“As far as you know?” Erin asked.
He shrugged. “Hey, you people are the ones who told me we had to go. This is where Kris and I think it is, but how in the hell are we supposed to know if we ain’t never been down there?”
“You hear them?” Erin asked, moving past her first question.
“Of course,” Brighten answered. “I think there’s six of ‘em.” He was talking about the guards. The corridor before them was lit by lanterns every ten feet or so on either side.
“You can use your magic to defeat that many?” Erin asked.
“No way,” Brighten told her. “I’m exhausted, and those two back there pushed me beyond my limits. We need to leave. Go back to Connor’s.”
Erin smiled and stepped into the poorly lit hallway. She raised her hands above her head, interlacing her fingers together, and stretched. Her knuckles and joints popped.
“Feels good,” she whispered.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Brighten barely held his voice to a whisper.
Erin raised one of her legs, pulling her foot to her ass and stretching her quad. “Loosening up. You’re about to see some pretty sweet action, Brighten. Enjoy it.”
She looked over her shoulder and gave him a wink before turning back to the hall.
“Hey, boys. I’m about to come in there and beat your asses. You ready?”
Brighten’s stomach rose into his throat and his whole body went cold.
“Who the fuck is down there?” someone hollered from the circular room at the end. Brighten couldn’t see into it.
“Come and find out.” Erin’s voice echoed off the ceiling.
A man’s face appeared at the opposite end. “You ain’t supposed to be here.”
The other men walked up behind him, all looking at the gorgeous redhead in the ancient hallway.
“This is exactly where I’m supposed to be,” Erin told them. “Because you folks are guarding something, and I plan on finding out what.”
“Little lady, take your pretty ass out of here right now. If you don’t listen to me, my men and I here are gonna beat you so bad you’re not going to be able to open your eyes for two weeks.” The man seemed slightly amused at this strange turn of events.
“This ‘little lady’ is going to break a lot of bones when you finally quit being such dickweeds. Isn’t your job to protect something back there? Why ain’t ya doing it?”
She took a step forward.
“Fuck it, boss. Let’s get her,” another guard responded.
They came forward then, although they couldn’t walk more than two deep due to the hallway’s width.
Brighten knew immediately that was exactly what Erin wanted.
The first two had short swords, little more than daggers.
“You going to make us cut you, or you going to go ahead and lay down face-first on the floor?” the man on the left asked. “Either way is fine with me.”
“I wonder if you wield them swords better than the short dicks in between your legs,” Erin shot back.
Well, that’s one way to answer, Brighten thought. His heart was beating double-time, and he wanted to run from this place without ever looking back.
He knew he couldn’t, though. He had to watch what happened here.
The first two soldiers awkwardly moved toward Erin, and when they arrived, they didn’t seem to know exactly how to attack her. The quarters were too tight.
Erin had no such problem. One of them swung their sword while the other reached out to grab her shoulder.
She simply moved back, the sword driving into the other soldier’s arm.
A loud scream, and a spurt of blood. Erin ignored both, kicking high—first left, then right. The two dropped to the floor, unconscious.
The second two were right there waiting, both realizing that they were in real danger. The one on the left stepped forward, wielding a black club. He swung, but Erin dropped to a knee and shot her fist out.
She nailed him right in the groin. He let out a horrible groan, the club falling to the floor and his hands going to his balls.
Erin rose to her feet, swinging her knee as she did. She caught the soldier in his nose, cracking it and knocking him out at the same time.
The second one lunged, which was a horrible mistake. Erin sliced an uppercut through the air, landing it on the man’s chin. Brighten saw his eyes roll back into his head before he fell on top of his partner.
Two left.
Neither of them wanted a thing to do with the redheaded phantom who had just dropped two-thirds of their party.
They looked at each other, both clearly deciding they’d be safer back where they’d come from.
They turned to run.
“Oh, come on, little dicks! The party’s just getting started!”
Erin rushed down the hallway, making no noise as she caught up with the guards.
She could have hurt them any way she wanted, but Brighten saw the kindness in what she did—although the guards probably didn’t.
She clacked their heads together hard.
A thud echoed through the hallway, and two more bodies fell to the ground.
Erin turned and looked at Brighten. “Whatcha waitin’ on, buttercup?”
His eyes were wide. He’d never seen anything like that in his life.
None of those on the floor were moving. Some might actually be dying, yet she stood completely untouched.
“What are you?” he asked.
“A pirate...or a former pirate.” She winked. “Come on, there’s more to do.”
Brighten came down the hall toward her, stepping over the fallen guards. “What if this isn’t the right place?”
“Then why are there so many guards for this small part of the castle? Six people to sit here at the end of this little hallway, for what? There’s nothing else on this side of the castle.” Erin shook her head as they exited the hall. “Nope, you were right. This is the ‘catacombs,’ and this is where they’re hiding those weapons.”
They entered a circular room made of brick. Six chairs indicated where the soldiers had been, as well as cards on the floor.
“They’re guarding this, but clearly they don’t feel there is any threat. They were playing damned card games.” Erin pointed at the floor. “Still, despite there being no threats, someone told them to come sit here.”
