Post by Lorpius Prime on Oct 9, 2007 0:40:17 GMT -5
Jay had been so caught up in the present, his fight, the gathering at the bar, and Münchhausen’s pitiful condition, that it took him a moment to understand the question.
But then the memories of the last two days came back.
All the muscles in Jay’s face and neck tensed, his nostrils flared in a snarl, “Jack’s dead! They shot him! And they nearly killed me too! You sent him bounding off after this fool’s errand and they killed him for it!”
Somehow Jay had crossed the space between him and the Baron’s chair without being conscious of his steps. He found himself restrained by the innkeeper, who was holding Jay back by a very strong hand on the shoulder. Jay glared into the old man’s eyes, which returned nothing but an impassive stare.
Münchhausen looked up at Jay with his own sunken eyes, and folded his hands in front of his nose, “That is… unfortunate. Were you still able to retrieve your things?”
Jay wanted to pick up his suitcase and swing it at the Baron, to bludgeon the old man to death with it. But some vestigial remnant of his manners restrained him, and he merely fumed.
He did pick up the suitcase, but instead of attacking Münchhausen he threw it onto one of the little barroom tables, making as much noise as he could. Jay undid the straps and opened the suitcase. The brown envelope sticking out from under one of his shirts was a little worn from the rough journey, but it was intact.
He drew it out and held the envelope up in his right hand. Jay bit his lip.
“I don’t know what’s been happening these last few days, and I’m sure that I don’t want any part of whatever this is.” He nodded around the room. “Still, a man died for this,” Jay tossed the envelope at the Baron in his chair. “I hope that means something to you.”
From the way Münchhausen pounced on the documents, Jay doubted it meant very much at all. The Baron fairly tore open the envelope and thumbed through its contents, greedy eyes flitting over each page.
Jay was disgusted. He looked over his shoulder at the rest of the inn’s guests. They were all standing and looking sternly at the Baron, however, except for the young boy, who was looking up at the ceiling and seemed to be murmuring something to himself.
Looking back around, Jay found Münchhausen considering two of the gray Photostat pages. The Baron rubbed his chin thoughtfully and his sunken, bloodshot eyes swept back and forth across the documents.
“Well?” Jay snapped. He could feel his blood boiling. Jay hadn’t realized he had swallowed so much anger over Jack’s death, but the Baron’s passive attitude was drawing it out of him. And it was easier to blame Münchhausen than to blame himself.
The Baron sniffed and met Jay’s gaze. “I am starting to understand the story. It seems the treachery was far--”
He stopped abruptly, expression frozen. Jay blinked and cocked his head slightly, unsure of what to make of this odd behavior. Behind him, he heard the creaking of wooden chairs, and he supposed the other guests were somewhat unnerved themselves.
After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Jay opened his mouth to speak, but the Baron held up a quieting hand.
“Gerd,” came his sharp whisper. The bartender at the Baron’s side leaned in close, and Münchhausen muttered something into the old man’s ear.
Gerd frowned as he straightened up. Jay watched him give the shuttered windows a suspicious look, and then the old man crossed the floor to throw one of them open.
Chairs clattered and low gasps escaped startled mouths. Jay felt his own eyes growing wide in shock. The window should have looked out onto the inn’s little yard and the dirt road along which it sat. But the road was gone. In its place was a forest of short, ghostly-pale trees which crowded right up to the side of the walls of the inn.
Jay couldn’t understand the German mutters which were buzzing behind him, and he started to ask his own question, and then bit his tongue.
Baron Münchhausen was on his feet and gliding easily towards the window. His eyes were wide not with shock but greedy apprehension, and his lips were stretched back over his teeth in a grin that terrified Jay Thomson down to his very soul.
Book One, Chapter:
-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-20-21-
-22-23-24-25-26-27-28-29-30-31-32-33-34-35-36-37-38-39-40-41-42-
-43-44-45-46-47-48-49-50-51-52-53-54-55-56-57-58-59-60-61-62-
Appendix: -A-B-C-
But then the memories of the last two days came back.
