Author's Disclaimer: The reason I'm so rapidly posting the chapters after saying I would do otherwise is that I'm going to be without access to internet from next sunday on. So, it will take a while before I can post the following fic, and I want you all to enjoy the ending of The Shivery Shrine.
Chapter Twelve
The reason this chapter is particularly short is because the events contained here happened very fast, and there really wasn't much to tell about what happened after the sky darkened and everyone looked upwards, to the dark mass circling the skies above the Anwhistle Aquatics.'What is that?' Everyone asked in unison, everyone but the volunteer who held a purple whistle to his lips.
'Those...are the Anwhistle Aquatics's army of bats. It took me years training them...But boy, have those years paid off.' Wayne said, with a triumphant smile on his face.
What could only be described as a cloud of bats, flying in circles on top of the Anwhistle Aquatics, casted a shadow on the heliport. The sky was barely visible to the curtain of flying sinister mammals, and everyone was shocked and amazed, but none were as fascinated by the bats as Beatrice Baudelaire, who laughed and clapped her hands, pointing at the bats above.
'One blow on this whistle and you'll all be dead. You see, these bats...They are fed with fruits, insects and other things, but their favorite food runs in your very veins!One blow of this whistle, in the right pitch, and they'll all suck you dry off your blood!'
'No! I won't let you screw things up for us, Wayne!' Will screamed, and in one final act of betrayal, he grabbed Elizabeth Anwhistle from the ground, and lifting her up, he threw her to her death, down to the raging waves of the sea beneath the Anwhistle Aquatics.
'Noooooo!' Wayne then blew two times on the whistle, and the cloud of bats that circled the sky above Anwhistle Aquatics came flying down towards the sea. Wayne ran, not towards any of the villains, but towards...the edge of the platform. Wayne was going to
jump.
'What a fool! The things people do for love!' Esmé shouted, laughing evilly, climbing her way back to the platform, the sugarbowl in her long-nailed hands. The bats all were but a cloud of black and gray, their features blurred by their speed, as they flew under Wayne's command.
'No! Wayne!' The Baudelaires shouted, as they saw Wayne throw himself to what could be his death, in order to save Elizabeth. When the last bast has gone under, following the others, a deathly silence established itself on the heliport. The villains, Carmelita, Captain Stubb and Esmé Squalor, approached the edge of the platform carefully.
'They...
vanished!' The three villains exclamated in unison.
Then, the cloud of bats rushed back up again, and the three villains were knocked over to the ground. Cindry was crouched near them, and they all were enveloped in a cloud of bats.
'Cindry! No! Don't attack her, you bunch of flying mice!'
'She'll be fine! This way, Baudelaires!' A familiar voice sounded behind them. The four Baudelaires turned their hands, and they saw Lars Gabriel, who they didn't notice was absent from the platform until now.
'L-Lars!?'
'This way, quickly! Come with me or you'll die!' Lars went back into the station, and the Baudelaires followed him. As much as Klaus wanted to dive in the cloud of bats to rescue Cindry, his intuition somehow told him it was not a smart course of action to choose. The bats... they formed a wall of sorts, as if they were not attacking the ones behind them...but keeping the ones behind them from attacking the ones on the other side, the latter being the Baudelaires.
'Where are we going, Lars?'Violet asked, running after the man with Sunny in her arms, and Klaus with Beatrice running close behind them.
'You'll see, come!' And the Baudelaires followed Lars back into the Anwhistle Aquatics.
Chapter Thirteen
'A
tidal wave?' Was Violet's incredule reply to Lars' report.
'Yes. It's coming, and it will hit big.'
'What about Elizabeth and Wayne?' Sunny asked.
'Wayne knew what he was doing, don't worry. The bats were just distracting your enemies so that we'd get a chance to escape. He's probably taken Elizabeth to the nearest tavern where she can recover.' Lars said. The five volunteers now stood in the same room where Elizabeth had told Violet to keep the bowl earlier.
'I feel awful...Esmé has the sugarbowl...'Violet said as she began to cry. Lars was making the preparations for their departure, while the Baudelaires helped him with what every bit they could.
'It's not your fault, Violet. We'll steal it back. Esmé cannot open the bowl herself, the consequences would be...' Lars' face suddenly seemed as if a shadow was looming over it. But he snapped out of it and continued his speech, '...Anyways, we need not to worry about it for now, let's just get outta here!'
