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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 4079347" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter Two-hundred-seventy-five, “The best made plans of mice and men often go astray”, Wednesday, June 21st, 8:15 P.M. The train pulls into the station and comes to a halt, the four passenger cars along the depot landing. Of the other twelve people at the station five pick up luggage and prepare to board while the other seven appear to be waiting for passengers to depart. The two conductors along the track go to the front and rear doors of the first passenger car and open them. Four people depart from the first car as the conductors move back to the second car. Mina and Nanuet place themselves near to the first door of the second car while Kate and Gonzales stand closer to the third car. Mina strains to see if she sees Ruby sitting in the area the scry spell indicated. They wait to see if she and Turner exit the train. Kate kept one eye on the train and the other on the officer holding the telegram. The conductors reach the second car and open the doors. Four people exit, none of them being Turner or Ruby. Mina sees Ruby still seated in the car, a man to either side of her. She appears to now be asleep. Kate notices both the policeman and ticket office manager intently watching the train. An elderly couple enter that car and find seats near the rear. Kate dug into her handbag, pretending to look for something, then pulled out her little mirror. She held it low in her hand and looked down into the reflection of the train, looking to see if the men with Ruby were vampires. The man to Ruby's left casts no reflection. Kate cannot see his face at the moment but his build and height resemble that of Turner. Mina catches Kate's eye and nods, making sure Kate was prepared before boarding the train with Nanuet following. She walks slowly towards Ruby, hoping Turner would take her granddaughter and exit out the back. Kate met the gaze briefly then turned to her teacher. "Only the one on her left is one of them," she whispered. "The other might be a slave." At this point all four passenger car doors are open and people who were entering or leaving have done so. Outside the rail yard workers are busy uncoupling the caboose to add on some more freight cars. Ruby remains asleep as is the man to her right. The man to her left raises up his head and looks around. "I hope that officer isn't looking for one of us," Kate whispered urgently. "We're going to have to get on in a minute." She looked at the man next to Ruby who had just lifted his head, hoping to get a better look at his face. A shiver runs down Kate's spine as she recognizes the face of Colin Turner. At this point there are now fourteen passengers seated within the second car which can seat a total of ninety-six, spread out throughout the sixteen rows of three seats on each side. "Is there a way to make lots of smoke without fire in that train car? Force everyone off?" Kate whispered to her teacher, making it look like she was arguing with the old man about getting on the train. Gonzales says, "Sleep might work, but he would probably recognize what we were doing if we attempt spells now." Mina whispers over her shoulder to Nanuet, "He doesn't seem to have noticed us. We'll have to confront him directly." She remembers Kate's words as she walks towards the pair, closing the gap until they are about six feet away from Ruby and Turner. Turner looks at Parker and the disguised Nanuet. There is no hint of recognition on his face, however he does continue to watch them as they approach. Mina decided that there was no going back now. They had no better plan, no way to get them off the train but of their own accord. Mina walks about a foot closer then stops. Speaking to Turner but remembering Kate's words to not look in his eyes she says, "I believe you have something that belongs to me Mr. Turner." He looks up and says, "Then we should discuss that. Geoff, please give the woman your seat." The sleeping man immediately awakens and stands up in the aisle." "By the gods what is that woman doing?" Kate whispered urgently, looking again at the officer. "And what did that telegram say to do?" She was torn between trying to find out and getting immediately on the train. "I'll be right back," Kate said and walked over to the officer. "Ain't nobody left to get off that train, officer. Who's the telegram for?" The officer replies, "The telegram...are you Mrs. Willamina Parker?" Kate says, "I'm here with her. The telegram would be from Mr. Geroge Eastman. She board the train, thinking it wasn't here. I stayed to wait." The policeman looks skeptical and says, "You are one of the detectives? Do you have any identification to prove your identity?" She replies, "Yes, I'm one of the detectives. I'm not carrying anything that