“Damn it!” Adam said, taking Dee by the wrist and pulling her back the way they came down a side street. They ran down the alley as the two guard troops converged and followed them. Halfway down the alley, Adam spun around and lifted his hand into the air. A wall of hard earth shot up between him and the guards, blocking them from pursuing them further. The guards beat the wall with their fists and swords, marveling at the magical act they had just witnessed. Behind the wall, Adam and Dee continued to flee and blended in with the people walking along the next street over.
“That was a close one,” Dee said.
“We’re not in the clear yet,” Adam pointed out. “If anything I just made things worse for us. We’ve got to get to the castle immediately.”
Behind them they heard high pitched whistles. Even if the guards had been delayed, they could still let others nearby know that criminals were in flight. Adam stopped running. It would draw attention to the two of them if they ran, so he kept walking at a brisk pace while trying to blend in with the civilians. A few guards farther down the street came running at the sound of the whistles, moving through the crowd past Adam and Dee. The fugitives both let out a sigh of relief but carried on at a hurried pace.
“Maybe we should hide out for a minute, until the guards stop looking,” Dee suggested. “I can camouflage us somewhere.”
“They’re not going to stop, Dee,” said Adam. “They know we’re not just a couple of thieves. I only hope that they don’t piece together who we are or we’ll be in even bigger trouble. They could add extra security around the castle and we’d never get in. We’ve got to get there now while their attention is out here.”
“Hold it!” a gruff voice shouted from behind them. It was one of the guards from the first group, having come around a different street in pursuit of them. Hiding wasn’t an option anymore; they would have to run again. Adam and Dee took off down the street as the guards who had just passed them turned and saw them running. More whistles could be heard behind them, but Adam and Dee kept going.
They came to an open marketplace where vendors sold produce from covered booths. It was crowded, so Adam was hoping to lose the guards. This proved impossible when another troop appeared at the other end of the market. Adam cursed and looked around. They were surrounded by buildings on all sides with no other streets to turn into. He looked upwards at the flat roofs and hatched a plan.
He grabbed Dee’s hand again and held on tight as the two of them lifted up from the ground. Everyone around them was astounded when a pillar burst up from the ground beneath them and brought them up high above the market. The pillar curved as Adam controlled it with his hand, moving them closer to the rooftop where they leapt to. Adam sliced his hand through the air and the earthen pillar crumbled down to the ground as harmless chunks of dirt.
The spectators below scattered from the raining debris, while those under the protection of the covered booths stared in awe at the rare feat of magic they had witnessed. The guards were less impressed, shouting orders to follow Adam and Dee up to the roof. This required climbing up the stairs of the buildings, some of which were not the most sturdy or accessible. The result was a slow response that allowed Adam and Dee plenty of time to escape by jumping from rooftop to rooftop on their way closer to the castle.
“I think we lost them,” Adam said. They stopped less than a quarter mile from the castle walls. Dee knelt down to catch her breath as Adam surveyed the distance left to cover. “The buildings ahead have slanted roofs; it won’t be as easy to move around them. We should get back on the street and move towards the palace from there. It will be better anyway, less conspicuous.”
“What about the guards?” Dee asked.
“They’ll be looking along the roofs as well as around the market areas. By the time they think to look near the castle we’ll be within its walls.”
“With all of the alerts going on, we’re going to have to find a way to sneak in now,” said Dee.
“You’re right,” Adam said. “If we get to a secluded part of the wall I can separate the stone to open a path in. Can you hide us from there?”
“I can, but my camouflage spell is like a curtain. It’s only effective when they’re looking right at us, and it won’t move with us.”
“We’ll make it work.” Adam peered over the edge of the roof and saw the streets clear below them. “Are you ready?”
She nodded and joined him at the edge. Adam elected to be more prudent with his descent and pushed out alternating stone bricks to form a ladder as he had done during the attack on Magid Palace. With stealth the pair descended from the rooftop and snuck back to the main street that led to the castle. The back end of the city seemed less populated than the market area, which was good for both of them. The presence of guards was also minimal, allowing them to make it all the way to the immense walls guarding the castle before they encountered any problem.
