Search and Rescue - Chapter 1
Title: Search and Rescue
Author: kegel84 and bron_v
Rating: PG
Pairings/characters: Robin/Marian, Guy/Marian, Vaysey, gang
Word count: 32000
Summary: Robin and Guy have to team up when Marian seems to have disappeared, AU after Lardner's Ring.
Spoilers: Till Lardner's Ring.
Disclaimer: We don't own the show or any of its characters and make no profit from this work.
Notes: Huge thanks to emmithar who did the arduous work of betaing this fic, gave a lot of advice during writing and is always a source of inspiration. Thanks go also to the Robin Hood Map Project by rochvelleth and railise which was used as a reference for any geographical questions.
Chapter 1
“Gisborne!” came the yell too often heard within the castle walls, “Gisborne!”
“Yes, my lord?” The tall leather-clad figure of Gisborne strode into the chamber.
“Took your time, didn’t you, Gisborne? Leper's keeping you?” The Sheriff took his seat at the end of a long table situated in the middle of the room, and looked up at Guy, sneering.
“No, Marian’s resting,” Guy explained, ignoring the often used derogatory expression of the sheriff. “She was visiting the market today. Supervised of course.” Guy still stood, knowing full well he would have to listen to these taunts before they actually got down to business.
“Of course, of course. What took you so long then, counting your failures?”
“No, my lord.”
The sheriff lifted his eyebrows. “You may not think this fair, Gisborne, but if life was fair you would have never left France, and I would have a right hand man who is far less brooding and dresses in slightly more colourful attire,” he said, in an almost absentminded tone, which did not at all seem to match the words coming out of his mouth.
Gisborne decided to change the subject sooner rather than later. “What did you want, my Lord?”
Two servants walked in then, carrying a considerable amount of food, placing it down on the table in silence, not even daring to smile at either of the two men in the room. As they walked out, the sheriff gestured to the guards outside the chamber to shut the door, which they did, also without saying a word.
“Your little friend, Allan, he knows where Hood’s camp is,” the sheriff said suddenly.
“No, my Lord, Allan has sworn...”
The sheriff leapt out of his seat, charging forward so that his face was mere inches from Gisborne’s, a remarkable feat considering the height difference between the two.
“He knows, Gisborne. Hood is making a larger fool of us every single day, and not only that, he still holds the Great Pact of Nottingham. Your boy is going to find Robin Hood’s camp and retrieve the pact, and I don’t care if it kills him.”
“He doesn’t know...” Gisborne tried to argue.
“You believe the word of a traitor, Gisborne?” The sheriff’s voice was slightly quieter as he asked this, but still held the menacing tone.
“He is loyal to me.”
“Yes, well, the last person who was loyal to you ended up running off to a convent to escape your constant hounding.”
Back on the taunting, again, Gisborne thought. “Marian was grieving her father,” he said tiredly, as though it was something he’d had to say a hundred times already.
“She could grieve here. But she chose to grieve at an abbey, away from you...”
“And she returned again.”
“And fell into the hands of Robin Hood, like everything else we’ve tried to keep within the walls of the castle. If Hood isn’t stopped soon, something is going to happen to dear Marian. Especially if she’s being allowed to walk through the market with only one guard to protect her...”
Guy looked up sharply upon hearing this, wondering if the sheriff believed he had found a new way to motivate him to kill Hood. “What would you propose?” he asked slowly.
“We need to knock his confidence, make him realize that he is just a pesky little outlaw fighting for a lost and pointless cause.” The sheriff paused, before adding, “Where is Allan now?”
“Out there, somewhere,” Guy said disinterestedly.
“Good. Find him. Talk to him. Find out about Robin, find out what matters to him, what he really cares about. And not just some lowly innocent peasant, but something he would really die for. Your boy can pretend he doesn’t know where Hood’s camp is, but he can’t pretend he doesn’t know what makes him... tick.” The Sheriff put emphasis on his last word, so that Gisborne could almost hear every single letter.
“And we destroy it?”
“No, Gisborne, we steal it. It may be a pretty little villager he’s taken a shine to, we just take her, and then we bargain with him, we offer the pact in return for pretty villager’s life, and Hood gives us the pact, and realizes he is not as invincible as he believes he is.”
“What if we can’t get our hands on whoever it is?”
The sheriff sat back into his seat, and took some of the meat off the table, unceremoniously shoving it into his mouth. His mouth still half full as he spoke, “Not my problem, Gisborne, your task now, and you’ll be the one picking up the slack...”
