Part 3
Susan wrinkled her nose slightly at the stench in the castle dungeon. She gazed around at the dim, tight twisting corridors, lit only by a flare every few fifty feet or so. Why Blake had dragged her down here, she had no idea. But she'd gone. She could see him up ahead., holding a flame torch and looking back. He paused and looked again.
"Susan? You still with me?" he asked, looking around into the darkness.
"Blake? What's going on?" another voice said. Another woman was coming down the stairs, heels clattering on the stone floor. She held up the skirts of her red and gold gown to make sure they didn't brush the dirty floor. Her hair was dark brown and elaborately styled. This was Mariana Starling, the witch who'd had an affair with Blake.
"Mariana? What are you doing here?" Blake asked with a frown.
"Queen Susan asked me to come down here," Mariana answered. She looked a little worried. She lowered her voice. "She knows, doesn't she?"
Blake shrugged. "She said she was okay with it. But I'd watch her if I were you. She bites. Where is she anyway?"
Mariana shrugged her slender bare shoulders. "I have no idea. She said to come down here and she'd follow."
"Well she's not here."
"Yes I am." With a smile curving her lips Susan stepped out of the shadows by the turn in the corridor. She saw them blink in surprise, and she could tell they were wondering how much of the conversation she'd heard. "You wanted to show me something, Blake. I hope you haven't dragged me down here for nothing."
"Oh no." Blake moved away from Mariana quickly and slipped an arm around her shoulder. "You're gonna love this. I had something made for you."
He unlocked a heavy wooden door to the castle's torture chamber. Inside were two racks, chains hanging from the walls and two large whips. There was also a large metal pot over a fire, filled with boiling water.
And there were two new items there that looked like Egyptian sarcophaguses. Susan stared at them in surprise. "You brought me sarcophaguses? They're not even gold or have anything of value on them! I bet they've got horrible rotten bones inside and the mummies probably have a damn curse on them."
"Oh no. These have nothing to do with that. They're called Iron Maidens."
"Aren't they a heavy metal band?" Susan asked. She snorted. "They're music's terrible."
Blake went to one of the sarcophaguses and opened it. On the inside door were carefully placed metal spikes sharp and deadly.
"What do they do?"
"Make people die slowly and painfully."
Susan's face brightened. "That sounds like fun."
"They used to use these back in Medieval times," Blake told her. "You put people who've committed crimes into them. The spikes in these ones here are designed to miss all the vital organs so it takes the person inside a long time to die."
"What's in the other one?" Susan asked.
Blake opened the other coffin. This one had spikes made of wood. "For vampires," he said. "If they betray you."
Susan stared at him. Then, with a sudden movement, too fast for anyone to see she pushed Blake into the Iron Maiden and closed the door, turning the key in the lock, and snapping the padlock on it shut. She heard him screaming in agony.
Mariana had been edging away from all this, but before she could run Susan had grabbed her arm in an iron grip and dragged her towards the other one. Mariana fought. She lashed out with sheer desperation and panic. Susan laughed and hit her, hard, knocking her head back against the iron side. Mariana stopped struggling and went limp. Susan shoved her into the person shaped coffin and slammed the door, latching it like the other one.
She stood there for a while, enjoying the sound of their screams of agony and Blake's voice in her mind, begging her for forgiveness.
*I trusted you,* Susan said back to him. *I loved you, I brought you victory in the battle and this is how you repay me? You can rot in hell for all I care.*
She let the tears trickle down her cold cheeks and turned away, locking the cell door behind her.
* * *
Julia blinked and opened her eyes. Darkness greeted her, as always. But the dream was still vivid in her mind. She thought about it as she sat up and finger combed her messy hair. It was possible that the world could be different? She wondered how many other people had heard of this Hellewise Hearth-Woman. She didn't know much about witch history. She stood up and went out side. Maybe Poppy knew something about her. She found Poppy in the stables, sweeping at the straw with a broom. Her red hair hung lifelessly to her shoulders.
"Poppy? Do you know anything about someone called Hellewise Hearth-Woman?"
Poppy's head snapped up. "If you say that name and the vampires hear you, you're dead."
"Well, who is she then?"
Poppy looked around. There were one or two other slaves in the stables. Poppy looked uncomfortable. She took Julia's arm and led her out the stables into her own hut. The way she kept looking around made Julia nervous. "She was the leader of the Hearth-Women back in the times when people lived in caves. Her and her sister Maya. They were the twin daughters of Hecate Witch-Queen, and they were the greatest fighters in the history of the Night World. Maya was the first vampire. She started the race and the Redfern family. Hellewise was leader of the Harmans, the witches. Why do you want to know?"
"Because she was in my dream last night. And the world I was in in the dream - it was just like the world you described. There was sunshine and colour and plants and trees and flowers and the sky was pale blue, not black. There was no darkness. No slaves. And Hellewise said to me that I was going to lead the slaves to freedom. She said someone called Maggie Neely had done it before."
Poppy's eyebrows raised. "Maggie?"
"You know her?"
"I used to. But she died in the battle, along with her soulmate, who was a wild power. We lost because we didn't have all four of them on our side."
