“A fat lot of good a royal guardian’s word is,” said the man.
Frustrated, Oakleaf asked, “Is there anything I can say that will convince you to trust me?”
Again, no response.
“Fine, I’ll see if your daughter is willing to help me.”
“Wait!” the prisoner said. “Leave Arlie alone!”
Smiling, Oakleaf said, “So, you have a daughter then.”
“You tricked me,” the man growled. “Fine. My name is Barclay.”
“Barclay, you know me. My name is Oakleaf. You know I’m not like the other royal guardians.”
“Yes,” Barclay said. “I thought you sounded familiar.”
Oakleaf tried not to get too excited. He needed to stay focused on the task at hand. “Do you know why you were put in the dungeon?”
“No, not for sure,” Barclay said bitterly. “They came in the middle of the night and brought us here. They wouldn’t answer me when I asked, but I suspect it had to do with Guardian Cameron.”
“You suspect right,” Oakleaf said. “Can you tell me what you saw the day before you were brought here?”
“Why are you asking me all this?”
Placing a hand on the door as if to try to comfort Barclay, Oakleaf said, “Because I can help you, but first I need to know what you saw.”
There was no sound from the cell for several heartbeats.
“Fine.” Barclay went on to tell how Cameron had tried to force him to pay his taxes when he had already paid, and how Rayne had stepped in to prevent it.
“Were there any other guardians in the shop with you aside from Cameron and Rayne?”
“No.”
“Would you be willing to testify about what you saw?” Oakleaf asked.
Barclay let out a harsh laugh. “Of course, if I ever got the chance. But I doubt I will.”
Oakleaf stood, undid the lock, and opened the door. Barclay shielded his eyes from the light of the torch, then struggled to his feet with Oakleaf’s help.
“Let’s find your daughter,” Oakleaf said.
They exited the cell, and Oakleaf again studied the floor for indications of recently opened doors. It didn’t take them long to find the door and verify that Barclay’s daughter Arlie was inside.
With the woodworker and his daughter in tow, Oakleaf made his way back toward the exit. He warned them to keep quiet so as not to wake Ivor.
Oakleaf noticed that the exit door was nearly closed all the way—shut tighter than he had remembered. Creeping to the door, Oakleaf pushed on it lightly and was startled when it flew open. Ivor stood before him, sword drawn.
“Captain Sullivan was right. He said to keep an eye out for you. You and Rayne were obviously friends, and he thought you’d try something stupid. It’s probably why he wouldn’t let us just kill Barclay and Arlie, to draw you out.” The muscle-bound guardian pointed his sword at Oakleaf. “However, he also said if you actually tried something like this, I should kill both you and them.”
***
The sun fought its way up the sky, trying to peer through the swollen storm clouds without success. Despite the heavy rains from the night before and a light drizzle that still lingered, a large crowd started to gather outside the castle gates.
Excitement for the Shoginoc ran high, but when word spread that an execution would take place before the ceremony, it was as if fuel had been added to an already blazing fire.
Sunshine stood in the crowd, wearing a hooded cloak in an attempt to stay dry. Rayne’s grandparents were with her, Nadia clutching Kelvin’s arm for support.
Oakleaf never returned after he left the night before, so it seemed any hope of saving Rayne was lost. Sunshine wondered if it was too late to change her mind and agree to marry Caldre, but Nadia and Kelvin were both adamant that was not an option.
“There yous are. Magistrate Caldre has been lookin’ fur yous,” said a voice behind Sunshine. She turned to see Cameron staring at her, raindrops dripping from his crooked nose. She fought the instinct to slap him.
She stepped closer to Kelvin and leaned against him. “I’m sure he is,” she said angrily. “You can pass on this message to him: Rain will fall from the sun before I would agree to his conditions.”
Cocking his head to one side, Cameron looked like a confused, mangy mutt. “Wut?”
“That means no, you wooden head,” said Kelvin, who had also turned to face the guardian. “Now get out of our sight.”
