Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
Outside the woodcutter’s cabin, Alek placed a chunk of log atop the large, flat chopping stump and brought the ax over his head and down, splitting the log in two. In a sort of rhythm he placed another chunk, swung the ax, and watched the pieces fall to the side. The morning air was still cool, but he could feel the day was going to heat up considerably as it wore on. Place. Swing.
He picked up the last piece and then stopped, holding it to his chest with one hand, the ax in the other. He could hear someone approaching and that was unusual at that time of day.
A rider on horseback rode right up to the cabin and slid quickly from the horse's back, throwing the reins over the crook of a tree branch. "Alek! Where are you?" he called.
Alek dropped the chunk of log and let the ax bite into the chopping stump. Brushing his hands against his pants, he stepped around the cottage. "Hello, here I am,” he said.
It was Gil, one of the men they had placed in the palace as a servant. He still wore Duke Thorvald’s livery although he had wrapped up in a cloak to disguise himself somewhat for the trip. He walked up to Alek and grasped both his arms as if to steady him.
"I fear I have bad news, Alek,” Gil said.
Alek raised his eyebrows. What other kind of news is there these days? he thought ruefully. "Well, friend, say on. You have ridden hard, I see."
"This morning, Duke Thorvald made an announcement in the palace. The servants were all gathered, and he spoke directly to us, which he usually would not do. Thorvald said he knew someone would be able to deliver this message...to you, Alek. He said your name."
Alek squeezed his eyes shut and raked his hand through his hair. "What message?" he said through gritted teeth.
"Thorvald has a woman under guard, a lady. Lady Annaka. He said, tell Alek Ostergaard I have her, and that he will exchange her life for yours."
Alek stood very still, but he could not stop a hot rage from sweeping over him, rushing out through his head and down through his boots, into the earth. "He has her! He would dare!" he stormed. "If he has harmed her, I will kill him, I swear it!" His voice grew louder until it rang through the forest.
Einar and Nikolas burst out of the cottage. "What is happening?" Einar cried, rushing over to Alek. "Who has who?"
Alek folded his arms and closed his eyes, forcing himself to breathe. He felt oddly dizzy. "Thorvald,” he muttered through his teeth. "Annaka."
Einar reached out to Nikolas, but the duke stayed surprisingly calm. "He is holding her? As a hostage, I assume? What are his terms?"
"Myself, in exchange for her. Of course, he shall have me. I will not take any chances with her. Perhaps I will be able to escape once she has been bought free." Alek's voice was grim and cold.
"Skosh! You talk like a fool,” Einar said, but smiled to soften it. "Just stop and think a moment. Yes, I agree, she must be safe. But let us reason this through, before we throw you into Thorvald's arms like a sack for the midden heap."
"Alek!" Gil cried, and pointed at Alek's feet. Right between his boots, a crack had opened up in the ground. It went nearly a foot deep and ran both ways, disappearing into the trees.
Alek stared. Had he done that? "Heaven and Earth!" he muttered. "How...?" he stammered. "Did I...?"
Nikolas nodded. "I did not see you do it, but I believe you did. It would fit the stories."
Alek shot a nervous glance at Gil. He was looking with amazement at the gaping crack. Then he looked slowly up at Alek as if seeing him for the first time. As far as Gil knew, Alek was a farmer, a neighbor, a friend of Einar. Nothing more. He had been surprised to hear Thorvald name him. What on Earth had just happened?
"Come, Alek, Nikolas, we must talk,” Einar said briskly, taking each man by the arm. "Gil, gather the Band. And keep your flapping mouth shut about this."
Alek paced restlessly between the trees of the forest around the woodcutter's cottage. What on Earth was he to do? He could not bear the thought of Annaka held captive by that man. He knew all too well what a dreadful thing that was, and could only hope she was not enduring too much mistreatment. But the mere thought of her imprisoned by Thorvald made him crazy with rage, especially since it was all because of him.
