“Lord Cook told you of our intent?” Cathy asked.
“Yes, there are some here that don’t feel too positively about Lord Michaels seizing the throne,” he answered. “You are here for the political prisoner?”
“Yes, uh, Nathan was it?” she asked, looking towards me.
I nodded.
“Good,” the guard responded. “I had him moved to isolation for you. Getting him out is going to be tricky.”
“Yes, we figure we can borrow a couple of guard uniforms to travel around more easily,” Cathy stated.
“That is a good idea,” he said thoughtfully. “I was told you had a Mage with you and would be able to slip through without problems.”
“Sometimes the simpler solution is the more life-saving one,” I said.
He nodded quickly. “Agreed. I’ll lead you to the armoury. Just be quiet. I sent everyone I could on patrols but there are still a few here.”
He opened the door to reveal his officer’s uniform. Lord Cook certainly knew how to work the angles. It made sense now why Ser Cook would confidently think we could break a prisoner out of the city. I wondered how much money it took for the warden to agree to this. He motioned for us to follow him and he led us to a small room with weapon racks and crates along the wall.
“You can get changed here,” the warden started. “Isolation is through the door in the main room and along the wall furthest from the mines. One of my most trusted guards is watching the entrance. Tell him Lord Cook sent you. He’ll take care of the rest.”
“Thank you very much, I greatly appreciate this,” Cathy smiled.
“No problem, my Lady. If the rumours are true and an heir lives, we need to all do our part,” the warden stated proudly.
“Is Lord Michaels going to be surprised that his prisoner escaped?” I asked.
“Don’t worry about that, Mage,” he smirked. “We’re quite good at covering our arses out here. Be safe and get out of the city.”
“Thanks,” I said.
The warden left and shut the door. Cathy started fishing around in the crates and pulled out some pieces of armour. “Find what fits you,” she said.
“Your dress is going to make things difficult for you,” I smirked.
“Not if they have...” she trailed off then pulled out a pair of breeches from a crate, “Ha. Found them. Turn away.”
I chuckled and turned to face the other way as I started to put on the armour. The straps were easy enough to figure out based on my limited knowledge of wearing armour. The weight of the chainmail was entirely different though. I couldn’t imagine wearing it for any extended period of time.
I suited up and after some gentle cursing from Cathy, she said it was okay to turn around again. She was ready to go with her helmet secured to hide her face. She handed me one and I secured it on my head with her help.
She fastened her sword to her side and grabbed a shield off the wall. I grabbed an axe from the weapon racks and fastened it to my side. It was the only thing that didn’t seem too long or heavy for me to use. I regretted the thought as soon as the axe’s weight pulled me down. We left the armoury and headed through the door outside to the prison area.
Various mines dotted the mountain side and paths wound their way up the mountain. The mountain side was too steep to worry about an inmate trying to climb to freedom even without regular guard patrols. I think the true cruelty came from being able to see over the wall the further up you were. Forever seeing freedom, but never getting the chance to experience it.
My sudden sympathy confused me and Cathy looked at me worried. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Couldn’t figure out why I feel bad for the criminals,” I whispered my answer.
She shrugged. “Are you sure it’s the criminals you feel bad for? You are probably just comparing their lives with yours. You grew up a prisoner in the Tower to escape it and end up living on the run, becoming a criminal again because of your magic. Being here just reminds you of that.”
I nodded thoughtfully. “You must be feeling the same way about this place too; given similar circumstances?”
She smiled. “Yeah, you could say that. I certainly won’t get in the way if you want to get through this as quickly as possible.”
We continued along the wall to a small building with a lone guard. A single lamp hung close to the entrance illuminating the guard. If they had used a giant sign with an arrow, it would have been less obvious. We approached the guard and he scanned over us quickly.
“Who sent you?” he asked.
“Lord Cook,” Cathy responded.
“Greetings, my Lady,” the guard said in a quieter voice. “The prisoner is inside. Here is the key.”
He handed Cathy a shiny silver key and she pocketed it. “Thanks.”
“Now, if you’ll excuse me,” he said, stretching his back and arms. “I’m going to go do my patrol. I’m sure two guards will be able to handle protecting this building in my absence.” He smirked and walked briskly away from the building.
“What a dedicated employee,” Cathy said happily. “We should request he gets promoted.”
“It will be the first thing we tell the new king,” I replied, deadpan. “Ladies first.”
“Thank you, good sir,” she said sweetly, unlocking the front door to the building.
Inside was a single cell that occupied half of the room. The other half was bare except for a table containing the equipment that belonged to the prisoner. The prisoner himself lay on a bed but stood up as we entered. He was short and thin and wore an unusual headdress that covered most of his head except for his eyes; his vaguely familiar, feminine eyes.
“Right, what’s this all about?” The prisoner asked in a familiar gruff voice.
I chuckled and removed my helmet. Recognition lit up in my old friend’s eyes as I smiled. “How did you get into this mess, Natalie?” I asked.
“It’s all about who you know,” she answered, lowering her wrap around her mouth so she could speak clearly. “I have to say though, out of all the people to come rescue me, I’m glad it’s you, Demon.” She turned to Cathy. “Let me guess, you finally got Aaron to leave the farm?”
