Shadows & Lace (Spellbound Prequel)

Chapter 11: A Walk in the Woods

The raid on the debtors' prison went better than expected. It had also proven to be a perfect distraction from the fact that Aurelian had left for Messina the previous day. Not that Braithe cared. Or so she told herself. Repeatedly.

It was nearing dusk as her little entourage of jolly men who had joined the cause or fled from the tax collectors reached the edge of the forest. The wooden carriage carrying the men and women they'd freed couldn't go any further, so they hid it behind some dense bushes, covering it with leaves and branches. The former prisoners were weak and tired, not having been fed enough, but they would have to walk the remaining stretch, as there were no roads leading to Nowhere.

Jowan, Evrei and a few other men had stayed behind to keep guard, so it surprised Braithe when Jowan met them about halfway to their destination. He grinned widely when he saw them and waved. Coming up to walk next to her, he offered his arm to the old woman she was supporting, who gratefully accepted.

With the woman trudging along between them, Jowan glanced at the group. Braithe knew what he was seeing. Skinny, dirty people, several of them older, both women and men. The tax collectors didn't care about your circumstances. If you couldn't pay the exuberant amounts demanded, you ended up in debtors' prison and had to work. Their new comrades ranged from a young lad at fifteen who had been imprisoned together with his parents, to the woman now walking between them, supported by their arms. A widow and grandmother with no income other than what she could get for the eggs from her chickens or milk from her cow.

"It obviously went well," Jowan said, his red beard bristling with anger. Braithe didn't blame him, she'd felt the same when she first found them in the old tower used as a prison.

"Yes, they never saw us coming. We knocked them out, got the keys and were out of there before they woke back up."

Jowan nodded. "Good. Glad I didn't come. Don't think I could show the restraint you do in not harming them."

"Most of them are only doing their jobs. Granted, I'm sure some of them enjoy it - but I'm sure not all." She didn't want to be responsible for a family losing their father, or his income if he lost his job because of serious injury.

"Still," Jowan grunted.

As they were approaching Nowhere, Jowan grinned. "Oh! We have a surprise for you, Daggers!"

"A surprise?" Braithe had an uneasy feeling. She didn't like surprises. "What is it?"

"You'll see." His mood seemed much improved at the prospect.

They reached what looked like a natural stop in the forest, a range of jutting stones and boulders blocking their path. Covered in moss and dirt, they created a natural wall about three men high. It looked almost like a giant had thrown or placed them there in times past.

Pulling back a curtain of hanging moss, Jowan ushered Braithe and everyone through a narrow opening in the stones. The natural wall was about two men deep, a path leading between large boulders that jutted above them, resting against each other to create an almost arched walkway. When they emerged on the other side, the old woman on Braithe's arm let out a gasp.

Nowhere was quite the sight. Hidden behind the wall was another piece of the woods with old ancient trees that the wall had protected as it stretched around, creating an uneven circle. A small stream dissected the area, coming to rest in a small tarn on the east side. Steffan had come across it when he was hiding out from the tax collectors, and had been the one to build the first simple, wooden hut where now there were about two dozen huddled between the trees.

By the time their new arrivals were settled and had been given blankets and some food, Jowan looked as if he was about to burst with the excitement of whatever the surprise was.