Chapter 3

A few days later, Alg moved her to the keep. They entered the keep after dark but he was taking no chances and covered her head with a sack for the journey. Rhian believed it was so she could not see her surroundings or memorize landmarks from the journey in the event of an escape.

The rustle of the sack over her head prevented her from hearing anything clearly throughout the journey so she could not try to remember any specific sounds if she escaped and wanted to retrace her journey for any reason.

They entered the keep and the horse stopped. Rhian was helped to dismount. She was guided down stairs and felt cold laying its hands on her the further down she went. She could only assume they were going underground. Rhian recalled visits to castles in Europe with Andy and the dungeons they had seen. She suspected she was being led down into a dungeon now. The difference was that this one was still actively used while the ones she had visited had been deserted for centuries. Eventually their descent ended and they walked along a corridor until they finally came to a halt. A key scraped in a lock and a door shrieked on its hinges. She guessed that she was about to enter a cell. Her guess was confirmed a moment later as the sack was removed from her head. Rhian was pushed forward roughly. In the faint light she could make out a stone slab in the corner which she took to be her bed in the cell. She turned around as Alg closed the door and locked it.

“From now on this is your home.” It was all he said before turning and leaving. His silhouette receded into the dark along with the light from the torch he carried until he turned a corner and was gone. Rhian was left in the dark and she felt as if she had gone blind. It was pitch black and even after the impression from the light of the torch had faded she could see nothing in the dark.

The only visitor she had in the dungeon was Algwad. He never delegated her meals to be delivered to anyone else. He delivered her meals personally when he was bothered to do so. Many times she would go without food for a day or two and she started to squirrel away portions of her meager meals so she would have something to eat on the occasions when Algwad did not come and feed her. When he did feed her he said little. Less than when they had been in the cabin in the forest. Occasionally he would watch her as she ate or tell her about a new place he had visited in the book. Rhian never shared anything about the book with him and he seemed to have given up asking. She guessed he felt confident enough that if he continued exploring with the book he would find the way to her world.

She had a glimmer of hope at one point though when Algwad deviated from his standard conversation.

“Someone is looking for you,” he stated matter of factly as he pushed her food under the cell door.

“Wha…What? What do you mean?” Rhian asked.

“I returned to the lake. There was a man looking around. He scouted the edge of the lake and wandered into the forest. He was searching for someone. I expect he was searching for you. He looks about your age. Dark hair. Tall. Thin. Does it sound like someone you know? He uses the book to come and go too so he must be from your world.”

The description was that of Andy. Rhian tried to hide her emotion as her hopes soared. She spoke and did not look up at Algwad to show him that she was interested in the news.

“There are many from my world. He could be anyone,” Rhian replied shortly.

“I see. So you won’t mind if I kill him?”

“What for?” Rhian resisted the urge to look up.

“He is a nuisance. Maybe soon he will discover my cabin or arrive here in the keep. If you do not know who he is then perhaps you can tell me what your kind wants with our world? Why is it that your people are suddenly arriving here? There must be something important for so many strangers to frequent our kingdom? I suspect you all seek what I seek. After all the time is nearly here for the power to be released.”

Rhian sighed. “Did you ever realize how much you love your own voice? You make me weary. You speak so cryptically about so many things but will not elaborate. I think perhaps you should find a use for a needle and thread and sew your mouth shut.”

Algwad paused a moment. His jaw clenched in the light cast by the torch, his arrogance temporarily halted.

“You speak boldly for a prisoner,” he stated matter of factly.

“And you sing like a prisoner being tortured,” Rhian replied sarcastically.

Algwad changed the subject. “So you do not know this man?”

“No I do not. Do you have a picture?”

“A wha….” Algwad paused not sure he understood what Rhian had said. Then he realized what Rhian was saying.

“Why….how….how would I get a picture of him?”

Rhian smiled and decided to have fun with Algwad. “Don’t you have a camera?”

“What? What is a ca-me-ra?” Algwad asked confused.

“It paints pictures,” Rhian replied smiling condescendingly.

“He does not stay long enough to paint a picture,” Algwad replied.

Rhian burst out laughing. Now Algwad was a clown. It was the most fun she had had in a long time. She could not remember the last time she had laughed.

Algwad was at a loss for words. He retreated into the dark without saying goodbye and left Rhian laughing in the dark until long after he had left.