Love and secrets

Chapter 5

    Chapter 5

Perspective returned to Elizabeth.

I crept down the maze of halls as silently as I could. I had completely lost my sense of direction. If I had been going in circles I never would have known it. A cold shiver crept down my spine as I saw a skeleton's smiling skull looking out at me from a body cage. I quickened my pace. "How do people live in a place like this?" I wondered aloud as I passed another torture chamber. "We enjoy it little lady." A voice hissed from a corridor I had passed. I turned around slowly and came face to face with two guards. Their beady little eyes boring into mine, their black and green rotten teeth broke into a smile as they grabbed me and started to drag me down a passage. One of them had taken my cane and I struggled to keep up with their quick pace. "Walk wench!" One of the guards hissed into my ear. That did it. I stopped dead in my tracks, I would not move a single step. The guards began to grumble and started to drag me. We got to the end of the hallway and it ended in a staircase. Not wanting my ankle to hurt worse, I decided to help them a little bit. When we got down the staircase, they started to drag me towards a fat man seated at the table. I mumbled, "Is that the Coeur De Noir?" but if anyone heard me they didn't answer. The fat man in the chair made a motion to my captures. He began to head towards a casket on a platform in the front of the room. I started to be dragged along behind him. Just then the guards stopped, as a young man that looked about my age walked up to one of them. He whispered something to him, and the guard mumbled something back. He then handed my wrist over to the boy. He had a loose grip on me so I tried to break free. That was a mistake. He tightened his grip and began dragging me again. I lost it. I turned to him and looked him dead in the eye. He met my fiery blue ones with his soft brown ones. Little did I know it at the time but that picture of him would forever be embedded in my mind, his soft brown eyes so full of light and laughter, his long curly brown hair that fell about shoulder length, maybe a little less, and, oddly enough, a black bowler hat. But I saw nothing of that at the time, "I can walk by myself. I'm not 2 years old!" I snapped at him. He continued gazing at me for about a half a second then broke his gaze and said, "Then walk. No one's stopping you." I gave him a glare and started limping the rest of the way, his hand still holding tight to my wrist. When we reached the casket, the fat man stopped and looked right at me. Then he spoke, "I am the Coeur De Noir, welcome to my fortress." He looked at my new guard, "Good job son, for once you did something right." I glanced at the man holding me as his face turned red, but I felt no pity. Then I spoke, "I have some questions to ask you concerning a piece of paper I found in a book." "Ahh yes!" he said turning to his son, "Your doing I presume Robin?" "Robin grinned at apparently his dad. "Well let me tell you that whatever paper you found is worthless. Robin set a trap for you my dear. It would seem you are my prisoner, but I will make a bargain with you. You have something I want. You give it to me and you get your freedom. You don't give it to me and you rot in the dungeon until you do." "And what is it you desire?" I asked angrily. "The map in your possession." He answered. "I do not have it with me." I told him, for in truth I did not. The map was no more use to me, but I still could not let him get anywhere near the amulet before I did. "Besides it is of no use to you. It only takes you to Moonacre valley, not the amulet itself." I informed him. "LIAR!" He screamed, "Throw her in the dungeon!" I felt a strong yank on my wrist and neck. I whipped around to find that Robin had me by both my wrist and collar. I began to struggle as he and some of his friends made a procession down one of the many corridors.