Deck of Cards

by Johnson, ID

  “Your Majesty,” he began in a thick accent, as Philip sat down on his throne, “I am Henry de Ville, Mercenary and Messenger for His Highness King Leopold II, Ruler of Gradenia, the Isles of Capresia, and the Territories of Dawsinia. I arrive before you this morning with an urgent message from King Leopold.”

  Philip could hardly keep from rolling his eyes as the greasy little man made his announcement, as if those titles were any more substantial than the ones he held himself. Henry (pronounced On-Ree) handed him a sealed letter, with a slight bow and a clicking of his heels. He took the letter, broke the seal and quickly scanned its contents.

  Re: Your request for assistance

  Dear Philip:

  I hear that matters have gotten out of hand and Caleb’s forces are infiltrating your kingdom. What a shame! Perhaps if you had heeded my words in the first place, you would be enjoying the comforts of your new wife with limited interruption. Nevertheless, you are my cousin and I will come to your aid. The monies you’ve sent are just enough to allow me to cover your escape. Abandon Blackthorn, bring whatever treasures and troops you have left with you, and we shall regroup when you have reached Gradenia. I am sending 1000 of my best cavalrymen to cover your escape and hold off the Arterians from following you but at this time I am not willing to risk my forces for your idiotic mistake.

  Regards,

  King Leopold II

  Philip crumpled the paper in his hand. “Dammit!” he spat. The amused look on Henry’s face made him even more enraged and it was all he could do to keep from slapping him the way he had just slapped that insidious slut in his bedchamber. “One thousand men? That’s it? That’s all he’s sending?”

  Henry shook his head. “One thousand of our finest cavalry officers, to cover your flight.” His accent was thick and ingratiating, which made Philip loathe him even more.

  “This is outrageous!” he yelled, jumping to his feet, knocking over the side table next to the throne and clambering down the stairs. Henry did not flinch as he approached him. The guards at the door shifted a bit, unsure of exactly what they should do if Philip were to attack the guest. “I’m sorry this information is not more, uh, suitable to you,” Henry began, as if he were searching for the correct words in a foreign language, “But this is the best that we can do for you at this time. You may accept our offer or not. The choice is completely up to you.”

  Philip looked at the courier in disbelief. He was screwed. There was no two ways about it. If he stayed in Blackthorn, Caleb would be here in a day, two at most. If he left, he would lose his castle, his kingdom, everything. He suddenly realized his head was pounding. Placing one hand over his eyes and rubbing both of his temples, he snapped his fingers with his other hand, indicating to the servant boy across the room that he needed a drink. The young man hurried over, handing him a goblet of wine and Philip gulped it down at once without taking a breath.

  He believed he had regained his poise, at least momentarily. He turned to face Henry, who still stood in the same place, one hand on his hip, the other holding his helmet against his side. “You want me to flee, to run from an invading army, to abandon my castle and my throne, just so that Leopold can say I told you so!” By the time he had completed the sentence he was in Henry’s face, screaming. His blood was boiling and his face was crimson. He turned and threw the goblet across the room, only missing the servant boy by a thin margin who jumped out of the way as it clattered to the ground.

  Henry was still armed and felt no reason to fear the outraged king. He had presented his proposition and had little else to say. As Philip spun back around to face him, Henry began pulling on his gloves and preparing to leave. “You have heard our offer. You may accept it or not. It is of little concern to me. I bid you farewell.” He turned to leave, giving Philip little choice but to either accept or dismiss Leopold’s proposal.

  He was almost to the door when Henry heard Philip say, “Wait.” He stopped abruptly and turned back to face the defeated king.

  Philip stood with his hands on his hips, his eyes staring at the metal tips on his boots. “When? When will they arrive?” he asked.

  “They can be here by tomorrow night, Sunday morning at the latest,” Henry replied.

  “Fine. Send them.”

  ***

  Katey was already up by the time Henry arrived at the castle. In fact, she had been in the library, standing just on the other side of the door, when he was escorted in. She had heard the reverberation from Philip’s outraged dismissal of the two guards and had nearly jumped out of her skin. She witnessed a beautiful redheaded women come down the hall, holding a hand to her cheek, and recognized her, though she could not quite place where she had seen her before. And she had watched as Henry sauntered back down the hallway only a few moments later.

  Edward also made his way down the hallway. Katey could hear him coming and, by the sound of his gait, it seemed he went into the Throne Room as well. She wasn’t exactly sure what was happening but she was able to ascertain that Philip’s situation was going downhill quickly. She wanted to hurry to Matthew, to let him know all that was happening. But it was too risky and she would have no way of conveying the message anyway. So she waited and watched for several minutes. Finally, Edward, Philip and Charles came down the hallway walking as quickly as the older man’s impediment would allow. She could tell by their expressions that they were in dire straights. The only thing she heard as they passed by was Philip saying, “We have got to hold him off!”

  The men were headed downstairs at such a quick pace that they didn’t notice the diminutive little shadow following behind. Katey did not trail them completely out of the castle; however, she just wanted to make sure that they were all leaving before she went to visit Matthew. From her vantage point on the second story landing, she could see the gate opening, several horsemen riding through, and then closing again. She was quite sure that the party included Philip and his advisors.

