Richard found himself struggling with conflicting feelings as he eased down next to the warm fire. He was so very tired, more than likely from the lack of something to smoke than chasing the Ripper. But he feared sleep more than ever. If the waking nightmare could be so potent, what might await im in his dreams?
But it was a forgone conclusion. Mere minutes after settling in, he was fast asleep.
Jossem looks around indignant. "What, we can't sleep in the wagon?" He looks down at Richard curling up on the ground. "Not even a proper bedroll." He sighs and sits on the ground, leaning against one of the logs. He hunches down and tries to sleep
Ang looks through his bag and pulls out two paper envelopes.
"This is Long Jing, a green tea that increases blood flow and promotes health in people with colds and wounds. This one is Dan Chong tea. It is oolong tea which is good for your teeth, keeping warm when chilled and good on skin rash. You may have both if you wish."
Tommy sits against a tree, with every intention of keeping watch through the night, but soon his eyelids droop and his head begins to nod. A deep rumbling sound shakes the wagons nearby as he sinks into a deep sleep.
The man raises and eyebrow to Roland and nods.
"Ask, giorgio."
***
The ancient Vistani is almost giddy with joy as Ang presents his teas.
"Oh my, yes. Oh my, yes. You are a most welcome guest among us. My thanks, you are having it most assuredly." she says as she pats the young man's arm.
Ang joins the rest by the fire, and soon Madame Eva and a young Vistani woman appear, with blankets for the group.
Roland smiles in gratitude towards the guard and strides over to the fire and retrieves his stick. Moving back to the mans side he starts drawing in the dirt with the scorched wood, leaving dark ash to better illustrate his picture. He draws a crude form of his beloved nation, with the ocean all around, and after finishing he points to it, "Can you tell me where we are using this?" and holds the stick out for the guard to take.
Jossem takes the blanket from the young woman, giving her a charming smile. "Thank you, miss. We're happy to share your fire for at least a night."
He wanders over to where Roland is talking with the musket guard. "Roland, we may not even be in England anymore. Don't ask me how. these people don't seem to recognize any of the names we use, and I don't recognize this city they name. Perhaps we're elsewhere in Europe or...there was something unnatural about those mists."
Ang happily hands over the packets of tea and gathers up a blanket. After all the crazy things that have gone on this night, it takes very little time for him to be sound asleep.
The man looks down at Roland's map and shrugs.
"Is not any land I am familiar with, Giorgio."
The man nods to Jossem after he chimes in.
"This mists are taking what they want to be taking and putting it where they want to be putting it."
Jossem looks back to the others who are fast falling asleep. These gypsies could rob them all in their sleep. Whatever they call themselves, gypsies generally weren't to be trusted. Still, sleeping by the fire was far better than being alone out in the woods in a place he didn't know.
He sits back by the fire and tries to secure his pocketwatch and ring inside his vest where he would feel it if someone tried to take them. He slips his hat off, placing it beside him. The blanket was rough and itchy, not at all like the clean linens he was used to. Just imagine you're back in Egypt. It was no picnic there either. It takes a while, but soon Jossem is asleep, having succumb to the rigors of the day.
The group sets down for the night, each eventually drifting off, lulled to sleep by the spitting fire, the wind through the trees, and the soft humming of the Vistani man keeping watch.
In the Priest's dream, he stands in utter darkness. A female voice hums, from somewhere nearby, before taking up a familiar song.
"The hours sad I left a maid, A lingering farewell taking
Whose sighs and tears my steps delayed, I thought her heart was breaking
In hurried words her name I bles't, I breathed the vows that bind me
And to my heart in anguish pressed, The girl I left behind me"
A match strikes up ahead, and a lantern is lit. A female figure sits on a bedside, next to the mutilated corpse from that shoddy apartment in that bloody back alley. The woman has long, dark hair, and may have been beautiful once, but the worries of life have taken their toll.
She stands and turns, and reaches out to the Priest, her hands holding her own bloody viscera out to him.
