The Diary of Raoul Grincheux

Part 37

While exploring castle Hrum, our heroes meet were-ravens.

Windsday, Disorderweek, Seaseason, 613 – dusk – at Hrum Castle

The carrij ‘ouse an’ uvver bildins ‘az all bin locked up proper when evrywun left all ‘em years ago. I can see the flowerbeds in the gardens is all overgrown. There’z a big walled garden wot we can’t get in wivvout climbin’ the walls and rite down the bottom izza funny fenced off bit wiv wot look like toomstones – graveyard, mebbe?

The graveyard looks ded spooky ‘cos there’s mist leakin’ frew the big hedj but it dunt cum out past the fence, like there’z sumfink bout the fence that’s keepin’ it in – weerd! I dint see no mist when I woz up the tree but it’s getting’ dark now an’ getting’ colder an’ it’z Seaseason.

So Sieur Alphonse leads us in to the ‘ouse. We’z in a lobby bout ten foot square. There’z a door to the left wot must go down the cellars anna door in front into the main ‘ouse. There’z sum bronz hooks for hangin’ coats but rite now all they’z got iz wun old cloke anna rake anna shuvl. That’s a bit weerd ‘cos you wont find no gardnin’ tools in Lady Samal’s porch, an’ evryfin’ else ‘az bin squared away proper, know what I mean?

So Sieur Thomas leaves hiz hawk’s cage on a table an’ follers Sieur Alphonse in to the next room. This iz sum sort of big hall bout twenny by twenny-five foot. It’z got a big winder, wot the toffs call a lattis but sum ov the glass iz crackd an’ the wooden shutters iz in bits on the ground outside but it wood ‘av a great view ov the walled garden if it wunt so grown over.

Evryfin’ ‘ere iz cuvverd in sheets to keep the dust off, which looks a bit spooky. I can see loads ov wolf heds an’ antlers onna walls but there’s sum blank spots where I reckon there woz pikturs wunce – a big wun woz over the fireplace. There’s sum rugs rolld up inna corner, cuvverd in sheets like the rest. There’s sum stairs goin’ up bout six foot but that’s less than ‘alf the hite ov the ceilin’.

The toffs check the furniture, lookin’ for trezhur but I follers me nose an’ finds a door to the kitchin. I can tell rite away there’s bin peepl ‘ere, an’ I dunt mean fifty years ago – they woz ‘ere yesterday or the day before, I reckon. They ain’t too hot on the washin’ up, eyver.

Past the door to the kitchin we finds the dinin’ room, wot’z the ground floor ov the tower, bout twenny-five foot cross. There’z a big table wiv chairs anna big shandyleer, all cuvvered in sheets. We finds a puddle on the norf side, just rite ov the door where rain’s got in frew a broke winder. I reckon peepl ‘az bin climbin’ frew the winder to get to the kitchin but they ain’t used the dinin’ room or gon in the hall.

So we goes up the stairs to that door wot’z six foot off the ground. Inside iz wot the toffs calls the ‘parler’, ‘cos that’s where they goes for a natter. The carpet’s rolld up an’ there’s sheets evrywear but three chairs iz missin’ they’z sheets, rite by the stairs goin’ up sumwhere else an’ me nose reckons the same peepl wot climbed in the kitchin used the chairs. But the weerd fing iz they dint use the outside stair from the hall.

I reckon these peepl dunt wash much – not as often as us rats an’ no where neer az often az the toffs, wot ‘av baths evry month – wevver they needs it or not! They smells a bit odd to me but I can’t kwite work out wot’s up wiv ‘em.

While I’z finkin’, the toffs iz checkin’ out wots under the sheets an’ they findz a cabnet wiv goblets, glasses an’ decanters – all dry, mores the pity, but they reckon it cood be wurf 150 shillins or 50 wivvout the glass. Then inna corner izza big gold harp under a dust sheet – Sieur Thomas reckons it’z wurf 400 shillins – cor! I ‘az a strum but it’ll take a lot ov praktiss an’ I’z alreddy got me ‘ands full wiv the lute an’ me penny whistle.

