Determined not to give him the satisfaction of trembling beneath his grasp, Andaris repressed another shudder.
“Okay now, you sit in that chair on the left and wait. You aren’t permitted to see my face, so don’t turn around.” He gave him a parting kiss on the neck, disgustingly tender, and then pushed him towards the chair. “If you do, I’ll slit ya crotch ta lips. Now, sit quietly. He’ll be with ya soon.”
There was the sound of fast retreating footsteps, the sharp echo of heels striking stone fading into the cavernous surroundings with what seemed like choreographed eeriness. And then only silence.
A single candle stood resolute atop the table, held erect by what appeared to be years of accumulated wax. The light reached only a few feet beyond, leaving the majority of the room to the transfigurations of his imagination. As he waited, the dark crept closer, biding its time, looking for its chance to pounce. Unable to pierce the gloom, Andaris resigned himself to staring moodily at the manic conflagrations of the flame. He felt a growing sense of unease, as if he were a child and this insignificant lick of fire was the only thing keeping the monsters at bay.
And then there was the sound of a door opening. Not the red door. Indeed, this came from somewhere deep within, the screeching of hinges and subsequent footfalls echoing to him on a draft of dank air. The candle flame flickered dangerously, ebbed to near extinction, and then flared back to life, seeming, for a moment, impossibly bright.
“I hear you ‘bout got your throat slit by Grumlie,” said a familiar voice.
Ten seconds ago, he wouldn’t have believed it possible to be comforted by that voice, but after what had almost happened….
“He seemed intent on it,” Andaris agreed, sitting up straighter in his chair. “For a moment there, I thought he was serious.”
Now only a few feet away, Hooknose laughed. “Oh, he was serious all right. In fact, he seemed quite despondent about how things worked out. Seems he thought you were special in some way. He didn’t just want to kill you and eat you. He wanted to play with you first.”
This time Andaris let the shudder come, feeling it from the tips of his toes to the top of his head. “Well, that’s just too bad for him, isn’t it?”
Hooknose passed into Andaris’ periphery, taking a seat in the opposite chair. He smirked. “You should count yourself lucky. As upset as he was, I think it was only his enduring terror of me that stayed his hand.”
Andaris all but gaped, trying to imagine what dire machinations Hooknose must have performed in order to instill such fear, much less terror, in one as besmirched as he. It was no use. This was something his mind was either unable or unwilling to fathom. And it was probably for the best. Certain paths are better left untrod, figuratively and literally, lest they defile your soul evermore.
“So…. You ready to go see your friend?”
Andaris brightened. “Now?”
Hooknose got to his feet. “Despite all, I remain a man of my word. Let no one say otherwise.”
Andaris nodded and stood.
“All right then, follow me. I’ve arranged for that section to be free of guards for the next hour or so. The sooner we go, the more time you’ll have.”
“But how—”
“There are underground tunnels running from here to just about…everywhere. One of them goes to the stockades.”
When Andaris turned to follow, he found that he had to scurry to keep pace with Hooknose’s long, loping stride. The same inky blackness he’d observed upon entering stretched before them, only now, suspended at its center, hung a bright rectangle of light.
Andaris marveled at his benefactor’s silhouetted back, at the blind trust he showed him. Then he felt that old familiar itch between his shoulders that told him they were being watched, and not by just one pair of eyes either. Grumlie’s probably out there, he thought, licking his lips….
After entering the passage, a crudely built affair with dirt walls and stout wooden beams, Hooknose turned right, his steady gait deceptively swift. They took several more turns, all the tunnels looking the same, before coming to a halt before a battered iron door, warded lock beneath a round pull large enough to accommodate two hands.
Hooknose turned to face Andaris. “This is the entrance to the stockades. Once inside, it’ll take only a minute or two to reach Gaven. He’s been notified of our arrival. And let me say, his excitement about seeing you was rivaled only by his concern about your recent entanglement with me. Said you might as well have made a deal with “The Lost One.” Whoever that is. I told him flattery would get him nowhere, and left him to stew in his cell. You should have seen the look on his face, anger, hope, and worry attempting to form into a single expression. It was glorious, especially on one as unflappable as he, as Gaven the Magnanimous. Why, if not for my personal shield and threat of torture, I think he might have actually made a run at me.” Hooknose shook with laughter. “He’s half mine, you know.”
