by Kris Kramer
Chapter 9 - Betrayal at the Honest Soldier Inn
Iago stepped through the main door of the Honest Soldier Inn, followed by Jonir and Galen, and the three of them moved between the tables of the common room to the stairs. Except for two older men sitting at a table in the front corner, and another at the bar, talking with Jonn, the room was empty.
“You two go on up,” Iago said. “I need to talk to the Innkeep.”
“What about?” asked Galen.
“I need to settle our money due. And I want to see if anyone’s been asking about us.” Iago whispered the last part.
Galen nodded and left with Jonir, while Iago walked back to the bar. He sat on a stool at the opposite end from the other patron and raised his hand, trying to signal Jonn. The innkeeper looked over briefly and paused for a moment, almost as if considering whether or not to acknowledge him. That was strange, Iago thought. Jonn had always been courteous. Had they offended him somehow in the last two days? Bumping noises from the second floor distracted him, and he raised his eyebrow at the racket coming through the ceiling. That annoyance flitted away, however, when Jonn finally approached.
“Yes?” he asked.
“I need to settle up for our time here, we’ll be leaving today.”
“Of course.” Beads of sweat covered Jonn’s forehead, making Iago wonder if he'd been working outside all morning. “Will do, friend. Give me a few to take care of a couple things first, if you don’t mind?”
Iago nodded his head. “Take your time. But I do have another question for you.”
“What would that be?” Jonn grabbed a small towel from the bar and wiped his brow with it. The man was sweating like he’d run around the city.
Iago leaned closer. “Has anyone been asking about your tenants?”
Jonn glanced over Iago’s shoulder, presumably towards the staircase, as he shook his head. “No sir. Let me find my ledger real quick and I’ll be right back.” Jonn, towel in hand, moved to the other end of the bar and through the door to the back, rather hurriedly, Iago thought. He wondered if the man might be sick. He frowned, turning to look out the front windows when his eyes found a thick, leather-bound book sitting on the bar to his right, wide open. It was the ledger for the Inn.
Iago was about to call out after Jonn, to let him know he left the book here on the bar. Then realization set in and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He turned around and looked at the staircase. No one was there. The two men sitting at the table seemed unaware of anything except for their vigorous conversation, while the man at the other end of the bar stared blankly at the wall next to him, a mug firmly in his grip. Iago left his stool and walked back to the staircase, trying to casually grab the hilt of his sword. He kept his eyes on both the corner at the top of the steps, and the main doors in the common room. He moved up the stairs one slow step at a time, which caused the talker sitting at the corner table to watch him with a bemused look on his face.
He reached the top step and waited, listening. He didn’t know for sure that something was wrong, but his instincts were usually good, and they were telling him to be wary right now. He thought he heard movement down the hall and to the left but it sounded like normal footsteps, nothing out of the ordinary. He gripped his sword tightly and stepped into the hallway leading to the upstairs rooms. The hall turned to his left just ahead and he watched that corner intently, hoping a regular patron would appear, assuaging his fears that anything was wrong. In fact, he focused so much on the corner that he didn’t see the slightly ajar door to his right, the one that opened as he passed it.
Iago heard the footsteps first. He spun to see two guardsmen charge at him through the doorway. Before he could even get his sword out they grabbed him and all three went crashing into the wall. They each tried to grab an arm and bring him down, and the larger guard on his left got a solid grip on him. Iago managed to break his right arm free and swing it around to punch that guard in the face, but he didn’t have enough room to get any real force into the hit. He did make the next one count, though, bringing the elbow of his arm back, right into the other guard’s chin, who stumbled back, clutching his jaw.
Iago turned and grabbed the neck of the larger guard with his free right hand, trying to push him back until he could maneuver his left arm free. He couldn’t, though, because this guard seemed to be as strong as he was, and had his own free hand on Iago’s right shoulder, trying to push him off. The two struggled while the other guard regained his senses and pulled out his sword. Iago saw him out of the corner of his eye and twisted back to his right, letting go of the larger guard’s throat, and grabbing the sword hand of the other before he could get a swing off. With one arm still tied up, and the other holding the smaller one’s wrist, Iago was defenseless now, and the large guard took advantage of it. He punched Iago in the stomach, doubling him over. Another punch came, dropping him to his knees. Then another to his face sent him sprawling.
Iago lay there for a moment dazed, cursing himself for getting caught unaware.
They’re not going to get me… not again…
He lifted his head and saw the top of the staircase not too far off. He thought he might be able to crawl there and roll down the stairs, maybe buy him an extra moment to gather his senses. As he pulled himself up off the ground, though, he never saw the guard with the sword get behind him, and raise the hilt up over Iago’s head.
Come on, don’t fail again… don’t fail again…
Blackness took Iago in one swift blow.