"Dòmine, non sum dignus, ut intres sub tectum meum, sed tantum dic, verbo et sanàbitur ànima mea."
Terror propels the Priest back to consciousness, away from the bloody communion; a scream forcing itself from his lips.
The group is wrenched awake by the sound of Paidraig screaming, a heart-wrenching sound that seems to emanate from the depths of his soul. It echoes off the surrounding wagons and trees, a knife across the silent evening's throat.
They turn to see the man sitting bolt upright where he had been sleeping, the glint of sweat visible in the fire-light.
Tommy is startled out of his own unsettling dreams by the Father's scream, and is on his feet in a moment, brandishing his walking stick. Seeing nobody near the old man, he stares for a moment in confusion before he understands. The question isn't why is he screaming. It should be how can I sleep after what we saw in that house? he wonders, and slowly approaches the priest, horribly aware how unworthy he is to comfort the man.
Still, he kneels beside his old friend, shyly putting his hand over the Priest's.
"You're safe, Father," he says softly. "Nothing will harm you while we are here."
Jossem wakes with a start as the Father's screams penetrate his own dreams. "Wha- What's going on?!" He grabs his cane and slides the blade out, whirling to face any attackers. Not seeing anyone, he sheathes it and lock it into place before rushing over to the man.
"Father, are you alright? What was it?"
Richard flailed about for a few seconds as the Fathers paniced scream woke him. He looked around with paniced eyes for a moment before realizing he was awake, then breathed a sigh of relief.
Nightmares do a kind of harm to a man you cannot ward against Tommy. Scars of a different sort.
He tugged his blanket tighter around him, lying back down to sleep. If he hadnt awoken from dreams of his own yet, odds were he would get a night of peace, and had no intention of wasting even a minute. Even so, he tried to remain awake to listen to what the priest would say.
Ang lept out of a deep sleep, looking all around until he settled upon the priest. He gathers his blanket around his shoulders and joins the others to see what has disturbed the poor priest so.
Roland, not sleeping well on the hard ground, sits bolt upright at the Fathers scream. He gropes for his knife even as Jossem rushes to the man's side, "What? Is he alright?!"
|
The priest looks about panicked until his eyes refocus on his companions and memory of his odd surroundings return. "Ahh... it was a nightmare... A nightmare inspired by the gruesome killing of Ms. Kelly. Just a nightmare." Gaining further composure he continues, "I fear that vision will haunt me a long time. In my dream she was alive and singing The Girl I Left Behind Me, but still evicerated, and she held her own bloodied insides out towards me praying to be healed. Would that such a miracle was within my grasp..."
With that the priest the priest seeming forlorn bearing the guilt that he could not save the woman. He lies back down saying, "Sorry I woke you like a school by crying out in the night. Good night all." And the stares up, not wanting to return to the nightmare...
The door to Eva's wagon slams open and the woman emerges, walking slowly to the Priest.
"Now, now, now, child. This is something we cannot be having. Old as I am, I require not much sleep, but the rest will be unruly if you are to be waking them with your screams all night."
She fishes out two small vials, and offers them to the priest.
"These will be helping you sleep." She nods encouragingly. "Taking one will give you a dreamless rest. I have no further aid to be offering you, however."
"Madam, these visions and nightmares. Are you sure we're safe here?" Jossem asks. His eyes dart to the pitch black woods.
Roland relaxes at the Father's explanation, putting away his knife, but props himself on an elbow as Madame comes out, "Excuse me Madame, but what is in those vials, if you please?"
"Me know too!" Ang asks along with Roland as the woman holds out the vials to the priest.
Paidraig drops off to a heavy sleep as soon as he drains the bottle.
Eva turns to Jossem.
"Safe?" she snorts. "There is no such thing. We are keeping an eye out, though, and most know better than to start trouble with Vistani."
As she limps back to her trailer, she waves away the questions from Clive and Ang.
"An old concoction my grandmother was teaching me. Your friend will be fine."
With that, she is back into her wagon.
