The Warden's Sword

by Paul Summerhayes

“No. We’ll find her again, on the open road or when they stop. Don’t worry, son, at the moment she is safer in the princess’s company.”

  Son.

  “She’s safe but for how long? No doubt the master will try again…” And I will be there to stop him.

  Chapter 26

  Exhausted, Anna dropped face first onto a large bed. She was too tired to remove her yellow gown or even her shoes. Sleep took her fast and before she knew it, a gentle hand was shaking her.

  “Milady,” said the girl. “It’s time to get up.”

  “I have just gone to bed.”

  “No, milady. The sun is up and you must prepare for your journey.”

  Anna sat up. It can’t be morning. It was morning—Eula threw open the curtains and sunlight streamed into the bedroom.

  “I have packed your belongings and when you get changed, I will also pack your beautiful gown. It’s too nice to leave behind.”

  Obeying Eula, Anna removed her gown and splashed cool water from a basin onto her face. She towelled off and then got dressed into the best clothes she brought from Freewater. It was a plain dark blue dress. Beside Maria she felt sure that she would look like a country girl. It will have to do.

  “Milady, it’s cold out and you will need a coat.”

  “I only have this old coat or my worn travelling cloak. Which one do you think?” Anna held up the two items.

  “Definitely the coat.”

  They packed everything into Anna’s bag and went downstairs. Eula insisted in carrying both Anna’s and her own small bag.

  In the entrance foyer, Princess Maria greeted Anna and took her by the arm into the dining room for breakfast. “I trust you slept well and the night’s events weren’t too disturbing?”

  “What?” said Anna, suddenly going cold.

  “Assassins broke in the palace last night but don’t worry, the guards killed five of them.”

  “Five! How many were there? What were they after? And who were they trying to kill—”

  “Relax. You are protected by some of the greatest soldiers in Krystoria. You are safe.”

  Apart from a serving girl, the two women were seated alone at the long table. They ate in silence. Eula disappeared with their bags and prepared for their journey. She hoped the girl had time for breakfast before they left. Doesn’t seem fair. We eat surrounded by all these fine things and the people doing all the work eat in the kitchen.

  “Princess, these assassins…who were they after?” asked Anna.

  “I am not sure but I am the only royal currently in the palace so I guess they wanted to kill me.” Maria didn’t appear too concerned.

  “Why? You’re loved by your people.”

  “My advisors suggest that our enemies have a lot to gain by creating political uncertainty. Some think our neighbours look enviously at us and attempt to conquer us—like during the Great War when Naromia invaded our southern lands.”

  “That was a long time ago.”

  “People do not forget past wrongs.” The princess stood. “Come, enough talk of trouble—let’s go to the capital. I miss being near the sea.”

  “I’ve never seen the sea…” mumbled Anna quietly to herself. She had a bad feeling that everything was moving too fast and she was travelling further away from her family and home.

  The royal convoy consisted of three carriages, a caravan and two wagons loaded with supplies. Twenty of the king’s elite knights rode in the lead followed by the carriage containing the princess and Anna. The following two carriages contained Eula and other household staff—cooks, maids, and clerks. A knight sat beside each driver and twenty more brought up the rear.

  The convoy was an impressive sight as it left Parma that morning. Coloured banners hung from all vehicles and fluttered in the air. Children ran beside the procession and cheered if anyone poked their head out a window. Anna was going to wave to the onlookers but the princess dissuaded her. Because of the night’s events it was too dangerous, she said.

  Anna felt more relaxed after they left the walled city and started to travel through farming land. What could wrong now? She was surround by more than fifty of the finest Krystorian knights and she was moving away from the master and his twisted ambitions.

  A mile from the city, Princess Maria opened the thick velvet curtains and a cool breeze blew into the carriage and ruffled Anna’s black hair. She smiled and it was noticed by the princess.

  “You look happier now we have left Parma,” said Maria.

  “I’m not a city girl. I love the fresh country air, the open skies, the birds singing...”

