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. You won't like the hard way. But I will.”
He stared at me to make sure the message sank in. I stared back. He sighed, glanced at Tall.
The moment his eyes were off me, I went for them. While he was looking at my hands trying to rip off his breathing apparatus he didn’t notice my knee aimed at his groin, where I discovered he was unprotected.
He crumpled up in a most satisfactory manner. I was able to get a few solid kicks in as he fell, though if I’d had combat boots on I would have been far more effective. With my last kick I got him fair in the throat, snapping his head back.
I had hoped that Short and Tall, unnerved by my unexpected — and remarkably effective — attack would have stood back and avoided any risk to themselves.
Sadly, no. Tall grabbed my arm and pulled me around with the momentum of my final savage kick at Medium, and I met the camera on the end of its tripod coming the other way, swung by Short.
I turned my head at the last moment just as the lights went out.
“Here she is.”
Ouch. Each word was highlighted in flashing bells with spikes on. I closed my eyes again, but that didn’t help.
“Open your eyes, honey.”
There was a woman bending over me, looking into my eyes. She seemed somehow familiar but I closed them again anyway. Way too much light coming in.
She sighed.
“Just relax. You’re fine. You have nothing to do and nowhere to go.”
I took stock. I was in bed, crisp sheets, a mattress way too firm in a room way too brightly lit.
Male voices now. Hey, I recognise that drawl.
I turned my head and wished I hadn’t. When the world had stopped spinning and jumping about, I cautiously opened my eyes. There were two men in the room, looking at me.
Duke Francis of Charleston and a younger man I didn’t recognise except that if he wasn’t police of some sort I might as well hand back my eyes, even in their current fragile state.
“Just a few words,” the cop said.
“No, no, no, no,” the woman said. “No questions, no conversation, no excitement, no nothing. Doctor’s orders. Doctor’s strict orders.”
“How long?”
“You’ll have to ask her. Now, goodbye.”
She closed the door after them — I heard rather than saw them leave because with a searchlight shining into my eyes it hurt too much to keep them open — and came back to me.
She spoke softly, thank goodness.
“How do you feel? Hungry, thirsty? Need the bathroom?”
I shook my head. Ouch.
“Where am I? What happened?”
“In our sick bay, you’re safe, you don’t need to do anything but rest. Sleep if you can.”
“It hurts too much.”
“I can help with that. Here, let me lift you up a little.”
There was a humming noise and my upper body tilted up. She slipped a capsule into my mouth and held a glass to my lips.
“Swallow.”
I swallowed.
“More,” I said.
“All I can give you.”
“More water.”
“I can do that, all you want, sugar.”
I had a few more sips. Cool and sweet, the way water tastes after a hot day working in the sun and you’re back in the shade of the shop, perspiring along with all the tourists and pouring them drinks of iced water from the fridge.
But it wasn’t Charleston, now was it?
A few sips were all I needed. She lowered me down again. The bed might have been hard but the pillow was a cloud. Sleep might not be so far away now.
The door opened and I heard Annie’s voice. “How are we, Lieutenant?”
“She’s awake, pain, otherwise comfortable. One pill for the pain, as required.”
“I’d better be quick about it, then.”
She bent over me and I opened my eyes. Ouch. I closed them again.
“Too bright.”
“Too bad. Open your eyes for me, Molly.”
I looked at Annie from a distance of about a foot. She held my head up, moved it so that the light tortured me in the most efficient manner. I winced.
“Toughen up, sailor. You’ll be fine. Just relax.”
“What happened, Annie?”
She turned away. “Can we dim the lights please?”
She came back to me as the room darkened, just the light from the windows now. Jesus patted me on the shoulder reassuringly.
“You had a knock on the head. Mild concussion, bit of bleeding — well a lot of bleeding; you know what scalp wounds are like — but we tidied you up, Selma here did a damn fine job of stitching, and we’ll keep you in overnight, get you back on deck tomorrow, most like. Enjoy your holiday.”
I thought of something. “Hey, you’re getting married. I don’t want to miss that.”
She smiled. “You can see the video. You’re not to get up or exert yourself in any way until I have another look at you later on. Serious now, Molly. The best thing for you is just switch right off and let the Lord do the driving.”
“Best luck, Annie, hope it goes well.”
“I’ve got a prince giving me away and a bishop performing the service. We’ll do fine. Oh, there’s someone wants to see you. I’ll be back later.”
She left me. Whatever pill I’d been given was holding me in its arms, rocking me to sleep.
I felt someone sit down on the bed and when I pushed my eyes open there was Hazel, stroking my face.
“Oh, Molly, you’re all banged up, darling.”
I reached up to wipe away a tear. “I think I’m in good hands now. Love you, Haze.”
That cheered her up. Cheered me up too. “I love you right back, Mollie.”
She kissed me and I knew that whatever happened, I’d be fine, so long as Hazel was there to hold my hand.
Next chapter:
(to be written)
The whole story so far:
Notes
Sorry for the delay. Now that November — and December! — is over, I have more time to work out where I’m going and how to get there. No more writing a chapter in the dark and wondering what comes next.
I knew that the story was going like it was on rails, and if I was getting bored, how would my reader feel? So I through in a bit of excitement to shake things up a little. The Regent is going to be pissed at his serene palace jumping about but hey, let’s see how he handles it.
For now, just hang on and try to follow what’s going on. And if you work it out, let me know and I’ll fix it so you don’t!
Molly
