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Interrupted journey

Started by DonaCatalina, June 16, 2008, 10:25:48 AM

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DonaCatalina

This alcove contained four shelves that were almost full of books. Some of the books were in Greek which I could not read, but many more in Spanish, French and Latin. The Latin might give me a little trouble, but these books would help me keep my sanity. Scooping up an armload, I hurried back to my suite to show off my prizes to Maria.
Once inside, I stacked the books on top of the mantel. "Will our captors be angry that you took those books?" Maria asked as she looked them over. I picked up a volume of Ovid and held it out to her. "If the amount of dust on the top is anything to judge by, it has been some months since anyone cleaned that part of the house." I told her "It has probably been longer since anyone picked up one of the books to read."
Aurum peccamenes multifariam texit
Marquesa de Trives
Portrait Goddess

DonaCatalina

  Dinner came that evening in the same manner as breakfast and lunch had arrived. The quality of the wine had failed to improve. We finished our meal by candle light and went to bed soon after. Since there were no lanterns on the patio, my room was utterly dark when the candles were blown out. I peeked through the windows, but there was not even starlight or moonlight to see by. It was difficult for me to fall asleep in the strange bed. The sheets smelled musty as if they had not been aired in a long time. I must have fallen asleep at last, because I was awakened by the sound of breakfast arriving. For lack of anything better to do, I bathed and dressed after I had eaten. This morning Papa would have received the news of my abduction. Mama, the fiery one, would have demanded a regiment of soldiers to search for me. Papa, being the more practical one, would have set some of his agents to make contact with any other bandits who might have knowledge of the attack and offer a reward for my return. The minute I had seen what sort of place I had been taken to, I had known this was not a simple kidnapping.
Aurum peccamenes multifariam texit
Marquesa de Trives
Portrait Goddess

DonaCatalina

My exploration the previous day only took me as far as the library alcove. That morning I resolved to explore further. Maria had convinced the servants who brought our breakfast to let her into the kitchens to do some laundry. I waited some time in case our guards objected and sent her back to the room. Once I was satisfied that no one would coming into the room unexpectedly, I set out. The door leading out of the library alcove led into a hallway with several rooms opening off of it. Crates and barrels filled most of the rooms. The dried peas and salt meat were emergency rations that had been stored here and possibly forgotten. The hallway was a dead end so I returned to the library alcove. I sat down on a stool against the wall that faced the end shelf. My secret hope had been to find some way around to an exit. When I leaned over to rest my head against the wall, I noticed an odd mark on the floor. It looked like something had made a very faint scrape on the floor in an arc that lead to the edge of the second shelf from the end. I bent down to touch the mark and it was so faint that it disappeared under my touch. Something had disturbed a layer of dust on the stone floor as it passed. There were books all along both sides of the wooden beam between the two book shelves. These I moved to other spaces on the shelves. Very slowly and carefully I ran my hand along both inner edges of this beam. Before long I was rewarded by a spot that pushed in under the pressure of my fingers. This was followed by an audible click and the second shelf moved slightly forward. I grasped the shelf and pulled it slightly forward. With the small amount of light from the room, I could only see that a narrow corridor went to the left behind the storerooms.
Aurum peccamenes multifariam texit
Marquesa de Trives
Portrait Goddess

DonaCatalina

By now, I did not have much time now before the servants returned with Maria and our lunch. I hurriedly closed the hidden door and returned the books that had hidden the catch. Once back in my room, I washed my hands and sat down to read. Only moments later, Maria did return with the ragged servant boys that came in right behind her. The food our captors provided was plentiful if plain. Since we were not quartered in a dungeon, I felt that meant our captors had some concern for our well-being. More and more I was convinced that they hoped for a ransom. Some of the bread from our meal, I took and wrapped inside a cloth and hid it away. Maria looked at me oddly so I explained "I may have no reason to hope for an escape at this point, but I intend to be prepared." She nodded and replied "I will do what I can to help prepare. I can sew some of the small towels into pouches for carrying supplies." I looked around and huffed. "What we will need also" I told her "is something for carrying water. In this hot part of the year we will not get far without it." Maria's expression sharpened "I think I have seen a bottle or two in the kitchens that I can bring here for holding water." Then she looked wistfully at the door and continued speaking "None of the servants here seem to know their master's name. They are terrified of the guards and refuse to speak to me when they are around." She turned now towards the tray which held the remnant of our meal. "The other odd thing" she said "is that all of them seem to have been recently employed here. The cook told me when she came here; the only person in the house was that steward, Alfonso. All the other servants were brought here later." This gave me something to ponder. I replied to Maria "I am sure that this is significant somehow, but I do not yet understand. Why would the people who kidnapped us go to such lengths to make sure none of the servants would accidentally reveal his name? There is something complicated going on here."
Aurum peccamenes multifariam texit
Marquesa de Trives
Portrait Goddess

