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"No, I don't think so. Crope and Baralis keep their keys with them all the
time."
Jack tested the door. It was solid and the lock appeared strong. "Stand back,
Melli." He kicked the door as hard as he could, horrified by the large noise
he made. The door did not give way. He tried again and again, the door
eventually began to weaken. One final kick resulted in the splintering of wood
and the lock gave way.
Melli rushed forth and flung her arms around Jack. "You did it! You did it."
After a moment she appeared to regain her composure and drew away from him. "I
thought you would be leagues away from here by now."
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"I couldn't leave knowing you were still locked up." Jack couldn't meet
Melli's eyes. He felt foolish and brushed back his hair nervously. He was
suddenly very aware of his appearance. What must he look like to her? He was
dirty, his hair unkempt, his clothes stained with blood. Heroes in stories
somehow managed to rescue maidens while looking like court dandies. Next time
he went adventuring he'd remember to bring a comb.
Melli's scrutiny was making him uncomfortable. "We must make haste," he said,
glad of the opportunity to turn away. "Crope could return at any moment." He
moved quickly across the room and caused the wall to open. "Let's go." Melli
grabbed a small fruit knife from the table and then followed him from the
room.
Jack decided it was better not to risk heading toward the way out. It would be
well guarded and they would have to walk past the guardroom. He led Melli
toward the tunnel and Castle Harvell. Once they reached the tunnel, he was
relieved to see there was no sign of light ahead. "Come on, let's hurry," he
said, catching Melli's hand in his.
Lord Maybor raised his hand and then reined his horse to a stop. The men
behind him slowed down and came to a halt. He turned to face his company, "We
will make camp here for the night." The tone of his voice discouraged any
argument and the men set about making camp.
Maybor dismounted his horse and walked off into the woods. Sometime later he
heard the approach of another; he was about to tell whoever it was to leave
him be when he heard the sound of his son's voice.
"Father." Kedrac drew near. "What happened at the inn? Why are we heading back
to Harvell?"
Maybor did not turn to look at his son; he stared into the blackness ahead.
"Kedrac, I will not speak of what passed between that woman and me. I will
tell you that I have good reason to believe Melliandra was abducted by
Baralis' men and, if she is still alive, is most probably being held somewhere
not far from the castle."
"Father, what did the woman say to you? If it concerns my sister I demand to
know."
"Leave me be, Kedrac!"
Such was the force in Maybor's voice that his son withdrew instantly.
Maybor was surrounded by darkness. A cold wind blew through the trees and the
sky was without a moon. He stood and thought of his daughter, how he had loved
her. It was true he had forced the betrothal upon her, but he had never sought
to harm her. And now, to hear from that foul woman's mouth that his daughter
had been abused and flogged. He shook his head grimly and headed back to the
camp.
A heavy rain began to fall and he was glad of its discomfort.
"Where does this tunnel lead to?" hissed Melli. She was feeling a little
afraid. She hated being in the dark.
"It leads toward the castle." Jack tugged on her arm, urging her forward.
"Come on, hurry. We don't want to be caught in here. Look, in the
distance-that light marks the end of the tunnel. Not much further now."
She waited for Jack to take her hand again, but he didn't. She hid her
disappointment by breaking into a run.
It felt good to Melli to stretch her legs properly after days of being
confined in a small space. Soon the tunnel gave way to a long rectangular
room. Jack took her down one of the many passages that led from it. Melli was
about to speak, but he stopped her, raising his finger to his lips. She would
just have to trust that he knew where he was going.
The route they traveled seemed a maze of turnings and staircases. Jack lit a
candle and Melli was able to see a little of what she passed. It was not a
pleasant sight: cold, wet stone with pale mosses sprouting forth from the
cracks. Melli kept her distance from the strange growths; she shuddered at the
idea of one of them brushing against her.
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Eventually they reached a flight of stairs with a wooden door at the top and
Jack bid her wait while he checked if the way ahead was clear. Moments later,
to Melli's great relief, his head popped around the door and he beckoned her
to join him. As she walked through the door and into the huge, lowceilinged
room, the smell of beer and hops assailed her nostrils. She was in the beer
cellar.
Melli knew the beer cellar well. It had been a place that she had played in as
a child, running and hiding behind the huge brewing vats, rolling the barrels
of ale. If caught, she and her friends would taunt the master brewer and the
cellarer-the men would never dare take action against the children of nobles
and would content themselves with chasing them from the cellar. Melli
remembered that being chased was the best thing of all: frightening and
exhilarating at the same time there was the peril of being caught, but also
the reassuring knowledge that they were in no real danger. Melli sighed
deeply; she wished she had a similar reassurance now.
Jack led her up another flight of stairs and into the kitchens. She knew that
it would be dangerous to walk through the castle at night: guards would be on
patrol. They stole through the kitchens, finding the shadows whenever they
could. There were a group of people in the servants' dining hall, but they all
appeared merry from drink and paid no attention to the passing of the two
companions.
Once free of the kitchens, they picked up their pace. They dashed down a
corridor that Melli was unfamiliar with, and then came to an abrupt stop by a
small, low opening in the wall.
"Come on, we've got to crawl through here." Jack knelt down.
"I'm not doing that. That hole isn't big enough." Jack ignored her comment and
began to force himself through the opening, feetfirst. "Where does it lead
to?"
"It leads to a storeroom where the firewood is kept." Jack paused as he
shifted his body, allowing his shoulders to slip through. "I used to hide here
when Master Frallit was after me."
Melli bent down and inspected the gap in the wall. She did not like the idea
of going through it feetfirst. It
would be undignified and Jack might see her legs and undergarments.
She would go through headfirst. Melli lay on her belly and pushed with her
arms and feet. It was a tight squeeze and she wondered how Jack had done it so
effortlessly. She finally forced her way through and scrambled to her feet.
Jack was looking at her with amusement. "Let's go, then," she said sharply.
Jack was just closing the door of the storeroom when someone called out: "Hey,
you there!" Melli could see a castle guard approaching in the distance. She
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