The Ladder: Part 1

by David Hodges

  “Cameron, didn’t expect to see you up so late. What are you up to?” Daniel’s voice called out.

  Cameron saw Fergus and Daniel as they approached under the light of a lantern. Their shirts were un-tucked and their shoes dirtied.

  “Just taking a walk, can’t get any sleep with all this noise... what about you two?” he said, looking them up and down.

  Fergus replied, “Lots and lots of dancing, good fun, you really should’ve been there, loads of charming las—” He was cut off as Daniel elbowed him.

  “Don’t mind if we join you, do you?” asked Daniel.

  Cameron sighed. “Sure, why not.”

  The three of them walked toward the gate, and Cameron listened patiently as Fergus babbled on about all of the festivities of the day and the opening ceremony.

  They crested a hill and Cameron stopped. The wall and entry gate were in sight. A pair of guards stood at the sides of the gate, four more were posted above it. Cameron stepped off of the road. “Let’s take a break here.”

  “I like that idea,” said Daniel with a grunt as he plopped down beside a large tree.

  Fergus joined him, and it was not long before the pair of them fell asleep.

  Cameron sat awake, staring at the gate ahead. He fantasized that it would open, guards streaming through with Alexandra in tow, Einar in chains. Then he could finally go home, earn General Marlow’s favor, and resume life as normal in Leicester, almost normal at least.

  He had yet to experience any unintended changes since the first day he arrived. He reached behind his back and touched the spot where those things had sprouted out. The skin was as smooth as it had been the dozens of other time he checked. Perhaps he would be able to conceal what had happened to him, perhaps he could hold on to the normalcy that he had taken for granted.

  Cameron’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of hooves hitting cobblestone. He turned to see three men on horseback. They wore plain clothes, though they had swords at their waists.

  He sprung up and met the guards on the road. “Has there been any...”

  “No,” preempted one of the guards.

  “So the last patrol...” Cameron began.

  “If there’s news, you’ll be told. You’re wasting your time coming here like this, go back to your quarters.” The Laochra continued forward toward the gate.

  Daniel and Fergus were woken as they passed by them.

  Cameron walked back toward them and continued to watch the gate.

  “Was that a search party?” asked Daniel.

  “Aye.”

  “No news then?”

  Cameron shook his head.

  Fergus said, “Doesn’t it seem odd that they’re taking a wagon out on a search?”

  “Does seem a bit cumbersome,” said Daniel.

  Cameron had not considered it He had been too preoccupied with the hope of news to notice the heavy cargo they were transporting.

  “And where are the hounds?” asked Fergus incredulously.

  Daniel replied, “Maybe they don’t need ’em, I’m sure one or two of the guards could pick up a scent themselves.”

  “It surely wouldn’t hurt to have the extra help.”

  Cameron said, “I’ve seen them go out with a pack once now that I think about it, they didn’t have a wagon that time.”

  Fergus asked, “Are you sure this one’s a search party?”

  Cameron replied, “Well no, but they’re Laochra and they didn’t tell me otherwise. What else would they be doing out there?”

  The three of them paused for a moment, collectively realizing there was only one way to know for sure.

  “Shall we find out?” said Daniel with a pair of devious glances at Cameron and Fergus.

  “Have at it, I’ll be at the flat.” Fergus began to turn around.

  Daniel stopped him. “You don’t even have to go past the gates, just help us get out.”

  “This is a bad idea,” continued Fergus.

  “What’s the worst that could happen?”

  “I can think of several horrendous outcomes.”

  Cameron said, “How do we get through the gate?”

  “Same way Hazel did... c’mon,” replied Daniel as he started toward the gate, “hurry, before the wagon gets too far.”

  Cameron sprinted after Daniel, staying to the side of the road and dodging trees until they caught up with the wagon. He heard Fergus gasping for air behind him.

  Daniel stopped and looked back at him with a finger to his lips. “Fergus, stop the guard and keep ’em talking with whatever you can think of.”

