Free Through the Looking Glass by Rebecca Lorino Pond

needed to tie one end to something she was positive wouldn’t move when she climbed out the window. The closest thing to the window was the armoire with its claw feet. There was no way that big a piece of furniture was going to move.
     
                  The sound of footsteps outside the door had her stopping in her tracks. She listened as the footsteps grew nearer to the door then continued past. She let out the breath she had been holding then returned to her job of tying off the sheet to the armoire. Satisfied with the numerous knots she had tied to keep the material from slipping, she tossed the end out of the window.
     
                  She was nervous about climbing out of a two story window while clinging to a piece of material, but at this point she was desperate to try anything. The wind outside stung her face as she sat on the ledge of the window and swung her legs out. It was too late to change her mind when she realized she hadn’t bothered to put on any other clothing before she climbed up. There wasn’t enough time for her to go back in and scrounge for clothing that wouldn’t fit her anyway. She would just have to make do with Jakar’s shirt.
     
                  Taking a deep breath, she twisted on the ledge and clung to the sheet. Her bare toes searched the wall for anything to grip before she let go of the ledge. One foot succeeded in finding a small crevasse in between two stone blocks. Relief swept through her as she slowly she began to lower herself down. Her arms shook with the effort of having to hold up her own body, something she’d never done before. The sheet was getting wet fast with the drizzle that was falling and she was afraid to let go of the sheet in order to move one hand below the other. It was now or never, she thought, so she forced herself to let go and quickly grip the sheet below her other hand. Confident she had taken the first step, she repeated the process a few times. It wasn’t until her hand hit the first really damp area of the sheet that she began to slip.
     
                  She screamed as she slid a couple of feet before she was able to stop her fall. Not only was her entire body shaking from the scare, but she wasn’t sure her arms were going to be able to hold her much longer. She chanced a glance down to see how far away she was and was relieved she didn’t have much farther to go. By this time, the drizzle had soaked her clothes and was running into her eyes, making it hard to see. Hand over hand she crept down the sheet until her arms gave out on her, sending her plummeting to the ground below.
     
                  The ground came up quicker than she thought it would. Her back slammed onto the cold, wet, hard ground knocking the wind out of her. Rain dripped into her face as she struggled to take a gasp of air. Dots danced around before her eyes as she dragged in the much needed air. Closing her eyes helped somewhat with the world spinning, but it was the sound of that deep, angry voice that made her open eyes again and peer at the last face she wanted to see in the world.
     
     
     
     
     

 
    Chapter 7
     
     
     
                  Jakar was furious when he returned to his room in time to see Isobel slip out the window on a makeshift rope. By the time he reached the window, she had slipped down too far for him to grab her and he didn’t want to take the chance on pulling the sheet back up in case he accidently pulled it from her hands. The only other thing he could do was race down to the bottom and pray she didn’t fall before he could get there.
     
                  “Stupid woman!” he said under his breath as he raced down the flight of stairs that lead to the door that opened to the grassy area. He couldn’t believe Isobel had attempted to escape. He hadn’t been gone long enough for her to have come up with the plan, much less succeed at it. He did have to give her