by Johnson, ID
Noel calmly reached down, picked up his knife and wiped it on the sleeve of his shirt before collecting his sword and continuing his survey of the hall. The little rebellion caused when this suicidal soldier decided to attempt to stand his ground was quashed now and by the sound of things, there was not much left to do but find King Matthew and clear the castle. Hopefully, King Philip had also been located but chances were he had managed to escape.
As Noel made his way down an adjoining hallway, he came across what he could only assume was the king’s bedchamber. The finally carved door was an indicator that this room was significant. He tried the handle but it was locked. He knew that there was very little chance that the king was actually hiding in his own sleeping quarters but he would need to open the door in order to clear the hallway. Glancing around, he spotted a small wooden pillar holding an urn. Knocking the decorative pot to the ground, he picked up the pillar and began using it as a battering ram. After several swings, he was able to force the door open. “Well, what’s this now?” he said, staring into the most terrified pair of eyes he had ever seen.
The room was dark and, at first, he wasn’t sure whether or not his eyes were playing tricks on him. Then he realized he really was staring at a young lady, apparently naked, tied to the bedpost. He grabbed a torch hanging near the door outside and stepped inside to ascertain the situation.
Katey was terrified but the officer seemed like he was going to be helpful. He placed the torch in a holder on the wall, and while it helped, it was still difficult to see in the dimly lit room. He peered down at the velvet ribbon. “Hmmm,” he said thoughtfully. He couldn’t really see exactly how it was tied so after a quick assessment, he pulled out his knife and made two quick slices, freeing the girl, who immediately gathered the bedclothes around her. “Alright,” he said, looking around the room. He could hear voices in the hallway and, though he knew none of the shoulders would harm the women while on his watch, he also knew how distracting a beautiful naked woman could be. He saw her gown and other items across the room but didn’t think she would have time to put on all those layers. Rather than messing with all of that, he simply grabbed King Philip’s robe from where it lay on the floor next to the bed and tossed it in her direction. “Here,” he said, “Put this on and I’ll walk you down to where we’re holding the prisoners.”
He turned his back to her and though the door was still open, she was able to slide the robe on and tie it while still under the sheets. Hearing her stand, Noel crossed back over to her, taking her by the arm, and leading her toward the door. She glanced over at her dress, a pleading look on her face but he continued to pull her out of the room. She hadn’t even had time to slip on her shoes.
Outside in the courtyard, there was a throng of people, mostly soldiers and mostly Arterians. Caleb’s optimism in taking the castle could be seen by the amount of prison carts he had brought. Katey could see at least five. On the way out of the king’s chamber, her rescuer had been called upon to complete another task and she was left in the hands of another soldier, who then passed her to another, and finally to a fourth before she finally found herself standing outside in controlled chaos, still completely nude beneath the king’s robe, and absolutely shaking from the traumatic situations she had found herself in for most of the day.
She was promptly escorted to a wagon containing only women. Most of them were about her age, though a few were younger and a two or three were much older. “Step in, please, Miss,” this last soldier said. He didn’t seem to notice that she was wearing only a robe, one made of lavish purple velvet, with a giant “P” embroidered on it in the finest silk. To him, she was just another prisoner, one less person to chase down. And that was fine with her. She climbed in and took a place in the back of the cart, hoping that it wouldn’t be too crowded so that perhaps, she might actually get some rest.
Some of the other girls were sitting down, leaning against the back of the wagon, the only solid section, the rest being just wooden bars with a small gate at the far end. A few were crying, begging to be released so that they might find their husbands or mothers. Most of them did not look scared, rather their faces showed signs of relief. Perhaps they were grateful that they had not been killed or wounded, that the invasion had been as peaceful as possible. Many of them may have even been happy to finally be loose from Philip’s oppressive hand.
Katey did notice that none of these women were nobility. They were all commoners. She assumed that meant one of the other carts held the dignitaries. If that were the case, then, they had no idea who she was. For the moment, she decided to let that be. Until she was able to ascertain exactly what her new circumstances were going to be, she decided to hold her cards. There was no use showing her hand just yet. Speaking of hands, she was very fortunate that she still had her ring on her finger, the one with the family crest. That would prove to anyone who she was, without a shadow of a doubt.
It was difficult to see what was happening around her from her current vantage point. Even if she were standing, there would really be no way of seeing exactly what was going on. She was certain of two things, however. If Philip were brought out of the castle, she would know by the reaction of the soldiers and if Matthew were located, then she would know that, too. Unfortunately, she had no earthly idea where Joan was and she was very worried for her welfare. Likewise, she was hopeful that Matthew was not too far outside of the castle walls, if he had managed to escape, and that he would reach Caleb’s men safely. If Philip had managed to get away and took Matthew with him, there was no telling what might happen. She just prayed that both Joan and Matthew were safe and that she would see them both again soon. As she sat there, lost in deep thought, she did not notice how intently another captive was staring at her from across the crowded wagon.
