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It was too late at night to pay a visit to Prince Manus so they decided to spend the time devising a plan. Utel and the Bard told them all they knew of the inn where the Prince was staying, then bid everyone a good night. Ria, complaining of a headache, departed not long afterwards. Sam volunteered to accompany her, but Ria insisted that she just needed somewhere quiet to lie down for a while and said that Sam should remain where she was while discussions were still ongoing. Tor watched her suspiciously as she left the room, closing the door firmly behind her, but said nothing.
Drugging Manus and stealing the seal seemed the best option available to them, so the only argument was over who should do it. According to Utel, he was always surrounded by friends, associates and other people who would fawn over him. The only time he was alone, and therefore vulnerable, was when he dragged an unfortunate young girl up to his room. Utel had emphasised the word ‘young’. Though he made advances towards slightly older women, his preference was for early teens.
“I can do this,” Quartilla insisted. “Not only am I the perfect age, but I am the only one of the group he does not know.”
“No,” Nosmas said. “We have already discussed this. It is too dangerous for you. When you left your father’s estate, you agreed that I was to be your guardian. That means I get to dictate what you do and what you do not do.”
“Can you reason with him?” she asked Tor.
“How quickly will the drug take effect?” he asked the wizard. He was not happy about putting Quartilla at risk but, as it was the only viable option, he wanted to explore it further.
“It will be instantaneous, more or less,” he replied. “But that is irrelevant. She is not doing it.”
“I could say I am nervous and need a drink,” Quartilla suggested, pretending Nosmas had not spoken. “I cannot see him letting me drink alone. I will slip it into his cup when he is not looking. I will not have to be alone with him for very long.”
“You will not be alone with him at all,” Nosmas insisted.
“What if he does not have the royal seal on him,” Sam asked, ignoring Nosmas.
“We need to make sure he does before we let Quartilla go off with him,” Tor replied. “Any suggestions as to how we can accomplish that?”
“Is nobody listening to me?” Nosmas asked angrily. “She is not doing it. I will not allow it.”
“Yes, we heard you. I just think we need to know the full scenario before we rule it out.”
Nosmas’s reply was interrupted by Patrick walking into the room without knocking. He closed the door and collapsed into a chair. “You are back early,” Tor said sarcastically. “What happened? Did she turn you down?”
“Of course not,” Patrick snapped, insulted by the comment. “I just could not do it.”
“Do what exactly?” Sam asked. Patrick’s tone had her worried. Something was seriously bothering him.
“Seduce her.” He stood up and began pacing the room. “I managed to get her alone and started talking to her, giving her the smouldering looks that always work so well. I knew I had her hooked. She was practically drooling when I suggested we have a nightcap up in her room.” Sam looked at him with disgust, but he didn’t notice. “I moved in to kiss her, but images of Ellen flashed into my head. All I could think about was how disappointed she would be with me.” When he looked at Sam, his face was stricken. “What is wrong with me?”
“Maybe you are growing up at last,” she suggested.
Tor looked at his friend with concern. “Perhaps we should call it a night. We can continue this tomorrow.” He glanced out of the window. “Or should I say, later today. We appear to have been talking longer than I thought.” He shot a quick look at Nosmas. “Hopefully everyone will have their tempers under control by then.”
“Good idea,” the wizard responded. “Quartilla and I need to have a little talk.” She did not look happy as he escorted her from the room towards the one they were sharing.
“I had better check on Ria,” Sam said, taking Hawk’s arm and pulling him with her. Tor smiled gratefully. He wanted to talk to Patrick alone, but did not want to make it obvious by asking everyone to leave.
“Stop looking so sorry for yourself,” Tor said as soon as Sam had closed the door. “You have admitted that you loved Ellen. You still do. It is not something you can get over easily. Did you really think her death would have no long term effects on you?”
Patrick grimaced. “To be honest, I never really thought about it.”
“Then it is about time you started.”
The two men talked until dawn. Well, Patrick talked, Tor listened. By the time the first rays of sunlight entered the room, Patrick had accepted the fact that Ellen had changed him. He could no longer see women as objects to be used in any way he saw fit and he vowed never to do so again. Tor was not convinced it was a vow he would be able to keep, but at least it was a step in the right direction.
––––––––
Ria glanced out of the window at the moon. The night had started off clear, but clouds were beginning to form and would soon block out a lot of the moonlight. With one final look at the street below her to make sure it was still empty, she jumped, landing neatly onto the roof of the building opposite.
