The Needlehole Mysteries

Why am I not surprised?

i was a bit shocked though.....

Smoking is not very healthy, Norc.

Yeah... that's the internet for you. From cute to traumatizing in 2 seconds.

We've got child filter, I google with safe search or whatever and read the warnings on livejournal posts.

The Treason of Forumshire

Part 5


Lester Cat slept for the rest of the night and late into the morning, while Eldo was only able to doze intermittently. He could not banish the thought of the assassin sneaking into his room and the sound of the creaking door from his mind. By the time Lester Cat roused himself and stretched luxuriantly, Eldo had deep shadows under his eyes and a weary expression.

“Didn't you sleep at all?” asked Lester Cat.

“Hardly,” replied Eldo. “I don't know how you were able to sleep when the door could have been kicked in by an assassin at any moment.”

“I'm a cat, sleeping is what we do best,” said Lester Cat. “Besides, an assassin wouldn't kick in a door, He'd pick the lock and then slit your throat before you even noticed he was there.”

“Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better,” Eldo said crossly. He had more he wanted to say, but stopped when he realized where Lester Cat was licking himself. Eldo turned around.

When he was finished, Lester Cat walked towards the door. “If you're done contemplated the wall, I'd appreciate you getting the door,” he said.

Eldo walked over. “Why can't you get it yourself?” he asked.

“Because I'm a cat and you locked the door last night,” said Lester Cat.

“Wait a second,” said Eldo. “Didn't you crawl in through a hole at floor level last night?” He looked around and spotted the hole in question. “That one, right over there.”

Lester Cat glared at him, his tail swishing back and forth.

“Well?” demanded Eldo.

“Are you going to open the door, or are we going to stand here all day?” asked Lester. “Don't think that you can outlast me.”

Eldo sighed and opened the door. “Has anyone ever told that you're insufferable?”

“I get that all the time,” said Lester. He darted out the door, followed by Eldo.

The late morning streets of Nobottle were relatively empty, but Eldo could see many Hobbits walking from building to building, going about their business. He paused to take in the sights of the small village. It was not so different than Needlehole. Suddenly, Eldo felt as if he was looking through a window at a picture of a long-distant life that wasn't really his. His knees began to tremble.

“What's going on?” Lester Cat asked sharply. “Get it together. We have a long day's traveling ahead of us.”

Eldo closed his eyes and tried to force the unpleasant feelings back down. “I need something to eat first,” he said.

“There's no time,” said Lester Cat. “We're behind schedule as it is.”

“Maybe you shouldn't have slept in so long then,” snapped Eldo. “I don't know how it is for cats, but I haven't eaten in over 12 hours and I'm not about to go on a long day's worth of traveling on an empty stomach.”

Lester Cat swished his tale in annoyance. “Fine. You have 20 minutes.”

Eldo rolled his eyes. “What about you? Aren't you hungry?”

“I can stop for a field mouse or two as the need arises,” said Lester Cat, licking his chops. He had a wicket glint in his eyes.

“You do that…” said Eldo, feeling a little queasy. “I'll meet you back here, I guess.”

“Meet me at the bench where we sat last night,” said Lester, trotting off.

“That works too,” Eldo muttered to himself. Shaking his head bemusedly, he walked towards the nearest pub. He had slepped with his clothes on, and he found that the purse of coins Odo had left him with was still in his pocket. Once inside, Eldo ordered brunch and ate it silently, staring moodily at the table in front of him.

As he was paying for his meal, Eldo realized that he had never settled his bill at the inn the night before. He couldn't risk going back, and as he left the pub he walked in the opposite direction from the inn.

When he reached the edge of the village Eldo realized that he had been walking aimlessly. He turned around and found himself facing the sign of a pony cart rental shop. He glanced at the road, stretching towards the horizon, and reached into his pocket and felt the still mostly-full coin purse.

A few minutes later, Eldo drove his newly-acquired pony cart cautiously down the main street of Nobottle towards the bench where he had sat with Lester Cat the night before. He had found a discarded straw hat sitting in the back of the cart, and he pulled it low over his face. He glanced warily at the inn as he pulled to a stop in front of the bench where the black cat was licking his paws.

“Lester,” Eldo hissed.