would identify me, it's too dangerous. I understand your distrust, officer, but Mr. Eastman is very concerned that we find the people we're looking for. I'd prefer not having to board that train without his further instructions." Inside the train Mina says, "I'd much rather we take our discussion outside Mr. Turner." Mina takes a step closer to Geoff, but still makes sure not to look either in the eye. At this point, she is acting like Nanuet is not with her, in case Turner or his associate apparently didn't notice them speaking earlier. Turner stares intently at her face and says, "Please have a seat Ma'am, we can speak in front of my fiancé." Mina pauses to take in the situation. Not sensing too much of a choice, she actually does take the seat next to Ruby. She says softly to her granddaughter as she squeezes her hand, "Ruby, Ruby darling...Look at me honey, please." Colin Turner states, "Yes Ruby, look at this woman." Ruby awakens and turns he head towards Mina, a totally blank expression on her face. Mina says, "She is not your fiancé." She keeps her voice low and practically growling she says, "What did you do to her, you bastard?" While Mina is looking at Ruby and in the direction of Turner the man Geoff reaches across with a handkerchief in his hand and placing the hand over her nose and mouth. Mina recognizes the smell of chloroform." Mina struggles against Geoff, using all her energy to attempt to elbow him in his manly parts to get free, while trying her best to hold her breath. While this is happening Geoff is standing in the aisle beside them, effectively blocking Nanuet's immediate view of what is going on. Likewise, the policeman and ticket manager inside are no longer watching inside the train at the moment, being distracted by Kate. Gonzales is dividing his attention between the train and the ticket office. The officer hand Kate the telegram. It reads: From: George Eastman, Eastman Manufacturing Inc., Rochester, New York To: Elmira Railroad and Police A woman has been kidnapped from Rochester and is on that train that will be arriving soon in your city. The man is named Colin Turner and is a powerful European Wizard with many arcane magics at his disposal. The woman is my fiancé Constance Grace West and is currently a victim of his sorcery. Constance's Grandmother Willamina Parker of Tarrytown, New York is currently in the Elmira region and will be arriving soon with Detectives to try to stop Turner. Use extreme caution and give them your utmost cooperation. Let Mrs. Parker and her associates know that we have discovered that Turner's freight is being shipped to the next train stop of Scranton, Pennsylvania so he will probably not exit in Elmira. If you have any further questions please contact either myself or Rochester Police Commissioner Ross at the Rochester telegraph office." Kate thinks that Naming Turner a wizard was a nice touch. She says, "Thank you officer, you've been very helpful. Try not to get involved if you can avoid it, this man is not to be trifled with. That is Miss West with the red hair in the second..." Kate was looking back at the train and saw in the window. "Second car. By the gods..." Kate resisted the urge to run, but did say as she hurried back to her teacher, "Miguel, we'll miss the train. They won't wait for us, we have to go." As Nanuet notices Mina's initial interaction with Turner he curses her brashness under his breath. "Is that woman daft? What in the gods names is she doing?" He scans the train car as Mina sits down and he then looks back out the door seeing Kate talking with the officer. "Are they going to stop the train or what? What good did that telegram do?" he thought to himself. Then he sees Mina Parker struggling and lose consciousness. He tries to play it cool and steps forward to confront Geoff. "Sir, unhand that woman! What are you doing?" Nanuet then calls loudly for the officer "A woman has been assaulted! Officer! Officer!" Turner moves with remarkable speed, standing up and grabbing Nanuet by the arm and stating, "Sir, you are hysterical, lower your voice." Nanuet states, "I will do no such thing, unhand me now sir! Officer please help! There is a woman hurt on this train!" he continues to yell, hoping that even some of the passengers might react. Nanuet is also now averting his eyes from Turner. Not wanting to get involved, a few of the passengers in the care get up and depart from the car. Turner pushes Nanuet back into the aisle and says, "Leave my friends alone you Elvan savage!" Outside, the Policeman rushes out of the office and by Kate and Gonzales, heading towards the second train car. Kate and her teacher hurried over to the third train car, boarding the door there and walking through the connection into the second car, coming up behind Turner. The policeman draws his Billy-club from his belt and enters the car exclaiming "What transpires