On her first visit to Kavern she had noticed how close together the buildings were and how easy it would be to travel via rooftop instead of road. Looking down before each leap, to check nobody was watching, she managed to get halfway through the city before she saw anyone. She was just about to jump from a bakery to the inn next door when she heard a commotion below her. Peering down, she could make out the shape of a number of young men surrounding a boy. She had no idea what was happening, but things did not look good for the youngster. One of the men held him while another punched him in the stomach. The boy double over and, when he was allowed to drop to the ground, a number of feet started kicking him.
Ria lowered herself silently to the ground behind them. “Having fun boys?” she asked, grabbing their attention. They swung round, one with his foot still in mid-air. There were five of them, all taller than she was.
“Beat it,” one sneered at her before turning his attention back to the cowering boy.
“I am sure I can provide you with more entertainment than this poor wretch.” She smiled at them. Anyone who knew her would be running away as soon as they caught sight of that smile. These men were strangers and other ideas ran through their minds. One was still leering at her when her foot connected with his groin.
It was a short fight and by the end of it five young men were unconscious on the ground while Ria had barely broken out in a sweat. She walked up to the boy, who was shaking with fear, and helped him to his feet. He looked battered and bruised, but nothing appeared to be broken.
“You should get out of here,” he whispered. “Those were Bad Willie’s boys and he will not be happy when he hears about this.”
Ria took great pleasure in telling the boy what she thought of Bad Willie. “Do you know the way to the palace?” she asked casually. The boy nodded his head uncertainly. “Good,” she said. “How does this sound? I will escort you back to your home. If Bad Willie or any of his friends turn up on the way, I can take care of them. In return, you can tell me all you know about the palace.”
By the time the boy was safely ensconced with his mother, Ria had learned all she needed to know to carry out her plan. Returning to the roof tops once more, she soon located the palace and the window she wanted. First checking for guards, she jumped across to the palace roof. The gap was much greater than any she had traversed that night, but she still reached it easily, without making a sound. She lay flat on her stomach and looked down. The window she wanted was one floor below, so reaching it would not be easy. Although the walls would be filled with small cracks and crevices that she would be able to use as foot and hand holds, the cloud cover that had hidden her movements across the roof tops now acted against her; it was too dark for her to see them. She would have to rely on her sense of touch alone.
Her progress was painfully slow, but eventually she reached the window she was aiming for and thanked her lucky stars that it was open. She eased her way in and sat on the edge, examining the room closely. A lamp was lit beside the bed so she had no trouble making out the form of a sleeping boy.
“So you are Prince Jamie,” she said, slightly louder than she intended. The boy was a very light sleeper and the noise woke him. He sat up quickly, looking at her in surprise
“I am not here to hurt you,” Ria said gently, hoping not to frighten the boy. He looked young, no more than seven or eight; a lot younger than she had been expecting.
“How did you get in?” he asked, showing no sign of fear.
“Through the window,” Ria replied, nimbly jumping onto the floor.
“But we are on the third floor,” he exclaimed in awe.
“I am a good climber,” she said modestly. “You do not seem too concerned that I have broken into your room,” she observed.
The young boy shrugged his shoulders. “I am perfectly safe,” he informed her confidently. “All I have to do is pull on that bell and my room will be filled with soldiers.” He pointed to a rope hanging close to his bed. Ria did a quick mental calculation and was sure that she would be able to kill the Prince before his hands could reach it, but decided it was better not to mention this.
“Besides,” he continued, “why would anyone want to harm me?”
Ria stared at the boy. He genuinely believed his life could never be in any danger. “There are a few things you need to know,” she said, then told him all about his father’s ban on magic and the punishment for those accused of using it.
Jamie was horrified. “My father would not allow that to happen,” he insisted. “He is a good man. His people love him and he, in turn, treats them well. You must be mistaken. He cannot know that his guards are doing these dreadful things in his name.”
Ria was filled with sympathy as she continued. “I came here tonight to talk to you. I intend to kill your father for what he did to a dear friend of mine and I could not bear the thought of leaving you fatherless without knowing why.”
Jamie swallowed and glanced towards the bell rope, but made no attempt to reach for it. “Go on,” he instructed. For such a young child, his behaviour was surprisingly mature.
Ria did as instructed, telling him all she knew about Ellen’s attempt, and failure, to save his life without using magic. She explained how the King had given permission for magic to be used, then, once he knew that his son had been saved, ordered his personal guards to kill Ellen for breaking the law.
