“Gather as many women and children as you can and make haste to the cellars. Lady Glenda is waiting there and she will guide you to safety. Go now and good luck!”
Claire nodded her thanks and gave him a sad smile. “God be with you, Sir Roland.”
“And with you, my lady.”
With a feeling of purpose that superseded her fear, she ran through the halls of the keep, gathered as many women and children as she could find, and bade them to follow her to the cellars. Glenda stood waiting as promised, and after lighting a few torches and handing them to the women who looked most able and alert, the dark-haired lady ushered them down a series of narrow passages, the light of their torches barely piercing the deep gloom of the underground escape route. Glenda paused when at last a faint light could be seen further on down a narrow tunnel. She bid the trembling lady at the front of the line to lead the group out of the tunnel and on to safety in the forest.
“There’s an old hunting cottage only a half-day’s journey, just keep moving north,” Glenda said. “We will find each other there.”
Claire’s conscience grew heavier and heavier with the knowledge that she hadn’t been able to find all her cousins, many of the servant girls, and other ladies who had been visiting the castle. She met Glenda’s stare through the dim light and reached for her hands.
“This isn’t half the ladies I meant to find, Glenda. They must be hiding in their chambers, or perhaps waiting to see what happens next.”
“I’ve sent two smaller groups out into the forest before yours, Claire.”
“Did you see Lady Hazel?”
Glenda shook her head. “No, I haven’t seen her since early this morning.”
“I must go back and find her.”
“Please hurry. I’ll wait for you here as long as I can.” Glenda squeezed her hands to encourage her, but Claire did not move right away. Something about the surrender troubled her. “What is it, child?” Glenda asked impatiently.
“I am surprised Lord Eberhard agreed to surrender so soon. I imagined that stubborn man would hold out for a few more days at least.”
Glenda scoffed. “Lord Eberhard is more a coward than he is stubborn. He joined the second group of women and children I took into the cellars. Pushed ahead of the group and ran off into the dark even as I hollered after him.”
Claire’s spirits plummeted to her feet. Poor Princess Susanna. No wonder a white flag had been raised. The princess had taken the most sensible course of action under the circumstances to save the lives of her people, and Claire respected her for it. “That bastard,” Claire hissed, thinking it especially cruel of Lord Eberhard to incur the anger of neighboring kingdoms only to run when they came seeking vengeance.
“Aye, he’s a bastard of the worst kind. We are running out of time. You must go now.”
Claire nodded and grabbed up her skirts, grateful that she’d worn her brother’s old boots today rather than a pair of dainty slippers. She’d taken to wearing them the moment the fighting began and had slipped a knife into a fold of leather against her ankle. She had no intention of letting some foul-breathed mercenary rut on her. It took her several minutes to find her way back down the passageway with only the light of her torch to guide her, but at last she emerged into the cellars once more, then quickly made her way upstairs.
Servants rushed to and fro through the halls, and Claire stepped in front of a footman. “Are the mercenaries inside yet?” She clutched his arm to prevent him from taking off again.
“Please, milady, I must go and find my daughters.” He tugged free of her grasp but paused long enough to divulge the reason for the new chaos that had broken out. “Gerhard of Bavaria announced that there would be no rapes or murders today, but women may be taken as wives.”
Her mind spun and for a moment she felt dizzy. “What do you mean?”
“I mean you’d best go and hide yerself, milady, lest you become the bride of some mercenary or a knight from the Free Cities. They’ve just summoned Father David to stand at the portcullis and perform quick marriage ceremonies. Hide now, milady! Before it’s too late!”
The footman dashed off and left Claire alone in the middle of the disorder.
She wasted no time in retrieving the knife from her boot. She clutched the bejeweled handle and set off in search of any remaining women and children. As she made her way to the stairs, she looked upon the great hall and her eyes went wide at the sight of rough-looking, brutish men spilling into the castle. The mercenaries she’d heard the servants whispering worriedly about. Knights too, some bearing crests she recognized from nearby houses, and some wearing crests she didn’t recognize at all.
Her heart sank at the sight of ladies and servant girls being forced to stand in a line against the far wall as the men looked them up and down, while others were forced outside. Many of ladies were crying, and Claire’s heart went out to them. She wished to save every last one of them, and she held her breath as she scanned the crowd for her young cousin, the very lady who’d kindly asked Princess Susanna to send her an invitation to the castle many weeks ago.
“Claire! My God, it’s you!”
Claire spun around and breathed a sigh of relief. “Cousin! Where have you been?” She grasped Hazel’s hand and pulled her toward the cellars. “Oh, never mind. Come on.”
“Where are we going?”
“Away from here.” Claire ran through the halls, desperate to reach the cellars before the soldiers made their way further into the castle. At last shecame upon the stairs which lead to the cellars, and she pushed Hazel ahead of her. “Glenda is waiting for us. She’s already evacuated three groups of ladies through an underground passage. She will guide us out into the forest.”
Hazel rushed down the steps, holding her skirts high, the veil on her headdress flouncing through the air. Claire followed quickly. At the bottom of the stairs, Claire grabbed the torch she had left behind after coming back through the passage minutes ago. Moving quickly through the cellars, she guided Hazel through the door which lead to the underground passage, then handed her the torch. “Follow this passage until you find Glenda or reach the forest! I’m going to see if I can bar this door behind us.”
Hazel paused for a moment, then nodded and started down the passage. Claire turned back to the door which concealed the passage entrance from the rest of the cellars, forcing it shut and then searching for a locking mechanism. Unable to find anything after a few minutes, she cursed under her breath, then simply left it closed and hoped for the best.