Andaris just stared at him.
“Oh yes, it’s quite true. You see, he was new in town, just as you are, and got into a high stakes card game with me and the fellas down at The Roastin’ Pig. Your friend was pretty deep into his cups, which at the time I thought accounted for his insane pluck.” Hooknose snorted at the memory. “He called me a rat-faced scoundrel, right in front of everyone, and proceeded to bet me the entire pot against his freedom. Well, needless to say…I won.”
Hooknose flashed him a pompous smirk. “I cheated, of course. I’d never play someone as lucky as he without a few extra cards up my sleeve. Gaven was right to be cavalier in betting his freedom. After all, he had a triple diamond high blue. The only thing that beats that, as you may know, is a perfect hand, a quadruple spear high red. Which, oddly enough, is exactly what I had. And, as they say, whoever they are, the rest is history.”
Andaris seriously considered pummeling the man to death with his bare fists. It would almost certainly be a foolhardy move, considering his lack of weapons and Hooknose’s “personal shield.” Like as not, Andaris would be the one to end up dead, which would serve nobody—except maybe Grumlie. Even so, he managed to control himself by only the narrowest of margins.
“Now keep your trap shut!” Hooknose snarled. “And don’t try anything just because there aren’t any guards. I see the gleam in your eyes. I’ve seen it before in men with twice your spine…and I’m still here.
Remember, you and your friend are unarmed. I am not. Moreover, I’ve arranged for a little extra insurance, if you know what I mean. I didn’t ascend to this position by being stupid or careless. You see, it seems Gaven has a sweetie by the name of Alicia—one of the fresh new whores brought in from Bowden last year, nineteen and blooming with innocence—a farm girl just out of school.” Hooknose’s mouth twitched upward as if with harmless mischief. “Truth be told, old as I am, I‘ve gone a few rounds with her myself. Keeps the spirit young, you know.”
So lucky I’m unarmed, Andaris thought with rising revulsion, hand once again straying to the absent hilt.
Hooknose pretended not to notice. “The trouble is,” he went on, “she has a low pain threshold. She can’t last for more than an hour or so before passing out. Didn’t take to the whip as quickly as I’d hoped, either. Her skin is so fair and…easily broken. But no matter. Some have what it takes, and some do not. It’s just the way of things.” He got a far off look in his eyes, first the left and then the right, seeming to peer with nostalgic regret at some tender memory.
“So, anyway. The long and short of it is this: Gaven the Magnanimous and this sweet tart of a girl have developed more than just passing feelings for one another. This is what we in the business call demonstrative leverage. For you see, if anything happens to me, I’ve given orders to have her tortured and killed—slowly.”
Despite all that was at stake, Andaris was beginning to regret ever having gotten involved with such a loathsome creature. His gut had told him true. Perhaps he should have listened. There must have been another way to get
in to talk with Gaven. He could have at least tried.
Seeing his contempt, Hooknose grinned. “Bet you wish you had your magic sword, don’t you, you self-righteous cur?”
Dread rose in Andaris’ throat. He came close to panicking before it occurred to him what was probably happening. Hooknose was just fishing—casting out blindly, hoping to hook something of use. He can’t know, he thought. How could he? Provided, that is, I didn’t just give it away with my reaction. Maybe that was his game all along.
“No doubt you could pierce clean through my personal shield with a sword like that, and succeed where so many have failed. If only it weren’t locked away nice and secure in my vault. You, Andaris Rocaren, could end my wretched existence once and for all. Pity….”