  “Why me?” asked Fergus.

  “Would you rather sneak out in the wagon?”

  “Fine, you two owe me. If we’re caught, you made me do it.”

  “Alright, alright. Hurry, go.”

  Fergus jogged ahead. Cameron and Daniel continued up the side of the road, staying within the trees.

  Fergus ran up beside the Laochra and began speaking with them. The Laochra slowed their horses as they listened.

  Cameron and Daniel crouched and made their way to the back of the wagon.

  Fergus was saying, “Back there? You sure, I just went by, didn’t see him,” he said, sounding particularly puzzled.

  A Laochra replied, “He was there, look again.”

  Cameron climbed into the covered wagon, then helped Daniel up into it.

  Outside the wagon Fergus continued, “aAlright... uh... it’s, it’s a bit dark... could I borrow one of your lanterns?”

  “I think you’ve had bit too much to drink, lad,” said the agitated Laochra.

  “Aye. You’re right, pardon me, goodnight.”

  The wagon sped up. Daniel peered out the back and gave Fergus a thumbs up. He sat back down in the wagon and looked around at the crates piled inside. “What’s all this?”

  Cameron pulled up on the top of one of the crates. It stayed sealed. He ran his hand along the edge of it until he felt a small piece of cold metal. “Nailed shut,” he muttered.

  After a quarter hour, the wagon came to a halt.

  “We can’t have gone far,” whispered Daniel.

  Outside of the wagon, one of the guards said, “They’re late.” A pair of boots thumped in front of the wagon, then plodded toward the back.

  Cameron and Daniel slid out of the wagon and crept off on the other side. They watched the wagon from behind a tree. The guard began to unload crates from the wagon. He was joined by another while the third waited by his horse in front of the wagon.

  Another wagon rolled up from the other end of the trail.

  Cameron heard a small shuffle nearby and looked toward the noise. He spotted the outline of a small four-legged animal with two big ears and a small pointy nose. The fox stared at him for a moment, then turned and approached the guards. When it reached them, it stood up on it’s hind legs and leaned up on one of them.

  “Bollocks,” said Cameron as he pulled Daniel away. “We need to go, now.”

  After making it about ten yards, Cameron looked back to see the guards lanterns swaying back and forth, gaining ground quickly. “Go!” he said as he began to sprint, no longer attempting to stay quiet.

  After a few more steps, he looked back over his shoulder. The lanterns had been extinguished, and he saw only the outlines of dark trees. “Wait, stop,” he said in a hushed voice as he put a hand on Daniel’s shoulder and came to a halt.

  Daniel began to say, “Maybe we should just go back with them, where are we supposed to—”

  A branch cracked, and leaves rustled nearby.

  Cameron bolted, and Daniel followed after him. He looked over his shoulder and saw one of the guards running behind him, off to his right.

  He was closing in fast.

  Without thinking, Cameron nocked an arrow, turned, and fired at the base of a tree. The guard had no time to react and tripped over the arrow. He flew forward and hit the ground hard, sliding face first.

  Cameron kept running as he looked for the o
ther guard. He spotted him over his left shoulder. He fired another arrow into a tree. The guard hurdled over the arrow and continued toward them, closing in fast.

  Cameron looked forward and ran as fast as he could, waiting to feel a pair of hands pull him backward. He heard a large thud and a yell behind him. He looked back and saw Daniel on the floor, the guard pinning him down.

  Cameron thought of stopping, then realized that Daniel was not in any real danger and kept on going, not entirely sure why he was still running. He looked ahead, and by the time his legs burned and he was struggling to breathe, he noticed light ahead of him. He slowed down to a jog and continued forward until he could make out a large stone castle, surrounded by crumbling walls. The old castle where Einar had ambushed Marlow’s men.

  He snuck up to one of the openings in the walls and peered around it. There were at least a dozen tents set up and several campfires burning. Cameron realized that the tents looked exactly like the ones that had been set up when he was first there. Several men were patrolling the area.