What should be done? Gil was gathering the Band, but Alek didn't feel comfortable with using the Band for this purpose. Yes, their numbers continued to swell, but to throw them at Thorvald now seemed pointless. They were outnumbered, outarmed, outtrained, and Thorvald's troops were perfectly obedient and would kill on order. The Band was dedicated but it was made of farmers, shopkeepers and tradesmen who likely never fought before and would most likely have a moment or two's hesitation before killing someone, however necessary they might believe it to be. No, the time was not right to reveal the Band's existence. Right now, the fact that Thorvald knew nothing about it yet was the Band's only advantage.
Besides, using the Band at this moment would require something to coalesce it into what it soon must become. It would require Alek to reveal himself as the rightful king of Skandia, and that was something he was not prepared to do. He grimaced at the thought, although he realized that day must come soon. The strange occurrence Gil witnessed - the crevice in the ground - was only the beginning, he knew. How long could something like that be kept secret? What would happen next as Alek's magic grew and developed in apparently unexpected ways?
No, he could not ask the Band to do this. It would be far too selfish a request. They could not risk the whole Band for one girl, no matter what she meant to him and to her father.
But then what should be done? Surrendering himself was even more pointless, and if he understood Mys correctly, disastrous for the whole land. He needed to think of a plan, a way to rescue Annaka without asking anyone else to put themselves in danger for his sake. It was bad enough that Annaka was in trouble. Bad enough indeed.
Alek walked resolutely towards the cottage. Einar would be furious when he found out Alek had gone off alone. Furious did not even begin to describe it. But Einar had stretched his neck across the block for Alek too many times already, and he could not bear the thought of allowing it again. No, not this time. This time Einar would stay here and survive this madness, to preserve the Band so that it might preserve the people of the land.
Well, he wouldn't be strictly going off alone. He needed two men to make his just-hatched plan work, and hopefully they would be agreeable. He first needed Gil, in his guise as a palace servant, to find out exactly where in the palace Annaka was being held. He also needed someone strong and brave, to help him and to carry out his plans to rescue Annaka if something went awry and he was captured. She must be safe! That person had to be Steen, the perfect combination of strength, loyalty and knowledge.
Alek knew somehow that Gil and Steen would not refuse him even though they still thought of him as merely Alek Ostergaard, an odd young man perhaps, but just a son of a peasant farmer. He was correct. They readily agreed once Alek searched them out among the many men preparing for sleep among the trees around the cottage. Darkness had fallen, but far more difficult than convincing the two to go with him was slipping away unseen, and with horses, no less. At last, by departing at staggered intervals they were able to leave the camp without notice and met together again some distance down the road to Roskilde.
Alek looked at his two friends with a grateful smile as they rode, galloping whenever the rough road allowed it. True-hearted, Alek thought. Willing and cheerful they are, although they hardly know what they come to do. I hardly know myself! Back at the camp there lay a note to Einar on Alek's blankets, written in Alek's awkward scrawl on a piece of white bark, just in case. If everything went perfectly Alek would be back with Annaka before anyone had a chance to notice his blankets were unused that night, and he would crumple that note in celebration. If something went wrong, well, at least Einar would know where he had gone.
Riding hard as they dared, they arrived at the palace in time for Gil to slip through the gates before they shut for the night. Alek and Steen would wait, hiding in the trees, for just the right cart to come to the palace gates. Alek wore his Nordjylland livery, just in case, but Steen did not have any such disguise. Hopefully, it would not matter. If Alek’s plan worked, they would not be seen by anyone who would care.
Not many carts approached the palace gates at dusk but there were a few, and Alek and Steen watched cautiously from their hiding place, learning the process that such vehicles went through to gain access to the palace. A hundred worries crowded Alek's mind. Would Gil be able to easily find out where Annaka was held? Would it look suspicious to ask such a thing? Would he be able to get back out of the palace, to their meeting place near the stables, without someone thinking it odd? And even more, would Alek himself be able to do what must be done, in order to make the so-called plan work? It was something he had not tried before. Only the feeling in his heart that it might work gave him the confidence he needed.
