“What did you do to your hands?” Sir Ross asked.
Colin reddened, as if embarrassed. “Danvac tied us up. I needed to get free so I burned the rope off with a torch.”
Sir Ross winced. “A courageous maneuver, Colin, but not one I ever wanted you to have to make. Colin, Rowan, get to the healing quarters now. Find someone to get the King to meet you there. Will, lead the way and tell us more of what’s going on.”
Rowan looked ready to object until Rockwood fixed him with a stern gaze. “That’s an order from me as well, squire.”
Colin gripped Rowan’s arm, wincing as his burned hands touched the rough fabric of Rowan’s tunic. Will watched them start across the dining hall then shook himself free. The three knights behind him, Will led them back through the still-open door. Sir Don, the last to enter, grabbed a torch from its bracket in the dining hall.
“I’ve never trusted Vonnic,” he grumbled, shutting the door behind them.
“None of us have,” Ross responded. “Will, are you too injured for this?”
“No,” he shook his head. “Rowan and Colin took the worst of it.”
Ross gripped his shoulder for a moment then released him. “Very well, let’s find the Ranger and Laster. If the Ranger has been gone that long, I don’t want to think of what is happening or has already happened.”
Will led them down the hallway, answering questions and trying to remember the fight well enough to tell them. All that he seemed to remember were the dead eyes of Danvac staring at the ceiling and how weak Laster had seemed before jumping into the tunnel. Laster wouldn’t be of any help to the Ranger when he arrived. He’d be a burden, another person that the Ranger would have to defend.
When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Sir Ross grabbed a second torch from the wall and lit it from Sir Don’s own. “Rockwood, you’re with me. Sir Don, make sure that if Vonnic wakes up, he doesn’t get away and doesn’t die. I’m sure the King will have questions for him. Once the King and a few other knights have joined, Will, go upstairs and go to bed. That’s an order.”
Will nodded mutely. What was the purpose of arguing? He knew he wouldn’t fall asleep but his body felt exhausted. He, like Laster, would be of no use once the knights arrived. They were trained for this and him? He was twelve years old and barely a squire.
Ross patted Don on the back then lowered himself, carefully, into the tunnel. Rockwood waved a goodbye before jumping down after. Will and Sir Don watched the light from below fade to blackness.
“We might as well get comfortable for a bit. Vonnic isn’t going anywhere yet,” Sir Don said and sat on the bottom stair.
“Is he going to die?” asked Will, sinking to the step next to the knight.
Sir Don shrugged. “I honestly don’t know that it matters either way, but most likely not,” Will nodded. He wanted to ask about Laster and the Ranger but it felt like voicing his thoughts would make them true. “How are you liking being a squire? Is it all you hoped for?”
Will laughed quietly and looked at his own hands, streaked with blood. “Right now?”
Sir Don chuckled. “No, I meant overall. You three are having quite the experience for the first year of learning to defend Alamore.”
“Yeah…” he looked at the knight, forcing a tired smile on his face. “I’ve liked it overall, though. It’s different than I imagined, by far. There’s a lot to learn. Sometimes, though, I’m not sure.”
Don sighed, stretching his legs out in front of him. “I understand that. When you first start seeing people die, you try to hold it together because you’re a knight. You learn to hold it together better, over time, but it will always be that. It’s pretty much human. You’ll kill, you’d die otherwise. It just takes time to learn to go to sleep after that,” He grimaced and Will saw the lines in the man’s face deepen. “I’m worried that things are going to become worse.”
“Why do you think that?” Will asked.
“Bronswick is losing the little spine they had, for one,” Don said, “and there are a lot more political shifts. Thornten has always tested our border but they’re testing Bronswick now too. And the King received word tonight that Prince Kolt of Phersal will be crowned King, finally,” He paused. “Do you know where Phersal is?”
Will furrowed his brow. “It’s close to Bronswick, right?”
“It’s to the west of Bronswick, and Thornten is to the east. If King Tollien of Thornten allies with Kolt, Bronswick will be at a stalemate between them. They will have to side with Tollien and Kolt, because, though we are neighbors to their south, we aren’t in a position to protect them. Thornten and Phersal are too close for comfort and Bronswick has very little land to control as it is.”
“Why are all the castles that close anyway?” Will asked. He had to force himself to listen, to not notice how long it had been since Ross and Rockwood had left.
“Originally, Alamore had more land. Thornten and Alamore are now about even, both are the largest land wise. Where Thornten is built was where Alamore had a stronghold once. Bronswick and Phersal both, over time, gave land to Alamore in exchange for armies to protect them, and to Thornten when their castles were in danger of falling.”
“So, Prince Kolt won’t side with Thornten,” said Will.
Sir Don chuckled, pulling himself to his feet. They could hear approaching footsteps coming down the stairs. “Prince Kolt isn’t much concerned with the fights of a hundred years ago. If he’s offered power or pieces of Alamore…” he shook his head as the King came into sight, Sir Henry and Sir Miller behind him. “That’s enough for now. Will, thank you for standing watch with me. Get upstairs and go to bed. You can check in with Colin and Rowan tomorrow. For now, all three of you will need rest.”
