Chapter 1 #3
She hardly had time to process what she had been told before Liam moved to grab her arm once more. His grip was less firm, but still just as demanding that she moved with them as the trio started to turn back toward the hill.
“Wait. Nay!” she cried out, suddenly filled with fear. “I dinnae ken what secret ye are talking about. I will nae follow ye. I will nae tell anyone about ye.”
Her arguments turned to pleading as it settled in on her that these two men intended to bring her with them. Panic rose through her body until she was thrashing and flailing about in Liam’s grasp, just as she had done minutes before.
Her small frame was no match for his and when he picked her up and slung her over his shoulder like she was little more than a sack of potatoes, she felt even more helpless.
“Please, dinnae take me. I will return to my family. I will flee the area entirely. I will even go to the convent if that is what ye want.”
Neither man deigned to answer her. In fact, neither of them said another word.
They climbed a few of the rocks, their boots splashing in the water. It wasn’t until they were at the edge that she got anything out of either of them, and then it was only three little words.
“Hold yer breath.”
Flora didn’t have time to question what Liam meant as he stepped under the rushing waterfall. In a matter of seconds, her hair was drenched and hanging down around her face, making it impossible to breathe. Suddenly, Liam’s order made sense to her.
Just as quickly as they stepped under the waterfall, they stepped out of it. Errik was right behind, all three of them dripping wet. The sound of the water falling off their clothes and onto the rock beneath them was drowned out by the sound of the rushing water now behind them.
Unceremoniously, Liam dropped Flora off his shoulder and onto the ground.
She flung her hair back and gasped. Her stomach ached from being pressed against the man’s shoulder and the hunger that still clawed at her bones.
She swayed on her feet, exhausted from all the adrenaline that had soared through her countless times already today.
“Here,” Errik said gruffly, holding out an oatcake to her.
She was amazed that it had managed to avoid getting soaked, but she didn’t bother to ask how. She was too hungry to do anything but stuff the oatcake into her face as quickly as she could manage.
“Let’s go,” Liam barked as soon as she was finished.
He reached out to grab her again, and she stumbled back, not wanting to be tossed up on his shoulder once more.
“I can walk,” she insisted.
They all knew that she was stuck with them now. There was no way she could manage to make it back through the waterfall and through the forest without them catching her again. Frankly, she was too tired to even try. Liam must have seen it on her face, as he only nodded and dropped his hand.
To her right, Errik twisted and reached for something on the wall. They all stepped further into the cave until it was almost too dark for her to see anything. The waterfall behind her blocked out most of the sunlight.
“Where are ye taking me?” she asked.
Errik’s only reply was to light the torch he had in his hand. He motioned for her to follow him, and Liam nudged her back to get her moving. In a single file line, they walked through the tunnel, with Errik and his torch leading the way and Liam sandwiching her between them.
Every once in a while, she could hear one of the men start to grumble to themselves, clearly put out by the fact that she interrupted their plans.
She had grumblings of her own; not only was she tired and still hungry, but her shoes squelched with every step.
She began to shiver as the warmth from the sun grew fainter the deeper into the tunnel they went.
Her wet clothes stuck to her body, as did her hair.
The only passage of time that she could gather was the fact that about halfway through their trek, her hair was beginning to dry.
Her legs ached and her feet, pruned and soft, grew tender with every step. But she would not let these men see that she was weak. She would not complain or ask to slow down or stop.
Instead, she focused her thoughts on trying to memorize the route they were taking. She had never been in such an elaborate labyrinth before. Every few feet there was an option to turn one of three ways and after the dozenth turn, she was fully lost.
An hour passed, and her nerves were worn thin. Tears bubbled up, reaching the edge of her eyes. Just as she was about to break, Errik lowered the torch to the ground. He stamped it out on the hard floor, throwing her into blindness once more.
She had no idea where to go until she felt Liam’s hand on her shoulder, pushing her forward, guiding her steps. Two minutes of that, and she felt the sun shining on her face once more.
The light was just as blinding as the darkness had been, but when her eyes cleared, she gasped.
“What is this place?”