The minutes stretched into an hour and more as Alek and Steen stood quietly under the trees. They had tied their horses a few yards further back in a little deeper cover. Alek tried to not become frantic, but it was practically impossible to be calmly patient. The so-called plan would not work at all unless he knew exactly which room Annaka was in, and that information had to come from Gil. Alek had to save her!
"There is something you do not know about Thorvald," Alek said softly as they peered down the road approaching the palace, looking for any sign of movement.
"I know he is putting a spell on our boys," Steen replied. "That is plenty enough to get my red hair standing on end."
"You know he wishes to be king?"
"Of course. I may be a common blacksmith, but I am no idiot. Thorvald's plans are plain." Steen said with a snort.
"Bad as that may be, it is not all," Alek's voice was low, practically a whisper, as if the words were too awful to speak aloud. "He means to use his spell on us all - to force us to worship him."
"What?" Steen exclaimed, and even in the dark Alek could see his rage begin to bubble over. He reached over and grasped Steen's arm.
"Steady, my friend," Alek said. "I know it is bad news -"
Steen spluttered. "Bad news! Bad news indeed! I have never heard worse!" He looked at Alek, his eyes glittering in the moonlight. "This is unbelievable! I'll kill him myself, I will." His hands clenched. "Who knows of this? How do you know of this?"
"Look!" Alek pointed down the road. They could barely discern a large cart coming toward them in the weak light, drawn by two tired-looking horses. “This looks like just the cart we have been waiting for.”
They waited until the cart had passed their hiding place in the trees and then ran as quietly as they could into a position just behind the cart. The cart rumbled and squeaked noisily on the hard-packed road, covering any sounds they made as they grasped the back of the cart and then swung up over its back.
The bed of the cart was piled with sacks and barrels, no doubt holding foodstuffs and drink for the enormous demands of the palace. Alek and Steen quickly attempted to hide themselves as the cart approached the gates. Alek curled himself up near the front of the cart behind a large barrel and drew a couple of sacks on top of him. He could only hope nothing of himself could be seen. Steen was similarly burrowing himself down into the cargo. Thankfully, the carter did not notice anything unusual happening behind him, and did not turn around at all as they drew up to the gates.
The gates stood open, with two soldiers standing stiffly at each side, holding spears in their right hands at a precise angle. Another man dressed in a black cloak approached the wagon with a staff in his hands. He raised it in his right hand and began waving it over the wagon in long, slow strokes.
Magic! The man, or wizard, or whatever he was, was using magic to inspect the wagon. They would certainly be discovered! Alek thought frantically.
“Steen!” he hissed. “Reach out your hand to me! Hurry!”
Steen’s arm reached toward him, worming its way underneath a large sack. Alek stretched as far as he could beneath the weight and was able to grasp his hand. He held tightly and squeezed his eyes shut. “Please, God,” he muttered. “May the medallion shield me from this man’s magic. May we be unseen.”
The black robed man paused with the staff directly over them. Alek held his breath. Then the man shook his head. “Move along,” he said, waving his hand at the carter. “Do your business quickly. It is time to shut the gates for the night.”
When the noisy clopping of the horses’ hooves resumed, Alek took a shuddering breath. The priest had suspected something, for some reason, but had not sensed them with his magic. He had no idea if it had been the medallion that shielded them from his probe or some other reason.
The carter pulled his wagon up to some large doors near the stables. There were boxes, sacks and barrels piled all around, as this evidently was the area where the supplies for the palace were taken in. There was a cart being unloaded in front of them by servants in black and gold livery, and Alek saw the carter was content to just sit on his cart and wait until it was his turn before he moved. Perhaps he was even asleep as he sat there, his head hanging down.
