Read The Lifesaving Power: Goldenfields and Stronghold Online
Authors: Jeffrey Quyle
The Lifesaving Power: Goldenfields and Stronghold (14 page)
“
I got a haircut after Alec butchered my hair, then I stood by the family gate at the compound. I saw Johanna go out, but she had three men with her I didn’t recognize. I followed them, but all she did was some shopping, and returned,” Noranda narrated. “Then it started to late, so I went to do the shopping Alec asked for, and came back here!”
“
Now that Brandeis is awake, I can see we’re going to need some clothes. Please go get some clothes for us; get something that will fit you, and get some extras for Brandeis and me,” Alec instructed. “Brandeis can stay here, and I’ll go down to the kitchen to see if the cook will let me mix some of this up for Brandeis.”
“
What’s in it?” Brandeis asked.
“
It’s all good, don’t worry. Let’s get going,” Alec said.
He and Noranda left together, and parted on the ground floor. In the kitchen Alec found two cooks working busily. “May I boil some liver and herbs?” he asked one.
“
Isn’t our food good enough for you? You can pay to buy like everyone else,” she responded.
“
This is a recipe for weak blood for my friend. I’ll share some with you if you know anyone who needs it. Many women think it helps give them more energy,” Alec said. “I learned it from a healer.”
“
Stay over there, stay out of the way, clean your own pots,” the cook relented. “And go fill the water barrel from the pump in the yard,” she motioned to the buckets stacked by the water barrel.
Alec started his water to boil, trudged back and forth to fill the barrel, then started chopping the liver and adding the chicory, sorrel, cucumber blossoms, rue seeds, and other ingredients, then boiled it down to a thick soup. He borrowed a bowl, thanked the cooks, and left the rest for them. When he got upstairs, he handed the warm bowl to Brandeis. “Hold your nose and drink this,” he recommended.
Noranda entered the room as Brandeis held the bowl before his face. When he lowered it, his face screwed up in disgust, she burst out laughing. “What have you fed him, Alec?”
“
If I told you, your face would look like his,” Alec told her as he took the empty bowl. “I’m going to return this and clean up in the kitchen,” he said as he excused himself. Downstairs he casually took his time to clean up, and even fixed an extra remedy to treat the cook’s muscle aches, wanting to give Noranda and Brandeis time alone together.
The lengthening shadows from the setting sun finally persuaded Alec to return to the room. “Alec, we’ve been waiting for you,” Noranda greeted him, though he sensed her words were false. They were both sitting on the bed, and Brandeis was dressed in new clothes. “We’re starved! Let’s go get some dinner.”
They ate in the common room together, not discussing their situation within earshot of the other diners. While Brandeis and Noranda returned to the room, Alec went out to the stables to see the horses, then went to the kitchen to fix some broth for himself. He boiled it down, and went back up to the room.
“
Tomorrow, I’ll go back to the family gate and spend all day there to try to catch someone,” Noranda announced, absent-mindedly running her fingers ov the short hair on top of her head.
“
Can you talk to anyone if they all have guards?” Alec asked. “Could you pass a note to someone without being caught?”
“
We don’t want to take any chances with her,” Brandeis protested. “Maybe you and I could create a diversion to distract the guards?”
Alec thought about it. “That could work, if we didn’t face too many at once. But if we’re recognized too early, it could be more trouble.”
“
Not the way you fight!” Brandeis responded.
“
I can’t do that all the time. John Mark put restrictions on how often I can use my abilities,” Alec told them.
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Who’s John Mark?” Brandeis asked. “How can he restrict you?”
“
John Mark,” Alec replied simply.
“
He means ‘
the
John Mark,’ from the church. You know, the prophet,” Noranda prompted.
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What do you really mean?” Brandeis answered. “You’re not telling me that mythical figures talk to Alec and control him, are you?”
“
He’s not mythical to me. I’ve been to his holy sites. He has guided me and talked to me and rescued me,” Alec said matter-of-factly. He has revealed many things to me, and I believe him.
