Howl's Twisted Castle

43: Escape

The last rays of moonlight peeked through the iron bars of the carriage, casting a dim light on our pitiful situation. I could make out the outline of Howl's face from where he sat across from me but for once I was thankful for the darkness. The silence that had settled between us spoke volumes, and I knew if looked hard enough I would see that anger and betrayal written on his face. It seemed like every time I tried to fix things between us, I just made them worse.

I twisted my hands in my restraints for a moment, but let them fall into my lap. What was the point anymore? And what was I even trying to do anyway? Even if I could remove the shackles, what then? We were locked in a moving carriage, surrounded by armed guards with no chance of escape.

Thrown forward by the force of a sudden stop, I almost slammed into the wooden bench in front of me if not for Howls quick reflexes. He said something that I couldn't quite make out, but I couldn't bring myself to look him in the eye. Instead, I let him hold me as I fought back tears. I didn't deserve his kindness, but he gave it freely. His voice was soft and full of promises as he brushed stray hair away from my face.

Too soon, we were being forcefully removed from our temporary prison by two of the guards. The cold metal of the guard's spear bit into my back as they moved us along in single file, with me in the lead. The guards set a breakneck pace that was so quick that I barely registered our surroundings.

Every so often, the guard would give me a warning jab to move faster, but it felt like an impossible demand. My legs burned with the intensity of the pace they set. Part of me wanted to protest, but an inner voice reminded me to keep silent. It wasn't worth the punishment I knew I would receive. These men were not kind, they did not care for our side of the story, despite our earlier protests. They were ordered to take us away, not to listen to us.

With my hands bound and raw, I tried to gather the warmth of Howl's jacket around me as we descended the stairwell. Slick moss-covered rocks outlined the walls and floors of what I guessed was the castle dungeon. It felt much colder than the crisp outdoors and as the dampness seeped into my skin, my body began to ache. When would this nightmare finally end?

I do not know how far we traveled underground but by the time we reached our destination, I could no longer tell day from night. Dimly lit sconces framed the dark cell that was to be our prison. No windows, or small openings, just a solid wall of wet stone that surrounded us on three sides and long metal bars that let us see outside our cell, but prevented us from escaping.

The guards removed our shackles one by one and shoved us in. Howl pulled himself up the wall and made a run for the opening, but the guards were faster, slamming the iron bars closed with a metallic clang before he could make it halfway. His hands clenched around the rusted bars as he shouted at the guards retreating in the distance.

But it was no use.

I rubbed the ache from my wrists and kicked at the stray bits of old straw that littered the floor. Bracing the wall, I let my body slump to the ground. I didn't care that the dampness would seep into my dress. It was far beyond the hope of repair at this point anyways. The silk had survived the fire because it was strong, but strength could not protect it from the soot and ash, and the once shimmering blue was ruined by the fire.

Howl's appearance was no better. His shirt was in tatters, exposing his marked skin in the candlelight. I might have blushed at the sight of him once, but I couldn't bring myself to feel that way. Not after this hellish night.

I reached for one of the iron bars and pulled myself closer to the light to get a better look at our surroundings. More stone floor, more moss, more iron bars across the hall. A small wooden chair had been placed next to our cell just beyond my field of view and if positioned my arm just so-- I could bring it closer. Not that it mattered though, the gaps between the bars made it impossible for me bring it inside our prison.