The same evening that Aderyn and the priest were taken, Hafros returned to the docks as every day, and found a pair of accusing blue eyes waiting for him on the shore.
He hailed Catrins cheerily, and hopped off the boat to give the girl a good hug. She glared at him, and backed away.
"You didn' go with them."
Hafros stopped short, and raised an eyebrow "Aderyn and the priest? Too right I didn't. I've got a great number of people relying on me for this job, and destiny will wait."
"You jerk!" Catrina screamed at him, and smacked her fist ineffectually on his chest.
Hafros caught her arm before she could do it again "Now hold on. Those two can handle themselves fine on their own. The man in the woods is one of us, after all."
"Wasn't the Man in the Woods!" Catrina screamed, and everyone in the dock looked.
Hafros laughed loudly, and clapped her on the back "Oh, I'm only teasing niece." He said, loudly so everyone could hear "I know when you pick a man it'll be a more reputable sort than that!"
He put a hand on her back and nearly shoved her towards the ship's cabin. The sailors gave him many sympathetic glances as he did, some of them having little relatives of their own with romantic tendencies.
As soon as the cabin door shut, Hafros turned to Catrina, face grave.
"What do you mean it wasn't the man in the woods?"
Catrina sniffled, and paced about the room.
"The King's men got 'em. They took them in as poachers and con-conspiri- people working with the man in the woods."
Hafros looked solem as the grave "That's bad news. Bad news indeed. Never thought Aderyn would get caught like that."
Catrina sobbed "She never coulda been if I'd not sent 'em after the man in the woods. 'E had a whole troop on his heel. Course they got caught."
She pounded her fists on her head. "Stupid, stupid, stupid."
Hafros looked profoundly unnerved by this, and not sure what to do. He gathered up a pack from the side of the ship, and threw a few things in it. Rope, food, a hammer, bandages, the like. He filled up a second pack similarly, and tossed it at Catrina. She caught it, barely, and looked up at him with wet eyes.
"What-"
"I messed up." Hafros admitted. "They needed me, and I wasn't there. I need to fix that."
Then a grin took over his face, wild and mischievous.
"You coming?"
It was days that the priest spent in that cell, he was sure of it.
There was no light where he was, but they brought him food every now and then. He had more than ten meals, though his stomach was begging for more, and he didn't know how long he had been passed out. So it was days, at the very least.
Every now and then, the devil man would come back, and make sure he didn't grow too comfortable. The priest was quite sure that there were supposed to be trials, even for poachers and bandits and conspirators. He was quite sure that even if he had been found guilty, he would have been released by now, or killed. They cut off hands for smaller game, and executed you for larger things. Even for attacking a knight, there was no torture. The devil man hadn't even asked him any questions. He just seemed to have an irrational hatred for the priest. The priest knew there was something to it, but in the pain it kept slipping from his mind.
He wondered if Aderyn had lost her head.
The priest closed his eyes, and murmured his prayers. One must never lose hope, he told himself. The heavens will see us through. One must never lose hope.
There was a rattling at the door, and the priest felt his heart sink. It wasn't time for food, he knew. That meant the devil man was back, and a new bout of pain was soon to come.
The door rattled louder, and a soft voice whispered through the keyhole.
"Mister priest? You 'ere?"
He recognized that voice.
"Catrina?" the priest rasped, and tears started to roll down his face.
"Be back soon Mister priest. Just need ta find the keys."
A frantic pattering of footsteps sounded, and the priest fought back the urge to ask her to stay. He took deep breaths, and murmured another prayer. It felt like it was hours before Catrina came back to the door, but it was probably only minutes.
Once the door opened, Catrina was at his side in a moment, rattling at his chains, and he was crying in earnest. She cursed in several degrees, and jammed picks and pins into the lock quite furiously until they came loose with a crack. The priest went tumbling down, and she just barely caught him before he hit the floor.
"They not been feeding you?" she muttered furiously "Ya feel like a feather."
He grabbed ahold of her shoulders, and hugged her close, not even caring about the impropriety of it.
"I thought you hated me Catrina. I didn't see you for nearly a week."
She stared at him in disbelief, and then shook her head furiously.
He laughed, between the tears, and did his best to stand up. Catrina gave him a shoulder to lean on, and they hobbled towards the door together. Catrina was biting her lip.
They walked down the hallway, slow and steady, and then up the stairs, one by one.
"We'll never make it." The priest said in realization. "We can't escape a castle like this."
"Leeme worry about that." Catrina said, but he could tell it was bluster.
"Catrina you can't do this," he said, his voice coming out a whisper "You'll just get caught too!"
She glared at him.
"I will do it. Do it proper too. Watch me."
The priest closed his eyes and prayed.
They took the stairs one by one, and passed a room full of sleeping guards. The priest saw empty tankards in their hands, and murmured to Catrina: "Did you…"
"I spiked their ale." She murmured back "Lily gave me the stuff to do it."
"Lily's here?"
She nodded.
Up they went past the guards, one step and then another. There were empty suits of armor linin the stairs in alcoves and their empty visors seemed to glare at the intruders.
The priest was tiring, and he was sagging further and further into Catrina's grip. Then, above them, there was the sound of boots on stone. The priest pressed his eyes shut, and tried keep the hope alive.
"Into the alcove." Catrina said "Quick."
She nearly shoved him behind a suit of armor, wrapping his arms around the wooden pole it was mounted on, and then dashed behind another herself.
Black boots passed them, hitting the ground heavily. The priest could hear the clink of torture tools in their box. The devil man had started using more and more exotic methods when he grew bored, and the priest had to fight down the scream in his throat.
The world stilled. The priest thought of what might happen to Catrina if she was caught. The boots passed. They rounded the corner.
"What are you mongrels doing; asleep on the job?! Incompetent!"
Any minute now, he was going to find the door open, and come roaring back up the passage. They had to go now.
The priest hauled himself from behind the armor, and dragged Catrina from hers. They staggered up the stairs. He didn't lean on her, couldn't afford it. They had to be quiet until the very last minute. One step, another.
There were several thumps, along with insults below. The priest knew that the poor guards would have a great deal to pay for soon enough. The doorway was ahead. It was open. They stumbled out into the stone hallway. There was the light of the stars shining through the window.
Below them, there was a bloodcurdling scream of fury.
And now they ran.