Installment 36

[author's note: I have been thinking of the man who kidnapped Fiona as "Daniel". Imagine, if you will that, although he says he has no name, Fiona told him that she wanted him to have a name, so decided to call him Daniel. Neither Janet nor Elena were involved in this conversation.]

Janet stood up and paced around the room. I tidied up my clothes and sat on the edge of the bed staring at her through the tears that had started to well in my eyes.

"We need to get out of here," she said.
"Won't he just find us?"
"I... I don't know, Fi."
I took a deep breath, "There's some people..."
She looked at me, waiting for more, but I didn't know how to continue.
"What people, Fi?"
"A man and a woman. Mother and son. She said she was the pendant's keeper."
"Its keeper?"
"Yeah."
"What does that mean?"
I shook my head. I thought I vaguely understood what Gwendolyn had been talking about, but when I tried to find the words to explain it to Janet, my mind went blank.
"Fiona, what are you talking about? Who are these people?"
"I... I could take you to them."
She nodded and held out her hand to me. I took it and stood up, leading her from the room and down the corridor. We reached the room where I had been less than 20 minutes earlier and I knocked lightly.

"Who is it?" Brin's gruff voice called out.
"It's me," I said quietly, "Fiona Barnes."
The door opened and Brin stood in the doorway, seeming much larger and more threatening than before.
He cocked his head, "Who's she?"
"This is Janet. She's one of the... I told you about her. She's like Elena."
He stood, unmoving for several seconds, staring at Janet, as if trying to assess her, then stood aside and beckoned us in.

Gwendolyn smiled at us as we walked in timidly.
"So you're the angel?" she said, kindly.
Janet laughed, "Angel? I'm not... I'm... I'm just like you."
Brin smiled, "Truer words than you might think, girly."
She looked suspicious, "Fiona said you may be able to help us. Someone is coming for us. He's not a nice man. He wants to hurt us."
"And how could we help?" Brin asked.
"The pendant," I said, "You know about the pendant. That's what he wants, but he can't see it."
"And why would we help?"
"Because... I don't know... you seemed to... to want to?"
He nodded, "Well, that's not entirely untrue, but you do realise that we want something else as well."
I looked from Brin to Gwendolyn and back again. Both were staring at me intently.
"The... the pendant?" I asked.
He nodded, "But not just that. I want you to find my sister and bring her back."
Gwendolyn stood up, "With the pendant and Arianwen back in their rightful place in Ogmore castle, all will be well, and I can move on to a better place."
Janet moved in front of Gwendolyn, "So the pendant belongs in Ogmore? That's what you reckon is it?"
"It's where it's been for many generations, as far back as history remembers."
Janet smirked and leaned close into the old woman's ear and whispered, "I remember further than that."