"You'd best come in before anyone sees you," Calan called quietly toward the door. Korrie came inside first, followed by Kenah and Garren. He turned back to the guard. "We can't have you raising the alarm, but I really don't want to have to kill you."
"Keys," Korrie said, coming around Calan. She untied the ring of keys from the guard's belt.
"Find us a room to lock him in," Calan ordered Korrie as she relocked the servants' door with one of the keys from the guard's ring. He motioned to the guard to stand up.
"You're not getting away with this," the guard growled at him. As he stood up, he made a lunge for Kenah.
Calan reacted immediately, grabbing the man's arm and twisting it back, turning him away from Kenah, then punching him hard in the side. The guard grunted as he turned, then lunged for Calan. Once again Calan's reflexes reacted and he turned to avoid the lunge, bringing his sword around to drive the hilt into the back of the guard's head, dropping him heavily to the ground.
Calan sighed. "I really didn't want to have to drag him," he said.
"There should be a room down here," Korrie said, pointing down the hall.
"Thank you," Kenah said to Calan. She reached into her satchel and pulled out the rope they'd used to tie her hands, handing it to Garren. Garren rolled the guard over and tied his hands securely behind his back. When he rolled him back over again, Kenah ripped a length of fabric from the bottom of her tunic and forced it between his teeth, then tied it tightly behind his head.
"I can get him," Garren said to Calan. "You need to keep your hands free in case any more show up."
Calan nodded, stepping back to let Garren move up by the guard. Rather than dragging him, he crouched down, then hoisted the man up over his shoulder and stood up.
"I grew up in my father's smithy," Garren shrugged. "I figured he can't weigh anymore than the stuff I hauled around there."
"Down here," Korrie said, taking the lead down the hall.
They left the guard locked in what looked like a storeroom, but judging by the amount of dust in it, Calan was sure it was rarely used. He hoped that meant he wouldn't be found for a considerable amount of time. From there, they followed Korrie as she led them further into the keep.
It didn't take them long to find a back set of stairs leading up to the next floor. Once on the next level, they started to work their way to where Korrie was fairly certain Thorvald would have made his offices.
"Shouldn't there be more people here?" Kenah asked after they'd gone quite a ways without even seeing any guards.
"It does seem pretty well deserted," Calan agreed with her. "But if Aduran is at the temple with all of his priests and the army is all moved outside the gates, I'm not sure who else might be hanging around the keep."
"Except for the couple of servants we've avoided, there haven't been any guards," Garren added.
Calan nodded. That did seem strange. He'd have expected there to be more activity within the keep.
Korrie paused when they reached an intersection. She seemed to hesitate, starting to go one way, then pausing again to look down one of the other halls.
"What is it?" Calan asked her.
"I'm not sure which way," she replied, shaking her head. "This is usually where I'd look for someone to follow."
Calan motioned for her to come back a bit down the hall.
"To the right will lead us back toward the outer wall," he said. "So any offices there would possibly have windows. Left will take us deeper into the keep and straight will eventually bring us to either an outer wall or a set of doors leading to a room against an outer wall. When you saw Thorvald in Edgewind, where was he?"
"It was at one of the inns," she replied. "A couple of his men caught me and took me to see him. He knew I'd run into Nahtan in the alley earlier that day."
"At the inn," Calan, turned slightly so he was standing directly in front of her. He wanted her to just focus on him, and not let her thoughts wander too far. "Was he sitting in the main room with his men, or in a private room?"
"They were in a private room," Korrie answered. "Upstairs."
"Okay, good," Calan nodded at her. He could tell by her voice that even thinking about that night was bringing back some of her fear of Nahtan. "Keep with me," he coaxed her. "In the room, where was Thorvald?"
Korrie watched him for a moment, her eyes shifting over his face as she tried to remember. "He was--" she paused, blinking. "He was by the window. He was looking out the window when we came in, and he didn't turn around until they'd closed the door."
