Contrary to what many thought, Jason was a very intelligent man, and he knew his nephew. He had no doubts that Nicolas would be missing when the sun rose.
Turning around, he made his way to his room. He could not help but worry that Nicolas would be caught and killed on sight, but a measure of relief came to him soon enough. If Caleb of Kirakath were to stay with Nicolas, then his nephew would be safe.
And that was all he wanted for Nicolas: to be safe.
He did not want his nephew to die for a crime that he did not commit, and he knew that Nicolas did not kill his father, just as his and Zachary’s older brother did not kill their parents.
I hope Nicolas kills Alexander before he goes. I’ve already lost both of my brothers because of him.
He had no idea how on mark his words were.
Chapter 14
“This isn’t good, Caleb,” Katie whispered as they stood in the forest.
“I know,” he said as he looked at the Black Raven Inn through the woods. An armed soldier was sitting on a bench in front of the inn with a bow in his lap. “Something must have happened. Come on, there’s someone else we should visit. He’ll know where Nicolas is… probably.”
“Who?” Katie asked.
“Lance White,” Caleb answered with a firm look.
“He’s the one who took you prisoner for a few days before he told you where the Sword of Kirakath was,” Katie said with a frown.
“He’s a good man,” Caleb stated. “But more importantly, he’s a very smart noble. He should know everything that happens in the city.”
“You’re smarter than you used to be,” Katie commented.
“Yeah, well I’m not the hunter’s apprentice that only cared about revenge anymore. I was pretty reckless back then, and it would have gotten me killed if it wasn’t for you.”
“You’re not the only one who almost got killed,” Katie pointed out.
“Well, we might both get killed if we don’t get out of here,” Caleb said, changing the subject. “The cut he left me has healed up, but my arm is still pretty tender. Even the training you gave me won’t be enough if I have to fight a guard with my left hand.”
“Didn’t you say that we’re going to storm the keep and kill Count Clovis,” Katie asked in amusement.
“Of course not,” Caleb said as he looked at her incredulously. “I don’t have a death wish. The plan was to sneak in and kill him in his sleep.”
“That’s pretty cold,” Katie said, though the look in her eyes made it clear that she approved of the idea.
“He hired the top assassins in the kingdom to kill us. I’d say that’s pretty cold,” Caleb said with a shrug as he walked through the woods towards the walls of Caldreth.
He still vividly remembered how to get to the entrance of the underground tunnels that ran below the streets of Caldreth. It was where Lance White had brought him after knocking him unconscious so he could be tested to see if he was worthy to learn the location of the Sword of Kirakath.
It was not one of his proudest memories. He had been handily beaten by Lance in a battle of swordsmanship before he fought Statue, a magical construct of rock in the form of a statue. Statue was a golem, the first such being he had ever seen. Golems were definitely strong. It had only been through the magic of the Sword of Kirakath that he had defeated the golem.
He still wondered how he had accessed the sword’s magic from such a far distance away, but it was possible that the Blood of Kirakath played a role in it. Sir Edmond had not explained what the Blood of Kirakath was in detail, only that it was the key to using the sword’s magic.
“Here we are,” Caleb said a few minutes later when they reached the secret entrance to the underground tunnels of Caldreth. It wasn’t exactly well hidden, in all honesty. The moss covered entrance was pretty obvious once someone got close to it. From a distance, on the other hand, it was extremely difficult to see.
“Before we go on, I have to ask… are you sure you can handle this?” Katie asked softly. “Your arm is still injured. As much as you may have improved recently, you’re not left handed. Without your right arm, we might not stand a chance.”
“That’s one reason I want to see Lance,” Caleb admitted. “He had possession of some magical objects when we first met. If anyone can fix up my arm, it would be him. But even if he can’t, I’m sure we’ll come out on top. It might be difficult for me to draw on the sword’s magic without bloodlust consuming me, but my injuries heal faster when the magic flows through me.”
“Let’s hope that he has something for you then,” Katie said as she made her way the entrance to the tunnels. “I think it’s pretty clear that you can’t handle the bloodlust. No one could.”
Caleb could not find it in him to disagree with her on that.
* * * * *
After close to an hour of walking through the tunnels, Caleb allowed a smile to grace his features as he saw the young man that he had come looking for.
There was no mistaking the blond young man with different colored eyes, even in the dim lighting of the tunnels beneath Caldreth.
“Hello Lance,” Caleb said as he offered his hand.
“It’s been too long, my friend,” Lance said as he took Caleb’s hand and shook it. “And who is this beauty that accompanies you?”
Katie rolled her eyes and shook her head at Lance’s question. “I’m Katie… just Katie.”
