They were almost finished eating before Rowan joined them, throwing himself into the seat next to Will and snarling as he reached for any plate near him.
“Nice talk?” Will asked, grinning wickedly.
Rowan gave a dark bark of manic laughter. “You know what that son of a-”
“Rowan,” Colin said warningly.
“Is making me do?” Rowan continued, as though he hadn’t heard. “He’s making me write him an apology letter and told me I have to help in the kitchens.”
“That’s not all bad,” Will said consolingly, grabbing up a slice of bread and dropping it onto his plate.
“For a week!” Rowan slapped his hands on the table, causing the cutlery and the two youngest Alamore squires to jump. Novin, across the table, threw Rowan a bewildered frown. “Seriously! What gives him that right to do that?”
“The fact that he’s a knight?” Colin suggested. To Colin’s other side, Niet snorted into his sleeve and tried to play it off as a cough.
“He doesn’t respect the lesson I was trying to teach him in survival.”
Will smirked. “I think he’s teaching you survival too. Do it again and he might kill you.”
“I’m going to die working in the kitchens anyway,” Rowan lamented sadly.
Movement at the double doors made Will turn away from his friends. The guard he had seen that morning was hurrying into the room, shooting nervous looks into the shadows of the dinner hall, before darting to where Sir Ross sat. He leaned in to address the knight in a low voice and Will noticed Ross’s frown deepen. To Ross’s far side, Lady Serena had gone rigid, her head tilted the better to hear what the guard had to say.
After a moment, Ross waved a dismissive hand to the soldier. “Thank you, Oberoan,” he growled and pushed himself to his feet. At the far end of the table, the King rose as well, a grim expression on his face. “King, it seems the healer thinks he is ready for us now.”
“Very well.” The King sighed, shaking his head and gripping Kalia’s shoulder briefly as he moved past her seat. “Niece, I would ask that you have your squires escort you back to your chamber. I must borrow your knight for a while.”
“Yes, Uncle,” Kalia said, nodding.
“I’ll escort her back to her rooms,” Serena said stiffly, nodding to Revlan.
The King gave a respectful bow of his head and moved toward the double doors. Chairs scraped over the stone flags as other knights moved to stand and follow, Ross the first to the King’s side. In the confusion of movement, the soldier had somehow vanished as if into thin air.
Rowan, his mouth full to bursting, lifted his face from his crouched position over his plate. “Where er dey gong?”
“You know, it’s concerning how much better you’re getting at talking with your mouthful,” Colin said, looking revolted. “It’s actually quite disgusting.”
“Must be time for their council,” Niet muttered. His eyes flitted to Will who nodded, understanding. This was it then. This was when they would have to act.
Kalia, at the knights table, was fixing Niet and Eldin with a piercing gaze. She raised her brows and mouthed. “Time to go.”
“Right.” Niet stood and Will, Colin, and Eldin did the same.
“What? Where are you going?” Rowan asked, choking as he forced himself to swallow his too-large mouthful.
Will opened his mouth to explain but Laster’s voice carried across the hall, interjecting.
“Rowan, kitchens, now!”
Tossing his fork down with a murderous scowl, Rowan rose as well, grumbling something unintelligible.
“I’ll explain everything when I get back,” Will promised quickly.
“You better,” threatened Rowan.
Not wanting to risk anything being overheard by the other squires and all too aware of Colin bouncing nervously on the balls of his feet behind him, Will only nodded before Rowan was stalking through one of the side doors leading out of the chamber. Spinning round, Will caught sight of Princess Kalia. Across the dinner hall, Princess Kalia was striding toward the doors after the knights, but more slowly. She seemed to be struggling with a tie on her belt and shook her head at Serena, who stood guard at her side.
“Go on, Serena. Niet and Eldin can watch me well enough. Or have you forgotten that they got me here alive? I don’t doubt they are more than capable of helping me get to my rooms,” Kalia insisted.
