by Em Pitts
"You're letting us go?" I voiced disbelief.
"We are getting all of you out of here. None of you deserve to be here."
"About time," Nick spoke up. "I was getting worried I would have to dig a tunnel." He joked awkwardly.
"I'll deal with you later." She spoke over my head. "I told you to keep her safe and every one of you end up in a dungeon!" She accused. "Are the four of you okay?" She questioned right after chastising them.
"Never better," Nick spoke cheerfully.
"My wrists hurt a bit," Raynor admitted.
"Ready to be out of here." Ollie sounded relieved.
"Ready to kill the judge." Isaake's statement was met with three other head nods. Seems we had a list and the priority was his death. I was completely onboard with that idea and nodded myself.
"Too many innocent people have been hurt in the past, but to walk in to see that." Granny looked haunted. “That never should have happened to you. I’m so sorry child.”
"We did destroy the trials," I admitted to her. We weren't completely innocent. "But they were killing people. Not just the trials, the minister himself stabbed a boy during it." I defended.
"None of these keys work." Hector was growing frustrated as he kept trying keys and turning them upside down.
"Unlock us," Ollie called out. "We can work around the bars.
"Here, do me first. I cut through cuffs recently, I can do it again for the bars." Raynor stretched his hands forward. Hector was quick to jump to the new task. Raynor was uncuffed quickly and rubbing his raw wrists.
"My turn." Isaake held his hands out next. We were finally getting out. The torchlight flickered on the wall and caught my attention.
"Guys," I called out hesitantly.
"Hector," A male voice called down and the thump of steps followed. "Your wife is trying to find you." He wasn't visible yet, but he would be any second.
Granny jumped up in a flash and ran tackling Hector to the floor. He huffed out in surprise and the footsteps hurried faster. She wrestled the keys fairly easy from him before tossing them to Raynor.
Raynor started unlocking Isaake’s wrist and got one cuff undone before the new man was on top of him knocking him away. I cried out as I watched Granny jump on the new man's back biting his neck. He knocked her off as if dropping a backpack.
Raynor was bashing a fist into the man’s face a moment later. He staggered from the blow and Raynor punched out again. A blow to the back of his head made him fall unconscious.
I heard voices upstairs. The door was left open.
"Raynor, the key!" Isaake pointed to the fallen ring. He unlocked Isaake's second wrist as Granny rose up groaning.
"Granny!" I called out. She waved me off.
"I'm fine, child. Let's get you out of here." She started toward me.
"No." Ollie sounded firm. I looked to see Isaake trying to unlock his cuffs. "Get her out first, otherwise I'm staying with her to make sure she's alright." Isaake nodded and looked towards Raynor.
Too late. More steps were sounding on the stairs. "Go! Just go!" I called out to the men.
"Not without you." Isaake was firm as he stared at the steps waiting for the newest arrival.
"There's no time!" I argued. "We will all die if you stay. Go while you still can!"
Hector was still on the floor laying still. I have no doubt he was pretending to be passed out, because Granny didn't knock him out. He must not want to be considered involved. I didn't blame him; he had a family. But that meant one less person to help with the fight.
Another man strolled down the stairs. "Jayne won't stop worrying about..." He trailed off as he noted the free prisoners.
The new shorter man ran at Isaake who ducked underneath a wide swing. The new man cried out as his own momentum dropped him to the floor. Raynor was right there smashing his head into the ground and knocking him out.
"We aren't leaving without you!" Raynor huffed out heading towards the bars. More noise from upstairs.
"Yes, you are! They heard that. Either you get out now or you get stuck and hanged tomorrow. Don't make me watch you die. Unlock them and go quickly!" I argued.
"No, we are staying," Nick said countering me and frustrating me. "She's right you need to leave though. You can get us out from the outside. Down here you are powerless. You have a better chance freeing us when we go to the hill and you’ve got your powers available." Nick reasoned. Ollie nodded his agreement.
