AN: On a totally unrated note, it's my birthday tomorrow! X3 Not telling you how old I am going to be. You should never ask a lady her age.
Chapter 4:
Despite the frailty of his arms, Lynus swung his only weapon with all his might. He didn't recall any sound when his staff struck Lord Taksony's throat. There wasn't a loud crack like he had expected. There was a muffled, hollowed 'thud', but that was about it.
Lord Taksony didn't see the attack coming.
His body flailed about for a moment, his eyes widening in surprise. Then, he simply slumped back, his mouth open, his eyes rolled back into his head. There was a rush of air as he exhaled…but he didn't immediately inhale.
Slowly, Lynus lifted the staff from the man's throat and took a subconscious step backwards. He watched in silence, waiting for him to stir, to gasp for air. But nothing happened.
…What had he done?
Terrified, Lynus whipped around to face the door, his staff held tightly in two hands in a somewhat defensive position. He was expecting the doors to the bedchamber to fly open and a swarm of guards to come in and attack him.
But nothing happened. It was deathly silent. The only thing he could clearly hear was his own heartbeat thundering in his chest.
Drawing in a shaky breath, Lynus turned to look at the elderly man that had caused so much pain and suffering. He slowly approached him, his staff held out in front of him just in case the lord may recover and lash out at him for his insubordination.
But with every inch that he drew closer, he knew that there was no fight left in the man.
He was dead. No breath, no life. Nothing.
He was really dead.
Lynus had killed him.
Before the horrid realisation that he had actually killed someone set in, Lynus immediately began to think of what he should do next. He had waited eight years for this moment. It was now or never.
First, he needed to get back to the others. And quickly.
Lifting the sheets, Lynus tucked them around Lord Taksony's cooling form and shut his eyelids. He looked as if he was sleeping. And, maybe, if anyone should pop their head to check up on him, they will assume he was sleeping and leave him be.
Giving Lynus and the others more time.
Slipping out of the room, Lynus tried not to look too suspicious as he hurried his way back to his room where the others were awaiting his return. He didn't have time to explain to them what happened. That would come later. Right now he needed to get them out of this prison as that would be the most difficult part.
Keeping his head down, his staff clutched tightly in his hands, Lynus finally reached his destination. He couldn't help but feel a sense of unease at the prospect that this will probably be the last time he would have to rap out his secret knock or enter his room.
As soon as the lock was released, Lynus wasted no time pushing himself inside, no doubt startling the three occupants inside with his slightly frazzled appearance and fear in his eyes.
"We have to go," Lynus said quickly. "We're running out of time."
At first he was greeted with three looks of bewilderment and confusion. Then, realisation quickly set in and excited fear took over. Without a word, the three got themselves ready, grabbing what little personal possessions they had. Rahas darted out of the room to slip into his, grabbing a large backpack and slinging it across his back.
Lynus didn't bother asking what it was. He simply assumed that Rahas had been preparing for this moment as well. No surprise, really.
But now came the hard part; getting out without anyone seeing them.
"I know a way out," Rahas suddenly said. "Servant's entrance. The bastards think they've blocked it up, but I think I can break through it. Especially if the four of us work together."
Lynus was surprised to hear that, but nodded nonetheless. Exiting through the servant's quarters was their best bet. The guards and loyalists of Lord Taksony didn't see themselves as servants, so they were above such lowlifes.
"We need to move quickly," Lynus said softly as he walked over to his door and peered outside. "Avith isn't here, but Zalaph is."
He wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.
"I'll show the way," Rahas whispered lowly.
Lynus nodded. He reached out his hands for Binah and Lirit to take. He needed to keep them close to him as Rahas lead the way. Staying close together was their best bet. He wasn't about to leave any of them behind.
With the sun well and truly set, night-time darkness fell over the manor, darkening the already quite spooky hallways. But Lynus had been through these corridors many times in his eight years as hostage. He often found himself wandering through them after meeting his lord's expectations. He actually found great comfort in hiding in the shadows. If he couldn't be seen, he couldn't be hurt.
Turning down a seemingly dead-end, Lynus felt Binah tighten her grip on his hand, pressing her face against his arm. He squeezed her hand back and watched as Rahas slid his hand along the decorated wall, looking for something.
