Cursed: Traitor's Trail

Chapter 15 part 2

Much later, Aya paced the uneven floor of the hollow. Near the opening one chunk of wood protruded that tripped her every time she went by, but her unsettled mind required continued motion.

Darkness fell upon New Hope, but it was nothing compared to the absolute blackness in the hollow. Which means I can't be seen, she reminded herself; grateful for the cover, and that her guards kept post at the bottom of the stump and not where they might find her stumbling around suspicious. Somewhere below, Bane waited for them to be suitably distracted, or at least away from the ladder.

Actually, his willingness to go along with her idea of setting up a trap surprised her. Now she only waited for the opportune moment.

She hated waiting.

On the thousandth pass, Aya stopped where she tripped. Stupid demon cursed tree. Feeling around with her hands, she searched for the piece that gave her so much trouble. If she removed it, she would be spared from more tripping. And it gave her something to do while she waited anxiously.

There. She grabbed the protrusion, but it held solid. Really solid. Yanking didn't help either.

She released it, unsure what she was doing to begin with. Her stomach felt as though someone wrung it out from a good washing. As she sat back the piece clacked, and a clatter followed.

For a moment, she couldn't think. No, it wasn't the wood, something was in the hollow with her. Fear drove her to the floor, where she hoped that an owl would have a hard time spotting her. It hadn't taken her long to figure out where all the loose feathers had come from. Had the demon returned, only to find her in its nest? No one told her where it had gone in the first place.

A second clack, much like the first, rattled against the back of the hollow. Through her shaky breathing it sounded more like a bouncing pebble than talons. A realization clicked in her mind.

Ahh. The signal. Aya rubbed her eyes, noting that the next time she escaped something that required a signal, it might be best to set it out beforehand. At least it would save her from trembling on the floor in fright.

She rose to her feet, forgoing the chunk of wood and the uneven floor, and scooted to the hollow's edge, leaning out as far as she dared.

Below she made out the vague black shapes of the nearby tents. The form of one guard slouched against the stump a short distance from the ladder. Sleeping?

She did not see the other. Where had he gone? Well, if Bane signaled her, it must be the best time to make an attempt. She wouldn't waste the opportunity given.

She lowered herself awkwardly, which required dangling both feet over the edge and desperately searching for toe-holds. Her robes scraped roughly against the coal and ash and she flinched at the sound.

At last her foot caught an indent and she pushed the top half of her body outward, prepared to begin the descent. She noticed the trouble right away, when her robe didn't come outward with her. The fabric tightened uncomfortably when she moved.