Under anuvver sheet is a small table wiv gold strips in the wood wot Stella finks iz wurf an ‘undred shillins. I sees it’z bin made like it’z got flamez all ova so just the sort ov fing a Heliot wonts in hiz manshun.

So we heds up the stairs to a long passij wot snakes left an’ left again goin’ full length ovva castle. Bout ‘alf way down izza side passij to sum stairs goin’ up. There ain’t much lite in ‘ere so the toffs lite a coupla lanterns. The strange peepl smells strong – they’z ‘ere a lot, I reckon, just wish I cood work out wot’s strange bout ‘em.

Then we ‘ears wot sounds like glass brakin’ downstairs an’ we all rushes back. Only sumfink bout it sounds a bit off to me. I dunno. Rite away I smells sumwuns bin in the kitchin an’ run in to the dinin’ room an’ out the winder. I climbs out after ‘em but I loses the trail outside, where it’z proper dark, now.

Climbin’ back in the winder, I reckons while we’z all upstairs, sum scunner ‘az cum in this winder, gon in the kitchin where they broke sumfink, an’ then haird out again when they ‘eard us cummin’ down. But I can’t find nuffink broke – it reely sounded like glass got broke an’ you’d fink there’d be bitz sumwear down ‘ere but we can’t find nun.

Back to the first floor an’ the toffs open the far door in that side passij – it’z a bedroom, wiv a sheet over the bed an’ the mattress up gainst the wall – reckon the mice will ‘av bin that that. Next door to that iz anuvver bedroom, not az dusty ‘cos the door woz left closed.

Back in the long passij iz anuvver door wot opens on a reel short stair up to wot the toffs call a study. They reckon the stairs iz to lift it up over the parlour downstairs. There’s two red-levver armchairs wot’z still cumfy to sit in wiv legs carvd into wolves an’ deers wiv big antlers. There’z a wolf-skin on the floor too but there’z a curvy-topped desk wiv it’z own chair.

I tries to pick the lock ov the desk an’ get nowear but Sieur Thomas borrers me dagger an’ duz it eezy (sum ov these toffs izza bit dodgy, if you asks me). Inside iz lots of writin’ gear, posh paper, kwils wrappd up neat an’ bottles ov ink sealed wiv wax wot’s still sloshin’! There’z also sum big books wot the toffs reckon iz state lejjers anna reel posh book wivva wolf’s hed wot’s the shield ov the Hrum family.

The lejjers iz borin’, all bout runnin’ the ‘ouse an’ the state, but Sieur Alphonse sez the diary blonged to Lady Brantifax – parrently she wrote that she din’t like this place ‘cos it woz miles from nowear but her hubby luvvd it. An’ she hated the way her dorters wun’t made more ov, ‘cos she luvved ‘em lots.

Turns out wun dorter, Sylphine, wozza cripl an’ always in bed an’ died when she woz only six – that’s reel sad! But the uvver dorter, Heluthe, woz a bit ovva tomboy an’ like huntin’ wiv her dad – but she got killd by a wolf wun day.

Seems their dad, Lord Brantifax de Flambé, reely liked hiz huntin’. The diary sez he worshipped the ‘blind god’ but nun ovvus know wot that woz. When she first met him, she admired hiz vigger but I reckon she went off him after a bit an’ she reckoned he luvd hiz dog, Bron, more than he did her or hiz dorters.

The diary hints that she may have dun in Sylphine but it dunt say so outrite, know what I mean? Their dad made her bury bofe girls inna graveyard ov the castle – that misty fenced bit outside.

She got reel annoyed when a pleesman wot she calls ‘rat-faced’ poked hiz nose inna castle bout a bunch ov missin’ servants. Turns out a lot of servants dint stop for long an’ did runners in the nite. But sumhow they dint go back to they’z villaj so the pleesman, Sarjint Roland (we got two Roland’s in the Mishcheif in Sophia), came askin’ kweschuns, but then he sloped off too…

I finks for a bit an’ asks Sieur Alphonse if he finks them bones in the bridge woz Sarjint Roland? They had bitz of a yooniform on ‘em. I reckon Sarjint Roland woz a were-rat – well sum ov us gets took by the dark side, know what I mean?

