A Skin of a Dragon (The Guild of Gatekeepers Book 1)

by Frances Jones

  Chapter 69

  When I awoke, the room was light, and Tabatha had returned.

  'Good afternoon,' she said.

  'Afternoon? What time is it?' I cried, leaping up from the bed.

  'Past midday,' replied Eliza. 'We thought it better to let you sleep so that you will be alert for what is to come. Tabatha hasn't been back much longer than an hour.'

  'I've staked out the Gatehouse since last night but haven't seen anyone enter or leave,' she said. 'I think it is safe for us to assume that Cromwell is not there. Are you all set? Shall we be going?'

  I took a deep breath. 'Yes, let's,' I replied.

  We took our leave of the landlord and collected the horses from the stable behind the inn. It was agreed that Tabatha would ride ahead, as she had done last night, to make one last sweep of the area around the Gatehouse.

  'There is an alleyway between the houses neighbouring the Gatehouse,' she said. 'Wait for me there, and I will come and find you.'

  Eliza and I made our way across the street and down the lane opposite the Gatehouse, keeping our hoods drawn over our bowed heads. In the alleyway, we waited, and sure enough after only a few minutes Tabatha appeared again.

  'All’s clear,' she whispered, and then she turned to me. 'Eliza and I will wait here for you and keep watch. Do you have the potion?'

  I nodded and pulled the tiny vial out of my pocket. My heart thudded, and my hands felt clammy as I lifted it to my lips with trembling hands and swallowed the contents in one gulp. I winced; it had a sharp, unpleasant taste.

  'Do you feel anything?' asked Eliza.

  'Not really,' I replied, 'but Edward said it wouldn't be painful. Do you see any change?'

  'No,' replied Eliza despondently. 'Wait, oh yes! Your nose! It's getting longer!'

  I pressed my face to the window beside which we stood and watched as my mop of curly golden hair grew out and turned darker and straighter right before my eyes. At the crown, it now appeared to thin out, and the skin of my brow grew lined and saggy. Within a few moments the transformation was complete, clothes, weapons and all.

  'Tom, is it still you?' gasped Eliza.

  'Of course it is!' I replied, but even my voice sounded different; deeper and without my West Country lilt.

  'Quite amazing!' exclaimed Tabatha. 'Go, you haven't much time.'

  I stepped out from the shadows of the alleyway and into the lane. The Gatehouse stood just across the square. My pulse thudded in my temples and my heart raced as the few steps remaining before I reached the door diminished to nothing. I knew Tabatha and Eliza would be watching from the alleyway, but I didn't dare turn to them for one last look of reassurance.

  Grasping the knocker, I hammered on the door and waited. I felt my heart beat several times before it swung open silently, and I stepped inside. Beyond the threshold, the hall lay in darkness.

  'Devere,' I called out.

  At once, the candles all around the hall leapt into flame, and standing before me at the foot of the staircase I saw Devere.

  'Hello, Tom,' he said.

  Chapter 70

  My head whirled, and my legs almost gave way beneath me at the mention of my name. I swallowed hard, my throat was dry with nerves.

  'Devere, 'tis me, Cromwell,' I said.

  'Oh, really?' Devere scoffed. He took a few firm steps towards me and stopped. His face was just inches away, and a mocking smile played on his lips. I froze, immovable under his stare.

  'Did you really think you could fool me?' he mocked. He raised his hands to my face and uttered snatches of words that I did not understand. I cried out as a sharp pain cut through me and the disguise dissolved in an instant. Now I stood before Devere just the frightened boy I had been on that day three months prior when I had first been brought to the face the Keeper of the Guild of Gatekeepers. My mind reeled to think how I had walked so foolishly into a trap. Had Tabatha known? I had no doubt that she had, and she stood to make a handsome profit from Devere once he had the dragonskin in his keeping.

  'I must thank you,' said Devere. 'You saved me a deal of time and bother getting the dragonskin myself. George has been most stubborn in his refusal to reveal its location, even in spite of my best efforts.’

  Anger surged in the pit of my stomach. I recognised my defeat and hopelessness and was reckless in the face of it. I only hoped Eliza would get away before Devere had chance to capture her and exact his revenge.