“So, you are his companion from his quest to avenge those of Kirakath,” Lance said as he glanced at Caleb again. “It is fortunate that you have arrived here today. My father just asked me to seek you out. A friend of yours is here.”
Alarm filled Katie’s eyes. It was easy for Caleb to recognize it and understand it. They only had one mutual friend, and Lance had looked at both of them when he spoke.
“Nicolas,” Caleb said quietly.
“That is correct. He’s been here for a little while. Don’t worry. He’s doing well,” Lance said with a nod of his head. “The guy in charge of the local thieves’ guild framed him for his father’s murder. He escaped though.”
“I’ll kill Alexander,” Katie swore under her breath.
“Your friend beat you to it,” Lance said with a chuckle. “Nicolas more or less disbanded the guild by taking out some important members. He almost got caught after he did all that, but my father intervened. He’s been down here for a few days now.”
“How is he doing?” Katie asked softly.
Caleb looked at her wordlessly, surprised by her reaction.
“He’s handling his father’s death well,” Lance admitted. “But that’s not a surprise. Not everyone has a loving family that would do anything to make each other happy. Nicolas and his father shared a difficult relationship. It was well known to anyone that would listen that they were not close.”
“That’s true,” Katie said with a sigh. “I understand what it’s like to lose a father that you are not close to. I guess I can’t be surprised that Nicolas is taking it better than I did.”
Caleb looked at Katie curiously at that bit of information. He never really thought about it before that moment, but he had to admit that he did not know much about Katie. They had never really sat down and spoken about the past. He had been under the impression that she had a rough past, but that was all.
“Everyone deals with different problems at a different rate,” Lance said as he shook his head. “If you need proof, just look at your friend.”
“Caleb’s situation was different!” Katie interjected before Caleb could even finish processing what Lance had said. “His entire home was razed and everyone there at the time was massacred. How can you compare them?”
“Kirakath was not the first village to be razed… nor was it the first to be massacred. Caleb is the only survivor of such a tragedy that I know of who has taken such an aggressive reaction to those responsible. A river could be turned red with the amount of blood he has spilled.”
“Who are you to say that he was wrong to d
o it?” Katie demanded with anger in her eyes.
“Calm down,” Caleb said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. “Lance doesn’t think I was wrong.”
“That’s right,” Lance agreed with a nod. “I would have done the same thing if I had been in Caleb’s shoes. I was merely pointing out that he did not react like most people would have. But then again, he is a Son of Kirakath.”
“When you say that, you are referring to the Blood of Kirakath, aren’t you?” Caleb asked.
“Yes,” Lance said with surprise clear in his eyes. “He must have sought you out. That’s the only way you’d know of it.”
“You knew he was still around,” Caleb said accusingly.
“I have been required to keep secrets from you,” Lance admitted with an inclination of his head. “You will find that everyone around you has secrets that are kept from you. I know not what it is, but I know that even your friend here has a secret that she keeps from you.”
The glare that Katie was giving him only served to verify his words.
“I suspect that you do not know the true nature of the Blood of Kirakath either, though that would not be surprising to anyone who actually knows. The Blood of Kirakath is one of the greatest works of magic ever wrought.”
“Before you make me really curious, we should probably get moving,” Caleb said abruptly. “If your father wanted to speak with us, there is likely good reason behind it. I doubt we have the time to discuss secrets right now, especially with what we came to tell you about.”
It was easy to see that Lance’s curiosity grew at Caleb’s words, but he merely nodded his head and led the pair onward.
As Caleb began to follow Lance, he spoke so quietly that only Katie could hear him.
“Don’t worry. I’ve always known that you were hiding something. And to be honest, I don’t care what it is. Friends accept friends as they are. It’s not my place to pry, but it is my place to listen when you’re ready.”
That was all that was said on the matter, one way or another, for a while.
* * * * *
“I see a resemblance,” Caleb muttered under his breath as Lance led them into an all too familiar underground chamber. Even without a large cage in the room, he could tell that it was the same room that Lance had held him captive in for a short while.
But he was not talking about the room at that moment.
His eyes were on the center of the room where the cage had once been. A large square table sat there. The man standing before it was what had caught his attention. The man had one green eye and one blue eye, just like Lance. In addition to that, he had long golden brown hair. They even had the same fashion, dressing elegantly like the nobles they were.
Unlike Lance, however, he had a more grizzled appearance with a rough beard and a few scars on his face. He also had a more lithe build than his son did.
“It’s good to see that you’re already here, Son of Kirakath,” the man said with a flourish of his hand. As he did that, a candle on each corner of the table lit on fire.
“Magic,” Katie said quietly.
“Yes, I am a mage,” Lance’s father said with an amused smile. “Magic has always flowed through the blood of the White line.”
“Until me,” Lance remarked with a shake of his head. “Caleb, Katie, this is Eric White, my father.”
