“Do you have any idea how many men there are?”
“I’m not sure. From the little bit I overheard from the guards, I’d say forty or fifty men, maybe a few more.”
“Are they in cells like the ones in the dungeon?”
King Merdin shook his head. “They’re in one big cavern, about the size of this castle, which is why I couldn’t tell how many men were in there. But it only has one exit, down a narrow hall into another room, and there are guards in that room twenty-four hours a day, although I doubt anyone would try to escape from that place. Some of the tunnels, the ones the guards use, have glowstone torches on the walls, but the others are dark, and I mean dark. There’s no way you could use those tunnels to find your way out of there.”
“Did you see the mines?”
King Merdin shook his head again. “Didn’t see much need to find them. According to the guards, they knock off every evening at 9:00 and start around 9:00 the next morning.”
Kevin thought for a moment. “That means they’re knocking off about lunchtime, our time, and starting back around midnight.”
King Merdin nodded. “You need to be in and out of there well before that though, because they do feed these men. Right before we left one of the guards said something about being hungry, and another one told him the food would be coming down in about an hour. The guards didn’t bother to check on the captives while we were there, but you don’t want to be there when more guards arrive with the food.”
“What do you think the chances are we could get those men out without the guards realizing we’re there?”
King Merdin shrugged. “Guess it all depends on how happy the captives are to see you. If they call out, if they cheer, if they make any noise at all, the guards will hear. The hallway leading to the guards’ room isn’t very long. It would have to be a very quiet rescue.”
“So we better count on dealing with the guards.”
“I’d say yes. And you know that food I mentioned?”
Kevin nodded.
“The women who cook it are slaves, too. Do you plan to rescue them?”
“I hadn’t even thought about that, but yes.”
“From what Dani was able to pick up, the women start cooking around 5:30 in the morning.”
“Did you find out where they’re staying?”
King Merdin nodded. “Both where they sleep and where they work. I wasn’t sure how you’d want to handle it.”
“If we wait until all the men are out, we’ll run the risk of finding guards in the kitchen with them, but I think I’d rather do that than sound the alarm early by having them discover the women are gone before we’re done with the men.” Kevin stared off into space. “If there are eighty men, and if we take two out at a time, that’s forty trips. If both Alek and Rigel use keys, that means twenty trips each. If we allow five minutes a trip, that’s a hundred minutes. Two hours should take care of the men.” Kevin looked at King Merdin and asked, “Do you know how many women are being held there?”
“From what we could see, I’d say no more than a dozen.”
“Another half hour,” Kevin thought.
“Two and a half hours should be plenty of time,” Dani agreed.
“So, when do you want to go?” King Merdin asked.
“I’d like to be out of there by 5:00 their time Saturday morning, so we need to start at 2:30 their time, which is 6:30 tomorrow evening our time.”
“Do you want Dani to help you with this?”
Kevin hesitated for a moment, long enough for Dani to say, “I’ll go with you. If you don’t need me, no harm done, but if you do, I’ll be there.”
Kevin frowned. “Both you and King Merdin seem to think I should have you along. Is there a reason?”
It was Dani’s turn to hesitate. “I don’t guess anyone’s told you, but telepaths have the ability to put thoughts into other people’s minds, which may come in handy, but even more, we have the ability to put someone to sleep and keep them asleep. I can put someone to sleep so fast they drop in their tracks, and not even another telepath is immune. Sorcerers aren’t either, and I can handle quite a few at one time, so it’s not like we have to pick and choose which ones to knock out. I can put them all under.”
“Is that why both of you insisted you stay with me while I talked to Rolan?” Dani didn’t answer, and King Merdin was suddenly occupied petting Nikki. “And that’s why Glendymere went along with it,” Kevin said, more to himself than to them. He turned to Dani. “In that case, yes, I’d love for you to back me up.”
“Good. I’ll be here.”
“When do you plan to go get Chris?” King Merdin asked.
