The commander nodded, “move your men back to their barracks, and await further orders.” They saluted and moved to carry out their orders.
“Insurrectionist? What insurrection?” I thought. “Why kill all the mages? It doesn’t make sense unless they were a threat. But a threat to who? The soldiers were going back to their barracks, which means they were our soldiers.” I looked toward the castle. “A coup? That's the only answer that makes sense.”
I looked down at the commander where he sat his horse watching the soldiers march away. I jumped down into the horse's Shadow, the horse never flinched. I pulled the commander into the Shadow with me, my knife at his throat. He struggled until he felt the bite of the blade.
“Who ordered the killing of the mages?” He said nothing, “You are no use to me if you can't answer my questions.” I put more pressure on the blade.
“The king ordered it,” he said.
“Why would the king order the killing of his mages? He's one himself.”
“Not the old king, the new one. Magic use is now outlawed. Mages are under a death sentence.”
“When did this happen?”
“The old king and his family were taken captive tonight.”
“Are they still live?” I asked. He hesitated, I let the blade bite.
“The prince escaped, he still lives,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Who’s the new king?”
“Duke Lermont.”
“The king's brother?”
“Half-brother. He's not a mage. He will stamp out the scourge of magic users and bring us back to the true path.” he said grabbing my hand.
I slit his throat, “death is your only true path,” I said, as he bled out. I let his body fall. We were still inside the Shadow. I searched him, leaving his weapons, since someone might recognize them. But I took his purse.
I moved back up the wall and sat down. A coup. Using magic outlawed. Most of the mages in the city are dead. The rest of us under a death sentence. That pretty much summed it up.
What to do now? I am, as far as anyone knows, dead. Those who know me, know I had no mage abilities. That's why my family used me as a common laborer. No one will be looking for me, so for all intents and purposes, I'm free to do whatever I want.
I looked toward the castle thinking. “Before I go there is a blood debt to be settled.” I thought. I Flowed down the wall and headed for the castle.
Chapter 2
I had never been to the castle, but it was pretty much what I had imagined, only bigger. There was a Shadow up the wall, and that was my way in. I stopped at the top and watched the activity below. There were soldiers everywhere — some at their guard posts, others roving the grounds.
I waited for a patrol to pass and jumped into their Shadow. I Flowed in it until we reached the stables. There were plenty of shadows here, so I jumped. I moved around to the kitchen entrance and waited for someone going inside.
I didn't have long to wait; a boy came by carrying wood. I jumped into his Shadow and Flowed into the kitchen. From there it was easy to get to a shadow along the wall. I waited a moment, watching and listening.
I seemed to me it was business as usual here, but they seemed quiet to me. A tray of food was being taken upstairs, I followed. The stairs came out in a hall, then a dining room. There were several men at the table, eating and talking.
The man at the head of the table, I assumed, was the new king, Lermont. “Is there any news about the prince?” He asked.
“Nothing new, Sire,” someone answered.
“Well, as long as we hold his father, he'll not go far. He may even be foolish enough to try and rescue him,” Lermont said.
My eyebrows rose, “so the commander lied,” I thought.
“That would save us a lot of trouble.” another said.
“What of the mages?” Lermont asked.
“All we could find have been killed. The few that have escaped have a price on their heads. And as you decreed, they are under a death sentence.”
I doubted they would hold the king in his apartment, so he's probably in the dungeon. “It would be better revenge to free the king, than kill Lermont. Death would be too easy for him.” I thought.
I moved back into the hall and followed it around. There were numerous doors, not knowing where to look I had to check them all. Most were just small guest rooms with a bed, desk, and chair. At the far end of the hall was a large, locked door, with bars over a small window. I Flowed under the door and down the stairs. There was another locked door at the bottom.
I went under, and into the dungeon. Empty cells lined the hall. I moved along the cells; the hall turned a corner into what could only be the torture chamber. The jailor in a black hood sat a table at the far end of the chamber. I made sure he was alone, picking up a battle hatchet as I passed a table. There were other cells beyond his table. I jumped into the jailer's Shadow, then chopped into his neck severing his spine, he died instantly. I took the keys and checked the other cells. they were all empty save one. I unlocked the cell door and pushed it open.
From his clothes I would guess this was the king. He was alive, but unconscious. I sat him up against the wall, then went back out in the chamber to get water. I put the cup to his lips and let a little water run into his mouth. He coughed once, then started swallowing. After a few swallows, his eyes opened.
“Thank you,” he said. I nodded and gave him a few more swallows. I gave him a few moments to compose himself.
“Can you walk?” I asked.
“With your help, I'll manage.” I helped him to his feet. I steadied him and we left the cell. He glared at the jailor as we passed but said nothing. He was not a large man, just a little taller than me, and about the same age as father, I'd judge. He'd been banged around some but had no permanent damage that I could see.
“You're a mage?” He asked.
“I am.”
“What gift?”
I didn't really want anyone to know what I could do, that secret had already saved my life. “Keeping secrets.” I answered.
“Not much of a gift.”
My smart mouth had got me cuffed more than a few times, but I couldn't help myself. “I wasn't the one locked in a cell,” I said.
