by C.M. Owens
* * *
The courses of the meal came and went. Soon Jack and Galeron were off to see to the final updates to the keep’s defenses. Kay moved to sit in front of the fireplace, a mending project for Molly lying neglected in her lap. Bands of iron slowly tightened around her entire body.
Darkness had settled across the room, and the flickering fire cast dancing shadows across her body. Reese and the others would be moving down into the cave complex, working by torchlight to seek out whatever series of tunnels led to end at the stone wall of the cellar. Tension ratcheted even tighter around her chest. There were hundreds of tunnels! What were the chances of them finding the right one?
She drew in a long, shuddering breath, closing her eyes for a moment. She had to be strong. Somehow they would find the right tunnel. When they did, she would be ready for them.
She worked with half-hearted interest on the mending, watching the minutes tick by. The room had only three soldiers in it, then two, then it was only her and the softly licking flames of the ebbing fire. The men were either manning the walls or sound asleep below, preparing for the morning.
She looked again into the glowing embers. What time was it now? Nine? Ten? Was it safe to try to sneak out to the stables?
There was a movement in the entryway, and Stephen was there, smiling at her. Relief washed over her, releasing away her tension. He nodded, then came over to stand beside her.
“I thought you might like to know, Kay, that the horses are all bedded down for the night,” he offered quietly, his hand hanging loosely at his side. “You have no need to worry about tonight. Everything is prepared.”
“That is very sweet of you, Stephen, to let me know,” she responded, her eyes glowing in heartfelt thanks. “You have set my mind at ease.”
He gave a small movement of his hand, and a dark object slipped from his grasp into the folds of her dress. She drew her legs together, catching the item in the fabric.
“I will be heading to bed then, M’Lady. Good night.”
“Good night, and thank you,” she returned, imbuing the words with every ounce of meaning that she could.
He bowed, and headed back toward the stairs, down toward his quarters.
Kay took in a long, deep breath, waiting long moments to ensure nobody else was around. Then she surreptitiously slipped her hand into the folds of fabric, to wrap them around the wooden key. It felt firm, defined, and durable.
She carefully tucked the mending into a corner of the chair. If she was caught prowling around later, she could simply say she was looking to find it. It would provide the perfect excuse.
In a moment she was in motion. She had just reached the entryway when Galeron came up from the courtyard. He smiled when he saw her, offering a short bow.
“Heading up to bed, my dear?” he asked with a gentle smile. “Let me accompany you, since we are now sharing a suite.”
“Of course,” agreed Kay, her throat tight. She wrapped her fingers around the key, hiding it from view, and allowed him to guide her up the stairs to the solar.
Jack was already there, sprawled on the sofa, finishing off a tankard of ale. He rolled to his feet when Galeron and Kay entered the room.
Jack’s voice was a sour grumble. “So, I am to get the smaller, middle bedroom, I assume.”
Kay nodded. “These are the nicest rooms in the keep,” she pointed out, keeping her voice even. “Far better than the barracks below. I am sure they will do for now.”
Galeron frowned at Jack for a moment, then looked back to Kay. “They will do just fine,” he assured her. “I am sure we could not ask for anything better.”
Jack looked as if he might disagree with that statement, but he held his tongue.
Kay dropped a curtsy. “Good night, then,” she murmured, then retreated to the safety of her room. She closed the solid door behind her, dropping the bar. Once safely locked within, she hurried to the fireplace to drop down beside it, to draw out the key and examine it closely.
Stephen had done an excellent job in the time he had available. It looked exactly as she had remembered the metal key. He had polished it to a smooth finish to give it the best chance of sliding the tumblers without a catch. It felt firm in her hand.
It had to work.
She went to the window, staring out at the rolling ocean waves. From her room she could not see the front of the keep. She could not see her father’s forces encamped there. The cliffs blocked her view of the beach, so she could not tell if soldiers were in motion there either, making any progress on the maze of caves.
She wrapped her fingers around the key. She had to hope that the plan was a success.
The world outside wavered for a moment, the ocean waves melding into a long ripple of grey. She shook her head, moving away from the window and sitting down on the bed. She was simply exhausted. If only she could but sleep, even for a few hours.
She knew she could not. What if she closed her eyes and awoke only in the full brightness of sun, the mercenaries already safely within the castle walls and all hope lost? No, she had to make it through the night. She had to do her part in ensuring the attack succeeded.
A loud snoring noise suddenly boomed from her sister’s bedroom. She started in surprise, then relaxed, almost laughing. It always astounded her how quickly soldiers could fall asleep when they needed to. They knew how to conserve their strength - how to grab a hold of any moment available to be fresh for a fight. Apparently Jack had learned that trick. Which only left …
She listened closely to the sounds around her. Were there snoring sounds coming from her father’s room as well? She had to take the chance. It was perhaps almost eleven by now, and she had to get to the cellars. She had to hope that neither man would risk her ire by intruding on her bedroom before dawn.