DonaCatalina

The conversation that Maria and I had been having fell silent when a loud knock came on the door. Maria opened the door to admit Alfonso. It was obvious from his manner and appearance that he was slightly drunk. "I came to make sure that you are enjoying our hospitality" he announced. Still seated, I responded "Your hospitality would be all the more enjoyable if it was of shorter duration". His reaction was loud braying laughter. Then he continued "I am sure the Doña is pleased to make a joke. But I should remind her that it would be to her advantage to be pleasant to me." He leered at me in a disgusting manner. I realized then that I might have something to fear from this man. What would the courage of his bottle tempt him to do? He picked up a discarded shawl from the back of a chair and stroked it. His dirt blackened fingernails contrasted sharply against the white silk. To distract him from whatever thoughts ran through his head, I quickly replied "I am about to say my afternoon prayers. Would you care to pray with us?" He turned his head slowly as if what I had said did not immediately penetrate his reverie. Then the look of disgust that crossed his face was the only answer I really needed, but he said "I have other things to attend to. You can say your prayers without me." He staggered slightly as he slammed the door behind him. Since this unexpected visit made me wonder if my movements were being watched, I did stay in my room that afternoon. Maria and I both said a few extra prayers.
Aurum peccamenes multifariam texit
Marquesa de Trives
Portrait Goddess

DonaCatalina

  The next morning I resolved to find out more about that hidden passageway. The steward's visit had opened my eyes to myriad dangers that lurked in this prison beyond the obvious. I took a candle with me and returned to the bookcase. Working quickly I moved the books and opened the secret door. After I made sure that the latch could be worked from the inside, I quietly closed the door behind me. Spider webs along the ceiling testified to the long disuse of this corridor. Perhaps the current occupants did not know of its existence. The passage seemed to continue in front of me forever as it started to turn slope downwards. After walking a distance I came to another door that was heavily barred on the inside by wooden planks held in iron hooks. As quietly as I could, I lifted the planks. No noise penetrated the door so I carefully eased it open. The room beyond was dark so slid through the door with my candle. Once fully inside, I realized that I was in a half empty wine cellar. My path had taken me further underground than I had realized. This door offered me no escape, so I closed the door and returned the beams to their hooks.
Aurum peccamenes multifariam texit
Marquesa de Trives
Portrait Goddess

DonaCatalina

The pathway became steeper as I continued on. It was hard to judge direction with no windows or knowledge of this place, but it seemed as if the path was winding around to the side of the hill opposite the main gate. The spider webs actually were thinner as the tunnel dove deeper. This was a small thing to be grateful for. It seemed that their preferred prey did not venture this deep into the tunnel. The air was much cooler and the walls felt slightly damp in places. More than half of my candle remained to light my way. If I did not keep a close watch, I might use up too much of the candle. Once the flame reached the halfway mark, I would have to start back to my room. There didn't seem to be anything in the corridor, no discarded items that I could see. It would seem that no one had ever passed this way until I stumbled over some charred torch ends in the dim light. The straw of the torches was dry and brittle to the touch when I stooped to pick one up. Just a few feet beyond the discarded torches, the corridor came to an end. There was another barred door.
Aurum peccamenes multifariam texit
Marquesa de Trives
Portrait Goddess

DonaCatalina

  Moisture that had leaked from the stone walls had dampened the wood and rusted the fittings on the door. Iron brackets had rusted around the heavy wooden bars which rested inside. The deterioration meant that the bars on this door were more difficult to move. Since it was unlikely anyone could hear me, I used a rock from the tunnel floor to pound the bars loose. This door took much longer to open than the previous door. At last I freed the bars and used all my strength to push the door open. When I stepped through I could see this was the end of a hillside cave. Daylight filtered through bushes blocking the cave's entrance. I pushed through just far enough to see that I had exited far below the walls of the house. The mouth of the cave was about a third of the way up the hill. It would be a difficult climb in the dark, but not impossible. There was a river just visible that I felt we could reach within a day. I scrambled back inside the passageway and shut the door. On the way past the wine cellar I stopped for a couple of bottles. We would need something to carry water with us as we traveled in this heat. My return trip from there on was much quicker. Hurriedly I let myself out the secret door and went back to my room.
Aurum peccamenes multifariam texit
Marquesa de Trives
Portrait Goddess

