by K. J. Nessly
“Do you really think my father will stand for this? He will send somebody for me.”
Sebastian chuckled again. “It has been over a fortnight, princess, your faith in your father is admirable, but face the truth my dear—no one’s coming for you. They don’t even know you’re here.”
“The Guardians will come,” the princess declared defiantly.
“The Guardians,” Sebastian spat. “They’re nothing but pompous wizards who have nothing better to do with their time than to meddle in the affairs of others.”
“The guardians defend the people of the kingdom,” Princess Roseanna replied stiffly. “
It is their business to meddle in the affairs of others, especially murderers and kidnappers.”
“Please don’t tell me you’re still upset with what I had to do to your slave.” If Kathryn hadn’t heard the sorrow in the princess’s voice when she had called Sebastian a murderer, she might have suspected the duke had been commenting on the weather.
“Marina was not my slave!” Roseanna’s tone was rising. “She was more than my lady-in-waiting. She was my closest friend and you killed her!”
“Now, now my dear,” his voice was calm and cold. “It won’t do for you to raise your voice like that. We don’t want you mute on the day of your wedding do we?”
There was silence for a moment. “What wedding?” Kathryn could hear the fear in the princess’s voice.
“Our wedding, my love!” Sebastian announced it like he expected the whole kingdom to come and celebrate with them. “In just two days’ time we shall be man and wife.”
“I will not!” Roseanna’s voice was firm, but Kathryn could detect the fear underlying her tone.
“You will have no choice in the matter,” Sebastian told her harshly.
“No minister of matrimony will marry me to you without the king’s consent, for that matter none would marry us without my consent.”
“I’ve found one who will,” he informed her calmly. “You will marry me and you will have no say in the matter.”
“Why?” Roseanna’s voice was broken, and much to Kathryn’s disgust, she sounded on the verge of tears, “Why are you doing this? I am fourth in line for the throne with three brothers before me. Becoming king cannot be of interest to you. So why abduct me and force me to marry you?”
Sebastian laughed. “Because I want you,” His voice turned to ice, “and I always get what I want. Enjoy your last few days of freedom, my love.”
There was the sound of heavy footsteps followed by the sound of a heavy door closing. Kathryn heard the turn of a lock and then silence.
Princess Roseanna began to weep and Kathryn waited a few minutes before peeking into the room again. It was empty except for the princess sitting on the bed, her head in her hands, crying bitterly.
Cautiously Kathryn tapped on the glass.
At the sound of tapping Roseanna’s head jerked up and she almost cried out as she spotted a head outside the window. Moving quickly she opened the window and asked quickly, “Who are you?”
“Speak quietly your highness,” Kathryn instructed, pitching her voice an octave lower than normal. “Voices travel far in the night and the guards are alert.”
Lowering her voice Roseanna repeated her question. “Who are you, for that matter how did you get here?”
“Names are not important your highness and as to how I got here you’re better off not knowing.”
“But why are you here?”
“Your father sent me.”
Roseanna closed her eyes and let out a relieved sigh. “I knew he hadn’t forgotten me,” she whispered.
“Your faith is admirable, princess.”
Roseanna turned back to the window. “Surely I’m not to come out there with you?” she asked hesitantly.
“No princess. You will not come with me tonight.”
“What!”
“Please Princess, you must remain quiet.” Kathryn fought the urge to scold the woman like a child. “You cannot come with me tonight because I’m trying to find a way in for others.”
“You mean you’re not alone?”
“No, there are a few others, but we need a way in that doesn’t involve climbing like this.”
“You must come for me tomorrow night.” Roseanna pleaded. “He cannot be allowed to marry me.”
“I heard. We will come for you as soon as we can, but until then you must remain patient.”
“I will try, but you must know he plans on moving me.”
“Do you know where to?”
Roseanna shuddered, “most likely to his room, that’s where the ceremony will probably take place.”
“Men,” Kathryn spat in disgust. Of course, back at Blackwood Manor, the Lady had had just as many clandestine…partners as her husband had. “Do you know where his chambers are?”
Roseanna shook her head. “I was blindfolded and drugged when they brought me here.”
Kathryn nodded slowly. “I’ll find it.” She began to climb down but Roseanna caught her hand.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “You’ve given me hope.”
Kathryn looked at her. “You must keep that hope hidden. Sebastian cannot know what happened tonight or what will happen tomorrow.”
“I’m a good actress,” the princess assured her. Kathryn sincerely doubted it.
Kathryn slipped down the tower the same way she had come up. While she was thrilled to hear that the Duke was going to move Roseanna from the tower, which would make rescuing her that much easier, her next challenge was to locate the Duke’s private chambers. And it was going to take time she wasn’t willing to spend.
Entering the castle itself proved more difficult than climbing the towers but Kathryn made it without too much loss in time. Once inside she found herself grateful that the halls were dimly lit and virtually empty with the exception of the occasional guard. Apparently all the extra security was confined only to the castle grounds. She supposed she should be grateful for the Duke’s overconfidence in his fortifications and drunk knights.
