Born In The Dungeons

Chapter 7: Escape

Alexios caught up to me and held me back by my arm.

"Let go!" I complained, trying to get out of his strong hold.

"He can't hurt her. Look." He motioned forward with his eyes. We were standing behind a large pillar, hidden away in the shadows. I willed my eyes to look in the direction he was pointing to and instantly relaxed. One tall man in an official guard uniform stood outside of my mother's cell. She was at a safe distance away from him behind thick metal bars, and the door was locked.

"He doesn't have a key," Alexios whispered beside me. I nodded and squinted my eyes toward the guard, recognizing him from this morning. Sir Edgar.

"How did you find me?" my mother demanded.

"I had the pleasure of running into a certain golden-eyed beauty this very morning. And I must say -- she resembles her mother very much." Sir Edgar chuckled lowly and shook his head. "Imagine my surprise when I was informed that the very person I have been looking for all these years has been locked up right below my feet!"

He started pacing back and forth in front of the cell, muttering words underneath his breath. "The damn king and his secrets! I could have had that power in my hands much sooner had I known."

My mother remained quiet. She had assumed a seated position at the far end of a bed — a good distance away from the crazed old man.

"Now." Sir Edgar gripped two metal bars with his hands. He tried to fit his head through the space between them, but it was too narrow for his large skull. "Tell me, dear Lily. Where. Is. The trident?"

"I gave you my answer, Edgar. You are wasting your time with me. I do not know where it is."

A strangled sound of frustration came out of the old man's throat. He slammed on the bars with both firsts and stepped back, breathing heavy. "Liar!" He screamed. "You do know! And I will get that information out of you, so help me Poseidon!"

Sir Edgar tried to break the heavy lock on the door of my mother's cell with no avail. He cried out and unsheathed his sword, ready to swing it down on the lock. I tensed. Would it break?

Alexios gripped my arm tighter to get my attention. When I glanced at him, he shook his head, signalling me to stay where I was.

A loud clank of metal hitting metal echoed throughout the dungeons. Sir Edgar failed — the lock remained unbroken. He screamed in frustration and dropped to his knees, heaving. His sword fell out of his hands, hitting the ground.

Alexios and I frowned at each other, both of us questioning the man's sanity.

"I will be back tomorrow, dear Lily." Sir Edgar finally rose to standing position. He picked up and sheathed his sword. "With a key. I would advise you to rethink your answer by then to avoid... unnecessary pain."

As soon as I heard his retreating footsteps followed by the familiar sound of the swinging dungeon door, I pulled my arm out of Alexios's hold. He released me and let me run to my mother.

"Mother!"

She gasped and immediately jumped off the bed to stand in front of me. She reached out with her hands and I took them in mine, squeezing in reassurance. "Emilia, my darling!" Mother sniffled. Her eyes were shiny with tears. "I've missed you so." She reached up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear and caressed my cheek. Then she suddenly frowned, looking behind me.

Glancing back, I saw that Alexios stood there, leaning against the stone walls of the dungeon. I looked back at my mother and squeezed her hand. "He's with me. I - uh... I trust him."