The Barker Street Irregulars Case 3 The Malicious Book

[Stella Gaslight]

Toby took a deep breath and tried to centre himself.  "When we cross the threshold we have to hold the wish of finding Mama in our hearts the wood is tricky and will try to separate us but we have to be strong.  If all else fails we have to be kind and make our way to the tree on the centre of the wood.  It can grant our wishes provided we are kind and smart enough not to fall in the traps."

[MWBailey]

Marley and Bill hadn't heard Toby's speech, but they each knew from different sources what to do and how it should be done. Should, because reality, even reality in a fantastical situation, did not always allow things to simply work out. They would have to be careful what they said and did, how they said and did it, and to whom. Truthfulness and kindness were paramount. They were both ravens, and both human, in ways that transcended both states of being. Thus, they were not pretending or being deceitful, which would prove to be a point in their favor. What worried Marley was how finely the Wood would slice and chop the truth when it came down to the bottom line.  that was the truth to carry with them in case they were questioned thusly.

"But how kind can one be when defending oneself?" Marley muttered; the fact that he did so in Ravenish now did not even register. He was so used to switching back and forth and to speaking the majority of the time in Ravenish in order to keep the rank and file in the Tower, not to mention the tourists, from noticing and causing a stir that it was second nature..

"Never y' moind the philossyfizzin', Looby." Bill said, also in Ravenish. "We gots tae be on our best wizardly b'hayvyer, or herself'll get mad and throw us in 'er lockholes."

"So we're back to calling me that, then," Marley groused. "The Lady Of The Wood has lockholes?

"Yer knows what I mean, Looby, you've been 'ere b'fore - and I corls ye Looby coz yer loik me li'l bruvver, an' tha's wha' big bruvvers do."

"Oh. Thanks."

"An' 'coz ye ARE a Looby..."

[CPT_J_Percell]

Just going to drop this here as some inspiration for you guys and Gals.

Tobias paced around the warehouse guarding the entrance to the woods. Behind it was an area of natural forest known as the pines which hid a stone portal. The deeds for the factory had been signed over to him and even though half of it was derelict, he had rebuilt some of it so that he had a home of sorts to stay in comfort. He had rebuilt the upstairs offices with the help of the order and turned it into what is as close to a home as he could. He walked out of his apartment and locked the heavy wooden rune covered door and headed down into the factory on a regular patrol. In the middle of the factory where the roof was missing, the ground had been exposed and now a garden grew filled with flowers, fruit and vegetables.


The Spirit wolf laid in his glad snoozing, he enjoyed the peace of this place as it was the only location where he couldn't be tracked down.
There was a tingling of small bells and a small fairy popped up between the flowers. The wolf let out a sigh and sat up.
"You know that was a summons?" The fairy asked.
"Yes, I know, looks like it's my turn to act as a guide."
"You could sound more enthusiastic about it!"
The wolf smiled and shook his fur revealing the iron collar that he wore. He tilted his head and scratched his neck with a back foot."I suppose I did agree to serve as a guide just so that I could get some peace."
"That's the spirit!" the fairy asked with a mischievous grin.
The wolf sighed and headed out of the glad down a track between the trees.

[walking stick]

Verity was sketching in the park.  Appearing as a young man even improved her chance of working uninterrupted.  She'd stopped to look at the book she'd needed to buy and found it's pages strangely hard to look at, so she was using it to support her sketch pad and see if anything came clear that way. 

Images flowed from her hand.  People she knew and people she didn't, Tobias looking pensive, Beety dragging something out of the air, a wood, a wolf, a heavyset man with impressive mutton chop whiskers.  It was a good thing she had years of practice or she'd never have kept up.

[Steampunk Away]

Abraham came barreling into the factory, heading straight for the portal.

"Get in my way Tobias and I swear to god, you will have one less incarnation."

[MWBailey]

"Ha. Now, 'zactly which god's he referrin' to?" Bill quipped, as he and Marley flew out of the portal and into the forest's demesne, as it happened just behind Abraham, and just barely before Toby. " 'imself, 'r sommat else?"

"That sounds very like blasphemy - or something," Marley answered from the "wingman" position just slightly behind and abreast, so to speak, of Bill. "is it blasphemy when it's an Old One? I wonder..." He mused.

