The Lone Apprentice

by I K Spencer

  The pair mounted each flight as Anthen had earlier descended, pausing regularly to listen for movement above. The woman leaned more heavily upon him and soon he carried her as well as her pack. At the floor below his chamber, he sensed, then heard, footsteps descending from above and they were forced to leave the stairwell and wait for the sentry to pass. The guard continued down the stairs and Anthen silently carried the depleted woman up the last flight to his floor.

  He set the woman down and lay at the top of the stairs, waiting for the sentry that patrolled his hallway to come into view. He had to wait until the guard reached the end of his circuit, hoping the man did not continue all the way to the stairs. Otherwise, they risked running into the guard in the hallway with nowhere to hide.

  He saw the guard approaching and willed the man to turn with his thoughts. As the man continued to walk leisurely toward them, the young guardsman noted the sound of ascending footsteps on the stairs somewhere below them. He raised his bow, praying he did not have to kill either guard this close to his chamber for it would raise suspicions in Cidrl’s, and by association, his direction.

  Seconds passed slowly as both guards approached them. The woman leaned against the bannister and readied her longbow, focusing on the guard approaching on the stairs from below. As Anthen watched, the other guard stopped several feet from the end of the corridor but instead of turning, he just stood there. Was he waiting to speak to the sentry climbing the stairs toward them?

  He heard the second sentry reach the floor below them and the woman pulled her bowstring taut as the man started to climb. Finally, the guard in the passage turned and started walking slowly back down the hall. Anthen immediately gestured for the woman to hold and silently raced back down the steps and pulled her back up the stairs just before the sentry mounting the stairs came into view. He lifted the woman and hurried down the corridor toward his chamber, thankful that the sentry had already passed by his door and disappeared from view. They had to reach his chamber before the guard on the stairs reached their floor or they might be seen. Anthen glanced back quickly to insure they were not seen, then stepped through the doorway to the comparative safety of his quarters.

  He carried the woman directly to the dressing room and set her down gently. He closed the door and lit a small lamp. The woman was very pale, her condition obviously getting worse. He gave her the food he saved from dinner and water to drink.

  "I must leave you for a short while," Anthen whispered and the woman's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "I must make it look as though you escaped the castle," he added quickly and she nodded. "You must not make noise or move from this room," he cautioned. "Because I am supposedly spellbound, the servants and Cidrl enter without knocking. You must always be on guard."

  The woman nodded again.

  "I will be gone an hour, two at the most. Will you be able to hold on until I return?" The woman was leaning back against the wall with her eyes closed and Anthen was not sure he should leave her for so long.

  "I will be fine. Go." She waved at him to leave.

  He returned to his door and once again, listened for the sentry. In a few minutes, he heard the guard pass by his room and he silently left the chamber and hurried again toward the stairs. He knew he must hurry; the escape could be discovered at any moment and the castle would be filled with scurrying guards.

  He paused to make sure the stairwell was empty, then went down a floor and continued a short distance to a dining hall he had remembered. He hurried through the dark hall and found what he was looking for—a kitchen. Once inside the kitchen, he went directly to a window and threw it open. There was a short drop to the ground and he could see the perimeter wall a short distance away. Perfect!

  Anthen lit a candle and quickly searched through the cupboards, not bothering to close them again. Any suitable food items or other useful provisions he tossed in a pile. Finally, he came upon what he was really seeking—a stack of neatly folded tablecloths. He opened one of the tablecloths and used it as a sack, tossing in most of the food and the rest of the linens save one. He then found the pantry and took some more food while making it obvious that he had been there.

  He extinguished the light and returned to the window once more. After making sure there were no sentries patrolling the grounds nearby, he tossed some food items and the linen he had set aside out the window. Leaving the window open, he scooped up the sack of provisions and made his way carefully back to his room.

  As Anthen entered the moonlit chamber, he saw the woman near the window, holding his bow. She looked up, startled, and leveled the weapon at him.

  "It is I," he whispered, ignoring the weapon. "You should not leave the dressing room."

  "I doubt you will have any callers at this hour," she said defensively.

  "I have no callers any time. Remember, I am a mindless slave instantly at the ready at any hour of the day or night and your escape may be discovered at any moment."

  "You have many questions to answer," she whispered angrily.

  "I agree and have a few of my own. Let us move back to the dressing room and while I see to those wounds, we may talk."

  She put down the weapon and walked with difficulty back into the dressing room. Anthen carried in the provisions, then fetched water and his bag of medicines. He lit a candle and closed the dressing room door, leaving it slightly ajar.

  Under the dim glow of the single candle, he helped her slide the guard's breeches off. He slowly loosened the blood-soaked bandages, then gently inspected and bathed the wounds. Fortunately, none were deep enough to force a repeat of the painful ordeal he went through earlier for his wrist, which still throbbed with pain. After the wounds were cleaned properly with soap and water, he bandaged her legs properly with strips cut from the fresh table linens.

