Dark and cold, the night crept over the castle. Sightless in her rocky cage, her eyes sought light from any direction—but was denied. To free herself, she would have to rely on the sound of the shifting debris and her touch alone.
She was frightened by the uncertainty of it all, as she slowly unfurled her fingers to touch the surrounding rocks. Her right hand met little resistance, but her left seemed more tightly scrunched into pointy debris.
The area around her chest was not completely tight, and she quickly realized she could shove upwards to create an additional few inches of room—even though the debris did not budge above her.
Starting with her right arm, she began wiggling the limb back and forth carefully. With patience, she soon drew her arm against her chest, successfully freeing it from its stone tomb. It still hurt, but that was the least of her problems.
After nearly an hour of twisting and pulling her other arm, the limb joined her chest in the tight space. Hope was blossoming in her heart, even though her eyes and arms felt heavy.
A problem still loomed before her. Her legs were trapped, tightly, beneath piercing rocks. When she tried to move them, the pain was too much.
Despair attempted to drown her newfound hope, but she shoved those feelings down. She would not die here.
She felt around her head, and tried to find the path the trickle of light had taken earlier in the day. Lots of the rubble was safely movable in front of her face, but grew tighter as she pressed on.
Eventually, with straining, her fingertips pushed out through the debris, and the cold night air kissed her skin. If she could get her legs unstuck, freedom was only an arm’s length away.
While feeling of the tiny, open space, and trying to develop a plan, she felt something else brush against her fingertips.
Cloth.
She pulled her hand back in, but it was too late. Whoever had noticed her fingers, spoke quietly.
“Hold on, I’ll get you out.”
These words drifted down the hole, to meet Shavira’s shocked ears. The words were a woman’s, and in the accent of her people.
“Please hurry.” Shavira whispered, quietly. “My legs are stuck.”
“Don’t worry. Just stay put.”
Hearing the rubble begin to shift, Shavira had a moment of panic when a rock collapsed and blocked the former hole. She focused on remaining calm, as the debris continued to move above her.
She listened to the sounds, wondering who the person was. Were they trustworthy?
It didn’t matter now, they were helping her…for the time being.
After an eternity, the heaviest rock holding Shavira down was lifted from her back.
With a torch lying to the side, amidst piles and piles of stones and wood, the figure’s form came into view. Shavira squinted into the face of the strong woman, holding the huge piece of stone above her head.
“…Evlyn?” Shavira whispered, coughing with the fresh air.
Evlyn set aside the large rock, which was larger than both women put together. “Shavira. I knew you’d survive!” She knelt down in the rocks and hugged Shavira’s head to her chest, starting to cry. “Everything happened so fast. I couldn’t get to you. I couldn’t do anything.”
“Shhhh. It’s okay, I’m still alive.” Shavira mumbled into the woman’s chest. “My legs are still stuck. We have to hurry.”
It didn’t take Evlyn long before Shavira’s legs were completely freed from the debris. Evlyn retrieved the torch and fluttered over Shavira’s badly wounded legs.
“Oh I can’t believe this…I can’t believe any of this…” She said quietly to herself, more tears rolling down her lean face.
Shavira sighed in relief. Evlyn was like a mother, having nursed her in the absence of her own. She instantly felt relieved in her presence, but it was short lived. “It’s okay, Evlyn. We need to get out of here. Where are the men from earlier?”
Sniffling, Evlyn lightly touched the deep gash on Shavira’s thigh, her pants torn from the rock. “They’ve made a camp on the east wing, towards the kitchens.”
“Then help me get up, and we’ll go the opposite way.”
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