by A E Stanfill
“Sound the bell, the prisoners have escaped!” Seconds later the bell tolls were echoing throughout the castle.
“The two of you will have to save that conversation for another time,” William interrupted. “I believe that is the sign for us to go.”
“We don't even know where to go,” Ellyn said.
“To the throne room,” a voice whispered from the darkness.
“Who's there?” William grumbled.
“Just a friend,” the voice whispered again.
William drew his blade, “Friends do not stay hidden in the shadows,” he said.
“Lower your blade William, there is no need to be alarmed,” Gawain said. “You've had your fun, Shadow. Please show yourself and explain what you have found out.” Shadow slowly walked out of the darkness, and the light from the torches flickered off the dark armor that she was now wearing. She also had throwing knives strapped around her waist, and her face was still covered. “That's a different look for you.”
“A castle that is heavily guarded such as this has to be approached in a different manner.
“Prepared as always,” Gawain smirked. There wasn't much known about Shadow accept the fact she was a female, and very good at acquiring information. The fact that she could best most men in a fight and was very skilled with any type of blade always had Gawain wondering where she hailed from, and how she acquired such useful skills. “What shall we find in the throne room?”
“Go behind King Adan's throne, there is a switch on the floor, press it and a trap door will appear,” Shadow explained. “You shall find the weapon you seek on the other side.” Like always, before any could ask another question she was gone, disappeared back into the darkness.
Gawain turned his attention back to the others and smiled before walking out of the prison cell. At the top of the stairs, the commotion on the other side seemed to be even louder, “It would seem as though some of the prisoners have decided to stay and fight,” William whispered to Gawain.
“It would seem so,” Gawain quietly replied. “Let me take a look and see if there are any soldiers lying in wait.” He peeked his head out the door, and he could see that the only soldiers around were the ones that lay dead on the floor. ‘This is no doubt Shadow's doing’, he thought.
“What do you see?”
“Only a few soldiers and they lay dead on the stone floor.”
“Then let us make haste while we have the chance.”
Gawain gave a slight nod, “I shall go first to make sure there are no other guards close by.” William didn't respond; instead, he gave a hand signal to Gawain that he understood. Gawain, like the stealthy man he was, slowly crept out of the door. He was swift with every movement of his body and William watched closely, not once taking his eyes off the man.
He used the walls and the suits of armor to his advantage, sliding along the walls hiding behind the empty shells of armor, staying out of sight. ‘This man could cause me some unwanted problems’, William thought to himself. Then a noise along with moving shadows caught Gawain's attention. Two castle guards were making their way towards his direction. The sounds of fleeting feet could be heard getting closer and closer to where he stood pressed against the wall. When William heard the footsteps he went to intervene, but Leon was quick to grab his arm.
“Release me at once.”
“If you go out there now you will cause an unwanted commotion,” Leon said. “Master Gawain has everything under control, have faith.”
William calmed himself after Leon released his arm, “Let's hope you have not misplaced your trust in this man.”
Leon peeked out the door, “Watch for yourself, then you shall understand why he is a master at the Academy.”
Gawain slithered behind the next empty shell of armor to hide his presence from the oncoming guards. When the armor wearing men had walked past, he pulled a knife from his belt and slowly maneuvered out from where he had been hiding. Without making even the slightest of noise he positioned himself to attack.
And with cat-like reflexes he pounced, wrapping his arm around one of the men's necks, snapping it with a crunch of a bone. The other guard quickly reached for the hilt of his blade. But Gawain threw his knife, and it landed flush in the guard's neck. The man gurgled his own blood as he tried to scream for help, but no words could be heard as he fell to the floor.
William watched the skills that Gawain had shown, he was in awe over what he had witnessed. “This man that you call Master Gawain, is truly something else.”
“Did I not tell you so? Master Gawain can handle any situation he finds himself in.”
“Indeed.”
Gawain stood there stone-faced, looking down at the men that he had just disposed of. ‘Leon was right about me, I do make the decision to kill when it is necessary’. He looked up and over at the door where William and the others stayed hidden. “You can come out now, I don't believe we shall be bothered again anytime soon.”
It wasn't long before they had found themselves standing outside the King's throne room. Gawain was the first to make his way inside, followed by his students and Ellyn, then William brought up the rear. With haste they looked for the switch that Shadow had spoken of, but could not find it. Gawain was so caught up in the search that he hadn't noticed William standing over his shoulder. Out of instinct he drew his sword and spun around, only to see William there studying his every move.
“No need for that.” William held up his hands, “I did not mean to startle you.”
Gawain sheathed his blade back to his side, “Next time let me know when you stand behind me or something bad might happen.”
“Any luck finding the switch?”
“No such luck.”
“Do you think your informant gave you false information?”
“Shadow is one of the best at what she does, I believe in her words.”
“Have you found the switch?” Ulrich shouted from the other side of the room.
“No,” Gawain answered. “And you?”
“Not yet.”
Leon was also looking over the stone floor near where Master Gawain stood conversing. Unlike him, Leon had seen certain symbols carved into four different stones. “You have been standing on the switch the whole time.”
“What was that?” William said.
