As They Fall [First Draft] ~ Currently Editing ~

Thirteen

A/N: Sorry this chapter took longer than usual, I was away for the weekend and didn't have time to do any writing. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. As always, vote if you liked it and comment you opinions below :) x

          I opened my eyes slowly, wincing in pain as a dull ache began to radiate from my eye, through to the back of my skull. The right side of my face was pressed against filthy straw, cold stone and the reek of human excrement. I attempted to lift myself into a sitting position, but a sharp,stabbing pain in my left side caused me to inhale sharply and collapse. I looked around and saw that I was in a cell with Elizabeth, who had her back to me as she leant against the bars separating our cell from Merek's. Panic flooded through me as I began to recall our capture.

"How long have a been unconscious?" I croaked, my voice catching in my parched throat. Hearing my voice Elizabeth rushed to my side and whispered,

"Six or seven hours."

"Charlie?," I murmured. She did not reply.

"Where is Charlie?" My voice shaking as I struggled to rise again. Elizabeth placed her arm around my shoulders to steady me as she replied,

"I'm sorry. They took him a little while ago. He's to be hanged at dawn."Her voice was filled with sorrow and fear, causing it to tremble as she spoke. In the weak, flickering light, I could see her long black hair was matted with straw and filth. It hung limply about her oval face that was decorated with several dark bruises. In the cell next to us I could see Merek was staring intently at the figure of a sleeping guard, whose helmet had dipped down, covering his eyes.

          "Why are they hanging Charlie?" I murmured, "The poster says he's wanted alive."

"That's the only reason they're waiting until dawn," replied Elizabeth, "My brother will be here by then. He's been following us. The guards found us because one the mercenaries you spoke to had seen the poster and tipped them off." Despite the anger and frustration I could feel welling within me, I managed to suppress my emotions, and said,

"We need to get out of here." Elizabeth nodded her head in agreement and glanced over to where Merek was crouched, still watching the dozing guard. I managed to stand up, despite the pain surging throughout my body, and walked over to him.

"What are you doing?" I whispered, crouching down so I was on the same level as him.

"Escaping," he replied flatly without looking at me. I arched an eyebrow at his tone but said nothing. From this position I could see the cells housing us were the only ones. The room contained two cells and a large, wooden chest that no doubt contained our belongings. The walls were stone and windowless, a single brazier in the far corner of the room the only source of light. The sleeping guard was seated on a stool, his back against the wall, a stairwell to his right and the chest to his left. As I surveyed the room, Merek's gaze finally shifted from the sleeping guard to the locked door in front of him.

          In a swift, snake-like motion, Merek withdrew a dagger from somewhere within the folds of his tunic and put his arm through the bars, inserting the dagger into the lock. Holding it in place, he reached up to a beaded segment of his hair and pulled free a thin piece of metal, which he then pushed into the lock as well. After a few minutes of rearranging and jostling the dagger and piece of metal, a clicking noise sounded from within the lock. Wordlessly, Merek slipped through the cell door and approached the wooden chest.

The hinges groaned in protest as he opened it, causing the guard to jerk awake. Before he could react, Merek darted toward him and slid the dagger up beneath the guard's chin, causing him to convulse and produce a horrible gurgling sound, before he lay still forever. As he wiped the blood from the blade on the guard's brown tunic, I noticed the sapphire in the hilt and recognised it as my own dagger. I had thought it lost during the fight with guards, but realised now that he must have picked it up. After Merek had finished removing his possessions from the wooden chest, he made for the stairs.