Chapter 7: The Warden

The pitter-patters trickled, crafting rhythmic echoes as they fell on the ground. It was raining outside. Lili’s eyes slowly opened as the noise reached her ears, rousing her from a deep slumber.

Darkness loomed, filling Lili’s sight. She felt her eyes spinning. She tried to stand, but her palms slid, making her fall back into the ground. The familiar scent of dirt-filled her nostril, making her squint. The stiff breeze whispered, piercing her straight to the bones. It was cold. Icy cold. She unconsciously reached out for the blanket but found none to grasp. Instead, the clanking rings of metal as it struck the ground was what she heard.

Lili frazzled, confused, and tried anew. Yet, she soon realized its futility the hard way as she stumbled face first. The ground was slippery, the unique scent of damp moss entered her nostrils. Her hands also felt heavy, as if something was holding her wrist. Whatever it was, it was freezing and callous.

Lili frowned, rubbing her eyes. Then she shook her head, waking up her sleepy senses. Her golden-colored pupils slowly peeked through the dark. She lowered her head and glimpsed of what had bound her hands.

Cold, rust-smelling chain cuffs shackled not only her hands but also her feet. The clattering icy chains halted her soul for a few seconds. Her eyes grew into saucers, and her lips quivered. Anxiety crept, slithering into her perplexed mind. Where am I? We were just in the carriage? Where are the kids? Aren’t we supposed to go to the territory of the noble?

A bunch of questions flooded her mind. Did bandits attack us on the way? The thought sent a shiver down her spine. She heard of stories of bandits - killing and looting villages. They even raid nobles and merchant caravans. They were demons in human skin.

“Right! The kids. Nicol? Aldis? Where are you?” Lili called, her cry reverberated throughout the halls of the cold cavern prison. Yet no reply came back. Instead, only the echoes returned, all as if it was making fun of her plight. She tried twice, trice, but all had the same result.

A spell of worry and fear suddenly gripped Lili’s heart after knowing that she was all alone. She crumpled and stared at the iron bars before her. She remembered the accident when she accidentally spilled the tea on the noble and shuddered.

“No. That’s impossible. The noble has already forgiven me.” Lili gulped. She kept silent, looking around to determine where she was.

Though one thing was for sure. She knew that this was not the noble’s lands.

…

An hour passed. The trickling sounds coming from above seemed to have stopped.

“Anyone! Anyone! Is anyone there?” Lili said, her throat aching. Her voice rattled as the chilly gust rushed inside her cell. The handcuffs didn’t help, adding spells of dread to the golden-eyed lady. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath. I mustn’t panic. She thought. Calm down, Lili.

An hour passed.

Soon, Lili heard echoing steps going nearer and nearer. Her mind jumped in delight, but wariness immediately held over after thinking that it might be one of her captors. She lay on the moist ground, acting as if she was asleep. The sound of boots echoed, and it stopped in front of her cell. He knocked a few times, shaking the cold bars, trying to wake up Lili.

“Tsk. Still asleep. Did this dumb orphan finally die?” The man said. “That dumb shit has dosed the bitch’s carriage with too much sleeping drug. Ah, the leader will definitely be angry with this. If this top-notch product dies, he’ll die too. Damn it!”

The man dragged out a key. A clanking sound filled the cell, making Lili flinch. The scent of alcohol filled the small, cold cell. The scent came from the man. He put a tray on the ground before staring at the sleeping lady. “Tsk, top-notch good. Too bad I can’t touch top goods. I wonder how much she will fetch. That fake noble bastard really knows his job. But damn, I feel a little bad.”

The man stood, closing the cell. The sounds of rattling keys filled Lili’s ears. The man was probably locking the doors once again. But before leaving, the man watched her from the cold bars. He then left a few words, “I’m sorry young lass, this is all part of my job. Hic. Curse that fake noble who pulled you in this trouble. My advice for you is simply to be a good slave. Wish that you’ll have a good buyer. After all, no one had ever escaped from this hell.”

Then, he stopped for a movement as if he was thinking of something.

“Not even me!” The drunk man chortled like a madman, wobbling with each step. “Damn it, talking to a drugged product sucks. I’m too drunk. Hic. Time to hit the deck.”

Soon, Lili heard the man’s unsteady steps growing fainter and fainter. After assuring that the man was nowhere in sight, she lifted herself from the ground. She turned ashen-white after hearing the revelation. She remembered the orphans who went to the noble’s territory.

There were no letters. None. No news about them. None.

“No. Not this. This is bad. This is impossible.” The golden-eyed lady pursed her lips. Tears slowly flooded her eyes. It trickled nonstop for almost an hour before stopping.

If what the man had said was true, the great noble was probably fake. She wanted to shout but held it in. “I must escape. I need to escape.”

Her eyes moved towards the warm food lying on the wooden tray. The one brought by the drunk man. She pulled the tray and smelled it, checking if it had gone bad. After assuring that it was not, she started eating. The meal was simple: a chunk of black bread and a warm watery soup with nothing but haphazardly chopped chunks of vegetables. If she wanted to escape, she must fill her stomach. She gritted her teeth and churned out a plan, refusing to wallow in despair.