Finding the Duke’s quarters turned out to be the most difficult part of the whole mission. The castle was not laid out in a neat and orderly fashion. Kathryn came to the conclusion that it had been built solely for the purpose of driving someone crazy. Dead ends were everywhere and hallways lead to another hallway to another hallway and then back to the original hallway.
Knowing she was running out of time Kathryn sped up her search. Her frustration grew as she found room after room that never ended up being the Duke’s room. Suddenly Kathryn felt a gentle breeze brush past her ear. She froze, attempting to determine what had caused the breeze, but she could identify nothing as its source. The breeze returned and curled down her arm and to her wrist. She noticed a torch off to her right and two corridors down flicker. She remained motionless. The breeze returned, stronger this time and repeated its journey from her ear to her hand. Again the torch flickered.
Abruptly Kathryn understood. The breeze was trying to guide her to where she needed to go. But how in the kingdom’s name…?
David.
It could only be David. He had used the wind to listen in on her and Roseanna’s conversation and was now attempting to help her navigate the castle. Had more time been available, Kathryn would have ignored him and kept looking on her own, but time was short, and while she didn’t want the help she grudgingly admitted to herself that she needed it. She followed the breeze and eventually found what she believed to be Sebastian’s private rooms.
Inside was such extravagance that it physically shocked her. Heavy gold curtains hung over the windows, push carpets adorned the floors and everywhere around her were golden and jeweled trinkets that took up more space than the bed.
Leaving quickly Kathryn found a route back less extensive then the one she had taken in.
“It’s past the changing of the guard,” Matt whispered. “Something must have gone wrong.”
“It’s not that far past,” Jenn
a objected. She looked over at David who, after fifteen initial minutes of anxious pacing, had suddenly sat down and closed his eyes. He hadn’t moved yet.
“Twenty minutes?”
“She’ll be here.” Jenna informed him. “If she’d been caught it would have been obvious.”
“Now that’s a charming thought.” Kathryn’s wry comment cut through the darkness.
Matt whirled around to find her standing a few feet above and to the side of him. “How did you do that?”
Kathryn climbed down to join them. “The same way I got inside.”
“What did you learn?” Daniel asked.
“We have to rescue the princess tomorrow night.”
“Why tomorrow?” Natalie asked sourly. Matt, Jenna, and Daniel all shot her angry looks. Kathryn studied them intently. Something had happened while she’d been gone and whatever it had been, it had set the three against Natalie. Normally she wouldn’t complain, but on a mission like this, any division in the team could prove lethal.
And not for their enemies.
“Sebastian plans to marry her in two night’s time,” David said as he picked himself off the ground and handed Kathryn her bow and quiver. He didn’t appear as affected by whatever had taken place, but she didn’t miss the ‘don’t argue, I’m in charge’ glare he leveled at Natalie.
“How in blazes do you know that?” Daniel asked.
“He listened in,” Kathryn replied stiffly.
David raised his eyebrows at her and after an initial glare she avoided his gaze. While he understood Kathryn’s natural inclination to do everything on her own, he at least expected her to admit to herself that she had needed the help. Without his breeze to guide her, she wouldn’t have made it out in time. In fact without his breeze to cause the distraction in the courtyard he doubted she would have been able to make it up the tower before another changing of the guard.
Not that he would ever voice his thoughts to her. He wasn’t suicidal.
“We go tomorrow,” David said firmly.
Together they faded into the night like ghosts.
Chapter 19
The faint moonlight breaking through the cloud cover outlined Sebastian’s castle in the darkness. Its cold stone walls stood like silent guardians, the towers with their golden windows appeared like the ever watchful eyes of a deadly predator.
Together the Dragons stood ready in the very spot they had been the night before, dressed as Guardians; their faces completely masked and the hilts of their weapons covered with dark residue to cut down the reflection of the metal, ready to act. They stood, waiting. Waiting and watching for the right moment, and then, moving as one, they started down the cliffs.
When they reached the first wall the rest waited while Kathryn ascended, scampering up the vertical monolith with ease. Her movement was barely noticeable to those on the ground. There was no sound, no heavy breathing, no scraping as her feet found traction in the wall’s crevices, no grunting as her arm muscles pulled her ever upward with ease. Moments later, two breaching ropes unfurled themselves as they reached ground. The faint hoot of an owl sounded and the rest joined her on top of the wall. Upon reaching the top they moved the bodies of the guards Kathryn had efficiently disposed of with poisoned darts— which Matt had conveniently concocted out of roots, minerals, and herbs he had bought while wandering the apothecaries and spice market. Like apparitions they disappeared into one of the service doors in the wall that led to the forward extension of the castle gateway.
The guards inside had no opportunity to react. One moment the hallway was empty and they were discussing where to go for a drink once their shift ended, and then there was a sharp sting in their necks followed by rapidly spreading numbness. As his vision went dark one of the guards thought he saw a dark robed figure moving towards him. It was his last living thought.
The outer wall sentries were easily defeated and the first real trouble the team encountered was in the narrow courtyard leading between the second and third wall. Kathryn and Daniel released their poison-tipped projectiles at the same time, but at the last second, Kathryn’s target moved slightly and the dart hit the wall instead of the guard. He was able to utter half a startled shout before Kathryn’s second dart hit its intended victim.