Something was tugging at Julia. Memories were trying to emerge. The name of Maggie Neely did sound familiar to her, but she was sure she'd never heard of the girl before now. Also, something about the name Maya...it stirred feelings of fright and danger, anger and hatred and fear.
"Hellewise said you're going to free us all? Did she say anything that could help?" Poppy was starting to sound more and more eager now, there was a spark of hope glimmering in her green eyes.
"Well, she said there were still Harmans in the castle, and if we could find them, then they would help us."
"The *castle*? How the hell are we supposed to get in the castle without getting killed? Did you hear what the Queen did to her King last night when she found out he'd been cheating on her?"
Julia shook her head, not really wanting to hear.
"She put them both in Iron Maidens and left them to die."
"What are Iron Maidens?"
Poppy shuddered and shook her head. "Don't ask."
"Okay." Julia started pacing up and down, her mind sparking into action, as if she knew how to do this, how to plan a revolution. But she didn't. She'd never done this before...in this life. "We need to talk to the slaves. We need to find the Harmans who can help us. We need - " She broke off when a footstep sounded behind her. She turned around, feeling sure they'd been caught. This was it. They were going to be hinted down for conspiracy.
"Am I interrupting something?" a surprised voice said. A familiar voice too. It was only Damien. They weren't going to get caught. Yet. She pulled him into the hut and shut the door.
"You two look like you're planning a conspiracy, so close and secretive." He sounded grimly amused.
Julia smiled back. "That's exactly what we're doing."
The grin faded from Damien's face. He stared at them as if they'd gone crazy. "Have you two lost your *minds?* You're going to get killed!"
"We are not!" Julia was surprised she sounded so confident when something inside her was telling her exactly the same thing. "It's a long story, I'll explain later. Do you know any witches?"
He blinked. "Witches?"
"Yes, witches," Julia said impatiently. "People with special powers, you know? Good witches who can help us."
He looked a little dazed, but his expression cleared suddenly. "Yeah, actually. Yeah, I do."
"Takes us to her."
"Us?" Poppy interjected.
"Do you want to live like this forever? If so, then fine. Stay here. If not, then come with us and help us get the world back to the way it was." Julia was surprised at herself. She had never spoken like this to anyone, in fact, she never spoke much at all. But things inside her were different. She definitely knew she had done this before. She also knew how to lead people, how to organise them and how to convince them to fight for the good. She didn't know where any of them came from, but she was going to use them to the best of her ability.
She made a silent vow to herself.
She *would* get the slaves free. Even if it cost her her life.
* * *
Susan wrinkled her nose slightly at the stench in the castle dungeon. She gazed around at the dim, tight twisting corridors, lit only by a flare every few fifty feet or so. Why Blake had dragged her down here, she had no idea. But she'd gone. She could see him up ahead., holding a flame torch and looking back. He paused and looked again.
"Susan? You still with me?" he asked, looking around into the darkness.
"Blake? What's going on?" another voice said. Another woman was coming down the stairs, heels clattering on the stone floor. She held up the skirts of her red and gold gown to make sure they didn't brush the dirty floor. Her hair was dark brown and elaborately styled. This was Mariana Starling, the witch who'd had an affair with Blake.
"Mariana? What are you doing here?" Blake asked with a frown.
"Queen Susan asked me to come down here," Mariana answered. She looked a little worried. She lowered her voice. "She knows, doesn't she?"
Blake shrugged. "She said she was okay with it. But I'd watch her if I were you. She bites. Where is she anyway?"
Mariana shrugged her slender bare shoulders. "I have no idea. She said to come down here and she'd follow."
"Well she's not here."
"Yes I am." With a smile curving her lips Susan stepped out of the shadows by the turn in the corridor. She saw them blink in surprise, and she could tell they were wondering how much of the conversation she'd heard. "You wanted to show me something, Blake. I hope you haven't dragged me down here for nothing."
"Oh no." Blake moved away from Mariana quickly and slipped an arm around her shoulder. "You're gonna love this. I had something made for you."
He unlocked a heavy wooden door to the castle's torture chamber. Inside were two racks, chains hanging from the walls and two large whips. There was also a large metal pot over a fire, filled with boiling water.
And there were two new items there that looked like Egyptian sarcophaguses. Susan stared at them in surprise. "You brought me sarcophaguses? They're not even gold or have anything of value on them! I bet they've got horrible rotten bones inside and the mummies probably have a damn curse on them."
"Oh no. These have nothing to do with that. They're called Iron Maidens."
"Aren't they a heavy metal band?" Susan asked. She snorted. "They're music's terrible."
Blake went to one of the sarcophaguses and opened it. On the inside door were carefully placed metal spikes sharp and deadly.
"What do they do?"
"Make people die slowly and painfully."
Susan's face brightened. "That sounds like fun."
"They used to use these back in Medieval times," Blake told her. "You put people who've committed crimes into them. The spikes in these ones here are designed to miss all the vital organs so it takes the person inside a long time to die."
"What's in the other one?" Susan asked.
Blake opened the other coffin. This one had spikes made of wood. "For vampires," he said. "If they betray you."