Roland exchanges a look with Ang, doubt evident in his eyes, but shrugs minutely and lays back down to sleep, knowing he'll need his strength for the unknown challenges of tomorrow.
The party eventually returns to sleep, the rest of the night passes without incidence.
When dawn comes, the party awakens to a dismal, wet morning. The sky is iron grey, and the trees around them sway in a slight breeze, the remains of the fire sending a smoking memory into the sky.
The Vistani are nowhere to be found, their wagons have apparently vanished in the night.
Tommy checks his pockets several times, seemingly unwilling to accept that the Vistani decamped in the middle of the night without robbing him. In the end, however, he shrugs his shoulders and looks around for the path the Ripper would have taken.
Richard woke silently. The sense of joy at a full nights sleep only lasted mere moments, as he realized he felt as if he had not slept at all. His body ached, his hands were shaking and he had a terrible headache.
Sitting up with a soft groan, he realized their hosts had left them during the night. He was about to jump up and wake the others, but then he spied Angs bag. He sat staring at it for several long moments, a battle between need and morals runnings its course behind his flickering eyes.
Making up his mind, he crawled slowly to the chinamans side, gingerly picking up the bag into his lap, starting to search its content for the thing he craved.
Perception:
Feeling a tug on the canvas bag he carries his effects in, Ang awakens to one of the englishmen leaning over him, trying to remove the bag from his person.
Jossem wakes up and quickly realizes the gypsies are gone. He looks over and sees the China man and Richard wrestling on the ground. "What the hell are you two doing?! And where did the gypsies go?" He checks his pockets, but still finds his coin and pocket watch, much to his relief.
|
|
Waking to find the camp gone, Father Paidraig shakes his head. I don't know whether I am going mad, or the world is. Mists that tear you from your city, gypsy witches telling fortunes. I wish I had awoken in my own bed, and all of this had been a dream.
The priest stands and stretches ignoring the conflict between Ang and Richard unless it grows truly violent. Once things calm down, the priest addresses the group.
"I will be doing my best to say a mass from memory this morning, to refocus before our journey to this strange city. I don't know what is going on or how it is happening, but the Lord will guide us as he can. If you wish to join me, gather in the north end of the clearing in five minutes."
With that, the priest sets off a short distance into the woods for some privacy.
Roland wakes up stiffly at the sound of the commotion, his body unused to the cold, hard ground. Seeing their benefactors have disappeared he rubs his eyes and looks around again, "I can't believe they left without us noticing." He keeps his blanket, grateful the gypsies left him that, and hugs it around his body. He refrains from joining the Father for the morning mass, doing his best to not interrupt but deciding instead to take stock of their situation.
"We won't last long without supplies. We are alone in unfamiliar territory, without provisions, and no map. The Ripper, as we may as well call him now, has a substantial head start on us. We know the direction and with luck can pick up on the trail. In case our situation doesn't change quickly, we need to spend some time to find water and food. Does anyone have any suggestions about how we proceed?"
Richard struggled against Angs attempts to subdue him, trying to free the bag from his grasp more than himself.
Oh just give it to me! Youve got no need for it, but I DO!
Yanking the bag out of Angs hands, he turned onto his stomach and ripped open the bag, dumping its contents on the ground, all the while completely ignoring the chinaman still wrapped around his legs.
Tommy heard Paidraig planning to speak a mass and actually found himself running his fingers through his hair, trying to get himself straightened up a bit. Half of him wanted to laugh at himself for trying to church himself up for a mass in the middle of the woods, but the place wasn't what mattered. What mattered was that the Father was a man of God, and God was surely needed here.
He was feeling pretty sure he had got most of the pine needles out of his hair when he saw the two men scuffling on the ground. He saw Richard dumping the contents of the chinaman's bag on the ground and it didn't take a lot of guesswork to figure out what was going on. He snatched up his walking stick and it over his head like an avenging angel as he cut across the clearing towards them.