Cameron’s eyes flashed in anger, but after sizing up Kelvin and glancing around at the packed crowd, he slunk away.
Kelvin put an arm around Sunshine. “That was the right thing to do. I’m sure this is hard, but we can’t give into such manipulation.”
“Why does doing the right thing have to be so hard sometimes?” Sunshine asked gloomily.
Nadia reached out and touched Sunshine on the arm. “It only seems hard in the moment. Time will tell that it was actually easier than living with making the wrong choice.”
The crowd started to murmur with excitement as people walked onto the large platform that had been set up for the execution. Sunshine recognized Governor Nash and his wife among the governors of the other districts.
“I just wish we knew what happened to Oakleaf,” Nadia lamented. “He was our only hope to save Rayne.”
Sunshine felt a twinge of guilt when she realized she was so wrapped up in feelings for Rayne that she hadn’t been as concerned that something may have happened to her brother. She wasn’t sure what she would do if she lost both Rayne and Oakleaf. Could she live with the guilt of knowing she could have done something?
Her mind raced. Was there nothing that could be done? She had gone to Bertram the night before and he said his hands were tied—two witnesses testified what had happened. According to the Tome of Laws, that satisfied the requirements. There was no one else to testify for Rayne—only the missing merchant or his daughter could help.
Sunshine didn’t want to believe Oakleaf had failed. Even though she often teased her brother, he was not one to give up once his mind was set on something. Unfortunately, they were running out of time. Perhaps if she couldn’t stop Rayne’s execution, she could delay it. But how? Her eyes searched the platform for inspiration. Once again she noticed Governor Nash, looking rather upset, sitting among his fellow governors. As she looked at each of them in turn, inspiration hit.
“I’ve thought of something,” she said to Kelvin and Nadia. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
***
“She says somethin’ ’bout water becomin’ sunlight,” Cameron said.
Caldre sniffed haughtily. “What are you talking about?”
Wiping the rain out of his eyes, Cameron said, “I thinks she means ‘no’ by that.”
Caldre balled his fists. “Fine! She will regret that until the day she dies.” He pushed his way through the guardians who surrounded Rayne. They were just inside the castle gates, awaiting the signal to proceed to the platform. Making sure Rayne was still in chains, Caldre walked up to the prisoner and said, “You should know that I gave Savant Sunshine a way to save your life, but she refused. It seems she will never forgive you for betraying her trust with the merchant’s daughter. In fact, I’ve heard she is actually looking forward to watching you die.”
Rayne lifted his hands, causing the chains to rattle.
Caldre jumped back in fear, and several of the guardians surrounding Rayne grabbed hold of him.
“Settle down,” Rayne said. “I wasn’t threatening you, Magistrate, although it does show me how brave you truly are to be scared of a man in chains, surrounded by men with swords.”
The calm, steady tone of Rayne’s voice unsettled Caldre. “I was just…startled, is all.”
“Yes, I’m sure,” Rayne said. “But know this—Sunshine and I share something you will never understand. I don’t believe your lies. You’ve lived so long telling them, I’m not sure you could speak the truth if you wanted.”
Caldre fe
lt the eyes of the surrounding guardians on him. Did he see doubt in some of their expressions? No matter. Rayne would soon be dead, and the guardians would be shown what happens to those who don’t do as they are told.
Lifting his chin and looking down his nose, Caldre said, “It seems Sunshine and I have something in common. We’ll both enjoy watching you die.”
Not letting Rayne respond or waiting for the signal to proceed to the platform, Caldre walked briskly out of the castle. He was still fuming when he reached the platform stairs. How dare Rayne insult him!
When Caldre reached the top, he noticed everyone was seated where he or she should be, with the exception of Governor Nash. He was on the far edge of the platform, a good thirty paces away, kneeling down at the edge and talking to someone in a hooded robe. From his vantage point, Caldre couldn’t tell who it was.
“Governor Nash!” he said firmly. “Return to your seat!”
