The Book Of Anonymous Chapter 27: Chapter 23: Scylla

Read chapter 27 of The Book Of Anonymous by Untethered_Seraph on NovelPedia.

Into Scylla he fell, wishing to avoid Charybdis - Walter of Chatillon, the Alexandreis The area around the camp was now filled with the joyful singing and shouts from the guards, most of whom were now singing half-drunk. Despite the somewhat free atmosphere, Felix did not dare lose his guard; the captors had put on their hand chains after a while and left the captives to their devices. Luckily, their slight drunken stupor meant they didn’t notice the chains around their legs were shabbily placed . After dealing with the barbed chains on his and Ida’s hands, he sat immobile in the camp, staring and monitoring the situation intensely. To avoid arousing suspicion, he stayed lying down on the floor, his eyes half open. A sharp noise rose near the front of the camp; a prisoner had suddenly collapsed, drawing curses and the sharp crack of a whip. Several guards at the fire drowsily moved in, their attention mostly diluted from alcohol and enjoyment, and their eyes drifted away from the wagon. Felix’s eyes flicked toward the disturbance, squinting slightly. There. It was definitely now or never. “That’s our window,” he said, tapping her knee lightly to spring her into action. Ida sprang up from the floor, not hesitating at all this time, adjusting her back. “Then tell me when to move.” Felix nodded, then leaned forward slightly, letting the chain on his own ankles and wrist hang convincingly as he adjusted his position. He pulled back slowly as he made a swift decision. Bringing the elf along would make this difficult if she were not compliant . “Listen carefully,” he said, looking back at Ida. “When I move, you follow. Don’t look back, don’t stop, and don’t speak.” She cringed at his tone, biting her lips to stop herself from responding “And what of you?” she asked, staring deeply at the reflection of the guards in his eyes. “I’ll make sure we get far enough.” It was the best he could promise right now, the best they could hope for. That wasn’t an answer she liked, but it was more than enough. Felix tightened his grip on the watch, his hand hovering above the first button. One chance, three minutes. That was all he had. He glanced once more at the camp, memorising the positions, the movement of the guards and the captives, and finally the distance they would need to cover. Then he set the mark. Record “Now”, he whispered, propping Ida up as they used the faint shadow of the night to move unnoticed, most of the captives were either deep in sleep or focused on the guards whipping the collapsed captive. The others looked longingly at the roasted meat on the fire. They walked slowly at first, controlled and carefully. Ida followed him exactly as told, her steps falling into his rhythm, and her rough, shallow breathing forcefully controlled. The dirt was cold beneath their palms as they slid past the edge of the fire, getting close to the wagon for cover, keeping low and trying to stay unnoticeable. Luckily, no one noticed. They were already seconds from reaching the tree line, and they had to move painfully slowly the whole time. Felix looked around to make sure nothing was out of place. The surrounding guard laughed too loudly at the fire, pouring more beer into it, which increased the flames. Another slumped forward, his cup slipping from his hand. The whip cracked again somewhere ahead, followed by complete Silence. Felix paused. Had they been noticed? It was highly unlikely since they were using the wagon as cover. But unlikely did not mean impossible. Ida nearly walked into him before catching herself. “Why did we—” He raised a hand to her mouth, cutting her off. “Listen” The fire still crackled, and the funny atmosphere had not entirely been doused, but the guards had started murmuring. There was no struggle or sound from the prisoner who had been beaten moments ago. “The man is dead, maybe.. so what?” Her sharp voice distracted him from the current situation as he quickly put his finger to his mouth, warning her to s