The Warden and the Shadow Queen: The Warden Saga Book 3

by Paul Summerhayes

  One guard unlocked her ankle chain and both men lifted her to her feet. She tried to resist, but wasn’t strong enough. They dragged her toward the door.

  “Don’t worry, Anna,” Tollis said. “We will be back in the capital tomorrow and then you will be chained in one of the best rooms in my new palace. Gentlemen, gently, if you please.”

  With a firm grip of her arms, the two men forced her out the door.

  Chapter 11

  Anna was back in the same small cell. Now that she wasn’t drugged, she could see how disgusting her lodgings really were. And this has been cleaned? The floor was covered in dirty straw and the old mattress was filthy and had several dark brown patches on it which looked like dried bloodstains.

  The silver chains rattled at her wrists as she brushed stray hair from her dirty face. Is it true? These chains are blocking my magic...do I even have real magic? She hadn’t shown any magic ability before, but Anna felt sure that it was now possible. Mordan’s training came to mind. He had been preparing her for the day her powers were awakened. Was that day already here? She felt a desire to try out this magic, and crush the evil men around her. And to be free...free again.

  Abruptly, the door opened and High Mage Eichmann stood in the doorway. Although she felt no breeze, his orange robes moved by themselves. The room was heavy with magical energy.

  “Tollis tells me that your power grows,” said Eichmann, without stepping into the cell. “And the fool is right. The more powerful you become, the more powerful your blood becomes and the more zombies Tollis can create.”

  The mage was old, but it would be a mistake to think he was frail. Anna could see a hidden strength in his thin body.

  “It was a miracle the fool found you...a pure blood. We all thought that the last living First Born was executed a thousand years ago. But here you are.” He stepped into the room and she involuntarily stepped back, stopping with her back against the cool stone wall. “How has your linage remained strong for so long? When all other bloodlines have been weakened and diluted?”

  Anna didn’t need magic ability to see the greed for power in his eyes. What did this old man want? “Free me and I will share my power with you,” she said. Would he believe her?

  Eichmann’s eyes widened and for a moment he imagined unlimited power. “Free? That...would be a big mistake. It would be like letting a genie out of its bottle. How do you get it back in? No, let’s not be too rash.” The old mage moved to the door and turned back to face Anna. “I have made a bargain with Tollis. After he is king, you’ll be mine. Well, what’s left of you.” He left the cell, closing the door with a bang.

  Anna slid down the wall as despair overwhelmed her. When will this nightmare end?

  The day was over and night fell without any more visitors. During that day, Anna could hear the men preparing for something and she presumed it was their journey back to the mainland. She was unsure of what it meant for her. No doubt she would remain chained and a prisoner.

  Without a drug-clouded mind, Anna could think clearly about her situation. She needed to be free and these mages seemed to think the silver chains would contain her power. Perhaps what they said was true and she needed the chains off. How? Free, she could blast her way out of here. It sounded doubtful, but Tollis believed it. She had seen the fear in his eyes. And what did Eichmann believe? This was all strange. Why would anyone fear a young, skinny girl from Freewater? And these men had designs to be kings...

  “Missstresss.”

  She stood quickly, looking to the high window. It was Flea, gripping the bars and peering down at her, a wicked grin on his dirty face. Anna never thought she would be so happy to see a goblin, a creature that most believed to be evil.

  “Flea, you’ve returned.”

  “Yesss, missstresss.”

  “Have you come to rescue me?”

  “No, missstresss. I cannot.”

  “Why not?”

  “The ssshadow sssaysss I am too ssstupid.”

  “Who is this shadow?”

  “He is a ssservant, like me. He ssservesss...”

  “Who?”

  “I fear to sssay hisss name, missstresss. He will sssee me.” The small goblin looked nervously around.

  Anna feared that he would run if she pushed any further. “It’s all right, Flea. Tell me later.” Even though it was almost totally dark, she held her chained hands up so he could see them. “Can you get these off me?”

  “No, missstresss.”

  Anger boiled in her, to the point where she felt like she was going to explode. “Then what use are you?!” she screamed.