"Did he dismiss the guards after they brought you in?" Calan asked her next.
"No," she shook her head. "They made me kneel down and address him as king and they weren't going to let me go until I told him where Nahtan was."
"Calan, what are you trying to do?" Garren asked from behind him.
Calan held up one hand to him, keeping his attention on Korrie.
"He's arrogant, Korrie, but he needs to hear the reinforcement of his title to reassure himself that his arrogance is justified. Where is a man like that going to have his office?"
Korrie studied his face for several seconds, and he could see her putting things together in her head. "He'd want a window," she realized. "A big window that would let him see his army and city."
"Exactly," Calan nodded to her.
Korrie turned and pointed straight ahead of them. "That way," she said. Checking the other halls for any servants or guards, she led them across the intersection.
"How did ye know all that?" Kenah asked Calan as they followed Korrie.
Calan glanced back at her. "I've run an inn and tavern in Herridon for over eight years now, m'lady," he told her. "You get to know people pretty well when you're dealing with them on a daily basis, especially when they're the sort who like to try to make your barmaids cry."
"I'd be havin' a few words with them," Kenah nodded to him.
"They usually don't stay in the tavern long enough to talk to," Calan assured her.
They continued to follow Korrie down the hall, taking one more turn, then stopping when the hall turned again.
"Two guards around the corner," Korrie whispered to Calan.
Calan sighed, slowly drawing his sword. "You three stay out of sight," he ordered them.
"Are ye insane?" Kenah asked him. "Ye don't even have any armor on."
"Probably," Calan shrugged at her. Stepping around Korrie, he walked down the hall toward the two guards. They were wearing breastplates with chain to protect their heads and arms, but no other heavy armor, something he was glad to see. He really hadn't wanted to try to take on two men in full plate. Their tabards were emblazoned with the coat of arms for Basiyr, then trimmed in purple and black.
Both guards were obviously surprised to see someone else in the keep, and even more surprised to see someone walking up to them carrying a drawn weapon. They immediately drew their weapons, the one on the right ordering him to stop.
Calan continued walking up to them, his eyes noting their stance, how they held their weapons, the dimensions of the hall and doorway. Both were using standard defensive positions, something he knew was taught in their basic training. That gave him pause, guards in the keep would have been better trained, and if this was Thorvald's office, they should be some of the best.
Then he noticed the slight shift in the one on the left, his weight and balance adjusting slightly. Calan gave a slight nod, that was more what he'd been expecting. They'd been taught to start in one place, then adjust. Which told him they relied solely on their training and hadn't been taught how to read an opponent. He begrudgingly acknowledged the benefits of his father's training in that regard.
"I don't really have all night," Calan told them, stopping several feet away. "I need to get into that office behind you, and I doubt you're going to let me just walk in there."
"Who are you?" the guard on the right demanded, both of them stepping forward.
"Actually, I'm just a merchant who's growin
g weary of kings denying my petitions," he replied. "Especially when it's done just to annoy me." He twisted his sword around in his hand, then immediately turned and parried the attack from the guard on the right when he lunged forward.
Calan stayed turned, keeping his back to the wall and the other guard in his line of sight. He continued to parry the first guard's attacks, getting a feel for his strength and speed. When he saw the second guard swing for an opening, he ducked and turned. He grabbed that guard's arm and pulled him forward and into his partner's path. As the first guard hesitated, Calan kicked the knee of the guard he was holding. The man immediately went down and Calan hit him hard in the back of the head with the hilt of his sword, sending him sprawling.
Stepping over him, he advanced on the first guard, moving to the offensive now. He made a point of stepping on the second guard's wrist and twisting his foot, pushing his sword away from his hand, then kicking it to the side. Calan swung low for the first guard's leg, expecting him to block the swing easily. When he did, he turned and brought his sword back up and around, driving it upwards and under his breastplate, then twisting it. The blade of his sword slid easily through the chain with the force of his strike, sinking deeply into the guard's abdomen, then up into his chest.
