Chapter 12
Holding her breath, Marion descended the stone steps down into the dungeon. The torches on the walls were smouldering, their flames fluttering in the draught. "It looks like there's another way into this cellar," Marion thought and looked round. Annabelle still in her wolf form followed her like a shadow, then she stepped around Marion and walked a couple of paces ahead of her, ears perked and fur on her scruff. It was more correct, the animal instinct was sharper and Marion looked at her friend carefully, trying to see what lay ahead of them. Suddenly, the she-wolf stopped abruptly, Marion tensed, but looking closer in the semi-darkness, she saw the body of a drunken guard lying unconscious on the steps. It seems that just before, it was Annabelle who had helped him lose his balance and count enough steps with his nose before he passed out. His mates were less fortunate. But he will hardly remember what happened to him, and will thank the saints that he ended up with bruises and a couple of broken ribs.
They were almost down and saw a narrow corridor with wooden doors on either side, two on one side and two on the other, at the end of the corridor was a wrought iron grate.
Marion listened, everything was quiet. One of the doors that was closest to them swung open wide, dark inside. Marion took a torch from the wall and, holding her short sword at the ready in front of her, carefully shone it inside. The glow of the fire brought out of the darkness the roughly made benches covered with blankets, the scraps of hay on the floor, the wooden table with the remains of the meal, and the extinguished hearth-fire in the corner. It seemed to be the place where the guards rested. The room was empty. Hearing a suspicious rustle, Marion looked back out into the corridor, Annabelle looked at her calmly letting her know that everything was fine. Marion pushed open another door, behind it was a cramped storeroom, here they kept sacks of provisions and wood for the hearth. Next door to the right, also unlocked. Along the walls are swords, crossbows, ringlets, helmets, armour. The last door, Marion looked at Annabelle with a look that said "Be on the lookout" and opened it.
It wasn't so dark here, the barred windows under the very ceiling letting in the dim autumn light allowed Marion to look around. In the corner is a bench, in the centre a wooden cauldron of fairly decent size filled with soapy water. There's water spilled on the floor all around, wet footprints. Who among the soldiers of the guard needed a morning bath? Judging by the fact that the puddle on the floor had not yet dried up and the water had not yet been scooped out of the cauldron, the ablutions had been carried out recently. Marion stood for a few moments, and suddenly a vision arose in her mind that she didn't know how to explain to herself. A little stunned, she turned back to Annabelle and the latter, seeing her friend's face, perked up her ears and sniffed the air with her nose. Marion shook her head, chasing away the obsession and realising that she was in the very lair of the sorcerer.
Footsteps were heard, at first softly, then more and more distinctly, Marion and Annabel slipped noiselessly into the pantry closet and, being careful not to make any noise, closed the heavy oak door as quietly as possible behind them.
The iron bolt of the wrought iron bars rattled, and soft female voices and laughter could be heard.
Two women in dark robes entered the room and left the door ajar. They used wooden buckets to scoop water from the cauldron.
-So, have you seen this handsome man? -said one of them.
-I didn't get a chance to look at him for long, I just got hot water and left right away," replied her partner.
-Lilith is not herself with this forest robber, she walks around angry, it's scary to watch," continued the first concubine.
-Why is that so?
The first woman came close to her, putting her lips to her ear and whispered something, both of them laughing.
-What a hero, just think of him! - She continued, laughing, "Yes, he's the kind of guy you'd lose your head over, and you'd feel sorry for Lilith.
-Would you like this brigand to be our lord instead of the baron? -she asked in a serious voice. Her partner was slightly taken aback and looked around and put her index finger to her lips, making her eyes round with fear.
-You should talk less, - the second woman said in a serious voice. -In this castle, the walls have ears. Grab the buckets, let's go.
With these words she took a heavy bucket filled with soapy water and left the room. The first woman did the same and followed her. They walked up the steps, Marion could hear their receding footsteps and one thought pulsed through her mind, "Robin's alive!" The maids were right, the castle walls have ears, their conversation was unwittingly overheard by her.
-Hey! -Shouted the first maid, -Why is he lying here in broad daylight?
-He's dead drunk! - said the other, bending over the body of the guard lying on the stone steps.
As they reached the end of the stairs, the concubines were truly frightened when they saw the dead bodies of the guards. Marion realised it was time to leave the shelter and go when she heard a loud squeal from one of the concubines. They've found the bodies and soon De Bellem's soldiers will be here, there's not a second to lose.
