by Travis Pond
Eammon looked up and responded, “Yes sir! On our way in now.” The man on the horse continued on and rode into the fortress. They looked at each other and smiled, then fell into step with some other men that were walking beside the horses.
After entering the castle, the men on horses continued to the stables while the men walking beside them turned and went into an open courtyard to await further orders. Tureis and the rest of the group turned and went into a hallway leading away from the large courtyard. At the end of the hallway, they stopped as it opened into a small courtyard, adjacent to the fortress wall. There were various doors along a stone wall on the outside of the fortress, suggesting this area was where workers and servants met and entered the fortress. The courtyard appeared to be empty at the moment.
Braon stopped and turned to face the group. Without any discussion or formal planning, he simply declared, “I think we need to split up. Tureis, you stay with Seth and keep him safe and out of danger. Ailish and Eammon, see if you can get into the fortress and find out whatever you can.”
“Where are you going?” asked Eammon.
“I’m going to see if I can figure out why the Guard is meeting,” replied Braon.
Before Braon left, Tureis spoke up, “Let’s meet back here in an hour regardless of what we’ve learned. We can’t stay here all day, eventually someone will figure us out.”
“Agreed,” said Braon as he turned and walked back down the same hallway they had entered through.
“That seemed a bit abrupt,” said Ailish.
“I agree,” said Eammon, concern in his voice.
“What’s the real plan, Tureis?” asked Seth.
“Eammon, Seth and I will go look for the person Sepi told me about,” said Tureis. “Ailish, follow Braon without being seen.”
A grin crossed her face. She loved staying in the shadows, quietly observing and learning. Ailish removed her guards cloak and placed it into her bag. From her bag, she removed a long plain black dress, similar to what a servant in the castle would wear, and put it on over her clothes. She placed her crossbow into her bag and removed two knives, attaching them around her waist under the dress. Then she closed her bag and placed it over her shoulder. Finally, she pulled her hair back and tied it with a black ribbon. She looked at the group, bowed and with a smile walked back down the hallway.
Tureis placed his hand into his pocket and took hold of the sphere. He relaxed and focused his mind. He saw the layout of the fortress, the hallways and rooms as well as the armaments and weapons. What he needed to find was the person with the information he required.
Then suddenly she was there, as clear as anyone he’d known. He saw the familiar purple flower the Oracle had said to look for, adorned to her black bow, tied in her hair. He sensed her Matya and knew she was close. On the other side of one of these doors was an entrance to the kitchen. Tureis studied the doors, then moved toward the furthest door, Seth and Eammon following close behind. He reached out to open the door when a loud voice sounded, “Hey, you there. Why are you going into the kitchen and why are you not at the gathering?”
They turned around, and came face to face with a short, slightly plump man dressed in servants clothes, carrying a tray of bread. Seth lowered his head and pulled his hood down further. Eammon laughed, “You caught us. We skipped out of the gathering for a quick bite. We had to walk all the way here this morning and didn’t have breakfast.” Eammon continued to chuckle. Tureis smiled and nodded his head in agreement.
The servant gave each of them a stern look and said forcefully, “Well get back in there. They’re serving a big feast after the gathering to celebrate. You’ll just have to wait.” After the servant finished speaking, he stood there and waited. Eammon chuckled again and together the three of them walked up the hallway. When they were halfway up the hallway, they paused after the servant finally went back into the kitchen. “That was close,” said Eammon. “Where were you going?”
“The person we need to meet was on the other side of that door,” said Tureis.
“I wonder what they’re celebrating,” said Seth.
“I don’t know,” said Tureis. “But we need to figure this out in a hurry. We need to find that woman.”
Seth looked up and quietly said, “We need a plan.”
“What do you have in mind?” asked Tureis.
Seth smiled, “I think I know how to get to her. Remember that mind thing you did in the back of your father’s store when that guy was running from the guard?” Tureis nodded. “Do you think you could lead her to us?” asked Seth.
Tureis thought a moment. “Maybe...I think so. Where do you want her to go?” Seth explained his idea to Tureis and Eammon and they moved quickly down the hallway.
Chapter 25
- Coins -
Quietly, Ailish moved around the periphery of the large courtyard, staying close to the walls and remaining in the shadows. She came upon an alcove and maneuvered her way inside. From this vantage point, she could see the guards gathering in the courtyard as well as the front where Gavin Crosse was currently talking with some of his captains.
Ailish observed the group until she noticed Braon walking slowly around the outside of the assembled group, making his way to the front. As he came near the front he disappeared down a hallway. Making sure no one was around, Ailish came out of the alcove. She straightened her dress and the bow in her hair and walked with the quiet purpose of a servant toward the hallway.
Entering the hallway, Ailish looked around and noticed it was empty. Quickly, she moved down the hall. At the end of the hall, she walked through a doorway and entered a large banquet room. In the room were dozens of servants setting tables and preparing for a large meal.
