Chapter Twenty Six

Chapter 26 Isobel struggled against the guard holding her as she watched another one set a pile of blankets, a bucket with candles, a loaf of bread, and two flasks of water on the stone floor while another guard hung two lamps from the ceiling. The guard holding Bridgette gave her a shove, sending her staggering into the far wall, and Isobel vented her anger on her captor’s shins, kicking backwards to catch him with the heel of her boot making him curse and grunt in pain. The guard, cursing hard, gave Isobel a shove before limping towards the door. “Someone will bring food.” The guard snarled before slamming the door shut with a clank. Isobel heard the jingle of a key and the sound of the door locking, with an unladylike curse she turned to Bridgette. “Are you all right? I saw him hit you?” Isobel demanded crossing to Bridgette and examining her face, she saw a faint bruise forming on her cheek, and her anger flared again. She would find a way to make Dagda pay for everything he’d taken from her, for all the pain he’d caused those she loved. “I’m fine I have suffered far worse wrestling with my brothers. But are you all right I saw that bastard hit you and I lost my temper.” Bridgette replied. “You have a split lip and a nasty bruise coming in. I couldn’t believe it when you tackled him and began to bash his face in. Let me see your hands.” Isobel held her hands out to Bridgette wincing as she did, her knuckles were red, swollen, and cracked and blood covered both her hands. “There is blood on your hands. Let me clean them.” Bridgette lifted her apron and using the bottom of it scrubbed most of the blood off Isobel’s hands. “I do not think it is mine, I am pretty sure I broke his nose,” Isobel replied. “I think you are right, I do not think you broke any bones but your hands will be sore for a day or so.” Bridgette shook her head. “No one will believe that you attacked him and broke his nose, you are always so mild and sweet, I don’t remember you ever losing your temper.” “When he struck you all the years of anger and fear came back, you are my family; you and Sasha are like my sisters I would do anything for you. It is because of me you are in this situation; I could not stand by and let him hurt you. He killed my family, he took my home and my life from me, I could not let him hurt you.” Isobel replied. “Well for such a tiny thing you put the fear of god in him, now what do we do? Wait to be rescued, hope that he won’t come for you before Alex does?” Bridgette demanded, looking around the empty stone cell. “No, I have a better idea. This is my home and I know something he does not, this cell and the one next to it have a secret exit that leads to a tunnel under the keep that goes into the woods.” Isobel looked around the cell as she searched her memory for where the hidden door was. “You’re jesting to make me feel better,” Bridgette replied. “I’m not, this keep was built by my ancestor during the time of the barbarian raids, he built an escape tunnel in case the keep was besieged or in a situation such as now where a member of the family was betrayed and locked in the dungeon.” Isobel tugged up her apron and skirt to reveal her shears strapped to her left thigh by a length of material torn from her apron. Isobel pulled the shears free, grateful for Bridgette’s suggestion to hide them. “Now we just need to find it and pry it open, my father showed my brothers and I the door but it was years ago and he used a metal bar to open it as the hidden catch was broken. We shall have to use these to pry it open.” Isobel said. “I always knew you were a genius, where do we start?” Bridgette asked. “The left corner, start low neat the floor and then spread out towards the center of the room,” Isobel replied. “Knock hard the tone will change when we find the tunnel.” Bridgette nodded and crossed to the corner where she started knocking on the wall with her fist. Isobel joined her knocking on the wall on the left side of the corner. The women patiently knocked on the wall, pausing to listen before knocking again, just as Isobel was about to give up thinking that her memory had tricked her she heard a dull thunk. “Knock again,” Bridgette said crossing to her as Isobel used the handle of her shears to tap on the wall. There was a dull thunk and Isobel’s heart skipped a beat as relief filled her, her memory hadn’t tricked her. “What do we do?” Bridgette demanded. “Pry it open, the hinges were on the right and the catch on the left. We shall have to be careful not to break the shears, once I get it open a crack you shall have to help me pull it open.” “Just tell me when,” Bridgette said. Isobel ran her fingers along the seam where one stone met another, feeling and seeing no mortar she slipped the point of the shears into the crack, then wiggled them back and forth till they slid further in. Isobel whispered a prayer and pushed against the handle, the shears flexed and after a moment there was a low click and a gap appeared. Isobel wedged the shears in further as she nodded to Bridgette who grasped the edge of the stone panel and began to pull. The panel refused to budge and Isobel fought down her rising panic, if they couldn’t get the panel open they would be at Dagda’s mercy and after breaking his nose she didn’t think he would be any more willing to listen. No matter what it took they had to get the panel open, their lives could depend upon it. Bridgette stepped back shaking her hands then gave Isobel a determined look. “Again, we will keep trying till we get it open.” “Yes, we can’t give up.” Isobel agreed and pressed on the shears again, while Bridgette grabbed the edge of the slab and began to pull with all her might. There was a low grinding noise and the panel opened inwards, to reveal a dark passage beyond, a gust of cold air blew across Isobel and Bridgett’s faces bringing the scent of mold and dust. “Now what?” Bridgette demanded sucking on two of her fingers, where the