Chapter 6
Caleb had hung back from the action for most of the night. Eager to reach the castle, locate his brother, and capture Philip, it was difficult to keep himself out of harms way. But now that the fighting was ended, he made his way to the front of the line, soldiers cheering him along the way, and set out to find Noel and discover exactly what was going on.
The sun was peaking above the horizon as he made his way through the rubble that used to be the castle wall. He could see the supply trains and prison wagons pulling out, making the long journey back toward Arteria. With Blackthorn securely in their hands, they would not have to go back through the Lowetian Forest, however, they could head straight east, cut through the corner of Zurconian and back towards Castle Caine that way. It would still take about a day and a half in the slow moving wagons but it wasn’t nearly as tedious as the journey here had been.
There didn’t appear to be a lot of casualties, certainly not from his army anyway. While there was significant damage to the walls around the castle, Blackthorn itself seemed mostly intact. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Part of him wanted to hold it, the other wanted to obliterate it.
Upon reaching the main entrance of the castle, he was greeted by several of his officers. He had given specific directions that, if Matthew was located, he was to be notified at once. Because no one had informed him of his brother’s whereabouts, he could only assume that he had not been found.
As he dismounted his horse, Noel stepped out of the gaping hole that used to be the front entrance of the castle. “Battering ram?” he asked. His subordinated nodded. He acknowledged a job-well-done and then asked, “Well, any news?”
He could tell by Noel’s expression that his brother had not been located. “’Fraid not,” he said, looking down at the ground. “He’s . . . not here. “
Caleb nodded, trying to accept the news. “Damn,” he said, punching his fist into his horse’s saddle. “No sign of him?”
“Well, possibly,” Noel began. “We did find what looks like it may have been his cell. It’s in that tower, up there,” he said pointing in the direction of the highest point directly behind him. “Would you like to see?”
Of cours
e Caleb nodded and Noel led him on the steep ascent.
“We also found this, in what appears to be Princess Katherine’s room,” Noel stated, producing a coarsely drawn map. Caleb took the paper and studied it as they walked. “It looks to us like it is a rendering of the tunnels below the castle. There’s really no way of knowing for sure if this has any connection to Matthew, but it looks like the picture shows the secret staircase we located in the wall, the one that leads directly to the prison cell we believe he was held in.”
As they approached the secret stairwell, Caleb flipped the paper over. “What’s this?” he asked. “Does this say, ‘I am scared?’”
Noel had studied the paper closely and noticed that as well. “Yes, I believe so. But it doesn’t appear to be in your brother’s handwriting. Perhaps Katherine wrote it? Maybe she was attempting to escape herself. We’re not sure of her location at this time. We assume that she escaped with Philip but we can’t say for sure.”
As they reached the top of the stairs, Caleb was taken aback by the barbaric state of the room. The filthy mattress, the bloodstained remnants of sheets, the putrid smell coming from the corner where Matthew’s chamber pot was housed. He was overwhelmed with emotions, knowing his brother was imprisoned here for over six months. It was all he could do to keep his anger under control.
Noel was always the voice of reason, his careful calm tone kept Caleb from reacting rashly on more than one occasion and this one was no different. “It appears as if he hollowed out the back of this cabinet here and hid inside. He must have waited for them to leave and then slipped out behind them.”
Caleb glanced back at the cell door. He bent down to inspect the locking mechanism. “Is this, masticha?” he asked, feeling the gummy substance on the keyhole.
Noel walked over, he hadn’t noticed it before. Rubbing a bit of the sticky material between his fingers and sniffing it, he realized that it was. “How clever,” he said, meeting Caleb’s gaze.
“But, he couldn’t have possibly done this one his own.”
“No, he must have had help.”
“And, if that is the case, then, someone, somewhere knows something. We just need to determine who it was that helped him plan his escape and figure out if he or she knew precisely where he was going.”
As they turned to go, something caught Caleb’s attention out of the corner of his eye. There appeared to be something other than straw ticking sticking up out of the holes in the mattress. He stepped back towards the bed and noticed a piece of paper. Pulling it out, he could see that his brother had written a note!
To whoever may find this:
I, Matthew of Zurconia am fleeing from my imprisonment this day. My intention is to reach Arteria and the faithful arms of my dear brother. Caleb, should you be the one to find this, please take care of my dear Angel. She has the map and will let you know of how she rendered me aid. Should I fall on my journey home, know that I am in better hands with the lord my savior and those who have gone before me. Pray for peace for my poor tormented soul.
When Caleb finished reading the letter, he began to pull the rest of the mattress apart, hoping Matthew had left him more clues. He found only some pieces of cloth and a crude drawing of what appeared to be a pair of eyes.
Once Noel was satisfied that Caleb had covered the entire room and that Matthew had left nothing more, he gestured for the king to follow him down the stairs. “Come on, we have some clues now. Let’s go see if we can’t figure out whom this Angel person is. Perhaps she will have some more information for us.”