Will didn’t argue, his tired body was aching to lay down again. The day had seemed endless. How was it he had woken so scared of the Ranger when there were much worse things, even within the castle, to deal with?
When he finally laid down in his own bed a few minutes later, he stared at the ceiling, wondering if Danvac’s body below still did the same or if someone had thought to close the corpse’s eyes.
CHAPTER TEN
A hand shook Will awake sometime in the early morning. Grey light filtered through the windows, casting eerie shadows over the sleeping forms in the beds surrounding him.
Crouched beside his bed, face exhausted, was Sir Ross. He held a hand up as Will sat up, heart filled with dread. “It’s fine, Will.”
“The Ranger? Sir Laster?”
“Both are fine,” the knight repeated. “Sir Laster is back upstairs in the healing chambers and the Ranger is relatively unscathed. I’m not sure why the Ranger chose to go down that tunnel tonight but someone knew he would. It hadn’t been cleared to the tunnels. Vonnic and Danvac have been building the tunnel to take a shorter route. It led from that room to right outside the castle walls, where a party was waiting to attack the Ranger. Vonnic told us that when he came to; he’s in the dungeons for now until we decide what to do with him,” Ross stood, stiffly. “The rest of us have just been excused to sleep. I wanted to let you know what had happened before I left. I have no doubt you will need a few more hours sleep yourself, especially as I’m sure every squire is going to want to know what’s happened.”
“Thank you,” Will muttered, relaxing into his pillows again.
Ross reached over and squeezed his shoulder lightly, then turned and strode from the room, leaving Will to sink back into sleep.
***
Sir Ross had not been wrong. The next day, Will found himself berated with questions to recount what had happened, as squires realized that Colin and Rowan were injured, a soldier dead, and that Will had been there. He avoided details as to why he, Rowan, and Colin had been with the Ranger, focusing on the fight that had happened, the knights rushing to the aid of the Ranger and Sir Laster, and finally, Sir Ross waking him to tell him everything was fine. Novin and Haru both seemed disappointed not to have been part of the advent
ure.
The conversation continued after breakfast, as they worked on horseback. Every part of Will’s body ached; today they had been working on fighting from the saddle with the weighted wood practice swords and padded leather armor. He could feel bruises rising even under the protective chest piece.
“I’m nearly eighteen and you’ve already got to handle about the same hands-on fighting that I have,” said Haru, disgruntled. “Seriously, if I had had the chance to be there, actually battled…”
Novin nodded furiously, eyes bright. “I would’ve liked an excuse to take a swing at Vonnic.”
“And I would have loved to take one at Danvac,” Haru growled darkly.
Will merely nodded, pulling the saddle off Visra’s back. The three of them had been put together today. Haru, the oldest squire, had been asked by Sir Don to work with them. Sweat-soaked clothing turning icy, Will had a new appreciation for the knights. They made it look easy to control their horses and weapons simultaneously. Visra had been unforgiving the times that Will had clipped him when fighting off Novin, dumping him twice onto the frozen dirt of the arena.
Now the horse was trying to itch his large head on the saddle in Will’s arms, nearly knocking him to the ground. “Quit it, you brute,” Will said, laughing.
Visra paused for a moment before trying to grab the leather of the saddle in his teeth instead. Will pulled it away, smiling tiredly, and headed toward the tack room. “You doing okay, Will?”
Will turned to see Haru, his own saddle slung over one arm, watching him carefully. Novin, who had made it back to the barn first, was further down the alleyway putting his horse in its stall.
“I’m fine,” Will forced a smile.
Haru sighed. “It’s a lot to handle. I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to sound envious. Sometimes I get too caught up in trying to be a knight already and forget that people get thrown into bad spots.”
“It’s fine,” Will repeated. It felt like he had been saying that he was fine a lot lately.
Haru began walking again, pushing his shoulder against the tack room door to open it for both of them. “No, it’s not fine. But, Will, it’s going to be. If you ever need someone to talk to, I know you’re close with Colin and Rowan, but I don’t mind helping out as well. You’ve gone through a lot, coming here.”
Will opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say. Haru, seeming not to notice, slid his saddle onto its rack and walked out again, leaving the younger squire standing alone. He didn’t know how to tell Haru, or any of the other knights, that something else was bothering him. Something more than the lifeless face of Danvac.
The Ranger had been told that the tunnel would be open. He hadn’t told anyone who had told him. Standing in the tack room, Will closed his eyes, trying to force himself to remember the pieces of the conversation he had heard between the Ranger and Marl. It had to be a coincidence that they had met the night before. Marl wasn’t a traitor to Alamore. He might not be loyal but he wouldn’t have risked his life, or Will’s mother’s life, or even Will’s life, he was sure.
He forced himself to complete the movements of putting his saddle away, brushing down Visra’s long winter coat, and turning the animal back into his stall. Haru waited as he swept the dirt from Visra’s hooves out the door.
