Eldin sank into the seat on her other side and Will felt a stab of pity. Up close, both Kalia and Eldin seemed much the worse for what they had heard the night before. Kalia’s eyes were slightly puffy, her pale cheeks tinged with red, and her blonde braid was uneven with wisps escaping to fall about her face. Eldin’s eyes were shadowed with exhaustion and she wore the look of someone who had seen too much in too short of a life. It reminded Will forcibly of the expression he’d first noticed on Colin’s face when he’d met him the year before–a squire starting his journey to become a knight after losing his entire family. Eldin was much the same now. A squire chasing her title as knight without a country, without her mentor, with only those who she had arrived with.
“Where’s Niet at anyway?” Colin asked, breaking Will from his thoughts.
Kalia shrugged, reaching for a slice of bread from the tray at the center of the table. “He seemed exhausted. He said he wasn’t feeling too well. Perhaps Will was too challenging an opponent for training?” she suggested, giving Will the shadow of a wink.
He grinned sheepishly. “Doubt that. I think I ate more dirt today than I’ve eaten the rest of my time in training combined.”
“If you’d been training in true Kelkor fashion, it would have been seawater instead of dirt,” Eldin added, smirking, a ghost of her former self showing through the grief.
“That’s disgusting,” Rowan grumbled, grimacing. “I mean, that water is the worst.”
“What’s so bad about seawater?” Will asked, feeling somewhat left out.
“You’ve never seen the sea?” Kalia asked, wide-eyed. “You’re missing out.”
“Imagine a lot of water, imagine it tastes salty. It’s like licking dirty sweaty padded armor,” Rowan explained.
Beside him, Colin gagged on the piece of potato he was eating, and Will thumped him on the back, grinning. “That sounds delightful.”
“Don’t listen to Rowan, he’s clearly bitter about the ocean,” Eldin said, rolling her eyes. “It’s marvelous. Water as far as you can see and…”
Will forced himself to focus his entire attention on the stories of Kelkor. It not only helped to distract him from thoughts of Marl, but he noticed it seemed to bring both girls out of their dark thoughts. More squires joined the table and soon Kalia and Eldin were being asked question after question–everything from how to properly defend a country so near the ocean, to how to sail a boat, and how the castle was situated. Will could see the homesickness in both of their faces when discussing Kelkor. Still, they plunged into stories of training, tales of the land, while most their audience sat in silent awe. Only he, Colin, and Rowan knew the truth–knew that they were telling of a place that they would most likely never see again.
“Alright, you lot.”
Will looked up, taken aback to find Rockwood standing behind him, grinning, arms crossed over his chest.
“If you’re about to send me to the dungeons again,” Rowan growled warningly.
“They are kitchens, Rowan, and you deserve that punishment. You’re just lucky it isn’t something worse.” Rockwood laughed, reaching to mess Rowan’s hair. “But yeah, that’s part of it. It’s getting late and I think it’s time for all of you to get set to turn in. No, Rowan, that doesn’t mean I’m letting you off tonight. Get on downstairs and give a hand in the kitchens.”
Rowan rolled his eyes and made a rude hand gesture under the table where only Will noticed it. He had to suppress his own laughter. Rowan clambered to his feet, saluted the squires, made a ridiculously low bow toward Kalia, then skipped from the room. Rockwood turned away, shaking his head, eyes raised to the ceiling. “Alamore help us all the day that boy gets a sword. Right, rest of you.” He lowered his gaze to the other squires and Kalia. “You best get off to bed. Most the knights have already turned in, but I don’t trust you won’t bother the Princess and Eldin all night with questions.”
Will turned. He hadn’t noticed how long they had sat there. Sure enough, the light was gone from the windows, the only glow that of the torches, candles, and hearth. Only Ross, Haru, Serena, and the King still sat at the knights table, speaking in low voices.
“Come on, Will.”
He started. Colin was already on his feet, pulling Will’s chair from the table. “Up we get.”
Rockwood waved to them and departed for the double doors. Will stood with the rest of the squires, said his goodnights to Kalia and Eldin, they followed the others toward their chambers. His silence was unnoticed in the conversations around him. The others were still talking about Kelkor in apparent fascination. None of them knew, none understood.
