The waiting also shortened everyone’s tempers and there were a few brief arguments - harsh words were exchanged on several occasions. Regardless, they all knew it was just the worry talking and they quickly forgave and forgot.
Eventually the sun went down, and the passage dropped off into darkness. Cassandra cast a few magic spells, and three small, faint balls of light dimly lit the passage.
They waited several more hours. Finally Aaron climbed to his feet and began preparing to leave the secret hallway. The others climbed to their feet to see him off.
“Now don’t do anything stupid,” Dagan said in a rather gruff manner.
“Thanks, I’ll try to keep that in mind,” Aaron replied dryly.
“Be careful in the questions you ask of the other servants,” Cassandra volunteered. “You don’t want them getting suspicious of you.”
Aaron nodded his head in agreement, all the while hoping they would stop giving useless advice.
“If you can, try and find out which nobles are in the palace,” Dagan said, “and see if you can find out what’s going on in the kingdom.”
Aaron nodded again and began moving toward the door.
“Wait!” Warren said quickly. He hadn’t said much since arriving in Telur, and the others quieted and looked at him. “Shouldn’t I go with him?”
“Why?” Dagan asked. “You don’t know the palace or how to act.”
“True, but I won’t ever know if I just stay here.”
Dagan nodded, considering. It was a good point; it would be good to have several men that they could send out. If they sent the same man over and over, the guards might notice him, but if they alternated their scouts, they stood a better chance.
“You’re right,” Aaron said, “however, I think I should go the first time by myself. There will be time enough for you to go with me later.”
Dagan took a deep breath, hoping that Aaron was right. There will be time if you don’t do something foolish and get yourself caught.
Chapter 4
Aaron emerged from the hidden passage and closed the door behind him. For several moments, he just leaned against the stone wall, glad to be out of the gloomy hallway. Although, to be honest, this passage didn’t look much better. Most of the castle was made from large blocks of gray stone. In the nicer areas, he knew there were murals and paintings that covered the barren walls, but he was not even close to those areas. Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself away from the wall and headed toward the more populated part of the castle.
At this time of night, the majority of the nobles had disappeared, leaving servants and guards wandering the halls. Aaron thought his heart would beat right out of his chest the first time he passed another person; it didn’t help that it was a guard. The guard didn’t stop or say anything; he just merely nodded and kept on going.
Aaron walked the hallways in a haphazard and less direct approach. He gradually headed in the direction of the nobles’ quarters, but he didn’t rush straight there. If someone saw him, he didn’t want to arouse any suspicions.
King Darion’s chambers were in their own wing of the castle, but Aaron didn’t even try to get too close, as a line of guards were strung out across the entrance. He nodded at the guards and kept right on walking. He was a bit worried at passing such a large number of the King’s guard; it was possible that one of them might recognize him, but there were no gasps of recognition or shouts for him to stop. He continued walking, neither slowing down nor speeding up, as he tried hard to maintain a constant speed. He knew that the best way not to be noticed was to act like he belonged there.
Even though the sheer number of the guards was a bit worrisome, there was a bit of good news in their presence, as well. At least they now knew the king was in Telur. They had all been bothered by the very thought that perhaps King Darion might be out of the city and they would have to wait weeks, perhaps even months, to even try and get close to him. At least that worry could be put away, although he might as well be out of the city with that many guards watching over him. Aaron sighed. They all knew it wouldn’t be easy. It wasn’t his job to discover a way to get close to the king tonight, but rather to get more information on their situation.
Aaron turned his steps toward the kitchens. At this time of the night, all the nobles would have already eaten, but the kitchens would still be serving meals. The kitchens actually turned out food all night long. A large number of servants did their jobs at night while the nobility slept. Most of the jobs probably could have been done during the day, but the nobles preferred to see the servants as little as possible. In addition to the servants, there were numerous guards who patrolled the castle all night long.
It took less than ten minutes for Aaron to reach the kitchens and, as he suspected, there was a scattering of people at the tables. These were not the tables where the nobles or anyone of importance would eat. This was strictly for the servants and guards. The room was large and rather Spartan; twelve long tables filled the middle of the floor, and two long tables against one wall held trays of food.
Aaron’s stomach chose that moment to growl, and he realized just how long it had been since he had eaten. He crossed the room, filled a plate, then turned to find a spot to sit. Half the tables were empty, and two tables were occupied by small groups. That left four tables occupied by individuals. A guard sat at the first table and Aaron passed right on by. A woman seemed to be asleep at the second table and he continued walking. An older man, with graying hair and an oversized belly, was attacking his food with gusto at the third table.
Aaron stopped next to the table and motioned toward one of the empty spots. “Do you mind?” he asked.
The older man looked up and shrugged. “Help yourself.”
Smiling, Aaron sat down on the bench that ran along the table. For the first several minutes, neither man said a word. Aaron was nearly famished, but that was only part of his reason for being quiet at first. He was playing the part of a servant, and a hungry one at that. It wouldn’t make sense for him to sit down and try to strike up a conversation.
