CHAPTER#48

The walk back through the tunnels was uneventful. Back in the throne room, Mike had Beth broker a new agreement with the rats. If they wanted to stay, they could, but they needed to close off any tunnels to the outside world that could be used to get in. The rats were hesitant to deny their request, particularly because Tink kept throwing everyone stink eye while holding her club and Mike held Jenny in his arms like a pet.

The doll didn't reanimate on the way back, but he could feel her cold, sinister presence within. He thought back to what he had seen in her illusory world. He was still rather pissed that he had been seen, cock essentially in hand, by Beth. There was still something so very daunting about her, a mental roadblock that prevented him from feeling entirely like himself when she was around.

Then again, who was he really? He thought back to the dual nature of Jenny and Jane. Was Jenny the product of Jane undergoing centuries of anger and abuse, that poor peasant girl now gone forever? Or was Jenny the facade that Jane wore to justify her actions, a true manifestation of her inner id?

With a tentative agreement to revisit the rats again to establish more rules, they were led back to the home by Reggie. Though he was now the monarch, he seemed to take a small amount of pride in leading them back to the house. If there was any anger over the death of the recent regent, he didn't detect any.

"Thank you, Reggie." Beth knelt down to shake his hand. "Let me know if you need anything. Also, if you could fix the locks on the doors, we would appreciate that."

"It would be my honor, Lady Beth." The new king gave them a wave and walked back into the secret passage. Mike yawned and looked at the others.

"I'm beat." He held Jenny out to Beth. "Do you want to take her tonight or should I?"

"I'll take her. She might want to talk later." Beth took the doll. "Oh, and here is this."

She handed over the emerald. It glowed eerily once it was in his hand.

"I'll lock it up in the Vault." He had no idea the extent of its powers, but he instantly knew it would be a bad idea to let anybody else mess with it.

"No use Vault." Tink yawned too, then rubbed her eyes. "Tink find old rat hole in back of Vault. Hide in corner where only doll can fit."

"I see." He sighed. That explained how Jenny had gotten out before. "I'll take it with me, I guess. Hold onto it until the Vault gets properly sealed."

"Sounds like a plan." Beth held Jenny out. She looked like she wanted to ask something, but thought better of it. "Well, goodnight."

"Goodnight." He watched her walk away. Embarrassing moments in the church aside, she had been a wonderful ally to have on his side. He made a brief visit to the kitchen for a drink, pleased that the others had cleaned up the worst of the mess already. He sucked down a beer that he had hidden from Tink behind the orange juice. The little goblin could as well be a dwarf based on how much booze she could handle.

Tink was already in bed, her club leaning against the side of the frame. Mike checked in with Naia, and she took the emerald from him and promised to keep it safe until the Vault was finished. He yawned while climbing into bed, miserable at how soon the sun was going to rise. Tink rolled over and grabbed his arm and he shifted it at the last second to avoid getting bitten.

He closed his eyes, contemplating the dull green glow of the emerald. He could see it as if it sat before him, mounted on a tiny silver stand.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" He spoke the words, but he hadn't wanted to say them. It wasn't his voice either. It was a mix of voices, all feminine.

"I... I guess?" When he responded, he heard his own voice. At least he would know who said what.

"Take it."

"Am I asleep?"

The voice laughed. The image of the emerald was now on top of a marble pedestal and he stood in the sideways tower in the sky. He contemplated the world below where it was early morning, could see the movements of cars and trains beneath him. So many people living ordinary lives, unaware that a man living in a magic house was apparently having a nervous breakdown thousands of feet above them.

"Not quite, but close."

"When I was younger, I used to dream I could fly." He grabbed the emerald sculpture. It was about the size of a chess piece in his hand, a hand that wasn't his own. "I loved those dreams because I would fly straight up into the sky. Away from my mother, my problems and other people. In my dreams, it was so peaceful up in the clouds."

"Congratulations on finding a new piece." The room swirled around him and he was back in his house. The first floor was clean and untouched. He walked against his will to the room with the large dining table and saw the familiar gameboard from before. The board was larger now, revealing the new addition to the house. He set the emerald down on Naia's fountain, next to her game piece.

"Every room has its purpose, every monster has its place." The voice sang these words and withdrew his hand.

"Uh huh." He experimented with the board as he had before. He touched the back wall of the servant's quarters. The board shimmered, but instead of changing, a separate game board appeared to the side of his. Standing in the middle of the throne room was a figurine of Reggy, complete with Potatohead glasses and a crown. "This... this is real, isn't it?"