"All right Karsis, but do they even know we're here...." Rhoe took two steps and felt faint again, Must be that drink, I can feel something tingling all over my skin.
Caerlyn rushed to his side, ever the healer, and guided him to another chair. "He can't run Karsis, he can't even walk fast. He would need another two, maybe three hours before his strength is back to be able to try."
"Yes they know, and they will expect us to flee out the south gate, but then whoever is behind this will remember that I am here. He will assume that I will have a master plan to fool them into guarding the south gate so we can sneak out another one, and leave them chasing their tails. I am a genius after all." Karsis smiled, pretty sure of himself, but deep down he knew that if they got this wrong, he would have bodies to deliver to the castle instead of children.
Liss smiled, finally catching on. "So what's your devious plan to lead them astray?" She was ready for anything, or so she thought.
"Nothing. That's the beauty of it. We go for the south gate, which will be guarded by a token force as a show of strength, while his main forces guard the other gates watching for us." He stood up with his hands out wide like he was giving a master speech, and realized that only Caerlyn was clapping.
"That's your plan?!" Liss was too shocked to be outraged. They were going to die horribly, she just knew it.
"Actually it sounds like the perfect plan for this situation, I'm in too."
The voice came from the window on the other side of Karsis, so he spun, sword out and lunged, whispering the words to have the wind take it and send it like a dart at where the man should be. He was already rolling backwards and coming up with hands spread out ready to cast again, when he saw the man holding the slender sword like he was bored.
"Graf!?" Liss was shocked to see the homeless man again, and even more surprised to see that he wasn't even worried that someone had thrown a sword at him.
"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you, I figured since you were the great Karsis you would have wards up or something to warn you." Graf surveyed the room and saw the boy's feet move slightly, ready to defend but not attack. Well trained, and smart....not bad. He thought, as he calmly tapped the sword against the window with his other hand up.
Karsis looked like he could skin the man, and in point of fact he was already planning what to do with said skin. "I did, that's why I attacked. Only a handful of people can bypass those wards, and I'm three of them. So who are really Graf?" He didn't like being caught off guard, it was bad for his reputation.
"For now, I'm someone who can help the boy get out of the city, and in one piece." He disappeared, coming in through the door a moment later, handing the slim, very sharp sword to Karsis, hilt first. He did it almost reverently, like he truly did respect the bard. "Besides, the voices in my head said I have to help her." He pointed to the Princess without looking at her.
"Then why did you take off and leave me in that alley?" Liss wasn't angry, but her frustration had found an avenue that wouldn't get her a verbal lashing, and she took it. "What, you save me then run away?"
"Um......yes." He cleared his throat a bit and blocked the entire doorway, purposefully. "Now, may I suggest that we head towards the back while the men on the roof can't fully see us?"
Rhoe shook his head. Great, two people like Karsis, can the world even handle that without tearing apart? He giggled a little at his own thoughts and everyone just looked at him funny, everyone but Karsis. He just smiled and shook his head as if to say 'No' then sheathed his sword and guided the Princess towards the back door. Caerlyn fussed over Rhoe some more, once again trying to take his temperature by holding her hand to his forehead as he walked. It was as if his mother was here. "So where do the two of us go?" He turned and asked the tall man dressed in rags. Rhoe wasn't sure he wanted to go with the man if he was going to end up smelling like that. He had clamped down on his memory of the journey he had taken and was fairly confident that when he needed it, he would remember.
"Well, we are going to head out with them, then duck down the alley by the alchemist's shop. While they keep going towards the south gate, you and I are going to take a secret route and meet them on the road near the old Dry Bridge."
"Ha! So that's your plan. Damn that IS a good one, but is it still accessible after all these years?" Karsis hadn't been surprised like this in a while, well except when Rhoe tried magic, that always surprised him, the kid was a natural.