DonaCatalina

"My Lady!" Maria exclaimed when she saw me "You are filthy. We need to get you cleaned up quickly before the servants come with the midday meal". I undressed as quickly as possible while I explained my plan to Maria. While I bathed, she emptied the wine bottles and refilled them with water. Just bare moments after I dressed, the knock on the door signaled the arrival of our food. The boys left the food and took the leftover breakfast dishes away in their usual silence. My heart flew up in my throat when I saw the marks of a whip on one of the boy's neck and shoulder. Was this how Alfonso relieved his drunken frustrations?   I set aside the bread and some cheese and wrapped these up in cloths. As Maria was picking through our luggage for the things we would need in our flight I told her "Even though most of my money was taken from me. There are still a few coins hidden inside my corset. We will not be entirely without resources." With a sigh she looked around "It breaks my heart to leave behind your fine silk gowns. But I know that carrying food and water is more important. I paused in my packing to reply "At least my good leather boots were in the trunks they brought for us. I shudder to imagine walking across country in cloth slippers." We ripped one of the sheets into long strips and used this to make bundles of the items we would be carrying with us. Once outside, candles would be a hindrance to our escape, so I only packed a couple of them for our journey down the passageway. When the time for dinner drew close, we hid the evidence of our preparations and waited.
Aurum peccamenes multifariam texit
Marquesa de Trives
Portrait Goddess

DonaCatalina

We finished our evening meal so that we would be setting out well fed. With frenzy we threw ourselves into the final preparation. Bottles of water would be heavy so we mostly take only food and water with us. The bread was wrapped up with the bread we had previously saved. It might be stale but it would sustain us for some time. I wished that I had a better idea of where we were and how long it would take us to find a safe place. When we had made all the preparations that we could think of, we knew the time had come. Maria checked the corridor and no one was in sight. Not a sound broke the stillness as we waited to make sure that we were alone. We hurried to the library alcove quietly and quickly. Maria waited patiently while I moved the books and opened the door. The books I had taken to read were returned here and shelved. It was only a remote possibility that any books left in the room would lead someone to this bookcase. But I wanted nothing left in the room we had vacated that would give any clues as to our route of escape. Behind the wall, we followed the hidden corridor to its end. With Maria and I both working, we were able to open the last door much more quickly. Once we had stepped out into the cave, I stopped a moment. "Help me Maria" I said "Let's move some of the rocks against this door. If we make it difficult to open they may not think we came this way, just in case someone knows about the corridor." She nodded and started a pile of stones. When it was too dark to see well inside the cave, we stopped moving stones. I made some effort to conceal the cave's opening from the outside, just enough so that it was not obviously disturbed. Then we carefully picked our way down the rocky slope.
Aurum peccamenes multifariam texit
Marquesa de Trives
Portrait Goddess

DonaCatalina

Walking across the darkened landscape was tortuously slow. The moon was only a sliver that did not provide much light. Loose rocks on the slope made walking in the dark especially treacherous. The heels of my hands and my palms were soon scraped and bleeding from several falls. The water of the distant river gave off an occasional sparkle as it reflected the pale light. It was towards the river that I planned for us to go. Somewhere along the river I assured myself that we would find help. With every fall I prayed that we would not alert anyone to our escape. I also prayed that we would disturb no snakes, or other predators. The hours seemed achingly slow as we stumbled along. Maria fell heavily once as we maneuvered through a thick stand of brush. She stood back up with my help. "Do you need to rest?" I asked her. She looked in the direction of the river we were headed for and shook her head. Our arms and hands were scratched more from the thorny brush. Then I realized that the brush had grown up along an old fence line. After we clambered to the far side, I followed the fence as it went northwards. The fence line still led to the river, but not quite as directly as we had been walking. Maria made a valiant effort to continue but I knew we both would need rest soon. Since I could not bear the thought of leaving her behind, our progress remained slow. The fence made me hope that we would find some sort of shelter before long. It was also easier to walk along the slightly clearer ground next to the fence. My hopes and prayers were realized when we came to an old stone barn just before daybreak. Thankfully it had not been used in decades so there should not be any surprise visitors. The land on this side of the fence had once been used for cattle, judging by the barn. The more recent evidence indicated only goats and wild pigs roamed here. The roof of the barn had fallen in along two sides, but the remaining corner left enough room for us to enter. I picked up a long branch that had fallen off a nearby tree and rapped on the walls. "If there are any snakes inside, I think they will be looking for a new hiding place." I told Maria "At least that is what I hope." Maria stepped inside cautiously and sank gratefully onto the dirt floor. She and I shared some of the water as we viewed our surroundings. The meager shade of the partial roof would be welcome before the morning was very old. Maria leaned back against a wall and fell asleep almost immediately.
Aurum peccamenes multifariam texit
Marquesa de Trives
Portrait Goddess

