Dark Tidings

Chapter 11 - Escape

Tung crept out of the prison basement and navigated his way through the people milling around the cobbled courtyard which led to the main gate out of the castle keep.

"Are you still there?" he whispered.

"Yes, but we can't keep talking, someone will hear us."

"Look, it's not too crowded here, so let's stick together by holding hands." He surprised himself when he suggested it, but it was the easiest way to stay in touch. After a bit of swishing his arms around, he felt something invisible.

"Ow," said Madrick. "My nose."

"Shhh," said Tung as he felt his way down Madrick's face and arm to his hand. "Right, now hold on tight."

They approached the castle gate where four beefy guards were questioning people as they passed in and out. He tensed a little and held Madrick's hand tighter, like a child would grip a parent's hand when scared.

"Hey, you two," shouted one of the guards, looking straight at them.

Tung froze.

"Yeah, you two," shouted the guard, louder this time.

Had they suddenly become visible? He looked at where Madrick was, nothing. He examined himself, nothing. How the hell could the guard see them? What was happening? Just as he was about to leg it, he heard footsteps behind him; running footsteps. He turned, preparing for a fight, but what he saw made him laugh. Two men were scampering away across the courtyard, dropping raw eggs as they fled; stolen eggs, he guessed.

"Stop them," screamed the guard as he brushed past Tung and set off in pursuit of the runners.

"This is too easy," whispered Tung as he slipped through the gate and into the narrow streets which criss-crossed the inner ward of the great stone fortification. This was indeed too easy.

The castle stood on a hill and towered over Thamesius, the largest town in Mifal's kingdom. The massive structure could be seen from every part of the city. It was a magnificent stone construction with thick granite ramparts and high defensive towers at each corner of the pentagon-shaped outer walls. With its reputation of being impenetrable, most of England's various invaders avoided it and got on with the job of conquering the rest of Britain. William and his all-conquering Normans came years later and even he chose to form an uneasy alliance with Mifal rather than tackle the daunting defences. Thamesius therefore attracted thousands of rural dwellers who were fed up with being terrorised by invading raiders. The city was a sanctuary so the immigrants kept coming, and coming, and coming.

Thamesius was a bustling settlement but it was a grey, cold place. Its cramped damp houses, unevenly cobbled streets, dark stinking alleys and rats the size of cats were just a few of the things which made it unwelcoming. Despite that, the town was growing dramatically, partly because of the thriving commerce but mainly due to the waves of scared Britons who had fled from the surrounding farmlands. This influx of peasants made for a dangerous environment. The locals resented the immigrants, claiming they were stealing their jobs. They refused them shelter, so many of the newcomers lived rough on the streets. There were just too many people and too few houses. This led to a homeless underclass which would do anything to survive. Robberies, beatings and murders were commonplace. These were the streets where Tung had grown up and learnt what few skills he had. Now he was running for his life in those same streets.

As he weaved his way unseen through the throng, he accidentally bumped into a few folk but it went unnoticed in the hustle and bustle. People just didn't bother to look round to see who had bumped them. They were either too lazy, or too scared. After all, a misplaced look could lead to a deadly confrontation in these dangerous streets.