Day 2
Kerri-liana Jones brought drinks to the guard.
“The queen is pleased with you” she lied “And sent this for you,”
It was a bottle of strong stuff.
She fell asleep in the wall waiting for the guard to pass out. She was woken up while it was still dark because of a rat running over her face.
“EEEEEEEEUUUUUUU!” She squirmed
She quickly remembered what she was doing there and snuck over to the sleeping guard. She carefully lifted the keys off of him. She didn’t want to wake any of the other prisoners. But, opening up James’s cell woke his neighbor who was wanting out. He was making a noise.
“Shhhh” she told him.
She gave him the ring of keys and snuck out with James. She didn’t make a stop in the kitchen for food she just went straight out.
The passageway she suspected lead outside the castle was a small one that she had to crawl through. They said nothing to each other for fear of being discovered. Dawn slowly crept up. Making things lighter. It was going to be a beautiful day. Well, if they escaped it would be a beautiful day.
The passage got smaller so they had to slide on their bellies. This was very uncomfortable as it was cold, rough stone that they were sliding along. They came out in an old dusty wine barrel storage hut. The air was thick and old, undisturbed for years.
James whispered, “Is this the right way?”
“I hope so” Kerri replied.
The air hang, it had a taste to it, a taste that wasn’t pleasing. They moved slowly towards the light coming through a crack. As they moved dust lifted and danced glinting off the light squeezing though the crack. They covered their mouth and noses hiding them in their shirts.
Kerri peered out of the crack into the courtyard. She could see a gate which was only guarded by one guard. A bell rang and the guard dashed towards the castle. She tried the door; it was either locked or very stuck.
James tried the door but it didn’t move. Then he got an idea,
“Let’s go out through the roof.”
The roof was thatch but the walls were stone and the door iron. James and Kerri hurried to put all the wine barrels together, making a pyramid for them to climb. It wasn’t sturdy but it would have to do.
They climbed.
James lifted her up into the thatch and she forced her head through. The guards were swarming around.
“The prisoners have escaped search everywhere.” She heard
They sounded like an army, feet stomping against the stones in time.
‘Doff, Doff,
The clinking of their chain-mail added to the scary sound of an army assembling.
She grasped of glimpse of how scary going to war must be.
Kerri thought
‘Maybe in the ciaos we can slip out the gate.’
But the gate was being guarded by four guards now. James poked his head through,
“How are we going to get out?” He asked.
Kerri knew that they would be spotted soon. A man who had been a prisoner jumped onto their roof,
“Howdy” He said tilting his hat towards them.
He ran past, jumped onto the next roof and ran for the wall.
‘Wow’ Kerri thought impressed.
She was even more impressed when she saw that it was more than two meters between the two buildings.
“What was That?” James asked,
“Some guy saying hi” she responded distantly.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“They spotted us” James said grabbing her arm.
Kerri snapped back
“Fire” she said inspired,
“Let’s burn this place, the distraction will enable us to leave.”
James looked around there was the fire from the night lanterns still burning. The guards surrounded their little building.
James slipped back inside picked a wine skin fill of wine and climbed back onto the roof. Without a word he threw the wine into the fire. At first it looked like it was going to burn, but then it exploded. Shooting tongues of fire everywhere, people near got burned and the straw on the ground burnt, it was hot and quick.
“Come” James said sliding off the roof.
Kerri followed.
James caught her as she landed. They ran as fast as they could for the gate dodging a guard, they made it through. Guards chased after them and they ran for the cover of trees. Archers assembled on the wall and shot at them.
Kerri-liana barely noticed she was hit. A dulled pain pulled her attention. But adrenaline kept her running. As she reached the trees the pain stopped being dulled and she saw an arrow head staring her in the face. It had gone right through her shoulder.
A panicky feeling rose up.
James had been shot too. His thigh was bleeding a lot. She heard the guards following them calling for the dogs.
“We have to get into the river” she said,
“They are coming with dogs.”
“How do you know?” James said.
“I understand them.” she replied with panic in her voice.
They limped to the river and stepped in. The water was cold and moving fast.
“We can’t cross here” Kerri said
“Just say in the water”
Lakisha saw them and hurried over; her eyes teared when she saw James was shot. The arrow had gone straight through him.
She helped James walked. Talking to him fast in Danish asking how he was and expressing how glad she was to see him.
Kerri could feel it burning. Her wound was burning, she was sure this was not normal. Not that she had ever been shot in the shoulder with an arrow before.
They kept moving upstream as fast as they could and when they could cross, they did while staying in the water. Then they finally stopped. They hadn’t heard anything for a while.
Then sitting on the shore bleeding, they heard someone coming. Kerri’s vision was beginning to blur. The man who had ran from roof top to roof top came up.
“Wowa!” He exclaimed “Well you’ve been caught by death. So sad though, but what can one do,” he proceeded to try rob them digging through Kerri’s bag and pockets.
Lakisha picked up a big stick.
“Help them!” she demanded.
“And she’s had too much wine” he said,
Then she hid him.
“Hey love” he said putting up his hands
“No offense sweetness”
“Help us” Kerri said,
“She wants you to help us”
“Wait!?! No!” he said “You have been touched by death. I can’t help you”
“She wants you to try.”
Kerri passed out seeing James lying face in the dirt.
“MR!” Lakisha snapped,
“I am not afraid to use this. Now help them!”
