Chapter 10

Escape and Capture

Hooves clacked across the cobblestone road. Wooden wheels rolled down the uneven path. Divers were calling out to their horses, shouting "whoa" or "giddy-up", and the gatekeeper kept the traffic flow under control, keeping track of everyone who came and went. His Irish accent rang out loud and true through the din of the crowd. But, with all the hustle and bustle, just as the man turned his attention to a cart trying to pass through, two women left the city, seemingly unnoticed by anyone.

…

"Come now girl, where is your cry? Where is your plead for mercy?" Ayden only glared at the man holding the whip. Blood was streaming down her back and arms, but she didn't say anything.

"No matter, I will break you soon enough."

Gritting her teeth, Ayden bared the lashes she received, thirty in all. The king walked in as the final blow fell.

"Well?" he asked softly.

"She is strong, I have not broken her yet. More lashes, my king?" The torturer asked.

"No," he replied. "More lashes would kill her. Try something a bit more…draining."

An evil grin spread across the mans face as he unchained Ayden's wrists from the ceiling and strapped her to a table. Her heart was full of fear but she kept her eyes stern and her expression unfeeling.

"Are you ready to feel a little…spark?" the man asked as he flipped a switch and watched her body begin to convulse as electricity flowed through her.

…

"Hey Daniel, how was the crowd today?" a guard asked as he came through the watchtower door.

"Not to bad Jon." He answered. "A cart tried to slip through with some unmarked barrels, but I caught him in time."

"What would we do without you?" Jon asked, patting Daniel as he walked out the door. "See you tomorrow!" he called after him.

Daniel waved at the young man then continued on his way to his home. This journey was like every other one he had ever taken, except Sara would not be there to greet him at the door this time. He had let her and Willow slip through the gate. This time, Emmett would be waiting for him. He hoped their plan would work – he hoped he could get Emmett into the castle unnoticed and that they could get Ayden out and that it wouldn't be too late.

…

Emmett stood at the ready by the door, waiting for Daniel. They had gone over the plan many times that morning: Daniel would let his wife and Willow to slip through the gates unnoticed and Emmett would provide the distraction that would allow this to happen. He dressed as a merchant and loaded a couple unmarked barrels onto a cart and pretended that he wanted to go through the gate. He and Daniel held a heated argument at the gate while discreetly watching the girls escape the city. When they could no longer see them, Emmett announced that he would go back into the city and try to get his barrels marked, complaining loudly as he went. When he got back to Willow's home he removed his disguise and gathered the weapons he needed but hoped he wouldn't have to use, then he slipped through town to Daniels' home. When he got home, Daniel was supposed to take Emmett to the castle and point him in the direction of the dungeon then stand guard at the gate. Willow thought that that idea might be a little risky, having him standing randomly at the gate, but Daniel assured her that it was perfectly normal for the kings' guards to stand watch at the gate during their breaks. Emmett was then to sneak down to the dungeon and find Ayden, releasing her and getting both her and Daniel back to Willows' home as quickly as possible so he could hide them in the cart he had used earlier. Putting the merchant disguise back on, Emmett would then attempt to go through the gate for real. The plan had to work. He had to get Ayden back, he couldn't loose someone else…especially someone he was just staring to care for.

As Emmett stood by the door waiting for Daniel to return, he heard a commotion right outside. His conscience would not let him open the door so he peeked through the window next to it and saw the very thing he feared – Daniel was being ambushed. He looked on as the old man struggled against his captors, but to no avail. Rupert's guards overpowered him quickly and began to escort him back to the castle. It didn't take Emmett long to decide on what to do. He gathered the weapons he could easily carry and set off for the castle himself. He had no idea where he was going or what he was going to do. He was just going to follow his instincts and hope that they were right.

When Emmett arrived at the castle, it was surprisingly unguarded and easy to get into. The hard part was figuring out which hall went where. Entering the castle, he turned left, hoping he could pass through unnoticed; a feat that proved easy. Still, he was completely lost. He had no guide and the castle was huge, he just knew he had to go down. He hoped he would find Daniel in the dungeon with Ayden.

Emmett turned left again and found himself in what looked like the war room. There was a stone fireplace full of ash. Above it was a large tapestry that pictured a bloody battle. In the center of the room was a round, mahogany table with drawings and letters littering its surface. Looking around to make sure he was alone, Emmett crept closer, thinking that maybe he could find some kind of document that would tell him what the king was up to. Under one stack of papers, he found a list of names, every single one of them crossed out. Ayden's name was at the bottom…her name was crossed out as well. Emmett's heart stopped when he saw this. These were surely the names of the kings' assassins that he had wanted dead, and Ayden was on the list – crossed out. Surely she wasn't…Emmett couldn't even think the word. She had to be alive; he felt it. Frantically, he searched through the other papers, trying to find anything that could help clarify what he had just found. What he found next only added to his questions. Moving a stack of papers to the side, he saw his mother's name.

…

Finally, Rupert had come to take Ayden off the electric table. With a nod, the jailor shut off the power, but he did not unstrap her; instead, the king came and looked her in the eyes. Her body was still twitching from some leftover electricity coursing through her body, but she kept all expressions off her face. She could show this man no weakness.

"As you already know, a quick death would be to good for you. I want you to suffer, and be made and example of, so that way anyone who dares cross me again will know what is coming their way if they try." Rupert ran his hand down the length of her body while she glared at him. She did not, though, give him the satisfaction of jerking away from his touch.

"What do you want to do next, my liege?" asked the guard. "Do you want to use the stretching machine? Or how about we cut off her fingers and toes one by one?" the guard grinned and lifted her fingers as he spoke.

"No, all to good for her. She has lived long enough, but her death needs to be slow and painful. I believe the net will do."

Suddenly another guard came into the dungeon.

"Your Highness! There is a rebel in your work force."

Rupert stood still for a moment, with his hand resting on Ayden's thigh. Then, turning his attention to the guard who had been torturing Ayden, he said, "You know how the net works. Finish the job while I take care of this nuisance."

"Yes sir." The guard saluted to the king as he quickly left up the stairs, then he turned his attention to Ayden with an evil grin. Taking a knife, he knocked her unconscious then sliced a small gash across her neck, which began to bleed.

…

Blinking in the darkness that seemed to have swallowed him, Daniel looked at his surrounding. At first, he saw nothing, but slowly his eyes adjusted. He was lying on his back in the king's dungeon. Something was dripping on his shirt and he looked up to see what it was. He could only make out a large net hung from the ceiling, but he had a terrible feeling in his stomach.

"Ayden! Ayden, can you talk? It's me, Daniel. You remember me, right? My wife was Sara?"

The net moved slightly and a groan reached his ears.

"Ayden? What did the king do to you? Can you tell me?"

Ayden groaned again as more blood dripped onto Daniels' chest. The groan did not come from the rafters, where the net was strung. It came from a few inches above Daniel, and his fears were confirmed.

…

All he could do was stare at his mothers name on the document. Thousands of questions were spinning through his mind. What did the king know about his mother? Was he the one behind the attack on the town? If so, why? He had to get the answers to these questions…but he also had to prioritize…Ayden was still be alive…she had to be; and he needed to save her before he could get to any answers about himself. She would do the same for him. Pushing that document aside, he tried to find anything helpful that might save Ayden.