Above the Vaulted Sky - Page 148

             I stand up and rub my coccyx.

‘Right now are any of the nails a bit bent at the end?’

‘Yeah one,’ I think, picking up the rusty piece of metal.

‘The lock looks pretty old in here,’ she replies. ‘I’m guessing it’s just one tumbler. Have a poke around inside and see if you can line it up, you should hear a little click, then turn it like you would a key.’

‘Since when did you become a master escape artist.’ I sit down on the cold flagstone next to the door.

‘I have many secrets.’

‘Apparently so,’ I say. I point the nail down into the lock, visualising an old style key. The sort that opens the shed back at home. It’s fiddly work and it soon begins to frustrate me. Just as I’m about to throw the nail across the room in a fit of childish anger I hear a soft click inside the door.

‘I think I’ve got it!’

I twist the key anticlockwise. There’s a grinding of old metal as the lock catches inside. I pull on the door and open it letting it swing towards me. The hinges haven’t been oiled for what looks like centuries and they squeal with the subtlety of a stuck pig. I cringe and step out into the hallway.

‘Right,’ she says. ‘Come and get me upstairs. Bring the nail.’

‘I’m on my way,’ I think, quietly.

‘Why are you whispering?’

‘I guess I’m scared of getting caught.’

‘But no one else can hear your thoughts.’

I curse myself for being silly and start down the hallway. It’s long and dark with unlit torches hanging from the walls. The place has an awfully eerie feel to it. I can imagine footsteps echoing and sounds from far flung corners. Bats flying out of tiny caves and cobwebs dangling down to ensnare my neck.

I reach the end and find the silence on the stairwell I find unnerving. I look up and see only shadows above me. I close my eyes and see Elle is about two floors up. I scale the staircase quickly and start as I hear voices approaching. I dart into a nearby alcove and crouch down in the shadows.

The people don’t come down to our level and I breathe a sigh of relief. I have no desire to be caught by these people again.

I steal down the corridor and arrive at Elle’s cell.