6 Chapter 6

The first few rooms they passed were barred shut from the inside. The worst part was Emerick couldn't be sure if this was because of the building's degradation, or if the instructors or perhaps some of the students were responsible. He made a mental note to bring some tools to allow him to investigate further the next time he came.

At odd intervals, air would whistle shrilly through poor patch jobs in the main pipe. He was almost surprised nothing was leaking, until he realized that was probably because some of the numerous pipelines that were damaged beyond hope of repair were for plumbing, and the water had simply been shut off. It worried him to think what the children were expected to do to relieve themselves, and where the sewage was deposited.

Soon they arrived at the entrance to what looked to be the first useable classroom. Hoping to peak in and see how the lecture was going, Emerick paused outside the door. Before he could approach it, however, a flood of bodies burst through the door. Seeing him, the front most children froze in place, halting the progress of those behind them and stirring up some murmuring as everyone tried to figure out what was going on. As the two groups stared at each other, Emerick noticed an immediate difference between some of the students.

None of them was especially well dressed, however every student in his present view that he could tell was a full blood child was cleaner and had newer, better fitting attire than those who weren't. The full blooded children were also healthier in complexion and stature, leading him to the conclusion that they were also better fed, though he was of the opinion they could all stand to put on some weight.

He could also tell that a few of the students within the throng looked noticeably ill, their faces flushed and eyes gleaming with fever. Some of them were so weak with sickness, others were quite literally holding them upright. Emerick acknowledged that their kingdom certainly wasn't the easiest place to live in, but there was no reason to force sick children to work—or whatever it was they did in this miserable dump—when they clearly needed time to rest and recover. He made a mental note to take his investigation to the Orphanages linked to this institution as well.

"Hey, isn't that guy Prince Emerick?" he couldn't tell which of the youth in front of him had spoken, but the comment stirred a buzz of dialogue as they began muttering in hushed whispers to each other. Emerick had just come to the conclusion that he should move on when the classroom's instructor arrived on the scene.

"What are you little brats loitering around here for?" A shrewish looking woman aggressively elbowed her way to the front of the pack, smacking one small child in the face in the process. The impact was hard enough that his nose started bleeding, but she didn't stop to acknowledge it.

As she turned her attention from the students to the object of their curiosity, her eyes found Emerick. Immediately, she froze and her face contorted in shock and horror. Around her, a few of the orphans snickered. Deciding that it was time to move on, the kids started breaking off to head for their next tasks. A few lingered, curious about what might happen, but the bulk settled for the occasional curious glance as they resumed their routine.

"Good day Madam," Emerick offered his most dazzlingly dangerous smile. Beside him, Orval was snarling. Emerick wasn't sure he could hold him back if things continued to progress as poorly as they were. "I believe I will speak to you first about the… uh… 'condition' of this institute."

"You're… you…" Her mouth was working so fast, she looked like a fish out of water.

"I'm the surprise inspector," Emerick said with a wink.

He ignored the giggles of the group of girls who were watching him most intently. He didn't necessarily mind the attention that came as a result of having fans, but some had an unfortunate habit of getting crazy with the ways they tried to relay their 'love' and 'adoration,' so he tended to be leery of them.

"Inspector?" the instructor's eyes almost doubled in size. He was almost worried they'd pop out completely and roll off on the uneven ground if she opened them any wider. "You?"

"Yes, indeed!" He said in an overly cheerful way that was thick with sarcasm and highlighted with something of a growl. "I simply must get the name of your decorator, I mean, this rundown building look you're going for is so realistic I actually feel like the roof might just fall down on top of me! Oh, and the way you beat through your students and bashed that boy's face in with your elbow, exemplary! Inspiring even!"

"Beat? No! I uh… they're all fine!" She grabbed the nearest child too her, which—ironically—happened to be the same little boy who was trying to cope with the bloody nose she'd given him. Now that most of the students had cleared out, he could see the child look decidedly unwell, probably one of the reasons why he hadn't left himself. "See, we take excellent care of our students! We make sure they each get three square meals a day, and that they're bathed at least twice a week!"

As she spoke, she began frantically petting the boy's head, who started looking very green in the face. To make matters worse, she dragged him forward, as if intending to show Emerick up close and personal how good a job they did at taking care of the kids in their care. Looking closer at the condition of the poor boy whose face was covered in blood and snot now thanks to his caretaker's incompetence, he doubted the child had bathed even once that week. He was covered in patches of dirt and parts of his fingers were dark grey and even black they were layered so thickly with filth.

"He's not looking too good," Emerick observed with some warning. "Perhaps it would be best to get him to the nurse's office… and find a bucket." That was assuming a nurse's office even existed. One was required, but there were many requirements that were decidedly absent.