“I’ve been bouncing back and forth between 9:00 and 10:00 Saturday morning our time. I don’t want Gwendolyn to find out what I’ve done before the meeting, but I want to give Chris time to eat, wash up, and change clothes before we go.”
King Merdin nodded. “We’ll plan to be here around 9:00 then. If your plans change, you can let us know tomorrow evening,” King Merdin said as he walked over to the dresser where Dani was sitting.
Kevin nodded. “Thanks for checking all of this out for me.”
“Any time,” King Merdin said with a big grin as Dani put a paw on his shoulder. “We had fun. See you tomorrow.” With a turn of the key, they were gone.
Chapter 79
Rescue
Friday was the longest day of Kevin’s life, or so it seemed. As the time crept by, Kevin alternated between complete confidence and utter terror. He had butterflies all day, but at times they felt more like vultures.
His biggest fear was that the guards at the cave would let Gwendolyn know he’d rescued the captives being held there before he hit the dungeon. He had to get the men out before they headed off to the mines, but he couldn’t get Chris until almost time for the meeting. He didn’t want Gwendolyn to show up at his castle before he confronted her on Chamber Island. He needed her to find out when they were face to face and on neutral territory. And it wouldn’t hurt that there would be several other sorcerers there who wouldn’t be too pleased about her snatching a page, much less an assistant.
Finally, it was late afternoon, time for a last minute check on preparations.
Pots of soup simmered on Miranda’s stove and her staff was busy making sandwiches. Cheese and meats were sliced and stacked on trays. Puddings and cookies were cooling on the counters and sliced fruit was piled high on plates. Cakes, pies, plates, and utensils were already set out on tables in the dining room.
Cryslyn, Wythe, and Cpt. Lawrence had rounded up tents, blankets, ground cloths, flints, pots, plates, utensils, boots, capes, hats, tunics, and leggings, everything the well-equipped mountain man might need. The supplies were stacked on the patio, waiting for someone with a key to take them to the mountain camp.
Cpt. Lawrence ran into Theresa on one of his trips into Milhaven for supplies. He took her off to the side and asked if she could stop by the castle that evening, saying some men who had been on a long and difficult journey would be dropping by and some of them might need some attention.
Theresa didn’t ask any questions, but when she got back to the chapel, she packed a bag with bandages, teas, poultices, and healing herbs.
Joan had arranged to house thirty women and their children for at least a week starting Saturday night. If the numbers Kevin had given her were right, she had more than she needed. The hosts were to be at the castle by mid-morning Saturday, pick up their guests, and be gone before noon.
Alek and Rigel spent their day cleaning and sharpening their weapons. They knew they probably wouldn’t need them since Myron would be with them, but old habits run deep.
As the time grew close, Kevin’s nerves began to settle down. At 6:15, after changing into a fresh uniform, he met with Alek, Rigel, and Gen. Crandal in the general’s office. He told them he’d found out there were some women being held in the caves to cook for the men, and they’d be rescuing them, too. Then he said he had a few last minut
e arrangements to make, but he’d be back around 6:30.
He made a quick trip out to the stable to pick up Nikki. “I’m going to take her inside for a bit, but I’ll be pretty busy later this evening. Will it be all right if I bring her out to your place later?”
Marshall nodded. “I’ll be there, and good luck with the rescue tonight.”
Kevin felt his stomach knot up. If the rescue attempt was common knowledge, Rolan’s spies would know, and if they’d passed the information on, Gwendolyn might know. And if she knew, they’d be walking into a trap. And worst of all, she’d move Chris and Elin.
Marshall’s eyes widened at the look on Kevin’s face. “Guess I wasn’t supposed to know about that.”
“What do you know? And how do you know it?”
“I overheard Neiven and Cpt. Lawrence this morning. Cpt. Lawrence said you were going to rescue some men and take them to a camp, and they were going to need some eating utensils. Neiven spent most of the day making them.”