The knight’s green eyes flashed in Will’s direction and Colin grabbed Will’s arm, steering him toward the squire chamber. “Keep your head down,” Colin warned.
“She’s such a pleasant creature,” Will grumbled. He made a point of not looking toward the Princess until he heard Serena’s footfalls leaving.
“And now we catch up with them,” Colin whispered, glancing back over his shoulder. “Serena’s gone and they’re waiting just in the entry hall.”
Will and Colin turned and walked quickly back across the dinner hall with expressions of forced calm. The tension rising in Will’s chest was making it difficult to keep from sprinting after the knights. Whatever Niet’s plan was, it had to work. He needed answers, to know how Marl might be involved, and most of all, he needed to see the Ranger, hear him, know that he wasn’t close to death.
“Ready for an adventure?” Kalia asked when they’d reached her, Niet, and Eldin in the entry hall.
Colin laughed hoarsely, a flush of color flaring in his cheeks. “Not entirely sure, eh, Your Majesty.”
Will turned his face away a moment, pretending to cough in order to hide his laughter. Judging by the flash of a grin Eldin shot him, she had noticed Colin’s red face too.
Kalia grimaced. “Don’t use titles right now. I don’t want to be reminded of my status when scheming against my uncle the King of Alamore.” Turning to Niet, she raised her brows, smirking. “You have everything you need for this?”
“I got it all up there this afternoon.” Niet shrugged. “I wanted to be prepared.”
“Then can we go?” Eldin hissed, glancing around the corridor. “We’re going to miss information.”
“Got all of what up where?” Colin asked suspiciously.
“Never mind that right now,” Niet muttered. “Eldin’s right. Let’s go.”
And with that he wheeled round, striding down the corridor. Will thought at first that they were about to turn toward the stairs that led up to the healing chamber and wondered how on earth Niet had thought that a good idea. They were sure to be guarded still. Sure enough, drawing level with the steps, Will saw the same guard as that morning standing a few steps up, just out of sight of the end of the hall, his face almost entirely in shadows. But Niet ignored him, either not seeing him or not caring that he was there. Will couldn’t quite manage the same and shivered, the feeling of eyes making him glance over his shoulder. The soldier was watching them from the dark. There was something eerie about the gleam of his eyes in the flickering torch.
Discomfort mounted when Niet instead turned and pushed through the door Will and Colin had gone through the night they had broken into Serena’s room. A quick look at Colin out of the corner of his eye told him that Colin was thinking of that night as well. His face had gone gaunt, his jaw tense, and the fingers of his right hand were gripping his dagger hilt.
They climbed the stairs and Will’s unease was cut with confusion. Surely this wasn’t the plan. What on earth were these Kelkorian’s thinking? Were they going to just go hang out in the Princess’s rooms maybe and hope Serena gave them news when she got back? Or, and Will’s stomach clenched at the unpleasant thought, maybe these squires thought they should try to break into Serena’s room. They didn’t know Will and Colin had already done that.
But then they were passing Serena’s chamber and cutting toward the stairwell that Will and Colin had escaped down. Now feeling utterly bewildered, Will hesitated, looking down the twisting steps, thrown into shadow by the sparse torches.
“We’re going the wrong way if we go down there,” Will said, turning
to Kalia. “They’re in the healing chamber.”
“We know that,” Kalia whispered. “And we’re not going down. We’re going up.”
Will nodded uncertainly and turned, colliding with Colin who had frozen beside him. Taking a staggering step backwards, Will scowled at his friend. “Blazes, Colin.”
But Colin wasn’t looking at him. He was glowering at Niet suspiciously. “Up? Why are we going up? All that’s up these stairs are the battlements.”
“Which is where we’re going,” Eldin said in the same soothing voice that Will imagined she might use for a fussy toddler. “But you’re blocking the way.”
Will and Colin exchanged suspicious looks, but the others were already slipping past them, mounting the spiral stairwell. Starting to think that he had made a mistake in convincing Colin to go through with this, Will shrugged to Colin and followed them.