  Flea gave a small yelp in fear and disappeared.

  No!

  “Flea. I’m sorry. Come back...please.” There was no face at the high window. Anna whacked her fist on her leg in frustration. No, no. She was disappointed with her sudden outburst. As quick as the anger came, it was gone and she was left with regret. Flea was her only ally in this awful place and she needed him. Her sanity depended on it.

  Hunger pangs woke Finn from a restless sleep. He placed his hand on his empty stomach. “When did I last eat?” he muttered to himself. He had slept sitting against the cold wall and as he stood, he regretted it. His back was stiff.

  The night had been quiet and uneventful. He was thankful for that small mercy. The underground cells were dark, but he felt it must be morning. “It must be breakfast time somewhere in the world.”

  He looked out the inspection port. The oil lamp had gone out and the corridor was dark. The whole building was still.

  “Is that you, Finn?” asked Karok.

  “It’s quiet.”

  “Aye. Maybe these soft humans are still asleep.”

  “Maybe.” But Finn doubted it.

  Both were silent for some time. Alone with his thoughts, Finn paced back and forth. Their situation had not improved with a new day. What had the old warden, Kalher, once told him? ‘Better to have tried and failed than never to have had tried.’ Their only real chance of escape hinged on jumping the next person that walked through that door...

  Footsteps pounded down the corridor, the sound seeming loud in the darkness. Finn’s heart beat faster. This is my chance! He peeped out the inspection port and a light approached, bobbing off the walls. He moved to where the door would open and prepared to attack.

  The door creaked on dry hinges. But before it was fully opened, Finn kicked it with all his force, slamming it closed. He heard the satisfying crunch as it impacted with someone and then a cry of pain. Instantly, Finn threw open the door and leapt over a body on the ground and grappled with the person holding the lamp. It was Wolfgang.

  The older man skilfully dodged the eldon’s clumsy attack and kicked out, connecting with Finn’s stomach. Whoosh. The kick knocked the wind out of Finn. Two sets of strong arms grabbed him from each side as he doubled over, gasping for air. Coughing, Finn noticed the old jailer lying on the ground, holding his head. The door had struck the wrong person.

  “Well, boy, it seems you never learn,” gloated Wolfgang. The men held Finn upright by his arms. Their leader grabbed his long black hair and roughly yanked his head back and leant into Finn’s face with the lamp. “You’re nothing without the sword, are you, boy?”

  “I’ll fight you any time,” said Finn once he regained his breath.

  “What?” Wolfgang seemed amused and looked at the two thugs holding Finn. His laughter sounded loud in the narrow corridor. “So you think you can take me without the black sword? All right.” He put the lamp down. “Release him.”

  “Are you sure, boss?”

  “Do it!”

  The two thugs obeyed and took half a step back, one rested his hand on his short sword. Wolfgang, still smiling, beckoned Finn forward. The young eldon straightened and suddenly leapt at his opponent’s throat.

  Wolfgang was an experienced fighter of many battles and brawls. He was not one to be caught off-guard by a simple trick. He sidestepped the hurried attack and drove his
fist into the side of Finn’s head. The eldon’s head whipped around quickly and his sight blurred. Wolfgang didn’t give Finn the opportunity to recover, he stepped in and a flurry of punches rained down on Finn’s face and stomach.

  The eldon moved his hands to block the blows, but it was in vain as Wolfgang was too quick. A solid blow to Finn’s stomach doubled him over and the human finished him off with a haymaker that connected with his chin, driving him back into the cell. Finn hit the floor hard and lay there, gulping down large breaths. His lip was split and blood ran down his chin and neck. He struggled to get up, but his body refused to obey.

  Wolfgang stepped into the cell. With the lamp light shining from behind, Wolfgang appeared taller and more menacing. “I’d stay down if I were you,” he said smugly.

  “You showed him, boss,” said one of the thugs.