  “I hope you’ll like the capital. I am sure you will grow to like it.”

  “But I will being going back to Freewater soon.” Anna turned and looked at Maria. “I am sure Finn will find me soon and take me home.”

  “Finn?”

  “He’s the warden I told you about and—a friend.”

  “Just a friend?” The two young women smiled at each other knowingly.

  “Tell me about Rulle,” asked Anna.

  “It’s big, many times bigger than Parma; colourful, noisy and exciting. There are many things to see and to do. The harbour is full of trading ships from all over the known world. And there are museums, art galleries, theatres and the finest restaurants...”

  “What do you do there?”

  “Do?” Maria looked amused by the question. “I represent my father at functions, listen and talk with our citizens, open state buildings and other equally important things. And as I am unmarried my father also uses me as a pawn to win favours and influence from people. I am always surprised who gives my father a good deal so that he will consider their son as a candidate for marriage.”

  “He would sell you off for personal gain?”

  “All aspects of our lives are dictated by the kingdom’s politics.”

  “Oh, that takes the shine off being a princess. I’ll only marry for love.”

  Maria stared at her travel companion and nodded. “I hope you do.”

  They stopped several times during the day and Anna found the trip starting to be tiring. By the late afternoon she was dozing on and off. The endless sight of trees slowly passing by and the gentle hypnotic motion of the carriage were making it too hard to fight off sleep. She woke from a one of these mini sleeps to see the princess staring at her.

  “Was I snoring?” she asked defensively, sitting up and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

  “No,” said Maria, still watching her. “I was just thinking about the life you have led—far more adventurous and exciting than my own.”

  “Adventure has not proven to be as healthy as you would think.”

  “Everything has its drawbacks, I guess.” A smile played on the princess’s painted lips. “Look at us. We are a similar age but both leading totally different lives. I know we will be good friends.”

  Anna looked out at the forest. It looked more foreboding now that the sun was low in the sky—it would be dark soon. “Will we stop for the night?”

  “We will. We are halfway to Eraque and there is a quaint little inn not far away, called the Green Garden. We will stop there. In fact, I have already sent several knights ahead to make it ready for our arrival.” Anna was relieved at the prospect of stopping and stretching her legs. Anything to be out of this carriage.

  A shout woke Anna from her dozing and the carriage stopped—she rocked forward, nearly falling off her seat. Princess Maria poked her head out the window and looked forward. Shouts came from all directions. Something was happening!

  “Holt. Declare yourself,” said a voice not far away. She didn’t hear a response.

  “Hell! Attack!”

  “What’s going on?” asked Anna, fearfully clenching her fists.

  Maria sat back on the padded seat and after a quick search, produced a thin-bladed knife from somewhere under the cushions. “We’re under attack!”

  What? Anna’s mind screamed. By who?

&
nbsp; “We’ll be safe here,” shouted Maria above the ringing sound of battle. The air was full of clashing steel and thundering horses. The carriage horses neighed and stomped and Anna imagined the driver fighting to keep them under control. Someone screamed. “The knights will protect us,” Maria said unconvincingly.

  There was a scuffle outside the carriage and suddenly the door ripped open and Maria screamed. The man standing at the open door was an unholy sight. His tattered clothes hung from his thin body and his brown skin was dry and taut and his eyes were—gone! It was a walking corpse!

  The zombie tried to climb into the carriage but its body was clumsy and slow. It dragged itself half inside the carriage when Anna snapped out of her frozen state and snatched the knife from Maria, driving it into the top of the zombie’s hairless head. The zombie dropped on the carriage’s floor and stopped moving. The stench of rotting meat filled the carriage and Anna gagged.

  Leaving the knife in the zombie’s skull, Anna grabbed Maria’s hand and dragged her out the opposite door. Outside, the knights had formed a ring around the carriages and wagons. They were dismounted and their horses had either been slain or had run off in fear. Zombie bodies littered the ground around the knights—dead knights lay amongst the rotting corpses as well. Only a dozen knights remained alive to fight off the mob of the undead pushing in on them.