Our charismatic thief realized she was serious.
“Fine, Fine” he said,
He started a fire and broke the arrow head off the arrow in Kerri. Then he pulled it out. Blood poured out, socking her clothes.
“If they die” Lakisha threatened “So, do you!”
Even though he didn’t understand her he got what she was saying her body language said everything.
“And what is with that funny talk” he mumbled.
“Here I am minding my own business, freeing people from stuff they don’t need and now I am being punished.” He sighed,
“Life just isn’t fair.”
He then used a rock with a sharp edge and scratched inside James’ wound, Lakisha didn’t like this but James was unconscious so in theory it wasn’t hurting him. He bled and bled.
Lakisha was worried they might die from losing so much blood.
Kerri started to surface hearing voices. Lakisha was barking orders at someone and an unfamiliar voice was muttering away,
“Oh, please don’t die, can’t I do a good deed and not be punished? Is there a reward for good men? No!” he muttered
“There are crazy girls with big sticks, what did I ever do to deserve this?”
“Stop complaining” Kerri groaned.
“Thank you” she added.
James was sitting up.
“Must let it bleed” he said,
“Get the poison out,”
“Poison” Kerri mumbled interrupting,
“Yes, love you were poisoned. You should go to town and have a physician look at you. Tell him you’ve been touched by death.”
He stood up to leave,
“Wait” Kerri said,
“Take us to town and I will pay you for your trouble”
He smiled,
“Finally, something good happens. Always say look on the best side.”
“He will take us to town to see a doctor” she said unsure if a doctor and a physician were the same.
“Great!” Lakisha said,
“Little weasel wanted to run off and leave us, I made him stay.”
“What is your name?” Kerri asked him
“Oh” he smiled,
“You can call me the king of thh… the dashing” he said proudly.
She rolled her eyes.
They moved slowly towards the outlines of the city Point.
Kerri noticed Lakisha’s swan necklace. It looked like the blue crystal in her bag the one she had cut herself on before appearing in the castle.
When they stopped to rest, she checked her crystal.
“That’s a beautiful necklace.” Kerri said digging for information.
“Thank you, my gran gave it to me. It’s a blue diamond. Part of the Ceronio diamond collection.”
“Now that must be worth a lot” Kerri said
“I imagine so. I always wear it. It’s my favorite.”
“Where are you from?” Kerri asked,
Lakisha smiled,
“Denmark” she replied,
“Where were you before you arrived here?” Kerri asked,
“We were in the forest in Russia near our home base for this documentary we are working on. Doing a check up on the eco system.”
“So, you guys are smart!” Kerri mused,
“What work do you do?”
“We are both ecologists” Lakisha replied happily.
“Well,” Kerri said “I am an archaeologist, from Alaska. I was at an old monastery when I appeared in the castle. Not really what I had in mind for a holiday.”
She added trying to lighten the mood.
The king of thieves rolled his eyes,
“It’s rude to discuss things in a language your helper doesn’t understand!”
“They don’t understand us” Kerri said, “Making this little chat rude... correct?”
He muttered
“Clever, clever.”
“I am the one helping you.” He added.
“What is your name?” Kerri asked
“LooDay” he said proudly.
“Well, I will talk to both of you. How about that?”
“How much are you going to pay me when we get to town?”
Kerri wondered that herself, what could she give him as a reward for helping them. She had promised to pay him.
‘What’s in my bag?’
She did a quick mental inventory, maybe her lighter would work?
Kerri-liana and James needed to rest again. They were still bleeding.
“Payment?” LooDay inquired again.
“How about a magic fire starter?” Kerri-liana said hoping he would be happy.
He scowled
“I am risking my lovely neck for MAGIC! She must clearly be almost dead.”
“I can hear you” Kerri said weakly.
Lakisha beat him with her stick,
“Help them!” she instructed.
“I am beaten and bruised so unfairly.” He moaned.
“Sweetness” LooDay said holding out his hand.
“It’s time to pray for them as they pass to the next life.”
He held Lakisha’s hand and bowed his head.
‘Praying’ Lakisha thought,
‘Well, I guess it can’t hurt.’ She closed her eyes. LooDay put her hand on James’ chest as he mumbled words out loud.
“Please may there passing be easy.”
He ended his prayer and ran for his life.
By the time Lakisha opened her eyes, LooDay was gone.
Lakisha left her uncle James and Kerri-liana to run towards town hoping someone could help her. But town was unfriendly and not speaking the language didn’t help. In fact, her lack of ability to communicate and her dress code meant no one wanted to be seen anywhere near her. Her desperation led to crying. She started running through the streets back towards her dying uncle.
A man stopped her. But she was crying too much to explain.
So, he followed. The pale couple looked dead. Faint breathe left their nostrils.
He picked James up over his shoulder and Lakisha pulled Kerri along as she couldn’t lift her. He indicated to Lakisha to wait for him. But she didn’t want to leave James. So, she left Kerri lying on the side of the street and followed the kind stranger into a stone building.
It looked almost like a church inside. With wooden pews, and a small wooden table in the front.
He took James into the back and laid him down on a stone slab. Then he fetched Kerri-liana and did the same.
Monk Lesh Sparrow recognized the touch of death and he mixed some things together to make an antidote. He wasn’t sure if it would help as they had already lost consciousness. But he prayed for a miracle and forced the antidote down. He also applied it directly to the wound.