"Impossible." Malek's voice was full of defeat.
"I've told you that you should move on and try to find someone else."
"And Kaiyer says the same to you." I winced at the bitterness in his voice.
"I will return to my warriors now,” she said flatly.
I crept backward on all fours until I was a safe distance from the tent. Then I stood and walked back to my own dwelling. The night sky was filled with thousands of stars that slowly spun through the emptiness of nothing, watching over us from the distance, removed and above our petty trials and problems. Entas once told me that the stars were suns, with worlds dancing around them. He had also said there was a star for each person, and that they knew each other like we know our own friends and enemies. The relationship between Malek, Shlara, and I was quickly spinning out of control. If I didn't find a solution, it could cause irreparable damage to the army.
I thought about the stars in hopes that a solution would come to me. I tried to remove my own emotions from this situation and look at it objectively, hoping detachment would help.
It didn't.
Chapter 14-Kaiyer
“He’s been asleep for most of the day,” A voice whispered from the other side of the dark room.
“I thought he was dead. The fucking wurm knocked him off of the bridge three days ago. He must have fallen hundreds of feet." It was Greykin’s voice. I fought away the cobwebs of the memory from my mind and smiled. I had advised the duke that Greykin and his men were roaming the castle attempting to rescue Nanos and the queen. He sent servants to find them and it appeared that they had been successful.
“Did he tell you about Jessmei?” I recognized it as Nadea’s father’s voice.
“Let’s go into the other room.” Footsteps lightly tread across the tile floor and wool rug. A thick door opened from the other side of the room, more footsteps, and then the door closed. They continued their conversation, it carried through the stone wall and door to my sensitive ears. It was the dead of night and the castle slept like a drunken man who had almost died in a bar fight.
“He said she was in Merrium, a tiny cattle village to the north. He halted her kidnappers and rescued her. Did he tell you the same?” the duke said.
“Aye. I sent a scout there to investigate, but he won’t report back for a week at the earliest.” Greykin’s voice sounded deep and rumbled like an earthquake, even when he whispered.
“Was that wise? What if the man is caught and gives up information?”
“It was the best I could do. I have no reason to doubt Kaiyer, but the story seemed impossible. They were on horseback and he ran after them on foot.”
“He also killed three Ancients barehanded, was tossed fifty yards by an explosion of fire, and caused the empress to adjust her plans just to have him eliminated. My daughter thought he was the O’Baarni, and I need little more proof.” I opened my eyes at the duke’s words and stopped myself from sighing. Saving Jessmei meant I let everything else fall apart.
“The princess is practically my own child. I had to know for sure. How about here? Have you found out anything? Is Nadea alive?” Greykin asked with unmasked concern.
“I have discovered nothing.” The duke’s voice was flat and empty.
“No body? Surely someone would have seen her be killed or dragged into the funeral mound.”
“No one saw her after the last meeting.”
“I guarded her, Paug, Nanos, and the king to the Royal Safe Room. Five of the Losher bastards caught up and I held them off while the rest of them fled. We were only a few hundred feet from the combination door.” The Old Bear’s voice was spiced with remorse and failure.
“Nanos is under constant Losher and Ancient guard. I have contemplated slipping him a note or communicating with him.”
“How did you avoid the Losher attack?” Greykin said to change the subject. My ears perked up since the duke had declined to answer this question when I had asked him earlier in the day.
“It isn’t that exceptional of a story: I killed a few when they attacked, but they seemed to be almost everywhere at once. It was definitely the work of a mole; they knew intimate details of the castle. I tried to retreat to our main meeting room, but the way had been blocked. I rallied a few dozen soldiers with Maerc, but it was clear that we would be overrun. We fell back to the perimeter of the garden and we were separated. I then ran into the castle to escape a trio of Losher guards that realized I was someone of importance.” The duke paused as another pair of footsteps entered the room.
“We just received a late dinner request from the princ--er, King Nanos. He is alone in the study. You asked me to report to you when he wasn’t under guard.” It sounded like a young boy.
“Excellent. Thank you,” Beltor said with relief. The footsteps retreated out the same door before Nadea’s father continued.
“This is perfect. I need to have this letter delivered.” I heard a pair of lightly-shod feet take a few steps, and then a drawer opened.
“What does it say?” Greykin asked.
“It asks Nanos to meet an ‘Esteemed Friend’ at the southwestern terrace. There is a concealed spot nearby where I can observe him. I’ll place another letter there asking him where Nadea is. I will then be able to observe how he reacts to the letter and see if he is being followed.” The duke’s voice picked up tempo, it was clear he was nervous.
“Aren’t you afraid of being found out now? You are in the den of the enemy here!” Greykin’s voice grew a bit loud and the duke hushed him.
“No. Only a few of the servants ever saw me. And they can only identify someone with long fine hair, no beard, wearing robes and a crown. The quartermaster knows that I am here. He assigned me to this management position and the other servants just follow my orders because I understand how to run the house. Of course, I’d be a fool to think that some of the older servants don’t know who I am, but I believe that they respect me enough not to give me away.”
“So you have command of the place?” Greykin said in disbelief.