Kevin nodded. “That’s fine. Did you mention anything about it to anyone?”
Marshall shook his head. “Neiven told me when I first started out here that I’d probably hear stuff I wasn’t supposed to, and if I wanted to keep my job, I’d keep whatever I heard to myself. I haven’t ever repeated anything I’ve heard out here. I’ve asked him about a few things, but I’ve never mentioned any of it to anyone else. I like my job. I want to keep working here. I don’t want to mess this up.”
“Don’t worry, you haven’t. Just remember what he said. Don’t ever repeat anything you hear. You can ask me about it, or Chris, or Neiven, but no one else. Deal?”
“Deal.”
Kevin nodded. “Now I need to get back inside. See you later.”
It was time to get started.
~ ~ ~ ~
Kevin couldn’t shake the sinking feeling he’d gotten when Marshall mentioned the rescue. If Marshall had overheard Cpt. Lawrence and Neiven, someone else might have, too. Darius was no longer in the stable area, but there was no way to be sure they’d uncovered all of Rolan’s spies. And who knows how many other sorcerers had planted spies in his castle.
King Merdin and Dani were waiting when he and Nikki reached his room. Dani picked up Kevin’s thoughts as soon as he came through the door. “He thinks Gwendolyn might be expecting us,” he told King Merdin.
“Have you decided how you want to do this?” King Merdin asked.
“I want to get the men out first. By then, it will be time for the women to get up anyway, so maybe they’ll be up and dressed.”
“You could run into a couple of guards.”
“I know, but it’s a risk we’ll have to take.”
“All right. I’ll take you to the cave where the men sleep first and then to the women’s quarters on our way back. If they’re not in their room when you get there, the kitchen is across the passageway.”
Kevin nodded.
As Kevin picked up his red sash and tied it around his waist, King Merdin continued. “I think it would be best to go in between the two caves, in that small hallway between the men’s sleeping area and the guards.”
Kevin straightened his tunic. “If we run into any trouble, hit the floor. I’ll be right behind you, and I won’t hesitate to use force if I need to.”
“Got it.” King Merdin petted Nikki, who was trying to ease her way past him to get to the cat sitting behind him. “Stay right here, girl. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Dani put a paw on his back as Kevin laid a hand on his shoulder. With a twist of the key, they were off to the caves in Landoryn.
When they emerged from the energy field, they were in a narrow tunnel. Kevin could see a dim light around the opening on his left, but the room off to his right was well-lit. “Anything happening?” he asked.
“Not at the moment,” Dani answered. “There are four guards, and they’re all asleep, not sound asleep, but I could push them that way if you’d like.”
“Maybe when we start moving the captives out. I like the idea of them sleeping through the whole thing.”
“Most of the captives are asleep, too. They’re scattered around the other room in groups of four or five. But there’s one group towards the back who are awake and talking.”
“They’ll be the first to spot us. I guess how smoothly this goes depends on their reaction.”
“I could put them to sleep,” Dani suggested. “Why don’t you and King Merdin check out the women’s quarters and then go back to Milhaven? I’ll listen to their conversation while you’re gone and see if there’s anything we need to know. You can decide what you want to do when you get back.”
Kevin shook his head. “I don’t like leaving you here without a key.”
“You’re coming back, aren’t you?”
“Of course.”
“Then don’t worry about it. No one will even know I’m here. Go on.”
A moment later, Kevin felt a hand on his leg, and a couple of seconds after that, he was in another passageway. It was a bit larger and had glowstone torches attached to the walls.
King Merdin made himself visible and pointed to a room off to the right. There was no door, but there weren’t any guards stationed anywhere around there either. Kevin nodded, put his hand on King Merdin’s shoulder and they went back to Kevin’s bedroom.
When they came out of the energy field, King Merdin pulled off his key and handed it to Kevin. “Now go. Get your men and get this rescue under way. I’ll be right here with Nikki when you’re done.”
Kevin’s face was full of worry.