'What about everyone else? All the other volunteers?'
'They'll be safe here. Some of them are helping us escape right now. The tidal wave won't hit for another forty minutes, we have plenty time to escape. Now, let's go!' Lars pushed a switch on the wall, and a circular area in the middle of the room opened up to reveal a secret elevator that led to the small harbor of the Aquatics.
'The elevator is hidden by one of the Aquatics' pillars. The
Mary Celeste failed to attack the pillars, for some reason. The lower floors of the station are wrecked, though.
But...So is the
Mary Celeste.' After jumping into the elevator, the Baudelaires noticed the ship that had been attacking the Anwhistle Aquatics had been severely damaged by the falling debris, causing the ship to become ruined itself. That must have been why it stopped shooting it's cannons, and why it missed to hit the six pillars that held the Anwhistle Aquatics up.
'Seems like we'll have to rebuild the main hall again...I don't think we'll find as much emerald wood as last time...But at least the station is in 85% of it's good shape.' Lars was unnusually calm, amidst such a storm of unfortunate events. He laid back against one of
the elevator's walls and crossed his arms, supporting his weight with one of his feet against the wall.'Lars! But isn't a tidal wave going to strike us soon?' Violet asked. If the wave hit too hard, the Anwhistle Aquatics could crumble and fall, and what would happen next...Neither Violet nor any of her siblings wanted to think about. 'Trust me.' Lars said.
'Wait, Cindry! She'll be here when the wave strikes!' Klaus said, desperately, before Lars could push the button that would prompt the elevator to descend.
'Here is about the safest place she can be right now.' Lars pushed the button, and the elevator began it's way down. As they descended, they could see the ruined lower levels of the Anwhistle Aquatics, reduced to charred ruins, and the
Mary Celeste a ship now doomed to sink to the ocean floor.
'When the Mary Celeste sinks, it will block the entrance to the Gorgonean Grotto. The Medusoid Mycelium will be sealed there, unattainable, forever. With luck, a part of the ship might break off and seal the entrance to the
Shivery Shrine too. Then, the world will have one less weapon to worry about. The wreckage of the Anwhistle Aquatics' lower levels was a fine price to pay, if that made it so that no one ever will be forced with deal with that deadly mushroom again.' Lars said.
'So, are you saying this was Elizabeth's plan all along?' Violet almost could not believe her ears. Lars smiled, and looked at her.
'Not like she
planned it, no. Elizabeth is not like that. It was just something that she perceived, and our enemies in the
Mary Celeste didn't. By attacking our blind spot, they wrecked themselves. They got so caught up in attacking us that they missed an important point. Their tactics failed to see that their attack was a suicidal one. That is the one thing that differenciates
us from
them. Our volunteers shot the crewsmen that tried to flee the ship and climb their way up to the Aquatics. They're all dead.'
Violet, Klaus, Sunny and Beatrice shivered. They did not like violence. Specially now, after witnessing a whole lot of it back up at the heliport.
'I know how it may look like. But in time, you'll understand it all, Baudelaires. You will
know why this was all necessary, what with the coming of a
tidal wave.' Lars said. Returning to his upright position, he waited a second, and then the elevator had arrived at the small harbor beneath the Anwhistle Aquatics.
'Where are we going, Lars?' Sunny asked.'Away from this place. The Anwhistle Aquatics is not safe with our enemies boarding it.' Lars said, heading for what looked like a copper-colored yacht with a large chimney. The copper and blue color scheme of the yacht didn't fool the Baudelaires.
'Is this...Elizabeth's?' Klaus asked.
'Yes. She had it brought over. Thankfully, it arrived
after the
Mary Celeste was destroyed. It was a great risk, but a risk worth taking.' Lars then proceeded to make the preparations for them to leave while Klaus, Violet, Sunny and Beatrice waited inside.
'He didn't tell us what happened to Wayne and Elizabeth.' Klaus felt the need to point out. Before anyone else could reply to his observation, Violet removed her hand from her pocket, with a piece of paper and a strange look on her face.
'What is this? I don't remember putting it in my pocket.'
'What is it, Violet?' Sunny asked. Beatrice then spoke. 'Twasmii!' A baby shriek which here meant 'It was me who put it in your pocket, Violet!'
'You? What is this, Bea?' Klaus asked.