“
For instance, he told me that Noranda is not meant to be my companion, but someone else’s,” Alec casually commented.
“
I know that you’re a healer, and I’ve seen you fight,” Brandeis began. “But this…”
“
Brandeis, accept this. I’ve seen Alec return from a holy place. I believe him. If you went to chapel more often, maybe you’d believe him too,” she added.
Brandeis looked ready to debate further, but said nothing.
“
We’ll all leave tomorrow, and Brandeis and I can stay up the road from where you stand,” Alec decided, returning to the safer topic. “If someone comes out and comes our way, we can contrive something to block them from following whichever cousin Noranda speaks with.”
After further discussion they decided to go to sleep. “Alec, you can take the bed tonight,” Brandeis offered. “We’ll take turns, since I slept in it last night.”
Alec felt cheated somehow, but couldn’t refuse the offer.
The next morning, they followed their plan, paying the innkeeper for their room again, then choosing pastries to eat as they walked down the street. Alec wore his bandolier, and stopped at a pawn shop to purchase swords for himself and Brandeis.
“
We’re almost there,” Brandeis said at one corner. “Let’s stop here and wait. Good luck,” He told Noranda, squeezing her hand.
“
Good luck,” Alec echoed, and on impulse he rubbed the short hair on top of her head. She scowled at him in mock anger, then walked down to her appointed location.
For two hours they stood aimlessly, moving occasionally around the intersection to prevent blocking traffic and to avoid creating suspicion. At mid-morning though, they saw Noranda start to move away from them. “Let’s go. She must be following someone,” Brandeis said, grabbing Alec’s sleeve.
They hurried down the road, turning their heads away from the street as they passed the compound gate, and catching up with Noranda as she turned a corner. “Who are we after?” Brandeis asked.
“
It’s Johanna again,” she replied. “Up there where the two men in green jackets are walking,” she pointed out. “They’re the guards.”
“
Let us try to get past them, and we can make a diversion when they pass, to separate the guards from her,” Alec suggested. “Then if you’re close behind, you can grab Johanna and pull her into a shop door so you can talk for a minute or two.”
Brandeis and Alec walked forward quickly. “I’ll step around them, then trip in front of one and knock him down,” Alec suggested. “You be ready to stumble over the other one when he stops to help the first one up, so we can get them both tied down for a few seconds,”
“
That sounds good,” Brandeis agreed.
“
As soon as we get up, apologize and get out of their way, blocking the door Johanna is in. I’ll stand on their other side and try to keep them paying attention to me,” Alec finished.
They walked quickly ahead, and began execution of their plan. Passing one guard who walked outside of Johanna, Alec contrived to fall spastically, flailing his arms so that he bumped the guard hard, and pulled him down.
There was a shout, and the other guard cut over, just as Brandeis hoped. He shouted “Watch out!” as he bumped hard into the standing guard, and all four were in a heap.
Alec heard a gasp, then began to apologize. “I’m sorry, I slipped on something on the street,” he said, trying to delay anyone from getting up.
“
Clumsy oaf! Both of you!” the second guard said. “Get off me!” he ordered.
“
My leg hurts. You stepped right in front of me. Why don’t you watch where you’re going?” Brandeis responded. He pushed downward on the guard to propel himself up, and turned away to look for Johanna or Noranda. Neither was in sight.
“
Hey!” the guard said as he stood up. The second guard also stood, and Alec rose to his knees. Both the guards were grabbing Brandeis. “He’s one of the ones we want,” one guard said.
“
Where’s the girl?” the other guard said, looking around. “You take this one to the alley over there, and I’ll try to find the girl.” Neither of them looked further at Alec, who rose to his feet and scuttled several steps away. Brandeis looked at him blankly, as the burly guard hauled him by the arm through the street traffic to the other side. Alec turned to watch the other guard walk forward rapidly up the street, looking for Johanna.