“Steen!” Alek whispered. “I am going to slip out. Wait a few minutes, and then come to the side of the stables, as we planned.” He crawled towards the back of the cart, trying to keep as low as possible, and then carefully levered his long frame over the back of the cart. Crouching a bit, he dashed towards the stables that reared up before him in the fast-fading light.
There was no one else in sight, and when Alek peered around the corner back towards the cart, all was quiet. His heart pounded in his throat but so far, all seemed well. In the darkness, he could just make out the bulky form of Steen’s body as it dropped over the back of the cart and hurried towards him.
“Heaven and Earth,” Steen panted when he reached Alek’s side. “That about scared the life out of me! I do not know what it was you did to make that priest, or whoever he was, pass over us but perhaps you can explain that all to me later.”
Alek nodded absently. “Yes. Later. Now, we wait for Gil. Everything depends on him!” His voice was hushed. He stared off into the darkness at the palace, looming hugely with its high walls that stretched far away to the north. The walls were studded with windows here and there, and he could not see their tops clearly in the weak light. Somewhere inside were Gil and Annaka.
Suddenly the impossibility of the whole plan loomed just as large as the walls. How could Gil ever find out where Annaka was being held without raising suspicion? How could he leave his duties as a palace servant and go unnoticed? If someone became suspicious Gil might be detained or even tortured for information and thrown in prison, or worse. Alek and Steen might wait there by the stables for him until the sun rose in the east, and it would all be in vain.
Then Alek saw a figure emerge from the large doors, dart around the piled supplies and head towards the stables. He nudged Steen and pointed. Could they dare hope it was Gil? What if it was someone sent to betray them? Should they show themselves?
"It is Gil!" Steen happily clapped his large hand on Alek's shoulder. "Heaven and Earth! He has made it out to us!"
"Now we shall see if he was able to find what we need," Alek replied as Gil drew near, resisting the urge to run out to him.
Gil ran up and put his hands on his knees, gasping for breath. He could not speak for a moment or two. Alek anxiously scanned the way he had come but there was no sign of anyone following.
"The lady is in a corner room of the southwest tower," Gil said, pointing. "There. See the windows? Hers is the third from the bottom."
Alek sighed with relief. Gil had done it! There was no time now to ask how. She was in an outer room with a window! It was exactly what he had hoped.
"Thank you, my friend!" Alek grinned at Gil. He untwisted a long length of rope from where he had wound it around his middle to carry it, and then slung it over his shoulder.
"We will go to her window," Alek explained hurriedly. "You two will wait below while I climb up with the rope. Come on!" He dashed out from the behind the stables, across the dark field.
"But, Alek," he heard Gil's voice behind him as they ran. "You cannot climb that wall! It is smooth stone."
Alek did not answer, but merely waved his arm in beckoning. When he came to the palace as Annaka's servant, he noticed certain things he could not the first time he came as a prisoner. One thing he saw was that most of the lower walls were covered in clinging ivy. Not that he thought ivy would hold his weight - at least not without a little help, but perhaps his idea would work. He had no way of knowing if it would. This would be something he had never tried before, but then again everything that had happened in the last month was new and frightening.
They reached the palace walls and ran as softly as they could along them until they were standing under the window Gil had designated. Alek looked up at the dark spot above that was the window he would climb to. It was the third in a line of six windows, all appearing the same. The one on the ground level they could see was covered with wooden shutters, bound with brass strappings, and apparently they were all the same. The ivy seemed to grow up at least to the second window, maybe higher.
Steen reached out and put a hand on the polished stone and slowly swept his hand across it.
"Alek, Gil is right. You cannot climb this wall!" Steen hissed. "It is smooth, smooth as can be. You cannot even get a fingerhold, let alone purchase for your boots."
Alek stepped up and placed both hands on the wall, feeling the ivy, feeling the Earth beneath his feet. He knew this would look very odd to Steen and Gil, but that could not be helped. He would have to try to explain later.
