Alexis had heard the first three words and in one fluid movement she pulled the captain’s sword as she leaped and landed at the perfect distance to rest the point against Milandro’s neck. “Finish the sentence at your own risk. I am a princess and a ranger. Go ahead and insult me by insinuating I am daft, and it will be the last thing you do tonight.
“Captain, for the record there were between fifteen and twenty goblins,” she continued. “There will be arrows along the stretch between the Talon River and the dead goblins on the road. Escort these idiots from the hall before I bleed them.”
“Is there more to tell?” Esmirelda asked.
“Yes, Mother, but I would rather it be in private.”
A staff pounded the floor three times. “Court is concluded. Please see yourselves out of the hall and the palace,” Nafillion heralded from the doors. “All of you.”
The king, queen, princesses and captain of the guard all departed through the royal private exit that opened into an antechamber. Alexis smiled to herself at her uncle throwing everyone out of the palace. Usually there were hangers-on that stood around gossiping, but there wouldn’t be tonight if they knew what was good for them. The captain was the last in their procession, but Alexis heard a number of footsteps following behind him.
“Captain, no one enters after you,” she said without looking back or breaking stride.
“Yes, Princess,” the captain replied, a smile in his voice. Princesses Charlain and Dalphenia were giving their sister dirty looks.
“Why did you bar entry to our betrothed?” Charlain, the oldest, whined.
“This is the royal antechamber. They are not royalty. I also said I wanted to speak in private. If they were here, it would not be private, would it?”
“Just because you are unhappy with your match with Milandro doesn’t mean you should take your frustration out on us,” Dalphenia said.
“Maybe both of you should leave, too, and go console your poor betrotheds’ hurt feelings.”
“Enough, the three of you,” Esmirelda scolded. “Charlain, you and Dalphenia go and we will join you later.”
“Yes, Mother,” they replied in unison, giving Alexis dirty looks as they departed.
“Alexis, you were quite harsh with Milandro. Threatening him with a sword immediately after your return home is an interesting approach to one’s future husband. Most would have led off with a kiss or hug.”
Alexis looked at her mother but decided not to answer her. Instead she began her story with her first meeting Crystal. In the telling, she purposely left out her interactions with Morgan and his family, only mentioning that she had watched them and they honored the treaty. Moving on, she told of meeting her commander and departing per his orders to come home, being pursued by the goblins and Crystal’s first intercession at the river. Alexis paused and the king motioned for her to continue. She finished her tale with her flight down the capitol road, fleeing from the remainder of the goblins, and Crystal swooping in on the dragon, setting them all ablaze.
“I want you to tell Nafillion and Mistress Auriel your story. As the Master of the Archives, she will be very interested,” Illiand said. “Leave out no detail, no matter how minor.”
“You should have paid more attention when the tutors tried to teach you our histories, husband,” Esmirelda teased. “I only know of one Crystal. She was oldest of the water elementals and lived right here in our mountains.”
“I would have learned more had you not been in the same group. You were far too distracting.” Alexis saw her father smile for the first time since she had been home.
“If I recall, husband, you were distracted by a few others besides myself.”
“I only recall having eyes for you, my dear.” The king wrapped his arms around his wife. Alexis enjoyed the moment with her parents, but knew their attention would fall back on her, so she eased toward the door. She very nearly made her escape.
“Daughter, apologize to Milandro at dinner.”
“If I must, Mother,” she answered, pulling the door open and hurrying out. She wouldn’t apologize and she wouldn’t stay, because there was no way her father would change his mind about the betrothal. She would follow the party of Northerners when they departed and rescue Morgan. After that, the two of them could go anywhere, live anywhere. She was a ranger, after all. They could live off the land. She needed to talk to Morgan, then formulate a more detailed plan. It couldn’t wait. She had to see him tonight.
Fifteen
Dinner was excellent, and it was clear to Alexis that the Northerners weren’t used to such fine fare. It was also an eye opener for her and some others in attendance. The orc and dwarf tried to eat with the utensils but, after some frustration, they used only their fingers. The one called Jarol did better, but was still out of his element. It didn’t upset her parents, but they probably had spent time with both races in the past and knew their social shortcomings. Her sisters were fascinated, watching for the next infraction of protocol at the table. The betrothed, all three, scowled and made disgusted faces that seemed to roll off the good nature of their guests.
Where was the evil that was always attributed to the people of the north? They were rough and ill-mannered, but nothing like what she had heard as a child. The elf woman Theralin was quiet and most assuredly embarrassed by her companions, but only because of the company they were in. The other elf woman, Systhania, had been visited by a healer and looked well, if withdrawn. Whatever her purpose for this trip had been, it was not going to be realized with her companions around. Their leader, Jarol, would not think twice about shutting her, or anyone else in their group, for that matter, up. He would have no problem with the dwarf and the orc; they seemed committed to him and their queen. So, her question was, would the party go after her and Morgan if she freed him? While she knew her father would send soldiers after them, would the Northerners pursue them over a captive who was headed for nothing more than slavery?