Guy looked disbelieving at Vaysey. “My task... My Lord, this is entirely your idea.”
“Yes, well, after your little escapade in the forest in which you failed to kill or capture Hood despite having him completely surrounded in a tree, I think you need a chance to prove you are not entirely incompetent, don’t you?” the sheriff snarled.
Gisborne wrinkled his nose, but knew better than to argue. “Should I speak to Allan now, my Lord?”
“No, no, Gisborne, I would not have ordered for dinner to be brought if we were merely discussing an outlaw, we have far more important business to deliberate on, sit down...”
The castle yard lay empty, and soon after the sun had set behind the horizon, the last sounds from inside the buildings quieted down as well. The fortress and most of its occupants had retired for the night. Marian was well aware that there were still lone guards stationed at strategic points inside and outside, but she also knew that they were neither in full force nor very vigilant.
No, the ones she had to take the most care with were those who commanded those troops. She had just returned from an evening stroll through the castle, which she preferred neither the sheriff nor Guy of Gisborne to learn of, as they might question her motivation for being out of her quarters this late. Her reason for her wandering had actually been those two men. Earlier that day, when she had been about to go to the market, she had overheard a servant informing Guy of the sheriff's wish for a consultation with him that night. Guy had been about to ride out, but had nodded his agreement nevertheless. Naturally, he didn't have much choice, though he was sure to have his own private thoughts about any matter such as this.
Marian had seen him leaving the castle soon afterwards, but had assumed that he would return the same day in order to observe the time for his meeting with the sheriff. This was what had induced her to leave her quarters early at night, walking leisurely - and hopefully inconspicuously in case she was seen - through the castle towards her destination.
She had not met anybody on her way, had moved towards the sheriff's quarters carefully and observantly. She had made sure to stay some distance away from the entrance to his main chambers, watching for anyone approaching it from afar. It hadn't taken long until Guy had arrived, apparently back from his ride, striding with large steps towards the door.
She had seen it opening and had heard the sheriff's voice from inside the room. Besides him taunting Gisborne, she had understood that he had ordered a servant to deliver his dinner preferences to the kitchen. He had ordered enough for two people, so Marian assumed that Guy was invited too, unless the sheriff had another guest she didn't know about. The door had been closed then and two guards had positioned themselves in front of it. Marian knew that she had learned all she could for now and had hurried back to her own quarters.
It was often little things like these that could help; conferences the sheriff held, trips out of town Guy undertook. It wasn't always big news she learned. It was a rare occurrence that she could tell Robin about any grand plan of the sheriff that he could thwart. But it was those small pieces of information that had helped her aid the people in and around Nottingham for years.
This evening it had solely given her the knowledge that the Master-at-Arms was safely in a meeting with the sheriff for a long period of time, including dinner. Still Marian waited till after sundown to take advantage of the shadows the sparsely lit castle would offer at night.
Then she carefully clad herself in the Nightwatchman's robes that were usually well hidden between clothes no respectable man would ever dare to touch. She kept listening for any sounds coming from behind the door, although she knew Guy to be occupied for the time being. There wasn't really anyone else who would come to visit her. Any chamber maid who might come to ask if she desired anything else for the night would knock at the door before entering.
There was a sound, and Marian started, but steadying her breath she realized it had come from outside her window. Being taken by surprise in her chamber while wearing the Nightwatchman's costume wasn't something she was keen on experiencing. Another sound followed and she listened closely to hear voices in the castle yard. It wasn't long before they were gone and she assured herself that those sounds didn't relate to her or anything she planned to do this night. She carefully placed her mask over her face, completing her attire. Taking a leather sack she had prepared earlier with her, she slipped out of her room, closing the door softly behind her. There were often guards outside her chamber, but she had assured herself earlier that they were not there now.
She hurried along the corridors of the castle, attentive to stay in the shadows as far as possible. She didn't meet or see anyone. She had learned to avoid any encounters, discovering where the guards were stationed in order to estimate the rounds they would make, always keeping watch for when they left to occupy their boredom or perhaps relieve themselves. She kept stepping forward carefully, but in a steady manner. There were few torches lit in the castle and most of the corridors were engulfed in darkness.
Marian moved downwards. Stepping down a spiral staircase, she left the floor that included her chamber behind her. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs and waited to listen for any sound. After a moment she heard footsteps coming in her direction and hastily took some steps back up the staircase, doing her best to hide herself. The sounds moved away as quickly as they had come and Marian waited another moment before she walked downstairs again.
