The Princess of Wrath

Chapter 10 - Part II: The Price of Freedom

The corridors of the underground dungeons of the Bastion of the Wraiths were silent but not uninhabited. Only being very close to the cell walls one could hear the laments of the prisoners. But of the guards... There were no signs, as if they were ghosts waiting and watching in the shadows.

The faint flames of the torches left dark spots midway and at each split. The underground wind confused the senses and warned of threats that, apparently, were not in the immediate vicinity...

Asura's rescue party was forced to move with extreme caution in such hostile territory. Getting out of that place was going to be just as difficult as getting in surely had been.

"All clear," Amos notified as he returned from the far right of the corridor, his great sword in hand and ready for any possible confrontation. "We will proceed carefully, Princess. Five seconds in each corner and trying to make the less sound possible."

Asura nodded. She was forced to suppress all the conflict and deep hopelessness in her mind so as not to be a much heavier burden on them than she already was.

"If we come across Wraiths, they'll not attack me at first sight, so I'll have to be quick to neutralize them," the veteran knight continued to explain. "Once we get out, I hate to admit it, but the Imperial Guards will be less of a problem in comparison."

"Unless they find out beforehand that I'm not in my cell and you're helping me escape," Asura objected, in return, making him smile sympathetically.

"That is why every living thing that crosses our path must be silenced," added Aurum Black, deadly serious, armed and ready with two silenced revolvers. "You first, Caius Loren."

Nodding firmly, the champion of the Empire began to advance, and behind him Aurum signaled to the three non-combatants in the group to start following them. Looking more closely at his weapons, Asura realized that the revolver in his right hand was made of alloy steel and was very similar to the one Amos had given her...

"Is that Antares?" she asked him in a low voice, having the mental image of that weapon quite fresh in her mind, but from that distance the gunslinger did not hear her. It was Frida, who was walking right beside her, the one in charge of giving an explanation.

"I thought that revolver would be more useful in his possession, my lady. He told me that he will return it when the agreement is fulfilled," she explained as she brought her mouth to her ear and in a very low voice.

"Yes, it was a good decision on your part," the Princess let her know before looking at her best friend. Stanislaus was with his back almost pressed against the wall and he was not taking his eyes off her as if he feared she was going to disappear in the blink of an eye. "Are you alright, Stan?"

"M-me? D-don't w-worry about m-me. You t-tell me if you n-need a change of b-bandages, I-I brought s-several rolls w-with me," he told her, smiling at her and patting the right pocket of his college shirt, where he was keeping those medical items. Asura felt the pressure of the bandages on her battered arms but it still did not seem that they had become oversaturated with blood yet.

"Thanks, I'll let you know."

A sudden gust of wind made Stanislaus shrug and look in all directions in paranoia. Asura looked behind to see how Royce was doing and the knight admonished her quickly and silently with a wave of his hand, indicating her to look ahead and not be distracted.

At the first corner, Amos and Aurum stopped the group and waited the five seconds in near total darkness before proceeding. Then they took a corner to the left and crossed another section of corridor in which the soft, heartbroken cries of the prisoners could be heard coming from inside two of the cells.