The Silken Cord (18 page)

“Nay, my Lord. I heard one of the guard’s
say King Rhys’s son was here, but I know not where the lad is kept.
I suppose the upper tower would be the most likely place.”

Wulfgar nodded in agreement. Then he went to
stand before the old man who now leaned weakly against the wall.
Placing his hand upon Vachel’s shoulder, Wulfgar looked down at him
with fond regret. “I must leave you here for the time being. If the
guards discover you missing, they’ll sound the alarm and set up a
search. But rest assured, I’ll return for you as soon as I
can.”

Vachel’s gray eyes glimmered with hope, his
expression one of complete trust. When he spoke, his voice was
filled with conviction. “I’ll wait for you here.”

Nodding his head, Wulfgar turned to Jenkin.
“I don’t know what we’ll find above. If we’re outnumbered, take the
princess back the way we came and help Vachel get free also. I’ll
keep the guards busy while you see to her safety. It’d take time
for Edwin’s mercenaries to discover what happened and you would be
able to escape.”

Jenkin nodded.

Ariana stepped between the two men and
raised her hands to place one against each of their powerful
shoulders. Crinkling her eyes, she looked between them and gave
them as stern a look as possible. “I’ll not leave without Dafydd.
So while the two of you plan how to keep me safe, don’t forget my
primary mission is to free my brother.”

She walked to the threshold and stared at
it, tapping her toe impatiently as she waited for Wulfgar to open
the door.

Shaking his head, Wulfgar placed the key in
the lock and turned it with an audible click. He pulled gently and
the door swung inward. Then he put the key back in its hiding place
and set the stone back in the wall. A person would have to look
carefully to notice the mortar had been chiseled away. If Vachel
were strong enough to hold his breath, he could swim his way to
freedom.

“Once we’ve taken the castle, I’ll return
and fill in the mortar, in case we need to use the passage again,”
Wulfgar said. “Vachel, if for some reason I’m unable to return for
you, you can use the key to escape.”

Vachel nodded and Wulfgar cast a glance over
his shoulder at Ariana. He raised his eyebrows as he gave a
warning. “You go last, Ariana. If there’s trouble, you’ll return
here with Vachel until it’s safe. Don’t be foolish. All of our
lives depend upon our good judgment.”

Ariana recognized the wisdom in what he
said, but she had come here to find her brother. They were so close
and she wasn’t about to leave without Dafydd.

Her heart pounded and her hands became
clammy with excitement. She shivered in her wet clothes, waiting
for Wulfgar to go first.

He stepped from the dungeon and mounted the
stone stairs leading upward. There was little light and their dark
shadows billowed across the walls like ghoulish specters. Wulfgar
moved silently, followed by Jenkin and Ariana. Vachel watched them
go, then slid the door closed and peered at them through the iron
bars.

The three moved silently up the stairs.
Ariana clutched a stiff rope railing, which had been strung along
the wall for support. They reached the first landing and Ariana
could see the squint where Vachel’s jailor had peeked down at them.
They turned the corner of the dark passageway and proceeded up the
next flight of stairs. As they drew near the second landing, Ariana
could see more light coming from above. She swallowed heavily,
wondering what they would find there. She heard no voices and
thought for a moment the guardroom must be empty.

Wulfgar slowed as he approached the chamber.
Holding out a hand to caution them, he drew his sword quietly.
Jenkin did likewise, and Ariana pulled one of her daggers from its
sheath.

Cautiously, Wulfgar slipped into the room,
followed by Jenkin. Ariana peeked around the corner, prepared to
fight alongside the men. Her ears were greeted by the soft snores
of the jailor, who lay slouched on a bench along the far wall.
Sound asleep, he had his mouth wide open, his hands folded over his
rotund belly where an iron ring containing several keys was hooked
to his belt.

A candle perched in a tall candleholder sat
upon a trestle table beside him. It cast flickering shadows upon
the stonewalls of the room. Beside the jailor on the floor was an
empty cup and discarded crust of bread. Ariana jumped and almost
squealed when a plump rat raced across the floor, snatched the
bread and scurried to safety through a hole in the wall.

Lowering his eyebrows, Wulfgar shook his
head and frowned at Ariana. She felt the color in her face heighten
with embarrassment.