Adam pulled Dee to the side of the street, taking refuge behind the corner of a building. There was a group of at least twenty guards standing in front of the gate, which was sealed tight from the inside. The guards began to spread out around the perimeter while half a dozen remained at the gate, armed and ready for any attack.
“How did they know?” Dee asked with a heavy tone of exasperation. “There’s no way those other guards beat us here.” One of the guards standing at the gate fussed with a hawk on his arm and then flung it off. The bird flew over Adam and Dee and back towards the front end of the city.
“That’s how,” Adam said. “They’re using messenger birds. Looks like Mathias is still keeping up his father’s old tricks.”
“What do we do now?”
Adam studied the gate. It was just as it was many years before, a twenty foot tall hardwood door, one foot thick and reinforced with metal bearings. It would take a tremendous amount of force or a lot of time for an invading army to get through. To Adam, it was of no concern. His biggest worry was in dealing with the guards. He preferred to show Mathias that he and Dee were coming seeking help and attacking his men would only cause problems.
“Dee, how many of those guards can you disable with your magic?” he asked.
“Well, all of them,” said Dee. “But I’d have to do it one at a time.”
“That’d be too slow, the other guards would get to us, even with me helping.”
Dee moved her hand to her chin in thought. “Greg, do you suppose Nelly made it to Leapador by now, since she left Magid back in September?”
“What?” He had no idea if Mathias’ old partner, who stayed for a short time at Magid Palace, would have made it to Leapador or not. “I have no clue, but I doubt if she was here she’d be able to help us much.”
“Maybe she might. I have an idea,” Dee said, pulling out her wand. “Eximo,” she said, bringing the wand to its true form before hiding it in her garments. “Stay here for a second.”
She stepped out into the open before Adam could stop her. He fumbled and looked ahead to see the guard’s reaction. Dee walked ahead as calm as could be, catching the eyes of the guards. They couldn’t see much of her; her face and head were covered by her head wrapping and the rest of her was draped in flowing travel robes acquired from the nomads. Still, her soft eyes posed no threat to the strong guardians of the castle, who nonetheless remained vigilant as she approached.
“Miss, no one’s allowed onto the castle grounds unless invited by the king or is otherwise requested,” said a bearded guard.
“Oh, but I am a guest of the king,” Dee said in her best attempt at a sultry voice, which was rather convincing. “He’s been expecting me for a long time.”
“And who are you?” another guard asked.
“Nelly Hawthorne,” Dee told him. “Please tell Mathias that I’ve arrived. I can wait here if you’d prefer, but I assure you he’ll be interested in having me enter the castle.”
The guards looked at each other and back to Dee. “Well Ms. Hawthorne, the castle is currently locked down. You’ll
have to come back some other time.”
“Oh, won’t you please go get Mathias for me?” she purred, leaning in and batting her eyes. “I’ve come so far to see him, and I don’t want to leave here unsatisfied.”
The guard cleared his throat. “Well, I suppose we can at least tell the king you’re here. But you’ll have to wait outside.”
“Of course,” she said, adding a girlish giggle. “Thank you so much. You’re all such gentlemen.”
Behind the corner of the building, Adam was speechless. He watched the castle door open as one of the guards disappeared inside while the others relaxed their defenses and stood around laughing with Dee. It had to be some kind of spell, he reasoned. There was no other explanation. He failed to believe that Dee would be so skilled at working a different kind of magic on a group of trained guards.
Adam waited there until the door opened again and the first guard reappeared. Dee turned and motioned to Adam to come over. He felt a moment of panic as the guards spotted him and feared that Dee had erred and given them up. The guards stared at him but made no movement as Dee continued to wave him over. Taking great caution, Adam stepped closer towards the castle door, the Sword of Magid still wrapped in cloth and tied across his back beneath his cloak. He approached the guards and noticed them giving him odd looks.
