The Fourfold Key

Chapter Fourteen: The Escape

Ramere led them through the torch-lit hallways, slipping in and out of doorways and arches unseen and unheard. Ruth tried to copy her silent technique, but so far had not succeeded. Ramere had turned to shush her multiple times already.

Ruth was bored. There were no guards, no traps that triggered a multitude of arrows to rain down on them, no nothing. She looked at the ground, kicking a stray piece of rock in front of her. I wish something would happen. Let Ramere knock out a guard or something, at the very least, she grumped to herself. She gave the rock an especially hard kick. It bounced down the hall and rolled around the corner. Not bothering to look both ways as she usually did, she raced around the corner. Picking up the rock, she looked back for Tom and Ramere. Both of them walked into view. Ruth turned back and froze. Right in front of her, leaning on the wall, was a guard. Ruth dropped the rock. It clattered on the ground, making the walls of the prison echo. The guard looked up, staring straight at her. He frowned. Pushing himself off the wall, he stretched and advanced toward her. The guard stopped two feet away from her and leaned down. He picked up the rock she had dropped and examined it. He looked up at the ceiling, then shrugged. Then he looked back at her. Ruth cringed, sure the quest was over. She shut her eyes, waiting for his strong arms to wrap around her and drag her into the deepest, darkest cell in the dungeon. When nothing happened, she cracked open her eyes. The guard was standing there, eyes wide and glassy. Then he turned and began to walk toward the nearest door, swaying and murmuring as he went. Ruth stared. The guard walked through the door and shut it behind him.

Tom and Ramere rushed to her.

"Are you alright?" Tom asked, rushing around the corner. "What happened?"

"I don't know," she gasped. "It was like I was invisible to him. And then he went into a sort of trance thing and walked in there. Oh gee, that was really weird." Ruth was still staring after the man, cold fear rippling through her.

"Strange indeed," Ramere murmured, flicking her fingernails together.

"Well, at least we're okay," Ruth said, smiling halfheartedly.

"Hrrmph. I don't like it." Tom frowned, staring at the door.

"Let's go," Ramere urged. "We shouldn't have stopped; we're losing time."

They scurried down the passages, following Ramere. They saw one other guard, but he, too, just went into a trance and wandered into the nearest room. Tom was very concerned by the strange behavior, but Ruth was just relieved. Ramere took the lead, jogging around a bend. They had been going at that pace for a while, Ruth felt a cramp coming on. She took a deep breath to ignore the pain in her side. As she breathed in, she smelled the foul stench of the dungeon, but something else. Something...fresh. Something sweet.

"Air!" Ruth cried. "Fresh air!"

Ramere turned back to look at her. "Yes, we are getting very close. So you - all of us - must be silent."

Tom quickened his pace to catch up with Ruth. "What are we going to do?" he whispered. "About Ramere, I mean. She can't come with us."

Ruth frowned. She hadn't thought of that. "I don't know. Let's not deal with this now. One problem at a time."

"I agree," Ramere said softly from in front of them. "Whatever you're planning, let's get out of here first. Escape now, plan later."

Ruth and Tom blushed, ashamed that she had overheard.

Ramere led them up a flight of stairs, the light growing brighter the higher they went. They were almost to the top of the stairs when Ramere halted.

"The exit is right through the door at the top of the stairwell. There will be many guards. Unless..." Ramere trailed off. She shook out her hair. Ruth hadn't realized how long it was. It reached her waist. "Here," she said, tossing them each a short sword—these she had taken from the torture chamber. She herself had taken a bow and a quiver of arrows. "Use these."