  “Shut up!” Wolfgang gave the man a dirty look. “It was like fighting a child.” He turned his attention back to Finn’s prostrated form. “We’re leaving now and going back to the capital. But you’re not going anywhere. You’ll rot in here.” He half drew the alp’s black sword hanging from his belt. “And thanks for this.” He turned and walked out into the corridor. One of the thugs closed the cell door with a bang. The locking of the door rang out like a death bell.

  Wolfgang’s eyes appeared at the inspection port. “By the way, if your girl survives the master’s magic, he has generously given her to me. Don’t worry, I’ll look after her.” And then he was gone. A moment later, the light disappeared from the inspection hole and Finn could hear the men walking away, laughing crudely.

  “Lad?” asked the dwarf. “Are you all right?”

  Finn didn’t try to stand up and lay in the old straw and filth. He squeezed his eyes tight and tried hard to hold back his tears. It was over. Anna was gone and he would die in this cell.

  I have failed you, Anna...like I failed Kalher.

  Chapter 12

  The day dragged on, seeming longer by its quietness and the building’s stillness. Finn sat with his back against the wall and listened for any sounds, but his eldon hearing detected nothing. The air was cooling and indicated the sun was going down. It must be early evening now.

  They should have loaded the ships by now and be back on the main land, Finn thought solemnly.

  Standing, he tried the door again—for the hundredth time—and it was still locked. His stomach rumbled loudly. Hunger gnawed at him. How long had it been since he had last eaten? Or drank? The old eldon trick of holding a smooth pebble in your mouth wouldn’t help him here. There were no pebbles in the cell, just mouldy straw and filth. He wasn’t that desperate.

  The only relief he got from this torment was when sleep took him. Finn threw himself down in the corner of the room. His weary head dropped to his knees and he hoped that he would fall asleep fast.

  The image of Wolfgang sprang into his mind, conjured by his hatred. He imagined running him through with the black sword and the pleasure it would bring as his warm blood spilled over the dark steel and fell onto the ground. “I hope that day comes soon,” Finn mumbled softly. “I’ll make his death slow and painful...killing him bit by bit...” He didn’t notice how dark his thoughts had become.

  Finn’s head snapped up off his knees. He had fallen asleep, but something tugged at his mind. He had heard something and it moved in the corridor outside the cell, and it wasn’t rodents. Holding his breath, he waited for a long period, listening to the darkness. All was still.

  Just my imagination.

  The tension left his body as he breathed out and it was quickly replaced with hunger pangs again. He was becoming use to the feeling, but this time he pushed it more easily out of his thoughts. He stood and stretched out his thin limbs, they creaked as he moved them through their motions.

  What’s today going to bring?

  A sound outside the door drew his attention again. Something was there! Stealthily, he crept forward and stood motionless against the hard, cold stone wall. He detected a faint animal smell, a strange scent and vaguely familiar. A type of southern rat, he wondered. Or a sea beast searching for food beneath the castle. Whatever it was, it wasn’t the smell of any animal he recognised from his home forests and mountains.

  Finn dropped to all fours and looked under the door. The small gap revealed nothing, but he could still smell the faint musky animal smell. Rats. He stood slowly and he caught a glimpse of something at the inspection hole. In the blink of an eye it was gone and Finn was left wondering if he had really seen something there. After a moment’s hesitation, Finn peered out into the oily blackness of the corridor. The lamp had gone out and not surprisingly, he could see nothing in the darkness.

  “Anyone there?” His voice sounded strange to his own ears. There was no answer. “Hello?”

  “Is there something wrong, lad?” asked Karok from the darkness.

  “I...no, it is nothing.”

  From down the corridor came a quiet voice. “Do you ssserve the missstresss?” it hissed.

  “Who’s there?” asked Finn eagerly. Was this help?

  The silence built, pressing down on Finn before the voice spoke again. It was a voice that struggled with the sounds of speech. “You ssseek the missstresss...”

  “Yes, if you mean Anna.” What is this creature?

  “The missstresss is gone. The logsss take her over water.”

  Logs? Does he mean ships? “What is your name?”

  “The missstresss call me Flea.”

  “Can you open this door?” whispered Finn hopefully.

  “No,” the voice said quickly. It was like a physical blow to Finn and he gripped the port hole.