He’s bluffing, he thought. He has nothing. He’s a criminal, a card player, and a cheat. And now he’s trying to play me for the fool. Andaris decided then and there that he wouldn’t let him. Knowing that he was being baited, he swallowed his rage, bitter pill that it was. “Can we just get this over with,” he asked, sounding bored. “I paid you a lot of gold to see my friend, not to listen to you prattle on until the guards return.”
To his surprise, Hooknose smiled, a genuine, full-faced beamer crowded with rotting teeth. “Seems you’re nearly as canny as your friend. Oh well, so be it. Not many catch me, much less call me on it. I applaud you, sir.” He dipped his head to Andaris, and then turned and opened the door.”
Live by the Sword
The cells that lined the hall to the left and right of them did not have bars, windows, or even feeding slots. Consequently, there were no prisoners clamoring for release, shouting insults, or even clanging cups as they passed—no witnesses. There was only the gray hall, their steady footfalls, and the iron doors.
When they reached cell number 612, Hooknose came to a halt and turned around. “This is it,” he told Andaris, pulling a large chain of keys from inside his cloak. After a moment’s fumbling, he handed him one. Hooknose gestured to the door. “It turns to the left. And remember, Gaven is expecting you. Once you have the door open, you alone will go inside while I wait out here with this!”
In a display of great and, from what Andaris had witnessed thus far, uncharacteristic flourish, Hooknose pulled a longsword from the sheath on his belt, a sword that had been, until now, concealed by his cloak.
Andaris gaped, for this was no ordinary sword. Gaven’s captor had apparently not been bluffing, after all. “Endollin?” he asked in a choked whisper.
Hooknose smiled and ran his hand along the length of the blade, defiling that which had become so precious to him. “It’s very pretty, don’t you think? I can see why you covet it so.” Seeing Andaris’ look of astonishment, he gave a contemptuous chuckle. “Just how stupid do you think me? I know everything that goes on in this town. Remember what I said about leverage? I don’t go into any business deal with anybody without first knowing everything there is to know about them. Little things like…magical swords that hold great and everlasting power, the kind which hale from…another place, a place far, far away from here. Oh, don’t look so surprised!” he snapped. “I abhor stupidity. You were so intent on seeing your beloved Gaven that you let yourself be trapped! Did you truly think that I would not check? Did you truly think that a man in my position would not have mages in his employ? They are soul-bound to me, which is how I know they do not lie when they tell me that this sword’s power can likely be harnessed, making me the most feared man in all of Endwood—and perhaps even beyond.”
His eyes shone with a sudden, fanatical light. “The chance for everlasting life they say! Everlasting power! It will be so, and you will show me how, and together we will travel to this other place from whence you came, and see what wonders it has to offer a visionary such as myself.”
“But it’s mine!” Andaris sputtered, sounding like a petulant child. “And it doesn’t hold great power. It doesn’t do anything but babble. And even if it did, this wasn’t the agreement. You can’t do this! A lot’s at stake here! More than you can imagine! You claim to be a man of your word, and yet—”
Hooknose sneered and slashed the sword through the air. “Who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do? Hmm? This sword has no bearing on the agreement we made. You paid me to bring you to talk to your friend. That is exactly what I have done. The theft of your sword and subsequent theft of your person has nothing to do with it. You probably stole it, anyway. How else could a person such as yourself come to possess such a thing?”
Andaris fumed helplessly, mind racing for a solution. Trapped! he thought. I came to rescue him, and now I’m a prisoner, too! What a fool I’ve been.
Time seemed to slow, the air around him becoming viscous and heavy.
What…a…fool….
“You’d better hurry,” Hooknose warned, his patronizing voice now sounding far away. “According to my calculations, we have only fifteen minutes before the guards return.”
Andaris nodded solemnly, resigning himself to the situation with disturbing ease, mind lost in fog. What’s he doing? he thought. And…why?
“Insert the key,” said Hooknose, his tone now strangely soothing. “Everything will be all right.”
Moving as if in a trance, Andaris did as instructed, a burgeoning warmth filling his breast. Gaven, he thought. Good ol’ Gaven. It will be so nice to see him….
