The Southern Trail (Book 4) (34 page)

It was the laundry.  It was a steamy, dim, high-vaulted space, with a pair of voices echoing as they spoke to one another on the far side of the room.  Marco stealthily crept in, pleased to have found such a location.  He could find some clean clothes to wear, and more importantly, he knew that there were back halls and stairs used by servants that would lead to the laundry room, allowing him to make his way unseen towards wherever Ellersbine was above him.

He was getting close enough to her to start to sense a faint echo of the princess’s state of mind.  She was relaxed, he could tell, but beneath that there was melancholy.  As he worked his way around wooden vats of clothing, though he sensed that she experienced a momentary spark of pleasure.

But then he stopped focusing on Ellersbine, and took time to strip off his clothes and pilfer clean clothes out of a canvas sack.  He felt better – much better – in dry clothes.  There were two people working on laundry, and as Marco watched, they tipped a steaming vat over, draining its hot water down into the sewer pipes, giving Marco a moment to give thanks that he hadn’t faced that in the sewer pipe.

The man and woman who were focused on their duties didn’t see Marco as he circled around them and reached a doorway that he opened and quickly stepped into.  It was a narrow staircase, just what he had hoped to find, and he began to quietly climb upwards, following the direction of the glowing lifeline that tied him to Ellersbine.

He passed a door, on the other side of which he heard boisterous conversation, and continued to climb, as the angle of the line to Ellersbine began to decrease.  He heard the clatter of someone above him coming rapidly down the stairs; he rushed up to the next door that he saw, and opened it, briefly looked out, then darted out into a hallway before the clattering shoes descended past the door and continued down.

Marco ducked back into the stairwell, and climbed with a quickened pace, not as concerned about stealthiness as he was about finding Ellersbine, whose spirits were rising, he could tell.  He reached another of the doorways, and the line to the princess flattened out, revealing that he had reached her floor.  He opened it cautiously, saw no one nearby in a hallway that was opulently decorated, and slipped out, then went left towards Ellersbine.

He came to a corner and heard footsteps and voices approaching.  He desperately retreated to a door, and heedlessly flung it open, relieved to see that the room within was dark, then pulled it shut and listened to the sounds in the hallway.

“The Baron is in fine form tonight!  He must have drunk two bottles of brandy by himself,” a man said.

“He’s getting his courage up to go sample Argen’s princess, since the fool left her here alone,” another voice said as they passed directly by Marco’s door.

“Good heavens, Gilbert!  Did you have cabbage!  That smells bloody awful!” one man swore loudly.

“It wasn’t me!” another voice protested as they passed beyond Marco’s refuge.

He waited several seconds, then opened the door, slipped out, and ran around the corner to the door closest to where the line to the princess led, then flung the door open and stepped into a lit room.

“Marco?” he heard Ellersbine voice and the sound of splashing water come from an adjoining room, and then Ellersbine appeared, wrapped in a towel, her hair wet and her skin glistening with moisture.  He felt the life line between them sparkle with the joy they mutually felt at seeing one another.

“What are you doing here, Marco?” she asked as they moved towards one another.  They started to hug, and then she pulled back.

“Where have you been?” she asked with a wrinkled nose.  “You smell awful!”

“There was only one way to sneak into the castle to come find you,” Marco answered.  “It wasn’t pleasant.”

“I’ve got a bath tub full of soapy water.  You get in there and get in it,” she commanded him.

“Right now,” she added.

Marco took a step back from her and grinned at her, admiring her, and making her blush, even as he felt the excitement growing and flying back and forth between them.

“As you wish, my princess,” he told her, and followed her to the bathroom, where a very large tub held water covered with bubbles.  “Don’t look,” he chided her humorously as he stripped off his clothes and sank into the water.

“How did you get here?” she asked him.

He spoke at the same time.  “Why did you leave me?” he asked.

There was a moment of silence.

“I followed the line between our hearts,” Marco answered.

At the same time, Ellersbine said, “Argen and I thought we could be happy together once there were just the two of us.”  There was regret in her voice.

“The friendliness from the spring water will only last another few days, less than a week,” Marco wanted her to know.

