Golden Sword

Chapter 12

Sounds came to her ears, the ones she had expected, and hoped to find before the enemy did. They were the sounds of desperate escape. After witnessing the fall of Crown Point Castle, she had wasted no time in seeking out their emergency exit. Jack had said that the exit of their escape tunnel was over two miles, southeast, of the castle. She had raced to the approximate area and began to search with her ear to the ground. Critically, there was no sign of the enemy in this wooded area. The ground was still soaking wet, which didn't help. At first she had picked up nothing, but finally she began to detect sounds: coughing, high pitched crying and talking of frightened children, and the lower, reassuring voices of their mothers. Wisely, the Baron had sent all of the civilians ahead into the chamber, so that they would be the first to escape when the stronghold fell.

Swiftly zeroing in on the exact location, she also began to hear other noises, heavy footsteps, the clinking of metal.......the sounds of the retreating Mercedians, falling back to join and escape with their loved ones through the tunnels.....and fighting. She could hear the sounds of combat underground, as their foe attempted to catch and slaughter them in their flight. The enemy must have breached at least the first door in the escape route. She knew there were four metal doors that could be closed and locked along the length of the route; hopefully the enemy would be halted at one of them.

Keika slid down a wet grassy hillside and found it. The door was right here. With her bare hands she began to dig into the hillside, throwing large chunks of sod and mud to the side. Within seconds she had uncovered the square metal door, almost a hatch, set into the hillside at an angle. She began to beat on it with her muddy hands. It opened inwards, she knew that. Those on the other side did not know who she was and would not open the door willingly. She modulated her voice to penetrate the metal. "Open the door." she said. "I am a friend. I've come here from Drumont Castle to help you escape. Please open up and I will take you to safety. Quickly, before the enemy comes."

Now there were muffled sounds of a disagreement from the other side. Suddenly the door was jerked open with a loud metallic shriek and she was shocked when a spear was thrust out at her. Totally unexpected, she only managed to dodge it due to her reflexes. Going automatically into AP, she lunged to grab the hands on the spear before they could retreat or make another attempt on her. Dragging them out of the opening and away from the door, she was flabbergasted when she saw her attacker.

He was as spindly old man who looked like he could be one hundred. She had no idea what his actual age was. Dressed in overlarge leather armor and an ancient, filthy uniform he lay on the ground, wheezing. Knocking the spear from his frail hands, she then hoisted him onto his feet with a hand on each shoulder. He was taller than her, but not by much due to his dowagers hump. Long, sweaty, stringy yellow-gray hair hung over his wizened, bearded visage. "Who are you?" he shrieked. "Come to kill us all, eh? I knew it, told the others, but nooo, they wouldn't listen!" Just then an older, distinguished looking woman appeared in the doorway and began to climb out of it. Others crowded close behind her. "I'm sorry." she said blinking from the bright sunlight, "Please don't pay any attention to Merl. He thinks he is protecting us, but you are clearly not one of the enemy. Thank you for clearing the opening. May I ask who you are?"

Keika bowed and replied. "My name is Keika Otani, from the Kingdom of Otania. You may have heard about the pending marriage of Prince Eric. I am the Princess he will marry." She was going to continue, but a boy emerging from the opening heard her words, pointed at her and shouted, "That's Supergirl! The one Prince Eric loves. She has superpowers Baroness Charlotte! Heat vision and stuff like that! She will save us, just like in the stories! Wow, this is SO cool!"

The old man's shrill voice suddenly piped up. "Supergirl?! You're Supergirl?..........YES, you're Supergirl!! Hooray!!! Can you fly me to safety, Supergirl.......I think I would really like the ride, hehe." He leaned closer and winked, his fetid breath filling her nostrils. "Saaay, you're pretty, Supergirl.......got a boyfriend?" He asked suggestively ....then he leaned back and cackled in laughter, apparently finding himself quite humorous.