Tale of Mongomery Chap 7

Montgomery gazed out across her courtyard and called out, "Carac, number 2!"

Carac swiftly rose to his feet, sprinted to her side, and knelt down before her.

"Yes, my Queen," he said, keeping his eyes lowered.

"Go and pick me a yellow flower from the garden," Montgomery commanded, pointing in the direction.

Carac ventured into the courtyard and meticulously plucked every yellow flower he could find. He carefully placed the blossoms at Montgomery's feet, declaring, "For you, my Queen."

"Number 2, you may rise," Montgomery commanded.

As Carac stood up, his eyes met the Queen's gaze, and they locked in a momentary silence.

"How dare you look me in the eyes!" shouted Montgomery, her voice filled with fury.

"I am sorry for my boldness, my Queen, but your beauty was so captivating that I couldn't help but gaze upon you," Carac apologized.

A sly smile appeared on Montgomery's face. "Carac, you may sleep in the castle tonight," she declared.

"Yes, my Lady," Carac responded, bowing before her.

"I'm going to get you out of there, my friend," Wilbur whispered to Detrix.

Detrix was sobbing uncontrollably in the dark corner of his cell.

"Detrix, look at me," Wilbur called out in a loud whisper.

But Detrix's crying was so loud that he couldn't hear Wilbur.

Wilbur placed a piece of bread soaked in milk between the cell bars.

"Friend, you must eat to keep up your strength," Wilbur pleaded.

Detrix momentarily stopped crying, turned around, and picked up the bread. He returned to the corner and started eating.

"This is where the bad people go... I am bad," Detrix trembled, his voice filled with self-doubt.

Wilbur reached through the bars and patted Detrix's hand. "I am going to get you out of here, Detrix. Don't worry. You're not bad," he reassured him with a calm voice. "Now, I have to find a way out before someone discovers that I'm here."

Wilbur walked away from the dungeon, his thoughts consumed by Lilith. He hoped she had managed to escape this dreadful place. As much as he missed her, he believed she would be better off somewhere else. She was the closest thing he had to a daughter.

Montgomery reclined on her bed, rolling onto her side. She placed her round hand on her chin and rested it there.

"Carac!" she called out.

Carac rushed into her room. "Yes, my Queen," he responded promptly.

"Unlatch my corset, Carac," Montgomery demanded.

"Yes, my Queen," Carac replied, and he began unbuttoning each button, the strain on them evident as they almost burst open from the released tension.

Once her corset was fully removed, she remained in her white silk undergarments, now tinged with a faded gray from years of use. The garment hugged her sides.

"Carac, bring me those berries," Montgomery instructed, pointing to a bowl of strawberries on the other side of the room.

Carac fetched the berries and presented them to Montgomery.

"Now, go fetch the sugar from the kitchen," she directed.

He hurried to the kitchen and placed the sack of sugar next to the strawberries.

"Dip the strawberries in the sugar," she commanded.

Luca untied the brown sack containing the crystal white sugar and proceeded to dip each strawberry, one at a time, before placing them back into the bowl.

When he finished, he slowly picked up one of the strawberries, licked it with the tip of his tongue, and savored the taste. Montgomery looked at him with surprise.

"Those are mine," she stated sharply. "I didn't say you could take anything."

Just then, Carac closed his eyes, took another long lick of the strawberry, and then let his teeth sink into the berry. He could feel the coarse sugar crunch beneath his teeth. With the berry in hand, he offered it to Montgomery.

Montgomery raised an eyebrow, then opened her mouth and closed her eyes. Carac gently placed the strawberry on her tongue. As she bit down, the juice began to trickle down her chin.

Carac took his hand and wiped it away, then licked the sweet liquid off his fingers.

Detrix was now alone in the dungeon. The snores of the guards bothered him; their noise made it difficult to sleep. He glanced at the slumped guard by the cell bars, the keys dangling from their belt. Detrix knew he had to be extremely quiet. He slowly crawled toward the keys, his movements softened by the loose dirt. Step by careful step, he made his way to the guards. Reaching through the cell bars, his large hand cautiously grasped the keys, causing a slight rattling sound. The guard stirred but soon dozed off again. Detrix froze, waiting for the right moment. When the guard fell back into a deep sleep, Detrix lifted the keys from their belt and into his own cell. Fear coursed through his shaking hand. He crawled back to the cell door, carefully inserting the keys into the lock. He heard a quiet "clink," and the door opened. Trembling, he stood up and cautiously stepped out, as silent as possible.

Wilbur lay under his blanket in the slaves' quarters, drifting off to sleep when he sensed someone staring at him. He slowly sat up and saw a large figure standing in the corner.

In an instant, Wilbur's instincts kicked in, and he jumped up, assuming a defensive stance.

"Helllooooo," the figure greeted.

Wilbur realized it was Detrix and immediately lowered his hands, his heart still pounding rapidly.

"You frightened me, Detrix," Wilbur said, rushing over to embrace him.

"Who let you out?" Wilbur asked curiously.

"I let myself out," Detrix proudly replied.

Wilbur felt a shiver run down his spine.

"Detrix, you must hide somewhere where Frog won't find you. If she catches us together, we'll both end up in the dungeon," Wilbur exclaimed urgently.

"Quick, come with me," Wilbur said, leading Detrix to the barn.

Wilbur began removing the floorboards at the back of the barn, creating an opening.

"Alright, Detrix, you're going to stay hidden at the bottom of the barn during the day until I can come up with a better plan," Wilbur explained.

Once Wilbur finished removing the boards, Detrix could see a small room beneath, equipped with a bed, candles, and water.

"That should provide enough water for today. I'll bring you food tomorrow," Wilbur assured him, wiping the sweat from his brow.

Detrix descended the ladder into the hidden room.

Wilbur began placing the boards back, covering the opening, and added some hay for extra concealment.

Wilbur lay down on the floor, his ear pressed against the ground. "Are you okay down there, Detrix?"

He heard a muffled response, "Yes."

"Okay, Detrix, I'm going back to my quarters to avoid drawing any attention to myself. Try to get some sleep," Wilbur advised.

"Okay, I will go to sleep now," Detrix replied through the floorboards.