Lester Cat seemed startled and looked around suspiciously.

“Lester, it's me,” Eldo hissed a little louder. He leaned towards the bench and pushed up the brim of the straw hat. “See? It's me.”

“What the hell took you so long?” Lester Cat asked sharply, regaining his usual composure. “I thought I said 20 minutes. And what are you doing with this thing?”

“I thought it would be faster if we had a pony cart then just walking,” said Eldo.

“Idiot!” said Lester. “Are you trying to draw attention to us?”

“I think that a pony cart would be more common on the road than someone walking on foot, once you get far enough away from the village.”

Lester's feline face furrowed, but Eldo couldn't tell if he was thinking or scowling. “Fine,” said Lester. He hopped up and sat on the seat next to Eldo. “Now get moving.”

Eldo turned the cart around and drove down the road out of town. Within an hour Nobottle had completely disappeared and they were alone among the sprawling fields and occasional homesteads. Lester Cat was curled up in a ball on the seat as they passed further into the countryside.

“Stop!” Lester ordered suddenly. Eldo pulled back on the reigns in surprise. He could have sworn Lester Cat was still sleeping.

“What is it?” asked Eldo.

“I'll be right back,” said Lester, and he jumped down from the cart and disappeared into the tall grass on the side of the road.

“Oh, for the love of Eru,” swore Eldo. He stood up and looked nervously in both directions, but they were completely alone. The hot afternoon sun beat down on him, and Eldo felt grateful for the hat. He stretched for a minute and then sat still, still glancing around uneasily. Aside from the road, golden fields of grain filled the entire landscape, all the way to the horizon.

After a few minutes more, Lester Cat reappeared and jumped back up on the seat, carrying a dead field mouse in his jaws.

“What is that?!” shriekd Eldo, jumping down from the cart. “Get it off of here!”

Lester Cat deposited his kill in front of him and daintily licked his paws.

“Now!” yelled Eldo.

Lester Cat turned and glared at him. “You took your sweet time finding a meal earlier. At least I can eat mine while we're moving.”

“Like hell you can,” said Eldo. “I'm not going anywhere until you get that filthy thing off the seat.”

“Have it your way,” said Lester Cat. “Just don't blame me when the big man asks why we're late.” Before Eldo could think of a response, Lester tore into his lunch.

Feeling somewhat ill, Eldo kicked at the ground and paced in a slow circle around the road. He could feel his shirt sticking to the sweat on his back. Dust from the dry dirt surface hung lazily in the air, and Eldo thought he could hear the tinkling of a creek hidden in the tall grass.

Eventually, he noticed that Lester was sitting up and glaring at him, so Eldo returned to the cart. The dead mouse was nowhere to be seen.

“Are you happy now?” Eldo demanded.

“Very much so,” Lester said dryly. “Now keep moving.”

Eldo flicked the reigns and the pony began to move forward again. The rest of the afternoon passed uneventfully, and the country sky turned a brilliant shade of orange as the sun began to set. Eldo pulled the brim of the hat lower to shield his eyes as the sun hung low in the sky.

Once they had crossed a row of low downs, Lester ordered Eldo to turn northwest at the next village. Soon, the profile of a large tower could be seen on the horizon, silhouetted again the setting sun.

“Is that the Tower of Lore?” asked Eldo. He had never visited this part of Forumshire before.

“A brilliant deduction,” quipped Lester Cat.

As they grew nearer, the tower came into clearer view. It was built of grey stone and reached perhaps some eighty feet into the air. Near the top, a broad balcony encircled the entire structure, but the base of the tower was smooth and polished.

Once they reached the tower, Eldo placed their pony in a guest stable and walked up to the base of the tower with Lester. He felt somewhat uneasy being right in front of the seat of the Admin's power, but Lester confidently strode forward and scratched at the heavy oak door. He meowed loudly and the door swung open.

“Can we really just go in?” Eldo asked nervously.

“Of course,” replied Lester Cat. “We're expected.”

Eldo cautiously followed Lester Cat into the tower. The front door opened into a narrow hallway. The floor was covered with a thick layer of dust and the air smelled musty.

“Doesn't the Admin have anyone to clean up?” asked Eldo.

“No,” said Lester Cat.

