Chapter 26 - A Cunning Plan is Formed

Barney kept to the shadows. He was good at that. The sun had disappeared so all that remained was a purple tinge in the sky to the west. He could hear the sounds of the city as it prepared for the night. Guards in white uniforms marched purposefully to their posts on the corners of the streets. Order had to be maintained. Every time Barney heard the crisp slaps of their triple-reinforced, steel-trimmed, midnight-black boots (well-polished), his heart raced and he pressed himself into the wall and thought invisible. He followed the trail of progressively large shoe stores into the city centre.

At first, there were small, family stores, with homes above them. From the windows came smells of dinners cooking, and sounds of families – “DINNER!” “Harry stole my rabbit!” “It doesn’t have tentacles, Simon. It’s a piano.”

These streets led to boutiques, where shoes were custom-made. These were just closing, and the streets were full of well-dressed middle-aged people locking doors and exchanging polite goodnights. He had to wait until the guards were distracted by business people insisting on their stores being watched closely, before he could slip past – “You see, I have a very valuable order half-finished...”

After the boutiques, he found himself back in the centre of the city, where the enormous stores were still open. They never closed, and the citizens shopped tirelessly all day and night. Owners and workers of other stores came at night, to buy or just see the competition. It was loud and busy. Barney slipped in with the crowd and thought inconspicuous thoughts. He floated through the crowd to the store he had last seen Celia and Sammy.

It was a truly gigantic building. Not as large as the palace, of course, but larger than any building Barney had been inside. Golden light flooded out of the windows. It looked warm and inviting. Everyone inside was smiling. Even the doorman was smiling, although he looked like he was working hard at it. He waved Barney through, grinning widely and artificially. Barney walked across the foyer, admiring the fine stone floor and walls. Marble, he thought. Well-polished. There was a map on the far wall, depicting the many departments of the store. Barney examined it. Women’s, special occasion – that looked promising. 4th floor, back right section. Barney started up the stairs.

Barney’s first guess was wrong. Sammy and Celia had finished examining all the shoes in that section several hours before, and had moved on, via women’s formal, and were now resting in the comfortable chairs in the women’s casual – indoor section. It didn’t take Barney too long to find them though, following the logical progression through women’s shoes. When he found them, Sammy was sleeping peacefully with his head on Celia’s shoulder. She was holding his hand. Barney felt a slight pang of jealousy, but then remembered his mission.

“They took her away! They just took her! They were taking people away, and she tried to stop them, and they took her too, and I got away. We have to save her!” Barney said in a rush. Celia looked at him sleepily. Sammy did not stir.

“Let’s go!” Barney cried. Celia shook Sammy gently. He mumbled and opened his eyes slightly.

“What happened? Who’s in trouble?” Celia asked.
“Evie!”
“Who’s Evie?” mumbled Sammy, still half-asleep.
“The girl who was with us today. She’s a princess. The guards took her, and a whole lot of other people, and made them leave by the back door of the city. They tried to make me go too, but I escaped. We have to save them!”
“You escaped guards?” Sammy sounded sceptical.
“I saw them!” Barney insisted, louder than he had intended. Heads turned. He lowered his voice. “I saw them! And one grabbed me, but I escaped.”

Something in his voice must have told his friends he was telling the truth, because they leapt into action. Sammy yawned widely, stretched and stood up. Celia followed his example, suggesting retiring to an inn to formulate a plan.

Immediately upon finding an inn, they set about making a plan. This mostly fell to Celia, because Barney was quickly descending into a state of panic that was decidedly not conducive to cunning plan formation, and Sammy, for all his strength and bravery was, it must be admitted, slightly lacking in the cunning plan department. Celia’s plan was this:

Wait until morning. Buy food and clothing for an expedition into the wilderness beyond the city limits. Include in the shopping some large knives, or at the very least shoes with stiletto heels. Leave the city by the main entrance, because the back gate apparently could not be opened except by the guards. Follow the wall around to the back gate, staying out of the forest as far as possible. Search for the princess.

That was as far as she could get, having a very poor supply of information. In simple terms, they were going to take the ‘guess and hope’ approach. Nobody argued though. By the time Celia got to the end of the plan Sammy was asleep and Barney was sniffling to himself.

And so, the following morning, as soon as they woke up, the three friends went to buy supplies. They bought bread, cheese, apples, large canteens of water, and several sharp knives. These items went, along with spare clothing, into a large bag that Sammy was made to carry, because he was the biggest. Thus prepared, they began their mission.