Reluctantly, Caleb followed, taking one last quick glance back over his shoulder, thankful that, wherever Matthew might be, at least he was no longer in this hellhole.
***
As Matthew reached the end of the tunnel, he heard voices and the pounding of hoofs. It wasn’t quite light outside and he was unable to tell precisely how many voices he was hearing and how far away they might be. In order to exit, he would have to remove a grate and squeeze through a narrow hole. He could tell this passage had not been used for a while since leaves and other debris clogged many of the holes in the grate. He had been walking for hours in cramped conditions, hunkered over and unable to stand up. He finally decided it would be best if he retreated into the passage way a bit and settled down for a nap. Perhaps, when he awoke, whoever these horsemen were, they would be gone. Thought it was possible they may be members of the Arterian Cavalry, he had not expected his brother’s men to be this far west and he was fairly certain, judging by their accents that they were, in fact, Gradenian.
***
Philip arrived in Gradenia late the next morning. Accompanied only by two of his guards, the others having been left behind to wait on Charles and Katherine. He was hopeful that they would eventually catch up to him, or that they would send a messenger ahead to let him know they had escaped. But since he heard nothing, he could only assume that they had both been captured.
He had caught up to the slower moving coach of his mother and Uncle Edward. He could see that she was distraught and she beckoned him from her carriage seat to come closer where she could speak to him. He pretended not to notice, unwilling to subject himself to the tongue-lashing he was bound to get from his uncle, and so he rode on. He was somehow able to find a bit of humor in the idea that Katey’s blabbering lady-in-waiting now had to listen to the relentless complaints of his mother as she lamented the fall of Clovington.
Upon arriving at Castle Graden, Philip was immediately summoned into the presence of his cousin, Leopold. He would have much rather been shown to a room where he could drown his sorrows in a flask of wine and knock himself insensible, but since he was no longer in charge of much of anything, he reluctantly followed the Gradenian soldier to the Throne Room.
Leopold was an attractive man with light blond hair, a lengthy black mustache, carefully waxed daily, and dark eyes, so brown in fact they almost appeared to be black. Some dared draw comparison to his soul. He was not known for his kindness, though he had a deceptively kind smile, and his ability to draw others close and then deliver a deathly blow made him a force to be reckoned with.
He was also extremely intelligent. He knew when to toss his hat into the ring and when to sit and wait.
Now that Philip’s kingdom was destroyed and Caleb had expended some of his resource, Leopold began to think the iron was heating up.
He welcomed Philip with a warm handshake and invited his visitor to join him by the blazing fire. Gradenia was further north than Clovington and the weather here was still a bit colder. It was also higher in elevation, though not nearly as mountainous as the northern portions of Placidia, though heading due north out of Castle Graden, one would eventually run into a mountain chain. After a night spent riding through the elements with no coat, Philip welcomed the fire and the comfortable chair. He did not, however, welcome what were sure to be critical comments from his cousin.
Leo surprised him, however, keeping the conversation to matters of less significance. He did ask if his cavalry had been helpful, which they had, offering protection should Caleb’s men discover Philip’s flight path, which they had not. They were currently holding the area north and west of the castle, securing Leopold’s border and ensuring that Caleb dare not enter Gradenia. They were both fairly certain that this was never the plan but Leopold did not like the idea of leaving his front door open so he kept a significant amount of troops ready on the Clovington front, just in case.
“What about your wife?” Leo asked with his thick accent. “Did she make it here safely?”
Philip had been thinking of Katey most of the night. He felt idiotic for leaving her the way that he did. If he had only listened to Charles in the first place, she would be here with him now, safe. Because of the situation he had left her in, he had no way of knowing what might have become her. “No,” he finally admitted. “She was . . . left behind.”
“That’s too bad,” Leo responded, pouring more wine in his goblet and in his visitors. �
��I hear she is very beautiful. I would have liked to have met her. And, my understanding is that Matthew did not make the journey with you either?”
Philip shifted his weight in his chair. Just the thought of Matthew escaping made him reel with anger. “Apparently, my incompetent guards somehow managed to let him escape.” Leo nodded his head slowly. “However,” Philip added, “we believe that it is possible he is still somewhere in Clovington, on foot, and has not been rescued by his brother. Perhaps, if your cavalry is observant enough, they might be able to track him down.”
Leo considered Philip’s position. Though he had just seen Philip lose his entire kingdom because he did not understand how to ransom a king, he felt much more confident in his own ability to draw Caleb and his army out into the open and destroy them. But Leo was more cautious than Philip, much more of a tactical thinker. He would take his time in determining what his plan of action would be. He certainly did not plan on taking any advice from the dethroned king.
“Perhaps,” Leo agreed. “I have sent your infirmed mother and uncle further north to another palace where they will be more secure and their ailments may be better taken care of,” he explained.