Eldo paused. “Why not? I would have thought any ruler would at least have a cleaning lady.”

“You thought wrong,” replied Lester Cat.

Eldo ground his teeth. “I've gathered as much,” he said. “Could you explain what's going on?”

“It will all make sense very soon,” said Lester Cat. “Don't fall behind.”

Eldo quickened his pace until he had caught up with the cat. “Are we still going somewhere? I thought that the tower was our destination.”

Lester Cat stopped and sat down in the middle of the hallway. “It is, in a sense,” he said. He licked his front paws daintily.

Eldo let out an exasperated sigh. “Would you please explain to me what we're supposed to do now that we've gotten here?” he asked.

“We wait,” said Lester Cat.

“For what?”

Almost as soon as Eldo said those words, a strong gust of wind blew the front door shut, cutting off all light in the hallway. Before he could react, Eldo felt as if someone grabbed him by his belt and yanked him upwards. With a strangled yell he watched the floor grow further and further away as he flew upwards....


Nora slouched uneasily in an armchair in the sitting room of the official Mayoral residence in Michel Delving. The Mayoral mansion featured three floors of richly decorated bedrooms and social areas. Even the bathrooms were luxurious. Nora had difficulty appreciating any of it. She hated being back in the city with its imposing fortress prison and that insufferable Elthir running everything.

The pitter-patter of swiftly approaching footsteps caused Nora to look up. She saw nothing, but she soon felt the armchair rock backwards as someone leaped onto it from behind.

“Hellooooooo Nora!” yelled Squach in a voice that was entirely too loud. “Why the long face? You're not pining for some boooy, are you?”

Nora scowled. Squach gave a cheeky grin in response.

“I bet you are! Who is he? Is he handsome?”

“It's none of your business,” said Nora, looking away. “Don't you have little girl things to do here?”

“No,” Squach said with exaggerated sadness. “We don't come here often and I couldn't bring too much with me since Mum had to fly us here fast.”

“Oh yeah, I can see how that would be,” Nora said absently.

Squach brightened up on getting a response. “I can't wait until I'm big enough to fly as fast and as far as Mum can. When I am, will you come and watch?”

Nora looked quizzically at the grinning girl. Squach was bouncing up and down on her feet.

“Sure … I guess,” Nora said slowly. “Can you fly at all yet?”

“Only over short distances,” Squach said with a pout. “And Mum says I'm not to try unless she's around.”

“You'd better do as she says, then,” said Nora.

“But I can't even transform without her watching,” whined Squach. “She can be such a pain sometimes.”

“I'm sure there's a good reason for it,” said Nora, though she was struggling to remember everything about Kafria's transformation that she had seen.

“I guess so, yeah,” Squach said dismissively. “Do you want to do something fun?”

“Like what?” asked Nora.

“Something to make the time go by faster,” said Squach. “It's boring with just the two of us here.”

“Gee, thanks,” said Nora. “Speaking of which, when did your Mum say she'd be back?”

“Soon,” said Squach. “She said she had to meet with someone. Elfie, or Elthie, or something like that.”

Nora sat up suddenly. “Elthir?”

“Yeah, that was it!” said Squach, sounding pleased.

Nora's eyes narrowed, but she refrained from saying anything.

Nora remained sitting in her chair, brooding. Squach became bored and started to run around the room and climb on various pieces of furniture that Nora was pretty sure weren't for climbing. After about a quarter of an hour, they heard the front door open.

“We're back!” the voice of Kafria drifted from across the first floor.

“We?” called back Nora.

“I ran into your friend the Sergeant,” Kafria said as she walked into the living room. Ringo followed closely behind her, looking uneasy.

“What's up, Ringo?” asked Nora.

“The police are out in force,” said Ringo. “There's too many for it to be just a security job.”

“I told you, Elthir's just a little paranoid,” Kafria said. She picked up a fan from the table and waved it around her face and neck. “Summers in this city are just too hot. I'm starting to remember why I prefer the north.”

“Did you talk to Elthir?” Nora blurted out.

Kafria looked at her sharply. “Yes, I did. Did Squach tell you that?”

Nora nodded a little bit guiltily. Squach was suddenly nowhere to be seen.

