by Cox, Craig
“Come on, we need to get in before the big crowds. Otherwise, we will be queuing for hours to get anywhere.”
Ashe moved back on to the road, the rest of them caught up quickly. They had arrived near the outskirts the evening before but had decided to stay one more night out in the woods before entering the next morning. As they entered into the trail of people the smell hit Braden at full force again, it was a concoction of body sweat, wet dog, horse droppings and a number of other things he could only guess at. He made a conscious effort to move to the edge allowing the cool breeze to blow away at least some of the smell. As they entered the outskirts of the city horns blew, Braden turned to see what was causing the commotion. A murmuring broke out in the crowd growing louder as the sound of hoofs got closer. Another blow of the horns echoed against the walls, as a group of seven mounted men began to trot down the centre of the road. Six were armed and armoured, their steel breastplates were gleaming as their bright blue capes billowing behind them in the wind. The seventh man was clearly a nobleman, he didn’t glance down as he rode past, an orange boar emblazoned across his chest stood out against his blue cloak. Braden moved quickly, falling in behind the last horseman, pulling Troy with him, the group used the nobleman and his troops as a battering ram and were able to move quickly through the crowd towards the entrance to the city. Soon the buildings began to get larger, taverns and stables were popping up more and more often, each with its own slogan about how much cheaper it was than any tavern inside the city.
Braden kept a mental note of how expensive the taverns were, in case the signs were right and he couldn’t find his father before nightfall. They didn’t have much coin left and with an extra mouth with Ashe, they needed to make the money they had, last as long as possible. Finally, the buildings gave way to reveal an extensive external courtyard surrounding the gate to the city. The gates themselves stood almost three storeys high, solid wood beams as thick as two men were crisscrossed with bronze and iron stripes and on top was the royal crest in gold. It was more a sign of power than any form of protection. The gold would crumple at the first hit, from any attack but Braden could only stop and stare. The four roads led into the courtyard outside the city gates, every side was lined with stalls, buying and selling goods to anyone who was entering the capitol. Guards dressed in red, patrolled the rooftops, bows half drawn. He looked from one rooftop to the next, realising it was a killing field for anyone trying anything. A queue of men and women snaked around one side of the courtyard, each one waiting to get into the city. On the other side, carts lined up in single file, their owners sitting patiently, for the next one to be called forward and checked before passing through the huge gates. Alex was already making for the back of the line as Braden watched the nobleman ride straight down the middle of the courtyard and up to the gate. The guards tensed for only a moment, before one pointed to the boar and they let him pass through. Braden shook his head, as he looked over the queue in front of him, wondering how long it was going to take for them to get through the gates and into Alton.
It took a little over half an hour to get through the gates, Ashe had been a massive help. Not only had she helped to disguise Magnus, her combination of magic and slight of hand, had got Braden’s sword and Alexander’s blade and hammer through, without a second glance from the guards who searched them. She had explained to them that swords, axes, bows and any other large weapons were forbidden in the capitol, only the noblemen, their recognised retainers and the city guard were allowed to carry them. Smuggling in a sword would get you thrown into jail as quickly as trying to smuggle in a lion cub. He could see how physically taxing the magic had been to Ashe and he chose a small food stall a little way into the city to sit and rest, it specialised in steamed meat’s. He ordered a small portion for each of them before sitting down on the bench in between Troy and Ashe. “So we’re in. Now where to?” Alex said. Braden looked down the bench to Alex and shrugged his shoulders. “I’m sorry to say, I think getting in was the easy part. We now have to find him?” “Don’t you have any information about him? At least if we know what he does, we can narrow it down?” He turned and looked at Ashe, he had forgotten that she had spent a lot of time recently in and around the capitol. He still wasn’t sure how knowing what his father did for a living, would help find him among half a million people.
“Alton is divided up into four areas, the first one we are in, is the Greater Alton. It’s mainly residential but also has a lot of taverns and stable houses. Then you have the West Alton.” She pointed off to North West where smoke was filling the sky.
“That’s where most of the smith’s, smelters, tanners, butchers, you name it are, if it makes a profit you can find it there. You then have the smaller Rupert's Square which is mainly used by the City Guard and Royal Army and then the High Alton, which surrounds the Citadel, where the houses of the noblemen are. Braden, do you know what your father does for a living?”
“Whenever my mother spoke of him, she said that he worked with the nobility.” Ashe rolled her eyes, before Troy jumped in.
“So we get to go to the Citadel?”
Braden turned and looked up the road towards the inner walls creeping over the building tops, protecting the High Alton.
“Are those walls guarded as well?” He asked.
“Normally they are closed to anyone who doesn’t have business in there, but once a week the King opens the gates to the district and the Citadel itself, to allow his subjects to bring matters to him for his judgment, which luckily for us is today, that’s why there is a bigger crowd at the gate.”
“There is almost half a million people in the city, let alone the rest of the Kingdom. How does he get through them all? He would need the doors open every day of the year and that wouldn’t even touch the surface.” Alex jumped in.
