What were they doing in here? This place is empty! One last look, up the other side.
A noise alerted her. Quiet, but she definitely heard something, maybe a scratching sound? It was close, whatever it was. She strained her ears, trying to pick up the source of the noise.
“mmmm, mmmm.”
It was a voice - a mumble! Very low and difficult to hear, but a voice, she was sure. Her heart beat faster, and it sounded so loud, she feared it might drown out the strange mumbling.
“Hello?” she said, quietly and softly.
“mmmmmm,”
There it was again. She had not imagined it!
“Hello?!” she asked, louder this time.
“mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!”
“Who’s there? Jana?”
“MMMMMMMMMMM! MMMMMMMMMM! MMMMMMMMMMMMMM!”
“JANA!”
“MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!”
Gods be praised - it was her sister, surely! “Jana, where are you?”
The muffled cries continued as Cerana searched the end cubicles but could find no sign. It seemed that she could get no closer to the source wherever she looked. She became frantic, rushing from booth to booth.
And then she saw it.
In the very corner of the end cubicle, a tiny metal ring about the size of a gold piece could be seen. She looked closer and saw the floorboards in this cubicle were a slightly different colour than the rest. Subtle, but definitely a difference. “Jana? Are you down there?”
“MMMMMMM! MMMMMMM! MMMMMMM! MMMMMMM!”
“I’m here, my love!” Cerana lifted the small ring and pulled, and the floorboards lifted. She yanked up the hatch and peered into the gloom below. It was so dark, she could hardly see in, but she could make out the muted cries slightly louder now. As her eyes adjusted to the gloom, she saw a long black shape wriggling on the floor, some seven or eight feet below her. “Hold on, love, I’m coming down!” she cried into the darkness.
“Oh no, you’re not.” A thick arm shot across her front and pulled, yanking her backwards. She felt the cold blade of a knife to her throat as she was dragged away from the opening. “Don’t struggle,” the voice said, “or I’ll slit you ear to ear.” Pelan Corr pulled Cerana out of the cubicle, her hands grasping his bare, muscly arm.
“TAVLOR!” he yelled, although the other brother was nowhere to be seen. “Bring rope - we got us another prisoner!”
Cerana grimaced and struggled, but his strong arm held her tight. Pelan lifted the knife slightly, arching her head back. She had to do something, but the adrenaline and fear seemed to take over her, and she could not think properly.
She felt his head turn and he yelled again, “TAVLOR! GET IN HERE!”
Cerana gambled, swiftly dropping her head forward before using all her force to swing it back, straight into Pelan’s face. He yelled, and his grip loosened, Cerana taking the opportunity to crash her elbow backwards into his stomach. He stumbled, and the knife moved away from her throat just far enough for her to push her arms up through his and away from her body, using her own weight to lever herself. He was far stronger than Cerana, but the element of surprise worked. She was quickly free of his grasp, twirling herself around to face him as he held his free hand to his nose, which bled profusely. Blood covered his light-coloured shirt, and for an instant, he appeared uneasy on his feet, but he quickly recovered to glare at her.
“Bitch! You gonna regret that!” he yelled, snarling at her and spitting blood.
He lunged at her with the knife, but Cerana was too agile, swiftly avoiding the blade. She drew her own dagger from its scabbard in the same movement. He growled and lunged forward again, wildly slashing with his knife, but again Cerana was too quick, leaning back and away from a thrust that would otherwise have cut her face open. Scared as she was, she tried to remain as calm as she could – one false move and she was dead, such was Pelan’s rage.
It was, however, his rage that was currently helping her. In his fury, there seemed to be no method to his wild attacks, and he was easily predictable and avoidable. As his frustration and anger grew, the easier it was for Cerana to avoid his attacks. She was, however, almost caught as Pelan took her by surprise with a more calculated attack. He feigned a punch with his free left hand, but as Cerana bent to avoid the fist, Pelan immediately swung the blade, Cerana just ducking underneath it as the knife lodged in one of the cubicle walls. He wrestled it free and came at her again, but his time as he came – and Cerana deftly avoided – he swung his left leg out and caught her full on the back of her knee, sending her sprawling to the ground. She looked around just in time to see the blade stabbing down at her, and she rolled away, the dagger thudding into the ground where but a second ago she lay.