“Yes. In a limited fashion. The Ancients and Losher soldiers would never believe that I was here.”
I realized that I would not fall back asleep, so I leveraged my thin body out of the makeshift cot the duke had dragged into the storage room for me. I performed a long stretch of my back, legs, and hamstrings while the two men continued to speak on the other side of the wall.
“Methinks that we might be better off rescuing Nanos and the queen as soon as possible and retreating to Brilla. I understand your search for Nadea, but should the letter to Nanos include a rough plan to extract them?” Greykin’s voice dipped to a low whisper and I had to struggle to hear him over my stretching.
“I am worried about the situation in the castle if the prince is removed. He is obviously a puppet here, but I wonder if the Loshers would create more disturbances in the city if he was not around to negotiate with the Ancients.”
Greykin grunted in agreement and they were both silent for a few moments. I took this opportunity to enter.
“Glad to see ya, Skinny!” Greykin said with a huge smile. He got up from the stool and embraced me warmly. “I thought the wurm had killed you good.”
“I’m pretty hard to kill.” I grinned and pried myself from the big man’s embrace. His display of emotion caught me off guard. Sudden memories of Thayer, Gorbanni, Malek, Alexia, and Shlara hit my chest like a punch to the short ribs.
“Greykin told me of your fall off the bridge, but you left it out of the story you told me yesterday. What happened?” the duke inquired. The man had an impeccable memory and I had skipped over various parts of how the Old Bear and his men had separated from me.
“It wasn’t really worth mentioning.” I looked at them both and shrugged. “There was another stairway wrapping around the column adjacent to the bridge. I only fell a short way and was able to grab onto the rocks. My swords were lost in the confusion,” I said as I motioned toward the empty leather belt on my w
aist. I had tossed the sheaths in the other room; they were rather useless without the blades.
Greykin looked at the duke and back to me.
"That was three days ago, Skinny." He frowned.
"Perhaps I got lost." I shrugged and forced a smile. I must have been unconscious for longer than I guessed.
“Did you hear any of our conversation?” Beltor asked with an eyebrow raised. He suspected that I did, so I nodded and smiled.
“I need to get information about Nadea. I’ll slip the note to Nanos and then we can wait for him to read it. You both shall come with me.” The duke was used to being in charge and he phrased the request in a way that made it seem as though it was not an order, though it was. The technique was familiar, and I found myself nodding in tandem with Greykin.
“How will you deliver the message to Nanos?” I said with concern. I didn’t want a servant to be captured and have an Elven trace the job back to Beltor.
“We’ll send food to him and have the note concealed with the napkin that wraps the flatware. It isn’t perfect, but I believe he will see it and come tonight.” The duke looked back to the door. It was the only exit out of his office. “I’ll get the request going. You both wait here for a few minutes.” The Old Bear and I nodded again and Beltor rushed out of the room. His drab servant clothing did nothing to mask his authority.
“Where are Danor and the rest of your men?” I asked Greykin
“There are hidden in some empty servant’s quarters. They are foaming at the mouth to get the prince out, but they will have to wait.”
“I missed the story of how the duke alerted you to his presence.”
“We killed a few guards in the dungeon and took their clothes,” the Old Bear began.
“I saw their corpses,” I said, remembering the cell concealed in darkness and stacked with dead men.
“Shit. I thought we hid them well.”
“You did. I got distracted and found them. I doubt they will be found for many more days.” Greykin sighed in relief.
“We made it to the Royal Quarters and managed to base ourselves in Jessmei’s old room. It was close enough to Nanos and the queen’s for us to plan a rescue.” He looked at me to confirm that I understood him and I nodded.
“I just remembered that you only recently learned to speak our language. You sound like a native now. Paug did a good job teaching you.” He frowned as he recalled our young friend. Then his face grew dark and angry. "These assholes will pay. I'll kill all of them."
"What happened in the Royal Quarters?" I said to quickly change the subject. The big man's jaw looked set with muscle.
"One of the servants found us in the room. We almost killed the poor guy before he could say that Beltor knew we were there."
"We'll get Nanos and his mother out of the castle. Then we can figure out what to do about the Losher army," I said with my best smile in hopes that it would reassure him.
"Of course we will!" His face transformed into the boisterous canvas I was used to seeing. "There is nothing that I can't do. It also helps to have a good sidekick like you to help!" He let out a small chuckle and punched me lightly in the shoulder. He seemed to wince more than I did with the movement and I remembered his injury.
"Are you all right?"
"Yeah. They had fresh bandages and one of the medics tended to me. He said I should stay in bed for the next few weeks, but that isn't going to happen." He rotated his arms like he was swimming with his ham-sized fists and smiled at me to show that he was healthy. It didn't convince me, but I realized that there was nothing to do about it. The big man would rather die than sit around and wait for someone else to save Nanos and the queen.
The duke entered the office again carrying servant’s livery.
"It will be carried out soon. Change into these clothes in case the Losher soldiers see us. Greykin, you'll have to leave your axe behind, just bring some daggers." The big man grunted and then accepted the stack of garments from the duke before Beltor handed me the remaining bundle.
