(Serious) Author's Note: Thanks to krikanalo, richards25, Theonewhoweaveswords and mangesboy01 for reviewing!

I should mention that this will be the final chapter of this story (to fit in with the original series' thirteen chapters per book), although the conclusion drawn here will be far from complete.

It may be the end of one chapter of the Baudelaire children's lives, but there will be several more. I'm planning for this to be a long series, with ideas for a quartet at the very least.

And so I give you the conclusion to my first ASoUE fanfic, the Sinister Schism.

Enjoy :)

Chapter Thirteen

Klaus was pleased.

He didn't know what had caused it or why, but someone somewhere had provided his captors with a distraction. All the faces around the square were looking around anxiously as panicked cries went up across the base. Even the bald, bearded man who had been interrogating Klaus moments before seemed unhinged, barking orders nervously to anyone - and, at that moment, it was no-one - who would listen to him. With all eyes looking elsewhere and none at him, Klaus Baudelaire saw his moment to escape. Before anyone could stop him, he had darted between two guards and slipped into a gap between two buildings, obscuring him from sight.

Despite his stroke of luck - a phrase here used to describe his fortunate dash for freedom - Klaus was scared as he darted through the narrow passageways of the base. He knew that someone must be after him, and he was fearful of the men's harpoon guns. Hoping to avoid ending up within range of one of their deadly harpoons, Klaus was careful to keep darting down two passageways so that he was never within range, and also to confuse and hopefully lose his pursuers. He knew where he needed to be running towards, the weak link of the wall; the point where it would be possible to hurdle the defences and possible to clamber down the mountainside and away into the Hinterlands.

He was out of breath by the time he sprinted up the steep stone steps onto the top of the wall, and was relieved to see that he met no resistance there. Taking a moment to catch his breath, he looked back into the base. Pandemonium had erupted below him, and he could see that whatever the distraction had been had taken away most of the attention from him towards the other end of the base, where he saw two figures running through the buildings as he had done. Was it Violet and Arlo? Had they been captured too? Or were they trying to rescue him? Klaus didn't even know if it was his sister and her friend, and his pause for breath had given his pursuers a chance to catch up.

Shocked back into action by a harpoon that flew past him harmlessly, Klaus only had a few yards to go before hurdling the wall, landing safely on the steep mountainside a metre below.

Violet was terrified.

Pulling Arlo to his feet quickly, the two had fled back through the Firestarter base as fast as they could, which sadly wasn't very quick due to Arlo's injured leg.

"Run on ahead!" Arlo said desperately as his leg gave way once again, struggling to keep up with Violet. They had a few seconds over their pursuers due to a couple of clever turns through the passageways, but he knew that their lead wouldn't last long if they kept going like they had been. "Save yourself! It's you that they are after, not me!"

Violet knew that Arlo was talking sense, but at the same time she knew better than to abandon her friend in such a hostile - a word which here means "full of angry Firestarter men" - environment. She was already thinking ahead as to escape routes as they hurriedly made their way back towards the stone wall that they had scaled to infiltrate the base.

And suddenly she knew how she could get both of them to escape.

Violet ran back to help Arlo to continue, putting an arm around him, trying to help carry him along. Eventually Violet and Arlo found their way to a stairway that led to the top of the wall, and she half-carried, half-dragged Arlo up it, putting him down at the top. Looking down the hill she could see the men congregating below her, ready to strike. She had half a minute, at most.

"Arlo, give me your rucksack," she said, but had taken it before he could even give any form of reply. As she opened it up, she was aware that a few strands of her hair were beginning to fall over her face (she hadn't re-tied it since making the grappling hook that morning in the wreckage of Jacques' helicopter), but she knew that she didn't have time to re-tie her hair now. It was a distraction that she would have to live with.

Arlo only realised what Violet was trying to do when his glider was half-complete on the floor at his feet.

"No!" he said desperately. "We can't use that!"

"Why not?" Violet asked, not looking up from her work. In her week at the Verdant Valley, she'd learnt to construct Arlo's gliders as quickly as Arlo himself. It only took her fifteen seconds to get the completed structure, and she was quickly trying to attach the contraption to her friend.