  Cameron heard footsteps padding along the dirt on the other side of the wall and ducked back behind it. The steps continued past the opening and faded off. He looked back into the camp. A pair of men were conversing, one of them pointing beyond the camp. Cameron focused in on them. The light was faint, but he was able to see their faces more clearly.

  As one of the men turned, Cameron recognized him and his scowl immediately. Captain Henry Marsden.

  It dawned on Cameron that the men must have been searching for Alexandra, or perhaps for him and the rest of the search party that had been sent out. None of the men were in uniform. Perhaps there were civilians helping as well. General Marlow himself might have even come out to help with the search. He needed to speak with them.

  As he rose, a leaf crunched behind him. He turned quickly to find one of the Laochra directly behind him. The Laochra’s gloved hand shot up to his mouth and covered it, his other hand squeezed hard on the back of neck, holding him firmly in place.

  Cameron sat in Ayalon’s office in the Roman building with Daniel. The Laochra that they had spied on were in the back of the room.

  “What did you see out there?” asked Ayalon. His breath still smelled of liquor.

  “We were following the search party...”

  “What did you see?” Ayalon repeated.

  “We saw the search party...” echoed Daniel.

  Ayalon looked at Daniel impatiently, then back to Cameron.

  “You saw a camp set up at the old castle did you not?”

  Cameron nodded.

  Ayalon said, “Those were General Marlow’s men. They requested permission to enter the estate and continue their search. I, Mr. Plantagenet, approved, for obvious reasons. They are being escorted by some of the Laochra, who have been presented as my groundskeepers.”

  Cameron felt foolish for not giving more thought to the probability that General Marlow would send more men after the first search party he sent went missing.

  One of the Laochra said, “They saw us exchanging cargo.”

  Ayalon flashed an agitated look at the Laochra and said impatiently, “Supplies for General Marlow’s men to aid them in their search.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me they were here?” asked Cameron.

  “It would’ve been a distraction, it doesn’t change anything.” Ayalon rose from his desk. “Do you understand the risk you took in leaving the walls? That is exactly what Einar is waiting for you to do!” said Ayalon. He sighed. “I understand that you’re eager to rescue Alexandra, but you aren’t just jeopardizing your own life with this type of behavior. I trust you understand that by now, which means you took this risk consciously.” Ayalon waved over a pair of Laochra.

  “From now on, you’ll be placed under supervision. I wanted you to make the right decisions for yourself Cameron, but I can’t make that mistake again.”

  26

  HAZEL

  “I don’t know what you were thinking,” said Hazel as she examined the scratch on Daniel’s cheekbone.

  “Oh please, remind me how you got here in the first place?” said Daniel over the noise of the crowded stands.

  “That’s different. I didn’t know what was at stake. So Marlow’s men have been searching for Alexandra then?”

  “By the looks of it. Cameron said they had quite the camp. I don’t think they intend on leaving until she’s found.”

  “Isn’t Ayalon afraid they’ll stumble upon Talamh?”

  “He has a few of the Laochra guiding them, suppose they’re making sure they steer clear of the walls.”

  “Cameron wasn’t happy about it... reckon he would’ve liked to be out there with them, making sure Marlow knows he’s still searching.”

  Hazel looked down from the tall wooden stands onto one of the many rings marked out in the fields below. Grapplers and swordsmen were fighting their preliminary rounds on the outer rings. A central ring was empty. Clangs of sword on sword emanated from the various rings.

  She was happy to have a distraction from her quandary with Elisedd. She had seen him sitting with his family on her way through the stands. She was relieved when they did not notice her. She hoped it was not long before she could think of him without feeling so foolish.

  Beside her, Uschi said, “You see that parry? Lupa has a tendency to strike down, he should recognize that by now.”

  Coinín replied, “He’s more brawn than brain... should be a good match.”

  Hazel focused on the duel that they were commentating. The young man’s blows were powerful and relentless. It would have seemed ridiculous to expect the petite woman to be able to block his blows as proficiently as she was had Hazel not seen what the women in Talamh were capable of.

