Sicarius (8 page)

Chapter X 

When they return, the king orders Ambrose to be sent to the dungeons, still unclothed. The men who handle Ambrose treat him as they would an animal ready to be slaughtered, very roughly. The dungeon cell he is placed in is the same one he was in once as a spider. He will sit in this until his fate is decided by the king. The king thought of this to be amusing. 

He is the only one that is in this dungeon. The king must not have recruited more Sicarius in years. When they place him in this cell, they push Ambrose through the entrance. This push brings Ambrose to the floor, hitting his head. 

The blow to the head finally snaps him out of his daze. He was in this daze from the sight of the loss of his friends. While he comes to his senses, he realizes that he has caused too much trouble. Ambrose thinks that the king will feel that he has become out of his control and will want revenge, and there is no way of bringing him back to fight once more for the king of Fraudule. Ambrose’s knowledge will die with him. Ambrose knows the king will decide to kill him in front of all Sicarius, setting an example for them all. This will set any in the group, who question the king, straight and put an end to the disobeying. 

Ambrose knows that he must escape soon. If he does not, he will lose the seclusion of being alone, and he knows this is the only opportunity he will have to escape. If he fails to kill the king, he will never gain peace. 

The king believes that the dungeon Ambrose waits in is impossible to escape. The king is right to think this. These cells are to keep Sicarius captured while in training. Although Ambrose knows a way, getting out would be the easy part. Ambrose would have to think further into this. 

Ambrose thinks where his armor would be and how to kill the king. He figures it out in a matter of minutes. Ambrose sits patiently. He knows that a guard comes every so often to check on him. After an hour or two, he hears a guard coming. Ambrose, holding the bar that was once removed for his mom, places it out of sight behind his back. The guard comes into Ambrose’s view. 

Ambrose starts insulting the guard to gain his attention. “Hey, you are not a soldier. You are merely a bitch to the king to watch nobody. There is nobody in here. You do not have a purpose in life. Tell me, do you have a wife? I think it must be you they all talk among one another about. You fit the description. I hear all the men in the castle have had their way with your wife while you stay near your king’s side.” 

The guard knows not much of Ambrose and his skills. The only thing the guard knows is that Ambrose is an unarmed prisoner that is very obnoxious and needs to be put in his place. The guard becomes impatient and heads toward Ambrose in anger, unknowingly doing what Ambrose wants. 

Ambrose steps forward, close to the bars of the entrance of the cell he was placed in. He does this to be within the guard’s reach. The guard grasps Ambrose’s arm with intensity and pulls him close to his face just as Ambrose wanted. Before the guard could say anything, Ambrose takes the bar that he hides out of sight and strikes the guard on the forehead. The speed and force Ambrose uses places the pole deep into the head of the guard. This attack kills the guard without making any noise. Before the guard falls to the ground, Ambrose keeps him standing, not letting go of the pole, and takes the keys. 

When Ambrose opens the gate to his cell, he knows that the other guards will become suspicious of this guard’s disappearance. Ambrose needs to hurry. He places the guard’s armor and weapons on and switches places. This armor will let Ambrose walk around freely for an extent of the castle. 

The castle is very large. It was built this size to show everyone the power the king holds. Its substantial size leaves too much room for one type of guard to maintain. The king split the castle into four sections, and in each section, the guards have a different armor on. If Ambrose is to escape, he must not show his face and pass each section with a different armor on. This will prevent the other guards from asking questions. 

Ambrose heads to the main door of the dungeon. He knows that once he gets to the point where the dungeon door opens, the other guards will make conversation. Ambrose prepares himself as he walks to the door to knock. They open the door, and Ambrose sees that there are only two, one who is holding the door and one who stands next to the door. 

The one who holds the door shuts it after Ambrose enters. “So is he as scary as the last guard said?” 

Ambrose stands still, looks down not to show his face, and does not move. This will cause curiosity and will make the guards move closer to him, making it easier for him to dispose of them. This also will make less noise to avoid alerting others. 

“Are you okay? He wasn’t that terrifying? Even so, he was behind a cell wall,” said the other guard. 

The speechlessness that Ambrose shows has the guards worried. As they come closer to comfort Ambrose, thinking he is the other guard, they soon find out he is not who they thought he was—and before they let out a word, Ambrose slays them both. Ambrose hides their bodies in one of the cells back in the dungeon. 

Ambrose knows his armor is held where the Sicarius train. In order to retrieve his gear, he is to sneak past all of the Sicarius—what he knows is an impossible task. They will see him coming before he enters their training room. Even if he has the proper armor on, no guard is to enter their room. 

Ambrose knows another way, thus setting fully into action his plan of killing the king of Fraudule. Ambrose sets on leaving the castle. From there, he will travel to Incontinence. Once he gets to Incontinence, he will tell the king who he is and that he needs the king’s help. The king of Incontinence will have no choice but not to turn him down, especially as a way to find more power.
Aida did say King Cynric never could control himself. When more power comes his way, he takes it no matter what,
Ambrose thinks to himself. 

