by A. J. Smith
William disliked the way the commander looked at Ameira and again sensed that she exerted more influence over him than his knights knew.
Ameira stepped forward and William thought for a moment that she had detected what he was thinking. The witch had lustrous black hair and deep green eyes. Her robes were black and flattering in a way that was clearly not accidental. William disliked her spider’s web tattoo and did not want to be too close to her. He was not naive enough to believe every story he had heard about the Seven Sisters, but he did not doubt that Jaa had gifted them with strange hypnotic abilities.
The witch locked eyes with him for a second and William looked away sharply. ‘My lord, I am not comfortable in the presence of an enchantress,’ he said with conviction.
Ameira laughed, a lyrical sound that made Rillion smile with a slight euphoria. She stepped forward and stood in front of the commander’s desk, making it difficult for William to not look at her. ‘Sir Verellian, surely you do not think me a danger?’
‘Enough of this,’ Rillion interrupted sharply. ‘Ameira, please don’t tease the captain. William, you are to travel north and apprehend the girl. Clear?’
The witch smiled and backed away, returning to stand at the commander’s shoulder.
‘It is clear, my lord,’ William said. ‘Do we know where she went?’
‘She had help escaping. A Karesian spy called Al-Hasim killed eight knights and then escaped somewhere into the town. When Pevain finds him, we’ll know where she went.’
‘Surely he left town with Bronwyn?’ Fallon asked.
Sir Rillion looked at the lieutenant as if he disliked being spoken to by an adjutant. His eyes narrowed and his face fell back into its customary sneer.
‘Well, Lieutenant Fallon of Leith, I imagine we must appear very stupid to you. Hasim was seen shortly after Father Magnus had healed him. Castus, the gaoler, saw the spy leaving via the food trough but he couldn’t level his crossbow in time to kill the dog. It seems the heathen powers of the Ranen make a considerable glow when they are used, and Castus was alerted. Sir Pevain was despatched an hour ago and will capture the man and extract the necessary information.
‘In the meantime, you will ride north to the Grass Sea.’ He stroked his beard as he spoke. ‘We will send a fast rider with news of her location when we know it. Pevain has men with him who are skilled at… extracting information.’
The euphemism for torture bothered William. He knew that it was often thought okay for those under the command of knights to engage in such activities, so long as the knights themselves did not, but the practice was very much a grey area within the church.
‘Is that all, my Lord Rillion?’ William asked. ‘Travel north and try to find the girl?’
The commander glanced at Ameira before he answered. ‘And you are to kill any members of Wraith Company you encounter.’
William narrowed his eyes and considered the order for a second before he spoke. ‘My lord, I wasn’t aware that we were at war with the Free Companies?’
‘We are not, and if you keep them away from the city, hopefully we will remain not at war with them.’
‘If those are your orders, my lord.’ William was a seasoned knight and wasn’t going to argue. ‘We’ll muster the men and leave within the hour.’
Rillion waved his hand as if to dismiss them. William and Fallon repeated the salute and turned to leave.
William gave in to curiosity as he went to exit the room and turned back to his commander. ‘My lord, am I to understand that the king is coming here?’
Rillion scowled at the knight and, with another glance at Ameira, said, ‘Yes, Verellian, he’ll be here within the next two weeks. The death of Hector the betrayer was only the beginning of our work in Ro Canarn. King Sebastian has other duties for us to perform.’ He narrowed his eyes and became guarded. ‘Do not worry, Captain Verellian, by the time you return from the Grass Sea, our duty will be clear.’
‘Yes, sir,’ William said wearily as he turned away.
Once the knights were out of earshot, Fallon turned to his captain. ‘What about him,’ he said with anger, ‘can I slit his throat?’
‘I’m not sure we can justify killing the new knight protector of Ro Canarn.’
William was deep in thought and greatly troubled that the words of a follower of Jaa should hold so much influence over a knight of the Red. Even more worrying was that Fallon’s gossip might be true, and that the king might be intending to attack the Freelands.
‘So, what do we do, sir?’ Fallon asked.