"Ow d' yer know 'e's 'n Auld 'un?"

"Well, he's older than I..."

[CPT_J_Percell]

Tobias turned to see Abraham burst through the factory, he bearly had time to jump out of the way of Abraham before Abraham dived into the portal with toby and the two raverns behind him. These were all know to Tobias and friends of his mama so he let them past without another word and went back to his patrol.

[Stella Gaslight]

Toby was scared, not of being able to find his mother but of getting out of the forest again.  Woods scared him and he had never known why.  But mama needed him so he went through the portal.  It felt like a splash of cold water and suddenly he was surrounded by green.  He felt a draft and much to his own discomfort he found his clothes had become like a page boy in a fairytale.

[Steampunk Away]

"I hope you two understand the irony of a Nord being followed by two Ravens."

Abraham removed his Dragoon from his coat, and started walking through the forest, wary of any unexpected guest.

[MWBailey]

"Ha. I wishes I was one Muginn, so's I could 'member things loik a 'uman all th' bloody toime,"

"You'd have to seek out dead things too, you know," Marley intoned. "It's part of the job description."

"Beg pardon, lad," Marley said in English as he landed gently as he could on Toby's shoulder. "Don't
mind our banter, it's just the way of folk like us."

He added in a more serious tone, though still gentle. "We're not Odin's ravens, but we can scout for you, all the same. Any sense which direction your lady mother might be? It'd help narrow the search pattern."

[Steampunk Away]

"Or I could fire into the air and have her come to us."

[Stella Gaslight]

Toby realised there was something he was holding in his tight fist and from the moment  he saw it he understood ow special it was.  There was a golden chain growing from his palm that seamed to fall tugging in one direction like a magnet was pulling it.  "I think this will lead to mama as long as she stays mama."

Celia felt hunted and lost without her city. She felt as tho she had been walking for days and had very little food or water.  You could not trust the bounty of the forests tress and thickets not to be full of wild magic. The ground beneath her kept it's secrets and her eyes with the city's vales pulled away felt almost bind.  Dazzled and exhausted she tried to take shelter in a crumbling tower.  It may have been a poor shelter but at least the hard stone felt like home.

[MWBailey]

"well and good, lad, but we might find her sooner if we scout ahead. Bill, can you follow that chain, or should I? one of us should stay here with the group, I think. Maybe I can get ahold of Lady Beety"

"Aye, I can," Bill answered, "If young Toby  wants me tae do it. Be kind wi' Beety, lad, she's family."

[MWBailey]

Marley concentrated, and called out to the presence of the lady he knew as Beety in his mind; it was an odd sort of feeling, he had noted it many times in the past, since it never entirely left his head. A warm spot, sort of like a warm-kitchen kind of feeling in a corner of his consciousness.

"Milady Raven singer, are you there?" he called out across the raven-mind link. "Me, Bill, Toby and Abraham are in the forest searching for Celia. Bill's off on reconnaissance, and Toby's got hold of a heartlink chain - but Bill says they can be lengthy. Are you able to join us?"

[Stella Gaslight]

Toby walked trying to keep his eyes on everything and nothing. Hopeing nothing came out of the wood.  There was a growl that froze him in his tracks.  "I come on a quest to save a lady fare. Challenge me or let me pass."  He was proud that his voice didn't waver.

Celia went further in to the tower and found a garden of roses.  The smell was so sweet and reminded her of her grandmother so much she didn't notice the gardner until she almost stepped on her.  "Excuse me. Can I help you?"

"Oh child I thought you would never come."  Celia looked at the gardner in amazement it was her grandmother alive and well.  She took Celia hand and the spell was sprung.  The lonely roses had a new caretaker and the thorny vines sealed the tower so no one could bother them.

[MWBailey]

Bill had overflown the old, ruined tower twice. On his third pass, he thought he saw a familiar figure within, but then the vines suddenly grew up around the doorway and formed a thorny barrier to incursion from the outside.

