Secrets at the Keep (Kingdom of Denall Book 2) (29 page)

Kire reached down and picked up a paper weight off Omer's desk and threw it at the guard’s side. When it struck the man on top of Kaz, he winced and released a little, giving Kaz a chance to take in a large gulp of air. “Your rings,” Kire shouted as he punched one of the guards who was closing in on Pentra.

While the guard in front of him turned around with his teeth bared, from the corner of his eye he saw Kaz swing down and punch the guard on both sides of his head with the heat and cold rings. The foreign guard released his hold and Kaz began beating down with his shackles again until the man stopped moving.

The guard approached. Kire looked at the hulking man with a sword in his hand, he had definitely been part of the magic experiments Dune had told him about, with super human strength, but he was no intellect. Kire backed up until he was just a few inches from Omer’s wooden desk. The guard raised his sword high in the air and struck down with all his strength. Kire stepped slightly to the side and the man’s sword slammed into the solid oak. As Kire had calculated, the petrified wood was nearly as hard as stone, and the man’s sword bounced off it vibrating the weapon from his hands. Kire leapt up onto the desk, then using the height advantage, he jumped toward the soldier with his knee forward. The guard blocked his forward knee by pushing it to the side. Using the added momentum of his twisting body, along with the downward force of his jump, Kire drove his elbow into the man’s face. Smashing his mouth and philtrum. The man’s eyes rolled back in his head and he fell to the ground.

Pentra dodged between the two guards who approached her before Omer had the chance to strike. Just before the first guard reached her, she had a bread knife ready from a hidden fold in her dress, and hurled it at one of the guards burying it deep in his chest. He fell to the ground, grasping at the knife, and Omer pushed him to the side, holding his sword pointing at his daughter while the second guard at her side grabbed her arms and pinned them behind her back.

“Stop!” It was Omer speaking loudly. He had his sword drawn and was holding it only inches from Pentra's head. “If you take one step she will die,” He said addressing Kire who was now standing over two unconscious guards.

Kire stood still as he watched Omer. “What are you going to do now?” Kire asked. Omer’s advantages were all lost. Three of his guards were unconscious, one was dead and a forth was still groaning on the floor, holding his groin. Trinac and one remaining guard had their swords drawn and were surrounding Pentra.

“If you move I will kill her,” Omer said, holding his sword closer to Pentra.

“If you kill her, I will kill you,” Kire responded. Then he took a step forward.

Omer pushed the sword so the point was touching Pentra’s chest over her heart. “Don’t test me, herb trader,”

“I imagine you have about ten seconds left,” Kire began.

Omer scrunched his face in confusion, “What are you talking about?”

Kire held up a hand showing all fingers and put one down at a time. “Five, four, three, two, one.” As he said one he pointed to the floor and Omer dropped his sword and fell to the ground.

Trinac and the other guard reacted quickly. The guard picked up Omer and Trinac released Pentra and ran to Omer’s side, picking up the baron’s sword, and pointed it at Pentra.

Omer was still conscious, but his body was limp as if all muscles had lost their power to move. “What’s happening to me? Bendar get over here!” Omer commanded.

Bendar approached quickly as if ready to help his master, then, in a flash he drew Trinac’s long knife from its sheath at his hip, and with two calculated movements, both guards fell to the ground – dead.

Omer lay helpless on the ground, looking up at Bendar with confusion, then at Pentra with fear. Kire joined the tight circle that surrounded Omer and looked down on him. “What happened?” asked Omer, in a weak, cracked voice.

Kire was the one to respond. “That polished stone was enchanted by a friend of mine. The magic makes the person who uses it immobile shortly after holding the stone and activating his gift.” Kire smiled and added, “It's quite a clever trick.”

Kire looked to Bendar. “It’s good to have you with us,” he said with an incline of his head.

“Wait a second,” Kaz blurted out. He was just getting out from underneath the large soldier. “Don’t you want to know what happened?”

Kire looked at Bendar and they shared a knowing grin. “I think it is pretty obvious,” Kire concluded.

