Crown of Shadows

Chapter 15

"She is still alive," said Raven as he finished up his dinner. "That I do know." 

"Well, I suppose we should head off for that mountain trail instead tomorrow," said Alistair. "We should spend the night here." 

"Yes, that will be good." Alistair and Frederick fixed up a makeshift bed and went to bed while Raven went and fed the horses. 

"Has anyone seen Starmane?" asked Raven. He was not among the other horses. 

"No, where do you think he is?" asked Freya. 

"No matter, he is only loyal to one master. I am sure he will be fine." 

Freya lay down and fell asleep quite fast. Raven stayed awake to keep guard while the others slept. 

Meanwhile... 

It was night. Rosaline shifted uncomfortably on the big bed in her silky yellow nightgown. She wondered if Elvira would keep her alive if she chose not to join her. And what if she did join her...? No, how could she even think of that? 

Rosaline sighed. What a strange sort of prison this room was. It was everything she could wish for, but in the wrong place and the wrong time. She got tangled up in the covers as she moved around. A very good idea then occurred to her. She hopped out of bed and went to the large wardrobe and selected several pairs of dresses. She then set to work tearing the expensive fabric and tying bits together. 

It was hard to see in the moonlight, but it was better than what she was currently wearing. After a couple of hours, she looked at herself in the mirror. She had been able to make herself a more comfortable outfit. She had on a pair of black leggings under a red tunic that she had made out of ball gown. She had torn off the sleeves and had attached a sort of belt to her waist that was made out of a corset. 

She then took a long red hair ribbon and tied back her hair in a ponytail. She finally felt more like herself. She took one last look at the mirror before smashing it into several large pieces with one blow of her fist. She collected the sharp glass pieces of the mirror and tied them to her "belt" to use as weapons. She suddenly realized that her skin, hair, and body had gone back to their original state. She smiled as she headed to the shelf that held a dozen heels. 

She took a pair of brown ones and broke off the heels. She then got some more hair ribbons and tied them to the brown shoes. They were less comfortable than she would have liked, but they would have to do. 

All that was left for her to do was to find a way out of here. 

After searching over the whole room and finding nothing, she sat on the bed again. There had to be a way out. She closed her eyes and thought hard. And then it occurred to her. 

She jumped off the bed and pulled all of the covers off it. She then pushed as hard as she could against the bed frame. It began to slide slowly across the floor. She pushed it completely out of the way and smiled as she looked at the uneven floor boards that were now revealed. She got down on her hands and knees and excitedly pulled apart the floor boards to reveal a ladder that went down into a stone hallway that was lit with torches. She took a deep breath and headed down the ladder. 

The stone passageway went on indefinitely. Rosaline walked cautiously down the passageway. It wound left and then right. There was nothing on the walls except for the occasional torches to provide light. She began to walk faster. The passage continued on. 

After walking for several minutes, she began to hear several voices. She leaned against the wall and began to tiptoe along it. She eventually saw where the voices were coming from. The passageway ended and led into a large prison house, where she could see several cells that were stacked like cages on top of each other. In each cell was a prisoner. Most of them were soldiers. Rosaline recognized several of them from her training days with Raven. They looked malnourished and emaciated. What did Elvira want to do with them? 

She tried to see if there was a way to get through, but the whole place was crawling with Visenin soldiers and guards. And then she saw Elvira herself walking between the rows of cells. She knelt in a corner and listened to Elvira as she spoke to one of the Visenin soldiers. Rosaline recognized him as the old Captain that she had wounded back at the mansion. 

"Are you sure she will agree? She is too stubborn for her own good," said the Captain. 

"She will have no other choice." Elvira smiled menacingly. 

"Do you think she will manage to escape?" 

"Honestly, I am surprised that she has not already. I know Blackwood. He trained her well. I am a little disappointed. But then again, she is just a girl after all." 

"Do you think she knows... ?" 

"No, she has not the slightest clue. It is actually quite amusing." 

Elvira walked away and Rosaline could not hear any more of the conversation. What did they mean by all that? What did she not know? If only she had a way of getting past the cells. She could then try and find the princess. 

She stood up in the shadows and put her hands together. She then let out a gentle bird call whistle. She was thankful to Raven for teaching her that hand whistle early on. The nearest soldier stopped in his tracks and went to investigate the sound. As he came out into the passageway, Rosaline knocked him unconscious from behind and hastened to get some of his armor. She put it over what she was already wearing and dragged the soldier deeper into the passageway. She then walked out into the rows of cells and went up to one of the prisoners that she recognized.