  “Can you find the key?”

  “No.”

  What?! He can’t or won’t help us? Is this another form of torture?

  “No people here. No key.”

  Maybe the master and his men have already left...no one is here, we can escape! “Can you break down the door?”

  “No,” replied Flea. “Day coming...I mussst go to the missstresss.”

  “Wait!” said Finn anxiously. “Flea?”

  There was no answer.

  “I think he has gone, lad.”

  He could have given us tools...and we could have escaped.

  Finn lost track of the time in the dark and Karok remained mostly silent. The dwarf brooded, but he was used to the darkness and didn’t complain. The darkness weighed heavily on the eldon and it was becoming unsettling for him. An eldon was a being of the forests, snow-covered mountains, and fresh air. Not the inky blackness of the underground.

  Tension built in his body and he clenched his fists and kicked out, hoping to strike something. He needed to get out of this small prison and see the sun again. But no one was coming. They had all left, Flea said. All left...

  He lay down against the back wall and closed his eyes, hoping that sleep would come quickly. Hope was gone and he prayed that he would not wake again in this dark hell. The despair of his situation slowly crushed down on him, and he knew that prolonged death was all that waited for him here.

  “Finn.”

  The young eldon rolled over. A dream, he thought.

  “Finn.”

  He wanted to dream of food, not people. Go away. I want roast deer again...

  “Young Finn, wake up.”

  “Open my door first, if you please, Jobes,” said the dwarf.

  “Stand back.”

  Thwack!

  What?! Finn’s eyes sprung open. He could see a faint glow of light through the hole in the door. A light! “Who’s there?” he asked.

  A face appeared at the hole. “It’s me, Jobes.”

  “Jobes?!” Finn couldn’t believe it. “How? Why?”

  “How about I open the doors first and then I’ll answer all your questions.”

  Thwack! Thwack!

  Finn looked out into the corridor. There was an oil lamp lit and sitting on the floor. Jobes had a woodsman’s axe in hand and was clopping a
round the lock in Karok’s cell door. Wood chips flew into the air and after several more hits, the thick door swung open. Grinning, Karok stepped out into the corridor and grasped Jobes’ hand in a friendly greeting. The sailor offered Karok the axe and the powerfully-built dwarf suggested Finn stand back and then went to work on his door. Two massive hits with the axe and the timber split. A kick was all it took for Finn to be free. He staggered into the corridor and hugged Jobes.

  “All right, enough of that,” said the sailor, feeling slightly embarrassed. They parted and Finn turned and hugged Karok, the dwarf was a solid mass of muscles.

  “Let’s go,” said the dwarf. “I want to bury an axe in this master fellow and thank him for his hospitality.” Even though the dwarf hadn’t eaten for many days, he showed no signs of weight loss, or lack of energy. In fact, the dwarf looked ready and eager to leave. Finn was amazed at his companion’s stamina, while he felt totally exhausted and couldn’t fight anyone in his current condition. Finn needed food and water. And then he would seek vengeance.

  Jobes picked up the lamp. “This way,” he said, leading them down the narrow corridor and up a flight of stairs. They were in the castle’s main building and exited the dungeon into a wide corridor near the kitchen. The building was eerily silent.

  The sailor led the pair a short distance to the kitchen. He indicated a long solid table and Finn dropped exhausted onto a hard wooden stool. Jobes found a loaf of bread and a hunk of cheese and placed them in front of the two starving men. Finn reached for the bread and breaking it in two, handed the largest piece to Karok, who nodded his thanks. They ate in silence as Jobes found mugs and filled them with water. Finn up-ended his mug in one gulp and Jobes refilled it from a clay jug.

  “How?” Finn managed to say between mouthfuls of food.

  “Days after we left you pair here, strange rumours started to spread in the city. There were stories that the king was dead. Murdered by his mad cousin, Lord Tollis, no less. And that he had imprisoned Princess Maria and taken the throne for himself.” Jobes filled Karok’s mug. “That’s when I got to thinking about you two, out here on Tollis’s island. So I sailed my small fishing boat out here for a look.”