“Really?” Kaz asked incredulously.

“The makeup that made you look all beaten up was blotchy, it was far too soon for the bruises to be that color, and the way the purple makeup was applied was thick and uneven, similar to how Bendar applied his disguises when he dressed as Omer, so I knew you and Bendar were working together. When I approached Omer’s desk I was just trying to get in position to strike this soldier down,” he pointed at the large, foreign man who was lying on the ground, “and I wanted Dune’s decoy magic stone to have time to activate and disable Omer.” Kaz looked crestfallen and Kire patted him on the shoulder. “Just because it didn’t fool me, doesn’t mean it wasn’t well done.”

Bendar leaned over Omer. “I guess it was a good thing that it wasn’t as hard to fool this one.”

“Now we’ll need to figure out what to do with him,” Pentra said as she leaned in close. “You have a choice, father. Life or Death?”

Omer stared unblinking and defiantly spat out the word, “Death!”

Pentra nodded her head and turned to the men who were standing nearby. She reached into Omer’s pocket and took out the Hearing Stone. “I guess he’s going to join the village of Hess to be their slave and servant.” Everyone smiled at the decision. Pentra grabbed Omer from the back of the hair and struck his head against the stone floor. “There. Now we can transport him safely to Hess.”

“Before we allow him to have that kind of freedom,” Bendar interjected, “I think some time in the dungeon might be in order. I have a couple of questions I need to ask him. I know a lot about how the keep is run, but there are a few things we’ll need to learn from him for the next baron to make a smooth transition.”

Pentra nodded thoughtfully. “I actually wanted to talk with you about that,” she said to Bendar. “As the heir to Omer, I want to appoint you to take over running the keep, helping the people of this realm and freeing the slaves.”

“I thought that would be the case,” Bendar said with a nod of his head.

“What?” Kaz said, as he stepped forward and grabbed Bendar’s arm. He turned and looked at Kire who nodded in confirmation. Kaz turned back to Bendar, shaking his head in protest when Bendar cut him off.

“I have replaced Omer enough times that most of the castle staff think I
am
Omer. The ones who know I’m not actually like me better than the real Omer, so I think they will be happy with the change. I have been running much of the operation here. I know how to change things. I already have a plan to get things back in order, and the allies and friends I’ve made here will keep me pretty safe during the transition. Besides, Kaz,” Bendar said as he stepped up to his friend, and placed his arm over Kaz’s shoulder and pulled him in for a hug, “this is something that I need to do. I came here to save your life and make up for what happened to Garin. I need to make things right.”

“What happened to Garin was not your fault,” Kaz corrected his friend.

“I know,” Bendar agreed. “But it will continue to happen to others if someone does not stop it. I can stop it. I think I have found my purpose, Kaz. I guess the Troven worked.”

Kaz embraced his friend tightly for a moment, then he looked in Bendar’s eyes. “It worked for both of us,” he said with a smile.

“I will stay with you.” Kire added. “I will be your advisor in the keep for a time -- if you will have me.”

Bendar's face split in a wide grin as he nodded fervently. “Of course you can stay. I would love to have you here.”

“It’s settled then,” Pentra announced. “I also have some friends in the castle who will be thrilled by the change and will help keep you safe, if they know you are dedicated to stopping the slavery.”

“There is one last thing that needs to be done,” Kire cautioned. “We’ll need to gather any of the servants who might resist the transition in leadership and make sure they are quickly silenced.”

“I already have a plan for that,” Bendar responded. Kaz looked at him questioningly. “I like to have everything calculated, you know that.”

“That’s true,” Kaz admitted with a grin.

“I also have some questions for our foreign guests.” Kire gestured toward the men who were still alive. “I feel that they will be of great use in gathering information about their people and the army that is coming. If these men were any indication, we will have our hands full when an army comes across the border.”

“As my advisor,” Bendar answered, “You will have the authority to meet with anyone in the dungeons, the barracks or the servants’ quarters in order to better give me advice.”