He bowed his head and let his awareness sink down into the ground below, immediately sensing the great power pooled there. In quite the same way he did with his father, he pulled some of that power up, up into his hands. No, it was more like he allowed himself to become a gateway, opening a channel for the power to flow through. The tricky part, he had discovered with Mys, was controlling it. The vastness of the power was unimaginable, and he could only manage a small trickle at a time.
As soon as he made the opening, the power surged up through him, threatening to scour him to nothing. He forced it with all his strength down to a manageable stream, directing it through his hands into the ivy he was touching. With his mind he saw the incredible intricacies that made up each vine and marveled again at the complexity and beauty of growing things. He sent the power streaming up the vine, and with his mind directed it to multiply by a hundred times its ability to cling to stone. The vine thickened and writhed before his eyes.
He heard Steen and Gil gasp behind him, and he pushed away the worry about how this must look to them. Heaven and Earth, he might even be faintly glowing, as his father had that day in Jacob's orchard. Well, he would have to worry about that later.
He put his hands on the vine as far up as he could reach and slowly pulled himself up, hand over hand. It took every bit of strength he had, but the vine held tight. Up he went passed the second window, and thankfully the vine continued upward. When he reached the third window he was able to crouch on the narrow sill, although it felt extremely precarious.
Alek laid his ear against the wooden shutter but there was no sound from the room within. He felt along the crack of the two shutters, pulling and then pushing gently, but the shutters seemed to be barred from the inside.
He put both hands flat on the wood as he had before and sought to sink inside the wood. It was more difficult now since he was not standing on the ground, but he still felt contact with the Earth through the ivy vine.
He went deep inside the wood with his mind, deep, deep until he was actually able to see its components and how they were attached to one another. It was a simple matter of undoing those connections, one by one, until enough had come apart that the whole thing lost its cohesion. The shutters burst apart, with nothing left but the brass strappings.
He thought he now heard movement from within the room. He reached out to part the curtains just as they were thrown back.
To his horror, three soldiers gaped back at him. "It's him! Get him!" one of them yelled.
Alek could easily see the entire small room, lit with a couple of stand lamps. Annaka was not there! The soldiers lunged for him, and Alek felt a moment of paralyzing panic. It was a trap! Suddenly the fear of being bound and helpless again struck him, and he knew somehow he must get away, or die.
He leaped from the narrow ledge to the ground far below. When he hit the ground, he felt a shock of pain in his lower legs and they crumpled under him. Alek, he thought grimly, if you have broken your legs - ! Steen and Gil ran over to him, and he could see the soldiers leaning out of the window. None of them, it seemed, were quite enough of a fool to jump out after him.
"They have moved her," he muttered as Steen and Gil hovered over him. "It was a trap, laid for me."
A wave of nausea swept over him, and he forced his mind past it to clearness. Once again he delved into the Earth, easily now that he lay upon it. He allowed himself only a couple of seconds’ worth of the surging power, sending it shooting into his legs. Slowly he rolled to his feet. His legs hurt, but they bore his weight.
“Alek! Are you all right?” Steen asked, darting anxious glances at the window.
“Yes,” Alek replied, gingerly taking a few steps.
The soldiers turned from the window. "Come!" Gil said urgently. "This way!" He ran along the wall, back the way they had come. Alek and Steen hurried after, and Alek swallowed the rising fear. No doubt at this moment those soldiers were raising the alarm, although he could hear nothing yet.
There was a short flight of stairs leading from the grassy area next to the palace to a plain set of doors below ground level, apparently some kind of servants’ entrance. Gil ran down them, and Alek and Steen clattered after, Alek grimacing with the pain of each step. He thought, I will have to try that healing again later. His legs did not seem to be broken anymore, if they had been, but something was not quite right. Later! So many things must wait till later.
"Where are you taking us?" he hissed at Gil as he pushed open the door.
"Through the kitchens. Hurry! Soon the alarm will be sounded. I think I know where they have moved the young lady." Gil beckoned to them urgently, and they followed him through the doorway.