He stopped and looked at me, then chuckled. “You have me there, my young friend.” I unlocked the dungeon door, and we started up the stairs. At the first landing he stopped us.
He pushed one of the stones in the wall and the wall opened. We moved inside the passage, “wait,” I said. I went up to the door at the top of the stairs and unlocked it, leaving the keys in the door. Returning to the king, I nodded. We moved down the passage in silence.
In the darkness the king had his hand against the wall to guide us. I had no trouble seeing, which I assumed it was part of my Shadow Meld gift. I didn't say anything about it, I let him lead the way. After a number of paces, he stopped and pushed another stone in the wall. The wall opened into another passage, and he led us in. The wall closed behind us.
“We’re safer now; these passages are known only to the royal family. There is a room ahead where we can rest. There will be food and water there.” That room had a normal wooden door. Inside were beds, a table, and chairs. I sat him in one of the chairs at the table. He waved his hand and the candles on the table lit.
“There should be food and water on those shelves,” he said pointing. I brought him water, then returned to see what food there was. “Bring one of the bags,” he said. I brought one to him, and he opened it. “The food is kept fresh by magic.” He sat out bread, meat, and cheese. “There should be wine there too.” I brought the wine bottle back and filled his cup, which he drained. I filled it again and sat the bottle down.
He began to eat, “what news?”
“Lermont has seized the throne. He has made using magic illegal. He ordered troops into the mage district and had every mage they could find put to the sword. Those who escaped are under a death sentence.”
&
nbsp; He stopped eating and stared at me, then hung his head. I continued, “your son, the prince, escaped. They are still searching for him. They hope by keeping you alive he will come back to rescue you, giving them a chance to capture him.” He nodded, saying nothing. After a moment he started eating again.
“Your name?”
“They call me Hyder,” I answered.
“Your family?”
“Killed, this night, like every other mage they could find.”
“Every family?” He asked, unbelieving. I nodded. “Then I am fortunate that you are a good hider,” he said. “How did you come to find me?”
“I actually came to the castle to kill Lermont. But I heard them talking about you and the prince. I thought it would be better revenge to free you and spoil his plans.”
“Well, whatever your reason, I thank you for freeing me. I shall not forget it. When my kingdom is restored, you shall be well rewarded. But for now, I ask that you stay in my service, I need your help.”
I thought a moment, he waited. I really had no plan of what to do next. I'm not sure what future I had with a de-throned king. But I still owed Lermont a blood debt. I nodded, “I'll stay.”
“Good. We’ll rest here until tonight then we'll leave the castle.”
I nodded. He finished eating then took to a bed and was soon asleep.
I stayed up for a bit looking around the safe room. It was well supplied for anyone needing to escape. There were clothes, food, and weapons cached here. “Better to have and not need,” I thought.
I finally laid down and was able to sleep, but it was not a peaceful rest. I kept waking up expecting soldiers to be breaking in. But I did sleep some.
My eyes snapped open when the king sat up. He stood slowly checking his balance, then moved to the table. I joined him to break our fast.
“You wear weapons and armor, are you trained to use them?” He asked.
“Not really, Sire. Though I did kill the soldiers who raided our house and killed my family. I took these off one of the men I killed.” I knew what he was really asking. If I were in his position, I would do the same. He wanted to know what use I could be. “Have you ever heard of Shadow Melding?” I asked.
He nodded, “I read an account of it in a mage book a long time ago. I don't remember much about it.”
“Basically, I can move and hide inside shadows. Anywhere there is a shadow, I can go unseen and unheard.” I stood up and walked into a shadow, moved around the room, and came out behind him. He jumped a little when I walked past him and retook my seat.
He nodded, “a secret worth keeping. And one I'll keep between us.”
“Thank you, Sire.”
He thought a moment, “Can you take someone into shadow with you?”
“Yes, but I killed the last person I pulled in. I think I could take someone in with me safely though. Would you like to try?”
“I would. I'd rather find out now while we are safe, rather than when my life depended on it.”
“Ok,” I said standing up. “Take my hand.” He stood and took it. I stepped into a Shadow, taking the king with me. We stood there; he was looking around.
“Amazing. What happens if I let go of your hand? Will I be out of the shadow?”
“I don't know, you are the first person I've ever done this with.”
He nodded and let go of my hand. Nothing happened, we were both still inside the shadow. “Step outside the Shadow, leaving me inside. I'II talk, you see if you can hear me. Don't leave me in here too long,” he said smiling.
I nodded and stepped out, I was alone outside the shadow and heard no sounds. I stepped back inside. The king was standing there looking at me. “Are you Ok?”
“Fine, did you hear anything?”
“Nothing.”
“No wonder they called you Hyder. This is wonderful talent, and one we shall never speak of. As far as anyone else is concerned you are one of my scouts.” He looked around, “Ok, take us out.” I touched him and we stepped out of the Shadow. “Thank you for trusting me with your secret. I'll not betray it.” He put his hand out and we clasped wrists.