Kire nodded in satisfaction. “That will definitely be helpful on a lot of levels.”

Kaz walked up next to Pentra and asked in a quiet voice, “How are you doing with everything?”

Pentra looked at Bendar and Kire, then back to her unconscious father. “I think for once I’ll be proud to be Omer’s daughter,” she said with one of her rare smiles. “I might actually start going by Pentra again.” Then her features were solemn. “But first, we need to get the slaves out of the dungeon and back home to their families.”

Omer, a man who would be moving forward with a new outlook on life, and new policies to match, was seated behind his desk with a newly appointed advisor seated on one side and his daughter on the other. His new scribe, a rather tall and young looking man with a bow, was sitting as unobtrusively as possible with a pen in hand at the desk on the far side of the room. The back passage opened and three guards came up from the dungeon.

“These men,” Bendar said, gesturing to the guards and scribe who were bound and gagged, and to the unconscious Omer, who now had a shaved head and was dressed in rags, “made an attempt on my life and will be secluded in the dungeon until they rot!” Bendar had seen Omer send men to the dungeon on many occasions, so he knew that if he specified they were assassins, they would be kept in the darkest corner of the dungeon in seclusion with no chance for escape – even for men this strong. “Clean up the rest.” Bendar said with an absent wave of his hand toward the dead bodies. “I also have orders for the slaves to be moved today.”

“But my Lord…” the prison guard began with confusion. “To where are they being moved?” The man's face flushed with embarrassment at not being able to immediately follow orders, and perhaps with some fear that he would be punished.

Bendar leaned over to his advisor and Kire whispered into his ear. “Good acting there Omer, just don't go too over the top.” Kire smiled and sat back in his seat.

Bendar looked at the jail guard. “To the back of the keep. Next to the supply barn. He can help you.” Bendar pointed at the scribe. “Make sure all is ready in an hour.” Cleaning up bodies and prisoners from Omer’s meeting room was no unusual task. The strange news was that the scribe, Kaz, was to attend the prison guard, and help direct the early movement of the slaves.

“Also,” Lady Pentra added hastily with a glance at her father and his advisor, “There is a man who was taken to the dungeons some time ago on the charge that he was impersonating a King’s Guardsman. Please have him cleaned up and brought to us.”

With a nod of approval at this final command, Omer stood up and stalked out of the room.

*****

Kaz stepped gingerly down on another damp stone step as he descended the stairs to the dungeon. The air was thick with moisture and a stench of sweat and death. When he reached the final step, Kaz cast his eyes around the room and was devastated by what he saw. The large room housed dozens of people. There were many more than he had expected. He thought the men from Hess would be left in Hess until they were ready to travel, but Omer had a lot of them down in the dungeon. It was probably some kind of way to instill fear in them. They were all standing shoulder to shoulder in small cells or tied to the prison walls. Guards walked the perimeter of the room on platforms that stood along each of the walls, carrying large cudgels and whips. The prison guards who had escorted Kaz downstairs began to spread the word that the slaves would be moved out ahead of schedule.

The guards roughly arranged the emaciated slaves into lines and escorted them down a corridor that would lead outside of the prison. Kaz caught sight of Dirt and Smudge being roughly pushed into line. Though his heart leapt to see that they were still alive, it made him sick to see how much the two of them had lost weight in the months they had been imprisoned. It seemed Smudge’s spark had been entirely extinguished.

Most of the thin men were dressed in rags that barely covered their bodies. They shuffled along with slumped shoulders and downcast faces. Kaz knew that these men would soon be sent home to their families, and that their freedom would be granted, but looking at them he did not know if even that could possibly lift their trampled spirits.

“Wait here,” one of the guards called out to the line of men. He then gestured for Kaz and the guards who were dragging Omer and the other unconscious prisoners to follow him down an exceptionally dark hall. They kept walking until they came to an iron reinforced door. The guard unlocked the door and pushed it open, then they descended down a flight of stone stairs.