Kafria shrugged. “I was just discussing the upcoming meeting with him since he's the Admin's stand-in on the Council,” she said lightly.

“Did he say anything about Eldo?” asked Nora.

“No, he didn't say anything about Eldo,” said Kafria. “However, he did ask me to convey his regards to the two of you. Apparently he already knew you were in the city.”

“I'd like to know how he found that out,” Nora muttered darkly.

“One does not become police superintendent by being poorly informed,” said Kafria. “I'm sure he has his sources.” Kafria paused upon seeing the dark look on Nora's faces. “Before you ask, no, I am not one of them. I have much respect for Elthir, but I don't work for him.”

“Good,” said Nora, and she sat down heavily in the armchair from before.

Kafria sighed. “I have to admit, there's a possibility that things could turn ugly here tomorrow. According to Elthir's reports, the clan chiefs are bringing a small army of their supporters with them, and they've got Queen Tinuviel on their side. Private forces aren't allowed in the Capitol and I really don't think the clans are foolhardy enough to flaunt that law, but Elthir worries that they might be, which is why there are so many police on the streets.”

Ringo coughed quietly. “I think it's best if we don't make our presence here too obvious, though it might be too late for that since Elthir already knows we're here. Still, I trust that Hobbit about as far as I can throw him after what he did to Eldo.”

“That kind of attitude is not the fasted or surest way to finding your friend,” Kafria said reprovingly. “I've worked with Elthir for a while, and I can tell you that there's more to him than meets the eye.”

“None of it pleasant, I'm sure,” snorted Nora.

“You have every right to be upset, but you should think about this rationally,” said Kafria.

“What's that supposed to mean?” asked Nora.

“Even though his trial was held in secret, Eldo became rather well-known after the Bree-land revolt,” Kafria explained. That incident brought back a lot of raw emotions regarding the Dark Planet invasion. Anyone involved in political machinations now, and that includes Elthir, is bound to at least keep tabs on Eldo.”

Ringo frowned. “So we're just supposed to cozy up to Elthir and hope he'll tell us where Eldo is eventually?”

“If that's how you insist on thinking of it, go ahead,” Kafria said with exasperation. “You'll have to decide what to do. For my part, I'll be at the Council meeting tomorrow. If you want to help me and Elthir, then come with me tomorrow morning. If you want to avoid picking a side, however, you should leave the city. Everyone is taking sides.”

“We came here because Eldo will most likely be making his way back to the Capitol,” Ringo said after a long pause. “In the meantime, you helped us get here, so it's only fair that we return the favor.” He turned to look at Nora. “How do you feel about that?”

“Yeah, it's only fair,” said Nora. She put her head in her hands. “You're sure that Eldo will show up here because of this meeting, though?” she asked Kafria.

“I can't be entirely sure of anything about this situation.,” Kafria said. “But,” she continued quickly, “I would be very surprised if neither Elthir nor the clans had managed to find him by now.”

Nora nodded slowly. “That's our only real lead at this point, I guess. It'll have to be good enough.”


Later that evening, Lotho Burrowes stood on the balcony of his late father's mansion in Michel Delving. The Burrowes family maintained houses in all the major cities in Forumshire, but their residence in the heart of Michel Delving's business district was the largest and most luxurious except for the Burrowes Estate itself.

Lotho surveyed the sprawl of lights and streets below him with distaste. He had been young during the Dark Planet invasion, but he still remembered the old lands of Forumshire with great nostalgia. There had been no massive cities then. The people had lived in small villages and homesteads, and almost all of them paid rent to the handful of clan chiefs who owned the vast estates. That was during the reign of Admin Ady, before the phrase “land reform” had ever been uttered in Forumshire.

Lotho snorted in disgust and looked away from the city to instead inspect the large signet ring on his finger. It had belonged to his father, but as the head of the Burrowes family Lotho wore it now. The Burroweses had long been the third wealthiest clan in Forumshire, but Lotho had designs to go all the way to the top.

A slight scuffing sound drew Lotho's attention, but he spoke without turning around. “I know you're lurking back there, Odo,” he called out imperiously. “What is it you want at this hour?”

Odo stepped forward cringingly. “I, uh, I wanted to make sure that our agreement was still intact,” he said apologetically.

Lotho put his hands on the railing in front and stared out towards the horizon.