Last fing she rites iz that she’z hearin’ ‘evil whispers’ in the graveyard an’ now the lord’s popped hiz clogs she’z leavin’. I wunder if she bumpd him off, like she did her dorter?

While we’z goin’ frew the diary, Sieur Thomas an’ Eliza ‘ears a child larfin’ so they hed’s up the stair to find a nursry. For sum reason Sieur Thomas takes hiz hawk up in it’z cage. They findz evryfin’ cuvvered in sheets but there’z a shelf cuvvered in dolls an’ a load of baby stuff packed away in a cubbord.

Sieur Thomas tries to touch the dolls an’ the room gets cold anna a little-girl’z voice sez “Leave ‘em, they’z mine!” He gets chattin’ wiv this little girl’s ghost an’ she tellz him that she’z a bad girl an’ her mum an’ dad dunt luv her – poor mite!

So after they cum back down an’ Eliza’s told us wot ‘appened, we get back to the first floor wiv the door cross from the study wot turns out to be the master bedroom. The walls iz wood wiv pikturs of huntin’ an’ there’s these bronz mounts for oil lamps, wiv a coupla lamps still there. The big four-poster also ‘az itz legs carved in stags an’ wolves an’ there’z antlers onna wall. There’z an empty wardrobe in wun corner anna dog kennel in the uvver – least I ‘opes it’z a dog kennel, from wot the lady wrote in her diary it mite ‘av bin a wife-kennel.

Wots diffrent bout this room iz that there’s no dust sheets an’ the bed looks like it’s bin used but I can’t be shaw ‘cos smoke from that burnin’ field outside iz gettin’ up me nose.

But we gets a rite turnip when Eliza finds a catch onna bedpost an’ the wall opens up to let us in the fireplace ov the tower room! But just az it opens we ‘ears sumfink ‘eavy dragged in the room above us – but again I fink sumfink sounds a bit off, dunno wot tho. Cood sumwun be fakin’ it?

The tower room iz wrecked but Stella reckons it woz a pothecary’s lab wunce. There’s lots ov broke glass anna strong smell ov smoke an’ booze. Stella finks sumwun was stillin’ booze for picklin’ ded animals when the booze in the air blew up. It took out most the floor above az well. She also finds a coupla pots ov sum grey powder wot she finks iz poison or medsin – bout the only fings ‘ere not broke.

I ‘ears sumwun shufflin’ bout up there an’ I smells them strange unwashed again. I asks if the toffs wont me to climb up but Sieur Alphonse sez no ‘cos I’d be up there on me tod gainst all ov ‘em, ‘owever many there iz.

So Sieur Alphonse an’ Sieur Thomas leads us up the stair at the end ov the side passij. Sieur Alphonse finds the door at the top stuck so they ‘az to cum down an’ send Eliza up – she takes the door off it’z hinjes, no trubbl. Ded strong she iz, even stronger than me an’ I’z dun body-bildin’!

Turns out this woz the maids’ room. It’z got a wardrobe anna padlocked trunk. The floor’s a bit soft in places but it’ll take our wait. The wardrobe’s got cloves in it an’ they dunt look fifty year old, neyver – black robes wiv red sashes an’ sandals. Eliza finks the cloff cums from the Sea of Fortune, sumwear in the Norf, an’ she reckons the stitchin’ looks kinda tribal. There’s five sets ov each.

Now I’z up close I gets that unwashed smell reel strong an’ I reckon it reminds me ov birds, an’ by that I means black crows – ravens? Then I’z reminded ov a story I’z ‘eard bout a cult ov were-ravens wot’z ded spiritual – much more than King Rat, wiv shamans an’ all that. I fink they’z cum from the Sea of Fortune. Their Goddess iz called Baving Kata, or sumfink like that.

Neyver me nor Sieur Thomas can pick the padlock but this time Lady Samal shows she’s a dab ‘and wiv a dagger. Inside we finds a bootiful suit of ‘ard lever made reel nice an’ cuvvered in pikturs ov dogs huntin’ stags. Defnit feem goin’ on ‘ere, if you asks me.

