Chapter 11

Patronus rounded a corner peeking around the stone wall of the hallway. He could see nothing before them in the darkness so he tugged lightly on Lily's hand before walking out into the hallway. It wasn't too much father till they got to the kitchen now, but they still had to be careful. They had been doing well so far which made him all the more nervous. You could only get so far through Brennenburg without incident. He tugged on her gently, trying to keep her from moving too slowly behind him. He needed her lucid and coherent-fast. She was dipping in and out of consciousness, moving swiftly behind him, and then suddenly she would be stumbling and making unpleasant gurgling sounds. He didn't know if it was out of hunger or something worse was trying to have at her. You never knew when the Shadow might decide to ignore its latest victim and go after you instead.

Glancing around he noticed a small storage room, the door slightly cracked. An idea came to him and he gently led Lily to the small room, nudging her inside. He took her face in both his hands and made eye contact with her. Sighing softly, he pressed the top of his mouth against her forehead and left her there, closing the door behind him. Hopefully she will be safe in there. He though, moving away from the wooden door.

The grunt shambled over to the open doorway the led into the grimy kitchen. As he suspected, there was a guard posted, a tall brute stood still in one of the corners of the room, watching him without eyes to do it. Patronus barely suppressed a shudder, moving surely through the room to the large icebox. He was never able to understand how the knife-wielding creatures were able to see- if they could even see at all. But he had to get some sort of food into Lily, so he forced himself further into the room and opened the steel container. Shifting around the food inside, he could feel a sudden presence right behind him; steeling himself, he turned and faced the guard brute with a blank face.

XXX

Lily stood in the cold room, crossing her arms and holding herself, trying to overcome the chilly air. She knew Patronus was coming back of course, but her mind was still filled with worry. What his something happened to him while he was out there? It wasn't like she could do anything about it. She was a young human woman, trapped in a castle filled with monsters only the most horrible of people could have dreamed up.

On top of all that though, she could feel something tugging at her mentally, as if trying to get her to do something. She wasn't sure what, but the feeling of whatever it was trying to probe at her brain wasn't pleasant, so she did her best in fighting it off. A dizzy feeling fell over her and she moved a hand up to her head, massaging one of her temples. She heard a slight 'thunk' sound outside of the door and she barely suppressed a gasp. After a pause she heard another sound.

"P-Patronus?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper as she spoke. A scrapping noise shrieked behind her and before she was able to tune and look a pair of hands wrapped around her mouth and neck, another similar pair wrapping around her waist. A muffled scream left her as she was dragged backwards into the darkness.

XXX

Good evening young Mathew. The thing hissed, red liquid mixed with what was most likely rotten tissue bubbling slightly as he communicated.

Evening. Mathew replied, him own voice coming out as a guttural moan.

I see you are getting food. Might I ask why, young Mathew?

Oh, nothing important. It's just that the Master asked me to get some for a guest of him. A young man named Daniel if I am not mistaken.

Really? The brute gurgled. Well that's odd, I wonder why I was not notified that you would be coming.

Patronus tried to ignore the growing lump of worry in his stomach and shrugged his shoulders. Master is a busy man. He probably got distracted and forgot.

Hmm, yes, perhaps that is it. The brute finished speaking and Patronus turned back around, continuing to rummage through the icebox. Hey, Mathew.

Yes? Patronus continued to move food, looking for something suitable for Lily as the dread in his stomach grew to a climax.

Do you know what Alexander hates more than anything- even deserters? The brute asked, his voice giving nothing away.

What?

Liars. Before Patronus could even anticipate what the brute meant he heard a horrible thwack and before he could register what happened, he slumped to the floor- unconscious. The brute let the think wooden plank drop to the floor and he picked up the larger body of the knocked-out grunt, dragging it towards the entrance of the kitchen.

XXX

"We have identified who has escaped and who is helping her," Alexander spoke loudly to the group of creatures standing before him. "You have all been notified of who they are and I expect you to find them. And when you do find them take them straight to the dungeon. I don't even want to have to smell either of them. Make sure that whatever you do, you don't let our 'guest' catch wind of it. I don't want to give such a… creative young man any ideas." He turned his back towards the group, continuing as he looked out a large window. "I want those two killed… slowly. I want an example to be made out of them that I want the rest of you all to follow. And most importantly- I want them to watch each other die."