Alec turned back and through breaks in the stream of traffic he saw that Brandeis’s escort was drawing his sword. Without hesitation, Alec seized his warrior powers, and, to his relief, felt them engage. He pulled one of the daggers out of his bandolier, jumped up onto a building scaffolding to get a clear view of Brandeis, and let the dagger fly as the guard’s sword arm reared back. Alec stepped back down to the street and ran across the road. He found Brandeis holding the slumping guard.
Alec was seized with a sudden idea. “Get his jacket off him before it gets bloodstained!” he said. He pulled the dagger out of the man’s neck and yanked the jacket away from the bloody wound. He lifted the man from Brandeis’s grasp and pulled him deeper into the alley, behind a refuse pile, where he proceeded to strip the rest of the green uniform off the dead man. “Here, put this on,” he told Brandeis. “We might have a new plan.
“
Now go inside the shop where Noranda and Johanna are to see what they are doing. I’ll stay outside and snare the other guard when he comes back,” Alec said. He was trying to create a new scenario on the fly. “If this works out, we can get inside the compound and try to set things in motion.”
They walked out to the street, and Alec saw the other guard walking rapidly back towards them, searching for both his companion and his charge. Brandeis scampered into the shop and Alec heard a muffled scream of delight. The remaining guard was staring in shop windows as he passed them on his approach towards Alec.
“
Hey! Your friend went in there,” Alec pointed to an alley next to the shop.
The guard looked at him without commenting and swept past him, turned the corner, and disappeared from Alec’s sight. Alec knew his next task would be unpleasant, but took a deep breath and went around the corner. He pulled another dagger out and tossed it at the man, then ran forward to catch the body as it slumped. Alec rolled him over and saw a look of surprise on his victim’s face as he heard the rattle of the man’s last breath. Working rapidly, Alec changed into the green uniform, at least two sizes too large for him, and stepped into the shop.
“
There’s Alec!” Johanna shrieked, and she left Brandeis to hug Alec ferociously. “Are you going to help us?” she asked as she held him. “What happened to your face? What did they do to you?”
“
Your Aunt Mooreen held me captive,” he said simply as he gestured to the scar on his cheek. “What’s happening in the compound now?” Alec asked as the other two strolled over.
“
Mooreen has a whole squad of new guards that have confined all of us to the residential quarters. Until she catches the three of you, no one is allowed out except me, tdo shopping for personal items,” Johanna explained. “They’re interrogating people about you, and Durer is cut off from the rest of us.”
“
If we can get inside and give people weapons and isolate these new guards, would the cousins and the old guards fight against Mooreen?” Alec asked her.
“
If we don’t, things are only going to get worse. They were beating and torturing Alec in the dungeon cells,” Noranda jumped in. “See that scar? Mooreen did that herself!”
“
I think most of the cousins are ready to fight. If you find Durer and he agrees to lead, it will work, except for a few idiots like Reuchlin,” Johanna replied. “Let’s get going!”
Alec and Brandeis stood on either side of Johanna and walked back with her towards the gate. “Brandeis, stay on the left side away from the gate guard,” Noranda suggested. “Will they let me in?”
“
I’ll ask. These are regular guards here,” Johanna said, and she successfully sweet talked them into the compound.
“
There are guards at the entrance to the residential quarters, and guards patrolling the halls,” she explained, as they ducked into an empty work shed.
“
We’ll need to get weapons for folks, and we need to find Durer,” Alec said. He pulled off his jacket and started to pull his pants down. “Noranda, change clothes with me. You and Brandeis can put some swords inside your uniforms and smuggle them into the quarters.
“
Well come on,” he grinned. “You didn’t mind undressing me yesterday morning!”
“
Alec! There will be consequences for this,” Noranda said as she pulled his shirt over her head.
“
What are you going to do while we go to the quarters?” Brandeis asked, trying to stare at the ceiling.
“
I’m going to go back to the dungeon where we were, and see if Durer is down there,” Alec said simply as he pulled up his own pants and prepared to leave the group.