“Not quite,” Cathy said, removing her helmet. “Just another chick in drag.”
Natalie looked slightly disappointed as she turned back to me. “Miss me so much you had to try and replace me? She even has a scar down the cheek. You don’t miss a detail, do you?”
“Natalie, meet Lady Sandra Middleton of Davalin,” I said.
Natalie’s eyebrows lifted in intrigue as she studied Cathy in a new light. “So, that means Cooky sent you. Should have guessed you wouldn’t have come for me on your own, Demon.”
“No one knew where you were,” I shrugged. “Call this a happy coincidence.”
“Very happy if you’re in my situation,” she said. “What’s the plan?”
“Walk out the front door and leave town,” Cathy answered. “Lord Cook took care of everything. He said you would know the rest though.”
“Yeah, yeah, pick up the ledger, save the kid, overthrow the government. Tell him the price is still the same,” Natalie said dismissively.
“Ledger?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Natalie said, then scanned our faces and chuckled. “Ah, he never mentioned it. Well, that was how I got all my information. Michaels recorded all the transactions in a ledger: paying the mercs, bribing officials, paying assassins, hiring thieves to break into Lord Kent’s castle. It was all there. Honestly, the guy was too efficient for his own good. You just don’t leave that information lying around in a safe behind locked doors in a heavily guarded castle so anyone can break into it and steal it.”
“Interesting...” I said thoughtfully. “So, we break into the castle and secure the ledger again.”
“Sort of,” Natalie explained. “The mission went a little bit sour so I had to ditch it in a safe place outside. The mercs were pretty steamed when they couldn’t find it. Lord Michaels tal
ked a good game about torturing me, but never showed up. He couldn’t have found it so you get me back on the grounds and I should be able to lead you right to it. Easy stuff, Demon.”
“Nothing is that easy,” I said.
Natalie shrugged. “Now are you going to let me out or are we going to talk all night long?”
“We have plenty of time but I can understand not wanting to be caged up,” Cathy said. She unlocked the cell and slid open the door.
“Thanks,” Natalie said sweetly. She hurried over to her equipment on the table and picked up her blade gauntlet. She put the glove on and the blade slid out of its hidden spot before she sheathed it. “I missed you, baby.”
“A quick question that’s been bugging me,” I pitched.
“Go for it,” Natalie replied, starting to change into her armour.
“How were you able to convince everyone you were a guy?” I asked.
“People see what they want to see,” she answered. “I don’t have much going on in the chest department and I convinced them the headdress covers a burn mark that left my face hideously disfigured.”
“What about the other inmates?” I asked.
“I know a trick or two when it comes to dealing with people,” she said, turning to me and flashing a smirk.
“We’ll leave it at that,” I said.
“Aww, you’re no fun,” she said.
“I know, right?” Cathy pitched in.
“Great,” I mumbled.
“How are we going to get out of town?” she asked. “Headdress or not, I’m a wanted girl either way.”
“Kairu will cover you in an Illusion spell so you are invisible when people are around,” Cathy answered. “People will just think we are a new guard patrol heading out of town.”
“So don’t worry about the headdress,” I said. “You could be naked and people won’t notice.”
Natalie looked thoughtful for a second. “It is too cold out there right now.” She removed the headdress and sighed as her short, black hair was finally free. “It was starting to get itchy anyhow.” She wrapped the headdress around her left arm and tied it off and nodded. “Let’s get out of here already...Kairu was it?”
“Long story,” I said.
“Good, the walk to Riverside is going to be boring otherwise,” she smiled.
Chapter 14
Getting out of the city was easy. With the guard uniforms covering our faces and Natalie rendered invisible by my spell, we were just another patrol on our way to Riverside. The gate guards just waved us through without any trouble. The security seemed a little relaxed for a war-torn city, but in the dead of night, exhaustion and apathy would always triumph.
Outside the city, we had a two day walk on our hands as we had to circle around the river up to Riverside. We stopped at a nearby cave Natalie used as an occasional hideout to get some rest. It was a great opportunity to talk to Cathy again. Things had been too crazy since entering the capital. It was an odd feeling to miss someone so much despite them being right beside you.
She was a little more relaxed after leaving Thurlborn Peak. She no longer needed to act ‘proper’ and could act something closer to herself. She still wasn’t her old way, but she looked happy again. I was relieved to see her relax.
We slept through the night and most of the morning until Natalie’s boot made its way into my stomach as a wake-up call. I wanted to sling a Fireball in her direction, but she was holding up breakfast so I forgave her. The charred rabbit was a bit dry, but a nice mix with the wild berries and water.
The day dragged on as the thought of two full days of walking weighed on me more than the heavy armour, although thoughts don’t chafe in uncomfortable locations. The only action we saw was when we passed through guard outposts and Natalie had to take the long way around.
Still, we had made excellent progress and when the sun dropped, Natalie knew of an abandoned outpost where we could spend the night. If I had been smart, I would have recorded the location of each place Natalie showed us on my map, but the sight of a bed after a full day of walking was just too inviting.
