by Brad Clark
“If you truly are with us, then your sword will be of service.”
“Of course,” Toknon said. “The queen will need an armed escort. It would be my honor to provide that.”
Marik glanced from Toknon to Elissa and could sense that there was something more than just friendliness between them. She had genuine fear in her eyes, and she was looking up at the Thellian king, as if he were the answer to her fear.
“Before the sun rises, we will send out a patrol to test their size,” Marik said.
“Or to see if they are really there,” Toknon added. He knew that they were there, but he needed to make sure that the Karmons knew he was really on their side. As long as it didn’t interfere with his ability to defend his kingdom. He was assured by Commander Roland that their army was only passing through Thell. But his words were also clear about the threat of centurions marching upon Thellia. In the end, if Taran did conquer Karmon, he would take Queen Elissa back to Thell. It would surely be the option to save her life.
Lord Kirwal took up a position next to King Toknon. Accidental or not, it appeared that they were standing together in both a literal and figurative way. In his deep, booming voice, he said, “If there is an army out there, it will be a suicide mission.”
“We have to know who and what we are facing,” Marik countered. “Our horses are fast and we will only go out far enough to see who is out there and how strong they are. We will not engage. We won’t have to in order to expose them.”
“They will be ready for us. They will expect it. Centurions with crossbows are very deadly.”
“I am not going to argue military tactics with you,” Marik replied sharply. “We can discuss them at length after we’ve set up our defenses.” He turned to Elissa. “Queen Elissa, we must call together the army and put our soldiers in position to defend the city.”
“Marik, I don’t know,” the queen said, her eyes glancing up to King Toknon.
Lord Kirwal responded with a hushed voice, “If you are wrong, you will have induced panic and the queen will lose standing among the other lords. Her reign already teeters on the edge. She has done admirably well, but there are many that are expecting her to fail. One bad decision could cause her to be the last Thorndale to lead Karmon.”
“And if I’m right, we just might save our kingdom and then she will be revered as the one who saved the kingdom from the Tarans.”
Lord Kirwal shook his head, still not convinced that there was a threat in the forest. “Taran has no reason to attack us. We are at peace with them. And besides, Emperor Hargon has too many other problems to even think about us.”
“Hargon is no longer emperor,” King Toknon said. “He was killed and his brother is now emperor. Emperor Tarcious is widely known for his hot temper and irrational behavior. Lord Kirwal, it may not be out of the question. Can you afford to not be prudent?”
Marik added, “Even their delegation of diplomats that arrived some time ago did not know Tarcious is now emperor. The empire is in turmoil and anything can happen.”
Lord Kirwal gave a long, thoughtful look to Marik and then to Toknon before finally giving a nod. “But we can be prudent without inducing panic. We can call all the city guard and put them at work preparing the defenses. Once we confirm that it is indeed an army out in the forest, then we can put swords in our citizen’s hands.”
“Do I not have any say in this?” Elissa asked. “You are talking as if I am not here.”
Marik glanced around the room to see the horrified faces of the guests who overheard their conversation. They would not be able to avoid panic and fear. It would not take long for the rumor of an army marching to their gates to spread through the city. The only thing that they could do to stem the panic would be to make sure the people of the city knew that they were protected.
Lord Kirwal tucked his upper lip under his teeth and then let out a long sigh. “It is indeed your kingdom, Queen Elissa. You have counsel from myself and from Lord Marik. It is up to you to decide what to do.”
Elissa knew that she could not take long to decide as any hesitation would further cement the belief that she was unfit for leading the kingdom. “If Marik believes that there is an army out there preparing to attack us, then I believe it as well. Lord Kirwal, you will be in charge of putting together the army to defend the city, which includes getting a sword or bow in the hands of anyone that can wield one. Marik, do whatever you need to do to defend our walls.”
Lord Kirwal cleared his throat. “Your Majesty, you might consider leaving the city. If it is indeed Taran…”
Elissa cut him short. “No! I will not run away. If I’m going to ask the people of my kingdom to stand and defend it, then I will do so as well!”
“I will be at her side,” King Toknon said. “I will protect her. And I will add my counsel as well, if you so desire.”
“You have your own kingdom to protect,” Marik said. Maybe he had been wrong about the Thellian. He had expected Toknon to make a quick exit and race as fast he could back to Thell.
“The fates of Karmon and Thell are now intertwined,” Toknon said. “If Taran can attack South Karmon without provocation, then surely she can also attack Thell.”
Although he said the words, he did not fully believe everything he just said. Sure enough, if Taran could attack Karmon, there would be no stopping the Tarans. But he was in position to keep the Taran army out of Thell because of his past history with both Commander Roland and Hibold. He would leverage those relationships to ensure that the Taran army stayed away. Diplomacy had kept his kingdom safe for many years and hopefully he could continue to do that into the future.
The wildcard in his plan was the reason for the attack. Taran had to want something that Karmon had. There would be no other reason for the attack. Karmon had done nothing, as far as he knew, that would have angered Emperor Tarcious. The emperor could just as easily decide to invade Thell for no good reason. And if he did, there would be no walls to stop the invasion.