Just to be safe, she placed several pillows beneath her blankets and arranged them in the shape of a sleeping person. Then, slowly, carefully, she drew out the bar from the door, laying it to one side. She gently pulled the wooden door open, peering around the edge. If one of the men were still awake, she could simply say she was looking for the mending items to keep her occupied.
The room was empty. Both other bedroom doors were solidly closed. There was no sound other than the snoring which seemed to grow louder as she waited.
She slipped through her doorway, drawing the door gently closed behind her. She worked her way across the room, the precious key clutched in her hand, and reached the main door. She drew in a deep breath.
She carefully eased the door open and smiled. The hallway was empty. Apparently Galeron and Jack were conserving all of their troops’ strength for the morning, the most likely time of an attack, if there were to be one. They were not wasting one man on unnecessary duties.
To her benefit.
She moved into the hall, closing the door behind her, and slowly descended down the stairs. The main hall was deserted. She barely stopped before continuing down toward the barracks level.
She drew herself up as she reached the ground floor. It seemed that the vast majority of Galeron’s forces were sprawled on a bed or mat in various stages of sleep. One or two sat hunched over a blade, sharpening an edge. They glanced up in idle curiosity as she stepped into the room, but dismissed her and went back to their work. She was not stopped or questioned as she moved across the room toward the workroom.
She turned the corner and took in a deep breath. She had made it through the barracks without incident – but now the final test stood before her. If she could not get this lock open, all else would be lost. The gate loomed before her, solid, black, and sturdily sealed. Would the wooden key turn the tumblers?
She glanced into the workroom and spotted a block of soap standing by the wash basin on a counter. She moved over to it, glancing again around the empty room, then drew the key from her hand. She rubbed it carefully along the bar, first one side, then the other.
When she was satisfied with the task, she moved again to the lock, giving a fi
nal look around to be sure no guards were moving in her direction. Carefully she inserted the key into the keyhole, and slowly, oh so slowly, she turned it.
She felt the resistance of the tumblers, and her heart thudded in her chest. She applied more pressure, praying that Stephen had chosen a solid piece of wood, that he had followed the mold accurately, and that she had pressed the key into the cheese in an even fashion. A thousand little things could go wrong, to cause the parts of the key not to exactly match the inside of the iron lock. She pressed … pressed … the key slowly rotated within the housing.
Click.
The lock came open.
Kay let out her breath in a long gasp; she had not realized she was holding it in. She quickly withdrew the key, tucking it into the pouch at her belt, then slipped the lock free, pulling open the grate. The cellar door opened inward, and she gave it a push, reaching past it for the torch that hung on the wall. She moved quickly now, going to light the torch from the fire in the workroom, returning to slip within the gate, pulling it closed. She put her hand through the grate, re-seating the lock in its place, closing it so it was almost fully shut. That would pass all but the most close examination, should anyone walk past it. Then she stepped back and closed the wooden cellar door.
Her heart soared. She had done it. She was in the cellar, the grate was unlocked, and now she simply had to wait for Reese to come for her!
She moved carefully down the stairs, settling the torch on the far wall, not lighting the others. Not tonight. She would only have this one light so the glow did not shine beneath the door at the top of the stairs.
She began lifting each box, one by one, and moving them from the hollow wall to other parts of the cellar. It seemed a long while before she had cleared the area. She sat, exhausted, on one of the boxes to stare at the blank stone wall.
What time was it now? Midnight? Maybe the soldiers had been unable to get to the caves at all. Perhaps they had been stymied by the men on the wall or another force beyond their control. Were they even coming for her? Was this all a hopeless gesture?
She moved over to the wall and put her ear against it. She could hear nothing. Was anyone beyond that solid barrier?
She glanced around the room and spotted an old iron bar which was used to pry open boxes. She picked it up and went back to the wall. Holding the bar by one end, she rapped solidly against the wall.
Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.
She put her ear against the wall. There was no response.
She slumped, her hope fading. She sat down against the wall, her fingers finding the carven heart in the stone, and she laid her head against the wall. With the other hand she continued her message.
Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.
Silence.
Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.
Silence.
Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.
The faintest echo came to her, as if the most far off mountain had rebounded her call to her …
thunk … thunk … thunk …
Kay almost cried out in relief. They were coming for her! Reese was coming!
She renewed her tattoo, and with each round the answering call got louder, more steady. It seemed like no time at all before the response was immediately on the other side of the wall, vibrating her hand with the force of the message.