nails had snapped off and were bleeding. “We take everything, and then we close the passage behind us. I hope you’re not afraid of bats and spiders.” Isobel said crossing the cell to drop her now bent shears into the basket, while Bridgette grabbed the blankets. “I am but I’m more afraid of Dagda. Here wrap one of the blankets around you like a shawl; the passage is likely to be cold.” Bridgette held a blanket to Isobel while she wrapped one about herself. “Good idea, can you reach the lanterns?” Isobel asked looking at the lanterns that were just out of her reach. “Yes, for once I’m glad I’m tall,” Bridgette replied fetching one lantern and handing it to Isobel before reaching for the second. “Bowden loves that you are tall,” Isobel replied as she wrapped the blanket about herself and then slid the basket over her left arm while she lifted the lantern. “He does, after you, even if we get lost and wander about for days in the dark, it will be better than here waiting for them to come for us,” Bridgette said flipping the other two blankets over her shoulder while she picked up the second lantern and followed Isobel through the opening and into the passage beyond. Isobel stepped aside as Bridgette bent low and squeezed through the opening after her. Isobel looked at the door panel seeing a metal bar attached to the back, setting her lantern and the basket on the stone floor she grabbed the bar and pushed. The door resisted at first and Isobel had to put all her weight into it, after a moment there was a grinding noise and the door swung shut sliding into place with a click. “Now what are your plans?’ Bridgette asked lifting her lantern high to illuminate a surprisingly wide and high tunnel. “We make our way towards the exit and wait for Alex and Bowden to come,” Isobel replied. “Won’t Dagda’s men find us in the forest?” Bridgette asked following Isobel as she began walking down the passage lantern held high. “Is there someplace we can go, a friend that will give us shelter?” “He will not find us, the exit is deep in the forest near the base of a cliff and hidden behind a waterfall, his men could search the forest for a year and not find us,” Isobel replied. “How clever of your ancestor, I like this new side of you by the way at school you are always so quiet and polite, no matter what someone says you never lose your temper.” Bridgette said. “There have been days I was surprised you didn’t punch Laura in the nose.” “That’s because at the school I was always afraid to be cast out, I didn’t want to cause trouble and be sent away. I had no place to go if master Ogden kicked me out, the fear of being alone made me bite my tongue, and over time I learned to control my temper and to take my anger out on the weeds in the garden.” Isobel replied. “And it was my home just as you and Sasha have become my family. I didn’t want to lose my home and family again.” “Then you are wise and deserve to be happy, you should know I often longed for you to punch Laura in the face or to tell one of the new students that were rude to go jump in the river. Your calmness was always an inspiration to me.” Bridgette said. “As was your forthright manner to me, we should walk quicker the passage is long and there are two branches, I wish to reach the end before we lose a lantern, and while we have candles we should use them sparingly,” Isobel replied. “Then lead on, the sooner we are out of here the better. I keep waiting for a spider to drop on me.” Bridgette shivered. Isobel nodded while she was not afraid of spiders she had no wish to blunder about in the dark and the sooner they reached the exit the better she would feel. She wanted also to place as much distance as possible between them and their cell in case the guards tried to figure out how they escaped and discovered the passage. The guard, Ricco, tasked with bringing Bridgette and Isobel food waited till after he had finished his meal and a few bottles of ale before bringing them food. When he opened their cell he found it dark and empty with no sign of the two women. Ricco closed the cell door as he considered what could have happened to them. Lord Dagda could have come for the women himself, though Ricco doubted it as Lord Dagda had retreated to his chamber with a broken nose, two black eyes, and a large quantity of brandy and the order not to be disturbed. The other options were that Raymond could have moved the women someplace better, but Raymond and his men had left the keep after the women had been imprisoned, and judging from the amount of bags they took with them were not planning to return, not that Ricco blamed them he’d heard that Lord Dagda had not only punched Raymond on more than one occasion but that had ordered several of Raymond’s men killed. Another guard could have moved the women someplace as the keys had been hanging in the guard house, but Ricco didn’t think that was likely as everyone feared Lord Dagda’s wraith. The last option was that the door had not been locked securely and the women had escaped, which seemed most likely as the blankets and lanterns left with the women were gone. Ricco considered his options he could sound the alarm and go tell his commander and Dagda that the women were gone, but the blame for the women’s escape might fall on him and he had no wish to be beaten or killed. No, he would lock the cell door and accidentally lose the cell keys, then he would pack his belongings and slip away. The cook was well into his cups and the pantry door was unlocked, he would help himself to a few days’ worth of food and some of the lord’s silver spoons as back pay. Then go to the stable and liberate a horse and leave while the night guard was all in the guard house finishing their nightly ale, no one would miss him till some time tomorrow and by then he would be long gone. Yes, Ricco thought that was the best and only plan, let some other poor bastard sound the alarm the women were gone he would leave and never look back.