‘We follow orders, my dear boy,’ he replied. ‘We follow orders and die where we’re told to die.’
* * *
Al-Hasim had seen the two knights enter the antechamber and had waited in the secret passage for them to emerge. He had heard much of what they’d spoken about with their commander and was worried for a number of reasons. He hoped that the two hours’ head start Bronwyn had was enough, and that Wraith Company would find her before the knights did. It was at least a two-week journey to Ro Hail and Bronwyn would not know that she was being pursued. Either way, Hasim could do little to help her and she would need to show her mettle in order to remain free.
The secret passages provided an excellent way to move covertly around the keep and he’d spent half an hour or so curled up in a ball looking out of a secret door high in the rafters of the great hall. Magnus had healed him just in time, as the Red pig, Castus, had appeared and fired his crossbow at the Karesian a moment later. Since then, he’d tried to find Kohli and Jenner, the Karesian brothers who’d smuggled him into the town in the first place.
Sir Hallam Pevain was a tenacious pursuer and Hasim had been close to capture twice. First, when he’d hauled himself out of the trough, a shout from Castus had alerted the mercenaries above. He’d not stayed to fight, but had thrown himself into a nearby sewer which ran along the walls of the keep, and the smell had been enough to dissuade the mercenaries from following him. Around an hour after that, as he’d emerged from the sewer into a stable near the blacksmith’s guild, he’d been spotted by Pevain’s bastards and had to run into the dark streets of Canarn.
He’d not known that Pevain was after him personally until later, when he was hiding in the tunnels of the keep and overheard Rillion shouting at the mercenary knight for taking too long in finding him.
He had not yet had time to worry about the Lady of Spiders. Algenon had told him little about the witch. Hasim believed that she was manipulating Rillion – that much was obvious – but to what end, he was not sure.
The thain of Fredericksand was inscrutable at the best of times and, where the Seven Sisters were concerned, he was downright mysterious. Hasim trusted Algenon, though, and was now of the opinion that his next move should be to free Magnus from his gaol cell.
Kohli and Jenner would have gone to ground during the battle, and Hasim was certain they’d have found a warm place to hide with plenty to drink. The brothers were from Thrakka, a city several leagues to the south of Al-Hasim’s home of Kessia, and were the kind of Karesian scum that Hasim liked. They worked for money to buy alcohol and women, making them very predictable in Hasim’s eyes. They also owned a boat, which would be a likely escape route once Magnus was freed.
Hasim backed away from the hatchway high above the great hall and crawled back down the narrow tunnel. He wondered who would have installed such a covert listening point, but he was glad they had done. He’d found several such places throughout the keep – narrow passageways, large enough to crawl down, which looked in on most of the rooms in the building. He’d even found several spy-holes that looked in on the other secret tunnels, and had more than once observed Pevain’s mercenaries as they searched for him. He’d remained hidden thus far, not wanting to alert them to his presence by killing any of them. However, he was becoming frustrated with his inability to move freely. Hasim was not used to being hunted and found it an unpleasant sensation.
As he left the watch-hole, he w
as faced with a steep set of stairs that led back down to the main body of secret passages. Beyond was a small wooden door, no more than five feet high and largely invisible from the other side. Each of the doors to the watch-holes had a small peephole, through which Hasim could make sure the way was clear.
As he walked down the small staircase, he thought quickly. Magnus would not be easy to break out of his cell and, even if Hasim could free his old friend, their position would still be a difficult one. He had to leave the city and he couldn’t leave without the Ranen priest. He was fond of Magnus and had grown to value him as a friend. He’d miss the drinking sessions and talk of women bedded and battles won. Other than Brom and Rham Jas Rami, Magnus was the only other man Hasim had ever called brother, and that still meant something to him.