His rage growing, Pelan roared as Cerana rose and he charged at her like a bull. This time, she quickly ducked in front of his clumsy attack and kicked him hard in the stomach. His momentum carried him past her, but his balance gave way, and he was unable to stop himself in time to avoid the open hatch in Jana’s cubicle. Pelan crashed against the open edge before falling face-first into the dark opening and landing with a sickening thud.
Shocked and breathless, Cerana rushed to the top of the opening and peered down into the gloom, where Pelan lay motionless on the floor. Close by where he had fallen, but further into the underground chamber, the dark figure she believed to be Jana wriggled on the ground like a giant worm, grunting all the time. Still unable to be sure if the bundle was Jana, and to check the condition of her assailant, Cerana needed to get into the chamber.
“Jana?” she called, but only a muffled cry responded. “I’m going to try to get to you, hang on.” Cerana stood and surveyed the cubicle for any means of descending into the hole, but she could see no such way. It was too high to jump; and even if she did, how would she get back out? There must be a way of getting down.
Then she looked up and saw the ladder above her, balancing between two beams at the edge of the wall, almost camouflaged against the wooden structure. She reached for it and down it came, falling with a bang on the ground. She quickly recovered it and lowered it into the hatch, propping it against the opening as its feet touched solid ground. Checking once more that Pelan had not moved, she descended the ladder into the gloomy chamber, satisfied his inert body was indeed unmoved.
Once in the dark underground room, Pelan’s motionless body lay between Cerana and the wriggling, shuffling figure at the back. Anxious to tend to her sister - if it was her sister – she firstly poked Pelan in the shoulder with the tip of her boot. When he did not move, she shook him using her foot, but he remained still, face down on the floor. Cerana leaned over his prone body and noticed a dark pool emerging from underneath his mid-section. She pulled his right shoulder off the floor and with great effort, pulled his whole body over until he flopped onto his back. Cerana felt sick as she saw the handle of the knife sticking out of his chest, blood darkening his shirt and leaving a growing pool on the floor. He must have landed on top of his blade when he fell from the floor above, she thought. I killed him. The shock froze Cerana for a moment until the muffled noises from the edge of the room brought her attention back to her primary task.
Cerana sprang over to the wriggling figure and realised immediately it was Jana. “Gods, what have they done to you! My love!” She was shocked to the core at the sight of her sister in her distress - helplessly bound, but relieved beyond words to have found her. Cerana carefully lifted her upper body from the floor and knelt, resting her head on her lap. She untied the horrific gag from her mouth, which was filthy and covered with blood, and threw it away. Despite the gloom, she could see dried blood around Jana’s mouth and nose, and her usually glossy hair was greasy and limp as she stroked her sister’s head. Her eyes were just half-open, but she was alive. “My poor baby!” Cerana cried, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Do you hurt?”
Jana’s jaw hurt from being forced open, and her throat was dry as a desert, but she managed to quietly croak, “I knew you�
��d come. I love you so much.”
“My sweet, I love you too. I will never let anything happen to you again, I promise.”
“Please…..get me out of here…..” Jana wept, and Cerana hugged her close, her own tears flooding.
When Cerana released her hug on her sister, she needed to know of the missing apothecary. “Jana, what of Alleran?”
Jana’s dirty face crumpled in sadness, and the tears flowed again. She shook her head in dismay, and that was all Cerana needed to confirm her fears.
“Let’s go home.” Cerana carefully used her dagger to slice through the ropes that bound Jana’s arms and wrists, legs and ankles.
