The sugar mill was a delightful old structure, remaining almost unchanged since it was built. Even the Aurians and the Guild did little to change its appearance. It was entirely built of large blocks of carved coral, a prevalent material in the older buildings of Seth-e-Raman.

Over the centuries the coral had taken on a green tinge from the lichen, moss, and other small plants which found the porous material an excellent home. There were also larger plants including orchids sprouting from various cracks and crevasses in the walls.

The building itself was fairly large, consisting of a tall longhouse which ran about a hundred feet into a fifty foot high slightly cone-shaped tower which once served as a base to a wooden windmill, now long gone. The windmill had faced seaward into the constant gentle wind and used to grind the cane prior to boiling the sugar prior to sale. Six coral chimney-stacks lined the longhouse where once large vats of syrup were boiled down to create the sweet confection.

Even after all these centuries, a faint aroma of molasses could be detected in the air, emanating still from the pock-marked chimneys and walls that had breathed the mill's vapors for hundreds of years.

Chumley walked past the gate which guarded the mill grounds and approached the main entrance. There was no movement visible in the mill, but as he approached he detected an odd noise. An alternating, continuous series of whooshes and clacks could be heard. He slowed his approach and when he reached the front door, he stopped.

The door was cracked open and he carefully stuck his head inside to determine the source of the odd mechanical-sounding symphony. What he saw not only stopped the rat in his steps, but brought a curious smile to his lips. It wasn't the room itself that transfixed Chumley, but the creature inside.

A very large hedgehog, wearing what appeared to be a pair of bellows on his feet and a large glass flask on his back was working his way through the large open workspace. Tubes from both the front and back of the bellows snaked themselves around the beast, who was pumping his legs quickly up and down as he walked, creating the odd sound the rat had heard. The bellows on the creature's feet were held open by springs which compressed with each step the hedgehog took and were re-opened by the springs when he lifted his feet off the ground. Some of the tubes extended from the back portion of the bellows into a broom-like extension the beast carried and the remainder connected the two bellows to the very large glass flask the hedgehog carried on his back.

Chumley was about to announce himself when he was startled by a small voice directly behind him.
"Why are you spying on my brother?"

Chumley turned and saw a far smaller hedgehog glaring up at him, he couldn't help himself chuckling.
"Ah was just curious, mah little hog, never 'eard a sound like that before, 'ave ah?"

The small hedgehog couldn't maintain his angry glare in the face of Chumley's toothy grin and began chuckling himself.
"That's my brother Hermie, he's the best glass-maker in Seth-e and the best inventor, too!" he said proudly.

Herman noticed the activity at the door and walked up to Chumley and his brother. He smiled at Chumley and extended his paw.
"Greetings, sir, I'm Herman Corkspike and this be my brother Winnie. Are ya here lookin' ta buy some glass?"

"'Allo Herman Corkspike," Chumley said cheerfully taking the hedgehogs paw. He grimaced slightly at Hermie's powerful grip, "strong one, ain't ya? Ah'm Chumley Bilgespike...."

Winnie interrupted him.
"No you're not!"

"Yes ah am."

"No you're not"

"Ah swears ah am, liddle friend."

"No, no, no, Chumley Bilgespike is ten feet tall, he fights monsters and witches."

Chumley laughed.
"Ah musta shrunk and ah much prefers ta make friend with monsters," he answered good-naturedly.

Herman smiled broadly and looked the rat up and down.
"I believes 'im, Winnie. Come on in Mister Bilgespike, we don't get many famous folk hereabouts. What can I do fer ya?"

"Are you really Bilgespike?" the little hedgehog asked anxiously, tugging on the rat's arm.

"Ah am indeed, mah spiky pal."

"Did you really fight the Asherouboros?"

"More like 'e didn't care for mah flavor, ain't it. Anyway, Ashy and ah are pals now."

"You're pals with a monster?"

"That ah am."

"Cool!" Winnie said excitedly.

Herman interrupted.
"Leave our guest be, Winnie, stop pesterin' the poor beast. I'll make us some tea Mister Bilgespike."

"Call me Chumley, mate, ah ain't but a visitor."