All the muscles in Jay’s face and neck tensed, his nostrils flared in a snarl, “Jack’s dead! They shot him! And they nearly killed me too! You sent him bounding off after this fool’s errand and they killed him for it!”
Somehow Jay had crossed the space between him and the Baron’s chair without being conscious of his steps. He found himself restrained by the innkeeper, who was holding Jay back by a very strong hand on the shoulder. Jay glared into the old man’s eyes, which returned nothing but an impassive stare.
Münchhausen looked up at Jay with his own sunken eyes, and folded his hands in front of his nose, “That is… unfortunate. Were you still able to retrieve your things?”
Jay wanted to pick up his suitcase and swing it at the Baron, to bludgeon the old man to death with it. But some vestigial remnant of his manners restrained him, and he merely fumed.
He did pick up the suitcase, but instead of attacking Münchhausen he threw it onto one of the little barroom tables, making as much noise as he could. Jay undid the straps and opened the suitcase. The brown envelope sticking out from under one of his shirts was a little worn from the rough journey, but it was intact.
He drew it out and held the envelope up in his right hand. Jay bit his lip.
“I don’t know what’s been happening these last few days, and I’m sure that I don’t want any part of whatever this is.” He nodded around the room. “Still, a man died for this,” Jay tossed the envelope at the Baron in his chair. “I hope that means something to you.”
From the way Münchhausen pounced on the documents, Jay doubted it meant very much at all. The Baron fairly tore open the envelope and thumbed through its contents, greedy eyes flitting over each page.
Jay was disgusted. He looked over his shoulder at the rest of the inn’s guests. They were all standing and looking sternly at the Baron, however, except for the young boy, who was looking up at the ceiling and seemed to be murmuring something to himself.
Looking back around, Jay found Münchhausen considering two of the gray Photostat pages. The Baron rubbed his chin thoughtfully and his sunken, bloodshot eyes swept back and forth across the documents.
“Well?” Jay snapped. He could feel his blood boiling. Jay hadn’t realized he had swallowed so much anger over Jack’s death, but the Baron’s passive attitude was drawing it out of him. And it was easier to blame Münchhausen than to blame himself.
The Baron sniffed and met Jay’s gaze. “I am starting to understand the story. It seems the treachery was far--”
He stopped abruptly, expression frozen. Jay blinked and cocked his head slightly, unsure of what to make of this odd behavior. Behind him, he heard the creaking of wooden chairs, and he supposed the other guests were somewhat unnerved themselves.
After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Jay opened his mouth to speak, but the Baron held up a quieting hand.
“Gerd,” came his sharp whisper. The bartender at the Baron’s side leaned in close, and Münchhausen muttered something into the old man’s ear.
Gerd frowned as he straightened up. Jay watched him give the shuttered windows a suspicious look, and then the old man crossed the floor to throw one of them open.
Chairs clattered and low gasps escaped startled mouths. Jay felt his own eyes growing wide in shock. The window should have looked out onto the inn’s little yard and the dirt road along which it sat. But the road was gone. In its place was a forest of short, ghostly-pale trees which crowded right up to the side of the walls of the inn.
Jay couldn’t understand the German mutters which were buzzing behind him, and he started to ask his own question, and then bit his tongue.
Baron Münchhausen was on his feet and gliding easily towards the window. His eyes were wide not with shock but greedy apprehension, and his lips were stretched back over his teeth in a grin that terrified Jay Thomson down to his very soul.
Book One, Chapter:
-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-20-21-
-22-23-24-25-26-27-28-29-30-31-32-33-34-35-36-37-38-39-40-41-42-
-43-44-45-46-47-48-49-50-51-52-53-54-55-56-57-58-59-60-61-62-
Appendix: -A-B-C-