From Silver to Diamonds

Chapter 21

My feet slammed deeper into the snow, trudging as fast as my legs can take me. My brain was telling me to get away quickly but it was as difficult as running in sand. It was no good those henchmen was hot on my heels and barked at each other in languages that no longer made any sense. All I knew was that I’m dead meat if I don’t run and report the scandal to the prince. I need to tell Sophie Keusch that they killed her husband and now they are after her, little Allie and the prince.

“Where is she?”

“She turned this way,” their voices got clearer.

Dang it. I looked over my shoulders and noticed an old stone planter on the wall. The snow covered weeds were choking the frozen geranium. Without much thought, I ran back, almost skidding on the ice and threw my phone into the pot. I cursed as caught sight of the men and ran for my life.

“There she is! After her!”

This time I didn’t look back again knowing that it’ll waste few seconds of my escape time, like I already did with the phone and kept running.

The alley ways led one to another with no end. Buildings closed in, giving me no sense of direction like a labyrinth keeping in its prisoner forever. The main roads felt so far away.

It was a dead end that made my heart sank. Quickly, I calculated the crates stacked high against the wall coated with ice and snow and the possibility of escaping. I heard thudding footsteps squelching in the snow and turned.

They finally caught up with me and slowed down to a walk with a smug looks on their faces when they saw me and the dead end behind me.

“Give it up little girl, you have nowhere else to go,” They closed in.

I wretched my eyes off them and looked at the high wall then at the crates stacked in the corner. I sucked a deep breath and lunged for it.

“Don’t let her get away!”

They charged at me, predatory talons extended out swiping at my legs and arms. I fought like I never fought before, kicking all those claws and struggled to climb up the slippery crates as fast as I could.

Frostbites bit my palms, uneven nails got in the way but those little things I ignored them all and stretched my tiny body as far as it could. My fingers barely reached the top of the ledge. I was left with no choice but jumped up gripping onto the wall, knees banged against the old crumbly bricks. My fingers were tearing parting as I placed my whole body weight onto my arms and heaved myself over the wall then swinging my legs over.

“Nice try Sophie, but I’m afraid you lost your game of tag.”

Shit. I looked down and found Mr Chevalier looking back up at me with a victorious smile. All the other traitor ministers stood behind me with impatient stares. A man beside Mr Chevalier with a brown bandana wore a sick smirk on his face. He was monstrous and had tattoos covering up his entire left arm with skulls, roses, crosses and other details I couldn’t make. It didn’t concern me that how he could stand in the cold like that, instead I was done for.

                                                                          ****

The traitors looked down at me. My hands were tied back to the thin column in the cellar of the old church. It was small and dingy, with wooden racks of kegs, crates and more crates covered in dust and cobwebs.

“Where’s your phone?” Mr Chevalier asked which sounded more like a command.

He walked down the small flight of stone steps. The traitors and rebels moved out for him as he strode towards me with the creepy tattooed guy right on his heels. He then turned to them giving them a silence message to leave.