He ate his food hurriedly, pleased that he had managed to show some restraint and not overload his plate. Finally, he pushed the empty plate away and leaned back away from the table. The older man had finished his meal, but he hadn’t moved; instead he was looking at Aaron in a confused manner.
For the briefest moment, panic flooded through Aaron, and his brain screamed that the man had recognized him from the time when he had trained with the Guardians in the castle. He swallowed hard and pushed the fear away. The man’s look was of confusion not fear.
“I don’t recognize you,” the man said. “Are you new?”
“Yes,” Aaron replied quickly and suppressed a nervous chuckle. “I’m still getting lost as I go through the castle.”
The older man snorted and leaned in close. “That still happens to me too, but I think it might be because I’m getting older.” He laughed at his joke, and Aaron smiled politely.
“I’m Aleum,” Aaron said, “what’s your name?”
“Howard.”
“Which part of the castle do you work in?” Aaron asked.
“Laundry,” Howard answered with a shrug. “It’s not much, but it has to be done.”
Aaron nodded. “Would you mind helping me?”
Howard looked confused now. “What do you mean?”
“Well, I’m new and I’m not sure which of the nobles are friendly and which ones to avoid.”
Howard grinned. “If I were you, I would avoid them all.” Once again, he laughed at his joke, and Aaron smiled pleasantly. Howard waved his hand in the air. “I joke, of course, but you’re right - there are some of the nobility that you should avoid.”
“For instance?” Aaron prodded.
“Well, the new crown prince, for one.” Howard looked around, then whispered, “You don’t want him to notice you.”
Aaron nodded, not needing a warning to know that Barrett was a bad apple. “And is he cu
rrently in the castle?”
“No,” Howard said, still speaking quietly. “Luckily for us, he’s in the country. Has been ever since that princess of his called off the wedding.”
“What about the other two princes?”
Howard shrugged. “They’re not bad for nobles. The younger one has actually been known to be downright friendly to us, and Aldon’s decent enough.”
“Are they in the castle?”
Howard nodded. “Well at least Danal is, but Aldon’s probably with his whore.”
Aaron’s eyes widened. “His whore?”
“They don’t even try to keep it a secret anymore. He spends most of his nights with the Countess Lells, so you won’t have to worry about running into him until at least tomorrow morning.”
That might be useful, Aaron thought, then he asked out loud, “What about the king?”
“You won’t see him.”
“Oh, is he out of Telur?”
“No, he’s in the castle, but you won’t see him. He has his own special attendants, and you won’t be one of them for a long time.”
Aaron nodded. “I see.”
Howard picked up his plate and made to rise from the table. “It’s been nice talking to you, Aleum, but I have to get back to work.”
Aaron rose as well and said, “Would you show me where the laundry is? I may need to know its location sooner or later.”
Howard shrugged, and Aaron followed him from the room.
Aaron didn’t return to the secret passage until a couple of hours before dawn. King Darion’s castle was huge and sprawling, and Aaron wandered from area to area. There was little chance of running into someone he had seen before.
When Aaron decided it was time to return, he turned his steps first to the laundry and then to the kitchens. He arrived at the hidden door carrying two large canvas bags. He set the bags down on the floor and quickly pressed the three stones, exactly as Dagan had shown him. Each stone had been placed high in the wall and, if pressed in the proper order, caused the secret door to slide open.
The door opened slowly, and Aaron bent down to retrieve his bundles. He looked back up into a rather scary sight. Atock stood just inside the door with both swords pointing out into the hall.
“It’s just me,” Aaron said quickly.
Atock nodded but still looked around the hallway before sheathing his swords, then he stepped back and Aaron slid past him.
“Any problems?” Atock asked, watching Aaron intently.
Aaron shook his head. “No. No one showed the first signs of suspicion.” He glanced around at the others; they were all lying under their blankets and appeared to be asleep. “Should we wake them?”
“No,” Atock answered, “they’ll be awake soon enough. Why don’t you get some sleep and I’ll wake you when everyone else is awake.”
Aaron nodded, and then remembered the two bags he held in his hands. He lifted one of the bags up and held it out to Atock.
“What’s this?” Atock asked.
“Just a little something from the kitchens,” Aaron answered with a grin. They still had some of their provisions from the Faerum wastelands, but they weren’t exactly fresh.
Atock took the offered bag and pulled the top open, then he leaned his head in and inhaled deeply. He grinned at Aaron. “Smells good. I might not leave any for them.” He nodded at the second bag. “What’s in that bag?”
“I stole some clothes from the laundry,” Aaron answered. “I thought they might be useful.”
Chapter 5
Aaron was shaken awake by Warren several hours later. He bolted upright and saw everyone staring at him.
“You planning on sleeping all day?” Dagan asked in a rather grumpy voice.
Aaron didn’t reply right away but instead began stretching his neck; sleeping on the hard floor had not done anything for his muscles. He looked back at Dagan’s tired face and decided to overlook the sorcerer’s nasty tone. It was probably a good idea to grant a sorcerer some leeway, but there was another reason. Dagan was old, and sleeping on the hard floor had to be even more difficult for him than it was for the rest of them; perhaps, some of the prickly attitude was due to his old body hurting so much.
