Dream and Nightmare

Chapter 26 - Stubborn Determination

Anah’s nerves were no match for her stubborn determination. Facing that castle was nothing compared to getting back in that boat, and she had done that twice without Jack.  What sort of person, Southern or not, would attack a seemingly innocent little girl? Especially when she blended right in with their dark hair and skin.

She had thought the hard part would be getting into the castle walls. While the rest of the once regal city may have been in ruins, the castle looked as strong as ever. It was the most permanent structure Anah had come across in the South.

Just outside the gate, across the moat, there was a gathering of people with smiles on their faces. “-we have captured the King and heir to the Fairy throne!” A man shouted into the crowd from atop a low stone wall so he could be better heard. Despite his thin and small stature, the man held a clear authority over the men and women surrounding Anah.

The group cheered at the news and Anah followed. Was that the first time the crowd had heard about Jack’s capture, and did that mean he was still alive? She couldn’t stop the little sliver of hope from forming in her chest.

He held his hands up to silence them. “The execution of our leaders,” he spat the word ‘leader’ like it was the worst insult he could muster. “Will be tomorrow at noon! Gather your families for it will be a spectacle to behold! An event that will forever be remembered in history: the day that the South won the war!”

The cheers became nearly unbearable to her ears, and when Anah joined in, her cheers were as genuine as theirs. Jack was still alive. A girl next to her swooped her up into a strong hug, and a man to her right kissed the top of her head like she was an old friend. Southerners were a little overly friendly for Anah’s taste.

The celebrating didn’t stop, even as the man cautioned against retaliation from the north, and raised the gate to let them inside.

The people were visitors, Anah realized. They had heard good news and come to see for themselves, carrying packs with them to camp outside in the courtyard right in front of the castle or in the castle walls themselves. Apparently they thought their spells were good enough to protect against intruders who wished them harm, but they intended to make the execution a public affair.

Too bad there wouldn’t be an execution to see.

Anah did well blending in to her crazed surroundings. She smiled at passersby and tried not to look nervous or suspicious.  Nobody gave her a second look except for a sweet boy who had tried to start up a conversation with her. Anah had turned him away quickly. Her mission had nothing to do with sweet Southern boys who had been celebrating a bit too much.

Traveling further into the castle, security got tighter. Men and women, Southerners did not discriminate for battle purposes, dressed in scavenged bits of armor, all with red seals around their neck, turned visitors away from traveling further into the castle’s depths.

Anah stood in the main corridor that was rather crowded with servants, guards and visitors. Unfortunately, she wasn’t wearing the bright red clothing of a servant so she couldn’t pretend to be one of them, and she was very obviously not a guard.

A few damaged pieces of sculpture had been scavenged from the castle and put on display for the guests. Anah hadn’t thought of Southerners as being art-people, but she could see that they were judging from the amount of folks admiring the works. She hovered near a statue of a half naked warrior and pretended to study it as she scanned the room.

The hall had high ceilings, but wasn’t that wide. So the guards were standing close together just before the hall split like a ‘T’ with connecting corridors on either side. If Anah could get past them, she might be able to find a place to hide as she planned her next step.