  She could also see a flurry of activity on both sides of the wall surrounding the castle. It seemed as if people outside were trying to get in and people inside were doing their best to secure any ruptures or insecurities. She knew exactly how those frightened people felt, knew what it was like to prepare for invasion. She had been there before. If she were to go with Philip to Gradenia, this would not be the first time she would be whisked away from a castle at night, fleeing an invading force. The idea terrified her, not because she was afraid of Caleb and the Arterians. On the contrary, she welcomed his conquering forces. No, she was more afraid of the memories fleeing would drudge up and the possibilities of being carried away to another foreign land by a man she detested, away from her family, possibly away from Joan, and most likely away from Matthew, whom would either be rescued or murdered unless he managed to escape. But Katey did not think there was much of a chance that he could actually escape.

  She turned and rushed back down the hallway, dodging a few workers here and there. Most of them looked as if they had important tasks to complete. Some of them even appeared to be working on wedding errands, as if that were still going to take place. She stepped out of the way of one woman carrying a large basket full of cloths and ran right into someone else. Glancing up, she realized it was the redheaded woman she had seen before.

  “You should be more careful,” Rose said, stressing the “you” and speaking very slowly.

  Katey took a step back. The woman’s cheekbone was scarlet and looked inflamed. She realized where she had seen the young lady before. When she had first arrived at the castle she had seen Philip talking to her in the hallway outside of his bedroom. At the time she had thought nothing of it, but now she wondered if it held some significance. She nodded slowly at the woman, holding her gaze for a moment before she continued on her way. Katey didn’t feel frightened by the encounter, but she did feel a sense of foreboding, as if this young lady knew something that she did not know.

  As Katey disappeared around the corner, Rose began to contemplate her next move.
There must be something she could do to improve her station. Oh, how she longed to be a queen. Perhaps Philip was not her best bet after all. Her thoughts returned to the idea that, perchance, there was another king who would see her value and give her the life she wanted, the life she so very much deserved. She was determined to have that life, even if she had to steal it.

  ***

  It had not taken much effort at all for the Arterians to push past the rag-tag Clovington forces, once the corduroy road was put in place. Though avoiding the difficult terrain had created a bit of a funnel effect, one that should have worked in Clovington’s favor, the lesser army was not able to take advantage of the situation. Caleb had his men filter down the makeshift road, spreading out to the north and south but not advancing until all of his army was clear of the obstruction. Then, with his flanks held fast, he sent the center of his army forward against the ramparts Philip’s men had so hastily thrown together. There were plenty of reinforcements nearby should it be necessary to send them in. But the first wave of Caleb’s advancing army was able to push back the entrenched warriors with only three assaults. The next obstruction was the encampment at the top of the ridge, which Philip had just ordered a few days prior. Though it was more difficult for Caleb’s men to fight uphill, the casualties were minimal. Most of those who fell were struck by the archers who used gravity as an asset. Even though Philip’s men held the high ground, they were not able to hold Caleb off for more than a few hours. By the time night had fallen, the Arterians had claimed the field and the ridge was theirs.

  Though Caleb had contemplated pushing on and destroying the retreating forces before they had a chance to regroup, he knew his men were exhausted. The remnants of Philip’s army were out of fight, their spirit’s broken, impending defeat nipping at their heels. He would give his men the night to rest and celebrate their victory. That morning, he rallied his men and began to push forward. Even under these favorable circumstances, he proceeded with caution. He was actually afraid he might be advancing too quickly. It was extremely important to him that they take Castle Blackthorn under cover of night. For Caleb, when considering his brother’s plight, timing was everything and he had to use every precaution necessary to prevent Philip from acting rashly and harming his captive brother.

  Last night, his army had triumphed and he decided to reward them with extra rations and a celebratory atmosphere. This morning, after a few hours of extra sleep, his men were called to arms by the appropriate trumpet call and they were back to the task at hand. Every single man in the legion felt personally responsible for freeing Matthew and making Philip pay for his transgressions. And now, it was only a matter of time.

  ***

  Matthew could tell from his repressed view out the arrow slits that something was amiss in the castle below. There had been a steady increase in activity over the last few days, particularly near the wall and the gate, and today it seemed that the fervor had reached a climax. The citizenry seemed to have reached a new level of agitation and he found it a bit amusing, watching the little ant-like creatures scurry to-and-fro and knowing there was nothing they could do to prevent what was about to take place.

  He was quite certain he had seen Philip and his liaisons ride out earlier in the morning. He was hopeful that Angel would pay him another visit soon, as she often did once Philip had left the building, but as of now, she had not shown herself. Perhaps, he thought, he had been too aggressive the day before and she would not return. After all, he had all but professed his love for her, a girl he hardly knew, and she may well of thought him a mad man. And, perhaps he was. Considering he had been in solitary confinement for so very long, it was a possibility. But, there was just something about her, her kind-hearted spirit, her beautiful eyes, the way she laughed with him. He had never considered the possibility of finding someone to replace his precious Maggie until he met Angel. Then, he realized, Maggie would want him to be happy and if he could find a way to move forward with his life with Angel by his side, then that’s what he needed to do.