“Thank you so much,” Dee said, quickly taking Adam’s hands in her own. “We’ll be sure to come visit again before we leave.”
The first guard pulled the door open wide enough for Adam and Dee to sneak through. Two guards followed them inside before the door was shut. Leaning in close to Dee, Adam whispered to avoid the guards from overhearing.
“How in the world did you do that?”
“I told them I was Nelly and that you were my lady in waiting,” Dee whispered back. “They bought it, and they’re bringing us to Mathias, so try to act like a girl and we’ll be fine.”
“I feel like you could have warned me about this before going ahead like that,” Adam said.
“No one would know from the way you’re dressed anyway,” Dee replied. “Just don’t do anything to make them nervous and we’ll be okay. Look, that’s him up ahead.”
Adam looked forward and saw that Dee was right. Mathias Silvos, the rightful heir to the throne of Leapador, a man who had proved himself a valuable ally to the both of them in Kyoto, now loomed before them with a different air about him. Even though he had only ruled for less than a year, he already seemed to age. The carefree bounty hunter they had known was replaced with a stoic king, his short goatee replaced by a growing beard that spanned from ear to ear. His dusty getup covered with an array of knives, grenades, and handguns was replaced by regal garments tailored to fit his frame along with a red cape that fell from his shoulders down to the ground. The one thing that Adam noticed hadn’t changed were his eyes, focused and dedicated, the eyes he had seen on the snowy hill overlooking Kyoto one cold night.
The two stopped in front of Mathias, flanked by the guards while two more stood behind their king. Mathias looked the two up and down, not getting much information aside from their eyes. He stepped forward towards Dee, who was standing closer to Mathias.
“Welcome,” he said. “It’s been a long time, hasn’t it, Nelly?”
“Yes, it has,” Dee replied, doing her best to mimic the voice of Mathias’ long lost comrade.
“Funny you should show up, seeing as you died three years ago in Magid,” said Mathias.
“No, I survived,” Dee said quickly, taking note of Mathias’ impatience with her. She knew he believed that Nelly was dead, but Dee had the advantage of having spent time with the real Nelly and learning the details of her life after the Liberation of Magid. “You were gone by the time I recovered from all of my gunshot wounds, so I’ve been looking for you all these years. I’ve missed you, Mathias.”
“Is that right?” Mathias said. “They told me you were dead, so I left. If I’d known, I never would have left your side. I’m sorry, Nel.”
Dee seemed to be getting to him, and Mathias opened his arms wide to invite her into an embrace. Wanting to seem genuine, she stepped forward and opened her arms. In a flash, Mathias reached under his cape and drew a pistol, putting it against Dee’s forehead. With the same speed, Adam jumped forward, gathering a ball of fire in his palm and holding it inches away from Mathias’ face. The guards reacted last, drawing their weapons and screaming at Adam to lower his arm. Adam locked eyes with Mathias, whose face glowed from the light of the flames. The reigning king smirked and held still.
“Well, well,” he said. “Adam Evans, as I live and breathe. What brings you to my little corner of the world?” His eyes fell on Dee, who was still frozen in terror and looking up at the muzzle of the gun between her eyebrows. “That must make you Blondie. How’s it going? I bet you’ve already got your wand ready to go under your cloak there, so let’s not make any stupid moves trying to grab it now.”
“She won’t need it,” Adam said. “Lower your weapon, Mathias.”
“Lower yours,” the king said. “I was being pretty friendly, letting in people I knew to be a couple of liars. Low and behold it turns out to be the Creator’s most wanted. You two must be pretty desperate to pull a stunt like this. I take it Blondie’s not the only one with a gun aimed at her, huh?”
He cocked his weapon, prompting Adam to inch the churning fireball closer. “Step off.”
“Or what, you’re going to kill me? And then what? Kill my men, burn my castle and this city to the ground? You’d be serving yourself up to the Creator on a silver platter. Or you can be a man about it and know when to stop.”