  'Henry Smith knew not to trust you with the dragonskin. He saw you for what you are: grasping, devious and power-hungry. If you want the dragonskin, you will have to fight for it!' I cried, drawing the blade that hung at my side.

  Devere's face turned white and his eyes flashed, momentarily torn between rage at my defiance and scorn at my feeble attempt to resist his power, but before he had chance to recover his composure there was a bang like the sound of a gun being fired, and the door to the Gatehouse came crashing down. In rode Rupert upon Pluto. Devere staggered back, cursing as the mighty horse reared up at him.

  'Jump on!' cried Rupert, dragging me up into the saddle before him as he tossed something towards Devere. A blinding white light flashed for a moment, and thick fog filled the hall as Pluto galloped back through the broken door and down the steps into the lane. Behind us, Devere's furious cries could be heard through the rising fog.

  'How did you escape the Venatorian?' I gasped.

  'No time to explain now,' replied Rupert. 'We have to get to the King. Where is Eliza?'

  Before I had chance to answer Tabatha and Eliza came running to meet us.

  'What ever happened?!' cried Eliza.

  'You tricked us! You knew the King wasn't at the Gatehouse!' I shouted to Tabatha. I was shaking with anger and close to tears.

  'I did not!' she cried, 'Peter Garrett told me the King was held here! I would never have betrayed you to Devere!'

  'We haven't time to argue,' said Rupert. 'The King is to be executed in less than half an hour. Eliza, jump on.'

  Chapter 71

  'How ever did you escape from the Venatorian? And how do you know the King is to be executed? We have heard nothing of his fate since learning he was to be put on trial,' said Eliza as Rupert navigated the bustling streets. It seemed that all of London now knew of the King's execution and were making their way to the Palace of Whitehall where it was to take place.

  'No time to explain now,' replied Rupert as Pluto charged through the streets towards the river.

  We had reached Westminster Bridge where a crowd of people were trying to make their way across to the Palace of Whitehall to witness the King's execution. My heart sank.

  'Half an hour must almost have elapsed,' I said anxiously as we reached a standstill behind the great press of people. I craned my neck to see over the crowd as it moved slowly towards the Palace. Pluto snorted impatiently, but the sheer size of the crowd prevented him from moving any faster than a plod.

  'Meet me at the scaffold,' I said suddenly as I jumped from the saddle and disappeared into the crowd without a backward glance.

  All around, people were jostling to reach the Palace in time to catch a glimpse of the King as he was led out onto the scaffold. A carnival atmosphere seemed to have taken hold, and the people about me jeered and shouted, but I took no notice, dodging the strollers and sight-seers as I raced across the bridge and along the walkways to the Palace. The crowd that gathered there had fallen silent. The King could be heard speaking, calmly addressing the assembled people. His face was pale, but he showed no sign of fear or objection to the cold, though he wore only a shirt.

  'I go from a corruptible to an incorruptible crown; where no disturbance can be, no disturbance in the world,' said the King.

  'Your majesty!' I cried, pushing through the throng towards the scaffold.

  'Hush,' hissed a fearsome-looking fishwife. She shoved me back and set herself squarely in front of me, blocking my path.

  I craned my neck to see past her, searching desperately for another passage thr
ough the crowd. Over the tops of the people's heads, I could see the scaffold and the executioner, masked and dressed in black and holding his great axe. The King was kneeling before the block now. His lips moved noiselessly as he uttered his last prayers. I thrust forward. The scaffold was no more than fifty yards away. If I could just get through the crowd to the scaffold, I may just reach the King. There was a thud, and a murmur rippled through the crowd as the executioner held up the dismembered head, then followed the cries and weeping.

  For a few moments it seemed to me that the world had stopped moving. All around, the noise of the crowd seemed somehow muted and remote as though it passed through water. A cloud drifted across the sun, chasing away the gleam of watery sunlight that pooled upon the scaffold where the King's head had lain. I looked up to the sky. Grey clouds gathered overhead as though in sympathy with my despair.

  I turned away. I was too late, and I had no desire to stay and watch as people climbed onto the scaffold and dipped their handkerchiefs in the King's blood. I had failed, and the now the King was dead.