Colin mirrored his morose quiet and, when they climbed into their beds and the candles were extinguished, Will laid awake, listening to the others sink into the steady breathing of sleep. Exhausted as his body was, his mind wouldn’t slow. It replayed his conversation with the Ranger and the rage, hurt and betrayal tightened around his chest. He squeezed his eyes shut, begging his brain to stop thinking, to let him sleep. Sleep didn’t come. The minutes dragged on, one after the next, the light under the door that led to the dinner hall fading to shadow.
He forced himself to breathe deeply, to sink into the darkness. On the outskirts of sleep, Will could feel the nightmares pressing at the edges of his vision, waiting to torment him throughout the night.
The feeling of a small hand clamping over his mouth brought Will back to abrupt consciousness, jerking free of the outskirts of sleep, eyes shooting open. His hand had flown for the dagger on his bedside table before he recognized the dimly lit figure crouched next to his bed. Relaxing slightly, Will pulled away from the hand.
“Eldin! What the Thornten was that about? Is it normal in Kelkor to try to scare people who are sleeping or…” He stopped, sitting upright and blinking at her.
Standing in a pale shaft of grey light from the window, he could just make out her drawn features, her haunted eyes. “Eldin?” he asked, softening his voice. “Eldin, what’s wrong?”
“Do you know where Niet is?” Eldin whispered.
Will stiffened. He could hear the whimper of fear she was trying to hide in her voice. He shook his head, glancing around the chamber to check if anyone else was awake. “Why?”
“I’ll explain, but not in here.” She straightened, a pleading look on her face. “I need to find him.”
“I’ll be right there. Just get out of here so I can change,” Will muttered, waving a tired and dismissive hand.
He dressed silently, pulling his cloak over his shoulder and grabbing up his dagger last. For a moment he toyed with waking Colin, as Rowan’s bed still appeared empty, but then shook his head. He didn’t need to ruin his friend’s sleep. Afterall, they’d figure out what was going on and it’d be fine.
Will crossed the squire chamber and stepped into the dinner hall, softly closed the door, and turned to see Eldin pacing before the orange glow cast by one of the large hearths.
“What’s going on?”
She started, turning to him, wide-eyed. It was a moment until she seemed to register his question and shook herself. “He’s not in his room.”
“Are you sure?” Will frowned. “Is he maybe with Serena or…”
“No.” Eldin shook her head. “I know he’s not. Serena’s sleeping in Kalia’s room now–I think she knows Kalia was out last night with us and doesn’t care for that. I couldn’t get to sleep and wanted to talk to Niet, so I went to his room and all I found were maps of Thornten and…” She shook her head again and a little of the fear on her face leached into Will’s chest.
“Thornten? What the blazes would he be doing in Thornten?” Will hissed.
“I don’t know,” Eldin groaned. “But I’m scared.”
“Did you tell Serena?”
Eldin snorted. “And have her murder me for waking her then murder him? I don’t know if that’s where he went and if it isn’t…”
“Let’s go start looking, shall we?” offered Will, fighting to keep his voice ca
sual. “I’m sure he’s around here somewhere. Afterall, there’s a wall and a gate, so he’s probably inside like us.”
Eldin nodded and together they strode across the dim dinner hall, into the entry corridor. Their footsteps rose eerily in the deserted space and Will couldn’t quite suppress the shiver that ran over his spine. Surely there are supposed to be guards here or something, Will thought, glancing at the doors on either side. But nothing stirred. They might have been the only living souls in Alamore.
At the black double doors, Will reached for the ornate handles but Eldin grabbed his wrist, her nails biting into his skin.
“Ouch!” Will hissed. “What was-”
“Someone’s in here,” Eldin whispered.
Will turned, eyes straining to see through the shadows that lined the wall, dancing pools of darkness cast by the sparse torches. He wasn’t sure if it was Eldin’s words or instinct catching up, but he could feel the hair rising on the back of his neck. Someone was there, someone was watching them.
“You’re not having adventures without me, are you?”
