Quickly I retrace my steps back to the kitchen. Leaving via the large entrance door would be the easiest way to get caught however there is always a back door out of the kitchen that the servants use.
For a moment I consider turning around and going back for Sage, however two thoughts stop me. For starters I actually have no clue as to what room he is staying in so finding him could turn into a disaster, secondly Killian knows exactly who I am now therefore if Sage runs with me now, he too will look very, very guilty to anyone going after me.
Sage can play dumb and pretend that I used him too, and even if Killian does suspect him, I have faith that the bond they now have will be strong enough to stop Killian from turning Sage over to Lord Golding. Although Killian will stick by his knight's code, Sage is not who is on the run and only played a small part in guiding me so I have hope that he will be okay.
I make it to the kitchen door and slide through it, pausing first to whisper a final goodbye to the knight and stablehand. One goodbye is merely a 'see you again' the other is far more painful.
The outside air hits me in a blast, knocking the breath out of my lungs. I shiver, this is going to be a long night. The snow is still falling hard and already a thick layer is forming on the ground. I scan the area in front of me but nobody is around meaning that for now, I have a head start.
In my head I calculate that I have roughly the amount of time it will take for Killian to go to my room, discover I'm not there and then search the manor and grounds before realising that I have left for good.
My feet crunch on the snow as I start running across the grounds, all the travelling has paid off and I am able to run further and longer without getting tired. Out of Merewyck there is only two possible tracks to go down, one heads down towards the sea, the other goes up towards Aberstead and Sanlowe which is the direction that I head.
After a while I begin to slow to a walk, not only am I too tired to continue running but the thick snow no longer allows it. The snow has thickened further and I can only see around a meter in front of me so I am forced to put all my concentration into just staying on the track and not veering off the path by accident.
Suddenly a horrifying realisation hits me, Killian knows where I am going,
My thoughts start scrambling with panic.
Where am I going to go now?
Breathe Ell, I tell myself, the snow will now be too thick for anybody to start looking for me now and my tracks will be covered. Unless someone wants to put their own lives at risk they will have to wait until the snow stops falling and it is light to start searching. That gives me until the morning at least to visit great Aunt Matilda and gather more supplies before I hit the road again.I just need to make it through the snow to Sanlowe which is only a few hours walk away from Merewyck. With a new plan in my head I continue my trek through the dark land.
Time begins to blur and the snowflakes become more and more mesmerising whilst the ground begins to feel more and more welcoming as my body begins to be drained of energy.
I cannot stop, I tell myself over and over again. I cannot give into the cold.
Somehow I continue onwards, each step becoming harder then the last, but still I keep going.
I keep going until I do not have any strength left to physically move and eventually I succumb to the cold that is already seeping into me, chilling me to the bone, and fall to the ground.
Darkness. It surrounds me. A blanket, wrapping me up in it's folds, enveloping me, keeping me safe.
Silence. Only calm emptiness, no sound, nothing.
I open my eyes and look up at the inky black sky dotted with white snowflakes drifting down towards me and landing on top of me. The world is watching their dance in the night air, the owls have stopped hooting, the deer gaze up from the field, and I watch from the ground.
Everything seems to stop in those moments and hold their breath, observing the branches of feathery ice crystals falling from the sky. The tranquility and hush of the earth is bewitching and I feel calmer.
"I need to get back up again." I whisper and then say it a little stronger. "I need to get back up."
I will not die out here.
With new determination I weakly get back up onto my feet and start walking once more, this time not for long because suddenly out of darkness I hear voices, cutting through the air; my saviours.
"Blimey it's cold," I hear a whisper in the wind.
"Help," I meekly call out. I do not care anymore if it is Killian or someone else, I just want to be warm again.
"Gerty stop the horse, is that a girl?" A womans worried voice says.
"Help me please,"
I turn around and see two horses pulling a cart.
"It is, we must help her," Another feminine voice.
I vaguely see someone jump off a horse and run over to me before I collapse into their arms.
"There are blankets in the cart, put her there,"
The woman drags me over to the cart that I see has not got wheels but instead planks of wood that slide on snow and starts wrapping me up in blankets and rubbing my arms to get my blood flowing.
"Th-thank-yo-ou," I say, teeth chattering.
"You are one crazy girl going out alone in this cold night," the woman says, shaking her head in amazement.
"I'm g-going t-to Sanlowe," I tell her, "are w-we near?"
"We just passed Sanlowe, you must've missed the turn off, no wonder,"
"C-can you t-take me there p-please?"
"Lass, Sanlowe is a plague village now, it got infected just earlier today and they banned anyone from leaving or entering. Jess, that is my sister, and I were staying on a farm just outside the village and decided to leave before we too got stuck."
"No, no, no, no," I whisper.
Sage is going to be heartbroken.
"How about you just come with us dearie, we are heading up to Balcott which is quite a way from here, or if you wish we could drop you off in a town on the way?"
"To Balcott," I whisper because I have nowhere else to go.
"Of course, are you feeling warmer now?"
I nod, the blankets are definitely warming me up.
"Thank you," I say numbly.
"Just shout if you need anything." She says, getting back on her horse.
I nod, a lump in my throat.
As the cart starts sliding I curl up in a ball of blankets and stare out at the landscape. Tears beginning to drip silently down my face as all the emotions and feelings break through the barrier that I had put up, overwhelming me.
But at least, I tell myself, I am in safe hands again.
A/N:
Poor Ell, she is on a rough ride!
Hope you enjoyed - next chapter shall be a bit brighter again :)
Please vote and comment!
SouthernAlps over and out...