Return of the Crown (27 page)

A broad smile crossed Connor’s face. “Well
then that settles that. Is there enough lunch for three, Blade? I
think I’ll join you, if you don’t mind.”

Ravyn patted the ground beside her in answer.
Blade sat down on her other side and laid out scones and honey,
meat pies wrapped in delicate pastry, a jug of water, and some
fresh berries.

They devoured the meal as if it were their
last, savoring every flavorful bite. Connor gobbled everything in
his sight and picked up the pastry crumbs that fell in his lap with
his finger, not wasting even a tiny morsel.

“Connor, you’re eating as if starved. I saw
you finish a hearty breakfast. I’ll never figure how you can eat
that much,” Blade mumbled around a bite of scone. “Do Master’s of
the Light have more than one stomach?”

“I realized that some of our colleagues in
this battle did not speak or understand human tongue, so I cast a
small spell so that all might understand and be able to communicate
with one another.” He sighed. “Long past overdue, if you ask me. I
should have done it years ago. Now all can converse, be they harpy,
unicorn, wolf, dragon, or even dolphin. I sort of included all of
Aigerach in the spell.”

Ravyn smiled, “Small spell, huh? I suppose it
was necessary. Blade and I can’t translate when we’re off
a-sneaking, can we?”

“As to that, I’ve come up with another bit of
our plan,” Connor grinned. “Something that I hope will keep Zelera
guessing. I will glamour myself to look like you, while providing
the magical protection for the troops. I can even tinge my aura for
a short time, a trick Magda taught me. It’s temporary and requires
a lot of energy to maintain. I think it’ll be worth it though.”

“Two of me, I’m not sure that’s such a good
idea,” Ravyn teased.

“Ah, there will not be two of you. You will
become a young boy. Zelera will focus her energies on me thinking
I’m you. She won’t be watching her defenses. Or, that’s what Joff
and I were hoping anyways.”

“Sounds like a good idea to me. Let’s pray to
the Light it works.” She shaded her eyes looking to the sun. It was
passing the noon mark in the sky. “It looks like it’s time to go.”
Ravyn stood and dusted of her pants.

Blade and Connor joined her, and they walked
up the grassy bank to the main forces. The campfires were out and
all the gear stowed. The army stood ready to march. Mounting their
horses, they headed across the wooden bridge. The horses’ hooves
clonked against the planks creating a marching beat as they
travelled the road to Veris.

They passed more fields of women laboring to
bring in the harvest. The women would stop and shield their eyes
against the afternoon sun, scanning the thousands of men for their
husbands, sons, and fathers.

The cadence of marching feet caused the men
to start singing. Ravyn joined in, her lilting soprano rising over
the horses’ heads and blending with Blade’s deep bass.

In honor of the ones we love

In honor of the Light

We sing to ease the tension

For tomorrow we must fight

Yes, tomorrow we must fight

We love this land we live in

We give our very all

Our lives we give for freedom

For, Zelera’s rule shall fall

Yes, Zelera’s rule shall fall

A few hours later, the walls surrounding
Veris came into view. The army halted. General Joff leaped off his
horse and shouted orders to his men. Runners sprinted to each group
of men relaying the messages. Each group slid into orderly camps
just as they’d planned. Ravyn dismounted, stretching out the kinks
from the day’s ride. Blade and Conner strode to her side.

“Time for you to look like a boy,” Connor
said grinning.

Ravyn pulled her long hair up under a cap and
smeared ash across her face. She turned to her horse and pulled out
her disguise. Donning a light bit of mail helped emasculate her,
and she threw a ragged dirty shirt over the top of it. “Will this
do?” she asked turning to show her handiwork to Connor and
Blade.

Ravyn blinked in surprise as she looked up
into her own face. “Yes, you look like a little urchin child.”
Connor turned to face Blade, “What do you think of me, have I
gotten it right?” Connor batted thick lashes, pursing his lips for
a kiss.

“You appear to be my true love,” Blade said,
grinning, “but, I think I will stay with this young scruff.” Blade
threw his arm about Ravyn’s shoulder in a brotherly fashion. “He
looks like he could use some help.”

“Yes, he does. The two of you, gather your
gear. Head to the tunnel Joff’s men made. That will get you past
the city walls. Try to remain hidden until you get to the barriers
around the castle. Blade, you know how to avoid the guard?”

