Askaro of the Falcon

by Lady Li Andre

  Chapter 22 – For Whom the Bells Toll

  The people around them backed up in alarm, creating a clearing. Blin struggled against Bruvano’s hold. “Stop squirming, urchin, or I’ll snap your neck right now.”

  Askaro ignored Fantori and faced the Slave Master. “Let him go!”

  Bruvano sneered. “Not until you let Mister Fantori lock some bracelets on you.”

  “I am an officer of the Falcon, not a slave.”

  Blin withered in Bruvano’s grasp. “You obviously care nothing for this wretched piece of gutter trash.”

  Askaro was in motion without consciously realizing it. His mind had already calculated the distance between him and his target. The pent up frustration and anger charged his muscles. His leap was well-aimed. His feet struck Bruvano in the center of his chest.

  The Slave Master gasped. Marlo grabbed Blin and pulled her away as the large man toppled to the ground. Askaro rolled away. He curled and came back up in a crouch. Bruvano didn’t even try to rise. He laid there groaning.

  The sliding metal alerted Askaro a moment too late. Fantori held the blade to his neck. “I worked too many years to be denied my just rewards.”

  Askaro’s roll had put him in a bad spot. He was backed into a corner with a roof overhang blocking him from above. The blade cut into the skin of his neck. “My grandfather will never allow you to escape.”

  Fantori’s arms bulged. His lips pulled back from his teeth. “You won’t be here to find out.” He pulled the blade back slightly.

  The blur of gray swept the Helmsman off his feet. They slammed into Bruvano, who had been trying to get up, flattening him again. The Seeker ended up on top of both men. Fantori struggled. The Seeker slammed his fist into the Helmsman’s face.

  There was a collective gasp from the surrounding crowd. Askaro looked toward the others. “Is Blin all right?”

  Marlo tipped his thumb upward. “And you?”

  He felt the wetness on his throat and came away with blood in his fingertips. “Well, it’s a little loose but still attached.”

  The Seeker looked up at him. “Your family will be happy to hear that.”

  “How do you know?”

  The Seeker started to answer but was drowned out by the clamor of bells. They seemed to be ringing all over the city. Askaro looked toward the others. Marlo was pointing at the sun. He had a sinking feeling. Time was up.

  “Sorry, I have to go. The Prince is in danger!” He didn’t know if the Seeker heard him or not. He dashed away and joined the others as they bowled through the crowd.

  Zane led the advance, jostling people aside. “Excuse us, sorry, coming through.”

  The bells continued to ring but as they rushed down Garden Street, they moved away from most of them. Marlo held the door of Garden Tower open for them. “Where to, Blin?”

  “Down.” She took the lead. They hurried down the circular stairway. Blin only went down a level before sprinting off down a path that led to a door. She opened it. “This is one of the castle’s gardens.”

  Askaro followed her down the paving stones to the far wall. “Where is the way in?”

  Blin went to a wall of ivy and pulled back the vines to reveal a wooden door. She pulled on the handle. It didn’t budge. “No!” She slammed her back against it and covered her face.

  Zane and Marlo began looking around. Zane concentrated on the wall near the door. “Maybe there’s a hidden latch.”

  Marlo backtracked a short distance and called back. “What about the next level down?”

  Blin looked up. “What next level?”

  They all moved to where Marlo stood, looking down over the stone wall that bordered the garden. “Look. there’s another door on the next level down. It comes out on that pathway. Where does that go?”

  “To the farms.” Blin pointed at the hillside and Askaro realized that animals were grazing there. She bit her lip. “I’ve never been there but it might have a way to connect to the kitchen, too.”

  They went back into the tower and down another level. Blin took the lead again. They ran down the pathway, which wound around a large animal enclosure. Askaro could see several more on different levels higher on the hillside.

  They came to another door. It opened as they approached. Blin gasped and dashed forward, flinging her arms around the man. “Yavin! You’re still alive!”

  The man’s white eyebrows went up. He sputtered as he gently pushed her back far enough to see her face. His mouth opened and he staggered. “Blin? Is that really you?”

  Zane went forward and steadied the old man. “No offense, but we are pressed for time.”

  Blin pulled away. “Right. Yavin, the Prince is in danger. We need to get to the Great Hall quickly.”

  His face wrinkled in confusion. “The Prince? He should be in the Great Hall by now.”

  “Yes! We need to get there, too!”

  He scratched his head. “We’re not allowed in there, you know. You’ll have to use the servant passage.”

  Blin put her hands around his face. “Yavin, this is important. The Prince is in danger. Can you at least get us to the back stairs?”

  His eyes seemed to clear a little. “Oh, the servant stairs? Of course. Follow me.”

  Marlo closed his eyes. “Oh, what a grand rescue party we are. Four lost souls and a half dead fool.”

  Yavin led them through a maze of narrow hallways carved into the stone of the mountain. They smelled strongly of animals and hay. He struggled up stairs, hobbled down more passages, and finally arrived at the base of a wooden stairway.

  Blin looked around. “I know where I am now. Thank you, Yavin.”

  He hugged her. “Tell your mamma I miss seeing her. The two of you should come to tea more often.”

  Blin caught her breath. She patted his arm. “You take care.” Her voice broke. She blinked her eyes and motioned to the stairs.

  No one said anything as they climbed several flights. They emerged at the top. Blin had recovered her composure. “This way.” She started to run.