He heard Marley tell Beety they needed help, and added his own croak to chorus. "I think I've found 'er, in the auld ruined rose tow'r, but th' vines've grown up all sudden-like an' sealed off th' bleedin' door. I'm goin' tae see aboot getting in through the roof, it looks all busted up..."  He sideslipped to lose altitude and barreled past a murder of crows that seemed to be trying to bar his path. "Sorry, briothers, but me friend's in a cleft stick an I needs tae get there!" he called back over his avian shoulder. He blasted past the rafters, and found himself in the remains of a top-floor cell. A huge hole in the middle of the rotted floor led down into the room below, where rose vines had begun to peep through holes in that level's floor.Bill dared not add the weight of his human form to the chanciness of the rickety woodwork, so he stayed in his raven form as he landed. "I'm inside, second-tae-top floor. What d'you folk want me tae do?"

Marley relayed to Toby what Bill had said. "So, I think He's found her, but getting to her's going to be a bit of a trick. Do you know how to get to the tower form here? Or you, Abraham?" he asked.

[Stella Gaslight]

Toby brightened up considerably knowing Celia had been spotted. He  turned to follow where the chain led only to have a vast wolf burst forth from the bushes and stand before them.  Why did his new clothes not come with a sword?

[CPT_J_Percell]

I hope I don't stand on anyones toes, but just abit of scenery.


The wolf stopped on the edge of the clearing. Looking at the armed man, it lowered its head and let out a growl. His eyes cautiously turned toward the younger man and he could feel something from him, something in his aura maybe a sign of innocence. The fairy flew circles around his head muttering in her annoying voice and as he watched, a spectral chain of glowing gold appeared from his hand. He turned back to the armed man, growled then drop onto his haunches, facing the young man.

[MWBailey]

"Old one," Marley called quietly to Abraham, "Might we trouble you to holster  your weapon?  I believe what we'refaced with is an actual English wolf; there haven't been any such outside of Yorkshire or the Moors since the middle of the last century, so I believe this one must be of the spirit variety. It might just go easier for us if we treat him with a modicum if respect..."

[walking stick]

"Now there's an understatement" said Beety as she stepped into view carrying an impressive hamper as if it weighed less than a handbag.

"I believe we've met or will have met." she smiled at the wolf who was unimpressed by her magic but amused by her style.  Very little impressed him these days.

[Steampunk Away]

Abraham reluctantly holstered his weapon and looked at the crows.

"Getting to her, I have no idea. As for the wolf, I am not sure whether to trust it or not."

[Stella Gaslight]

"Best be polite either way." Toby said turning to face the wolf.  "Sir we are travellers here and mean no harm.  We seek my mother the city she has come to speak to the lady of the woods and may have lost her way."

The thorns were soft as down to Celia and they enfolded her in a comfort she had not felt in a very long time. Cradled safe and warm she drifted off to sleep and the roses rustled eager to partake of her dreams.

[CPT_J_Percell]

The wolf cocked its head as the young man talked studying the others. "How do you know that she is lost in this wood?" he asked judging how he would answer.

[Stella Gaslight]

"I dreamt of her.  It was a real far seeing dream.  Beety taught me how to tell the difference.  Mama was fighting a book that was as full of venom like a snake."  Toby stood calmly in front of the wolf wondering if he passed the test.

[MWBailey]

"Can't git through th' bleedin' thorns," Bill sent along the flock-mind link. "Criminy, Marley, 'ow do you do this talkin' thing, me 'ead itches worse doin' th' talkin' than it did 'earin you talk."

"If I could answer that question, Bill," Marley answered along the same link, "I could  figure out how to talk to Milady Celia, perhaps help 'er fight back. Can you see through the thorns and see if Celia's really the one caught?"

"Aye, that I can, and it's 'er alroight. She's lookin' all sleepy, maybe asleep as fur as I kin tell. Tha's nae good... hey, maybe I can wake 'er up with a bit o' bang..."

Away to the east, judging by the sun, there was a BOOM that seemed to make the trees shiver. The rather comical coughing of a small fledgling-sized raven could be heard over the link. "Bloody 'ell, the smoke o' th' 'splosion spell was bad enough, don' let innybody tell ye ozone don't stink, but ye wouldn't believe the bloody DUST in 'ere... CELIA! kin ye hear me, girl!? WAKE UP!"

Marley shuddered to himself, but despite his shock and trepidation at Bill's choice of actions, he was having trouble deciding whether to curse under his breath or guffaw out loud. He relayed the happenings to Toby and the others. "The method is perhaps a bit unorthodox, but his heart's in the right place, I think," he added at the end.