She looked at Brighten with a mischievous grin.
“They’re hiding something, baby boy.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m not a baby. Come on.”
A wooden door with a circular handle interrupted the brick wall. He reached for it.
“Oh, there’s the bravery we need!” Erin said gleefully.
Brighten shook his head. “Nope. There’s no one on the other side. I’d know. We’re safe for a little while, at least.”
Brighten’s stomach was actually coiling into knots, but he wasn’t going to tell Erin that—especially not after watching her kick six grown men’s asses.
He pulled on the door, and it groaned beneath the force, then slowly opened.
Another hallway looked back at him. The air inside smelled stale.
It was obviously slanted downward, descending to the depths of the castle.
“How far do you think it goes?” Erin asked.
“How the hell do I know? Kris is the one who found this place.” Brighten shook his head. “I need to stop hanging out with her. She’s always getting me into shit I don’t want.”
“That means you got a good woman, Brighten. You want one who keeps you on your toes.” Erin winked at him, then walked past. “Try to keep up, baby boy.”
“I’m not a baby!” he whispered harshly, but Erin was already moving quickly away from him.
He shook his head and followed her into the tunnel’s depths.
“Have you found her?” Rendal asked with his eyes closed.
Harold had just walked into the tower’s top floor, and he didn’t like the stress he saw on Rendal’s face.
“No, sir. We’re still looking,” he answered his master.
Rendal opened his eyes. “That’s not good enough.”
“I know,” Harold answered.
“If you fucking know, why don’t you have her?”
“I’m doing the best I can, sir. We will find her.”
Rendal stood up, his head whipping toward Mason, who stood on the opposite side of the room. He was looking out a window at the kingdom. It was still dark, and a light rain had been falling for hours.
“They’re fucking hiding her from me,” Rendal cursed at Mason. “And they’re doing it on purpose.”
“Having trouble, master mage?” Mason asked without turning around.
“You’re going to be having real trouble real soon if you don’t watch your tongue,” Rendal spat back.
Mason turned around and leaned against the window. “You know what I think you need, Rendal? A wife. A wife and maybe a kid or two might help you calm down. I’m starting to worry about your stress level.”
Mason was grinning.
Harold wasn’t sure exactly what would happen next. He hadn’t seen Rendal this pissed since... Well, maybe since ever. The mage had been able to tell when Riley arrived in Sidnie, but now he’d lost her.
He just kept saying, “They’re hiding her from me.”
Mason might not care if Rendal tossed him off the tower, but Harold wanted to continue living. He’d been given his instructions: find her.
So, that was what he was trying to do.
Rendal’s face was growing red. Mason should have known to keep his mouth shut, but the man apparently wanted to push Rendal.
“Tell me, grand mage,” the Assistant Prefect continued, “why are you so upset right now? What about her returning this time has you in such a hissy?”
Rendal swallowed but said nothing.
“I know, I know. You haven’t asked me, Rendal, but if you want my opinion, I think you’re upset because you’re scared.” Mason shrugged. “Which makes sense. Riley is a badass. And if she’s learned magic now? Whew!”
Mason sighed.
“She’s not someone I’d want to fuck with, ya know what I mean?”
Rendal walked across the room. A vein was bulging in his neck. “You know you’re only making your death more painful, right? With each little smartass remark, you’re ensuring that when I kill you, I’m going to make it that much worse?”
Mason said nothing but kept wearing that grin.
Rendal turned around, bringing his attention back to Harold—which Harold didn’t want.
“Where have you searched?”
“Sir, we started in the poorer areas of town,” Harold answered. “We’re moving through the shanties and shelters since that’s where it’d be easiest to find help. The upper-class citizens aren’t going to risk bringing in strangers right now. They have too much to lose.”
“I don’t give a damn about class, Harold. Go through the rich and the poor. How many fucking guards are we using?” The vein in Rendal’s neck looked like it might explode.
“Half, sir. The other half have training, regular duties, and—”
“Pull ‘em off,” Rendal snapped. “All of them. Take as many as you need.”
Harold blinked. “Sir, the rest of your plans will halt.”
“You damned idiot!” Rendal screamed. “Find a way to keep them going! Should I replace you with Belarus?”
“No, sir. I’ll make sure it happens.”
Rendal looked away, staring at the light drizzle falling on the balcony. He walked toward a window on the other side of the room, Harold relishing the newfound silence.
“I can’t find her,” Rendal whispered. Harold didn’t know if Rendal was talking to him or simply thinking aloud. “Those damned fool friends of hers are hiding her. They’re blocking me from seeing. And someone inside this kingdom is hiding her, too. Someone is going against my will.”
Harold didn’t want to speak, but it was his duty. “Sir, she could be hiding with no one’s help. Sidnie is a huge place. There are a lot of buildings she could stow away in as long as she kept moving.”
Rendal shook his head. He didn’t show anger, though, and Harold almost pissed himself in relief. “No, someone’s hiding her. And that’s okay.”
