outside of the coach, a flurry of activity, then they were moving forward again.
Only to stop a short while later.
Wondering what was going on, Ariana tried to see out of the little window. She heard people, saw bodies running past. There was more shouting.
“Ho the gate!” one man shouted.
“Ho the gate!” came an echo.
There was the sound of grinding metal and then the carriage jolted forward again.
They were in civilization! No more fields…no more wilderness. There were people here. People behind a gate of some kind.
Ariana couldn’t help but feel her heart leap with excitement and fear. Excitement that the journey might be over…fear that a reckoning was at hand.
The coach bounced to a stop only a minute later and a flurry of voices and shouting could be heard. She sat back down across from Mariah and closed her eyes.
What now?
They were left to wait and wonder for a long time it seemed. Mariah reached across to pick up Ariana’s hand and squeeze it. Ariana realized her fear must have been written on her face and she immediately schooled her features. She would not give him the satisfaction. She would be poised and powerful. Just as she should be. Then she would burn his house down to the ground.
The door to the coach opened and once her eyes adjusted to the light, the first thing she saw was Lindo…and the fact that it was snowing. It had to have started only within the past two hours, but already there was an inch of it on the ground.
It was St. Haubruck’s Day. And she would not be there to spend it with the orphans as she had promised. That is…if it was snowing in Capitol City. They had travelled so far. What were the odds of it snowing there as it was here? They were much further north now and very likely in the mountains of Kilt.
She took Lindo’s hand and he helped her down. Then he did the same for Mariah. That was how she knew their journey was ended. Lindo had never allowed them both to alight from the carriage at the same time except for when they stopped for the night. It was only midday.
She stepped into a bailey of some kind. She caught sight of a building right before Lindo touched her shoulder and said, “Sleep.”
She collapsed into his arms.
Ariana’s lashes fluttered open. She sat up quickly and grunted in frustration. Damn it, she had wanted to catch sight of the way in and out of the building. How could she make any type of escape if she didn’t know the way out?
The first thing she noticed was that, outside of a few lamps, the room would be utterly dark. She looked for windows and realized there were none there.
She was lying on a bed, the mattress thick and soft, sinkable and delightful compared to the hard seat of the carriage. The bedding was furs and velvets, the plush fabrics sinful and delicious. There were dozens of pillows, presumably filled with down from the soft feel of them.
She slid out of the bed, and stood up. The bed was low to the ground so it took a little effort to get her sore body to respond to the command to rise. Her feet hit a thick carpet and she realized she was barefoot. She saw the room was made entirely of marble, from floors to walls to ceilings, the ceilings supported by marbled columns. The room was large with a massive fireplace on the far wall. And sitting before the fireplace was a large copper tub filled with steaming hot water.
“Oh my god! A bath!”
She hadn’t bathed in two weeks. She could have left herself smelling bad and covered in dirt from their travel, making herself as unappealing as possible to the louse who had kidnapped her, but she wanted the bath too much to resist it. She walked over to the tub and saw rose petals floating on the surface of the water. She groaned. She would be the fatted calf. He was preparing her for himself. Again, she debated not bathing, but she couldn’t do it.
Slowly, she pulled her soiled dress over her head and dropped it to the ground. She did the same with her drawers and
Only to stop a short while later.
Wondering what was going on, Ariana tried to see out of the little window. She heard people, saw bodies running past. There was more shouting.
“Ho the gate!” one man shouted.
“Ho the gate!” came an echo.
There was the sound of grinding metal and then the carriage jolted forward again.
They were in civilization! No more fields…no more wilderness. There were people here. People behind a gate of some kind.
Ariana couldn’t help but feel her heart leap with excitement and fear. Excitement that the journey might be over…fear that a reckoning was at hand.
The coach bounced to a stop only a minute later and a flurry of voices and shouting could be heard. She sat back down across from Mariah and closed her eyes.
What now?
They were left to wait and wonder for a long time it seemed. Mariah reached across to pick up Ariana’s hand and squeeze it. Ariana realized her fear must have been written on her face and she immediately schooled her features. She would not give him the satisfaction. She would be poised and powerful. Just as she should be. Then she would burn his house down to the ground.
The door to the coach opened and once her eyes adjusted to the light, the first thing she saw was Lindo…and the fact that it was snowing. It had to have started only within the past two hours, but already there was an inch of it on the ground.
It was St. Haubruck’s Day. And she would not be there to spend it with the orphans as she had promised. That is…if it was snowing in Capitol City. They had travelled so far. What were the odds of it snowing there as it was here? They were much further north now and very likely in the mountains of Kilt.
She took Lindo’s hand and he helped her down. Then he did the same for Mariah. That was how she knew their journey was ended. Lindo had never allowed them both to alight from the carriage at the same time except for when they stopped for the night. It was only midday.
She stepped into a bailey of some kind. She caught sight of a building right before Lindo touched her shoulder and said, “Sleep.”
She collapsed into his arms.
Ariana’s lashes fluttered open. She sat up quickly and grunted in frustration. Damn it, she had wanted to catch sight of the way in and out of the building. How could she make any type of escape if she didn’t know the way out?
The first thing she noticed was that, outside of a few lamps, the room would be utterly dark. She looked for windows and realized there were none there.
She was lying on a bed, the mattress thick and soft, sinkable and delightful compared to the hard seat of the carriage. The bedding was furs and velvets, the plush fabrics sinful and delicious. There were dozens of pillows, presumably filled with down from the soft feel of them.
She slid out of the bed, and stood up. The bed was low to the ground so it took a little effort to get her sore body to respond to the command to rise. Her feet hit a thick carpet and she realized she was barefoot. She saw the room was made entirely of marble, from floors to walls to ceilings, the ceilings supported by marbled columns. The room was large with a massive fireplace on the far wall. And sitting before the fireplace was a large copper tub filled with steaming hot water.
“Oh my god! A bath!”
She hadn’t bathed in two weeks. She could have left herself smelling bad and covered in dirt from their travel, making herself as unappealing as possible to the louse who had kidnapped her, but she wanted the bath too much to resist it. She walked over to the tub and saw rose petals floating on the surface of the water. She groaned. She would be the fatted calf. He was preparing her for himself. Again, she debated not bathing, but she couldn’t do it.
Slowly, she pulled her soiled dress over her head and dropped it to the ground. She did the same with her drawers and
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