Alerted, the rest of the guards took up defense positions, two of the guards were foolish enough to attempt to charge their unseen enemy. Matt and David’s arrows cut them down before they could move three meters. The remaining four guards huddled together, shouting at the top of their lungs for help, but to the Guardians standing a mere twenty feet away the soldiers looked like fish out of water, mouths opening and closing with no sound coming from them. Poison darts and arrows quickly cleared out any remaining resistance.
“Interesting trick,” Kathryn commented quietly as they moved into a deserted corridor.
“Well, we couldn’t have them raising the alarm,” her leader replied defensively.
“I wasn’t saying it was a bad idea,” Kathryn muttered as she raised her dart gun and took down another unfortunate guard. “I just said it was an interesting trick.”
Moving faster now the Dragons hit three more pockets of guards before they hit the inner courtyards.
Here there were too many guards to handle without making noise or raising the alarm. David had decided earlier that the courtyards would be the likely place where the alarm would spread. He wanted four Dragons fighting in the courtyards and two to slip behind the action and enter the castle keep. As they entered the courtyard Kathryn and Daniel faded back and moved as one with the wall, using the shadows to cover their movement
Everything was easier said than done.
David and Natalie fought as a team, protecting the others’ backs. David grunted as he parried one knight whose strength suggested he lifted trees for exercise or perhaps he just did it for fun. It didn’t really matter, his days of impressing others with his unquestioned vigor were about to end. Reaching down he released a long thin dagger from his hip and thrust it upwards into his assailant’s chest. The knight fell to the ground with a heavy thud, only to be replaced by an even bigger man. Where does Sebastian get these people? He dodged a particularly lethal thrust to his midsection. Spinning around he threw his knife at the same time he attacked with his sword. His opponent blocked the sword… he hadn’t seen the knife throw. As he avoided another blow, David pulled his knife from the dying knight and prepared to face his next opponent.
Natalie, like all female guardians, had been trained to use the feminine advantage of agility and speed to overcome her opponents. However she was faltering. She had never been in a real battle before and her confidence was wavering. If she had to be honest, it had started failing before the attack had begun. Earlier, when David had gone over the plan, she’d originally been partnered with Matt. Then Matt had shocked her, shocked everyone, by saying that he wasn’t comfortable having Natalie at his back. David had looked at him long and hard before asking why. Matt had argued that Natalie hadn’t been participating in the extra training sessions, whereas Jenna had and he preferred to have someone at his back who he knew could cover it. Natalie had held her breath as David had considered his words. Their leader hadn’t been happy about Matt’s argument, but had agreed to take Natalie as his partner for the fight, pairing Jenna and Matt together. It had been humiliating beyond words. Kathryn hadn’t said a word throughout the whole exchange, but Natalie hadn’t missed her intense gaze as she’d studied the expressions on Jenna, Matt, and Daniel’s faces.
Now, despite her vows to prove to Matt that she was just as capable as the rest of them without Kathryn’s extra training she had to admit that she was failing miserably. As she fought one particular knight she noticed his thrusts getting closer and closer to her skin. Her training told her not to panic, but adrenaline and experience were telling her that panic was okay. Her own attacks were becoming more and more sloppy. Inexplicably her opponent grunted before falling to the ground—dead. Natalie looked up to see D
avid looking at her, his eyes ordering her to keep her focus, his throwing knife embedded in the knight’s neck. She nodded and he spun around to face another opponent.
Across the courtyard, Jenna and Matt were fighting their own mini-war. Jenna’s preferred weapon, like Kathryn’s, was the bow. She and Matt had their backs to the wall to prevent anyone coming up behind them. Unfortunately it also meant that they couldn’t retreat if they were overwhelmed. Jenna stood behind her partner, using her bow to pick off the knights at the edges. Matt stood in front of her, using his sword to end the life of any knight who dared to challenge him. The arrangement worked nicely. Jenna would funnel the knights towards Matt’s whirling blade and Matt would dispose of one or two at a time. After what seemed like radians only one knight stood before Matt. Surprising both Jenna and the knight, Matt put his sword away.
“What are you doing?” Jenna hollered, drawing her bow, an arrow already nocked and ready. Matt signaled for her to lower her bow.
The knight was becoming uneasy. If any other opponent had put away his weapons, he would have attacked immediately. But this opponent was a Guardian and attacking could be a trap. For a moment he hesitated, the second Guardian appeared as confused as he felt and he had a feeling that whatever was about to happen wasn’t going to be pleasant. But with the Guardian’s weapons away, the knight knew he had the tactical advantage. Several more knights joined him and the first knight felt his courage return.
Even as he made up his mind and began to move forward he felt the ground move beneath him. Startled he glanced down to see a large bulge of dirt growing steadily before his feet.
In a calm voice Matt said, "Come forward."
"Matt, what are you doing?" Jenna hissed from behind him. "They don't need any encouragement!"
The ground exploded without any warning and the stunned knights soon found themselves crawling with insects of every size, shape, and type. The insects burrowed into their armor and began attacking them from inside. Screaming, they dropped their swords and began hitting and pounding on their armor, trying to squash the miniature assailants.