“Try to stay focused. We’re not here for sightseeing,” Aiden advised. So far, he hadn’t found anything that would suggest a secret passageway, so he started checking behind the paintings themselves, thinking that the larger canvases might be hiding some sort of latch or handle. He entered a large room, adorned on all walls with paintings depicting everyday life in Fairloch, before someone finally found something of interest.
“Over here,” Sayana called quietly. Aiden and the others walked over to join her next to a large painting, one he’d looked at earlier without success.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, not seeing any reason for the call.
“This painting is different to the others,” she pointed out. “All of the paintings here have a theme of life on the streets of this city, and yet this one depicts the violent death of an important man — it doesn’t fit with the others.” Aiden adjusted his position to make sure his arcane light was shining fully upon the painting, and took a closer look at the picture itself.
“‘The Overthrow of Kings’,” Aiden murmured, reading from the plaque. It was a work of violence and blood, showing the death of a king at the hands of an outraged populace armed with pitchforks and torches.
“This painting really speaks to me,” Valennia confided, peering at the picture from over Aiden’s shoulder.
“I can’t imagine why,” Aiden muttered absently. “Pace, come have a look at this and see if there’s some sort of mechanism.”
“Give us some room,” Pacian advised as he pushed through to the front and began carefully running his fingers along the edge of the frame. Finding nothing, he tried lifting the picture off the wall but found that it could not be moved. “Are they supposed to be fixed to the wall like this?”
“No, they usually just hang off a hook on the wall,” Sir William explained.
“This has to be it,” Aiden advised. “Keep trying.” Pacian stepped back and took in the whole picture, looking for something to give him an indication of what he was dealing with. After a long, silent moment, he groaned and slapped himself on the forehead.
“What is it?” Aiden whispered, tense with expectation.
“How long has this painting been here, do you think?” Pacian asked the others.
“I recall coming here as a boy and seeing this painting,” Sir William remarked. “In fact, I believe I read somewhere that it was the first painting to be hung in this gallery.”
“And it wasn’t always a gallery, right?” Pacian pressed, running the flat of his palm carefully across the canvas.
“That is correct, though I haven’t the foggiest idea who used to live here prior to the sale of the building.”
“It’s not who owned it, it’s about what it used to be,” Pacian murmured, his hand settling over the shadow underneath the picture of the throne. He pressed his finger into black spot, and to Aiden’s surprise, a soft click could be heard, and the entire wall opened inwards to a stairway leading down into the darkness.
“A cellar,” Maggie stated ruefully. “I’ll bet this place used to be a winery or some such.”
“Nice work Pace,” Aiden breathed, peering down into the darkness as his pulse quickened. “You and Ronan move ahead and check it out.” He glanced around and saw the tension building on the faces of his companions as they readied their weapons and checked their gear. Nellise and Sir William both put on their helmets, and when he noticed Sayana enacting her protective magic, and Aiden grasped the case of scrolls on his hip to reassure him of their presence.
“The stairs are clear,” Ronan called up to them as loudly as he dared.
“Okay, move in slowly, I’ll be with you in a minute,” Aiden replied, gesturing for the others to go inside. He took out a scroll and read a familiar looking set of inscriptions that would conjure spectral armour, no doubt a popular choice for wizards concerned with their continuing existence in dangerous situations.
Aiden read it aloud and a moment later, the scroll disintegrated and he was covered in a brief flash of light and the faint, ghostly image of a suit of armour covered his form for a moment before disappearing.
“Oh, I like that one,” Sayana whispered, and began moving her hands in rhythmic patterns before her, until a minute later when she too was protected by the spectral armour.
“Clever girl,” Aiden murmured with a slight smile. He stepped down the first few stairs and closed the door behind him.
Only the flickering of their magic lights allowed them to see their surroundings. The passage was narrow, and they were forced to move single file until they reached the bottom of the stairs, where it opened into a small chamber. It wasn’t much to look at, appearing to be little more than a forgotten cellar, complete with shelves and empty barrels stacked in one corner. Sayana found something of interest on the floor, however.
“There are many recent tracks here,” she observed, kneeling down on the dust-covered flagstones. “They come and go from that wall over there, behind the shelf.” Pacian moved forward to investigate, finding a lever hidden in a tiny alcove that, when pulled, opened up a section of wall much like the one in the gallery above.
“Sneaky bastards,” Ronan grunted as he moved through the doorway, as silent as death.
“Look who’s talking,” Maggie whispered, gripping her tiny sword tightly. Ronan gave the all-clear, and they started moving into the new passageway, this one wide enough for them to move two abreast. Sir William and Valennia went in after the scouts, with the others bringing up the rear.
The dampness in the cold air carried with it a strange aroma, something Aiden thought was akin to a wet dog, but otherwise there was no indication of danger or signs that their presence had been detected by the occupants. The group moved slowly down the passageway with Ronan and Pacian making sure the way was clear, until they came to an intersection that led off into three other passageways.
“Should we split up?” Pacian asked, keeping his voice as low as possible.