Marion and Annabelle ran towards the wrought iron grate at the end of the corridor. The lock was closed. Marion took the bunch of keys she'd taken from the guard from her belt and tried the first key she could find - the lock wouldn't budge. She tried to open the lock with the second key in order - it didn't fit, with trembling fingers Marion took the third - no way. The next one seemed to enter the lock well and, hearing the salutary click of the lock spring, Marion exhaled with relief. The grate rattled open and let them out into the next corridor of the dungeon. In front of them was another narrow corridor ending in a stone wall and a spiral staircase leading upwards on the left. Now they needed somewhere to lay low to wait out the alarm and then continue their search.
Marion headed towards the stairs. After climbing a few turns, they came to a platform, with ruined stone walls and stairs to go to another part of the castle.
The wind swirled a roundel of autumn leaves on the stone slabs of the dilapidated castle, Marion looked around the high-columned hall.
A loud thud was heard, the forged boots of soldiers breaking the silence. Marion and Annabelle rushed to the stairs at the other end of the hall, but were not in time to hide behind the columns. The Baron's soldiers appeared in the gap between the columns, five or six of them, Marion couldn't see exactly.
The commander of the guards leading the soldiers saw Marion and ordered the soldiers to surround her. Marion and Annabelle managed to get into a winning position for a fight, climbing the stairs and hiding behind a pillar.
Marion had never fought alone against so many armed soldiers before, but she had sharp arrows in reserve and decided to repel the guards' first attack. Taking an arrow from her quiver and putting it on the bowstring, she looked out of her hiding place for a moment to mark her first victim, and prepared to fire.
The bravest of the soldiers, who rushed to carry out the orders of his commander, received an arrow in the knee, falling like a hamstring. Some of the guards were wearing steel breastplates, so Marion needed to aim for the face, neck, or legs of the soldiers to temporarily stop their attack.
Two other daredevils came forward, taking a shot, Marion saw her arrow fly off the armour of one of them. They were getting closer. Quickly loading a new arrow, Marion shot without aiming, but hit one of them in the face. Seeing this, the other tempered his fervour and pressed himself against the wall.
-Cowards! You bastards! -cried the commander of the guards, -can't handle the girl! I'll hang you all! Damn you!
-She's a witch," one of the soldiers said softly.
-What?!" the commander growled and kicked the smart-ass in the teeth.
The rest of us were sobered by it. The commander bared his sword and rushed towards Marion, she was ready and fired, but the arrow pierced the edge of his chainmail without doing much damage to his attacker, who had already almost covered half the distance separating him from the woman.
What he didn't expect, however, was that a huge beast would rush straight at him with black lightning, and the last thing he would remember as he fell down the steps onto the stone floor would be the beast's grin. The other guards stood back, watching as the beast tore their commander to shreds with its powerful teeth, and did not rush to intervene.
Marion began firing at the cluster of soldiers, forcing them to gradually retreat back towards the entrance. They almost beat back the guards' attack, but chance intervened. One of the soldiers looked out from his hiding place and took advantage of the moment while Marion was loading an arrow, swinging his sling he made an accurate shot.
The stone struck Marion's shoulder with all its force. She cried out in pain and felt her left arm hang limply, dropping her bow. Annabelle threw herself at the three guards, knocking one of them to the floor. The other two began to swing their swords frantically, trying to strike the she-wolf, but the beast moved swiftly and unpredictably, so the soldiers struck each other a couple of times instead of the predator.
Gritting her teeth, Marion stepped back to the pillar and drew her short sword for close combat. But she felt a sharp blade against her back, looking round she saw three more guards in front of her who had come to the noise of the battle.
-You'd better lay down your arms, my lady," one of them spoke up.
Marion realised that it was useless to resist, even with Annabelle's help she would not be able to escape her pursuers.
She looked at Annabelle, who had almost chased the hapless warriors away, and shouted loudly: "Annabelle, go away, leave me, there are too many of them. Save yourself, please..."
One of the soldiers beside Marion raised his crossbow and prepared to take a shot at the beast. Marion struck his arm with her sword with the last of her strength, he howled in pain and dropped his weapon. Just then, another guard swung a fist at Marion's temple. She recoiled and slowly slid down the stone wall to the floor, losing consciousness.
