I glanced up from my carving and saw four royal guards, headed by a woman of rank, marching down the lane. They looked like they were heading straight for our booths. Was this it? Had we been found out? Had someone betrayed us? Should I jump up, run back, and try to warn the Princess? I had to still my hands for fear I would cut myself and needed to settle myself down, should the group heading towards us actually be making a beeline to my booth. I wanted to look calm, as if nothing were amiss. I could not even alert Master Clarisse. She had left to go into town for some supplies shortly after I had come back from letting the Princess know she was now a few coins richer. There was some irony in that, which almost made me chuckle. We could all be in serious trouble, but the Princess had earned a living wage for one day in her short life.
The hope that the small troop of royal guards would march on by was soon shattered when the woman of rank halted her group right smack in front of my booth. A number of thoughts flashed through my head at that moment. Was I about to be arrested? If I were arrested, would Da ever know what happened to me? Would they arrest just me, or were my friends in jeopardy also? What would happen to Carz?
I glanced up as the ranking royal guard stepped up to my booth with four royal guards behind her. Shyla had gone quite still beside me. Folks stopped haggling with Trader Jalcones, and our lane became unnaturally quiet. A small crowd began to gather.
“Go about your business, folks. There is nothing here to interest you,” the ranking royal guardswoman directed, and the four royal guards with her faced outward and stepped menacingly towards the crowd, which dispersed faster than it had formed. The royal guardswoman of rank leaned forward, looked directly at me, and said, “I have been trying to locate you since the Snoddleton fair, and a fair chase you have led me. I have you now.”
It was well past the time that all of the travelers staying at the inn had retired, and the night was quiet except for the whippoorwills who were calling back and forth. Something had awakened Master Rollag, but he did not think it was the calls of the birds. He lay listening, but except for the occasional creaks and groans of the building settling, he could detect nothing that would have awakened him. Just as he was about to turn over and punch the hard pillow down to make it more comfortable, he heard a very soft knock at his door. Grabbing his short knife out from under his pillow, Master Rollag silently rolled off his bed and went to the door, easing back the lock and stepping back. The door opened a crack and the innkeeper eased himself into the room.
“You need to grab your possessions and get out of here now. Take the backstairs down to the stables. I’ve had my lad saddle your horse. Someone is waiting for you in the stables and will explain. Hurry, there is no time.”
Master Rollag grabbed his saddle bags and his cloak. He had not unpacked, in case he had to leave in a hurry, and was glad he had not. Moving surprisingly quietly for such a big man, Master Rollag quickly moved down the hall and down the backstairs to the door that led outside. He cautiously opened the back door and peered out, but could detect no movement nor see anyone lurking between the tavern and the stables. He swiftly crossed the short distance to the stable entrance and stopped just to the side of the door. When he looked in he could see the innkeeper’s lad holding the reins of two horses whispering to the cloaked figure who was standing next to him. Master Rollag eased himself around the edge of the door and walked into the stable, fully alert, and approached the two.
“Rollies, good to see you old friend.”
“Lady Celik?”
Thorval was torn. Down that alley was someone he knew about to be robbed, or beaten, or killed, or all three. Thorval’s mission was of utmost importance, and nothing should get in the way of it, not even the life of someone he knew. He should just move on, but if he did that he would be as bad as the ones he was trying to stop. He would just be another man who had a total disregard for human life, who did whatever it took to get the job done.
Sideling up against the wall of the building at the opening of the alley, Thorval edged his head around the corner to assess the situation. In the dim light from the street lamp, he could see two men towering over a third. He glanced right and left down the alley, trying to see if there was anything he could use to his advantage near the alley entrance. Thorval spotted a stack of broken tables and chairs, no doubt left over from a brawl in one of the pubs. Several of the table legs might do. Moving as quietly as he could, not wanting to lose the element of surprise, Thorval moved into the shadows of the alley towards the pile of broken furniture and picked up two long heavy pieces of wood. Once he had them in hand, he spun, raced down the alley, and smacked each of the assailants on the head. One went down instantly, but the other had turned at the last moment and had only taken a glancing blow.
Oh, great, Thorval thought to himself. Why could not the bigger of the two have dropped? This man outweighs me by quite a few pounds and is far younger. I could be in trouble here. Thorval began to back up to put some distance between himself and the bigger man. He was beginning to question whether this rushing to the rescue had been such a good idea, when suddenly there was a loud thunk, and the big man fell straight towards Thorval, missing him by inches. Standing behind the downed man was the long trawler Johan, holding the table leg Thorval did not even remember dropping after hitting the first man. Johan took one step towards Thorval and then had to lean on the table leg to keep himself upright.
“If’n it’s me coin ye be after, ye’ll have to get it back from yer friends here but not without a fight,” Johan growled.
“I’m not after your coin, old friend,” Thorval replied.
“Tho . . .”
“Sh-h-h. No names. It would be best if you retrieve what belongs to you and we get out of here before these two wake up.”
Johan gingerly eased himself down, quickly searched the pockets and capes of the two downed men, and reclaimed his coin pouch. He also relieved the two of other pouches and items. When Thorval looked questioningly at him, Johan just shrugged and suggested it was payment for his injuries.
“I admit I be feelin’ a bit poorly at the moment and sailin’ me boat solo with a broken arm ’twill be wee bit difficult,” Johan said with a grimace.
“It would seem I’m a fair sailor and in need of a boat. How far is it to yours, and can you make it?”