Jamie was stony faced by the time she stopped talking. “What happened to the witch?” he asked, stroking the scar on his arm left by the wound Ellen had healed. “The fact that you are here to avenge her suggests that the guards killed her.”
“Not exactly.” Ria told him everything, from Hawk’s account of rescuing Ellen, to her death, resurrection as a vampire and eventual destruction when touched by sunlight. “She died in excruciating agony.”
Jamie had gone pale. “I do not know what to say,” he eventually stammered. “I was expecting you to talk about what you think had happened, not to give an account of what actually did, as seen by those present. I need to think about this.”
“I am sorry if I have upset you,” Ria said with genuine concern for the young Prince.
“Do you have to kill my father tonight?” he asked, taking Ria by surprise with the question. “I would like to speak with others about this. I need to know that you are telling me the truth before you make me an orphan.”
Ria hesitated. He sounded sincere, but there was no way for her to know if all he wanted to do was warn his father. If she did not go ahead with the assassination tonight, she might not get another chance. Jamie was looking at her with pleading eyes. “Alright,” she said, against her better judgement. “I will be back tomorrow.” She knew she should not have said that. There could easily be guards waiting for her upon her return, but it was too late to take the words back. She contemplated killing the King that night anyway, but could not bring herself to go back on her word.
“Thank you,” Prince Jamie said solemnly as he watched her climb out of the window.
––––––––
“And where have you been?” Hawk’s voice sounded behind Ria as she made her way down a dark alley, making her gasp in fright.
“Oh, it is only you,” she said as Hawk stepped out of the shadows. “You had me scared for a moment.”
“Good,” he replied evenly. “You should not be walking the streets at night alone. It is not safe.”
“For who?”
Hawk sighed. “Do I really want to know what you have been doing?”
“Probably not,” she replied, absent-mindedly playing with the hilt of a dagger she had concealed under her belt.
“Get back to the inn and I will pretend I have not seen you. Sam was worried when she found your room empty and asked me if I would mind taking a look around.”
Ria smiled. It had not occurred to her that Sam would be concerned and she appreciated Hawk looking out for her, despite the fact that she was more than capable of taking care of herself, even on the dangerous streets of Kavern. “I promise I will return immediately. You can even escort me if you like.”
Not wishing to demonstrate any distrust, Hawk declined her offer, but nevertheless followed her at a discreet distance, just to make sure she returned safely. He watched her expertly climb the inn wall and let herself in through the open window of the room she was sharing with Sam before heading off into the night in search of a quick meal.
“What have you been up to?” Sam asked in a hushed voice once Ria was safely in the room.
“Just exploring,” she lied. “Go to sleep. I will explain later.”
The sun was high in the sky when Sam and Ria made their way to the room Tor and Patrick were sharing. A scowling Nosmas and a smiling Quartilla were already there. “Did I miss something?” Sam asked.
“Nosmas has finally given in. He could not think of an alternative so he is going to allow me to try to get the royal seal from Prince Manus.” Quartilla could not keep the smug expression from her face.
“I still say it is a bad idea,” Nosmas mumbled.
The door opened and Patrick walked in. “I have confirmed that Manus will be staying at the inn tonight,” he announced. He looked critically at Quartilla. “We need to visit a dressmaker.” Without waiting for permission, he grabbed her hand and dragged her from the room.
They returned before the sun set, but only just. Quartilla seemed a completely different person. She was dressed in a tight fitting, full length, green silk dress. Her hair had been styled and rouge had been applied to her face. Whoever Patrick had taken her to had somehow managed to give her the illusion of maturity while still emphasising her young age.
“Absolutely perfect,” Ria said, genuinely impressed. Nosmas was obviously not happy with the result and Tor quickly took charge of the situation.
“Quartilla, you know what you need to do. Find out where the royal seal is and then get the Prince alone and drug him. Do not let yourself be alone with him until you are certain he has the seal. Are you sure you want to go ahead with this?” She looked nervous, but nodded her head. “Do you have the drug?” She held out a small bottle as evidence, then slipped it into her bodice.
Tor turned his attention to the rest of the room. “Patrick, Ria, Sam. Manus will recognise you. If this is to succeed, he cannot see you. You are to remain here until the morning. Understood?” There were no protests; they knew they would be putting Quartilla at risk if they disobeyed. “Nosmas, Manus has not seen you in your current form so there is no need to keep you hidden. As soon as Hawk is ready, please escort Quartilla to the inn and make sure you position yourself close to the window of the Prince’s room. Patrick can describe the layout of the inn for you. Hawk will be close by at all times. For obvious reasons, I have to remain here.”
