Rise of the Champion (The Sword of Kirakath Omnibus #1) (36 page)

In a single smooth motion, Nicolas stepped forward, drew the sword from its scabbard, and brought it in a swift arc. The bartender collapsed to the ground as blood came pouring out of the cut that Nicolas left across his neck.

Before anyone could react, Nicolas had stabbed and cut down the five men that had been standing at the bar. The entire time, his form was swift and smooth.

Looking at the remaining nine men, he smiled.

“No one told you the truth about me, did they?” Nicolas asked, actually sounding amused. “From the day I turned ten years old to the day my father learned I was a member of the Thieves’ Guild, I had daily lessons with a master swordsman. I was better than either one of my brothers, but I never really enjoyed fighting. I preferred to just sit back and relax.”

It was easy to see that many of the men before him were unnerved by the prospect that he had been trained by a master swordsman. It was not a big surprise, in all reality, however. After all, he had cut down six men in the space of three seconds.

He sighed, shaking his head. “To be honest, this is the first time I’ve ever wanted to fight. Someone in this guild had my father murdered and had the blame pinned on me. I could have understood it if someone had him killed. I’m a noble, so I understand that things like that happen. I would have still felt betrayed though. Framing me for the murder, however, is a far more complete act of betrayal. For it, the guild itself will bleed.”

Immediately, the remaining five thieves charged towards him with their short swords brandished.

Without a trace of emotion on his face, Nicolas picked up a bottle of mead from the bar and threw it at the charging men.

As expected, they tried to hit it… and they succeeded it.

Alcohol splashed out of the broken bottle, distracting the thieves just long enough for Nicolas to make his move.

Unlike most swordsmen, Nicolas was not too fond of slashing attacks. He preferred to stab his opponents. A single stab into the right part of the body could kill a man… or five.

Within moments, Nicolas was facing four of Alexander’s enforcers. They were little more than hired thugs, but they were what kept Alexander in power. Without their muscle, and that of the other fifteen enforcers in the city, he had very little real power.

Contrary to what they might have thought, Nicolas had no intention of seeking out the other enforcers of the guild after he dealt with them. He knew the guild better than anyone outside of Alexander. As such, he knew that no one would be able to keep the guild together. The remaining members of the Thieves’ Guild would likely die from a power struggle.

Acting on instinct, Nicolas batted the stab of an enforcer’s sword away and decapitated him with a smooth swing. In terms of raw skill with a blade, Alexander was the only person in the guild who could match Nicolas. He proved his skill by cutting down the other three enforcers with the same ease that he used to take down the first.

As the last one fell, the door to the backrooms of the tavern opened, and Alexander Abrams stepped through with a cutlass in his hand.

“I wish you had not betrayed the guild to an enemy of my brother,” Alexander said with a frown as he held his sword out in front of him. “If you had not done so, you could have stood at my side. You might have even inherited the guild.”

“If you were to let me stand at your side, it would only be so you could put a dagger in my back,” Nicolas said casually. “You’re a ruthless man, Alexander. I’ve never trusted you, even though Katie did.”

“I never wanted either of you dead, but the choice was taken out of my hands,” Alexander said with a sigh. “By now, Katie and your friend are both most likely dead. My brother was hired to kill them both, after all.”

“Good,” Nicolas said with a grin. “I was worried Caleb got in over his head when he went to deal with them alone. If they were after Katie too, then they’re probably together right now. I would not bet against them when they’re together, even if they were up against the King’s Army.”

“You’re a fool,” Alexander said as he shook his head. “There is no way that they could possibly stand a chance against my brother, let alone his subordinates.”

That earned a laugh from Nicolas. “So long as Caleb wields the Sword of Kirakath, he shall not fall in battle. I’ve seen him in action with it, and it’s a sight to behold.”

“The Sword of Kirakath… he has it?” Alexander asked, visibly paling.

“Yes,” Nicolas said, suddenly intrigued. “Do you know of it?”

“Of course I do, you impudent fool,” Alexander said, visibly angered. “The Sword of Kirakath was the sword wielded by the legendary Knight of Kirakath during the Arcadian Rebellion. With it, the link between prophecy and mankind was torn asunder. You have no idea how dangerous that sword is. Everyone who has wielded it before now has changed the face of the world… none more so than its first wielder, Archmage Kyran.”

“Archmage Kyran wielded the Sword of Kirakath?” Nicolas asked, surprised by that statement, along with everything else Alexander had said. Archmage Kyran was the single most powerful mage in history. It was he who united the known world into the Kyran Empire and invented more than half of the spells known to man.

“I must warn my brother,” Alexander said as he pointed his sword at Nicolas. “But first, I will kill you.”

“You may try,” Nicolas said as he dashed forward.

“Gladly,” Alexander said as he rushed forward as well.

Sparks flew as Nicolas and Alexander crossed swords. It appeared that the speed and strength behind their attacks had been equal, but it was almost immediately clear that Nicolas had an advantage.

Nicolas angled his blade and stepped to the right, causing Alexander to stumble forward. Immediately, he struck Alexander in the side of his face with the basket guard of his cutlass as though he was punching an enemy.

The sickening sound of bone crunching filled the room immediately. Not only did the hit break Alexander’s left cheek bone, but the metal of the basket guard cut into his face.

Alexander fell to the ground in pain as the left side of his face was covered in blood. It was easy to see that the strike to the head did a great deal of damage to him. His eyes seemed to actually glaze over momentarily.

In that single moment, Nicolas ran his cutlass through Alexander’s chest and stepped back.

“Alexander, I hope you suffer in the abyss for all that you’ve done,” Nicolas said as he walked away from the corpse of his former boss. The sword was still buried in Alexander’s chest. “With your death, the Thieves’ Guild is no more. The streets of Caldreth will be much safer.”