Shueller hardly felt anything when he hit the floor, having been tossed back in his cell. He did not know how much longer he was going to be able to hold out. His captors had had to back off because he was so weak, and he had not held on to consciousness long enough for them to take a second go at questioning him this time. Shueller unfortunately knew that they would be back, and soon. As he swam in and out of the darkness that seemed to be reluctant to let go, Shueller thought he heard the scratching noises again, and the bad odor was getting worse. He drifted off again, and when he came to it was quiet, so quiet he was afraid he had lost his hearing. Shueller moved his head slightly, heard a low moan, and worried that someone or something in terrible pain was in this dark pit with him, only to finally realize in his foggy mind that the moan was coming from him.
Suddenly the door swung open, and the light from the open doorway blinded Shueller. He heard voices but could not make them out clearly. It seemed two or more folks were arguing, and then he heard a thunk and something heavy falling. Someone came in and lifted him up, and he slipped back into the welcoming darkness once again.
“There is no time for idle chatter, we must leave immediately. My ‘guests’ back at the manor will wake in a little over four to six hours, and we need to be as far away from here as possible by the time they discover I am missing. Mount up Rollies,” Lady Celik ordered.
Since Lady Celik was never one to be argued with, at least if you expected to win, Master Rollag did as he was told and swung into the saddle.
“We are going to quietly walk our horses away from this inn, and when we have gone several hundred yards down the road, we are going to ride as fast as we safely can.” Seeing the questions in Master Rollag’s eyes, she said, “I will answer your questions as soon as possible.”
Once away from the tavern and the small village that surrounded it, the two urged their horses into a cautious trot, torn between covering as much ground as possible and injuring either riders or horses. Just as the sky was beginning to lighten, Master Rollag signaled Lady Celik that they needed to halt soon.
“While my horse has a lot of run left in him, I need to give him a chance to rest. We have traveled long and hard to come this far from Springwell-over-Hill,” Master Rollag suggested.
“See the start of the tall hill ahead?” Lady Celik inquired. “We will pull off the road there, and then seek a sheltered place to rest for awhile, but not for long.”
It was not long before they reached the bottom of the hill and veered off the road onto a narrow path. About a quarter of an hour later, they pulled to a halt next to a small spring. Thorval walked his horse to cool him down and then allowed him to drink.
“I had wanted to make contact with you, but I did not think it would be quite in this manner,” Master Rollag said. “Do you think it is wise to slip the confines of your house arrest?”
“Everything is going to come to a head very shortly. The Princess is going to come of age in less than two weeks. Rumors are running rampant as to why she did not show at Springwell-over-Hill. Some say she is dead. Some say she is ill or insane. Some say she is back in the capitol and just resting up before she takes on her duties and becomes the new Queen. The Regent is either going to have to produce her or is going to have to make a move to take control overtly. Some information has gotten through to me while I have been exiled from the capitol and confined to my own lands, but not enough. The one worrisome message that has gotten through is about Shueller.”
“What about Shueller?” Master Rollag asked, with a great deal of worry in his voice.
“He has been detained by the Raven.”
“When? Where?”
“The morning before the opening of the Springwell-over-Hill fair. The Günnary, who had been sent to make sure he had safe passage to the fair, saw him taken but could do little to prevent it. The Raven and his men swooped down on Shueller, grabbed him off his homewagon, and rode off. One of the Günnary scouts rescued the homewagon and took it to a safe place. The other two tracked the Raven and his band to Waldron Keep, which as you know is built on a rocky knoll. Even the Günnary with all of their mining skills would not be able to penetrate the bowels of Waldron Keep in less than a month or two. I fear for his life and can only hope he can hold out just a little while longer.”
“This is very bad news, but not just for Shueller. You need to know that the Princess was alive and well at the end of the Snoddleton fair. Shueller helped Thorval and I sneak her out of the fair, and hopefully to safety. He knows where she went, and who has her. Do you have a plan?”
“With a little help, I think I can make it to me boat. It’s moored in the harbor, but me rowboat is pulled up on the beach just beyond the docks,” Johan told Thorval.
“Catch your breath. I’m going to truss these two up with strips torn from their cloaks and hide them behind those crates over there. When we leave the alley, throw your arm over my shoulder and start singing the most ridiculous sea shanties you know. We’ll play the drunken sailors until we’re clear of this section of the docks,” Thorval said.
Thorval then began to rip strips off the first man’s cloak, gag him, and tie him up. After dragging both of the downed men into the shadows behind a pile of stacked crates, he and Johan staggered their way towards the bay, singing at the top of their lungs. No one bothered them.
Once they made it to Johan’s rowboat, Thorval rowed the two of them out to Johan’s boat, the Mowenna, and with some effort, got both of them aboard. Thorval secured the rowboat to the back of the Mowenna and went into the main cabin to settle Johan and prepare to set Johan’s broken arm.
“Before I set your arm and you faint dead away on me, we need to settle a few things,” Thorval said.
“Like what?”
“I am being sought after by the Regent and there is a price on my head, so after I set your arm, if you want me off your boat, I will understand,” said Thorval.
“Well, I be thinkin’,” Johan said slowly and deliberately, “that since I would most likely be fish food right now had you not come along, that I owe you. Ye be welcome on my boat. Ye said ye needed one. Where do ye want to go?”
“To the Shadow Islands.”
Johan shuddered. “Ye might as well be takin’ me back to that alley. I’d be havin’ a better chance for survival there.”