"HAVE YOU COMPLETELY LOST WHAT'S LEFT OF YOUR BLOODY MIND!!!!" he roared, stalking towards the two of them, but with his eyes fixed on Richard.
"We're lost in some god-forsaken forest where they've never even heard of England, and you're trying to chase the bloody dragon? We're in it deep, no mistake, up to our eyes. If you're so sick you can't carry your own weight, I'll hog-tie you and drag you through the bloody woods til you can. Now apologize to the chink and get your arse to the north end of the clearing. The good Father's about to say a mass and the Lord knows you need it worse than any of us."
Jossem comes over to the two men as Tommy screams at them. "Dick, please! A measure of decorum! Mr. Ang may have secured our safety last night with those herbs."
"Since it seems the gypsies have gone in the night, we need to be taking care of each other rather than at each other's throats. We still don't know where we are or how we can get back home. I suggest we begin trying to find this city Madam Eva spoke of."
Ang strikes out at the man trying to steal his property.
Attack-Melee:
Damage (non-lethal):
He drops to a fighting stance, ready to clout the Englishman again if needed.
"Now return that which is mine. You have no right, and by your english god, I will take it back with force if I must!"
Roland, seeing things escalate between the two men, also moves closer to try and intervene. "Gentlemen! This is neither the time nor the place! Now return to Mr. Ang what is rightfully his and let's find a way back home!" he says, trying to appeal to reason.
|
|
Hearing the shouting back at the camp, the priest sighs to himself as he waters a tree.
Foxworth... Argh... They will work it out without my help, and it might be best if I am able to talk things out once they calm down rather than interjecting myself.
Ignoring the shouting the best he can, the priest finishes up and calmly tries to center himself before his prayers.
Getting shakily to his feet, hands in front of him in a classic boxers stance, Richard spat a glob of blood, revealing a row of pinkish dyed teeth as he smiled.
"Ahah! I knew there was something fishy about you Ang. Sounding rather eloquent all of a sudden arent we? What else have you been hiding hmm?"
He hazarded a glance back at all of Angs scattered belongings, scanning the many bundles and packs. He licked his lips, not so much to clear away the blood, as out of greed.
As Tommy suddenly approached, bellowing at the top of his lungs, Richard hastily backed away with a yelp, catching his feet on the log he had slept up against. With a surprised howl he toppled backwards, landing on his back with a thud.
With a groan he tried to raise himself up on his elbows, but with fatigue in his body and Angs clobbering still ringing in his ears, he emidatly collapsed back into the grass.
Looking at the sky longingly, he passed out.
Roland sighs heavily as Richard passes out, turning the man onto his side in case he vomits and to keep him from choking on his tongue. "Poor fool. Mr. Ang, what was that all about?"
Jossem stands over Richard's unconscious form. "Really, Mr. Ang? Did you have to beat him senseless?" He makes an exasperated sound, and picks up the bag of herbs. He tosses it at the Chinaman. "I know poor Dick has had a hard go of it, and he's not the most agreeable fellow anymore, but it doesn't have to come to violence."
Roland, his sense of justice kicking in, feels compelled to chime in, noting the return of Ang's bag, "Hold on now Jossem, surely a man has a right to defend himself, even if he is a chinaman."
|
|
Returning to the camp, Father Paidraig looks at the mess of Ang's gear and the bloodied Richard Foxworthy and shakes his head. "With all that is going on, we now fight amongst ourselves... We are in a strange land, no idea how to return home, on the path of a viscious murderer and we attempt to steal from each other, beat on each other. Enough."
"As I said, I will be performing Mass as best I can... at least the Liturgy of the word as we have no wine or bread for the Eucharist. Regardless of your personal beliefs, I encourage all to participate as it is clear that we need to center ourselves and get a hold on things before we venture forth..."
With that the priest proceeds to the sun and begins his service. The First Reading from the Old Testiment is from the book of Exodus, regarding the Israelites flight from Egypt into strange lands as they put themselves in the hands of God and persevered. The Second Reading from the New Testiment is the parable of the Talents.