She must also tell the old mistress once she escaped.

She would know what to do.

***

The voices of the boisterous kids in the orphanage echoed in her ears. She played with them like always. She cooked their breakfast and dinner and felt the warmth of the kitchen. Everything was at peace. Suddenly, the entire orphanage grew dim, as if it was being eaten by darkness. She heard the cries of the children. They were calling for her. She tried to run towards them, but the hallways grew wider and wider until all she could see was darkness.

Then she saw it. Two gigantic eyes stared at her from the dark abyss.

Huff!

Lili immediately opened her eyes, shaking. The nightmare had drenched her in sweat. She heaved after awakening from the dream that struck her in her sleep. She looked around and discovered that she was still in the damp cell. She covered her eyes with her palms, repeating the same words all over again to calm her nerves. “Only a dream. Only a dream. Only a dream.”

Soon, Lili’s rapid breathing calmed, turning back to normal. She stared at her chained wrist and feet, smiling wryly. Three days had already passed since she discovered herself stuck in this accursed prison. She knew that the drunk man would always bring her food at a certain time of day. One when the roosters’ crows, and another when the sun hides.

“Escape. I must escape now.” Lili said as she held her thumping chest. She already made a simple plan in her mind. She’ll take the key from the drunk man. How? She had found a brick after she crawled around the cell. Apparently, it slipped off from the walls after the rain yesterday. For the plan? Smash the brick against the man’s head again and again until he loses all consciousness. Even though it was simple, it’s better than nothing. After all, she had limited choices even from the very beginning. The best plan was the simplest and most direct in her situation.

The man’s task was to bring her food, so he’ll surely come today. She acted as if she was asleep. Soon, Lili finally heard the steps of a wobbling man.

The drunk man stopped in front of the door. She hid the thick brick in her dirty clothes as she laid on the ground.

The cell lock clanked as he tried the open the door. But before he could open his cell, he began crying like a child. “Damn it! I’m sorry, Maria. I’m sorry. I couldn’t help you get out of this place. There are so many guards. We will die if we go out. So we must wait for opportunity.”

The drunk man continued his drunk babbles. His words revealed a lot of information in the past three days. The girl named Maria was his old lover. A slave for sale. Where she was now, the man also didn’t know.

The man continued to test one key after another. And at last, the right key had finally fit in, opening the lock. Thud. The man slumped to the ground. Alcohol had wasted him. He had drunk too much, making Lili sigh in relief.

Lili looked at the brick in her hands. Though she felt a little bad, she still did the deed. After all, her escape was a matter of life and death. With her hands shaking, she lifted the brick and aimed it.

Bam! Bam! Bam! The drunk man twitched on the ground, blood dripped from his head.

A hiccup came out of her mouth as she dropped the bloody brick to the ground. She took a deep breath to calm herself. Then she looked for the key. The iron lock still held the keys in its grasp. She crept towards the door and pulled the key out. One by one, she began testing each key as if it would fit her chains. The first one that came off was the chains on her feet. Next were the chains on her wrist.

Lili sighed in relief after seeing the chains coming off. She stared at the bloody man on the floor and flinched. She checked the man for any weapons, but found none.

She took the bloody brick with her in case she would need a weapon.

“I’m sorry,” Lili said, her face pale.

But before she could even go outside the door, the drunk man whom she thought was already dead grabbed her feet, tripping her. He rose from the ground, holding his bleeding head.

“That hurts young lass.” The man uttered with a grimace. “Hell, you did me one! Now, I’m totally awake now, and will need a barrel of alcohol.”

With no thoughts, Lili swung the brick in her hands, hoping to knock the man out. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. The man caught her wrist, twisting it. Suddenly, the man’s hand blurred, striking Lili’s stomach, making her crumple and vomit on the ground.

After that, he immediately kicked her back inside the cell, shackling her with the chains once again. The man shook her head and left the food. “Damn! She didn’t pay me for this.”

With wobbling steps, he strode towards the exit, leaving only a few words for the lady retching on the floor. “Tsk. You’re one lucky lady. If it was someone else, you’ll probably already be dead. Don’t do this shit if you want to live any longer. Kill all your hopes for escape. Even you escaped out of that door. You’ll be dead once you meet the patrolling guards. They’re not as merciful as me. Anyway, just be ready and do your best to appeal to the one who seems most powerful once you’re out. That’ll be your best bet.”

“Wait! The kids. The one I was with!” Lili gritted her teeth, holding herself from gagging.

“Oh, you’re willing to talk to me now.” The drunk man sighed. “I don’t know, but if they’re kids. They’re probably already sold somewhere. The demand for them is big, you see. Anyway, I won’t tell the boss anything. Just shut your trap, eat and wait. Don’t make things more difficult for me. Somebody will soon come and pick you up soon.”

The sounds of the doors closing filled Lili’s ears. Her escape plan had failed.

Lili glared at the man while gritting her teeth. Lili felt lucky that she had escaped a far worse punishment. She didn’t get flogged or worse, killed.

After realizing that, Lili exhaled a sigh of relief.