Suddenly, he pressed in a tile and a section of the wall popped out. It was a door. A secret hatch that lead to the many concealed hallways that past servants had used.
A very mild sense of relief touched Lynus as he pushed Binah and then Lirit through the door, watching over his shoulder for any possible threat. Vaguely, he could have sworn he heard footsteps faintly off in the distance.
He didn't have time to ponder about them, though, as Rahas had pushed him inside the tight space and followed directly behind him, slipping the door shut with a near inaudible click. The room was dark, pitch black. It was quite claustrophobic, but having a source of light might alert someone to their position. They couldn't chance it.
All they could do was place their hand on the wall to act as their guide and wait for their eyes to adjust to the darkness. Soon, Lynus was able to vaguely make out shapes and objects. And the further they move, the less dense the darkness was. It was a sign that they were moving in the right direction.
The reached a door at the very end of the tiny hallway. With light seen shinning underneath the door, Lynus breathed a small sigh of relief. He guessed what was awaiting them on the other side.
The courtyard.
Their last hurdle.
With the four of them pushing against the blockade, they managed to pop the door open. The weather beaten boards that were used to keep the door shut and unusable creaked as they tumbled to the ground. Finally, as the hinges of the door squeaked, they managed to push the heavy door open enough for them to squeeze out.
The sight of the perfectly manicure lawns was a welcoming one. But the large stone protective wall wasn't. Still, they appeared to be in a small, unsightly corner of the courtyard. If they stick to the shadowy areas, they should be fine.
We will be fine, Lynus thought to himself as he motioned for the others to follow him.
Darting from shadow to shadow, they finally reached a secluded part of the wall, a place that couldn't be seen from the windows high above.
Now, they needed to get over this wall…
"You go over first," Rahas said to Lynus. "So you can help the others get down."
Lynus was planning of being the last one over the wall. He was the oldest, after all. But Rahas was physically stronger than he was. He would be able to help Binah and Lirit over the wall more easily. It only made sense.
With Rahas' help, Lynus was able to scale the large stone wall and drop down silently on the other side. The grass was slightly wet from night dew, yet the air already smelt so much fresher.
He turned his attention back to the wall, watching as a frightened Binah reached the top of the wall. He could see fear shimmering in her eyes, yet she remind outwardly calm. She knew what she had to do and she did it without question. Lifting up his arms, Lynus helped her and turned to see that Lirit was right behind her. However, he hesitated on top of the wall, seemingly looking down at Rahas.
Just as Lynus was about to get nervous about him taking too long, Rahas suddenly popped into view. Relief touched him when he realised that Lirit was hesitating only so he could help Rahas scale the wall as well.
Good. All of them were getting out.
Wordlessly, the two other males slipped down the wall, dropping onto the slippery grass. Then, ensuring that they were there, unharmed and accounted for, they turned their backs and ran.
The relief they all felt when they stepped beyond the boundaries of the manor was palpable. Clutching their belongings tightly, they simply ran away from the intimidating building, none of them wanting to grace their prison with one last look. Not even the shadows of the dense forest that surrounded the manor scared them at all.
As they made it to the town's square, filled with a few late night shoppers, Binah started laughing and crying at the same time from relief.
"We're out," she whispered as they came to a halt under a street lamp, taking a moment to catch their breath.
Lynus felt the tension drain from his body and he slumped down onto a bench. He knew that he shouldn't be unguarded, especially as guards could still be in the area. But the feel of the cool night air against his exposed skin, watching as Binah pull Lirit into a small dance, seeing the disbelief on Rahas' face was very reassuring, comforting and darn-well exciting.
A small taste of freedom.
"We can't stay here," Rahas suddenly spoke. "We have to get out of town."
The moment of freedom was quickly soured by the stark realisation that they were still in danger. And Lynus fell straight back into his care-taker mode.
"It will all be ok," Lynus said as he climbed to his feet and pulled Binah and Lirit into a hug. "As long as we stick together we'll be just fine."
Rahas removed his bag from his back and opened it. "We should have enough money to take a boat out of here," he said. "Only fitting that the bastard pays for our boat fare.
"Where can we go, though?" Binah asked softly as she clung to Lynus, shivering in the cool night air.
"Lagaard," Lynus replied immediately, his gaze shifting toward the docks. "We're going to Lagaard."
A childhood promise awaited him there.
AN: Please review!