A Midsummer's Saga Pt. 07

Finally, at dead long last, Oren stopped talking and started yawning. Soon enough, everyone rose from the table. Though they kept talking in groups, the feast was over. Gabrielle navigated backwards to the door. She picked a moment when nobody was looking and darted out.

It was by now night time. In the outer courtyard, the only lights she saw were in the kitchen, the gatehouse, and the tiny window in Dodo's guard room. Otherwise it was very dark, the waxing sickle moon setting already, the outlines of other buildings lurking only indistinctly around her.

Gabrielle rushed to the dungeon tower, stumbling occasionally on invisible bumps in the grass. As she was approaching the door, she slowed down, and as she reached it, she stopped completely. She touched her fingers to the handle. She took a very deep breath, and a second, and a third. She opened the door.

The room was well lit with several candles on the table. Dodo and the soldier were sitting on a bench by the wall to the right of the entrance, and looking at the wall opposite. Gabrielle stopped dead.

Flames were reflected in their eyes, which they did not turn towards her. Every so often, one of them blinked.

Very quietly, Gabrielle closed the door and tiptoed over to them. Only when she was very close, Dodo turned to her, met her eyes, and thought for a moment.

"Your worship!" he whispered. He was talking very slowly and carefully, taking some time to shape the words inside his mouth. "You must be careful. The spiders could see you."

"The spiders?"

He nodded. "The spiders. Huge as oxen, bright as butterflies."

The new soldier carefully pointed to the opposite wall. "There is one now. Do you see it? It's trying to hide, in the purple fire."

Gabrielle looked around. Shadows cast by the candles' uneven flames were dancing on the stones.

"Yeah, I can see it," she said. "You know what, you both better sit here very still. I think they can only see you when you move."

The soldier wasn't listening. He was now looking at his hand, which was still pointing to the wall, with utter confusion. She grabbed a torch and some flint.

"You're doing well," she said. "I'll be right back."

The soldier, brow furrowed and mouth open, tapped the back of his hand with the fingers of the other. "Is this mine?" he asked.

"You're doing very well," she reassured him, and entered the blackness of the passage to the cells. She lit the torch and called out quietly.

"Aerin?"

*

Everyone was exchanging their final remarks and wishing everyone else a good night. Clement excused Pelagius for a moment, suddenly taking notice of an absence. He quickly scanned the room.

"Hey!" he said to a senior servant, lurking beside a wall. "Have you seen Princess Gabrielle anywhere?"

The servant nodded. "She's left the room, sir. Not five minutes ago."