"We've never tested the glider with two people!" Arlo said. He was unsure about the idea, but was putting up minimal resistance as Violet strapped him into his invention. Below him, he could see the first Firestarters begin the ascent onto the wall near to them, but he continued to complain about Violet's desperate idea. "We've no idea whether the glider can hold both of us!"

"You're not scared, are you, Arlo?"

"No, but-"

"Well then, what's life without a little risk?" Violet said, wearing the same foolish grin that Arlo had on countless occasions before. Then she kissed him quickly, put both her arms around him and threw both of them over the edge.

Klaus was relieved as to how easy his escape had been. From thinking that any escape would've been impossible an hour before to running away alone across the Hinterlands, he hadn't suffered any real hardships. Yes, he was tired, but wasn't hurt. Nobody had attempted to follow him down the mountainside - the fall was only about twenty feet, but nobody else was prepared to take the risk. Add that to the fact that Klaus was light, nimble and able to descend the mountainside safely, and his escape had been quick.

Now he was away, he didn't really know where to go. He decided that his first destination should be the wreck of Jacques' helicopter, to see who or what had survived the fall. After that, he had two places in mind. the V.F.D. Headquarters in the Mortmain Mountains, to finish the journey he'd started a few days before, to see his injured father and feel safe and secure again, rather than facing the dangers of the world alone.

Past then, he knew that he would have to find a way to Bladeridge Castle, wherever that was. He'd have to find out, and then travel there to rescue his mother and baby sister. Hopefully he'd get help in the Mortmains, so he wouldn't have to face that journey alone.

Suddenly his attention returned to the two figures that had given him the distraction he had needed to escape. For the first time he looked back at the base, and from half a mile away he could see a figure floating in the sky near the base, travelling towards him. He didn't even need to see the people clearly before he knew it was good news. As the object came closer, he saw that it was Violet and Arlo, soaring through the late afternoon sky with Arlo's glider. He heard them laughing as they swooped down low over his head, flying on for a moment before wheeling round and landing a few yards from him.

For the first time in a while, Klaus found himself smiling.

Despite the unfortunate events that had led to him being in such a desperate position, he was glad to have some good fortune once in a while. While he knew, just as I do, that his troubles would be far from over, but he could enjoy this stroke of good luck while it lasted, despite all the unfortunate events that loomed just round the corner.

For once, Klaus Baudelaire was happy.

(Fictional) Author's note:

Dear Gamemaker97,

I am writing to you from the keep of Bladeridge Castle, where I have learnt of the treacherous plans and daring rescue attempts concocted within these very walls by members of both sides of the Schism. It will not be a very pleasant tale, but an important one nonetheless in the lives of the three Baudelaire children.

Should you arrive at platform seventeen of Birmingham New Street station next Saturday at nine in the evening, you will find a man wearing a red leather jacket (quite untasteful, admittedly, but recognisable) attempt to give you a package. Take it from him. Inside, you will find my description of the next miserable tale in the lives of the Baudelaire children, entitled THE FRIGHTENING FORTRESS. Along with it there will be several items, including a letter from Count Olaf to the V.F.D. volunteers, a fragment of fabric from the hang-glider used by Violet Baudelaire, and a copy of the music played by Simon Webber. I have also included the trilby hat worn by Mr. Lemony Snicket during his time at Bladeridge Castle, in the hope that my illustrator, Mr. Harper, would find it useful if this tragic story ever finds its way from the internet and into bookstores.

Remember, I am relying on you to make sure that the desperate plight of the Baudelaires is finally known to the general public.

With all due respect,

A.T.

(Serious) Author's Note: And so concludes my first ASoUE fanfic! I'd like to thank everyone who has taken the time to read this, and I hope you enjoyed this first chapter in what I hope will become a long series.

As the letter above may suggest, the sequel to this story, 'The Frightening Fortress', continues the narrative where this short novel leaves it, and I should begin to upload it within the next week.

Again thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed or favourited this story.

GM97 :)

P.S. No, I do not live in Birmingham.