The Exodus Sagas: Book II - Of Dragons And Crowns (30 page)

Two of the Saint Erinsburg men lifted the stone tile that the stairs led up to, then slid it quietly off to the left as dim torchlight poured in
f
rom above.
The sound of fifteen
blades being drawn at once signified the
beginning of treason as Savanno and Sulian, devout men of God and country, steadily crept into the lower dungeons of Castle L’herrim. Five men cocked their crossbows into place and loaded their ammunition, marching right behind the Lisario knights. They funneled in behind one another, trailing to the torchlit corridor, past the prison cells, then to the left passage, then a quick turn to the right. Sulian and Savanno stopped simultaneously, seeing two heavily armored royal guards at the entrance to the stairs that led up to the lower chambers of the castle interior. Five bolts shot down the passage over their shaved heads and into the chests of the unsuspecting men. The knights waited for their men to reload, hearing the locking of the crossbows they rose to their feet and continued. The two men in platemail still trembled
in their dying breaths
, and they were given a quick mercy of the b
lade from the men as they proceeded
, ending their delayed
passing.

The doors were locked, but before Savanno could turn, one of Sulian’s men had lifted the keys from the dead guard on their left and handed them to the former lord of knights. The first key Savanno tried worked, he turned it and pushed the door open as brighter light from the sconces of the courtyard flooded in.

“That could be a good sign.”
Sulian smiled at his uncle optimistically, looking at the dozen or so keys in his hand.

“Let us hope it is the first of many.” Savanno tucked the key ring on his belt and marched up the stairs, keeping his pace quick now that stealth was not important. Twenty men in a castle with a hundred roaming guards at night could not be concealed, so speed was now the only factor he concerned himself with.

Into the courtyard they ran, to the stairs to the southern side of the great hall and up them as fast as their legs could move. Several shouts from the catwalks and corner watchtowers signaled other guards that had not seen the twenty shadows running up to the side of the throne room balcony. Arrows fired from longbows in the dark, one hitting true and sending a man off of the edge of the wall to a thirty foot drop. His stifled yell silenced a moment later on impact, and the remaining nineteen invaders kept their charge. Safely out of range and covered by the castle wall, Savanno smashed the stained glass window that led to the dining hall. Sulian and several others used the pommels of their rapiers to do the same, sending beautiful glass of magnificent color shattering to the floor inside.

“I hope Saint Gav
riel won’t hold this against me
.” Savanno jested as he stepped over the sharp shards
that remained of the depiction of the saint of light,
and
then
hopped onto the huge oak table.

The small band of rogue soldiers jumped in one by one, keeping pace with their leaders that now stalked through the blue curtains and tapestries into the throne room. Four armored guards stood at attention at the sight of Savanno, then
yelled for them to halt seeing his armed brigade stream in behind him. There was no halting any of them, crossbow bolts loosed into the plate armor and shields of the two that were in the way of the stone stairs leading up to the towers. One of them fell, the other took cover behind his shield and yelled for reinforcements. Savanno and Sulian were already across the hall and at the base o
f the stairs. Sulian feigned an
attack to the guard’s head, as his shield raised to block the blade Savanno struck his edge deep into his ribs. As he fell fumbling for his sword, the guard tried to yell again, nothing escaped his lips as he hit the stone floor. The sound of reloading crossbows and blades crossing with the other castle soldiers echoed in the royal chambers. Sulian heard one of his men shout that more were on the way, then heard their men wedging the door shut with halberds.

Ramming and pounding on the grand doors of L’Herrim sounded throughout the interior of the castle, yet they pushed on up the stairs and into the hall that led to the north wing.
The knights turned the corner
and came face to face with two royal guards charging them with their spear length weapons topped with axe blades. Savanno turned to his left at the last second, flattening against the wall, while Sulian spun in and wrapped his cloak around the weapon, pinning it useless. Before the two knights could attack their enemies with their rapiers, their own men rushed in and did it for them. Down the long corridor they went, turning right, then left, then up the single file stai
rs that spiraled
. Another guard, surprised to see Savanno Lisario here at night stuttered to speak, then went for his rapier. The former lord squeezed past him, turned and struck the back of his helmet with the pommel of his sword.
The stairs became a sprawling mess of his men trying to jump over the armored guard as he fell and tumbled down. Savanno, had he the choice, would not kill anyone here. Unfortunately for them, they were in the middle of something that would and could endanger their lives, and Savanno was not about to let his men die if they could kill their enemies first. It was hard for him to swallow, but some had to die.

Faster up the stairs they went, passing the second and third floors and marching out into the hallway of the fourth floor of the northern tower. Two men came to attention, the lowered their halberds toward Savanno
as he approached the door he knew Rosana was being held behind. He stared at the guards, walking slowly toward them as many cloaked men with swords and crossbows filled in around him. The men looked at each other nervously.

“Stand down men, we are not here to kill you unless you wish it. No one needs to
die here, lay down your arms.” t
he former lord of knights walked between them, and held his hand out for the key to open the prison chamber. His eyes never left the one on the right, seeing him more fidgety of the two which meant he was in charge and had the key.
“Open it and no harm will befall you, I swear it.”

The guards dropped their weapons, and the man on the right drew out the cell key and placed it in the lock, then backed against the wall next to the other
. “God save you Lord Savanno.” t
he men still revered him despite all the rumor and scandal now surrounding his name.

“Bind them, use their own belts.” Savanno opened the door, his heart full of hope, sorrow, love and
pain. He ran in, then stopped dead in his tracks. He looked upon his beautiful wife, and the king standing behind her.

