21Chapter 8
A Meeting of Sorts...
Katherine walked through the empty corridors. Matthew and Alicia followed as silently a possible, afraid that even the slightest sound would wake them and leave them once more surrounded by darkness. As they entered the outskirts of the common prisons, they turned a corner and ran into two men. The men were fair skinned like the race of Matthew, Alicia, and Katherine; not darker like those of the Iken race which had, not too long ago, conquered their race, the Myens.
Katherine's eyes narrowed, "You don't belong here! You are trying to escape here, no?"
Katherine knew all those in the castle of the Myen race because she had been in charge of insuring their loyalty. Her loyalty wouldn't be called into question because she was bound by her magic to the former Lord, very few knew that it was to the Lord and not to the General.
As Katherine spoke the two men glanced at each other, nodded, and lunged for her. Katherine was unprepared to defend herself and began to desperately form a repelling spell.
"STOP!" Alicia found her voice, as fear and anger replaced confusion and shock.
She took a few steps past Matthew towards Katherine and the men. Matthew knowing his sister’s temper, stepped up to stand beside her. He prepared to calm and reassure her. The men paused for only a moment, which was just enough time for Katherine to finish forming her spell and cast it. The spell sent them both sprawling into a nearby wall.
Katherine cast a pitying glance at the fallen men, "Too bad men think so slowly, why would a woman be leading 2 children through prisons, unless she had too." She shook her head and rubbed her hands together as though trying to cleanse them, "Thank you anyway for killing the Lord, but my duty isn't to you it's to the children. May what was meant to be your fate, be."
"Wait. They helped free us? Why would they then attack us?" Alicia looked from the men to Katherine. Katherine though a female had a strong build and her dark hair contrasted her pale skin. One of the men was skinny, the other larger and more muscular.
"They killed the Lord for their own reasons, we happened to benefit. So indirectly they helped us. We must go now, I don't know how much time we have to escape." Katherine made a move to usher Alicia forward.
Alicia ignored Katherine and walked over to the unconscious men. Matthew watched his sister, knowing he would be unable to convince her of anything until she made a choice.
The larger man was on the bottom, his face hidden by a thick beard that was a light brown and matched his hair. The skinnier man looked fragile, his muscular frame hidden by a thin and angular skeletal frame. The skinnier man was coming to as Alicia approached so she addressed him. Alicia stayed just out of arms reach and looked into the skinny man's blurred, blue eyes.
"Brave sir, why did you come into this part of the...castle?" Alicia glanced at Katherine, trying to decide if castle was the right place. Katherine nodded and looked towards the path to freedom longingly.
The mans eyes came into focus as he blinked at the three. He didn't expect them to still be there, or at least not without a handful of guards. What sort of trick could this be, he wondered, were maidens now in charge of questioning? He bit back a laugh at this thought and looked Alicia in the eyes, "To save our leader."
Katherine blinked, "*You're* with the rebellion? I thought they were too weak and you were assassins for another Lord." Katherine didn't mention she still thought so.
As Katherine spoke, Alicia asked for the name of his leader. The man preferred Alicia's open curiosity to Katherine's open suspicions, and so answered Alicia's question. "He'll go by the name, Fox. His true name I'll not tell even you, little maid."
"Sir, would you assist us, if we help you rescue your leader?" Matthew was still worried about Katherine’s trustworthiness. How could she have allowed them to be trapped in that room for so long?
The man blinked at Matthew and then as though the idea was his own, studied Katherine, Alicia, and Matthew trying to decide if they were worth the risk.
"*Absolutely not*!" Katherine felt her patience snap. "We have to go, when we get out, we will join up with the rebellion. Besides, we must go through the castle inconspicuously, if we don't then we will all be captured or killed."
The larger man had been waking up and grunted, “Don’t have time to protect them, woman might not be so bad, but two kids and the Fox will be too much for us.â€