The smaller dragon struggled to maintain a hover in the strong winds. Seeing the creature in flight, Merglan cursed Killdoor for picking such whelp for his new rider. Spurring Killdoor forward and flying away from the storm cloud, Merglan could feel the presence of the dragon and rider who’d escaped his trap. He had underestimated the young rider and dragon’s ability to fight back. As he moved into a position to observe the former elf king’s movements, he chuckled to himself. This time he would catch them all off guard. This time Merglan would get what he wanted.
Chapter 65
Inside the Castle
Reaching into her pocket, Natalia gripped the small mirror Nadir had given her and pulled it out. As the luminous glow faded from the glass, she watched as the light extinguished into a thin strip of silver that flashed down the length of the handle, indicating she’d missed the connection. Quickly, she stuffed the mirror into an inward facing pocket inside her cloak, hoping that if Nadir called again, the light would be contained inside her jacket. Though cannon fire along Kingston’s city walls boomed, the sound failed to cover the shouts of orcs and men dying inside the castle walls. The sounds had not gone unnoticed.
“What did he want?” Solomon said, reaching down and grabbing a torch from one of the dead soldier’s hands.
Natalia shrugged, “I don’t know, but now isn’t the time or place to talk with Nadir.”
“Yes, you’d better keep that thing tucked away somewhere tight. This place has a way of claiming people of importance within these walls,” Solomon said, holding the torch over the bodies of the soldiers Natalia had slain and shuddered.
“That could be because humans of importance have lived here since the old capital fell at Highborn Bay.”
“I’m well aware of what happened at Highborn Bay,” Solomon said with a touch of anger.
“You should, you’re old enough to have been there yourself,” Natalia said mockingly. After she had spoken, Natalia noticed the pain in his eyes and immediately felt the need to apologize.
Before she could, though, Solomon responded, “My family has kept that tragedy close to our hearts. I wasn’t alive when the dragons turned on them, but my grandfather was and I can tell you the horrors that occurred scarred him deeply.”
Feeling ashamed that she’d touched a sore spot in the old man’s memory, Natalia placed her hand on his shoulder, “I didn’t know, I’m sorry.”
Solomon nodded and glanced back to the dead bodies in the hallway. He whispered, “Death takes ‘em in the end. Young or old, all kings must fall.”
Natalia wondered what he meant by the phrase but didn’t press him further.
Solomon shuffled around Natalia and said, “I think we’d better take this route.”
Following him through the castle’s outer walls, Natalia wondered silently about Solomon’s statement. He had revealed something of his past that allowed her to start fitting together the puzzle of how Solomon had become revered. She also began to understand why it was so important for him to be involved in the fight against Merglan.
Natalia kept her sword drawn as they walked, knowing that at any moment they could come across a soldier or an orc lurking around a corner. The hallway passed inside the thick protective walls, circumnavigating the castle. Natalia would’ve been lost had she not been under the guidance of the old wise man. Stopping at a turn, Solomon peered around the corner and Natalia took the opportunity to examine the view outside the walls from an archer’s slotted window.
Looking through the thin slit, Natalia could see the streets below. To her surprise, the orcs who’d filled the streets outside the walls were gone. She wondered what had happened to Maylox and Inama. Had they been carried away with the orcs, possibly caught on the wrong side of the fighting? Or were they also through the castle walls, searching for a way in?
“This way,” Solomon said, pulling Natalia from her reverie.
She followed away from the window, her eyes adjusting more quickly to the dark corridors now. They stopped again before a short passageway. At the end of the passage, Natalia could see the courtyard between the outer walls and the keep. Her heart skipped when she saw the space flooded with armed orcs and soldiers. She realized they were there to protect the castle while the city was under attack.
They’re protecting something important, Natalia thought. Why does Merglan want this place protected more than the city gates? Is he in the midst of conjuring powerful magic and can’t break from his concentration to investigate the battle?
“We can’t get past them,” Solomon whispered.
“Not even if I used magic to disguise us?” Natalia suggested.
“What are you, insane? Need I remind you that Merglan lives here?”
Natalia shifted, irritated that she’d spent so long recovering her access to magic for this operation, yet couldn’t tap into it without risking being detected by the dark sorcerer. Even if he were in the middle of an incantation, he would be able to sense her if she acted carelessly with her weakened abilities.
“There’s another way, a door to stairs around back. The gap between the castle and this wall is narrow and might be less well protected,” Solomon said, peeling away from the passageway that led into the courtyard.
They moved quickly, hiding for a moment in different stairwells and doubling back to the last corner to avoid orcs and soldiers patrolling inside the castle walls. From the way the orcs and soldiers were positioned, Natalia gathered that they were manning the ramparts along the wall and assigning the bulk of their reserves to be at the ready should the Rollo and Lumbapi forces break through the gates. Natalia had only had a glimpse out beyond the wall since they’d entered the castle, but she didn’t see Merglan or his dragon in the sky.
Why wouldn’t he post his dragon in the courtyard if he was too busy or not willing to fly out? Something isn’t right, she thought, wanting to reach out with her mind and sweep the castle for Ivan, Anders, Zahara, or Merglan. Restraining her instincts, she reminded herself what it was like to feel the sorcerer’s mental attack bearing down on her. The image of her dragon being clawed apart as she fought Merglan flashed into her mind; in that moment, Keanu and his dragon had saved her life. If they hadn’t provided a distraction, Merglan would’ve finished her off as he did her dragon. Perhaps he had hoped that the fall would kill her, too. Natalia shuddered at the thought and then started after Solomon again.
Stealthily, they advanced to the back of the castle. Stopping at a narrow passageway accessing the gap between wall and castle keep, Natalia wondered at their chances of getting by unseen. She could see the castle’s stone exterior. The closed back door Solomon had targeted appeared simple in design and no more than a dozen yards from the edge of the outer wall. Two orcs stood with their backs against the castle’s exterior, guarding the wooden door. With their limited field of view, Natalia could only see a handful of others filling the narrow gap, far fewer than those stationed in the courtyard.
“There’s the door we need to get through,” Solomon whispered.
“Only two orcs,” Natalia said tightening her grip on her sword. “If we can get there, I can take them out.”
“We’ll be seen,” Solomon said, shaking his head. “Even if they don’t see us, among all of these eyes surrounding the keep, someone will notice us. I’m surprised they haven’t sent a squad to search for us. They must’ve found those you slew by now.”
“You’re right,” Natalia sighed. “Who knows, though, they might already be searching for us?”
Solomon pinched the bridge of his nose, “Think, Sol, think.”
“How about this?” Natalia offered. “I’ll just walk out there, quickly kill those two orcs, then you follow me, and we’ll lock the door behind us.”
“Did you not hear me?” Solomon asked exasperated. “We’ll be seen.”
“If we don’t do it now, we’ll run out of time. We’ll be caught.”
Solomon shook his head looking at the orcs, “It’s a risk.”
“Sol, you can do this. Just follow me,” she said as she stepped around him into the narrow passage leading out into the open. Lifting the hood of her heavy cloak over her head, she walked confidently toward the exit.
Walk quickly and confidently, she told herself. Don’t look to see if anyone is looking at you; just keep walking toward the door. You are the veiled huntress.
