The Chronicles of Lumineia: Book 01 - Elseerian (15 page)

Erix grinned broadly and leaned in to give her a hug and a kiss on the forehead. “I missed you too, Molly, but this isn’t a social call. We need Rez’s help. Is he in?”

At the mention of “we,” the woman glanced at Liri and Taryn. Her eyes appraised the two of them for a moment and Taryn caught the trace of fear spark in her eyes. “Yes, of course. Just got home a few minutes ago in fact. You can find him in his study.” She kept staring at the two of them until Liri leaned in and smiled prettily. “It’s nice to meet you, Ma’am. My name is Liriana, but my friends call me Liri.”

A sharp nudge from Liri’s elbow and Taryn spoke up as well. “—Er, yeah, my name is Taryn. Nice to meet you too.”

She nodded without responding, still frowning at them in a wary manner that was becoming uncomfortably familiar, but then she shook herself and smiled. “Any friends of Erix are friends of ours. Go ahead on up, I have some cleaning to finish.” She indicated the wet rag in her hand and brusquely turned away down the hall, calling to someone in the back of the house as she went, “You’d better clean under the rugs or I’ll scorch your hide!”

She quickly disappeared and Taryn got his first moment to look at the house. To his left a door led to what looked to be a sitting room and in front of him a hallway trailed straight back towards the door through which Molly had just exited. On the side of the hall a straight staircase led up to the second floor, and he turned to follow the weathered sea captain upward.

When they got to the top, Erix paused and leaned close to them. “Molly is an interesting sort. She doesn’t believe in having servants do everything, so she personally helps them cook and clean—and they love her for it. All the other high society types look down on her, though. She’s also handy with a dagger if you ever cross her, so watch yourselves."

He chuckled to himself at some memory before turning down the hallway to the last door on the left. Without knocking he opened it and stepped right in. Following him, Liri and Taryn entered a very tidy office inhabited by a short round man who looked remarkably like his wife except for the facial features. Dark blue eyes that were common among humans looked out from under bushy eyebrows and a balding head. What he lacked in physical charm he certainly made up for in personality. Within half a second the chubby man bounded from behind his desk and embraced the thinner Erix.

“Oh, you old sea dog! I haven’t seen you in ages.” Releasing him just as quickly, he stepped back and waved them in. “Come, come, have a seat, your friends too.” He indicated a few chairs, but instead of returning to his own chair he sat on the front of his desk. “How was your trip? You will stay for dinner won’t you?” His tone dropped and his gaze flickered to towards the door. “I have a couple more bottles of our favorite brandy stored away. . .” He indicated the liquor case on the far wall.

Erix cut in with a shake of his head, “Unfortunately not this time Rez. We need your help in a matter of urgency.”

Rezko laughed a deep belly laugh that shook his whole frame. “Straight to business as always, my friend. What’s the problem?”

As the sea captain introduced Liri and Taryn and then told him their tale, Rezko’s eyes darkened and the grin faded. When Erix finished, Rezko sat there for a second with a furrowed brow before returning slowly to his seat. “We have a right difficult problem then. Dumont is a tough man, strict, straight as a rod and just as unbending when it comes to the laws set by the council. If Dumont thinks Thacker’s a pirate, he won’t let him out of custody until he has done a full investigation—which could take weeks or even months.”

Taryn cut through that train of thought. “That’s not an option. We have to get him out of there tonight.”

Something in his tone brought Rezko up short, and he looked at Taryn with a raised eyebrow. “What if it means you have to break into prison to get him?” he asked, his expression calculating.

Realizing that Rezko was taking a measure of him, Taryn replied, in a tone that left no doubt, “Without hesitation.”

After a moment, Rezko nodded and the smile returned. “Good, it’s been too long since I broke someone out . . . wouldn’t you say, my friend?” He looked at Erix with a knowing grin plastered on his face.

The sea captain grinned right back. “This time it won’t be so easy. I doubt the guards will be so drunk.”

“Um, please don’t mind me asking, but isn’t breaking someone out of jail going to be bad for your, er, position?” Liri spoke for the first time.