“Look down at the stones beneath your feet,” Leon answered. “Notice anything that differs between them and the others?”
“These have carvings upon them.” Gawain's eyes grew wide with excitement. “Very keen eye there young Leon.” He looked at William, “If you don't mind, would you please step back. I know what to do with these compression plates.” He stared at the four symbols that were on the floor before him.
One was a symbol of what looked to be a wolf, while the stone to the left had a dagger with a snake coiled around it which he realized was the symbol of the Dark Ones. The stone to the right had a carving of King Adan's crown upon it, or so he guessed. Lastly, the stone that was closest to his feet had the sun and moon intertwined carved upon it. This symbol he was unfamiliar with, but seeing it somehow made his blood run cold. “I have to press the plates in a certain order to open the secret passage,” Gawain muttered to himself.
He looked around the throne room, ‘What happens if I press them in the wrong order? I doubt that I will want to find out.’ “I need all of you to get as far away from me as possible,” he informed them. “There is no telling what shall happen when I press the stone plates.”
Gawain studied the carvings on the stone floor closer and painted a picture in his mind of what each could mean to King Adan. Then like a puzzle he put all the pieces together. “I hope I'm right about this.” He reached out his foot and stepped on the stone plate with the crown carved on it, and he heard click like a door being unlocked.
He breathed a sigh of relief that a trap was not activated, which meant that he was right in his belief so far. Taking a deep breath, he steadied his nerves before pressing the stone
plate with the carving of the wolf upon it. Again another click could be heard echoing throughout the throne room, as another lock was released. Gawain wiped the sweat from his brow and pressed the carving of the knife with the snake coiled around it, and again another lock released. There was only one plate left, but Gawain was feeling reluctant to press it.
“What are you waiting for?” William questioned. “Press the last stone plate and open the secret passage, we are running out of time.”
“Something is amiss,” Gawain mumbled. “I feel it in my gut.”
“Just press it.” William grunted.
Gawain shook his head, “This is too easy.”
“Then what shall we do?”
Gawain shot William a look of frustration, “Give me time to think this through.” He looked the throne room over from top to bottom. Since Gawain knew what he was looking for this time, it was easier for him to find other symbols. There was a tiny problem; none of the symbols matched anything that he had pressed so far. “I knew it.” Gawain slammed his fist into his hand. “When you think you've figured the riddle out, it draws you into a false sense of security.”
“I grow tired of these games,” Ulrich groaned. “We are lucky that the castle guards have yet to come back and kill us all.” The young man removed his bow from his back, reached into his quiver to remove an arrow, and pulled back the string, holding it steady.
“Ulrich, why do you aim an arrow at me?” Gawain nervously asked.
“Boy, you best put down your weapon,” William warned.
“This is no time for games, Ulrich.” William reached his hand for the hilt of his blade, getting ready to strike the boy down. “Stand down William, he's not going to do anything stupid.”
Ulrich released the arrow and sent it flying through the air; it went humming by Gawain's ear missing him by inches and hit the back of the throne. A clicking noise was heard yet again as another lock was released. When Gawain turned he saw the arrow had hit a symbol almost like the ones on the floor, “Damn that kid for always showing off,” he hissed. “One day he's going to get himself killed.”
“What, no thank you?” Ulrich smirked. Neither Gawain nor William found his actions or his remark to be funny. “No sense of humor I see.”
“Why did you do that?” Ellyn whispered. “Would it not have been easier to tell Gawain that there was a symbol on the back of the throne where King Adan sits?”
“Where is the fun in that?”
William released his grip from the hilt of his sword, “Damn kid,” he muttered under his breath.
Leon said not a word; he watched what Ulrich had done. This was a side of him that he was not used to seeing. The Ulrich he knew was kind at heart and full of honor and pride that would outshine most knights. But something had changed in his friend. The light that burned bright had now faded, and hate and rage had taken its place. Darkness brewed in him now.
‘This is all that Caine guy’s fault, ever since Ulrich has been training with him he's become hateful and nasty. Not only that, but he has been using Dark Arts in the heat of battle. Which seems to be leading him down an even darker path.’ Leon was deep in thought until he heard the last lock being released.
Gawain stepped on what he thought was the last remaining piece to the puzzle. And he was right with his belief, as wall before them started to tremble and slide away, revealing the secret passage that they had been searching for. Gawain, like always, took the first steps inside the passage, it was enshrouded by darkness. He found that he couldn't summon another orb as a light source, as he did not have the strength in him to do so.
It takes a lot out of someone who does not use magic as often as a Mage, but then Gawain remembered that he took a torch from the dungeon just in case. He reached into his bag that he kept tied on his belt and pulled out a flint. Holding the torch close to the wall he hit the flint against the stones causing sparks to fly until the torch was lit. The light from the torch lit up the passageway, and they could see it was a long, narrow tunnel. “I hate tunnels,” he muttered before walking on. At the end of the deceptively long tunnel was a large open area, and at the center was the Reaper Cannon.
“So this is the Reaper Cannon,” Micha said, staring at the large metal object that towered over them.
“That's it.” William smiled.