Stupid girl.

She chastised herself. She must be careful
not to make a sound.

To exit, they would need to cross the room.
Wulfgar pointed toward the portal, which stood wide open, beckoning
them with freedom. He then held a single finger up to his lips to
warn them to be quiet.

Stealthily, he walked across the chamber.
Both Jenkin and Ariana followed. As she was about to slip through
the open door, the jailor gave a loud snort and jerked. Ariana
froze. Her pulse raced and she stared wide-eyed as the man rubbed
his nose and readjusted his position. He smacked his thick lips but
didn’t open his eyes.

Praise the heavens.

Her temples pounded as she waited for him to
settle himself again. Then she took the last two steps through the
door and into the hallway. Her heart beat madly in her chest and
she could hardly believe they’d come this far without detection.
Surely they’d be discovered at any moment. But they had the
advantage of night. Most of the castlefolk were asleep and the
guards obviously didn’t expect intruders.

Moving further down the hall, Wulfgar
directed them outside into the dark once more. Cool night air
embraced them and Ariana crossed her arms, clenching her teeth to
keep them from chattering. Wulfgar led the way through the bailey,
which was lit with several torches set along the walls. It became
apparent to Ariana that he knew his castle well. She would have
gotten lost in all the twists and turns they took. He looked about,
as if noticing what had occurred at his home during his
absence.

They passed by piles of rubbish and he
grimaced with disgust. His nose wrinkled with repugnance when they
caught the stench of decaying garbage and he frowned at the
disrepair of fences and buildings. From his expression, Ariana
thought this lack of care greatly bothered Wulfgar, as it did
her.

Edwin was not only cruel, but also lazy. The
lord of this keep needed a strong hand to direct the people in
their labors.

“See there are very few guards. Some are
sleeping against the wall over there.” As Jenkin pointed to several
men lying slumped against the stone keep. A soft snore filled the
air.

Without him saying so, Ariana knew Wulfgar
would have punished his men for such sloth while on duty.

“Aye,” Wulfgar whispered. “It’ll be easy to
take control.”

A dog began to bark and Wulfgar ducked
behind a stockpile of barrels. Jenkin and Ariana bustled after him
and they huddled there, listening.

“Shut up, you mongrel.” A man’s angry voice
came from the kennels. A thud and yelp were followed by loud
curses.

All was still again, with only the lowing of
contented cattle coming from the milk barn. Ariana shifted
nervously beside Jenkin. What was their next move?

Crouched upon his knees, Wulfgar nodded
toward the far side of the yard and whispered. “I believe Edwin has
locked Dafydd in a small chamber at the top of that tower. It’s
where I would put the boy. We’ll have to cross through the main
hall and climb the stairs to get there. Once we reach the stairs,
we might encounter a guard. If not, we should be able to reach him
easily.”

“And will there be people sleeping inside
the hall?” Ariana queried softly.

“Yes,” Wulfgar nodded his head as he peered
over the barrels. “I fear it won’t be as easy to slip through the
hall without detection as it was to get by the jailor.”

“What will we do?”

Reaching out, he grabbed a woolen rag
someone had thrown over the barrels. He folded it in half, then
draped it over his head and pulled it forward so it covered his
lower face. If a servant noticed him, they wouldn’t recognize
him.

Hopefully.

Taking hold of Ariana’s braid, he proceeded
to stuff it down the back of her shirt, hiding the long strand from
view. Ariana didn’t think to struggle. To the casual eye of a
sleepy person, she would appear to be no more than a boy passing
through the hall.

Wulfgar’s teeth flashed white as he smiled.
“Hopefully, if anyone awakens and sees us in the hall, they’ll
think we belong there and pay us no heed.”

“They’ll know we’re strangers. Don’t you
think they’ll suspect something amiss?”

Wulfgar frowned. “That’s the chance we’ll
have to take. Perhaps they’ll not care. The mercenaries have met
with success in subduing your people and have become lazy in their
victory.”

Ariana prayed their trickery worked. Jenkin
grunted as he stepped back into the yard.

