Loathe and Lust

Chapter 9

                  

Anya was shaken awake by the frantic voice of Margaret calling out for her.

"Get up, dear. They are come."

It proved difficult to acclimatise herself, her stagnant brain cells were still in a state of slumber.

"What is happening?" She asked her companion.

The light outside suggested that it was the break of dawn, too early to rise.

"They are come. The uprising is here, be quick before the guards come for you!" Margaret was frantic as she swept the straw on the ground until a wooden trap door appeared.

"Margaret! You lied to me! There was an escape after all!" Anya just began to fully realise the situation.

"Nonsense! I did not lie. There are guards patrolling the corners of the palace however since there is pandemonium outside, I am sure every one of the leeches is needed on the front. Come, be quick! This tunnel will lead us to the back, outside the kitchen. Come now Anya, there is no time for that now." Margaret's hurried voice stopped Anya from washing her face, instead she draped on her pinafore hurriedly and ran toward the woman.

Anya stopped suddenly as her stomach began churning within itself. Before she could warn Margaret of what was happening, she flew to the side and regurgitated all of last night's bread and soup to the ground, near Margaret's feet.

"Just as so." Margaret, the poor woman, commented while she patted Anya's back.

Before Anya could ask what she meant by that comment, she was attacked by the metal cup of water thrown into her mouth. She forced herself to drink the water although her body felt like rejecting the liquid.

"I must have caught a bug." Anya burped and excused herself.

Margaret was in a state of hurry as she dragged Anya and began helping her down the trap door. There was a dark tunnel of abyss awaiting her and as Anya looked up, she saw Margaret following her with the candle light on her hand.

"You have not caught a bug, dear." Margaret told her as she led the way to the tunnel, grasping Anya's hand with her free one.

Anya puzzled at the comment before asking what she meant.

"You showed symptoms for the past three mornings, although you were unconscious for the two of them." The woman spoke as she dragged her.

"Symptoms?" Anya was confused.

Margaret stopped suddenly and brought the candle light unto Anya's face. "Do you not know?"

"Know what?" Anya's eyes bulged.

"Anya, dear, you are with child."

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From the moment Ryder saw them taking her away, all he knew from then on was revenge. He fed on it, it was the only thing that made him sleep at night and continue on with the plans Edward Rivers' men made. Originally, Rivers had planned a full week until retaliation, but Ryder could not wait for that long. He barely could stay hopeful that Anya was alive, let alone how she was being treated if she was.

No, they had to attack sooner rather than late. The argument about the date to throw King Herald out of the throne went on for a day and all that time Ryder knew they were wasting time.

What was the wait for? They had the equipment, the men and the agility. He taught them all he knew. Since he had been the one that had trained King Herald's guards, he had the advantage. He knew every weakness, every secret entrance to that palace and where the guards would likely to be. So what was the wait for?