here!" Turner locks eyes with the policeman and states, "This Elf has forced his way over her and tried to accost these women. My friend and I were intervened and he tried to attack us as well." The policeman approaches Nanuet and says, "Please come with me." Nanuet exclaims “Wait, you're just going to take his word? Why not ask some of the other witnesses on the train what happened? I got on the train and saw this woman (pointing at the unconscious form of Mina) struggling against this man (pointing to Geoff). When I came over here to help her he grabbed me (pointing at Turner). All I did was tell them to stop and called for help! Why would I call for help if I was doing something wrong?" While Nanuet is speaking Turner locks eyes with a man near the front of the train. The man then exclaims "The Indian is lying, he's the one who caused the trouble." The man named Geoff says, "Yeah, it happened just like my friend said." While Geoff is speaking Turner finds stares a different direction. Another woman seated on the opposite side then says, "They're telling the truth, the Indian is the one who tried to hurt those ladies." The police officer holds his Billy club in a threatening way and says to Nanuet, "I've heard enough, you're coming with me." Kate nearly screamed in frustration. Getting on a train and arriving at their destination with Turner should not be this difficult. Some of the passengers were trying to get off the train, blocking she and Manuel from boarding. As Nanuet put up a fuss they got back off the train rather than trying to push their way on. Once they had cleared the door and were again on the platform Kate muttered angrily under her breath and pointed at Nanuet, which didn't really stand out since everyone was watching the altercation. Using a Cast Message spell she then whispered to him, "Go along with it, you're not going to win the argument. Get off the train with him and we'll fix it out here." Nanuet is practically shaking with frustration. He receives Kate's message then steps off the train, going over several options and plans in his head. Kate then leaned over to Mr. Gonzales and said, "Once they're off the train dispel the influence with a dispel magic. I'd rather have done that on Ruby, but that's no longer an option." The policeman walks Nanuet away from the train. Nanuet sees Kate and Gonzales following from a discrete distance. The officer walks his prisoner down from the depot in the direction of a wagon with two horses. Once that the pair are out of sight of the people on the train platform Gonzales casts his spell, which has the effect of canceling the charm on the policeman and dispelling the disguise covering Nanuet. Thankfully Maska was far enough away that he remains invisible. The policeman looks around with a bewildered look and says, "What? How did I get here? Where did that other Indian go?" Kate whispered to Nanuet, still using the magic spell, "Tell him you are one of the detectives here with Mrs. Parker and the wizard who kidnapped Mr. Eastman's fiancé has bewitched his mind. And not to let the train leave until you are on it. You can board the third car and walk through to the second." Nanuet smiles at the officer trying to calm his fears as he listens to Kate's message. He says, "It's OK officer. I am one of the detectives here with Mrs. Parker. There is a wizard on the train who has kidnapped Mr. Eastman's fiancé. He used his magic to cloud your mind. It is important that we don't allow the train to leave just yet. I know Mr. Eastman's fiance is on board. Will you help us?" A whistle blows. The policeman says "I'll try, but it looks like it is starting up." The police goes to run back to the depot. Gonzales moves up to Nanuet and says "Hold on, if he manages to stop it from leaving there will be time to go back but if he doesn't we're better off staying here where nobody is watching us." "I misjudged the timing. I thought we'd have a minute or two more, but they changed the cars faster than I thought," Kate said quietly. "We might still be able to get on the train and go with them to Scranton. That's where Turner had his things shipped to, so it's where they're likely to debark. Do we have other options for getting to Scranton?" Gonzales says, "If the train is moving we could still get on it from here." He points to the curve in the departing tracks and says, "We're out of sight of the depot and once the passenger cars make that bend nobody on the train would be able to see us either. I could then cast a "Haste" spell on us, allowing us to run at twice our normal speed and the train will be going slow enough for the initial half-mile for us to then board one of the freight cars." They hear the train whistle sound again and see a cloud of steam indicating that the train is moving forward. Gonzales says, "The other option would be to find somewhere here to hold