Arthur watched the woman - Jane - draw an arrow from her quiver and rest it on her bow.
Merlin was unconscious, slung over Percival's shoulder. Moving had pulled his back and he had passed out. At least he could no longer feel his back being jostled and stretched. Even if Arthur could still see fresh blood seeping into his already bloodied and ripped shirt.
His own back throbbed but he had been trained to push pain away and continue until dead, or until there was time to stop and see a physician, preferably after his victory.
Mary lightly ran to the corner, she peered around it before waving them on.
Jane followed quickly her with Elizabeth a little further behind. Then came the knights, protectively surrounding Arthur and Percival, still carrying Merlin. Protection from Morgana's army of Saxons and sorcerers and from the three girls supposedly leading them to safety. They were too secretive to be trusted. And they had said they would have no problem leaving them behind. Not the most comforting words.
Mary stopped at another corner and stuck her head around. She quickly drew back and waved Jane towards her, holding up three fingers. Jane nodded and held her bow ready.
Mary mouthed "one, two, three." At that both girls leapt around the corner. There was a yell of surprise which was quickly cut off. Jane rapidly fired two arrows and Mary threw a dagger. She then waved on the group.
Arthur walked around the corner to see three guards slumped on the ground with an arrow or dagger lodged in their chests.
Jane marched up and yanked the murder weapons from their chests.
Arthur stared at her; this woman was dangerous. She had just killed two Saxons and then slotted the murder weapons back into her bow with wet blood still on the tip without a second thought or a look of remorse on her face. He knew that sometimes you had to kill. He was a knight of Camelot, he had killed lots of people but he didn't take pride in it or look so indifferent. He shouldn't make an enemy of this woman.
"Keep moving," Mary ordered when she looked back and saw the knights had stopped.
Arthur followed the women up another set of stairs and down a corridor before a screech sounded out across the Castle.
"That's the warning system!" Jane shouted, sprinting around the corner closely followed by Mary and Elizabeth.
The knights fell in step behind them as they were faced with a corridor with Morgana's Saxon warriors running out of doorways and entrances trying to organize themselves.
The women led them straight on through the middle of the corridor using the element of surprise and catching the men off guard so they got through unscathed.
As they are shot up another set of crumbling stairs, orders were being shouted around them. They were going to have to fight their way out now.
They were on a new corridor which had a stretched out ahead of them and ended with a large, expensive stained glass window looking out over the sea. It would have been beautiful if there weren't so many Saxons standing in their way with murderous looks in their eye.
Jane raised her bow and immediately started firing arrows into the crowd. Mary drew her sword and ran into the oncoming crowd. The knights, not to be outdone, ran after her fighting with their bare hands until they could overpower someone and grab their sword.
Arthur ran up to a Saxon and smashed his fist into his head, knocking him unconscious before picking up his sword. Arthur twirled the weapon in his hands to get a feel for it before standing guard in front of Percival carrying the unconscious Merlin. They slowly moved forwards through the battle towards the stained glass window.
Arthur watched Mary and Jane protecting Elizabeth, trying to take on anyone who so much as looked towards her.
Mary slit the throats of the two guards protecting a small table with a single object on it. From where Arthur was, it looked little more than an orange coloured oval stone but it must have some significance if the girls wanted to grab it.
They continued pushing through the crowded corridor until there was no one between them and the decorative window.
"You're kidding!" Elizabeth shouted as something dawned on her.
"I'll go first, you follow!" Mary shouted.
"But the rocks and the salt?" Elizabeth protested.
"We've got it sorted," Jane reassured her.
Elizabeth looked like she was going to protest some more but Mary ran straight at the window, turned her head to the side and leaped through in a shower of colored glass.
Elizabeth groaned before taking off after her.
Jane turned to the knights, "if you want to come with us you'll have to jump fast, we are not waiting for you," she shouted before she too leapt out the window.
Arthur stared after them. They had to be at least two storeys up, why had all three girls just thrown themselves out the window? They must have a plan; they wouldn't get all the way up here just to kill themselves. A plan was more than the knights currently had. Arthur turned to his men who were looking at him for an answer to the unspoken question - what do we do now?
"Let's go," Arthur said hoping he wasn't making a huge mistake, before he too leapt out the window.
He fell through the air for what seemed a lot longer than it should have been for two storeys up before he hit the cold salt water. Immediately the salt water found its way into the cuts he had suffered and made his stinging back flare up painfully.
Mary, Elizabeth and Jane were already in the water. Mary was helping to keep Elizabeth afloat, her sister's face was twisted pain. Arthur remembered all the cuts she had across her body, the salt water must be making them bite.
There was another person the water too. He looked a little bit older than Arthur. His skin was brown from so much time spent in the sun and his hair looked black with water. He must have been part of this escape plan too because he was looking very concerned about Elizabeth.
The splashes of the other knights landing in the water sounded out. Arthur counted three and smiled, they had all made it this far.
"That everyone?" the unknown man asked
"If it isn't, too bad," Jane said watching Elizabeth struggling to tread water.
The man nodded and whispered something under his breath. His eyes flashed gold and the water around them began to flow and moved them underwater, down towards the bottom. The water closed overhead until they were standing on the rocky bottom in a giant bubble of air.
Arthur gasped. The man had magic. He would have to keep an eye on him. The last thing they needed right now was another evil sorcerer trying to kill them.
The man introduced himself as Luke as he started leading them towards the direction of the shore, the bubble of air following him.
Arthur realized he was going to have to do go along with this man and the three women for a while longer. He didn't want to swim back to shore or face Morgana and he didn't think Percival could make it far carrying Merlin. He was going to have to put up with an evil sorcerer and three murderous women for a while longer.