They ran through the dark, silent room, dodging around long preparation tables and sacks of foodstuffs stacked on the floor. On one side was a giant hearth, with the kitchen fire banked low for the night. There was no one in sight.
They dashed through large swinging doors into a long, dimly lit hallway. There was still no sound of soldiers or anything at all but their own footsteps and the sound of their ragged breathing.
"This way!" Gil turned left down the hallway and then down another flight of stairs. The darkness and quiet deepened.
"Are we going where I think we are going?" Alek said as they ran. He forced down a bubble of fear once again. He could not say anything looked familiar, considering his condition the last time he was in the bowels of the palace, but they were surely headed only one place. Annaka in the dungeon! Outrage warred with terror in his heart. Each step carried him deeper and further away from light and earth, and the stone walls seemed to curl over him.
Gil suddenly stopped and flattened himself against the wall. There ahead was the guard room with three prison guards sitting around a table, not asleep but clearly not expecting anything either at that time of the night. Their helmets lay at their feet, and weapons were leaning against walls or tossed onto the table.
"Quickly, now," Gil whispered, drawing his knife. They sprang into the room, with Steen going straight for a quarterstaff propped there and Alek following, doubling his fists.
They fell upon the surprised guards, and Alek was glad they did not have their helmets on as he struck one on the temple. How odd it felt! His heart pounded in his throat, and he gaped at the soldier as he slid to the ground. Steen lay about with the quarterstaff, and all three guards soon lay unconscious on the floor.
Keys! There must be keys to the cells somewhere on them. Hurriedly Alek looked, his hands darting everywhere over the guards, looking as quickly as he could - in pockets, on belts. Steen and Gil helped by flopping them over. There must be keys!
"Hey!" Two soldiers, apparently returning from patrolling, appeared in the hallway leading to the cells. They were definitely not in a stupor of inactivity as they drew their swords and started towards Alek, Steen and Gil. The prisoners in the cells were awakening, and hearing the commotion began to call and shout.
Alek noticed two things as they closed with the soldiers. First, one of them had a ring of keys attached to his leather belt. He must get those keys! Second, he noticed the cell hallway had a dirt floor - he felt the difference the moment he stepped onto it. As they struggled with the soldiers his mind was already leaping ahead to how that fact might help him and what he should do next.
One soldier was down, victim to Steen's mighty swipes with the quarterstaff. Alek was amazed Steen could wield it so well in the confined space of the hallway. Now the other fell, and as Alek jumped on top of him to get to the ring of keys, he yelled above the growing cacophony in the hallway.
"Annaka! Annaka, my lady, are you here?" He thought he might have heard a woman's voice in reply but could not tell for sure. Key ring in hand, he leaped up and ran down past the cell doors. The prisoners within were now screaming, desperately pleading for him to open their doors, whoever he might be. They could not see him, but they could tell something was amiss in the hallway, and hoped it might mean something good for them.
"Annaka!" he cried again, frantically listening at each door as he passed. Heaven and Earth, what if she was not here? He trembled all over with a mixture of adrenaline from the fighting, pain in his legs and sheer terror that any moment the hallway would be flooded with soldiers, trapping them down in this dungeon. There was obviously no way out except the way they had come.
Then he heard it - a shrill scream cutting above all the others, a woman's scream. Her scream. She was screaming his name.
Alek dashed to the door the sound seemed to come from. "My lady! Is it you? Annaka?"
"Alek!" Her voice was a shriek and a sob from behind the door.
Alek fumbled with the keys. There were dozens on the ring. How would he know which one was right? He did not have time to try them all! There were no markings on them and all looked nearly the same. He chose one at random and thrust it in the lock.
It would not turn. Alek growled in frustration. Gil and Steen now stood close by, Gil frantically wringing his hands and darting looks back down the hallway. Steen wiped away blood from a wound on his forehead with his shirtsleeve. Alek hoped it was not as bad as it looked.
"My lady, stand back from the door,” Alek shouted.