Ailish moved around the tables as she watched Braon pass through a doorway at the other end of the room and disappear down another hall. She stepped swiftly through the doorway and stopped as she entered the hallway. The far end of the hallway opened up to another small private courtyard that was located in the middle of the castle, surrounded on all sides by stone walls. Ailish moved silently down the hall and before entering the private courtyard, came upon a stairway. She considered her options for a moment, then turned and entered the stairway and ascended the stairs.
At the top of the stairs was a small porch with several chairs and tables set up for socializing. At the end of the porch was a short wall with several openings that overlooked the private courtyard. Ailish make her way to the wall and became invisible in the shadows.
She peered over the wall and could see Braon standing beneath her. He was talking to a woman and they were speaking very softly. Ailish closed her eyes, focusing her Matya in the direction of the conversation. She had learned from the Oracle that one of her gifts with the Matya was the ability to enhance some of her natural abilities. She focused her Matya hoping she could enhance her hearing. At first she heard nothing, but after a minute...
“Caitlin! I’m glad I ran into you,” said Braon.
“How did you get in here and where did you get that cloak?” asked Caitlin.
Braon waved off the question, “I need to hurry. I have information for you to pass on to Gavin.”
“But why are you here?” asked Caitlin. “Why didn’t you just use the coin?”
Not wanting to explain too much, Braon simply said, “I lost it in Purromp somewhere. I had to come in person to tell you this.”
“I still don’t understand why you’re here,” said Caitlin, now becoming a little nervous. “You’re supposed to be in Thaven, preparing.”
“I know. I got banished from the city and made my way here,” said Braon calmly. “I told you all this with the coin. I had hoped you would be glad to see me. After this is over, I was hoping you would consider….”
She bent over and kissed him. Softly, she spoke. “After
this is over I would gladly consider...spending a lot more time with you. But
first we need to get it done.”
“Of course,” said Braon.
“What is the information you have to pass on?” Caitlin asked.
Braon smiled and whispered, “I have Seth.”
“What?” she nearly yelled. Quieter, she continued, “What do you mean you have Seth?”
“I have him and he’s safe,” Braon said. Then boldly he declared, “I am going to bring him back to Thaven and King Hamish can do whatever he wants to him, but I want the gold.”
Caitlyn thought for a moment. “Why not do the exchange here?” she asked. “You would be a hero in Zummot.”
This question caught Braon off guard and he stuttered as he thought of an answer. “Uh…. Yeah…. That would’ve been a good idea, but Seth’s not here. I have him somewhere else,” he finally said. “I wouldn’t be crazy enough to bring him here. If I tried, Gavin would just take him from me and claim the treasure himself. We will do this in Thaven and I will have the gold!”
With a big smile on her face, Caitlyn leaned over and kissed him again. “You shall have the gold, that’s for sure,” she said. “I’ll tell Gavin you have him and to bring the gold to the exchange. Where will you make the exchange?”
Braon thought for a moment. Finally, he grinned and snapped his fingers and said, “At the large square in front of the castle. I want to do it where everyone will see it. I will only exchange him for the gold there. And I want to exchange him with King Hamish himself.” Caitlyn nodded her approval. “Do you happen to have another coin I can use to communicate with?” asked Braon.
Caitlyn reached into her pocket and produced a gold coin, identical to the coin Braon had lost in Purromp. She placed it in Braon’s hand, giving his hand a squeeze and said, “Use this to communicate with me. I will pass on your information to Gavin and we can work out the rest of the details with the coin.”
“Don’t tell him just yet that I have Seth,” said Braon. “Just say I know where he is and that I will bring him to Thaven. I’ll let you know when to tell him the rest.”
Caitlyn nodded and kissed him one last time. “Be careful. I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“Just let him know when I tell you to,” said Braon. Braon pulled up the hood on his cloak and left, back down the hallway.
Ailish sat there absorbing what she’d just heard, trying to comprehend. She had thought Braon was their friend. Why was he talking about capturing Seth and turning him over to King Hamish? It just didn’t make sense.
Ailish descended back down the stairs and entered the hallway, making her way to the large banquet room. When she arrived, the servants were just finishing setting up. She skirted around the walls and out the door into the large courtyard where Gavin was already addressing the assembled members of the King’s Guard. She found a deep alcove near the front of the courtyard and made her way inside. As she scanned the room, Braon was nowhere to be seen. Rather than search for him she decided to stay and listen to what Gavin was saying.
“...And when King Seathan is dead, Thaven will fall and Zummot will rule all the surrounding kingdoms!” announced Gavin while spreading his arms wide. The shouts and cheers were deafening.
When the cheering died down, Gavin continued, “Our men have been in place for months now awaiting our arrival, waiting to come out of the shadows to aid in our victory. We will march on Thaven, Crown Prince or no Crown Prince and we will be victorious.” Again the crowd cheered.
Gavin continued, “Let us eat a feast to our victory and make preparations to march. We leave in one week. My brothers...let us feast!” The crowd quickly dispersed and entered the banquet hall.
