Pauper Princess

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Beneath the hooded cloak, I found it impossible to make out the face of the person looming above me. All I knew was that they were speaking. "Get up. Put your boots on."

When I did not immediately move, they reached down to grip my hair with their free hand, the other hand still holding the blade dangerously close to my throat. They yanked me upright in the bed, and I heard Elizabeth's stuttered breathing beside me. She was awake.

Silently praying that Elizabeth at least had enough survival instincts in her not to speak, I stood upright, stumbling slightly when I felt the blade press against the back side of my neck now. My boots were beside the bed- despite having been stored away in the wardrobe when I was tucked in that night.

I hurried to put them on, spurred by the threat of the cold metal against me. To Elizabeth's credit, she did not make a single sound- out of the corner of my eye, I saw her slowly pulling the blankets over her head, inconspicuously hiding from the nightmare in the only way she could.

The man yanked the foot-blanket from the bed, but thankfully, Elizabeth was far enough up that this action did not uncover her in any way. He folded the blanket's corners in, creating a sack from it. He began to shove items around the room into it- vases, jewelry boxes, perfume bottles, even pairs of shoes.

Shoving the sack into my hands, and warning me that the blade would not miss its mark if I dared scream or drop anything from it, the man shoved me towards the window. I stiffened, wondering if he truly planned to jump- we were far from the ground.

But there was a rope hanging from the ledge of the balcony- I wondered how many throws it had taken for him to get it round the railings, and then to tie it off and make the climb up. How had I slept through it all? Had I truly lost all of my edge, all of my survival instincts?

I could not help but let out a startled cry when the man threw me over his shoulder, holding my legs painfully tight as he started back down the rope. As soon as he reached the ground, he flipped me back on to my feet, offering me no recovery time as the blood rushed from my head. He shoved me forward once more, the blade again at the back of my neck.

As we neared the sidegate, we made a sharp turn, coming to a tree. A boy was tied to it, struggling against his bindings, but he stilled as we came into view.

Eli.

He looked to me, water in his eyes, and lines down his dirt-stained cheeks from where tears had already fallen.

"Meli, I'm sorry!" He had a line of red across his neck, as well as blood streaming down his arms, and I knew that he had not given my location away without a good fight.

The man behind me briefly pulled the knife away, but I did not run, knowing Eli would be the one to pay the price. In a matter of seconds, Eli had been cut free, and I was again thrown over the man's shoulder- the blade was against Eli's neck now. I struggled to keep a firm grip on the sack of stolen goods, so as to not rouse this man's anger.

"What is it you want?" I asked, my voice shaking more than I cared to admit.

The man did not respond- he simply kept walking, picking up his pace. He hurried off the path, taking us into the forest. Looking at the ground beneath us, I realized that his steps were calculated- smart, even. He stepped around every patch of mud or raised grass, leaving behind no footprints.

Recalling Elizabeth's words- that her family would do all that they could to locate me if I ever disappeared- I slowly pulled out one of the rags twisted in my hair, dropping it behind us on the path. I did this several times, until the rags were all gone. They would leave a scent for the hounds to trace.