Shadows slanted through the windows that lined this tower stairwell, casting their own grey light in-between the dancing orange of the sparse torches. Will forced himself to focus on the next step to keep from getting dizzy. Whoever had invented these twisting steps really deserved a punch to the face, he thought bitterly as they climbed higher. Behind him, he could hear Colin muttering to himself, a consistent hum in the soft padding of their feet.
“What’s the matter?” Will asked, glancing back at his friend.
“I don’t care for heights,” Colin hissed, swallowing. His eyes darted from Will to the drop beside them and he squeezed his eyes shut a moment. “Actually, I hate them”
“Well then,” Will said, grinning in spite of himself, “don’t look down.”
“Alamore, why do I hang around you and Rowan?”
Their conversation was cut short as Niet pushed through the door at the top of the steps and cold night air rushed over them, lifting the hair on Will’s forehead and sending a shiver through his body. Taking the last few steps two at a time now, he rushed through the door after the three Kelkorians.
Immediately he wished he had taken his time on the last steps as he straightened and took in his surroundings. They were under the canopy of dark stars and wispy clouds. Wind rushed over them, making him wish he’d thought to bring a thicker cloak. But even as the hair rose on the back of his neck and over his arms, Will knew it wasn’t due to the cold. Instead, it was the sickening drop, only feet away over the low battlement wall, that drew his eyes. They had to be six stories or more above the courtyard, where the first torches were being lit, orange candle flames from their vantage. He could see the small figures of guards roaming the ground, horses being led from the barn for the night patrol. It looked as if they were playthings.
“You good there?”
Will turned to see Niet watching him, a frown creasing his forehead. Forcing himself to swallow, Will nodded. “Why are we up here?”
He had to raise his voice to keep his words from being whipped away in the wind.
Niet gave his wolfish grin and jerked his head toward where Eldin was rummaging through two bags Will hadn’t noticed before. “We’re going to listen in.”
“Listen in?” Will asked, bewildered. Understanding struck with the force of a dulled practice sword to the stomach when Eldin straightened, a long length of rope in one hand. “Are you mad?”
“You’ve got to be joking,” moaned Colin, still standing in the doorway. “We can’t go down the side of the castle.”
“We’re not all going.” Niet shook his head. “But there isn’t really another option. We just have to lower a couple of us down to the window of the healing chamber. It’s dark enough that the soldiers shouldn’t notice. I figured Eldin is small enough and good enough at grappling that one of you and Kalia can handle her weight and then I can help the other of you…” His voice drifted, taking in the green tinge in Colin’s face and Will’s apprehension. “Have you two never scaled a building before?”
Colin let out an unnaturally high laugh. “No! Why the Thornten would we be that raving mad?”
“In Kelkor we’re trained on buildings as squires,” Niet said, seeming confused. “Then we learn on the cliffs outside the castle…oh” His grin faltered. “Right, you don’t have cliffs.”
“I’m fine going alone,” Eldin said, already knotting one of the ropes firmly.
Worry flashed over the dark eyes and Will could see that Niet was beginning to reconsider his plan. But one look at Kalia, her face falling, made Will step forward, shaking his head. “No, I can go. Eldin can teach me, and I can make sure we get to the right window.”
“You sure?” asked Kalia.
“Of course I am,” said Will, beaming. His eyes drifted toward the drop and he wondered for a moment what would happen if he puked while scaling a building.
There wasn’t time to reconsider though. Niet was already grabbing up the second rope, twisting it into complex knots, and talking about the proper way to adjust the makeshift harness. Will nodded, barely hearing him, his full attention tangled in that drop. That drop that he was about to willingly go down. You’ve lost your mind you idiot, he thought, taking the rope that Niet was offering him and stepping through one of the two loops. Niet ordered Will to put one leg through the first loop before creating a second. Will found himself at an utter loss as Niet twisted the rope around his back
“The one at your back is for your support, but you’ll still want to hold that front rope,” Niet was explaining. “Just act like it’s a chair.”