'Cindry!' Beatrice answered. By 'Cindry!' of course, here she meant 'Cindry dropped it on the platform, and the wind carried it to me.'
'It's from
Cindry?' Klaus' eyes became shiny for a moment, and he grabbed the paper from Violet's hands, and unfolded it, to reveal a letter from his darling, Cindry Fulfillment.
'
Dear Klaus, *here Cindry drew a heart*
and Violet, Sunny and Beatrice! *here Cindry drew a smiley face*
Esmé brought me to this shivery place and I'm really afraid she might obtain that salt container or whatever it is. Thankfully, they consider me to be useless at most times, and they treat me like a nobody. They talk about all sorts of villainous things, and I think you'll be interested to know where Esmé is headed next. In the scenario which I'm not able to come with you and she still has me with her, she is going to a small private island off the shore of the city, near where that strange hotel burned. She mentioned that there is a Casino on that island and she has to go there. If I have managed to escape and I'm with you , I probably told you this already so please throw away this letter. The Casino is where Esmé's next plan is going to take place. I don't know how you're going to get there, but you're all a brave bunch, and I really love you all, so I know you'll find your way there.
Ok, so now I've told you everything I know. Now, Violet, Sunny, and Beatrice, please stay several feet away while Klaus reads the rest of this letter, as that section is private! *here Cindry drew herself smiling* Laughing, Violet, Sunny and Beatrice went to find something else to do, as Lars entered the boat. 'Tidal wave's coming. Thankfully, the
Elizabethan Whistle is the fastest yacht in the sea!'
'She named it after herself?' Violet asked, laughing. 'No, it's Elizabethan...Whistle. See, in her family, it's a tradition to whistle. She
is the niece of Ike Anwhistle after all.' Lars said.
The Baudelaires felt really comfortable with Lars. He made everything seem peaceful, even when Elizabeth and Wayne had vanished not an hour ago. Somehow, with him being so trancquile about their disappearance, they really believed him when he said that as wounded as she was, Elizabeth was a tough woman, too tough to die like that. No, Elizabeth had not vanished. She had been taken somewhere safe by a man who loved her. How that was possible was not important. The Baudelaires' intuition told them that their paths would cross again with the paths of Elizabeth Anwhistle and Wayne.Klaus, after hearing his sisters' small conversation with Lars, continued on reading the letter from Cindry.
'
Dear Klaus,
In the scenario that I'm not with you, I want to say that you are the most important thing in my life right now, other than my dad, who I need to find somehow, so I can tell him about you, as he is my best friend, other than your sisters, and you. I love you! If I'm with you, please don't read this as I'll be embarrassed! *here Cindry drew herself laughing*
Tons of kisses! I hope we meet again at the Casino, if I'm not with you when you get this. If you're reading this, I'm really glad my plan worked and that you got this letter.'
Klaus kissed the paper, where a faint lip-shaped lipstick stain was. Klaus was so thankful to have been able to
kiss her. Now, Klaus knew more than anything he would meet Cindry again.
'Do you have a destination, Baudelaires?' Lars asked.
'Yes. Do you anything about a casino on a private island off the shore of the city? It's supposed to be near where Hotel Denouement burned.' Klaus said. He pointed to Cindry's letter. 'Cindry dropped this for us. Esmé Squalor and her villain companions are headed for that casino. And they're taking Cindry with them. We have to be there before they get there.'
'But that is...
Casanova Casino!' Lars' expression was of shock. 'It's about the last place we'd want to go by ourselves! Are you sure, Klaus?'
'You're forgetting one thing, Lars. Esmé has the sugarbowl.
And Cindry. I...We have to steal the bowl back from her and rescue Cindry even if it's the last thing we'll ever do in our lives.' It was decided. The Baudelaires' will was very strong, and Lars was truly impressed by it.
'Alright. Let's go! Casanova Casino! Here we go!' saying this, Lars got behind the wheel of the yacht, and another journey started for the Baudelaires.
And as the Baudelaires left the Anwhistle Aquatics in the
Elizabethan Whistle, heading towards the south, and the
Mary Celeste sank, damaged by the debris of the station above it, the remaining cloud of bats flew away. A shadow appeared on the ocean, in the horizon. A shadow seen by no one, other than a small group of people on the station's heliport. The bats above the Anwhistle Aquatics flew away, towards the Hazy Harbor, as they were trained to do were they to witness such event. And the Anwhistle Aquatics stood in silence.