"Well, welcome Chumley." The large hedgehog replied happily. Chumley closed the front door behind him and followed Herman and Winnie through the workshop and into a smaller back room which contained a stove and a thick oak table.

Herman began to remove the cluster of equipment from his body when Chumley inquired.
"Pardon mah ignorance, but what in the name o' Targas is that contraption yer carryin' around?"

Herman put the apparatus on the table.
"This here's my Sucker-cleaner, I calls it. When I steps on me bellows, it sucks through here...," he pointed to the tubes leading from the back of the bellows to the broom-shaped glass rod that extended outward, "...and it goes through the bellows, out through here...," he traced a path through the front of the bellows and up a tube to the bottom of the large glass flask, "...and into the flask. I got a piece of wet cloth tied around the top opening so the dirt don't shoot back into the room. It's real good at pickin' up dust and pieces o' glass what gets thrown around the room when I'm a grindin' my ingredients."

"That's quite clever it is," Chumley said honestly.

"The only thing I likes better'n blowin' glass is tinkerin'."

"And quite good you are, sir."

Herman blushed and cleared the table of his invention. When the water boiled and the tea was steeping, the three beasts sat themselves around the table. Winnie, who was a bit too short to sit comfortably at the tall oak table, scurried to a cabinet and retrieved a thick tome to place on his chair so he could sit at an equal level with his brother and guest.

When they were all seated, Herman turned to the rat.
"So, Chumley, what can I do fer ya, I suspect ya ain't here fer glass nor inventions."

"That's a valid assumption, ain't it. Ah'm afraid yah ain't gonna be able ta help. Ah'm here ta try to find the Guild of Assassins, they used ta live in this mill, ya know, but that was a long while ago. So I guess it's a bit of a wild goose chase, but not at all wasted, is it? Good tea...," he raised his cup, "...new friends...," he gestured at Herman and Winnie, "...and mah introduction to the Corkspike-sucker... all in all a worthwhile visit."

Herman went silent and looked at Winnie, then back to Chumley.
"Very odd, you're the second beast in as many days what asked me about the Guild."

Chumley became suddenly alert.
"What other beast asked you about the Guild?"

" 'Twas a suspicious mean-lookin' creature... claimed to be a Minge. Didn't tell him nothin' though."

"Minge!" Chumley spat out the name disdainfully, "The Deev are here!"

"Deev? Dat ain't possible," Herman said with concern.

"Ah'm afraid it is, sad to say. Yah need to be careful mah friend, they are cruel beasts," Chumley commented with concern, then thought a moment and asked, "yah said yah didn't tell 'im nothin'?"

"I didn't."

"What exactly didn't yah tell 'im?"

Herman chuckled.
"Well I sure didn't let 'im know I was Gadral Neure. That woulda been right stupid."

Chumley's went slack-jawed and silent, staring at the good-natured hedgehog in disbelief. Before he could process what had just been revealed, a loud banging on the front door echoed into the kitchen. Herman got up and stuck his head out of a small window adjacent to the front door to see who was pounding. He quickly ducked his head back into the kitchen and addressed Chumley and Winnie urgently.
"It's three o' dem Minge blokes from the saloon! They got their swords drawn and don't look none too happy!"

The three Deev at the entrance to the mill continued pounding on the door. Oberst, the senior of the three Minge and leader of the small squad, began prying at the door with his short sword in an attempt to dislodge the interior locking mechanism.

"It's not working," He muttered in frustration.

"Should we come back later?" one of his subordinates asked.

"If no ones here now, what makes you think anyone will be here later? Taois said time was of the essence."

"We don't even know if this is the right mill," the third Deev commented.

"This just feels right. We'll just go in and look for the prophesies and see if we can find anyone to question," Oberst said calmly.

"And if we find someone?"

"As I said, we'll question them. When we're done...well...obviously we don't want our business made common knowledge."

"We kill them?"

"Of course we kill them, they are less than nothing in the scheme of things. Now, let us enter."

The three Deev disincorporated into smoke and flowed without hindrance under the locked door. Unseen by the Deev was the small mirror being held out of a nearby window, reflecting the image of what was happening into the kitchen.