“Do you think he’ll stay friendly?” Ellersbine asked.

“Here, let me wash the stink out of your hair,” she said as she picked up a dish, sat on the side of the tub, and started to massage his scalp with shampoo.  The feeling was relaxing, causing Marco to close his eyes.

“I don’t think he will,” Marco said.  “And I don’t think you’re safe here.  We need to get you out before the Baron or his men come to get you.”

“Right now?  Tonight?” Ellersbine asked in surprise.

There was a pounding on the door, and they heard it open.

“Princess!” a slurred baritone voice called.

“That’s the baron!” Ellersbine said in fear.  “He’ll kill you if he catches you here.”

She stood up, then surprised Marco by slipping the towel free, and stepping into the tub with him.  “Put you head down,” she hissed, as she pulled the towel into the tub with them.

“You’ve been my guest for three days now, and we haven’t gotten to know one another,” the Baron said.  Marco heard his voice much more clearly, though he could not see through the towel as the man approached the bathroom.

“You’re all fresh and dainty for me, I see,” the voice said, still slurred.  Marco heard boots steps on the tile floor of the bathroom.  “I can like a woman like that,” his voice was right next to the tub, and then Ellersbine shrieked, and with that Marco, burst upward out of the water, blindly projecting himself out at the direction of the baron.

Marco struck the man’s bulk immediately, and the baron gave a grunt of surprise as Marco knocked him backwards, and they both struck the floor heavily, then rolled apart.

“What the blazes?” the baron shouted.  “Who are you?”  He rose to his feet and grabbed his sword.  “What are you doing here?”

Marco reached down to where his own sword was in the pile of his discarded clothing, and pulled it free.  “Leave her along!” he shouted.

“Put your sword down and walk into the bedroom,” Marco ordered.  “Ellersbine, get dressed, and we’ll get out of here.”

The baron responded by lunging at Marco, his sword a heavier, longer blade than Marco held.  Marco’s enchanted blade responded by twisting his body out of the way of the attack, then brought Marco’s blade down sharply, biting deeply into the tendons on Crassten’s arm.

The baron bellowed in pain and dropped his weapon.

“Now, silently, leave the room,” Marco advanced at him with his sword held in a ready-to-attack position.

The baron looked at Marco with hatred in his eyes, then slowly stepped backwards, his hand clutching his wound.

“Gilbert!  Beck!” he bellowed loudly as he got to doorway.  He kicked the door closed before Marco could reach it.

“Marco,” Ellersbine said in a small voice.  “What are you going to do, Marco?  Are you going to be okay?”

“I’m fine.  We’re both going to be fine.  Just get dressed, and we’ll be safe, I promise,” he said as he heard her splash out of the tub.

“Marco, my clothes are out in the bedroom, out there where he is,” she said in a small voice.

“That’s no problem,” Marco said.  He heard the door from the bedroom to the hallway open, and suspected that the baron’s supporters had arrived.

“Marco?” Ellersbine voice questioned.

“Yes?” he said without turning to face her.  He placed his hand on the door handle, ready to open it.

“I just wanted you to know that you’ve got a cute tush,” Ellersbine giggled, and Marco realized for the first time that he was still naked.

“Here,” the princess swung a pair of pants over his shoulder, and he hastily pulled them on.

He opened the door a crack, and looked out to the see the red-faced baron, along with three other men, all holding swords.

“Let us leave the castle safely and no one will be hurt,” Marco shouted.

“I’m already hurt, and you and the girl are going to pay for it,” the baron roared.

Without hesitation, Marco pointed his left hand at the man on the baron’s left, and willed his power to act.

A bright flash left the man and flew to Marco’s hand, as the man collapsed, dead.

Marco threw the door open and flipped his sword from his right hand to his left, then shot a bolt of energy with his right hand at the guard who stood closest to the door, taking the life of that man as well.

“Sorcery!” the baron screamed in terror.

“Now, you two slowly step outside the door and wait for me out there,” Marco ordered them in a low, controlled voice.  “Move!” he shouted as they stood still, frozen in place.

The two backed away, as Marco kept his right hand in the air, pointing it alternately at one or the other.

