Rage and Rebellion (Histories of Havenhearth)

7.9 Gwinael

Gwinael caught Andri's worried glance and she tried a reassuring smile, but then turned her head back forward. Her face had gone a little purple and her eyes were sparkling wet, from holding back tears. From somewhere, amidst the drops of rain, a panpipe was heard, it played a Tainish spiritualist song as they walked along. The pipes and the drums lying in their unguarded store room. This was something. A notion of escape but one not yet formulated. Gwinael could do nothing until she could ensure the safety of the others. Something struck her: Cerys had said that the door to her quarters was not locked. Her visitors had entered and exited freely- There, where they had just put the instruments, the door neither was locked. If Gwin could get out, then she could hide in that store room, at least temporarily.  No, that was too simplistic. She shrugged, what did she know about matters like this? No, certainly that was the solution to joining the others. She could hardly try to escape on her own. But they were now getting short on time- the caravan could come the next night even, and after that it would bed too late, she was certain of it. The Tainish supplies would be dwindling too. Her thoughts curved, going round and round.

Some of the mob reassembled, expressing their hatred by spitting or calling out insults they could not understand. When a command was given and the escorting cavalry drew their swords, there was no further interference from the crowd. The rebel leader had apparently made it clear that absolutely no one was to interfere or even to show disrespect to fallen combattants. Gwinael was not quite sure the Tainish would have done the same if the situation had been reversed.

The small group moved beyond the city walls and towards the river, where they were quite shocked to see two Tainish ships, with marine protectorate just standing around idly on board. She took a quick look at Andri, who did not seem to share her surprise.

although she had been mulling over a breakout for some time, she had always thought that they would have to reach the Herb Hills in order to be safe from the rebels. But despite a cover of darkness, breakout at night for the hills....it felt fated from the outset. The mob would just chase them, and given their weakened state, would certainly have be able to run them down, becoming, she was certain, most savage when they caught their prey. The ships. Something about the ships. Her mother could certainly not be counted on- she had seen the look in her mother's eyes that very morning. By now she probably even regretted the meeting.
Indeed, if they could reach the boats though, that would be something else entirely. That seemed far more likely a successful exit. She had to figure something out soon, before it was too late she to talk to Andri anymore.

The rebels had chosen a satisfactory location for the graves: their combattant colleagues were to rest for eternity along the riverbank. They were lifted from the cart and deposited into the shallow graves, hurriedly dug in front of them. Both murmured a request that the spirits guide them well. When the graves were filled with soil, Gwinael lay the small rocks as grave markers. Then it was over and they began their return to the fort.
Gwinael was shaken up. "What is happening here Andri?"
"Those are Tainish marine protectorate ships. Their capitaine -charming woman- is in the dungeon with us with a Cassioni girl," Andri kept his voice low and his eyes forward. "When we were in the box, I could feel a crumbling at my feet.
It's strange, it wasn't there  the first time i didn't feel anything at all. And then I noticed it later on, it's like it just appeared, but There might be a way out if we can work at it, and with the ships here, we don't have too far to go."
"It's not guarded either, the box I mean." She whispered back, sharing the information Cerys had given her. "No one stays around while you guys have been in there,"
That's all they managed to get out before he was yanked back, so they couldn't speak anymore. She had failed again, missed her chance, had been too slow to put something together.  Her thoughts were interrupted by the second in command.

