A Stolen Crown (19 page)

“Eddie, are you in trouble with the town guard again?” she asked Aaron, her voice loud enough to be heard by the man at the door.

“I said open up!” the man yelled. “I’m about the King’s business.” The chain rattled as the soldier shook the door.

“The King can wait his turn!” Carly shouted over her shoulder and turned to Aaron, shaking her head. The soldier continued rattling the door and Carly put her hand on Aaron's chest. “He’s none too happy. What did you do? Kidnap the princess?”

“Something like that,” Aaron said.

“She didn’t seem very kidnapped. People said she was dead too, but she looked alive to me.”

“That soldier at the door is one of the men who tried to kill her,” Aaron told her and a fearful expression crossed her face.

“You'll protect me though, like you protected the princess?”

“Yes,” Aaron said. “I'll do my best.”

“Good,” Carly said with a smile, then she glanced over at the door. The pounding and rattling had stopped. “Do you think he's given up?”

“One can hope,” Aaron said, though he was doubtful. “I don't think he believed this little show.”

Aaron could hear other voices talking outside the door. Aaron closed his eyes and, with his power, he caught a glimpse of the hallway. His eyes snapped open as he saw what the soldiers were doing. The door swung inward, slamming against the wall as a group of soldiers threw their weight against it, ripping the chain from its latch. Four soldiers that had fallen into the room when the door swung open scrambled to their feet as the man with the red hair entered with his sword drawn. Carly got up from the bed and started walking toward him.

“Wait," Aaron said, leaping from the bed after her.

“What do you think you’re doing, breaking down the door? Can’t you see I'm a might busy?”

“Out of my way, whore,” the man growled and swung his sword at her. Aaron moved in front of Carly and blocked the man's sword with one of his blades, then he pulled the girl behind him as three more soldiers entered the room, swords drawn.

“I knew I recognised you,” the man said, stepping back. I was pretty sure before and I never forget a face. You won’t leave here alive.”

Aaron glanced over at Carly.

“Get on the other side of the bed and stay there,” he told her then he turned his attention back to the man and the other soldiers. “I think your friends here might feel different if they knew you were the one who tried to kill Princess Ariana.”

“Lies,” the man hissed. “You're the murderer. I saw it with my own eyes.”

Aaron noticed that the man wore the markings of a captain on his sleeve.

“I see Cerric promoted you to Captain,” Aaron said. “I bet he paid you a lot of gold to kill his niece just so he could be king.”

“Liar!” the man yelled and rushed at him.

In one quick move, Aaron's blade sliced into the man's side, opening a deep gash that the both knew was fatal. The man's sword clattered to the floor and blood flowed from the wound, pooling at his feet as he fell, shocked at how quickly his life was ended. The other soldiers hesitated for a moment then rushed forward, all of them attacking at once. Aaron blocked and parried, fighting as quickly and efficiently as he could in such a tight space. Thankfully, the close quarters also mean the soldiers were having a difficult time and Aaron was able to drive them back toward the door. He did his best not to injure them too badly since, unlike the man who now lay dead on the floor, they had nothing to do with the attack on Ariana. They were just following orders, trying to arrest a fugitive, and he could not blame them for doing their duty. Still, if they persisted, they might regretfully meet the same fate as their treacherous captain.

At the far end of the dark passage, Ariana climbed down a wooden ladder, carrying both hers and Aaron's packs slung over her shoulders. From inside the passageway, she could hear yelling and the pounding of booted feet along the heavy wooden hallway and she hoped Aaron would be all right. The ladder deposited her in a small wooden room with a trap door and she pulled a latch and opened it, finding that it dropped down into a kind of root cellar. She tossed the packs to the hard dirt floor, then eased herself through the opening and made the short jump into the cellar below.

In the main room of the inn, Milli was just about to head for the kitchens and make her way down to the cellar where she knew Ariana would be waiting when another group of soldiers entered, led by a man who was much better dressed than the rest of them and looked to be some kind of commander. He was also accompanied by one of the black-robed mages, who Milli thought looked like a detestable sort, his sharp features protruding from beneath the cowl of his robes and a dark scowl on his face.

“Who's in charge here?” asked the commander, glancing around the room at the various patrons. Most of the people in the establishment were soldiers and they immediately stood and snapped to attention. Milli realized that whoever the man was, he was obviously a commander of some kind. One of the soldiers said something to the man and pointed to Milli.

“This is my place,” Milli said, saving him the trouble of asking again. “What can I do for you?”

“My men reported that there is a fugitive here. His name is Aaron Coromay and he is wanted for treason. Where might I find this man?”

One of the soldiers who had followed the red haired man came down the stairs. Milli could see that he had blood on his clothes and was breathing heavily. He said something to the commander and they both turned away from Milli and made for the staircase.

“Sir, many of your men visit my establishment but there’s got to be some rules,” Milli called after him. “They can't just go breaking down doors whenever they darned well please.”

The man glanced over at her and the dark expression on his face told her it would be wiser not to say anything further. Milli scowled after him then retreated behind the bar. The mage-priest said something to the commander then walked over to Milli, pulled up a stool at the bar and sat down.

“I think I will have a drink while I wait,” said the black-robed mage, pushing back his hood to reveal his sneering face that Milli had already took to disliking. “Something strong.”

Milli pulled out a bottle of spirits and a small glass from the shelf behind the bar and placed it on the bar in front of the man. She did not care much for the members of the priesthood, but given how powerful she knew the mages were and closely allied with King Cerric they had become of late she was not about to deny the man a drink. Her thoughts wandered to the princess, whom she hoped was safely down the ladder to the cellar. Milli wanted to go to her, to show her the secret way out of the inn, but she could not risk it yet, not with so many soldiers about and the mage sitting at her bar, staring directly at her.

