Guarding the Angel

Chapter 16

I curl my arms around my legs as I sit on the dungeon floor. My throat feels raw from shouting, but I am no closer to escaping either the prison or my heart's pain. For so long, I was careful not to get close to anyone --- I was careful not to let anyone get close to me. I didn't want them to get hurt by association. 

Now, Pat is dead and Cloud is nowhere to be found. I smile sardonically. Ah the days when my biggest worry was escaping the lunchroom. 

A door creaks down the hall. My muscles tense and I begin to breathe faster. Heavy footsteps march up to the cell door I can't see through. I climb to my feet as the door swings open, looking around for anything that could be used as a weapon.

Since my wrists are chained to the wall and my ankles are chained to the floor, even if someone had been stupid enough to leave a weapon-convertible around, I doubt I would stand a chance against whoever comes through the door. 

My shoulders relax a little when I realize that neither my would-be murderer or Latif are the visitor. Instead, it is a guard. He towers over me. "I have food for you," he grunts out, shoving a tray of bread, fruit and cheese towards me.

I take the tray from him and he spins around and leaves immediately. Once I can no longer hear his footsteps, I sit back down and examine the food. Bright red raspberries glisten on the edge of the tray. They smell a lot sweeter than the wild raspberries I'd sometimes find around home.

Next to the raspberries, the bread is still warm and generously buttered. My stomach growls. I let out a sigh and then break the bread up into bread crumbs, spreading it as thin as I can around myself on the dungeon floor. I shove the berries and cheese into my boots. 

I've just finished making it look like I've eaten the food when the cell door opens. A few guards enter. They are carrying a large sack made of grey fabric. 

"Now that she's eaten the poison, we can dispose of her. She's as good as a corpse," the first guard declares, walking up to me. He taps me with his boot.

I make myself go as limp as possible, crossing my eyes and breathing shallowly. Two of the other guards approach me. 

"She doesn't look like she's on the brink of death," the second guard says, "I don't think that the poison worked."

"Silence!" the first guard shouts, voice wavering on the second syllable. 

All three of the guards exchange a dark look. 

"If she's not actually dying and we let her go, he'll kill all of us," the third guard says softly, "Only one of us has to die if she's not dying and we don't let her go."

ccThe other two guards nod their heads slightly. "Which one of us delivers the news tthat the poison doesn't work?" the first guard asks.

"I have the least to lose," the third guard says, "My parents died when I was young and I never married. I don't have anything to return to. I'll go."

My heart hammers in my chest. I reach down into my boot, pulling a berry out. I can't be responsible for another death. 

***

"Wake up," a voice whispers into my ear, "We have to get out of here."

"Pat?" I say, opening my eyes and sitting up suddenly. 

The shadowy figure leaning over me comes into focus. It's not Pat, it's Cloud. His face is a ghastly white. 

"Where have you been?" I demand, wiping a single escaped tear from the corner of my left eye.

Cloud doesn't answer. Instead, he pulls me to my feet. "Come on, we have to go. My brother will find us soon. When he does, he'll slaughter you and then slaughter me."

I let Cloud drag me along. For some reason, I feel more energetic than usual. Either my adrenaline has reached an all-time high or I am actually transforming into a mindless killing machine. 

Cloud starts running. I follow him, surprised to find that my legs don't protest at all. "This way," Cloud says, putting a hand on my back to turn me down a small passageway. 

Halfway down the passageway, Cloud comes to a stop. He peels back a large fabric tapestry to reveal brick wall identical to the wall everywhere else in this place. Cloud looks down both ways of the hallway. After verifying that there isn't anyone around, he pulls an amulet out from around his neck. He presses it against the brick wall. 

Quickly, he takes a step back and grabs my hand. "Stay close to me," he instructs.

I wait for something to happen, but the brick wall remains the same. Cloud's grip tightens on my hand ever-so slightly. After thirty seconds, he lets the tapestry fall again. "I don't know how he knew," he says and then falls to his knees.

"Get up," I exclaim, "We don't have time. We have to find another way out of here."

Cloud looks up at me with cloudless blue eyes. "It's over. My brother's won this battle I never wanted to fight. He's won this battle that never had to be."

"No, he hasn't," I say, reaching under Cloud's arms. I use most of my strength to hoist him up. "It isn't over until we're caught. Come on, there has to be another way."

"There never was a way," a new voice says. 

I turn to see my would-be-murderer standing at the end of the hallway. His lips are upturned, revealing perfectly white teeth, pointed ever-so-slightly at the tips.