“Shouldn't we quit gawking and just destroy the blasted thing,” Leon interrupted.
Ulrich, on the other hand, walked around the cannon smiling excitedly, “Why destroy such a magnificent weapon,” he said. “Could you imagine what this could do for our kingdom if we brought it back in one piece?”
“This cannon is too dangerous for anyone to control!” Gawain barked. “Let alone the likes of Alistair and Caine.”
“That's Lord Alistair, and Headmaster Caine to you old man,” Ulrich responded with a look of anger. “Learn to have some respect for your superiors.”
“Tell me, William. How do we destroy this thing?” Gawain asked, ignoring Ulrich.
William pulled out the blueprints, “Move the torch a little closer, my eyes aren't what they used to be you know.” Gawain leaned the torch in closer, and William yanked it out of his hands. Out of instinct Gawain tried to take the torch back, but William swung the flame of the torch at his face, causing him to take a step backward. “Don't even think about it.” William held the blueprints over the flame, setting the parchment paper ablaze.
“What have you done, William?” Micha gasped.
“What is necessary,” William answered. Leon had his hand on the hilt of his blade, readying himself to draw upon the man. “I wouldn't do that if I were you, young one,” William barked. “If you even try, then I shall be forced to kill your precious master.” He threw the burning blueprints to the ground. “Now that the blueprints have been taken care of, all that is left is the five of you.”
“Why?” Micha shouted. “You were my father’s best friend, it was you who taught me to fight for honor instead of greed. If not for you I would have never become a soldier, or joined the rank of the knights.” Micha couldn't understand why William was doing such things and he wanted answers. “Why would you betray King Peregrine and the people of Wespington? Tell me!”
William laughed at his innocence, “You are still young yet, and do not understand the way of the world.”
Micha looked at William with disgust, “Then explain it to me.”
“I don't owe you or anyone else an explanation for my actions.”
“Words of a coward,” Micha spat.
“I am no coward, you foolish boy.” William snorted. “My son was killed long ago on the battlefield, I wanted revenge. But your great King Peregrine decided that peace would be the best course of action. I was his loyal subject for many a year.
When I needed his aid he spat in my face, and declared a peace treaty just to spite me,” he explained. “Not long after my wife died of a broken heart and I was left alone with nothing but my grief. It was then I decided to leave the castle and live on my own so I could plot my revenge against King Peregrine and King Adan. The only thing I regret is your father dying, as that was not my intention.”
“If you had the blueprints the whole time, then how did King Adan build the Reaper Cannon?” Gawain interrupted, curious about how William managed this on his own.
“King Adan didn't build the cannon,” William grinned. “I sold him the one that King Peregrine had ordered me to destroy.”
“And what of Hinz the blacksmith?” Micha interrupted.
“Killed by his hand,” Gawain answered in William's place.
“No doubt that friend of yours told you of this,” William hissed.
“When I need information I know who to turn to.” Gawain smirked.
“Then yes, I killed him, and feed his body to the wolves,” William laughed. “But in my defense, it had to be done, as I couldn't let him live knowing the secrets to the Reaper Cannon.”
Gawain ran his fingers through his hair, not once taking
his eyes off William. “You sold the cannon to King Adan knowing full well he would use it at some point. When he broke the treaty you took advantage and whispered into the ear of King Peregrine. to declare an all-out war on the kingdom of Odrela. But you didn't foresee outsiders interfering, or Micha making it back alive for that matter. Am I correct?”
William nodded, “Smart man you are,” he smirked. “It was a bit of snag in my plans, but I quickly came up with a new strategy. That's what a war strategist does of course. I will destroy the cannon myself, and become a hero until I can find another way to get my revenge. It shall be bittersweet, but unfortunately for you I will be the only one making it back alive.” In that instant, Gawain started to chuckle. “Odd that you would laugh when you are about to die.”
“William, William, William,” Gawain laughed. “Does you think you are the only smart one here? When in fact I knew you were a traitor from the moment we found you out in the woods. The only reason I didn't kill you then, or have King Peregrine throw your sorry ass in the dungeons, was because I needed you to get us this far. Get us to the cannon so I could destroy it on my own.”
“Destroy the cannon on your own you say,” William mocked. “How are you going to do that without the blueprints?”
Gawain reached into his bag and pulled out a rolled up piece of parchment paper. “Are you talking about these blueprints?”
“That cannot be, I burned the blueprints. How could you possibly have them?”
Gawain smiled again at seeing the look of shock on William's face, “The blueprints you burned were fake. That night out in the woods when you let me look them over, I switched them,” he explained. “I think the time for talk is over. Give yourself up and throw your spear and shield to the ground, or you don't make out of here alive.”
William, blinded by anger, went mad. If he was going to die he was going to kill the person responsible for stopping his plans for vengeance. “If I die then so shall you.” He went to draw back his spear but Ellyn had already positioned herself behind him. When he went to lunge forward, Ellyn ran her blade straight through his back. It tore through William's skin, breaking bones as it ripped through the front of his chest. William turned his head slightly to face his attacker, “To think I would be brought to my end by a mere girl,” he muttered, before falling to his knees.