“What is this?” his eyes wide, heart sinking, and ready to kill Richmond where he stood as Rosana ran to him and embraced him.

“Florin controls the army and the castle, yet the bishop holds more power than any of us realized. I was removed from the throne by my own seneschal and then forced to sign the kingdom over to Javiel.” Richmond spoke softly, trying not to look at his queen with her arms
rushing to be
around her true love.

“And why are you here, since you ordered Rosana’s execution, stripped me of title, and tried to have us both killed? Tell me why I should not run you through here and now!”
h
is men tapped his shoulder, all of them including Sulian kept their cloaks low as to avoid being recognized by anyone.

“I followed Florin’s advice, she found you out and pressured me. Then the bishop stepped in and rallied the nobles and knights against you and Kalzarius. Savanno, if I had the p
ower, I would undo all of it.” t
he king bowed his head in shame. “I know she has never loved me, and I hope you two find peace and love in the midst of the crumbling of a kingdom. I only ask that you find it in your grace and mercy to take me with you, at least out of the city.”

“Why would I do that? You have betrayed me as my king, dishonored your throne, and tried to have me killed?” Savanno backed away, placing Rosana in Sulian’s arms to be covered with a cloak.

“Lord Savanno, we must go. The castle fills with soldiers as we delay here.” Sir Sulian whispered to his uncle.

“I am young, naïve, and have made some mistakes Savanno. Please do not leave me here to be beheaded. They will kill me once she is gone, and the church or Florin will rule this kingdom. I want nothing more than to be free of this place. I have written pardons and documents alleviating you and the queen. Have mercy here, honorable knight, and take me with you
so that I too, may live in exile
.” Richmond pulled tears during his plea, and looked more helpless than a child.

“
Men, cover the king, we make for the sewers.” Savanno turned and marched back down the way they came, knowing that they would be facing many more guards on their way out; the only way out. He had lost two men already, and now he had two unarmed bodies to protect as well. One of them he loved and would die for, the other he would rather kill himself. If it weren’t for being in the castle as a sworn knight the day of his birth, Savanno Lisario would most likely have ended his life right there. He couldn’t, so with the rogue knights and soldiers the king went.

Sulian whispered again into his uncle’s ear. “This is madness, you do realize that don’t you?”

“What choice do we have? We are sworn to the kingdom, the king and queen need our help. Circumstances are obviously not-“

“
You are either a far better or far more foolish man than me, uncle. If we do not make the sewers, we are now dead men for-“

Savanno whispered back, interrupting the lecture. “I was a dead man before tonight. We were all dead simply for rescuing the queen. Bringing the king will not make us more dead, it simply complicates the matter further. When we split at the courtyard, do not speak to me or look at me, for the king might recognize you. Should he return to power or tell of this to anyone, I want only my name responsible. Understood?”

“Understood. Let’s just make it to the courtyard first. Th
en you head out the north gates,
Sir Leonard has pulled most of his men. There are horses in the
north
stable two blocks before the walls of the city. Ride hard, and do not return. I will se
ek you out someday
.” Sulian heard the sound of the doors to the great hall cracking open by force as he whispered to his uncle.

“Agreed.” Savanno turned the corner from the first floor where the stairs ended. He and Sulian marched ahead of the entourage now protecting the king and queen. He reached the corner that would take him to the stairs that led down into the throne room and saw the men. Sixty for certain, many with crossbows flooding the immense chamber and making to cut them off on the blue carpet and the dining hall exit.
Savanno saw Javiel behind them, wearing armor with his priestly robes and feathered cross.

Javiel knew now that the king had set him up, he had read the scrolls given to him earlier this evening. The king had written of implications that put him in power during this revolt, and stated he had taken control of the army with seneschal Florin. The bishop was furious, and with Florin nowhere to be found after her
recent
brutal riots in the streets, he decided he would take power of the castle by right of the Bishop of the church of Alden. He would have this city and kingdom free of the chaos
and under his control
by the time the cardinal returned with the Crossguard Legion, or die trying.

“Savanno Lisario, you are under arrest! By order of the church and the kingdom of Harlaheim, I order you to surrender yourself, the king, and the queen
! Do this and you will be allowed to stand
trial!” Javiel drew his longsword and pointed it at the cloaked soldiers that rushed down the stairs into the throne room led by Savanno.

“For the crowns, for God, and for Harlaheim! Charge them!” Savanno rallied his men with a roaring battle call, followed by hi
s nephew and sixteen
faithful soldiers as they raced down the stairs to face four times their number. The former Lord K
night Errant knew he had the loyalty
of his men, and the fear of the men he faced by reputation alone. He hoped it was enough
to break through th
eir ranks and make it out alive with their quarry.

LCMVXI
ILCMVXIILCMVXIILCMVX

Ansharr the ancient wyrm closed her eyes for a long moment, they were not accustomed to staring at such small and archaic writing for so many hours. She had finished reading the scroll that she now knew had been written by no mortal, far from it in fact. Her divine senses could feel the pull of the moons as her old spirit reached its last few centuries; but the impulses of energy she received from a mere touch of the parchment to her scaled skin was far more potent. This relic had powers that she knew had been released recently, and what remained bound to the item was fading fast. Since it was not arcane magic at all, the dragon could not trace it. The energies that were present and manipulated into form
s of
arcane
had symbols, words, and sometimes
certain techniques that could be followed and learned. This sort of power, divine beyond mortal understanding, had no such method; it simply was.