Taniel (The Taverner's Daughter I)

59: Taniel - A Rude Awakening

I woke, the next time, not to tender kisses from my dragonrider, but to a noise at door. I lay still for a moment, thinking it Jarryd returning from a visit to the outhouse. Since he was invisible, I felt no need to look until I heard the distinct sound of a drawer opening.

Why was he poking around in my things?

I tried to speak, but my mouth would not work. I dragged my eyelids apart and, when I tried to turn my head, discovered my body was immobile.

A small shriek jammed in my neck.

What had he done to me? Only my eyes could move. The room was dark except for a paler patch at the window.

A woman moved into my limited sight, carrying some sort of small light in her hand ... and then another shadowy woman. They seemed to be stuffing things into bags.

Why would anyone want to steal my clothes? What the hell do you think you are doing? I screamed at them, but the words tangled in my throat, unsaid.

Was Jarryd still here?

I could not turn my head to check for a dent in the pillow. His shape was not obvious under the bed-covers and my body did not touch his. Had he left to meet the firedrake without saying goodbye? That hardly seemed likely, for he had treated me with loving tenderness and consideration, and he said he would never leave again without waking me.

He was probably frozen, too.

I whimpered, desperately wanting a connection with him.

One of the women came over and peered at my face. She looked like Erin.

"She's awake," she said. She sounded like Erin and had hair like hers.

"Oh good, let's have some light." the other woman said, flinging a hand at the lamp and renewing the snuffed flame.

A witch! My eyes swung between the intruders - a tall woman, one I had seen about the tavern during the day, and Erin.

"Katerine, did you get shoes?"

"Yes, got shoes. I'm done."

She will be done all right when I move again, I thought. I knew there was something odd about her, and now she brought friends around pilfering my clothes, including the same dresses she helped me choose.

The witch approached the bed and spoke softly. "Taniel, I'm Paget and you know Katerine. Do not be alarmed, dear. We will not hurt you. You're coming with us. I'm sorry about the gag but it must stay until we get to Stakkr."

Stakkr?

Jarryd lived at Stakkr.

These women were not here to take my things.

They were stealing me. Tears welled. Jarryd was behind this. Despite knowing it would do no good, I tried moving and yelling, my throat growing ever sorer with a mounting pile of stacked abuse.

"I will free you up enough for you to stand," the witch said as she pulled me to my feet and promptly refroze me before I could even think of retaliation.

Seeing my nakedness, she yanked a blanket off the bed and flung it around me. "We haven't time to get you dressed, sorry, dear."

I could use my eyes. I glared. Apparently it worked, for she gave me an apologetic look and a small shrug of her shoulders. She sighed, freed one of my hands, and told me to use it to keep the blanket closed.

I attempted to hit her but the rest of my arm would not move.

Tears spilled down my face

"Hurry up," the Katerine-Erin bitch urged. She took a ball from her pocket and set it on the floor. The round object glowed orange briefly and a low scraping sound filled the room.

With my mouth sealed, I could not gape when my astonishment when a door, complete with frame and threshold step, appeared. It hovered above the rug.

The woman holding me mumbled some unintelligible words under her breath and magic whisked me forward until I stood, still rigid, by the threshold.

Katerine pushed open the magic door and walked calmly into the room beyond.

"Off you go, through the door." Paget gave me a gentle nudge and, against my will, my feet moved up on the step.

I stumbled in the doorway. My stomach knotted as I stepped inside a roundish room with doors set side-by-side all around. A greenish light tinted the faces of two creatures that held vicious-looking spiked spears. From their tails, I recognised them as gharls, having learned of them through tavern stories.

My face heated and I clutched the blanket tight. The gharls moved back and I was thankful when they were out of my sight.

Behind us, the door banged shut and Katerine swooped down to grab the ball as it rattled past our feet. At her signal, a third gharl rapped on the largest door. It took a while for all the banging of the bolts outside to bring the door swinging inward.

The muscles in my face relaxed. I moistened my lips, swallowed, and tried talking. "How did you make that happen?" My voice was hoarse.

Paget smiled at me.

Katerine-Erin look pleased with herself.

"Welcome to Castle Stakkr," Paget said, waving towards the opened door. "Come along dear, you can make this easy on yourself, or hard. It is up to you."

Erin smirked at me before leading the way into a small room that seemed to hold nothing but stairs and more guards.

Paget propelled me forward. The hopelessness of my situation struck me. I did as she wished. I tried to summon a little faith in Jarryd. If he was stuck back there, he had witnessed my abduction and would tell Father and they would rescue me. I convinced myself he would tell Father.

The witch guided me up the spiralling steps. She loosened my neck to make the ascent easier. Sighing, I snuffled.

Please, I prayed to the discarded god, let Jarryd be true to me.

***

29 March 2017 - replaced with revised scene

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