She stood, backing away, and now she could see the wall shiver, shake, as the blows began to push the individual blocks out from the flat surface. Dust cascaded loose, and she glanced nervously up the stairs. She knew that she and her sister had played loudly in the cellars many times without the servants knowing their location, but attentive soldiers were not absent-minded maids. Would the men in the barracks feel the vibrations?
There was a grinding noise and the center block slid toward her. She rushed forward, putting her arms out, catching the heavy stone with a grunt and carefully lowering it down to the ground.
There was a low call, soft and urgent. “Kay?”
Kay ran to the dark hollow, putting her face against it, desperately trying to see a face within. “Reese?”
A hand came through the opening. Strong. Sturdy. She clung to it, almost crying. She clasped it with both of her own, bringing it to her face and kissing it.
“Kay, it is all right,” came Reese’s voice, comforting from the darkness. “I am here for you.”
Kay’s throat closed up; she could barely speak for the emotion that overwhelmed her. “Reese …” she cried, pressing his hand tightly to her face, to her lips, wishing she could climb through the narrow opening to wrap herself in his arms.
Reese’s hand held her cheek for a moment, then it gently began to draw away. “Kay, you have to let go.”
Kay knew this was true, and yet she found it almost impossibly hard to relinquish her hold, to draw her fingers back. The hand vanished again into the darkness, leaving her alone … alone …
The work began in earnest, and soon the blocks were sliding free in quicker succession. Some were drawn back into the darkness, while the others coming toward her she took with effort and lowered them down. Then the hole was large enough for a man, and Reese was climbing his way through. She was in his arms, was being spun around by him, was being kissed … kissed … She wrapped her arms up his back, pulling him close, melding her body against his with every ounce of her strength.
Finally he drew back, looking down at her with shining eyes. “Keren-happuch, I am so proud of you.”
Kay nearly laughed out loud, and her body shone with her joy. “Only my father calls me that,” she admonished Reese, running her hand through his thick hair, relishing the feeling of his arms strong around her body. “Kay is how you have known me, and Kay I shall be.”
The hole had widened as if by magic, and in a moment Eric was stepping through, sword out, looking around the cellar with a quick eye. His gaze stopped on Kay. “I suppose we cannot convince you to head back down the tunnels, to go to the safety of the camp with your sister?”
Kay’s eyes grew fierce. “What, abandon Serenor when it needs me the most?”
Eric chuckled, glancing at Reese. “I practically had to tie Em to her bed to get her to stay behind,” he admitted.
Reese nodded. “That is why I had Leland come prepared,” he responded.
Leland moved through the opening, carrying a leather tunic and sword. “Did I hear my name being mentioned?”
Kay put her hands above her head, and in a moment she was suited up. When Reese handed her her sword, she stared at it for a long moment.
Her voice was a whisper. “For honor.”
The sword seemed to shine in the torchlight.
Reese gently turned her to face him. “The only reason I am agreeing to this is, if you are out of my sight, I will be obsessed about your safety,” he cautioned, his eyes serious. “I need you to stay right behind me. If I get distracted because I am worried about you -”
Kay nodded. “I will shadow you and stay quiet,” she promised without hesitation.
The room filled with soldiers, and Eric came over to join them. “What is the situation?” he asked Kay, rolling his broad shoulders in preparation.
“They added a grate before the cellar door,” explained Kay, looking between the two men. “However, with Stephen’s skilled help, the lock is now open. The servants are all abed. The barracks are stuffed to the gills with soldiers, most of them asleep, but a few are awake. Only a few can be on the walls, I imagine, as lookouts. It seems they expect the main attack would be in the morning if the mercenaries did not show up.”
“That makes sense,” agreed Eric. “It is what I would have done.”
Reese settled his hand on the hilt of his sword. “Where might we find Jack and Galeron?”
Kay smiled. “They are up on the top floor, isolated and alone.”
Reese’s face drained to white. When he spoke, he voice was wound tight. “They slept in your suite?”
Kay placed a hand against his cheek, reassuring him. “I told them to take the two empty
rooms – my father’s and my sister’s – to keep them as far away from the initial attack as possible. I thought it would help you make progress through the soldiers, to have those two distant and unable to coordinate a defense.”
The color eased back into Reese’s face. “Yes, that will help immensely. Thank you.”
Leland moved up to the group. “We are ready,” he informed the others. “We should get this started.”
Reese turned to Kay again. “I need you by my side,” he stated again, his face tense with concern. “Stay with me.”
“I swear,” she vowed, stretching up to give him a long kiss.
His arm slid up her side, almost drawing her in again, but then he was stepping back, smiling ruefully. “I would lose the night in your embrace,” he groaned, his gaze held on hers. Finally he turned, bringing his attention to Eric and Leland.
“Let us start.”
Kay resettled her grip on her sword, and her heart firmed with determination.
Whatever it took, she would see Serenor freed.