  As he worked, Anthen told her about Garrick and the suspected treachery of his master. He briefly described his time in Gates, though omitted his relationship with Urvena, then told her about their crossing into Dolonar. He told her what he could of how he came under the sorcerer's power and of his return to consciousness. Now that there could be no doubt as to Cidrl's treachery, Anthen's primary mission was to uncover his plot and escape, killing the traitor only if a clear opportunity presented itself. The woman asked several questions and Anthen could tell she was not totally convinced that he spoke the truth.

  Finally, noting the approach of dawn he cut her questioning short, saying there were things he must tell her and precious little time. He explained that had no control over his movements and could not guarantee when he might return, especially with the escape. If she ever noticed all his gear gone, then it probably meant he might never return. He said he thought she would be safe here; he didn't think the servants ever came in here but if one did, the individual must not be allowed to leave.

  "So what do you expect of me?" she asked after he finished.

  "I thought you could hide here while you recuperate and until the uproar over your escape is subsided or ..." he paused, avoiding her eyes, "perhaps you might wait for my mission to complete and help me escape. Also, I thought you might have information that could help me figure out their plan."

  "Ah. Now your motive for my escape is clear." The woman smiled but her eyes were hard.

  "No," he answered quickly. "I helped you escape because I cannot bear that I hurt you and might have been forced to hurt you even more. " He grimaced. "I also could not bear to let you become what I was. I am very sorry I beat you."

  She nodded, her eyes softening at the sincerity in his voice and the obvious pain in his face.

  "Look. A servant is likely to come in here any moment so I must leave. I ask that you stay here at least until we can talk more and if you must leave, please do your best not to implicate me."

  "I will stay here at least until nightfall," she promised. "Will you please dump the basin and fetch me water so that I may bathe?"

  The guardsman quickly dumped the water basin and returned with the empty basi
n and fresh water.

  "One more thing Anthen," she said before he shut the door. "There was something different about you when the traitor had you beat me. Your eyes were different."

  "You have seen me before? Did I hurt you?" Anthen asked quickly, frowning with concern.

  "No. I saw you from a distance," she explained. "Westerners in Dolonar stir great interest, especially the undead. My purpose for telling you this is to help you in your role. Then, your eyes were constantly roving, as if searching out threats, or victims. In the cell, you stared straight ahead."

  "Thank you ..." Anthen said and realized he did not even know her name.

  "Teya."

  "Thank you Teya."

  "Anthen, do not think I am not grateful for what you have done." Her eyes conveyed sincerity. "I may not trust you but I realize you saved my life, at least for the present. Thank you."

  Anthen nodded and closed the door. He lay down on the bed and waited for the storm he had created to erupt.

  Chapter 27

  Anthen had only returned to the bed a short time before he heard his hallway door scrape open. Moments later he heard the tray set down, followed by the door closing again. If the woman noticed anything, there was no indication. A few minutes later, earlier than usual, the adjoining chamber door burst open and Cidrl ordered him to rise and follow, the traitor’s tone none too happy. Anthen glanced at his still-warm breakfast as he rose and guessed he was likely to forego a morning meal this day.

  Cidrl looked as though he had just risen and his scowl also implied a foul mood. They headed directly for the dungeon, moving more swiftly than usual. Anthen shifted his gaze continuously as the Arnedonian woman had suggested and saw that no one seemed surprised by the subtle difference in behavior.

  The head jailer was waiting for them in the large, central chamber where Anthen had shot the two guards. The bodies were still heaped in the doorway but stretcher-bearers had followed the westerners in and approached the two corpses.

  "Leave them," Cidrl snapped. "Disturb nothing until I have seen everything." He turned to the jailer. "Well?"

  "It appears the woman strangled a guard who got too near, then used his keys to free herself." The man avoided Cidrl's angry stare and glanced fearfully at Anthen as he spoke. "She took his weapons and came out through here, where she killed two more sentries and then knocked the other two unconscious."

  "A starved, half-dead woman overcame five guards?" Cidrl asked, his face showing his disdain.

  "The night guards are not the best," the jailer replied sheepishly.

  "Where did she go from the dungeon?"

  "We found a mess in one of the kitchens and signs of her passage across the grounds beyond."

  "She escaped the palace?" the guardsman asked with obvious incredulity.

  "It matters not," the jailer said quickly, trying to deflate the guardsman's growing fury. "She will be caught very quickly. There is no way for her to escape the highland."

  Cidrl ignored the jailer's assurances and went over to inspect the corpses of the two men Anthen had shot. The apprentice tensed as the traitor checked the wounds on each man but Cidrl gave no indication if he suspected anything. From there the jailer led them to the cell.

  "The imbecile probably tried to rape her," Cidrl said angrily after inspecting the scene and the look on the jailer's face indicated that he thought the same.

  The jailer then led them back out to where Anthen had clubbed the fat guard, demonstrating how the woman had opened the door and struck the seated sentry.

  "Where is the fool?" Cidrl demanded.

  "I talked to them both and released them. Neither saw or heard a thing."

  "Have them both summoned at once."

  The jailer dispatched a man to fetch the pair, then showed Cidrl to the storeroom where they found the outer guard bound, pointing out the shelf that had held the woman's gear.

  "She bound this one but not the other?" Cidrl asked.

  "Aye," the jailer confirmed.