As she moved along, she took care to stay close to the walls. Ahead she could discern the light of a torch at the wall. Then its shine was penetrated by a shadow that appeared around the corner, as a man came into sight. Marian saw the glint of a knife as it was thrown up into the air and caught again, only to be tossed once more. She frowned as she recognized Allan wandering along casually, and backed away, out of sight.
The sound of his steps stopped suddenly and she wondered if he had noticed her. She listened closely, debating whether to show herself openly or to try and hide. Allan had sworn never to betray her, but there was no good reason to risk him knowing anything he didn't have to know, especially that the Nightwatchman was active in the castle tonight. She kept listening, but couldn't make out any more sounds that she could attribute to the man. After a few more moments she peaked around the corner and found an empty corridor in front of her. Allan had managed to vanish without her noticing where he had gone. She glanced around, still on her guard.
Finally she decided that she had no more time to lose and glided along the passageway swiftly. A sudden call jerked her up and when she saw Allan next to her a split-second later, she realized that she could be glad it was only him, and that she should have anticipated this to happen. There was nothing else to expect when dealing with an outlaw…former outlaw…or whatever Allan's current status was.
“Up late?” he asked, still playing with the knife. Marian pressed her lips together, watching him and almost waiting for the blood to start flowing from his hands when he would miss the handle of the knife as it was bound to happen in her mind. He looked at her nonchalantly. He didn't even try to pretend that he didn't know it was her behind the mask, so much was sure.
“Any reason for you to ambush me?” she returned finally in a quiet voice. She didn't plan on saying anything more, not daring to risk exposure just for a nice little conversation with Allan. She turned to go, but kept watching him out of the corner of her eyes.
He lifted his eyebrows, turning to leave as well. “Lovely night, isn't it? Just a tad lonely,” he said, as if just talking to himself.
She didn't understand why he had said that. She didn't waste time pondering it though. Instead she hurried along, hoping he abided by his promise to her. She went further and further downstairs, having long left the nobles' chambers behind her. She had to move more carefully once she reached the floor where the kitchen and the servant's quarters were located. More lights were shining down here, as the cooks and maids were kept up by the still ongoing preparations for the several courses of the sheriff's dinner. As far as Marian was aware, neither Vaysey nor Gisborne would eat even a considerable part of the amount of food that was transported upstairs, but the sheriff had a preference for a large variety of dishes. At least he still seemed to be occupied.
It became more difficult to remain unseen. Marian knew that most of the servants would let her pass without any trouble, having heard about the work of the Nightwatchman and condoning or even supporting it, but there was still a risk involved in being seen and she wanted to endanger neither herself nor those people unnecessarily. She had to wait several times to let people walk by her hiding place, before she could move on.
She felt like the journey was taking her forever, but finally she reached the lowest floor of the castle, save for the dungeons that was. She had been planning to come down here for a long time, hoping to find new ways out of - and into - the castle.
The corridor was completely dark. She had left the last shine of light behind her, when she had come down the last narrow staircase, taking even more care now. As far as she knew, she should be able to reach a way out soon. She was taking it step by step, hoping the ground would remain firm and that she would not be surprised by any barrier. The floor wasn't even, it seemed to be leading her downwards instead.
Marian had been moving through the darkness for several minutes, when a sound next to her caused her to stop dead. Unmoving, she tried to discern where it had come from. She hadn't hit against anything when she had been walking, so the sound had to have been caused by somebody or something else.
The next second there were more sounds, and she caught a glimpse of a shine of light moving in the distance. After a confused moment she realized that she was staring into a crossing corridor and that the light was moving towards her. She leapt forward quickly, hoping she hadn't been seen yet. If whoever was coming had been far enough away, the shadows might have hidden her still, but she wasn't sure about it. In any case, she needed to get away, so she ran along the corridor that was now dimly lit, although the darkness increased with every step she took.
Her heart pounding fast, she hoped to reach another adjoining floor, another staircase, an unlocked door, anywhere she would be able to hide before the person who carried the light would turn around the corner and spot her.
Finally there was a turn to the right and she hurried around it, the darkness once again enclosing her. She slowed down then and it proved to be a wise decision for in the next second she walked into some kind of barrier. For a moment she was afraid of being trapped, but was easily able to climb over it, feeling the wooden material with her hands, before she ran on.
She only managed another few steps, before the ground suddenly vanished and left her only a split-second of confusion.