“A chair over a tremendous drop,” Kalia offered, laughing.
“Not helpful right now, Princess,” Niet called over his shoulder. “Anyway, how are you and Eldin coming along with her harness?”
“We’re set,” Eldin said, grinning as she took in Will’s appearance. “It’s not that bad, I swear. You start to like it.”
“I’ll just take your word on that,” Will muttered.
Colin had finally left the doorway, looking on the verge of being sick, but grabbed up the end of the rope holding Will and glowered at him. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“I have to know what’s going on,” Will said firmly. “It’s to do with Marl..” he glanced beyond Colin, to where Eldin was lifting herself onto the battlements, letting her legs kick out over the drop.
Colin didn’t need to hear the rest of his thought. Instead, he ran a hand through his golden hair with a Ross-like growl. “Fine, I get it. But remember what I said, if you get killed, I’m not forgiving you.”
“I’m not going to die, but I appreciate the optimism,” Will said dryly. He stepped past Colin, slapping him on the shoulder. “You’re on my rope with Kalia then. So, just don’t drop me and we should be good. My life is literally in your hands, but no pressure.”
He grinned as he heard Colin’s low whisper of insults, turning to Eldin. “Right then, you’re in charge.”
“Then get over here, we’re wasting time,” Eldin ordered. Will hurried to obey, wishing he’d thought to skip dinner as he swung himself onto the wall next to her. Kalia and Colin were pulling his rope taut, bracing in the same stance Niet had taken up with Eldin’s rope. “Now, when we push off, you’ll want to have your back to the ground. Use your feet to push off the castle, but don’t do it too hard or you’ll smash into the wall again and that hurts,” Eldin warned him. “Hold onto your main rope–that one going up–yeah that’s it. Grip that. When we get to the window, just let me know. Until then, kick off the wall to signal to our rope holders that we need slack to go lower. When we stop kicking off is when they stop loosening.”
“And how do we get up?” Will asked, the realization dawning on him.
“That’s their problem. Come on.” She didn’t give him another chance at questions but twisted and pushed herself off the wall, over the edge. Will’s heart caught in his throat as he watched her drop a few feet before stopping and waving him to follow.
Closing his eyes, Will wondered one more time why on earth he had considered this a good idea before pushing off. The world rushed around
him, the cold air stinging his throat as he opened his mouth to cry out. This was it, this was how he was going to die, falling to the courtyard like an idiot!
The rope went tight under his fingers and he was pulled to a halt, the stop far more gradual than he had expected. Twisting round, Will saw he was a few feet to Eldin’s right now and she was watching him, brows raised.
“Did…did I scream?” Will asked, feeling sheepish.
“Do you really want the answer to that?” Eldin asked sweetly.
“Shove off,” Will grumbled, scowling at the wall. He braced himself for another drop and pushed off with both feet. Again, the world rushed around him for several feet of controlled fall, but this time Will allowed himself to look around, taking in the torches growing brighter in the courtyard, casting faint shadows up the stone he was scaling down.
Several of the windows cast their own strange glows to the mix, their light breaking through stone, fracturing the darkness. Will glanced down at the windows below him, and his heart skipped a beat. There. They were nearly to the healing chamber window.
Turning to Eldin, he pointed frantically toward the narrow window until she nodded, shooting him a toothy smile that seemed ghostly in the darkness. “Got it.”
The last few drops seemed agonizingly slow now that they were so near. Will glanced up again to see the wall above them, the top out of sight. He had to suppress a laugh at the thought of Colin looking down. Maybe it wasn’t his own urge to puke he should have worried about.
“Stop. They’ll see you!”
Eldin reached out a hand and grabbed the rope above Will, pulling him to the side as his feet dropped to the height of the sick room window. Will pulled them up, heart slamming in his ears. In his worry about the drop and being vomited on, he hadn’t considered what would happen if the knights saw them dangling outside the window.
The Cutthroat Prince (William of Alamore Series Book 2) Page 20