  "And where was this one stationed?"

  "He was guarding the outer door."

  "Sleeping by the outer door more like as not," the guardsman snorted. "No one appears to have been guarding anything." Cidrl chuckled but the guardsman's glittering eyes showed his barely contained fury.

  The two remaining guards hurried in and Cidrl questioned them in succession, berating each in the process. The mute apprentice listened closely to each sentry's words. The fat guard of course lied and said that he was awake at the time. The other guard lied as well, saying that he was standing by the door when knocked unconscious.

  Anthen could not have hoped for more. The coincidence of the first guard being killed by the prisoner and the lies of these two guards strengthened the plausibility that his new roommate had escaped without assistance.

  Next, Anthen followed Cidrl and the jailer to the kitchen, where a nervous cook received them. The breakfast crew had unwittingly cleaned up the mess and the flustered cook was so frightened of the giant guardsman and his silent minion that he fainted at Cidrl's first query. Anthen almost smiled at Cidrl's speechless response when the little man fell at his feet. When the traitor finally did control his fury enough to speak, he roared for those who actually cleaned up the mess to be brought to him.

  Minutes later, two cowering old women were brought before him and the diplomatic guardsman switched on his charm, probably realizing that the terrified women would faint as well, or worse, if he did not handle them gently. Anthen noted, with uneasiness, how much his handling of the servant women resembled his behavior towards his own servants.

  Under Cidrl's skillful manipulation, the women happily described exactly how Anthen remembered leaving the kitchen as well as the litter he had left outside the window. As soon as the women were dismissed however, the older guardsman's face hardened and Anthen sensed that he might not be completely convinced that the Arnedonian woman had escaped without assistance.

  ********

  Teya rose as soon as she heard Anthen leave with Cidrl. After bathing, she had replaced the filthy shift the Dolonarian pigs had forced her to wear with her travel garments, sturdy canvas top with deerskin riding pants. She wanted to be ready to flee on a moment's notice. Her brown hair was pulled tight behind her head, exposing a pretty but bruised face.

  She walked painfully from the dressing room, using the wall for support. She felt exhausted and very weak but felt she had to search the guardsman's things thoroughly before resting. She picked up the pack and brought it back into the dressing room, where she methodically emptied its contents. She examined each piece of gear and clothing before repacking the item in its proper place, finding nothing to indicate the young guardsman's tale was not true but nothing to back it up either.

  Teya returned the pack to its place and looked around the room. She eyed the uneaten breakfast tray and considered eating the food but decided it was unwise; the dark lord might remember that he had not allowed Anthen to eat and return to remedy the mistake. She pushed a strand of loose hair behind her ear and winced at the tenderness from the beating the day before. Her gaze came to rest on the strange crossbow and she picked the weapon up to inspect it more closely.

  Though far from a weapons expert, it was immediately obvious to her how the revolver mechanism worked and what advantages it could offer in battle; she had seen that first hand in the dungeon. She also knew that the weapon must not be standard issue or she would know about its existence. Arnedon and Jamen's realm were on friendly terms but they also kept an eye on each other.

  She finished her search of Anthen's chamber and hobbled back to the tiny dressing room to lay down again. Her legs throbbed and she felt weak and feverish. Though not hungry, she forced herself to eat some of the food the guardsman had pilfered, then returned to her bedroll on the floor.

  Though exhausted, sleep did not come easily. Instead, Teya's mind kept returning to her precarious situation. She remained undecided about the young guardsman, though guess
ed he was probably being truthful for the most part. It could be some elaborate trick to loosen her tongue but she doubted her captors would attempt such an elaborate trick. The spellbound apprentice who beat her the day before inspired considerably more fear than the brave, young man who helped her escape. She had no doubt that he was a guardsman, and a very good one. What would be the point of such a ruse? She supposed that they might hope that she would share all her knowledge with her gallant savior. Well then, she would just not tell him a thing until they were free of the highland fortress.

  After a while, though far from feeling secure, Teya's need for rest overcame her racing mind and she fell asleep.

  ********

  Anthen sat across from his evil master, trying to eat his supper and keep up his endless scanning vigil simultaneously. For some reason unknown to the apprentice, they were dining together in one of the palace dining rooms. He hadn't eaten a meal in front of Cidrl since recovering his senses and felt nervous that something in the way he ate would give him away. As usual, though, the traitor's gaze seldom fell on his latest convert. The older guardsman stared sullenly at his plate and Anthen knew he was thinking about the escape.

  After leaving the kitchen that morning, they had toured the grounds beyond, then Anthen had followed Cidrl and their Dolonarian escort into the city streets beyond the palace walls. Though they had not ventured too far, Anthen constructed a map of the area in his head as Cidrl searched for clues. In the afternoon, they had returned to the dungeon and covered the entire escape route once again.

  "What do you think?" Cidrl suddenly asked, looking up at him.

  Anthen had a moment of terror as he realized Cidrl was addressing him. He decided to ignore the question.

  "I forgot who I was talking to," Cidrl mumbled to himself, then continued in a loud voice, speaking slowly as though addressing a child. "Anthen, do you think the Arnedonian woman escaped on her own?"