I was up early in the morning and sensed Natalie approaching for the wake-up call. I kept my eyes shut and waited for her to get closer. When she stopped beside the bed, I turned my palm up and launched a Pulse. It hit her right in the chest and she stumbled back and fell onto her butt.
“Hey!” she exclaimed.
I opened my eyes and tried to look groggy. “What happened?”
“You know exactly what happened,” she growled.
I chuckled and sat up in bed. “I got you before you could get me?”
She smirked. “That you did, Demon.”
Cathy walked into the small bedroom already in her armour. “What’s the hold up?”
“Just making sure Natalie is awake,” I answered, crossing the room to the dreaded armour.
“I’ll get you back,” she said playfully, heading out of the bedroom.
Cathy chuckled and approached me as I pieced together the armour. “How’d you sleep?” she asked.
“Better than the night before,” I answered. “What’s for breakfast?”
“Same thing as yesterday,” she answered.
I nodded. “She didn’t happen to catch a pig for bacon this time?”
She shook her head.
“Dang,” I said. “Ready for another fun day of walking?”
“Travelling sucks,” she said. “It was much more fun in your head. At least I could make fun of you because it sucked. Now I have to live it.”
I laughed. “Oh, the joys of being Human.”
“Let’s just get back to killing something soon,” she said, turning and heading out of the room.
I put on the gauntlets and picked up the helmet. I had grown accustomed to wearing the suit and it wasn’t feeling as heavy as before, but I still couldn’t wait to get rid of it though. This would be the first and last time I would wear armour. I worked better in cloth.
After a hasty breakfast, we were back on the road to Riverside again. Natalie had taken the role of scout to distance herself from us… or probably just me. She wouldn’t admit it, but I got her good with the Pulse and now she needed some time to heal her pride.
“I guess if it’s just the two of us back here, we can get some talking done,” I said to Cathy.
“Well don’t I feel special now,” she said sarcastically.
“That’s not what I meant,” I said, regretting my words.
“Maybe I’ll just move on once we get to Riverside,” she said. “Clearly you don’t need me.”
She turned her head away from me and crossed her arms. I smirked and just continued to stare at her. She turned slowly to face me and smiled. “Got you.”
“No, you didn’t,” I said.
“At the beginning there,” she pointed out.
“A little,” I admitted.
She scoffed. “More like a lot.” She switched to a mocking tone. “Oh, that isn’t what I meant, Cathy. You’re so wonderful and perfect and I’m sorry.”
I just laughed and shook my head.
“I take it you have something to say or did you feel like spewing incoherent gibberish?” Cathy asked.
“Spewing incoherent gibberish?” I asked. “Have you unlocked the thesaurus option in your brain?”
“No, I just thought it was time to add a little class and sophistication to our discussions,’ she answered dramatically.
I belched into my hand and looked up at her. “I’m sorry, you were saying?”
She laughed. “Well that didn’t last long.”
“You’re just upset that I ruined it first,” I pointed out.
“I had to give you something,” she smirked. “I can’t always be the funny one.”
“Oh, is that what you are?” I joked. “I can think of a different word.”
She punched me in the arm and the armour clanged loudly. Natalie turned back to look at us but smirked in a knowing way at the sight of us. What
she knew, she didn’t say, but she kept her distance from us almost like she wanted us to spend more time together. This was fine by me because it meant Cathy could continue to get comfortable in her human role.
The rest of the walk to Riverside flew by and we arrived outside the gates as the sun was getting low in the sky. We would probably have to wait for dark before retrieving the package and that meant the chance of picking up a hot meal.
Natalie went for her headdress on her arm but stopped. “I might actually be better off if I didn’t cover my face.” She looked up. “A weird thought.”
“We’ll pick you up a hat or something,” Cathy said.
“Yeah, I have excellent taste when it comes to choosing hats,’ I joked.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Cathy’s eye twitch, but she maintained her composure.
Natalie, however, laughed freely. “No offence, ‘Kairu’, but fashion isn’t, nor will it ever be, your strongest subject.”
I smiled. “I’ll surprise you one day.”
“I’ll be holding my breath until then,” she replied, sarcastically. “Let’s grab some dinner before dark. Who’s paying?”
*****
Dinner was light but delicious; the perfect recharge after the long day on our feet. Our hope was that our mission would be simple. We needed to get into the castle grounds and retrieve the ledger from Natalie’s hiding spot.
With me and Cathy still dressed as guards, the plan was to make it look like a simple prisoner transfer from the capital. Natalie explained that we would need some forged documents to make it look legit and she disappeared to meet an old friend, returning shortly with documents in hand.
Wasting no time, Natalie wrapped her head in her headdress and Cathy and I ensured our uniforms looked proper before binding Natalie’s hands and leading her to the Lord of Riverside’s castle.
The castle was smaller than the one at Thurlborn Peak, but it was no less grand. Lord Michaels thought highly of himself and he let the world know it. High walls surrounded the exterior with an iron bar gate separating the grounds from the town. The idea was for people to be able to see the castle, but not get anywhere close to it, as if the stink of poor people would damage the perfect, smooth walls of the castle.
The Vacant Throne: The Legend Of Kairu Vol 3 Page 11