The Time to Run

Chapter III

She ran and ran. As fast as she could. Not stopping. Never stopping. Avon had to run. She didn't want those guards to follow her. Her heart was racing. Her throat was beginning to feel dry. She stopped and caught her breath, breathing in heavily.
Avon looked around. It was a small corridor. Stone walls surrounded her. They were damp and covered in moss. The floor was made made of matte, stone tiles.
The air was cold and dry. She had descended two or three staircase when she ran, so she guessed that she was now underground. Doors of iron or steel were placed along the corridor. One was open by a slither. Through the crack she could hear voices. There was a man's voice. Sir Axton's voice.
Why was he here? His quarters were on the other side of the castle.
Even though she knew she shouldn't, Avon crept to the door, careful not to be heard. She pushed the door open another inch, but it made no sound. She was in luck, it had recently been oiled. Avon looked through the gap, closing one eye. Inside was Sir Axton and a man she could not recognise. Sir Axton was a man with a large build. He was strong and handsome, a man a woman could dream for. Sir Axton was also calm and considerate, and best of all patient. Unlike the leaders who would expect what they want done in seconds, he would wait, part of the reason he was chosen to lead the knights of the crown.
The other man was very different. He wore a dark, grey cloak with several soiled patches. From what Avon could see under the large hood, he had a long, knotted beard and dark, oily hair. He was wearing a wollen top, as stained as his cloak. On his bottom half he wore cotton trousers, clearly to big for him, which were tied at the top using a warn shoe lace. He was carrying a box, only big enough to hold a pearl necklace. "I got what you needed." He said in a raspy voice.
Sir Axton replied, "Good, now, show me. I've had several people coming up to me with fake news." The other man grunted and chucked the box to the floor. It hit the stone tiles with a metallic bang, the sound reverberating within the stone walls of the room. The cloaked man snapped his fingers and the lid flew open. Avon could not believe her eyes.