Eventually, Blasius and I were returned to the main part of the dungeon. For hours, my attention was on the plain black ink that tainted my snow-white skin. It looked out of place; abnormal. I didn't like it. Furthermore, it startled me.
When I was finally able to take my eyes off of the mark, there was nothing to do. Menas and Blasius were once again discussing our fate and I didn't want to think about all the horrible things the King and his minions wanted to, and could certainly, do to us. The thoughts made me shudder so instead of telling them to stop, I tuned them out and stared at the wall. My eyes followed cracks and lines up and down, up and down. At some point which I don't remember, I walked up to the wall, tracing one specific crack that was exceptionally big. I peered into it as if I could look through to the next room.
And suddenly I could. I felt like a ghost, light; airy; transparent. I felt like nothing. Maybe, at this moment, I was. I reached into the crack of the wall and could not only see the other room, but I was also in the other room. I started to float upwards and suddenly could see the dungeon and its surrounding in a bird's eye view.
In one room I could see the top of my own head, I could see the top of Silva's, Menas's, Blasius's heads. I could see all of the rooms containing bunks, top floor and bottom. I could see every bathroom stall, all luckily empty. Further than that, I could see the hallway outside of the main cell and every exit and entrance to it. At the very east of my view, I saw a staircase leading to the foyer of the luxurious and grand castle. The staircase on the west, however, lead down. Without moving my legs, or any muscle in my body, I somehow ended up at the staircase and was pulled down seeing more cells. The second floor was filled with children, saddened and hungry, unable to help themselves. Down another staircase, and this time I saw many elderly people, looking as if they were withering away.
I was once again on my floor. I felt myself fading away, but I couldn't pay attention to it with the panic in my chest. For once, I felt real and alive; heavy and hot.
After that, I felt the cement against my bottom. My heart was in physical pain and there was a pit in my stomach. My breathing was rapid, matching my heartbeat that was beating so hard it hurt. Suddenly I could believe that there were over 800 people locked in here and I ached for them. I ached for the children I saw, lost without their parents, and for the elderly that didn't have the proper care they needed. Aside from that, I knew what I was supposed to see in that vision and the heartwrenching images didn't distract me from realizing I had just seen the layout for the castle, and ultimately, my ticket to escaping.
When my butt hit the ground, I instantly heard footsteps coming my way. Beside me, Blasius was on one knee, eyebrows furrowed and looking me over. "Are you alright?"
Instead of answering, I focussed on getting air in me, because my lungs clearly needed assistance. Once I was calm I nodded.
On the other side of me, Silva watched with worried eyes, "do you want to go lay down?"
"No," I replied airily, "I just want to sit."
"Let's get you up then," Blasius took ahold of my upper arm and helped me to my feet. He led me to the table, and although I was stable, I let him. Maybe I was just being a typical teenage girl who craved affection, or maybe his touch was just right, but it felt good. When his hand left my body, I sighed. He sat next to me and the only thing I could think of was how badly I wanted him to hold me close until the headache and feeling of detachment due to the vision disappeared.
But that would be weird.
"Did you have a vision? What did you see?" Blasius asked.
"I-" I paused, choosing to tell them about my vision in a different way. "If you knew how to escape from here, would you?"
They all answered without any hesitation. Without a doubt, they would. I'm sure I could never do it on my own. Having the three of them with me would surely increase my chances for success and it made my heart leap. I thought of my parents, my sisters instantly. Oh, how I would do anything to see them again. But ... how could I risk returning to the village? That was a question for another time.
***
When the guards came to bring us our dinner I decided we could use a little bit of help from them to share our escape plans. I was in line, waiting for my turn to grab a food tray and rehearsing my line over and over again, anxiety getting the best of me. What if they sensed my intentions? That was my fear, but ultimately, if anyone could sense anything, it was me. That was what my clairvoyancy was for.
I shook my head, ridding it of the thoughts as I stood before the guard handing food trays. "The ... next time you come here," scratch that, "would it be alright to get some paper and ink?" I blurted out the second half of my sentence, trying to get to the point.
"I can't see why not. Here's your food. Next." The guard answered monotonously. I stepped out of line and nodded confidently on my way back to the table.
When I returned to my group of friends, Blasius looked at me funny. "What's that about?"
I looked him in the eye.
There was a fire encaged with brick and stone. I was staring into it.
"Rosalind, CLOVIS—" I heard someone scream in the distance.
I winced, clenching my eyes shut at the intense and sudden pain in my head. When I opened them again, Blasius's eyes were wide with concern for me. He raised his eyebrows, as if asking for an explanation to my sudden behaviour.
"I'm sorry," I groaned. "This is the second time I've had some sort of vision from you."
"What do you see?"
"This time? Nothing, just fire. I heard screaming too."
"F-fire?" Silva stuttered. I looked at her, she had become pale. It was a shock, since from the moment I had met her she was nothing but cheerfulness and joy. "That might've been for me."
"Do you know Clovis and Rosalind?"
"It was me," Blasius stated. "The vision was for me."
After dinner, I watched the guards walk by the cell in the hallway through the bars, but none of them happen to have a paper and ink with them. Before long, one cane to announce that it's time for bed.