Ambrose makes his way out of the castle. At each split of the castle, he finds an unprepared guard to kill and take armor from. The armor he has on hides himself among others, giving him the perfect opportunity to strike quietly. 

Finally, he finds himself at the gates that lead to outside the kingdom with ease. Before he can step out, they close, and a soldier stops him. “What exactly are you doing in this area with that armor on?” 

Ambrose was not aware that the guards that look after the gate entrance had different armor. This must be a new rule the king just put in effect. Ambrose figures it is dark, and his face will not show. This gives Ambrose a way to converse with the guard. Quickly, Ambrose thinks of something. 

Ambrose turns around to face the guard. “Well, you see, I am a new recruit. I do not know much of the rules and where I belong. I do know I must go home because I forgot my sword.” 

“Yes, this is a new rule the king just put in effect. I understand the reasons you have the armor of the east wing on, but I am surprised they did not tell you that all guards that leave, must leave their armor in the armory. But no need to leave. There are many weapons in the armory.” 

“The only sword that I carry can only be one. It is my father’s sword. This sword has been passed down from his father and his father before that.” 

The guard places his hand on his sword and pulls it on Ambrose. “I carry the same.” The guard shows it off. “It was my grandfather’s.” The guard places it back. “Fine, go.” The guard nods his head toward the gate. “But do not to let it happen again, and hurry up.” 

Ambrose waits for the gates to open. “Thank you.” He runs to the stables to get a horse. 

Ambrose chooses the best and fastest horse he can find. In the back of the guard’s mind, this was very strange as Ambrose should not need a horse for this task. As he thinks this, Ambrose disappears from his view. After seeing Ambrose off, he turns around to see a small battalion running up. The guard knows he just made a mistake. 

Out of this battalion, one soldier steps forward. “Look out for a man who wears misplaced armor. He is an escaped prisoner.” 

Oh no, what have I done?
the guard thinks to himself, remembering Ambrose and how he must be the prisoner this soldier is speaking of. 

“If I see him, I will stop him and report.” 

If he tells them what he did, he would be punished by death. The men then leave to continue their search. As they leave, the soldier shows relief. He falls back into his post and acts as if nothing has happened. 

Back with the king of Fraudule, a soldier runs to the king’s side. “My lord, Ambrose has escaped. I have sent a battalion to search the castle.” 

The king looks at the soldier. “There is no need. He is already gone. Leave and stop this search. I will deal with this myself.” 

The king shows much frustration. He hits the armrest of his throne. When he stands, the throne shows a massive indention to the armrest. When the soldier leaves, the king goes to the secret path, never showing this way to any unless they are Sicarius. He heads to the Sicarius training courtyard. 

When the king enters the area, all stop to kneel. “All hail the king.” 

“I need all the lions to follow me!” The king walks back up the path. 

The king stops before he enters his throne room and hears all the lion Sicarius say at once, “We are all present, sir!” 

King Oswald opens the door to his room, not looking back. “Bring me back Ambrose’s head! Now go!” The king walks in and closes the door behind him. 

The lion Sicarius say all at once, “As you wish, sire!” They all disappear into the darkness of the secret path, scattering like ants. 

Soon the Sicarius will catch up to Ambrose. Ambrose rides a horse to the land of Incontinence. He rips off the emblem that shows he is part of the Fraudule army and any other things that show he is for King Oswald. He does this grinding his teeth together out of the true hate he has for King Oswald. If he is to come close to King Cynric, he must not be wearing such things. 

Ambrose knows that King Oswald probably set most of the lion Sicarius after him. Ambrose will not be able to rest or even stop for a second. They soon will be right behind him, watching and waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike unexpectedly. 

Chapter XI 

Ambrose approaches the gates, running. Covered with sweat, Ambrose looks as if he just came out of water. The Incontinence soldiers scrabble and talk among one another. This unforeseen visit places the men on high alert. The armor he wears is strange. It is color-coaded and is not from their land. They are in the right to assume Ambrose is a threat. 

The archers point arrows at Ambrose. The man in charge comes forward. “What is your business being at the king’s castle?” 

“I am a spy, and I have word of the Fraudule army. They were on to me, so I had to leave unexpectedly.” 

“Your horse, where is it?” 

“As I said before, they found out about my intent somehow.” Ambrose looks up at the man who is in charge, wiping sweat from his head. “They gave chase, and I knew they would not stop coming for me. I ran until my horse fell from exhaustion and died. After it died, I had to continue running.” 

The soldiers talked among themselves, and one runs off. The men do not take their attention off Ambrose. They have enough men to watch Ambrose. Some fall back to their post. Even though men continue their watch, Ambrose is still the center of attention. 

Ambrose yells for all to hear, “King Oswald has highly trained soldiers after me. I am too vulnerable on the outside walls, and I must be let in before they shoot me from a far distance out of sight!” 

The Incontinence soldiers hesitate, and just then, arrows are shot at Ambrose. Ambrose uses his skills to dodge them. In the middle of the attack, the soldiers open the gate to let Ambrose in. They have no choice but to believe his word. If he was the enemy, his own will not shoot at him. 