“Come on, Will, it’s about time for lunch,” said Haru, clapping him on the shoulder.
“Excellent,” Will replied, trying his best to keep himself from sounding insincere.
When they reached the squires’ table, the others were already started on the meal. Colin and Rowan had been released from the healing quarters. Above Rowan’s left eye was a clean line of stitched skin while Colin was fumbling his silverware in gauze wrapped hands.
Will sank into his accustomed seat between them, relaxing slightly to see that both were up and looking better than they had the night before. “How are your hands, Colin?” he asked, helping his friend stab a piece of beef from a nearby tray and deposit it to his plate.
Colin grimaced. “They could have been a lot worse. Right now, it’s mostly just blistering. The Ranger helped the healer with some medicines, some that he gathered from further south, where people get sunburn more often. It’s helped a lot, only thing is that I’m clumsy with these bandages. Thanks,” he grinned as Will dropped an already buttered piece of bread on his plate.
“And how’s the head, Rowan?”
“Danvac managed to kick me hard enough to make me need stitched up,” Rowan said, snorting in annoyance, “but not enough to knock the sense into me. He couldn’t even do me the favor of giving me some sort of brains. Selfish jerk.”
Will, Haru, and Novin all burst into laughter while Leaf, Delvin, and Colin cast them disapproving looks. Airagon, further down the table, was hiding his own grin as he asked. “Is it true, then, that the tunnel was rerouted?”
“Yes, that’s what Sir Ross told me,” Will replied. “It led outside the walls. I guess we are lucky that no one from Thornten decided to attack in that time.”
“Did he say that it was Thornten that had built it?” Loper, seated next to Airagon, asked.
Will furrowed his brow. “No…he didn’t mention who had ambushed the Ranger or Sir Laster either,” He relaxed slightly. It could have been the tunnel people, someone who had escaped from the barn entrance that morning. There was no proof that it had anything to do with Marl.
“Either way, it looks like they knew that someone would be in the tunnel. It was a setup,” Saget said darkly, from Loper’s other side.
The words made Will’s stomach tighten again. Could it have been Marl working with those from the tunnels? And if so; why? What would he have against the Ranger? Why did the Ranger not want him coming near the castle? He thought about how furious his father had been when he had asked to become a squire. He had been livid knowing a knight had come to the house even before that.
“How are the speculations coming along, boys?” Sir Don’s voice interrupted and his hand gripped Will’s shoulder, making him jump.
“I’m sure we would be getting to answers faster if you cared to let us into the knight’s council or give us some more insight to what happened last night when Vonnic was questioned,” Novin said, eyes widened with a look of innocence.
Sir Don laughed, releasing Will’s shoulder and striding to Novin, messing up the other squire’s hair. “Yes, Novin, because I would be an excellent example of leadership for you, and a great knight, if I gave you that information. That’s the fun of being a squire, getting to live in the rumors and try to guess what’s going on. Cherish it while it lasts, because time flies.”
Novin and Haru exchanged eye-rolls that made Will laugh. He quickly tried to hide his humor in a cough.
“Although, boys, I do offer some relief for you,” the knight said, conspiratorially.
“And what’s that? More sage wisdom on how ignorance is bliss?” Haru asked, but he was grinning.
“No,” Don straightened. “Last night we received a message from our neighbor to the Northwest, Prince Koltash of Phersal, better known as Prince Kolt. Last year, King Grester died. The country is now observing the royal appointment of Kolt as King,” he paused for effect and Will could feel the tension around the table. “Now, I know that Phersal, much like Bronswick, is not much in terms of size and power, but we are not interested in infuriating the new regime. Therefore, a delegation of Alamore knights and their squires will ride to Phersal for the ceremony. It’s not a long ride, two days if you’re making decent speed, but it will require you waiting on your knights and assisting them in a professional manner.”
“So, which of us get to go?” Haru asked, hesitantly.
Sir Don grimaced. “I know, Haru. Sir Richard has never been known for his love of excursions like these.”
Haru’s face fell slightly. “No, he hasn’t.”
“Nevertheless, he has asked that you consider serving in aid of the King for this journey. Sir Richard, Sir Bane, Sir Henry, Sir Laster; they will stay h
ere. Airagon, Saget, Loper, you will be here as well and teaching the pages how to help you with your tasks.”
The three looked mildly disappointed and Will felt himself sink slightly as well. He hadn’t been assigned to a knight so there wouldn’t be a point in his attending.
“William, you’ll be acting as the Ranger’s squire.”
Disappointment was instantly replaced with a gnawing anxiety. “Surely he’s not going, not after last night,” Will protested.
“Of course he’s going. He’s the Ranger of Kings, he doesn’t let our King go into any situation without adequate protection.”
“What kind of protection would he need at a crowning?” Rowan asked through a mouthful of food.
“Rowan, don’t be an animal,” Don said disapprovingly. “There is always a risk of danger. Don’t ask me to account for his logic. He’s alive, therefore he’s going.”
Ranger of Kings (William of Alamore Series Book 1) Page 13