"I'm not leaving here!" Raynor replied stubbornly. Isaake looked over at me and I pleaded with him.
"Please! Don't make me watch you die, Isaake. Please!" He nodded once sharply.
"Don't make me watch you die either." He replied.
"We aren't fucking leav—" His speech cut out abruptly as Isaake hit him in the back of the head with the cuffs. He fell down to his knees before plopping over. Effective, but ouch!
More footsteps trailed down the stairs. This time it sounded like a herd of elephants, meaning more people and faster movements. They knew something was wrong. Isaake quickly became invisible and Raynor disappeared too.
Four men jumped off the stairs taking everything in. Granny was wrenched away and shoved against the wall. The men were checked on the ground. Hector groaned out when he was nudged and pretended to come too. The judge came down next. He took in the carnage with a quiet fury.
"Why is she naked?" One of the men asked causing the others to notice. I covered myself as best I could.
"Get everyone out of here and find the two that escaped. Lock Bridget up and get ready for another trial. No one else comes down here. Her dark magic seems to be spreading." The men hurried at the thought of possibly being contaminated by my dark magic. Before long the room was cleared out and silence rained again.
"Think they got out?" I whispered.
"Yes, Isaake will be going somewhere to regroup." Ollie sounded confident.
"Raynor's going to be pissed," Nick added. Ollie snorted at the thought.
I stood to dust some of the sand off of me and that's when I noticed a shock of color in the cell. Walking over I found a shirt. Isaake's shirt. I tried to put it on, but the cuffs were getting in the way. I huffed out at the thought of staying naked.
"Stretch the neck-hole," Ollie spoke up. The others noticed my struggle. Strangely I was not embarrassed to be naked around them right now. "Stretch it and wear it like a dress without sleeves." He offered. Smart idea.
I stretched and ripped the neck until I could get it on like a dress. But now it wanted to fall down. Ah hah. I used the sleeves to tie in a wrapped halter fashion. It worked.
"What do you think?" I asked the men.
"Looks like it will hold," Ollie said eyeing the dress.
"She wants to know how she looks, idiot. You look beautiful." Nick answered with a smile. I rolled my eyes at him. I'm sure I wasn't winning any fashion contests any time soon, but I was covered.
Nick was probably just trying to add something light to our terrible situation. At least Judge was away, and I was relatively safe.
Still, it was nice to be dirty and chained and still be thought of as beautiful. Now I just need to hope the other two can get us out of here.
35
Isaake
My back ached from dragging/carrying Raynor to Ollie's as quickly as possible. Being invisible only helps others not see me. Having to carry a man over 200 pounds without any other help wasn't easy.
He groaned from on the couch again. He should wake up any minute. I wasn't looking forward to that conversation. I paced in front of the couch trying to get my thoughts in order hoping for a plan before that time. My time ran out as soon as he shot upright into a sitting position on the couch.
"Where are they?!" He looked around realizing we were at Ollie's home and no longer in the dungeon.
"Still in the dungeons. They haven't had time to get everyone together for execution yet." I pivot and continue pacing.
My fingers trace my lip only now realizing I was bit
ing it. Tess would have teased me for that. I've got to get her out of there. Ollie and Nick stayed with her. I can't lose my brothers for this. I can't lose her when we just started to be something. Friends maybe? I don't see her as a friend. I've got to get them out. How?
Raynor stood up quickly before clutching his head. I winced knowing I was the one who did that to him. He shook off whatever pain he was feeling before saying one of the stupidest things I've heard him say. "Then let's go get them."
"And end up right back in the same situation?" I asked disbelievingly.
"You don't get a say!" He pointed his finger at me and towered over me intimidatingly. I'll admit, it was a scary sight. "You knocked me out. You left them there!"
"In order to save them!" I thought of Tess's eyes as she pleaded with me to not let her watch us die. I shook my head at Raynor, dispelling the conversation and my thoughts. "We aren't arguing about this. We need to make a plan." I said decisively.