Will jumped, his feet leaving the ground and Eldin let out a string of Kelkorian that Will was certain she wouldn’t have used in front of Serena. Whipping round, he glowered at the figure stepping from the shadows, a wide grin already evident on his face.
“Rowan, I’m going to murder you.”
Rowan laughed, shaking his head. “Seriously, are you scaling towers again or what? Because I am not letting the Alamore kitchens keep me from the sweet call of a quest!” He stuck out his chest and struck a pose, as though holding a sword aloft.
“We’re not on a quest,” Will grumbled, still embarrassed by his own reaction to Rowan’s appearance. “We’re looking for Niet.”
“Have you seen him?” Eldin asked hopefully.
“Funny enough, he didn’t come visit me in the kitchens,” Rowan said, rolling his eyes. “But I’ll come with you two. You know–I’m a master tracker.”
“I’m sure you are,” Will grumbled, turning back to the doors. He pulled them wide, stepping aside for Eldin and Rowan to leave first before following them into the courtyard.
The first thing Will noticed was the same eerie still that had echoed about the corridors. He blinked, his eyes straining to see through the light of a barely-there moon.
“Shouldn’t the guards have lit torches by now?” Rowan asked slowly. Will felt a small amount of smug satisfaction that Rowan now sounded apprehensive. The satisfaction died immediately, however, as his words sank in.
Will turned on the spot. He wasn’t sure he had ever seen the courtyard this late, but anytime he had seen it at night there had been orange glows of torches along all the walls, illuminating the stairs up the wall and around the barn. Their absence was unnerving. “I don’t know but maybe…” Will started but Eldin was darting forward, sprinting across the darkness.
“Eldin!” Will hissed.
“Girls don’t listen that way, Will,” Rowan snapped. “Come on.”
They raced after her, toward the dark shape of stairs rising along the castle outer wall to the battlements. Eldin was scrambling up the stairs, whispering a string of Kelkorian under her breath that Will couldn’t make out. Trying to ignore the open plummeting drop to his left, Will scrambled after her, Rowan, ahead of him, taking the stairs two at a time.
Wind bit through Will’s tunic as he straightened on the top step, panting, and turned to see Rowan and Eldin were standing together a few feet ahead, at the edge of the wall. Both were staring down, at the drop that led beyond the wall. A thrill of panic ran through Will and he moved forward, terrified of what he might see lying on the ground in front of Alamore.
He peered over the battlements and blinked, bewildered a moment by what he was seeing. There was no corpse, no broken Niet on the rocks at the base of the castle. Instead there was a rope, trailing downward, a pale line that had been neatly coiled and abandoned at the base of the wall.
“He left?” Rowan asked, bewildered. He turned to Will, raising an eyebrow. “Why would he just leave?”
“How am I supposed to…” Will started then stopped. He took a step back, away from the wall’s edge, feeling sick with the realization that was crashing over him. He clamped both hands over his face. Stupid, stupid, stupid! He should have seen this coming, he should have understood! Why else would Niet be so fixated on finding out where Marl was? Kalia was here, where she had Serena. Niet didn’t need to guard her any longer.
“Will?” Eldin asked tentatively. Her hand rested gently on his arm, pulling his hand down from his face. She fixed him with a steely gaze that reminded him forcefully of Serena. “Will, where’s he going?”
Swallowing the panic rising like bile in his throat, too aware of Rowan and Eldin’s eyes on him, Will inhaled shakily. “He’s going to find Marl. He’s going to try to kill the King of Kelkor.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“What?” Rowan demanded. “You think he’s that daft? He’s going to walk to Kelkor? On foot?”
“No.” Will shook his head, hating himself for the look of dawning terror that was taking over Eldin’s face. It was his fault. He’d got the information that Niet needed, he’d questioned the Ranger–not for himself, but for Niet. “Marl is coming back from Kelkor.”
The color drained from Eldin’s face, her mouth falling slightly open. Beside her, Rowan swore loudly, running both hands through his hair and making it stand on end. “Seriously? And he thinks he’s going to cut him off or…how did he even find out?”