They crept into the main hall. Sitting in
the center of the large room, a bright fire burned in a round fire
pit made of stone. Long tables were set on either side of the fire
pit with a raised dais at the head of the room and another table
set there for the lord of the castle. Beautiful gold tapestries
emblazoned with red snarling wolves hung from the shadowed walls,
which were painted a vivid blue. It was too dark to make out the
details but Ariana could see armaments and shields bearing
Wulfgar’s crest hanging above the lord’s table.

Wulfgar’s jaw tensed when he noticed this
and Ariana knew it was an affront for Edwin to keep them there when
he had no claim to Wulfgar’s heritage. Wulfgar had told her that
the Conteville name was an old one associated with wealth and power
in Normandy. Long had his family been close confidents and allies
with King William. When Edwin had taken control of the castle, the
wolves should have been removed and replaced with Edwin’s
crest.

Again Wulfgar looked about at the food
encrusted dishes strewn across the sturdy tables. Ariana was
surprised the servants had not cleared the mess away after the last
meal. Bones and decaying garbage littered the floor from many a
meal. She pinched her nose at the great stench. From across the
room, a dog growled, then lowered its head back to the floor.

“I will drive this vermin from my home,”
Wulfgar muttered.

Watching him, Ariana could see his anger.
His brows lowered in a dark frown and his jaw flexed as if he
ground his teeth together.

“Don’t forget our mission,” she
admonished.

People slept on the floor and on benches
along the walls. One man snored noisily from where he lay sprawled
across the lord’s table. At first, Ariana thought it might be Edwin
in a drunken stupor, for she had seen the man on several occasions.
As they drew near, she realized it wasn’t him.

They were halfway across the hall when a
young woman rolled over and opened her eyes. Ariana tensed as the
woman stared blankly at them for several moments, then pushed
auburn hair back from her cheeks. Jenkin nodded at her but they
kept moving, acting casual, as if they had a right to be there. The
woman glanced at Wulfgar, looking curiously at his head covering.
She seemed to size him up and then her eyes widened, but she made
no sound.

Slowly, the woman pushed the fur coverings
away and scooted back from the heavy arm of the man lying beside
her. She yawned and stretched casually, then stumbled to her feet
and made her way toward the door. It appeared that she needed to
relieve herself, and no one stopped her from leaving the hall.
Ariana breathed a sigh of relief.

Reaching the landing of the stairs, Wulfgar
started up, moving quiet and fast as they wound round in a steep,
upward circle. At each floor, there was a hallway branching off
into unknown chambers, and Ariana realized the magnitude of this
great castle Wulfgar had built.

What would it have been like to live here
with him as his wife and raise their children?

She shook her head, clearing her mind. She
must not let herself think such foolish thoughts.

Finally Wulfgar stopped and stood aside to
let her and Jenkin pass. He removed the cloth from his head and let
it dangle loose around his neck.

He inclined his chin upward. “The tower room
is above. It’s the only chamber at the top, so you’ll not become
lost. Go and seek your brother. I have business on this floor.”

Ariana drew back with dismay. “What do you
plan?”

Wulfgar’s dark eyes glinted with resolve as
he stared down the dark passageway.

“He seeks Edwin,” Jenkin remarked in a
knowing tone.

Ariana shifted her weight. “Not yet. If you
create a disturbance, the guards will hear and come running. So
far, we’ve gone undetected. We must find Dafydd and free him before
you take the castle.”

“You have what you want. Go and retrieve
your brother,” Wulfgar growled. “Leave me to my own troubles.”

“The princess is right,” Jenkin objected.
“You’ll bring the guards down upon us if you seek Edwin now. We
must first open the sally port and let our men inside.”

Wulfgar turned his head so he looked at
Ariana. In his eyes, she saw cold fury. She drew back against the
wall of the stairway and pressed her hands against the rough stone.
She’d never seen him look so resolute.

“You gave me your word,” she reminded
him.

Wulfgar looked torn. He bit his bottom lip,
his manner hesitant. She knew he wanted to go to the lord’s chamber
and drag Edwin out of bed and deal him a quick and brutal
death.

Jenkin tensed beside her as his fingers
curled around the hilt of his sword. His eyes hardened and his
nostrils flared. The last thing they needed now was to fight among
themselves.