“It is,” he said eventually.

Odo gave an audible gasp of relief. “So I shall become Mayor at last!” he said, more to himself than anyone else.

Lotho turned around and smiled coldly at Odo. “Of course. I am safe to assume that you have kept up your end of the bargain, am I not?”

Odo flinched visibly. “Y-yes,” he stammered. “Yes, I took care of everything before we left Nobottle. There are no loose ends, I can swear on it.”

“So our friend Eldorion is dead,” Lotho said smugly.

Odo's head sagged. “There is no doubting that,” he mumbled as he stared at the floor.

Lotho stepped forward and patted Odo on the shoulder. “Than you have absolutely nothing to worry about,” he said, his voice sounding warm now.

Odo seemed to regain some of his confidence. “The Queen will not be happy about this,” he said quickly. “She has an inexplicable fascination with the exploits of the DI and his foreign friends. Why anyone would find those sordid tales interesting is completely beyond me, of course.”

“Come now, Odo,” Lotho said reprovingly. He took hold of Odo's chin with one hand and turned it so that their eyes met. Odo thought he could see a flicker in Lotho's deep eyes. “Did you think that I didn't know this already? And that I had not already planned for this eventuality?”

Odo moved his lips, but no sound came out.

“There is nothing to worry about,” declared Lotho.

Odo backed away nodding until he was out of sight, and then he turned and ran all the way back to his room in the guest wing of the mansion.

I finally caught up with this- brilliant stuff Eldo. So glad I finally got up to speed on it.

Thanks a lot, Petty! It's been fun slipping back into the story. I know it's been a bit slow but the action (such as it is) will start to pick up in the next installment. I've been trying to make the build-up interesting and engaging, though.

uh oh doesnt look good for our hero. swept up into the Tower?

"I've been trying to make the build-up interesting and engaging, though".- Eldo

And succeeding I'd say.

That means a lot to me Petty, thanks.

Mrs Figg wrote: uh oh doesnt look good for our hero. swept up into the Tower?

Stay tuned! I've been waiting to write the Tower sequence for a long time, so I'm excited that I'll finally get to.

Squach would own Nora a million times over

Squach was the original Norcer.

ER

Amarië wrote:Yeah... that's the internet for you. From cute to traumatizing in 2 seconds.

We've got child filter, I google with safe search or whatever and read the warnings on livejournal posts.

i do too!! D:

Benny and Colin could be brothers!!


ELdo.. omg... I want to read this but i don't have time D: fuck fuck fuckety fuckfuck! well...

Eldorion wrote:Squach was the original Norcer.

friendly remdiner the term is named after MOAH!

Norc wrote:ELdo.. omg... I want to read this but i don't have time D: fuck fuck fuckety fuckfuck! well...

I'm eager to hear what you think of it, but I should be in bed anyway. Let me know what you think when you have the time!

Norc wrote: friendly remdiner the term is named after MOAH!

You've certainly redefined what Norcing is and can be.

I love Lester! And Squach is too cute! And everything is very exciting and I want MORE!

I'm glad Lester and Squach are well liked. They're both a lot of fun to write. After this I might write a spin-off about the two of them going on adventures.

hey yeah, fanfic of the fanfic of the fanfic, cool.

I love how Eldo is scared to death and grossed out of dead mice.
also... everyone in needlehole are like super good with ponys, just like .. i just thoguht about it, that's kind a cool. haven't finished it yet, but I am sure liking it so far

Well, pony carts are basically a stand-in for cars, so I'm not worrying myself too much about realism with them. Same with pocket crossbows.

nono, I like it. I just had to picture Eldo like taking of the sadle-stuff of the pony, and since I once was a pony-gal, i really liked the idea ^^

finished it now, i love it can't wait for more, you're doing great Eldo Just take your time, we're used to waiting and we'll always read it you keep up the good work ^^

You cant say its ever dull on Forumshire! There's so many great stories banding about ! The talent here is awesome!, Ive got a sore jaw from laughing at Mrs figgs "freaky bean", , Ive enjoyed Petty's "circle of stone" & Ive now read Eldo's, & its brill , Love the rapport with Lester cat !

have you read the non-canon fanfic my me and Amarië ?