“Therefore stay alert, because you do not know the day or the hour. For it is like a man going on a journey, who summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The one who had received five talents went off right away and put his money to work and gained five more. In the same way, the one who had two gained two more. But the one who had received one talent went out and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money in it. After a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled his accounts with them. The one who had received the five talents came and brought five more, saying, ‘Sir, you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ His master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful in a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’ The one with the two talents also came and said, ‘Sir, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more.’ His master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’ Then the one who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Sir, I knew that you were a hard man, harvesting where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ But his master answered, ‘Evil and lazy slave! So you knew that I harvest where I didn’t sow and gather where I didn’t scatter? Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received my money back with interest! Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten. For the one who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless slave into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’” (Matthew 25:13-30).The Word of the Lord
Finishing his recitation, the priest's demeanor becomes less formal, and he seems to be speaking to each one of you as he relates the stories to the situation you are all in togther...
"And so my friends, both of these stories apply to us. We are lost in a strange land, but as the Israelites showed us, we are not alone with God by our side. We may trust in his guidance so that we may persevere... But God will not do this task alone. We all have been given different talents by Him, and we each must make use of these talents in our journey if we are to succeed. We all also have demons that torment us, but we cannot give into them and live in fear as did the servent with only one talent... if you hide in your weakness you shall not survive, and we will all need each other on this journey we embark on. So we must make peace with each other, and depend on each other's talents so that we all may survive together. Let us go now in peace to love and serve the lord."
Tommy glared at Rook. "I doubt you'd stand by while an addict rifles your belongings, and I certainly wouldn't recommend trying to tell me to do so. Ang was well within his rights to beat the cursed fool, and if he's senseless now, it's more the sickness than anything Ang did to him."
With that, he stalks off to listen to the priest's sermon. At the conclusion, he crosses himself and stands. He looks back at Richard and sighs, heavily.
"I say we get after the ripper now," he says. "I suppose I'll carry Dick til he wakes up."
Roland squirms throughout the service, clearly uncomfortable and/or ready to be on the hunt. He makes sure he's all set to head out and encourages the others, "Shall we be off then?"
Ang takes no part in the "religious" ceremony and instead gathers up all his items that Richard had scattered all over the ground. He knows better to talk back, outnumbered as he is.
Bloody stupid Englishman! If he had only asked I might have been willing to help him...the gods know grandfather has assisted many in the same predicament. Typical English...take what you want and damn the consequences!
Ang continues to mumble to himself in chinese as he gathers his effects, adding the rough spun blanket the old woman had given to him.
Jossem listens to the Father's service attentively. Even though he was a Papist, it felt good to hear some holy words after the events of yesterday. He glances over to Richard's slumped form. I hope we can drive out whatever demons Dick is harboring too.
Joss rises after the service and shakes Paidraig's hand. "Good work Father. We may need a measure of the Lord's grace in this place." He brushes off his clothes, trying to get the dirt and dust off the fine cotton and silk. "Now, let's find this city and a respectable place to spend tonight. I'm not spending another night on the ground if I can help it."
|
|
Nodding at Rook, the priest agrees "Yes, we should set off. We need to find civilization at the very least."
Walking over to Ang, the priest helps him gather his belongings. "Let me apologize on Richard's behalf. He is obviously not well. However, we have to work together if we are going to get through this and I think your talents will be essential to our success."
Ang watch the priest warily as he approaches.
"Thank you for your concern Father.", he says rather stiffly. Once his items are gathered, he goes to stand apart from the other, waiting to move on.
With daylight now creeping through the thick tree-cover, and the temperature quickly rising, the group sets out on the road indicated by their hosts.
The forest soon gives way to a rather scenic, even idyllic landscape that stretches out away to the north. Rolling green hills marked with farmland slope toward a distant walled city, nestled against a sparkling, dark blue bay, beyond which, a vast blue ocean churns.
The forest sweeps east and north along the hills, coming to the coast of the bay that sweeps north from the city.