"We need to get more stew in you," Nadea's father said with concern when I removed my threadbare clothes and began to put on the servant attire. I glanced down and noticed that I did look thinner than normal. My ribs were so exposed that it looked as if I might be able to wrap my hand around one. I could also see the network of veins and arteries easily beneath the crisscrossed scars that layered my chest like a fishing net.
"I ate almost a whole pot of stew before I slept, so I should be fine."
"Aye. You probably need three more. I'll get you fed when we get back." Greykin and I finished putting on our clothes and then we quietly followed the duke out of his office into the dark hallways of Nia's castle.
We didn't speak for the ten minutes it took to weave our way through the dead halls of the castle to our destination. I remembered exploring these corridors at night back when I was a guest of Nadea's. Even though there had been very few people out in the late hours, the halls were still well-lit and the occasional servant dashed across the thick rugs. Now the hallways were lit by a few scarcely placed torches that accented the blackness of the night. We didn't need to worry about what we wore; the few guards we passed were Nia’s, and seemed more interested in playing dice in a corner than paying attention to our wandering.
"Do you think my clothes and swords would still be in my room?" I asked the duke in a whisper. I fondly recalled the quality garments that the king's tailor had made for me along with the pair of long swords and assortment of daggers I had taken from the Vanlourn soldiers. The swords were not as nice as those I took from the Elvens who tried to kill me the night Jessmei had been kidnapped, but the blades were better than my fists.
"You can look later. Most of the castle was ransacked by the Loshers, but the Ancients quarantined the East Wing, so it is possible they are still there." The duke chuckled. "I remember you being rather skilled at sneaking in and out of your room and various private meeting sessions."
"Let's take care of the prince first, Skinny, and then I'll find swords for you." Greykin patted me on the shoulder.
"Here is the exit to the side courtyard, we are going to dash across to the garden. It overlooks the spot where Nanos will read the letter. He should be there with in half of an hour if all goes as planned." The Old Bear grunted and we got ready to dart out the thick oaken door. Nadea's father carefully opened it, glanced outside into the dark night, and then pushed out into the coldness.
It was deep winter, but Nia was south enough to never get below the point where water would freeze. Still, the wind cut through my thin garment as if I were naked. My body was still heated from my day-long slumber and the large pot of stew I had eaten earlier, so the cold didn't really bother me. Instead, I felt invigorated and decided not to use any magic to keep me warm.
We kept our heads down and followed the duke to an abandoned garden. The trees had shed their leaves and without their raiment they glared down upon us like twisted brown skeletons. The sound of their branches smacking together in the wind reminded me of bones being cracked open. The garden once had a stream that ran around its circumference, but it had been drained and dug up, the lack of water further made me feel as though this was a forgotten part of the castle.
In the middle of the grove was a small tower that rose above the dilapidated garden like a warrior over his fallen opponent. It was constructed of red brick coated in a white, crumbling plaster. The duke produced a key from his pocket, unlocked the door, and we followed him into the turret.
"Maerc, my brother, and I used to play around this tower and in the garden all the time. I know the castle better than most; I can get from one side to the other without being seen. The top floor has a series of arrow ports. We can watch Nanos and observe his reaction to the message," the duke explained as we climbed the spiral staircase. Greykin and Beltor had their hand against the wall to help guide their way up the steps, but I could see well enough to know that the dust-coated stairs would comfortably carry our we
ight. The inside of the turret was thirty feet in diameter and it was empty except for the staircase on the wall, a stack of shovels, a broken wheelbarrow, and the wooden planks that separated the floors.
"We can view the spot from these two slits." The duke indicated twin arrow embrasures with thin rays of moonlight pouring through them. I moved over to the right opening and saw the stone walkway next to the battlements. It was a little over one hundred and twenty yards away, past the dead trees.
"Will anyone suspect we are concealed here?" I asked without trying to sound too concerned. I only saw one way into this small tower and didn't like the idea of trying to escape it if we were caught.
"No. As I said earlier, no one knows this place as I do. Even if they guess we are here, there is a door on the ground that leads to the dungeons under the castle. I am fearful of going down there after what you and Greykin have told me, but it may be a good escape route if we are forced."
The three of us fell into silence, lost in our own thoughts and distracted by the view through the small, slotted windows. The Old Bear and the duke shared the one to my left. After ten minutes of peering through it, the big man began to pace around the tower room. He said nothing, but I could hear that his breathing had become more ragged and he shivered slightly. His injury must have started to flare up again. I stopped myself from asking about it, knowing he wouldn't admit to any weakness in front of me or his liege.
"The prince approaches!" the duke whispered urgently, pulling Greykin back to the window and my attention toward the row of torches.
Nanos and a Nia guard walked cautiously along the stone path toward the bench. Nanos was dressed in a regal fur coat trimmed in dark gray, with purple at the cuffs and neck. He grasped the sword at his belt tightly and his handsome face was etched with worry. The guard seemed a little less nervous, but he pointed to our tower and said something to the prince. The young man shook his head.
"Ha! This tower hasn't been used in years. The lad thinks no one would watch him from it." Beltor's voice rang with victory that I felt was premature.
The Destroyer Book 2 Page 19
