Treasures - Book 4 The Frencolian Chronicles (complete)

Chapter 19

Elliad was jubilant!

Everything had gone as he planned. Gazing into the dark opening of the secret passage, he grasped hold of the plait around Jobyna's head and pushed her toward Berg.

"Hold her carefully," he cautioned, adding with a smirk, "we need to keep our guide alive." Turning to his knights, he barked out orders, "Get the torches. I want guards on all doors and a triple guard at this entrance." He ran his hand around the marble opening, hesitated a moment, then walked inside. "This is the secret I should have known as king," he said, impatient to continue with his plan.

Ada showed him as best she could, Jobyna's maneuvers, explaining, "It took us both to make the wall move."

Elliad was impatient. "This is not progress!" he exclaimed. "In all probability, a maze of passages lies beneath the castle. I'm just as likely to end up in the dungeons with my own prisoners if I'm not careful."

He stepped over to his captive, saying, "You know the way to King Leopold's treasure, don't you, Jobyna?" Not waiting for an answer, Elliad commanded, "You'll show us, now, how to get there!"

Before she could tell him that she had never been down in the passages here; it was all just a number of symbols she had memorized, Berg tightened his hold on her causing her to gasp for breath. 

The rest of the night was a terrible nightmare for Jobyna. Elliad took six knights with him and she was half dragged, half carried along the dark musty passages, down numerous steps. The men carried torches; the bright flares chasing away unwilling shadows as they loomed before them.

Behaving like a man possessed, Elliad was intent on gaining the prize. He realized there must ultimately be a deep passage passing under the moat and continuing for a long distance.

"This must be the one," Elliad pointed his cresset along a dark tunnel. The company turned down the alley. Other passages they had taken ended suddenly at stone walls. In the near darkness, one of the knights tripped and fell. Upon examination, Elliad realized the body of Samuel lay across the path. The body had decomposed and dried out yet a vile smell filled the passage. Elliad exclaimed, "We're on the right track here."

Jobyna retched as she was dragged passed the body; the flesh was almost gone from the bones and a green-black mold grew on what tissue was left.

Berg was a huge man, his size reminded Jobyna that his name meant 'a mountain' —her feet had to race to keep up with his long strides.

The damp earth floor rose on an incline; they were climbing. Berg got impatient with her tripping, coughing and sometimes crying. With a grunt, he scooped her up in his strong arms and carried her with one arm, holding her over one shoulder. In his other hand, he carried the flaming torch.

Jobyna wished she could be anywhere other than in the arm of this monster.

She tried to pray. How can God help me? she thought, feeling broken. Maybe he's forgotten me. Unable to think of much else, Jobyna remembered the stream in the valley, flowing, flowing...

When they arrived at yet another dead end, Jobyna had been almost jogged to sleep. It felt to her as though they had been traveling all night.

The men examined the wall, pounding on it. Berg put Jobyna down roughly on the hard clay floor and banged the wall with his huge fists. He kicked the unmoving stones. The other men followed suit.

Elliad eased down to crouch in front of Jobyna. "Jobyna," he said, shaking her shoulders, "You must tell us how to get in there! I need you to help me now, I'm at a loss." He had tried trickery and torture —what else was there? Deep in his heart where he admitted it only to himself, he didn't want to harm Jobyna any further, he wanted her on his side; he wanted her to trust him, to like him as she had once liked John. He would do anything to get his heart's desire; the treasures. I've not tried bribery, he reminded himself.