Part 11-
Chloe stood up on the bed and stuck her arms through the sleeves of the robes. She threw the hood over her head and then stood for a moment. These were way too big and her feet couldn't even be seen. But she had to try. She took her right hand and touched her forehead, then the center of her chest; her left shoulder then her right. She stepped down off the bed and then put her other foot down. The snakes dispersed like magic. She had assumed correctly. The snakes had been trained to clear a path for the people wearing the black robes. Thank God she was right. She walked a head and the snakes continued to move. She got to the platform and turned back, the snakes had gone back to guarding the bed. Which was now empty except for a line of pillows covered by the thin satin sheet.
She opened the heavy door and saw the dark hallway. Chloe walked down the hallway a few feet and saw a caged in room. She saw Marguerite sleeping on a bail of hay and Ned sleeping on the floor. She whispered loudly to wake them up. Chloe saw Marguerite's eyes twitch open as she recognized Chloe's face behind the big black hood.
"Chloe? What are you doing?" She yawned.
"Getting you all out of here. Where are John, Veronica and Challenger?" She asked.
"I don't know, but I would assume they're all in the dungeon area."
"Common sense." She said with a shrug. "I'll be back." She said and went down the cells. There were faces of all sorts of people in these cages. There were one's that looked like a lizard man. She shuddered with disgust at him but kept going. She started murmuring to herself quietly. "John? Veronica? Professor? Hello, where are you guys?"
"Right here." She heard. Chloe turned quickly and saw Veronica standing against the bars.
"Veronica!" She said loudly and then clapped her hand over her mouth.
"Shush! What's going on?" Veronica asked in a low voice. And with that Chloe explained everything. The snakes, the room, the kidnapping, and now the escape. And all the while, John lay on a hay bail snoring loudly. "Well," She started when Chloe finished. "Challenger should be around her somewhere. When you find him, figure out how you plan on getting everyone out."
"Oh, that shouldn't be too hard." Chloe said and waved her hand and started to walk away with a smile. "Or could it?" She asked and stopped. But she shouldn't think about that. She needed to find Professor Challenger. On the way down the row of cells she listened closely to the murmuring of all the prisoners. Sooner then later she found him, sleeping caddy corner of the wall with a bundle of hay underneath his head. She made a mental note of where he was and where the other four prisoners were. Then she headed up out of the dungeons, passing her own room, and going into the light of the upper rooms.
"FRANK!" She heard a man call behind her and grab her shoulder. He wheeled her around and the hood entirely covered her face. He looked at her funnily. "Frank, what's wrong with you?" Chloe was silent. What am I going to say? She thought. She coughed loudly and hacked something up on the man's robes. She gasped and he looked at her funnily. "Oh, sorry didn't know you were sick." He said and walked away. That was a save beyond saves! She thought. Now, where do they keep the keys to this place?
Meanwhile, in the Royal Tower, Liam was sitting in his bed looking out the window wondering. Wondering, was what he done right? He planned to kill her after the wedding but, was that a good idea? It was easy to take her and then those five coming after her in the middle of the day. They must have actually cared for her. But feelings never meant much to him. He looked at the door and decided to go down to the dungeons to see his new prisoners all at one time. He dressed and called his guards. He had two people escort him to the dungeons and they all stopped at the great door. He instructed them to take Veronica, Roxton, and Challenger into Marguerite and Malone's cell. When this was done, with little struggling, he came into the dungeon. He stood before their cell and looked at them all, clinging to the bars and looking vicious.
"Oh, well, if you're going to be like that you can all be separated again." He said smoothly.
"Where's Chloe?" John shouted angrily. Then a chorus of the same grunts and shouts came from the rest of the group.
"She's perfectly fine. You British always assume the worst." He said with a laugh. "Listen, Chloe left you all in her own free will." He said still smiling.
"LIAR!" Marguerite shouted. "She wouldn't dare. Chloe Aberdeen is a proper young lady of great pedigree and intelligence. She wouldn't go two inches with a man like you!"
"Pedigree isn't everything." Liam said with that same putrid smile on his face. "I have Chloe safely in a room sleeping. Waiting for tomorrow, when she will become a queen."
"What is with men on this plateau and royalty!" Marguerite said in response to the many times she and Veronica had been taken captive in exchange for power over a kingdom.
"I would like to let you know that you are welcome to come to the wedding. And the ceremony thereafter." He nodded to them. Ned could tell he was hiding something. But what? "You can all attend these events and then go on."
"You're serious. You would let us go after all the mess we've been through?" Ned asked skeptically.
"Why not? You are of no use to me, only one of you ever was?" He walked to Marguerite and touched the bottom of her chin and she dropped her head down and bit him. "DAMMIT! That's the second time!" He said angrily. Marguerite eyed him after he said this with a smirk.
"If Chloe went on her own, why would she want to bite your finger?" Marguerite asked. Liam simmered a moment in front of them and he and his soldiers left, leaving the explorers in the cell.