“You know damn well you can’t kill me.”
“No, but I can kill her,” said Mathias. “And I don’t think either of us wants that to happen. So let’s all calm down and talk things through, yeah?”
“Greg, he’s right,” Dee said through her fear. “We didn’t come here to fight, we came to talk to him.”
Adam glared at Mathias, whose own eyes remained unmoved. He cursed and with great reluctance lowered his hand, allowing the fireball to fizzle out. The two closest guards grabbed his wrists and bound them behind his back. Mathias pulled his gun away as the other guards similarly bound Dee.
“Take them to the lowest cell of the dungeon,” Mathias said. “Separate cells, and search them for weapons. The girl will have some sort of stick somewhere on her, take that too. And don’t drop your guard around either of them. They’re the most wanted criminals in the universe for a reason.”
“Mathias, you son of a bitch,” Adam snarled.
The king said nothing as Adam and Dee were led off in chains. He watched them go before resetting his weapon and returning it to its hidden holster. Above him, the sky was beginning to darken as black clouds gathered in the north. Mathias kept an eye on them before turning around and returning to the safety of his castle.
Chapter 23
The King’s Honor
The dungeons beneath Wensfell Keep hadn’t changed since Adam last visited them, but at that time he was the one on the outside of the iron bars. Now he sat on the hard bench of his stone-walled cell, contemplating his next move. Dee lay in the straw bed that was piled on the floor of her cell, a scratchy bundle that was just a little more bearable than lying on the bench. She looked out at the small window above her, barred and not wide enough for even her to fit through. If she tilted her head in just the right way, she could catch a glimpse of the sky, now a hazy orange and purple blur that announced the impending end of the day. As winter approached, the days were growing mercilessly short.
She heard footsteps coming from the staircase down the hall. Dee dreaded the return of the guards. Upon discovering who she really was, their earlier demeanor disappeared and they became cruel and malicious, going so far as to shove Dee into her cell and deny her requests for water. It was to be expected: she and Adam were declared enemies of the Creator Most High, and that made them demons to be vilified. She didn’t bother to lo
ok as their visitor approached but was surprised to hear a familiar voice speak.
“What in the world did you two do?” Dee rolled her head over and saw it was Mathias who had descended into the dungeon, alone no less, holding Adam’s sword still wrapped in cloth. She gave him a cross look while Adam stood up from his bench and gripped the bars of his cell.
“You’re a real class act, you know that?” he said. “So what, are you in Oracle’s pockets too?”
“Look Adam, I don’t know anything about any oracle and I’m not in anybody’s pockets,” said Mathias. “I’m sorry that things had to go down like this, but what do you expect me to do? You two are wanted by the Creator himself. I can’t just let you waltz off. Now would you mind telling me what is going on so I can do what I can to help you?”
“So now you’re helping us?” Adam asked.
“I know you two, and I know something’s got to be up or else the Creator wouldn’t have put a hit out on you both, which in my mind is all sorts of messed up. Did you already forget I’m a friend?”
“You put a gun to my head,” Dee said severely, drawing Mathias’ attention.
“You overstepped your bounds, Blondie,” Mathias replied. “A stranger comes into my castle pretending to be someone I know is dead, I don’t plan on letting them get away with it. Now I don’t know how you got any details about Nelly Hawthorne, but using that to try to scam me was a low blow.”
“Nelly’s alive, Mathias,” said Dee. “She came to the palace looking for you a few months ago. To be honest I thought she would have been here by now.”
Mathias gave Adam a stern look. “Is that true?”
“It is,” Adam answered. “But you have more important things to think about right now.”
Mathias’ demeanor changed, and he seemed to soften. Dee had seen him like this before, at the train station in Kyoto after he’d saved her by killing one of Oracle’s assassins. He sighed and shook his head. “So are you going to tell me what’s going on or not?”
Fallout (Tales of the Other Universe Book 2) Page 25