Kaz followed the guards to the lowest level of the dungeon. The large room had several small cells along each wall. Each cell was separated from the others with a solid stone wall. Kaz ensured that the guards were secured in separate cells, and Omer was given his own cell that was deeper down a side hall where nobody could hear anything he might say. On his way out of the dungeon he pointed at some prisoners.

“What are these men here for?”

“This level is reserved for traitors. In fact, this one here is the man Lady Pentra spoke of,” answered one of the guards.

Kaz looked into the faces of the men who sat in these cells as the guards relayed orders to have the prisoner processed for an audience before Baron Omer. The prisoners all had long beards and downcast eyes. He quickened his pace to follow the first guard, determined to speak with Bendar about these prisoners. If they were traitors to Omer, they might be good men.

He hurried up to the level where the slaves were being marched in lines to the outside. As they stepped out into the sunlight, they shielded their eyes as they adjusted to the light they had probably not seen in some time. One slave stumbled as he took the final step out of the dungeon and a guard grabbed him and roughly pushed him back up to his feet.

Kaz placed a hand on the guard’s shoulder. “Please be kind to them,” he pleaded. “They have done nothing to deserve this treatment.” He didn’t know if his words had any impact on the dungeon guard, but for now it did not matter. These men would be free in a few moments.

*****

Kire and Bendar walked through the keep down from the audience chamber toward Maven’s rooms. “I’m not sure why we’re starting with him,” Bendar said to his advisor as they continued down the hall. “Are not the men of Mordyar more of an urgent threat?”

“Perhaps,” Kire responded, “But from what you’ve told me, I want to meet with this man. If he knows so much about the Stones of Power and the Changing, he’ll probably know something about Mordyar, and other than Mordyar’s men, he is one person who can definitely tell that you are not Omer. Besides, Mordyar’s men don’t know anything is happening. When they see you making changes they’ll probably come to you with questions, or start acting differently, and we’ll know who they are.”

Bendar shook his head. “I guess that makes sense,” he admitted, “but nobody really listens to Maven. I often think he is losing his mind. He told me Mordyar was in the Orften Mountains in the east. That makes no sense at all!”

“True,” Kire admitted, “But even the brightest of minds can be wrong from time to time.”

Bendar stepped out in front of Kire and gripped a door handle. “Here we are,” He pulled open the door and took a step into the office. Kire hesitantly walked in, stepping on some papers that had been thrown on the floor. The room was a mess. Books were turned off shelves, the floor was covered in papers, his inkwell had been tipped over, and his desk was wiped clean of anything.

Kire picked up a thin notebook from the floor and opened the front page. Before he could read anything on the book they heard a commotion in the next room. “Let’s go!” Kire ran out the door into the hallway and ducked back into the next room. An older man was standing by an open door with a large soldier standing by his side. Kire dove forward, grabbing the older man by the shirt.

“Ahh! Let me go!” he screamed. The large solder pulled the older man one direction while Kire pulled the other.

Bendar came running into the room and he joined with Kire in pulling on the man. “Maven, we’re not going to let him take you!”

Maven kicked out and hit Bendar in the shin. “You’re the new Omer! I hate Omer!”

Kire shifted Maven’s body to the side and struck out with a side kick that hit the soldier in the ribs. He grunted in pain and let go of Maven. Both Kire and Bendar fell backward, holding tight to Maven as the large soldier slammed the door shut.

Bendar ran up and threw himself against the wall, but it did not budge. “It’s barred shut,” he said.

“Why would he lock himself in a closet?”

“I was going to ask you the same thing. There must be some kind of passage out the back of that closet. Where could it lead?”

Kire shook his head, “At this point it doesn’t matter,” he answered. The red marks on his head flared to life as he did some mental calculations. “Lock Maven in his room, get Pentra and Kaz over here, our plans need to change. Mordyar’s men know who you are.”

“Kaz is already in the dungeon, he’ll be leading the slaves out in a matter of minutes.”

