Chapter 7

Escape.

I tried to turn and see who hade grabbed me but before I could the person hit me over the head knocking me unconscious. When I woke I couldn't move my hands or feet. Quickly I viewed my surroundings.

I was in a small room; Right in front of me where two large double doors. In the far right corner there were three stalls and to the far left was a pile of hay bales to the roof of the barn and next to that was a door I automatically assumed that the door lead to the feed shed.

I also noted I was tied to a pole that stood in the middle of the barn. I stood there for hours wondering. What happened to Robin and Karzach? And what would happen to me. Then my legs started to get tired, slowly I worked the rope down the pole until I was sitting on my legs. Soon enough I was fast asleep.

I was woken suddenly to sunlight. The barn doors were open and two men were standing in the door way. At first I though it was Robin and Karzach, but when I saw them dragging behind my hopes vanished. We were all captured now.

They tied Robin and Karzach to the stable doors and left. "Karzach?" I whispered. There was no answer. "Robin?" Still no answer. "Robin?" I said a little louder. yet still no answer. I hung my head fearing the worst. Then I heard a noise. "Karzach…... Robin?" I called again. I heard a faint groan.

I called again and again hoping to bring them too. Finally I heard Karzach muttering. "Karzach!" I called. I a shifting of hay and then he answered. "Kathy?" My hopes rose. "I'm over here!" He stood up. "Karzach your not bound!" he looked down. "No I'm chained." I sighed "For a moment I thought we would be able to escape."

He looked around. "Where are we?" I shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine." I tried to turn more in his direction but the rope bit into my skin. "Where did you guys go back in town? I went to the blacksmith but you weren't there." Karzach shifted I heard the chains rattle. How had I missed that when they brought them in?

"We got our swords pretty fast." Karzach said. "So we went to go find you. When we got to the tailors a big man came up to us and said that you had gone to the butchers and told him to tell us when we got there, But when we got there you weren't there the thugs took us by surprise we wounded a few before they got us but it didn't make much of a difference."

I started to nod but stopped as the hard wood hit my head. "They did the same to me. When I went to find both of you a boy came to me and told me to meet you at the stables when I got there I was knocked out from behind." Karzach looked at me quizzically. "Could that be where we are?" I shook my head. "That was my first thought but surly there would be more horses."

Karzach opened his mouth to answer when we heard Robin murmuring. Karzach turned and looked over into the stall next to him. "Robin! What are you doing sleeping at a time like this!" Robin jumped to his feet. "What's happening!" Karzach leaned against the side of the stall. 'Oh nothing much we just got kidnapped and are now chained in a horse stall." Robin glared at him.

I explained to Robin what had happened. When I finished his expression was calm. "Why are you so calm were trapped in a barn by some crazy lunatics!" Robin smiled. "Because I have a set of picks." My jaw dropped. "No." He laughed and disappeared behind the stalls wall.

A little while latter I heard a loud click and Robin stood. "That was one of the easiest locks to pick in the world." I smiled. Meanwhile Karzach shifted. "Come on Robin we probably don't have much time until our kidnappers come back." Robin moved to the stall door.

As he pulled it open I heard noises coming from outside the barn. "To late Robin there coming." He jumped back over the wall to the stall he was chained to. Slowly the two double doors opened. The bright light was blinding compared to the little light that shone into the barn.

When my eyes adjusted to the light I saw two men dressed in armor come in. "Kittyanna Marigold nice to see you again." I tried to make out who the man was but I couldn't remember seeing him before.

He laughed you probably don't remember me let me introduce myself. I am Tilden Nocker." Then it hit me this was the man from the tailors, the man who was a personal friend of the sheriff. He laughed. "I can see you remember now." I realized my jaw had dropped.

How could I have been so daft to have assumed he had left for good when he wasn't there when I got back? He looked me over. "The sheriff will be here for you and your friends soon but I just thought I would make sure my packages for him where still here."

He looked over at the man who had come with him the man nodded. Tilden smiled. "Good come Lance." He turned and left the barn closing the doors with a bang. I turned to Robin. "We need to pick up the pace." He nodded and got to work on Karzach's chains.