Chapter 15 – A Struggle Begins in Stronghold
Alec got directions from Brandeis, then parted from the other three and began skulking in the direction of the stables where the dungeon entry was located. He held his warrior powers at a low level of engagement, and listened closely for any sounds of trouble. Half an hour later he saw the stable entry, where he waited as he watched two men mount horses and leave.
When they were out of sight, Alec ran to the stable entry and unexpectedly came face to face with a worker pushing a wheelbarrow of manure. “I’m just passing through,” Alec assured him with a smile. “I wouldn’t want a lady to grow too lonely. You’ll keep quiet about this, won’t you?” he suggested as he held out a coin for the man to take.
The worker smiled, took the coin, and continued on his way. Relieved, Alec moved swiftly to the storerooms and paused. He’d just been here two days prior, and as he got his bearings, he knew where to go next. He entered a doorway, then opened a door in the back of the room and listened. There was no light visible in the stairwell leading down, and no noise either. If he was mistaken about this, he would have no idea of where to look next for Durer. And without Durer, an obvious leader among his family members, the chances of rousing the young Locksforts to rebel would decline precipitously.
Alec took a calming breath, and began to descend the stairs. When he got to the bottom he felt for the door handle and paused to listen. There were still no sounds in the darkness. He opened the door slowly and crept into the room, then inched to his right, towards the stairs that led further down to the prison cells beneath the compound.
His face bumped into a solid surface and Alec softly whispered a mild oath, a sign of how nervous he was. His hands extended forward and found a solid stone wall. He began to feel along the length of the wall, moving to his right, and within six steps felt his finger pricked by a splinter of wood. Reaching carefully, he located the handle of the door he was looking for, and began to pull it open.
A crack of light began to swell as the door opened, and Alec could see the steps leading down to his former place of confinement. He shuddered at the thought of how powerless he had felt down there during his days of captivity, and wondered whether he would find the same sadistic keepers guarding the cells.
He descended the steps until he knew that his feet were about to become visible to the people below, then he flew down the remaining stairs and jumped into the middle of the cellar hallway, whirling around to judge what opposition he faced.
The two same jailers who had tormented him were sitting upright and alert at his appearance. “Lord, not you again,” he heard one of them moan.
“
Where is Durer? Which cell is he in?” Alec shouted. “Durer? Where are you? I’ve come to set you free!”
“
Who is it? I’m here,” a voice answered on his right.
“
Let him out,” Alec told the staffers, “or I’ll force you to.”
The jailer who had tormented him the most stood and shuffled over toward the cell, but stopped short and picked something up off the floor, then threw a jagged piece of metal at Alec’s head and started to charge him. Alec ducked the object and swung his sword carefully, cutting the front of the man’s stomach in a painful but non-lethal wound. “Step back or the next strike will kill,” Alec said. “Put the keys dn right there, then step back,” he ordered. Alec scooped up the collection of keys, then stepped in front of Durer’s cell holding the guards off with his sword. Looking at several keys, he tried three before he found one that unlocked the door, and he watched Durer step out into the hallway.
“
Alec! Thank you,” Durer said with a smile as they shook hands. The smile was at odds with his appearance. He too had apparently been subjected to beating and brutality. Alec motioned him towards the stairs.
“
Now, you two in the cell,” Alec ordered.
“
Please don’t. If they find we’ve let another prisoner escape, they’ll kill us,” the milder of the two guards said.
Alec felt a sense of pity, but he looked at Durer’s face and arms, covered with bruises.
“
In the cell,” he said sternly.
He slammed the door shut behind them, locked it, and grabbed the torch on the wall. “I’ll go first,” he told Durer as he led him silently up the stairs. Once they were back in the upper level room he had fought in before, Alec stopped to explain to Durer what was happening.
“
Do you want to go back to the residential quarters and rally the cousins?” Alec asked after his explanation.
“
We have to do it Alec,” Durer replied. “The things that are happening to you and me, they’ll happen to others as well if we don’t put a stop to it. Follow me and we’ll head straight over to meet the others.”