Ailish waited until all the guard members had entered the hall. She reached into a pocket under her servants clothes and removed a small gold coin. She rolled it over and over in her fingers, feeling the strange energy emanating from it. When she had taken the coin from Braon in Purromp, she had wondered what it was. Now that she understood what he was using it for, she wondered how it worked. She made her way slowly back to the arranged meeting place, hoping Seth was still safe.
Chapter 26
- Secrets -
Seth, Tureis and Eammon worked themselves around the edge of the large courtyard towards an exit in the corner. They exited through the doorway and found themselves in a tall, wide hallway with dirt covered floors. The hall led to an outdoor exercise area for the horses and then onto the King’s stables. Tureis stopped at the entrance and held his arm out signaling the others to stop and wait. Within a few seconds, several men rode into the exercise area and dismounted their horses. They tied the horses to a rail and exited through a different doorway.
Tureis moved quickly through the exercise yard and into the stables. Near the back of the stables were large piles of loose straw used for bedding in the stalls. Each of them worked their way into the straw and waited. From here, Tureis closed his eyes and relaxed.
His mind reached out searching for the presence of the Matya for the woman. After several minutes he found the familiar feeling and concentrated his mind upon it. He reached out with his Matya it an attempt to connect with her. After several unsuccessful attempts, Tureis finally felt the connection. Fear and anxiety seemed to penetrate her feelings, and the thoughts caused concern for Tureis. He wanted to help. Maybe getting her here to talk could help her. Concentrating, he planted a thought in her mind telling her that she needed to go to the stables.
When he felt he had successfully planted the suggestion, Tureis broke the connection and found himself breathing hard. He’d never connected with a person from this distance and it tired him. He opened his eyes and waited. “Did you tell her to come here?” whispered Seth from somewhere in the large pile of straw.
“I think so. We’ll have to wait and see what happens,” said Tureis.
They waited several minutes and she did not appear. As his breathing returned to normal and his energy returned, he again closed his eyes and concentrated. Now that he knew the feel of her Matya, he found her quickly. She appeared to be in the same place.
Concerned that his first suggestion may not have got through, Tureis again connected with her Matya. He sensed confusion now adding to the fear and anxiety he felt before. Could the confusion be due to the suggestion? Maybe she was unsure if the suggestion could be trusted. Tureis knew he needed to think of a way to clear her confusion and help her heed the suggestion. He thought for just a moment and this time he planted an urgent message in her mind to go to the stables. Before breaking the connection with her mind he sent one word he thought would help her with the confusion she felt. “Sepi.”
He opened his eyes and again they waited. Within a couple minutes a short, slightly round woman wearing a black servants dress entered the stables. Attached to a large black ribbon in her hair was a small purple flower, just as Sepi had told him. Seth became excited, but quickly Tureis placed a hand on his arm and gave it a slight shake. Seth calmed and waited. The men in the exercise yard had returned and were mounting their horses. Within a minute they rode out of the tunnel exercise yard and exited through the hallway.
Tureis let go of Seth and the three of them began emerging from the straw. The woman turned with a shock and started to back out of the stable. “Wait,” said Seth. “Please don’t be afraid.” Seth stood and removed his hood. The woman recognized him instantly and bowed slightly.
“What’s your name?” asked Seth.
“Dealla Gille.”
“Gille? As in Jason Gille, King Seathan’s blacksmith?” asked Seth.
At the sound of that name she smiled. “Jason’s my brother.”
“What are you doing here...if I may ask?” asked Seth.
Dealla proceeded to give them a brief summary of her past. She had worked in the castle as a scull
ery maid. One day after cleaning for a royal dignitary from Galaera Kingdom, she was accused of theft. With her honor on the line, the Queen asked her to accept a special assignment; leave the kingdom and infiltrate the fortress in Zummot and just listen. When the right person shows up, she should tell him what she knows. She was instructed to always wear a purple flower to be recognized.
Seth was amazed as she recounted her story. “Well, we’re here and we are in desperate need of information,” he said.
She spoke quickly, “We don’t have much time, I will be missed if I’m gone too long.”
“Ok. So why does King Hamish want Seth?” asked Tureis.
Dealla answered while looking at Seth, “He wants you for a trade, my Prince. King Hamish means to trade you for a heavy ransom. But the trade is a trick. He wants to get both of you in the same place and then he means to kill both you and King Seathan.”
“He wants to kill us and take over Thaven? But why?” asked Seth.
She shook her head dismissively, “What he really wants is the King’s sword,” Dealla answered.
“His sword?” asked Eammon. “All that for a sword?”
“That’s what the Queen says. She says with the sword, King Hamish can control all the surrounding kingdoms,” said Dealla.
Seth and Tureis looked at each other, eyes wide. “Why the sword?” asked Tureis.
“Apparently the sword has strong powers,” said Dealla.
“I know those powers well,” said Seth. “The sword is said to have power strong enough to kill any person who touches it other than the King. I can tell you, having briefly touched the sword, that the powers are real. It threw me across the room.”
Dealla nodded and continued, “According to the Queen, the sword is bound by Matya to only one person. If anyone tries to take the sword while that person is still alive, it will kill the person taking it.”