air flood out.
The guard handed Rowena a small rusty key. “This will unlock all the cells on this block.” He pointed to the solid wooden door. “This door will be locked for security reasons. When you’re ready to come out, ring that bell up there. I’ll be waiting outside.” He pointed to a small brass bell hanging from the ceiling.
Rowena was distracted by coughs and groans drifting from the cells but she acknowledged the guard, nodding her head.
“Don’t look em in the eye, some of em can curse you that way,” the guard said, taking one last look around the dank hall before shutting the door. She heard the loud lock clang into place, sealing her in.
A flaming torch hung on the wall beside her, burning up the little oxygen that was in the room. She dropped the baskets of rotten bread on the floor and took the torch down off the wall, lighting her way as she walked further. She peered around the cells seeing women lying or crouched on the bug-infested floor. None of them looked up when Rowena walked past their cells.
Walking up to one of the dingy cells cautiously, she put her hand up by the rusty bars and wrapped her fingers around the corroded steel, making sure she didn’t drop the small key. “Hello?” she called out softly. The woman inside didn’t stir. A faint buzzing filled the air. Rowena unlocked the cell and walked inside, not taking her eyes off of the slimy bugs crawling all over the ground. A cat-sized rat flittered over her foot. Rowena stifled a scream, gripping the torch tight. She crept a bit closer to the girl. “Hello?”
The woman didn’t respond. As she got closer to her, she could see a ripple of movement under the woman’s mucky dress. The smell was even thicker here and more pungent. Rowena covered her nose with her free hand.
“Can you hear me?” Fear made her voice waver. The woman’s dress wasn’t just dirty, it was spotted with bloodstains. She put an arm on the woman’s stiff shoulder turning her over and was faced with the decaying visage of what was once a young woman. A silent scream sat in Rowena’s horrified throat, waiting to erupt as she stared at the lifeless body. The poor woman’s mouth was twisted open, her eyes gone. The huge rat had probably been feasting when she arrived. Rowena felt her breakfast crawl up her throat but willed it back down again. She would not vomit on this poor girl’s body.
Rowena’s gaze turned to the girl’s body, searching for the cause of death. There were tiny round holes all over the girl’s ankles and wrists, with dried blood lacing the cavities. A metal contraption sat next to her feet with sharp spikes protruding from rusty cuffs. The poor girl must have been tortured to death.
Rowena backed out of the cell, gripping the torch. The putrid air made her desire not to throw up futile. Unable to resist, she bent over and heaved up her breakfast. Once her stomach had settled, she straightened up and left the cell, leaving it locked as she had found it. A faint whimpering came from the cell opposite her. The sound sparked hope. Someone was alive in there.
She unlocked the door. A woman was sitting on the floor, her back turned. The cell was bare except for a scattering of straw and a wooden bucket.
“Hello?” Rowena said.
At the sound of her voice, the woman turned around, her pale face lighting up. “Rowena,” she gasped.
“Selene!”
“Did they find you?” Selene asked, her usually soft voice hoarse.
“No. They think I’m with the witch hunters. I’m here to help you, but I can’t yet. Are there many of you still alive?”
“Yes. Three of us have died so far. We are all destined for the stake.”
“When?”
“I don’t know, Rowena. They put us on trial one by one. It doesn’t matter though. The outcome is always the same.”
“How do you know that?” Rowena said, crouching down in front of her.
“Yesterday this cell was full. They were taken. Becky, Amy, and her mother.”
Rowena’s heart sank, and she stifled a sob. “This is horrible. Becky was only a child,” Rowena whispered, lowering her head. “They gave me rotten bread to give you. Tomorrow I’m sneaking you in some proper food. Can you wait that long?”
“Yes. Thank you, Rowena.”
“Have you had your trial?”
“Not yet. We dread whenever the door is opened, anyone of us could be next.”
“I better not take too long