“Yes, sir, I think I’ll be able to keep us in
shadow. Ravyn and I will set forth once night falls.” He looked at
the sun low in the sky. “That should only be an hour or so.”

“Well, this is where we part,” Connor said
gruffly over a catch in his throat. He embraced them both in a
solid hug. “Remember what you have read, Ravyn, and believe in
yourself. Now,” he paused, dabbing at his moist eyes, “I’ll go with
the General, and we’ll camp outside her walls. The next move
belongs to Zelera.”

Zelera watched the dust puffing up off in the
distance. A large army was heading toward the castle. She shrugged,
turning to the mirror laughing, “Oh, dear sister, I wish you could
see this. There’s a large army coming to rescue you and your
beloved. Little good that will do. Though their army numbers in the
thousands, they are little more than farmers unseasoned in battle.
I too have an army of thousands upon thousands. Thousands of
unfeeling beasts filled with the power of Darkness whose only
thought is annihilation. Your miserable brat of a daughter is with
this army,” she cackled, leering into the mirror. “She will not
breach the city walls, much less my other defenses. Tomorrow night
I send you to hell; then I will rule forever.”

Lareina and Bryant, oblivious to their fate,
floated about the mirror. Zelera ran a finger along the glass,
“Parting is such sweet sorrow.”

Twilight lingered but a moment, then was
gone. Blade and Ravyn slunk through fields, slipping through groves
of trees. They became silent shadows skulking through the night.
They reached the tunnel with no interference, its opening covered
with thick thorny bramble. Blade grabbed the prickly branches,
shoving them to the side. The opening was small, and they got down
on their bellies, worming their way into the dark maw. They
wriggled slowly along the narrow tunnel, inches at a time. Blade,
in the lead, finally bumped up against a wooden panel. Creaking it
open the slightest crack, he surveyed their exit. It was quiet as a
tomb, except for the scuttling of mice in the dust. They opened the
wooden door wide, emerging in a wine cellar in the belly of a
tavern. Loud raucous voices thundered overhead, floorboards
creaking under heavy footsteps. Ravyn wrinkled her nose against the
smell of cheap wine and dust. Scanning the dingy storage room,
Ravyn noticed a small barred window looking out at street
level.

Blade muttered under his breath. “We have to
go through the window. I don’t want to risk going upstairs.”

“It’s barred, Blade. I’m not small enough to
squeeze through, and neither are you.”

Blade released the latch on the window,
pushing it up. As the window slid upward, the weight hanging from
the rope that acted as a counterbalance clunked into the wall. They
held their breath. The bawdy goings on upstairs covered the noise.
They exhaled together realizing no one would come to investigate
the sound. Blade grasped the bars, yanking hard on them. Two bars
in the middle shifted in his grasp pulling loose. “I could squeeze
through there, and if I can, you can. This is our exit.”

Blade cupped his hands lifting Ravyn up. She
squeezed out into the dark alley behind the tavern. She pinched her
nostrils closed, and in a nasally whisper she complained, “Ugh, it
reeks of vomit, and urine, and….”

“Shhh, Rav, I know it’s disgusting. Try not
to think about it. Here, take this.” Passing her his pack, he then
hauled himself up and out into the alley. Reaching through and
grasping the window, he pulled it down into place. The latch
clicked back home. Sliding the bars back into place, Blade erased
all evidence of their passing.

Raucous carousing voices drifted from the
street, and they slid further into the shadows, pressing their
backs against the tavern wall. Moments passed as they held their
breath. The noises faded as the revelers headed away down the
street, laughing and swearing.

“Where in town are we? I’ve been gone so long
I can’t remember the lay of the streets,” whispered Ravyn, trying
to visualize the town as she’d seen it years past.

Blade put a finger to his lips, leaning his
head toward the alleyway before them. Sticking to the shadows, they
slipped along the filthy dark lane. The moon marked the time as it
crossed the sky. They crept through the gloomy streets, heading for
the unnatural wall entombing the castle.

Zelera paced in her tower, her new General
standing before her. He shifted his weight, watching her prowl,
waiting for orders. “They wait for us to attack,” she crooned
leering at him. “Let them wait. You will ambush them tomorrow at
dawn. I want them to see their enemies. It will drive fear into
their craven little souls,” she sneered. “Now go, I have no further
need for you. I must prepare for the rite tomorrow night.”

