Birdcage

Chapter fourteen

Just when things were starting to feel impossible, he finally noticed the first clue. It was like breadcrumbs in the dark woods. He was certain they had been there the entire time but he was just too distracted to notice them.

Jinx and he reached a small clearing where they could finally see the sky. It wasn't the most amazing sight to see but it was much better than where they had been. As Robin looked up he immediately saw them: three small ravens flying overhead. They had been the first living things they had seen in this desolate place.

He could hear them croaking as they dropped down to land on a log at the other side of the clearing and he ran over with Jinx right behind him.

"Didn't know she had little scouts," she stated, "do you think she sent them?" he extended his arm out and one hopped onto his gloved hand. The bird looked over at him, turning its head sideways all the while making happy clicking sounds.

"Maybe," he was surprised how long it sat there shifting its gaze between Jinx and him. A weak smile spread across his face. The other two ravens took off over the trees and the last one joined them, croaking louder as though telling them to follow. Robin was quick to move, hurrying into another part of the woods in the direction they went. Looking up he was glad to see that this area wasn't as dense as the woods from earlier so it was easier to keep track of their flying guides. That being said they still had to dodge and weave through the trees which still slowed them down. Jinx brought her fingers together tightly and went ahead of Robin to cut through the vines and limbs that got in their way. She moved gracefully as she slashed through the obstacles with ease.

They finally came to the end of the woods to an open field where a dark castle stood with a moat surrounding it. The black fortress against the crimson sky only added to the horrific feeling of the place. Jinx stretched her arms over her head and let out a yawn as though she was unimpressed.

"Jeez, a little cliché, don't yah think?"

"Cliché or not, if that's where she is, that's where we're going." With that said, he moved forward with Jinx following quickly behind. There wasn't much cover in the field so they had to move quickly in case there were guards watching from one of the towers. So far everything seemed pretty quiet. As the two of them got closer to the moat they moved around the castle looking for an entrance.

"Well that seems appropriate, there's no door, " Jinx chuckled quietly, shaking her head. Robin let his next breath out slowly in an attempt to not lose his calm. The fact that she sent ravens to help them make it this far but then there's no front door was pretty annoying. Did she think this would stop him? He scanned the side of the building before seeing a window that wasn't too high up. Reaching for his belt, he pulled out his grappling gun and aimed upward. Firing the line, he felt it connect between two stones. Bringing an arm around Jinx's waist and they were pulled towards the window. About half way up something went wrong and the anchor released. Before either of them could react to the sudden change in direction, Robin manages to get behind Jinx before they both land in the water below. Jinx immediately came up with a gasp. Pushing her hair out of her face she realized Robin hadn't resurfaced yet. After a couple more seconds she knew something was wrong.

"Great, now I gotta save him too," she huffed out to no one other than herself. Taking a deep breath she disappeared under the surface. The water was hard to see through as she swam deeper trying to reach him. Something brushed her hand and she grabbed what felt like leather. Pulling more she made her way back up. "Are you okay," she asked, only now noticing she had him by his foot but he had still managed to get his head above water. He let out several coughs in response. Letting go of his foot she started to swim back towards the land with him wearily following behind.

Once on solid ground again, Jinx attempted to fix her hair while Robin remained on his hands and knees hacking up water. Sucking in a deep breath of fresh air he turned and took a seat next to Jinx. Slowly he pulled his belt off, checking each compartment to make sure his gadgets didn't get too damaged. Some of the bombs were unsalvageable but hopefully he wouldn't need those anyway. Everything else seemed to be okay. Tossing his belt to the side, he pulled his gloves off and attempted to ring them out as much as possible. "Yeah, I bet that all gets annoying especially when you fall into a moat." He glanced over at her, his expression clearly annoyed.

"It's a lot," he admitted obviously distracted by the current situation. Jinx's mouth pulled to the side as she turned her attention back to the tall structure in front of them. Getting back to her feet she brought her hands out with her palms upward. The ground rumbled and shifted nearby. Slowly several rocks were pulled from the dirt and placed over the water until they formed a makeshift bridge.

"No bridge, we'll just make one," she stated as she stifled her breathing. Robin stared in shock realizing again it was a good idea to bring her along. "You'd better hurry, I can't hold this for much longer." Moving quickly he got his gear back on and got back to his feet.

"Are you coming," he asked her noticing the sweat sliding down the side of her face.

"I'll catch up…might just need a minute." Without another word, he stepped on the first rock. Jumping from one to the next he made it across the moat. Pulling out a birdarang he was able to get the latch on the window open.

It was quiet inside, so much so that the air felt stagnant. He moved quietly through the hallway. Turning the corner he took a step back when he noticed several armored guards standing at attention. He was certain they saw him but none of them moved. Cautiously he walked past several of them and still no movement. He let out a sigh of relief knowing he couldn't fight this many at once. He was about half way down the hallway when he heard the sound of metal against metal.

"Aw crap," he muttered as he turned and ducked just in time to avoid a sword swinging at him. "Couldn't stay asleep just a little bit longer?" The same guard swung the sword back the other way and he leaned backwards as far as possible. He almost fell but was able to maneuver around the blade. There was another swing at him and he reached around to his back and pulled out his staff. Clicking the middle button, the staff extended just in time to block the attack. The guard was relentless and pressed in more, pushing him back. He boots were still wet and offered little traction. He noticed another guard moving in followed by another one. Just as he thought he was definitely out numbered. Thinking fast, he pivoted sideways and the one guard fell into the other one. They corrected themselves sooner then he expected and he took off running as more joined the chase. He had to figure out a way to lose them but didn't know which way to go. There was always the chance he'd run into a dead end if he wasn't careful.