It was an extremely tense Nosmas that left the inn with Quartilla after the sun had set. They went to the inn where Manus was staying and Nosmas soon spotted him in the tap room. He had entered ahead of Quartilla and was about to approach her, with the intent of pointing him out, when he saw her eyes fall on the Prince. He watched as she stopped and stared, breathing in sharply before uttering an audible “wow”. She was a good actress; at least he hoped she was. He was only her guardian, but he couldn’t help feeling a twinge of jealousy when he witnessed her reaction to Manus.
Her exclamation was loud enough to attract the Prince’s attention and he turned around to look at her. He was a stunningly attractive man and Quartilla found herself unable to look away. Their eyes met and she forced herself to suppress a shudder. He looked at her with cruel longing and she knew she would not enjoy spending any time alone with him.
“Join me for a drink,” he called out to her, but she shook her head, regretting her decision to act as bait.
“You are not going to let her turn you down are you, your Highness?” one of his companions called out in a drunken slur.
Bracing herself, she took the opportunity that this presented. “Your Highness?” she asked meekly. “Does that mean you are a Prince?”
“Prince Manus at your service,” he said, bowing his head politely.
Quartilla slowly approached him. “And why should I believe you are royalty?” she said as seductively as she could manage. Her entire body was trembling from a combination of excitement and fear. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Nosmas watching her. He had ordered a mug of ale and was seated at a table, drinking it quietly.
Manus reached inside his shirt and removed a chain, upon which was a ring. He held it out so she could look at it closely. “This is the royal seal of Kinfen. Only the King’s son is allowed to carry it.” Quartilla had no idea if she was looking at the genuine article or not, but had no choice other than to accept what Manus said at face value. She glanced towards Nosmas, who got up and walked out of the door without looking at her.
“How is she going?” Hawk asked the wizard when they met down a side alley.
“So far so good. He is wearing the seal round his neck.” Nosmas wrung his hands in frustration. “I do not like leaving her alone in there. She is still a child.”
“Everything will be alright,” the vampire assured him. He pointed upwards to the window above them. “His room is right there. We will hear if anything goes wrong. All she has to do is call out and I can be there quicker than you could say her name.” Nosmas nodded, though Hawk’s comments did nothing to calm his nerves.
A short while later, the creek of a door sounded above them and Quartilla could be heard giggling. “Have another drink,” they heard her say and could picture in their minds her holding out a cup of wine laced with the sleeping potion.
Quartilla was feeling more scared than she had ever felt in her life. She had managed to avoid drinking any of the alcohol Manus had offered her while somehow giving him the impression that she was getting very drunk. When he had whispered in her ear that she should join him in his room, she readily agreed. The sooner they were alone together, the sooner she could carry out her mission and get away from him.
“I have a better idea,” he said quietly, seductively kissing her neck. Suddenly his hand was covering her mouth, his fingers holding her nostrils shut so she could not breathe, while his other arm was wrapped tightly around her throat, choking her. “I know exactly who you are and why you are here,” she heard him whisper before darkness descended and she lost consciousness.
Quartilla had no idea how much time had passed when she awoke, but it was still dark outside. “Ah, awake so soon,” she heard Manus say and twisted her head round to look at him. He was sitting on the bed beside her, carefully examining a dagger, testing its sharpness with his thumb. She was tied to the bed with rope and she could feel something in her mouth. Whatever it was, it was held firmly in place by a gag, preventing her from speaking. She tried to scream, but very little sound escaped. She glanced towards the door, praying for it to open.
Manus followed the direction of her gaze and smiled. “Nobody is coming to rescue you my dear. My bodyguards downstairs have orders not to let anyone into my room. You and I are going to have a lot of fun, with the help of my little friend here.” He waved the dagger at her as he spoke.
He leaned in close so his face was almost touching hers. She turned away and he laughed before licking her cheek. “I am really going to enjoy having you,” he told her, as he slipped the blade under the bodice of her dress and sliced it open, exposing her bare breasts. He gently ran the point of the dagger over them, making sure he pressed hard enough for her to feel it without breaking the skin. “But first I am going to ask you a few questions. Each time you refuse to answer, or I do not believe what you say, I am going to cut you.”
