Chapter 7

Imprisoned.

Morvai awoke to continued sharp pains at his side. He climbed off his bed, and found a small bowl of soup and buttered bread on a small tray in his cell. The soup was cold now, but he relished it all the same. After he was done he put his head through his cell bars again, in case Arkhas had come in while he slept.

“Arkhas, My captain, are you in here?” Morvai muttered.

“Is someone here?” a female voice replied.

Morvai glanced towards the voice, cramming his neck as far as he could fit. A woman with black hair also peered towards him. Her face looked smooth, yet blood was smeared on it, and she had bruises on her cheeks and forehead. She had obviously been here for a while. She looked weak and pale, yet her eyes showed a determined rage. She at least, seemed to have not given up hope of freedom.

“It has long been since I had visitor’s,” she joked, “How did you get caught?”

“I rode from Taroul to avenge the town of Douwfestar, but alas the battle went ill,” Morvai answered, adding, “I am Morvai, son of Erifias, from the 24th Taroulsian infantry. Or at least I was.”

“Still are, more like,” a familiar, yet weak, voice replied.

“Arkhas, my lord, how are you, are you injured.” Morvai excitedly asked.

“I can move, barely, though these beds do not help one heal. And I don’t suppose they would have any pillows?”

“Hardly, these rogues are indeed cruel to rob a hardened Taroulsian captain of his feather pillow. What has this world come to?” The woman laughed, followed feebly by Arkhas.

The woman’s name turned out to be Josephine. She was a scout from Arial, the northern paradise, and the last ally of Taroul in the east. Its cities are fabled for their magnificence. She was often known as the silver scout, because of her pure silver armour. They talked for hours, with little else to do of course. Josephine explained many things about Marsh wood to them as well.

“The only way anyone here can tell its night is when you hear the swamp drakes. They shriek in excitement at the moon, so only then can you know the time. I refuse to sleep until I hear them, so as I know the date, mostly. It is the 21st of the third month of spring, isn’t it?”

“Actually it’s around 12 days later, but you were close. Just how many moons have you counted in here?” Arkhas kindly asked.

Josephine sighed, “I have been in here since the last day of fall. Sometimes I wonder, is it my fate to die here.”

“You will not die, keep hope my lady. But the last day of fall you say, it’s the third day of spring now. You must have been here at least 70 days.” Morvai exclaimed.

“Yes, though it feels months longer.” She replied.

“That is troubling news,” Arkhas stated, “Why do they hold us prisoner if they are not too try to barter us off. If they wanted us dead, we would be dead by now. What game are they playing at?”

Eventually even the company of each others voices grew stale and the foreboding of despair crept back in on each of them. They tried to reassure each other that they would be free, but as the second week of their imprisonment ended, they collapsed into the knowledge that they were going to remain prisoners.

Morvai was dreaming of nice warm ale when he awoke suddenly to the sound of a scream. He sprung to the bars but Arkhas and Josephine just looked at him confused. He jumped up to his cell window and put his face up to the bars. He instantly recognised the smell of smoke, and scanned the area. Then all of a sudden, the guards rushed in with confused expressions. They armoured themselves and hurried out. In their urgency one of the guards dropped his keys just outside Morvai’s cell. He scooped them up and fiddled around until he found the right one. With a click his cell was open and he was free. He opened the other cells and used the keys to unlock the armoury. Inside was their weapons and they suited up. Morvai noticed that he felt awkward in his armour after two weeks lying still and it seemed to weigh more than it ever had. Nonetheless, his strength seemed to return fast as he readied himself. They stole some extra chain mail suits to wear under their armour, and they each had two full quivers of arrows. Morvai was not much of an archer, but that was not necessary. Their fight was only to escape.

Their plan was not an easy one though. When they had arrived at the Mudford fortress, Arkhas had noticed that there was a ladder on the eastern side of the fortress. Arkhas figured that this would lead down to the forest floor, most likely a quick escape zone or vantage point for flanking attacking enemies. Therefore it would be the quickest route for them to make to. However, it was extremely dangerous, but they all knew that this opportunity would only arise once. And with the guards distracted, it seemed that the time was now, or never.

© B.D. Woodford, 2008