by Andi Neal
CHAPTER FOUR
Tristan, Kale, and Quin crouched at the edge of the forest. To their right and in front of them ran the Innswick River, the border between Barico and the North. To their left was a magnificent lake. Its water stretched far into the distance.
“The Great Lake of Rowen,” Quin told Tristan. “If there is one man not family I know would never betray my father in all of this…it’s the Duke of Rowen. We can trust him.”
Kale stared across the lake. On the other side stood the city and castle of Rowen. Behind the castle were rolling green hills. A welcome sight after the barren land of the North. “I do not know if this is wise.”
Quin sighed. “You said it was not safe to ride into Lochlain. That you weren’t sure who to trust.” He lifted a finger to point across the lake. “I’m telling you we can trust Duke Adler.”
“We need a place to lay low,” Tristan pointed out. Ryder gave him a questioning look. Tristan tried again. “A place to take cover. A place Penley won’t find us for at least a little while.”
Quin growled. “I’m not taking cover. I’m going to my family.”
Tristan held up a hand to stop his soon to follow tirade. “What is it you fellows say? Hold your calm, dude. First, we need a place that can give us some cover. Then we go for your family.”
“I have been gone for almost a month,” Quin said from between gritted teeth. “We do not know what is happening to them.”
“I get that,” Tristan told him. “And I’m worried too. But we aren’t going to do them much good if we’re dead.”
Kale glanced at Quin, then Tristan. “Tristan is right. We do need an ally.” He sighed as his eyes traveled back across the lake. “Duke Adler has a large guard that will hold their loyalty to him. If he is truly an ally, we will need his soldiers.”
Quin’s face lit with frustration. “Going around the lake will take days. We do not have days.”
“We’ll build a raft,” Tristan said. “A small one that can get us across.”
“What is a raft?” Kale wanted to know.
Tristan eased back into the cover of the forest. “A kind of boat. Come on, I’ll show you. But we’ll have to leave the horses behind.”
• • •
The raft took half a day to build, then crossing the lake took the rest of the day. Tristan’s arms felt like melted rubber. Kale claimed they’d probably saved a full day’s travel. He would take it as a victory…for now.
When the raft slid into the soft silt of the lake’s southern shore, Tristan wanted to cry Hallelujah. But he quietly disembarked and left his precious creation behind. The walk to Castle Rowen was a relatively short one when considering their lengthy travels from the North.
They had started their day at dawn, and it ended well into the dark hours of the night. When they finally arrived at the castle, it was sealed tight. Quin and Kale exchanged a concerned look. As they approached the closed doors, an archer appeared.
“Who approaches our doors?” A strong voice called.
Kale stepped in front of Quin. “General Kale of the Royal Guard. I wish to speak with Duke Adler of Rowen.”
A figure stepped to one of the openings in the battlements. “You have your wish, as I am Duke Adler of Rowen. And General Kale of the Royal Guard is dead. Try again. Who are you?”
Kale stepped closer so that the fire from a lit torch glowed on his face. “I am General Kale of the Royal Guard. Do you not know my face, Duke?”
The figure’s posture relaxed. He leaned on the wall of the battlement. “Welcome back from the dead, General.”
Quin moved to Kale’s side. “Adler.”
A gasp sounded from the figure. He straightened. “Open the gates at once!” Then he disappeared as he raced from the top of the wall.
As soon as the doors creaked open loudly, Duke Adler raced out. “Quin, my boy.” He embraced Quin. He pulled back quickly and stared at Quin’s face. “It seems General Kale is not the only one back from the dead.”
Quin nodded. “I heard of my funeral. Do you know of my mother?”
Adler retreated a step to allow them to enter the gate. His expression tightened. “Still at Castle Lochlain. Penley must have something against her for her to stay there in support of his claim to the throne.”
“Penley killed my father,” Quin growled.
Adler’s eyes flashed. “I suspected as much. Though I thought he had succeeded in his devious plan to steal the throne by killing you as well.”
“We need cover,” Kale requested.
