by Barry Alder
Taking a deep breath, she stepped out the door, and slowly made her way to the back of the yard. She hoped it would appear that she just needed to step out for some fresh air and to spend some time by herself in the darkness of the night, should someone see her. Moving carefully, she found a spot near the back fence that was in deep shadow, and sat down.
Patience, she told herself, as she sat still. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and she saw the break in the wall that she had observed earlier that day. That was her way out. She crawled to the hole, taking great pains not to expose herself to any of the ambient light. Pausing at the hole, she peeked through. As she had hoped, there was another wall that ran the length of the back of the yard. It was high enough to hide her from any peering eyes that might be watching the inn. After that, the street, and even more chance of detection. But she needed the information and there was no other way to get it.
It took her an hour to reach the warehouse. Twice, she was almost seen by patrolling soldiers and had to hide in the shadows. But she’d been lucky and they missed her each time. As she observed the warehouse, she saw soldiers standing at its main entrance, talking quietly to themselves. The front door approach hadn’t been in her plans anyway, so she carefully slipped to the back. There she saw more soldiers guarding the doors. This didn’t surprise her, as she knew the equipment stored here was very important to them. They wouldn’t be sloppy about protecting it.
Looking around the building, she saw an open window on the second floor, not too far from an adjoining building. Scanning the building, she found there was a relatively easy path up to its roof, and then to the window. It would keep her in darkness all the way, and she could see how it would have been overlooked.
There was the sound of footfalls from around the corner near where she was. She forced herself tight into the dark corner. Two soldiers came by, talking and not paying much attention. She held her breath as they passed, never giving a glance her way. As the sound of their boots faded, she let out a soft breath, and scanned the area for more people. She saw none, and made her way to the base of the adjoining building.
Fortunately, there was a metal rod attached to the side that ran right up to the roof. She easily climbed it and was soon across from the open window. It was a short jump, about three feet, but one that she had to be very careful about. She couldn’t just jump through the open window, as she didn’t know what lay beyond the opening. So she hopped to its ledge, balancing carefully until her eyes could discern what lay beyond.
She thought her eyes were taking a long time to adjust until she realized there was nothing beyond the window. It dawned on her that this second story had no floor at this point. Jumping through it might have killed her. At the very least, she would have broken something and alerted all the guards.
But she couldn’t remain where she was. It was much darker inside, and she could not make out anything that would be of use to her in getting down. She reached inside. Perhaps she could feel something. After a moment, she was rewarded by finding a rope or cord hanging from above. It seemed to be strong enough to take her weight, so she swung down on it. It held, and she easily climbed down to the floor.
There was faint light coming in from the windows and a bit more from a torch in another room. Between all the sources of light, she could make her way around the room without difficulty. She discovered stacks of hand weapons – knives, swords, poles, but nothing she would consider “modern” in any sense of the word. Over to one side she thought she could see a large catapult. If it were, it would be the most formidable weapon she had found so far. In one respect, she was glad she hadn’t found anything more potent, but in another, it only highlighted how far she had come from home. She was about to move to the opposite side of the room when she heard a voice.
“I am truly sorry, Miss Louise, that my suspicious nature has been proved out yet again. I was very much looking forward to discovering that you were really only what you said you were.”
She recognized the speaker. Colonel Mahon. But how did he know it was her? It was too dark for her to even see where he was, so how did he recognize her?
She said nothing, hoping it was just a ploy to find her position.
“You can’t escape my dear,” he continued. “I have guards outside every entrance and you certainly can’t go back up that rope easily. I suggest you give yourself up without a fight.”
As he spoke, a dozen guards came in carrying torches, illuminating the room. She saw he was just a couple of paces from the main entrance, and suddenly realized he must have been here all along. She sighed. Nothing to do now but see what he wants, she thought, as she slowly made her way toward him.
“What gave us away?” she asked.
“Although I’ve never been to Vanmalat, your description of it was both too detailed and not detailed enough to sound real. I’ve had you watched since leaving you at the inn. Your friends are already locked up, and you will be joining them shortly,” he said.
“I know it’s probably a waste of my time right now,” he added, “but you wouldn’t consider telling me who you really are now, would you?”
Louise just looked at him. She wasn’t about to give him anything right now, especially something that he might use against them or the village.
“I thought not,” he continued. “Take her away. Maybe you’ll be more talkative in the morning. If not, then I'm afraid the Emissary will want you. Or, more probably, he'll turn you over to his 'assistant.'”
He let the implications settle in her mind. She felt a shiver go down her spine. At no time in the history of humankind were spies ever given consideration. In far too many cases, they stood outside the “agreed upon” civilities of warfare, and she knew she could expect rough treatment before too long.
The soldiers surrounded her and grabbed her arms. Even though she put up no resistance, they shoved her along. They took no measures to bind her. None was needed. There were six of them and one of her, and they weren’t giving her any chance to escape.
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Author Biography
Barry Alder grew up in Ottawa and has spent his career in the I.T. industry, where he authored a large number of technical documents. A long time science fiction fan and spiritual follower, he has written a number of short stories. This is the first of a four book spiritual science fiction series. For more information on Barry and the series, please visit his web site.
www.innervoices-novels.com
