Chapter Ten
Life at Tartarus could almost be considered ordinary, if it wasn’t for the fact that the town was located in a cave deep beneath the earth and that every townsperson was a follower of an odd cult bent on human sacrifices and a dreadful deity they called “The Deep One” as, one of them had informed the Quagmires, uttering the god’s true name would completely awaken him from his slumber, and he would shatter the world in two, opening a portal from a dark dimension to end all life.
‘What have you been smoking?’ Cid Jetsam whispered, fiddling with the cultist robes he had been given. For such a huge man, Cid had proved difficult to find suitable robes for, according to Hecate, who had stolen a glance or two at him. ‘You’re the largest man I’ve ever seen. We of Tartarus do not have much time to properly exercise, so we’re all small and lean.’
When Hecate left them, the Quagmires, now in cultist robes, locked the door behind her. They had been given a room in Jannus’ house, with three large beds. Cindry and Isadora had the largest bed, while Duncan and Quigley shared a smaller one, and Cid was by himself on the third bed. The room was divided by screens ‘to preserve privacy’ Hecate had told them. But they could hear each other well enough through the screens, covered in strange, and sometime unsightly – a word which here means ‘aesthetically unpleasant’ - symbols, incomprehensible without the cultist’s sacred book.
‘Well, when do we escape from here?’ Cindry wanted to know. She was the most desperate to get back to the surface. Cindry wanted to reunite with her brother, Nemo, and with the Baudelaires as soon as possible, which, unfortunately for her, wouldn’t happen for quite some time. ‘As soon as I confirm a suspicion.’ Cid told her. ‘What suspicion?’ Quigley asked him.
‘The sound the deep one makes…It’s sort of…familiar to me.’ Cid said. This surprised the Quagmires very much. Upon seeing the looks on their faces, Cid explained. ‘The sound, it doesn’t sound natural. Not a sound an animal would make, at least not really.’
‘I’m not sure I follow.’ Duncan said. ‘It sounds metallic. It also gives quite an echo, if you pay attention. Surely, all sounds cause echo. But the particular tone, the metallic vibe this sound has…it has led me to believe it’s an artificial sound. A trick.’
‘And if it is a trick, then there is no Deep One, and no religion to worship him.’ Isadora added.
‘True. And if there’s nothing binding these people here but this fake religion, what do you make of it?’ Quigley asked. ‘There is only one person with reason to manipulate everyone into following him, and I think we all know who this person is.’
‘Yes. I have a feeling about this Jannus. He keeps his cards close to his chest.’ Cid said. ‘Also, something about his face is familiar too.’ That was what made the Quagmires most uneasy. Why, or more importantly, why would Cid know Jannus from anywhere? Cid had appeared to them as a Gothic Works employee, when he thought the organization was just the company who had bought his hometown. His previous history was as a civilian, without involvement in V.F.D. or the events of years ago. He had no connections to the organization, or at least, not on the surface. But the answer, I’m afraid, was quite obvious, and it would have been easy to find, then and there, in that room in Jannus’ house. All the Quagmires had to do was to show Cid Jeremiah Hudson Senior’s diary and Jannus’ identity would have been confirmed. That being said, Cid knew nothing about the diary or the picture, and there was no way for the Quagmires to know that they should show it to him. There was seemingly no reason at all for that, and with seemingly no reason, I am sad to report they had to discover Jannus’ true identity ‘
the hard way´.
‘Suppose I could go out and investigate, but a big man like me sticks out like a sore thumb. I need to be visible elsewhere while someone else does the snooping around.’ Cid said.
‘Well, we could go for a walk in town with you. Engage with townfolk, humor them with pious noises wanting to join their cult. Get them distracted. While one of us searches this place. How about that?’ Quigley suggested. Isadora stood up. ‘I volunteer. It would only be natural for the girls to want to rest, right? Me and Cindry will stay here. You guys go around town, find out what you can. Cindry can watch and cover for me while I investigate.’
‘I don’t know about that, Isadora. Sounds too dangerous.’ Duncan said over-protectively.
Isadora just smiled. ‘After all we’ve been through in this mine, I’m not afraid of sneaking around in a big old house like this. Remember the
things?’
Things, of course, was the epithet – a word which here means ‘nickname’ – the group had decided to bestow upon the ravenous creatures that had almost killed them all prior to their arrival at Tartarus.
Isadora was far from defenseless. Cindry, on the other hand, was on quite a psychological strain. She was visibly distraught with the whole plan, even if it would benefit them all.
‘Just…Don’t get into any trouble…I just want us all to leave this place. We need to get out of here.’ Cindry said nervously. Cid pat her gently on the back. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll get you out and you’ll be with ya aunt and brother in no time. You’ll see. Boys, follow me. You girls, be careful.’
Duncan and Quigley followed Cid out of the room, leaving Isadora and Cindry to themselves. Isadora opened her suitcase – the cultists had found all their belongings in the mine and they had been returned previously – and produced her gun. Strapping it to her thigh with a holster, the later of which had come inside the gun’s box. Isadora loaded her gun with six bullets. If, during her investigation, she ran into trouble, she at least had means to defend herself or to intimidate someone into submission. Upon seeing the gun, Cindry freaked. ‘Be quiet, Cindry. They’ll hear us.’
Isadora tried to calm Cindry, took her hand and sat with her at a coffee table by the only window in the room. Outside Tartarus was as red and unpleasant as ever, and some townspeople moved about aimlessly. Isadora saw Cid, Duncan and Quigley disappear around a corner, and a figure followed them. She hoped it was only a curious townsperson, and not someone who meant harm. But she had other things to take care of, and her brothers could fend for themselves.
‘Cindry. I want you to watch my back while I try to find a path in this house. I think there was a staircase leading down but I have to go on my own. You’ll need to stay here. Lock the bathroom, turn on the handle to the shower and tell anyone who comes in I decided to take a long shower to relax. I’ll come back in an hour if I don’t find anything.’
Cindry nodded nervously in agreement, and did as Isadora told her. The room had a small bathroom with a copper bathtub and a really sophisticated piping system, almost like that of Deluge Dam. The water smelled a bit of rust, but it was warm enough for a comfortable bath, although they suspected the only house with heated water was Jannus’.
Isadora hugged Cindry and disappeared through the door. Cindry lagged a bit behind, and took position at the opening of the staircase Isadora had mentioned and descended into. Arriving at the bottom, Isadora noticed a sliding metallic door. It was not locked, for some reason. Not knowing what to think, Isadora slid the door just enough so that she could pass through. Her hand close to her gun, Isadora disappeared within the bowels of Tartarus.