  The young man forced Lupa toward the edge of the ring. She tried to move to either side of him between his strikes, but he kept her in place with his ferocious attacks. He wound up and unleashed a powerful slash against her. She managed to block it. The clash of their swords stood out above the sounds of the other matches, and the force of the blow knocked her back a few steps, out of the ring.

  A scorekeeper next to the ring raised a flag and pointed it at the young man.

  “How’s the scoring work?” asked Fergus.

  Coinín replied, “First to three points wins... a hit on the limbs is one point as is a forced out like we just saw. A hit to the torso or head is two points as is a disarm.”

  Uschi said, “Grappling is similar, a forced out is worth one point, a submission or a pin is worth two.”

  The next round of the match began. Lupa charged her opponent and unleashed a flurry of attacks, in stark contrast to her strategy just moments before.

  The crowd cheered her on as she continued with her attacks.

  Her opponent seemed to be overwhelmed, barely managing to meet her blows. There was finally a gap in her onslaught, and he took the opportunity to strike. She dodged the blow and countered successfully, hitting his shoulder.

  The crowd cheered wildly as the scorekeeper raised his flag and pointed it at her.

  “Fighting fire with fire,” commented Coinín.

  The next round began. Both opponents charged. This time, they were trading blows.

  “Now we’ve got a fight!” said Uschi.

  The pair of them continued until their fatigue became visible. His sword was swinging slower, her feet were dragging. They backed away from one another for a respite.

  It was short lived. The young man charged and took a dramatic, arcing swing from below. Lupa set up to parry from above. Just as their blades were about to meet, Lupa withdrew her block and spun around in the opposite direction so that she ended up behind her opponent. She thrust her blade at his turning waist and made contact.

  The crowd erupted.

  The scorekeeper raised a pole with two banners attached to it and pointed at Lupa. He approached her and raised her arm. Lupa bowed toward her opponent, then left the ring.

  As the excitem
ent from the match faded, Hazel and the others turned their attention to a grappling match that was taking place in the next ring over.

  From the benches below, Hazel overheard a wiry young man say, “I reckon you’d have a good shot at grappling, you’re certainly as strong as any of the Creach.”

  “There’s more to it than that,” said the large young man beside him. Hazel realized that it was Leland.

  “That’s right,” said Ulric from behind them. “He’d be lucky to survive a single round.”

  The wiry young man turned to find the source of the criticism. Upon recognizing Ulric, his expression soured. “If you’d lower your nose and let him enter we could find out, couldn’t we...”

  Leland grabbed his shoulder and turned him around. “You’re wasting your time, Arnie.”

  Ulric stood up from his seat and leaned over their shoulders.

  “Not again,” said Coinín under his breath.

  “You have a fight coming your way, Creiche, don’t worry about that,” said Ulric.

  Coinín intervened. “Ulric, let’s go get warmed up,” he said as he ushered his brother away from them and down the stands.

  “What was that supposed to mean?” asked Fergus.

  Hazel said, “Dunno... just talk, I hope.”

  Bjarke said to Uschi, “We should go get ready as well.”

  “Aye,” Uschi turned to Hazel, “we’ll see you all after the tourney.”

  “You all enjoy the show! Make sure to cheer us on!” said Bjarke.

  “We will!” said Hazel.

  “Don’t kill anyone out there, it’s just a game!” said Daniel.

  The three of them continued to watch as the preliminary matches unfolded.

  “You think any of them will make it far?” asked Fergus.

  “Ulric thinks he will,” said Hazel.

  “What about Uschi and Bjarke, who do you think will place higher in grappling?” asked Daniel.

  “That a joke?” scoffed Fergus. “He’s at least twice her size. You seen his arms, they look like sacks of boulders.”

  “I’ve seen Uschi take him down plenty of times,” said Hazel.

  “No way she makes it farther than him, that’s my bet,” said Fergus.