Chumley pulled the mirror back into the room. He was slightly panicked, but thinking clearly none the less.
"Yeah, they're Deev awroight and ah fear they mean us ill. Just poofed into smoke, they did, now they're roight in the next room. If they find us...well...it won't be good for us."

Herman looked around the kitchen. The door was sturdy and he had secured it well, but the space between the floor and the base of the door was more than sufficient as a passage for the Deev-smoke. There was no exit from the kitchen other than into the workroom where the enemy now was. The windows were too small to climb out of, even for Winnie.

The large hedgehog frowned.
"Do ya think they mean ta do us harm?" he asked.

"If by harm, ya mean are they gonna kill us....yeah, 'fraid so, unless we can figger something out pretty quick," Chumley answered.

Winnie went to the cupboard and retrieved a bread knife. He waved it in front of him, pretending to be fighting some unseen foe.
"We can beat them,," he said in a squeaky growl.

"Knives are all good and fine, me young hog, but these buggers are made o' smoke and demon dust, they don't stab too easy, do they?"

Herman suddenly broke out in a wide grin.
"Dust ya say? I got just the thing fer corralin' dust." He pointed at the kitchen table.

Chumley didn't understand the hedgehog for a moment. He stared where Herman was pointing and then it hit him.

"The bloody Corkspike-sucker! Yer a bloomin' genius me fine hog! Let's get that contraption ready, we might still get out of here alive!" the black rat exclaimed happily.

Herman began strapping the apparatus on with Chumley's help, while Winnie kept his ear to the door to check on what the Deev were doing.
"They seems to be knocking stuff over and moving stuff." The small hedgehog told his companions.

"They must be lookin' fer sumpthin'," Herman commented as he strapped the bellows to his feet. He turned to Chumley, "Go to that cupboard there and gets me one o' them big glass flasks, the ones what got openings on both sides...bring a glass stopper and a wet rag and a piece o' string as well."

Chumley retrieved the required items. Herman attached the hose to the bottom of the flask and tied the wet rag around the top opening. When that was complete, he handed the stopper to Chumley and the rat attached the flask to a harness on Herman's back.

When he was ready, the hedgehog turned to the rat.
"If'n this works, yer gonna need ta put that stopper in the top of the flask as soon as it's full or they might get past the rag. I'm just guessin', mind ya, I ain't never done nuthin' like this before."

Chumley laughed.
"It's a safe bet no one 'as, ma friend."

Winnie interrupted.
"They're coming to the door!" he said urgently.

Chumley thought quickly. He pulled a stool behind Herman and lifted Winnie up on it. He handed the glass stopper to the small hedgehog and instructed him in a low voice.

"Awroight mah little friend, make sure nothing gets out of the top o' this thing."

Winnie scrunched his face grimly and nodded. Herman stood at the side of the door with the glass sucking wand positioned above the crack at the bottom of the door. He began to pump his legs slowly, compressing and releasing the bellows on his feet. Chumley stood directly in front of the door. Suddenly, a violent pounding brought the three to alertness.

  " 'Allo, can ah help yah?" Chumley said loudly.

The pounding ceased and Oberst answered.
"Let us in and you won't be harmed."

"Sorry, ah ain't receiving' guests roight now. Not feelin' social today," Chumley answered.

"You will die then!" Oberst shouted. "Get under that door and finish that beast!" he yelled to his subordinates.

Herman began pumping his legs faster, giving anyone watching him the impression that he was doing a jig. Two brown clouds of smoke began to ooze under the door. When these masses of Deev-smoke were completely in the kitchen, Herman lowered his sucker tube on to them.

The vacuum worked exactly as designed and the smoke was sucked up into the glass flask. It churned violently in the enclosure, trying to escape through the wet rag at the flask's top. Winnie struck down at the vaporous tendrils trying to squeeze through the filter with the glass stopper. He held the stopper firmly in place as Herman continued pumping the bellows to maintain the suction. He smiled at Chumley who called out through the door.
"Ah surrender," he called out, "please don't 'urt me! Ah'll tell yah whatever yah want!" Winnie sniggered and Chumley shot him a stern glance.