Nash ignored Caldre at first, so he took a few steps toward the governor, the fury inside him building. Before Caldre could say anything else, Nash stood up and walked back to his seat. Quickly looking at the person in the hooded robe, Caldre caught only an indistinguishable glance before the figure melted back into the crowd.
Caldre took his seat, aware that he sat alone among the chairs set up for the royalty and the Hierarchy of Magistrates. The crowd looked at him expectantly, probably wondering why he was up there alone.
His embarrassment was short lived as trumpets sounded, announcing the arrival of everyone else. The hierarchy came first, dressed in their black robes and looking somber. Councilor Abrecan was next, smartly dressed in crimson with silver trim. Finally King Daimh arrived, smiling and waving to the crowd, who gave a polite cheer in return. His minstrels sang loudly as he entered.
King Daimh—master of the sword!
Of this we sing in accord!
Looks great on the throne,
Best king that we’ve known!
Forever he will be adored!
“Welcome, welcome,” Daimh said loudly. “I’ve asked my father to oversee these proceedings.”
He motioned to Abrecan, who stood and bowed to his son. Daimh was still in the process of being seated when Abrecan addressed the crowd.
“While it is unfortunate that we must put someone to death today, this shows that justice will be served. The person being executed today was once a royal guardian.”
A collective gasp came from the crowd. Word had spread about an execution, but the details were always held until the day when it would take place.
“Yes, yes, I know,” Abrecan said. “It’s a tragedy that someone of such an honorable position would attempt to kill a fellow guardian. But we are here to show you that no one is above the law.”
Waving a hand toward the stairs of the platform, Abrecan proclaimed, “Bring the prisoner forward!”
Several guardians came up the stairs, followed by Rayne, still in chains. Then came several more guardians, one of them carrying a large axe. He walked over to a large wooden block with a wicker basket off to the side. Rayne was brought to the block and forced down on his knees.
“Stop!” shouted Governor Nash, jumping to his feet.
Everyone in the crowd and on the platform froze for a moment before Abrecan broke the silence.
“What is it, Governor Nash?” Abrecan asked, clearly annoyed.
Nash walked to the center of the platform, then turned to face the crowd. “This execution will not continue.”
Before he could say anything else, Caldre interrupted, “Governor, you are out of line! This man has been tried and found guilty. You cannot stop it!”
“But I can, and I am,” Nash said forcefully. “You cannot execute Rayne because I am sponsoring him as the representative from Lebu in the Shoginoc.”
CHAPTER 25
“Ivor, you don’t want to do this,” Oakleaf said, handing the torch to Barclay and then slowly raising his hands.
Ivor grabbed the hilt of his sword with both hands. “Oh, really? And who are you to tell me what I want?”
Oakleaf stepped back carefully, causing Barclay and Arlie to step back as well. “These people can prove that Rayne is innocent. If you stop us, he will die for a crime he didn’t commit.”
Ivor lowered his sword a little, looked thoughtful for a moment, and then said, “So, if I stop you, the man who humiliated me in the Mortentaun, in front of all of the important people in Bariwon, will die?” He raised his sword up into an attack position and smiled malevolently. “You don’t make a very good argument.”
Oakleaf stepped back and drew his sword just in time to block Ivor’s attack.
“Go back the way we came! Look for an open cell door!” Oakleaf told Barclay, batting away another blow. The merchant and his daughter started down the hallway, with Oakleaf following them the best he could while fending off Ivor.
The narrow hallway made swordplay difficult at best. The swings had to be short and compact. Ivor even had to stoop in places where the ceiling dipped low. The group worked its way back through the passages, taking corners now and again. Oakleaf continued to fight defensively, giving up several chances he had to press the attack.
Ivor seemed to grow more frustrated. He was able to move Oakleaf back down the passageways, but wasn’t able to do any real damage to his person.
“Quit running away and fight like a man!” Ivor shouted after yet another one of his attacks was deflected.
“What’s the matter, Ivor? Upset that the sword I’m using hasn’t been hollowed out this time and you are forced to fight fairly?”
The insult angered Ivor further, causing his blows to become more erratic. Several times, Ivor’s wild swings would glance off the stone walls, causing sparks.
