Katherine and Lily ran in the dark, trusting that their feet would find ground. The earth tunnel was long and winding, lit only by the occasional flame sconce. As they moved the thunderous hammering grew louder, more aggressive, it shook the tunnel; debris fell from the ceiling with each beat. As they got closer to the mine they could hear a humming, a deep sound, a choir of masculine voices were all singing in unison. Formless words, but with power, it was a song of deep earth.
The tunnel opened up into a bright cavern, Katherine and Lily were astounded by the sheer majesty of the place. They did not have the time to take it in, Josie had been adamant that they keep moving. The mine was vast and not underground at all, they had come out into a deep valley, there were a thousand stars above. The rocky walls of the gorge were adorned with fresh green trees and ferns, at the base of the canyon were diamonds and vapours. Six foot crystals jutted from the rock, miners stood all around the perimeter of the valley and hammered at the walls. They broke off chunks of crystal and filled wheelbarrows with it. From the walls seeped a slightly visible vapour, a soft white colour, it swilled around the miner's heads, intoxicating them. The miners did not look up from their work to notice the mountain women, their minds were too floating and abstract to hear them pass by.
It did not take long for Josie's absence to be noticed by a fellow handmaiden, Cynthia, the Queen's right hand woman and only companion went to investigate. Lady Cynthia climbed the turret where the ladies of the mountain were kept, the stairwell was eerily quiet, there were no sounds of footsteps from above. In many respects Cynthia was worse than the Queen, Isolde's madness was born of horror and trauma, it was no excuse for her heinous actions but an explanation at least. Cynthia had no marked past, no great terror eating at her mind, she simply took delight in cruelty. It made her feel powerful. The door to the chambers were locked but Cynthia had a key, she was shocked upon entry. The room was of course empty, Cynthia took a turn about the room, searching for some indication of how they had escaped. She approached the balcony and looked over the edge, then she saw the harrowing sight of Josie's contorted body. Josie had been impaled by the iron spike at the top of a small turret, she lay face up, her expression was strange. She looked as if she had been frozen mid laughter.
"Pity." Cynthia spoke, turning from the room and marching down towards the barracks. She knew where the mountain women had gone now, Josie had tried to escape once through the mines before getting hooked on the dragon. The guards had chased her down and force-fed her the drug until she was drooling and begging for more. Cynthia had overseen the whole fiasco.
When Cynthia thundered into the barracks the knights stood to attention, they had been resting after the battle and drinking away their wounds.
"Two women are escaping through the mines, bring them to me. Do not fail." Cynthia pointed to four knights that still had their armour and swords to hand. They rushed from the room towards the mines which were not far away, "As you were gentlemen." Cynthia exited the barracks and began the long climb up to the Queen's chambers. Her movements were deliberate, she held her head high, expecting praise from Isolde for her quick actions. Cynthia moved as quickly as her legs allowed, without breaking into a run, she had faith that the knights would haul Katherine and Lily before the Queen; they knew the mines better than anyone. Cynthia finally reached the doorway to Isolde's boudoir where the Queen sat and drew the views from her window. She took a deep breath and knocked.
"Enter." The icy voice of Isolde cut through the air, she kept her eyes on the rocky valley as Cynthia entered. "What is it?"
"Katherine and Lily have escaped your majesty..." Cynthia's explanation was cut off by Isolde's screeching.
"What!" Queen Isolde rose from her chair and struck Cynthia across the cheek, her diamond ringed fingers drew blood. "How dare you allow this to happen." Isolde towered over Cynthia, her gaze was deeply intimidating. Cynthia stuttered...
"Guards have been sent after them, through the mines." Isolde poured a glass of strong red wine with shaking hands,
"At least you're not completely incompetent. Who helped them to escape?" Isolde ran her index finger around the rim of the glass, the wine began to ring and vibrate.
"Josie your majesty, she spared the executioner and leapt from the prison tower afterwards." A mirage appeared on the surface of the wine, of Katherine and Lily racing through a mine shaft, the knights too far behind them; the girls were less burdened and moved faster. Isolde let out a roar and threw the glass against the wall, it shattered across the marble floor. The Queen then gripped Cynthia by the face, digging her claws into Cynthia's firm cheeks.
"Pray you don't fail me." Isolde discarded of Cynthia, throwing her down to the floor with a surprising and mystically summoned strength. Cynthia scurried to her feet and patted herself down, regaining her dignity.
"I would never fail you... your majesty." Cynthia gave a devout bow, "I'll send someone to clean that up for you." Then Cynthia left Queen Isolde to drown in her preferred solitude.
The sound of racing footsteps and clanging metal followed Katherine and Lily into the mine shaft, it led deep underground. The walls were covered with gems and hunks of gold that glinted in the flickering fire light. They ran, as fast as they could run, the sounds of footfalls got more and more distant as they went deeper into the black earth. The fear gave them a fierce energy, the mines split into dozens of paths, they were lost in a labyrinth, following their intuition at every turn. As they moved deeper into the older, dwarven mine tunnels the decor became more elaborate and elegant, everything was dark iron and engraved with creatures of the underground; jewels, bones, roots, the burrowing badger.
"Have we lost them?" Katherine whispered to Lily with laboured breaths from sprinting, they stopped in the tunnel and listened. There was silence, the only sound was of a cold breeze whistling through the mines. It was so frozen that they had to brace themselves against it.
