The Hunt for Freedom

Chapter Thirty One

    She awoke with a start. She knew not where she was or how she got there. She only knew that her foot tingled from lack of circulation and that she had a whopping headache. As she lay still in the cold, dark void of space, memories of the encounter outside her master's chamber flooded her mind.

She was cold, and a draft seemed to be coming from beneath her worthless feet. She tried moving a bit, but the tingles shot up her leg and caused a moan to escape her lips. She wriggled about and discovered there was a little crawl space towards the rear of her hiding spot. This would be a great place to hide when Essam was in one of his hideous moods she thought and squirmed around feeling her way.

To her amazement she was able to keep moving. Although her sense of direction was completely obscured, she felt like she was moving further and further from the hallway. She could no longer reach her little arm out and feel the edge of the alcove. Instead, she could feel the stone ceiling receding a bit giving her room to stretch out her limbs. Inch by inch, she scooted and shimmied toward what felt like fresh air. Knowing it must be a mind trick, she started imagining a low red light leading her way.

She was in a narrow tunnel, with enough room to begin crawling. She had no idea where she was headed but anything was better than where she had come from. Before long she had enough room to stand up, somewhat crouched, but she was upright. She still moved slowly, the knot on her head reminded her of what could happen if she didn't feel her way. What seemed like hours later she found herself in a cavern about the size of the room she shared with the other slaves.

Although she could not see it, she heard the sound of crashing waves. The scent of salt water was growing stronger and seeds of escape began to germinate. She was so accustomed to the dampness of the cave she did not notice that the ground had begun to get wet. It wasn't until she stepped in a puddle, and was actually able to see her foot that she noticed the light and the water. Stepping carefully over what appeared to be deep puddles she found another tunnel and continued her quest. Retreat never crossed her mind, and the brave little maid pushed forward. The sound of crashing water grew louder with each step and fine mist began to soak her hair. Following the sound she found herself at the edge of a pool, looking up at a rocky cave wall that was losing the battle of holding back the sea.

Sunlight danced on the cave walls behind her as light intermittently came in the same crevices as the sea. As she watched she caught the rhythm of the tide, and could imagine the other side of the cave as waves ebbed and flowed. When the light dared to come through she could see that she was in a natural tide pool. Since the water level wasn't rising with each spill of water through the crevices she figured it must also have a way to drain out.

If she could find a way out, what would she do then? As she had often caught a glimpse of a dragon in flight, she knew that her chances of being spotted on the outside were great. Being a fisherman's daughter she also knew that the tide would change and the cavern could fill up. She reasoned that since light was coming in, it must still be daytime, and since her stomach had just started rumbling in complaint, she must not have been gone too long. Maybe she could figure out how to go back and plan her escape. Escaping without any plan seemed foolish and she began to make her way back towards the hell she had left.

It wasn't as difficult to get back as she thought it would be. Within half an hour she found herself squashed in the tiny alcove looking out into the hallway. She could not see or hear anyone so she took a chance and jumped out. As she began to run down the corridor the wetness of her clothes plastered to her tiny body made her start to shiver. It would be no good to be found this way. A dirty maid was a punished maid, and punishments around this place could be lethal.

She avoided the main entrance and made it back to the slave quarters unseen. She quickly put on a clean maid outfit and cleaned her face and hair. Maids were expected to serve the master they were assigned to, and when not in service they were to present themselves in the kitchen where they could be sent on tasks for any weredragon. This is also the only way a slave had any chance of getting food. Any leftovers scraps sent back were given to the slaves. It was survival of the fittest here, and the biggest slave managed to get the majority of the food. The cook took pity on the younger children and often slipped them bits and pieces when he could.

Standing in the kitchen waiting to be ordered to some task, the little maid stood off to the side eating the crust leftover from a piece of toast. She saw the caged prisoner again, slyly looking at her through heavily lidded eyes. She smiled and quietly threw her crust through the bars of his cage. She remembered the endless hunger of living in that box. Again she tried to puzzle how this prisoner was awake.

The corners of his mouth twitched and almost smiled. His hand slowly took the crust and immediately shoved it into his mouth. Footsteps on stone quickly walking toward the kitchen reverberated off the stone walls. The prisoner froze, eyes closed and looked catatonic. Question solved, she thought. They think he is asleep.

The weredragon named Odin sauntered into the kitchen. He ordered his food and noticed the little maid with nothing to do. He slapped her for being lazy and sent her off to scrub the entryway. Without diligence moss would start to grow on the wet stone, making it slippery for dragon landings. She got down on hands and knees like the others already outside and mimicked their actions. Back and forth with the scrub brush, scraping away at the stone. She saw a dragon approaching, black as soot. As he spread his wings out to land he knocled two slaves over the edge of the cliff into the churning sea below. Without a backwards glance he shifted and entered the cave. She stared in horror at the other children who acknowledged the deaths of one of their own without any emotion. A tear slid down her cheek as she realized the danger of her situation.

As she scrubbed the cliff face, she tried to figure out where her secret room was. The cliffs seemed to stretch out for miles without a curve, and from her vantage point the waves were far below. That meant that the secret room was very far from the entrance, an idea was starting to form in her mind. The question was, if you could climb up to the top of the cliffs, what would be on the other side? Surely, there must be a village or town that could offer help. If only there was a way to be sure.

A quick kick to her legs sent her sprawling across the stone. Weredragons laughed as she tried not to cry. The one who kicked her said only one word, "Essam"

She hurried inside and straight to his office, fixing her braids as she ran. One look at him and fear seeped through her entire body. He was smiling, not a natural look by any stretch, and the smile did not reach his dead eyes. She avoided those eyes, looking no higher than his mouth. He told her in fluent English, that she would be leaving that night with him, dress warm and be ready as soon as it was full dark. They were going into the neighboring town to hunt.