Jana had been tied up for so long, her limbs had numbed, and she flopped after being released from the ropes. The relief of being able to move freely once more seemed like the most glorious feeling Jana had ever experienced, but she soon found that her whole body hurt and ached so much that movement was almost as painful as still being bound on the hard floor. She grimaced and moaned as she tried to lift her arms for the first time in days, her limbs seemingly not responding to her wishes, but instead sending waves of pain through her. Cerana soon realised the agony her sister was in, supporting her as best she could. Jana screamed as Cerana helped her to her feet.
One arm around her sister’s shoulder, Jana tried to stand on her own feet but her legs buckled under her weight and Cerana had to grab her to stop her crashing back to the floor. She wailed in pain and tried again, after a pause for breath. This time, despite the agony, she stood on trembling legs, albeit with Cerana’s support. “Ohhhhhhh,” she moaned, not through the pain in her injured foot but from the agony wracking her whole body.
Cerana feared Jana would not be able to make it up the ladder, and she was not strong enough to carry her. “Think you can get up this ladder?” she asked, walking her hobbling sister to the bottom rung.
“Try and stop me,” Jana croaked defiantly, letting go of her sister’s support and collapsing onto the ladder.
Climbing out of the dark room was not easy. Jana went first, and they took it rung by rung, every movement an effort for her. Cerana steadied her from behind, gently pushing her up whilst supporting her weight. The bastards, they treated her worse than an animal, she thought.
Then her heart skipped a beat as she suddenly remembered the other brother, Tavlor. Pelan was dead, but Tavlor was out there somewhere! She prayed they made it to the top before he realised something was amiss; they would be fodder for him stuck halfway up a ladder.
But get to the top they did, and both women slumped on the ground in exhaustion from their efforts. Cerana scanned around for signs of the smaller brother, but he was nowhere to be seen, thank the gods.
“When you’re ready, let’s get the hell out of here,” Cerana said. Jana did not argue.
CHAPTER 30 – Freedom at Last
The sun was beginning to set as Cerana and Jana limped across the open farmland towards the woods. Tavlor Corr was nowhere to be seen, thankfully for the sisters. Cerana half-expected at any minute for the weaselly man to come running and spitting; but maybe if he thought that Cerana had indeed killed the bigger and more dangerous brother, he may well think again and stay away. At least that is what she hoped, and it looked likely that their short journey to the cover of the trees would pass unhindered.
Once out in the open and away from the dark prison and gloomy barn, Cerana was even more shocked at Jana’s condition. Her sister was filthy - her skin covered with dirt and grime. Her hair badly needed a wash, and her clothes were nothing short of disgusting. Where the gag had been stuffed in her mouth, sore red patches appeared on her usually impeccable face, that now had dried blood plastered on her nose and chin. The cruel ropes that had bound her tightly left sore and bruised skin on her arms and legs where Jana had struggled to free herself. Cerana also noticed the bandage on her left ankle that although filthy, it was evident that blood had seeped through it. She wondered what had happened to cause such injury, but was sure she would find out soon enough.
The sisters made it to the edge of the wood without further alarm. Jana seemed to be getting used to movement again after being kept tied up for so long, and she moved with a little more freedom and a little less pain as circulation slowly returned to her aching limbs. Cerana was desperate to know the full story of what had happened to her – and Alleran – but her sister was extremely weak, and recovery was paramount. The main thing was, she was now safe.
Winter was waiting patiently for them as they reached the tree - for which Cerana was relieved - the mare still nibbling on her patch of grass. Also, there was the small bag she had packed before leaving, in which a skin of water was kept. She sat Jana down near Winter and passed her the skin, Jana drinking heartily and almost draining the vessel in one.
“Thirsty, huh?” Cerana asked. “Guess they didn’t feed or water you too well, either?”
“Bastards hardly gave me a thing,” Jana croaked, wiping a grimy hand across her mouth and grimacing at the sore, chafed skin around her wrists.
“Save some for the journey home,” Cerana advised as Jana held the skin aloft once more.
“Yeah, I guess.” Her voice was starting to return to normal.
“Maybe we should call at an inn for the night, get you cleaned up and fed. You look like you could do with it.”