Zelera ran her fingers across the ebony tools
lying on her altar. Everything was prepared; she just had to wait
for the rising moon tomorrow. After all the years of patient
waiting, these last few days proved the longest. Her tolerance was
wearing thin, and the anxious days were taking a toll.

Zelera eyed her reflection in the mirror. Her
dark robes with the arcane symbols hung from flesh-withered limbs.
Her skin was pasty white, and haunting bloodshot eyes stared back
at her from the elegant gilt-framed mirror.

“I look like a walking skeleton. Soon, very
soon, I’ll have time to myself again. Time to reclaim my stolen
beauty,” she crooned to herself. She placed her hands on the
mirror’s frame, leaning in to look deep in the glass, “I shall rule
all, sister. I will be more powerful and more beautiful than you
ever hoped to be.” Spittle dotted the glass as she spat the words.
She paused, a sly smile crossing her taut face as she purred,
“Maybe I will send you to hell and keep Bryant for my lover. There
are spells to make the most unwilling, willing.” She winked at the
mute ghost-like Lareina. “But, I have my pick of any man. I can
take Ravyn’s young man. He is strong and handsome. I can keep her
as my slave, and she can watch her lover come willingly into my
arms.” Like a bursting volcano, she erupted in wild maniacal
laughter.

Slipping from shadow to shadow, Blade and
Ravyn crossed the town. Ravyn silently thanked the Light for their
safety. The streets were near deserted; a few unsavory cutthroats
and purse-thieves remained on the streets, lurking in darkened
doorways. But they didn’t seem interested in the pair who didn’t
appear to have anything worth stealing.

Ahead of their path, the backdoor to a pub
flew open, and a burly soldier emerged. He fumbled with his
breeches, getting ready to urinate, blocking their path. Ravyn and
Blade froze. He turned his head, spotting Ravyn and Blade. His eyes
narrowed as he sized them up. “Well, what have we here?”

He yelled over his shoulder into the pub,
“Hey, you nitwits, get out here. Looks like we’ve got a couple
curfew breakers.”

Several soldiers pushed through the pub
doors, lining the street behind their Captain. Blade stepped in
front of Ravyn and addressed the Captain of the guard, his voice
quivering, “Begging your pardon, sir, my little brother got lost
today, and I’m just trying to get him back home to me mum. She’s
been real worried.”

The guard’s fist snapped out, cracking Blade
in the jaw. “I didn’t tell you to speak, you arse. You’re both out
after curfew.” He eyed Blade. “How come you aren’t already in the
army? Been hiding, huh? I think Zelera would like to have a word
with you,” he chuckled, “after you sit in the dungeons a few days.
Get moving.”

Blade rubbed his jaw as they trudged along in
front of the guards. Ravyn kept her head down sticking close to
Blade’s side. Blade slid his hand into his trouser pocket finding a
tiny gift that Magda had given him. He slid a gray gummy substance
out of its protective wrapper and tossed it sideways into the pub’s
stables. Smoke billowed out of the stable doors, and a blaze of
fire licked up the dry straw. Greedy flames raced across the
floors, climbing the walls of the stables. The horses reared,
squealing in panic, kicking out at their gates and walls. The
startled guards jumped back, bumbling and confused.

Blade grabbed Ravyn’s hand and began running,
“We’ll call the fire brigade for you,” he yelled over his shoulder
at the guards who were now trying to save their horses.

As soon as the flames were out of sight, they
darted into the shadows again. They paused a moment to catch their
breath and let the fear and anxiety fade. Blade found it difficult
to quell his nerves. He glanced at Ravyn. She was pale, her breath
coming in ragged little gasps. The wall surrounding the castle
loomed before them, the air pulsing with dread. Their impulse was
to run away, flee to safety. Blade fought the feelings of alarm
that were slamming into him, and he stepped up to the wall. Ravyn
followed with trepidation. He placed his hands against the bricks
in protest, fighting the revulsion he felt coursing through him. He
ran his hands along the wall finding small cracks and tiny edges.
It could be climbed, but not in the dark. He yanked his hands back
as if they had been burned.