He moved the knife to her arm and sliced, making her try to scream once more. It was only a small cut, but quite deep. Blood oozed out of it and Manus licked it clean. “You taste good,” he observed. “Now all you need to do is nod or shake your head. Do you understand?”
She stared at him, eyes wide with terror. “Oh dear,” he said casually. “That is not a good start.” He slashed at her arm again and blood tricked down from another small cut. “Shall we try again? Do you understand?” Quartilla nodded her head vigorously.
“Now I know you are here to obtain this.” He held the ring out to her. It had not been a question, but again she nodded her head. “What I need to know is who else is with you. I am going to reel off a list of names and you are going to nod or shake your head. Agreed?”
As the questioning continued, Nosmas was pacing up and down below the window. “What is taking so long?” he asked. “She should have called to us by now.”
“Ssshhh,” Hawk suddenly instructed. “Did you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“I thought I heard a muffled scream.” Both men listened hard. “There it is again.” Without waiting for confirmation that Nosmas had also heard, Hawk flew to the window and peered in. The sight that met his eyes horrified him.
Manus leaned over Quartilla, who was securely bound to the bed. He was kneeling between her open legs, holding a knife to her breast. “I have already warned you. One more wrong answer and I remove your nipple. Does my father know you are here?”
Hawk reacted without thinking. He flew into the room, picked the Prince up by his collar and threw him out of the window. There was a loud crack as he hit the ground. Manus had dropped the dagger onto the bed and Hawk picked it up and cut the ropes that held Quartilla. There were four deep cuts on one of her arms, which he bandaged with a torn piece of sheet before he removed her gag. Cloth had been stuffed into her mouth. He pulled it free and she started to sob.
“You are safe now,” he told her gently, pulling her tight to him and rocking her like a baby. He picked her up and flew her out of the window, landing softly beside Manus’s body.
Nosmas had his hand to the Prince’s throat. “He is dead. His neck broke on impact.” His voice was hard and emotionless. Then he noticed the state Quartilla was in. “What happened up there?” he asked in an angry whisper.
“I will tell you later. Right now we should get out of here. I will fly her back. Grab the seal and run before anyone comes to investigate.”
Nosmas wanted to ask more, but knew Hawk was right. He found the chain around Manus’s neck and pulled hard, breaking the clasp, and put it in his pocket before running out of the alley.
Ria and Sam were with Tor in his room when Hawk flew through the window. “This does not look good,” Ria murmured.
“She is alright,” Hawk assured them as he placed the still crying Quartilla on one of the beds. “Just a little shaken. The cuts are small and Nosmas should be able to heal them without leaving any scaring.”
As if responding to his name, Nosmas slammed the door open and walked into the room. He rushed to Quartilla’s side, gently moving her hair back from around her face. “He did not seriously harm me,” she whispered in a shaky voice. “He just cut my arm.”
“I can fix that,” Nosmas assured her, trying to smile. He removed the makeshift bandage and examined the wounds critically. “I need some water,” he said over his shoulder and Sam left the room. When she returned, with a jug and a clean cloth, Patrick was with her.
“What happened?” he asked.
While Nosmas worked on Quartilla’s wounds, Hawk told them everything. He described the scene that had confronted him when he had entered Manus’s room and told them how he had murdered the Prince.
“The world is better off without him,” Sam said. “You did a good thing tonight.”
“Maybe,” Hawk replied. “But we should think about getting out of here. There is going to be a lot of trouble when his body is found.”
“Agreed,” Tor said. “Is Quartilla able to travel?”
Nosmas nodded. “I have given her something to make her sleep. We can put her in the back of the wagon until she wakes up.”
“Everyone get your things and meet down at the stables. But remember, we should leave as quietly as possible.”
In a remarkably short time, the wagon was loaded and the horses retrieved. The group made their way down the backstreets, staying as far away from the inn where Manus had just been killed as possible. There were a lot of people on the streets, more than were expected, and all seemed agitated. “Maybe they have found Prince Manus already,” Patrick whispered to Tor. They arrived at the south gates of the city and were surprised to find them shut.
“Sorry to disturb you at such a late hour,” Tor said to the guard, “but we need to depart immediately. Please open the gate.”
The guard looked at him in surprise. “I am sorry sir, but the city has been sealed. Nobody is permitted to leave.”
“Sealed?” Tor asked. Whatever for?”
The guard seemed puzzled by the question. “Have you not heard? The King has been murdered.”