"I think so." Lily whispered back, they walked slowly as they caught their breath. The knights must have taken a wrong turn in the labyrinth of tunnels and let the girls get away. After a time the long and dark corridor began to curve upwards, back towards the surface. The wind was stronger the further they rose and they shivered in it, walking close to the firelight for warmth. They began to see the silver glow of moonlight marking the mouth of the mines, they had made it to the surface at last.
They approached the exit tentatively for there was the sound of voices beyond, a group of knights sat about a campfire guarding the mines. It was late so they were half drunk, half high and half asleep. The ladies of the mountain peered at them from the shadows, searching for an escape. They had come out into a canyon, it was covered in greenery and hidden away in the rocky landscape.
"If we sneak around the edge of the valley, staying in the dark, they might not notice us. What do you think?" Lily whispered to Katherine who was focused on the guard's heavy and sharp blades, they glinted in the firelight and threatened the onlookers.
"I don't like it, but I don't think we have another choice." Katherine took a leap of faith and stepped out into the canyon, she pressed herself against the rocky wall and slowly moved around. Lily followed, crouching slightly. Half of the knights were strewn about the floor by the fire, snoring and twitching with sleep. The other half sat around the flame, sharing stories and tankards of strong, warm beer. They had no awareness of their surroundings and the women that passed through like phantoms. The wind picked up, the fire danced in the gale, reaching up to the sky with great golden tendrils. The sound startled the already hyper vigilant women, but there was no real danger. They edged around the valley walls until they reached the mouth; the landscape opened up into a vast wasteland of heath and heather, they started to run. If only to get as far away from that wretched castle as fast as possible. The turrets could still be seen high up in the clouds, which meant that the ladies of the mountain could still be seen. Though no one was looking. They ran and ran until the image of stone in the sky was nothing but a memory.
"We should find somewhere hidden to sleep. In case the guards come this way." Lily and Katherine looked around themselves, there was nothing but a sea of heather for as far as they could see. "Keep moving, it's got to end eventually." Lily rallied Katherine with weak hope. They trudged forward in the dark, thick mists wrapped around the figures, the gale was frightening. The wind's howling sounded like harrowing voices, the air was cold and they felt increasingly watched. They clung to each other in fear and kept looking behind themselves, seeing only the dark. The coiled stems of heather twisted around their ankles, making the going difficult. They walked slowly, taking care to free themselves with each step. After a while exhaustion and carelessness got the better of Lily and she tripped, she fell face first into the soft heath. The heather was a welcome respite from the chilling wind, she could have fallen into sleep right there if Katherine had not pulled her to her feet.
"Are you ok?" Katherine fussed over Lily and took the bags from her back; she gave them up gladly. "Yes, yes. Thank you." Lily's body did not welcome the return to frozen winds and trudging through the undergrowth. Especially in the thin servant garbs that they had been made to wear, she regretted not packing some of the Queen's fur cloaks.
"You disappeared in the heather, I thought you'd fallen into a hole."
"You couldn't see me at all?" Katherine's words had given Lily an idea. Katherine shook her head.
"No."
"Then we will sleep in the heather! Even if her guards pass by us we'd be invisible." Lily took the sleeping bags from Katherine and unfurled them, pushing them down into the shrubbery. They both felt such exhaustion that within a few minutes, after covering themselves in sprigs, they were wrapped up in elven silks and drifting into dreamland.
Hooves moved slowly across moorland terrain, the Queen had sent her hunters on horseback, she would not rest until her prisoners were found. Even if her knights had to roam the wilds forever. Katherine and Lily were awoken by the sound of voices, the royal bounty hunters were complaining about their mission, they feared the open heath. They were superstitious, they had heard stories of maddening mists and creatures of the otherworld, imps and witches. Most of all they feared the ghosts, that wasteland had once been home to powerful Kings and Queens of old, they feared the torments of the dead. Katherine and Lily reserved their fear for the living, they were petrified with it, assuming discovery at any moment. The guards stopped to look around the darkness, they could see nothing. The large black snout of a proud mare sniffed and huffed at Lily's face, she and Katherine held hands under the heather. Lily's heart pounded, the terror was agonising. Then the guards, seeing no proof of people passing through, moved on. The relief was monumentous, though Lily was still sick with adrenaline. She was pale and clammy, she sat up and vomited into the heath, her head spinning. They did not find sleep again that night, every sound made their hearts jump in their chests. They hid under the heather until dawn break.
The rise of the sun was glorious, rich golden light flooded the landscape bringing with it a delightful heat. The ladies of he mountain found themselves lying at the top of a valley, with a view of heather that stretched onward for miles. The few trees that had dared grow were twisted and gnarled by the relentless wind, a choir of birds welcomed the dawn. Lily distributed fruit and bread, stolen from the spider Queen.
"Which way?" Katherine asked, for they were truly lost. Lily stood and looked out over the wasteland, there was a fresh stream running along the base of the valley. Fortunately the valley ran north to south, the rising sun sat to the East of it.
"First we get some water, then we will follow the valley south." Lily pulled Katherine to her feet, there was no point in delaying. They scrambled down the valley side, gripping pieces of heather for support when they lost their footing, which was often. The water was fresh and cold, they washed their faces and dragged their wet fingers through their dirty hair. The sweet flavour of wild water soothed and refreshed them.
"Which way is south?" Katherine asked her guardian, Lily pointed down the valley and they continued that way. The sun grew hot throughout the day, it was beating and as they moved southward it only got hotter. They walked through the valley with purpose, they still had a long way to go and their journey had taken quite the toll on them. Most of all they just wished for a warm bath and a comfortable place to sleep, and safety from the likes of Queen Isolde.