“Ellersbine, get dressed, and bring my things to me,” Marco called over his shoulder, as he followed his two captives out into the hallway.

The three men stood in the hallway, just a few feet separating them, as Marco waited for the princess to appear.

“You like the girl?  You can have her,” the baron spoke, recollecting his wits.  “I’ll give her to you.  I could use someone like you on my payroll.”

“Here I am Marco,” a gentle voice called behind Marco.  “And here are your things; the boots still stink.”

Marco hastily pulled his boots on, and asked Ellersbine to strap his sword belt around his hips.  He put the sword in the scabbard, then pulled one sleeve of his shirt on, then the other, and as he tried to hastily pull his shirt up over his head, the Baron’s henchman dove at him.  Marco fell backwards into Ellersbine, and the three of them rolled together in a tangle on the floor.

Marco ripped his shirt free, saw that his attacker was on his right, and rolled over as he raised his left hand and pointed it at the man, causing another blaze of energy.  The man gasped momentarily, then collapsed.

The Baron was running down the hallway, shouting for help as he went.  Marco aimed at him as well, then raised his right hand and released a bright shot of energy at the brutal nobleman, striking him in the back, and sending him sprawling forward to lie still in the hallway.

“Are you okay?” Marco asked Ellersbine, twisting around to see her sitting on the floor.

"What will we do?" she asked.  "You killed the baron!"

"We'll leave," Marco said simply.  He took her hand and led her back to the servant’s staircase, then they slipped inside, unseen, and rapidly descended the steps until they reached the main floor of the castle.  They stood and listened for any sound from the other side of the doorway, which had been so boisterous when Marco had passed it on the way up.  There were only a few murmurs coming through the door.

"We'll walk out calmly like nothing’s wrong," Marco said.  "Can you find the way to the main gate from here?"

"I think so," Ellersbine answered uncertainly.  "I've not been out of my room very much since Argen left me here."

Marco squeezed her hand, then opened the door, and they stepped out into a large banquet room.  Maids were on ladders snuffing out the candles in the wall sconces, and a pair of apparently inebriated courtiers were sitting at one table talking to one another.  Marco reached around and circled his arm around Ellersbine’s shoulders.

"Hide your face so they don't recognize you," he whispered.

"And here I thought you were just being affectionate," she giggled nervously.

They paced sedately through the banquet hall and came to the wide open doors that led to the rest of the castle's space.

"Turn right," Marco heard her whisper, and their steps moved in that direction.

"There's a courtyard ahead and then the gate," Ellersbine advised.

They reached the door to the courtyard just as there was a loud shout from a window overhead.  "Close the gates!  The baron has been murdered!"

Marco and Ellersbine watched in annoyed disbelief as the guards at the gate pulled them shut.

"What now, Marco?" Ellersbine asked.

"We're getting out of here no matter what," Marco answered.  "Stand behind me and place your arms around my waist," he told her.  "Just stay with me and don't let go."

As she moved into position, Marco focused his concentration on the power in his hand, and a glowing nimbus flared up around them, protecting them from attack as Marco led the way across the yard to the gates.  Marco felt the princess tremble, he hoped not from any loss of the life force he shared with her.  Shouts sounded from the guards at the gate as well as from scattered windows above, and then an arrow struck the shield and bounced away.

The guards at the gate valiantly raised their swords in the face of the approaching apparition, but Marco engaged them in swordplay that quickly left both of them injured. With the guards out of the way, Marco moved to open the gates when a burst of sorcerer’s energy glanced off the side of his shield and struck the wooden gate, blasting a sizeable hole in the structure.  Marco and Ellersbine were knocked aside by the strike but not harmed.

Marco turned to look at the windows from which the sorcerer had thrown his attack.

"Thanks for the help!" he taunted the man, as he helped Ellersbine climb through the new opening, and then followed her out.

"You did it!  Just like that.  Again!” Ellersbine was ecstatic.

"We're not quite safe yet," Marco advised her.  He looked up at the bright moon that had risen, casting its illumination across the land.  They would be easy to follow.  "Let's go this way," he grabbed her hand and pulled her immediately off the roadway, into hiding in the weeds and tall grass nearby.