The Barker Street Irregulars Case 3 The Malicious Book

[CPT_J_Percell]

"Are you sure that there is not something else that guides you?" The wolf said briefly glancing through the forest in the direction of the tower.
"That was some kind of explosion in the tower!" the fairy twittered in the wolf ear while hovering with obvious irritation, "How long are you going to drag this out?"
"I was hoping you would tell me the answer to that," The wolf whispered causing the fairy to fly in front of him.
She looked at him at smiled, "You're the guide here, it's up to you to decide."
"Could you make this anymore difficult, I have never done this before!"
Her smile grew, "We all learn in a different manner."
The wolf lowered its head, shook, then pointed its muzzle towards the young mans hand and sniffed.

[Stella Gaslight]

Toby held the book out to show the wolf.  "See someone is tampering with the story."  The picture was of a princess in a rose colored gown and it looked as though someone had pasted Celia's face over it.  "Someone is braking the rules of the wood and going over the lady of the wood's will."

Celia tried to open her eyes but it was so hard.  Tiredness was almost too heavy of a burden for her to cast off.

[Steampunk Away]

Abraham shot the fake Celia, breaking the visage, revealing a grisly image of blistering shadows.

"Seems like our friends have a footing here," Abraham stated, kneeling besides the boiling, writhing mass of darkness.

"Perhaps we should follow the wolf towards the explosion, making quick work to get there before our shadowy friends."

[CPT_J_Percell]

The wolf turned to look at the gunman before turning back to the young man, "These woods are dangerous to strangers at the best of times," The fairy whispered in his ear again, "And it would appear that they are becoming even more dangerous. Stay behind me and don't stray from the path I lead you along." The wolf took a look around then stood up and headed for a set of trees that parted for him, heading in the direction of the source of the explosion.

[Stella Gaslight]

Celia was caught in layers of dreams and thorns.  Every time she tried to break free the roses held tight.  She was so very tired and wanted to sleep but every now and then it a smell on the wind reminded her to fight.  It was sweet and slightly metallic and made her think of someone the flowers did not want her to remember.

Toby turned to Abraham.  "How do we stop them from hurting the book anymore?"  He was sure that the tampering was the cause of their troubles.

[Steampunk Away]

"Besides finding the source? Perhaps happy thoughts? This is more of a question for my Germanic cousins really. The Brothers Grimm being from there and all. If we wanted we could see if Verity could manipulate the ink on the page to suit us more, and the illustrations to help."

Abraham absent-mindedly handed Toby a treat while looking at the rest of motley group.

[MWBailey]

"But how to bring her here, now? Anyone have an idea where the young lady might be?"
Marley asked.

[Stella Gaslight]

Toby looked at the book and let out a groan.  "I don't think getting her here will be a problem but seeing her might."  He held out the book to show them the picture of Verity who seemed to have become a spirit in a tree wearing far too little clothing.  He blushed wondering where in the woods that was only to stop suddenly in his tracks as a thorny tower rose out of the trees.  "I think mama is in there.  But I am not sure how to get her out without poking all of us full of holes."

[Steampunk Away]

Abraham started walking off, "I will find Verity and take care of the obstacle. You focus on Celia. I know splitting up is not the smartest, but I can handle myself."

[CPT_J_Percell]

The wolf was torn, should he stay and watch the group of follow the gunslinger who was defying the one and only rule he had set.

[Stella Gaslight]

Toby was unnerved as the tower seamed to breath with little rustles of the vines.  He remembered the story of sleeping beauty and hoped the roses would not destroy him for not waiting 100 years.  Carefully avoiding the thorns he touched one of the roses he was hit hard with visions of his mother has a young girl playing in a vast maze. He staggered on his feat and almost fell in to the waiting thorns. 

[walking stick]

Beety pulled him back and sat him on the hamper.  "Hold on to some earthly joys." she smiled "Think of the best picnics you remember."  Curiously it worked, Toby felt more solidly himself than he had done since they got here.  That didn't mean he felt safe, he was wiser than that.

[MWBailey]

Bill Flapped down beside them. "I can't get in through the vines up top," he said. There's a caved-in place around on t'other soide o' this pile, looks loik a tunnel or maybe a corner of a cellar. En't troid 'at yet."

"I wonder what a bit of fire would do..." Marley trailed off. A rather dangerous-looking tiny ball of white-hot  plasmic flame (despite the fireball's diminutive size, the shocking heat level could be felt even several feet away) appeared next to him as he flap-hovered next to one of the outstretching tendrils that poked out here and there in the thornwall, like arms and hands feeling outward, or in some cases seeming to beckon their party closer.  The tendril snapped back into the mass, and the vine actually creaked, with a noise very like an exclamation. "Now, that's an interesting reaction..."