  As of right now, however, he needed to concentrate on staying alive for the next forty-eight hours. If her were able to do that, he was fairly confident in his ability to make it back home. But with Caleb growing nearer by the minute and Philip growing more panicked and, therefore, more likely to make an idiotic decision, Matthew feared that his time was limited, unless his plan to escape worked.

  Without question, there were flaws in his plan. He knew that. Even though Angel was kind enough to reassure him and offer her services in finding the most secure passage out, the chances of this actually working were slim to none. Still, he had to hope that he would be able to succeed and that he would be safely back in Arteria within the next few days. After all, she had not traveled the length of the tunnel and she did not know exactly where it let out. For all they knew, he could end up in Gradenia.

  A light rapping sound on the door drew him back to reality. He flew the few steps to the door and peeked outside. “Angel!” he exclaimed, so relieved to see she had returned. “How are you?” He could tell by her expression that she seemed rushed and nervous. But she smiled at him and began to hand over the same rations she always brought. As she went about the same routine they had gone through these last few days, he noticed she was chewing on something. After she poured through the last bit of water, she pulled a thin piece of masticha out of her mouth. It was difficult to see exactly what she was doing but it looked as if she was drawing it out even thinner. Then, taking a small hairpin, she began to coat the inside of the keyhole with the sticky substance. Matthew watched in awe as he realized what she was doing. The next time the door was unlocked, the levers and ward inside of the mechanism would stick. Unless the person who locked the door behind him took precise care to ensure the latch fell in to place, it would only appear to be secure. Then, he would be able to simply push the door ajar and take flight.

  “You really are a genius,” he said as he watched her finish the procedure. It was something she had read about in a book once, not too long ago. She really wasn’t sure if it would work or not but she thought it was worth a try. She also needed to find a way to show him this hallow area behind the stairwell. It was small and she wasn’t even sure he could squeeze in there, but she was quite certain that Philip and his men would not realize the indention was even there. If the timing was precisely right, there was a possibility that he could actually follow his pursuers down the stairs and slip below the castle into the tunnels without them even knowing he was behind them.

  She gestured for him to watch her and while he had a difficult time seeing exactly where she had gone, he began to understand. “Is there a hiding spot beside the stairs?” she returned to her place next to the door and nodded her head. “Around the curve of the stairwell there? Do you think I will fit?” She indicated that she thought it was a possibility and he seemed to understand. “Alright then,” he said, clearly mulling the idea over. “That’s good to know. Is there a trick to getting the door open at the bottom of the stairs?” She shook her head. “Very well. And how are the hallways? Narrow? Dimly lit?” Yes, they were narrow. No, the lighting was fairly sufficient. Neither of these two pieces of information were good news, but they were both important to know. “I’ve studied the map. I think I understand precisely what I need to do. Now, it’s just a matter of time, waiting for someone to open this door. Surely, if Caleb begins his assault on the castle walls this evening, Philip or one of his lackeys will come to kill me or to drag me off to Gradenia with them. They are fleeing to Gradenia, aren’t they?” Again, she indicated that he was correct. “That will be my opportunity, then. I must be ready. Once you leave me, my sweet, I will prepare to enclose myself in the back of the cabinet. Pray that all goes as planned.”

  Katey slowly nodded her head. Of course she had been praying for Matthew these several weeks and she would continue to do so. He smiled that gentle smile at her and, for a moment, she felt slightly reassured.

  “I’ll be ju
st fine, Love,” he said sweetly. “Don’t you worry your pretty little head over me. “ She blushed, dropping her gaze to the floor, no longer able to hold those penetrating brown eyes with hers. “Now, what about you?” he asked.

  She had been wondering the same thing for several days but nothing made her predicament more real than the events of this morning. She shook her head, shrugging. She assumed she would go with Philip, that she would have no choice. However, if it was up to her, she would stand in the portico with a white flag and wave it at Caleb and his men, taking her chances with the cannon fire and arrows for the opportunity to be saved from the likes of Philip.

  “Do you think Philip will take you with him?” he asked.

  Katey realized that Matthew didn’t know that she was engaged to be married to Philip. He didn’t know who she was and he seemed to have no idea that she was Princess Katherine. She nodded and watched his face fall. “Any chance you might be able to hide until after he has fled and Caleb has control of the castle?” That is exactly what she had been hoping for, though the sickening feeling in her stomach made it difficult to feel confident. “Alright then,” he replied. “Then, that’s your plan. You will find a place to hide and when Philip has escaped, you will go to Caleb. Show him this map,” he said, handing it back through the slot, “and let him know where I went and that you helped me escape. Then, once I make my way to the Arterian forces, we will be reunited.”

  She took the map and slipped it into her basket, knowing that he must have memorized it or else he would not be giving it back to her. She looked up at him, knowing that this may be the last time they saw each other, and she began to feel an overwhelming sensation of sadness.