“Luck and coin, they’re your two choices. If you get there early enough or your story pulls on one of the King's attendant’s heart strings, you may get it in. Otherwise, you’ll need to dip into your pocket to get yourself seen.”
“That’s bribery, how can the King let that happen?” Braden’s voice raised drawing another patron’s attention.
“Quiet down Braden, we don’t want to attract the King himself. Yes, it is corruption and the King knows about it, but he has to let at least some of it take place, otherwise the corrupt will get their money elsewhere. At least here he has some control over it. Plus all those who don’t see the King normally get to see one of his underlings. In the country the people normally head to their local Baron or Duke, and here it’s the same. You have either the King, Lord Berric, the mayor of Alton or Sir Lorran, Captain of the City Guard to complain to.”
He shrugged his shoulders at her explanation and dropped his gaze from hers and wondered why he had shouted. He raised his hand and touched the ring around his neck, he had seen injustice before when tax men had come to the town and exploited the weak and poor. He had wanted to help but was never that rash but he felt now that if he saw the same thing happen, he would jump in without a second thought.
“So we can get into High Alton today without too much trouble, however we only have until nightfall to find him. Anyone they find after sundown is thrown into jail automatically on suspicion of theft or treason. Depends on where you get caught.” She continued.
“So that leaves us maybe seven hours?” Asked Alexander.
“I would say five so there is no chance of us being late.”
“Ok, let’s get going then.”
Braden stood up not wanting to waste any time, his hand was still wrapped around the hidden ring.
Chapter XX
Braden
The crowd which led from the inner wall gate up to the Citadel was almost as big, if not bigger than the one at the main gate. Luckily, the guards were less strict at this gate. This allowed Ashe to relax a bit of the magic, keeping Magnus and the weapons hidden, letting the tight grouping of people hide their presence. They continued up the main road which wound
up the hill leading to the Citadel. Braden could see small crowds dart off into one of the side streets, trying to get around the main grouping and cut in further up the hill. Some were already walking back through the main crowd complaining about the extortionate prices charged by one of the guards further ahead, just to guarantee a spot today. He watched a few turn back when they heard the prices quoted, others checked their purses discreetly to see they had enough. As they slowly walked up the hill, the crowds began to thin but also slow down.
“We must be getting closer to King.” Said Alex.
“No, only to the first set of checks. We should probably detach ourselves here, we are starting to get into the noblemen’s estates, so we may be able to find out some information from a messenger or servant.” Ashe replied.
Braden nodded and followed Ashe, they began to move to one side of the crowd but before they got more than three paces the crowd thickened. He turned and ushered Troy and the others back towards the other side, they had almost got to the edge when Braden heard a shout. Spinning round he recognised the voice, Ashe wasn’t behind him. Without a second thought, he pulled his sword off Magnus’s back and pushed back through the throng of people. The rest of the group was blocked off by the new serge of Alton’s population, striving to see the King. Pushing past the final two people, Braden stepped into one of the main road’s side streets, it was almost as wide as the main street itself and separated two of the noblemen’s city estates. He spotted four men stood around Ashe, one stepped a little closer to her removing his cloak and handing it to another. From the look of his clothes, he had money and power, he reached out towards Ashe touching her body. Braden’s eyes flashed wide with anger, his chest began to burn, a heavy weight pulled down on him for a split second making him pause. Then he felt as light as a feather, the adrenaline coursing through his veins. As the man pushed her back towards the walls guarding the estate to their left, Ashe caught glimpse of Braden over his shoulder. He could see her hand clench and unclench. She was about to use her magic, but Braden shook his head and raised his sword. She nodded slightly, before clenching her fist one more time. Braden held the sword sheath in his left hand drawing the blade. The rasp of the metal on leather caught the attention of the closest of the four, but before he had a chance to warn his friends, Braden called out.
“Hey you! Stop! get away from her!”
For a moment, he wondered how unthreatening that had sounded. The man pressed up against Ashe turned his head sluggishly to face him, his face seemed bored until it caught a glimpse of Braden’s sword. His focus tightened on the blade and then on Braden himself, before smiling. The two men stepped closer to him, both drawing small blades from behind their backs. Ok, so Braden hadn't counted on them being armed, their leader stepped away from Ashe, one hand still pressed against the wall next to her head, keeping her in place. As he turned, Braden caught a glimpse of the scabbard at his side and rolled his eyes, maybe he had got in a little over his head. His mind was scolding him for not trying a more diplomatic route first. Bronn had always taught him to use his head before his sword, but his heart chose the sword first. The man with a cruel smile, looked over at his friend who still held his cloak and flicked his head towards Ashe.
“Hold her, I’ll deal with her after.”
Stepping away from the wall, his friend immediately took his place holding Ashe in place. Drawing his sword, the blade was a pure silver colour in stark contrast to the rest of his attire. The man was dressed head to toe in black, black boots, black trousers and a black shirt. The only colour on the man was his red hair. It was long, hanging down to his shoulders and a small red goatee adorned his chin. He was still smiling, as he walked closer to Braden, he gestured to the two with knives to step back.