One of the men tells Ambrose, not letting his guard down and still pointing his arrow at him as Ambrose runs in, “Do not go any farther from there. Do not move. Stay in one spot.” 

The gates are closed, and arrows are stopped. The men try to look to see where they came from but none can figure this out. They were shot by the Sicarius, who are barricaded in the far distance, out of view. 

The one who seemed to be in charge runs up next to Ambrose and yells at the soldier for letting Ambrose in the castle. “This could be a trap. I just got word. The king has no spy in the walls of Fraudule.” 

“It is not a trap, and I could show you!” Ambrose looks at all the guards above and in front of him. “Get a scope and look in the distance! I will show you where they will be located and how they will infiltrate this castle! I will show you their tactics! Best, I will show you how, with just a few men, you could kill them.” Ambrose stops looking at all and only focuses on the one who is in charge. “Just by knowing how they will strike. You do not need many men to kill these men. With the strategy I give you, you could kill them all with ease. If you could kill them all without them seeing you coming, would you not ask yourself why I would do this if I really was not on your side? If they know you are coming and kill the few men you send, I will lay down my life.” He starts to relax his tense shoulders when they finally show they can be reasoned with. 

“Come with me,” said the man in charge. 

Ambrose follows with many men behind him. They carry spears. They point these spears, threatening him that if he moves unexpectedly, he will die. They still do not trust what Ambrose has to say but cannot help take this into consideration. They take Ambrose to the castle’s dungeon. 

The one in charge opens a gate to a cell. “You will call me Captain Gideon. You will need to know this name if you are not telling the truth. It is because I will be the one who kills you. How many men will be needed?” 

Ambrose walks in the cell. “You will need only ten.” 

“Fine. Meanwhile, when I send these men, you will sit in this cell. If they are not successful, you will die by torcher. Now tell me how and when we can attack.” 

Before closing Ambrose in the cell, they strip him from his weapons and armor. They give him a cloth outfit common among prisoners. He tells them how to attack. The method he explains sound bizarre but efficient. Ambrose tells how they are lined in the distance and where each man would be waiting. After this, he mentions the way to come from the distance, behind them, and how to attack. He goes in depth with his explanation and tells them they must follow exactly what he says. “If you do not do as I say, you will fail.” 

After he tells them this information, the men leave him. Ambrose awaits the results as he sits in the cell. Ambrose sets a plan
B
and finds a way to escape in the case they fail. He will not settle without King Oswald’s head. They should not fail if they follow the exact way Ambrose explained. 

Hours pass, then the king comes up to his cell. The king is surrounded by men and out of view. When he reveals himself to Ambrose, he shows his height. He is very tall and thin with pale skin; he is the complete opposite of Oswald. If Ambrose is to help this king, he will rule and win the war. Ambrose knows this king has an addiction to power. This will be his demise one day. Until that day comes, he will rule the two kingdoms or more.
It is better than Oswald ruling,
Ambrose tells himself.
 

“The men we just killed were the best soldiers that Fraudule had to offer.” The king tosses a Sicarius emblem at Ambrose. “This is an emblem of the Sicarius. I know of these warriors and how they are impossible to kill. Because of your strategy, these soldiers were able to be killed. They were all killed without one of my men dying. Who exactly are you?” 

Ambrose lowers his defenses and stops plotting plan
B
. “I was once the best of those men. My mother came to me when I was a young child. Most of these men never had this kind of emotion. After all, we were meant not to have emotion starting from the age of a young child. I believe her coming to me while I was a younger child sparked a hidden emotion making me train to be the best. After so long, I questioned why—why I was doing Oswald’s bidding for so long. I completely stopped not too long after meeting my new friends. I killed their man of support. It was King Oswald’s order to kill him. He was the man who held the black sword. After the king found me, he captured me, and he killed my friends. This is the reason why I must kill him. I have changed and dedicated myself to killing the king. I cannot do it alone. I will need help. This is why I come to you.” 

“So you helped Michael’s family? I am curious why. They were not to have any harm done to them.” 

“The men who looked after that village, they raped and torched them. When I arrived to see what was going on and to send my condolences, I saw what was happing. I killed Everett and had no choice but to get them out.” 

“I see.” The king thinks and starts to put everything together. “I take it you escaped your capture, and the king knew about this? When he knew you escaped, he knew how skilled you were and sent the best he had after you. Correct? 

“Yes.” 

“Because you were the best out of them all, you knew their strategy, giving us the upper hand. Killing the ones who followed you must be your proposition. I agree with this strategy.” The king walks to a guard and takes the keys from him and looks back at Ambrose. “What exactly do you need from me?” King Cynric walks to the door of the cell Ambrose is in. 

“I will not be able to get close enough to the king without an army. I need a distraction so I can get to the king. It is impossible for an attack of an army to invade and be able to get him before he escapes, and it is impossible for a one-man mission to do it. I need your help to kill the king of Fraudule. This is my strategy. In return for killing the king and giving you his land, all I ask for”—Ambrose tightens his fist and looks down—“is my revenge.” 

The king unlocks the door, intrigued, and opens it to look at Ambrose as he walks out. “What are your needs?”