up and rest. I need eight hours to rest and restudy my spells, but with Dorita's tea it would be half that. According to the schedule in the Depot the Elmira to Scranton trip is around three hours, but we might be able to get the railroad to stop it somewhere in between for an hour or so. Of course, the risk there is that Turner will exit the train at that point." "Our resources are depleting fast. They further they go down the more dangerous it is for me to stay with you, which means the more likely it is I would have to stay behind." Kate hesitated. "Can we combine the two? Rest on the train?" She looked around, trying to judge if there was time to tell the officer to have the train go slower or be stopped en-route. "If we stop to rest we could scry them again if needed." Nanuet says, "I think somebody needs to be on that train so that we can see where Turner, Ruby and now Mina, to get off and where they go to. I need little rest and have not used my prayers at all today. At the very least Maska and I should be able to track them. If you need to stay here and rest then catch up later using your skills then maybe that is a good idea? We had better decide quickly!" Gonzales says, "We shouldn't split up further. Quick, over here!" He moves behind a pile of logs, ushering Kate and Nanuet there so they won't be seen from the train engine and passenger cars. Gonzales says, "Decide now, if we're going to try to jump onto the train I need to start the spell." Nanuet says, "I'll say it again. We should get on the train. Hopefully you can rest there." Kate felt the telegram still in her pocket. "Let's get on the train," she said. "We'll have to try to get the train stopped from the inside." Gonzales replies, "Alright then it is decided. Nanuet, first I'm going to cast a Detect Invisibility spell onto you so that you'll be able to see Maska to help her onboard." Kate squeezed her eyes shut and took the briefest of moments to send a prayer up to Diana. Not for help or protection, but the wisdom to know when she had to worry more about herself than the others. And the strength to live with the consequences if she had to let them go on without her. Gonzales then casts the Haste spell onto the four of them as the four passengers cars all turn around the bend. He yells "Now, run." They start to move at speeds faster than they have ever run before. Following the passenger cars are three flatbed cars with logs lasted to them. After that are a series of four freight cars with partially open sides that from the smell and sounds appear to contain sheep or goats, next are a series of five green-painted freight cars, then a United States Mail car with locked doors on the side, followed by a series of sixteen brown cars labeled "Minnesota Mining and Machinery", those are followed by the six cars added at the last station and then the caboose. As they run Gonzales says, "Try one of the freight cars painted green." Kate ran hard, and instead of running straight at the car and jumping, she tried to get next to it and run alongside. Then she tried to grab hold of the handles to add the strength of her arms to that of her legs to get her inside. Gonzales tosses up a spell as he runs, causing the door of the freight car that he and Kate are beside to slide open. The inside is filled with boxes but there is enough empty space by the door for them to try to get on to. Nanuet and Maska are immediately behind them. Kate grabbed onto the side of the open doorway and tried to jump into the car. With the increased speed Kate notices that her reflexes and dexterity also appear to be temporarily enhanced and she manages to get inside without too much of a problem. Gonzales is next and has a bit of a problem climbing up but manages to slide onto the freight car with Kate's assistance. They then both tell Nanuet to hurry as the train is starting to pick up speed. Just being on the car was a relief. Kate had feared she would miss somehow and be thrown away from the train, hurt and watching her friends borne away. She and Mr. Gonzales both held out hands to help Nanuet up. Nanuet waited for the others to jump on before him. He saw that he was quickly running out of platform. He deftly jumped into the freight car using Kate and Manuel's assistance and then quickly called to Maska to do the same. "Jump Maska!" he coaxed using his native language. Maska jumps but doesn't quite make it. Thankfully the Detect Invisibility spell allows Nanuet to see her and he reaches to grab her, with Gonzales and Kate holding the Indian to keep the wolf's weight and bulk from pulling him out. Between the three of them they manage to pull the animal on board. "She's on?" Kate asked. At Nanuet's nod she let herself thump to the floor on her backside. She let herself take a moment to get a few deep breaths.</blockquote>

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