Page 23

“Anyway, as I was saying…we should talk about the plan,” he said.

“Aye.” Hilda cleared her throat and worried that she had done something wrong. “Well, it seems pretty quiet at night, sae when we dae leave, we should sneak through the camp. The only question is dae we kill them while we can, or dae we leave as quickly as possible?”

“If we leave, the chances are they’ll follow us, and they know these forests better than us. Once we escape, they will nae let us leave, especially nae now that we know where they live.”

Hilda nodded. Escaping this place was going to be a grisly business, but it was one that was necessary because not escaping meant certain death—and a whole lot of pain to go along with it.

The following morning, Hilda gathered the warriors around and quickly told them the plan. They were emboldened by the fact that action was being taken, and Hilda enjoyed the feeling of being an inspirational leader. She just hoped the plan would work. During the day, they milled around the cage as though nothing was amiss, making sure that the guards weren’t going to overhear their plan, while at night, they came alive and started digging like eager rabbits.

It was hard going at first, for they had nothing to use except their hands, and the ground was not always soft and welcoming. The men took their turns, occasionally stopping whenever a guard passed too close. During the day, they kept the hole covered, with always at least one man sitting or laying over it. The first couple of nights were dispiriting as the cage bars had been rammed into the ground and were solidly held, but on the second night, there was a triumphant shout as a gap had been made.

It was a ridiculous sight to see these men burrow into the ground like animals, but it was necessary. The smaller men took the initiative to bend the pole underneath the bottom of the cage and then back up to the outside world. Hilda could feel them getting closer and closer with every passing moment, but they were still not yet ready.

It would have to wait for a third night.

Before the third night could begin, however, there was a surprising return. In the afternoon, Angus was brought back to the cage and flung in. The men rushed to him and helped him up. Hilda almost couldn’t bear to look at him, expecting him to be covered in bruises and other wounds, but he was surprisingly well.

“Angus, what hae they done tae ye?” she asked.

Angus accepted the help and rose to his feet. “I thought they were gaeing tae kill me,” he said, “but they just wanted information.”

“Information? Information about what?”

“About how many men we hae, about what we’re daeing here. I…I’m sorry, Hilda, but I haed tae tell them. They would hae killed me otherwise,” he said.

Hilda nodded in understanding, a thin smile stretching across her face. It wasn’t exactly what she wanted to hear, but she was just glad Angus had been given back to them.

“I suppose they’ll be wanting someone else soon,” she said, looking around at her army. “Are they planning an attack?”

“They would nae tell me, but I would nae be surprised,” Angus said.

“Then we hae tae find a way out of here quickly tae warn our home. We cannae let them attack again. Tae many other people hae already been hurt.”

“That’s easier said than done,” Angus said as he glanced around at the cage. “Dae ye hae any ideas?”

Hilda flashed him a smile. “Well, actually, we hae been working on something.” She looked around warily to ensure that nobody was looking at her, and then she pulled Angus to the back of the cage, showing him the hole. Angus nodded and clapped his hands together.

“I’m glad tae see ye hae been busy in my absence,” he said.

Hilda was still amazed by the fact that Angus barely had a scratch on him, but enough tragedy had struck so she thought she should be thankful for whatever mercies befell them. And now they were one man stronger, which might end up making all the difference.

They waited until nightfall before they made their move. Many men formed a wall to prevent the guards from seeing in. Hilda was determined to take every precaution to ensure that this plan did not fail. The hole was big enough for one slender man to get through, and even then, it was a squeeze. He wriggled through and emerged on the other side, moving like a shadow around the cage. He avoided the glowing spotlights of the fire and came to the door.

Angus and Hilda were standing near the door. It had been locked by a bolt, and the bolt was tied together with thick twine, at an angle that was impossible for someone to undo while they were standing in the confines of the cage. But to the man outside, it was easy. He undid the rope, and the door opened. Hilda smiled, almost unable to believe that it had been that simple!

Every person in that cage knew their job.

“Come on,” the man outside side, hissing toward Angus.

Hilda turned to gesture for the others to follow them when suddenly there was the sound of a strong impact. Hilda turned back and found Angus standing over the other man, who held his jaw and looked at Angus with shock. Angus stepped out of the cage and blocked the doorway.

“What are ye daeing?” Hilda asked.

Angus didn’t look at her before he lifted his head and cried out, alerting the guards. Hilda frowned in confusion, and the others were all shouting at Angus as well.

“What are ye daeing?” Hilda asked as the guards came rushing up behind Angus and looked sternly at the prisoners, preventing them from escaping.

“I’ll explain everything later, Hilda. But I hae good news. Come with me. I’ll see that ye are treated fairly,” Angus said.

“And what about the others?”

Angus glanced away for a moment, and that was all Hilda needed to know. “They’ll be taken as slaves. But if ye come with me, ye will nae be harmed. Just work with me, and I’ll make sure that ye are well. I—”

Hilda snarled and spat at him before turning away. Her face was thunder, and anger raged within her heart.