  'Tom! Over here!'

  I looked up and glanced over to where the voice was coming from. A little distance away, where the crowd was sparser, stood Pluto. Beside him, Rupert and Eliza waited, their hoods drawn down over their heads to disguise their faces.

  'I was too late. I couldn't reach him,' I said as I staggered towards them. My voice sounded distant and forlorn as though someone else was speaking through my mouth. Even as I spoke the words, I could barely comprehend what I had just witnessed. Tears streamed down Eliza's face, and Rupert looked pale and haggard.

  Chapter 72

  The crowd was beginning to disperse as the last of the trophy-seekers carried away their handkerchiefs and linen dipped in the King's blood. His head and body had been removed, and the scaffold stood empty except for the block, wet and dark with blood.

  'What do we do now?' sniffed Eliza. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, and she trembled with emotion.

  I gazed across at the bloodied scaffold where the King had taken his last breath. A surge of defiance erupted within me, from where I could not say, and my resolve hardened. 'I shall take the dragonskin to his son, Prince Charles,' I said.

  Eliza shook her head. 'What good will it do now? Parliament has already murdered the King.'

  'I don't know, but we’ve got to try,' I insisted. 'He has to know that we tried. I will go alone if I have to.'

  'Indeed,' said Rupert. 'Do we give up and accept defeat? I for one will not do so. If you are willing, I will guide you to The Hague where Prince Charles is in exile.'

  'How will we get there, though?' said Eliza. 'The ship was wrecked.'

  'Leave it to me,' said a familiar voice behind us.

  I turned to see Tabatha sitting upon Colonel, with Ralph and Ruby standing obediently on either side. In her hand, she held a bulging purse of half-crown coins.

  'Why should we trust you again?' I cried. 'You deceived us, and now the King is dead because of you!'

  'I did not deceive you,' replied Tabatha, 'and now you have no choice but to trust me if you mean to reach The Hague. I can buy you a place on a ship and bribe the captain and crew to keep silent. Devere is furious and has sent out all the men at his disposal to find you. London is still swarming with Parliamentarian guards. It seems to me you have no alternative but to trust me.'

  'What should we do?' Eliza asked Rupert.

  'I think she is right- there is little choice,' he replied.

  'Well that's settled then. Follow me,' said Tabatha.

  In the commotion that followed the King's execution, no one took any notice of four riders galloping through the streets towards the docks. There the mighty naval ships, with their guns and cannon, and the smaller, swifter merchant ships strained against their moorings. Tabatha dismounted and led us along the wooden platform towards a merchant vessel moored at the end of the dock. Upon the deck stood a man whom I felt certain must be the captain. He was studying a map which he had spread out across the wheel.

  'Wait here,' said Tabatha as she climbed up onto the deck.

  Eliza, Rupert and I watched as she spoke urgently with the captain and held out the purse of half crowns. He opened the purse and looked inside, then nodded and gestured for us to board the ship.

  'Take these,' Tabatha whispered to me, pressing two more pouches of coins into my hands as she led us to the cabin. 'One is for the captain when you reach The Hague. I promised him more money to take a detour from his intended destination and to ensure he doesn't betray you; he knows you are stowaways. The other is to buy your way back when you return. Good luck.'

  A wave of shame swept over me, and I felt the colour rise in my cheeks. 'I owe you an apology,' I said. 'I shouldn't have doubted you. I am sorry.'

  Tabatha smiled. 'I forgive you,' she said. 'When you steal for a living 'tis hard to expect folk to trust you.'

  'Will you be safe in London?' asked Eliza.

  'Yes, no need to worry about me,' said Tabatha. 'I will get a message to George if I am able. Now I must go. The ship is leaving soon.'

  'Thank you for keeping them safe while I could not,' said Rupert as Tabatha climbed the steps up to the deck. She turned and smiled weakly then disappeared back through the trap door.

  'Well, we are off again,' said Rupert as the moorings were loosened and the ship slid out into mid-stream. 'Thank goodness for Tabatha. She is a most extraordinary girl.'

  'The dragonskin would have fallen into Devere's hands long ago were it not for her,' I replied. 'But you haven't yet told us of your own adventures. How did you come to escape the Venatorian? And how did you know the King was to be executed when we did not?'

