Escape!

The moon rose, and the stars came out. Adara awoke.

For a moment, she lay still, trying to remember where she was. Then all came back to her. She felt a sob rise in her throat.

A voice said, “Don’t cry, Princess.”

Adara started with surprise. Turning her head, she saw a face at the window.

“Ryder!” she cried.

Adara leapt to the window. Frantically she grasped Ryder's hands.

“Hush, hush, Princess,” he calmed her quietly.

“Ryder! Oh, Father! Kylos!”

“Hush, yes, I know. I am sorry, Princess. I did not quite think that Lord Garth would go through with it,” Ryder said quietly.

Adara clutched him desperately.

“Oh, Ryder! He killed them! And he wants the kingdom also! He lied, Ryder! He lied!” Adara was becoming hysterical.

Ryder slowly calmed her. His hands were still grasped in hers. Her nails stopped biting into his palms.

“Princess, look at me.” he said gently, “I know. Now we must get you out of here.”

“Out of here?” Adara looked about the small cell, “How?”

“Princess, if you would release my hands, I have a chisel with which to loosen these bars.”

Adara blushed deeply as she removed her grasp on his hands. Ryder brought into view a chisel. He chipped away the mortar that held the bars in place. Slowly, the bar loosened. There was two bars across the window. The window was about three feet wide, and three feet tall.

Suddenly, Ryder stopped his work. He grasped the bar and shook it. There was a grating sound, and the bar came loose.

“Luckily, this castle is old, and the mortar is crumbling,” muttered Ryder, as he began on the second bar. Adara watched anxiously. As he worked on the bar, Ryder's feet slipped. He was standing on a ledge below the window. The chisel fell and landed on the ground below. Ryder's fingers gripped the ledge wildly. He desperately searched for a foothold. Adara choked back a scream.

“Hush,” whispered Ryder urgently, “Grab my arm, I can’t hold on much longer.”

Adara reached out and took hold of his arms. Then a voice said, “What was that? I thought I heard something fall.”

Adara and Ryder froze. Another voice said, “Probably a stone from the wall. This old castle is falling apart.”

There was a scuffling noise, and then the light from a lantern shown around the area the chisel had fallen. Then it swept up the walls. The light penetrated the darkness nearly up to Ryder's dangling feet.

“I don’t see anything. Probably a stone anyway.” the first voice said.

The light disappeared, and there was the sound of retreating footsteps as the guards walked away.

Ryder let out a sigh of relief. Then he braced his feet against the wall. Slowly inching his way upwards, he reached the ledge again. Adara held onto him firmly. Then Ryder was safe once more.

“The chisel.” whispered Adara.

Ryder smiled shakily, “I have another one.” From his belt came another chisel. The work of chipping the bars away began again. Soon Ryder gave a wrench, and the bar pulled free. Then Ryder pulled himself into the cell. He turned to Adara.

“Princess, I am going to tie this rope around your waist. Then I will lower you down to the ground. Be as quiet as possible.”

Quickly he tied a rope around Adara’s waist. Then she climbed through the window. Slowly Ryder lowered her to the ground below. When her feet hit the ground, Adara untied the rope. Giving it a tug, she let go. She watched it slither up the wall. How, she thought, was Ryder going to get down? Adara heard a thump, and the coil of rope hit the ground beside her. Then she watched Ryder's dark form as he clambered down the wall, using places where stones were missing for footholds. In a few moments he was beside Adara.

“You have the Gems?” he asked Adara, softly.

She nodded. Ryder picked up the rope, and chisel. Then, taking Adara’s hand, he led her off.

End of Chapter Eleven

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