Adler spared him a look. “Of course.” His eyes came back to Quin with sharpness. “The king of Barico is always welcome in my castle.”
Quin sucked in a sharp breath. He didn’t want to address that issue just yet. He stepped to the side and gestured to their companions. “If I may introduce you to my loyal companions.” At Adler’s acceptance, he clasped a hand on Tristan’s shoulder. “A man not loyal to the crown, but to my family, I present to you the bravest of men. My very good friend, Tristan.”
Adler gave a bow. “Any friend of Quin’s is a friend of mine.”
Tristan tried to mimic the bow. Quin motioned behind him. “Ryder, a loyal Baricoan.” He hesitated when he looked to Xander. “And that is Xander, a Northerner who has come to my aid in my time of great need.”
Adler’s eyes examined Xander. He gave Quin an odd look. “A Northerner?” But he relented at the look Quin gave him in return. “Come. Please. We have much to discuss.”
• • •
“Penley has established his own Royal Guard with Captain Janis as its new general,” Adler told them. “My men remain loyal to me and the royal family.” He tilted his head. “And more will join them when the true king of Barico reveals himself.”
Quin paced back and forth. “I can’t do anything until my family is with me. I ride for Castle Lochlain at first light.”
“You can’t go back there,” Kale argued. “If he finds out you are alive, he will stop at nothing to kill you.”
“The people will revolt if he does!” Adler boomed. “There are others like me who will fight.”
Quin stopped to face Adler. “I can’t go against him while he has my family, Adler. He will kill them before I can breach Lochlain’s walls!”
Tristan stepped into the middle of the room. “Stop!” Everyone halted their arguments and turned to him. “Just stop, okay.” He looked to Kale. “You are the general of the Royal Guard. It is your duty to protect the royal family.”
Kale huffed and mumbled, “It is my duty to protect the king.”
“To protect the king, you must protect his family,” Tristan reasoned. To Adler, he said, “You must not utter a word of Quin until we are ready to strike. If Penley knows Quin’s alive, we lose the element of surprise along with our advantage.”
Adler rested back on the table. “We’re going to need help if we want to take the throne back.”
Tristan held up a hand. “Baby steps.”
“You speak strangely,” Adler muttered. “I do not understand you.”
“It means small steps, okay. You have to crawl before you walk,” he explained. “Duke, you have to find out who stands against Penley. We need to know who we can trust to back us when the time is right, but we don’t want anyone to know about Quin yet. Can you do that?”
Adler glanced at Quin, then nodded. “Yes.”
Quin acknowledged his acceptance with a nod of his own. “Do it.”
Tristan turned to Quin. “I need you to stay here.” He held up a finger before he got a protest. “Under the protection of Adler’s men, you will be safe. No one knows you’re alive.”
To Ryder, he said, “I need you to stay here too. Make sure Quin is protected.”
“You’re leaving him in charge of the king’s protection?” Kale objected instantly.
Tristan turned to Kale. “You, Xander, and I are going to Castle Lochlain. We’re going to get Quin’s family back.”
Xander’s bored gaze snapped up. �
�I take objection to that assumption.” He scoffed. “Why would I risk my neck for a couple of spoiled princesses and a queen?”
“You want your reward or not?” Tristan shot back.
Xander scowled but sat back. “A reward won’t do me much good if I’m dead,” he muttered.
“There’s no reward without risk,” Tristan told him. Then he turned to Ryder. “I need your help with something I need to make.”
• • •
Tristan tried not to look down, but the psychological pull was too strong. He grasped the ropes with his sweaty hands. “Had to build this stinking castle on top of a mountain,” he mumbled.
“It aids in a strong defense,” Kale whispered back. “Makes it very hard to get to.”
Tristan shot him a bland look. “You don’t say.”
“And the irony that you are now trying to break through those defenses doesn’t register at all with you,” Xander chuckled at Kale’s hard look.
“How do you know about this path?” Tristan asked.