“We stick together,” Aiden decided after a moment’s deliberation. “Sy, see if you can find some more tracks.” She nodded and moved to scan the ground for signs of passage.
“They go to the right,” she announced after a few moments of investigation.
“Then so do we,” Valennia stated. The lack of guards, or even locked doors was a little perplexing for Aiden, and he had to assume that the assassin’s figured that the secret doors would be enough to deter invaders. The corridor continued onward for perhaps twenty yards, at which point Pacian pointed out a metal portcullis above his head.
“Seems to be rusted in place,” Ronan remarked after a few moments of investigation. “I don’t think a lot of people come down this way very often.”
“A strange place for a heavy gate such as this, though,” Sir William said. “I see little here worth defending.”
“Do the tracks continue on?” Aiden asked Sayana, who nodded in reply. “We keep moving then.” Valennia gave the portcullis a suspicious glance then followed as Sayana pressed forward. They had only travelled a further twenty yards when Aiden was startled by a loud clanging sound from behind, followed by an echoing boom as the portcullis slammed down. The sounds of chains rattling from behind the walls could be heard as a moment later as the walls started to close on them.
“We walked right into a trap,” Pacian snarled. Aiden immediately turned and ran to the metal gate and searched around for some kind of opening mechanism, without success. He shook the bars fruitlessly and stifled a cry of frustrated rage. Maggie tried to squeeze her diminutive frame through the gap between bars, but she was a little too large to fit.
“Can we get through at the other end?” Nellise called over the loud noise.
“It’s a dead end,” Sayana called back, an edge of fear in her voice. Valennia was trying to use her strength to keep the walls apart, but seemed to have no effect. Sayana stood in the middle of the rapidly narrowing corridor and held an outstretched palm to each wall, focusing her energies to try and hold it a
part with sheer force of will. Combined with Valennia’s efforts, the walls made a low, grating sound of protest and slowed noticeably, buying them valuable time.
His pulse racing, Aiden struggled to think clearly. Looking around on the ground, he could see faint outlines of footprints that stopped abruptly ten feet into this part of the passageway.
“The tracks stop here,” he said, pointing at the ground. Ronan and Pacian rushed over and looked carefully, brushing aside the loose dirt for any sign of a door.
“Found it,” Pacian blurted, detecting the edge of a trapdoor with his fingers. “I don’t know how it opens, though — there’s no sign of a latch.”
“Hurry up,” Valennia snarled through clenched teeth. Despite the best efforts of the two Akoran women, the walls were slowly but surely winning the battle. Pacian and Ronan redoubled their efforts, trying to find the method for opening the door via a loose brick or something similar, until a few moments later when Maggie made a discovery.
“What’s that?” she asked, pointing up at an oddly protruding brick in the ceiling.
“Exactly what we’re looking for,” Ronan muttered, jumping up to hit the brick, which slid inside the ceiling with a dense clunk sound. The trapdoor immediately opened.
“Everyone in!” Aiden ordered. Pacian made use of the ladder on the side of the wall to lower himself, and then the others followed one by one. By the time they’d descended, the edges of the walls were alongside the hole, giving the two remaining women only moments to escape a horrible death.
“Go!” Sayana ordered, sending Valennia down through the escape hatch next. Without her strength the walls started to close over the hole more rapidly, and Aiden could no longer see what was happening above as he continued down.
An ominous booming sound came from above as the walls crunched against each other, and for a few breathless moments, Aiden dreaded the thought that Sayana might not have made it.
Stepping back from the ladder, they waited for a long moment until Sayana levitated into the room. Relieved they had made it out of the trap alive, Aiden glanced around at their surroundings and saw a room ten yards square, its walls made of bricks partially covered with grime that smelled of mould and moisture. There was an old access door at the far end, the wood it was made from rotten. Nellise was closest to it, and after a quick nod from Pacian, she crept forward for a closer look.
A sharp sound pierced the near-silence of the chamber as a spear shot from a nearby wall and struck Nellise in the back. Her breastplate managed to turn aside the tip, but it was a shock nonetheless and would most likely leave a bruise.
As one, Aiden’s companions looked around carefully, trying to find the source of the attack, when a faint click could be heard, right before another spear shot from a different wall and struck Valennia. She cried out and clutched at the gruesome injury on her arm, until their attention was drawn away by yet another spear striking her as she flailed about.
“Stop moving, the floor is trapped,” Ronan ordered. “Pacian, let’s clear a path to the door while everyone stays still.” Pacian did as ordered, crouching to examine the floor while Ronan checked nearby. “There are pressure plates all over the place,” he hissed. “I don’t think there’s any doubt we’ve landed right in their base. You hanging in there Val?”
“They have succeeded only in making me angry,” the Akoran warrior growled.
“I can get to her from here,” Maggie said, nimbly picking her way amongst the tiles on the floor until she stood alongside Valennia, and started to tend her wounds. Aiden and the rest had to hold still for over a minute before Ronan gave the all-clear, and everyone started to move single file towards the door. Pacian was already there, listening with his ear to the ancient wood for any signs of trouble on the other side.