They climbed the stairs to the stables and began dashing from building to building as Durer led them back to where they hoped a rebellion would begin. Alec held a sword in one hand and a dagger in the other, ready for any hostility they might face. They arrived at one building, and Durer stopped. “The next building is residences. I presume it’s guarded?” he asked.
“
Johanna said there were guards. Is there a back way or window you want to try, or should we just fight our way in?” Alec answered.
“
I’ve lived here for over twenty years and have explored every passageway! Yes, there’s a back way in that won’t be guarded; all the boys know, and probably half the girls too! Follow me,” Durer said with a grin and led Alec down to the basement. “Right here,” he pushed a crate aside, “is an old shaft between the buildings.” He walked through, swiping cobwebs out of the way. “Let’s go upstairs to Johanna’s room and find the others,” he said as he led Alec up servants’ stairs, passing a girl with laundry along the way.
“
Durer!” A boy shouted as they walked through a hallway. The happy cousin, unknown to Alec, slapped Durer on the shoulder. “It’s good to see you back. Are things okay now?” he asked, looking past Durer at Alec.
“
Things are going to be okay soon,” Durer said, turning the boy around. “Go grab your sword and meet us at Johanna’s,” Durer told him, “I’ll explain when you get there.” Durer continued on. “We’ot some good swords in the family, you know?” he said over his shoulder to Alec. “Even though they’re mostly spoiled, many of the cousins do spend time on the practice mats fencing; the family tournament is a savage affair, I’ll tell you! They all take it seriously!” They went up more stairs and down more halls, until Durer stopped at a door, knocked softly, and entered without waiting.
Alec followed him into the room, and saw Durer and Johanna embracing wordlessly, while several others in the room smiled and stood silently. For the first time in several days, Alec thought of Bethany as he watched the reunited pair silently enjoy each other. Would he ever have that same type of reunion with Bethany he wondered? She should have received his letter long ago, and know his feelings, finally out in the open. He still felt strongly in his heart that she was the right mate for him, even after the strange premonition he had felt that her heart had moved on to someone else.
“
Durer, we’re ready to follow you,” Brandeis finally said.
“
We have a dozen with arms, and Alec is worth another dozen. The true family guards are sure to support us against the Green Jackets,” he added optimistically.
“
That sounds possible but not reliable. So what are we going to accomplish with a dozen blades plus Alec?” Durer asked rhetorically, before he gave them the answer. “I’ll tell you what we’re going to do. We’re going to go after Aunt Mooreen, her spy from Goldenfields and my own father. When we catch them, we’ll put them in the dungeons beneath the stables, where they will be kept humanely,” he emphasized the last word, “and we will advise the family company that new directors are being selected.
“
We’ll have to cut her off from the money, and we’ll have to evict her Green Jackets, and we’ll have to keep her under control long enough to make real changes in the family structure,” he continued.
“
Are all of you committed to making that type of effort?” he asked as he looked them all in the eyes. “There’s going to be no more time for carousing all night and sleeping all day.
“
If you can’t give that up, then say so now,” he finished.
No one moved. “Alright then, we’re going to have to find Mooreen. Chances are she’s in the southern apartments. That’s where she usually is this time of day. Does anyone know where her guards are likely to be?”
“
She’ll have some here around our apartments,” a feminine voice called.
“
Can we capture those quietly and lock them in the dungeon?” Alec asked, speaking up for the first time. He had listened to Durer so far, and thought his comments showed how quickly he had grasped the long term challenge these young people faced. Alec hadn’t looked so far into the future himself, but had thought about their immediate tactical options.
Durer looked at him momentarily, then sketched out a plan for capturing those guards, and what to do next. Minutes later, Circh stood inside a ground floor doorway and called to the guards, “There’s a big mouse in the baths, and all my clothes are in there,” she told them, gesturing to the towel she had wrapped around herself. “Can you catch it for me?”