Graf eyed him suspiciously. He thought he was the only one that knew about the ancient underground tunnels that the former alchemists used to dispose of their failed potions. They had dug it out all the way to the old tributary of the river and were eventually caught and charged with polluting the water over ninety years ago.
It was sealed away and the water cleansed and diverted, but the old bridge still stood. Graf had found it decades ago, and used it to get in and out of the city unnoticed. He shook his mangy hair out of his eyes and finally grinned. "Yes it is, I use it all the time."
They checked the back door, and Caerlyn grabbed a bunch of cloaks to cover them with so they wouldn't be immediately spotted. Karsis scanned the roof tops and saw only two men. He focused his Sight and zoomed in, getting a clear picture of them, then whispered to the winds to kick up a bit of the dirt and dust of the packed earthen road, obscuring their view and pushed the Princess quickly ahead of him, pulling Caerlyn behind him. "Go now gentleman, and Rhoe, be careful." With that they were off, running down the road, hugging the buildings for what cover they could find.
Graf scooped up the young monk and threw him over his shoulder, without telling him he was going to do so, and sprinted for the alley just two buildings down. His rags covered his eyes enough so that he could see the mini dust storm and avoid it. In seconds he heard, more than saw, the arrows click and clack off the buildings beside them. Into the alley and all the way into the back he ran, until he got to the back fence. A huge pile of refuse was sitting there, and Graf, who was more afraid of that bards dirt storm than any arrow, just dove right into it without hesitating. There was a ladder, but he knew it would take time to climb down with a body on his shoulder. This could hurt a bit.
Chapter Three: Flight
Rhoe couldn't see Karsis and the others, and he couldn't get the air in his lungs to ask the wind to clear for him with all this bouncing on the tall man's shoulders. Then they turned down an alley and Rhoe lost sight of the road.
When he looked over his own shoulder to see where they were heading, he saw the big man run for a pile of garbage. He had only enough time to hold his breath and then they were falling. The man still held him, and turned in mid air, placing himself on the bottom of the impending collision with whatever lay at the bottom of this hole, and all Rhoe could do was tense up, ready for the impact. They hit rather hard, and Rhoe felt the air rush out of the man in a whuff, and then they rolled down another pile of something that Rhoe refused to identify, It would only bother him if he knew anyway. He lay there for a minute, trying to get his bearings, which were still trying to catch up with him anyway. They were probably still coming down that long fall with his stomach.
"You in one piece young one?" Graf rolled up to a knee and finally convinced his lungs that he didn't hate them. The boy looked fine; A little queasy, but fine. The amount of control this young man had was astounding.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. Breathing is a little disturbing right now, but I'm sure my nostrils will forgive me later." He stood up on shaky legs and did a few stretches to make sure he was stable, then looked around at where they were and his jaw hit the ground. The cavern was about fifteen feet in diameter, and was stained in a variety of flora, all weird colors and sizes. There was a slight trickle of water dripping a few feet away from them, feeding a small trickle of water that ran away down the tunnel. It was almost mystical.
"Yeah, pretty cool huh. Never ceases to amaze me and I've been coming down here for years. It was caused when the old alchemists dumped all their failed potions down he
re. It created a bunch of bizarre plants and every time the Duke pays someone to get rid of them, they just came back, even with very little water and no light at all." He was walking now, and motioning for Rhoe to follow. "Just don't eat anything and you'll be fine." He laughed at his own private joke as they continued on out of River Vale, with no one the wiser.
Up above, It went a little different. The three of them ran, and then the arrows started. Thanking the sudden wind storm, and not knowing that Karsis had done it, Liss couldn't help but think that she had been running for her life ever since that fateful day in the council chamber when she smashed the chair down and took charge. She had decided to fight the ancient Incarnation, and things had gone sideways ever since. "Karsis, was this three?"
He dodged a flurry of arrows again, and threw Caerlyn down as another barrage came at them. He rolled over and saw Liss take one in the arm, spinning her around. There was way more than two guys shooting now. "Actually...yes. This was three. Now do you see why I didn't tell you?" He got up and pulled Caerlyn to her feet, thinking that she was sobbing. He frantically searched her for a wound, then as they ran once more, he realized she was laughing. "What is so funny?"