Next chapter
Author: kegel84 and bron_v
Rating: PG
Pairings/characters: Robin/Marian, Guy/Marian, Vaysey, gang
Word count: 32000
Summary: Robin and Guy have to team up when Marian seems to have disappeared, AU after Lardner's Ring.
Spoilers: Till Lardner's Ring.
Disclaimer: We don't own the show or any of its characters and make no profit from this work.
Notes: Huge thanks to emmithar who did the arduous work of betaing this fic, gave a lot of advice during writing and is always a source of inspiration. Thanks go also to the Robin Hood Map Project by rochvelleth and railise which was used as a reference for any geographical questions.
Chapter 1
“Gisborne!” came the yell too often heard within the castle walls, “Gisborne!”
“Yes, my lord?” The tall leather-clad figure of Gisborne strode into the chamber.
“Took your time, didn’t you, Gisborne? Leper's keeping you?” The Sheriff took his seat at the end of a long table situated in the middle of the room, and looked up at Guy, sneering.
“No, Marian’s resting,” Guy explained, ignoring the often used derogatory expression of the sheriff. “She was visiting the market today. Supervised of course.” Guy still stood, knowing full well he would have to listen to these taunts before they actually got down to business.
“Of course, of course. What took you so long then, counting your failures?”
“No, my lord.”
The sheriff lifted his eyebrows. “You may not think this fair, Gisborne, but if life was fair you would have never left France, and I would have a right hand man who is far less brooding and dresses in slightly more colourful attire,” he said, in an almost absentminded tone, which did not at all seem to match the words coming out of his mouth.
Gisborne decided to change the subject sooner rather than later. “What did you want, my Lord?”
Two servants walked in then, carrying a considerable amount of food, placing it down on the table in silence, not even daring to smile at either of the two men in the room. As they walked out, the sheriff gestured to the guards outside the chamber to shut the door, which they did, also without saying a word.
“Your little friend, Allan, he knows where Hood’s camp is,” the sheriff said suddenly.
“No, my Lord, Allan has sworn...”
The sheriff leapt out of his seat, charging forward so that his face was mere inches from Gisborne’s, a remarkable feat considering the height difference between the two.
“He knows, Gisborne. Hood is making a larger fool of us every single day, and not only that, he still holds the Great Pact of Nottingham. Your boy is going to find Robin Hood’s camp and retrieve the pact, and I don’t care if it kills him.”
“He doesn’t know...” Gisborne tried to argue.
“You believe the word of a traitor, Gisborne?” The sheriff’s voice was slightly quieter as he asked this, but still held the menacing tone.
“He is loyal to me.”
“Yes, well, the last person who was loyal to you ended up running off to a convent to escape your constant hounding.”
Back on the taunting, again, Gisborne thought. “Marian was grieving her father,” he said tiredly, as though it was something he’d had to say a hundred times already.
“She could grieve here. But she chose to grieve at an abbey, away from you...”
“And she returned again.”
“And fell into the hands of Robin Hood, like everything else we’ve tried to keep within the walls of the castle. If Hood isn’t stopped soon, something is going to happen to dear Marian. Especially if she’s being allowed to walk through the market with only one guard to protect her...”
Guy looked up sharply upon hearing this, wondering if the sheriff believed he had found a new way to motivate him to kill Hood. “What would you propose?” he asked slowly.
“We need to knock his confidence, make him realize that he is just a pesky little outlaw fighting for a lost and pointless cause.” The sheriff paused, before adding, “Where is Allan now?”
“Out there, somewhere,” Guy said disinterestedly.
“Good. Find him. Talk to him. Find out about Robin, find out what matters to him, what he really cares about. And not just some lowly innocent peasant, but something he would really die for. Your boy can pretend he doesn’t know where Hood’s camp is, but he can’t pretend he doesn’t know what makes him... tick.” The Sheriff put emphasis on his last word, so that Gisborne could almost hear every single letter.
“And we destroy it?”
“No, Gisborne, we steal it. It may be a pretty little villager he’s taken a shine to, we just take her, and then we bargain with him, we offer the pact in return for pretty villager’s life, and Hood gives us the pact, and realizes he is not as invincible as he believes he is.”
“What if we can’t get our hands on whoever it is?”
The sheriff sat back into his seat, and took some of the meat off the table, unceremoniously shoving it into his mouth. His mouth still half full as he spoke, “Not my problem, Gisborne, your task now, and you’ll be the one picking up the slack...”
