The War Lord's Prize

Chapter Sixteen

~~~

The bucket of bones was heavy and I felt my wrists struggling not to dislocate as I carried the bucket to the gate which thankfully wasn't far from the butcher's room.

I prayed the queen needed Mistress Elena's company for a long time or at least till I had run a long distance away from this fate I would never accept.

Two giant guards with piercing stares were positioned at the gate, and as they stared down at me, my heart thumped hard in my chest.

I immediately remembered with a jab of panic, that my hair was more luscious than it normally was. It usually was coily and bouncy, all the signs of healthy hair, but after all the oils and treatments done by Mistress Elena's maids last night, my curls were more shiny and bouncy than usual. A maid wouldn't have the time or the resources to keep their hair so healthy.

I was screwed.

I should have used something to cover the hair, but again, what?
I tried to console myself with the fact that all men of every species were idiots. They didn't take note of such things, they simply didn't care. I hoped these ones were no different.

I bobbed a curtsy in front of them.

Do maids curtsy in front of guards?
Was I more screwed?

"What is your business human?", one of them asked.

I cocked my head in the direction of where I had dropped the bucket which had blood dripping from it.

"I have bones to bury", I told them.

They stared at each other, then back at me. I noticed one of them, probably the more articulate one was scrutinizing me, and with each squint of his eyes I could tell he was growing suspicious.

"Please it is a busy day today", I mused. "I am certain you are both aware of the duel? You must know this is not the only duty I have been assigned today". A rush of air escaped my lips as several wheels in my brain kept moving. I had to think even more carefully about the next words I planned to utter. "I am to attend to the Queen after this", I said. "You both aren't dumb enough to keep her majesty, the Queen of this kingdom", I detailed. "...waiting. That wouldn't be wise, would it?".

Their eyes barely met each other's before they hurriedly opened the gate.

A sweet smile pulled the tips of my lips up. "Thank you".

I bobbed another curtsy, picked up the bucket, and left.

As soon as I stepped out of the palace gate, I felt relieved. But it only lasted a second. This was barely the beginning of my freedom.

***

Outside, I dumped the bloody bucket in a hole that by a miracle had already been dug, even the shovel that was used to dig the hole lay on the cold earth ( my unprotected feet were freezing). I didn't attempt to cover the bucket, I had to start moving.

After the first day, I followed Mistress Elena to the palace, and the King and Princes had assaulted me with their eyes, I began to study the palace maps. My reason was to find an escape route if any of them tried something, or if there were any casualties (assault). My studying never came in handy with Prince Ranesh, but now it was going to.

The palace was very vast, and I only studied the interior, the underground, and only took a few glances at the maps of the back of the palace. Mainly because Mistress Elena always had books she required that I read. I studied the maps in my free time.

I swallowed, as the mental images of the map surfaced in my mind. I knew the areas where soldiers were placed in case of Intruders, I knew the areas they weren't. After that area, was the largest river in the area. Getting across was going to be a challenge. I didn't know much about what was after the river besides the other rivers, which might make my escape difficult but I was Prefon.