Raynor looked like he wanted to continue arguing and truthfully so did I. I was angry too. But it wouldn't help us right now to tear into each other. He came to the same conclusion as he backed down.
"Why Ollie's?" He asked looking at something near the hallway curiously.
"Weapons. He still has the bow Aska gifted him. I’m pissed at myself right now for being against guns all these years or I would be using the firepower instead.” Raynor's eyebrows raised at my explanation.
He knew as well as I did how much Ollie didn't care to resort to weapons, especially guns, and wouldn’t have used that bow anytime soon. He didn't care about taking someone's life so easily and that thought was strongly encouraged by all of us. Weetamoo’s death still haunted my dreams; how quickly her life slipped away.
"So, we grab the bow and do what? Try to test our marksmanship by shooting to disable?” Raynor questioned unbelievably.
That statement was aimed at me. I may have carried the Death symbol on my arm, but I’ve never wanted any part of it. I would rather hurt myself than hurt another person. Could I hurt another person?
There were good men guarding our brothers and Tess. Men just doing their jobs who didn't deserve to die.
I glanced down at that rune, clearly visible without my shirt. Three lines slashed horizontally, progressively getting longer with each mark, and a line cut straight down the middle of each one. Death. No matter the being, the strength or age, this mark cuts through their life immediately.
The same rune that haunted my dreams at night as I watched her slip away. The same rune that helped Ollie’s father rise to the top with his power. A life taken so easily.
I don’t know if I could, but I wasn’t giving up on my brothers and my woman.
"No, that wasn't why I wanted them." I shook my head in denial. " I don't want to get caught in another situation with Alexander. I don't plan on killing anyone innocent, but I will do what I have to do. Will you?" I looked him in the eye when I asked this of him.
I needed him to be all in. If something happened, I needed him to be prepared to do what needed to be done. We may not plan to kill innocents, but our family is the most important thing. I admitted to myself that I would rather have an innocent’s blood on my conscious than lose a life of one I loved.
Raynor's eyes hardened as he understood what I was asking. He gave me a sharp nod. That was all I needed to confirm he was in. For better or worse.
"What's the plan?" He questioned.
"We need to find John. He will fight with us, I know it. If I could get word to the tribe for warriors I would, but there's no way for me to make it to them or for them to travel here in time. Right now, that's as far as I've gotten." I was frustrated with myself. There were too many possibilities in freeing the others. It felt like back at the cave again, no plan just action.
"Then what happens after we get John?"
"We can't break them out while they are down there. They probably posted Alexander around in order to find us if we get near. We need to wait until the others are being transported to make a move." Raynor nodded as he listened. He looked over at the wall again and looked lost in thought.
"Where is the bow?"
"I'll get it." I walked to the closet and uncovered the hidden bow that Ollie refused to acknowledge or get rid of. I hope it works and the string doesn’t snap. I grabbed a spare shirt from Ollie’s trunk as well. When I went back to Raynor he was kneeling down over a broken clock, holding a piece of it in his hand. "What are you doing?"
"It's broken like the picture. See this piece?" He held up the rounded silver cap to the alarm. "It was off in the picture Tess drew."
"Does that matter now?" I questioned irritated. What good is the clock if they are dead?
"It might." He replied cryptically.
He picked up the main part of the clock before joining me. I slung the bow over my shoulder and held the three arrows that I found in my hand.
"You are taking it with you?"
"It won't hurt to try. Come on, there's no telling how much time we have, now that Bridget tried to help us escape. Bridget!" He exclaimed just now remembering her part. "Did she make it out?" I shook my head and hardened myself to go forward.
"We will get them all out, Raynor. I swear."
36
Bridget was dragged back into the dark and clicked into her chains on the wall. The sight was disheartening until she proved she hadn’t lost her fire. Her head reared back, and she spit blood into the guard's face before he could leave her. Her hysterical cackling made her appear as the witch we were accused of being. The man retreated up the stairs quickly without complaint muttering expletives the whole time.