Guy looked disbelieving at Vaysey. “My task... My Lord, this is entirely your idea.”
“Yes, well, after your little escapade in the forest in which you failed to kill or capture Hood despite having him completely surrounded in a tree, I think you need a chance to prove you are not entirely incompetent, don’t you?” the sheriff snarled.
Gisborne wrinkled his nose, but knew better than to argue. “Should I speak to Allan now, my Lord?”
“No, no, Gisborne, I would not have ordered for dinner to be brought if we were merely discussing an outlaw, we have far more important business to deliberate on, sit down...”
The castle yard lay empty, and soon after the sun had set behind the horizon, the last sounds from inside the buildings quieted down as well. The fortress and most of its occupants had retired for the night. Marian was well aware that there were still lone guards stationed at strategic points inside and outside, but she also knew that they were neither in full force nor very vigilant.
No, the ones she had to take the most care with were those who commanded those troops. She had just returned from an evening stroll through the castle, which she preferred neither the sheriff nor Guy of Gisborne to learn of, as they might question her motivation for being out of her quarters this late. Her reason for her wandering had actually been those two men. Earlier that day, when she had been about to go to the market, she had overheard a servant informing Guy of the sheriff's wish for a consultation with him that night. Guy had been about to ride out, but had nodded his agreement nevertheless. Naturally, he didn't have much choice, though he was sure to have his own private thoughts about any matter such as this.
Marian had seen him leaving the castle soon afterwards, but had assumed that he would return the same day in order to observe the time for his meeting with the sheriff. This was what had induced her to leave her quarters early at night, walking leisurely - and hopefully inconspicuously in case she was seen - through the castle towards her destination.
She had not met anybody on her way, had moved towards the sheriff's quarters carefully and observantly. She had made sure to stay some distance away from the entrance to his main chambers, watching for anyone approaching it from afar. It hadn't taken long until Guy had arrived, apparently back from his ride, striding with large steps towards the door.
She had seen it opening and had heard the sheriff's voice from inside the room. Besides him taunting Gisborne, she had understood that he had ordered a servant to deliver his dinner preferences to the kitchen. He had ordered enough for two people, so Marian assumed that Guy was invited too, unless the sheriff had another guest she didn't know about. The door had been closed then and two guards had positioned themselves in front of it. Marian knew that she had learned all she could for now and had hurried back to her own quarters.
It was often little things like these that could help; conferences the sheriff held, trips out of town Guy undertook. It wasn't always big news she learned. It was a rare occurrence that she could tell Robin about any grand plan of the sheriff that he could thwart. But it was those small pieces of information that had helped her aid the people in and around Nottingham for years.
This evening it had solely given her the knowledge that the Master-at-Arms was safely in a meeting with the sheriff for a long period of time, including dinner. Still Marian waited till after sundown to take advantage of the shadows the sparsely lit castle would offer at night.
Then she carefully clad herself in the Nightwatchman's robes that were usually well hidden between clothes no respectable man would ever dare to touch. She kept listening for any sounds coming from behind the door, although she knew Guy to be occupied for the time being. There wasn't really anyone else who would come to visit her. Any chamber maid who might come to ask if she desired anything else for the night would knock at the door before entering.
There was a sound, and Marian started, but steadying her breath she realized it had come from outside her window. Being taken by surprise in her chamber while wearing the Nightwatchman's costume wasn't something she was keen on experiencing. Another sound followed and she listened closely to hear voices in the castle yard. It wasn't long before they were gone and she assured herself that those sounds didn't relate to her or anything she planned to do this night. She carefully placed her mask over her face, completing her attire. Taking a leather sack she had prepared earlier with her, she slipped out of her room, closing the door softly behind her. There were often guards outside her chamber, but she had assured herself earlier that they were not there now.
She hurried along the corridors of the castle, attentive to stay in the shadows as far as possible. She didn't meet or see anyone. She had learned to avoid any encounters, discovering where the guards were stationed in order to estimate the rounds they would make, always keeping watch for when they left to occupy their boredom or perhaps relieve themselves. She kept stepping forward carefully, but in a steady manner. There were few torches lit in the castle and most of the corridors were engulfed in darkness.
Marian moved downwards. Stepping down a spiral staircase, she left the floor that included her chamber behind her. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs and waited to listen for any sound. After a moment she heard footsteps coming in her direction and hastily took some steps back up the staircase, doing her best to hide herself. The sounds moved away as quickly as they had come and Marian waited another moment before she walked downstairs again.