King Merdin frowned. “This one’s easy. It’s nothing like marching into that crazy guy’s office. What’s the problem?”
Kevin shook his head. “I was the only one in danger that time. This time I’m dragging a bunch of people with me. What if something goes wrong? What if one of them gets hurt?”
“That’s a chance everyone takes when they get out of bed in the morning. But I can tell you this. They won’t be in any more danger tonight than that little girl and Chris were the day Gwendolyn burst into your office and started this mess.” King Merdin took a breath and added, “You’ll be there to watch their backs, and you aren’t defenseless. Plus, you have a secret weapon no one knows about. You have Dani. Now go. Get this over with. You’ll feel better once it’s done.”
Kevin gave a quick nod, turned his key, and went to Gen. Crandal’s office.
Alek, Rigel, and Gen. Crandal stood up when Kevin arrived. He handed King Merdin’s key to Alek. Then he removed the key to Terah from his chain and handed it to Rigel. Before anyone could object, he held up his other key, the one to the gate. “Yes, I have a key. Gen. Crandal and I won’t be there without a quick escape.”
Alek grinned as Rigel nodded.
“When we get there, we’ll be in a small tunnel. There are guards in the room with all the light, but when I left, they were snoozing, not sound asleep, but dozing. If we’re quiet we may be able to get in and out without waking them up.” He glanced around as they all nodded. “The other room is pretty dark, and it’s a lot bigger. That’s where the captives are sleeping. Best case scenario? We go in, wake a few up, get them out, wake up the next group, get them out, and so on until we’re done.”
Alek frowned. “They may come up swinging. I probably would.”
“I know,” Kevin said. “I said it was best case. Anyway, keep it as quiet as you can, and don’t worry about the guards. They’re my problem. Your responsibility is to get those men out of there.”
“Then we’ll go get the women?” Alek asked.
Kevin nodded. “As soon as the men are out, so don’t waste time checking on me. I’ll be fine.”
“And I’ll be watching his back.” Gen. Crandal patted the sword on his belt.
Kevin nodded and held out his arms. Soon they were standing in the narrow tunnel, listening. But only Kevin had anything to listen to.
“The men at the back are talking about making a break for it,” Dan
i said.
“What? Right now?”
“No, tomorrow, when the guards take them to the mines. They’re planning to break away from the group when they’re close to the main tunnel and make a run for it.”
“That’s suicide.”
“I know. So do they, but they think death’s better than this.”
“Are the guards still asleep?”
“Yes, and they’re going to stay that way. I decided it wouldn’t be good for them to wake up in the middle of things,” Dani said. “Don’t worry. They’ll never realize they had any help. They’ll wake up feeling refreshed and think they’ve had the best night’s sleep of their lives.”
Kevin almost laughed. “Thanks.” He used his seeing eye to check out the large chamber. The men who were talking were sitting against the wall near the back of the cave, in a little alcove, well hidden from the door.
Kevin whispered to the others, “The guards are still sleeping, and from the sound of it, a little more soundly than earlier. I just checked out the main chamber. There’s a group of men at the back sitting up talking. If all of us go through this door, they might sound the alarm. I’m going to try to get to them and let them know who we are and what we’re doing without stirring things up, but if things get noisy, don’t stay in this tunnel. Take cover in the chamber and leave the guards to me.”
Without waiting to hear their arguments, Kevin slipped down the tunnel and into the chamber. He stayed close to the cave wall as he walked around the sleeping men. When he reached the side of the alcove, he listened for a minute. They were whispering so low he couldn’t make out the words, but he did hear a pause in the conversation. That’s when he stepped around the corner.
Kevin held his finger in front of his lips in the universal sign for quiet and squatted down in front of them. “Would you gentlemen like to get out of here?”
The men looked at him like he was crazy, but no one spoke.
“My name is Myron, and I’ve come to take you back to Camden.”
The Fourteenth Key (The Chronicles of Terah Book 3) Page 73