"Oh nonsense! He's fine!" She insisted. Almost as soon as she spoke, the child pitched forward and spewed vomit at Emerick's feet. For several moments, the only thing to be heard during the deathly silence that followed was the boy's gasps and gags as he continued to vomit. At the sight of the miserable child doubled over his master's feet, Orval flew far past his breaking point.

"You are under arrest!" He roared, pushing in front of Emerick who was too busy contemplating the contents of the puke now coating his shoes to stop him.

"I'm what?!" The instructor squeaked, though She didn't actually stick around to confirm what she had heard.

Something about Orval's dark and wrathful expression must've triggered her fight or flight instincts, because she took off down the hall faster than Emerick thought possible for someone in her late fifties who was also wearing four inch stilettoes. She was attempting to vault over a rubble pile when Orval caught her, grabbing her around the waist as she was mid jump, then wrestling her to the ground where he bound her hands behind her back. As he worked, Emerick focused on the child in front of him.

"You ok?" He asked. He carefully helped the child, who was now sobbing, out of the vomit pool to a slightly cleaner section of floor. In the processes, his pants fell victim to the foul liquids, but he dismissed it. He could worry about his clothes later. For now, the child needed tending.

"I'm s-sorry!" the boy wailed. "I'm s-so, so s-sorry! Please don't cut off my head!"

"You're feeling sick," Emerick responded gently. "People puke when they get sick. Why would I cut your head off for something as silly as that?"

"I don't know?" the boy sniffled. "that's what everyone says… and I r-ruined your shoes…"

"To tell you the truth, I didn't really like these shoes anyway," Emerick offered a gentle smile. "can you tell me how long you've been feeling sick?" He could feel the child's temperature without even touching him, his small trembling body was so feverish. The stress of the situation had problem only aggravated his condition.

"No…" the boy looked suddenly embarrassed. "I can't count that high."

"You can't do this!" the instructor's screech caused Emerick to look up. Orval had tossed the woman over his shoulder and was starting to make his way back to them. "You have no right! You have no proof!"

"You aggressively approached the prince, attempted to impede his official inspection, and put him in harm's way by exposing him to a biotoxin! Then, you attempted to flee a knight! I have every right to drag your ass behind bars!" Orval snarled back at her. So saying, he stuffed a piece of cloth in her mouth to stifle her shrieks, heedless to the fact that with what she was wearing and how he was carrying her, most of her feminine assets were on full display.

Emerick suspected Orval was truly more concerned with the boy than he was about him, but the knight had made several fair points which justified his actions. The big brute was finally starting to learn a thing or two about navigating politics.

"He's really big," the boy observed with worry, "and kind of scary. Are you sure you aren't going to chop of my head?"

"Certain," Emerick pulled out a handkerchief and carefully wiped the blood and snot from his face, then pulled out a second which he gave to the child. "Here, use this to hold your nose. Hopefully it'll help until the bleeding stops."

"Thanks!" The boy looked at the piece of cloth in wonder before timidly taking it. He probably hadn't received many gifts before.

"You're welcome," Emerick smiled, then backed away as Orval bent down to see him.

"I'm sorry young man, but you're going to need to come with me too," He said, his tone much more gentle than how he'd spoken to the woman who was still struggling on his shoulder. "You're both an accessory and a key witness in all of this, after all."

"An accessory?" The boy looked at him in confusion. "Does that mean you need to wear me or something?"

"No, nothing like that," Orval carefully lifted him in his other arm, tucking him as comfortably as he could between his arm and chest. The boy curled naturally and clung to him like a small infant might grasp their mother. "I'm going to have to take you away from this place."

"Will I come back?" The boy questioned, growing more and more relaxed.

"Do you want to?" Orval asked in return.

"Can I stay with you?" the child asked.

"You want to stay with me?" Orval seemed surprised, but he smiled. "Well, let's get you taken care of and I'll see what I can do. First, let's take this bad lady to jail."

Emerick watched them go with a sigh and a shake of his head. Orval was a good guy, but boy could he be impulsive. Then again, that kid seemed pretty impulsive as well. Perhaps they'd make a good pair, but he'd have to keep an eye on the situation. Well-meaning as he was, Orval wasn't equipped to care for a child, so he would likely need a little guidance.

Once the sounds of their chatter died down with distance, Emerick glanced back down at the vomit on the ground. Disturbingly enough, the sour smell was an improvement to the existing odors. The contents troubled him however. Based on the color and consistency, though Emerick was no doctor, he could tell the majority of it was bile and other stomach acids, and he didn't like the looks of what little partially digested food was visible. The quality of that food was probably a large culprit of why the child was sick to begin with. He scribbled down a few notes about the event, tried not to think about the condition of his pants and shoes, then set his mind on what to do next.