“Now turn the key to the left,” came the voice. “Just like I told you.”
To the left, Andaris thought. Just like you told me….
“Hurry!” said the voice.
He tried to obey, but found his hand unable or unwilling to do his bidding.
Not my bidding, warned a distant part of his mind. His bidding!
And just like that, the enchantment broke, everything snapping back into focus like a rubber band that had been stretched too tight.
Must stop him! he thought. Not just Gaven but Mandie and…the world, all the worlds, depend on it! In that moment, Andaris’ chest swelled with sudden, righteous might. He would not allow this dreadful man, this rat of a man, to ruin everything. He would stop him, or die trying!
“Turn the key,” cooed the voice. This time, however, Andaris thought he heard a hint of impatience and…perhaps something else. Fear?
“For Fairhaven!” he cried, whirling about and flinging himself at the man.
The look of surprise on Hooknose’s face was almost comical. But his surprise did not prevent him from defending himself. No, indeed.
Andaris should have been impaled upon the end of his own sword, skewered as neatly as any hog at slaughter. Mrs. Greenswich would have called it delicious irony.
Yet somehow—he would never comprehend the exact physics of it—this is not what happened. He could only surmise that Endollin had managed to wrest control for a moment, just long enough to make Hooknose use the blade on himself, slicing from the top of his head to the bottom of his nose, eyes bright with astonishment. Andaris stood over his dead body for what seemed a long time, attempting to come to terms with this bloody turn of events.
After taking a moment to collect his wits, he leaned down and pulled free his sword, the crunching of bone and suckling of flesh filling his ears. He grimaced, guarding his mind against Endollin as he wiped the blade clean on Hooknose’s trousers and reunited sword with sheath. Once the two were safely back on his hip, where they belonged, he turned and opened the door.
Gaven emerged from the dim confines of the cell and wrapped him in a great bear hug. “I can’t believe you’re actually here! How did you find—”
“I’m glad to see you, too. But there’s no time to explain. We have to get out! The guards will be back any moment!”
Gaven nodded, conflicting emotions blooming high on his cheeks. “Yeah…I figured. But there’s something I have to do first. Alicia will die without me and...and I love her.”
Andaris nodded. “Okay. I understand, but we need to hurry!”
“She’s in cell number 643. That
swine there should have the key.” Gaven grimaced and spat on Hooknose’s twitching corpse. “Rodan knows he used it enough!”
A hasty search of the body yielded not only the key, but also two other items of interest, mere trinkets really, but magical trinkets that might prove of later use—a pair of goggles with round, rose-colored lenses, and a dagger with a faintly glowing sapphire embedded into the base of its hilt.
“I don’t know how you managed it,” Gaven said as they dragged the corpse into the cell. “What with that damned personal shield of his.” They closed and locked the door. “However you did it, I’m in your debt. That man needed killin’ more than anyone I ever met. And as you know, that’s saying a lot.”
Alicia sat cringing in the far corner of her cell as the door began to open, as it scraped against the stone floor, producing a nails-on-chalkboard sound. She knew who it was. The guards always knocked before entering, so it could only be the ugly man with the hooked nose come to hurt her some more.
“Alicia, honey, don’t be afraid. It’s me and…Andaris. The one I told you about. We’re gettin’ out of here!”
Curly blonde hair, blue eyes, and a freckled face, flushed momentarily scarlet, emerged from the filth of the cell, eager smile touching Andaris’ heart. Alicia jumped to her feet, flung her thin arms about Gaven’s thick neck, and began to weep. She was very beautiful. Very young. And very, very much in love.
Gaven untied her arms from behind his neck and set her bare feet to the floor, eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “I know,” he said, voice cracking. “But we have to go. You have to be brave. Once we’re safe, we can be together. Always.”
She nodded, set her jaw, and wiped her face with the back of her hand. “Lead the way, my love. I shall follow wherever you go.”
“Right!” said Andaris. “Now back the way we came! There’s no time to waste!”
The Stair Of Time (Book 2) Page 32