“Here!” Barclay said finally. “This door is open!”
Oakleaf allowed Ivor to push him back even a bit further down the hallway, driving them past the open doorway. Deciding it was time to go on the offensive, Oakleaf set his back foot and started to counterattack.
With both guardians unwilling to give up ground, the blows came fast and hard. Oakleaf noticed it seemed to be getting darker in the hallway. The torch Barclay held was the only source of light, which made the swordfight even more challenging.
“The torch is going out!” Barclay yelled.
“Light another one—quickly!”
“Where?” asked the woodworker.
“There should be one hanging on the wall nearby,” Oakleaf said, ducking beneath another powerful swing.
“I’m not finding one!”
“Against the wall,” Oakleaf turned his head quickly to see if he could spot another torch.
Taking advantage of Oakleaf’s split attention, Ivor feigned high, but then quickly stabbed, impaling Oakleaf in his thigh just below the hip.
Oakleaf looked down at the sword and then up at Ivor’s triumphant grin. He heard Arlie gasp. In the flicker of the dying torch, Oakleaf saw the open prison door behind the still-grinning face of Ivor.
Oakleaf dropped his sword. “Nice move.”
Ivor put more force behind the sword, driving it deeper into Oakleaf’s thigh. “You put up a good fight, but not good enough. Once I finish you and then kill the old man, I think I’ll have some fun with the girl there.”
“Over my dead body,” Barclay said.
Ivor shook his head. “Nah, I’ll take her a good distance away from your dead body first.”
“I don’t think so.” Oakleaf’s voice was raspy and labored.
With both hands on the hilt of his sword, Ivor leaned in closer, raised an eyebrow and said, “Oh yeah? And what are you going to do about it?”
Oakleaf summoned his strength and punched Ivor as hard as he could in the nose with his armored fist. Several of the metal links on his chain mail gloves split open with the impact. The taller guardian’s head snapped backward, and when he looked again at Oakleaf with wide eyes, his once-bulbous nose was now at a funny angle. Oakleaf lowered a shoulder, spun
slightly, and wrenched the sword from Ivor’s grip. He lunged forward and caught Ivor in the chest with his shoulder, causing him to stumble into the open prison. Oakleaf grabbed the door and began to shut it as fast as he could. The door was almost closed when it stopped abruptly. Ivor had stuck his foot in between the door and the frame. Feeling the strength drain from him, Oakleaf doubled his effort, but he couldn’t get the door to budge.
After handing the dying torch to Arlie, Barclay rushed in and kicked Ivor’s foot, causing it to retreat and allowing the door to close tightly. Oakleaf fastened the lock just as the door shuddered from what could only be Ivor slamming against it from the other side.
With Ivor contained, Oakleaf’s strength left him completely, and he sagged to his knees.
“Take it out,” said the young guardian. Barclay grabbed the sword, and putting a foot against Oakleaf’s chest, quickly yanked the sword free.
“We need to get you out of here,” Barclay said.
Oakleaf nodded. “Light a new torch first. Hurry.”
Both of the men looked toward the young woman, who was staring at them and holding the all-but-burned-out torch. Rushing to her side, Barclay took it from her and started searching for another torch to light.
“There!” Arlie said, pointing several paces down the hallway. Barclay ran toward the new torch and reached it just as it went out, leaving them in the dark.
“Oh, no,” the merchant said. “I guess we’ll have to find our way back in the dark. Do you think you can, Oakleaf?” Only silence answered him.
Feeling his way, Barclay stumbled over Oakleaf’s leg. Kneeling down, he reached out and felt his leg, now wet and sticky. He noted that Oakleaf was still breathing, but he must have fainted from loss of blood.
Barclay removed his shirt and began ripping it into strips. “Father? What are you doing?” Arlie asked, moving toward the sound.
“I’m trying to stop the bleeding,” he said, putting a folded part of his shirt against Oakleaf’s thigh.
The Hidden Sun (Bariwon Chronicles Book 1) Page 27