He chuckled in response. “I wasn’t always a politician you know. Besides, it would be nice to get my saber out for a good fight.”

Erix nodded slowly, biting his lip. “She does have a point, though. The city won’t take lightly to one of their elected officials traipsing all over their laws without regard. I hate to say this Rez, but I think you should sit this one out.”

Rez frowned and made one last desperate effort. “Ah, but I know how the new holding cells are constructed. I can get you in easier than you could on your own.”

Erix sidestepped his suggestion easily. “You can help us plan it right here without endangering your reputation.”

For a brief second a nervous look flashed across Rezko’s face and Taryn thought he would protest again, but then he seemed to wilt and conceded. “All right. Let me get some parchment so I can draw you a map.” Reaching for a drawer in his desk, he stopped and seemed to consider something, then looked at his three guests. “Let me get some food first, this might take a while.”

At a grateful nod from Erix, Rezko stood and left the room. Although the retired sailor tried valiantly to hide it, it was obvious that he was disappointed.

As soon as he left, the sea captain turned with a puzzled look. “That was odd. Rez is usually very optimistically stubborn. I can’t believe he gave up so easily on a chance for a scrap.”

“He seemed scared too,” Liri said to herself.

“What? What do you mean? Rezko isn’t scared of anything,” Erix said, an edge creeping into his voice.

“That’s not what she meant,” Taryn said quickly. “Go ahead and tell him, Liri.”

Liri briefly explained what Mae had said about everyone’s behavior on the docks.

When she was done, Erix leaned back in his chair and scratched his chin. “Hmm, I think you might be right. There was definitely something strange today. I have berthed here for almost forty years and I have never felt like so many people were watching me tie up. I thought it was just me, so I didn’t say anything—and the way the guards knew we were coming? Something is going on I tell you.”

After a moment where they all considered the oddity, Taryn broke the silence. “Have you ever seen Rezko scared?”

“No, never,” he replied, his tone emphatic.

“Something has everyone here spooked,” Taryn stated matter-of-factly, pointedly drawing attention to the city as a whole rather than Erix’s friend. “And it definitely isn’t normal.”

“What could scare a whole city?” Liri asked in confusion.

“I don’t know,” Erix said, shaking his head.

A creak in the wood behind them made them all jump and turn to see Rezko in the doorway holding a platter of food. His far-away expression showed he’d heard at least part of their conversation.

“There have been strange tales being told of late.” The large man's voice came out in a whisper, barely audible but carrying enough intensity to make Taryn feel the urge to touch his weapons.  

“What sort of tales?” Liri asked, matching his tone.

“The sort that scares hardened soldiers and sailors.” He paused to wipe the sudden sweat from his brow. “Death is said to stalk this land . . .
personally
.”

“How long has this been going on?” Erix asked, frowning.

“It started a couple of months ago. Travelers and traders from the eastern kingdom have been telling stories of an assassin killing people—stalking and slaughtering without mercy. No one has been able to stop him. No one knows who it is or why he’s doing it—and the assassin’s guild isn’t behind it. Early on they lost several of their best, including the guildmaster. In the last couple of weeks more and more people have been moving west, and everyone is scared. Some are so scared they come
running
—but no one is chasing them.” He was still standing in the door, staring into space, so Erix stood and led him to his seat. Rezko seemed unaware of his friend’s help, and continued with the story as soon as he was seated.

“Soldiers from both human kingdoms have been sent to find him, but to no avail. Some soldiers haven’t even reported back. I’m not sure if it’s because they deserted or if they were killed, although enough bodies have been found to support the latter possibility.” He stopped and took a deep breath. “To make matters worse, a strange disease and lack of food is spreading in the east as well—and now it’s reached the southern kingdom.” He shivered and swallowed. “Two days ago a messenger was supposed to arrive directly from the eastern king. He never made it.”

For the first time Rez looked small. “It’s a bad time, I say. Tales of fights and mysterious deaths, of a thief that is so good you can’t kill him even if you could catch him. They call him the cheater of death, you know. It’s inspired more stealing and robbing than ever. No one can hold onto anything anymore, or trust anyone either. This cursed fear is causing everyone to act as if death is lurking around every corner.”

