"Shhh," Iolaus put a slender finger to his lips. His left hand tightly gripped onto the shy young woman's hand as they crept out of the room and down the hallway. Only when they had reached the end of the hall did he relax his stance, tried to ease the tenseness out of his muscles.
"I don't know how to thank you," the blond whispered appreciatively, though she glanced about them nervously, as if expecting something dreadful to happen.
"You're not out of this yet," Iolaus answered softly. "C'mon, there's a secret way in and out of the castle this way, down here."
Iolaus led his charge down the stairwell, which was lit only by the torch in his hand. He knew he would get into trouble for this, especially if caught, but he just couldn't stand to let her be used again. She'd been through enough in her life: as a young teen, the God of War's minions had destroyed her village, killing everybody in it. She'd been captured, sold into slavery, and more than likely ravished by every man who'd been in her life. So when he found out she had been gifted to this realm's leader, Iolaus knew he had to save her.
Determined to do the right thing despite everything else, he had quickly formulated a plan. That night, he made sure the man's wine was drugged with a powerful sleeping potion. He'd sleep like a baby until morning. Of course, he'd wake up foul-tempered and ready to kill somebody, but that was to be expected.
They reached a small niche hidden in the castle's deepest dungeon, the part that wasn't even used anymore. He pushed aside the stone that blocked the tunnel entrance before turning to face the black leather-clad slave. "This will lead you outside the fortress. Be careful of patrols, but you should be able to slip into the wooded area beyond. I hear there's a small band of rebels out there. They should be able to help you."
The blond took both his hands into hers. "Aren't you coming with me?"
A shake of the head. "I can't. I can buy you some extra time, though. Go!" he urged before he changed his mind.
"Thank you!" She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I shall never forget you!"
As she disappeared into the tunnel, he eased the stone slab back into place. Sighing, he leaned against the wall, pulled off the hated hat off his head and ran a hand through his sweaty hair. "Good bye. Take care," he whispered.
Straightening, Iolaus swallowed his fear and headed back towards the dungeon's stairway. He had to prepare himself for the worst. He knew what was to come and that he'd get the brunt of it.
"Boy, is the Sovereign going to be pissed when he finds Callisto missing!"
6/6/00
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