Susan stared at him. Then, with a sudden movement, too fast for anyone to see she pushed Blake into the Iron Maiden and closed the door, turning the key in the lock, and snapping the padlock on it shut. She heard him screaming in agony.
Mariana had been edging away from all this, but before she could run Susan had grabbed her arm in an iron grip and dragged her towards the other one. Mariana fought. She lashed out with sheer desperation and panic. Susan laughed and hit her, hard, knocking her head back against the iron side. Mariana stopped struggling and went limp. Susan shoved her into the person shaped coffin and slammed the door, latching it like the other one.
She stood there for a while, enjoying the sound of their screams of agony and Blake's voice in her mind, begging her for forgiveness.
*I trusted you,* Susan said back to him. *I loved you, I brought you victory in the battle and this is how you repay me? You can rot in hell for all I care.*
She let the tears trickle down her cold cheeks and turned away, locking the cell door behind her.
* * *
Julia blinked and opened her eyes. Darkness greeted her, as always. But the dream was still vivid in her mind. She thought about it as she sat up and finger combed her messy hair. It was possible that the world could be different? She wondered how many other people had heard of this Hellewise Hearth-Woman. She didn't know much about witch history. She stood up and went out side. Maybe Poppy knew something about her. She found Poppy in the stables, sweeping at the straw with a broom. Her red hair hung lifelessly to her shoulders.
"Poppy? Do you know anything about someone called Hellewise Hearth-Woman?"
Poppy's head snapped up. "If you say that name and the vampires hear you, you're dead."
"Well, who is she then?"
Poppy looked around. There were one or two other slaves in the stables. Poppy looked uncomfortable. She took Julia's arm and led her out the stables into her own hut. The way she kept looking around made Julia nervous. "She was the leader of the Hearth-Women back in the times when people lived in caves. Her and her sister Maya. They were the twin daughters of Hecate Witch-Queen, and they were the greatest fighters in the history of the Night World. Maya was the first vampire. She started the race and the Redfern family. Hellewise was leader of the Harmans, the witches. Why do you want to know?"
"Because she was in my dream last night. And the world I was in in the dream - it was just like the world you described. There was sunshine and colour and plants and trees and flowers and the sky was pale blue, not black. There was no darkness. No slaves. And Hellewise said to me that I was going to lead the slaves to freedom. She said someone called Maggie Neely had done it before."
Poppy's eyebrows raised. "Maggie?"
"You know her?"
"I used to. But she died in the battle, along with her soulmate, who was a wild power. We lost because we didn't have all four of them on our side."
Something was tugging at Julia. Memories were trying to emerge. The name of Maggie Neely did sound familiar to her, but she was sure she'd never heard of the girl before now. Also, something about the name Maya...it stirred feelings of fright and danger, anger and hatred and fear.
"Hellewise said you're going to free us all? Did she say anything that could help?" Poppy was starting to sound more and more eager now, there was a spark of hope glimmering in her green eyes.
"Well, she said there were still Harmans in the castle, and if we could find them, then they would help us."
"The *castle*? How the hell are we supposed to get in the castle without getting killed? Did you hear what the Queen did to her King last night when she found out he'd been cheating on her?"
Julia shook her head, not really wanting to hear.
"She put them both in Iron Maidens and left them to die."
"What are Iron Maidens?"
Poppy shuddered and shook her head. "Don't ask."
"Okay." Julia started pacing up and down, her mind sparking into action, as if she knew how to do this, how to plan a revolution. But she didn't. She'd never done this before...in this life. "We need to talk to the slaves. We need to find the Harmans who can help us. We need - " She broke off when a footstep sounded behind her. She turned around, feeling sure they'd been caught. This was it. They were going to be hinted down for conspiracy.
"Am I interrupting something?" a surprised voice said. A familiar voice too. It was only Damien. They weren't going to get caught. Yet. She pulled him into the hut and shut the door.
"You two look like you're planning a conspiracy, so close and secretive." He sounded grimly amused.
Julia smiled back. "That's exactly what we're doing."
The grin faded from Damien's face. He stared at them as if they'd gone crazy. "Have you two lost your *minds?* You're going to get killed!"
"We are not!" Julia was surprised she sounded so confident when something inside her was telling her exactly the same thing. "It's a long story, I'll explain later. Do you know any witches?"
He blinked. "Witches?"
"Yes, witches," Julia said impatiently. "People with special powers, you know? Good witches who can help us."
He looked a little dazed, but his expression cleared suddenly. "Yeah, actually. Yeah, I do."
"Takes us to her."
"Us?" Poppy interjected.
"Do you want to live like this forever? If so, then fine. Stay here. If not, then come with us and help us get the world back to the way it was." Julia was surprised at herself. She had never spoken like this to anyone, in fact, she never spoke much at all. But things inside her were different. She definitely knew she had done this before. She also knew how to lead people, how to organise them and how to convince them to fight for the good. She didn't know where any of them came from, but she was going to use them to the best of her ability.
She made a silent vow to herself.
She *would* get the slaves free. Even if it cost her her life.
* * *