Dakar uncorked the bottle and poured some of the clear liquor into the glass the woman had given him. He shook his head, amused that fate would have led him to this place, and surprised at what he had just learned by using his power to listen in on the thoughts of the innkeeper. He took a sip of the strong liquor and considered what might be the best course of action. The fact that the princess was alive was a problem that would have to be solved quickly, before more people learned of it. However, he would have to be careful how he went about things in order not to draw attention to her. As powerful a mage as he was, he knew from his own observations during his time at Maramyr that, despite being untrained, Ariana was naturally gifted with mage power and she would likely put up a fight. From the information he had gleaned from the innkeeper, he had also learned about the secret passage from which the princess was supposed to escape and her thoughts had already told him where it led.

Dakar finished his drink and tossed a coin on the bar then he walked out past the soldiers who were ready to back up their commander in capturing the fugitive named Aaron. He thought about helping them deal with the young man first but, considering the only way Aaron could prove his innocence would be to prove that Ariana was alive, he decided it would be more effective to simply remove her from the equation as quickly and as quietly as possible. The soldiers guarding the door to the inn stood aside as Dakar pushed it open and walked out into the night.

Upstairs, in the room, Aaron was pacing. The soldiers had retreated from the room, but they stood their ground just outside the doorway, blocking his exit. Carly watched Aaron as he strode back and forth across the floor, fascinated by how fluid his movements were and watching the muscles in his arms and shoulders tense and flex as carried the two swords in his hands.

She wondered who he was, this troubled young warrior who traveled with a princess and who was clearly a very skilled swordsman. Carly had seen men fight before, but she had never seen steel move so expertly as it had in Aaron's hands. She smiled inwardly, imagining for a moment how, under different circumstances, she would have enjoyed spending some quality time with him rather than just putting on a show. The princess was a lucky woman to have such a man in her company, Carly decided.

“Aaron Coromay,” a man’s voice called from the hallway as the soldiers retreated from view. Aaron glanced over at Carly and motioned for her to stay put in the corner of the room on the other side of the bed. “It is Captain-General Nathas of Maramyr. I am entering this room as an agent of the Crown.”

Aaron took a step back, his swords ready, surprised that Nathas was here in Rivergate though he realized it would not be unexpected that the Senior Captain would be somehow involved in the command of the army. As much the thought of seeing the man gladdened him it worried him as well. If Nathas believed the stories that were being told all over Maramyr, Aaron had little chance of escaping this room. If he only faced the soldiers, he could probably fight his way out of the inn and might have a chance to escape, but not with someone of Nathas' skill blocking the way. Nathas walked through the doorway slowly, his hand resting on the pommel of his sword. He glanced over at Carly suspiciously then focused his attention on Aaron.

“I see, lad,” he said. “Enjoying yourself with some ladies. You never struck me as the type to take up such amusement, but I guess I was wrong about you. So, tell me, what are you planning to do now?”

“Fight my way out of here.” Aaron told him.

“Good luck, my boy. There are at least thirty soldiers down there and hundreds more in the streets. You could probably make it through some, but how long before you tire? Besides, you'll have to go through me if you want to get out of here. I know how good you are with a blade, but it won't be easy.”

“I'd rather not fight you, Nathas,” Aaron said. "Everything that happened His former instructor let out a deep sigh.

“What happened up there, Aaron? They said you and the Kandarans turned on us and murdered the Princess. I couldn't believe you would do such a thing.” He shook his head and took a step toward him, and Aaron noticed Nathas' hand shifting on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw.

“Lies, Nathas. The princess is alive.” Aaron told him, keeping his voice down and hoping the soldiers in the hall would not hear.

“What?” Nathas said, clearly surprised, but still suspicious. “Why should I believe you?”

“It’s true. I've seen her. She's here in Rivergate,” Carly said, nodding her head.

Nathas frowned.

“What’s going on?” he said, lowering his voice. Aaron lowered his sword and glanced at the door. Nathas looked over to the door and yelled loudly for the soldiers’ benefit. “You better talk fast boy! I’ve a mind to kill you right where you stand!” His voice dropped to a whisper so the soldiers outside the room would not hear him. “I’m taking a chance here, now explain yourself.”

“Princess Ariana is alive,” Aaron told him, keeping his voice low.

“So, what about the reports? Everything we heard?” Nathas was confounded. He had been very angry to hear of the princess' murder and vowed to see justice served on whomever had a hand in that foul deed.

“All lies,” Aaron said. "The soldiers, our own soldiers, attacked us. Most of the men in Ariana's guard were hand picked by Cerric, and that man lying dead on the floor right there was one of them, Cerric’s man.”

“Everyone is Cerric’s man now,” Nathas told him.

“So it seems,” Aaron said. “Can't we just tell people? Wouldn't they believe you, if you told them the princess was alive and that Cerric was the one who tried to have her killed?”

“And Rivergate is filled with soldiers, all of whom have sworn loyalty to Cerric, and many of them report back to him directly, not to mention the blasted black robes stick their noses into everything. Things have changed, Aaron. It is getting very difficult to know who to trust.”

“Do you trust me?”

“I would like to,” Nathas said.

“Then help me get me out of here.”

Nathas thought for a moment.

“Do you think you could fight me to the center of town?” he asked.

“A duel?”

“It's about the only way I can think of. And you'd better not be faking it like I hear that you were with this girl. I'm not going to hang my reputation on this. You come out swinging and I'll let you through, but it's got to look real.”

“I'll fight you, if that's what you want,” Aaron told him.

“Good. The far side of the town square overlooks the waterfall that drops down to the forest at the base of the mountain. It's a long way down, but the water is deepest in the center.” It took Aaron a second before he understood what Nathas was talking about.