“I would normally tell someone like you to bugger off but since you came at me with a sword I guess you have a death wish.”
The man looked Braden up and down sizing up his worth, both in money and in skill. Braden’s rough, worn and torn clothes made him look like a beggar. Only the cloak he had been given by the ship’s captain was worth anything. He reached up, untying the knot which held it around his shoulders and let it drop to the floor, always keeping his eyes on the red haired man.
“Is she really worth it? I mean, worth dying for? I’ll give you, that she is pretty, but pretty enough to die for, I don’t think so. Anyway, it doesn’t matter as I’m going to skewer you anyway.”
As he finished his sentence, his body tensed and set into a perfect duelling pose. Braden arms tensed and he gripped the blade tighter. This was probably going to end a lot worse than he had hoped. He had for some reason, expected the men to go running as soon as they saw him with a sword. He now stood shaking his head slightly and wondering what he had got himself into?’ Then he saw Ashe squirming under the hold of the other man and the fire on his chest burned hotter.
“Well, come on then, if you’re going to draw a sword, at least use it.”
Braden didn’t waste a moment, reacting to the man’s words he darted forward fixing his grip. He brought the sword down over his head, aiming to slice him in two. The man’s eyes shot wide open, a gaze of pure shock filled his entire face before years of training took over. Braden felt his blow deflected to one side, as the man moved quickly out of the way, he had put too much power into the strike and without hitting any solid resistance, he fell forwards. As he stumbled past the man in black he swung his blade out to his left, just in time to block a return swipe. Stopping a few paces past the man, he turned quickly to see the evil smirk that stared back at him widen.
“Well, perhaps you aren't just a beggar with a stolen sword.”
Braden was just able to block the man’s first attack, and the second, before he struck back. They became tangled in a dance of stabs and slices, blocks and deflections, counters and counter counters. Back and forth they went, stab, slash, block, slash, counter, block, punch, deflect. It seemed to Braden as if hours went past in the mere minutes, the man’s technique were flawless. He could tell he had been taught from a much younger age and to a degree much higher than Braden as well. As time wore on, he could see sweat begin to appear on the other man's head, his hair began to darken as it became wet, but Braden's body still felt light and fresh. In a brief glimpse between their interchanges, he saw that Alex had moved out from the crowd. He looked as if he was about to leap into action, but Braden waved him off with his free hand. Alex then caught a glimpse of the two men holding the knives and the other who was holding Ashe and nodded back before kneeling down. Braden smiled, when he saw Magnus attempt to jump round Alex and join the fight, only to be held back by Alex and Troy.
“Why are you smiling, peasant.”
Braden saw the man glance over towards Alex and in that moment he pushed his advantage. The split second distraction was enough for Braden to finally gain the upper hand. As he pushed the man back, he saw his eyes begin to grow wide with fear. His reflexes, honed over years, were still quick enough to keep Braden from injuring him severely but he had to give ground to keep his body in one piece. Then, just as he was about to take the man’s blade and win, he felt his feet disappear from beneath him, he felt a shooting pain run up his legs, his right ankle screaming. Falling to his back he felt the wind rush out of him, as he hit the ground. He coughed, as he tried desperately to force some air back into his lungs, feeling the cold steel against his throat. He looked up at the blade to see the man smiling down, one of his friend's next to him, dagger in hand, a smug smile plastered over his face. The first man rested his hand on his friend’s shoulder and clapped him firmly on the back, before turning his attention back to Braden.
“I have to give you credit peasant, you had me going for a while. But in the end, you lost. A lesson in life for you. I know it’s a little late, but I will tell you anyway. Always stack the odds in your favour.”
The blade cut the skin on his neck slightly forcing Braden to squirm. As he did his ring fell out from under his shirt. He glanced dow
n at the ring and as he went to reach for it, felt a crushing blow to his arm, as the friend who had tripped him, kicked his arm to one side before pushing his foot down pinning it in place.
“Ah, did you steal that as well? It doesn’t matter, once you’re dead, I’ll take the ring and add it to my collection”.
Braden watched as the victor raised his blade away from his neck, he could see the muscles tense in his arm and he closed his eyes.
“Braden!” Ashe cried.
“Sorry.” He whispered, but to whom he didn’t know.
“Stop!” A voice shouted.
The sound echoed off the walls. Braden was still waiting for the force of the blade, his eyes squeezed shut. Then the weight on his arm was released, his curiosity forced him to open his eyes. The blade was still hovering close his neck. But the man was no longer looking at him, but at someone else. Had Alex jumped in at the last moment? Or had Ashe used her magic? He glanced over to see six armed men appear from across the side street. Three walked directly towards him, one headed towards Ashe, whilst the other two walked past them to the other friend. As the three armed men got closer they separated to show an elderly man clad in a full length robe striding confidently towards them. At the sight of the robed man, the red haired man finally pulled his blade away Braden let out a sigh of relief. He wasn’t going to die just yet.