Shae cursed as the thin lock picks snapped. She had brought two sets. One had broken while fighting with some unexpected guards, and the final one lay in halves on the grimy cave floor.
An elven girl, Penna, with filthy, matted hair framing lavender eyes watched, disappointed darkening her face. Her shoulders slumped, and she sat back in the cage. The oversized shirt slid off her shoulder, revealing bruises that had turned green. It would have been ideal to assure her she had more she could do, but they already had made too much noise on the way.
Light shuffling turned Shae’s attention behind her, but it was only Alfgar, her big, burly hired help. He was a reliable protector, but if things got too bad, he would abandon her with a puff of smoke.
Shae pulled out pins from her hair. She had put more than needed in there just in case, even if they were not as precise or durable as her picks. The lock proved a more formidable foe than the guards as they, too, broke.
“What is taking you so long?” Alfgar asked, in the lowest of whispers. His deeper voice traveled farther than expected, if he was not careful. “We’re out of time.”
Shae glared at him as she pulled more spare pins from her hair, and she made one last attempt on the accursed lock. She growled as she broke those as well, and she yanked two more pins from her hair, pale green locks falling around her face.
They failed as well, and Alfgar grabbed her arm, pulling her out of the cave as they heard heavy footsteps approaching them. Her heart sank in her chest, and she left her sister behind.
Stephanie Rita Clark is an aspiring author from a small town in the Midwest of the U.S.A. She loves anime and video games, and she spends a little too much time on YouTube. Receive a free dark fantasy short story by signing up to her newsletter (here), and you can also stay up to date on all of her works (including upcoming urban fantasy, dark fantasy, and the occasional horror).
This blog was simultaneously posted on my Medium blog.