Jana shot her a glance as if she had just gravely insulted her. “I’m not going back to that inn!” she yelled, shaking with sudden fear.
“Honey no, we need not go there!” Cerana eased her fears. “Why don’t we call in at Otterley, avoid Mallam altogether? It is not a short distance home, and I could do with having a proper look at you, make sure you’re alright.”
“I’m fine,” Jana snapped. “I just want to go home.”
“I know love, but wouldn’t you like to get out of those dirty clothes and have a nice bath first? It won’t be too long before it is dark, either.”
Jana could not fault the logic with Cerana’s suggestion, and the thought of food made her empty stomach growl. “Okay,” she conceded. “But Otterley, not here.”
“Of course. Come, let’s get there in the daylight.” Cerana helped her sister from the ground and with effort, they got her on Winter’s back, Jana groaning with pain at the exertion. Cerana sat behind her sister in the saddle, supporting her weak body. Cerana was thankful Jana had agreed to get cleaned up first as her sister stank, the poor thing. She was not sure they would get back home without her retching from the odour; in fact, she was amazed Jana could not smell it herself but then she had probably become accustomed to it now.
Jana moaned as Winter broke into a gallop, such was the pain through her body. Noticing, Cerana eased the mare into a gentle trot as they rode for the town of Otterley. Neither sister said a word as they rode until an idea came to Cerana. “Maybe we should go to Alleran’s shop, see if we can get you anything to help your pain.”
Despite her sorrow regarding Alleran’s plight, Jana could see the logic behind the suggestion. “Okay,” she agreed after careful thought. “Although will anyone be there now?”
It was a good point, the hour was growing late in the day, and the boy Darmon was not certain to reside there as Alleran had.
“Well, it's worth a try. We can always head to the inn if no-one is around.”
“I want to see Esteri,” Jana whined.
“Me too, love. I don’t like leaving her alone, but I had to.”
“Maybe we should just go straight home?”
“I think we should get you seen to first, plus it’s still a long way. It will no doubt be dark by the time we get to Otterley. Then we would need to travel all the way home.”
“I can make it,” Jana argued.
Cerana was desperate not to leave Esteri any longer than was necessary, but Jana was so weak and in need of rest and attention that it seemed right to at least attempt to get her help first. Cerana was torn.
“Let’s see if there is anyone at the shop first,
” Cerana suggested. “If not, we’ll go straight home, how does that sound?”
“Okay, fair enough.” Jana slumped back against her sister and groaned. Cerana frowned in worry. She needs rest, and quickly, she thought. She was dubious as to how much knowledge and experience the boy Darmon had with medicine, but she knew not where else to go at this hour.
They pressed on towards Otterley, Cerana silently praying that the boy would be still at Alleran’s shop.
CHAPTER 31 – Homeward Bound
It was almost dark by the time the sisters reached the apothecary’s premises, their way through the town lit by the flames of torches and the orange glow of lanterns. Mercifully, a dim light shone from the upstairs window of the shop. Jana had grown weaker still as they arrived, and Cerana had to all but carry her to the door. She tried the handle, but it was locked, so she used the flat of her hand to bang on the door, flakes of dried paint crumbling away as she did. When there was no immediate answer or signs of movement from the dark room inside, she banged harder.
“Darmon!” she yelled to the upstairs windows. “Are you in?”
The commotion caused a dog to bark from further down the street. “Darmon!” she called, banging again. Dismayed, as clearly Darmon was not there after all, Cerana helped a near-motionless Jana back to Winter. She had to drag her sister across the path to the horse, such was Jana’s swift decline.
Cerana realised she would never be able to get her sister back home in this state, so she had to find rest - and quickly. Luckily, there was a small inn just a little further down the road from where they stood. Cerana dragged her sister through its front doors and staggered inside. “I need help!” she announced. The inn was deserted aside from a middle-aged man and woman talking together behind the bar.
The man rushed round to help Cerana hold up a limp Jana. “Of course, what can we do?” he asked, wrinkling his nose at the odour of Jana’s clothes.
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