The guards looked at one another and one gave a slight grin. They walked into the hall and entered the bath, where Delle and two others quickly disarmed them. At two other guarded entries similar ploys lead to the capture of further guards, and soon there were six of the cousins wearing new sets of green uniforms, as was Alec. Those erstwhile guards escorted their small group of surprised prisoners across the family compound toward the prison below the stables, capturing three other Green Jackets on the way. Alec led the group down the stairs to the dungeon where the captives were divided among the empty cells and locked in with the jailers already held captive.
“
Now, we need to take control of the entrances to the south apartments to seal them off,” Durer said establishing the group’s next goal. “Alec, your group will go to the servants’ entrance. Brandeis, your group will go to the business entrance. Delle, you and I will take our group to the courtyard entry. When everyone has their location secure, tie and gag the guards, then send one person to the central staircase.
Alec and Circh started going around the outside of the stables, then Circh led Alec down a set of stairs. “This is part of a set of tunnels and halls the servants use to move around behind the scenes,” the girl explained. “It’s dark down here, but we can go all the way to the south apartments from here.” She led on through a long tunnel, then up a level, around a corner, back down more stairs, and so on for several minutes.
“
We’re here,” she said as she stopped by a narrow doorway. “I think I’ve done my part, so now you can finish up from here!” She giggled nervously, then quickly covered her mouth. “I’ve never done anything like this before,” she blurted out.
“
You seem to know the secret ways around the compound pretty well,” Alec commented, trying to be encouraging.
“
Oh, I’ve found them all and used them, but it was always for late night parties or to visit secret boyfriends,” she admitted with a crooked smile. “Never for anything like this!”
“
Stay here,” Alec said as he laid a hand on the latch, looked at the girl one last time, then opened the door and slipped out into a hallway. To his right he saw shadows from around a corner. He realized they must be from the guards he needed to overpower. He crouched to launch himself in attack, when he heard a scream come from some distant part of the building behind him.
The guards came running around the corner full bore right into Alec, who quickly engaged in battle against three opponents surprised to find him in their path. Alec disarmed one with a flip of his sword, wounded another with a thrown dagger to the thigh, and pressed his sword point against the neck of the third a moment later. “Tie something tight around his leg,” Alec commanded the disarmed one to treat the wounded one. “Now, all three of you go down those stairs,” he ordered.
“
Circh, get some cords and help me tie their hands and feet and gag them. We need to go see what’s happening,” he urged his companion. In just minutes the guards were trussed and sht="0">
The sounds of a sword fight were echoing through the halls as they approached. “You stay back now,” Alec said as he released the blond girl and ran to join the action. Around a corner he saw more shadows moving rapidly, and he burst in upon a tableau of heavy fighting. In the main entry hall from the courtyard, Durer was lying on the floor, Delle and two others were backed into a corner, and a half dozen were fighting them, while Elcome was standing on a second floor landing shouting at the scene.
Alec yelled to attract attention away from the trapped young Locksfort cousins, and ran towards the action, as two more green jacketed guards entered from another hallway. Alec ran towards Delle’s group, flinging daggers at the fighters in the room as he went, so that three were down before he even arrived.
“
Get him! Kill him! Ignore the others,” Alec heard Elcome shout. Alec cursed his failure to throw a dagger at the portly former quartermaster as he engaged his sword against the swordsmen attacking Delle’s group. “Alec, welcome!” Delle shouted as he stabbed one of the distracted swordsmen.
Only a minute passed and all the Green Jackets were injured, dead, or had fled. Alec looked up at the balcony and saw Elcome flee through a doorway. “Alec, Durer was attacked as soon as we got inside,” Delle told him anxiously as he knelt over his cousin. Alec wanted to chase after Elcome while his warrior powers were still intact, but he looked at Durer’s injuries, and instantly knew that his healing powers would be needed. Reluctantly, Alec released his warrior powers; that ended the second of the three opportunities he had to use his warrior powers. Now he had only one more exercise of those energies until the next full moon, which was a full month away. He bowed his head. “Lord, John Mark, I do not understand this rule and these restrictions. I know that it is your will, and I hope you will give me faith to accept your wisdom,” he prayed inwardly, feeling tested beyond his faith under the difficult circumstances.