She caught her breath and looked him straight in the eyes, stopping their run for just a moment. "The flight out of Terrafar." She whooped again and ran over to Liss, grabbed her arm and guided her down the road, ducking and dodging arrows once more. Terrafar.
They had been on a mission to save Tanan, way back when they had first met, and their escape had ended just like this; Right down to Arian yelling at Karsis because the bard never told them they would have archers. It was just one of those moments that she would never forget. Running for their very lives, and those two were arguing about who was in the wrong.
"Syll take me, you're right!" Karsis hadn't even realized the similarities until she had reminded him of that mission. "Oh Gods above I had forgotten that." He ran after them, once again calling to the winds to try and deflect some of these arrows. "I was right you know." He laughed as he ran and they finally came flying around the corner towards the south gate, only to see a full contingent of guards, and the Duke waiting for them in front of the wide open gate. Oh great, how did things get worse when I never even said they couldn't get worse. That's how it always goes. He sighed and slowed to a walk beside the girls and readied his breath for a hasty casting in case one of the guards got twitchy. At least with the Duke here the arrows would stop.
"Hold Allissana!" The Duke called. Duke Brenscomb used to be a warrior, but the years of sitting behind a desk had added some girth to his waist, and to his chubby face. He hadn't lifted a sword in spirit in over ten years, but he still carried one for show. "You have nowhere to go. If you surrender they will spare the folk of this town, and I have to think about the people after all."
"Duke why are you doing this? I know you, you were always a good man, and trusted by my father." Liss was at a loss, this was the last person she would've thought wanted her dead. The King had always had good things to say about Brenscomb, what could've gone wrong?
While Liss had the Duke's attention, Karsis used his Sight to look past the Duke and his forces, for any sign of Rhoe on the road ahead. His mind whirled at the surprise he saw on the road. He needed to keep the Duke busy for another minute or so. He whispered to the winds his plea of silence, then sent it out to what he Saw. When he was sure it had worked, he refocused his Sight back and eyed the Duke as Allissana finished her plea. "Yes good Duke, how much is the G'harran sorcerer paying you to detain the Princess?"
The Duke's face went red, and he started to draw his sword, but the Princess beat him to it. With an arrow sticking out of her arm, she drew Deathsong and its ringing clarion call sounded across the whole city. "When my father hears of this, he will have your head Duke, if the King's Marshal doesn't take it off when he gets back!" He visibly blanched at that, and even some of the guards cringed, but they still stood their ground. The Duke took a deep breath to calm down, and looked around at his men. Trying to show them he was still in control. But his voice still shook a little.
"Marshal Savar won't be coming back Princess, I had my men follow his patrol and take care of them days ago. So now you are outnumbered five to one at least, and one of you is only a priest." He thought he was clever, showing how he thought he had outmaneuvered them, but he was caught off guard by the next outburst.
"Only a priest?!" Caerlyn all but screamed. "Only a priest?!!" She stepped forward and raised her hands, calling upon Davalar for one of the most powerful prayers she knew. She could only do this once, then she would have to wait for at least a tenday, but she needed it now. Her form shimmered and she was encased in a golden hue. She strode towards the Duke, and Liss fell in step beside her, readying her sword.
Karsis chuckled and walked on her other side. Five to one odds, and they were attacking, and the girls didn't even know about the surprise. This was going to be good. "Now you've done it Duke, Lady Caerlyn may be a priest, but she was a Companion of Everknight." It looked like he didn't need to distract the Duke, the girls had that under control. Just a few more moments.....