We sat down, “how was Lermont able to take the castle?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Poison. He poisoned the food and water. The only reason I'm not dead is that he gave me the antidote to keep me alive. Fortunately, the prince was out on a hunt when Lermont struck. The rest were not so fortunate. And before this is over, he will beg for poison to be put out of his misery.
He poured another cup of wine then poured me one. “Before we leave, we need to go down to the treasury vault. We'll need gold.” I nodded.
* * *
We stopped at the corner before the royal vault. The king peeked around the corner. Then stepped back, holding up two fingers. I took that to mean two guards. I nodded, took hold of his arm, and took us into a Shadow.
“Can you get us into the vault without having to kill those men?”
“If there is a shadow under the door I can.” I had to be touching the king when we moved from Shadow to Shadow. When we went under the door and into the vault he was smiling.
“We'll have to be quiet, I'm not sure how much can be heard through that door,” he said.
I nodded, “I'll stay close to you in case we have to jump back into a Shadow.”
“Good idea.” I put my hand on him and stepped us out of the Shadow. It was dark in the vault. The king held out his hand and a small ball of mage light appeared. He moved to a cabinet and opened the doors and pulled out a drawer. he took small bags out and put them in his shoulder bag. he handed me a few bags, and I put them in my pouch. From another drawer he put on a few rings. From another drawer he took two large purses. One went into his bag, the other in mine.
He looked around and nodded. I looked behind us and saw that the whole vault was in shadow. “I wonder?” I thought. he closed the cabinet and nodded to me. I took us back into the Shadow.” I have an idea I'd like to try,” I said.
“What's your idea?”
“I noticed that when you blocked the light for the mage light, it put the whole room in shadow. I want to see if I can take the chests into the Shadow and leave them there.”
He frowned, trying to understand what I meant. Then he started smiling. “If you can, Lermont's head will explode when he finds an empty vault. he laughed. “Try it.”
I stepped us back out of the Shadow. The king opened his mage light and put the vault into shadow. I moved to a chest and touched it. I concentrated on what I wanted to happen, then moved the chest into the Shadow with me. The chest was now in the Shadow. I let go of the chest and stepped out. The chest stayed inside the Shadow. I looked at the king, he was grinning from ear to ear. I moved everything into Shadow, leaving the vault just an empty room.
* * *
Back in the safe room the king was chuckling. “What I wouldn't give to see Lermont's face when he opens the vault door. You can't run a kingdom without gold. And he will not be able to pay the army or his mercenaries. But we can't wait here for that to happen, we need to go.”
I didn't ask where the rendezvous was, he probably wouldn't tell me. He was suspicious of everyone, and for good reason. I went to the shelves to gather supplies. I didn't know when we'd be able to get more. Of course, I could always steal more.
There was the sound of men rushing into the other room. I jumped into a Shadow. I ran the Shadows toward the king. The sound of steel blades rang. He was fighting for his life as four soldiers were trying to take him.
I drove my knife into the back of the skull of the first man I came to. He dropped dead. I stabbed the next man in the neck, he fell away holding his neck trying to stop the bleeding. The next man fell to the king's sword. But in doing so, he gave the last man an opening to stab him in the chest. I grabbed the last man by his hair, pulling his head back, and cut his throat.
The king sat down hard, the sword still in his chest. I reached for it, “Don't,” the king said. “It will do no go
od. Go to the prince, help him anyway you can. There is a mage book in the chest at the foot of my bed. take it, it will help you. Take anything else you need. You will find him with my weapons master, Gilbert, at the abbey in Iron Wood, in the south.
Tell Gilbert, I said ‘broken spur’. He'll know it's from me and understand.” Those were his last words.
I pulled his body into a Shadow. I took the contents of his shoulder bag, the gold, and the gems. I took his signet ring as the prince would need it. There was nothing more I could do for him, so I left him in the Shadow. If they found no body, they would think he had escaped.
I searched the dead soldiers, took what coin they had. I didn't want to leave the bodies here, stinking up the place, so I put them in Shadow as well.
I stayed in the Shadows as I moved through the passages. I saw a crack of light on the floor. There was a door there, half in shadow. I went under the door, into another room. No one was in the room. I moved to the room's door and listened. I heard nothing. I went under the door which came out in an empty hallway.
Staying in the Shadows, I moved about the castle. stopping now and again to listen to conversations. It seemed no one knew of the fight in the king's safe room. Well, not yet anyway. Finding the guarded hallway to the royal apartments, I followed it. There were guards at every junction, and two guards and a door at the end of the hall. I assumed this must be the king’s rooms. I went under the door; the room was empty as far as I could see.
Having come close to dying so recently I stayed in Shadow.
I looked in all the rooms ensuring I was alone. There was a painting of the prince's likeness hanging on the wall. I jumped to the Shadow of the large chest at the foot of the king’s bed.
Opening the chest, I found the king's mage book under some clothes. I took it and sat down in the Shadow. I opened the book and thumbed through it. It was much nicer than mine and more extensive. It barely fit the opening of my shoulder bag. It had been a long night and I was tired. I went to the sitting area and took pillows into the Shadow, making myself a bed. I'd think more clearly after I had slept.
Stonecutter's Shadow: A young mage's fight through a fantasy kingdom full of treachery Page 2