Slavemaster Noan watched a drip of water as it oozed down the wall opposite the dank underground cells when his subordinate, Sundi, marched down the corridor shaking rain from his coat and making a loud 'brrr!' noise to declare his discomfort at being left out in the cold.

Noan glared as Sundi positioned himself under a torch to dry. "I hope you've got someone to take your place outside?" he said.

Sundi nodded. "Of course, sir!" He smiled briefly. "You must have more faith in my intelligence."

Noan returned the smile coldly. "Well now you're here you can take over from me. I'm going back to bed. We've got an early start in the morning, the earlier the better, the fields will be sodden."

He left his post and walked down the corridor, leaving Sundi in charge. He glanced into cells full of sleeping Elani slaves as he passed by.

In a cell farther down the corridor, Saoirse and two of her bolder friends were working quietly away at the locked door. She snatched a look at White Cloud asleep on his straw pallet, fearing that at any moment he would wake up and try to stop what they were doing. She peered over Fox's shoulder as he tried to pick the lock.

"Are you there yet?" she whispered, tugging at his arm. "Let me have a go!"

"Hang on a minute. I've nearly got it."

"Let me look!"

"Saoirse! Heads down!"

The lookout quickly scurried back to his pallet and Saoirse and Fox feigned sleep as a Lamya guard strolled past their cell. When he had gone, they hurried back to their positions. Fox twisted the piece of metal in the lock until it clicked.

"Ha! Done it!"

Saoirse patted her friend on the back and inspected the open lock in approval. "Knew we could do it," she whispered triumphantly. "Right. All clear? Let's go!"

She carefully opened the door, wincing as it creaked a little, and peered down the corridor. Everything was dark and silent so she turned back to her two expectant friends and nodded.

Together they hurried out of the cell, leaving their sleeping cellmates behind. It wasn't long before they had made it out onto the surface and they dashed to the cow shelter, pushing between warm animal bodies to hide.

Saoirse looked out across the rain-soaked fields and counted the number of Lamya slavers on guard.

She could see no more than four. The others had retired to their beds, leaving only the most committed to their posts. "Keep low," she instructed her two companions quietly. "The noise of the storm should drown out any sound we make but it's best not to talk. Keep in single file and try to stay as close to each other as possible." She looked up at the Lamya and added, "If they spot us just split up and run as fast as you can. Remember, once we're away from this place, we go for help. Good luck!"

Saoirse took the lead and, keeping her head bent against the rain, ventured out across the fields. She kept herself low and stayed close to the field boundaries; knowing that so long as the mountains of the Midori were at her back she was heading the right way.

She smiled triumphantly. She'd done it!

#

A slaver, tired of standing out in the pouring rain, had crouched down to try to shelter under one of the bordering hedges of the seedling field. He grumbled to himself about the state of his mud–covered boots and thrust his hands under his arms to keep warm when he spied movement near the hedge on the opposite side of the field. At first he thought it one of the cows, but then…

With a cry of alarm, he stood in full view and yelled a warning to his colleagues in the neighbouring fields.

"It's the slaves, look! It's an escape! Get after 'em quick!" Worried about what would happen if someone like Noan should find out about an escape, he raced across the field, trampling the seedlings as he went and yelling madly at the top of his voice.

Alerted to what was going on, the other slavers left their positions and hurried to try to cut off the three Elani from their escape route.

Saoirse was the first to spot their pursuers. She stopped and stared for a second or two before remembering her own instructions to flee. With a nod at her two companions she split from them and raced back down the field the way she had come.

She ran hard, her feet splattering mud everywhere. Rain slid down the back of her neck like ice. She chanced a look back and saw that already one of her friends – Fox – had been caught and was struggling madly under the control of several newly arrived slavers. She let out a strangled sob and tripped over the hem of her woollen skirt, falling head over heels down a muddy slope.

She pulled herself up and limped onwards with a twisted ankle. It dawned on her what White Cloud had been trying to protect her from. No one could escape the Lamya! What had she been thinking? She forced herself to run on her injury, ignoring the pain stabbing up her leg. She'd rather die than be recaptured.

"Hey! Hey stop, slave!"

She saw the slaver ahead and changed course, heading out across the open field. But she was slowing, the pain in her ankle worsened, burning and biting, and mud and rain blurred her vision.

They must have taken them both, she thought. All the Lamya seemed to be after her! She stopped and looked desperately about. There was no one to help her. As a slaver ran towards her, she could do no more than stand her ground, grit her teeth and prepare to fight.

Thwack!

Saoirse's head spun and she could see stars before she collapsed in a heap. The slaver who had struck her looked down at her with a grim smile on his face. She groaned as other slavers arrived. She tasted mud and blood on her lips.

"Chain her with the others and leave them out in the rain. Slavemaster Noan will be very interested in those three in the morning." The man chuckled and Saoirse felt herself hauled up and dragged away.