  We’re done for. Just then an opening appeared through the wall of fighting and she could see the forest beyond. It was a miracle! Without hesitation, she grabbed Maria’s hand and ran forward, dragging the princess with her. Anna dodged two zombies as they climbed onto a knight’s back and dragged the poor man down. Their lipless mouths sunk into his flesh and he screamed as they tore off chunks of flesh. Anna felt sick but knew they couldn’t help him.

  The two young women sprinted into the forest scrambling through its thick undergrowth. After some distance, Maria pulled Anna to a stop and dropped to her knees—tears streamed down her face.

  “Come on, princess,” said Anna, looking back toward the road. “We must keep going.” She couldn’t see far in the fading light but could clearly hear the sounds of fighting and dying. A woman’s high-pitched scream cut through the battle noise and Anna felt her heart stop. “Eula!”

  It was Maria who stopped Anna from going back to the road and to certain death. “We can’t help them.”

  “What about Eula and the others?” asked Anna.

  “We cannot…” Maria couldn’t finish as she burst into tears again.

  “The undead can’t see me…” Anna mumbled. “My blood…”

  Anna helped the princess to her feet and supported her as they moved deeper into the forest. They had nothing but the clothes they were wearing—which was not suitable for spending a night under the stars.

  It could only be the master controlling the zombies and it wouldn’t take him long to realise that they had escaped into the forest. He would hunt them so they had to keep going. Anna staggered forward, dragging Maria with her.

  Chapter 27

  A crowd gathered outside the royal residence to watch Princess Maria leave Parma and travel south to the capital. With their hoods on, the two watchful eldons tried to blend in with the human crowd. Finn’s resolve slowly dissolved as he watched the knights ride by—there must have been fifty of them! How will we get Anna past fifty sets of eyes?

  The crowd’s cheering increased as the princess appeared in the window of the lead carriage. She waved to the people, who responded by waving and shouting her name. She appeared to be genuinely loved by the population of Parma and Finn wondered if all royals were loved like this. No. Tollis is a royal...

  The procession rode toward the south gate and many children ran behind shouting for the princess to show herself again. There was no sign of Anna but he saw her enter the first carriage earlier.

  “Let’s go,” said Severus.

  “We’ll need horses.”

  “I have little money but it might be enough to buy two old nags.” The pair quickly made their way to the market and a reputable horse seller—if one existed.

  “Hey! That’s Patch and Brownie,” said Finn as he and Severus entered a small stable located near the central market. “They’re my horses.”

  From nowhere a tall, thin man appeared. “Are you interested in these two fine horses? They’re small but they are…” The man’s eyes went wide when he noticed Severus leaning against the stable doors. The horse seller went pale and looked from father to son. They could almost see his thoughts rolling around in his head. “Morning, sir. I didn’t see you standing there.”

  Severus didn’t acknowledge the man and remained silent. He just stared at the horse seller, making the man nervous.

  “Where did you get these horses?” demanded Finn.

  “Nowhere, young sir,” the man couldn’t take his eyes off Severus. “They were left here for safe keeping. To be collected at a later time.”

  “By who?” asked Severus and the frightened man took a step back.

  “Don’t kill me, sir. A gnome left them here yesterday and said he would be back for them later. He paid for their care in advance.”

  “Kliem!” said Finn. “Well they’re mine and I want them back.”

  “Very good, sir. Take them.” The horse seller mopped his brow with the back of his shirt sleeve. He opened the door to Patch’s stall.

  “Where’s this gnome now?” asked Finn.

  The man looked around for Severus but his father was nowhere to be seen. “The gnome is at the market as far as I know.” He handed Finn the horse reins. “Please, sir,” he whispered. “I don’t want any trouble...with him.”

  “What was that about?” asked Finn.