As she moved along, she took care to stay close to the walls. Ahead she could discern the light of a torch at the wall. Then its shine was penetrated by a shadow that appeared around the corner, as a man came into sight. Marian saw the glint of a knife as it was thrown up into the air and caught again, only to be tossed once more. She frowned as she recognized Allan wandering along casually, and backed away, out of sight.
The sound of his steps stopped suddenly and she wondered if he had noticed her. She listened closely, debating whether to show herself openly or to try and hide. Allan had sworn never to betray her, but there was no good reason to risk him knowing anything he didn't have to know, especially that the Nightwatchman was active in the castle tonight. She kept listening, but couldn't make out any more sounds that she could attribute to the man. After a few more moments she peaked around the corner and found an empty corridor in front of her. Allan had managed to vanish without her noticing where he had gone. She glanced around, still on her guard.
Finally she decided that she had no more time to lose and glided along the passageway swiftly. A sudden call jerked her up and when she saw Allan next to her a split-second later, she realized that she could be glad it was only him, and that she should have anticipated this to happen. There was nothing else to expect when dealing with an outlaw…former outlaw…or whatever Allan's current status was.
“Up late?” he asked, still playing with the knife. Marian pressed her lips together, watching him and almost waiting for the blood to start flowing from his hands when he would miss the handle of the knife as it was bound to happen in her mind. He looked at her nonchalantly. He didn't even try to pretend that he didn't know it was her behind the mask, so much was sure.
“Any reason for you to ambush me?” she returned finally in a quiet voice. She didn't plan on saying anything more, not daring to risk exposure just for a nice little conversation with Allan. She turned to go, but kept watching him out of the corner of her eyes.
He lifted his eyebrows, turning to leave as well. “Lovely night, isn't it? Just a tad lonely,” he said, as if just talking to himself.
She didn't understand why he had said that. She didn't waste time pondering it though. Instead she hurried along, hoping he abided by his promise to her. She went further and further downstairs, having long left the nobles' chambers behind her. She had to move more carefully once she reached the floor where the kitchen and the servant's quarters were located. More lights were shining down here, as the cooks and maids were kept up by the still ongoing preparations for the several courses of the sheriff's dinner. As far as Marian was aware, neither Vaysey nor Gisborne would eat even a considerable part of the amount of food that was transported upstairs, but the sheriff had a preference for a large variety of dishes. At least he still seemed to be occupied.
It became more difficult to remain unseen. Marian knew that most of the servants would let her pass without any trouble, having heard about the work of the Nightwatchman and condoning or even supporting it, but there was still a risk involved in being seen and she wanted to endanger neither herself nor those people unnecessarily. She had to wait several times to let people walk by her hiding place, before she could move on.
She felt like the journey was taking her forever, but finally she reached the lowest floor of the castle, save for the dungeons that was. She had been planning to come down here for a long time, hoping to find new ways out of - and into - the castle.
The corridor was completely dark. She had left the last shine of light behind her, when she had come down the last narrow staircase, taking even more care now. As far as she knew, she should be able to reach a way out soon. She was taking it step by step, hoping the ground would remain firm and that she would not be surprised by any barrier. The floor wasn't even, it seemed to be leading her downwards instead.
Marian had been moving through the darkness for several minutes, when a sound next to her caused her to stop dead. Unmoving, she tried to discern where it had come from. She hadn't hit against anything when she had been walking, so the sound had to have been caused by somebody or something else.
The next second there were more sounds, and she caught a glimpse of a shine of light moving in the distance. After a confused moment she realized that she was staring into a crossing corridor and that the light was moving towards her. She leapt forward quickly, hoping she hadn't been seen yet. If whoever was coming had been far enough away, the shadows might have hidden her still, but she wasn't sure about it. In any case, she needed to get away, so she ran along the corridor that was now dimly lit, although the darkness increased with every step she took.
Her heart pounding fast, she hoped to reach another adjoining floor, another staircase, an unlocked door, anywhere she would be able to hide before the person who carried the light would turn around the corner and spot her.
Finally there was a turn to the right and she hurried around it, the darkness once again enclosing her. She slowed down then and it proved to be a wise decision for in the next second she walked into some kind of barrier. For a moment she was afraid of being trapped, but was easily able to climb over it, feeling the wooden material with her hands, before she ran on.
She only managed another few steps, before the ground suddenly vanished and left her only a split-second of confusion.
Next chapter