By the time he got around to cutting my ropes it had long passed noon. Karzach glanced between me and Robin. "What's the plan?" I looked at him. "Escape."

He frowned. "Wow that's a great idea! Now anyone have any idea how to do that?" Robin frowned. "The best idea would probably be to see where we are. We can lift Kathy up to the window so she can see what it looks like out there."

I stepped onto Karzach's hand and he lifted, I grabbed at the wall trying to keep my balance then looked out the window. There's a house a little bit away. Other than that there's nothing." Slowly Karzach lowered me to the ground.

Robin thought a moment. "We need to get our provisions and swords. So I suggest we find some things to use for weapons and head to the house." Karzach's eyes widened. "Just go up to the very place that has our first class weapons with pitchforks and horseshoes!" Robin nodded. "do you have any better ideas?"

We collected all the weapon like equipment we could find. Karzach found a shovel and a pile of horseshoes. I found some mallets and a branding iron. Robin found two pitchforks and a bucket of manure. I looked at him quizzically. "And what do you plan to do with that?" He shrugged.

Slowly we opened the barn doors seeing it was as fast as they would open. When they opened half way they shot to the sides of the barn with a BANG.

We ran towards the house in a crouched position tools in hand.

The house was farther away than it looked and half way there we where panting in the heat. Slowly Karzach sat. "I can't go any farther, let's take a break they can't see us its to far away." I glared at him.

"Why do you have to be so lazy?" he smiled. "I'm not I know my limits." I threw a horseshoe at him. It missed with a clang it hit the ground. I walked over to where the horseshoe had landed. "Horseshoes don't normally make that sound do they"

Karzach looked over at me. "You threw a horseshoe at me and all your worried about is what sound horseshoes make when they hit the ground?"

I went over to him and grabbed the shovel he had dropped when he sat down and started digging where the horseshoe had landed.

Robin came over. "What are you doing?" I looked at him for a moment before continuing to dig. "Horseshoes don't clang when they hit ground." Robin grabbed the shovel from me. "Well unless we want to be here all day you better let me do this."

I backed up brushing my hands on my skirt. Robin pushed the shovel blade into the ground. There was a soft clang as it hit something hard. Karzach moved over with interest. "What is it?" I looked over at him. "I know I know" he murmured. "Start digging."

Soon we had the whole meddle trap door uncovered. Robin leaned on his shovel. "This probably leads to the house." I agreed and examined it. Karzach pulled at the iron handle. "Come help." He called to Robin. Robin went over and together they pulled the door open.

I looked down into the dark. "Well what now?" robin reached in to a saddle bag he had found in the barn and pulled out a strike stone. "Now all we need is a stick." I looked around but couldn't find even the tiniest twig. When I looked up Karzach was no were to be seen. "Robin." I called, he turned. "Yea?"

"Do you know where Karzach went?" he looked around. "No h….." His words were immediately cut of by a triumphant cheer. "Kathie, Robin come down here!" I looked down into the blackness but it wasn't totally dark anymore there was a faint light in the distance.

Slowly I stepped into the darkness and fell to my knees as I hit the ground . Robin jumped down and helped me up. "Are you ok?" I nodded and we continued toward the light.

As we got closer I could make out Karzach sitting by a door. The door was cracked open to let in some light.. "Why in the world did you come down in the dark?" I demanded. His frown changed to a sheepish grin. "I didn't mean to really…..I fell." I stared at him. "You what?"

Robin held a finger to his lips. "Shhh. Do you hear that?" Karzach nodded. "Yea, I think we are in the basement it sounds like footsteps and the room looks it." Robin opened the door a little wider and looked in. "No ones in here but our weapons and provisions are." He moved aside to let me look in.

"This is too easy." Robin agreed I looked at Karzach. "What do you think?" He shrugged. "I think we stand a better chance at fighting with our weapons." I thought over what he said. "What ever we decide we need to do it soon."

Robin nodded. "I agree with Karzach. We will stand a better chance with our weapons we'll just have to take the risk." Slowly I opened the door a little wider "Well….lets go."