Kire exhaled slowly, not liking the fact that their hand was being forced, and they needed to move forward without time to consider everything that was happening. “We’ll go to Pentra’s room and tell her to bring her servant friend. We’re going to need all the help we can get.”

*****

Lord Omer walked briskly through the main hallway of the keep. As a group of three servants stopped what they were doing and bowed their heads, he paused for a moment and returned the gesture with a small nod of acknowledgement. Although Omer would never have acknowledged the servants, Bendar hoped that he could start making changes within the keep today that would spread quickly into his realm. It was strange how the knowledge that he would now be the baron was already changing the way he thought. Even something as simple as acknowledging a guard could have ramifications. He didn’t know how comfortable he was with this amount of power, but he did feel good about the wealth he now controlled that he could use to do some good in the area, and hopefully in support of the king against the fast approaching invasion.

“I require all servants to assemble behind the keep next to the loading bay. I will be making an announcement for everyone shortly. Spread the word, and be there in ten minutes,” he ordered the three servants who seemed unsettled by the greeting he had given them.

As he walked towards Pentra’s room, he passed the captain of the guards. “Captain Harold,” Bendar said in a commanding voice. “Are the carts and horses in order to make a shipment?”

The Captain looked at the ground. “Not yet, my Lord,” he answered, then he quickly added, “but they can be made ready within the hour.” Having responded, Harold stood at attention waiting for Omer's response.

Bendar turned to Kire. “One hour, will that be soon enough?”

Kire bowed, “Yes, My Lord. That should be sufficient time.”

Bendar looked at the captain and nodded his head. “Assemble all of the soldiers and guards from the keep. Have them in ranks behind the keep in ten minutes. I have an announcement, then we will be gathering the carts and horses.”

“Yes sir,” he said, then quickly turned and marched down the hall.

“Harold is a good man,” Bendar said to Kire as the Captain disappeared. “He oversees the training of the soldiers and defense of the keep. He doesn’t do anything with Hess, or thieving in the realm. Most of those soldiers are outside the keep right now.”

Kire nodded. “We’ll deal with them later. Where is Pentra’s room?”

Bendar pointed up the hall, “Just up ahead.”

“Good,” Kire pulled out a small piece of paper.

When they came to Pentra’s room, Bendar knocked and then opened the door without waiting for a reply. When they entered the room he saw Pentra hugging a servant girl. “What’s going on?” she asked as they barged in.

“Who is that? Can you trust her?” Kire asked as they closed the door tight behind them.

“This is Brooklyn,” she said with a confused look on her face. “She has been sneaking food to Hess since I left. I fully trust her.”

Without another word, Kire rushed in and went straight to a writing desk and began scrolling a quick note, and Bendar reached out his hand in greeting. “It’s nice to meet you,” Bendar said with a smile. “Sorry for the rush, but we believe it was leaked to Mordyar’s men that I am not Omer.”

“Bendar, do you know how many of Mordyar’s soldiers are in the keep?” Kire asked over his shoulder as he wrote.

Bendar nodded his head, “Other than Omer’s personal guards, most of Mordyar’s soldiers have arrived within the past six months. When they arrived, instead of registering them with a name, he just numbered them, so I took special note of that. Most of them left with Scar in the first supply delivery. There are only eight soldiers left in the keep who are loyal to Mordyar. I don’t know where they are stationed, what they look like, or even their names. Except the one we encountered in Maven’s room,” he added.

Kire looked at Pentra and then back to Bendar. “That means there are eight people hiding in the keep who will try to kill you at their next opportunity. We need to draw them out now so we can eliminate the threat.”

“That’s easy,” Bendar said with a grin. “I’ll just share Mordyar’s plans when we announce that the slaves are being released.”

“Perfect,” Kire said with a nod. “Brooklyn, I need you to do something for me,” Kire said as he folded the note in half. “Bring this to the back of the keep, look for a tall young man with a black bow. He should be escorting a group of slaves out of the dungeon. His name is Kaz. You need to get this note to him.”

Brooklyn bobbed her head, “Yes sir,” she quickly agreed.