"I don't know what to do." Challenger said as he leaned against the wall. Ned went back to his hole in the wall which had grown slightly since he started it the night before. John looked up to him digging into the wall.
"You have a knife?!" He said and snatched it from Ned's hands.
"I've had a knife! Give that back, Roxton." He said and grabbed for it fruitlessly.
"Could you use this for anything, George?" John asked, waving off Ned.
"Possibly, if I had some sort of plan." He said sarcastically.
Then, Marguerite said in great disbelief, "You don't have a plan!"
***
Chloe hummed to herself as she attempted to find the keys. They can't be too far off, she thought as she searched the dungeon keeper's quarters. Her luck had amazed her. She had eluded suspicion, to her knowledge, and conversation since leaving the bedroom. And then she found the guard's room unlocked and was now searching quietly looking for the keys so she could get her friends out. Suddenly, out of no where, a huge weigh fell onto Chloe's back with a loud grunt.
"Damn! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!" She shouted loudly, though her shouts were muffled by her face being down in the ground. The person on top of her let up slightly.
"Chloe?" He said in a surprised tone. It was Malone. Chloe turned on her back quickly and looked up at him, beaming.
"NED!" She shrieked and hugged him tightly.
"What are you doing here?" He asked when they let go.
"What are you doing here?" She asked, still smiling.
"What are you doing here?" He repeated.
"What are..."
"I asked first." He said and helped her up off the floor. "And what are you wearing?" He said and surveyed her from head to toe, well what of her he could see considering the size of the robe.
"I snuck out and the only way was to wear one of these robes. I was going to come down to the dungeon and save you all from the clutches of Prince Liam, but I see you got out all right." She said. "Now, what are you doing here?"
"I'm trying to save you from the clutches of Prince Liam and I got out through the bars of our cell door. It was quite hard and my legs hurt, but I think I'll be fine." He said remembering having to squeeze through silently and his muscular legs being squeezed between the space of the bars.
"I don't think you'll be so fine." Said a hunched figure by the door way. It was Gregory and he had an evil snicker to him that could only mean that they were in trouble.
{A/N: Boy howdy! I took me long enough to get done with this chapter!!! It seems like forever and a day ago I was writing chapter ten!!!!! I'm sorry for taking so long, I've been working on this Harry Potter story [Gets evil glare from non-Potter people] but it's not like I had to many reviews for this to continue.... But hey, it's all good! 'Cuz, I care about reviews but it's not running my writing 'career' Responsible Readers Respond!!!! LUV YA! BYE!!!}
Chloe stood up on the bed and stuck her arms through the sleeves of the robes. She threw the hood over her head and then stood for a moment. These were way too big and her feet couldn't even be seen. But she had to try. She took her right hand and touched her forehead, then the center of her chest; her left shoulder then her right. She stepped down off the bed and then put her other foot down. The snakes dispersed like magic. She had assumed correctly. The snakes had been trained to clear a path for the people wearing the black robes. Thank God she was right. She walked a head and the snakes continued to move. She got to the platform and turned back, the snakes had gone back to guarding the bed. Which was now empty except for a line of pillows covered by the thin satin sheet.
She opened the heavy door and saw the dark hallway. Chloe walked down the hallway a few feet and saw a caged in room. She saw Marguerite sleeping on a bail of hay and Ned sleeping on the floor. She whispered loudly to wake them up. Chloe saw Marguerite's eyes twitch open as she recognized Chloe's face behind the big black hood.
"Chloe? What are you doing?" She yawned.
"Getting you all out of here. Where are John, Veronica and Challenger?" She asked.
"I don't know, but I would assume they're all in the dungeon area."
"Common sense." She said with a shrug. "I'll be back." She said and went down the cells. There were faces of all sorts of people in these cages. There were one's that looked like a lizard man. She shuddered with disgust at him but kept going. She started murmuring to herself quietly. "John? Veronica? Professor? Hello, where are you guys?"
"Right here." She heard. Chloe turned quickly and saw Veronica standing against the bars.
"Veronica!" She said loudly and then clapped her hand over her mouth.
"Shush! What's going on?" Veronica asked in a low voice. And with that Chloe explained everything. The snakes, the room, the kidnapping, and now the escape. And all the while, John lay on a hay bail snoring loudly. "Well," She started when Chloe finished. "Challenger should be around her somewhere. When you find him, figure out how you plan on getting everyone out."
"Oh, that shouldn't be too hard." Chloe said and waved her hand and started to walk away with a smile. "Or could it?" She asked and stopped. But she shouldn't think about that. She needed to find Professor Challenger. On the way down the row of cells she listened closely to the murmuring of all the prisoners. Sooner then later she found him, sleeping caddy corner of the wall with a bundle of hay underneath his head. She made a mental note of where he was and where the other four prisoners were. Then she headed up out of the dungeons, passing her own room, and going into the light of the upper rooms.