"We cannot break this door down, Alek," Steen panted. "It must be two feet thick! Not with ten big Sjaellanders and a treetrunk could we do it!"
Alek outstretched his arms and gently pushed his friends behind him. He put his palms flat against the door.
"Ohhhh,” Steen said. "I should have guessed - you're doing some of that again. Whatever that is."
"Watch for me,” Alek muttered. "I do not know how long this will take - or even if it will work." His brow furrowed with concentration, as he let himself go inside the wood of the door to attempt to do the same as he had with the shutters.
But this wood was old, very old, and it felt almost petrified with time. And Steen was right - it was thick, with more than one tree's wood making it up. He struggled with all his might to move apart those connections within, as he had before, but it was just too thick. Frustration and anger surged through him. He must save Annaka! He must! He let more of the Earth's power flow out through his hands, and more, and more, until he felt as if he were riding a raging river of white fire. The heat was hotter, the white whiter than anything he had ever felt or seen, and he knew he was dangerously close to losing himself. A sound began, a rumble that became a roar, and Alek’s mind exploded in a flash of whiteness. The world was gone.
"Alek! Alek!" Slowly he became aware that someone was shaking him. He opened his eyes, his awareness gradually settling back into his head. Something was wrong. He put his fingers on his face and felt his eyes were indeed open, but he could not see.
"Alek, you have done it!" he heard Gil exclaim. "But do stop now, before you bring the walls down around us."
"I have?" Alek stretched his hands out, groping. Hands lifted him to his feet where he stood unsteadily.
"What's wrong?" Steen said. "Can't you see what you did?"
"I cannot seem to see anything at all." Alek said, waving his hands in front of him. "Annaka? Is she free? Are they coming?"
"Just a moment," Steen replied, and Alek heard scraping noises, like something heavy being dragged. Then he heard Steen's voice, further away and slightly muffled.
"By your leave, milady," Steen was saying, "Let me carry you for just a bit. You cannot climb over all this rubble."
Then Alek's heart leapt. He heard Annaka's voice! "Just lift me over that big piece," she said. "Then I can manage." She was all right! But what had he done? There was some scuffling, and then he felt someone close by.
"Alek!" came Annaka’s voice, and he felt a soft hand on his sleeve. He turned toward the sound, but his eyes were still dark. He wanted to reach out to her, but he was afraid he might hit her accidentally.
"He cannot see, milady," Gil said. "But now we must flee. Surely by now they have sounded the alarm. Come! Hurry!" He grasped Alek's arm and they stumbled back down the hallway.
There was no longer any sound from the other prisoners. Alek wondered if they had simply given up because they received no response. He felt sad he could not have helped them, but now he was in no position to help anyone.
Gil grasped his arm firmly. “Step up, here, Alek…there…now again…put your hands here…” he guided Alek’s hands, and he felt a large shape, like a boulder. “Go around it now…” They seemed to be climbing over a pile of something, like rubble or big rocks. What had he done? He could feel fresh air on his face in marked contrast to the close, confining feeling of the air in the dungeon. They had not yet gone up the flight of stairs as far as he could tell. Fresh air! Perhaps he had brought the walls down around them! Heaven and Earth!
In front of him he could hear the sounds of Steen helping and encouraging Annaka. He tried to imagine climbing these uneven blocks of stone in a dress although doing it blind was a very hard thing indeed. They seemed to be still climbing upwards, and now he could hear the sounds of fighting and shouting from somewhere higher still.
“What is happening?” he asked. “Are those soldiers I hear?”
“Yes,” Gil replied, “I think they are trying to round up the prisoners.”
“The prisoners?” Alek’s mind whirled. The prisoners had all escaped? How? Was that why he had not heard them calling out to him as he passed?
“Careful, now, Alek,” Gil’s hands on Alek’s shoulders guided him to the left. “We are almost out now. Once we are…well, I do not know.”