The guard grabbed at Calan's arm, blood spewing from his lips as Calan pushed him down, pulling his sword from him, then turning back to the second guard. The man was struggling to shake off the hit to his head, trying to find his sword and pull himself back up. Calan didn't bother giving him a chance to recover, and ran his sword through the side of his neck, then pulled it forward, killing him instantly.
"It's clear," he said, bending over to wipe off his sword on the second guard's cloak.
Korrie led the others around the corner as Calan grabbed the second guard by the collar and dragged him over by the first one.
"Ye are good," Kenah said to Calan after glancing at the two guards. Korrie deftly avoided the bodies and knelt to examine the lock on the door.
"And to think I was wondering if you were going to need help," Garren said. "But I did recognize that turn you showed me."
Calan nodded at him. "Now you know it works," he told him.
"It's not locked," Korrie said, standing up.
Calan moved up to the door as she stepped out of the way. He turned the latch and pushed it open, stepping into the room first.
He'd been expecting more guards, but hadn't been expecting to find Thorvald sitting behind a wide table, maps and parchments spread out in front of him.
"Stay back," Calan said towards the door. He walked into the room, his sword ready. "I have a king and a lord who'd each like to have a word with you," he said to Thorvald.
Thorvald stood up, his eyes narrowed and jaw set.
"Nahtan would dare send someone into my own keep?" he demanded.
"Nahtan dares to do whatever the hell he wants," Calan returned. "I think you found that out at Olorun." He caught a hesitation when Thorvald turned his head slightly. Calan glanced to the side and noticed a dark robed figure there. "I see Aduran left you with one priest." Movement behind him caught his eye and he saw Korrie slip into the room. She moved to the wall beside the door, each step slow and cautious.
Calan raised his sword and pointed it at Thorvald. "If you're so insulted, then come show Nahtan his mistake in sending me."
Thorvald picked up a sheath from beside his chair, pulling the sword from it angrily and marching around the table.
"First that double crossing bastard Lord Valin," Thorvald said. "And now a merchant who bought himself a fancy sword and thinks to play soldier." He raised his sword and swung hard for Calan's head and shoulder. Calan ducked and twisted out of the way. He kept his sword between them and blocked Thorvald's next swing for his midsection. "Yes, I know who you are," Thorvald nodded at him. "Spreading your silver and gold all across my kingdom buying the goods from the peasants that belong to me."
"It's amazing what a little good will and a few silvers can buy you," Calan told him. He blocked another hard swing for his side, dodging easily out of the way and letting his sword take the full of the hit. "And I didn't buy my sword, I actually won it." He turned, blocking another hard swing. He caught a glimpse of Korrie moving along the wall toward the table. He was about to be glad Kenah and Garren had the good sense to stay out of the room when he saw them in the doorway.
Thorvald sneered, rushing at him and attacking with a flurry of blows. Calan turned his full attention to the fight, blocking each one and maneuvering Thorvald around so his back would be toward the door. He didn't want him seeing any of the others and deciding to change his focus to them.
"Nahtan's armies have gotten so weak he has to send a merchant to find me?" Thorvald taunted Calan. "He can't even do me the honor of sending a Mo'ani or coming himself?"
Calan turned when Thorvald parried one of his swings, then immediately lunged for his arm, giving his sword a twist at the last second. Calan cursed when Thorvald's sword caught his arm with the twist, leaving a deep gash.
He hoped Thorvald would be starting to get tired soon. He needed to be able to take him alive, and didn't want to move to the offensive until he was sure he could do it without killing him. He didn't want to have to go back to Nahtan and tell him he'd killed the focus of his anger.
The cut on his arm distracted him enough that he almost missed Thorvald's next swing, earning him another cut, this time across his side. He felt the warm blood soak his tunic almost immediately and begin to soak down into his breeches.
