The Shadow Fox stood in the shadows outside of the jail house. She had chosen the spot because none of the guards could see her. Midnight nickered quietly. The Shadow Fox put a finger to her lips. “Shh. You are going to have an extra rider, today, girl. You will take him, though, won’t you?”
The mare whinnied and tossed her mane. The Shadow Fox smiled and stroked her neck. “There’s a good girl. There will be oats in your stall when we get beck.”
The horse seemed to like this thought. She gave her rider a little nudge forward. Chuckling, the Robyn slid along the wall towards the front door of the jail. It was unguarded as, thinking the Shadow Fox wouldn’t use the front door, Agent Chaplen had stationed the guards elsewhere. Pressing her ear against the door, she listened intently. No sound came from the other side, so she pushed it open slightly. After making certain no one was on the other side, the girl pushed it open all the way and slipped inside.
Surreptitiously, Robyn slinked down the smelly hallway, keeping to the shadows. Footsteps preceded a guard. Unfortunately, she was too far away from one of the alcoves. The girl pressed herself against the wall, hopping he wouldn’t see her. Swinging his lantern, the guard strode past. His eyes were bleary and he looked very tired. She hoped the others were as well.
Once the light from his lantern rounded a corner, the Shadow Fox let out her breath. Silently, she crept from her hiding spot and continued down the corridor. After a few minutes of creeping, she arrived in a few yards in front of the deserter’s guarded cell.
Watching the two guards, it suddenly occurred to her that she had not brought anything to knock them unconscious with. She hadn’t brought any weapons except for her sword. I can’t draw it without alerting them to my presence. Poor planning, on my part.
Robyn eyed the lantern by one’s feet thoughtfully. After a few seconds of debating, she sprang into action. With one swift movement, the Shadow Fox dashed out and snatched the lantern. The first one let out a muffled groan as she thwacked him on the back of the head. The next one had a chance to let out a yell before he slumped to the ground.
By this time, George Duncan had had awoken. He stood up and walked over to see what was going on as Robyn bent down to make sure the guards would be alright. She straightened, and he let out a gasp.
“You’re the, the--”
Robyn preformed an elegant bow. “The Shadow Fox at you service, sir.”
“That--that girl--she--”
Robyn interrupted him. “There’s very little time, Mr. Duncan. In order to get you out of here, I need you to do something.” He lifted his eyebrows in question so Robyn continued. “I need you to go and stand in the darkest corner and stay silent when Agent Chaplen comes to the cell. I need him to think you may not be in there, understand?”
George nodded vigorously.
Smiling, Robyn turned and picked up one of the guard’s rifles. As quickly as possible, she loaded a bullet into the chamber. Aiming at the ground a few feet away from her, she fired. The gun went off with a loud bang. Swiftly the girl drew her sword and slipped into the shadows.
The noise had woken the rest of the inmates and they were all talking and trying to figure out what was going on. Robyn shouted over the clamor, “Quick! This way!!”
Several voices rose above the rest now. “Some one’s escaping!”
“Some one helped that poor boy escape!”
That’s not just anyone; it’s the Shadow Fox!” That voice was unmistakably Peter Johnson’s.
Just as she hoped they would, Agent Chaplen, Captain Long, and the jailer ran in view. Chaplen’s eyes darted about. While Long looked confused, the jailer shouted for silence.
“What happened?” he bellowed.
The prisoners quieted, and several pushed Peter Johnson to the front.
Clearing his throat and beaming in triumph, Johnson explained, “The Shadow Fox was here. He helped that poor Duncan boy to escape.”
Agent Chaplen quickly withdrew the keys and slid them into the lock. He yanked the door open and was about to go inside when she attacked. With out a sound, the girl leaped out and stuck the agent on the back of the head. Seeing the cloaked figure, Long fumbled for his pistol, but he was too slow. He went down with a groan. Luckily for Robyn, the jailer wasn’t carrying a weapon. He turned to run but was whacked. At the sight of the downfall of their oppressors, the prisoners erupted into cheering.
The Shadow Fox took a second to take a breath, then yelled for George to follow her. Unfortunately, in her haste to knock the others out, the girl hadn’t hit Agent Chaplen correctly. He had blacked out for a few seconds but was now back on his feet. With surprise on his side, he grabbed Robyn’s cloak. Pulling his sword out, he tripped George. The young deserter fell flat on his face, and Chaplen pressed a foot on him. To finalize his victory, he forced the Shadow Fox against the wall and pressed his blade to her throat.
“Very clever. I should have realized at once that you wouldn’t have been able to pick the lock. Pity your little plan failed.” In a severe tone, he said, “Drop your sword.”
Instead of realizing her blade, she sheathed it.
The agent shrugged. “Have it your way. It makes no difference.”
The Shadow Fox gritted her teeth. There had to be some way out of here. At least George would be able to escape. The agent wouldn’t be able to keep his foot on a struggling boy if didn’t want her to escape. Unfortunately, the boy had gone completely still. The girl stared at him in disbelief.
“What are you doing? Run! He won’t chase after you!”
George turned his face so he could look at her. “But, he’s got me.”
Agent Chaplen laughed, and Robyn stomped her foot in frustration.
“No, he hasn’t! You move enough, and he’ll have to take his foot off you!”
George lifted his eyebrows and propped himself up on his elbows. “Really?”
Chaplen was in hysterics. Robyn nearly danced in exasperation. “Yes! Go! There’s a black mare outside. Her name is Midnight. Tell her I sent you, and she’ll let you ride.”
Thankfully, George took her advice and squirmed. The agent stopped laughing and moved his foot to avoid falling over. The boy scramble to his feet and took off. Robyn now understood how he had managed to escape when he was slightly dense. George had simply ran like a rabbit with it‘s tail on fire.
Chaplen watched him go with a slight smile on his face. “My trap worked well, I think.” He turned back to his captive. “The boy escaped, but it is of no matter. He will have no place to go without your guidance.”
Keeping his blade to her throat, Agent Chaplen placed a firm hand on the Shadow Fox’s shoulder and pulled her off the wall. Roughly, he pushed her in front of himself.
The agent bent down and hissed in her ear. “One move, boy, and I’ll slit your throat, understand?”
Robyn was thinking too hard to answer. There had to be some way to get home in one piece. She had to do it before the agent marched her into a cell. Her thoughts lurched to a halt when he nearly crushed her shoulder.
“Did you hear me?” he demanded.
Robyn winced. Her shoulder throbbed painfully. “Yes sir.”
The agent released her shoulder long enough to pat it. “Good boy.”
---
Heh. I just realized how dramatic these are. Heh. Well, this was written with the idea that it would never see the light of day, sooooooooooo
Deal with it. Yeah.
Oh noes! Does Chaplen throw her in a cell? Is it all over? Siiiigh. George Duncan is so dumb.
Find out next week, same bat-site, same bat-time...ish.
No comments:
Post a Comment