Alexis picked at her food while she thought. She wasn’t very hungry, and it was part of her plan to get a plate of food later. One highlight of the evening was that Milandro would not even look at her. He looked over her or past her if he had to look in her direction. She tried to be less petty with her attention. If she caught him speaking of some grand plan or exploit, she sat and stared right at him. This tactic usually caused him to stutter and then shut up if she held her stare long enough.
Finally, dinner was over and the servants were picking up the table. Alexis felt a hand on her shoulder. “You didn’t eat much, my dear,” Nafillion said softly.
“I wasn’t very hungry, Uncle. But would you have the kitchen put a plate together and take it to my room? It is possible I will feel like eating later.”
“Of course,” he answered and grabbed a passing servant. A few moments later, his staff rapped the floor.
“The king and queen thank you all for joining them tonight. They request all—except our guests from the north—to depart with their blessing.”
This is good, she thought. It meant Jarol wouldn’t be returning to his room for some time. By the time he did, they would be gone. She stood and went to her mother, stopping next to her chair. “Good night, Mother, Father,” she said, standing between them. They both rose. Her mother hugged her, and her father gave her a stern look.
“Did you do what I asked of you?” Illiand asked.
“No, Father, but I intend to. I will speak with him in the corridor.”
“See that you do.”
“Yes, Father.” Alexis turned and hurried out of the room. If she saw Milandro, she would talk to him, but she had no intention of apologizing. No, it would be something far different than an apology. Dinner had started late and finished well into the evening. Darkness would be her ally.
She was lost in thought, making her plans, when she turned the corner and found Milandro leaning back against the wall.
“We haven’t had a chance to talk since you returned, and your actions in court towar
d me were very disrespectful,” Milandro said. “I am much relieved you aren’t armed.”
“As you should be. I am not sure what it is about you. It’s just, I have never liked you. Even when we were young and first introduced.” Also, she was armed.
“We both know it was nothing but a business deal. My father paid hundreds of gold to elevate our house and you are nothing but a product of that deal. A princess to guarantee my elevation to a lordship.”
“I can assure you the princess to elevate your status will not be me or my sisters. You will stay the son of a merchant whose family lost hundreds of gold on a bad business decision.”
Milandro bolted from the wall and grabbed both of Alexis’s arms, gripping her just above her elbows. “I will get what is mine, what was promised and paid for,” he hissed.
“Well then let me give you a taste of what you paid for,” Alexis replied, leaning forward and kneeing him between the legs. His high-pitched squeal confirmed her aim. His grip slid down to her forearms, making it easy twist her arms free. She pushed him to the floor and went down on one knee, moving her dress out of the way. It was much easier to slide the dagger from her thigh that way. Milandro was too busy whining and holding himself to notice the dagger until it pierced the skin on his neck.
“Not that you will ever get the chance, but I will warn you anyway. Put your hands on me again and I’ll cut you from ear to ear.” Alexis didn’t wait for an answer. She put the knife in its sheath, stood and continued calmly to her room. Entering her corridor, she saw a servant standing outside her door. She was holding a covered tray.
“Wait right there for me. We are taking that food to another room.”
“I’m sorry, Princess. No one told me.”
“Do not fret. No one knows but me and you.” Alexis went into her room and gathered her things. A laundry bag still sat in the floor with the leathers she had worn inside. She grabbed it along with her travel bag and weapons.
“Come. We must hurry,” she told the servant.
They hurried toward a door at the end of the corridor. It would lead them outside to a walkway along the top of the parapet that circled the palace. They would scurry around and enter at the guest wing door.
“Princess, where are we going?” the servant asked, with clear concern in her voice.
“Just follow and do not speak to anyone. I will speak if we are impeded.”
Alexis knew they might get questioned, and she hoped it would be by a guard rather than someone else within the palace.
*****
Three figures moved in the shadows. Concealed in black from head to toe, they stalked silently away from the parapet to the wall they planned to scale. A sound echoed behind them like metal on metal, a rattle that was noticeably out of place. One of the figures in black ran and leaped into the branches of a nearby tree and began to climb. The torches along the walkway lit it up enough that she could see two figures hurrying away from them. The sight made her smile. One was their target and the other just a servant who was making plenty of noise. She dropped silently back down and motioned for the other two to follow her.
Even though they had to move cautiously, the path to the next wing was more direct on the ground and the cloaked figures arrived seconds before the princess and her servant. They overheard her conversation with the guard and his suspicious tone, but the princess was no wilting flower. She had the guard opening the locked door a few seconds later with minimal royal threats. They scaled the wall and took up a position behind the guard, who was shutting and relocking the door. A hand over his mouth and knife in his back, he was held in place until his last breath. The attacker handed the dead off to another, who leaned him back against the wall. The assassin smiled to herself as she looked at the keys still hanging in the lock. Turning it, she pulled the door open a crack just in time to see the princess enter a room.
*****
The first thing Alexis noticed was a soft snore coming from farther back in the room. “Set the tray down and light two candles. I do not want too much light,” she told the servant. The candles illuminated someone on the floor with its head on a pillow. Lifting her dress up, she unsheathed the knife she had used earlier on Milandro and walked slowly toward the sleeping figure. It had to be Morgan, but she wanted to exercise caution. As she got closer, her heartbeat quickened. It was him. She knelt beside him and put her hand on his face. He didn’t seem to be ill, a little cool, perhaps, but sleeping on a stone floor without a fire or blankets would do that.