"Are you mad already, Granny?" My voice croaked from disuse. How long was she gone that we sat in silence? Half an hour at least. "Being chained in a dungeon doesn't seem like much of a laughing matter." I pointed out.
"They are all fools, child. The whole town is full of fools." She cackled again. "I've never felt freer than being chained against this wall. That is what is so funny. I've spit in a man's face, I've cursed the ignorant, and I even slapped Jayne." Her laughter rose. I was shocked at her but had to admit it was hilarious thinking of Granny going on a rampage kicking and screaming as they took her away.
"So, your trial went well then?" Ollie asked dryly.
"I told them I was as innocent as an unborn child." Her response was delivered in a matter-of-fact tone. "They are the guilty ones. The ones who would hang the innocent, and stand by to watch, are the guilty ones. Guilty of true darkness." She snorted before continuing. "My only regret is not getting to take Edward with me. If I could have spit in his face, maybe I would feel better. No, I should have cut off his penis. It is a useless thing for him to have anyway."
A laugh was startled out of me. The men were quick to follow. It was strange to have gone from a silent dungeon full of despair to talking about cutting off body parts and laughing. I felt glad that Granny could help lighten the situation with her insanity. Then I immediately felt guilty. I shouldn't be glad that she is here. It's my fault.
"I'm sorry, Granny. You shouldn't have gotten involved." My statement silenced the room.
"Nonsense, child. If the rest of the town wish to blindly follow the path set before them, then that's on them. I wouldn't have wanted to stand by, whether I knew you or not. Sometimes doing the right thing can be the worst thing for you. But it's the best thing for someone else. I have no regrets. I'll die a free woman this way."
I didn't want to sully her view. I wanted to say that she shouldn't die at all, but that would take away from her thoughts. Who was I to judge what was best for her? Besides, even if I traveled in the past, it doesn't mean I can change the past on purpose. What's done is done and we can only move forward.
"Did you really slap Jayne?" I asked instead. Granny laughed again, warming my heart.
If I couldn't change fate, then I would give her happiness if I could. Maybe Raynor and Isaake would be able to save us, maybe they wouldn't. But we could die
on our terms. If I choose to be happy, then that is something that can't be taken away from me.
"I did. Right in front of Hector too. She was talking to her oldest, Brant, and she was pissing me off. The judge was going on about my actions, and this twit can't even be quiet long enough for me to get a death sentence? I'm fifty-nine years old and deserve some silence during my trial. I swear the boy laughed as they continued dragging me away. Don't think he much likes his mother either."
"And you pleaded as innocent as an unborn child?" Nick laughed at that.
"To witchcraft, yes! That fool learned a new word and now thinks he can blame problems on it. Mark my words, men and women will use the excuse of witchcraft to blame innocents all over if he gets away with this."
"He will," I reply solemnly. "Thousands will die. Some will be hanged, some drowned, others stoned to death." The quiet in the room told me the others were paying attention to me. "It won't stop here; it will happen across the ocean as well. This will be an important memorial site, though. 300 hundred years in the future and people will travel to see the place that held the Salem Witch Trials." I sneered.
How stupid could I be not to see what was happening? At first, I thought I was surrounded by witches because of the time zone and place. Then I thought maybe it just hasn't happened yet and I could leave before it did. I forgot about the witch trials the longer I spent here and immersed myself with the town and the people. The guys were a hell of a distraction too. But all along this was going to happen.
Yet, I’m the one who called Judge a witch. I may as well have set off the witch trials myself. Would they have even happened if it weren't for me?
"How could you possibly know that?" Granny asked. I forgot she didn't know. There was no point keeping the secret any longer.
"I'm from the future. I was born in 1995. The year is 2019 where I'm from now. I accidentally time traveled back to this time and can't find a way home." I shrugged my shoulders.