Darkness

Chapter 6

1623 Ravens point of view (Anne and William)

There was the sound of water dripping and muffled voices, those where the first things I heard when I slipped out of unconsciousness. Beyond that was a loud squawking sound, I couldn't figure out what it was.
Beneath me, the floor was hard and cold.
Like, stones?
How did I get here, wherever this is? I question silently.
I tried to stand up and suddenly felt dizzy.
I fell back down onto the cold, hard floor, and I felt myself slipping back into a state where my mind couldn't comprehend with what's going on on what people were saying.

That snapped something, and suddenly, I was wide awake and not slipping back into unconsciousness.
Someone bought me here, I recaled, had I been kidnapped?
I remembered the three faces looking down upon me, I didn't have a clue who they were, but I knew that they couldn't be good people.
I sat up slowly, slowly, so I didn't make myself feel dizzy again, and checked for any signs of familiarity, anything I recognised that could give me clue as to where I was.
There was none.
I didn't recognise where I was.
I was in a cave.
A dark, wet cave.
Why was I in a cave?
I could still hear the muffled voices, and I couldn't decipher what they were saying, like they were far away, or they didn't want someone hearing what they were saying.
Maybe that someone was me.

But due to the fact that I was in a damn cave, everything echoed, and the sounds bounced swiftly off of the cold, hard walls, that matched the cold, hard floor.

What were they going to do to me? I started to panic. What did they want from me?
What had I done?
Did this have something to do with my brother or cassius?
There were so many questions going round in my head, again, I felt I might explode.
I was sick of this, sick of never knowing what was happening, what was going to happen.
I wish we'd never left our parents and the cottage, that held so many bad memories, but at least had a sense of familiarity.
If we'd never left, yes we'd have to put up with our parents' bad idea of parenting, but at least William wouldn't be missing, or dead, wherever he is.

Close or far, heaven or hell, I didn't know.
Another thing to not know.

I was so caught up in my own head, that I didn't hear the footsteps that seemed to get louder with each step, until I heard them and they seemed to echo and accentuate every word that was thought in my head.

I expeditiously lay back down, not wanting them to see me sat up and awake, because I needed more time to think.
I tried to lay as still as I could, not wanting them to figure out I was conscious
The footsteps got closer, until I heard them right next to my head.
I heard the ruffling of clothes and felt a soft hand tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. Then I heard a deep voice saying,
"I know you can hear me." It said.

I didn't reply, just in case he was testing me, and he didn't actually know I could hear him.
But the way he said what he said, the way he talks, his voice was full of authority.
Practically dripping confidence.

It was deadly silent, only disrupted by the repetitive sound of water dropping and some annoying creature squawking.
I gingerly opened one eye a fraction of the way, but instantly shut it again.

He was still there, looking down at me.

"Come on, stop playing, just open your eyes." He said, his voice was so demanding.
I opened my eyes, and sat up.
"There we go, see that wasn't so hard, was it?"
I turned my head toward him, but not looking him in the eye, and shook my head.
His strong, soft hand grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him, and I huffed in annoyance.
I hated being told what to do, or someone forcing me to do something and I couldn't stop it.
Like now.