“Caleb Sullivan, you are a very intriguing person,” Eric said, almost as if he had not heard his son. “You are born of the famous Michael Sullivan and his mostly unassuming wife, Sophie. You are the last to carry the blood of the last wielder of the Sword of Kirakath. Neither one of these two things are trivial.”
“I don’t care,” Caleb said, holding his left hand up to signal that he was done listening. “I don’t give a damn whose blood flows through me or whose legacy I’ve inherited. We’ve got more pressing issues at the present.”
“Oh?” Lance asked curiously.
“Even if you kill me… you gain nothing. I am naught but the sword,” Caleb said quietly. “Those were Cain Fell’s last words before I killed him. Until recently, I did not understand what he meant by them, but Katie and I know what he meant now. Clovis Averill was behind the Massacre of Kirakath, and he hired the Night Blades to hunt us down. They would have succeeded if we had not met up with each other when we did.”
“I should have known you two would get yourselves in trouble.”
Caleb’s eyes widened at the newcomer’s voice. Turning around, he saw Nicolas walking into the room, looking just as he had the last time he saw him.
“So, when are we going to kill Clovis?” Nicolas asked. His tone and facial expression made one thing clear. He was dead serious.
Lance and Eric looked at Nicolas in alarm. His question was clearly alarming in their minds, though it was more or less expected for Caleb and Katie.
“As soon as Caleb’s arm heals up,” Katie answered before her companion could. “Caleb’s arm was injured in his fight with Victor. It’s not a major injury or anything, but it is an issue for something like this.”
“That makes sense,” Nicolas said thoughtfully. “As you can probably tell, I have every intention of going along with you. As I see it, Clovis is not only responsible for attempting to have you guys killed, but he also played a part in my father’s death. After all, Alexander had me framed for my father’s murder because I aided an enemy of his brother.”
“We’re not going to turn down any help,” Caleb said with a grim smile. “Just remember that we’re really going to be criminals if we do this.”
“You can’t do this,” Lance interjected. “You’re the wielder of the Sword of Kirakath. You’re supposed to be a hero, not a criminal.”
“It might surprise you to hear this, but I don’t care about being who others think I should be. By all rights, I should be a hunter. After what happened to Kirakath, I think I’m entitled to do whatever I want with my life.”
“There is nothing that can be said to talk you out of this, is there?” Eric asked with a sigh.
“No,” Caleb said with a shake of his head. “After what happened to Katie, I’m not letting him go free.”
Nicolas looked at Caleb in confusion, while Katie’s eyes went to the ground. It was easy for anyone to see that something had happened that was not being talked about.
“I came here to ask for any help you could give me, but I’ll understand if you can’t help me. After all, you guys actually stand to lose something. For me, Katie, and Nicolas, the only thing we stand to lose are our lives,” Caleb continued. “But no matter what, we will go after them after my arm heals up.”
“Very well,” Eric said with a sigh. “We will help you. But first, I need to speak with you in private. Your friends can stay here and relax while Lance prepares everything.
Lance’s eyes widened at that, but Eric cut him off before he could say anything.
“I need you to check and see if it is ready to be used,” Eric said with a serious look in his eyes. “We all have duties and responsibilities. Caleb’s is to his friends first and foremost.”
By the look in Lance’s eyes, it was easy to see that he disagreed with his father there, but he did not voice it. Instead, he simply left the room.
“Sit down and relax for a little bit while I speak to your friend,” Eric said, looking at Nicolas and Katie. “After I speak with Caleb, I’ll help you plan your endeavor. I know a way to get inside the castle walls through these tunnels, so you won’t need to come up with a plan for that.”
“Thanks,” Caleb said.
“Thank me after you succeed,” Eric said as he left the room.
Caleb followed after him, curious as to what Eric wanted with him.
Chapter 15
A ways down the tunnel halls, Eric stopped and touched the wall. As he did so, glyphs appeared on the floor and ceiling.
“Relax. This will just prevent the tunnel halls from carrying our voices,” Eric said with a hint of amusement in his eyes. It disappeared before he spoke h
is next words, however. “Why did you use the Blood of Kirakath to heal?”
Caleb’s eyes narrowed at the question. “I didn’t use the Blood of Kirakath to heal anyone. I use the sword’s magic to heal Katie.”
“No, you didn’t,” Eric said with a sigh. “I don’t care whether you misunderstood or if you were mislead, but you should know the source of your magic, even if it is a little complicated when it’s explained in full.”
“Give me the short version,” Caleb said. “We don’t have time for the long one.”
“Very well,” Eric said with a smile. “What you believe to be the Sword of Kirakath’s magic is really the Blood of Kirakath’s magic. You have not even used your sword’s magic yet.”
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