“Morgan,” she whispered as she stroked his hair. “Morgan, wake up. I’m going to set you free.”
“What—who—Alexis?”
“Yes, it’s me. I brought you food. I’m going to cut the ropes and I want you to eat while I get ready.”
“Get ready for what?”
“To leave. You and I are leaving. Now wake up.” She crept behind him and cut the ropes around his wrists, then his ankles. Morgan groaned as he straightened out his arms and rolled his shoulders, then proceeded to rub some feeling into his wrists and hands. “Hurry, sit down at the table and eat. Servant, you are sworn to secrecy. Go outside and warn us the minute you see someone coming.”
“Yes, Princess. I’ll be just outside the door if you need me.”
Morgan dived into the plate of food, still standing. His last meal was at daybreak before he took his sister into town. “Don’t look. I have to change clothes,” Alexis ordered and dumped the leathers out of the laundry bag. She unhooked her dress at the back and let it slide down to the floor. Morgan started to turn his head toward her. Hadn’t she just told him not to look? His eyes locked on hers instead of on her nude body. She quickly turned away.
“Thank you for the food and cutting me free,” he said. They stood back to back. He held the plate in one hand, shoveling food past his grin. She hadn’t noticed the mirror on the wall in front of him.
She dressed and was buckling her sword belt on when she heard a thump against the door. What was that servant doing? She walked over and cracked the door, but saw nothing but darkness. At the same time, weight against the bottom pushed the door against her. Alexis let the door go. The servant’s body fell out on the floor as the door opened fully. A pool of blood from her chest now ran onto the stone. Alexis back-stepped, and a figure cloaked in black stepped in the room. A second later, the window pushed inward and two more black-clad figures came in through it.
Alexis backed away from the assassin while Morgan put another bite in his mouth and chewed. Turning his head back and forth, he surveyed the room. “Are these killers?” he asked, continuing to eat and watch.
“Assassins,” she said. His face registered no understanding. “Paid killers.”
“What did I do? I’ve never even been here before today.”
“Shut up,” the assassin near Alexis said. “We are not here for you, idiot. But you are in the wrong place at the wrong time, so you will have to die with the princess.”
“Why? I don’t like her any more than you do. Can I at least finish eating first?”
“You really have no luck with men, do you, Princess. You can continue to eat, boy; my companions would love an easy kill. They will stab you between mouthfuls.”
“You don’t like me?” Alexis asked Morgan, shocked and hurt. The assassins used the moment to attack. Alexis seethed, her cheeks red and jaw clenched tight. Morgan took another bite.
Steel clanged as swords came together. A plate thrown at one assassin shattered against the wall. Morgan grabbed the silver serving tray by a carry handle with one hand and the silver water pitcher with the other and began swinging wildly, trying to keep the other two assassins at bay. Alexis and the assassin she fought seemed evenly matched. Both she and Morgan would be dead soon if someone didn’t happen to come down the hall.
*****
Morgan had no idea what he was doing, if he would be alive five minutes from now, or if he’d be in any condition to escape. He was taller than the assassins by over a head, a
nd stronger, he thought, but they were faster. He couldn’t land a hit on either. The tray was awkward. Its shape made it swing slow, but the water pitcher cut through the air much faster. He changed his grip on the handle and let it lie across his forearm like a shield. It was sloppy and harder than he thought to hold it in place, but it was better than nothing. Blood from a cut on the same forearm made it slick. His opponents just played with him, dancing around brandishing their stilettos, jabbing and slashing non-stop.
Jordi and Mikkel had ganged up on him before. Not with knives, of course, but still two against one. That usually ended with him tackling one of them. The other would then pounce and they would rough him up. No, tackling one of the killers was a stupid idea. Maybe they should switch. Alexis could take knives against her sword and he would take on the sword against... a water pitcher. Maybe he could hold the assassin off long enough for Alexis to kill the two, then together they would finish off the sword-wielder.
“Alexis, switch with me.”
“What.”
“Switch with me. You fight mine and I’ll fight yours. Ready?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Why do I care what happens to you? I kill this one and run out the door to freedom.”
“Oh. I thought we were running away together.”
Alexis said something, but it was lost when their swords clashed. “That idea ended when you told them you didn’t like me.”
“Alexis. It was a jest.” Morgan was getting tired. He now had cuts on his other arm and thigh as the assassins toyed with him. It seemed like much time had passed, but he knew it was a false perception.
“I’ve never had the pleasure of killing two people who chose to have a lovers’ quarrel at the same time.” The assassin laughed.
“We aren’t lovers,” Alexis yelled with a flurry of sword strokes.
“This is so delicious.”
“Yes we are,” Morgan said over his shoulder.
“It’s too bad we have to kill you both, Princess, or I would advise you to run away with the big dumb one behind you. He is honest and working hard to guard your back.”
The Wood Cutter's Son Page 14