AllFreeNovel
Share Us
33
Fading in and out of consciousness Mina lost track of time. She knew when her stomach growled, and her hunger grew painful. The guards had come to force feed her slop at least twice, but she couldn’t be sure how much time had passed between each meal. If you could call it a meal.
Her stomach had begun to hurt for a third time, when she heard something moving in the hall outside the cell. The lights had been dimmed, the air chilled.
Squinting at the shadows, she saw something shift, and a creak echoed from somewhere in the distance, opposite where the guard sat posted a few cells down. Another shuffle echoed in the distance, and the guard’s armor clanked from the opposite side.
“Quiet down in there,” he called out.
Another shuffle happened, and a low growl came from directly in front of the cell.
“I said q—” A bright burst of green light flashed beyond the edge of her vision, and the guard grunted. Mina heard a muffle and then a loud thud came as he collapsed to the ground.
Tensing from head to toe, Mina tried to gain some purchase on the floor with her toes, but the chains held taunt.
Another shadow shifted before her and then as the cell door slid open, a bright torch lit beside the figure in front of her revealing a familiar face.
Mina gasped. “Lucy?”
“Shush,” she hissed, rushing into the room. “We don’t have much time. Harker is standing guard, but we need to get out without attracting attention or we’ll be in real trouble.”
“How did you get in here?” Mina asked, lowering her voice.
“I’ve lived here for a while.” She shrugged, reaching up to feel the cuffs around her wrists. “A girl learns a few things.”
“They’re enchanted,” Mina said, looking up to watch her work.
“Not to worry,” she said, and a spark of green light struck the metal.
Mina winced. A buzz traveled through the metal around her and then one after the other the cuffs popped open. Her arms dropped, and her knees gave out as she collapsed into Lucy’s arms.
“Damn, can you walk?” she asked, trying to force Mina back to her feet.
“I don’t…I don’t know…” she said, trying to get her feet beneath her.
“Harker,” Lucy called out. “We need you.”
Mina heard a grunt, and then out of thin air the werewolf appeared in a form halfway between his wolf form and his human form.
“Vhat’s vrong?” He said, his voice distorted by his extended fangs.
“She can’t walk. You’ll have to carry her. We have to go. It won’t be long before someone notices we’ve been here.”
He gave her a stiff nod and came forward, hoisting Mina’s shaking body into his arms. “I’ve got you Princess. You’ll be safe now. We’re gonna get you out of here.”
She nodded, limply looping her arm around his neck.
Lucy shuffled out of the cell ahead of them, and they turned away from the guard’s station. Straining against the darkness, Mina couldn’t make out much more than the smell of dirt, and the sound of water flowing somewhere nearby.
“Just hang on, Princess. We’ve got you. We’re gonna get you to safety,” Harker whispered as they moved.
Mina could barely breathe. Even as the walls opened up, and they spilled through a wider hall that smelled of boiled meats and vaguely of horses.
It wasn’t until the pale horse Erik had given her sniffed at her shoulder that Mina realized where they were.
Turning her head, she limply brushed her fingers over the horse’s nose. “Hey girl.”
“Get in the saddle,” Harker said. “I’ll hand her up to you once you're settled.”