DonaCatalina

I was awakened when the sun had been up long enough to make our sanctuary hot and uncomfortable. Cautiously I peered outside. By the sun's position it was well after midday. It had not been my intention for both of us to sleep the morning away, but I had been more tired than I realized. After a few sips of water and a little bread, I told Maria "I think we are far enough away that we can risk walking in daylight." She swallowed and replied "I will keep up My Lady. I have no wish to go back to captivity." I grasped her hand gratefully. My throat tightened a little when I told her "We can go in easier stages. I am glad to have you with me." I know she was worried about slowing us down and giving the bandits time to find us. We gathered our meager belongings and started off again on our trek. The fence we had been following still angled towards the river, so I decided to continue to follow it. We stopped four times during the day to take advantage of what little shade we could find. The sun was brutally hot on our unprotected heads. Late in the afternoon we chanced across an old olive tree, probably an animal's accidental planting. Some of its partially ripe fruit supplemented our meager supplies. After each brief rest we moistened our lips with water and pressed on. The day cooled off as the sunset approached and was a welcome relief. It had been dark for almost an hour when we reached the river.
Aurum peccamenes multifariam texit
Marquesa de Trives
Portrait Goddess

DonaCatalina

  The moon was not noticeably larger than it had been the previous night, but the road alongside the river seemed to reflect its light like a mirror. Our troubles were not over by any means, but it was something of a relief to have made it this far. Fortunately for Maria and me, a low border of shrubs and trees followed the edge of the road. We could walk alongside this brush and see anyone approaching long before they saw us. The thin grass at the edge of the trees was a poor carpet, but we sat down to eat some bread and cheese from our dwindling supply. If we could only find a church, we could seek shelter there and get a message to my family. The fairly level surface we walked on alongside the river road was much easier on our feet and legs. Both of us had scrapes on our hands from tripping over rocks and branches on the downhill slope. Being able to wash our hands in the river was a welcome change. We were even able to replenish our water supply from the swift moving river. I laughed and said to Maria "What a change in such a short time. A little more than a week ago, I would have disdained this sandy river water". Her soft chuckle in reply was barely audible. "Now we drink it like it was nectar from heaven" she said with a sad smile.
Aurum peccamenes multifariam texit
Marquesa de Trives
Portrait Goddess

DonaCatalina

  When we were too tired to walk further, I found some shelter for us in a ruined hut surrounded by small trees. It was a small distance from the road. Between the trees and the two remaining walls I felt that we were safe from accidental discovery. I checked the ruin for snakes. Even along the river bandits were our biggest fear. Even though there had been no one on the road during the time we had walked, someone would come along eventually. The likelihood of it being anyone we could trust was not high. Our captors were probably had started to search the nearby roads for us even if they had not ascertained our means of escape. Maria thought that they had probably spent a day searching the house before they would have decided that we were gone. It would have pleased me more if they wasted more than a day, but it was not likely. So on that morning, a hidden resting place seemed to be prudent. We now had plenty of water. We drank some and we ate the last of our cheese before going to sleep.
Aurum peccamenes multifariam texit
Marquesa de Trives
Portrait Goddess

DonaCatalina

  It was nearly dark when we awakened this time. Exhaustion and the lack of food were taking their toll on us. We had no choice in our decision to continue. If we had more food with us, I would have considered remaining where we were. A night's rest would do us good, but we also needed a decent meal. After washing our faces and hands in the river we started off again. A light began to be visible in the distance. As we drew closer, I realized that it was a Post Inn. Established for Royal Messengers, these inns also catered to any traveler with money. There were no horses visible in front of the inn. Maria and I were still walking along the tree line towards the Inn when I heard the approaching rumble of horses' hooves. We shrank back into the branches as a cavalcade of riders passed us and stopped in the inn's yard. They were a mixed group of men, nearly twenty in number. The innkeeper came out to greet them and they all dismounted to make their way inside. It seemed like an eternity before they were all inside. While we continued to watch, a boy came out of the inn and led two horses towards the barn. Evidently the men had stopped here for the night.
Aurum peccamenes multifariam texit
Marquesa de Trives
Portrait Goddess