Rendal turned around, his rage completely disappearing. “That’s okay, then. If they want to keep her from me, I’ll just make the price too high.”
“What do you mean?” Mason asked from the other side of the room.
Rendal turned his grin on Mason. “The boy wonder doesn’t seem so arrogant now. A bit worried, yes?”
Everyone in the room is worried, Harold thought.
Rendal looked positively mad.
“The price for holding the Right Hand just rose to death.” Rendal looked at Harold. “Go forth and make it so, my dear Harold.”
“Yes, sir.” Harold turned and walked from the tower. He closed the door after him and remained on the top step.
He let his heart return to a normal pattern, staring at the steps below him.
Harold didn’t give a damn about killing the citizens of the stupid kingdom. He just didn’t want to get himself killed in the process, and Rendal hadn’t looked exactly stable.
The head guard walked down the steps.
He went straight to Belarus’s room in the castle.
He didn’t knock, simply burst inside.
Belarus’s bed was in the center of the room. Two women popped up from beneath the covers, one on either side of Belarus.
“What the fuck?” Belarus said groggily, pulling himself from his slumber and climbing out from beneath the blankets.
“What was that, Belarus? I don’t think I heard you correctly,” Harold asked, still standing in the open doorway.
Belarus’s eyes grew to the size of eggs. “Sorry, boss. Sorry. I didn’t know it was you. Sorry.”
He was rambling, and Harold didn’t have time for it. He closed the door and lit a lantern to his right.
“Who the hell is that?” one of the whores asked, clearly not pleased about having been woken.
Harold’s eyebrows raised. “Who am I?”
“You gonna get rid of him?” the other whore asked.
Belarus’ eyes were still huge. He reached over and smacked the woman on his left, then shoved the one on his right off the bed. She shrieked as her bare ass hit the floor.
“Get outta here, both of ya!” Belarus stepped from the bed as he shouted, dragging the other woman with him. He threw her toward the door.
She turned around, staring at Belarus. “That wasn’t worth the money or the sleep, with your little bitty dick!”
“Oh, hush it, whore. Just get outta here.”
Harold watched with a slight smile as the women made their way from the room, shouting obscenities about the size of Belarus’s genitals.
Finally, the door was closed and the two were alone.
“Have a good night last night, Belarus?” Harold asked.
“Sorry, boss. I ain’t expect ya to just show up like that. I mean, you’re more than welcome to. Can come and go as you please, that’s the way I look at it.”
Harold waved the groveling away. “Just hush. We’ve got things to discuss.”
“More?” Belarus asked.
The man’s going to open his mouth like that in front of Rendal one day, Harold thought, and the mage is going to take his whole head off for his tongue’s offense.
“Yes, more. That okay with you?”
“‘Course, boss. ‘Course it’s okay. We just... Well, ya know, we got a lot goin’ on already, wouldn’t ya say?” Belarus asked.
The man had no damned filter. He was dumber than a bag of nails, and Harold was cursed with him.
“It doesn’t matter. Plans are changing, Belarus, and once again, I’d advise you to keep your fucking trap shut unless you feel like your life has been too long and you’re ready to step away from it. You understand what I’m telling you, Bela
rus?”
The guard swallowed, nodding hard. “Yeah, boss. I got it. I understand.”
“Good.” Harold moved across the room and looked at the bed. He thought about sitting on it for about half a second, then chose a chair at a small desk. “Sit down, Belarus.”
He hustled to the bed and sat as quickly as a puppy expecting a treat.
“You remember Riley, right? The woman who broke your arm?”
“I remember the bitch,” Belarus spat. “If I see her again, I’m gonna break more than her fuckin’ arm.”
Harold sighed. He wanted to throat-punch the man, but it would do no good. “Perhaps you’ll get your chance. She’s here.”
“In Sidnie?” Belarus asked.
“No, in this room, you damned fool. Yes, Sidnie. The mage believes people are hiding her. He wants us to kill anyone we think knows something.”
A slow smile spread across Belarus’s face as he took in what Harold was saying. “We’re gonna hurt people?”
“Yes, we’re going to hurt people.”
“How?” Belarus asked.
“That’s what we have to work out, Belarus.” Harold’s patience was growing thin. Perhaps he should just kill Belarus and get another second-in-command.
He couldn’t yet, though. There was too much to be done.
Harold kept talking. “The goal here is to hurt people and put fear into the rest. We want people more scared of us than they are of giving up those people.”
Belarus nodded. This was simple. This was something he got. Hurt folks and spread that message around.
“I’ll do it, boss. When do you want me to get started?”
“Well, Belarus,” Harold said, “you ever heard a saying about there being no time like the present?”
“Naw, boss,” Belarus answered. “Never heard that.”
Harold stared in silence at the idiot across from him. Belarus looked like he was waiting for Harold to say something else.
Harold spoke slowly. “That saying means you should get started now. Right fucking now.”
Understanding spread over Belarus’s face. “Yes, boss. Yes. Right now. I’ll get started.”
“Right now?” Harold asked.
Belarus nodded. “Right now.”
“Then why the fuck are you still sitting on the bed?”
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