Wunce we takes that out an’ the matchin’ ‘elmet we sees a wooden box underneaf but as I reaches down I spots a metal fing stickin’ out from under it so I ‘az a feel underneef an’ I reckon sumwun’s put a trap to get enywun wot lifts the box. I fink there must be a way to stop the trap from triggerin’ but the toffs reckon it’d be easier just to turn the trunk over an’ shake it so me an’ Eliza duz just that – we’z bofe ded strong.

The box falls out an’ there’z a grate clang from the trunk. When we puts it down again we see sumwun ‘ad left a bear trap, wun ov them fings wiv big bronz jaws wiv teef that wood ‘av taken sumwuns arm off if we ‘adn’t bin careful.

While me an’ Eliza’s doin’ that the toffs check out the box. It’z got nishals on it, BB, an’ inside izzan ‘eavy crossbow wiv 15 bolts wiv natty red fletchin’s. It dunt look enyfing speshul to me but it woz reely portant to sumwun.

So that leaves the door inna sowf wall wot leads in to a room wiv most the roof gone an’ evryfin’ trashed by the wevver (save for sum fings wrapped up in a pile inna corner) but up in the rafters iz two ov the biggest blackest birds I’z ever seen!

Now we got crows down in Heliopolis an’ I saw me first raven on the road heddin’ into Sophia after findin’ Gertrude – first fing you see wiv ravens, speshuly close up, izzat they’z big, twice the size of your crow, eezy. An’ that size makes ‘em ominus, know what I mean?

But these ravens is huge, I mean bout three, four foot high. An’ they’z just sittin’ up there lookin’ down on us, like they’z lords an’ ladies. Dunno bout evrywun else but they’z givz me kwite a turn, I’z tellin’ you.

Corss I knows rite away they’z were-ravens an’ wun ov ‘em says sumfink in Stormspeech wot the toffs translate az ‘Don’t ‘urt us, we’z frendz!’.

So Sieur Thomas whispers sumfink to Sieur Alphonse an’ he asks ‘em in Stormspeech if they’z god iz stormy but they sez back that Bave Kata iz in to Darkness. Corss then Sieur Alphonse challenjis ‘em. They’z keen on flyin’ but Sieur Alphonse can’t do that an’ then they goes for riddles but Sieur Alphonse just wonts to fite so they sez, ‘Nine Danker!’ wot meanz ‘no’ parrently.

Wun flies off to get anuvver raven wot speaks Helionic but Sieur Alphonse asks the uvver why they’z ‘ere. It sez they wonts to ‘elp sum ghosts moov on but sumfink round ‘ere iz stoppin’ ‘em. Seems the raven shaman ‘az got lost tryin’ to free ‘em. She sez the graveyard izza ‘bad place’. That’s wot she sez, cordin’ to Sieur Alphonse. She sez there’z three ghosts in the ‘ouse, wun ov ‘em iz Sylphine, wot’z in the nursry. Anuvver in the hall, wot iz why they dunt go there, tho I din’t see nuffink. An’ the worst ov ‘em iz in the cellar an’ mebbe more in the ‘bad room’.

Then two ravens fly in an’ the new wun speaks Helionic. She sez there’s five ov ‘em but their shaman got lost on a spirit kwest. When they got ‘ere sumfink went bang, which iz why the lab in the tower is all trashed, so the shaman went to the spirit plane an’ got lost. (This is why King Rat dunt do the shamany fing – it’z daynjrus!) The shaman’s fetch iz keepin’ her body live an’ the uvver ravens iz keepin’ her fed.

They lets us in the tower room where the shaman’s body iz. The raven sez they tried to frite us off by mimickin’ brakin’ glass an’ stuff but now they finks we mite be able to save the shaman. She even points at me an’ sez ‘You’z inna Spirit cult!’ (Well, yeah, but I dunt fink we rats iz kwite up to wot they gets up to. I feels like as if Sieur Alphonse sed Sieur Thomas ‘ad just lost hiz chariot inna race but they reckon I could win it back ‘cos I drives a cart!)

But the toffs seem to fink all this iz rite up they’z street an’ Sieur Alphonse sez we must look in the cellar for this ‘bad room’. Merde!