Marik was right in that he had his own kingdom to protect, and he really couldn’t do it from inside their castle. Over the next several hours there would be mass confusion along with mass panic. It might be the perfect time to sneak the queen out of the city for her own protection. There really could only be one military reason why Commander Roland was here, and that would be to disrupt the leadership of the kingdom. And that meant assassination. Staying close to Elissa should ensure that he wouldn’t succeed.
For now, he would have to stay by her side. But in the coming hours, he would have to find a way to get her out of the city.
***
Berrien let himself be led through the dimly lit halls of the lower levels of the castle. He was still a foreign dignitary, so he was given the courtesy of not being bound. But he offered no real threat to the two guards who walked next to him. Each had a firm, but not crushing, grip on his upper arm, allowing them to both direct him and remind him that he was their prisoner. He was sure it would not be long before that soldier Marik or some other hot-headed soldier would come and take their vengeance out on him.
His mind was running through ideas on how to get out of his predicament. Maybe the guards would relax just enough for him to overpower them and take their weapons. Although he was unafraid to use a dagger to kill, he had actually never done it. And swinging one of their swords was pretty much out of the question. He had held one once, but he never had swung one in a fight. Maybe he would come across something heavy that he could use to crush their skulls.
It really came down to the fact that they were trained to fight and he wasn’t. His chances of surviving a fight were small, at best. But he could at least put his fate in his own hands. If he allowed himself to be tossed into a locked room or worse, a dungeon cell, he would be putting his fate in someone else’s hands. Knowing his only option of survival was to attempt to escape, he decided it was going to be now or never.
They were approaching an intersection with another hallway and he fi
gured now was going to be as good a time as any. As soon as they crossed the threshold of the other hallway, he would make his move.
“Right,” one of the guards said as they approached the next hallway.
Even better, Berrien thought. Making a turn might just make them distracted enough that he could break free. He intentionally offered no resistance during the entire walk, hoping that would make them relax.
As they made the turn, their hands gripped his arms just a bit tighter, but Berrien still felt he could break their grasp. Just as he was about to make his move, they turned into the corridor and they all stopped.
A man in a dirty cloak, hood pulled down exposing his curly, hair charged at them. He let out a loud cry as he lifted a long-bladed dagger from inside his cloak.
The two guardsman released their grasp on him in order to draw their own blades. But the surprise and shock of being attacked in the middle of the castle caused them to be just a little bit slow in their reactions. Berrien, instantly recognizing the curly hair of Commander Roland, grabbed the guardsman on his left and pushed him hard against the wall. Roland went straight at the guard on Berrien’s right.
Roland was an expert soldier and was proficient in many weapons, especially the dagger. With little effort, he dispatched his guard with a deep thrust into the gut before the guard’s weapon cleared his scabbard. To ensure that the guard was dead, he drew the dagger across the man’s throat.
Berrien was not quite as fortunate with his attack. Although the soldier was caught off his guard, Berrien’s smaller stature made it easy for the guard to quickly recover. With a quick punch to the side of the face, Berrien was stunned and staggered backwards. This gave the guard time to draw his weapon, but just as he did, Roland had taken up the other guard’s sword and stepped in between the guard and Berrien. Roland did not give the man a chance to defend himself and thrust his sword deep into the guard’s chest, slicing into his heart and killing him instantly.
“Are there more?” Roland asked, peering around the corner to look down the hallway they had come from.
Berrien was still stunned and his mind and mouth weren’t cooperating together. He looked from one dead man to the next. A large pool of blood was still pumping out of the slit throat of the first guard, spreading across the hallway floor. The second guard was slumped against the wall, eyes open.
“Are you hurt?” Roland then asked, recognizing Berrien’s state.
Berrien shook his head. His stomach churned, but he was able to keep himself from throwing up. He had seen dead men before, but never had he been so close to this kind of slaughter.
“Good,” Roland replied. He looked down at the two dead guardsmen. “It is fortunate that I came upon you.”
“Yes,” Berrien said, trying not to look at the dead men. “Where is Peter? We need to get out of here, and quickly. The Karmons know our army is outside the city. If we don’t get out now, we may never get out.”
“We still have a job to do. Peter is up scouting out the queen. I am on my way to meet up with him near the kitchens. It is hectic there with scores of servants and pages running around trying to serve their lords and ladies so we should be able to make it out of the castle.”
“You don’t understand,” Berrien exclaimed. “They know about us. The army. And us. They’ll come for us! This could be our only opportunity to get out of the city alive!”
Commander Roland looked at him and said, “You are panicking and this is no time to panic. We must think clearly and smartly. We still have a job to do, but if you can’t help, then you’re going to be a hindrance and I’ll just leave you here.”
“What?” Berrien exclaimed. “You can’t just leave me here!”
“Then get a hold of yourself and follow me.”
Commander Roland seemed to know where he was going as he walked quickly along the hallways and made decisive turns when necessary. It took them only moments to reach the kitchens. Peter was there, dressed as a servant in a loose wool tunic. He stood a head above everyone else, so it was easy to spot him.