Calan changed tactics, now blocking Thorvald's next swing with his sword, then using that momentary pause to land a hard punch to Thorvald's side. As Thorvald cursed at him and swung for another attack, Calan maneuvered him around slightly so he could see where Korrie was. Seeing she was almost around to the back of the table, he turned his attention back to Thorvald.
The hissing from the priest in the corner barely caught his attention as he blocked another swing, this one for his leg. His skin began to feel hot, like the blood just under the surface was raising in temperature. Moments later, he felt his whole body break out in a sweat, the temperature under his skin still raising the louder the priest hissed.
He did his best to ignore it and stay focused on the fight, but it was only a matter of seconds before his hands were sweating so much in his gloves that it started to make it hard to keep his grip on his sword. The heat seemed to make the blood run faster from the cuts in his arm and side.
Then he heard a muffled curse and what he could only describe as a yelp from Korrie, and the sound of a body falling. The burning in his skin stopped immediately, along with the hissing.
Thorvald turned at the sound, his eyes widening when he saw Korrie standing over the body of the priest, a bloody dagger in her hand.
"You!" he growled, obviously recognizing her and turning his full attention on her. "I should have killed you in Edgewind," he said. "Or had you sent to the altars for sacrifice." He started heading straight for her and Korrie moved to keep the table between them. Calan took advantage of the moment's distraction to check his side. Even through his shirt, he could tell the cut was deep and if he didn't get the bleeding stopped soon, he'd be in trouble.
"Now you've made two mistakes," Korrie told Thorvald. "You didn't kill me when you had the chance, and you just turned your back on Calan."
Thorvald stopped, and whirled back around. Calan swung for his shoulder, bringing his sword down hard. He felt it cut cleanly through the flesh and hit the collarbone, then the bone give way under the force. Calan turned and kicked Thorvald's chest, freeing his sword and sending the former church guard to the ground.
Calan stayed on the offensive, wearing Thorvald down the rest of the way. Even when he managed to get up again, he kept him defending himself, never letting him get the upper hand again. Each swing now brought a new cut or bruise for Thorvald. Finally, Calan knocked the sword from his hand and pushed him backwards, sending him back to the ground
. He put his boot on his chest, holding the point of his sword against Thorvald's throat, breathing hard. The blood loss from his side was starting to make it hard to focus and he could feel his head starting to hurt.
"Tie him up," he ordered. "And do it quick."
Garren and Kenah both hurried into the room. Kenah pulled the other length of rope from her satchel and Garren used it to tie Thorvald's hands. Once he was sure Thorvald wouldn't be able to get away, Calan lowered his sword.
"Help Korrie find what she needs," he ordered next. He made his way to one of the chairs by the table and dropped heavily down into it. He pulled up his shirt to look more closely at his side. His tunic and breeches were both soaked with blood and the wound was gaping and deep. Blood ran freely from it and Calan put his hand over it, trying to hold it closed and apply enough pressure to stop the bleeding.
"I doubt you'll live long enough to make it out of the city," Thorvald sneered at him, pulling himself up to a sitting position. His own shirt was blood soaked from the cut that had broken his collarbone. His, however, wasn't likely to be fatal.
Kenah paused to look over at them as she and Garren were helping Korrie look through the maps and papers on the table.
"Like hell he's not," she said. She stood up and walked over to Thorvald, then swung and hit him squarely in the side of the head, sending him back to the floor. She shook her hand from the impact and turned to Calan then. "Let me see," she said, crouching down next to him.
"Check his shoulder first," Calan told her. "Make sure he's not going to bleed out on us."
Kenah frowned at him, then went back over to Thorvald. She pulled him up to a sitting position then pulled his tunic away from his shoulder and shook her head.
"It's fine," she said, coming back to crouch beside Calan again. "Ye just hit muscle and the bone's pokin' through, but it's not bleedin' that bad."
Basiyr: Chronicles of Nahtan: Book 6 (The Herridon Chronicles) Page 10