Alcingeria

Chapter Six: Ignacio's Secret

Chapter Six Ignacio's Secret:

Tuesday June 22nd 1690

There were no windows in the hallway he led me down. Instead, there were candles mounted on the wall every few feet. The candles rested on bronze holders that had been pegged into the walls. The dreary glow cast dark shadows that flickered along with the small flames.

Our footsteps were short and blunt in the small space. I noticed the hood that Ignacio had been wearing since he rescued my friends and I still hadn't come off, it still obscured the upper half of his face. Why was that?

"Ignacio?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"Why do you have your hood down over half of your face?" I asked. "We're inside. You can take it off."

Ignacio turned away, continuing to lead me.

"Are you going to answer my question?" I called after him.

"No." He said flatly over his shoulder.

I shrugged and followed him down the hall. I supposed he had a right to privacy. I'd respect that.

Ignacio and I reached the end of the hallway. He reached out to the small cupboard that I had noticed earlier, withdrawing a loaf of bread and a small flask of water.

"There. I'll bring your friends theirs." He assured me. "Why don't you go and sit down somewhere else while you eat? The front door is just right here."

He passed me bread and water and gestured to a door on our left. It was partially concealed due to the shadows that the candles cast.

"Thank you, Ignacio."

He nodded to me, pulling out two more loaves of bread and two more flasks of water. He walked back down the corridor, out of sight.

I went outside and looked around. We were still in the wilderness, the thick canopy above did a good job of keeping out the sunlight, as was normal in particularly untouched forests in the country.

I saw that the carriage wreck was nowhere to be seen, which I found very odd. How far did Ignacio carry my friends and I? Did he do it by himself? It couldn't have been far. After all, he didn't look like a strong man. He looked pretty thin.

Feeling my stomach grumble, I held up the piece of bread. It looked fine, it had no mold on it, but it was cold. That was fine. I raised it to my mouth and took a bite of it. The bread was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, just as bread should be. I took another bite, and another. Pretty soon, I had satisfied my hunger by eating the whole loaf. I raised the flask of water to my lips and took a drink. I downed the entire flask in a few swigs. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.

Remembering the carriage wreck, remembering Queen Mycta's guards advancing, made me think on Robert's brave venture to buy us time. I looked out into the surrounding forest, wondering where he was, and wondering if I would ever see him again.

I felt something. It was a feeling similar to the one I had when I was about to pass out when Ignacio rescued my friends and I; my head was becoming cloudy. My vision blurred at irregular intervals, my heart rate increased dramatically. What was happening? My knees went weak and I collapsed. My thoughts were slow and almost incoherent. My vision was almost nothing, as if I was surrounded by fog. It began to darken, and then everything faded to blackness.

***

Tuesday June 22nd 1690

I awoke to find myself in a dimly lit room. The floor was wood. The air was cool and musty, old and damp. I saw shelves stocked with jars of dark red liquid. What was this place?