He looked through the peephole and saw nothing but a dark passageway. Beyond, he knew the tunnel led along the side of the great hall and then down through the walls adjacent to the keep. Al-Hasim had been in the tunnels for several hours and had already identified the best exits and the places least likely to be guarded. He needed to find Kohli and Jenner first, which meant exiting near the port. The Karesians would have retreated to their boat, hoping the knights wouldn’t check the harbour. Hasim thought it unlikely that they’d have been able to leave the port after the battle and imagined they’d be cowering below decks with several bottles of wine.
Hasim opened the door slowly and immediately stopped. He felt pressure against the wood and was then flung back as the door was shoved back into him. Someone had been hiding beneath the peephole, waiting for him to leave.
Hasim hit his head firmly against the wooden steps and lost vision for a second as he heard a voice shout, ‘Sergeant, I’ve found the Karesian!’ followed by the sound of armoured steps moving quickly along the wooden tunnel beyond.
He tried to get to his feet, but fell back as an armoured knight of the Red flung the door open and advanced upon him. The sound of other knights approaching grew louder as Hasim inched back up the steps towards the watch-hole, drawing his kris blade and trying to focus on the advancing knight.
‘You’re mine, boy,’ said the knight as he drew his sword, ducked under the small wooden doorway, and crouched at the foot of the stairs.
Hasim shook his head and hefted himself backwards on hands and knees. He was still dazed and only vaguely aware of the knight attempting to grab his foot as he scuttled back up the stairs to the watch-hole. He kicked out with as much strength as he could manage and heard a solid steel clang and a sharp intake of breath.
The knight stumbled back, getting his armour and sword tangled up in the narrow tunnel. Hasim swore to himself and rubbed his eyes. He could feel blood on the back of his head and was in considerable pain. Hasim turned and rapidly darted up the stairs.
‘I’ll make you bleed for that, horse-fucker,’ shouted the knight as he advanced again towards the watch-hole.
Hasim briefly considered throwing his knife in order to silence the knight, but thought better of it as he reached the top of the narrow staircase. There was nowhere to go. The tunnel ended in the watch-hole overlooking the great hall and there was no way down, just a small grating through which the hall could be seen. He had to think fast, as reinforcements had reached the hatchway at the bottom of the stairs.
‘He crawled up there. The scum’s trapped, sir,’ said the knight who’d found him.
‘There’s nowhere to go, boy, surrender and you may survive this,’ said an older voice from the tunnel.
More men were converging on his location and Hasim could hear shouts and orders passed loudly along the tunnels. He breathed in heavily and shook his head. His wound was not bad and he began to think quickly.
Crouching, he moved as rapidly as he could down the tunnel towards the watch-hole. The knights below began moving through the hatchway and he could hear more men approaching. Holding the kris blade between his teeth, he reached the grating that overlooked the great hall of Ro Canarn and stopped.
‘We’re coming for you, little boy,’ called the first knight, as he began ascending the cramped staircase.
Hasim couldn’t fight his way through the knights. He was a realist and knew that, even in close quarters, there were too many, and this time he didn’t have the advantage of surprise. Multiple shadows flowed over the top of the stairs and he could make out the voices of perhaps as many as ten knights approaching him. He started to laugh, an outburst of hysterical desperation.
Hasim glanced down through the watch-hole, took his kris blade from between his teeth and smashed it against the wood of the grate. The wood was solid, but Hasim was strong and he quickly broke off a piece. He hit it again and, as the first knight’s head emerged at the top of the narrow stairs, he feverishly smashed at the wooden grating. Not enough of a gap had opened and he lay down on his back and kicked his feet into the wood. His left boot broke through, sending splinters into the hall below.
‘Sergeant, the Karesian’s trying to break through into the great hall.’
The sound of wood breaking was loud and Hasim could not hear if any of the knights were leaving. He spared a quick glance behind him and saw two men of Ro, their upper bodies squeezed into the narrow passageway at the top of the stairs. They began clumsily crawling towards him as he changed to a crouched position, braced himself, and flung his shoulder at the broken wooden grate. His weight was sufficient to finish the job his knife had started and, with a loud shout, he plummeted into the great hall.
He landed face up, with a thud, on one of the duke’s feast tables. The fall had winded him and his shoulder felt as if it might be dislocated. Above, he saw the face of a knight poking through the broken watch-hole.