“Well? What did you find out?” Dagan demanded.
Aaron took a deep breath; then again perhaps Dagan was ill-tempered just because he was a cantankerous old bastard. He began stretching his back. “The king is in the castle, but there are even more guards in front of his chambers than when I was assigned as a guard in the palace.”
Several people looked a little worried at that first bit of news. “What’s the matter with you?” Dagan asked. “Surely you knew we were never going to get past the guards into the royal chambers. That was never an option.” He turned back to Aaron and motioned for him to continue.
“Barrett is out of the castle and has been, apparently since that princess from Ontaria broke off their engagement. Both Danal and Aldon are currently staying in their own rooms in the palace.”
“And what of the princesses?” Cassandra asked. She had folded her blankets up and placed them at the base of the wall. She sat on the blankets and used the wall to support her back. “I mean, Darion’s daughters, not the princess of Ontaria.”
“Elizabeth and Alicia are both at the royal retreat of Briarhill. I gather they have been there for some time. Cierra was quickly married to the third son of Lord Steel.”
“What?” Dagan demanded, flabbergasted. “Royal weddings usually take months of planning. Why would they rush it?”
“I heard two opinions about that last night. The first belief is that the king is trying to pull House Steel closer to him, but the more common opinion is that Cierra is pregnant.”
Silence settled in for the briefest moment, and then it was broken by Cassandra laughing. “Knowing that one, I don’t doubt it,” Cassandra said. “I’m just surprised it took this long.”
“How do you plan to approach the king?” Holgar asked. “It seems that we cannot approach him while he is in his bedchamber, and we certainly cannot get near while he is holding court.”
“True,” Dagan answered, “but the guards will be less wary around the princes. Perhaps we can convince Aldon to help us. I don’t know, perhaps take a message to the king.”
“I do not like that idea,” Cassandra said quickly. “Even if Aldon agrees to help us and the king agrees to see us, we’ll be surrounded by troops during that meeting. Doubtless Darion would have that bootlicker Angaria there, so the church would know of our arrival. They would demand that we be turned over to them, and Darion might just have to agree.”
“Besides, I’m not sure just how much we can trust Aldon,” Aaron interjected. The others all turned to look at him and he hurried on. “Apparently, he’s Hannah Lells’ latest plaything.”
Cassandra snorted in derision. “What is it with that woman and King Darion’s sons? Flare was first, and now it’s Aldon’s turn.”
“I do not believe she is picking them herself,” Dagan said slowly. “That woman is nearly fanatical when it comes to her devotion of the church.”
“So?” Atock asked. “What does that have to do with her sleeping with Aldon?”
“My point is that I do not think she is picking the men so much as the men are being picked for her,” Dagan replied in a tone that indicated a return of his earlier grumpiness.
“You think the church is telling her to seduce King Darion’s sons?” Agminion asked in surprise.
Dagan ignored the question and turned to Cassandra. “There was a time when Flare was sleeping with Hannah. Did you ever sense anything strange about him during that period?”
“What do you mean?” Cassandra asked, looking confused.
“Well, it seems to me that if I’m going to have one of my agents seduce a prince of the realm, then I might try to use sorcery or perhaps magic to get information out of them.”
“There would be some signs,” Agminion said, causing the others to turn toward him
. He swallowed hard but kept on speaking. “I know a bit about this. I did something similar in the service of my king.”
Aaron grunted. Agminion had used his sorcery on him to persuade him to answer a few questions.
“I never noticed anything strange,” Cassandra answered after a moment of thought, “but if they had used magic or sorcery on Flare and learned anything, then they would have executed him and us a long time ago.”
Dagan nodded. “I agree, but Angaria’s no fool. One thing you can say about him is that he learns from his mistakes.” He glanced over at Aaron. “Please tell me that Prince Danal isn’t sleeping with Countess Lells.”
Aaron snorted and shook his head. “Not from what I’ve heard.” Aaron felt a little uncomfortable and squirmed on the blankets he was sitting on. “Uh, in fact, some of the grooms think he …”.
“Out with it!” Dagan barked.
“Well, some of the grooms think he may not like women.”
“Really?” Dagan asked, his eyes going a bit wide. “If that’s true, that would be a bit of a royal scandal.”
“It’s not true,” Cassandra said, and there was no mistaking the sincerity of her words.
“And you know this, how?” Dagan asked.
“Trust me, I’ve seen the way that boy looked at me. A couple of times he caught me watching him and he turned the brightest shade of red and disappeared. The boy’s shy, extremely shy,” Cassandra answered.
“Perhaps,” Warren said after a moment of silence, “but what does it matter? If we got this Aldon on our side, or his brother Danal, neither one of them can get us in to see the king without a large number of guards waiting to arrest us.”
“True,” Dagan agreed, “but it’s a place to start.” He was silent for a couple of moments, considering where to go from here. Finally, he looked back up, his eyes searching out Aaron. “You feel like going back out tonight?”
Victory and Defeat: Book Five of the Restoration Series Page 3