Chapter 26: A Break In
"Pocahontas, stay away from the window," Thomas's mother warned. "Someone might see you."
"I'm sorry, but I just can't help wondering how John is doing up there," Pocahontas replied, walking away from the window to sit on the bed. "Somehow I get the feeling that something might go wrong anytime now."
"We're all afraid for him dear," she admitted, sitting next to her. "And so am I. If it were my dear Thomas locked up there, I could never sleep at night. But unless some miracle occurs, there is nothing you can do for now. So try not to worry about John. He'll be alright when this is over."
"I hope so," Pocahontas said sadly.
"Come downstairs to eat whenever you're ready. There's more than enough stew for everyone."
Soon she left the room to go back downstairs, leaving Pocahontas alone in the room to let her have time to herself. Even if she was free from the tower, her sad feelings for John remained with her like honey stuck on a tree. But knowing she was never going to get anywhere by moping and waiting for something else to come along, Pocahontas decided that she would go down and eat whatever else Thomas's mother was cooking. Starving herself over everything was not an option. Her body needed energy for warmth and strength. She had to be strong for John; it's what he would want her to do instead of worrying about him so much.
"She's in that house alright Otis."
"Otis?" Pocahontas whispered, hearing voices from outside. Two of them sounded familiar and wicked. "It can't be."
Backing against the wall, Pocahontas peered halfway out the window. To her shock, there stood Chris and Otis standing on the other side of the road away from Thomas's house. When one of them mentioned "she", Pocahontas guessed that the two were mentioning her. There was no other explanation for who else they were talking about. Only now at this moment, she repented for giving herself away at the window. Around the two men, there were less and less townsfolk around to hear them talk.
"I know an Indian when I see it," Chris pointed at the window once more. "Has there ever been any woman in London with long black hair and tanned skin?"
"Not that I've heard of," Otis shook his head in protest. "But how on earth will we get inside without setting an alarm?"
"I told you before. We go out back during nightfall, quietly climb up the tree to get on the roof, break a window open, grab a kitchen knife and sneak in quietly through her room to finish the job."
Pocahontas watched Chris demonstrate how they would assassinate her by stabbing with an invisible knife in his fists. It didn't take her too long to realize that the two would be plotting to kill her while she slept. This was a major situation. And she knew that she had to tell Thomas and his family about this right away.
"Come on, we'll leave this area for now and be back by nightfall. We'll go to the nearest pub for quick booze."
The two rogues walked down the streets and out of sight. Fear clutched her heart when Pocahontas not only realized her mistake, but knew Ratcliffe might have put those men up to this so that nobody would stop him from achieving that final document. What if he found out that she had escaped from prison and already done something to John?
"I have to go tell Thomas," she blurted, rushing out of the room and downstairs.
Down in the kitchen Thomas had already arrived back from the marketplace with Nakoma. An anxious Pocahontas did her best to calmly explain what she overheard from the streets of town. All was not lost, because Thomas had an idea what to do.
That evening
"Move slowly now, don't wake up the entire neighborhood," whispered Chris.
The two men backed up against the walls of the house outside to lurk out back where a tree with no leaves stood close to the roof. Climbing the branches, Chris looked left and right to make sure no one was awake and watching them. Part of him felt fearful that a guard could spot the men at any time, but he pushed that thought aside to focus back on their plot. Ratcliffe wouldn't be pleased with them if they failed to assassinate Pocahontas. Otis teetered on a branch below Chris.
"Will you knock off that swinging?" Chris said sharply, shaking his fist at him. "You're making me nervous."
"Sorry," Otis whispered, keeping his balance.
When Chris finally reached the top of the roof, he gave a clumsy Otis a helping hand to climb up. By their surprise and luck, the nearest window to them had been left open. They figured that the owners of the house might have forgotten to shut it. Whatever it was, the two entered through there anyway, careful not to make too much noise. Looking around, Chris saw that this room was empty, including the beds. So Pocahontas must have been sleeping in another room.
"We're not gonna find anything in this room," Chris whispered, taking cautious steps out in the small hallway. "She must be hiding in the next room this way."
With each step followed by a small creak on the wooden floor, Chris pushed the next room door gently aside to take a peek. In this one, he recognized strands of black hair hanging out from underneath the covers. This was it.
"There she is. Let's get in."
The two rogues kept their lips sealed while tiptoeing into the room not wanting to wake Pocahontas in the bed. The last thing they would have needed out of bad luck was to see her awake and screaming, ruining their chance to finish the job. The other bed next to hers was empty, but that mattered little to the two.
Standing close to the right side of the bed, Chris took out a long kitchen knife from his belt and raised it above her head with both hands. Otis stood back nervously, not wanting to get any blood splattered all over him. He watched his partner raise the knife up higher and higher for a bigger blow. Then he brought it down and stabbed the head repeatedly in a violent manner.
"We did it Otis!" Chris cried victoriously. "We killed the savage. Now there is no one to stand in Ratcliffe's way."
To make sure of it, Chris pulled the sheets off the bed to find…a shattered green melon with long hair attached to the back of it!
Before the two could react, something from out of nowhere had knocked the two assassins unconscious before they could see who had done so.
AN: Well it looks like the plan of theirs failed. But that is not the end just yet. The last few chapters are almost here and it will be the end of this story. I hope some of you readers enjoyed this.