Kale pulled up and over the ledge. “Because it was always a trouble spot in my mind. The defense against an army is strong, but an individual can breach Lochlain’s walls easily by this path,” he confessed. “I always posted a guard to ensure this exact kind of breach never happened.”
“Your definition of easy and mine differ. Guard?”
Kale shook his head as he reached down for Tristan. “As general of the Royal Guard, I gave the orders. Janis will not hold the same concern for the family that I did. The post will not have continued. Trust me.”
“I kind of am,” Tristan pointed out. “With my life.”
As predicted, the post was empty. Tristan glanced over the side of the wall. It was a sheer cliff wall. He could see how Janis wouldn’t consider the possibility of a breach in this position. A person would have to be crazy to make that climb, he thought. Apparently that made him crazy.
“Where to now?” Tristan asked as he crouched in the gardens behind the royal quarters at the rear of the castle.
“The queen’s chamber is there,” Kale pointed up to a balcony.
Tristan eyed the long height. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
Xander crouched beside him. “I think I’ll wait here,” he declared.
Tristan’s eyes slid to him. “If I have to go, you have to go.”
“Actually,” Kale interrupted. “Xander and I are going to take care of a few guards. You’re going to climb up and alert the queen. Get her and the princesses, and meet us at the edge of the outer courtyard by the court stables if you can. I’ll have horses ready and saddled.”
“We’re just going to ride out the front door?” Xander asked sarcastically.
Kale shot him another hard look. “This fortress is built to keep men out, not in. They won’t be looking for a threat from inside the castle.”
“I just have one question,” Xander ignored him. “Which way is the treasury?”
Kale’s hand shot out and gripped Xander’s shirt front in his fist. “If you do not do exactly as I say, I will kill you myself.”
“Hold your calm, Captain,” Xander gave him a grin as he held up both hands.
“I am a general,” Kale hissed back.
“Not anymore,” Xander taunted.
Tristan rested his head against the stone of the tower he was about to climb and sighed heavily. “We’re all going to die,” he muttered.
• • •
Tristan gritted his teeth as he pulled himself up the rest of the way. He dropped over the balcony railing with a final huff and landed on his back. Pushing up to his hands and knees, he sucked in a deep breath.
He was fairly certain that had been one of the most terrifying experiences of his life, which was quite a statement considering how his life had changed. He’d been sure he would slip and fall to his death. He rose to his feet and turned for the balcony doors only to realize they were already open.
Something hard swung out of the dark and pegged him in the middle of his forehead. He stumbled back and nearly went tumbling over the balcony railing. Both hands flew to his face. “Son of a Baricoan!” he exclaimed.
He saw someone step from the dark of the room hesitantly. “Tristan?” a woman’s voice drifted through the fog of pain that clouded his brain. Shaylin’s incredulous voice.
Tristan stomped his feet, accentuating each stomp with a pronounced, “Ow! Ow! Ow!”
Kyra flew out of the room and straight into his arms. “Tristan!”
When she pulled back to see his face, he fisted his hand and knocked it on top of his head several times to combat the throbbing of his face. “Why does everyone keep hitting me?! It really hurts.”
Shaylin rushed forward. “I’m so sorry. Are you all right?”
“No!” he hissed. “What in blue skies did you hit me with?”
“I’m terribly sorry,” she tried again. Then she winced. “I hit you with a brick.”
Tristan halted his movement to eye her. “A brick? You just happen to have a brick lying around?”
She scowled at him. “A man shouldn’t sneak into a woman’s bed chambers.”
Kyra placed a hand on his cheek as she tried to see how bad his head was. “It’s bleeding,” she noted with sympathy. “We really are very sorry, Tristan. We didn’t know it was you.”
“I thought you were dead,” Shaylin whispered.
“What are you doing here? I thought this was Rhea’s room,” Tristan muttered.
“It is,” Kyra answered. “But it is not safe for us to be separated.”
Tristan gently covered his face with his hand as he waited for the painful throb to subside. It didn’t. “Jeez, that really hurt. At least knock me out next time.”
“I said I was sorry,” Shaylin’s brow lowered in frustration.