  'To answer your first question, the Venatorian made the mistake of getting his dogs to guard me while he rested on the road back to London,' said Rupert, 'but as you know, I have a way with dogs, and I befriended them. They understand human speech quite well, and I told them of my old hound, Boye, whom I have already told you of. After that, they allowed me to escape, even with the threat of the Venatorian beating them for dereliction of duty.

  'As for finding out about the King's fate, I spent days trying to track you after I escaped, but I could find no trace of you. Fearing you may have been captured, I made my way to London in disguise. I didn't dare contact George for fear of my communications being intercepted, but it was quite clear to me that news of the King's whereabouts was being deliberately concealed, since no one could tell me where he was. When I heard a rumour that he was to stand trial, I made my way to Westminster to learn more. That is when I saw Devere talking with two guards. He claimed that the King was to be transferred from Westminster to the Gatehouse, for fear a Royalist force may be mustered to attempt a rescue.

  'I knew it was a lie, and one no doubt intended to start a rumour that he hoped would reach you and lure you and the dragonskin to him, but I was afraid that you might come to hear it and thus become ensnared, so I made my way to the Gatehouse. I kept watch on it day and night, but I saw no sign of you until today when I saw Cromwell entering the Gatehouse. But when I spotted Eliza in the alleyway, I knew it must be you, Tom, and I knew you must have been deceived.'

  'Well, that is quite a story,' I said. 'We came so close. I dread George learning of the King's death; he will be devastated.'

  'We'll send word as soon as we reach The Hague,' said Rupert. 'He must know that all is not lost- yet.'

  Chapter 73

  For three days, the ship battled across the unforgiving expanse of the North Sea through howling winds and driving rain. As evening drew in on the third day and the white sun disappeared below the horizon, I saw the hazy skyline of The Hague wreathed in cloud in the distance. Bells tolled, and the babble of a noisy port city grew louder as the ship drew into the port. We took our leave of the captain, and I handed him the second purse of coins that Tabatha had promised him for seeing us safely across the sea.

  'How will we find out where the Prince is staying?' I aske
d. We stood upon a busy street not far from the port and watched an endless procession of carriages and people pass by.

  'We will undoubtedly find him at the Binnenhof,' replied Rupert. 'Come, I will lead you there.'

  As we walked, I noted that the streets were wider and much more appropriate for the flow of traffic than the narrow, cobbled streets of London. The buildings too were much different to those of the mostly wooden city of London, being built of brick and stone. The effect was generally grander and more genteel.

  As we left the port behind and made our way towards the centre of the city, the imposing form of a complex of brick-built mansions before a large pond drew nearer. Fragments of ice floated on the still, glassy surface of the pond, and swans clustered upon a tiny tree-covered island in its centre.

  'Behold the Binnenhof,' said Rupert as he led us all the way around the pond's edge to the opposite side where he stopped at a gate. A guard stood before it and demanded to know our names and business before admitting us.

  'I am Prince Rupert of the Rhine, cousin of Charles, Prince of Wales,' Rupert said in Dutch. 'These are my companions, Tom Wild and Eliza Ellery.'

  The guard looked Rupert up and down, evidently suspicious of his weather-stained attire and unkempt appearance.

  'Here, my coat of arms is displayed upon my ring,' said Rupert, pulling the token out of a pouch concealed beneath his shirt.

  The guard held the ring up to the light of a lantern overhead and examined it closely. He said something to Rupert in Dutch and bowed before opening the gate to allow us to pass.

  'What did he say?' asked Eliza.

  'He told me where the Prince is staying and said to wait here for a guard who will take us there. The Binnenhof is a huge, sprawling complex as you can see; we will need a guide to take us to the Prince.'

  For a few minutes, we waited as night closed in over the Binnenhof. The buildings around us, with their turreted roofs and elegant facades, were lit one by one with lanterns and candles so that the courtyard was soon almost as light as it would be by day. After a time, footsteps approached from the opposite end of the courtyard. Upon seeing that it was another guard who approached, the man on the gate called out to him. They spoke together in low voices and glanced now and then towards us.