A muffled shout from the first floor snapped them all back to reality.

“She never used to yell,” Rezko said, his voice morose. Then he visibly shook himself and smiled half-heartedly. “Let’s get to work; we have an innocent man to break out of jail and not much time to prepare.”

Taryn and Liri were about to ask for more information, but Erix forestalled them with a look. “OK, Rez, why don't you start with the defenses?” He leaned in to focus on the paper on which the politician had begun to sketch.

Liri caught Taryn’s eye with a loaded look that he took to mean they would talk about this later. The odd conversation had sparked far more questions than answers, but there was one question that was on his mind more than all the others. How would this affect his quest to find his heritage? Then guilt washed over him as he realized that a part of him was glad for the distraction.

It was the same part that doubted he would ever find answers.

Chapter 9: Escape

Taryn sat hunched in a darkening alley a couple of blocks from the prison with Liri, Trin, and Mae behind him. While he waited, he reviewed the drawings that Rezko had sketched for them, more than a little apprehensive about the level of security. The councilman had told them that this new complex had been built after the old jail had failed to hold almost anyone. After the description, he wasn’t the only one wishing for the old one.

The first thing they had to get past was a high, square shaped wall, built with a single gate facing the sea. Constantly manned by roving and stationary guards, it looked more like a castle than a prison, and surrounded a large courtyard. Barracks had been built inside the outer fortifications on every side and housed more than two hundred men. To make matters worse, outside the wall had been cleared of all trees or buildings within fifty feet, leaving open ground on any approach.

At the center of the courtyard, a small square building contained the only entrance to the underground prison. At the front of the building, an entrance room served to admit prisoners and sat adjacent to Dumont’s personal office. Rezko had said that the most difficult door to get through would be the one at the back of the entrance hall. Fashioned of solid iron, the strongdoor could be secured from
inside
, and nothing short of an army would be able to break it down.

At the first sign of an intruder, the two men inside the strongdoor would simply close and lock it before signaling the guards in the barracks to come and deal with the situation. The would-be rescuer would then have no choice but to fight a hopeless battle defending the small entrance room. Behind this last threshold, stairs led down into the holding cells. At the rear of the building, a second strongdoor served as an emergency exit, and was similarly bolted from the inside.

Taryn looked again at the diagram and then glanced at the setting sun. Recognizing it was time to go, he took a deep breath to calm his nerves and stepped out of the shadows. Before he stepped into the torchlight, he began staggering his way towards the outer gate. Appearing to be drunk was difficult for Taryn, who didn’t like strong drink and had never really had enough to know firsthand how to act. And with his swords back with his friends, he felt extremely self-conscious. His clothing didn’t help either. Trin had ‘prepared’ them personally, and they smelled like manure and sour ale. Taryn didn’t even want to know what he’d done to them. Even Mae had voiced an objection, but Trin had been adamant that the stronger the stench, the more it repulsed.

“Smelling horrible is sort of like . . .
armor
, and no one will want to come near you,” he’d said resolutely.

As Taryn indirectly approached the gate, he focused on the first step of the plan they had come up with—getting arrested. He did his best to calm his pounding heart. It wouldn’t go well if he let his nerves get the better of him. Drawing close, he swallowed hard and began the act they had practiced, cursing Trin for coming up with such a stupid line.

“Wur is the ̓tupid gurd that hit me brudder?” he slurred and lurched right into one of the guards at the gate, who promptly shoved him away.

“Get out of here before I arrest you, you filthy dog,” another guard yelled while the first one cursed and tried to wipe his hands off from where he’d touched Taryn’s cloak.

Taryn’s response was to draw a large ladle from within his robe and start hitting the guard, lightly enough to avoid damage but heavily enough to anger the man. He didn’t have all day to get arrested; they had a schedule to keep.

On cue the guard raised one hand to block the off-balance blows as he tried to grab Taryn’s shoulder with his other and hollered for the other guards, “Oi, get this nutter off me!”