Alek took two more steps on the sharp and slippery rocks and then felt level, grassy ground under his feet. Suddenly, he could see splotches of color begin to appear before his eyes and slowly, his vision faded in, from spotty to blurry to clear once again.
He looked around, gasping. Apparently, the dungeon ranged out from directly beneath the palace to under the grounds directly to the side of it. In the moonlight he saw the walls and ceiling of the dungeon had all fallen in and dirt, grass, and rubble from the stone walls were heaped in a huge pit that once was the dungeon. Had anyone been buried?
“Heaven above,” he murmured. Across the grounds was a pandemonium of prisoners and soldiers fighting, shouting, trying to run away. Perhaps a hundred prisoners in the tattered remnants of clothing grappled with maybe half so many soldiers, although surely more were on their way. The soldiers were better clothed, healthy and had actual weapons, but the prisoners were fighting for their lives and were not being subjugated easily. Many were running across the field, through the stable gates into the forest beyond, some being followed, some not.
“Gil! I can see again!” Alek cried, and whirled around, looking for Annaka and Steen. They were only a few steps away, but four soldiers were approaching them. Amazingly, Steen still had the quarterstaff with him and was raising it while at the same time motioning Annaka to move back.
Impulsively, Alek dashed to his side. “Steen! Let me have your staff!” Alek was not sure what made him say that, and Steen stared at him in amazement. The soldiers were closing, and Alek held out his hand urgently. Steen silently handed it over, the look on his face almost fearful.
Alek held up the staff as Steen had taught him, and the soldiers were upon him, swords flashing. He settled his feet firmly on the ground, and with the blood pounding in his head he began parrying their thrusts. He wasn’t sure at all how he did it; all he knew was that he inexplicably felt strong, very strong. In his hands the wood of the staff felt natural and part of him, somehow. One sword was knocked out of a pair of hands, then two. He jabbed one soldier in the chest, sending him flying backwards, and one’s legs flew out from under him with a long, sideways swipe with the staff. A head - or was it two, he wasn’t sure, he cracked with good, stiff strokes, and suddenly there were none left standing, and he handed the staff back to a startled Steen.
“Alek! I see you have your eyes back!” he laughed. “You are full of surprises tonight! Now, it is time to leave before anything else unbelievable happens and I faint from shock! More soldiers are coming, you can be sure.”
Alek mopped sweat from his face with his sleeve. The world, it seemed, stood on its head. He could not understand what had just happened, from the collapse of the prison to the blindness to the little fight with the quarterstaff. He would have to puzzle it all out later, though. Right now nothing mattered but getting Annaka to safety.
A horn sounded, and soldiers began pouring onto the field from the opposite end of the palace. “Let us fly!” Steen shouted. “Milady, we will not leave you behind, but can you run?”
In response, Annaka gathered handfuls of skirts in her hands and dashed away in a flash of petticoats and lace. Alek laughed aloud and ran after her, and Steen and Gil followed close behind. “This way, my lady!” They angled off towards the area of the forest where the horses were hidden.
“There! Get them!” a soldier yelled, and Alek saw two men on horseback point towards them in the darkness.
“Stop!” Alek shouted. They could not lead soldiers to their horses’ hiding place. He gritted his teeth in anger. They would not take Annaka! They would not take him, either! He turned, clenching his fists, but what he could do against men on horseback, he did not know.
“Alek!” Steen said hurriedly. “You must take Lady Annaka and get yourselves into the forest, under cover, then double back and take a horse. Gil and I will be there shortly - as soon as we send these soldiers back to bed.”
“I will not leave you!” Alek protested, looking around frantically. The soldiers were nearly upon them. What should be done?
“Go! Now! Don’t be a fool,” Steen shoved him, hard enough that he staggered. The soldiers galloped up, their swords glittering in the moonlight, and Alek saw Annaka standing bravely with her head up, but so easily could she be grabbed! So easily could she be cut down!
“Come, my lady,” he said, and grabbed her hand. Together they ran, away from Steen, Gil and the soldiers, into the dark forest beyond.