“Sorry doesn’t take the indention of a brick out of my forehead,” he complained. He finally removed his hand and looked at her. When he saw the loose fitting white gown she stood in, he groaned. “I would have to see that that is what you sleep in. Great.”
Shaylin glanced down at herself. “I was hardly expecting a guest. You are awfully irritable.”
Tristan gave her an incredulous look. “I just got hit in the face with a brick.” But before she could respond, he waved it away with his hand. “Nevermind.”
At the soft chuckle, his eyes moved to Kyra who was watching with amusement. She smiled sweetly. “I missed you.”
Tristan blew out a breath, then gave her a sheepish smile. When she embraced him again under Shaylin’s intent gaze, he wrapped his arms around her. “Missed you too.”
His eyes met Rhea’s over Kyra’s head. She stood silently in the open balcony door watching him. A tear slid down her cheek. She smiled. “Tristan.”
Kyra released him, and he stepped toward Rhea. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry about Darius and not coming back until now. I’m...just so sorry.”
Rhea cupped his cheek with her palm. “You are here now. That is all that matters.”
He circled her wrist with his hand and pulled her hand away. “It’s my fault he’s dead.”
She shook her head. “I don’t believe that.”
“He was protecting me,” Tristan’s voice cracked. “He died protecting me.”
“Then his death was not in vain,” her voice wavered with tears.
Tristan took a moment to bring his emotions under control. He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “Quin’s alive.”
Rhea’s damp eyes snapped back to his. “What?”
“Quin’s alive,” he repeated. “I’m here to take you to him.”
• • •
They crept out of the castle together. Tristan held them up at the edge of the outer courtyard near the stables as Kale had instructed. When Shaylin’s head peeked around his shoulder, he glanced at her. “I can’t believe you hit me in the face with a brick.”
An annoyed grumble sounded from her throat. “I will hit you again if you keep statin
g that fact.”
His lips twitched. “It still hurts.”
“I have apologized repeatedly.”
He spotted Kale coming out of the stables. He was pulling two horses. Xander was behind him pulling two more. “There’s Kale. Let’s go.”
They met in front of the stables. “We have to move quickly,” Kale told Tristan. He looked to Rhea next. “My deepest apologies, my queen.”
“We will talk later,” she answered.
He nodded and assisted her onto the horse. Then he helped Kyra on behind her. “Shaylin, you will need to ride with me.”
Tristan addressed his comment while he kept a close eye out for any approaching guards. “She can have her own horse. I’m not coming with you.”
Shaylin whirled around. “What? Yes, you are.”
“You must, Tristan,” Rhea pleaded from her seat on her horse.
He glanced back at both of them. “I came for your family.” His jaw clenched. “All of it. I’m not leaving without Walt.”
Shaylin backed away from the horse when Kale tried to get her to mount. “You won’t make it to him. They will kill you.”
Tristan shrugged the straps of the pack on his back higher on his shoulders as doubt to the workings of its content weighed on him. “If we leave him, they’ll kill him. I can make it. I’ll meet you at the bottom of the mountain.”
“You’re butting your head against insanity, boy,” Xander shook his head.
“I’m well aware of that,” Tristan answered. “Thank you.” His eyes met Kale’s. “Kale.”
Kale stepped up behind Shaylin. He grabbed her around the waist and urged her to mount while she struggled. Once he had her on the horse, he swung up behind her and grabbed the reins. “Godspeed, Tristan.”
“No!” Shaylin fought to dismount. Kale held her in front of him. He kicked the horse to get it moving.
Rhea held Tristan’s gaze for a moment. “You don’t have to do this.”
Tristan smiled at her. “Yes, I do. You have to think of them.” His eyes flicked to Kyra. “Be strong for them.”
Rhea urged her horse forward in pursuit of Kale. Once they were gone, only Xander remained behind with the two horses of which he still held the reins. He stared at Tristan. Tristan grinned. “How badly you want that reward?”
Xander frowned. “You’re beginning to annoy me, boy.”