"Please accompany me to see master Jade, immediately." The leader's second in command had shown up, avoiding  eye contact with Gwinael, as usual. She was led up the staircase once again. Jade was there, in her long tunic, looking through the magnifer towards the hills. She lowered the scope as Gwinael approaches. "I require your help."
"I don't think so,"
"You have already helped me, more help does not change anything, does it?" Jade smiled- Gwinael had finally learned her name- shrugged.
"Communicating your message while my colleagues were being tortured is not helping you."
"Call it what you wish Snowberry." She paced up and down, saying nothing for awhile. "The tainish protectorate, your mother, are moving. Or at least I have noticed movements. I cannot ascertain what is happening and without that information, I cannot plan for when and how my supplies will arrive." The hairs on Gwinael's neck prickled up. "And soon they will arrive, let me assure you. But it would help to know exactly how much of my strength I should send out to meet them. Do you understand?"
"I have no idea why you think I will
Be able to help with that. At least having me talk to my mother made sense."
"Take the scope, take a look, and tell me it is what you see." Gwinael was handed the scope. Hesitantly, she held it up to her eyes and directed it towards where the leader had been looking moments before. Her hands trembled and she struggled to see anything at all.
"I can't help you," she said suddenly, giving the scope back to its owner. "You can help me, and you will!" She angered quickly. "Or you will find things become a little more unpleasant for you."
"Well even if I wanted to, I can't, and I don't want to, so I. Still. Can't."
Jade barked an order and two guards grabbed a hold of Gwinael's arms, ripping her tunic over her head, leaving her in her nightshirt. She was then dragged down the stairs and into the courtyard, by her wrists. But not before she got a look downwards, to the box and the wall, and a little hill in the grass against the wall which was not far from her room, she was certain.
The rebel leader followed behind, with a leather whip in her hands. "You are quite sure you cannot help?"
"Quite," she said, her eyes closing as she whispered to the spirits to guide her.
"It is not required information I seek- But it would be useful.  you could hardly be accused of betrayal. Indeed, you would probably save lives by helping me, a great number of them. least of which yours."
"I can't. Help. You." Gwinael was mostly telling the truth. She closed her eyes, bracing herself against those gripping her arms, waiting for her punishment. Nothing came. She opened them to find Jade looking at her with curious eyes for some time, saying nothing. She let out of lungful of air slowly, in control. The first cut came down hard on her back, an involuntary scream came out of her mouth, her eyes watered up with the flash of stinging pain she knew had cut her skin.
Then nothing, no sound, no movement, even the rain seemed to stop. Gwinael sucked in her breath, trying to catch her breathing up to her heart rate. The next cut came down, whistling, ending with a crack. Followed immediately by a third.
"You need not suffer this Snowberry."
She said nothing.
Three more lashes followed. Agony, pain, screaming, she fainted. They woke her by rubbing salt into the cuts on her back. "And still now?" She couldn't even muster the strength to utter a single word, so she lay there. "Then it is not you who will suffer this any longer," the leader said, "at least not alone." She signaled her guards and they let Gwinael slump to the ground.
She felt hands grasp her under her shoulders and drag her along, she was not sure where to. The lacerations on her mangled back hurting with every draft of air, with every raindrop. But she could do nothing and she lay there in a daze until she heard the others coming up, attempting and failing to get to her feet. She managed to keep her eyes open but could not even return the salutes of the other combattants.

Jade had not appeared for the inprisonment, presumably back at work trying to ascertain what actions were occurring in the Tainish lines. The second in command, who still remained nameless oversaw their incarceration. Gwinael realised Andri was at her side. "Are you ok?"
"Could be better," Gwinael managed to spit out. His strong arms cradled her as much as he could as he dragged her to her feet, placing her as gently as he could against the wall of the box, and stepping in beside her.
Gwinael was in absolute torment as what was left of her nightdress rubbed against the broken skin, and her back made contact with the wall. She gripped Andri's hand as the front of the box began to scratch along its rails in closing. She was not sure she was going to make it out. A small clang sounded, the lid in place. Cursed moans and murmurs came from somewhere. Gwinael closed her eyes and was engulfed by the darkness.

"Gwinael, wake up. Can you hear me? I need you to listen to me. I need you to wake up. Gwinael, please. Can you hear me?"
"I'm here," she mumbled.
"You've been asleep awhile. And I need your help. I put you right near the crumbling part of the wall, and I've been working at it for the last few hours. You should be able to fell a hole with your left foot." Gwinael kicked around, right back into nothingness. Her back complained immediately, but there was definitely a large hole in the wall. "Now I can't fit through, and I'm not flexible enough, but you can, if you're back is ok."
"Won't they hear us?"
"There is nobody guarding us. They know we are stuck in here." A faint feeling of hope.
"Jade told me they have been watching the Tainish lines, wondering what is happening. It's my guess all of their attention is focused outwards, not on us."
"But your back?"
"I'll manage, but how?"
"I'm not sure, but maybe you get both feet out and somehow drop to your knees and then squiggle out. I don't know if you'll be able to with your back."
"Well even if I can, there's no chance, too much ground to cover and we'll stick out as we tried to get through the town, you saw the mob.@
"We have to try something though, we can't just wait in this box,"
"And even if we go, what about the others?"
"That's the odd thing, they were gone when we got back- the capitaine and the girl,"
"Ok, that's strange, but how long has it been?"
"I can't say for certain, but I think at least four hours. It's still not fully dark. We need to wait. I'm going to keep kicking. " Andri kept working while Gwinael in a far worse state than all of the others, endured torture. none of the others were in much pain, just extreme discomfort, stiffness and suffering from a constant need to scratch or stretch, without being able to do either. she fell back into a fitful sleep. It was a shout that woke her up. "What was that?" She whispered to Andri. "An attack? don't know, "
First there was nothing, but then came shouts and excited orders, moving feet of people and horses and turning wheels of carts and the sound they had all been dreading came, the key was put into the lock in the wall and the lid of the box began to move open.