Az we goes down Sieur Alphonse asks the raven bout this ‘Blind God’ wot Lord Brantifax worshipped. She sez hiz name’s Hodder an’ he’z a sort ov barbrian god ov huntin’ an’ trappin’. He’z mostly not evil but he givs hiz nishiates uvver senses.

So we goes frew the cellar door but Sieur Thomas’ hawk goes all barmy in it’z cage so he leaves it in the lobby again. Az we goes down the stairs it gets ded cold an’ the lanterns dunt look so brite. The stairs turn rite an’ then they goes into an L-shape room wiv wun door all cuvverd in frost an’ anuvver to wot must be the basemint ov the tower. I gets that spooky smoke smell an’ not a lot else, wot’s weerd ‘cos I can’t see how the smoke gets down ‘ere.

Then wun ovvus goes round the corner to look at the doors an’ sudden-like me ‘ears pop (like when I woz in Sieur Thomas’ chariot wunce when he went down a big hill atta gallop) an’ the door to the tower pops open an’ a voice sez “I can’t get out!” – we all ‘ears it in Helionic.

Well I reckon that’s the ghost ov Lord Brantifax waitin’ to possess a body an’ walk out – well he ain’t havin’ mine, no way! But Sieur Alphonse iz ded brave an’ he goes in the tower room wiv a lantern – he sez all he can see izza well wot soaks up all the lite. He sez that a voice sez “Bron, where are you, boy?” So it’z Lord Brantifax, for defnit. Sieur Alphonse cums out OK an’ I dunt fink he’z possessed but I still ain’t goin’ in there, not for all the gold in Goldmine.

Meanwhile Stella’s bin lookin’ at the frosty door but when I joins her I gets a weerd feelin’, kinda spooky, what I’z bin gettin’ a lot in this place. When Sieur Alphonse cums out the tower basemint I gets this voice in me ear whisperin’ “He got wot he deserved”. An’ I gets the smell ov buzzbark, like wot Sieur Tobias woz smokin’ last nite. I ain’t never met ‘em but I knows Beavers iz faymus for smokin’ buzzbark so I bets that’s a Beaver’s ghost.

Wiv all this goin’ on, Lady Samal reckons we got an enemy in the well but nowhere else, an’ then she sez there’z a spirit down the well an’ anuvver next to me (wot must be the Beaver) an’ ‘alf-a-duzzin frew the frosty door. So it looks like the frosty spirits ain’t enemies but then she sez the spell dunt work if your enemy don’t know you’z there an’ they probly don’t. Least the Beaver’s frendly enuff.

Then I gets a nasty fort – seems Lord Brantifax wozza baddun wot liked huntin’ peepl, mebbe even that pleesman. But wot if wunce he hunted an’ killd ‘em he cut ‘em up an’ put they’z bodies in a cold-locker!!!

That ain’t a nice fort. I ain’t keen but I reckon King Rat izza spirit cult an’ I’z gotta do the rite fing so I opens the frosty door. First fing I sees izza statyoo ov a blind man in wot must be a shrine to Hodder. Gainst the sowf wall izza bunch of cages – big cages. On anuvver wall izza cold brazzeer an’ a bunch of tools, wun izza reel short pitchfork wiv two spikes wot the Beaver’s ghost sez iz for blindin’ peepl. Merde!

The last wall iz cuvvered in huntin’ trophies, only they ain’t from deer an’ wolves, they’z from peepl! There’z a ribbon from sum girl’s ‘air; a wooden pipe (wot the Beaver sez iz hiz); a pleesman’s badge on top of a notebook anna reely nice dagger wiv the name Heluthe on it – yup, looks like Lord Brantifax hunted hiz own dorter! Wot a bâtard! I’z glad there’z no bodies but it’z still pretty bad.

Sieur Alphonse picks up the badge an’ notebook an’ reads the name, Sargint Roland.

Wiv the toolz izza pot wiv sum more ov that grey powder wot Stella reckons iz poison, same az the lab upstairs. She still dunt know wot it iz an’ we ain’t takin’ no chances till a pothecary’s checked it out.

Then sumwun spots sumfink behind the cages – we shifts a couple an’ finds a passij but we can’t see much down it ‘cos it’z boilin’ wiv mist, just like the graveyard outside.