Oberst answered disdainfully from the other side of the door.
"Too late for you now fool, I shall kill you myself."

Another burst of smoke crept under the door and again Herman efficiently sucked it into flask. This time, Winnie firmly inserted the plug into the top opening while Chumley grabbed a cork, which he inserted in the lower opening after removing the tube which led from the bellows. Herman disengaged the apparatus and put the flask, filled with the dense swirling Deev-smoke, on the kitchen table.

"Well done!" Chumley said with relief.

Herman opened the door to his workshop and when he was satisfied that no other creature was present, rushed in and grabbed a jar from his workbench.

"This here's glass-cement I made to repair cracks. It's real strong and dries real quick." The hedgehog walked over to the flask and applied the cement to the glass plug and the cork. Herman turned towards Chumley.

"You sure they can't get out?" he asked.

The rat examined the flask.
"Ah think not, it would appear that these buggers can't change back lessen they got enough room," he stared at the churning smoke, "ah believe they're quite upset, ah do."

"What do we do with them?" Herman asked.

Chumley smiled.
"Ah 'aven't thought it out that far, 'ave ah?"

Winnie had climbed onto his chair at the table on top of the large book and stared deeply into the flask. He began taunting the trapped Deev.

"Sorry you messed with us now, aren't you? That'll teach ya ta mess with the Corkspikes! You're lucky we didn't get a chance to really beat you guys up!"

"Don't be getting 'em any angrier, liddle brother." Herman smiled. He turned to Chumley, "What was they wantin' here, friend Chumley?"

Chumley laughed.
"You fer one, my spiky friend. Yeah, they were lookin' for Gadral Neure."

"Why?"

"Got no idea, do ah? They were also lookin' for a scroll of some sort, prophecies, ah think. You ain't seen nothin' like that about, 'ave ye?"

Herman thought for a moment.
"Can't say as I have. No scrolls I can think of, only them books Winnie sits on to reach the table. They was here when we moved in."

Chumley looked at Winnie.
"Can ah 'ave a look at them?"

Winnie shimmied off the stack of books. Chumley looked at the top tome. It was written in a language unknown to the rat. His eyes widened when he clearly saw the name of Gadral Neure on its spine. He opened it and was delighted to find that the pages curled slightly.

"As ah live and breath!" Chumley exclaimed.      "They cut up the scroll and turned it into a book. Ah do believe this is what those nasty fellows were lookin' for...ain't that right?" His held the book in front of the flask. The swirling within it increased noticeably.

Chumley laughed, "Well, me Deevy pals, yer mission was a success, not a rousin' one ah admit, but 'ere's what you were lookin' for."

Herman examined the book.
"Well it's pretty and all, but I ain't much of a reader. So now what?"

Chumley clapped Herman and Winnie lightly on the back.

"First off, we got ta get you and your brother somewhere safe, don't we? Ah suspect that when these three don't come 'ome for dinner, you'll likely get more unwanted guests, won't ya? 'Ow would ya like ta spend some time at the palace, 'avin' tea with your king?"

Herman's eyes went wide.
"The king!?"

"Yeah, 'e's mah new pal and ah'm sure 'e'll be glad to meet yah. Mah wizard pals'll be here soon and they're gonna want ta see the book."    
"Wizards?! Hermie...Hermie...let's go...I wanna meet a wizard!" the little hedgehog jumped up and down."

Herman chuckled.
"I guess it's settled. When do we leave?"

"The sooner the better, ah always say," 
Chumley pointed at the flask, "ah suppose it wouldn't be wise to leave them 'ere. Herm, yah got a crate or such what can be used to hold that flask?"

Herman rushed into the workshop and returned with a wooden crate filled with wood shavings. He spoke as he placed the flask gently on the excelsior and nailed the lid down.

"I uses these for deliverin' vases to the rich folk. I'll load 'er up in me barrow and we kin go a visitin' to the king."

Chumley smiled broadly.
"Ah'm pretty sure this is one gift 'e ain't gonna be expectin'."