“Let us open the door and surprise them,” Valennia whispered, the wound on her arm reduced to a red welt. Pacian slowly gripped the rusty handle and attempted to open it, only to discover it was jammed. At that moment a small hatch slid open above the door and a gloved hand dropped a large glass bottle through it. Demonstrating his finely honed reflexes, Pacian caught the vial and saw a volatile bubbling liquid inside. Alarmed at what he was holding, he threw it over his shoulder to the furthest wall, where it shattered.
Flames immediately spread over the wall as the liquid spread, pouring down to the floor and slowly oozing its way towards the group. Everyone moved to put some distance between them and the fire, coughing as the smoke began to build up in the small room.
“Follow my lead!” Valennia cried, readying her axe and eyeing the closed door before them. Before Aiden could respond, she cried out a challenge in her native tongue and charged through the door, which exploded from the impact and was followed almost immediately by the sounds of fighting.
“For the king!” Sir William bellowed, drawing his sword and rushing to her aid as he ran through the broken doorway.
With a deep breath, Aiden summoned his shield and drew his sword, leading his remaining companions in a charge through the door to whatever waited for them on the other side.
Chapter Fourteen
Aiden emerged from the smoke-filled room into a scene of chaos. The magical light on his belt allowed him to see a long stone corridor they’d entered disappearing off into the darkness, with large alcoves at regular intervals along each side. Before him, Valennia and Sir William fought against figures in dark cloaks wielding short, curving blades with deadly precision.
As the rest of their companions rushed out of the burning room, Valennia pressed the attack, sweeping her great axe back and forth against a number of elusive shadowy figures.
Aiden rushed to Sir William’s side and swung his blade at one of the assailants, meeting only thin air as the agile killer dodged to one side, managing to slash at Aiden in response. His spectral armour absorbed the impact, allowing him to hold Sir William’s flank while the old knight moved in.
Wielding Solas Aingeal with two hands, he swept the blade into the ranks of his enemies, slicing through both their flimsy armour and their flesh with equal ease. The sword flared with light on each hit, and mindful of its deadly touch, their foes gave up the attack and focused on simply staying alive.
“They’re trying to delay us,” Sir William bellowed. From what Aiden could see, they now faced only four opponents, and with Sayana and Ronan joining the fight, the tide was turning their way. Crossbow bolts flew through the air as Nellise brought her weapon to bear.
Unable to see a way to win, their enemies pulled back into the corridor. Aiden and Sir William pressed forward, trying to keep up with Valennia as she ran after their shadowy assailants, swerving and diving through the corridor. Two of them turned to stall their pursuers while the others got away.
Val met them head on, narrowly missing her target who pressed his back against the wall while the axe swept past. What he hadn’t anticipated was her foot coming up to his chest, pinning him in place while she brought her axe back up for another swing. The assassin slashed away with his blade, but the Akoran warrior didn’t even notice as she brought her axe down on his skull, ending his life in a spray of gore.
A jet of flame shot past Aiden and took one of the fleeing assassins in the back, engulfing him in flame and ending his life within moments. Sayana stepped past, a ball of fire still hovering in her hand. The last of them disappeared into one of the alcoves.
“He’s going to tell the others we’re here,” Maggie warned, but was silenced as a Pacian-shaped blur ran past in pursuit, dashing around the alcove’s corner with only his rapid footsteps giving any indication of his progress.
Around the corner was not an alcove at all, but another corridor leading away through the darkness. Aiden felt that they were exposed, charging along what appeared to be an unused part of the sewer system with their lights revealing their exact location.
They were heading deep into the complex far quicker than they should and making too much noise. Aiden’s fears were confirmed moment
s later when he heard a click underfoot. He stopped and lurched backwards hoping to avoid whatever he’d just set off and felt a breeze waft past him as a log attached to ropes dangling from the ceiling wooshed past, narrowly missing him.
With their trap foiled, dark shapes emerged from hidden doors in the wall nearby and descended upon Aiden and his companions once again with daggers flashing in the dim light.
Aiden went to the aid of Sayana, who was trying to fend off three assailants at once and was still standing only because of the protective magic surrounding her. Ignoring Kinsey’s earlier advice, Aiden recklessly swung with all of his strength and managed to cut an assassin right across his body, severing the straps on his leather armour and sending him to the ground.
Ronan appeared from behind the group and with a quick one-two from his twin swords, cut down another of their ranks. This freed up Sayana to take the offensive, and with her shining axe she finished off the last of the three.
More were charging down the corridor to join their brethren in the fight, but fortunately, Maggie stepped forward with a solution. She sent a spray of water from her palms straight up at the ceiling, and her lips moved quickly in a prayer to nature.
“Duck!” she called to Pacian, who never hesitated when someone told him to do so. He dove to the ground and skidded on the dusty stones as Maggie’s prayer took effect, freezing the stream of water and summoning a driving wind to blast down the corridor. Jagged shards of ice bombarded the oncoming assailants, battering them and leaving them a bloody mess, an easy target for Valennia and Sir William to carve their way through.
Soldiers of the Crown Page 23