Among the chaos and noise of the activity, Peter said as quietly as he could, “I was just up in the Great Hall and some soldier came running in and interrupted it. He knows the army is here. We have to move now.”
“You mean leave the city?” Berrien asked hopefully.
Peter grabbed Berrien by the front of his tunic and pulled him out of the main hall and down side corridor. He said, “The time for diplomacy is over. We have to act now before it is too late and the queen is fully protected.”
“I’m ready,” Commander Roland added. “To die a soldier’s death will be an honor!”
“Wait a minute,” Berrien exclaimed. “I’m not ready to die a soldier’s death!”
Roland let out a low growl. “Are you not a servant of the emperor? You are. You must be prepared to serve the empire in any capacity that is asked of you!”
“You soldiers are crazy,” Berrien replied with a shake of his head. “You go on. I’ll stay right here.”
“We can’t do that,” Peter said. “We can’t risk you getting caught.”
“I don’t want to die!”
“How about if I kill you right now,” Roland snapped, holding his bloody dagger up for Berrien to see. “So it’s your choice. You can come with us and maybe make it out alive, or I can slit your throat right now. Which will it be?”
Peter pushed Roland’s arm down and said, “That won’t be necessary.” To Berrien, he said, “I don’t want to die, either. But sometimes in the service of our masters, we must sacrifice. And to serve the empire, it just may be our lives that are sacrificed. The castle will be in chaos for the next couple of hours as the weak panic and the strong try and maintain order. But before long, the queen’s guards will put a tight ring around her that we will not be able to get through. If we are quick enough, we might be able to get to her. It’s now or never.”
“Now,” Roland replied.
Both looked at Berrien, who felt like he was going to be sick. “Fine,” he finally said.
Peter patted him on the shoulder. “Good. I’ve scouted the castle and know where to go. There’s a back entrance to her apartments that is lightly guarded.”
“Then lead on,” Roland said, licking his lips.
Berrien followed, unsure how to think about the idea that in only a matter of minutes, he would likely be dead.
Chapter Eighteen
In no time, Conner found his way through the hallways of the castle and reached the back entrance to the royal apartment. The halls were empty, presumably due to the castle servants and pages helping to make sure that the queen and all her guests were served in a royal fashion. He did find it slightly odd, though, as he had never seen any part of the castle so devoid of any activity. It did make it easier for them to get through the hallways as they didn’t have to avoid anyone.
With the stairwell to the apartments just ahead, Conner placed a hand on Glaerion’s shoulder and slowed their pace. A single guard stood at his post at the base of the stairwell. His eyes followed them as they approached.
Conner had hoped that the absence of anyone else walking the halls meant that they wouldn’t be challenged trying to sneak into the queen’s apartments. It would have been much easier not to have to deal with a guard, but he and Glaerion had already discussed what they were to do. With a castle filled with guests, it would not seem out of the question for two of them to get lost.
“Hello!” Conner called out with a smile.
“You’re not supposed to be here,” the guard said. He was a young man around Conner’s age. He seemed more surprised than alarmed that Conner and Glaerion were approaching, so he did not draw his weapon.
“We are lost,” Conner started to say. But then he saw Glaerion pull out his dagger and leap towards the guard. Unable to react, he could only cry out, “No!”
The guard tried desperately to pull out his sword, but he was not fast enough. Glaerion landed just in front of the him. Havi
ng turned his dagger over so that the pommel was exposed, the elf struck the guard directly on his forehead. The guard crumpled to the ground without a sound.
Glaerion looked back at Conner and said, “Did you think I was going to kill him?”
Conner looked down at the guard, who suddenly had a large knot on the front of his head. “Well, yes.”
“You were right. I changed my mind at the last moment.”
“What about our plan to talk our way past him?”
“I don’t really like to talk,” Glaerion replied. He started to climb the stairs.
“Wait! What are we going to do with him?”
“Leave him. We’ll be gone from the castle shortly.”
“Yeah, but what if another guard comes in the next few minutes and raises an alarm. The secret exit just leads outside the castle walls, not outside the city.”
“What do you suggest, then?” Glaerion said impatiently.
“Hide him,” Conner said. “There’s a door just down the hall. We can put him in whatever room that is.”
“Will it really matter? A guard knocked out or a missing guard? And once he wakes up, he’ll raise the alarm anyway. We’re wasting time. You have the Ark, so let’s get moving.”
Conner stepped over to the guard and lifted him from under the armpits and started to move him. “Help me move him, first.”
Glaerion let out a low grumble in elven, but he helped Conner carry the unconscious guard down the corridor to a nearby room. It was a small room that was filled with dusty furniture. They set him down on the floor and quickly returned to the stairwell.
Conner led the way up the stairs.
The last time that he had been in the castle, it was here that he was posted to serve as guard and protector to the newly crowned queen. He had taken these same steps two at a time then, as he did now. At that time, he was racing up the stairs towards Elissa to save her from Neffenmark’s brutality. Now he was racing up the stairs to run away from her so that he could save the world.