My body felt heavy as I was being dragged along behind this strange man. The men that were following us continued their pursuit, mustering up enough stamina to keep on our trail. My mind was racing, this was the first time I was in real danger. What's going on? Who are these men? Many questions raced through my head, but I would have to wait for my answers.
He took a sharp right turn and pulled me in after him, popping my shoulder in the process. That's going to hurt later. He then unlocked a cellar door nearby and ushered me inside the dark hole, and followed me in after.
I stood in the darkness for a few moments before the man lit a lantern. "Take this." He said gruffly shoving a piece of paper into my hand and then pointed to it. The paper was a map of what looked like a series of tunnels. "What's this for?" I asked. "Follow the map until you reach the green dot on it. Then you should find an exit, use it to get back to the street. You should be safe from there." He explained. I couldn't tell if he was looking at me or not since his white hood covered his eyes. He pointed to the tunnel ahead of me, gesturing me to walk that way, but I wasn't going to move until I found out what was going on. "Why'd you kill that man? What do those men want with me?" The man refused to answer and stood stiffly. "Can I at least know your name?" I asked, attempting to get him to answer at least one of my questions. "Connor." He said and then was gone in an instant. That was strange.
I took the lantern he had placed on one of the old beat up tables and began walking, following the path I was instructed to follow. The tunnel itself was rather small, but it had many exits, which made it rather confusing when a novice, like myself, was trying to navigate through it.
Finally, I had made it to the destination marked on the map. That was awfully rude of Connor to just leave me, but he was very odd so it didn't really surprise me when he disappeared. It, instead of a cellar door, was a ladder that led up to what I was assuming was a well.
Once I reached the top, I peered over the end to check to see if the coast was clear. Not a soul was present in the courtyard. I looked down at my light blue dress, only to see that it was splattered with mud from the tunnels and beginning to fray at the bottom. So much for keeping the new dress my mother had bought me nice. I let out a silent sigh and decided to keep walking.
What I really needed at the moment was food and some place to sleep. I tried to think of someone I could go to. My father was very well known but I did not feel comfortable going to them. I walked towards a pile of clothes situated near the well an decided this would be my bed for the night. I closed my eyes and felt myself slowly drifting into a blissful sleep. But fate had other plans in mind for me.
Before I could react, I was gagged by a yellowing handkerchief, and my hands were bound. I frantically tried to break free from my bonds but to no avail. One of my attackers was the man named Charles who was pursuing Conner and me before. The other men began dragging me forward, I dragged my feet attempting to slow them down. God, please help me. I prayed that sentence over and over again. I will not be taken, I told myself to fight, do anything to get away.
As if it were a miracle, the same, familiar shadow appeared and landed on top of Charles causing him to tumble to the ground, but before he could sink his blade in, one of the men let go of me to fight Connor. The other man loosened his grip, making this the perfect time for me to make a run for it. I kicked the man still holding onto me and ran as fast as I could towards anywhere away from here. I had to find people, crowds would be best for blending in. Luckily for me when I skidded to a halt of the sidewalk, a group of people were strolling by making their way to Cauncie's Tavern. I squeezed into the back of the crowd and kept up with the pace of the others.
Just keep moving, just keep moving. I told myself that over and over again. I followed the group inside the tavern and sat down at an unoccupied table in the corner of the room, near a roaring fire. I sat there wondering about today's events. It had happened so fast, and I was still left wondering why those men were after me. What did my mother's locket have to do with it all? I continued to think until my solitude was broken by a thud in the chair across from me. Connor.
"We need to leave now." He said, his voice cold and stern. "Did you follow me? How did you find me?" I asked startled. "I'll answer your questions later, now we must move." He said his face stone hard. I decided against arguing with him, and followed behind Connor. The pace was quickened the moment we walked outside. Now another question was added to the list, where were we going?
