After one hour and thirty long dreadful minutes, the carriage finally arrived at the Farmer's market in Dradfold.
"This is your stop". The coachman announced alighting the carriage.
Opening the carriage door, Florah basically ran to it. She was the first one to get out, quickly scanning the place she had worked in for the last four months. She opted for the center which had more people, planning to disappear into the crowd so as to get away from the two creepy men and the other one who screamed 'bad news, run'.
The two witches hurriedly stepped out of the carriage to follow the girl. "Why is she in a hurry?" The scrawny witch asked his companion.
"Probably because, she realised we are on to her". The witch with short hair and a dense beard answered his friend. Raising both there suspicions.
"Where did she go?" The scrawny witch wondered.
"You take the left side I will take the center. We have to find her, she might actually be the one" The bearded witch uttered excitedly.
While the two witches scattered to look for the red head, Gavriel took his sweet time getting out of the carriage.
Looking at the market of Dradfold, the stench of food and meat is what welcomed his nostrils.
He had heard what the witches had said about the girl and he wondered 'What was she, for those two idiots to be looking for her with such enthusiasm?'
Moving to the side of the market, Gavriel called "Rava". The black crow from before appeared and landed on his shoulder.
Linking his vision with Rava's, the bird flew over to the busy market.
Flying a little lower, Gavriel spotted his maid manuever her way through the crowd while the witch wasn't far from her. He also spotted the other witch who couldn't see her anywhere in the west side and also headed for the center.
"Oh, this is going to be fun" Gavriel drawled his eyes shifting to red maroon for a second.
Leisurely walking away from the market, he took the Eastern route to stroll around his lands while waiting for the play to start, starring his mysterious maid and two almost dead witches.
Florah moved hurriedly making her way between numerous people,nervously glancing back from time to time wondering if any of the men had followed her.
Her nerves didn't settle even if she didn't see anyone following her instead they got more jittery. She tried to take breaths to calm her self 'why would they even be looking for me'. Florah tried to console herself.
Relaxing her body and steadying her heart, she took one last deep breath before she started making her way to Mr.Humphis' stall. She hadn't said goodbye to the old man who had been so kind to her.
Hardly had she moved ten steps, she saw one of the creepy men infront of her. He looked like he was searching for someone just then his eyes shifted to look in her direction.
Florah's heart stopped for a second, the scrawny looking man smiled sinisterly at her making his way to where she was standing frozen.
"Oh Dear Lord, they were looking for me" Florah muttered in terror. She held her skirt at the front to be able to move faster, Florah ran in the opposite direction away from the creepy man.
Pushing and shoving some people in her way, desperately trying to escape from the man. Her escape from the king had been going just fine untill this last moment and yet she was so close to home.
"Humph" Florah hit something or someone cutting off her trail of thoughts. "I am..so..sorry. l didn't mean to...." Florah looked up to apologize to whoever she had bumped into, only for the words to get stuck in her throat.
Before she could escape away from the creepy man's companion, the bearded witch forcefully grabbed Florah's hand.
"You scream, You lose a limb" the witch threatened.
Florah shut her mouth feeling something sharp poke the side of her stomach.
The girl's heart, beat like a drum in the local festival. The man who was chasing her earlier caught up to her and evilly smiled seeing that his companion had already caught her. Florah didn't utter a word as the two men walked by her sides. One holding her elbow forcefully dragging her forward. She wondered if he would break her hand.
"Please let me go, I don't have anything. I basically live on the streets, I can't offer you anything". Florah pitifully cried hoping that the men would be sympathetic enough to let her go.
"We don't need your money girl, shut up and walk". The thinner looking man forcefully shoved her to walk
Florah quickly shut her mouth to avoid getting hurt. Tears gathered in her hazel eyes, cursing at her badluck, she was so close. For awhile there she thought she has escaped from the king only to fall into the filthy hands of these men.
She regretted ever hearing the girls' conversation that persuaded her to even think she could work in the castle. Jer would be very disappointed, he always warned her not to go anywhere without him.
'Did he know that this would happen' she questioned internally, wishing she heard listened to him.
Now these men were taking her to God knows where.
Would they use me and then kill me, she had heard something like that happen when her old employer was conversing with an acquaintance of hers.
Such thoughts made her want to pull herself away from the man, but her hand was held tighter by the man with a beard.
Florah noticed that they were taking her out of the market. Maybe if she would cry, someone might notice her plight, she thought.
Quickly gathering tears in her eyes, her plan was soiled when the scrawny one decided to walk infront of her. Covering her face from the view of other people.
'Is this how I die' Florah wondered running out of ideas to save herself from her captors.