In retrospect, Nicolas would look upon the events of that night in a different light. It was not the day that he gained vengeance upon Alexander and destroyed the Thieves’ Guild. It was the day that he took his first step down the path to becoming the hero he was meant to be.

But he was not viewing it in retrospect at that moment.

Taking a deep breath, Nicolas walked over to the door, put his hooded cloak back on, and departed the tavern. He still had to get outside of the city walls before his escape was discovered.

He knew that he could not just walk outside of the main gates of the city, but that did not mean he could not get out easily. There were plenty of other ways inside and outside of the city, especially for someone who knew about the tunnels underneath Caldreth.

Looking off to the distance, he said, “I’m sorry I failed you, Uncle.”

With that, he made his way down the street.

* * * * *

In the study of the Edge family’s manor, Jason Edge was standing before the window. His eyes were on Castle Caldreth in the distance.

It seems I’ve inherited the status of the patriarch of my family. I never wanted to have this position at all. Still, this does put me in an excellent position for the future.

Clearing his throat, he said, “Take care Nicolas. I hope you have the sense to go somewhere other than the Black Raven Inn, at least at first.”

Contrary to what many thought, Jason was a very intelligent man, and he knew his nephew. He had no doubts that Nicolas would be missing when the sun rose.

Turning around, he made his way to his room. He could not help but worry that Nicolas would be caught and killed on sight, but a measure of relief came to him soon enough. If Caleb of Kirakath were to stay with Nicolas, then his nephew would be safe.

And that was all he wanted for Nicolas: to be safe.

He did not want his nephew to die for a crime that he did not commit, and he knew that Nicolas did not kill his father, just as his and Zachary’s older brother did not kill their parents.

I hope Nicolas kills Alexander before he goes. I’ve already lost both of my brothers because of him.

He had no idea how on mark his words were.

Chapter 14

“This isn’t good, Caleb,” Katie whispered as they stood in the forest.

“I know,” he said as he looked at the Black Raven Inn through the woods. An armed soldier was sitting on a bench in front of the inn with a bow in his lap. “Something must have happened. Come on, there’s someone else we should visit. He’ll know where Nicolas is… probably.”

“Who?” Katie asked.

“Lance White,” Caleb answered with a firm look.

“He’s the one who took you prisoner for a few days before he told you where the Sword of Kirakath was,” Katie said with a frown.

“He’s a good man,” Caleb stated. “But more importantly, he’s a very smart noble. He should know everything that happens in the city.”

“You’re smarter than you used to be,” Katie commented.

“Yeah, well I’m not the hunter’s apprentice that only cared about revenge anymore. I was pretty reckless back then, and it would have gotten me killed if it wasn’t for you.”

“You’re not the only one who almost got killed,” Katie pointed out.

“Well, we might both get killed if we don’t get out of here,” Caleb said, changing the subject. “The cut he left me has healed up, but my arm is still pretty tender. Even the training you gave me won’t be enough if I have to fight a guard with my left hand.”

“Didn’t you say that we’re going to storm the keep and kill Count Clovis,” Katie asked in amusement.

“Of course not,” Caleb said as he looked at her incredulously. “I don’t have a death wish. The plan was to sneak in and kill him in his sleep.”

“That’s pretty cold,” Katie said, though the look in her eyes made it clear that she approved of the idea.

“He hired the top assassins in the kingdom to kill us. I’d say that’s pretty cold,” Caleb said with a shrug as he walked through the woods towards the walls of Caldreth.

He still vividly remembered how to get to the entrance of the underground tunnels that ran below the streets of Caldreth. It was where Lance White had brought him after knocking him unconscious so he could be tested to see if he was worthy to learn the location of the Sword of Kirakath.

It was not one of his proudest memories. He had been handily beaten by Lance in a battle of swordsmanship before he fought Statue, a magical construct of rock in the form of a statue. Statue was a golem, the first such being he had ever seen. Golems were definitely strong. It had only been through the magic of the Sword of Kirakath that he had defeated the golem.

He still wondered how he had accessed the sword’s magic from such a far distance away, but it was possible that the Blood of Kirakath played a role in it. Sir Edmond had not explained what the Blood of Kirakath was in detail, only that it was the key to using the sword’s magic.

“Here we are,” Caleb said a few minutes later when they reached the secret entrance to the underground tunnels of Caldreth. It wasn’t exactly well hidden, in all honesty. The moss covered entrance was pretty obvious once someone got close to it. From a distance, on the other hand, it was extremely difficult to see.

“Before we go on, I have to ask… are you sure you can handle this?” Katie asked softly. “Your arm is still injured. As much as you may have improved recently, you’re not left handed. Without your right arm, we might not stand a chance.”

“That’s one reason I want to see Lance,” Caleb admitted. “He had possession of some magical objects when we first met. If anyone can fix up my arm, it would be him. But even if he can’t, I’m sure we’ll come out on top. It might be difficult for me to draw on the sword’s magic without bloodlust consuming me, but my injuries heal faster when the magic flows through me.”

“Let’s hope that he has something for you then,” Katie said as she made her way the entrance to the tunnels. “I think it’s pretty clear that you can’t handle the bloodlust. No one could.”

Caleb could not find it in him to disagree with her on that.

* * * * *

After close to an hour of walking through the tunnels, Caleb allowed a smile to grace his features as he saw the young man that he had come looking for.

There was no mistaking the blond young man with different colored eyes, even in the dim lighting of the tunnels beneath Caldreth.

“Hello Lance,” Caleb said as he offered his hand.

“It’s been too long, my friend,” Lance said as he took Caleb’s hand and shook it. “And who is this beauty that accompanies you?”