  She turned down a long plain hallway lit by candles nestled in evenly spaced nooks. As they progressed, Askaro began to hear snatches of music. “I hope that means we’re not too late.”

  The hallway dropped down a set of stairs and ended at a door. Blin turned to them. “This opens out into the hallway that leads to the upper deck of the Great Hall.” She opened the door and peered around the edge. “No one in sight.”

  Askaro blinked to adjust to the brightness. Music mingled with the murmur of voices. “That sounds promising.”

  Blin led them forward. The hallway ended and they emerged onto a broad railed deck that looked down on a sea of people. She pointed into the crowd. “There’s the Prince!”

  To Askaro, all the people in their fine clothing looked the same. A familiar laugh echoed across the room. He grabbed the railing and scanned the crowd. “My grandfather is down there somewhere, too.”

  Zane tapped him on the shoulder. “And there is the chandelier.”

  Askaro gave up his search and looked up. Hanging above the center of the room was a massive round metal structure with elegant curved braces that supported a vast array of candles. He followed the chain that held it upward. “And there is the pulley.”

  Marlo leaned next to him. “It looks like it’s working just fine. Maybe he changed his mind.”

  Askaro looked closer. He moved down the railing. A shadow moved on a narrow platform higher on the wall across from them. He could see a thin line strung between the platform railing and the pulley. “Afraid not. I found him. And I also have an idea of how he’s going to make the pulley fail.”

  The music stopped and a tall man dressed in a white suit with gold accents stepped up onto a raised platform in the center of the room. “Ladies and Gentlemen, fellow citizens of Rokathalon and distinguished guests of the Sky Realm, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you all here tonight.” The crowd applauded.

  Zane motioned for Askaro to rejo
in them. He pointed between the chandelier and the central platform. “It looks to me like that dais is right under the chandelier. I’m guessing the Regent is going to call the Prince to center stage. For his final act.”

  Askaro agreed. Movement at the other end of the room caught his attention. He recognized one of the men. “We have another problem. Scarface is here.”

  “Who?”

  The crowd cheered and applauded. A young man began moving through the crowd toward the platform. Blin gripped the railing. “It’s Lashen! We have to do something!”

  Askaro saw the man emerge from the shadows on the platform. It was Tibs. He turned to the others. “Blin, can you get Zane and Marlo down there fast?”

  “I can.”

  “Zane, you need to stop the hired help from getting into the room. Blin, you and Marlo take care of the Prince.”

  She grabbed his arm. “And you?”

  “I’m going to try to stop Tibs. Now run!”

  Blin directed Zane toward a stairway at the other end of the deck and she and Marlo dashed for another. Askaro started around the deck toward the platform. There must be a way to reach it.

  The Prince was making his way through the crowd slowly, pausing to shake hands. The Regent was smiling, but his cheeks were shaking. A woman with a crown also came forward. She walked up the steps and stop beside the Regent. He bowed and stepped down a level. If the chandelier fell, he would be out of harms way but the lady would be crushed.

  Askaro came to a circular stairway at the corner of the deck but it only went down. He could see Zane at the far end of the room, grappling with Scarface. The Prince was almost to the platform. There was a disturbance in the crowd and he saw Blin and Marlo pushing their way through. Tibs was watching the Regent.

  Askaro gauged the distance between his position and the upper landing. It was about 50 units across and at least 20 units up. There was no other option. He balanced on the railing, aimed for his target, and launched across the space.

  Tibs was focused on what was happening on the dais. He gasped in surprise when Askaro plowed into him. “What are you?”

  Askaro smacked down hard on the man’s hand that held the line. He cried out in pain and released the rope. Askaro looked down. Many eyes had turned upward to see what was going on. Loud banging from the other end of the room made everyone turn away. Zane was preventing the servers from removing whatever he had jammed in the handles of the doors. They shuddered with every boom.

  Blin and Marlo had reached the platform where the Prince now stood with the lady. The Regent’s face twisted into a snarl. He reached behind his back. Askaro saw the gleam of metal. He leaned over the railing. “He’s got a knife!”

  Blin shot forward as the Regent swung for the Prince but Blin’s momentum tackled the boy to the floor. The knife missed its target.

  The Regent swore. “I’ve waited too long for this!” He raised the knife.

  Marlo dashed forward and planted his lute in the man’s face. It shattered. The Regent was knocked backward off the platform and hit the floor. Guests scattered in all directions.

  A boy dressed in colorful clothing appeared at the top of the stairs that led to the landing. A gray shadow followed in his wake. The Seeker called down behind him. “All is well. Have the guards come and retrieve Master Tibs.” he looked back at Askaro and grinned. “Your grandfather told me you were quite amazing. I’m beginning to understand why he feels that way.”

  There was a splintering of wood and the doors burst open. Men poured in. Askaro pointed at them. “They might not be the real guards. A man with a scarred face hired a mob and dressed them up.”

  The Seeker moved to the railing and whistled. A man in a fancy uniform looked up. The Seeker pointed to the new comers. “Check the men for infiltrates.” The man below saluted. The Seeker turned back to him. “Shall we go down by the stairs?”

  Askaro looked back at the platform where the woman was leaning over the Prince. Blin was backing away. The woman was sobbing. “Thank you for saving my son.” She looked up and her eyes widened. “Blin?”

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