Will couldn’t bring himself to look at Eldin. Instead, he dropped his gaze to his boots, hating himself. “I spoke to the Ranger and I told Niet and…”
Eldin didn’t wait for him to say anything else but took a step back. Will lifted his gaze in time to see her stepping away, shaking her head. With the speed of a fox, she whirled round and sprang back toward the steps.
“Wait, Eldin! Where are you going?” Will called after her, forgetting for a moment they weren’t supposed to be outside the castle, that they were in an empty courtyard after midnight.
“To get the horses!” she barked, not bothering to pause.
Will turned on Rowan, astounded. “Is she serious?”
“Well if she is, I guess she intended to jump them over the damn wall,” Rowan said, grinning. Noticing Will’s complete lack of amusement, he rolled his eyes. “Right then, I’ll get the gate.”
“The what?”
“The gate? The big iron thing that blocks the drawbridge? Better get the drawbridge too, come to think of it, so we aren’t all leaping the wall. You get Naja,” said Rowan, nodding decisively.
Will’s mouth fell open. “Rowan, we need knights, we need to-”
“We need to get Niet before he runs into The Cutthroat Prince,” Rowan snapped. “Eldin’s right on that one. Come on, go help Eldin get horses saddled, I’ll get the gates.”
The reality of Niet’s predicament sank through Will’s skin like an icy knife. Before he could fully stop to think about Niet and The Cutthroat Prince, he was leaping down the stairs after Eldin. He no longer cared about staying silent. The courtyard might as well have been a grave. Nothing stirred, no one moved. All that mattered now was catching up with Niet and who knew how far a head start he had. An hour? Three hours? He hadn’t been at dinner. Had he left then? surely not. Surely someone would have noticed him then…
In the barn, Will almost collided with the side of Eldin’s horse as she led him from his stall, the saddle already slung over his back. The grey shied sideways in surprise at Will’s appearance and he took a step back, giving a hasty apology, and crossed to Admere’s stall. The small red horse was staring at him, head high, ears erect. He nickered a greeting, tossing his curved face, his long forelock falling over his arched nose. Across the barn alley, Will heard Visra’s hoof strike his own stall door in annoyance.
“Vis, not the time to be a prat,” Will snapped, grabbing up Admere’s halter and thrusting it over the
horse’s face. He wasn’t sure he had ever moved so fast to saddle an animal. By the time that Rowan appeared, panting, a streak of grease smeared over one side of his face–Will had already fully tacked Admere and was tightening Naja’s girth.
“You would not believe how hard it is to figure your way around the gatehouse. Seriously, I don’t know if our port keep is blind, daft, or drunk, but the organizational skills are lacking and oil on everything and…”
“Not time for this right now,” Will cut across him, thrusting Naja’s bridle into Rowan’s hands. “Get this on him and let’s get out of here.”
Eldin was climbing into her horse’s saddle and, across the barn, Will could see Visra leaning against his stall door, ears flat to his neck and teeth bared in frustration.
Launching himself toward Admere, Will was glad when the small horse didn’t hesitate to take the bit from his shaking hands. They needed to find Niet. They needed to get to him before The Cutthroat Prince.
Swinging into Admere’s saddle, Will twisted round to see Rowan already straightening on Naja, grim face set and determined.
“You ready?” Will asked, fighting to keep his voice even. Don’t let The Cutthroat Prince find Niet, don’t let…
“Born ready, good Sir.” Rowan sketched a mock salute.
“Let’s get out of here,” Eldin ordered. She lacked any of Rowan’s levity, her eyes blazing in a way reminiscent of Serena. Will and Rowan didn’t need telling twice.
All three squires urged their horses from the barn, out into the courtyard. Admere arched his neck, prancing sideways as they approached the drawbridge at a walk. Behind them, Will heard the crash of hooves against a solid stall door. Visra’s fury at not being included.
“Should we be worried about leaving the drawbridge open when we leave?” Will asked, hesitating a moment.
Rowan shook his head. “We’ve made enough racket someone will be out before long. So, we will not only have backup and the gate closed, but we will also get our necks wrung by Ross and that is the part I am really excited about. What an honor, to die by strangulation of the finest knight in all the realm.”
The Cutthroat Prince (William of Alamore Series Book 2) Page 25