  Severus was sitting on a bale of hay outside the stable. “The Brotherhood has been asking around about me and it’s my guess that man has been questioned by them.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “I have never seen him before but he recognised me. And he was afraid.”

  “If you buy food for our trip, I’ll meet you at the south gate soon.” Finn handed his father the horses’ reins. “I want to thank Kliem for his help.”

  It didn’t take long to find Kliem’s stall in the busy market. Finn was surprised to see a grim-faced Karok sitting on a box nearby. He greeted them.

  “Hello, master Finn,” said Kliem. Karok grunted and Finn assume it was a dwarvish greeting.

  “I am leaving Parma and just wanted to thank you for looking after my horses. How much do I owe you for stabling them?”

  “Nothing, I’m happy to help. Where are you going?”

  “Anna has been taken south so I will follow.” For some reason Finn didn’t feel right saying too much in front of the dwarf. “I have to go now. Thanks again for your help.”

  Finn turned to go but Kliem stopped him. “I’ll come with you. I haven’t sold a thing all morning…actually, I haven’t sold anything since he arrived at my stall. He’s bad for business—”

  “You said you would take me south,” interrupted the dwarf. “I’m just waiting.”

  Finn thought for a moment. They did help me enter the city…but I’m not sure about Karok. “Let’s go then. I’ll help you pack and we’ll meet my father at the south gate.”

  “Your father?”

  Finn was happy to be riding Patch on the open road again. He breathed deeply. The air smelt so much fresher outside the city. For his short time there, Parma seemed like an interesting place but it was too large and crowded for him. Imagine being a warden there!

  He rode silently beside his father who sat on Brownie. The older eldon often looked behind them and Finn guessed it was a force of habit. The Brotherhood was never far from his trail. Finn looked behind as well but the road was clear.

  Kliem followed behind them in his wagon and Karok was out of sight in the back. The road was quiet with only a few passing wagons and foot traffic headed toward Parma. Occasionally a speeding horseman galloped past them headin
g south. But most of the time the road was deserted.

  Late in the afternoon, Severus spoke. “We’re are almost half way to Eraque. My guess is that Anna and the princess will stop for the night somewhere nearby. Then we’ll find them.”

  “Will we rescue her tonight?” asked Finn.

  “If the princess is a good person like everyone says, she will hopefully just let Anna go. If not, we’ll just have fight our way through fifty knights.”

  “You’re joking, right?” Finn looked at his father and the older eldon smiled—slightly. Yeah, he’s joking.

  The forest road rounded a corner and ahead Finn could see a few wagons had stopped in the middle of the road. What? “No!” he shouted and spurred Patch forward. The small horse hesitated before it leapt forward into a gallop.

  Patch covered the ground quickly before Finn pulled on the reins, bringing the horse to a sliding stop. Finn leapt from the saddle and ran to the first wagon. Scattered on the ground were the dead bodies of knights, horses and men—no, half-decayed corpses. Zombies!

  Finn was stunned by the macabre scene. Black flies buzzed from corpse to corpse, drinking fresh blood or crawling into open mouths and wounds. The sight was sickening. Panicking, he looked for Anna amongst the dead, but couldn’t find her. In a daze he wandered around, stepping over the dead toward the front carriage—the one which Anna had ridden in. Torn curtains flapped in the light breeze as he looked into the carriage’s luxurious interior. A motionless zombie lay on the floor with a fine-handled knife sticking from its skull, but Anna and the princess were nowhere to be seen. The stench was overpowering.

  Finn was so absorbed that he didn’t hear Severus arrive and dismount. He, too, looked amongst the dead. The assassin had witnessed many battle scenes and searched without emotions. He was hardened to death as he had witnessed it many times before.

  Five knights thundered up the road from the south, their blue cloaks streaming out behind them. They reined in their muscular warhorses, sending dust clouds into the air. “Speak fast or die,” said the lead knight as he drew his sword. The others followed his lead. “Where’s the princess?”