Adrianna's Dragon

Chapter 17 The Extraction

Adrianna sat on her bunk. The sun was just starting to set when Ruby flew through the small window. "Good girl!" Adrianna said. She removed her tool, the note book and a thick roll of bank notes from the dragon's purse. She wrote a note in the book and said, "Take the note to Kaitlyn and come back quickly." Then she waited as the sun continued to set. It was very dark, only the smaller moon was in the sky and only a quarter section at that. The darkness a good omen of success she prayed. Ruby flew back in through the window. "Just stick with me Ruby," she whispered.

It took less than a half breath to pick the lock, and leaving her shoes behind for stealth Adrianna crept to the third floor and entered James cell. "Save yourself Addie. Walking is really difficult for me."

"I'll carry you if I have to James." He stood slowly and with an arm over Adrianna's shoulder walked toward the door. No one came to stop them as they made it to the second level. Adrianna was holding her breath in anticipation but they descended another flight of steps. They paused at the guard's office and heard people moving about and Adrianna almost panicked. Ruby simply flew into the room and there was a sound of three heavy objects falling. When they finally did enter Steven and his two thugs lay on the floor.

"James you can't be seen on the street dressed in rags. Let me check the locker room for something, you shave and comb your hair." Adrianna picked the locks to open several lockers and found a long coat that would at least cover him. It was a long blue-gray great coat with a cape that imperial officials often wore. She returned to the guard's room and found James struggling to shave. She gave him a quick kiss and finished shaving him, then cut his hair. "You ready Jimmy?"

"We're going to just walk out?"

"Just you and me." Putting his arm over her shoulder he stood and slowly with great effort they walked out of the jail as Ruby made sure the way was clear. They passed the still forms of two more guards before they gained the street. "We need to go a little further James, then you can rest."

"Where are you taking me Half Pint?"

"To a brothel, going to get you laid?" Adrianna teased. James laughed.

"Thought you already did that!"

"Actually I'm going to hide you there. It's the safest place I could find." They had to make numerous stops as James tired so easily. But thirty minutes later they reached the back door leading to the basement and Adrianna rapped the signal on the door. "It's us Gemma," she whispered. Gemma opened the door and assisted Adrianna to get James to her room as he collapsed onto Gemma's cot. "This is my husband James, James, this is Gemma." James nodded. "I need to leave him until tomorrow night. Do not go to work tomorrow, I had to kill several guards."

Gemma looked wide eyed at Adrianna and nodded. "I usually don't work on hanging day. What do I tell the Madam if she comes down?" Adrianna pulled a roll of imperial silver certificates and pulled off several pocketing some giving the rest to Gemma. "Flash the roll, give the Madam half and tell her you have a rich client and you could use some food and more alone time." Gemma smiled and responded.

"I can't wait to see her face, she's always telling me that as a cripple I'll never amount to much."

"She really said that?"

"Yea, said I was pretty and young enough to do well in the trade, but nobody wants a cripple."

"I'm sorry Gemma," Adrianna said putting an arm around her shoulder."

"It's OK, I don't want to be in the trade."

"Do you have any men's cloths down here?"

"All kinds, the gents are always forgetting stuff, the Madam stores it down here, sells it off once a year."

"Could you get him something to wear, and a basin to wash with?"

"Like I've seen the other girls upstairs do, they always bring a basin to their room, and this will be fun."

"One more thing, remember to limp, at least for now." Then Adrianna gave James one last hug and a long kiss. "Tomorrow we're all going to the Republic."

"How?" Gemma asked

"On dragon back!" then she left.

"How?" Gemma repeated. She then counted the notes, "She gave me over twelve hundred silver, how many marks is that?"

"About six thousand," James said, "Addie never does anything half way."

Adrianna walked at a rapid pace to the park and then once under cover by the trees ran to the library. Theodora and Kaitlyn were waiting. "We almost left without you, Ruby insisted we wait longer. Never expected you to make it."

"James is safe, I've hidden him in a brothel."

"How did you manage that?" Kaitlyn said.

"Several guards are dead, so we need to get out of here." Just as she said that several shots were fired into the air and the alarm bell began to sound. "Our escape has been discovered time to fly."

Gemma removed her work dress and taking a flimsy discarded gown similar to the ones she had seen the prostitutes dress in and went upstairs. The Madam was talking to several of her girls when Gemma appeared and requested a tray of sandwiches, a beer and a washbasin. She flashed the roll of notes and counted out half for the Madam. All the girls were watching her opened mouth as she smiled shyly, "I have a client, my first, and he wants to spend the night and more with me." Then in a whisper to heighten the response, "He has a lot more money too, says he likes them young. He's going to teach me things he said." Gemma giggled and was given the tray of sandwiches, four beers, the wash basin, and a pat on the back, and sent on her way with numerous stares of incongruity.

The dragon landed in Elodia's yard and the sisters all assembled in her home. "Addie got James out of jail, but not out of Dexter," Elodia said.

"How do you think the imperial forces will react?" Theodora asked.

"It's going to be chaos," Kaitlyn said.

"We hit the library tomorrow. They'll never expect that or see it coming. I'll get you all in, but I'll need two dragons to rescue James, I promised a young girl that I would bring her here."

"My dragon can carry all of them unless your child is a big as James," Elodia said.

"She's no bigger than me."

"So tiny," Susan teased.

"We bring enough bags for at least twenty eggs," Elodia said.

"I think you will need to burn the library at least the egg exhibit area," Adrianna said.

"I hate to burn books!" Theodora said.

"It will cover our trail. Hide the fact we took the eggs. It will also attract everyone like moths to a flame and make it easier for me to get James. What would you have done if I hadn't made it back?" Adrianna asked smiling at Kaitlyn.

"Elodia and I would have come here, got the others and come back to tear the jail down," Kaitlyn said.

"And burned it to the ground," Elodia added.