Hasim rolled off the table, got to his feet and quickly glanced around the hall. The main doors were open and beyond he could see the night. Behind the duke’s platform several figures were emerging from an anteroom.
‘You… Karesian,’ shouted a voice from the antechamber, ‘stop there!’
Hasim turned and saw Rillion and three knights, swords drawn, advancing on his position. He turned quickly and darted across the great hall. As he approached the darkness beyond the main doors, for a second he thought he might actually escape. As he began to smile he looked up and saw a figure approaching through the doors.
Sir Hallam Pevain entered the great hall slowly, his two-handed sword held casually across his shoulder blades. ‘You’re mine, Hasim,’ he said with a growl.
A bell had begun to sound and Hasim could hear armoured feet approaching through several side entrances and antechambers. There was no obvious way of escape.
Behind him stood Commander Rillion and three knights of the Red, with Ameira, the Karesian enchantress, positioned in the doorway. The knights stood on the raised platform, by the duke’s chair, content just to cut off Hasim’s escape. In front of him, blocking his path to the main door, was Pevain and a dozen of his mercenaries. On both sides of the great hall, other Red knights appeared and encircled him. Hasim judged that he was finally captured.
Rillion drew his sword and stepped within ten feet of the Karesian. ‘Al-Hasim, you are to stand down and be subject to the king’s law,’ he said with smug authority.
‘And if I don’t?’ Hasim replied defiantly.
‘Then I’ll cut your arms off and give the rest of you to my boys,’ Pevain butted in, grinning viciously and nodding at his mercenaries, who smiled and looked at Hasim as if he were a piece of meat.
‘Pevain, we need information from this spy,’ Rillion countered, causing the mercenary knight to look at the floor and nod with frustration. ‘Don’t kill him outright. Get the location of the girl from him and you can let your dogs turn him into a woman. Clear?’
Pevain and his men evidently liked this order. The bastards were known for not being too choosy when it came to rape, and Hasim had heard stories of men broken to the point of suicide after an encounter with them. Each of the dirty, grim-faced mercenaries was smiling at him, and a
few even winked and licked their lips in anticipation.
Pevain advanced towards Hasim, his sword held low and his face twisted in a grotesque grin. Hasim had only his kris blade with which to defend himself.
‘Do you yield?’ Pevain asked mockingly.
‘Do you?’ Hasim shot back with venom.
He saw a group of five more knights of the Red enter the hall behind Pevain’s mercenaries and stand in front of the large wooden doors, peering over the men in front.
Pevain didn’t hesitate for more than a second before he lunged forward and aimed a powerful thrust at the Karesian’s chest. He was a huge man and a skilled swordsman, but Hasim was faster and simply rolled to his right and across the wooden table he’d landed on.
Two mercenaries moved to cut him off and Pevain shouted, ‘We can dance around the hall all night, Hasim, but you’re going nowhere.’
Hasim found his feet on the other side of the table and crouched, spun round, and directed a lightning-fast kick at one of the mercenaries. The man’s leg buckled and he fell, letting his longsword clatter to the ground. A second pursuer swung downwards at Hasim but missed as he darted back under the table, grabbing the fallen sword as he did so.
Pevain laughed as he said, ‘The longer you wait the angrier my men will get… and they aren’t gentle when they’re angry. If you give up now, you might make a fine little Karesian wife.’
Hasim moved quickly along the floor as the mercenaries began to circle the table. Swords were swung at him, but either struck wooden chairs or missed entirely. Hasim had no real delusions about escaping, but was not going to give up easily. He did a forward roll out from under the table and knocked another mercenary to the floor as the others moved quickly in pursuit.
Pevain let out a roar of exertion and swung his huge sword downwards at the table between him and Hasim, splintering the wood down the middle. Hasim didn’t turn to engage the huge mercenary knight but instead dived back across the broken table and rolled past him. He was met with a group of knights who had entered the hall from a side door and were brandishing weapons.