[Stella Gaslight]

"I think the roses want us to chase after mama. If we push inside I think they will close around us and we will all be stuck. Maybe we can trick them in to spiting mama out or using her like a lure and then we can pull her free."  Toby looked thoughtfully up at the tower.  "Maybe we need to give them something so big they can't eat it. like the wolf and the stone in little red riding hood."

[Steampunk Away]

Finding Verity, Abraham approached her with shut eyes, and an outstretched arm offering his large jacket, "Put this on while I figure out how to free you."

[walking stick]

Without warning he was knocked to the ground, he could hear the sounds of a struggle but it took precious time to catch his breath and open his eyes straight into the face of the wolf "How can you be that careless" it roared, hot breath ruffling Abraham's hair. "I ask you to do just one thing, stay with me and immediately you go and walk off into a trap."   A youth dressed in sturdy practical clothes handed him his jacket.  The kid wore a felt hat and had a very large satchel, it took him a moment to realize it was Verity in boys clothes.  She was shorter sturdier and nowhere near as full in the bosom as the green figure now firmly tied in it's own vines.  "Thank you for distracting it." she said politely.

[Steampunk Away]

"You are lucky I did not fill your Lupine friend with a few bullets. So what is 'it' exactly? A dryad? Nymph?"

Abraham got up and slowly put on his jacket, taking it from the true Verity.

"And Verity, from now on, stay with the group," turning to the wolf, "touch me again, and we will have a problem."

[walking stick]

"It's the same plant as those so called Roses." She smiled "I saw you in my drawings Sir Wolf but we haven't been formally introduced. I"m Verity Descry Marvel, Artist at large."  She was just a bit peeved with Abraham. "You might say thank you, you know we did just save your life."

[CPT_J_Percell]

The wolf turned to the newcomer and bowed his head, "welcome to the forest but I do urge you to take caution and not travel alone. This place can be dangerous to those unaware."
"Maybe next time I will leave you to your folly, but I gathered that the young man was close to you." the wolf said turning back in the direction of the rest of the group.
"Young miss, I hope you will be joining the group?"

[walking stick]

"Of course Sir Wolf lead on."  Verity hefted her satchel and followed him.

[Stella Gaslight]

Toby sat down and read the story of the rose princess to himself hoping to find some clue on how to free Celia.  The tower rustled very quietly and started sending tendrils out. Toby pretended not to notice them and hoped he was distracting the roses enough that one of the the others could brake his mother free.

[MWBailey]

Marley noticed a few things; one, the flies and other insects of the field and forest flew freely in and out through the thicket of vines. The bees, in particular, seemed to have absolute carte blanche to enter and exit at will, as they collected the nectar and pollinated the blossoms. An idea occurred to him, but he discarded it almost immediately.

"I knows what you're about thinkin', li'l bruvver," Bill suddenly said from the ground next to Toby; he had followed the boy, upon whose left shoulder Marley still perched, and was looking over the lad's left arm as he sat on a stone in the grass before the tower, reading as the boy perused the pages of the Rose Princess story. "But ye're a raven. Bees're a different lot altogether, ye ken? They all think as one unit and they all knows what every single one's got in 'is moind all th' bleedin' toime. Trust me, I been there before. Iss' nae easy to get 'em all tae do anythin', much less act one yer own."

"You've been a BEE?!" Marley was incredulous. Just how many things had the old wizard-bard been in the past?

"When I were a younker and knew every damn thing loike you, yeah, sure..."

[Stella Gaslight]

Celia was drawn to the voice along with the vines.  She could not understand why but in her dreams the person speaking was almost more important to her than her grandmother.  Toby did his bet to remain still as the vines brushed his skin.  This was the most tense story time he had ever seen.

[MWBailey]

Marley sensed that if he altered his presence on Toby's shoulder in any overt or hasty manner, the vines would interpret it as the gestalt of what they sensed to be Toby moving as a unit; he dared not do anything other than what he had been doing all along, that is to say, the normal movements of a roosting but awake, alert, and slightly excited Raven. So, he continued (not without a an insanely irritating itch to bolt and dart into the air) to feak and preen and make the occasional comment to Bill and the boy.

"Steady, lad, we might actually be taken in if we stay alert but don't move much. Keep reading," he croaked to Toby. "Just act like it's a sunny day in the park, and Abraham's just given you the best book you've ever read and you can't put it down. Bill, it's time to choose; either get pulled in with us or stay outside as a reserve."

"Oi'm stayin, Marley, there be nae way I'll be leavin' me own kin ta fend for it alone. Miss Beety, can ye cast summat ta keep us from goin ta sleep once we're wrapped up?"

[walking stick]

'Yes but only to hold off sleep.' she said 'They can still influence you in other ways so be on your guard.'