Free Shades of Red by K. C. Dyer

loosen as she picked up the rhythm of walking on the new wooden foot. She’d been forced in the past to walk on little more than a stick of wood, so this was almost easyby comparison. She was just mustering the breath to ask a question when her companion came to an abrupt halt at yet another heavy wooden door.
    Darrell was relieved to see that this door was not camouflaged in any way. In fact, it seemed quite recognizable. A large crest was carved into the middle, the design an intricate cruciform surrounded by roaring lions raised high on their hind legs. He selected a single key from the jangling bunch at his waist and turned it in the large iron lock.
    With a mighty heave, the grey-robed friar pulled the heavy door open and courteously held it while she stepped inside. He followed behind, and, leaving the portal slightly ajar, he faced her and pulled back his hood at last. Gentle brown eyes gazed at Darrell from a weathered face. His hair was straight and iron grey, and the hair on top of his head had been shaved off in a neat circle.
    â€œI apologize for the hurry,
Señhorita
, but it is imperative I keep you from prying eyes until we are safely away from this place.”
    Darrell looked nervously around the small room. Her heart sank a little. No sign of her friends anywhere. “Safely away? From where — where are we?”
    â€œWe are far from the grotto,
Señhorita
,” he said. His voice was low and urgent. “Not a soul save myself knows the route we followed today. For your own safety I must insist you remain here. I beg of you to forgetall that you saw in that place. In these uncertain times, it is best that some things remain unsaid.”
    â€œBut ...” Questions surged to her lips, fighting for precedence. “Do you know how I came here?”
    He shook his head firmly. “Nor do I want to. The less we all know in truth means fewer people meet untimely deaths.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “I desire no further blood on my hands.”
    She pushed the fear that his words awoke in her aside and clutched at his sleeve. “I must find my friends,” she said quickly. “A tall boy and a girl with red hair. There may be a second boy, with — with blonde hair. I lost them just before I met you.”
    He looked horrified. “Near the grotto? I fear I misunderstood you earlier. This is terrible news,
Señhorita
. If your associates wander freely around the fortress a soldier — or worse, a priest — could find them at any time. I must try to locate them at once.”
    Darrell could hear her pulse pounding in her ears. “Thank you, sir. You cannot possibly know how important it is for me to find them.” She paused. “I have been travelling some distance,
Señhor
,” she managed. “Please tell me — where is this place?”
    He touched a finger to the side of his nose and smiled briefly. “Do not fear, my child. You are safe here for the present. We are in the monastery near to the Lisboa Cathedral, in the centre of the most powerful nation inthe world. I will return shortly to bring you news of your friends and to reunite you with your people.
Adeus
.” The door closed behind him quietly, but the click of the bolt sliding home echoed like a death knell.
    Safe she might be, but what she had feared most as she hurried through the labyrinth below had come to pass — she was a prisoner.
    After taking five long, shaky breaths to calm her nerves, Darrell slipped over to the door of the room and tried it. The handle was an iron ring that did not turn, and the lock was so solid the door would not even rattle on its hinges.
    Despair washed over her, and she slumped onto the small cot pushed against one wall. This was unlike any journey she had ever taken. Her friends were missing — Delaney was missing.
    â€œLet’s hope I am the only one who is truly missing,” she said aloud.
    Judging by the light