The Duke called for his men to attack, and they gave a cry advancing cautiously. Then there was blood. They attacked Caerlyn head on, and every sword that came down on her rebounded with a shrill cry, and didn't touch her in the slightest. In fact, the guards were so close that when their swords rebounded, they often hit other guards, throwing them off balance, and even slicing into them on occasion. Caerlyn's eyes never left Duke Brenscomb. Her normally meek smile was gone and replaced by a fierce grin that showed she could do what needed to be done when lives depended on it. Liss on the other hand was having more fun.
After facing trained G'harran assassins, and the Incarnation of Death itself, a few city guards were unimpressive, even in these numbers. If she were alone, she would've been in trouble, but every time a guard came at her, she used the unbalanced guards trying to fight Caerlyn as cover, then ran both thru with Deathsong. She laughed at their success, but more guards were flanking them as they slowed in front of the Duke. Then a guard came down on the arrow in her arm and broke it off.
She screamed but then realized that without the piece sticking out, she had more maneuverability. "Thank you!" She called out, as she ran her sword across his neck and kicked. The Duke's men had gathered in front of him, as a shield against the Lady Caerlyn, and she slowed as they bunched up.
Karsis, was having his share of fun as well, slashing and stabbing at any who came near him. Not one blade even came close to wounding him, and everyone that tried, came away bloody. After the first few minutes the odds were considerably less, in fact there were only five guards left in front of the Duke when Karsis saw the surprise enter the open gate at full speed. "Goodbye dear Duke!" Karsis called out over the yelling guards, grabbing Caerlyn. He kicked Liss hard in the side, sending her sprawling the other way, then leapt backwards holding onto Caerlyn.
The Dukes face frowned, thinking that some spell was coming for him, but then the lance burst out his chest, spraying his guards with his blood, and throwing everyone aside as Aeric Savar, the King's Marshal, came tearing through on his bloodied warhorse. The man was covered in a dozen wounds, and drenched in blood, not all of it his. Only two other men came behind him, their stallions making absolutely no noise as they galloped around the guards, hacking and slashing with abandon. In seconds the southern gate was quiet, and Aeric held his fist to his heart and bowed to Liss. "I'm sorry for my late entrance Princess, the Duke thought to ambush us and it took us a couple of days to get back here."
"How did you know we needed you here?" She asked, in awe of his timely arrival. They all looked like they needed to lie down for a tenday, but they were still straight in their saddles. She nodded to Caerlyn, and the priest slowly let go of her protective aura and started to try and heal Aeric, but she looked drained.
"Well, when we were attacked, we kept one of the men alive to figure out who wanted us de
ad, he talked shortly after we started asking with our knives." Aeric waved Caerlyn away to one of his other men, then continued. "He talked about ambushing the Princess at the southern gate, so I took only the men that could still ride and went around the city to catch them. Imagine our surprise when our horses stopped making noise halfway down the road." He looked at Karsis, knowing that he was probably the culprit, and nodded his thanks silently. "And then Duke Brenscomb decided to be here in person, well that was the icing on the cake, and I do love cake." He let his head fall, and talked more quietly. "I lost seven men to that bastard, and two more might not make it here, even with the healer."
"I'm sorry Aeric, they died in service to the King, and I will personally never forget this." Liss was angry now, and if what the Duke said was even partially true, the people here were in danger. "Unfortunately we have to leave, immediately, and get to Caerlyn Hold." She sheathed her sword and surveyed the bodies. These men may have tried to kill her, but how many were following orders?
"Then, give us a mere moment Princess and we will be ready to ride." Aeric sounded tired, but resolute. He would die to protect the King's daughter, and he almost had.
"No good Marshal." Karsis intervened, "The city needs you now, more than the Princess does. The Duke said that the people would suffer if the Princess went free, and now they have no leader, and a much lessened guard presence." He looked around at the dead and dying and shook his head sadly, the guards never had a chance. So what was the sorcerer's goal here, what am I missing? His thoughts spiraled away as he walked slowly towards Caerlyn. Then he stopped dead.
The Darkness Within (A Lythinall Novel) (Book 2) Page 4