"FRANK!" She heard a man call behind her and grab her shoulder. He wheeled her around and the hood entirely covered her face. He looked at her funnily. "Frank, what's wrong with you?" Chloe was silent. What am I going to say? She thought. She coughed loudly and hacked something up on the man's robes. She gasped and he looked at her funnily. "Oh, sorry didn't know you were sick." He said and walked away. That was a save beyond saves! She thought. Now, where do they keep the keys to this place?
Meanwhile, in the Royal Tower, Liam was sitting in his bed looking out the window wondering. Wondering, was what he done right? He planned to kill her after the wedding but, was that a good idea? It was easy to take her and then those five coming after her in the middle of the day. They must have actually cared for her. But feelings never meant much to him. He looked at the door and decided to go down to the dungeons to see his new prisoners all at one time. He dressed and called his guards. He had two people escort him to the dungeons and they all stopped at the great door. He instructed them to take Veronica, Roxton, and Challenger into Marguerite and Malone's cell. When this was done, with little struggling, he came into the dungeon. He stood before their cell and looked at them all, clinging to the bars and looking vicious.
"Oh, well, if you're going to be like that you can all be separated again." He said smoothly.
"Where's Chloe?" John shouted angrily. Then a chorus of the same grunts and shouts came from the rest of the group.
"She's perfectly fine. You British always assume the worst." He said with a laugh. "Listen, Chloe left you all in her own free will." He said still smiling.
"LIAR!" Marguerite shouted. "She wouldn't dare. Chloe Aberdeen is a proper young lady of great pedigree and intelligence. She wouldn't go two inches with a man like you!"
"Pedigree isn't everything." Liam said with that same putrid smile on his face. "I have Chloe safely in a room sleeping. Waiting for tomorrow, when she will become a queen."
"What is with men on this plateau and royalty!" Marguerite said in response to the many times she and Veronica had been taken captive in exchange for power over a kingdom.
"I would like to let you know that you are welcome to come to the wedding. And the ceremony thereafter." He nodded to them. Ned could tell he was hiding something. But what? "You can all attend these events and then go on."
"You're serious. You would let us go after all the mess we've been through?" Ned asked skeptically.
"Why not? You are of no use to me, only one of you ever was?" He walked to Marguerite and touched the bottom of her chin and she dropped her head down and bit him. "DAMMIT! That's the second time!" He said angrily. Marguerite eyed him after he said this with a smirk.
"If Chloe went on her own, why would she want to bite your finger?" Marguerite asked. Liam simmered a moment in front of them and he and his soldiers left, leaving the explorers in the cell.
"I don't know what to do." Challenger said as he leaned against the wall. Ned went back to his hole in the wall which had grown slightly since he started it the night before. John looked up to him digging into the wall.
"You have a knife?!" He said and snatched it from Ned's hands.
"I've had a knife! Give that back, Roxton." He said and grabbed for it fruitlessly.
"Could you use this for anything, George?" John asked, waving off Ned.
"Possibly, if I had some sort of plan." He said sarcastically.
Then, Marguerite said in great disbelief, "You don't have a plan!"
***
Chloe hummed to herself as she attempted to find the keys. They can't be too far off, she thought as she searched the dungeon keeper's quarters. Her luck had amazed her. She had eluded suspicion, to her knowledge, and conversation since leaving the bedroom. And then she found the guard's room unlocked and was now searching quietly looking for the keys so she could get her friends out. Suddenly, out of no where, a huge weigh fell onto Chloe's back with a loud grunt.
"Damn! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!" She shouted loudly, though her shouts were muffled by her face being down in the ground. The person on top of her let up slightly.
"Chloe?" He said in a surprised tone. It was Malone. Chloe turned on her back quickly and looked up at him, beaming.
"NED!" She shrieked and hugged him tightly.
"What are you doing here?" He asked when they let go.
"What are you doing here?" She asked, still smiling.
"What are you doing here?" He repeated.
"What are..."
"I asked first." He said and helped her up off the floor. "And what are you wearing?" He said and surveyed her from head to toe, well what of her he could see considering the size of the robe.
"I snuck out and the only way was to wear one of these robes. I was going to come down to the dungeon and save you all from the clutches of Prince Liam, but I see you got out all right." She said. "Now, what are you doing here?"
"I'm trying to save you from the clutches of Prince Liam and I got out through the bars of our cell door. It was quite hard and my legs hurt, but I think I'll be fine." He said remembering having to squeeze through silently and his muscular legs being squeezed between the space of the bars.
"I don't think you'll be so fine." Said a hunched figure by the door way. It was Gregory and he had an evil snicker to him that could only mean that they were in trouble.
{A/N: Boy howdy! I took me long enough to get done with this chapter!!! It seems like forever and a day ago I was writing chapter ten!!!!! I'm sorry for taking so long, I've been working on this Harry Potter story [Gets evil glare from non-Potter people] but it's not like I had to many reviews for this to continue.... But hey, it's all good! 'Cuz, I care about reviews but it's not running my writing 'career' Responsible Readers Respond!!!! LUV YA! BYE!!!}